Samuel's Blog

Samuel’s Musician Of The Week: Jimmy Jones

This week’s rather late award goes to Jimmy Jones, and the feature song is Good Timin’

Oh, you need timin’
A tick, a tick, a tick, good timin’
A tock, a tock, a tock, a tock
A timin’ is the thing
It’s true, good timin’ brought me to you

If little, little David hadn’t grabbed that stone
A-lyin’ there on the ground
Big Goliath might’ve stomped on him
Instead of the other way ’round

But he had timin’
A tick, a tick, a tick, good timin’
A tock, a tock, a tock, a tock
A timin’ is the thing
It’s true, good timin’ brought me to you

Who in the world would’ve ever known
What Columbus could do
If Queen Isabella hadn’t hocked her jewels
In fourteen ninety two

But she had timin’
A tick, a tick, a tick, good timin’
A tock, a tock, a tock, a tock
A timin’ is the thing
It’s true, good timin’ brought me to you

What would’ve happened if you and I
Hadn’t just happened to meet
We might’ve spent the rest of our lives
Walkin’ down Misery Street

But we had timin’
A tick, a tick, a tick, good timin’
A tock, a tock, a tock, a tock
A timin’ is the thing
It’s true, good timin’ brought me to you

Yeah, we had timin’
Whoa, whoa, whoa, good timin’
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, timin’ is the thing
It’s true, good timin’ brought me to you

Yeah, we had timin’
Whoa, whoa, whoa, good timin’
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, timin’ is the thing
It’s true, good timin’ brought me to you

Samuel

October 14th, 2009 at 07:35am

We need a tractor and some carrots

This dream took place at the Woden Bus Interchange. I was walking towards the shopping centre when silence replaced the noise of bus engines. All of the buses had stalled, and none of them would start again. One of the bus drivers got out of the bus and started yelling “we need a tractor, does anybody have a tractor?”.

Sure enough, a nearby newsagent just happened to keep a tractor in his cupboard in case of such a situation, and drove it over to the first bus where he unsuccessfully tried to jump start the bus. I decided to go and have a cup of coffee as there was no point in standing around waiting for a bus in the rain.

I went upstairs to Cafe Copenhagen and sat down. The older lady was the only staff member there, and she sort of hovered over with my coffee and started talking about cake before hovering away. I started to drink my coffee and then my phone rang…it was a call from “Cal”.

I immediately knew that this call was from Callum Smith, a person I went to primary school with and met once during high school at an inter-school sporting event, although how I knew it was him, I have no idea. I answered the phone, only to be told that “the problem is a lack of carrots…feed Boris carrots” which I understood to mean that the tractor’s name was Boris, and if I fed carrots to Boris, he would be able to jump start the buses.

I thanked Callum for the information and informed him of who I am, which surprised him as he had started calling numbers at random when he heard about the buses. I then finished my coffee and went in search of carrots, at which point the dream ended.

This did make me wonder if there was something in the coffee I had been drinking before I went to bed. Thankfully though, none of it came true when I visited Woden the next day.

Samuel

October 13th, 2009 at 08:56am

Two days behind…again

As you may have noticed, time management isn’t proving to be my strong point at the moment.

If all goes to plan today, I have a number of dreams to share with you, Maritz’s column which she submitted yesterday and I am yet to read, the Musician(s) Of The Week (fortnight and a bit?) award, and more. Stay tuned.

Samuel

October 13th, 2009 at 08:38am

2009 ACRAs

The Australian Commercial Radio Awards for 2009 have been awarded, and whilst I congratulate all of the winners, I would like to especially congratulate 2GB’s Jason Morrison who received the Brian White Memorial Award for sustained journalistic achievement and effort for the second time, 2CC’s Mike Welsh who received yet another Best Talk Presenter (provincial) award, 2GB’s Ray Hadley who picked up more awards than I care to count, 2UE’s Sales Team who received an award for their temporary rebranding of 2UE to 2U-Wii, and Austereo’s Hamish Blake and Andy Lee who received another swag of awards this year…I might not be able to stand their show, but I do recognise their extraordinary sustained dominance of the airwaves.

Also a hearty congratulations to Austereo engineer Des DeCean who was inducted in to the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame. Des has been with Austereo since they opened their doors 29 years ago.

