Spicks and Specks-tacular

On Thursday evening Lauren and I went to see Spicks and Specks live show. Spicks and Specks is a half hour comedy music quiz show where 2 teams compete against each other.

The ABC show is hosted by Adam Hills, an Australian comedian. The two teams are lead by Alan Brough and Myf Warhurst.

[Alan, Adam & Myf]

Spicks and Specs has become my favourite Australian show. Because it’s such a fun show to watch; the comedy that is generated by Adam, Alan and Myf and the celebrity guests is a hoot.

The live show was great. Instead of celebrity guests, the audience were the contestants. Adam, Alan and Myf also did some comedy segments that were quite funny. There was the Dirty Dancing segment, a Phil Collins piano/ballet duo and a Thriller video re-enactment. Adam Hills started off with a bit of comedy, talking to and poking fun at the audience.

Some of the favourite games from the show were part of the live show - Malvern Stars On 45, Substitute and Mondegreens (misunderstood song lyrics). In the live show, it was revealed that Myf only learned the real lyrics to the popular Men at Work song Down Under while doing a live show. It’s the following lyric:

Proper: Where women glow and men plunder

She along with myself always thought the lyric was:

Wrong: Where women blow and men plunder

Her reasoning was that she came from the country and that seemed like a perfectly normal thing to say.

It was a great hour and half of fun and comedy.

A Thursday night on the town
After the show finished, just after 8:30pm, we exited the Comedy Theatre to a very warm and still light Thursday night. So we decided to wonder the city. Our first stop was Container 8 or Section 8.

A container that houses a bar, in a side alley. Lauren and I both had a Lemon, Lime and Biters, very refreshing. We stood around talking in the busy bar area. We then headed to Swanston street and stopped of at another trendy bar – Cookie. But it was so busy; we waited about 10mins to get a drink and then decided to leave. We walked to Federation Square and had another drink at Transport bar, sitting outside on a very warm summer night.

Our evening ended with us walking along Birrung Mar to Jolimont Station to get the train. But it was not departing for 25 mins. So we walked up to the nearby 7-11 and each grabbed a packet of chips and sat at a nearby tram stop. We ate our chips while watching the traffic go by till our train was ready to depart.

It was great evening of Fun in the City.

Spicks and Specks links
Spicks and Specks-tacular (the live show webpage)

ABC Spicks and Specks (ABC homepage)

On a Life Vacation

Sorry for not posting to the blog over the past week or so. I have been in a life transition. I finished my 6 month contract at the University of Melbourne last Friday.

Prior to that I was doing 2 things - cleaning up loose ends at work and working out all the requirements for a visa application that needs to be submitted at the end of the month to extend my stay down under.

Police Run Around

I am now in life of leisure mode, but with responsibilites - the visa application. Over the past 3 days I have been contacting various police stations to get a finger print done for a police check back in Canada.

I have been getting the run around as to when to go to the police station. As different times are busy or the staff are not available to do finger printing. Finally a police officer told me to contact the Australian Federal Police and they would do it. I called them and the earliest I could get it done was 24th of January. But he was very polite and considerate and offered me an alternative, the Victoria Police station. I called them and they can do it on December 18th. So I have that booked in.

Next up was a health check, that was much easier; called and booked an appointment for next Monday.

So far the Visa process is slowly getting under way and with some hard work and determination it will be completed and ready to submit in 2 weeks time.

Back to the Vacation

Friday was my last day at Melbourne Uni. It was a busy day ending my 6 month tenure there, but I got a great send off with some excellent gifts and a lunch at the pub. We sat outside on the deck on a warm and sunny Friday afternoon. Everybody was a bit loose and ready to chill and relax for 2 hours before heading back to work for the final 2 hours before the weekend.

Lauren had taken the following Monday and Tuesday off so we had a 4 day long weekend.

Here are the highlights:

Saturday night walked/public transit it to the city on a very warm night. Had drinks at Federation Square over looking the river. Walked along Southbank and had a dessert at a pumping drinking hole.

Monday went for a 2 hour ride to St. Kilda, got rained on. Had a good brunch at a St.Kilda restaurant that's been there forever.

Tuesday my police problems started but it was a relaxed day with a night out at the MCG to attend the Engineering department Christmas party. Enjoyed a one hour tour of the MCG and then had a 3 course meal at one of the function rooms. Very impressive building, blows away the Skydome/Rogers Centre.

As I am no longer working now and it is the holiday season and also Summer down under, my Blog entries will not be as frequent. But I will try to post at least once a week, if not more.

2 days after the election

Ch - ch - ch - ch - changes

It’s been 2 days since the triumphant win of Kevin Rudd and the Labor party over John Howard and the Liberal coalition.

This is what has occurred over the past few days:

Bye Bye Mr. Costello
Prime Minister in waiting, former Treasurer Peter Costello has decided not to become the Liberal leader and exit out of politics for a life in the commercial business world.

Bye Bye Deputy PM
Former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Nationals party has also quit as the leader of the Nationals.

New Liberal leader candidates
Malcolm Turnbull (former environment minister), Peter Abbott (former health minister) and Brendan Nelson (former defense minister) have declared their intentions for the leadership of the Liberal party. Also possibly in the running may be Julia Bishop from Western Australia.

Unlike past leader John Howard, Malcolm Turnbull is all for ratifying Kyoto.

