Saturday, December 22, 2007

WiFi in Townsville?

Capture

Is it just me or are we in the wifi dark ages in Townsville?  Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction because I don't know of a single coffee shop in Townsville that offers free or even paid wifi.  One caveat however - you can't count the rip-off Telstra wifi at McDonald's restaurants!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

The iPhone is half going!


iPhone-Unbox-011, originally uploaded by camlaird.

Well, I have "activated" the iPhone using a bit of internet trickery however due to it having the latest baseband firmware I can't "unlock" it to use on Australian networks. However this crack is only days away so it should be up and going before Christmas........hopefully!

UPDATE / 1 JAN 2008 :  Nup, not going as a phone yet but a TurboSIM is on the way so that will definitely solve the problem!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Oh yeh, my iPhone is on the way

I'm pretty damn excited, ordered a new Apple iPhone a couple of days ago and it is winging its way from the U.S as I write this.  Hopefully my geek knowledge should allow me to successfully crack it to use on the Telstra network - I'll report back when it is done!  Bring it on!  I am sooooo looking forward to this I bet there ends up being a problem like.... I receive a box full of nothing or it is smashed or I fail at cracking it and end up turning it into an expensive paperweight!

 

Updates:

Electronic Shipping Info Received, December 14, 2007

Acceptance, December 14, 2007, 8:32 am, AMES, IA 50010

Processed, December 14, 2007, 2:27 pm, DES MOINES, IA 50318

Processed, December 15, 2007, 4:42 pm, CHICAGO, IL 60666

International Dispatch, December 15, 2007, 4:42 pm, O'HARE APT/CHICAGO

Your item is being processed by customs in AUSTRALIA, December 18, 2007, 2:20 pm AEDST

Your item cleared customs in AUSTRALIA at 9:19 PM on December 18, 2007

Your item arrived at the delivery Post Office in AUSTRALIA at 12:49 PM on December 19, 2007

And... it has arrived at my house in AUSTRALIA at 1:01 pm on December 20, 2007 (and it is the real thing!)

Ed Hardy opens on the Gold Coast

While working on the Gold Coast earlier this week I was invited along to cover the opening of an Ed Hardy store at the Chevron Renaissance, Surfers Paradise.  I hadn't seen much Ed Hardy stuff before but was pretty impressed with their clientele.  Apart from Tara Reid (who was in attendance at the opening) their clothing is worn by the likes of Madonna, David Beckham, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.  My pics below show Tara Reid, Tania Zaetta and Deni Hines at the launch.

See my pics of the opening at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/3988320

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Crocs prevail over Slingers

The Singapore Slingers gave the Crocodiles a bit of a scare tonight in their NBL clash in Townsville.  Whilst the Crocs prevailed 117-105 over a feisty Singapore lineup, their first half was woeful and something that coach Trevor Gleeson wouldn't want repeated anytime soon!

 

See my pics from the game at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/1180378#229902843

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Amazing Weird Al Yankovic parody palindrome song

This truly is very cool. Weird Al has put together a parody of Bob Dylan's twelve bar blues style and written it using ONLY palindromes. Fantastic!

Has reality TV gone too far?

I don't know about you but when you call a reality television program "Can Fat Teens Hunt?" I think you may have gone too far!

From the BBC website:

"Ten dangerously overweight teenagers embark on a journey that could save their health in this six-part series. In an attempt to turn their backs on potentially fatal eating habits, they spend one month with the Iban tribe, former headhunters, living deep in the harsh and remote jungles of Borneo, South East Asia."

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Townsville ready for "A Knight under the Stars"

Townsville fans of Sir Elton John must have everything crossed as they pray for the rain to stay away on a one night only performance tonight by Sir Elton. The North Queensland Cowboys home ground, Dairy Farmers Stadium, has been transformed to accommodate over 20,000 fans in an intimate concert atmosphere. I will be shooting from the front row, but only for two songs and hopefully will have some nice pics in metropolitan newspapers tomorrow to show for it.