Commercial Radio Australia’s press release is available by clicking here, and the list of award winners is below.

WINNERS FOR 2009 AUSTRALIAN COMMERCIAL RADIO AWARDS (ACRAs)
Please note: Category Finalists are denoted with the following letters: Country | Provincial | NonMetropolitan | Metropolitan

MOST POPULAR STATION MANAGER
Joel Gosper, 981 2NM/98.1 Power FM, Muswellbrook, NSW, Grant Broadcasters Andy Mathers, Star 104.5, Central Coast, NSW, DMG Radio Australia P
Sean Ryan, Nova 106.9, Brisbane, QLD, DMG Radio Australia M

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
John Pearce, 2GO Remote Breakfast Studio, 107.7 2GO, Central Coast, NSW, Macquarie Southern Cross Media NM
Matt Steadman & Brett Kelly, Austereo Melbourne Studios, Fox FM/Triple M, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M recipient of Max Wilson Engineering Award

BEST NEWCOMER ON-AIR
Kristen Henry, Magic 93.1 FM, Riverland, SA, Fairfax Radio Network C
Kiri Martin, The Edge 96.1, Western Sydney, NSW, Australian Radio Network P
Ryan Shelton, Nova 100, Melbourne, VIC, DMG Radio Australia M

BEST NEWCOMER OFF-AIR
Anita Buda, 5SE/96.1 Star FM, Mount Gambier, SA, Macquarie Southern Cross Media C recipient of the Matt Ellis Encouragement Award
Ashleigh Hudson, 104.7/MIX 106.3, Canberra, ACT, ARN/Austereo P
Michael Eva, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST MUSIC PERSONALITY
Dave Peters, 8HA, Alice Springs, NT, Alice Springs Commercial Broadcasters C
Fyona Smith, 92.7 Mix FM, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Dylan Lewis, Nova 100, Melbourne, VIC, DMG Radio Australia M

BEST TALK PRESENTER
Janeen Hosemans, The Morning Wireless Program, 1503 2BS Gold, Bathurst, NSW, Bathurst Broadcasters C
Mike Welsh, Mike Welsh Drive Show, 2CC, Canberra, ACT, Capital Radio P
Derryn Hinch, 3AW Drive, 3AW, Melbourne, VIC, Fairfax Radio Network M

BRIAN WHITE MEMORIAL AWARD
Jason Morrison, 2GB, Sydney, NSW, Macquarie Radio Network

BEST ON-AIR TEAM
Fishy Friday, Janeen Hosemans & Peter Harrison, 1503 2BS Gold, Bathurst, NSW, Bathurst Broadcasters C
Banksy & Steve Breakfast, Banksy & Steve, Hot FM, Townsville, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Hamish & Andy, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST SHOW PRODUCER – ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC
Lauren Richardson, Holmsey & Flan, Something Different for Breakfast, 102.9 FM, Gold Coast, QLD, Hot Tomato NM
Sam Cavanagh, Hamish & Andy, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST SHOW PRODUCER – TALK & CURRENT AFFAIRS
Andrea Moore, 2BS Talk Producer, 1503 2BS Gold, Bathurst, NSW, Bathurst Broadcasters NM
Justin Smith, 3AW Mornings, 3AW, Melbourne, VIC, Fairfax Radio Network M

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR
Ray Hadley, 2GB, Sydney, NSW, Macquarie Radio Network

BEST SPORTS PRESENTER
Geoff Mann, 2DU, Dubbo, NSW, Super Network C
Steve Allan, 2GO’s Locker Room, 107.7 2GO, Central Coast, NSW, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Ray Hadley, 2GB, Sydney, NSW, Macquarie Radio Network M

BEST NEWS PRESENTER
Lois Chislett, 3YB, Warrnambool, VIC, ACE Radio Broadcasters C
Rod McLeod, 92.5 Gold FM, Gold Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Kristy Warner, Nova 969, Sydney, NSW, DMG Radio Australia (FM) M
Jane Doyle, FiveAA, Adelaide, SA, DMG Radio Australia (AM) M

