When did we all become so nasty? I’ve repeatedly expressed my enthusiasm for social media, especially Twitter. But in the last couple of weeks, it’s really bugged me. I know how to handle criticism. I wouldn’t have survived two decades on radio without learning how to listen to those who I respect and ignore those who are just baiting for a reaction. But last week, someone made it through the armour. Why? Because Ben Limmer (real name? Who knows? Who can tell on Twitter?) wasn’t attacking me. He was cutting down the hopes and dreams of an 11-year-old girl. Here’s what happened.
Saturday night at 9.52pm, I tweeted: “Lemonade stall, you’ve been replaced! Eleven-year-old girl has dropped home-made pizza menu in our letterbox! Have ordered for next weekend! :)”And Ben’s reaction (I’ve fixed his spelling):“Hope she has a BCC (Brisbane City Council) food licence”.I replied: “Hope you have tongue in cheek”.He continued: “No, if you are paying money for her food it would be illegal.”I told him that I had no doubt how the court of public opinion would find this girl’s business get-up-and-go, to which he responded: “If your whole street got food poisoning where would public opinion be then?”
At this point, other Twitter users or tweeps added their two cents worth. There was Lyndon, who showed support by asking: “Does she offer a blue cheese and pear pizza?” (For the record, she’s kicking off with Supreme, Hawaiian and Vegetarian). Nathan, who co-owns a café, suggested there was a higher risk at “most Saturday barbecues”.Zsa Zsa described the girl’s pizza business as “wonderful” and Elizabeth simply tweeted“Awww…”Glenny chimed in from Melbourne with: “It’s just a young girl making a little pocket money. Good luck to her. People just read too much into a girl getting off her butt to make a few bob”.
So yes, there were those who jumped to defend my neighbour, but it was Ben Limmer who scored a victory by getting to me. On the Monday, I asked my radio listeners why we’re so quick to judge nowadays. Stan said: “The girl was just getting off her posterior and doing something for herself. She deserves praise not negative comment. But I am afraid I fall into that category from time to time. I blame it on the pressures of living.”From Deb: “I don’t know why but crankiness seems to kick in a lot earlier. It used to be the domain of the older people but the young’uns seem to get really cranky these days. Maybe it’s impatience?”Christina offered: “It’s stress, trying to keep a husband and five kids happy, juggle the little money we have and all for very little thanks. Some days it’s not too easy to pull out a smile, a laugh or even a smirk.”Paul’s response was simple: “There are too many people!”Linda took aim squarely at Twitter: “It’s a platform for uninformed and uneducated morons to vent about anything and everything without thinking about the impact their sometimes poisonous words have on innocent individuals”.
And finally, Patty suggested it’s because we can, now that social media has given everyone a voice. There’s something in all of the above but I think Patty’s nailed it. Social media sites don’t have a gatekeeper. Where newspapers have always been able to select which letters they publish, and radio producers have enjoyed similar control over which talkback callers get to air, Twitter, Facebook and the internet in general have given everyone the ability to publish whatever they like.
This whole experience has really affected me and I’m going to do what I can to change the tone. I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to watching TV and live-tweeting comments about what a newsreader or reality contestant is saying or wearing. It’s keyboard road rage. And it has to stop. Here and now, I’m taking a vow of social media positivity.
And for those who are wondering, no we didn’t all die of food poisoning. The pizzas were delivered piping hot and perfectly on time, packed high with toppings, exceeding all our expectations! And they earned our young neighbour both a handsome tip and another order for this weekend! Who’s joining us?
LInk to 612 Breakfast page
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Bmag May 22nd 2012 - Righting radio wrongs
Want to inject some honesty and accuracy into the world? Read on. I’ll show you how!
We all have our fields of expertise. Something we know inside and out. It could be a TV show or a period in history. For most of us, it’s as simple as what we do for a living. You might not feel comfortable calling yourself an expert. In fact, in a moment of self-questioning, you’ve probably wondered how long it will be before you’re “found out!” We’ve all done that.
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers: The Story of Success, says it takes 10,000 hours’ practise to become expert in something. I say you achieve it when you can watch a TV show or movie and spot mistakes.
I’m not talking about continuity errors –my favourite of which is the car chase in Diamonds Are Forever, where James Bond (Sean Connery) drives into a narrow lane on just the two right-hand tyres. As the car leaves the laneway, it’s flipped onto the left! I mean mistakes you could have fixed if only the studio had hired you as a consultant!
Brad Pickersgill, who runs a fire prevention consultancy, says he regularly has to reassure clients that sprinklers do not all go off at once like in the movies. Brad continues: “Don’t even get me started on Towering Inferno, with its gas mains inside fire escapes, elevators that don’t shut off during a fire alarm and a water tank on top of the building which would weigh enough to collapse any structure.”
Forensic scientist Jen Dainer says TV shows like CSI and Law and Order present real problems for police and the courts because of “how much forensic evidence they always seem to have lying around and how rapidly they can get results from the evidence”. She says jurors now expect forensic evidence all the time.
Former drover David Morgan says he lost count of the number of mistakes in the movie Australia: “When the cattle jumped and rushed (or to use the American term, stampeded) the manner in which the mob was wheeled and brought to a stop had tears (of laughter) running down my face.”
Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra concert master Robyn Gray says: “In the opening scene of August Rush, Keri Russell holds a cello back to front!”IT support worker David de Groot points to the movie Hackers with its “blatant ineptitude about computer hardware, such as referring to the specs of a PC-style laptop then showing a Mac instead”.
