Starlog USS Christopher

Entry 3 - Stardate 15 May 2019

Canon and sci-fi franchises.

What are the benefits of adhering to canon? What creative potential exists in jumping off from it? Where has Star Trek (or other similar franchises) done it well or poorly?

One of the major benefits of adhering to canon is that it builds a mythology around your franchise.  As ideas and conceits central to a series are reinforced over the years, the mythology provides a narrative framework that helps ensure that the central ideas and spirit of your franchise are maintained, even as characters, actors and the creative staff guiding the franchise change.

But canon can also be limiting.. By slavishly adhering to ideas that were relevant when the franchise was first created, and not being willing to evolve the central ideas and conceits, a franchise can become mired in the past, catering only to its existing fan base, losing it’s relevance to modern audiences and limiting it’s ability to attract new fans.

In my opinion, canon can become especially limiting when show runners start to place to much faith in the wants and needs of fandom. Many fans are very vocal in their dislike of any changes or evolution of their favourite shows... I have to admit that I used to be like this. I was obsessive about my favourite show (Doctor Who), and got hung up on any inconsistencies that may have crept in over the years. But when the show went on it’s long hiatus in the Eighties, I absolutely loved the novels that continued the Doctor’s adventures, and they took many liberties with canon, while completely evolving the notion of what the show could be. When it returned to our screens in the 21st century, I WAS NOT one of those fans who vocally opposed NuWho and mourned for the good old days. In fact I continually had to defend the show, and remember telling a friend that if they brought it back how it was, it would have been a 1 season return before it was placed back on the scrapheap again! 

I think we are seeing a similar malaise affecting Star Wars fandom now, where fans are taking to social media bemoaning more diverse casting choices in the latest films, completely failing to realise that times have changed, and the films are simply reflecting what people expect to see in their entertainment today. 

I believe that Star Trek has very effectively used it’s canon, whilst also not being afraid to evolve the franchise. The central, utopian ideals espoused by Gene Roddenberry have continued to shine through in each Star Trek series, and for me this is a timeless ideal that is central to Star Trek. Despite this, the show has been willing to change it’s tone to better match the climate of the period it was being produced, and explore issues relevant to the time it was made, evolving with its audience and building it.

Others franchises that I believe have not been shackled by canon are classics of literature, such as the Sherlock Holmes stories, H.G. Wells “War of the World”, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” etc. These timeless classics have been constantly reinvented in various media formats, as books, audio plays, movies, games, television series and who knows what to come. These timeless stories often have messages that are relevant across the years, or can be subtly updated to reflect modern society. Take for instance the TV series Sherlock, which takes the Sherlock Holmes character and very successfully transports him to present day London. No explanation is given as to why, they even do an episode where they plonk him back in Victorian England! At the same time, a US Sherlock series “Elementary” is also airing, taking place in contemporary New York City, in which Watson is a woman, and not too long ago there was a series of movies with Robert Downey Jr playing Sherlock Holmes. All were great, and while the canon probably does not fit between each or with Arthur Conan-Doyle’s novels, I find them all enjoyable and surely that is the whole point?

Similarly Star Trek was willing to recast the classic series crew, and place them in an alternate timeline when the new Star Trek movie returned to our screens in 2009. I would argue that this also turned out well, introducing a new legion of fans to Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew.

I’M MOVING UP!

I’ve received a promotion to Lieutenant 

Starlog USS Christopher

Entry 2 - Stardate 7 May 2019

Media Analysis - Star Trek Pilots

Question 2: Which pilot best addresses the contemporary societal issues from when it was produced while taking the most advantage of the television format on which it was shown? Rank the episodes you watch in numerical order where 1 is the episode that best answers the question prompt

“The Cage.” Star Trek: The Original Series

“The Man Trap.” Star Trek: The Original Series

“Broken Bow.” Star Trek: Enterprise

For my media analysis of the pilot episodes I chose three. The pilot for the Original series “The Cage” as I have never seen it, the 1st episode with the original series cast we have come to know and love “The Man Trap” and the first episode of Enterprise, “Broken Bow Parts I & II”. The reason I watched “The Man Trap” rather than “Where No Man Has Gone Before “ was that “The Man Trap” was the first episode to be televised while “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was the first episode of the original series with James T. Kirk to be produced, so this is what Netflix showed me after “The Cage”. My bad! Comparing the two pilots of the Original series, the differences are quite stark. Captain Pike is a more serious, less fun character than Captain Kirk, with none of the swagger that Shatner brought to the role. There are some similarities in the two episodes, with an attractive woman being controlled by an alien intelligence, but to my mind “The Cage” featured a stronger female protagonist. Vina was an intelligent woman, kept alive as an artefact in some perverted museum, who simply longed for some companionship. When it was revealed that her appearance was being made more attractive for Captain Pike, and she was in fact horribly disfigured after she crash landed on the planet and was rebuilt by the Talosians, who lacked the knowledge of what humans looked like and therefore did a botched job. For me this was heartbreaking, but it was a nice conclusion that the Talosians constructed an illusion of Captain Pike to act as her companion. In “The Man Trap”, Nancy Crater is shown to being an alien who can manipulate how others see her. She uses this power to seduce crewmembers to their death, draining them of salt that she needs to survive. Although Doctor Crater claims she also craves companionship, after killing him she is ultimately revealed as an alien monster, and is unceremoniously killed. One of the other major differences I noticed between “The Cage” and “The Man Trap�� is that the crew of the Enterprise is much more diverse on James Kirk’s ship. One can speculate that after getting a series order, Gene Roddenberry moved ahead with his utopian vision of the future, where all nationalities are represented in Starfleet. I believe this is one of the major reasons for Star Trek’s continued appeal.

