As many of you would already know, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced the iPhone, a phone/iPod/web browser/email client/more device.
I, personally, am one of the staunchest believers in phones which are phones, nothing more, nothing less. The addition of text messaging is handy as an occasional add-on tool for a phone, but other than that, I’m simply not interested…I don’t want cameras or other additions to phones.
That was until yesterday, the iPhone changed that, it is the first device to ever alter my thinking on the subject, it is the first mobile device which, in my opinion, handles the integration of these devices properly, and in a way which is easy, convenient and intuitive to use.
Admittedly the device is about a year away in this country, but when it arrives, it will be the first phone I’ve ever been slightly interested in which does more than calls and text messaging, and it will be the first time I’m interested in an iPod.
I get the impression that competing mobile phone vendors, and to a lesser extent competing MP3 player manufacturers, are holding emergency board meetings around about now.
On another Apple note, Microsoft’s Windows Vista is due out shortly for consumers, Apple’s next Mac OS X, named “Leopard”, is likely out later this year…somehow I think this new iPhone and the next OS X will make Windows a much much harder sell.
Over the summer break 2CA lost breakfast boy Paul Blunt to the Sunshine Coast, and music director/drive announcer Gregg Easton to nowhere in particular. However it looks like they are gaining Hayden Miller from 3CS in Colac. I don’t know whether he is a new breakfast boy or not, but at least 2CA are replacing lost staff!
FM 104.7 have lost Mason Edwards from Breakfast with Chris, Sarah and Mason. Their website indicates that the Chris and Sarah will continue as a duo. Apparently Mason has gone to sister station NXFM in Newcastle to anchor “Steve & Kim for Brekkie”, although seeing as he is neither Steve nor Kim, I’m a tad confused what the definition of “anchor” is in this case.
FM 104.7 and Mix 106.3 also lost their breakfast newsreader and senior journalist Matt Watson. Matt is currently considering his future, and 104.7 & Mix are looking for a replacement.
Other than that, people seem to be in their normal places (holidays excluded).
Regular readers would remember an email I sent to 2UE’s John Kerr about Ishmael, one of 2UE’s regular callers. The email was not in the least bit flattering.
After publishing that email, I copped a bit of flack from some people pretending to be Ishmael, however since then the real Ishmael has contacted me and we have had some discussions. I have come to the conclusion that whilst I disagree with a lot of Ishmael’s opinions, he isn’t the stark raving mad lunatic I portrayed him as, and actually seems like a fairly reasonable individual.
My description of Ishmael as a “serial pest caller” was harsh and unwarranted, especially seeing as there are plenty of callers who actually do fit that category, and it is unfair to compare Ishmael to them when Ishmael actually calls to make a point rather than a nuisance.
I still think the choice of timing of Ishmael’s exchange with John Kerr was poor, but I do now see where he is coming from.
Whilst Ishmael understands that I won’t be taking down any of what I wrote, I would like to publicly apologise to Ishmael for being a bit too harsh in my comments.
I think the reason Clive gets two assistants and you and Stuart don't get any, is that Clive comes across as the sort of person who would argue that panelling and producing are separate jobs, and if he had to do them he would want the pay those jobs attract on top of his normal pay. He would probably also refuse to do the jobs anyway.
I have good news for you, my weekly dose of supermarket catalogues arrived today from Aldi, Woolworths and IGA (Coles was missing for some reason) and there was not an easter egg in sight! Also I didn't see any in my local Supabarn yesterday.
That being said, I have no problem with hot cross buns being sold all year round, they're too scrumptious to only have a for a month or two of the year.
Weatherzone is still down, with the following notice:
Weatherzone
Sunday 17:24 EDT
Due to a catastrophic hardware failure Weatherzone is temporarily offline.
Our technical staff are working to correct the problem. The hardware has been replaced and it is hoped that normal service will be restored during Monday morning.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
So once again I am compiling a weather report from the Bureau Of Meteorology’s Canberra Forecast, this time issued at 3:30 pm EDT on Sunday 7 January 2007.
A few further showers this evening, but clearing by tomorrow morning for a fine and sunny Monday with light to moderate east to southeast winds. An overnight low of 14 degrees, and a top of 27 degrees.
Looking ahead, fine conditions are expected for most of this week with gradually rising temperatures. Hot conditions are expected on Thursday and Friday with possible late showers on Friday. Tuesday 28 degrees, Wednesday 32 degrees and Thursday 36 degrees.
More information can be obtained from the Bureau of Meteorology’s Canberra forecast page.