“Mad keen golfer” and film critic Matthew Toomey says the climax of Tin Cup sees Kevin Costner’s character hit his ball onto the green with a three wood. It appears to sit a metre from the hole then somehow spins back off the green and into the water, destroying his chances.“Firstly, you can’t spin a ball with a three wood and secondly, there’s no way they’d put a pin placement on a slope where the ball runs so easily into the water.”
You get the idea! It makes you wonder how these mistakes slip through. Of course, by the time you see the show or film, it’s too late. All you can do is shout at the screen! However, and this is my point, if ever you hear a radio interviewer failing to understand something about which you are an expert, there is more you can do than just scream.
This is my 20th year presenting live daily radio. Every day, I conduct interviews on seven or eight different topics. That’s a lot of interviews over the years. Try as you might to stay on top of everything, there are times when you say goodbye to a guest wondering whether the conversation was accurate and useful for someone who really knows the subject (not to mention someone who doesn’t). This is especially important when you’re interviewing someone who may be trying to avoid telling “the whole truth”.
I’m sure I speak for my colleagues at the ABC and other stations when I say we truly appreciate you phoning, texting or tweeting a critical snippet of information that can be woven into a live interview. No, you can’t change a mistake in a movie, but you can play a part in ensuring the accuracy of live radio in this city.
We all have our fields of expertise. Something we know inside and out. It could be a TV show or a period in history. For most of us, it’s as simple as what we do for a living. You might not feel comfortable calling yourself an expert. In fact, in a moment of self-questioning, you’ve probably wondered how long it will be before you’re “found out!” We’ve all done that.
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers: The Story of Success, says it takes 10,000 hours’ practise to become expert in something. I say you achieve it when you can watch a TV show or movie and spot mistakes.
I’m not talking about continuity errors –my favourite of which is the car chase in Diamonds Are Forever, where James Bond (Sean Connery) drives into a narrow lane on just the two right-hand tyres. As the car leaves the laneway, it’s flipped onto the left! I mean mistakes you could have fixed if only the studio had hired you as a consultant!
Brad Pickersgill, who runs a fire prevention consultancy, says he regularly has to reassure clients that sprinklers do not all go off at once like in the movies. Brad continues: “Don’t even get me started on Towering Inferno, with its gas mains inside fire escapes, elevators that don’t shut off during a fire alarm and a water tank on top of the building which would weigh enough to collapse any structure.”
Forensic scientist Jen Dainer says TV shows like CSI and Law and Order present real problems for police and the courts because of “how much forensic evidence they always seem to have lying around and how rapidly they can get results from the evidence”. She says jurors now expect forensic evidence all the time.
Former drover David Morgan says he lost count of the number of mistakes in the movie Australia: “When the cattle jumped and rushed (or to use the American term, stampeded) the manner in which the mob was wheeled and brought to a stop had tears (of laughter) running down my face.”
Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra concert master Robyn Gray says: “In the opening scene of August Rush, Keri Russell holds a cello back to front!”IT support worker David de Groot points to the movie Hackers with its “blatant ineptitude about computer hardware, such as referring to the specs of a PC-style laptop then showing a Mac instead”.
“Mad keen golfer” and film critic Matthew Toomey says the climax of Tin Cup sees Kevin Costner’s character hit his ball onto the green with a three wood. It appears to sit a metre from the hole then somehow spins back off the green and into the water, destroying his chances.“Firstly, you can’t spin a ball with a three wood and secondly, there’s no way they’d put a pin placement on a slope where the ball runs so easily into the water.”
You get the idea! It makes you wonder how these mistakes slip through. Of course, by the time you see the show or film, it’s too late. All you can do is shout at the screen! However, and this is my point, if ever you hear a radio interviewer failing to understand something about which you are an expert, there is more you can do than just scream.
This is my 20th year presenting live daily radio. Every day, I conduct interviews on seven or eight different topics. That’s a lot of interviews over the years. Try as you might to stay on top of everything, there are times when you say goodbye to a guest wondering whether the conversation was accurate and useful for someone who really knows the subject (not to mention someone who doesn’t). This is especially important when you’re interviewing someone who may be trying to avoid telling “the whole truth”.
I’m sure I speak for my colleagues at the ABC and other stations when I say we truly appreciate you phoning, texting or tweeting a critical snippet of information that can be woven into a live interview. No, you can’t change a mistake in a movie, but you can play a part in ensuring the accuracy of live radio in this city.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Bmag April 10th 2012 - Logies, Fuglies and Molkies
Why does this feel like a confession?
I know you’re going to laugh at me.
But I’m just going to spit it out and
you can judge me accordingly! I enjoy watching
the Logies.
There, I’ve said it! I almost-certainly never
know half the winners, but it takes me back to
my teenage years when I watched a lot more
television and lived for “TV’s night of nights”!
Remember when Kylie Minogue won the
Gold in 1988? I was 16, she was only three
years older than me and suddenly up there
with the likes of Graham Kennedy? At that
moment, I was convinced it was the end of the
world!
Now in my 40s, I will watch the Logies on Sunday night, hoping the teenagers of today are just as excited as I was. Just as I hold on to the tradition that is the Logies, I also enjoy the anti-Logies that have popped up in recent years.
There were the Fuglies, created in 2002 by social media marketer Anthony Dever, who would fly from Brisbane to Melbourne with a square of red carpet, stand outside the Logies venue and announce the online-voted winners to people walking past! The Fuglies ran for seven years and included awards such as Spunkiest Male on Australian Television and Most Spankable Female.
