52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 20

Week 20: Colour

A huge challenge for a red/green colour blind man, but I thought I might take you into my secret world of 1958-1975. When the rest of Australia was watching b/w transmissions, I was able to see black, white, grey and *green*, especially in cartoons! (I added some red, too, because I've come to realise that red and green are the same wavelength to my eyes.) It was a family discussion during an episode of "Happy Days" (1974, just before Australian colour test transmissions started here ) that led to this amazing revelation... that I was colour blind! Bok the Frog was drawn on cartridge paper, photocopied on various red, green and grey sheets of paper, elements cut and pasted as a collage, and the plastic overlay of grey ripples was printed by b/w photocopying the green ripples on the backing sheet onto an overhead projector plastic cel.

Bok the Frog (and his garden of croakuses) as only I would have seen him:

Week 20: Colour II

Bok the Frog (and his garden of croakuses) as *most people* would have seen him, had he been on b/w TV:

Udates:
I had a new colourful idea: Here's a miniature gesso canvas painted in acrylics by me, on behalf of a bendy, smiley man, with detail in black Unipin fine marker, and silver and gold Signo pigment ink.

Week 20: Colour III.

Dyed chicks at the Royal Easter Show, before the RSPCA complained. Fingerprint art with acrylics and a black Sharpie:

Week 20: Colour IV.

Confessions of a colourblind man

Now, I make this admission as the person who, as a kid in the 60s, had a huge argument with his parents and siblings about the eventual introduction of colour TV to Australia (it didn't arrive here until 1975). But I was able to see green on black and white cartoons all through my childhood!

The day I realised that specific tone of "green" was actually grey, was... an eye-opener. I still have very distinct memories of watching Fred Flintstone mowing his luxurious green lawn around his cave house (with an inverted prehistoric stork-looking bird as a mower, of course). But it was all an illusion.


The Flintstones - in glorious black, white and green

It certainly explained why, when colouring in, I often had to study the differences between my blue and purple pencils, my brown and black pencils, and - shudder - my green and orange pencils. (Luckily I didn't have access to grey pencils - not until I advanced to those bigger tinned sets of Lakeland Coloured Pencils in primary school.) I could spend several minutes intently comparing sky blue against violet - and end up colouring the entire sky in my picture... mauve. That happened many times. (Teachers thought I was very "creative".)

Then there was the day in 1970, when I was taken to get my eyes checked, and my first pair of glasses. That I needed glasses to improve my long sight was obvious, but the ophthalmic surgeon, and my mother, were puzzled when he asked me to tell him when a certain light changed from green to red - and I said nothing for the longest time. I was only seeing an orange light, you see, so I couldn't even work out where I was supposed to be looking. Ooops.

They didn't bother doing actual colour blindness tests on me because, as the doctor said, there is no "cure", so what was the point? With a smirk, he also said, to my mum and me, and that if only I'd been at his office a few weeks earlier. He had been given a coloured poster of a woman in a bikini. Apparently colour blind people couldn't see the bikini! (Try having that discussion in front of an eleven year old boy today and getting away with it.)

I lost my job as a golf caddy when my Dad and his golfing buddies switched to those fluoro orange golf balls in the 70s.

"Where's my ball, caddy?" my Dad's mate would say.

"I dunno", I'd scratch my head, even if the ball was at my feet!

"Help him," my Dad would tell my brother, who still claims he's not colour blind (if I recall correctly).

"I can't see it either!" my brother would say.

Yes, colour blindness often runs in the family.


Mmmm, what colour is this tee, I wonder?

My next memorably embarrassing moment was my first term at teachers college in 1977. The science lab had a rectangular poster with coloured spots which spelled out the word 'onion'. I puzzled over this sign for the whole term and, eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I asked the lecturer (in front of the class) why a poster which said 'onion' needed to be on the wall of a science lab.

"Because if you weren't colour blind," said Barry, "it would read 'color'."

I looked back at the poster, and suddenly it read 'color'. D'oh!


Please don't tell me this spot pattern says something rude...

Just when I thought I had a handle on things, my class of Year 3 students were in hysterics one day. We'd made these wonderful cut and paste patterns using two contrasting colours of Brennex paper squares (ie. school Origami paper, in many, many solid hues). I was up on a ladder pinning up their efforts, then climbed down so we could critique everyone's work from a distance. I ending up accusing some poor kid of handing me a plain sheet of paper to pin up. Her design was lime green on orange, or was it orange on lime green? Sadly, its magnificent effect was totally lost on me.