BEST PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Dayle Richardson, 98.1 Power FM, Muswellbrook, NSW, Grant Broadcasters C
Mike Duncan, Star 104.5, Central Coast, NSW, DMG Radio Australia P
Dave Cameron, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR
Katie Jones, 97.7 Snow FM, Cooma, NSW, Capital Radio C
Fyona Smith, 92.7 Mix FM, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P recipient of Music Director of the Year Scholarship
Kate Casey, Nova 106.9, Brisbane, QLD, DMG Radio Australia M

BEST PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR
Steve White, 90.9 Sea FM /92.5 Gold FM, Gold Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media NM
Tim Dwyer, Nova 969, Sydney, NSW, DMG Radio Australia M

BEST STATION SALES ACHIEVEMENT
RadioWest/Hot FM Kalgoorlie, 6KG RadioWest, Kalgoorlie, WA, Macquarie Southern Cross Media C
Flow Fm Sales Team, Flow FM, Kapunda, SA, W&L Phillips P
2Day FM Sales Team, 2Day FM, Sydney, NSW, Austereo M

BEST DIRECT SALESPERSON
Ashlee O’Brien, 6KG RadioWest, Kalgoorlie, WA, Macquarie Southern Cross Media C
Leonie Leonard, Hot FM/Sea FM, Mackay, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Marcus Ryder, Fox FM/Triple M, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST AGENCY SALESPERSON
Karyn French, 100.9 Sea FM/Heart 107.3, Hobart, TAS, Macquarie Southern Cross Media NM
Lauren Duncan, 2Day FM, Sydney, NSW, Austereo M

BEST MULTIMEDIA EXECUTION
Tall Ships, Hamish & Andy, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo STATION
Waterwise Widget, Brett Sandler & Shiobhan Baster, Nova 937, Perth, WA, DMG Radio Australia SALES

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Victorian Bushfire Tribute, Matt Clark, 107.7 2G0/101.3 Sea FM, Central Coast, NSW, Macquarie Southern Cross Media NM
Obama Becomes President, Blake Gibson, 2UE, Sydney, NSW, Fairfax Radio Network M

BEST MUSIC SPECIAL
2NM’s December All Stars, 98.1 2NM/98.1 Power FM, Muswellbrook, NSW, Grant Broadcasters C
Running On Diesel, Fyona Smith, Ross Turner & Ryan Khay, 92.7 Mix FM, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Chris-Mas-Isaak, Marnie Titheradge, Robert Wood and Bruno Bouchet, Mix 106.5, Sydney, NSW, Australian Radio Network M

BEST SPORTS EVENT COVERAGE
Olympians Touching Down, Paddy Gerrard, Ciel Stowe, Ignatius McBride, 101.3 Sea FM, Central Coast, NSW, Macquarie Southern Cross Media NM
Olympic Games Coverage 2008, 2GB Sport/Ray Hadley, 2GB, Sydney, NSW, Macquarie Radio Network M

BEST STATION PROMOTION
Who Wants to be a Jock On Air, 98.1 Power FM, Muswellbrook, NSW, Grant Broadcasters C
Identity Theft, Tania Kimmins, Rob Sharples, Ryan Gracie and Tia Robins, i98, Wollongong, NSW, Win Corporation P
Tall Ship Adventure, Hamish & Andy, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST SALES PROMOTION
Captain Costcutter, 2GN, Goulburn, NSW, Grant Broadcasters C
Laptops + Steamroller = Awesome, 104.7 Product Team, 104.7, Canberra, ACT, ARN/Austereo P
2UE Rebranding to 2UE-Wii, 2UE, Sydney, NSW, Fairfax Radio Network M

BEST NETWORKED PROGRAM
ACE Radio Country Today, Sandra Moon, 3WM, Horsham, VIC, ACE Radio Broadcasters C
The Benchwarmers, Ant & Becs, Sea FM, Gold Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Hamish & Andy, Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST SYNDICATED AUSTRALIAN PROGRAM
Remembrance Day: The 90th Anniversary, Radiowise Media Networks, Sydney, NSW