Last year, Brisbane-based TV blogger Steve Molk launched the Molkies, similar to the Fuglies but culminating in a sponsored gala awards night. The second annual Molkies were held on 31 March with categories such as Worst Product Placement (won by Coles for Masterchef), World Program or Series (Kyle and Jackie O’s Night With the Stars) and the Brown Molkie for the Person You Always Change Channels to Avoid (Kyle Sandilands). Accepting his 2012 Gold Molkie for the Person You Always Change Channels to Watch, Adam Hills described the Molkies as “the true gauge of quality in the Australian TV industry”!
But back to the Logies. I’m probably just pining for that teenage Logie Award excitement, but it’s 28 years since we had separate Logies for each of the states. And I miss those awards. In a moment, I’m going to ask you who would win Most Popular Male and Female on Queensland TV and Most Popular Queensland show in 2012. But first here’s a little Logies history, and why state-based awards won’t be brought back in a hurry.
The first Logie Awards, in 1959, were part of Channel Nine’s In Melbourne Tonight. No prizes for guessing which show won Best Program. In their second outing, the Logies had a Best Presenter for each network! That lasted just the one year. By 1961, the format and categories started to settle down and statebased Most Popular Male and Female Logies were introduced. Brian Tait and Nancy Knudsen were Queensland’s inaugural winners, along with Channel Seven’s The Late Show for Most Popular Queensland Show.
Other Most Popular Queensland Male and Female winners over the years included Jill and Dick McCann, Paul and Rhonda Sharratt, George Wallace jnr, Ron Caddee, Dina Heslop and for nine consecutive years, Jacki MacDonald. Theatre Royal, I’ve Got a Secret, Studio Nine and the Dick McCann Show were among the winners of Most Popular Queensland Show. Inevitably, the downscaling of local television production meant the Queensland Logies were taking on a newsy hue.
From 1980 until the last year of state-based Logies in 1984, Most Popular Queensland Show was won by a 6.30pm current affairs show, either Today Tonight (then on Nine) or State Affair (on Seven). When it came to Most Popular Male, the variety show performers of the ’60s and ’70s were pushed aside for the interviewers and newsreaders, including Paul Griffin, Glenn Taylor and Andrew Carroll. Jacki MacDonald just kept on winning Most Popular Female – from 1978 to 1984 – but then Jacki always was the exception. Who else could present Channel 0 News in Brisbane then fly to Melbourne to co-host Hey Hey It’s Saturday on Nine?! In 2012, there are news, lifestyle and children’s programs made here in Brisbane.
So, if state-based Logies were to be reinstated, who would win Most Popular Male and Most Popular Female? And what would be Most Popular Queensland Show? Email your votes to the email address below and I’ll report back in a couple of weeks. And no, you can’t vote for Jacki MacDonald!
Now in my 40s, I will watch the Logies on Sunday night, hoping the teenagers of today are just as excited as I was. Just as I hold on to the tradition that is the Logies, I also enjoy the anti-Logies that have popped up in recent years.
There were the Fuglies, created in 2002 by social media marketer Anthony Dever, who would fly from Brisbane to Melbourne with a square of red carpet, stand outside the Logies venue and announce the online-voted winners to people walking past! The Fuglies ran for seven years and included awards such as Spunkiest Male on Australian Television and Most Spankable Female.
Last year, Brisbane-based TV blogger Steve Molk launched the Molkies, similar to the Fuglies but culminating in a sponsored gala awards night. The second annual Molkies were held on 31 March with categories such as Worst Product Placement (won by Coles for Masterchef), World Program or Series (Kyle and Jackie O’s Night With the Stars) and the Brown Molkie for the Person You Always Change Channels to Avoid (Kyle Sandilands). Accepting his 2012 Gold Molkie for the Person You Always Change Channels to Watch, Adam Hills described the Molkies as “the true gauge of quality in the Australian TV industry”!
But back to the Logies. I’m probably just pining for that teenage Logie Award excitement, but it’s 28 years since we had separate Logies for each of the states. And I miss those awards. In a moment, I’m going to ask you who would win Most Popular Male and Female on Queensland TV and Most Popular Queensland show in 2012. But first here’s a little Logies history, and why state-based awards won’t be brought back in a hurry.
The first Logie Awards, in 1959, were part of Channel Nine’s In Melbourne Tonight. No prizes for guessing which show won Best Program. In their second outing, the Logies had a Best Presenter for each network! That lasted just the one year. By 1961, the format and categories started to settle down and statebased Most Popular Male and Female Logies were introduced. Brian Tait and Nancy Knudsen were Queensland’s inaugural winners, along with Channel Seven’s The Late Show for Most Popular Queensland Show.
Other Most Popular Queensland Male and Female winners over the years included Jill and Dick McCann, Paul and Rhonda Sharratt, George Wallace jnr, Ron Caddee, Dina Heslop and for nine consecutive years, Jacki MacDonald. Theatre Royal, I’ve Got a Secret, Studio Nine and the Dick McCann Show were among the winners of Most Popular Queensland Show. Inevitably, the downscaling of local television production meant the Queensland Logies were taking on a newsy hue.
From 1980 until the last year of state-based Logies in 1984, Most Popular Queensland Show was won by a 6.30pm current affairs show, either Today Tonight (then on Nine) or State Affair (on Seven). When it came to Most Popular Male, the variety show performers of the ’60s and ’70s were pushed aside for the interviewers and newsreaders, including Paul Griffin, Glenn Taylor and Andrew Carroll. Jacki MacDonald just kept on winning Most Popular Female – from 1978 to 1984 – but then Jacki always was the exception. Who else could present Channel 0 News in Brisbane then fly to Melbourne to co-host Hey Hey It’s Saturday on Nine?! In 2012, there are news, lifestyle and children’s programs made here in Brisbane.