Even the green/grey problem came back to haunt me in adult life. When I was working at the State Office of the NSW DET, seconded as editor of "Scan", I had my new computer monitor set on what I assumed was the neutral grey background. It stayed that colour for many months, even after my cute "houndstooth of hounds pattern" screensaver overlay disappeared in an upgrade of our server. A colleague from another building was passing through the office and asked me if green was my favourite colour.

"Huh?" I wondered, checking my clothes and various belongings. But she was pointing to the screen I'd lived with all that time - and suddenly I could perceive it as a vivid grass green - rather the same colour as Fred Flintstone's lawn, actually!

Every now and then, colour blindness becomes a real issue when web surfing. I've had to force myself to identify many reds and greens that give me trouble, but I hate it when some web designer or blogger decides on a wonderful combination of, say lime green and funky orange, which, of course, are totally opposite on the colour wheel and should be contrasting colours, but are identical in wave length to my eyes/brain. If someone puts red-hued writing on a green background, or vice versa, I probably won't even notice the writing is there.

I have been known to have trouble with combinations such as black/brown, blue/purple and yellow/tan. To others these are combinations which are of high contrast. Similarly, some sites will have an override on their underlined hyperlinks and visited links, or they'll use colours instead of underlines, and the site becomes absolutely useless to me. Some WordPress templates/themes are terrible in this way.

Do I tell people the truth about their tricky colour combinations? Definitely, if I think it's an easily fixable problem - or if I plan to return to the site often for content reasons.

Please, have pity on the colour blind. We know not what we see.

Sunday's not so magic number: 96.9 - I'm depressed. Maybe I'll record this number in orange, on green paper? You can tell that winter's here and the early evenings are getting very nippy for dog-walking. Too many bikkies, not enough walking.

Beyond Number 96

Since yesterday's exclusive announcement of more classic "Number 96" on DVD, I've felt a need to upgrade the last section of my old, annotated episode guide - the one with details of all "Number 96"-connected shows since the parent series went off the air. I Google this stuff every few years and it's amazing how little snippets turn up every now and then.

For example, when I did my initial research, I would have stopped my skimming of bound volumes of old TV Times and TV Week issues when I hit the end of 1977, and so I had no notes on the bizarre-sounding second pilot for a variety series that would have featured Reg and Edie MacDonald! Also, last time I checked, there was no online information whatsoever on "Eurotrash" (in which yours truly appeared as the dubiously-described as the "only member of the Abigail and Number 96 Fan Club!). Recently, I found an official site that listed all the segment titles and subjects of that tongue-in-cheek documentary series.

Anyway, here's the (UPDATED 2011) list:

SPECIAL: Number 96 Auction. (20/8/1977)
With Joe "The Gadget Man" Sandow as the auctioneer. A live cross to the grounds of Channel 10, Sydney. 90 minutes; aired at 12 noon. 0-10 Network.

UNAIRED PILOT: Oh Mummy, Oh Daddy. (Taped 2/1978)
Second unsuccessful attempt to spin off the characters of Reg and Edie MacDonald (Mike Dorsey and Wendy Blacklock), this time in a potential music/variety series with dream sequences (eg. Superman and Ginger Meggs characters in the pilot). Seven Network.

NUMBER 96 (US Version). (Commenced USA 10/12/1980; aired in Australia 1986)

GOLDEN YEARS OF TELEVISION: A Salute to Australian Soaps. (14/8/1986)
Presented by David Lyle and Ginger de Winter (aka Virginia Bell). Featured the infamous "bomb aftermath" episode (#840) and assorted footage. Nine Network.

TONIGHT LIVE WITH STEVE VIZARD. (20/7/1993)
Hosted by Steve Vizard. Featured flashback footage and live interviews with Elaine Lee, Jeff Kevin and Number 96 historian, Ian McLean. Comedian Vince Sorrenti conducted a tour of Moncur Flats, at 83 Moncur Street, Woollahra, the actual location of the Number 96 building seen in the show's credits. Seven Network.

SPECIAL: Number 96: They Said It Wouldn't Last. (21/11/1994)
With new commentary from Abigail. Featured most of the special made to celebrate the show's 1000th episode, revamped and concluded with the "curtain call" from the final episode. Network Ten.

