Archive for May, 2006
A few nights ago I had a very strange dream. The owners of 2CC and 2CA decided to sell the stations, and they appeared on the TV news to announce the new owner, who turned out to be the new voiceover woman on 2CA (it’s nearly half a year now…nearly time to drop the “new”). She promptly moved the 2CA and 2CC studios to a strange “H” shaped building on a flat section half way up Mount Ainslie. The “H” shape is vertical, not horizontal.
The transmitters were then moved to the top of Mount Ainslie, and produced lightning, which apparently helped to improve the signal (which seems strange considering that lightning usually causes interference on AM signals) so much that 2CC and 2CA could be heard worldwide.
The dream continued to get stranger when the announcers of both stations started painting the building, and encouraging listeners to help out as part of a contest where the best painter would get to live in the “H” building for a week. Mike Frame ran his show from the roof of the “H” building where he spent most of his show singing whilst painting.
The odd thing is that everybody was trying to paint the building with white paint but the lightning was causing rain (according to the weather reports on 2CC in the dream), and the rain kept washing the paint away. On second thoughts, that wasn’t the only odd thing about this dream.
Samuel
May 18th, 2006 at 10:04am
Now that Samuel’s Persiflage has had a bit more than a day at the top of the page, on with the blog…and as for the footy tips, well it had to happen eventually, I had a good weekend. I had my highest score for the year in the NRL, and had a gain in the AFL, with my weekly total being equal higest for the year. The running totals also went up.
AFL Round 7: 4/8 (50%)
NRL Round 10: 5/7 (71.43%)
Week Total: 9/15 (60%)
Totals:
AFL: 26/56 (46.43%)
NRL: 32/70 (45.71%)
Total: 58/126 (46.03%)
Samuel
May 18th, 2006 at 07:54am
Samuel’s Persiflage Episode Number Five is now online. There is also a low quality version for the bandwidth impaired here.
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This month’s Persiflage Puzzle has five words of four, five, three, three and six letters respectively.
After welcoming everybody and getting the Persiflage Puzzle underway, it is time to bring in the guest for this episode, Margaret Phillips, Director of Digital Archiving at the National Library of Australia. We spend some time talking about the National Library’s role and some of the varied and interesting functions it performs, as well as debunking a few minor myths about it.
We take a break from the interview for the feedback segment. All listeners are invited to send in more feedback, both in written and audio format. As per usual feedback can be sent to podcast@samuelgordonstewart.com (text, MP3, Wave or Ogg Vorbis), spoken feedback by clicking here or on the button below would be great, or leave a comment below.
We have another quick look at the Persiflage Puzzle, and then it is back to Margaret Phillips, and we spend most of the rest of the interview talking about PANDORA, the National Library’s Australian Internet archive project. There is quite an interesting story behind it, and Margaret is more than qualified to discuss it.
Then we have another look at the Persiflage Puzzle, and then move on to some odd news stories, and a thought for the month.
Then the closing music starts playing, so I give you the answer to the Persiflage Puzzle and wrap up Samuel’s Persiflage #5 (Well, there wasn’t really anything else to do).
The Samuel’s Persiflage #5 file itself is available here, and is 1:10:36 in length (64.6MB) at 128kbps stereo. The 128kbps format was decided upon because it produces a very good sound quality, and doesn’t “flatten” any music used in the podcast. (You’ve heard it all before, right?) I do, however, acknowledge that this is just unreasonable for dial-up, so a 16kbps mono file is also available here. The sound quality isn’t as good, but some people like it. The low quality version is 8.08MB
For those of you who are using podcast software to receive your podcasts, the feed can be found here and if you are using iTunes you can subscribe to Samuel’s Persiflage by clicking here.
Podcast related questions and comments can be sent to podcast@samuelgordonstewart.com or left in the comments section of this post. Spoken feedback is preferred (but not mandated) and can be sent either in MP3, Wave or Ogg Vorbis format, or sent even more easily by clicking the button below and following the prompts.