So, if state-based Logies were to be reinstated, who would win Most Popular Male and Most Popular Female? And what would be Most Popular Queensland Show? Email your votes to the email address below and I’ll report back in a couple of weeks. And no, you can’t vote for Jacki MacDonald!
Bmag April 24th 2012 - 1000 ideas for Brisbane
Amid all the recent concern about crime in South East Queensland, it’s comforting and refreshing to see someone talking about positive ideas for the future of our city. And no, I’m not talking about any of the candidates for this Saturday’s local government elections. See what you think of these suggestions, then I’ll tell you who’s behind this month-long citywide brainstorming session:
• Moving libraries – trollies of books in King George Square and the Queen Street Mall where people can pick up pre-ordered books and return others as part of their commute;
• Free entry for locals to art exhibitions, if they bring a guest from interstate or overseas (proven by licence and postcodes);
• Have one day a year where people all wear a name tag and go out of their way to say hello to each other;
• Pop-up performances by members of our professional opera, theatre and ballet groups;
• Create a Brisbane war-cry to be chanted before all major sporting and cultural events.
These are just some of the ideas collected so far as part of an Australian Property Council campaign called Make Brisbane Work. The goal is no fewer than 1000 ideas! The Council’s Queensland division executive director Kathy MacDermott says: “The focus is creating a Brilliant Brisbane. Through collecting 1000 ideas, we aim to promote positive thinking and talking about how our cities need to change and grow.
“As you can see, there are some great concepts. We are looking for all sorts of ideas, big or small, practical or implausible. We want to hear them all!”
As the ideas are collected they will be published at www.makemycitywork.org.au/ brisbane and you’ll be able to vote for your favourite. There’s no guarantee that any of the 1000 suggestions, even the winning one, will become a reality straight away. But they could provide the kernel for someone, something, sometime in the future.
Here are some more of the ideas already submitted to the Make Brisbane Work website:
• A city flower farm in King George Square, cared for by groups of volunteers;
• A “self-expression corner” featuring large canvasses which, when completed, would be placed around building sites;
• Make Brisbane “The World’s Summer Suitless City”;
• A light beam from the top of City Hall that can be seen from Noosa to Coolangatta;
• A maze in the CBD;
• Make all tunnel tolls a standard $2;
• Free public transport in the CBD.
Local Logies
In the last issue of bmag, I lamented the loss (admittedly 28 years ago!) of local Logie Awards and asked you who would win Most Popular Male and Female personalities on Queensland TV if state-by-state Logies were still handed out.
Among those who responded was Dorothy Carroll, who emailed: “Spencer, I really enjoyed your column because I learnt about Queensland’s television heritage. The only name I knew and recognised was Jacki MacDonald and that was only because of Hey Hey It’s Saturday. I watch Bill McDonald and Georgie Lewis on Ten at 5pm followed by The Project and then turn over to the ABC for its 7pm News. On Sundays, I tend to watch Seven as the Flashback becomes a talking point amongst the family.”
Based on all your emails and Twitter comments, I can announce that the 2012 winners would have been (drum roll please!) – Bill McDonald (Ten News) and Jessica Van Vonderen (7.30 Queensland and ABC News weekends).
Try swapping
For the next 12 weeks, ABC radio presenters and listeners are teaming up with Diabetes Queensland to Swap It, Don’t Stop It. The idea is to make a series of small swaps in your life, both dietary and lifestyle, to hopefully decrease your waist measurement. Irrespective of height, if your waist is more than 80cm (women) or 94cm (men) you have an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes and should do something about it.
Tune in to 612 ABC Brisbane between now and July for tips. Here’s one to get you started – hop off the bus one stop earlier. It won’t kill you to walk the extra few hundred metres. In fact, it might just save your life.
• Moving libraries – trollies of books in King George Square and the Queen Street Mall where people can pick up pre-ordered books and return others as part of their commute;
• Free entry for locals to art exhibitions, if they bring a guest from interstate or overseas (proven by licence and postcodes);
• Have one day a year where people all wear a name tag and go out of their way to say hello to each other;
• Pop-up performances by members of our professional opera, theatre and ballet groups;
• Create a Brisbane war-cry to be chanted before all major sporting and cultural events.
These are just some of the ideas collected so far as part of an Australian Property Council campaign called Make Brisbane Work. The goal is no fewer than 1000 ideas! The Council’s Queensland division executive director Kathy MacDermott says: “The focus is creating a Brilliant Brisbane. Through collecting 1000 ideas, we aim to promote positive thinking and talking about how our cities need to change and grow.
“As you can see, there are some great concepts. We are looking for all sorts of ideas, big or small, practical or implausible. We want to hear them all!”
As the ideas are collected they will be published at www.makemycitywork.org.au/ brisbane and you’ll be able to vote for your favourite. There’s no guarantee that any of the 1000 suggestions, even the winning one, will become a reality straight away. But they could provide the kernel for someone, something, sometime in the future.
Here are some more of the ideas already submitted to the Make Brisbane Work website:
• A city flower farm in King George Square, cared for by groups of volunteers;
• A “self-expression corner” featuring large canvasses which, when completed, would be placed around building sites;
• Make Brisbane “The World’s Summer Suitless City”;
• A light beam from the top of City Hall that can be seen from Noosa to Coolangatta;
• A maze in the CBD;
• Make all tunnel tolls a standard $2;
• Free public transport in the CBD.