Kevin Rudd acting quickly
Only 2 and half days into the job and Kevin Rudd is already looking into the following:

• Ratifying the Kyoto protocol
• Saying “Sorry” to the Aboriginal people
• Abolishing Work Choices (through a Liberal Senate)
  
• Selecting a new Cabinet on Thursday
• Providing every secondary student with a PC

Former PM seat still not accounted for
The riding of Bennelong, to which former PM John Howard has held since 1974 is still not decided. The outcome is dependent on postal votes being counted. Results are not expected until Friday. But it is looking like a Labor win.

Commentary
The Liberal party needs to rebuild itself and provide a viable opposition in parliament. Hope to be able to connect with voters in the next election with a new leader and a new vision.

The Labor party has to come through with their promises and show that their union history will not interfere with business and economic polices .

Kevin Rudd – new Australian Prime Minister

The Labor party lead by Kevin Rudd has swept into power defeating the Liberal coalition led by John Howard.

At 11:02pm Kevin Rudd addressed the nation as the new Prime Minister of Australia. Thanking John Howard for his service, outlining the plans for the next 3 years and thanking all who supported him (a long list).

After 11 and half years of a Liberal coalition government, the Labor party has come into power on the popularity of Kevin Rudd and a year long movement of change by the Australian people.

Some seats are still to be decided, including the seat of former Prime Minister John Howard. But it looks like of the 150 seats in parliament it breaks down like this:

Labor: 84
Liberal Coalition: 58
Independent: 2
Too close to call: 6

I will write in the next day or two on the final outcome of this election as all the ballots are counted and decisions are made for the future by both the Labor and Liberal party. It will be interesting days ahead, especially for the Liberal party as they decide on a new leader.

Election Polls and Cheap Airfares

The Polls – Mixed Results

One day before the federal election and polling is inconsistent. Three polling results have been released today and they are all over the place.

A Galaxy poll is showing a primary vote for Labor with 52% and 48% for the Liberal coalition. Where as a Nielson/Fairfax poll, is showing 57% for Labor versus 43% for the coalition. Finally a telephone poll has found 45.5% of the vote for Liberal collation and 54.5% for Labor.

Labor needs to unseat 16 Liberal seats to win the election. That would require a massive change to the electorate. But all year polling has been favouring Labor and all through the election.

“Polling in 22 marginal Coalition seats found only a 5.2 swing to Labor. That would still see Labor win - but only just. "This suggests an ALP gain of between 14 and 20 seats even with the likelihood of Labor losing a seat in Western Australia.”

Now that it’s down to the wire, it’s up to the people of Australia to decide.

What mood are they in ?
In the mood for change or content with the existing government of the past 11 and half years?

It’s a very divided electorate. Tomorrow night we will know the outcome.

Tiger Airways, a new low cost alternative

Tiger Airways a subsidiary of Singapore airlines and RyanAir have entered the Australian domestic market with low cost air fares. The prices range from $40 to $200. But if booked in advance you can get flights in the range of $40 – $90.

Today was the launch of the Australian service and to celebrate Tiger announced a one day sale of 75,000 tickets for $19.95. I snapped up a flight for 2 to Adelaide in March for $80 return. A deal considering that the petrol for a car would be 3-4 times the cost.

Australia already has 2 low cost carries in Virgin Blue and Jet Star, a Qantas subsidiary. Tiger has said they are here to compete and offer Australians a low-cost alternative. I personally welcome their arrival to Australia and have already booked two flights with them. The first one in January to the Sunshine Coast and another one today to Adelaide. In both cases I have had reaped huge savings compared to the alternatives. But both flights were purchased on special deals. I will wait and see what prices are like going forward.

But the introduction of Tiger has created price wars between Tiger and Jet Star. There have been $9 fares offered by both airlines. This week Jet Star offered 5 cent fares. But it was limited to 5000 tickets and limited destinations.

With the backing of Singapore airlines and RyanAir, Tiger is here to compete and also make a profit. I look forward to the competition this creates. The winner in this is the Australian flyer.

When I have my first flight in January, I will write about my experience with Tiger Airways.

A change in government ?

Are Australians coming out of their slumber ?
On Saturday November 24th 2007, Australians go to the polls to choose a federal government. According to the polls it looks like Labor will upset the Liberal collation to win. But anything can happen between now and Saturday. For the past 11 years John Howard has been the Prime Minister. I don’t expect it will be an easy election to win for either party and it will be a close call that could go either way.

Probably for the first time in Howard’s 11 year tenure he has a real challenger in Labor leader Kevin Rudd. The Australian people have finally woken up from their slumber and are interested in politics again. During Howard’s reign many people were content to stay away from politics and “enjoy the fruits of the economic boom and leave the running of the country to Howard for most of that time.”

But now people have re-engaged politically and want to “redress issues of equity and morality, and to push for more active policies to deal with their concerns over climate change.”

The Two Leaders – Rudd and Howard

It looks like the Labor party can finally be taken serious and the main reason behind that is Kevin Rudd. Kevin Rudd is different from previous Labor leaders and the PM. He’s much younger than the PM and looks like a nerd with glasses. But over the past year he has exuded a certain “je ne sais quoi”. School children, especially girls scream and rush for him. Young adults wear Kevin07 logos on their T-shirts and dresses. He provides an alternative to the older John Howard, even though many of his economic/tax policies mirror the Liberal collation. Compared to Howard he is concerned about climate change and talks about the future of Australia and all it’s people in a compassionate way. He talks about Australia in a global sense and aims to ensure Australia is ready to compete in a global way.