Samuel
May 16th, 2006 at 11:33pm
You could be forgiven for thinking that I’ve disappeared, but I’ve just been so busy over the last few days with Samuel’s Persiflage and other things that I just haven’t found time to write anything (I didn’t even hear any of John Kerr on the weekend!).
The good news is that I’m still here (or still standing if you believe certain songs), and I’m currently working on Samuel’s Persiflage, which willbe online later today.
Samuel
May 16th, 2006 at 02:58pm
Samuel In Dolgnwot has the week off this week, it will return next week with a new episode.
Samuel
May 14th, 2006 at 07:17pm
This week the award goes to Frankie Laine, and the feature song is “High Noon”, a song often incorrectly called “Do Not Forsake Me”.
Do not forsake me O my darlin’
On this our wedding day.
Do not forsake me O my darlin’
Wait, wait along.
The noonday train will bring Frank Miller.
If I’m a man I must be brave
And I must face that deadly killer
Or lie a coward, a craven coward,
Or lie a coward in my grave.
O to be torn ‘twixt love and duty!
S’posin’ I lose my fair-haired beauty!
Look at that big hand move along
Nearin’ high noon.
He made a vow while in State’s Prison,
Vow’d it would be my life or his and
I’m not afraid of death, but O,
What will I do if you leave me?
Do not forsake me O my darlin’
You made that promise when we wed.
Do not forsake me O my darlin’
Although you’re grievin’, I can’t be leavin’
Until I shoot Frank Miller dead.
Wait along, wait along
Wait along
Wait along
Samuel
May 14th, 2006 at 06:17pm
New copyright laws are set to be passed in Australia which will legelly allow people to copy music to MP3 players, record television and radio programmes, and even dub VHS tapes on to DVD, provided that it is done for personal use.
The changes would also grant more copying powers to educational facilities for non-commercial use.
news.com.au has more on the story.
Home recordings to be made legal
From: The Sunday Telegraph
Linda Silmalis
May 14, 2006
MUSIC fans will be able to legally record their CD collections onto iPods and MP3 players under a raft of proposed changes to Federal Government copyright laws.
Taping TV and radio programs and using copyright material for parody or satire will also be legalised as part of the reforms.
And in a move expected to be welcomed by artists, the Government plans to introduce new enforcement measures to combat piracy.
The changes are part of a major overhaul of copyright laws to be announced today by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock in response to millions of Australians who effectively break the law every time they reproduce copyright material for personal use.
The key changes relate to the recording of copyright material from CDs, audio tapes or vinyl records onto an MP3 player or home computer.
Under existing laws, people copying material risked being sued by the copyright owner.
For someone who had copied their entire CD collection onto an MP3 player, the damages could, theoretically, be in the thousands.
The reforms will also mean people can legally dub old VHS cassettes onto a DVD. However, the Government is still reviewing whether to extend the exemption to recording DVDs onto other devices.
Other exemptions will relate to the use of copyright material for non-commercial purposes by schools, universities and libraries.
The Government wants to crack down on those who are using the material to make a profit or causing significant losses by distributing other people’s property.
The new penalties will include on-the-spot fines, while the Government will also make it easier to establish copyright piracy in legal cases.
UPDATE 5:10PM:
The announcement has been made, and seems to be more or less what was said above, however one thing stands out at me, and that is that the statutory cap on licence fees for recordings played on the radio has been removed. I haven’t checked the exact details of this, but if it is as it sounds, then this will mean radio stations may face higher costs. Whether or not advertisers will be willing to cover the excess is a mystery.
From The Age:
Govt eases digital copyright laws
May 14, 2006 – 5:49AM
Australians can legally record TV and radio programs and transfer material from compact discs to mp3 players under new copyright reforms.
Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said the significant copyright reforms would make laws fairer for consumers and tougher on copyright pirates.
“Copyright is important and should be respected,” Mr Ruddock said.
“That is why the government is updating our laws to keep pace with technology.”
Under the new laws, it will now be legal for people to tape their favourite television or radio programs for viewing by family and friends.
But recordings must not be sold or hired nor played at school or to public audiences.