Local Logies
In the last issue of bmag, I lamented the loss (admittedly 28 years ago!) of local Logie Awards and asked you who would win Most Popular Male and Female personalities on Queensland TV if state-by-state Logies were still handed out.
Among those who responded was Dorothy Carroll, who emailed: “Spencer, I really enjoyed your column because I learnt about Queensland’s television heritage. The only name I knew and recognised was Jacki MacDonald and that was only because of Hey Hey It’s Saturday. I watch Bill McDonald and Georgie Lewis on Ten at 5pm followed by The Project and then turn over to the ABC for its 7pm News. On Sundays, I tend to watch Seven as the Flashback becomes a talking point amongst the family.”
Based on all your emails and Twitter comments, I can announce that the 2012 winners would have been (drum roll please!) – Bill McDonald (Ten News) and Jessica Van Vonderen (7.30 Queensland and ABC News weekends).
Try swapping
For the next 12 weeks, ABC radio presenters and listeners are teaming up with Diabetes Queensland to Swap It, Don’t Stop It. The idea is to make a series of small swaps in your life, both dietary and lifestyle, to hopefully decrease your waist measurement. Irrespective of height, if your waist is more than 80cm (women) or 94cm (men) you have an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes and should do something about it.
Tune in to 612 ABC Brisbane between now and July for tips. Here’s one to get you started – hop off the bus one stop earlier. It won’t kill you to walk the extra few hundred metres. In fact, it might just save your life.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Bmag March 6th 2012 - Not-drinking is cool
I recently invited a bunch of ABC radio listeners and regular contributors to the pub for lunch and a few drinks. It was a simple thank you for their ongoing support. I have never bought so many glasses of colas, orange juice and lemon, lime and bitters in my life! At least a third of the 60-odd people there were not drinking alcohol.
I became genuinely interested in why so many people are choosing to stay away from booze. Asking on the day seemed somewhat accusatory so I took the question to Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. The responses have had me thinking about every glass of wine I’ve poured since.
First, there’s the taste. “Trimega”says he didn’t have his first drink until he was 20 “and then found I didn’t really like it”. Scott McGill “never liked the taste and never saw the point of investing the time acquiring a taste simply to fit in with society. So I never did”. Bruce Rawson says he drinks “very little and only very occasionally” because “I just don’t enjoy the taste”.
Then, there are those who don’t like the effect. Fiona Davy describes alcohol as “an expensive waste of money that just makes me queasy”; Catherine Yarham says “my brain prefers a sugar high to drunk high”; Brett Carey “got sick of feeling crook the next day!” and Iain Fogerty sums it up in one word: “Hangovers”.
As you would expect, some have a far more serious reason, usually based on experience, for saying no. James Simms worked as a Queensland Rail Transit Officer. “One memory that will always stay with me is having to help a young girl of around 15 out of a garden bed at a train station. My partner and I were there to get her cleaned up and slightly conscious and we arranged an ambulance. I couldn’t bring myself to ever get that out of control so I quit alcohol completely.”
Sally Piracha spent several years working for an alcohol distributor. “There were lots of team dinners and conferences and the company always paid for the alcohol. One of my colleagues ended up in a wheelchair after wrapping his car around a tree after a night out with the work social club.” Sally says she and her husband Rob are now very occasional drinkers. “Our unwritten rules are that we don’t drink alone and we don’t drink at home. And we’re both okay with that.”
So, how do non-drinkers feel about being invited to a social event at a pub? Paramedic Bob Hartley, who doesn’t drink because “my job is largely about treating drunk people and I don’t want to be one of them”, says he doesn’t mind going to pubs “provided they aren’t full of very drunk people. I do object to the extortionate cost of soft drinks there but I accept it”.
Sally Piracha says she avoids pubs. “Wellmeaning friends will try to encourage you to have ‘just one’ and the diet colas you’ve been enjoying all night will suddenly pack a punch – and you weren’t even consulted.” Rachel C doesn’t think much of the “drinking culture” there and prefers “alcoholfree good times”. She describes pubs as “interesting…but ‘bad’ interesting”.
All things considered, I still think the pub was the best place to get 60 people together and I would do it again. Vegetarians don’t stay away from restaurants that serve meat. Non-coffee-drinkers don’t boycott cafés. (That said, those places are safe and respect difference. No one gets abusive after eating one too many hamburgers and no one sneaks a shot of espresso into your hot chocolate when you’re not looking).
The key thing here – and this can be broadened to life in general – is to respect everyone’s individual choices and not impose yours on anyone else. And if you don’t want to drink alcohol, you should feel comfortable not drinking alcohol. The more relaxed we all become about some people choosing not to drink, the less alcohol-reliant we all will be as a society. And that has to be a good thing.
Finally, in response to my last column, Fran Wiltshire emails: “Spencer, I really enjoyed your article about numbers but don’t you think you need to go out and get a life?!” Thankfully, she adds: “Don’t stop though because I enjoy reading your articles!” Thanks for that Fran.
I became genuinely interested in why so many people are choosing to stay away from booze. Asking on the day seemed somewhat accusatory so I took the question to Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. The responses have had me thinking about every glass of wine I’ve poured since.
First, there’s the taste. “Trimega”says he didn’t have his first drink until he was 20 “and then found I didn’t really like it”. Scott McGill “never liked the taste and never saw the point of investing the time acquiring a taste simply to fit in with society. So I never did”. Bruce Rawson says he drinks “very little and only very occasionally” because “I just don’t enjoy the taste”.
