A Dog's Show

Listening to: Curve - Come Clean. Not mine I confess, but an arrival from the great Fish-Sam CD collection unification of last year. I've never really listened to it. It's interesting in a late 90's crossover electro fuzz sort of way. Sounds a bit like Garbage crossed with the Prodigy. Make of that what you will.

I randomly caught a 1982 episode of 'A Dog's Show' (link with video here) on TVNZ 6 (one of the freeview digital channels) and found it unexpectedly awesome, better than I remembered it at any rate.

Screening at 6pm on Saturdays before the news at 6:30 (our news bulletins were only half an hour long then), 'A Dog's Show' was a NZ staple during the 1980's. I'm totally of the wrong demographic to make a call on if it was a cult viewing back then (I was one year old when it first screened, and sixteen when it finished), but if it screened to a wider audience now I suspect it would be. I remember it from fireside 1980's winter evenings well.

*Those locals familiar with the show can skip this paragraph of exposition*
Long the fodder for jokes about New Zealand's obsession with sheep, and cultural unsophistication (a programme about sheepdogs occupying a primetime national television slot!), each season of the show consisted of a series of competition sheepdog trials (link) from various locations around the country, culminating in run-offs, finals and champion dog and handler combinations being crowned for that year.

Its a wee nostalgic gem, with long dead dogs chasing long dead sheep guided by now much older if not long dead stoic New Zealand farmers. The hills still look the same though, and the vivid red and white pens still stand out. It is surprisingly riveting viewing if you let it. The obstacles can be tricky, the sheep often wilful and nowhere near as docile as you'd think. And all the obstacles are run for points against a time limit with little margin for mistakes, which is almost perfect 'made for TV' tension.

The sheepdogs are really the stars of the show (well, hence the title), and the amount of control and discipline exhibited between them and their handlers is both amazing and fascinating, much more of a partnership than simple 'fetch' and 'heel' stuff. Its common enough that it gets taken for granted, but being the focus of a half hour TV show makes you appreciate how sophisticated and skillful working dog handling can be.

The commentary though is true gold. I'm not sure if the host was being mock serious in a "I went to broadcasting school for this?" sort of way, or genuinely passionate in his almost shakespearean thespianic (is that even a word?) intonations (watch the clips and decide for yourself), but some of the output, most especially in withering put downs of the hapless sheep being herded, was classic. For example:

"That hurdle's a bit wet, the sheep won't want to go up there. They're not entirely dumb"
"This is tricky he [the handler] has three highly mobile morons [the sheep] to deal with"
"This sheep is getting a bit toey, arrogance all over his ignorant face"
"Here he comes, he's got a great score and two fine bitches at his side"

Etc. I was laughing out loud (yeah LOL, no really), which I don't often do when watching TV alone. I guess I never really listened to it when I was a pre teen.

Ah nostalgia. Warm fuzzy nostalgia. Plus the theme music was in Pulp Fiction.

Five Years Ago

On 6 November 2004 to be precise

Ah done got hitched

I like, got married and stuff

I married my Fi

Cool :)

Thanks to all who were there, all who wanted to be there but couldn't, and all who helped make it the perfect day it was.

Planes

Some imagery from the display to mark 50 years since the opening of Wellington International Airport yesterday...

Tinkering, tampering, jiggering, pokering

Done a little bit of rearranging to the links, mainly sorting out the more frequently updated blogs from the others. I thought about arranging them into catergories like "People I do stuff with in real life", "Other People I have met", "People I've never actually met but I like how they write" and so on, but the thought of doing all that editing made my head hurt, so I just sorted it into frequent flyers and dabblers, as well as adding a couple of new finds.

Also added another modelling link or two, another astronomy link and another weather link. I recommend you have a look at each at least once to justify the mental energy I expended to put them there, even though I put them there primarily because I use this as my internet hub than because I thought my vast legions of readers might be interested in them.

I should update the recommended reading links as well, since it is at least a year since I listed my favourite posts. Suggestions welcome.

I should probably get a banner too. Anyone want to design a banner for me? Visual design is not one of my strongpoints.