“These are commonsense amendments which will maintain Australia’s copyright laws as the best in the world for the benefit of our creators and other copyright owners,” Mr Ruddock said.
The reforms also legalise format-shifting of material including music, newspapers and books onto iPods or mp3 players.
Copyright material also will be able to be used for parody or satire.
Mr Ruddock said the laws would provide new enforcement measures to combat copyright piracy including on-the-spot fines, proceeds of crime remedies, a change in presumptions in litigation to make it easier to establish copyright piracy.
“Everyday consumers shouldn’t be treated like copyright pirates,” Mr Ruddock said.
The government also has removed the statutory cap on licence fees paid by radio broadcasters for using sound recordings.
“There is no reason why a statute should determine what the rate should be for music played on the radio,” Mr Ruddock said.
The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), which represents Australian recording artists and record labels, welcomed the new reforms.
PPCA chief executive Stephen Peach said the government should be congratulated on the decision to allow recording artists fairer returns on their music.
“We have felt strongly for some time that artists and labels were not receiving a fair return from commercial radio,” Mr Peach said.
Samuel
May 14th, 2006 at 02:01pm
I hate doing this, I really do. When I announce a date for something I like to stick to it and I hate having to delay it, but alas I have had a hectic end to the week, and really haven’t had time to get Samuel’s Persiflage out today. In theory I could get an episode out late tonight, but I wouldn’t be satisfied with the quality of the production.
As I have said before, my rule of thumb and general release date policy for Samuel’s Persiflage is from the 10 to the 20th of the month. I am now planning to have a good quality release early next week (Monday or Tuesday).
One of the main problems I have here is one very long interview and a bunch of segments to fit around it. I have decided to split the interview in to two segments, but that requires a bit of careful splitting of the interview whilst keeping the flow of the podcast in mind and making it sound seamless. Hopefully those that don’t read this won’t even know the difference…hopefully.
I suppose the main upshot of this is that the feedback deadline is extended to some arbitrary date as I can fit in new feedback.
Samuel
May 12th, 2006 at 04:05pm
Time for another round of my footy tips.
AFL Round 7
Saints V Cats
Demons V Dockers
Tigers V Swans
Hawks V Lions
Eagles V Magpies
Power V Bulldogs
Blues V Bombers
Kangaroos V Crows
NRL Round 10
Storm V Cowboys
Tigers V Knights
Broncos V Sea Eagles
Dragons V Warriors
Raiders V Sharks
Bulldogs V Eels
Panthers V Rabbitohs
Samuel
May 12th, 2006 at 02:40pm
It’s been a little while since my last update on the Section 84 Development, and it seems like an appropriate time for another update as the Canberra Centre have released a newsletter about it. (Click the images to see the full size version of each page).
Here is the map of the development, which I will be referring to throughout the rest of this article. Please note that the map uses a severely outdated aerial photograph.
On Monday I went for a walk around the construction site, and took many photos (which seemed to attract the attention of a few construction workers). Some of the photos were designed to provide comparisons with my previous photos of the construction, others were designed to compare the current development status with artist’s impressions of the finished buildings, whilst others were taken simply for the sake of taking photos of the construction.
First up, here is a photo I took in early October last year, looking towards Precinct A from the corner of Bunda and Petrie streets.
Here is the artist’s impression of what it will look like upon completion.
Here is a photo taken on Monday, 8 May, 2006.
Here is an artist’s impression of what Petrie Street will look like from the corner of Petrie and Bunda streets.
This is what Petrie Street looked like from roughly the same spot on Monday.
Here is the artist’s impression of Precinct B from Bunda Street
And the photo I took on Monday.
Much like I did in March, I took more photos through peep holes on Bunda Street. Here is one from March
And a photo of the same spot on Monday.
One from March
One from May
This one is of Precinct A, from the section between Precinct A & Precinct B.
Moving on to Precinct B we have one from March
And a few from Monday
It looks like the Canberra Centre are already leasing out the shop space.