I shot this panorama yesterday as they were putting the finishing touches on the set.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Google Maps zip through suburban Townsville, Australia

I was sitting at my desk about 1/2 hour ago when a hatchback with Google Maps signage and a contraption on the roof zipped past. Never one to miss a story on my doorstep I chased him down the road and around the corner and photographed the car for my newspaper clients. Had a quick chat to the friendly driver and had a peek at his gadgetry inside the car. Basically it consisted of a midi tower PC in the trunk with a GPS processing unit, a Dell LCD monitor in the front screwed to a plank of wood, a GPS receiver and a pole with 5 cameras sticking up on the roof from the centre of a roofrack.

Whilst I have seen Google Maps of my local area it is nice to see that it is being updated and that "Streetview" is going to be included soon! I thought only "big" streets like 5th Ave, NY and Rodeo Drive made it into "Streetview". Too cool!

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Ankle injury or not?

Hard to believe that during the Townsville Crocodiles upset 97-93 win over the Perth Wildcats last night Corey "Homicide" Williams didn't even flinch when this ankle roll occurred! Bet he didn't even know he did it - I'm sure he'll get a surprise when he sees it however!

See my pics from the game at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/1180378#227567256

Friday, November 30, 2007

Canon Australia's great service!

I recently changed from Nikon over to Canon at what seemed the perfect time for me.  The aussie dollar was strong which meant the prices were great and the products were just what the doctor ordered.  I originally changed from Canon to Nikon back in early 2000 and took delivery of one of the first D1's into the country.  I worked my way through D1H, D1X, D2H, D2X with an F5 thrown into the mix.  They served me well over the past seven years however Canon's stranglehold on low light performance and focus speed and accuracy eventually got the better of me and I took the plunge.

Blow me down recently when I had a call out of the blue from Rick Slowgrove at Canon Australia advising me of a fix that needed to be done to the EOS1DMkIII and guaranteeing a 24hr turnaround time and offering a loan camera if required.  The fix is pretty widely known around the web (Canon Aust info at http://www.canon.com.au/support/customer/default.asp?DXI=KnowledgeBase/Customer/KBArticleForm&File=KB01650&productID=eos1d_mark_III) however full credit to Rick and the Canon guys for their personal attention to this fix.

Great work!

What happened to the Dell 12" notebook?

Explain this to me Dell?  I bought one of your XPS m1210 notebooks recently and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!  I am hooked on the 12" form factor - it is very transportable, has plenty of grunt and a great screen, all the things a photographer who is on the road a lot needs.  So, recently while interstate on a job a journalist eyed off my notebook and instantly fell in love with it.  He decided then and there he had to have one and so went to the Dell site and .................. discontinued.  But not replaced with another 12" but now a 13.3".  Apple have done a similar disservice to their 12" Macbook Pro fans except they have dropped the small form factor totally and just left 15" and 17" sizes.

Dell and Apple - do you realise that now there really isn't a decent 12" notebook on the market?

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Luke O'Donnell - ready to play!

Luke was back in the gym recently showing that he has fully recovered from a sickening 2007 injury that saw him miss much of the season. He looks to be back fitter than ever!

See my pics of Luke over his Cowboys years at http://www.cameronlaird.com/search/index.mg?searchWords=luke+o%27donnell&searchType=InUser&NickName=camlaird

Matt Bowen to stay a Cowboy until end of 2011 season

What great news for the Cowboys! Matt Bowen signature on a new three year contract seeing him through until the end of the 2011 NRL season. Now we have the most exciting fullback in the game joining the best halfback in the game, what a great combination for the next couple of years at least!