DARREN GRAY DOWN UNDER: Number 96. (1995)
Hosted by Darren Gray. Featured interviews with Andrew Mercado and Number 96 historian, Ian McLean. CTV1 (Sydney) and the Wire Network (UK).

SALE OF THE CENTURY: Battle of the TV Classics. (19/6/1995)
Hosted by Glenn Ridge. Featured Johnny Lockwood, Elaine Lee, Jeff Kevin and Candy Raymond representing Number 96 and competing against stars from The Sullivans, Prisoner and The Young Doctors. Candy Raymond made it through to the finals. Nine Network.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW. (1997)
Presented by Peter Luck. Weekly episodes, four of which focused on Number 96 stories. One episode featured James Elliott and Elisabeth Kirkby. Another reunited John Orcsik with Joe Hasham, who reenacted their kiss from the Number 96 feature film. Johnny Lockwood was interviewed in an episode dedicated to the deaths of beloved fictional Australians (8/8/97). A "Soap Opera Weddings" special featured Jeff Kevin and Pamela Garrick. Seven Network.

EUROTRASH: Abigail. (SEASON 5, #6, UK 1997; Australian airdate unknown)
Hosted by Jean-Paul Gaultier, narrated by Kate Robbins. Featured flashback footage of Number 96, Chances and Alvin Purple and interviews with Abigail, journalist Robin Oliver and Number 96 historian, Ian McLean. Foxtel/Austar's The Comedy Channel.

TAMARA TONITE. (20/10/1999 - 3/11/1999)
Presented by Brisbane-based drag queen, Tamara Tonite (aka Roderick Paterson). Weekly episodes, three of which were focused on Number 96. Interviews with Sheila Kennelly (#137), Elaine Lee (#138) and Number 96 historian, Ian McLean (#139). Channel Briz31.

TELEVISION'S GREATEST HITS: The Best of Number 96. (13/3/2000 - 30/3/2000)
Presented by Andrew Mercado over three weeks. 24 episodes, hand selected by Andrew Mercado and Ian McLean. Episodes were: #2, 33, 450, 604, 613, 630/631, 649, 669, 679, 680, 689, 838, 839, 840/841, 844, 1005, 1006, 1136, 1160, 1164, and 1217/1218. Foxtel/Austar's TV1.

THE BEST OF AUSSIE DRAMAS: Part I. (7/11/2002)
Presented by Kate Ritchie of Home and Away. Contained numerous clips of Number 96, with sound byte comments from John Orcsik, Elaine Lee, Jeff Kevin, Lorrae Desmond, Vince Sorrenti and Number 96 historian, Ian McLean. Part II aired a week later, and a two-part focus on Aussie Cop Shows followed over the next fortnight, with additional sound byte comments from Paula Duncan, John Orcsik and Lorrae Desmond. Seven Network.

SPECIAL: Ten: Seriously 40. (21/8/2005)
Presented by Bert Newton and Rove McManus. Clip show celebrating four decades of the former 0-10 Network. Network Ten.

SPECIAL: 50 Years, 50 Shows. (25/9/2005)
Presented by Eddie McGuire. Number 96 rated #9 out of 50 Australian television shows. Nine Network.

DVD: Number 96: 2 Disc Collectors Edition. (10/7/2006)
Includes: a brand new 16:9 transfer of Number 96: The Movie (1974), uncut and uncensored, with newly recorded audio commentary (2006) with Elaine Lee, creator/screenwriter David Sale, and TV historian Andrew Mercado; original draft screenplay of the movie on DVD-ROM; And They Said It Wouldn't Last TV documentary special (1976, plus 1977 update); Abigail's introduction to the special's repeat TV screening (1994); an all new featurette, THE FINAL YEARS (2006), covering the last 218 episodes (and new interviews with Elaine Lee, Sheila Kennelly, Wendy Blacklock, Deborah Gray and David Sale); plus rare footage of the "Spirit of 96" train journey, as the TV cast attended the Logies in Melbourne (1975). Umbrella DVD Australia . (Note that cover art of the first pressings of this product mentioned a stills gallery, but this was unable to be included as planned.)