Moving from 1960’s Trek to the early 2000’s turn-of-the-Millennium Star Trek Enterprise was an eye opener. While Star Trek has always been quite progressive with it’s politics, featuring a diverse cast, with some strong female roles. I think that in many ways, while Enterprise continued to provide some great female characters like T’Pol, portaying them as highly intelligent and capable of taking on a senior management role on the Enterprise, in some ways it had gone backwards in it’s treatment of female characters. This was none more evident than the shower scene with T’Pol and Trip where they were rubbing soap on each other to clean of the alien goo. It felt a bit forced, a bit soft-porn and completely inappropriate as the camera lingered way too long on T’Pol’s naked mid-riff. I feel that this clumsy attempt to show Trip’s attraction to her, and the clumsy sexualisation of her was misguided and completely inappropriate. While the original series always featured an attractive woman (human or alien!) with eyes for Captain Kirk, and often needing to be rescued, the female leads were always treated well in my opinion. I think that the Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine went even further and really treated women with dignity and respect, so this scene in Enterprise really came as a shock to me and showed that perhaps, despite 35 years of progress, sometimes enlightened attitudes can slip backwards. This is something we need to be constantly vigilant about.

In terms of which episode addressed contemporary societal issues the best at time of transmission, I am going to choose “The Cage” which asked what it meant to be human, important during the 1960′s with the Cold War hanging over our heads and the horror of the Vietnam War in full swing.

In terms of taking best advantage of it’s television format, it has to be “The Man Trap” which offered a rollicking adventure yarn that appeals to all family members. There’s monsters, attractive people and a frenetic pace that has something for mum, dad and the kids. I feel that the other two episodes, while fun in their own way, did not capture the zeitgeist of the time like James T. Kirk and his crew did week-in, week-out.

MY NEW RANK. I’ve received a promotion to Ensign!

#winning

Starlog - USS Christopher

Entry 1: Stardate 23 April 2019

So what is this Starlog I hear you ask? Well one of the things I really enjoy doing is taking part in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) about subjects that interest me. And Science Fiction is one of my big passions, so I was very excited when EdX announced they were doing a Star Trek course in conjunction with the Smithsonian. I’m really looking forward to learning more about Star Trek and the impact it has had on pop-culture and the wider world.

While I’m more of a Doctor Who fan, I’ve always enjoyed Star Trek. Mostly, I remember watching the original series as a child, and dipping in and out of Next Generation as a young adult. Lately, I have been enjoying the J.J Abrams movies and Discovery.

So I’ve signed up to undertake this mission to boldly go where I’ve never been before, and look forward to gaining some perspective about what Star Trek and its utopian outlook has meant to the world, and engaging with fellow sci-fi fans!

As I go through the course, I’m going to be answering course questions, and sharing anything I think is interesting so be sure to check back often, as this post will be regularly updated. If you’re interested in taking the course yourself, so yourself a favour and head to EdX and sign up to join me.

Question 1: To what extent did the business model of network television enable Star Trek: The Original Series to appeal to such a wide range of audiences? In ways did that same model constrain it?

The network television model was designed to appeal to family audiences, o shows had to be written to suit a wide variety of ages. For Star Trek, this gave it a wide cross section of the population to entertain, and educate with it’s utopian ideals. While this presented the show with a large audience to target, it also presented challenges in that the show had to be accessible to all, and to a degree dumbed dow so that the entire audience could understand and enjoy the show. It is likely that this limited the exploration of some ideas, and in some cases may have stopped more subversive ideas being explored at all.

Watch List - The Original Series

“The Cage.” Star Trek: The Original Series “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Star Trek: The Original Series “Errand of Mercy.” Star Trek: The Original Series “The Man Trap.” Star Trek: The Original Series

Reading List

If you're interested in learning more about Star Trek and the Business of Network Television, we recommend reading Inside Star Trek: The Real Story by Herbert Solow and Robert H. Justman.