See all my pics of Matt over the years at http://www.cameronlaird.com/search/index.mg?searchWords=matt+bowen&searchType=InUser&NickName=camlaird

Compact Flash card reader speeds investigated

I thought I would do a bit of my own research into the difference in speeds between various card readers as I have been a bit disappointed in the transfer speeds of my photos when working on deadlines on my laptop. My test consisted of an arbitrary 1.36Gb of files transferred using three different card readers. A Sandisk Extreme USB2.0 reader, an Apacer MegaSteno USB2.0 all-in-one reader and another badged "mrgadget.com.au" 12-in-1 USB2.0 reader. I did all the tests using a brand new Sandisk Extreme IV 4Gb CF card.

Transfer files to computer using (seconds)
Sandisk Extreme USB2.0 88
Apacer MegaSteno USB2.0 174
"mrgadget.com.au" 12-in-1 USB2.0 207
Transfer files to CF card using
Sandisk Extreme USB2.0 139
Apacer MegaSteno USB2.0 171
"mrgadget.com.au" 12-in-1 USB2.0 265

I also gave the quickest reader (Sandisk Extreme USB2.0) a try with a Sandisk Ultra II CF Card with the results listed below.

Transfer files to computer using (seconds)
Sandisk Extreme USB2.0 136
Transfer files to CF card using
Sandisk Extreme USB2.0 154

So all in all, pretty happy with the transfer speed of the Extreme card reader when combined with the Extreme IV CF card. The Extreme Firewire reader is quite a lot quicker however unfortunately it only works with 6 pin and 9 pin firewire connections which rules out a LOT of laptops on the market (those equipped with only 4 pin connections)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Why I love British tabloids - sometimes....

What a cracker of a front page! How could you walk past a news stand without picking this paper up! :-)

Monday, September 10, 2007

Hottie Squad

Gotta love the girls from the Cowboys Hot Squad. I'll bet they are desperate for the Cowboys to make the NRL grand final so they score another trip to the Sydney clash. Keep up the great work girls!

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Cowboys too tough for Bulldog pups

Two wins in a row against the Bulldogs puts the Cowboys in a Sunday semi-final clash with the Warriors at home. Jason Smith was SUPER and really showed his years of experience when it came down to the final minutes. Combined with Thurston, Bowman and Matt Bowen their experience helped the Cowboys hold the Bulldogs off 20-18, something that would never have happened in seasons past.

See my pics from the match at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2572467/37/193427802#193428334

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

JT takes out the Dally M medal

JT picked up another Dally M medal as the NRL's player of the year in Sydney function last night. Well done JT, keep it up for the last few matches and 2007 could be a premiership year for the Cowbies!

See all my Johnathan Thurston pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/search/index.mg?searchWords=johnathan+thurston&searchType=UserImage&NickName=camlaird&SortBy=Recent

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Sexiest Man In League shoot

Just finished a commission for Adidas/Sunday Telegraph for the "Sexiest Man In League" competition. Wouldn't have minded swapping places with JT as he looped around Cleveland Bay in a beautiful Tiger Moth (from http://www.flyscenic.com.au/). Anyway, you can see a selection of my pics here (http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2572467/113/192872513#P-8-15) or on the official site at http://www.sexiestmaninleague.com.au/week5_1.php

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Quick thinking Greg!

A mate of mine co-driving in a recent rally in Otago, New Zealand really show some quick thinking to get out of a tricky situation. Nice work man!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Cowboys prepare to battle to Bulldogs

Whilst Cowboys stars Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen were offered the opportunity to sit out tomorrow nights dead-rubber clash with the Bulldogs they refused, wanting to take part in Paul Bowman's 200th game with the Cowboys. "Bear" has been with the Cowboys since their inception in 1995 and he is sure to get a mighty roar when he steps onto the paddock tomorrow night.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Great coffee and Great software, what a combo!

