BEFORE I BEGIN, A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE TIMING OF MY LISTS: I’ve been making year-end lists on this web site for eleven years. In that time, not much has changed. However, there have been some changes, and one of these changes which…
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Doctor Who fans in Australia now have twice as many reasons to rejoice as 2020 dawns – a new season with Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor launches on New Year’s Day, followed soon after on the 9th of January by an all new season of fan show Whovians! Host Rove McManus shared the news with a new video, promising more fun to keep the Doctor Who love rolling for as long as possible. Since its launch in 2017 Whovians has seen the arrival of Bill Potts, the departure of Peter Capaldi and the advent of the first female Doctor, all with… Continue reading
Of all the 304 general elections that were held in the UK during the 1970s, these three election posters for the Conservative party are among the few campaign materials that are still extant. This is largely due to the fact that campaign slogans were more often compulsorily tattooed onto ailing citizens who collected welfare benefits.*
All promotional literature was designed and printed by the Scarfolk Advertising Agency, who, it was later revealed to the surprise of all clients concerned, had been working not only for the Conservative, but also the Labour and Liberal Parties.
Furthermore, the agency cleverly maximised its profits by selling exactly the same poster designs to all clients. Only the party name was changed. This made it difficult for voters to decide who to vote for, but it also confused politicians who became unsure which party they belonged to.
All promotional literature was designed and printed by the Scarfolk Advertising Agency, who, it was later revealed to the surprise of all clients concerned, had been working not only for the Conservative, but also the Labour and Liberal Parties.
Furthermore, the agency cleverly maximised its profits by selling exactly the same poster designs to all clients. Only the party name was changed. This made it difficult for voters to decide who to vote for, but it also confused politicians who became unsure which party they belonged to.
The DWCA was very saddened to receive the news on 16 November that actor Ian Cullen had passed away at the age of 90. He was known and loved for appearing alongside William Hartnell in First Doctor story The Aztecs, as well as on audio with Eighth Doctor Paul McGann in Dark Eyes. He was also a special guest of the DWCA back in 2013 – a regular visitor to Australia when visiting his family here. By complete coincidence his last appearance in a Doctor Who related program was on the first episode of Australia’s own Whovians. As part of… Continue reading
Uncle J wanted to visit the “Jewish Holocaust Museum“. He’d been banging on about it for a while so we decided to take him on a flying trip to visit. The 1 hour flight was cancelled so we drove for 6 hours instead. Sydney was pushy; dirty; noisy and …
Stephen Fry and Sir Lenny Henry are stepping into the world of Who with both slated to appear in the series opener of Doctor Who next year. The two television legends will join Jodie Whittaker who is reprising her role as the Thirteenth Doctor. But will they be friend or foe? That’s the big question but really Stephen Fry is just happy to be appearing in the iconic show. “Short of being picked for a British space exploration programme and I readily concede that I’m past the age where I’d be considered (if I was ever the right age for… Continue reading
I should not read the news.
We will probably never count the hundreds of millions of wild creatures who have been burnt or choked in the bushfires this summer. The survivors are now parched and starving amongst the ashes and the fires are still raging. Is the fate of the …
I ask that everyone give a thought to proposing at session at one (or both) of two great events on the Open Source and Free Software calendar: the FOSDEM Legal and Policy DevRoom and Copyleft Conf. Both CFPs close tomorrow!
I've been co-organizing the Legal and Policy DevRoom, along with my colleagues Tom Marble, Richard Fontana, and Karen Sandler for the last eight years. Copyleft Conf grew out of this event a few years ago because there was excitement by attendees for another on in Brussels after FOSDEM for more specific content about copyleft policy and licensing.
Just when we think the bushfires must have burnt themselves out they just keep on going. Every morning we are waking up to thick smoke. This was the view out our window yesterday morning and it is the …
The Let's Think About... booklet was published by Scarfolk Council Schools & Child Welfare Services department in 1971. It was designed for use in the classroom and encouraged children between the ages of five and nine to focus on a series of highly traumatic images and events.
Parents and teachers assumed that the booklet was based on psychological research but it had no scientific basis whatsoever. The booklet's medically untrained author was one of the dinner ladies from the council canteen before she was fired for attempting to slip strychnine into bowls of blancmange.
Despite the scandal, the booklet remained on the school curriculum for many years and the author was invited by the council to pen an updated edition from her prison cell in 1979.
Parents and teachers assumed that the booklet was based on psychological research but it had no scientific basis whatsoever. The booklet's medically untrained author was one of the dinner ladies from the council canteen before she was fired for attempting to slip strychnine into bowls of blancmange.
Despite the scandal, the booklet remained on the school curriculum for many years and the author was invited by the council to pen an updated edition from her prison cell in 1979.
Last year I was wondering which way to go in my work life. I started an oncology post-grad but quickly lost motivation. My cynicism around the higher education sausage machine got the better of me. I ended up doing Plan 2:
a year goofing off. I could work less; spend …
For decades fans have dreamt of stepping into the Whoniverse and experiencing all of its wonders and terrors first hand. Now finally that dream can come true, through the wonders of Virtual Reality in the fully immersive environment of Doctor Who: The Edge of Time. This VR game allows players the opportunity to pilot a Dalek casing from the inside, wield the sonic screwdriver and face off against the Weeping Angels. Full of action, puzzles and cinematic effects, the VR game also features Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks. While the feature… Continue reading
I was interviewed about the history of unemployment in Australia and, more specifically, the history of how Australia has treated unemployed workers. We haven’t always been so punitive. For about 25 years after WW2 unemployment was seen as a collective … Continue reading
Many readers will remember the two packs of Horror Top Trumps, which were first issued in 1978. What is not commonly known is that the first pack was recalled after 3 days only to be rereleased a month later minus one card: The Scarfolk card.
The card had proved so effective that, not only could it effortlessly beat every other card, it also killed the losing player within moments of the game ending.
Fury From The Deep is the latest missing Patrick Troughton story to receive the animated treatment and will be released next year. BBC Studios made the announcement on the Animations Panel at the London Comic Con at the weekend and a teaser has since gone up on the Doctor Who YouTube Channel. All six missing episodes of Fury from the Deep, the penultimate adventure from season five, will be animated in high definition in both colour and black and white. The release will also include the surviving clips from the serial, a new Making-Of, and other features still to be… Continue reading
October 24, 2019 How Not to Get a Standing Ovation at a Teachers’ Conference Rueful Reflections of a Long-Time Presenter By Alfie Kohn After speaking to a group of educators about, say, the harmful effects of standardized testing — and receiving an enthusiastic response — I am likely to hear from some spoilsport in the audience who wonders why I ... Read More