Chris and Grant’s Bogus Journey (Mystery Box Rally 2018)

In October 2018 Team Wingin’ it (me and my partner in crime Grant Eekelschot) participated in our second Mystery Box Rally. After the dramas we had with the our old Mercedes in 2017 we had a new car for this years event - a 1993 Mazda 323 Astina hatchback (affectionately know as Roy). The car actually used to be Grant’s mum’s car, and had given her great service over the past few years until replaced with a newer model. But with more than 300,000 kms on the clock and seemingly heading for the scrapheap, Roy rallied for one last challenge - bashing through the harsh Australian Outback for 5 days in order to raise money for the Cancer Council.

ROY GETTING SOME LAST MINUTE TLC IN MILDURA PRIOR TO THE START

This year’s the event was starting and ending in the country town of Mildura, a pretty country town in North-Western Victoria on the banks of the Murray River. Mildura is famous for being the citrus fruit capital of Australia. Grant and I arrived in Mildura after an uneventful drive (good!), and after a quick relax at our hotel we headed to the pre-rally get together to check-in and meet our buddy group. Basically your buddy group is the bunch of people you will spend a lot of time with in the next week; driving in convoy, being there to help out each other in times of need and enjoying a relax around the campsite each evening where we all swap stories of the day, get to know each other etc. Well that’s the plan, assuming there are now breakdowns in which case you get to know the bus mechanics in the triage zone!

This year we had a really eclectic group of cars and peeps, a couple of old Benzes, a Mazda 121 Funtop (bubble shape), a couple of trust Ford Falcons, and stretch LTD limo, a Nissan Exa Sports Car and of course our little Mazda. Great bunch of peeps hailing from all over Australia, Mt Isa, Sydney Adelaide and Melbourne.

On day 1 the convoy headed to our first over night stop; the famous outback town of Milparinka, which we drove to via the mining town Broken Hill on a combination of bitumen and dirt roads. 

THE ALBERT HOTEL IN MILPARINKA. EST. 1882 (YES WE ARE WEARING LEDERHOSEN!)

Day 2 was a lot tougher, the drive from Milparinka to Innamincka being almost entirely on extremely rough dirt roads with big rocks catching out many unwary drivers. The highlight of the day was seeing the famous Dig Tree, famous for its association with the outback explorers Burke and Wills who perished trying to cross Australia from South to North in 1861. 

GRANT AND THE DIG TREE

THE GIRL’S NISSAN EXA WAS HAVING SOME ISSUES - THEY NEEDED SOME EXTRA WEIGHT ON THE BACK TO HOLD THE CAR UP!

On day 3 our destination was the gorgeous mountain town of Arkaroola in the Flinders Ranges. We passed through the Moomba Gas fields, via the Strezlecki Track, the route of which was pioneered by castle rustler Harry Radford who stole 1,000 head of cattle and drove them south into South Australia. Despite being caught he was not convicted of the crime as the jury was impressed by his feat! We were also lucky enough to get a chance to stop at the Montecollina Bore, an outback swimming hole (oasis?) in the middle of the desert which gave us a chance to cool off and wash off the red dust in it’s refreshing waters. 

MYSTERY BOXERS TAKING A DIP IN THE MONTELCOLLINA BORE

THE GORGEOUS VISTA IN ARKAROOLA, NESTLED IN THE FLINDERS RANGES

The destination for Day 4 was the town of Silverton, famous as the town in which parts of the original Mad Max was filmed, as well as some other famous Australian films. That night was a hoot as we all donned our “BYO” costumes and had dinner at the famous Silverton Hotel, which you have probably seen in a number of Hollywood and Aussie films over the years. Grant and I went to the Dark Side, me dressing as Darth Vader and Grant one of my Storm Trooper henchmen!

HAVING FUN AT THE FANCY DRESS BALL AT THE SILVERTON HOTEL

GRANT AND THE LOVECHILD OF THE MAD MAX INTERCEPTOR AND HERBIE?

The final day saw us head back to Mildura via the town of Pooncarrie. The town has been going through some tough times due to a long-term drought, which has meant that they had to shut the local school. Hearing of their plight, the rally organisers arranged for the local school to prepare the lunches for all of the teams passing through. This brought much needed revenue to the town which will be used to reopen the local school next year. 

OUTSIDE THE POONCARRIE HOTEL

After an awesome lunch we continued onto the finish line in Mildura, very happy that the old Mazda had run faultlessly and carried us across the line safely, and with no major mechanical issues.

WE MADE IT!

Team Wingin’ It would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generous support. Without the support we receive from Nordson, Burson Automotive, Liquimoly and Mobridge Car Audio, we would not be able to participate and help raise money for this important cause. 

To all of the people who generously donated to the Cancer Council through our fundraising efforts, a very special thank you. You helped us to raise over $8,500 for the Cancer Council which was up considerably from what we raised the previous year. All up the event raised more than $800,000, which will help to fund research into finding a cure for that dreadful disease.