Then, there are those who don’t like the effect. Fiona Davy describes alcohol as “an expensive waste of money that just makes me queasy”; Catherine Yarham says “my brain prefers a sugar high to drunk high”; Brett Carey “got sick of feeling crook the next day!” and Iain Fogerty sums it up in one word: “Hangovers”.
As you would expect, some have a far more serious reason, usually based on experience, for saying no. James Simms worked as a Queensland Rail Transit Officer. “One memory that will always stay with me is having to help a young girl of around 15 out of a garden bed at a train station. My partner and I were there to get her cleaned up and slightly conscious and we arranged an ambulance. I couldn’t bring myself to ever get that out of control so I quit alcohol completely.”
Sally Piracha spent several years working for an alcohol distributor. “There were lots of team dinners and conferences and the company always paid for the alcohol. One of my colleagues ended up in a wheelchair after wrapping his car around a tree after a night out with the work social club.” Sally says she and her husband Rob are now very occasional drinkers. “Our unwritten rules are that we don’t drink alone and we don’t drink at home. And we’re both okay with that.”
So, how do non-drinkers feel about being invited to a social event at a pub? Paramedic Bob Hartley, who doesn’t drink because “my job is largely about treating drunk people and I don’t want to be one of them”, says he doesn’t mind going to pubs “provided they aren’t full of very drunk people. I do object to the extortionate cost of soft drinks there but I accept it”.
Sally Piracha says she avoids pubs. “Wellmeaning friends will try to encourage you to have ‘just one’ and the diet colas you’ve been enjoying all night will suddenly pack a punch – and you weren’t even consulted.” Rachel C doesn’t think much of the “drinking culture” there and prefers “alcoholfree good times”. She describes pubs as “interesting…but ‘bad’ interesting”.
All things considered, I still think the pub was the best place to get 60 people together and I would do it again. Vegetarians don’t stay away from restaurants that serve meat. Non-coffee-drinkers don’t boycott cafés. (That said, those places are safe and respect difference. No one gets abusive after eating one too many hamburgers and no one sneaks a shot of espresso into your hot chocolate when you’re not looking).
The key thing here – and this can be broadened to life in general – is to respect everyone’s individual choices and not impose yours on anyone else. And if you don’t want to drink alcohol, you should feel comfortable not drinking alcohol. The more relaxed we all become about some people choosing not to drink, the less alcohol-reliant we all will be as a society. And that has to be a good thing.
Finally, in response to my last column, Fran Wiltshire emails: “Spencer, I really enjoyed your article about numbers but don’t you think you need to go out and get a life?!” Thankfully, she adds: “Don’t stop though because I enjoy reading your articles!” Thanks for that Fran.
Bmag March 20th - Election night
Finally, election day has arrived. Will selfproclaimed underdog Anna Bligh defy the polls and lead Labor to a sixth consecutive victory? Will the LNP’s Campbell Newman make history by winning the premiership from outside parliament? Or will Queensland elect an LNP government without Campbell Newman?
If nothing else excites you about election night, that question of whether or not Campbell Newman wins Ashgrove should give you something to cheer for, whichever side of politics you support. A ReachTEL phone poll conducted on 5 March gave the key seat to the ALP’s Kate Jones, 50.7 per cent to 49.3 per cent, two-party-preferred. It doesn’t get much closer than that.
For me, election night is a psephological football final. My wife Nikki is working on Channel Nine’s coverage, so she won’t be home until late. Our 11-year-old son Jack will happily spend the night reading or playing computer games, perhaps sticking his head in for the concession and victory speeches. That leaves me to set up my very own tally room! I’ll have a couple of TVs on the go, one with a split-screen showing two channels at once. Hats off to 31 Digital, which is mounting election night coverage for the first time. Next to me on the couch will be a radio with pre-set station buttons for easy flicking between ABC, 4BC and Switch 1197 (the youth community station is broadcasting live from the tally room for a fourth consecutive election).
Then there’s Twitter on my lap and a bottle of wine on the floor to my right! I know I’m not alone with my election night obsession.
Librarian Fiona Winston- Brown also sets herself up for the night: “I swoon over the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green whilst hurling abuse at the TV if the wrong mob gets in! Hubby floats around in the background and joins me for the call of our electorate but otherwise it’s a solo event accompanied by cheese and biscuits washed down with a bottle from my collection.”
High school drama teacher Matthew Kopelke says “I always try to mix social media with ABC coverage. Nothing but Kerry O’Brien and Antony Green for me!” Director of the Anywhere Theatre Festival, Paul Osuch, says “we always do a reading of ‘Don’s Party’. How far we get depends on many factors…”
Human Resources manager Simon Francis says he’s starting a tradition “inviting over like-minded political nerds and having drinks and nibbles while yelling at the TV”. I suspect “like-minded” is the key to a successful election night party!
Nicholas and Natalie Perkins spent the last state election night watching events unfold in the tally room at the Convention Centre. Nicholas says it was “great to watch as the pollies come in and get interviewed and so forth”. Theatre reviewer Doug Kennedy says the tally room experience is over-rated: “Went once. Theatre of the absurd. All I saw were journos. It’s better on TV!” Amanda Dell is one of those journalists. For Amanda, the tally room is the only place to be on election night, for “the whiff of victory and the stink of defeat”.
Of course, not everyone will be glued to the minute-by-minute results. Content to find out later is film critic Matthew Toomey who says “it’s my tradition to see a movie on election night.” Then he adds “that’s my tradition every night actually!”