BEST STATION PRODUCED COMMERCIAL
Selga – Buckle Up, David Sell, 5SE/96.1 Star FM, Mount Gambier, SA, Macquarie Southern Cross Media C
The Chocolate Room, Stu Campbell, 102.9 FM, Gold Coast, QLD, Hot Tomato P
Ooh! Aah!, Jonathan Williams, Triple M/Fox FM, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST STATION PRODUCED COMEDY SEGMENT
The Marriage Is Up Cup, Jon Vertigan, 3YB, Warrnambool, VIC, ACE Radio Broadcasters C
Disclaimer Man, Luke Bradnam, 102.9 FM, Gold Coast, QLD, Hot Tomato P
Evil Rosso Prank, Tim Ross, Merrick Watts & Kate Ritchie, The Merrick, Rosso and Kate Ritchie Breakfast Show, Nova 969, Sydney, NSW, DMG Radio Australia M

BEST COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
2NM Power FM Black Coal Cup Day, 981 2NM/98.1 Power FM, Muswellbrook, NSW, Grant Broadcasters C
Jessie’s Journey, 92.7 Mix FM, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Macquarie Southern Cross Media P
Bushfire Appeal, Fox FM/Triple M, Melbourne, VIC, Austereo M

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Brett Smith, 98.1 Power FM, Muswellbrook, NSW, Grant Broadcasters C
Mark Brewer, NX FM, Newcastle, NSW, Austereo P
Sideshow Mike Andersen, Triple M, Sydney, NSW, Austereo M

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Exceptional contribution to the metropolitan rollout of digital radio)
Des DeCean, Austereo
Raoul Prideaux, Macquarie Southern Cross Media
Wayne Dickson, BTC Australia Pty Ltd
Graeme O’Connor, ARN
Max Carter, Sky Sports Radio
Richard Morris, Commercial Radio Australia
Steve Adler, DMG
Kath Brown, Commercial Radio Australia
Alastair Reynolds, Fairfax Media

Samuel

2 comments October 11th, 2009 at 03:17am

But he hasn’t done anything

I awoke to the bizarre news this morning that US President Barack Obama has solidified his position as King Of The World by being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the even more bizarre news that I agree with him about something.

“I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize,” he said.

This isn’t to say that he won’t be worthy of the award in a few years, as he may very well be worthy of it then, but right now, he hasn’t done anything to bring peace to the world. Yes, he has promised a lot, and yes he has talked about peace a lot, but he hasn’t actually brought about any changes which have resulted, or will soon result, in peace.

Obama is the third sitting US President to receive the award, behind Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919, however there is a large difference between them and Obama. They had actually done something momentous.

Roosevelt was honored largely for brokering an agreement between Russia and China, and Wilson took the award for his role in ending World War I and creating the League of Nations.

It’s far too early to compare Obama to either of his predecessors, said Allan Lichtman, professor of history at American University.

“They’re not comparable,” Lichtman said. “[Roosevelt and Wilson] were six or seven years into two-term presidencies, and Obama has not completed a single year of his presidency, so it makes very little sense.”

Obama possesses a great deal of “promise,” but the jury is still out, Lichtman said.

“It remains to be seen what his foreign policy legacy will be,” he said. “It is premature. This was to encourage rather than to recognize an accomplished fact.”

Update: As Clayton Northcutt has pointed out in the comments below, journalist Joshua Rhett Miller made a mistake. Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel prize for brokering an agreement between Russian and Japan, not Russia and China. End Update

And that’s the problem. The Nobel Peace Prize exists to reward achievement, not to recognise that somebody might achieve something. Anybody might achieve something, and there is no doubt that back when nominations closed on February 1, less than two weeks in to Obama’s term as President, he had the potential to achieve something, but to give the award to somebody who might achieve something, rather than somebody who has achieved something, is ludicrous, and cheapens the prize considerably.

So, who else was in the running for the prize? Well these six people for starters:

Sima Samar, women’s rights activist in Afghanistan: “With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women’s Affairs.”

Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.

“Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence.”

Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: “These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon.”

“Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for ‘inciting subversion of state power.'”

“Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China’s communist system. He now lives in the United States.”

Surely these people are more worthy of recognition and a $1.4 million award than Barack Obama.

But that’s not the worst part. As with anything which involves Barack Obama and the international stage, the whole thing has to be muddied by Obama’s apparent need to be seen as the busiest man of Earth, tha man who has to juggle running the world with being a father…a job that no man has ever had to do before.

Obama said his daughters, Sasha, 8, and Malia, 10, helped keep him in check this morning after he heard the news, reminding him about their dog’s birthday and Monday’s school holiday.

“Malia walked in and said, ‘Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo’s birthday.’ And then Sasha added, ‘Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up’,” Obama said. “It’s good to have kids to keep things in perspective.”