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned my mate’s coffee roasting business before, but it’s really starting to pick up steam (so to speak). A bit of a plug here: Roast and Post (http://www.roastandpost.com.au/) is an Australian company selling single origin and blended coffees. I’ve tasted them and they’re delicious, but what sets them apart is the fact they roast their coffee within 24 hours of shipping, so you know the coffee you’re getting is the freshest possible. I’m sure you’re like me and you’ve tasted some bad coffees, often the reason is how long it’s been sitting on the shelf. Give it a burl, he’s got a money back guarantee, and tell him Cameron sent you (he may give you a bonus).
Anyway, my mate told me he’s going to be upgrading the site, and putting in a whole new shopping cart. He’s like a lot of start up companies, without a lot of money for marketing, but he think’s he’s on a winner with this new shopping cart software called StoreSuite. It’s being developed by Interspire, who also put out SendStudio, which is an e-mailing software that helps you keep your customer database in order. One of the nice things he pointed out is they’re building in Australian conditions right from the start so with shipping

you’re already covered.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted about how it works out.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Cowboys cruise towards the finals

A stellar performance by Matt Bowen, Jason Smith, Ray Cashmere and friends saw the Cowboys make it three wins in a row and secure a home game in the NRL finals series. Their 24-14 win came at the hands of the hapless Dragons in a season they would rather forget.

By the way, this is my seat on the sideline with my colleague Michael enjoying the spectacular views!


See my pics from the game at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2572467/27/185704842#185710798

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Say goodbye to a perfectly good camera

Just when I am thinking about changing my camera system brand I see this. Maybe my new camera will just fall from the sky?

Saturday, July 21, 2007

My favourite motorsports video ever!

This has long been my single favourite motorsports video. It won numerous film awards arond the world on its release in 1990. It documents world rally champion Ari Vatanen's attack on Pikes Peak, Colorado in his then all-conqeuring Peugeot 405T16. Enjoy Climb Dance.

Seriously fast fun!!!

Oh what I would give to sit alongside Alain Castellana for this ride in his custom Norma M20, powered by a 400bhp BMW M3 engine. That is, if they added a second seat! This drive up the Saint Baume mountain near Gemenos, France is one of the finest and fastest pieces of driving I have ever seen. Enjoy!

Monday, July 16, 2007

No more carpark door dings...ever

I just love this idea - carparks and garages could be slightly narrower, no more opening your door into a flying cyclist and no more kids flinging the door opening into another car (grrr). Bring it on Toyotahondamazdanissan!

Michael Moore v CNN - It's a cracker!

I have put these CNN videos together in one spot in chronological order so if you have broadband, like news & current affairs, have a bit of spare time and love a healthy debate/on air fight then enjoy!


So, first CNN started off with this interview with Michael Moore

Part II continues after the end of the interview with cameras still rolling

So then CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta responded to Michael Moore

Then CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Michael Moore appeared together on Larry King Live

Part II of the interview

And Part III of the interview

So then, after all of this, Michael Moore posted an "Open Letter to CNN" (http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=216)
CNN have now responded to this letter (http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/15/moore.gupta/index.html)
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta blogged about this ongoing incident (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/07/my-conversation-with-michael-moore.html)

Where will it go from here? The best result would be a much improved public health system in the U.S - this could be the start.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Geeky gadget of the year!

You probably won't believe it, but this is an electric toothbrush with wi-fi! Admittedly it is only a wireless connection to a panel that tells you how hard you are brushing and where in your mouth you haven't brushed but really.... What next!

For those who know me you will probably think "Bet Cameron already has one"... Well I don't but to keep up my gadget-i-ness maybe I should? Darn it, not available in the US for another few weeks, so probably another 3 years until they hit Oz.

Season ender for Darren Lockyer

Despite narrowly beating the Cowboys 24-16 at Dairy Farmers, Brisbane left Townsville with long faces. Kangaroos, Maroons and Broncos captain Darren Lockyer suffered a season-ending ACL injury that will require surgery and put him out of action until 2008.
Sports betting agencies instantly lengthened the odds of Brisbane taking out the NRL title which speaks volumes for the skill and leadership shown by the Broncos stalwart.
If we could have only met a Lockyer-less Broncos this round. Which makes me wonder... Is a Lockyer-less Broncos as vulnerable as a Johns-less Knights or a Thurston-less Cowboys?