TEAM WINGIN’ IT WILL RETURN IN MYSTERY BOX 2019!

Chris and Grant’s Excellent Adventure

My friend Grant Eekelschot and I will be competing as Team Nordson in the Mystery Box Rally 2017 from November 25th-29th. Our challenge is a complete a 3000 odd kilometre loop through the NSW Outback in our 1992 Mercedes, in order to raise money for the Cancer Council. All money raised will help the Cancer Council in their mission of providing support to families affected by cancer, and funding research into finding a cure for this terrible disease.

During the event I will be writing a daily blog about our experience, so please bookmark the link below, then check back each day during the event to see how we are getting on.

http://christopherskinner.me/mysteryboxrally2017

Our fund-raising page is still open, and we need your help and support to help us achieve our fund-raising target, by making a tax-deductible donation to the Cancer Council. To donate, please visit our Team Fund Raising portal by clicking on the link below. All donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of the money raised goes to the Cancer Council.

https://mysterybox2017.everydayhero.com/au/team-nordson

#mysteryboxrally #featured

An open letter to Akio Toyoda

Dear Toyoda San,

First off a big thankyou from myself and many fellow car enthusiasts for your great work in pushing the 86 program through the bureaucratic red tape and into production. Real drivers around the world are rejoicing again that there is again a fun to drive, reasonably priced, reliable and attractively styled sports car available from Toyota. As a previous, proud owner of an imported 1992 JDM MR2 Turbo it dismayed me to see Toyota reduced to building nothing but bland econoboxes like the Camry while the exciting cars like the Celica, Supra and MR2 fell by the wayside.

But I don’t write this letter to you merely to say “job well done” for the 86. While I agree Toyota has an enviable history in building affordable Sports Cars, and should work to maintain and build upon this history, I also believe that Toyota has another area in which they have an amazing heritage that needs to be nurtured and protected... HEAVY-DUTY 4WD’s. Not SUV’s like the RAV, or even family 4WD’s like the Prado but the hard-core 40 and 70 series Landcruisers that are a staple of Peacekeeping forces, mining company’s and hard-core 4WD enthusiasts the world over.

A well preserved example of an early Landcruiser  I read recently that Toyota does not plan on replacing the 70 series when it finally is unable to meet ever tightening safety and emissions regulations. On top of this there are no plans to replace the FJ Cruiser, a vehicle I plan on adding to my stable in the next couple of years. In a effect this will make it a one lifecycle vehicle and along with the demise of the 70 series it leaves a gaping hole in Toyota's 4WD portfolio. I believe that abandoning this heavy-duty serious 4WD market is a huge mistake, Toyota should not walk away from the kudos, good will and halo effect that it being associated with it brings. Toyota’s reputation for bullet-proof reliability was forged on the back of the various Landcruiser models over the past 50 years.

  FJ Cruiser Desert Racer

Thinking about the impending demise of the 70 series and FJ Cruiser fills me with dismay, which is why I write to you to plead their case and offer some suggestions for how Toyota could move their hard-core 4WD’s into the future, blending cutting edge technology with old-fashioned toughness and introduce a new generation to the Landcruiser. I believe that equal consideration should be given to protecting Toyota’s 4WD legacy, which I believe is even more important than it’s Sports Car history.

The FJ inspires love worldwide, it's even got it's own remote control model kits! Here are some of my ideas for how Toyota should go about producing these new 4WD's and how they might build some interest prior to and post release...

There should be a core range consisting of Ute, Troop Carrier, Wagon and FJ Cruiser, but a "Hero" model should be produced every couple of years and sold only until the next hero model comes along. This makes the release of each new hero variant a big deal. Some examples here could be a short wheelbase convertible version in the style of the FJ40, a Dual Cab 6WD ute, High Performance Off Roader in the style of the Ford Raptor, an Off-Road Camper, the possibilities are endless! 

Don't be afraid to add some tech to them to improve economy/improve performance. (Hybrid/Fuel Cell etc.)

Sponsor an event in the style of the Landrover G4 challenge, focussing on both developing nations as well as established markets such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Make it team based by country to give everyone a local to cheer for, make it open to the public and for good measure I'd make it a reality TV show!

Prove their toughness by contesting some of the toughest off-road motorsport events such as the Dakar/Raids, Baja, Finke Desert race and even the crazy Icelandic 4WD racing.

Build excitement leading up to release by showing concepts (like Landrover did with the DC100) but using interesting alternative drive trains.

Mine your heritage (before releasing the new model do a world tour with some pristine restored examples)/find the oldest/highest mileage example you can find and speak to the owner about the backstory/don't be afraid to try something different. i.e mashups like an FJ40 Hot Rods.

Get involved in sponsoring green initiatives, so as not to be seen "trashing" the bush.

And above all, sell them worldwide!