As for John Howard he turned 68 this year and is the 2nd longest serving PM. His main attributes have been his conviction, self-belief and cunning. He is also the master at "Plausible Deniability" and can dismiss anything he does not want to talk about. If Howard wins the election he will leave office 18-24 months into his term and pass the touch to the Treasurer/Finance minister – Peter Costello. Does any of this sound familiar my fellow Canadian readers ? Howard has not talked about the future and seems to only be concerned about the economy.

What sets these 2 parties apart, let’s have a look:

The issues
The top issues for many people and both parties are the economy, climate change, work choices, education, health, national security and the troops in the Iraq war.

What does Labor stand for ?
The areas where Labor differs from Liberals are in climate change, work choices and education. Kevin Rudd and the Labor government are committed to policies for climate change (emission targets, clean and renewable energy), including ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Abolishing Work Choices is another priority and establishing a high-speed broadband network across the country as part of their education revolution.

What does Liberal collation stand for ?
Where as the Liberals, have been preaching the economy is their strength. They are the ones who can best manage the economy and guarantee low interest rates. They are using past Labor governments and high interest rates as an example of how Labor will “stuff our economy” in television ads. As a government that preaches about the economy they are promising lower taxes and tax rebates. As for other areas I am not too sure, all I hear is the economy. I know they have an education plan for more technical colleges. They implemented Work Choices, so no change there. As for the environment, they won’t ratify Kyoto. But they are concerned about the environment, once countries like India and China set emission targets.

The Outlook
As I stated earlier it’s going to be a close election. All through the campaign Labor has been leading the polls. But within the past week the gap between the 2 parties have narrowed substantially.

There are many people out there who are content with the current Liberal (Howard) government and will vote to keep it the same.

At the same time there are people who are concerned with the environment/climate change, work choices, education and the future of Australia and will vote for Labor.

Commentary
When I hear John Howard speak I hear an arrogant man and government. Their main concern is only the economy and make sure it’s growing. I find that he is out of touch with real people and has no ideas for the future of Australia.

I personally want Kevin Rudd and the Labor party to win this election. When I hear Kevin Rudd speak, he makes me believe in a better Australia. A government with compassion and integrity, that isn’t only concerned about the economy but people.

Regardless of the outcome, the days leading to and the night of the election will be interesting. There are people that want a change and those ok with the status quo. One good thing is people are talking about and concerned about the future of Australia.

A cinematic experience:

Blade Runner: The Final Cut
2007 marks the 25th anniversary of the movie Blade Runner. For this occasion Warner Brother has released a version of the film called Blade Runner: The Final Cut. It has been showing in North America in limited release across the continent. It made it to Melbourne this past weekend and on Saturday I took in a screening at the Astor theatre. It was projected using a digital projector at 4K resolution. The projector was brought in special for this showing of Blade Runner.Over the past 25 years Blade Runner has garnered cult status as being one of the most influential films of modern time. Initially when Blade Runner was released it was a flop both commercially and critically. When the film was released in 1982, it was not what film maker, Ridley Scott intended. It was changed from the director’s view to make it more accessible to the audience with voiceovers and a happy ending.

In the early 90’s Warner Bros. released Blade Runner as a Director’s cut because of increased interest in the film. This director cut was not really the director’s cut as he had little involvement in it. But it changed quite a few things that annoyed him. The voice-over was removed, being the big change.

In 2000 there was a movement towards a real director’s cut, but because of legal issues it didn’t resolve itself for a few years. Finally when all the legal obstacles were cleared work began to create a release to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

A lot of work was done cleaning up the film removing dust, scratches and other defects. The film was scanned at 4K resolution and colour-timed to Ridley’s specifications. As for the changes Ridley Scott made, it’s not that different from the Director’s cut from 1992.

Changes were made to make the film complete. Small edits were made to make the film flow smoothly. As well as fixing numerous continuity errors and adding scenes to flesh out the story or atmosphere of the movie. Lots of small digital enhancements, effects and changes were made to fix problems with the original production and continuity issues. As well the audio was remixed to make use of current surround sound technology. The changes do not change the film in any way and add to the overall authenticity to the film.

I was 5 years old when Blade Runner was initially released and 15 when the Director cut was released on VHS and a limited theatrical showing. I was never a big fan of Blade Runner. I always thought it was a cool movie for it’s time. But had already seen and experienced movies that were influenced by it. But I am glad I got to see it on the big screen at a theatre in such a good condition. The film will never look as good as it did on the digital projector at 4K resolution I saw. It was quite amazing; it looked like a modern film. I am glad I saw one of the iconic films of the 20th century at the cinema and not on a 27” square television.

This definitive version of Blade Runner will be released on DVD and Blu-ray(1080P High-Definition) on December 18/19, 2007.

Howard Spoof and Melb. Blogs

John Howard pimps his campaign
To get a view into some of the issues facing the 2007 federal election, have a look at this video spoofing John Howard:



Melbourne Blogs
If you are contemplating visiting Melbourne; the best place to get info on places to eat or visit are blogs, check out the following blogs:

The Breakfast Blog
Need a yummy breakfast, check out the Breakfast Blog and aim for a rating of 19/20. No place has ever received 20/20.