Love to know your thoughts!

See my Cowboys v Broncos pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2572467/6/172662793#172663077

Thursday, July 12, 2007

USB memory 'sticks'



What more can I say? Perfect for the woodgrain laptop or the timber desktop... See them at http://www.oooms.nl/usb/

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

iPhone, will it blend?

I'm a big fan of the Blendtec blender, they are a must if you plan on blending golf clubs, matchbox cars, pickled pigs feet or magnets into a scrumptious dinner treat. Interested? Click the links or head on over to http://www.willitblend.com/ for a nice boredom breaker. But they have crossed the line now - blending the latest and greatest gadget is very uncool!

Friday, July 06, 2007

Care for a Coles donut?

My eagle eyed brother spotted this in the current Coles catalogue. Wonder if it was done as a parting prank by the board of Coles as the transition to new owners Wesfarmers takes place? Anyway, whatever the case - enjoy your donuts....... not!

Monday, July 02, 2007

All natural music from Naturally7

I'm not sure how I stumbled across this band but they are truly amazing. The seven artists who make up Naturally7 are all out of the States but due to a European recording contract now base themselves in Europe, rarely making it back home.
What will amaze you when you watch and listen to this video and any of the other Naturally7 songs is that there is absolutely no use of any instruments apart from their own voices. That's right - none... nada... zip...

Burdekin Dam in full flow

Yesterday I went for a drive out to the Burdekin Falls Dam to photograph its current level over the spillway for The Courier-Mail newspaper. Although it was only flowing about one metre over the spillway it was still pretty amazing. The Burdekin Dam is Australia's second largest dam behind the Warragamba Dam and holds 1.86 million megalitres. It is currently holding 108% of capacity and is well worth a visit when flowing!

Awesome violin

My daughter plays the violin and found this on YouTube for me. As long as it inspires her then it is cool by me. It is pretty damn amazing!

Friday, June 29, 2007

Nintendo Nic

In total contrast to her recent appearances on the set of "Australia", the Baz Luhrmann film currently in production in Australia, Nicole Kidman has been chosen as the 'face' of Nintendo's latest advertising campaign for its "More Brain Training". Kidman will be seen in worldwide TV spots starting this week.

See my Nicole Kidman photos at http://www.cameronlaird.com/search/index.mg?searchWords=nicole+kidman&searchType=InUser&NickName=camlaird

Amazing jet man!

The Jet Man, Yves Rossy, a former Swiss military pilot, designed and built a deployable 3-meter wing, holding kerosene fuel for 2 jet engines fixed to the tips and attached it to his back. Rossy launched from an aeroplane and flew for 4 minutes, ascending and traveling at speeds over 100 knots, landing by parachute. This would have to go close to being the ultimate adrenaline rush! For more info have a look at http://www.jet-man.com/actuel_eng.html

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

New Nikon D3 rumours and something I want!

Nikon are due to announce a replacement to the D2X and its subsequent update, the D2Xs anytime in the next few days. I won't be adding any of the rumours I have been hearing but I can tell you some of the things I personally hope it will have.

1. Greatly improved low light / high iso image quality.
2. Elimination of any back-focus problems.
3. SD & CF card options (like Canon).
4. Rubber body covers that don't fall off.

That is pretty much all I need improved. I know it will have higher resolution, faster fps, better metering and faster AF so if all of my wishes were included as well I would be a happy snapper!

There is one thing however that I hope/dream someone will build/design in the near future.

I wish someone would come up with a simple remote transmit unit that would eliminate the need for a laptop or pda and would allow you to SIMPLY transmit INSTANTLY from the sideline without an assistant or tech. No need to stop shooting, download cards, select images, caption, edit and transmit. This would ALL be done in camera with a simple setup before an assignment.
It could either screw underneath the body or sit on the hotshoe (like a pocketwizard) and connect to the camera via the 10 pin plug. Better still, how about Nikon and Canon build bluetooth into their next models! Then the bluetooth enabled transmit unit could go in a pocket or waistpack and not get in the way at all.It would be designed to work with participating high-speed cellular data networks, like Australia's NextG network and would require the relevent sim card inserted. Imagine something about the size of a cigarette pack with an lcd display.