A Dual Cab 70 series ute for the serious off roader

I sincerely hope Akio that this letter finds it way into your hands and you take the time to read it. My hope is that you can see the passion that exists for the Landcruiser around the world and seriously consider building a business case to replace these unique vehicles.

One of the more "out there" FJ Cruiser conversions. 6WD with what looks like some serious electronic hardware on the roof. Perhaps a Storm Chase Car?! Thanks for your time and please feel free to contact me if you need any more ideas!

Regards,

Christopher Skinner

This final pic is the FJ Cruiser I want. Supercharged, more suspension travel and an awesome Retro Paint colour!

The future of the Ford Falcon (and some ideas for Ford's World Large car strategy...)

he Ford Falcon is one of the longest standing, continually produced models in the history of the Automobile. Originally a mid-sized American Sedan and Coupe, it has long since disappeared from the roads of the USA, but has carved out a loyal following in its adopted homeland of Australia. In fact it would probably be fair to say that there would be hardly anybody in Australia who has not taken a ride in a Falcon. In the unlikely event of you never knowing someone who has owned one, it is very likely that you have taken a taxi journey in one, they are Australia’s first choice for taxi fleets. All this makes reports of its impending demise are a sad story not only for fans and owners, but for the motoring industry and Australia in general.

Australia's most classic car the fabulous Falcon XY GT Phase III HO. At time of launch it was the world's fastest 4-door sedan (the M5 of it's time). It won Australia's most famous race, the Bathurst 1000 and pristine examples traded for upwards of A$1,000,000 before the GFC!

The sales decline of the large-car segment in Australia, and the Falcon in particular, is what is fuelling these reports and clearly it is approaching the stage where the numbers simply do not stack up for Ford to continue production of the Falcon. Globalisation and platform rationalism at Ford are another contributing factor as Ford tries to execute Alan Mulally's One-Ford strategy. While this has been a great success so far, I believe that there is more opportunity for Ford to differentiate itself in the large car market with a Rear Wheel drive platform like the Falcon, rather than adopting a generic front-wheel drive  platform like the dull US Taurus.

But it doesn’t need to end this way. Should Ford continue to build the Falcon and introduce it too markets? Absolutely. But it should be smart in how it uses resources to develop a new model, and it should not be afraid to reposition the car in the market and look to exploit niches that exist since other manufacturers either moved out of them, or priced themselves out of reach to most consumers.

The famous Mad Max interceptor, based on the Falcon XB Coupe.

The facts are that families are moving away from large cars and towards SUV’s for their family hauling needs. Ford already does a good job covering this with the Territory in Australia, and Explorer in the USA, but also has the Edge, Escape and Kuga in some of these markets. I think that rationalisation of these models will see the Territory and Explorer become one, and the Kuga and Escape are already set to do this in 2013.

What I believe Ford should do with the Falcon is downsize it slightly, making it somewhere between a 3 and 5-series BMW in size, endow it with bang up to date drivetrains, class leading dynamics and market it as an affordable rear wheel drive performance sedan. The platform for the Falcon should be shared with the next-generation Mustang, and the Broadmeadows production line modernised to enable it to be built in a variety of different body styles, without the need for a separate line for each. While the standard body style would remain the sedan, a new generation Falcon Coupe should be released to coincide with the Mad Max remake, a Shooting Brake “Sports Wagon/Estate” would be a great alternative for people who need a bit of extra luggage space but don’t drink the SUV Kool-Aid, the Ute should be repositioned as a lifestyle/sport ute as Holden have done with the Commodore (could be sold as a Ranchero in the USA) and a Mercedes CLS style 4-door coupe should also make an appearance. 

Other potential opportunities exist such as a long wheelbase Fairlane/LTD replacement, which could be very popular in chauffeur driven markets like China as well as forming the basis for stretch limo's shuttling teenage kids to their school formals, and brides to their weddings. And while we're at it, why not bring back the panel van? At the very least as a Concept Car but this used to be the mainstay of the police "divvie van" market before Ford walked away from it! And the Thunderbird name has been dormant for many years and the platform would fit nicely under a new gen T-Bird...

One of my personal favourites, the classic Falcon Squire wagon.

To maintain interest in the range these niche models should only be built in limited production runs from time to time, and not available for the entire lifetime of the platform. This will help to increase retained value, and will make them event cars... “If you want one, snap it up quickly otherwise you might have to wait a few years a second-chance.”  For lessons on how to build niche busting cars Ford should look no further than Audi, who manage to build many different variants of the same basic platform in the one factory (i.e A4, A4 Cabriolet, A5, A5 Sportback, Q5 etc...)