REPEAT OF SPECIAL: 50 Years, 50 Shows. (11/9/2006)
Newly presented by Mike Munro, celebrating Australian television's 50th anniversary. Nine Network.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW. (8/7/2007)
Presented by Melissa Doyle and David Koche. Featured Jeff Kevin, Sheila Kennelly, Elaine Lee, James Elliott, Elisabeth Kirkby, Frances Hargreaves, Chantal Contouri, Joe Hasham and Chard Hayward. Seven Network.

DVD: Number 96: The Pantyhose Strangler. (30/8/2008)
Includes: 32 consecutive episodes #649-680; stills gallery; newly recorded audio commentary (2008) with Chantal Contouri and TV historian Andrew Mercado; 2006 footage of the Network Ten News announcement of the earlier DVD release. Umbrella DVD Australia.

DVD: Number 96: Aftermath of Murder. (11/3/2010)
Includes: 32 consecutive episodes #681-712; newly recorded audio commentaries (2009) with Carol Raye, Elisabeth Kirkby and TV historian Andrew Mercado; "The Australian Way: A Salute to Aussie Sex Appeal" TV special (1982, incorrectly identified as 1978); original 1976 "Adults Only" TV promo for premiere of "And They Said It Wouldn't Last" documentary special; 1975 uncut Christmas messages from cast members; and 2008 footage of the Network Ten News announcement of the previous DVD release, including a reunion between Chantal Contouri and Pamela Garrick. Umbrella DVD Australia.

DVD: Number 96: 40th Anniversary set. (Forthcoming 2012)
Includes: sixteen early b/w episodes (#1-10, #13, #31, #33-35 and #450) and sixteen consecutive colour episodes, #832-847, covering the Mad Bomber storyline. Umbrella DVD Australia.

Thanks to Luke of Brisbane for a few crucial dates listed above.

On a totally unrelated topic...
Sunday's magic number: 94.0. Absolutely no change - again. (Should I admit now to Thursday night's two donuts. And Friday's four? Shhhh! Maybe not.)

How wonderful: it's Sunday. The day I declare my progress to the world, and it's sandwiched between Number 96 news that people will be Googling for months! Let's hope the numbers are lower by the time the new DVD set hits.

Making mentoring meaningful

Well, that was funny! Tonight was episode #1 of "The Librarians", a new Australian TV series on the ABC, in the timeslot recently held by the hilarious and pithy "Summer Heights High".

I happened to say to a few friends that I expected the series to be successful and funny, and probably rather close to the bone re my experiences in school libraries, studying with teacher-librarians at university, working at SCIS/Scan for the Department of Education & Training's State Office, and my connections with ALIA (the Australian Library & Information Association).

Yesterday and today, I was relieved at school (by another teacher-librarian) so I could act as mentor for a fellow teacher-librarian undergoing her training. Well, as if I'd read the script ahead of time, the plot of the first episode of "The Librarians" saw the main female character, frustrated Frances (Robyn Butler) dealing with Book Week, and being a mentor for the main hunky male character (played by Josh Lawson). When she should have had eyes for how he was coping with his librarian duties, she couldn't keep her eyes off his butt.

I'm rather glad the episode didn't air a day or two earlier - and probably the female colleague I was mentoring thinks so, too!

And hey! Not one "Trick or treater" knocked at my door this Halloween night. Drat. Now I have to eat all this candy all by myself.

Double dipping

The complaints have begun. CBS Consumer products has announced that the first season of the 1960s Star Trek on DVD, with the recently-enhanced special effects via CGI, will have a US recommended retail price of $218. Now, we all know no one will be selling them for that premium price, but that it will also be a dual high definition (HD)/regular release set, with new bonus features.

Many collectors already bought the first versions of the DVD season sets, with 60s effects made on 16mm film stock, run through multiple passes of a SPFX camera. There will be buyer resistance to the new DVDs, with fans are saying they'd prefer just the regular TV sets, but with new CGI FX, be available separately.

There'll also be resistance from people who won't want HD TV as well, but what happens the prices of HD TVs fall so low they can't resist buying one? Then they'll feel a need to buy the HD TOS sets to play on it, but they'll already have the regular version. They'll yell at CBS for "double dipping".

Don't want HD TV? Eventually, when everybody else has had one for a few years, the more stubborn viewers (or technology laggards) will start to notice that their expectations - of what an acceptable level of clarity is - have changed. When colour TV came to Australia in 1975, you know, my paternal grandmother used to say that colour TV hurt her eyes - until we bought her one of her own.