Tomato
Looking for a place to eat or other items to consume - drinks and sweets.

The Melbourne Coffee Review
Melbouranian's love their coffee. They have their own special names and type of coffee. Check out the best places in Melbourne to drink a cup of coffee.

Melbourne Today
See a different picture each day of Melbourne. You never know what you will see.

Melbourne Buildings
A site with pictures and history of significant buildings in Melbourne.

Aussie Customs

Being in Australia for close to a year now; I have observed or inferred the following Australian customs or cultural practices.

Common foods (fast food or pub food)

Meat Pie

Sausage roll

Sausage sizzle – sausage served with onions (optional), on a piece of white bread, with the bread folded up to create a bun. You can also add tomato sauce (ketchup).

Sausage sizzles are very popular during summer to eat or serve for fund raisers or at social events like lawn bowling.

Sausages on their own (Snags) are popular BBQ items to eat during summer.

Kebabs – Lamb kebabs served in pita bread or Turkish bread is very popular. I would say the 2nd most popular after a tie for first for meat pie and sausages. You can also get chicken or beef (Steak) kebabs.

Sushi – Take away Sushi is very popular here, especially with the young people. It is not uncommon to see young people walking down the street or on the bus eating Sushi out of clear plastic containers.

Fish and Chips are very common in Australia. Many neighborhoods have their own Fish and Chips restaurants.

Chicken Parma or Chook Parma – is a chicken schnitzel or huge chicken breast breaded with tomato sauce, pieces of ham and melted cheese on top of it.

It is a very common dish at pubs. Many pubs will designate a cheap parma night or Beer and Parma for a reduced price. Usually comes with chips and salad.

Drinks

Cordial (a sweet liquid) is a very popular drink here in Oz. Your pour a cap full or splash into a glass of water or soda water.

Milo is popular chocolate drink, described as malted chocolate drink. It was developed in Sydney in 1934. Milo is also very popular in the Caribbean and in Asian countries.

Beer – When ordering beer at a pub or bar and you want a small glass ask for a pot and for the largest ask for a pint. Valid for the state of Victoria, other states have their own naming conventions.

Social Customs

The 21^st Birthday seems to be a very important age to celebrate, becoming an adult ? People will have big parties or celebrate in a special way with large groups of people – family and friends.

For regular Birthdays or other significant occasions, a lot of people will celebrate at Bar/Pub/Funky bar. You invite all your friends/family, say join me for a drink. Those who show up share in your special occasion.

Clothing/Footwear

Singlet
Is basically a T-shirt without arms and less material around the shoulders and upper chest, worn by men during summer time.

Thongs
Thongs or flip flops to North Americans are plastic rubbery slippers. Many people will wear this in summer time both men and women.

Words/Slang

Mate
It’s common to refer to both males and females as mate.
Examples: Thanks mate, See you mate, Cheers mate.

Ta
Ta is thanks. It is more common to hear Ta than thanks.

A spring weekend in Melbourne

The weather has been warming up and on the weekend we decided to take advantage of it. On Saturday it was 26 degrees, we went for a bike ride along the beaches of Melbourne’s southern suburbs. We took our bikes on the train into the city to Flinders’ Street station and then transferred trains to take us to Brighton Beach. This is south east of the centre of the city.
As we rode about 11km from Brighton Beach to the Port of Melbourne we rode through different areas. At times there could be beach on one side and road on the other. Or beach and green park lands, restaurants and lavish houses that look like they could be in Miami or Beverly Hills. Not only were there beaches for people, but also beaches for dogs and their owners.
On the beach people could be seen sun-bathing, reading, sleeping, flying a kite or in the water cooling off. Further on the horizon you could see sailboats out for a leisurely sail or racing with other sailboats.

As I was riding and taking in all the sites, I was enjoying the sun and the warmth. I was amazed that I was doing this in November and that there was no icky humidity.

After our ride we headed to a park to meet up with some friends and enjoyed the afternoon sitting out in the sun, having lunch and talking. It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The Melbourne Cup

On the first Tuesday of November, The Melbourne Cup is held. It is billed as The race that stops a nation. In the city of Melbourne, it is a holiday, but not one that is recognized by all organizations. I had to work today, as Universities are open.

The Melbourne Cup is the culmination of the spring racing carnival. It is a marquee event that attracts over 100,000 people to Flemington Racecourse. Two big things that occur on this day are betting and dressing up.

About 80% of the Australia population will place a bet on the race. Either through proper betting organization or through home or workplace “sweeps”. In the workplace sweep, you place a small wager anywhere from $2 - $5 and draw a horse randomly like a raffle.

If you are lucky to attend the race it is a time to dress up. For men it is custom to wear a suit. For women it’s all about the dress and the hat. The hat is the focal point of the entire look.As for the race itself; 24 horses scheduled (3 years and older) race a distance of 3200 metre’s (or almost 2 miles) at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. The winning owner receives 5 million dollars. The first race took place in 1861, at that time the winnings was 170 British pounds and a gold watch.

The reason it is called the race that stops a nation is that no matter if you are working or not, at 3pm you will stop for 5 mins to watch the race, if you have access to a TV.

