March, 2009:

Open House

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Each Sunday evening Sheridan Voysey talks to a variety of authors, artists and personalities as part of his radio program, Open House. Together they cover a wide range of topics from faith to failure and along the way discovering some of the things that make up the very essence of life.

Sheridan has recently released a book titled Open House which contains transcripts of some of the most fascinating interviews he has conducted on the radio programme with guests such as Andrew Denton, Philip Yancey, Tim Costello, Marina Prior and James Morrison.

I recently spoke to Sheridan on 98.5 Sonshine FM. Sheridan is the former host of the morning radio programme I now present each week day. I took up the programme when he left Perth about four and a half years ago.

If you’d like to hear our discussion about the book and the lessons Sheridan has learned from his guests just click the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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What Colour is the Wind?

Mar 13th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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In November 2006, at the age of 69, Graham Laycock passed away while travelling in Thailand.

Graham had lived a remarkable and inspiring life and at the time of his death he had completed the first draft of his autobiography. Editor Chris Walker took that draft, and doing his best to stay faithful to Graham’s own words, completed the book which has now been released under the title What Colour is the Wind?

Losing his sight at an early age was only one of the challenges that Graham faced throughout life. He took on everything life threw at him and came out on top.

He was a man of many passions. He was passionate about educating sighted people about the life of a blind person. He was passionate about his career in physiotherapy. He was passionate about helping others to reach their full potential, whatever their ability or disability. Above all he was passionate about his faith in Jesus Christ. He preached all over the world and loved to share his faith with others.

Graham Laycock was also an accomplished musician. He made playing guitar look easy but his talent was backed up by constant practice. He was inspired to continue developing his musical talent after meeting the legendary Nat King Cole. It was Nat who encouraged him to keep practicing and developing as a musician.

I recently spoke about the book and about Graham’s life with his widow, Peggy Laycock on 98.5 Sonshine FM. You can hear more of Graham’s story by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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The EyeBorg Project

Mar 12th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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Have you ever wished that you could video what ever you see without lugging around a video camera?

Rob Spence, a one eyed film maker, has found a way to do just that. Taking his cue from the 1970s television series The Six Million Dollar Man, Rob has had a camera inserted into prosthetic eye to create The EyeBorg Project.

Take a one eyed film maker, an unemployed engineer, and a vision for something that’s never been done before and you have yourself the EyeBorg Project. Rob Spence and Kosta Grammatis are trying to make history by embedding a video camera and a transmitter in a prosthetic eye. That eye is going in Robs eye socket, and will record the world from a perspective that’s never been seen before.

The possibilities for this kind of documentary making are endless. Imagine how much more at ease people would be talking one on one with someone rather than having a visible camera shoved in their face.

I’d love to do something like this but I’m not really prepared to lose an eye to do so. Of course, the way technology is going, it probably won’t be too long before we can take a direct feed from our own eyes.

The thing I’d really like is to be able to have a zoom function on my eyes like The Six Million Dollar Man had. That sure would beat having to take binoculars to the footy or concerts.

The Eyeborg Project is the work of Rob Spence, a 36 year old filmmaker residing in Toronto, Canada and Kosta Grammatis—an unemployed engineer from San Francisco, CA. The eye in question was badly damaged in an accident involving a shotgun when Rob was 13. Rob had his eye surgically removed and replaced with a prosthetic one after enduring ten years of pain. Now, with the help of Kosta and a team of ocularists, inventors, engineering specialists, Rob is building a prosthesis that can capture and transmit video. He will soon be filming the world from an entirely new perspective.

Kosta Grammatis has led the charge to solve the engineering problems involved with the endeavor. In order for the project to be successful the smallest, lightest, power efficient technologies had to be found and implemented. The world’s smallest CMOS cameras—1.5mm square are being used, small enough to be lost in a sneeze. The video signal is being transmitted wirelessly to be recorded elsewhere by an RF Transmitter that’s smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser, and lithium polymer battery technology is powering the eye. Kosta envisions that the data will be sent to a backpack to be recorded.

You can follow the project at the EyeBorg Project Blog.

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KEVIN37

Mar 11th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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Today’s the day that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s second economic stimulous package starts getting rolled out to the Australian public.

Kogan Technologies has taken advantage of the stimulous package and created some magnificent marketing. They’ve launched the Kogan Technologies KEVIN37 HD LCD TV. It’s been carefully designed to coincide with the government handout and the TVs will be ready to be shipped to customers next month. The cost of these televisions is only $900, the exact amount that many Australians will be given by the government.

Celebrate the Australian Government’s stimulus package with the Kogan KEVIN37.

The Kogan KEVIN37 in conjunction with the government bonus is a great combination for Australian’s looking for an affordable home entertainment solution.

Bring your living room into the digital age with the Kogan KEVIN37. Featuring a High Definition 37″ LCD Panel, Built in High Definition Tuner and HDMI input, it’s sure to suit every need.

The Kogan KEVIN37 LCD HDTV will also ship with a free promotional t-shirt.

I don’t think we’ll be taking advantage of the offer but I reckon it’s a case of very clever marketing.

Are you getting money from Mr Rudd? Have you decided what you’ll do with your slice of the pie?

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Underbelly

Mar 11th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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What should our response be to corruption in our community? Should we speak out? Should we seek to create influence?

The Nine Network in Australia is drawing big audiences with its latest series of Underbelly, looking at the seedy underworld of organised crime in Australia back in the seventies and eighties. A lot of people will avoid the series due to the high levels of sex and violence but beyond the often gratuitous scenes there is something more troubling; much of what is portrayed is based in the facts of some very dark episodes in our country’s history.

The series began with episodes depicting the murder of Christian anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay. Mackay was a man of integrity who refused to back down in his efforts to expose corruption that ran to the highest levels at the time.

Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is a 13-part Australian television mini-series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the marijuana trade centred around the New South Wales town of Griffith. The timeline of the series is the years between 1976 and 1987. Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities primarily depicts the Mr. Asia drug syndicate and its influence on crime in Australia. Among the characters presented are real-life criminals Robert Trimbole, Terry Clark, George Freeman, Christopher Dale Flannery and the Kane Brothers. The mini-series is a prequel to the 2008 production Underbelly, which was about the Melbourne gangland killings and forms part of the Underbelly series. – Wiki

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Ross was working as a criminal lawyer in Sydney’s Kings Cross at the time Underbelly is set. He wonders why more people didn’t stand up and speak out against what was going on.

So what should we do when we see corruption and organised crime? Are there ways that we can support those who are prepared to stand up and fight to change wrong to right?

Listen to what Ross had to say on the topic by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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