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Vegemite is unique, there’s really nothing quite like it (no, not even marmite or promite *shudders*). The description of what exactly it is is enough to put one off ever trying the stuff, I mean, who would WANT to eat “yeast extract”? The thick almost black paste doesn’t add any visual incentive. So why is it so popular?

Aussie kids are brought up on the stuff - babies enjoy it from a very early age. Apparently, vegemite first became popular during the Depression because it was an affordable way to help families get some of their daily nutritional requirements. Vegemite is full of vitamin B and iron and all kinds of good stuff and when you’re used to it - the taste is great! I even get cravings for it now and then.

The problem with vegemite for people who haven’t grown up on the stuff is that their first experience is usually a devastating one - either at the hands of evil Aussie friends or just through ignorance of how one SHOULD try vegemite for the first time.

Don’t ever try it straight from the jar - it might kill you - or at least you might feel that way, in reality it’s harmless, healthy stuff! And don’t ever think you should add it to your bread the way you would any other spread.

I searched around online for an image to share with someone who’s yet to experience vegemite for the first time but I couldn’t find one suitable, they all showed way too much Vegemite for a beginner so I had to go out and buy a loaf of bread just so I could take my own photo - so here’s my little Vegemite tutorial for you all to enjoy.

Click image to enlarge

Oh…and if you ever have trouble giving your cat pills - try coating it in vegemite - most of them love the stuff!

…Well you didn’t expect me to eat that last slice of toast did you??

Attended an event today to see Jewel Staite (Firefly/Serenity/Stargate Atlantis) & Teryl Rothery (Stargate SG1/White Noise 2) and this is a photo of the ever so lovely Teryl Rothery signing my White Noise the Light poster - previously signed by Nathan Fillion & Patrick Lussier.

I stumbled across a discussion today that basically accused Australia of having contributed little of significance to the world. It made me angry - angry that so much people take for granted every day was either invented or significantly contributed to in Australia or by Australians. So, I figured I’d start compiling a list. This list is in no way comprehensive, there’s plenty more where this came from.

Medical

• Bionic (Cochlear) Implant
  Devleoped by Professor Graeme Clark in the late 1960s at the University of Melbourne Department of Otolaryngology. The prototype multiple-electrode Bionic Ear was implanted in the first adult at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital by Graeme Clark and colleagues in 1978, The first device for clinical trial world-wide was implanted at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in 1982 and in 1985 the team implanted the first child with a multiple-electrode Bionic Ear. The Australian Bionic Ear has now been implanted in more than 50,000 people in more than 120 countries.
• Penicillin
  First discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming the Scottish biologist, it was Australian Howard Florey who developed it into a form that could be used to treat infections during WWII and still in use today.
• Begg Orthodontic Technique (Dental Braces)
  In the 1940s Percy Raymond Begg, an Adelaide orthodontist, began developing a completely new approach to moving teeth. Pervious systems relied on complex contraptions including headgear that used “large mechanical forces” on the teeth. Begg’s new system used gentle forces in a more effective way. He used stainless steel wire and worked with Victorian metallurgist, Arthur Wilcock, to develop the best kind of wire for the technique.
• Electronic Pacemaker
  Was first used at the Sydney Women’s Hospital in 1926 to revive an infant.
• CPAP Machine
  The Continuous Positive Airways Pressure machine which delivers presurised air through a mask worn on the face while sleeping was invented by Australian Doctor Colin Sullivan in 1981 to treat Sleep Apnea, a potentially dealdy medical condition that causes people to stop breathing in their sleep. CPAP is now used by millions worldwide in the treatment of Sleep Apnea.
• Disposable syringe
  Developed in Adelaide in 1949 by Australian immigrant Charles Rothauser. In 1951 Rothauser produced the first syringes made of moulded polypropylene, a plastic that can be heat-sterilised.
• Microsurgery
  The Microsearch Foundation opened in 1973 in Sydney leads the world in microsurgery and has performed many pioneering operations. World firsts include; the first successful re-attachment of an amputated finger in 1968 and the development of reliable methods to restore fertility to men and women who have blockages (natural or as the restul of surgery) in the tiny tubes of their reproductive systems. They were also involved in the world’s first hand transplant.
• IVF Embryo Freezing
  While IVF itself was developed in England in the 1970s, it was a team led by Dr Carl Wood at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne that perfected the equipment and procedures for IVF ‘freeze-thaw’ in 1983.
• Plastic Spectical Lenses (biofocal, progressive, scratch resistant)
  In the 19502, Sola Optical, based in Adelaide, discovered ways of casting a new thermosetting plastic resin called CR39 into an accurate shape and then how to cure the plastic to make it resistant to scratches and then went on to create the first bifocal, trifocal and progressive lenses.
• Spray on Skin
  Spray on Skin used for burn victims was developed by Doctor Fiona Wood and has been used to great effect since the 2002 Bali terrorist bombings. Spray on Skin improves the speed of healing in severe burn victims.
• Latex Gloves
  The first disposable medical gloves were manufactured in 1964 by the company Ansel.
• Aspirin
  Aspro - a form of Asprin used for pain relief.

