Author Archives: Stephen Dawson

Wouldn’t mind being a set top box company right about now

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Well, pensioners will be receiving $AUS300 million worth of free digital TV receivers, eh? I wonder if they’ll be HD capable.

Posted in DTV, HDTV | 3 Comments

The Fifth Element on Blu-ray

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I have a Blu-ray test disc of The Fifth Element to whoever, with an Australian postal address, first asks for it in comments. This was the original Sony release in Australia of the movie (it is now handled by Madman … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, Giveaway | 4 Comments

‘One data point and you’re jumping for joy’

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

This is just a bit of fun, really, but I love it. You get a bunch of academic economists who want to spread the free enterprise message and they create a rap video: ‘Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc | 1 Comment

Inappropriate laughter?

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

No, very much appropriate, despite the every-human-life-is-of-equal-value twerps that abound. Fortunately this doesn’t seem to be a problem in Taiwan. If you’re saddened by Bin Laden’s death, don’t watch this clip. It is highly offensive to all, especially Muslims. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc | 6 Comments

Politically correct Bee Gees

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

When I was quite young (about 13) my father sometimes worked at a second job as a security guard. On one occasion he had a job at a concert of the Bee Gees at the local theatre. My sister and … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Rant | 4 Comments

Death on Oz?

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Incredible! I’m listening to a recent episode of the Skeptoid podcast, this one on Hollywood myths. It turns out that some people actually believe that the suicide of a Munchkin was recorded on film in The Wizard of Oz. Brian … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, Cinema, Imperfect perception | 2 Comments

Lots and lots of comments

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

The other day I mentioned that I had a political piece on the ABC website: Unleashed. That piece, called ‘The real defence exception’, now has 454 comments. Having a look through them was pretty instructive, I thought. Have a look … Continue reading →

Posted in Admin, Misc | 2 Comments

The next big advance?

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

So it turns out that Peter Jackson is shooting his Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, in 3D and at 48 frames per second. Virtually all filming for cinema is done at 24fps of course, and one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 3D, Blu-ray, Cinema, HDMI, Video | 15 Comments

Is 3D TV bad for your health?

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

That’s what’s argued here. It’s called ‘binocular dysphoria‘, which Wikipedia calls a ‘hypothesized condition’, noting that ‘there is no peer reviewed evidence of this condition’. If you’re worried, just keep it down to one 3D movie a week.

Posted in 3D | Leave a comment

The many faces of 3D

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

If anything demonstrates how our senses provide us with a useful abstraction of the world, rather than a photographic image, it is surely the various 3D technologies now proliferating. The sensation of 3D is a weird thing. At some engine-room … Continue reading →

Posted in 3D, Imperfect perception | Leave a comment