Power train wise the Falcon needs to move firmly into future. I believe Ford is already on the right path here with model such as the EcoBoost Falcon, which gives a full-size car the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder, but still maintains the space and performance of a larger car. Reviews for this car have been full of praise, but imagine how much better this engine could be in a smaller, lighter more nimble RWD car. It would be a revelation (and even if my ideas don’t ever come to fruition, I fully expect that I will see this very drive train manifest in the next-generation Mustang.) But Hybrid options also need to be available, although I think full-electric need not be considered for this model (better to confine it to more popular models like the Focus). What about the inline 6-cylinder engine you say? While I’m a fan, especially of the turbo version (I own a Territory Turbo) I really think that this engine is past its use by date. Not in mechanical terms but purely from a packaging point of view (it is very long), weight (cast-iron block is heavy) and also the fact it is an orphan engine that is only used in the Falcon. Also the EcoBoost 4  provides similar performance with much improved consumption, and a hybrid version of this could provide the missing torque of the six for “lazy drivers”. This leaves the question of whether to retain the V8 and I say a firm yes to this. While justifying a V8 in a mainstream model will become socially harder in coming years, I think that in a limited production, enthusiast targeted model it shouldn’t be an issue. It also provides legitimacy to the V8 Supercar class that this new Falcon should continue to be a part of. Ford has a number of excellent V8 engines at its disposal at the moment, and in a lighter car, with further improvements in technology, fuel economy should be able to be dropped to reasonable levels. A Diesel also needs to be offered, this is especially important in European markets, where this type of car is very popular. An affordable, rear wheel drive sedan with a modern diesel would so very well in Europe and the UK, where this type of car is only available from the prestige marques like BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes.

The current Falcon G6E Turbo, Australia's best ever car in my opinion, offers a compelling blend of pace, space, comfort and handling. 

So my blueprint for the Falcon’s survival is to create a slightly smaller, considerably lighter car with Turbo 4 and V8 power, and pitch it as a fun to drive, affordable semi-premium alternative to pricier Europeans. To maintain the buzz a variety of different body-styles will be offered, but not all at the same time creating marketing momentum each time one is released for sale. This car should be a world-car, and be built in more than one factory around the world, and sold in all mature Ford markets. I would like for one of these factories to remain Broadmeadows, and surely the high Aussie dollar can’t last forever, so with some investment in the plant to improve quality and increase flexibility Ford could continue to benefit from an Aussie manufacturing and design base for many years to come.

Where does this leave the Taurus? I still believe in all this that there is room for the Taurus. The next-generation global Taurus can be pitched to families who need a bit more space and would prefer front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. In Australia it could be pitched to taxi-fleets to replace the Falcon, Ford Australia should develop an EcoLPi version specifically for this..

My Open University experience

A couple of years ago I decided I needed a fresh challenge (on top of impending fatherhood!) and commenced studying for a science degree through Open Universities Australia (OUA). Studying through Open University has been a great experience and even though I have moved onto a different area of study, I wanted to share my OUA experience with others.

I have completed 5 subjects with OUA in the Bachelor of Applied Science (RMIT). Before starting on my degree course, I did one of OUA’s Prep courses. It had been nearly 20 years since my last tertiary study, and I had never studied at degree level before so I wanted to do a Preparatory course to see if I was able to study effectively at this level, taking into account time constraints, distance education issues etc. The Prep course was great, it gave me all the skills and tools I needed to get myself ready for Higher Education, such as essay writing skills, time management, resourcing and research skills, and above all the confidence I would be able to do well in my studies.

My advice to anyone considering taking up distance education, whether through OUA or another Institution is to undertake one of the Prep courses first. You will learn invaluable skills and I believe that doing this course has helped me in achieving good marks in all the subjects I have undertaken so far.

After completing the Prep course I moved straight into a University subject. I chose an introductory subject, which in many cases went over some of the same things covered in my Prep  course, but it was much more science based and in line with my degree than the necessarily broad Prep course. Again I think this was a smart choice, it allowed me to ease into the degree. Since then I have completed another 4 subjects through OUA.

One of the things I have really enjoyed with my OUA course has been the camaraderie between the students. While in many cases you don’t actually get to meet, the forums offer a great chance to get to know people virtually, and many people setup online study groups, while questions were often promptly answered by fellow students if you got stuck. In my case, as I was undertaking a science degree, there actually is a one week intensive set of lab sessions for some of the subjects. These sessions are held on-campus at the uni that is offering the subject, and many people flew in from overseas or interstate, or drove down from the country to attend. The lab sessions are a lot of fun, but they are quite full-on as you have a lot to get through each day. They are also a great way to get to actually meet your fellow students, and by the end of the week friendships often form, emails are swapped and Friday night drinks arranged; much like regular uni!

Many of the OUA subjects have invigilated (supervised) exams. No doubt these are the scary part of uni study for many! However I have found them to be OK, just do all your readings and course work, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to revise in the week leading up to your exam and you should be able to get yourself a good mark. I have had exams at both Caulfield Racecourse and the Royal Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne; however OUA has agreements with institutions and venues worldwide so you generally do not have to attend an exam too far away from your home. Other subjects have online exams and tests; these are generally fairly easy, just make sure that you are well prepared, with all the resources you need right at hand and you should be able to get excellent marks in these.