The 2007 Melbourne Cup

The winner of this year’s Melbourne Cup was #6 Efficient, ridden by Michael Rodd at 15-1 odds. In second place was Purple Moon and in third Mahler.

21 horses ran for the cup with 3 scratches earlier in the day. Master O’Reilly had been favoured to win, along with Purple Moon and Zipping.

I took in the race with other University colleagues’ watching on a projector. I also entered into the office sweeps. I got the last horse on the $5 sweep, #24 Mahler. I have tripled my money, with a 3rd place finish.

Over 120,000 people attended the Melbourne cup this year and for the rich and famous it’s all about shoomizing and being seen. Various companies or parties have their tents (similar to Oscar parties) where people can visit, mingle, eat and drink. For the rest of people there is a segment of the crowd that wants to be noticed. They dress-up in loud colours and bold costumes.

Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD

Today’s blog entry is on the 2 (Blu-ray and HD-DVD) competing High-Definition formats vying to replace DVD. If you are not into technology or audio/video standards you may not even be aware of these 2 formats. So far both standards have attracted the niche uses or early adopters. Intent on having the highest quality these “early adopters” are the first people to embrace new technology. Because there are 2 formats, it has created a situation where people (average consumers) who are aware of them are not budging until one format is the winner. They do not want to buy hardware/software that is obsolete (ie. Betamax vs VHS).

A brief history of past formats - VHS, DVD and Television

When DVD came out 10 years ago it increased the resolution you saw on VHS 200 - 230lines (330 x 480) to 400 – 500 lines (720 x 480) for DVD. It provided a big step in quality, sharpness and colour reproduction.

At the same time DVD came out there was movement towards Hi-Definition TV. Standard analogue broadcasts were 330 lines (440 x 480) resolution range.

High-Definition increased picture quality to 720 – 1080 lines. Also changing was the format of the TV to a widescreen format, also known as 16:9 aspect ratio.

Over the past 7 years high-definition TV has been gaining ground as televisions sold became capable of accepting and showing higher resolutions and cheaper to buy.

The next DVD format

Back in 2002 there was work towards a high resolution format/player that would succeed DVD. In 2005 the technology had advanced to the point it became viable to implement. But there was a split between 2 companies – Toshiba and Sony. To spare you all the details, 2 competing products emerged: HD-DVD (supported by Toshiba/NEC/Microsoft) and Blu-ray (supported by Sony/Panasonic/Samsung/Pioneer/Sharp/Hitachi/LG).The first HD-DVD player from Toshiba and accompanying HD-DVD titles were released on April 18, 2006 in North America.

In June 2006 the first Blu-ray player from Samsung and accompanying Blu-ray titles were released.

HD-DVD beat Blu-ray by 2 months. And for the past 18 months there has been a format war between the 2 formats.

Technology (Interactive Features)

These players are capable of displaying 1080 lines of resolution (1920 x 1080) and advanced interactive features. As well as being backward compatible with DVD. They each have different methods and technology for implementing high-definition picture and interactive features. But I will not go into the technology.

HD-DVD and Blu-ray both have advanced capabilities like PIP (Picture in Picture). The ability to have a 2nd video/audio stream (a window on top of the movie) and show things like video commentary from the director or how special effects were done while the movie is playing.

Other advanced features include accessing a menu while the movie is playing, no longer having to exit the movie to go into special features, select a scene or adjust audio functions. Another feature is pop-up windows displayed during the movie, with facts and information. The technology also allows games to be played that have themes similar to the movie.

Side-note:Blu-ray has only started implementing the hardware to do PIP functionality as of Oct 31^st, 2007. Only one player released on Nov 6^th is capable of this function. Because of this no Blu-ray disc has had this function, expect for a select few which used other technical methods to achieve this. But new players announced after Oct 31. will be capable of this. Where as HD-DVD has had the hardware and capability to do PIP from day one.

Software Rules!

Different movie studio’s support different formats and there is only 1 studio that supports both. Here is the break down:

HD-DVD
Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks studio’s exclusively support HD-DVD

Blu-ray
Sony, Disney, Fox/MGM, and Lionsgate exclusively support Blu-ray

HD-DVD and Blu-ray
Warner Brothers and its subsidiary New Line Cinema releases in both formats.

Software sales

For the past 9 months Blu-ray has held a 2:1 sales advantage over HD-DVD. Despite having players that are more expensive than HD-DVD.

Pricing

In the United States particularly, Toshiba has been pricing their player much lower than Blu-ray. Being the only manufacture and main supporter of HD-DVD it’s their prerogative to do so. Currently in the states you can get a player for as low as $198. Some sales of older hardware are selling for $98 (but only for a short time, Nov 2-4, 2007). On the Blu-ray side the cheapest you can get a Blu-ray player for is $400.

Toshiba has been consistently lowering their prices where as the Blu-ray members have started high $1000 and slowly come down to $400-500 range.

Final Thoughts

I have been following this “format war” for the past year and a half. It’s starting to get a bit tiring following it. There are 2 groups, each who really believe in their format and want it to win. I personally want Blu-ray to win because of some of the technical issues and the fact it has 5 studios, 4 exclusively supporting Blu-ray.