Moving on to Precinct C (The former site of the Griffin Centre, home of community radio station 2XX among other things), and some photos from Ballumbir Street.
I then walked around to the laneway on the side of Precinct C opposite Genge Street.
Which provided me with a good angle of Precinct B and the new Griffin Centre (Precinct E).
Walking back around to Ballumbir Street I noticed some rather interesting signs from “Go Traffic” which were informing people road work (in this case minor resealing works) on Torrens Street (the street almost directly under the “D”, and to the right of the words “Ballumbir Street” on the map).
I then walked between Precinct B and Precinct D to bring you more photos of Precinct B (Precinct D is not currently under construction, but will be when the carparks under Precincts A and B open).
In this photo you can see through to Bunda Street.
Whilst in this one you can see both Precinct A and Precinct B
Back in March I took the following photo of Precinct A and Precinct B from Ballumbir Street.
On Monday I took this one from a similar position.
Apparently Precincts B and C will look something like this
This one is looking into Precinct A from the same location as the previous photo, and looking towards Petrie Street.
In October I brought you these photos from Petrie Street, looking towards Precinct A, and in the distance Precinct B.
It certainly looks different down there now.
Here is one looking in to precinct A from Petrie Street
Whilst it is not shown on the map, Pecinct A actually continues all the way down Petrie Street, taking a narrow space away from Precinct F (The youth centre/skate park). A small section of the construction boundary does not have the green shadecloth material at the top of the skatepark.
I March I brought you some photos of the construction site from the top of the City Markets Car Park.
I took more photos on Monday
And finally, a photo of Ainslie Avenue from the other side of the City Markets Car Park.
May 12th, 2006 at 09:52am
Regular readers would be well aware of some of my odd dreams, but this one probably takes the cake.
I was standing in the dining room and there was an earthquake, when I looked down the hallway there was a set of stairs going down to a train station where trains were screeching with their brakes trying to stop them during the earthquake. A person standing next to me said something along the lines of “trains don’t like earthquakes”.
I walked into the lounge room where a group of people were holding a large pole and waving it about, one of the people yelled out that if they can get a tennis ball on the end of the pole, then the earthquakes would stop. For some reason I then went out to the backyard where somebody threw a tennis ball over the fence and I attached it to the end of the pole…and the earthquakes stopped.
I then walked into the backyard again, and found Nattie attending to a bunch of smiling tennis balls. I walked back inside and heated up a cup of coffee in the microwave, a woman was sitting next to the microwave and she asked me what I was going to do with the coffee and I informed her that I would be having it with my lunch, she looked up at the clock which said that it was 5:28pm, and she said to me that I should be more civil and have lunch at midday.
I took my coffee out of the microwave, and looked at the woman sitting next to the microwave, and she was CSI character Catherine Willows, I then looked into the lounge room and saw another CSI character, Gil Grissom staring at my lounge.
The dream then ended.
Samuel
May 11th, 2006 at 02:36pm
After careful consideration, I decided to send an email to federal treasurer Peter Costello last night, via the treasury website contact form.
Dear Mr. Costello,
I don’t normally write letters to ministers, and when I do I am usually complaining about something, this however is not one of those occasions. Instead, this is just a short message to thank you for guiding the Australian economy in the right direction, paying off our debts, putting the budget in surplus, and providing sensible tax relief.
I know you aren’t one to speculate about leadership issues, but if the time should come that you become party leader, you will most likely have my support, as there is a very wise and level head upon your shoulders (and you’re not a bad singer either).
Yours Sincerely,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Does anybody else here think that an album of Peter Costello singing songs (including Abba’s “Money Money Money”) would be an instant success and add to the budget surplus?
Samuel
May 11th, 2006 at 08:11am
About a week ago I brought you the news that 2CC are advertising on the backs of some ACTION Busses, I even brought you a photo of one such ad, spotted on the back of bus 999.
Unfortunately the back of bus 999 was a bit dirty when I took that photo, so I have since taken a photo of a 2CC ad on the back of a cleaner bus, although I can’t remember which bus it was.