I might be able to easily explain its use by describing how it would operate.

Before commencing assignment the unit can be plugged in to a laptop (even better, use a portable bluetooth keyboard and enter info straight into the unit via the lcd display) and data added to an "iptc stationary pad". IPTC details like job name, photographer info, relevent generic caption details, copyright info etc. that are automatically added to images sent via the unit. The unit could also hold numerous ftp connection details which could be edited and saved. How about built in smtp mail software if your client doesn't support ftp? Include the smtp server details, email address, message and max message size and your images will send via email.
What about specific captions with particular players names I hear you ask? Well, if you record a voice caption in the camera (which all pro models now offer) it will be uploaded alongside the picture file so the client can adjust the caption at their end.
What about filesize? Well, you could set options like quality of jpg compression, resize to specific pixels on the longest side, max file size.
Finally, how would it know what pics to send? Well, this would have to be done in a similar fashion to the old Canon D2000/Kodak DCS520 where you 'tag' a file in camera. Once the file is tagged it is automatically sent and a confirmation would appear on the transmit unit lcd when the file had been uploaded.
Ok you tech companies, feel free to steal my idea and get to work on this. I am SURE that tens of thousands of these units would sell all around the world to companies like AP, Reuters, Getty, AFP and all newspaper publishers.

By the way, I want a freebee!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Check this out Erin and Megan!

If you counted the coffee coupon card signatures I have had filled in at Jochheim's Bakery in Bowen over the past 6 weeks you would probably think I need to visit Caffeine Anonymous. Erin, Megan, Maureen and the staff have worked tirelessly over the length of the movie serving up cup after cup of choice espresso drinks to Bowen locals, movie cast & crew (including numerous to Nic & Keith!) and tired but appreciative photographers.

This is for you girls!

Dad, let's move to Bowen!

No doubting young Oscar Jackman's love of Bowen(wood). He has been surfing at Horseshoe Bay, played in the local footy competition, played on Rose Bay sand dunes, baked pies with Paddy at Jochheims Bakery...... the list goes on and on. And it is rumoured that he has asked dad Hugh what the chances on moving to Bowen would be? And now, to plead his case in the strongest possible way - he comes out wearing this shirt. What, with Hugh's Broncos cap and Oscars "I Love Bowen" shirt - maybe a move to the sunshine state isn't beyond comprehension?

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Nicole yells out a spoiler

In one of the closing scenes of "Australia" Nicole Kidman's character "Lady Sarah Ashley" screams "Nullah!" as she and Hugh Jackman's character fall to the ground near the the prone body of Brandon Walters character "Nullah". Around them fires are burning in the war torn Darwin/Bowen set. Is this an indication that Nullah dies at the end of the movie? Make of it what you will, I doubt anyone will even remember this once the movies hits cinemas sometime in the distant future!

See pics of this scene at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094#166033900

Friday, June 22, 2007

David Gulpilil freezes his butt off!

What a shocking day to be stuck up a tower in just a traditional loincloth. It was absolutely FREEZING today in Bowen with a wind chill factor many degrees below what many Bowen locals have ever felt. David Gulpilil was provided with a fleece dressing gown, insulated foil blankets and a water bottle but it did little to help. I was disappointed I left my beanie at home, and then I saw Gulpilil up the tower. Instantly I felt warmer!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Happy 40th Nic!

Well, this is all I can show you of Nicole Kidman's 40th birthday party. Flagstaff Hill was the location for the birthday bash and it was guarded like the famous hill on Iwo Jima. Maybe minus the .50 calibre machine guns but still a precision military style exercise. Anyway, Bowen locals enjoyed the fireworks and while we couldn't see it from town I can tell you that a pyrotechnic sign "Happy Birthday Nicole" blazed in the Three Sixty carpark. Anyway, Happy Birthday Nicole!