My main concern is that neither format succeeds and it turns into a niche product. Most people think DVD is high definition or is good enough. Also most people don’t even have high definition TVs to take advantage of Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

As someone who has enjoyed the big screen aspect of home theatre, I definitely want to experience High-Definition movies at home.

The problem may be that DVD was to successful for its own good. When it reached mass consumption, it drove down the prices for hardware and software. You can now go into to a Walmart or Kmart and pick up a DVD player for $40 and DVD movies (not brand new, but not too old either) for $5-20 dollars.

If people are not perceiving an improved product with high definition media, because their TV cannot display it or they think DVD is high definition, why are they going to spend hundred of dollars on a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player and $30-40 for movies ?

The dilemma that both hardware and movie studio’s face is that they want to start a new revenue steam because prices for DVD players/software have plateau.

The only way around it I see, is education by both the hardware companies and the movie studios. They need to differentiate it from DVD. But before that happens one format needs to win and then I can see a possible future for High-Definition media.

Halloween and Health Minister

In today’s posting I want to talk about 2 issues - Halloween and the Health Minister.

Halloween in Oz

Yesterday was Halloween; Halloween is not part of Australian culture. But because of the influence of American television, movies and the Internet children want to take part in it. Yesterday on the morning radio shows, many adults were very anti-Halloween. Saying it was an American tradition and not Aussie. Today on the radio morning program there were many parents calling in and saying their children were getting doors slammed in their face. Children go Trick or Treating and target any house. Because it is not a tradition in Oz that have not adopted the Jack-o-Lantern rule we have in Canada. Where a Jack-o-Lantern or even lights turned on, signal that a house is accepting of Trick or Treaters.

As Halloween gains more popularity in Australia I think this should be adopted. I don’t think this time of year is pumpkin season in Oz. Just even turning the lights on and having a decoration on the door would do. This would make it easier for Trick or Treaters and not have so many unhappy children. I may pose this to the Mayor’s of Melbourne and its suburbs.

Federal Health Minister – A disgrace

Right now the campaign for a Federal election is on. Yesterday was not a very good day for the Health Minister – Tony Abbott. It was a “bad day” that included 2 apologies for mistakes he made. First he had to apologize both personally and publicly to a terminally-ill asbestos campaigner, Bernie Banton. In a public outburst the Health Minister suggested he was not “pure of heart”. Mr. Banton has been petitioning for the inclusion of a drug (Mesotheliomia) to be put on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.

Then he had to apologize for arriving 35 minutes late for a health debate with Labor’s health spokeswoman Nicola Roxon. At the end of the debate there was a terse exchange between the two as they shook hands. Ms. Roxon stated – you could have been here on time if you really wanted to. Mr. Abbott’s reply was “That’s bullshit. You’re being deliberately unpleasant. I suppose you can’t help yourself, can you ?”

Mr. Abbot did not apologize for “That’s bullshit” comment and later stated you can say that to someone and still have respect for them and the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) used that word all the time.

I was very angered at the Health Minister’s demeanour and actions yesterday. He seems very arrogant and out of touch with how to treat people. Coming from Canada, the country that always say “excuse me or sorry” it was a shock to me that a politician act this way.

Although Canadian politicians are not always kind to other politicians I can’t seem to recall in recent memory that kind of behaviour especially to constituents.

This is a different country than Canada, a country where men are men. They act tough, blokey and swear. Not all of them; see Labor leader Kevin Rudd and his team. Maybe that’s why they(Labor party) won’t get elected. They seem too intellectual, calm and reserved. No Aussie charisma! I hope that’s not the case. The people of Australia deserve better than a Liberal/Howard government. Even if they don’t know it and stick with what they know because they feel “ok and comfortable”.

Australian Music

Last night the ARIA’s (Australian Record Industry Association) took place. This is the Australian equivalent to the Grammy’s (US) and Juno’s (Canada).

The big winners of the night were Silverchair winning 5 awards - Best Group, Best Rock Album, Single of the Year, Album of the Year and Highest Selling Single.

Living in Australia I have been exposed to music that I would not be exposed to living in Canada.

Over the course of the year I have heard the following Australian artists/groups you may or may not have heard of:

• Silverchair
  
• John Butler Trio
• Powder Finger
• Eskimo Joe
• Sneaky Sound System
• Evermore*
• Missy Higgins
• Ben Lee
• Delta Goodrem
• The Veronica’s
• Wolfmother
• Bernard Fanning
• Rogue Traders
• Sarah Blasko
• Kylie Minogue
• Jet
• Shannon Noll
• Anthony Callea
• Ricki Lee
• Guy Sebastian

Some standouts for me are The John Butler Trio and Eskimo Joe. I highly recommend listening to these 2 groups.

It makes me think what new Canadian music and artists I have missed out on hearing during 2007.

*Evermore is a New Zealand group. But because of the closeness to Oz they have lots of air play on Australian radio and have been nominated for ARIA’s.

Gay marriage – Australia, a country behind the times

Earlier this week Labour leader Kevin Rudd stated he would not support same sex marriage. This surprised me because Australia has quite a large gay population. I also thought that Kevin Rudd was a more progressive leader than Prime Minister John Howard.

I don’t know if Kevin Rudd does not support same sex marriages because he personally does not believe in it. Or because he is trying to get elected and feels the Australian people are not ready for such a radical change.