I really don't understand the anger towards companies who "double dip" their DVD releases. That only infers that the producers of all DVDs should make people wait much longer for any DVD to become available for sell-through, as the various studios scramble to make the first (and only) issue of each movie and TV show a once-only double-disk-multi-commentary-100-bonus-extras version, and then promise to never ever release a second version in our lifetimes.

When i hear the complaints, I find myself thinking: divide $218 by the number of episodes in the set, and then contemplate how amazing HD TV is. Deduct the cash you make selling your old set on eBay. Think about the wages of the SPFX guys who've been churning out the new CGI FX sequences for syndicated, repeated TOS episodes on a weekly basis for the past year. And, remembering back to the bad ol' early 80s, I remind them that a double episode of TV TOS on VHS (or Beta!) was over $70 each.

Love me like the world is ending

The power of television - and Youtube!

Aussie singer Ben Lee appeared on the "Rove in New York" special a few minutes ago, mentioning an incident concerning three naked skateboarders, which ended up getting his permit to shoot a music video in the Big Apple revoked! The premise for the clip was: if the world was about to end, what risky behaviour would people try? Ben Lee announced that the clip for the new song, "Love Me Like the World is Ending", was now available on Youtube, so I figured I'd see just how many people had raced to their computers. It sounded like the kind of stunt that would appeal to the "Rove" demographic.



By the time the site had finished loading, the clip had been viewed an amazing number of times (the counter seems stuck on 222), and had 50 comments, all made within the previous minute (and most mentioning that poor ol' Ben only seems to have traveled to the USA with one set of clothes! Perhaps that's why the skateboarders were nude?) A few seconds later, there were 81 comments and, by the time I'd saved the code for the clip, there were over 250. (Update: I've just finished editing this entry and it's up to 266.)

I guess "Rove" is rating well enough...

I like to watch

Yeah! Call me a voyeur, but I'm once again hooked on the Australian "Big Brother" (so-called) reality TV series. I like to think I watch it every year because of the social experiment thing, but it's probably because there's nothing more compelling that hearing gossip you're not supposed to hear - kinda like when I try to read my book on the train and everyone else is on their mobile phones. Try as I might, I can't get much reading done those days.

Whatever happened to the promise, for this year's TV series, that the participants would be from "all walks of life..."? I expected there to me a few older people this year, after the last two years' overdose of pretty young things whose idea of stimulating conversation is to quote endless chunks of dialogue from big budget movies of the 90s.

But again, almost everyone in this year's batch seems to be blond (or streaked), aged under 30, and (supposedly) "only in it for the experience, not the money". Network Ten was touting the "all walks of life..." aspect way back since last November. My mum (visiting from Perth) and my aunt, both in their 70s, almost got to audition for this year's series. See my blog entry from last November.

I was really hoping the premiere episode would show footage of the audition-hopeful crowds at Fox Studios, 'cos my Mum and aunt were bound to have been caught on video as they chatted to the big security guys charged with corraling all the potential pretty young things into their auditions.

As for the "social experiment thing", I'm waiting for the media to start doing a beat-up on how manipulative and cruel BB is, what with the Andrew/Hayley/Billy threesome, Friday Night Games, and the poor white-clad, gruel-eating foursome, slowing going wacko with the lights on, 24/7, in The White Room. And the media will make the most of it, 'cos there's no "Adults Only" version of the show scheduled this year.

A kids' show in an adult timeslot

I've just heard that I'm to be quoted in a new scholarly book that's coming out - about a woman's life in country New South Wales in the 70s, when the author was a young girl watching naughty "Number 96" on prime time (adults' viewing) at 8.30 each weeknight.

A researcher had asked me last year for proof that "Number 96" was a TV soap opera popular with children, and I was able to reference a major Australian magazine, which ran a kids' page and an annual TV survey of popular shows. "Number 96" always ranked highly - and above many kids' shows.

Some work colleagues and I were only chatting yesterday about modern TV shows that are essentially made for adults, but watched by children. "The Simpsons", "Ren and Stimpy" and "South Park" come to mind. Probably "Desperate Housewives", too. But in the 70s, Down Under, it was "Number 96".

More details on the book as they come to hand! There will also be news of a TV reunion of the "96" actors (coming very soon) and more DVD news. I hope.

Previewing The Tudors

I received a request from the marketers of this new production to inspect their site, because they'd seen my (very brief) movie review of "The Queen".