Shorts of Intimidation

Listening to: Core - Stone Temple Pilots

Broke out my preferred summer playwear at Indoor Netball on Monday night, the first warm and muggy night of the season, in the form of the sleeveless T shirt and the trusty bandanna. The netball centers being large sheds with poor ventilation and no air conditioning can get more than a little toasty. Here is a representative pic from the summer before last of me practicing my steely eyed and calculating down court stare, with Fi doing the same behind me. NotKate probably took this, since clearly I didn't.
Of course, with the lack of sleeves, out come the arms, naturally a shade of pale white, now practically incandescent after a lack of exposure over the winter. And with the arms out, so are the tattoos. This makes me feel a little posey and self concious, but the bandanna keeps the sweat out of my eyes and the tank top makes a big difference in the melting stakes on a hot summer night. I tend to run pretty hot anyway, and never play in anything more than shorts and a T even in the middle of winter. Some people play in polypros and woolly hats on cold nights. I'd desolidify onto the floor if I tried that.

Still I'm sure some people are thinking 'POSER!'. Meh, at least I'm not wearing skins. I am wearing my intimidation shorts though in this pic:

I got them when I played a season of Superleague for the center a few summers ago. Superleague is like the serious grown up professional cousin of the social league games I normally play. Teams practice, have coaches, have uniforms (kinda like proper outdoor netball even). The overall skill level is a lot higher than the social grades (being that I played for the lowest grade team at the club, I'm not saying my own skill is a lot higher than the social grades, but you get my drift). Superleague players also play in the social leagues as well (and seem to be regarded as having some kind of mystical aura of super skill by the social players at times), so when I'm taking the court and I see someone wearing those shorts, I know they could be potentially a tougher opponent than the rest.

Hence the shorts of intimidation. I wear them if I am feeling confident and want to put some psyche on the opposition before the game starts. And often if I am wearing them I will play better, since I am like, reprazenting (YO!) and stuff.

Or if my regular black and yellow Canterbury harlequin rugby shorts are in the wash.

Check out the spectacular ACTION SHOT! Apologies for the graininess, these were shot at something crazy like ASA 1200, since using a zoom lens without a flash in a softly lit arena isn't conducive to sharpness at more rational exposure speeds.

Also note the player I am blocking is wearing cotton gloves to protect her fingernails. Which is fine, except for the fact you can't catch anything with them on. Another shot of this game shows the scoreboard, and we were stomping these guys, which figures. The power of the shorts of intimidation combined with wussy cotton gloves is not to be trifled with.

Fast Cars

Listening to: Liberation Transmission - Lost Prophets

We used the Labour Day holiday to check out the Formula 1 exhibition (link) at Te Papa yesterday (finally, a week before it ends. Its only been running since July). I was keen to have a look, not only as a sometime F1 fan, but also because I like seeing how designs evolve, and how function dictates form.


And because I wanted to take arty photos of really fast cars.


The oldest car on display ( Lotus from 1958) is almost frighteningly simple compared to a current racer. And somewhat scary. No seat belts, no roll bar, and tires narrower than my car.

By 1966 (Brabham) some safer looking wheels were in use, but the cars still have an almost home built look.

I like how on the older cars almost all the mechanical and engine components are totally exposed. It gives them an organic, almost bio-mechanical look.

Even grippier tyres by 1968, and aerodynamic aids like fins and wings are starting to appear. The basic stereotypical shape of the modern F1 machine is evident now.

Also noted on the 1968 car was the increasing presence of sponsorship, which would totally dominate the colours and appearance of the cars by the late 80's and early 90's

1988 McLaren in front, 1992 Williams in the middle, 2004 Ferrari behind.

1968 McLaren front wing:

2004 Ferrari

By 2004 the plane guy in me is starting to see a low flying aircraft rather than a car. There is an oft told but never tested theory that a modern F1 car generates so much downforce (inverted lift) aerodynamically that at top speed it could be driven upside down on the roof of a tunnel.

The extreme aerodynamics of the contemporary cars are almost like abstract sculpture rather than racing vehicles. 2006 McLaren.

And the modeller in me appreciates the detail painting on the Mclaren when seen close up. That car looks good in silver and orange red. Plus team founder Bruce McLaren was a New Zealander, so obviously that will be my favourite anyway.

I like the extreme form/function aesthetic of these cars, geared as it is not so much toward sheer speed as it is toward control and effiency.

Worth checking out if it comes to your town and you're interested in design evolution, even if you aren't a racing fan.

Walk this way

About two weeks after learning to stand unaided, Charlotte started learning to walk. She has been toddling about with rapidly increasing skill for about three weeks now...

I know billions of people have been doing this for the last million years or so, but for her and us this is still an amazing novelty, and her joy at this new ability is contagious. Walking is pretty complicated when you think about it, and I am amazed at how fast she is getting the hang of it.