When you compare Australia to similar countries - western and commonwealth (UK, New Zealand and Canada) you can see a difference in same sex polices. Both Canada and the UK passed laws allowing same-sex marriage in 2005. While New Zealand passed controversial legislation to recognize civil unions between gay couples in 2004.

Compare this to Australia in 2004; Australian Prime Minister John Howard banned gay marriage. He inserted a definition into the marriage act stating that only a man and a woman can be married in Australia.

What is different between the UK, Canada and New Zealand versus Australia ?

I haven’t lived here long to know really, but are some thoughts.

This is a society that because of its heritage and location is a very protectionist and conservative society.

There is also a segment of this society both old and young (I hope the older more than younger generation) that is very prejudiced and holds assimilationist view towards outsiders. Some say that Prime Minister John Howard and his government policies have favoured these views as well for the past 11 years.

It’s going to take some time for these attitudes towards gay marriage to change. But no matter how far away Australia is from other parts of world, the rest of the world is going to continue to evolve and change. The global village of television, movies and the Internet opens the world to Australia. No doubt Australia will be exposed to the social and cultural changes of the world.

The one thing working in favour of Australia is the younger generation. Many young people have friends that are gay and views that are socially progressive. The future of Australia lies in its young people and that is a very encouraging sign for its future.

Trams, Cars and Speed

Within the past month there have been 3 tram collisions (2 trams colliding into each other). The latest happening this morning, with 6 people injured. The reasons Yarra Trams chief executive gave were pressure on drivers. Drivers driving 22.5 million kilometres a year in mixed traffic.

Since 2004 there have been 63 tram collisions with a high of 23 in 2004/2005. In all my years of living in Toronto I have not heard about streetcars colliding into each other. I have seen many accidents with cars/bikes running into streetcars or the other way around. It really boggles my mind why 2 trams would collide into each other.

I can understand the first tram braking or stoping to not hit a car or interfere with traffic. But how close is the 2^nd tram to the first ?

I really believe it comes down to speed. There have been numerous times I have been on a tram and been flung about when a tram brakes suddenly.

I believe that road speed is a real issue here in Australia and it concerns me. I see cars speeding in the 60 – 80KM range in a 40-50 speed zone area. In my local neighbourhood there is a shopping strip filled with parked cars and people. Many times I have seen cars pulling out of a parking spot and flooring the gas pedal.

In my time here I heard of many accidents and deaths because of speeding and alcohol issues.

What is it about speed that is so ingrained into the Aussie culture? I believe it is only limited to the younger generation, 16 – 35 year olds. This is a nation that loves sport and since I have been here I have seen more car racing sporting programs than I ever did in Canada.

Is it because they are so far away and have lots of open spaces? Is it the bloky nature of Aussie boys who love their toys – cars. Tweaking it, customizing it and racing it.

I don’t know. But it seems compared to Canada they haven’t gotten the notion that speed and alcohol kills.

I remember going to a work party back in Toronto and everybody knew they were going to drink that night. Everybody decided to take a taxi or have designated drivers when leaving at the end of the night to go home.

What will it take for a society to change their habits? More accidents and deaths.

The Worm – Decides the next PM of Australia ?

A federal election has been called and last night the first and most likely only debate between the 2 leaders took place.

What made it interesting to watch was the “worm” that was displayed under each leader as they talked. The worm is a computer generated graph that shows a positive or negative reaction based on a group of 90 “un-committed voters” who were watching and registering their responses. Because the line moves up and down based on positive or negative reaction it looks like a worm moving, hence the name.

There has been some controversy over the worm. The incumbent Prime Minister, Liberal leader John Howard did not want the worm. While the opposing Labour leader Kevin Rudd was in favour of it.

The channel that uses the worm, Channel 9 had its feed pulled half-way through the 90-minute live coverage and had to switch to two back up feeds. Channel 9 has accused the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC is the equivalent of CBC) and National Press Club of pulling the feed on behalf of the Liberal party because the network was using “the worm” in its coverage.

After the debate, the results of the worm were 65 % in favour of Kevin Rudd, 29 % for John Howard and 6 % undecided.

The worm did not favour the Prime Minister and it has not done so in the past 2 elections. I can see why the Prime Minister is not in favour of it.

But he has won both the previous elections. The worm is not a telling indicator. It is only based on 90 people’s reactions. With 5 weeks to go a lot can change.

I hope it doesn’t, although only a visitor to this country I want Kevin Rudd to win. Although the polls are favouring Kevin Rudd at the moment, it could easily swing to Howard’s side on election day. What’s the saying go with the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

Note for Canadian readers:
Liberal party in Australia is right-winged (some say far-right party). Where as Labour is a left-winged/centrist party.

Television in Oz

September/October is the time of year when the new TV season starts in North America. It’s back to school and change of weather from hot to cold. But here in Oz it’s the start of spring. A lot of shows start in February and run till May/June. Other programs start mid year and finish up before the start of summer down under, December.

With the rise of Internet downloading of television program’s some shows that would normally start next February have started in October here. Also new shows have aired a week later as well. One station calls it Fast Tracked, another calls it Streamed Direct.

Because the world is becoming a smaller place because of the Internet. It has forced the networks down under to air television programs as soon as it is aired in North America.