Transport

• Black Box Flight Data Recorder
  Every commercial aircraft in the world has one installed. Australian chemist Dave Warren was helping investigate a series of Comet Jet airline crashes in 1953 when he realised the value of being able to hear cockpit conversation that took place before the crash. In 1956 Warren designed the prototype for the flight recorder.
• Inflatable Aircraft Escape Slide
  Invented in 1965 by QANTAS employee Jack Grant and used by most major airlines worldwide.
• Ute (Utility Vehicle,”truck”)
  In 1932 an Australian famer wrote to the Ford Australia and asked them to develop a 2-in-1 car that he could drive to church on Sunday and drive the pigs to market on Monday. Ford gave Lewis Bandt the task of coming up with the design and in 1934 both Ford and General Motors released their versions of the Utility Vehicle, a truck with a luxurious interior.
• Baby safety capsule (safety restraint)
  Invented in 1984 and used since then to protect the lives of millions of infants. Baby safety capsules are less frequently used in other countries around the world due to lack of compulsory restraint laws.
• The Tank
  Invented South Australian named Lance de Mole in 1912 but ignored by the British War Office while they were making their own inferior version - interesting story
• Car Radio
  In 1924 the first car radio was fitted to an Australian car built by Kellys Motors in New South Wales.

Technology & Entertainment

• First Feature Length Film
  Based on length, the first feature film was the 70-minute film “The Story of the Kelly Gang” in 1906.
• Eddie special effects software
  Software developed in 1991 to enable image dissolves, overlays, resizing, and morphing. Before Eddie, film and video animators relied on multiple programs to create the special effects they neede, a time consuming and expensive process. Eddie was used by Animal Logic in the production of the film The Matrix.
• SmartModem
  Australian Chris Howells with two technicians made a device to interface Apple computers to an IBM Mainframe . Howells went on to create the first Machintosh modem and established the company Netcomm designing faster, smaller modems. The first SmartModem was developed in 1985.
• Race Cam
  Invented in 1979 by Geoff Healey in Sydney, the small lightweight camera is used in sporting broadcasts to provide a different view during events like motor racing.

Household Items

• Notebook/Notepad
  In 1902 it was Australian, J.A. Birchall who took a piece of cardboard and some glue and created the first notepad, up until that time paper had only been sold in single sheets.
• Wine Cask
  It’s first form was developed in the mid 1960s by South Australian family winery, Angove’s and reqired one to manually squeeze out the air after opening the bag and then holding it closed with a special peg. Australian company Penfolds developed the idea further in 1967 into the wine cask box we know today.
• Mechanical Refrigeration (Artificially created ice)
  James Harrison invented the first mechanical refrigeration plant, it was built at a Victorian Brewery in the late 1850s produced 3 tonnes of ice per day. Harrison first disovered the process of cooling water could be achived while working as an editor with the cleaning chemical, ether.
• Shepherd Castor (Steerable wheels for furniture)
  In 1946, George Shepherd redesigned existing furniture castors that made furniture difficult to move. His improved design swivelled on an angled axle and included a dustproof dome making it more attractive for high class furniture and practical in industrial environments. Shepherd’s design is used on millions of pieces of furniture worldwid.
• Duel Flush Toilet
  During drought in many Australans adopted the technique of placing a house brick inside the cistern to ruduce the amount of water used. During one of Australia’s worst droughts in 1980, with the assistance of a government grant, Caroma company’s Bruce Thompson developed a cistern with two buttons that would release different volumes of water. The new system required the toilet bowl itself to be redesigned to ensure hygenic operation with a reduced amount of water. The new design is shipped to 30 countries worldwide.
• Staysharp Knife
  Launched in Australia in 1970, the Staysharp knife was invented by Melbourne’s Dennis Jackson after he heard that 80% of Americans didn’t know how to sharpen a knife.
• Victa Rotary Lawn Mower
  First built in 1952 and based on a machine boat engine builder Lawrence Hall built for his parents’ lawn. The Lawrence machine was crude and inpractical but inspired Mervyn Victor Richardson into making a commercially viable product. Since 1952 Victa has sold over 6.5 million lawn mowers in 30 countries
• Electric Drill
  Invented in Melbourne in 1889 by Arthur James Arnot
• Biodegradable Packaging
  The Cooperative Research Centre for International Food Manufacture and Packaging Science developed new biodegradable packaging materials based on starch in the year 2000.