After this annual Christmas Musician Of The Week Awards and a short break, Samuel’s Musician(s) Of The Week is back. This week the award goes to Connie Francis, and the feature song is one which somehow manages to go for just over two minutes without an instrumental interlude…namely “Who’s Sorry Now?”
Who’s sorry now?
Who’s sorry now?
Whose heart is achin’ for breakin’ each vow?
Who’s sad and blue?
Who’s cryin’ too?
Just like I cried over you.
Right to the end
Just like a friend
I tried to warn you somehow
You had your way
Now you must pay
I’m glad that you’re sorry now!
Right to the end
Just like a friend
I tried to warn you somehow
You had your way
Now you must pay
I’m glad that you’re sorry now…
RiotACT is covering a press release from ACT Minister for Youth Katy Gallagher urging young people to enrol to vote. Whilst I agree with RiotACT that the embargo on the press release it a bit suspicious, I think they have completely missed the point of the press release.
For once I think Ms. Gallagher is actually making sense, she is reminding people that the federal government changed the law in December so that electoral enrolments close on the day the writs are issued for an election, rather than having a seven day “grace period” as used to be the case. Katy seems to be concerned that the people who are covered by her “Minister for Youth” portfolio are going to miss out on voting because they might not already be enrolled, and as an election could be called at any time, it is prudent to enrol as soon as possible.
RiotACT are right that the electoral law changed in December, but are wrong when they claim Katy should have made this announcement back then. December is hardly a month where the majority of the population will take notice of a minister babbling about what we should be doing, and on the off chance that somebody does take notice, they will probably forget in the lead-up to Christmas anyway. January is a much better month for such an announcement, and Katy has waited until after most people are back in sensible mode following the Christmas/New Year festivities.
Whilst I think Katy is making an honourable effort to remind people of their democratic rights and responsibilities with this press release, I am baffled that we need the reminder at all.
The Australian Electoral Commission allow people to enrol on the electoral roll when they are 17 years old. Whilst you can’t vote until you are 18, enrolling at 17 means you can’t miss out on your legal obligation to at least turn up at a polling place. ACT Secondary Colleges encourage people to enrol to vote at 17, they even hand out the enrolment forms, so I can only assume that the AEC runs similar programs with educational institutions in other states and territories.
I enrolled at 17, even before Dickson College tried to remind me to do so, I enrolled under my own volition, and whilst I was unable to vote in the 2004 federal or ACT elections, I keenly observed it all. I don’t expect everyone to take as much interest in the democratic process as I did at that age, but surely it isn’t too much to ask for people to enrol to vote.
It is a legal obligation to get your name ticked off at a polling place, and from memory it is also a legal obligation to be enrolled to vote, so why is it that enrolling is voluntary until the electoral roll closes? In my opinion it should be compulsory to enrol by the time you turn 18, and failure to do so should result in a growing fine for each day you are late, $10 for the first day, $20 for the second, $30 for the third etc.
There would have to be exceptions in place for people with a good (most likely severe medical) reason for not enrolling, but in general, this stage of the democratic process should be better enforced with better legislation.
I still can’t understand how people forget to enrol under the current system, it’s not as if you have to actually cast a valid vote, but people do forget, most likely due to apathy, and so I think it is about time that we got serious about the enrolment process, and simplified the only remaining ambiguous part of the electoral process, by making it a legal obligation to be enrolled by the time a person turns 18 years old.
Now that I’ve had my glasses for a few days, I think it is time for me to post a new picture of myself, and some eyesight comparisons.
Firstly, the new picture of me.
Now some eyesight comparisons. I was amazed when I got my glasses and saw how much I had been missing.
Here is a picture of a Hot Air Balloon taken at the 2006 Canberra Balloon Fiesta
Whilst it didn’t look this bad back then, here’s what it would have looked like without glasses in the week before I got my glasses.
I was generally able to see items with enough clarity to know what they were, and even work out some of the writing, but when it came to purely written items I was at a loss. Here’s a calendar (the one I referred to when speaking to John Kerr about my eyesight yesterday).
And again from about three metres without glasses
And from about five metres
Whilst the difference between three and five metres is quite drastic, beyond five metres my vision doesn’t change an awful lot, but does gradually get worse.
And just for the fun of it, here’s Nattie.
And from about five metres without glasses (notice the amazing difference in the carpet).
Since getting the glasses, I have noticed that my eyes have adjusted to them, and things I could see clearly at a close distance previously are now much easier to look at with the glasses on. Things in the distance are much the same as they were without glasses, but with glasses, it’s a whole new world!