I have found OUA to be a great way of learning. You need to be self-disciplined, and well organised, but if you are then you will find you will most likely have no problems getting all the work done, and getting yourself a good mark at the end of the subject. However there are some issues you need to be aware of. First off the IT can sometimes be unreliable which is not ideal for what is effectively, online learning much of the time. As the OUA Study Periods often fall outside the regular university semester times, the IT Support departments are often operating on a skeleton staff, and can be very slow to respond to outages. In one case I was unable to login to my course blackboard for 4 days, which really put me behind the 8-ball. To get around this it is advisable to download as much information as possible in advance, so that if there is a network outage, you still have access to the required resources. This is also great for when you finish your course, as you can lose access to these resources once you are no longer an active student at the provider university. By downloading them you get access for posterity, which can be helpful in later subjects. As already mentioned the lab sessions are very intensive, probably a little bit “full-on” I think, as you often struggle to get all your experiments completed. Finally I think the prices are quite high, and I have found that Commonwealth Support is not offered for many OUA courses, even if you are an Australian resident. Often it is offered if you take the course directly through the provider university so I’m not sure why OUA is unable to offer it. However overall these quibbles are quite minor, and only detract very slightly from the overall experience.

So with all the benefits and little downside you’re probably wondering why I moved on from OUA to another course of study. Well I wanted a science degree, but the fields of study offered through OUA were not the areas I wanted to focus on. I am fortunate enough to live in Melbourne, close to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). I was able to leverage the successful completion of subjects through OUA and gain acceptance to the Bachelor of Environmental Science at the RMIT City Campus. Moving to on-campus study has been easy, the experience I gained through OUA has helped me immensely as it makes you very resourceful and self-motivated. Another benefit of completing the subjects through OUA has been that I was able to gain academic credits, or direct transfer of my OUA subjects to my new degree. If you are considering doing something similar to this (starting at OUA before moving to on-campus, or direct through the providers distance options) I suggest looking at the OUA course and the course you wish to eventually get into and see where there are synergies between subjects. In my case some of the subjects were RMIT subjects, and were a part of both degrees so I was able to directly transfer them, while my other subjects have given me exemptions and direct credits towards RMIT subjects. I actually plan on completing some more subjects through OUA, as they are also part of my Environmental Science degree and I will be able to complete them in OUA Study Period 4 which falls outside my regular semester times. As I am studying part-time, this option allows me to get my degree finished more quickly.

Desert Island Discs!

One of the things I remember from my teenage years was going to the Brashs store at Brandon Park after school finished for the day and picking up a copy of their free "Music" magazine. One of my favourite features was "Desert Island Discs" in which a celebrity (mostly musicians) would list the ten albums they would choose if they were to be marooned on a desert island for the rest of their life! It always made for a fun read and I'd like to share my ten-desert island discs. While these days you would most likely be able to carry around 10,000 songs in your pocket in you iPod/iPhone it's just not the same, and besides I don't have the time or space to list my top 10,000 songs! I'd love to here what you think of my choices, and here what your own desert island discs would be, so go nuts and leave your throughts in the comments below.

Before I do though, I've decided there needs to be a few ground rules. First off compilations such as Hot Hits are not permitted. Greatest Hits albums are also not allowed because an album should be something that is conceived as a singular work of art, representing a snapshot of a point of time in the artists life, not just a collection of highlights from their entire career. Soundtracks are allowed, if the music really adds to the movie, and the songs seem to complement each other as well as the movie.

So here goes, in no particular order here are the 10 albums I'd choose to have with me if I was marooned on a desert island (PS Can you please ensure that Kate from Lost is also there with me!)

PLEASE NOTE: If you like any of my Desert Island Discs then please click on the album covers and most of them will open a new window to an online store where you can purchase them. I do receive a cut, if you purchase and this just helps me to keep the site going, and inspires me to write more features like this (-:

Belinda Carlisle - Runaway Horses (I had a big crush on Belinda in my late teens and this album was full of pop gems. I managed to snag front row tickets to her concert as well fulfilling many adolescent dreams in the process).

The Corrs - Forgiven Not Forgotten (When I first heard "Runaway" on the radio I was instantly hooked, and went in to buy the singel. The girl at the record shop talked me into buying the album and it was great advice. Awesome folk-inspired irish pop from one of the most photogenic families on the planet)

REM - Automatic For The People (Great music for when you feel like wallowing a bit in self-pity, or feel like having a blue day. I used to love going on long interstate drives in my Little Red Sports car and this was always one of the CD's that made the journey. It helped keep me under the speed limit most of the time!)

