Culture news

The Eagle’s Nest Theatre  in Melbourne is an independent theatre group dedicated to producing cutting edge performances and workshop programs, and The Nest has been so well feathered with talent this year that they’ve launched a second season.

Hatchlings include a reworking of Macbeth that will breathe new life into the Bard’s story, and an intriguing stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 called 1984 Up Late by Eagle’s Nest own director James Adler. 1984 Up Late poses the question “Have we become our own big brothers?”, exploring how institutionalised power and thought control operate today in parallel with the tyrannies of the 20th Century.

Check out their plumage at The Open Stage theatre in Carlton (corner Swanston and Grattan Streets) until 9th August 2008.

George, Pitt, Crown and Oxford; watch your backs. Sydney's often over-looked lane ways have become a blank canvas for business owners in the CBD. By George! is part of October's Art and About fesitval, and will see Sydney's run-down alley ways transformed by temporary art installations. The artworks, designed to get people to wander from our busy main streets and explore Sydney's lost treasures, can be found from October 3rd in Abercrombie Lane, Curtin Place, Hamilton Street, Little Hunter, Angel Place, Ash Street and Bridge Lane. But the innovation won't stop there. Taking some inspiration from our Melbourne friends, The City of Sydney council wants to offer businesses $30,000 grants to liven up the back streets with small retail and hospitality shops. The council's even suggested giving the laneways a theme, with small wine bars in the north, and "edgy after-hours entertainment" in the south. Four laneways - Albion Place in Surry Hills, Abercrombie Lane, Bulletin Place and Council Lane are to be the main focus over the next year, with another 43 laneways suggested as possible targets.

How many times have you dreaded calling someone? You want to text or email but you know you can't, so you put off calling for as long as humanly possible. You finally make the call hoping with every ounce of your being that it goes to voicemail. Of course they pick up after one ring. A service called Slydial lets you connect directly with another person's mobile phoen voicemail by bypassing the traditional ringing process. You no longer have to wait until he's in a movie, in the "black zone" of Redfern, in a train tunnel or on a plane to Ballina to place that stressful breakup call! Recipients would get a voicemail notification or a "missed call" message. It can be useful not only in the relationship world but also in the hectic business world says the service's founder. Right now it's only availale in America but I'm sure it will hit our shores soon. Otherwise you can just wait until your next trip there, use the service and call everybody you're avoiding at once! Genius.

With gas prices (and parking fines) increasing on a daily basis I decided it was time that I purchase a bike. I’m certainly no pro and I don’t intend to become one so the most economically viable choice was heading straight to the nearest Target. Just to make things clear, Target in the U.S is a completely different ball game, where anything of absolutely every category can be found in a one-stop shop. So it was no surprise when Tony, a hilariously insightful Target employee and recent car/metro convert to the bike riding fraternity, came to my aid.

First and foremost it was interesting to note that Target had completely ran out of male bikes of every make. Even though I am a female, I was experiencing a first-hand socio-cultural reaction as a result of the oil crisis (something that- don't ask me why- immediately made me think of what it would’ve been like with the fabric shortages during WWII).

What then got me curious was Tony’s in-the-know info about the group formally known as the Midnight Ridazz: “bicycle enthusiasts who have been riding together on the second Friday of every month since February of 2004”. Using their movable force to support local initiatives such as Los Angeles River Clean-Up Ride, AIDS LifeCycle and the San Fernando Valley Critical Mass together with the strong support of the LAPD, the Midnight Ridazz have been truly successful in ‘ building bicycle culture... One ride at a time.’

With the next (potentially) 1300+ group ride at midnight on August 8, I’m definitely up for the challenge! Cheers to Tony for the great customer service and definitely check out my impending first-hand account with the Midnight Ridazz.

Just in case you aren't one of the 4 million or so people who have viewed this already, here's the famous "last lecture" from computer science professor, Randy Pausch. Having been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer back in late 2006, Pausch's address was made in September 2007 to a packed audience at Carnegie Mellon University and talks of celebrating the fact that he'd lived the life he's always dreamed of rather than focusing on his imminent death. Entitled "Really achieving your childhood dreams" the lecture lists being in zero gravity and working with Walt Disney Co as two of Pausch's achieved adolescent wishes. Randy Pausch passed away last friday.

SO I know this is blatant self-promotion, but by the same token, it's also for your own good.My fashion designer denim dynamo custom King artist afficianado husband and I have started up a new blog site for our burgeoning clothing label, Debris Blanc.
Digest the latest in quirky news, artist DIY, fashion trends, celebutard histrionics and updated DB info. Get on it.

Following the BBC's lead, Australia's most loved TV station (sorry channel 10) has this week launched a new website that allows users to stream selected tv shows free and instantly onto their computers from anywhere in the world.  Dubbed iView, the site features a number of channels ranging from kids shows to current affairs and documentaries.  Having had a poke around I can say it's easy to navigate,
fast to use with programs starting almost instantly and although less than a week old has an impressive number of shows to whittle away the working day. With innovation like this, it's little wonder why ABC has been at the forefront of television and media for so long.  I hope other TV stations are paying attention, this is what people want, not another surf lifesaving
reality show.