As some of you may know, regular contributor Jey has recently been accepted into the University of Queensland.
I would just like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jey, I hope the next few years of study are prosperous for you, you enjoy living in Queensland, and I also hope that you still find time to contribute comments here.
In the absence of the Weatherzone weather forecast usually seen on the right of this website’s home page, here is a weather forecast for Canberra, based on the Bureau of Meteorology forecast issued at 3:30 pm EDT on Saturday 6 January 2007.
A trough approaching western NSW will move across the ACT on Sunday, bringing isolated showers about the region, moderate west to northwest winds are expected. We’re heading down to an overnight low of 19 degrees, with 29 the expected high. The UV Index will be 10, with a high fire danger.
Looking ahead, the showers will clear early Monday with fine conditions expected for most of next week with gradually rising temperatures, and a chance of a shower on Friday.
27 degrees for Monday, 28 for Tuesday and 32 for Wednesday.
More information can be obtained from the Bureau of Meteorology’s Canberra forecast page.
Samuel
Update 11:53am: Weatherzone have the following service status update for us:
Sunday 11:04 EDT
Due to a catastrophic hardware failure Weatherzone is temporarily offline.
Our technical staff are working to correct the problem and hope to restore normal service by Sunday night.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
In the meantime they are offering temporary access to their beta development site which, after having had a look around last night, is a vast improvement on their current site.
URL: http://beta.weatherzone.com.au
Username: wzbeta
Password: wzbeta
I'm glad I don't live in New South Wales, mainly because I'm glad that I don't have to choose between Peter Debnam and Morris Iemma. How do they expect to have any credibility if they can't solve the dilemma of whether to sit or stand during a debate?
OK sure, Mr Iemma is a good 15 centimetres shorter than Mr. Debnam, but a true leader shouldn't be concerned about the height of an opponent, especially if the only blows they will come to are verbal ones. Maybe we should offer Mr. Iemma a couple copies of the Yellow Pages to stand on?
Whilst they are both being silly about it, I think Mr. Debnam is right that a debate should involve the opponents standing, and I'm glad that he is willing to concede to a sitting debate if Mr. Iemma insists on one.
I do have to wonder what's next though…if this seated debate is a success, will the "standing orders" of parliament be altered to MPs sit when they address parliament? If so, will the orders be renamed "sitting orders"?
It's good to see that our elected leaders are focussing on the real issues!
Regards, Samuel Gordon-Stewart Canberra
From The Sun Herald:
Deep-seated differences create a debate debacle
Divided we sit …. Opposition Leader Peter Debnam and Premier Morris Iemma have reached a stalemate on their live television debate. Photo: Chris Colls (digitally merged)
Alex Mitchell January 7, 2007
ARRANGEMENTS for the televised election debate between Premier Morris Iemma and Opposition Leader Peter Debnam are up in the air because of a row over whether they should sit or stand.
Mr Iemma has insisted they sit in chairs during the hour-long live debate on the ABC but Mr Debnam favours standing.
"I've been watching televised election debates from around the world for years and I've never seen the protagonists sitting down," Mr Debnam said. "It's quite ridiculous."
Two other major differences have emerged:
Mr Iemma wants just one debate while Mr Debnam is seeking at least two and hopefully three.
Mr Iemma is insisting the debate be held on Friday, February 16, five weeks before the March 24 election but Mr Debnam wants all three debates in March – after the election is called.
Mr Debnam said last night: "Mr Iemma wants a seated fireside chat, but I'm demanding a proper stand-up debate at lecterns."
He said he would continue to oppose the "ridiculous restrictions" imposed by the Premier but, if he had to face Mr Iemma seated, then "beggars can't be choosers".
Mr Iemma's insistence on a sit-down debate shows his sensitivity to height: he is 167 centimetres tall while Mr Debnam, a former naval officer, is a ramrod-straight 182 centimetres.
The Premier's minders are concerned that Mr Debnam's extra height might give him an advantage if he is seen to be a more imposing presence.
But television consultant Peter Cox said Mr Iemma was a capable TV performer.
"There have been great leaders over the centuries who have been short – Napoleon is a good example – and there have been other celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Kylie Minogue and Sam Chisholm," Mr Cox said.
"My advice to Morris Iemma is that he should stand and deliver."