See my "Australia" pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Amazing bird strike video

I fly quite a lot and it is incredible to see how simple it is to stop a jet engine. Admittedly though, it is comforting to see how well a passenger jet flies on one engine.


Monday, June 18, 2007

The coolest way to board a chopper!

I would LOVE to give this a spin!!!

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Jason Smith to hang up his boots

North Queensland Cowboys five-eighth Jason Smith annouced today that he will retire at the end of the 2007 season. Smith has played 18 seasons in the top grade and in my opinion plays well below his age. One of the true 'thinkers' of the game, he will be missed. Congratulations on a super career Jason! I'm sure you'll get a more time for some of this below!

See my Jason Smith pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/search/index.mg?searchWords=jason+smith&searchType=InUser&NickName=camlaird

Hugh Jackman speaks with Brisbane's Nova 106.9

A few days ago Nova 106.9's awesome breakfast crew of Meshel, Ash & Kip went to Bowen to report on "Australia" the movie. Following a tip from mayor Mike "Hollywood" Brunker Ash caught up with Hugh after a morning workout at the gym. Source: The Courier-Mail - Click here to Listen

Confidential to air tonight on FOX8

News Limited's new entertainment show Confidential premiere's tonight on FOX8. Presented by Sophie Falkiner, Mike Hammond and Jonathan Pease it is set to be Australia's version of Entertainment Tonight. The program will be doing a wrap-up tonight covering the past few weeks of filming of "Australia" in Bowen, Qld.



Confidential TV Daily Telegraph link
Confidential TV The Courier-Mail link
Confidential TV Herald Sun link

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

iPhone TV advertisement

While I'm not a big Apple fan I must admit this is about as cool as it gets when it comes to style and function of a mobile phone. What ashame it is only 2G!

Baz at work

Bazmark II has put out this image by onset photographer James Fisher of "Australia" director Baz Luhrmann at work. Hope all you Baz fans enjoy this fresh pic!

See all my "Australia" pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Two try Ty

After jumping out to an 18-0 lead against the Sharks, that post origin collapse that seems to happen every season happened again. The Sharks quickly closed in and with only 2 minutes left in the clash Cronulla were up by four. I'm not sure what I saw in that last play but by the look in the eyes of the backline players I KNEW something was on. Sure enough Ty Williams scored right under the posts to give the Cowboys a stunning 2 point win 26-24. Awesome!

See my pics of the game at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2572467#158647289

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Amazing Ukelele!

There are two video's on YouTube that stand out from the rest when it comes to musical talent. This ukelele rendition of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jake Shimabukuro is one of the two. Performed in New York's Central Park, it is well worth a listen!

Amazing Guitar

There are two video's on YouTube that stand out from the rest when it comes to musical talent. This guitar rendition of Pachelbel's Canon in D by "funtwo" is one of the two. "funtwo" was tracked down and has now appeared on numerous tv shows around the world. Have a listen and enjoy!

Video - The Making of Baz Luhrmann's Australia

I found this video on YouTube showing some of the production behind "Australia", the Baz Luhrmann film featuring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Bryan Brown, David Wenham and many more quality Australian actors.

Microsoft Surface - Awesome!

Yeh, I admit I am a bit of a 'gadget freak' and this is about as cool as a gadget can get. They were announced on May 30 and I can't wait to try one when they make it to Australia!

Friday, June 01, 2007

Baz to Q & A in Bowen

Baz Luhrmann will speak during a Queensland Week function at Horseshoe Bay on Sunday morning at 10am. He is set to talk about his career and the production of "Australia" in Bowen. See you there!


See all my Australia pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Cow v Hilux

Seems as though I'm not the only one who thought the Cow v Hilux incident was pretty damn funny! Brisbane's The Courier-Mail reported the incident using my photographs - Click the image above for the full story or read online at http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21824622-10388,00.html

See all my "Australia" pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094