QPAC has no fewer than four options for you on election night – The Australian Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, British comedian Ross Noble, Christen O’Leary in Bombshells and Harry Potter star Miriam Margoyles in Dickens’ Women! And US husband-and-wife country music stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are playing at the Entertainment Centre.
Margaret Bell will be in charge of Front of House at Centenary Theatre Company’s closing night performance of Wrong Turn at Lungfish (by Laverne & Shirley writers Garry Marshall and Lowell Ganz). Margaret concedes: “I may check results on social media between sips of champagne!”
For Aussie Rules fans like Paul Smeaton, Saturday 24 March means the opening match of the AFL season between the Sydney Swans and debutantes Greater Western Sydney. That said, Paul still plans to flick between the footy and ABC TV. He says “the question is – will the GWS rookies out-perform the CanDo rookie?!” All I can say is this – may your team win!
If nothing else excites you about election night, that question of whether or not Campbell Newman wins Ashgrove should give you something to cheer for, whichever side of politics you support. A ReachTEL phone poll conducted on 5 March gave the key seat to the ALP’s Kate Jones, 50.7 per cent to 49.3 per cent, two-party-preferred. It doesn’t get much closer than that.
For me, election night is a psephological football final. My wife Nikki is working on Channel Nine’s coverage, so she won’t be home until late. Our 11-year-old son Jack will happily spend the night reading or playing computer games, perhaps sticking his head in for the concession and victory speeches. That leaves me to set up my very own tally room! I’ll have a couple of TVs on the go, one with a split-screen showing two channels at once. Hats off to 31 Digital, which is mounting election night coverage for the first time. Next to me on the couch will be a radio with pre-set station buttons for easy flicking between ABC, 4BC and Switch 1197 (the youth community station is broadcasting live from the tally room for a fourth consecutive election).
Then there’s Twitter on my lap and a bottle of wine on the floor to my right! I know I’m not alone with my election night obsession.
Librarian Fiona Winston- Brown also sets herself up for the night: “I swoon over the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green whilst hurling abuse at the TV if the wrong mob gets in! Hubby floats around in the background and joins me for the call of our electorate but otherwise it’s a solo event accompanied by cheese and biscuits washed down with a bottle from my collection.”
High school drama teacher Matthew Kopelke says “I always try to mix social media with ABC coverage. Nothing but Kerry O’Brien and Antony Green for me!” Director of the Anywhere Theatre Festival, Paul Osuch, says “we always do a reading of ‘Don’s Party’. How far we get depends on many factors…”
Human Resources manager Simon Francis says he’s starting a tradition “inviting over like-minded political nerds and having drinks and nibbles while yelling at the TV”. I suspect “like-minded” is the key to a successful election night party!
Nicholas and Natalie Perkins spent the last state election night watching events unfold in the tally room at the Convention Centre. Nicholas says it was “great to watch as the pollies come in and get interviewed and so forth”. Theatre reviewer Doug Kennedy says the tally room experience is over-rated: “Went once. Theatre of the absurd. All I saw were journos. It’s better on TV!” Amanda Dell is one of those journalists. For Amanda, the tally room is the only place to be on election night, for “the whiff of victory and the stink of defeat”.
Of course, not everyone will be glued to the minute-by-minute results. Content to find out later is film critic Matthew Toomey who says “it’s my tradition to see a movie on election night.” Then he adds “that’s my tradition every night actually!”
QPAC has no fewer than four options for you on election night – The Australian Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, British comedian Ross Noble, Christen O’Leary in Bombshells and Harry Potter star Miriam Margoyles in Dickens’ Women! And US husband-and-wife country music stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are playing at the Entertainment Centre.
Margaret Bell will be in charge of Front of House at Centenary Theatre Company’s closing night performance of Wrong Turn at Lungfish (by Laverne & Shirley writers Garry Marshall and Lowell Ganz). Margaret concedes: “I may check results on social media between sips of champagne!”
For Aussie Rules fans like Paul Smeaton, Saturday 24 March means the opening match of the AFL season between the Sydney Swans and debutantes Greater Western Sydney. That said, Paul still plans to flick between the footy and ABC TV. He says “the question is – will the GWS rookies out-perform the CanDo rookie?!” All I can say is this – may your team win!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Bmag Feb 21st 2012 - Patterns in dates
How special is the date on the cover of this issue of bmag? Can you see it? 21 February 2012? Anyone see a pattern there? Anyone? Bueller?! I don’t know when it started or why I persist – maybe I need some professional help – but I can’t help seeing and thoroughly enjoying patterns in dates.
For example, 21 February 2012, when written out in numbers, is perfectly symmetrical: 21022012! Probably the reason for my fascination is that, being on radio at breakfast time, I’m one of the first people in Brisbane to see the day’s date written down. And then, like an overenthusiastic “pincher and puncher” on the first day of the month, I get to shout it from the rooftops (or, in my case, radio speakers!)
Sometimes, you have to be creative, arguably contradicting your own rules. For example, 21 March can be symmetrical too, as long as you don’t have the zero before the three and you reduce the year to 12 (21312). Not as impressive as 21022012, I know! In fact, if you remove that zero, the 21st of every month, bar October and December, is symmetrical (or palindromic, to use a word most of us probably learned from Monty Python’s Pet Shop Sketch!)
Then there are the fun sequences, like 10 November 2012, which can be written 10 11 12. To really impress, consider the time at 15 seconds past 14 minutes past one in the afternoon and you have the date/time combination of 10 11 12 13 14 15. Have I hooked you in yet?! It bugs me when I miss one. For example, 1 February this year attracted the nickname Roadies’ Day, in recognition of the traditional sound-check “12 12”! It wasn’t until late afternoon on 1 February that I noticed the pattern, too late for me to use on radio! The next day I more than made up for it, declaring that 2 February (2 2) was both Ballerina Day (tutu) and Richie Benaud Day (a cricket fan will enjoy explaining that one to you).