It’s just a tad ironic that if anybody else paraded their family life in front of the world like this, they’d be accused of robbing their children of the childhood, or their privacy, or any number of other things…but when Barack Obama decides to combine the story of his Nobel Peace Prize, with his daughter celebrating the dog’s birthday, the media fall in to line.

Incidentally, just in case the last quote caught you as off guard as it caught Channel Nine this morning, and you think that Barack Obama found out about his prize from his daughters….bzzz, wrong. It was the man of many “ums and ahs” and little information, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

It was up to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to make the wake-up call about 6 a.m. and deliver the news to Obama, whose reaction mirrored that of other administration officials, lawmakers and political leaders.

“I think it’s safe to say he was very surprised,” Gibbs said later at his daily briefing.

There is one upside to all of this. Except for the Nobel Peace Prize people, it’s very hard to find anybody who is not surprised by the award. It looks like the shine of Barack Obama is finally starting to wear off globally, and people are actually starting to scrutinise his work rather than be blinded by his “hopey changey” aura.

Samuel

5 comments October 10th, 2009 at 09:20am

Paid reviews by bloggers to come under FTC scrutiny

But after reading multiple articles on the matter, I am none the wiser as to who falls under FTC jurisdiction.

The story, in case you missed it a few days ago, is that the US Federal Trade Commission has decided that paid reviews by bloggers need to be disclosed as paid reviews, which seems fair enough although I don’t know how it can be enforced…especially seeing as the one time I wrote something which people thought was a paid review, it wasn’t, not that anyone could easily prove it one way or the other.

The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren’t typical.

The FTC said its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final guidelines, which had been expected. The guides are not binding law, but rather interpretations of law that hope to help advertisers comply with regulations. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could result in various sanctions including a lawsuit.

Testimonials have to spell out what consumers should expect to experience with their products. Previously, companies had just included disclaimers when results were out of the ordinary — such as a large weight loss — noting that the experience was not typical for all customers.
[..]
For bloggers, the FTC stopped short of specifying how they must disclose conflicts of interest. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC’s advertising practices division, said the disclosure must be “clear and conspicuous,” no matter what form it will take.

For most bloggers, the threat of having to face an expensive lawsuit which they can’t afford to defend would be a big enough threat, and for that reason alone the story grabbed my interest and I wanted to know who this applies to…trouble is, I can’t work it out.

I should be safe as I’m an Australian resident blogging on a server located in Melbourne, owned by an Australian business…but I do have a .com domain name which falls under the jurisdiction of ICANN, who are American. That’s a tenuous link at best. Things become a bit more tricky if I ever decide to move the physical hosting of this site back over to the US, or if I write a paid review whilst in the US.

The point is, there is no clear boundary on the jurisdiction of the FTC, and it seems to me that if a blog has any part of itself in the US, it’s fair game, and the blogger should consider how the FTC’s rules apply to them. Yet another case where the lawyers are the winners.

Samuel

2 comments October 8th, 2009 at 08:55am

Can you tell the difference?

Can you tell the difference between when I’m working and when I’m not? I tend to spend more time here when I’m not working than when I am working, and I’m sure that the difference is noticeable. The real problem though, is that I try to spend just as much time here when I’m working as when I’m not working, but because I can’t spend as much time here, I don’t get around to writing half the stuff that I want to write.

I doubt that I’ll ever learn to manage it, or bother to try.

Anyway, after work yesterday I was tired and went straight to bed, and now that it’s Thursday, I can’t see any point in publishing a Musician(s) Of The Week award, as there will be one on Sunday.

Samuel

October 8th, 2009 at 08:36am

Mondays with Maritz: The Daylight Savers

Dear and hello to all do lovely day in now time of the daylight savers which have done do come to us al always are do in time of year which is much lovely and more to be time for the daylights in afternooning which is nice for talking walsks of with nice cat Slavcatchski.

I am did do of have the trouble of on Sunday for change with to Daylight Savers as I have the cupboard of many clocks in time of daylight savers and had to be put away the time clocks for time of normal which do go in cupboard for now until the time of end for daylight savers which comes in seven months away in morning time, as the battery was not of work in some of clocks and I did not have the batteries in house at time so I did have to finish changing of clocks as for which ones I could do change at time of two and then did walk of to see the service petrol shop for sale of batteries and they were much lovely and gave me discount when I did do explain of the clocks for timing.

