Stan Walker on the Morning Café

September 30, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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It hardly seems like almost two years since Stan Walker won the seventh and final series of Australian Idol.

During his Idol journey International superstar Michael Bublé heard him sing and said, “That voice is like God kissed his throat”.

After one performance during Idol he left Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte speechless. Joel said that listening to Stan sing made him want to sing R&B music and Benji said he’d watch him perform whether he won the competition or not.

Since then Stan Walker has continued to build a strong career with a number of hit singles and a growing fan base. He released the single Loud earlier this year and the new single Light It Up just a couple of weeks ago.

Stan Walker joined me in the studio this morning for the Morning Café on 98.5 Sonshine FM.

I talked to Stan about his new single, the upcoming album and the song he recorded with Jessica Mauboy.

I also asked about his new role as an actor and whether he has big plans for his 21st birthday next month.

You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR300911_1151.mp3]

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Kindle Fire versus iPad

September 29, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Amazon has done very well with their Kindle eReaders but they’ve now turned up the heat on the iPad with the Kindle Fire.

The Kindle Fire is much more than a colour version of the popular Kindle. There’ll be apps, games. thousands of movies and TV shows, music and web browsing. Some are suggesting that the new tablet will provide new competition for Apple’s iPad.

The new device is being released in the US on the 15th of November but Amazon is taking advance orders now.

The imminent release of the Kindle Fire means that other Kindles in the Amazon range will become more affordable. There will even be other Kindles joining the range.

There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can work. We are firmly in the second camp.

We are excited to announce four new products: the all-new Kindle for only $79, two new touch Kindles – Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G – for $99 and $149, and a new class of Kindle – Kindle Fire – a beautiful full color Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games, web browsing and more, for only $199.

These are high-end products – the best Kindles we’ve ever made. Kindle and Kindle Touch have the most-advanced E Ink display technology available, and the 3G Kindle Touch adds free 3G wireless – no monthly fees and no annual contracts. Kindle Fire brings everything we’ve been working on at Amazon for 15 years together into a single, fully-integrated experience for customers – instant access to Amazon’s massive selection of digital content, a vibrant color IPS touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle, a 14.6 ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand, a state-of-the-art dual core processor, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, and an ultra-fast mobile browser – Amazon Silk – available exclusively on Kindle Fire.

We are building premium products and offering them at non-premium prices.

The announcement of the new range has already caused a rise in Amazon’s share price.

I’m happy to stick with my original iPad with its larger screen but I’m wondering whether this new device and its competetive pricing will put pressure on Apple to review iPad prices.



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Snap!

September 29, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Have you ever felt that you’re living someone else’s life? I feel a bit that way at the moment.

For the third day in a row I’ve driven to work. That’s pretty normal for a lot of people but it just feels wrong. I usually ride to and from work each day and when I don’t ride I really miss it. I miss the rush of the ride. I miss the kick start it gives my morning and the opportunity to wind down before I walk through the door at home at the end of the day. I don’t think I could ever handle the stop start nature of driving in traffic every morning and every afternoon.

Why am I driving? After a wonderful weekend of cycling where I clocked up some great kilometres, I cycled to work as normal on Monday morning. It was a wet ride but that’s the price you pay for choosing a mode of transport that makes you feel alive. When I got on my bike at the end of the day …. snap. The rear derailleur hanger snapped in two. Not good.

Since Monday afternoon my bike has been at Avanti Plus Cannington. I’m confident in the team there and I’m sure that they’ll do a great job with my bike. They’ve always looked after me well in the past but it’s still an inconvenience and an expense that I could have done without. I want my bike back.

As you probably know, I’m training for my annual Cancer Ride, raising money for Cancer Council WA, so I don’t need my riding to come to a screaming halt for any length of time.

The Avanti Plus Cannington guys are waiting on a part and I’ll hopefully be back on the bike within the next couple of days. My experience with their mechanical work suggests that my machine will ride smoother than it did before the break and I’m really looking forward to getting back on two wheels.



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Perth Royal Show 2011

September 28, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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It’s on again.

The Perth Royal Show begins at the Claremont Showgrounds this Saturday and runs until the following Saturday the 8th of October.

The Perth Royal Show is Perth’s biggest community event attracting 400 000 visitors from the city and the country every year. It has a history spanning over 170 years and serves to showcase WA agriculture, small business and entertainment.

An interesting element of this year’s show is that it’ll be smoke free for the third year. Smokers will have one area within the showgrounds where they can light up while the rest of the event will be free of second hand cigarette smoke. It’s a great move forward.

Thanks to the State Government’s support of CHOGM 2011, all children aged 12 years and under will receive free entry to this year’s Perth Royal Show when accompanied by an adult.

98.5 Sonshine FM is broadcasting live from the show for the first seven days.

I’m really looking forward to presenting my Morning Café radio programme, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday to Friday next week as well as hosting this Sunday from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.

I’ll have a range of interesting guests and will probably get involved in some weird situations.

If you’re thinking of heading to the show this year, make sure you drop in to our broadcast centre and say hello. We’re be overlooking the main arena right next to the Members’ Grandstand.

Broadcasting from the show instead of our Como studios will almost double the distance I’ll have to cycle which will be great training for our cancer ride coming up in a few weeks.



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We Have a Winner

September 23, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Queen’s Roger Taylor is launching a North American talent search that will offer vocalists and musicians the opportunity to star in the Queen Extravaganza.

The Queen Extravaganza is a live touring show celebrating and paying tribute to the songs, style and vision of one of the World’s biggest bands, Queen.

I think they have a winner. I’m guessing that a few potential contestants will just give up after this guy uploaded his audition.



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