November 16th, 2008 by admin

The name Jordan is one of the best know surnames, not just in sports, thanks to the now legendary exploits of former professional basketballer, Michael Jordan. Throughout the late 80s and 90s, basketball and in particular the NBA was huge. It was shown on free-to-air TV here in Australia, first on ABC then on Channel 10, with a massive following of the NBA all around the world. Basketball was the only team sport I ever played, so it was natural that I was a huge fan of his airness. No matter who you speak to, anyone remotely interesting basketball had a deep admiration for his skills, the results he achieved and his mystique. I took this photo at a private party recently, and the jersey seemed to conjure up fond memories for anyone that noticed it. Kobe, Lebron and Dwyane have all been touted as “the next Michael Jordan” but so far, none have attracted the the same accolades. Will there be another? Here’s hoping.

November 12th, 2008 by admin

I wanted to keep this site free from linking to random web stuff, but this video has blown me away. Ken Block is one of the founders of DC Shoes. He has recently become interested in rally driving and has fast become quite good at his new hobby. There aren’t many things I see that make me want to own another WRX. Click the image above to find out what does.

November 10th, 2008 by admin

If you ever wanted a reason for starting a blog, here’s one. It seems the marketing team at Guzman Y Gomez found my post (I love google) about their delicious food, and as a bonus, sent me some vouchers. Yum.

November 10th, 2008 by admin

I try to only show my boy good TV, so I have come up with a selection of watchable TV shows, for both Adults and kids.

1. Shaun the Sheep.
Brought to you by the Aardman team in the UK responsible for Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run, this is an awesome show. Each episode is funny, clever and both kids and adults love it.
Adult Score: 8/10
Kid Score: 7/10

2. George Shrinks
A Canadian production, this cartoon is all style. The animation, music, themes, are all a bit retro (in a good way), and it’s bursting with entertainment.
Adult Score: 7/10
Kid Score: 6/10

3. In the Night Garden
I thought the teletubbies were tripped out. The first time I saw this program I thought what drugs are they smoking. This is really designed for the kids. It’s only good for adults to see what creative minds can do. The production values are very high, it’s no small budget show, but not all that watchable for the adults, the young kids however, love it.
Adult Score: 5/10
Kid Score: 9/10

4. Pocoyo
Another quality European production, this time out of Spain. Colourful, entertaining and with good themes/messages, Pocoyo is a simple formula done well.
Adult Score: 7/10
Kid Score: 9/10

5. Yo Gabba Gabba
The only US based show to make my list is called Yo Gabba Gabba. No it’s not some hiphop dutch techno remix, it does feature a DJ as the main human character. This show is quite fresh, a little wacky like “In the Night Garden”, but watchable. Partly due to the occasional star guest, YGG has featured Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, Elija Wood and Mya.
Adult Score: 6/10
Kid Score: 8/10

November 6th, 2008 by admin

This image is a few years old, but really shows how dominant one brand of cameras was in the pro sports market.

Taking a similar picture today would show a lot more black lenses (Yes I know that you can option Nikon lenses in grey), as Nikon has really stepped up with their D3 body. I have used both systems and currently am heavily invested in the Canon system, as they released the first affordable full frame DSLR; the EOS 5D. I picked up mine about 3 years ago, I bought it at B&H in New York. That was a fun day, we walked in, dropped $15k on a Canon system, and the guys at the store thought nothing of it. Do that in a store in Sydney and they will be celebrating for weeks. Up until then, I had Nikon film and Digital SLRs, as well as a Bronica ETRS 645 system. I had the Nikon’s every since high school, and they were my choice cus I loved the Nikon F4 compared to Canons offerings back in the early 90s. Both of my mentors back then had used both systems, and one had Nikon and the other Canon. So they were really no help. The D1 and D2 series of Nikon bodies were nice to use, but lacked a bit of performance from their sensors. This has now changed. The D3 is a great cam, with what seems to be excellent speed and performance, especially in low light. The next cams will also be very interesting, the 5DmarkII does break into new ground with its video capabilities, and the rumours about the D3X are also very interesting. Competition improves the breed.

November 5th, 2008 by admin

Not too long ago I shot this new Honda Jazz for Wheels Magazine. This shot wasn’t used in the spread, but I liked it.

Canon 5D, 1/10th f/6.3, ISO200, EF24-70 f/2.8 L at 25mm.
I used a tripod and two 580EX’s on stands, synced with PocketWizards.

November 4th, 2008 by admin

On a recent trip to Melbourne we were due to fly out of Tullamarine at around 8:30pm. After sitting on the plane for about a half an hour, the pilot announced that they were lacking a co-pilot and they were trying to source a replacement. A further 30 minutes or so and the flight was cancelled. They were not able to find a replacement co-pilot to get the plane in time to make the Sydney Airport curfew. I offered my services, but 2 hours on Microsoft Flight Simulator isn’t enough apparently.

So we had a plane-full of annoyed passengers, and 3-4 staff members to get through it all. Basically good airlines like Qantas and VirginBlue will provide you with accommodation, Jetstar apparently force you to take care of yourself.

If you have several people in your party you can get:
1. A hotel room each. (why not)
2. 2 cab charges each. (the ones we received had a shelf life of about 2 years)
Usually, they fill the better hotels first, so it’s a safer bet to line up first, however, we did hear of a group on our flight, who got to their hotel, to find out it was booked out (after they were sent there) so they were rebooked at Crown Towers, one of the best hotels in Melbourne.

Also, try find out exactly what you are entitled to, for instance, we were told to feel free to make some phone calls from your hotel, order dinner, have a drink, etc. Once we arrived at the hotel, a letter was placed in our rooms saying one free 3 minute phone, dinner and breakfast were covered by the airline. Any movies or Alcoholic drinks were not covered. I ordered, dinner, dessert and a drink, with the bill came to around $45. The next morning while checking out we were told that the airline only covered dinner up to $20 and that I would have to cover the rest. This was not described in the letter and I will be posting that invoice to the airline.

The airline did rebook us on a flight the next morning, however they were also quite full, and we had very little choice on which flight we could go on. We had a 8am flight, to had to leave the hotel rather early, around 6am.

While waiting at the airport, our stage crew just had to jump online and check:

Yup, you guessed it, Facebook and Myspace.

November 4th, 2008 by admin

I saw this sticker outside of the office this afternoon. Just a reminder, we are in Australia. Now the Polo owner may be an ex-pat U.S. citizen working here, but I thought this was a bit of a joke.

October 28th, 2008 by admin

We have had a new addition to the office fleet, and I just took it around the block.
Not much more I can say at the moment, I am still coming down from it.

Yeah, it’s fast.

October 26th, 2008 by admin

With the destruction of my Ultimate Ears canal phones, I had to pick something up to get me by on the few flights I have left this year. So at some airport on a recent trip, I checked out what was on offer at the newsagency.

These Skullcandy Smokin Buds were the impulse buy for that trip. They were $40, had a range of silicon tips for various sized ear canals and some funky packaging. I’ll be honest, after what I spent on the UEs and Etymotics previously, I wasn’t expecting much performance at that price. Especially after reading the spec sheet on the box. They proved me wrong. They sound surprisingly good! After a few tweaks to the EQ on my media player, they were 90% as good as the UEs, at 10% of the price. The bass performance was particularly huge, something ear phones usually struggle with.