I am now on doing adjustment for grade singnings which are not of all do understand of timings as the flowers can not be do read of the clocks and so my singings must be adjusted slowly by ten minutes per week until it is in the new timings as otherwise the flowers are not of sure what timing is it now as it is much strange for me to be do sudden changes in timimg with not changes in sun.

Also of the weekend I did do have the dream of big clock of daylight savers doing take over of world with much loud ticking in year 2012 which was not much good of dream and was the scary and so I now must be sure to not feed the clocks of so they do not do growings.

For the week of lovely to you.

From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly

October 7th, 2009 at 04:25pm

Apple Vs Woolworths

Apple’s shareholders might want to go and buy shares in law firms, because the lawyers are the only likely winners in a bizarre case like this.

WOOLWORTHS insists its new logo is a stylised W, or a piece of fresh produce; Apple thinks it is an apple, and the California-based technology company wants to stop Australia’s largest retailer from using it.

Apple has mounted a legal challenge to prevent Woolworths from using the logo that now adorns its trucks, stores and products, arguing it is too close to its own.

Apple will have to convince IP Australia, the federal government agency that governs trademarks, to knock back Woolworths’s application – first filed in August last year – to trademark its logo.

Now, even if Woolworths do decide to go in to selling their own computers, do you really think anybody will confuse the Woolworths logo (left) for the Apple logo (right)?

Didn’t think so.

Personally I can’t stand the new Woolworths logo as I was a fan of the old logo:

However the new logo is similar to their really old logo which I’m having trouble tracking down at the moment, and that alone should give Woolworths enough of an historical precedent to knock Apple’s challenge on the head.

Samuel

October 7th, 2009 at 11:15am

Another use for nasal sprays

For far too long, nasal sprays have been the domain of dubious and controversial adult products, and rather uncomfortable hayfever remedies. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are fixing that, by sending out pig flu vaccinations in nasal spray form.

FORT WORTH — Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) received limited doses of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine on Oct. 5. Plans to distribute this initial shipment of the vaccine are being finalized.

The nasal vaccine is intended for healthy, non-pregnant people between the ages of 2 and 49 who do not live or work with an immunocompromised person.
[..]
The injectible form of the vaccine has not been received and it is not known when it will be received.

I hate nasal sprays, but this is an interesting use of one.

Samuel

October 7th, 2009 at 08:25am

The Victorian Government’s emergency management people have lost touch with reality

Anybody with a basic understanding of the events surrounding the tragic Victorian bushfires of earlier this year knows that commercial and community broadcasters performed an absolutely crucial role in keeping people informed about the unfolding emergency. The ABC, in the official role as emergency broadcaster did their job too, but in many ways were hamstrung by a lack of information flowing from authorities, and fire destroying large chunks of their infrastructure, taking them off their air in a number of fire affected regions, leaving the critical emergency broadcasts to the commercial and community radio sectors.

Despite this, the Victorian government is claiming that commercial radio has no interest in providing around-the-clock emergency coverage during times of emergencies. Where these people get off is beyond me. Commercial and community broadcasters are required by law to provide emergency information, and in times of emergencies step up to the plate time and time again, going well and truly beyond the call of duty to keep people informed and safe. The broadcasters were a long way ahead of the authorities during the Victorian bushfire crisis, and I am simply gobsmacked by the utterly ridiculous and thoroughly debunked claims being made by the Victorian government, who seem to be more interested in deflecting blame than in taking steps to ensure their lack of communication doesn’t occur in the future.

Lately I have been discussing media matters on a fortnightly basis with Oly Peterson on the drive show on Sydney’s North Shore’s FM 99.3, and we discussed this yesterday around 5:20pm. Normally I wouldn’t post audio this soon after an appearance, but in this case I think it’s well worth it as the audio illustrates the point I am trying to make.

[audio:https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/20091006-2NSBMediaSegment.mp3]
Download MP3

One can only hope that the Victorian government settle down and see sense, because they aren’t doing themselves or their constituents any favours with their current ridiculous behaviour.

Samuel

October 7th, 2009 at 05:57am

Intermission

It’s bizarre but true…I stop writing, and I get more visitors. Work that one out.