I have been carefully monitoring busses that I see, and jotting down the bus number of busses which are carrying the ads, and so far I can confirm that there are 2CC ads on busses:
116
121
884
900
901
910
913
916
917
931
934
938
950
994
999
Whenever I have been at an interchange and had spare time whilst waiting for a bus, I have done a lap of the interchange to see which busses have the 2CC ad, today I did about five laps of Woden interchange.
Interestingly, I caught a number of busses today, and on all but one the driver was listening to 2CC…one such driver even turned the radio up so that most of the passengers could hear it (incidentally that bus had a 2CC ad on the back). This probably means one of three things:
- The ads are working, and people are making the switch to 2CC.
- 2CC have some kind of agreement with ACTION where certain busses have their radios tuned to 2CC (unlikely, virtually impossible to enforce…and probably not in drivers’ contracts).
- I was just lucky (again unlikely as I caught far too many busses for this to be a statistical anomaly).
Also interesting in this ratings season advertising blitz is that 2CC have let go of some advertising revenue, by placing the Southern Cross Syndication “BiteSize Cooking” program in an ad break during the John Laws Morning Show, with a spoken intro from Lawsie.
Also interesting is that the “instant ratings” (level of talkback calls on local programming) appear to be on the rise. This is probably another good sign for 2CC.
I am surprised that I have not seen any advertising from the other radio stations. Last year Mix 106.3 and FM104.7 advertised on taxis, the ABC advertised on commercial television, and 2CC/2CA did nothing noticeable…looks like the tables have turned this year (with the notable exception of 2CA).
I suppose the one thing which might work in 2CA’s favour is people who check out 2CC after seeing a bus ad, don’t like it, fiddle with the dial and land on “The new sound of Canberra’s 1053 2CA”, which reminds them of Mix 106.3 but sounds better, and so they stay. It’s a long shot but I’m sure it has happened to a few people.
Samuel
May 10th, 2006 at 04:33pm
Yesterday morning (9/May/2006) Nattie and I, for the first time, got around to the same walk on the walk schedule as the walk we did on the morning of the Dickson College Year 12 Breakfast (23/Nov/2005).
It is theoretically possible to complete the entire walk schedule in three months, but only with no rain delays, unscheduled walks (such as visits to hot air balloons), etc.
Samuel
May 10th, 2006 at 09:32am
The results for the final ratings survey before the 3AW/Magic frequency swap are in, with 3AW and Magic both recording gains. This is Melbourne Ratings #3, 2006, for March 26 to April 29 inclusive.
The largest gains went to 3AW (+2.2), Fox FM (+1.0) and Magic (+0.4). The largest losses went to ABC Local Radio (-1.8), Gold 104.3 (-1.6) and Mix 101.1 (-0.5).
| Station |
This
Survey (%) |
Last
Survey (%) |
Change |
| 3AW |
16.7 |
14.5 |
+2.2 |
| Fox FM |
11.3 |
10.3 |
+1.0 |
| ABC Local Radio |
11.2 |
13.0 |
-1.8 |
| MMM |
10.5 |
10.3 |
+0.2 |
| Nova |
9.0 |
9.0 |
0 |
| Gold 104.3 |
8.3 |
9.9 |
-1.6 |
| Magic |
6.0 |
5.6 |
+0.4 |
| Mix 101.1 |
5.1 |
5.6 |
-0.5 |
| 3MP |
2.5 |
2.2 |
+0.3 |
| ABC Classic FM |
2.5 |
2.4 |
+0.1 |
| SEN |
2.4 |
2.3 |
+0.1 |
| ABC Radio National |
2.1 |
2.4 |
-0.3 |
| ABC News Radio |
1.7 |
1.6 |
+0.1 |
| Vega |
1.4 |
1.6 |
-0.2 |
I’ll bring you the next Melbourne Radio Ratings as well, which will be the first after the frequency swap. The results should be interesting. That survey will be for May 7 to June 10 inclusive, and is due for release on June 20.
Samuel
May 9th, 2006 at 07:23pm
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