My first reaction was to ignore the request, but I watched the filmed preview - and, although I know very little about Tudor England, I found the acting performances, pacing and costuming of the preview most intriguing. It certainly helps that the always-dependable Sam Neill is in there. I'll certainly be checking out "The Tudors" when it turns up in Australia. Episode #1 previews on the Internet on 12th March, and on US TV a few weeks later.

About The Show:

"Lover. Warrior. Rebel. King. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Henry VIII as never seen before. 'The Tudors' is the epic new Showtime Original Series that reveals the scandalous life of the stunning young monarch, who ruled his kingdom with ruthless abandon. With a lust for power and an appetite for love, Henry's affair with Anne Boleyn – and obsession with producing a male heir – changed the institution of marriage, and the world, forever. 'The Tudors' is the untold story of Henry VIII, the beloved tyrant whose reign was marked by treachery, betrayal and intrigue."

Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers is King Henry VIII.
Starring: Sam Neill, Callum Blue, Henry Cavill, Henry Czerny, Natalie Dormer and Jeremy Northam.

PURLs before swine

After starting up my blog last year, I was excited to discover that numerous friends - from various stages of my life - had blogs of their own. But sometimes I found that their online presence had been abandoned after only a few weeks or months of blogging; my messages of greeting and hopeful reunion perhaps never to be found. Sigh...

I sometimes find myself pondering what would happen to my various websites should I suddenly not be around any more.

Luckily for one of them, way back in 1999, my Number 96 Home Page was catalogued and "captured" for inclusion in the online PANDORA Archive. It was quite a thrill: my home page was selected for the first exclusive group of (three) Internet sites about Australian television programs to appear in the National Library of Australia's online public access catalogue, alongside the official websites for The Panel and the long-forgotten Good Guys, Bad Guys! In 1999, The Panel and Good Guys, Bad Guys were both current shows; my site honours an Aussie soap opera from the 1970s, and the site has been running since "the Year of '96" (wink).


NUMBER 96 HOME PAGE

PANDORA has since catalogued many other Australian TV show websites. They simply web whack* the site as it existed at time of cataloguing (ie. mine on 26 Nov, 1999), but once only, and give it a PURL (persistent URL). They also provide a hot link to the current updated site (if it continues to exist, which - so far - mine does). The Panel's URL now only links to Working Dog's production house site, and the original Good Guys, Bad Guys website has vanished completely! ("Why wasn't I told?" Dorrie would ask.)

Even if, somehow, Ian McLean, web composer, vanishes, the Number 96 Home Page shall continue forever!

* "Web whacking" is when someone downloads a copy of an entire website to their hard drive. Of course, doing that means they never get to see any future changes that are made by the web composer. But it does preserve for posterity an early version that even the website owners might not keep in their files.

40 years ago today...

Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Dr McCoy - and the starship USS Enterprise - were introduced to US audiences in the first "Star Trek" episode to air on television, "The Man Trap".

Since I was born in December 1958, I am certainly old enough to have seen the first episode to air Down Under (and I certainly saw the first ever episodes of "Batman", "Captain Nice", "Mister Terrific", "Please Don't Eat the Daisies", "The Flying Nun", "Julia", and other shows of that era, on their premiere nights), but my paternal grandmother owned the household's b/w TV - and she kept it in a separate lounge room. We had to be on our best behaviour to watch TV. Unfortunately for me, Nanny wasn't interested in watching "Star Trek" that night, and the phenomenon slipped past me for almost a decade.

Here in Sydney, I believe the premiere episode was the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Although NBC in the US wanted to kick off the series with a B.E.M. ("bug-eyed monster") show, supposedly the Salt Vampire was declared too scary for the children of New South Wales. "The Man Trap" didn't end up getting aired at all in that first prime time run in Sydney - and a friend (Karen Lewis and her then-husband, John) capitalized on this a decade later by screening a 16mm colour print of "The Man Trap" to Sydney-based "Star Trek" fans, to raise funds for the running of "Aussietrek", the first big Australian "Star Trek" convention.

A few months after the premiere of "Star Trek" in Australia, everyone seemed to know that Mr Spock existed, of course. Kids at school collected the bubblegum cards, fired pretend phasers at each other in the playground - and our Year 5 teacher (in 1969) ran a "Star Trek Chart" to record our weekly dictation and spelling results with gummed paper stars. Metallic gold star = no mistakes; coloured star = one mistake.