Agriculture

• Stump Jump Plough
• Grain stripper
• Anthrax Vaccine for sheep and cattle

More Stuff I’m researching:

• Ballot Box - method of voting confidentially, invented in Victoria in 1956
• First Place in the world to give women the vote - 1894
• Counterfeit-proof banknotes (Plastic laminated) in 1988
• Hills Hoist - rotary clothesline in 1945
• Trousers with Permanent Crease
• Differential Gears
• Surf Life-Saving Reel
• Orbital Internal Combustion Engine
• Automatic Letter Sorting Machine
• Lithium as a treatment for manic depression
• The underwater torpedo
• Postage Stamps
• The Eyemax theatre
• Solar Powered Calculator
• Efficient solar cells

Links to more information

• 100 Years of Innovation
• The Inventive Australian Mind
• Powerhouse Museum

Sources: BionicEar.org , www.powerhousemuseum.com, Wikipedia , Tomorrow’s World, the Australian Initiative, 100 Years of Innovation,

Just grumpy.

But…in honour of Michael Fairman’s approach….

During a Q&A session on the Browncoat Curise, guest Michal Fairman (the evil Niska from Firefly)gave a very serious answer to a question, then he said, when he gets really serious, he needs to do something to blance it out - and he got up and did this! Hi-Larious

Joss Whedon Announced today that Nathan Fillion will play the hero in a special Internet Musical.

Whedon reports that during the WGA strike he started writing the musical which will be a limited internet series. Each of the three episodes will be approximately ten minute each.

Co-writers for the internet feature are Joss’ brothers Zack and Jed and Jed’s Fiance Maurissa . The writing has been completed and shooting commenced today.

“It’s the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to.” Says Whedon.

“Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” will star Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer, Felicia Day as Penny and a cast of dozens.

• Source: nathanfillion.org

An Australian event organiser mentioned today that they had to cancel an event they were planning but are still trying for a later date because they’re in negotiations with “the best guest from sci-fi we could possibly have” saying if we were to guess, half of us would be correct. So that got me thinking, who ARE the best in sci-fi?

So - here are my favourite Sci-Fi actors (based on their sci-fi roles)

1. Nathan Fillion - best known as Captain Mal Renolds (Firefly/Serenity)
   I just can’t say enough good things about Firefly/Serenity but Nathan Fillion - as an actor in general - is pretty awesome in my book. He plays funny well, everyone knows that, but he also plays romance and drama and scary stuff really well too, tiny changes in facial expression can totally hook you into believing what the character is going through. Totally underrated & underused by the industry!
2. Richard Dean Anderson - best known as Jack O’niell (Stargate SG1)
   Only recently become a fan and confess to having never seen an episode of MacGyver - but Jack O’neill is just the best, such a complex character - there’s a lot beneath the surface, like Nathan Fillion, it’s the subtleties in his acting that are convincing. Looking forward to Stargate Continuum.
3. David Hewlett - best known as Dr McKay (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG1)
   It’s really sad, but apart from the fact I’m not super brilliant, I identify a lot with Rodney. Again. beneath the surface, a complex character and David plays him so well.
4. Summer Glau - best known as Summer (Firefly/Serenity) & Cameron (Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles)
   Summer is really only just getting started in her career and she’s moving along in leaps and bounds, I think she’s capable of more than we’ve seen from her so far and I’m looking foward to it.
5. Jewel Staite - best known as Kaylee (Firefly/Serenity) & Dr Keller (Stargate Atlantis)
   No doubt I loved Jewel as Kaylee - who couldn’t, but I think she’s showing some awesomeness in her role as Dr Keller in Atlantis - can’t wait to see more.
6. David Tennant - best known as The Doctor (Doctor Who)
   Funny, cute, cool
7. Harrison Ford - best known as Han Solo (Star Wars)
   Ok, Harrison Ford is only so far down the list because I didn’t like Star Wars a whole lot (don’t shoot me) but as an actor, he’s most definitely one of the best by far.
8. Connor Trinneer - best known as “Trip” Tucker (Enterprise) & Michael (Stargate Atlantis)
   I didn’t really feel Enterprise did the whole character development so well in the first two seaons and have only seen a few eps of the rest so never really got to know “Trip” that well, but I thnk that Connor does an excellent job at the complicated character of Michael in Atlantis.
9. Patrick Stewart - best known as Captain Picard (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
   I like Patrick in Star Trek Next Gen but I’ve liked him in pretty much everything I’ve seen him in, sci-fi or not.
10. William Shatner - best known as Captain Kirk (Star Trek)
    Hey, no list would be complete without Bill

I think this list may say as much about about the Sci-Fi shows I enjoy as the actors themselves!

So… who’s your sci-fi favourite?

Again from my trip to the US - finally got this scanned