Anyway, the intermission has now finished. I decided to postpone the Musician(s) Of The Week award on Sunday as I took a nap on Sunday afternoon and then had to go to 1WAY FM, which takes longer at the moment while I am car-less (I found my stolen car on my way to 1WAY FM in an undrivable state which was interesting…and Firefox spell check wants me to say that it was in an undrinkable state, which is also correct). I then caught up on sleep on Monday and was busy with work, errands and further sleep yesterday.

The Musician(s) Of The Week is coming up tonight, and I’ll publish Maritz’s column at some stage today. I have a few other things for you as well.

Incidentally, it looks like I’m back from my two-day break on the same day that Andrew Bolt is back from his month-and-a-bit break. It’s funny how these things work out.

Samuel

October 7th, 2009 at 05:39am

My legendary tips

I made a couple predictions about the NRL Grand Final a couple weeks back, and in the spirit of seeing if I am able to maintain my 49% accuracy rating, it’s time to review them.

Firstly:

it’ll be Dogs V Broncos

Wrong! It was Storm V Eels.

Next (from same link):

there will be at least 46 points scored.

Wrong! The full time score was 23 to 16. 23 + 16 = 39

Then:

I reckon the Broncos will be premiers

Wrong! The Broncos didn’t make it to the grand final.

Finally (from the same link):

if it’s Eels V Storm [..] then it’ll be an Eels premiership

Wrong! The Storm defeated the Eels 23 to 16.

Four predictions. No correct predictions. 0% accuracy.

When I’m cold, I’m contributing to the ongoing increase of polar ice levels.

Samuel

October 4th, 2009 at 08:46pm

Bankstown Bulls win the New South Wales Cup

An email to the Continuous Call Team who are calling all three rugby league grand finals today on 2GB, 2CC, a heap of other radio stations, and streaming live at RugbyLeagueLive.com

G’day Ray, Andrew and the team.

One very happy Dogs supporter down here in Canberra, with the 32-nil win by the Bulls over the Tigers.

Some great up-and-coming talent in that side, including the goalkicker, 300-pointer Brent Crisp who went to my College down here in the ACT!

Thanks for another great year of NRL calling. Enjoy the off-season for those of you who get one.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

October 4th, 2009 at 01:59pm

Drink-driving and meteors without ever drinking

Yesterday morning a little while after 11am I went to bed (yes, my sleep pattern is nuts) and had the radio on (and yes, it was the radio as I had a car FM transmitter hooked up to my laptop so that I and the rest of the house could listen to KXNT). Heather Kydd was discussing a story in Las Vegas involving drink-driving, and I think it prompted the peculiar dream I had yesterday afternoon.

The dream started with me driving south on Coulter Drive heading towards the Redfern Street roundabout (the location makes sense as I was pulled over just north of this point once). I was planning on going straight through the roundabout, but just before I exited the roundabout I noticed a police car coming at me on my side of the road for no apparent reason, they did not have their lights flashing or anything like that. I swerved to avoid them, and ended up with my car half up on the grass to the left of Coulter Drive south of the roundabout. I stopped the car figuring that the police might double back to check what was almost an accident, and I then looked out the window and saw a police car drive straight past in a southerly direction, so I figured that I was in the clear and went to take off…then the police car which had run me off the road came up behind me and flashed their lights at me, so I stopped again.

The police asked me to get out of my car and submit to a breath test, which I did, albeit whilst informing them that I was annoyed by them running me off the road. A few moments went by before the result of the breath test came back…I blew 0.342. I protested the result on the grounds that “I haven’t been drinking, and if you knew me, you’d know that I wouldn’t be able to stand at about a third of that” and then agreed to go with the police to the police station for a formal blood alcohol level check…as long as we could go by my house first to lock the doors. Strangely, the police agreed.

We went back to my house and the police locked the windows while I locked the doors, then there was a loud bang and Nattie started barking. A meteor had landed in my backyard…the police saw this and breath tested the meteor. It blew zero, and the police then informed me that I was free to go as the breathalysers report readings of 0.342 in the half-hour before meteors crash in Canberra.

Another meteor then crashed in to my kitchen, causing my microwave to explode…at which point the dream ended.

Samuel

October 4th, 2009 at 06:57am