So as not to miss any more, I’ve started looking ahead. Here’s what I’ve spotted so far. I’d love you to email me more that you can see coming up at spencer@bmag.com.au.
4 May is Star Wars Day – “May the fourth be with you” (a play on the line from the movie’s “May the force be with you”).
22 July is Pi Day – Pi (the relationship between the radius and circumference of a circle) is often approximated to 22/7. In the United States, where the month is written before the date, Pi Day can instead be marked on March 14 – 3.14 (plus a bazillion more digits, but who’s counting?) being a very rough approximation of 22/7 (which in itself is an approximation of Pi). Have I just crossed an invisible geek line? No? That’s good. Oh, a most visible geek line? I see.
The most exciting and obvious date this year is 12 December, or 12 12 12. It’s the twelfth year in a row we’ve enjoyed a triple date like that, starting with 1 January 2001. We won’t get another triple until 2101! If you’ve been following along, you’ll already be thinking about what happens at 12 seconds past 12 minutes past 12 that day! That’s right – 12 12 12 12 12 12! If you miss all the 12s, there’s some consolation in 20 December being 20 12 2012. Be still my mathematical heart!
Radio for children
My column on the lack of children’s radio drew a huge response, including from Deborah Lever, who says “The lack of kids radio has frustrated me for some time. Though these days finding good funky music with no ‘toilet words’ is a bit of challenge.”
Marion Mora remembers listening to The Argonauts’ Club in the 1940s: “As a child on a farm, I enjoyed every second of every program. The Argonauts gave me a window into so many worlds and had a huge impact on my life.”
Linda Tait says “age appropriate” radio for children “would definitely be something I would encourage my kids to participate in.”
And Allain Edwards shared the good news that children’s music and stories are broadcast on fully-automated narrowcast radio stations in a small number of regional towns and cities, the closest to Brisbane being Toowoomba’s 99.1 FM. Thanks Allain – let’s hope there’s more good news on the children’s radio front.
For example, 21 February 2012, when written out in numbers, is perfectly symmetrical: 21022012! Probably the reason for my fascination is that, being on radio at breakfast time, I’m one of the first people in Brisbane to see the day’s date written down. And then, like an overenthusiastic “pincher and puncher” on the first day of the month, I get to shout it from the rooftops (or, in my case, radio speakers!)
Sometimes, you have to be creative, arguably contradicting your own rules. For example, 21 March can be symmetrical too, as long as you don’t have the zero before the three and you reduce the year to 12 (21312). Not as impressive as 21022012, I know! In fact, if you remove that zero, the 21st of every month, bar October and December, is symmetrical (or palindromic, to use a word most of us probably learned from Monty Python’s Pet Shop Sketch!)
Then there are the fun sequences, like 10 November 2012, which can be written 10 11 12. To really impress, consider the time at 15 seconds past 14 minutes past one in the afternoon and you have the date/time combination of 10 11 12 13 14 15. Have I hooked you in yet?! It bugs me when I miss one. For example, 1 February this year attracted the nickname Roadies’ Day, in recognition of the traditional sound-check “12 12”! It wasn’t until late afternoon on 1 February that I noticed the pattern, too late for me to use on radio! The next day I more than made up for it, declaring that 2 February (2 2) was both Ballerina Day (tutu) and Richie Benaud Day (a cricket fan will enjoy explaining that one to you).
So as not to miss any more, I’ve started looking ahead. Here’s what I’ve spotted so far. I’d love you to email me more that you can see coming up at spencer@bmag.com.au.
4 May is Star Wars Day – “May the fourth be with you” (a play on the line from the movie’s “May the force be with you”).
22 July is Pi Day – Pi (the relationship between the radius and circumference of a circle) is often approximated to 22/7. In the United States, where the month is written before the date, Pi Day can instead be marked on March 14 – 3.14 (plus a bazillion more digits, but who’s counting?) being a very rough approximation of 22/7 (which in itself is an approximation of Pi). Have I just crossed an invisible geek line? No? That’s good. Oh, a most visible geek line? I see.
The most exciting and obvious date this year is 12 December, or 12 12 12. It’s the twelfth year in a row we’ve enjoyed a triple date like that, starting with 1 January 2001. We won’t get another triple until 2101! If you’ve been following along, you’ll already be thinking about what happens at 12 seconds past 12 minutes past 12 that day! That’s right – 12 12 12 12 12 12! If you miss all the 12s, there’s some consolation in 20 December being 20 12 2012. Be still my mathematical heart!
Radio for children
My column on the lack of children’s radio drew a huge response, including from Deborah Lever, who says “The lack of kids radio has frustrated me for some time. Though these days finding good funky music with no ‘toilet words’ is a bit of challenge.”
Marion Mora remembers listening to The Argonauts’ Club in the 1940s: “As a child on a farm, I enjoyed every second of every program. The Argonauts gave me a window into so many worlds and had a huge impact on my life.”
Linda Tait says “age appropriate” radio for children “would definitely be something I would encourage my kids to participate in.”
And Allain Edwards shared the good news that children’s music and stories are broadcast on fully-automated narrowcast radio stations in a small number of regional towns and cities, the closest to Brisbane being Toowoomba’s 99.1 FM. Thanks Allain – let’s hope there’s more good news on the children’s radio front.
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