But they have only done so for a few of the shows. The following shows are now showing a week after they air in North America:

• Heroes
• Bionic Woman (New)
• Prison Break
• Life (New)
• Californication (New)

Other shows like CSI, Desperate Housewives, How I Meet your Mother and Scrubs will air next year February. Along with all the other popular shows (NCIS, Numbers, Law & Order etc.)

I like the Australian model of airing the shows in one go of continuous showing. No repeats or breaks due to a 4-5 month showing, versus the 8 month period in North America with holidays or TV rating schedules (sweep months) also factoring when to air programs.

But it also means waiting and getting it after it is shown in North America. I can understand the downloading phenomena of instant gratification.

There is a segment of the population who like to watch shows in one go and will wait for the DVDs to come out and watch an entire season in a couple of days. No waiting for 8 months to know the outcome. But you have to be vigilant and wait for the DVD’s to come out after it has aired on television. That can be another 3 – 6 months wait. Many people say it is worth it for the pleasure to watch commercial free and an entire season at your leisure.

Volunteering (a day in the life of …)

On Wednesday afternoon’s from 5 – 7pm I volunteer at the Fitzroy Computer Clubhouse, which is part of the Fitzroy Learning network. The Fitzroy Learning network is a community based neighbourhood program where people from diverse backgrounds can get assistance with education and social/life skills. They assist new immigrants/refuges that need a helping hand. Often this is the first place people can get ESL lessons, information and support.

The Computer Clubhouse is modelled on the computer clubhouse established in 1993 in Boston. There are now over 100 computer clubhouses around the world. Their goal is to provide a creative and safe after-school environment for young people from under-served communities. Working with mentors, children/teens between 8-16 years explore and develop their ideas through the use of computers and technology.

I have been a mentor for the past 2 and half months. At times it has been a trying experience because not a lot of the kids want to do projects. A lot of times they want to play games or use the Internet. As a mentor you are only there to help them and cannot force them to do something they do no want to do.

Yesterday we had a situation where the clubhouse had to be closed an hour early. An incident occurred where 3 girls took a boy’s brand new shoes and threw it up a tree and when it fell back to the ground the back of the shoe split open. After that happened the boy came back to the clubhouse and tried to get the girls bag and punched the white board. Then a mob mentality occurred with boys and girls ganging up and chasing each other. At that point the Club House coordinator decided it was not a safe environment and closed the clubhouse an hour early.

All this happened unbeknownst to me. I was helping a girl with her website. I only realized what was happening after the clubhouse coordinator was chasing the boy who came back into the clubhouse.

After the clubhouse was closed we sat with the refugee support co-ordinator and discussed what happened and the implications and future actions. It was determined clubhouse is a privilege for the members and that punishment would have to given to the girls who damaged the shoes (suspended for a period of time, before allowed back to the clubhouse). Also the clubhouse would be closed the next day until both parties had time to talk about the problem and it was addressed to all members, as the gang/vigilante like behaviour was not accepted. Also it was determined the kids would no longer be able to leave the clubhouse, play in the park and come back to clubhouse. They either have to stay in the clubhouse or if they leave they cannot come back. Finally the boy needed to be talked to as well. Even though he was wronged, he shouldn’t have tried to take the girls items or damage property. As well as create this gang of boys chasing the girls. He is one of the leaders in the group of young children and needs to understand his role and what is expected of him.

The club house coordinator was a bit shaken up. For me it was learning experience of what children can be like and the discipline needed to address such a situation.

Later that evening as I was trying to fall asleep I felt sorry for the boy. The shoes were a pair of $120 shoes. Hearing from the support coordinator the shoes would have been an expensive item for his family to purchase. The boy would have felt this and I’m sure it would be hard for him to go home and tell his family what happened.

It made me think how children can be so cruel at times. Also we live in a time of unprecedented consumerism and materialism. I’m sure it must be hard for parents of meager means with children to accommodate their desire of items like shoes/clothing and all the accessories and toys children want.

Melbourne City Romp

On Sunday 14^th October I participated in the Melbourne City Romp. It’s described as part tressure hunt, part amazing race and part puzzle. In teams of 2 – 6 people you walk or public transport it (no running) around the city. When you find the checkpoint you receive a random question/challenge. The challenge is described as using a mix of “observation, brain power and teamwork”. The tag line for the event is “think you know Melbourne…?”

It was put together by the City of Melbourne in conjunction with the Victorian government and Yarra Trams Melbourne. The money raised going towards the Burnet Institute. The Burnet Institute is the leading infectious diseases, immunology, cancer and public health institute in Australia.

I was interested in doing this and put together a team of myself and 4 other people. I was the team captain and our team name was Navman’s Navigators.

To answer questions and challenges you have to use your mobile phone to text the question code and answer. You are given a choice of 5 possible answers.

For 4 hours we went all over the city using our feet and the trams. For a lot of the challenges we had to use our eyes and find things like pictures, patterns, number of steps, number of wheels, number of lions in statues, reading plagues and finding the right answer.

It was a lot of fun, the weather was perfect temperature and at the end of the 4 hours our bodies and especially feet were very tired.

Looking back at my motives yesterday it was for points and to win. But maybe I should have slowed down and enjoyed it some more. See some of the iconic places in Melbourne that were open to us, such as the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). It was a team effort/game and all of us were very excited and competitive.

Maybe next year if we all play again we will take a different approach. Or maybe not, because it is so much fun and the competitive nature takes over.