A Debnam staff member offered a compromise solution saying said that if the Premier wanted to stand on a raised platform, the Opposition camp would not object. Stephen Galilee, Mr Debnam's chief of staff, has written to Quentin Dempster, host of the ABC's Stateline program, saying: "The proposal for a seated debate is not agreed.
"The Leader of the Opposition is very happy to stand for the full hour and our preference is for both the participants to stand for the duration of the debate."
Mr Galilee protested about the date of the debate, saying: "It is two weeks before the date when the election is called and five weeks before the election itself.
"It is ridiculous for the Premier to request that a campaign debate occur before the campaign has formally commenced.
"He is clearly attempting to run away from his previous commitment to a campaign debate."
Mr Galilee has called for two additional debates in the lead-up to the election, saying: "Transport and infrastructure issues deserve a dedicated discussion, as does the water crisis."
Mr Iemma surprised his Labor colleagues last October when he publicly agreed to a live televised debate with Mr Debnam, the underdog.
It broke a 20-year stand-off between the major parties on election debates during which former premier Bob Carr rejected any television appearances with his rivals.
Mr Carr conducted the entire 1999 election without mentioning the name of then Opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski and only made one grudging reference to John Brogden during the 2003 campaign.
Labor's campaign team in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 elections took the view that TV debates would only provide airplay to Opposition policies.
Mr Iemma is confident he can present a more engaging and likeable image than Mr Debnam.
Meanwhile, Mr Debnam is starting to come into consideration as the alternative premier and disgruntled voters are keener to hear his policies.
Occasionally I get emails from people who want to send things to me via the post, and with the exception of a select few people who I actually know, I have had to turn them down as I did not feel like giving out my home address.
For that reason, and a few others (including missing/stolen mail in my neighbourhood) I have taken out a post office box, and I have added the address to the contact page. But to save you going there, I will copy it in here as well.
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
PO Box 1272
Dickson ACT 2602
Australia
“Why Dickson?” I hear you cry…well quite simply Dickson, unlike Civic, is not deemed a metropolitan town centre post office (or something along those lines) by Australia Post, and as such it is considerably cheaper to get a post office box there than it is at Civic…or an even more expensive GPO box at one of the main post offices. Dickson isn’t too far out of my way (actually it’s quite close) so a post office box there is quite convenient.
As three people have now informed me by email, the weather information normally seen on the right of the home page of this blog is currently not appearing. Weatherzone, the people who provide this service, currently have the following message on their home page:
Weatherzone
Saturday 11:42 EDT
Due to a catastrophic hardware failure Weatherzone is temporarily offline.
Our technical staff are working to correct the problem.
We apologise for any inconvenience.
Hopefully they will be back online shortly…in the meantime the Bureau of Meteorology says it is currently 30.3°c in Canberra, which is in excess of the expected maximum of 29°c, and we are in for a shower or two. The wind is coming from a North-westerly direction at 20km/h.
I do not intend on providing further “current” weather reports, although I might provide a forecast if the Weatherzone service does not come back online soon.
Many people, even those who have had no contact with this website, would be aware of my views on Summernats from last year.
My main issues were with the apparent lack of proper safety procedures following a rather silly accident during a drift race, and the excessive amount of noise that a minority of attendees seem to think the northern part of Canberra wants to hear in the wee hours of the morning.
I would like to take this opportunity to commend Summernats organiser Chic Henry, and the Australian Federal Police, for addressing the majority of my concerns. It would appear that Mr. Henry has done a lot of good work in not only addressing safety issues, but also making the event a more family friendly event, whilst retaining plenty of room for the adult activities which apparently make Summernats more than a car show, and awfully attractive to an awful lot of people.
Mr. Henry’s partnership with the Australian Federal Police, in which the AFP announced that they would confiscate vehicles taking part in illegal or anti-social behaviour outside the Summernats venue, is also a good move, and has for the most part worked. I was woken up a couple times last night by some rather obvious sounds of street racing along Limestone Avenue, and a lot of screeching tyres, but hearing the sirens shortly afterwards made it all worthwhile!
Overall the noisy and naughty post-midnight activities are much less frequent than they were last year, they still happen, but not much more than they do during the rest of the year, which is a vast improvement on last year.
I still have no interest in attending Summernats, but I appreciate the work which has gone into this year’s event to make it better for attendees and the public who live in nearby suburbs.
I don’t know if Mr. Henry or the AFP read my comments, although I dare say they would have been hard to miss in some form after a number of websites, including local car enthusiast websites, took quite an interest in them.
I will be sending this editorial to Mr. Henry to ensure that he is aware of my pleasure with the changes.