My first strong Kirk, Spock, McCoy (and Arex) memories are of TAS - the animated version of "Star Trek" by Filmation, which aired on Saturday mornings in the 70s. And the DVDs for that show are due at the end of the year. (Not so coincidentally, TAS premiered in the USA on this same day in 1973. Although not in Los Angeles - poor ol' George Takei was running as a candidate in a local government election, and had TAS ran as the intended episode that morning, featuring the distinctive voice of Mr Sulu at the helm of the animated Enterprise, his political opponents could have demanded "equal time"!)

Tomorrow night, I'm having a small get-together with a handful of "Star Trek" friends, most met quite recently via the Internet. We'll move on from a bar in Darling Harbour, to a restaurant for dinner, and then on to one member's inner city abode to watch "Star Trek" DVDs in an all-night vigil (or until some of us end up snoring off...)

A far cry from my days with ASTREX (1980 to the early 1990s), when we could rely on many of our several hundred club members to turn up to anniversary functions.

"Happy Anniversary!" "Live long and prosper." And "Thiptho lapth!"

Hail Grigor

Wow, some great trivia - and an unexpected brush with fame - last week. The primary school at which I work has just developed a little history museum of local and school memorabilia, to celebrate the official opening of our new assembly hall - and I got to research a few pieces for the display, including a fascinating old epidiascope exactly like this one! It's amazing what relics are hiding away in school storerooms, gathering dust.

Way back in 1881, my research discovered, the teachers at our school applied for funding to buy some innovative teaching machines, including an "Aphengescope". (I discovered that this obscure, patented term from 1843 refers to a device that was, essentially, a 'pair of lanterns' for projecting small opaque objects.) The headmaster of the day hoped such a machine would make science lessons "more interesting". His funding application was unsuccessful.

Some time early in the 20th century, the school was able to purchase a Ross epidiascope (epi-dia-scope) instead, which served a similar purpose. A forerunner of today's overhead projector, this bulky machine enabled still pictures to be enlarged and projected onto a wall. There are probably not many of these devices still in existence.

The epidiascope gets its name from combining EPIscope, a device for projecting opaque objects, and DIAscope, which projects transparent images in the same way as a slide projector. A knob moves an internal pointer for directing an audience's attention to parts of the projected image.

The two lens mountings represent the two methods of projecting still pictures. The lower has a standard glass slide carrier, fitted to the rear, which would be operated in the normal way. The upper lens mount was for projecting photographs, newspaper cuttings, other printed matter, and even small, flattish 3D objects, such as coins, plant specimens, or a working pocket watch. This was accomplished by the use of the separate projection platform below the body, on which objects could be placed, then raised mechanically until it made contact with a glass plate under the body.

Lit by the epidiascope's powerful lamp, and through various prisms, the image was projected by the upper lens. The lower lens is a F1.3 500mm and the upper lens is F1.3 250mm.

The other discovery was an unexpected showbiz connection. Old school magazines from 1974 mentioned an event whereby Australian actor Grigor Taylor, then of "Silent Number" and "Matlock Police" fame, had visited the school to pin prefects' badges on elected students - because he'd been School Captain himself at our school way back in 195x. (Digit deleted in case Mr Taylor hides his age.) The old honour board is located not far from my classroom and I've scanned it many times, but never noticed Grigor's gilded name emblazoned on it, until now.

One of our other teachers who, as a student, attended the same local high school as Grigor Taylor, recalled her excitement that Taylor's hand-scrawled name had appeared in one of her school text books, although he'd long been graduated. "He was quite a hunk in the 70s," she recalled.

I almost sorta met Grigor Taylor when he was playing school teacher Greg Walker in the school-based TV drama "Glenview High", opposite Elaine Lee and Rebecca Gilling, both of "Number 96" fame. I was at Channel Seven's Epping studios one day in 1978, feeling totally starstuck, to interview Elaine for a teachers' college media assignment, and the rugged Mr Taylor sauntered past with a wink and a smile. How many degrees of Kevin Bacon is that?


The day I almost got introduced to Grigor: young, impressionable, trainee teacher Ian McLean
(right, wearing Giovanni's deli jacket from "Number 96"), interviews Elaine Lee,
who was playing Principal Margaret Gibson in TV's "Glenview High" at the time.
A far cry from Vera Collins, eh?