Bran Van 3000 - Discosis (Awesome album from the Montreal collective. "Astounded" which features vocals snagged from an old, unused Curtis Mayfield track remain fresh to this day, and one of my favourite ever songs. I love this album, especially the amazing diversity of the sounds on it.

Cruel Intentions - Original Soundtrack (So many great songs, Placebo's "Every You, Every Me" & the The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" are worth the price of admission alone. Add Blur, Supergrass and Counting Crows on top, just to name a few I can see why many consider this the finest movie soundtrack of all time)

Air - Moon Safari (Just in case some friends drop by the Island for a dinner party, this is one of my favourite chill-out, background music albums and I never tire of hearing it).

U2 - Achtung Baby (I remember going to the Virgin Megastore at midnight to purchase the new Icehouse album, Man of Colours and this was launching the same night. I had never been a U2 fan until I heard this, every song is a gem and I walked out a freshly minted U2 fan, and with 2 great new albums to listen to).

Icehouse - Man Of Colours (It's hard to pick out just the one Icehouse album, all of them are great but I love this one, it had so many hits but for me most of the non-single tracks are even more amazing.)

Barbara Streisand - Guilty (Mum and Dad loved a bit of Babs and I grew up with this album. The combination soy Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb is dynamite, and I still listen to this regularly.

Pete Murray - Feeler (Great for when I need some Aussie Rock, with loads of hits and the very bittersweet You're Beautiful. I made a trip to Sydney to attend the Homebake Festival to see this guy and it was an amazing concert, and an awesome trip with great friends. Ahh memories!)

Phil Collins - No Jacket Required. (What can I say, Grammy Award Winner for best album, and packed full of hots like Sussudio, Billy Don't Lose My Number, One More Night and the haunting Take Me Home).

Ha ha 11 albums I know, I really couldn't narrow it down more than this… I feel terrible about some of the gems I've left out and think I'll have to revisit this from time to time with a slightly different theme!

Honda Electric Racing Motorbike to compete at the Isle of Man TT this year. Great to see motor racing embracing alternative energy, this will really help speed development of this tech along.

Harper in her Chinese New Year outfit

Trying to get excited about brand specific models of modern NASCAR stock cars is a lot like trying to get an erection from a female Lego minifig. Both acts require you to pretend that what you're lusting over isn't just an identically-produced plastic shell with fake headlights painted on.

One of the many sights on the walk home (-:

The Doctor Who Movie

I’m a bit perplexed by all the negative reaction from so-called “fans”, to news that David Yates, director of some of the blockbuster Harry Potter movies may direct a big screen Who adventure.

I’M A LONG TERM WHO FAN & THINK THIS IS GREAT NEWS. Many of my fellow fans disagree, horrified by the fact that the term “re-boot” has been bandied about as a possibility, and that the current TV doctor will not be reprising the role.

I personally would love to see an origin story, showing how the Doctor became an outlaw from his own people, stole his TARDIS and left Gallifrey with his granddaughter in tow. The possibilities that exist just in that little setup alone would make for an awesome movie. Doctor Who has the potential to rival James Bond as a franchise if handled well. It has such an amazing premise as its central tenet (a time-traveller who travels through time and space righting wrongs, and can regenerate when his/hers(!?) body wears out) that allows the show to go in so many directions with each story, and even change the lead actor from time to time without anyone batting an eyelid.

Another criticism is that the movie will go against the established “canon” of the show, which has a history stretching back to 1963. I say so what? Think of some of the most amazing literary creations of our times… Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Frankenstein etc. All of these have been reimagined countless times in books, movies, TV shows etc. Have any of these really devalued the character, made it seem less valid? I don’t think so, and would go further to say that the constant reimagining of these classic characters has allowed them to stay relevant, be introduced to new audiences and stay in people's minds for as long as they have. By opening Doctor Who up to more than one interpretation, it would actually strengthen Doctor Who as a character for the ages much as Sherlock Holmes and Dracula have enthralled generations of people for over a century.

Finally I would like to say how disappointed I am that the show's current producer, Steven Moffatt has gone on the record as saying that the movie would need to follow the TV show, and use the current TV Doctor. In his Twitter response to news of the DW movie he tweeted “To clarify: any Doctor Who movie would be made by the BBC team, star the current TV Doctor and certainly NOT be a Hollywood reboot.” He later clarified his comments in the Sun. “… But if and when the movie happens it will need to star television's Doctor Who - and there's only ever one of those at a time.”

I’m a big fan of Steven’s work on Who, but to me this seems to be very short sighted from a man who is also producing a show called “Sherlock” which, you guessed it, is a reboot of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and is being shown on TV at the same time as the Robert Downey Jr. starring, “Sherlock: A Game of Shadows” is showing in the cinemas. Both of those seem to be co-existing just fine!

Harry Potter's David Yates to direct Doctor Who Movie.

Pretty funny piss take video about my home town of Melbourne. Enjoy (-: