Tag Archives: event

Visited: ElectroneX Expo (19-20 June 2024)

Posted on June 24, 2024 by lui_gough

ElectroneX visits Sydney once every two years, which just so happens to be this year. I went along on Wednesday 19th June to see what’s new and to catch-up with a few “old friends” in the industry. It’s been a … Continue reading →

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Analysis: Free Calls to Santa (#HOHOHO) 2023 – Now with AI!

Posted on December 15, 2023 by lui_gough

UPDATE: AI service ended on Christmas Day 2023, leaving a pre-recorded message only. It has become a yearly tradition at Telstra, it would seem, to offer free calls to Santa from payphones around the festive season by dialling #464646 or … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Opinion, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Random: element14 Prizes, EMBC 2023, R&S Seminar, Evening with The Chancellor & More

Posted on August 6, 2023 by lui_gough

As usual, it’s been a while between postings … but this time, perhaps longer than most. This is because I’ve been extremely busy with many things. Unlike most of my random posts, this one will cross a little into my … Continue reading →

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Visited: Vivid Sydney 2023 – Darling Harbour & Central (26 May – 17 Jun 23)

Posted on June 16, 2023 by lui_gough

It’s my second day visiting Vivid Sydney, a Tuesday 13th June after another long meeting-filled day at work. Once again, I am early and hoping to catch some lights before the official lighting-up at 6pm. I decided to be a … Continue reading →

Posted in Event, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Visited: Vivid Sydney 2023 – Circular Quay & Barangaroo (26 May – 17 Jun 23)

Posted on June 16, 2023 by lui_gough

It’s that time of year again when I undertake my annual pilgrimage to Vivid Sydney to experience the ideas, lights and music on offer. Last year, I was less-than-impressed after the COVID-19 hiatus to find that the experience was cramped … Continue reading →

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Update: Calling “NORAD Tracks Santa” (2022)

Posted on December 26, 2022 by lui_gough

In my last posting, I looked at the various call-Santa lines around the world and found the NORAD Tracks Santa line at +1-877-HI-NORAD. Not having previously had any contact with such a service, all the way from Australia, I was … Continue reading →

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Event: Phoning Up Santas Around the World (in 2022)

Posted on December 20, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s almost Christmas, which means it’s time for Santa-related postings. In one of my recent postings, I looked at Telstra’s #HO HO HO free-calls to Santa from payphones event and discovered where it is actually being run from. But perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Opinion, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Event, Analysis: Free Calls to Santa (#HOHOHO) from Payphones (& More!)

Posted on December 12, 2022 by lui_gough

EDIT: If you’re visiting this in 2023 (and beyond), there’s a new Santa which is even more intelligent … see Analysis: Free Calls to Santa (#HOHOHO) 2023 – Now with AI! — I must have had my head in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Opinion, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rand(): Equipment Retirements, Tower Upgrade, Scam Calls, Smart Shopping, Rail Strikes & More

Posted on August 21, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s been way too long since my last random post, which seems to be the norm rather than the exception, as I’ve kept myself busier than usual. But eventually, I find the time to flush those thoughts out to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Opinion, Radio, Telecommunications, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Random: 5M Views, Vivid Sydney, Flash Memory Fails, Renovation Relics & More

Posted on June 19, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s about time for yet another random post! Life has been very busy lately, in part due to family commitments, some special requests by readers, participating in a number of challenges over at element14, working on a few reviews in … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Event, Photography, Salvage, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Visited: ElectroneX Electronics Design & Assembly Expo (5-6th April 2022)

Posted on April 9, 2022 by lui_gough

Oh, ElectroneX – it’s been way too long since events! Since my last visit in 2018 (as I don’t attend the Melbourne ones), I’ve been waiting with eager anticipation through a number of postponements due to COVID-19. After visiting METexpo … Continue reading →

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Visited: SMB Digital by CeBIT Australia (30-31 Mar 22) & More

Posted on April 2, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s trade show expo season and I wouldn’t miss it for anything! Luckily for me, I was able to spend a bit of my Thursday afternoon visiting SMB Digital held at ICC Sydney. In years past, this would be known … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Event | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Random: Site Update, Expos, Transport Havoc, Payphones, 3D Printer Fix, Unhappy Meals & More

Posted on March 19, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s been way too long between random posts and my brain is filling up with junk, so it’s time to do some garbage collection. But no, these thoughts are not junk … at least, not to me. I’d say the … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Opinion, Telecommunications, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Analysis: Australia Unites Flood Appeal Freeview Simulcast (12 Mar 2022)

Posted on March 13, 2022 by lui_gough

The recent rains have been devastating to quite a few people living in flooded regions along the East coast of Australia. It has become such a notable natural disaster that the commercial television networks banded together to run a telethon … Continue reading →

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#JBLXMAS: JBL Wave 100TWS & Betty’s Burgers Experience

Posted on December 26, 2021 by lui_gough

Christmas Day may have passed, but for me, it’s time to get into some Christmas presents. This season is always flush with competitions, and as someone who never turns down a chance to get their hands on something new, I … Continue reading →

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Lucy Helton’s SSTV Ham Radio Project 2021 – The Beauty of Shortwave

Posted on August 5, 2021 by lui_gough

It’s been a little quiet around the blog lately. Part of this has been down to working from home and the draining prospect of the indefinite lockdown we are facing in Sydney at this time. Another part has been the … Continue reading →

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Opinion: The COVID-19 Vaccination Experience (Pfizer @ NSW Health Vaccination Centre)

Posted on June 20, 2021 by lui_gough

As the COVID-19 pandemic still continues to rage on around the world, it has caused a lot of upheaval. From shipping distribution, to semiconductor product supply, we are still feeling a lot of the pain from our globalised supply chains … Continue reading →

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Visited: Central Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) Mayham Event (30 May 21)

Posted on May 31, 2021 by lui_gough

Yesterday marked the rescheduled Central Coast Amateur Radio Club Field Day event. Usually held early in the year, around February, this year the event was postponed due to COVID-19. The rescheduled event gained a new name – Mayham. Cue the … Continue reading →

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Visited: Central Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) 62nd Wyong Field Day (23 Feb 2020)

Posted on February 23, 2020 by lui_gough

It’s 3:50am on a Sunday. My wristband buzzes. I roll out of bed, semi-conscious. It’s a time when most would be in bed, soundly asleep. But for me, just like last year, it’s time to make the annual pilgrimage up … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Event, Radio, Salvage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Event: L2 Sydney CBD & Eastern Suburbs Light Rail Opening Day (14 Dec 2019)

Posted on December 15, 2019 by lui_gough

This weekend was another momentous occasion for Sydney-siders with the official opening of the L2 CBD and Eastern Suburbs Light Rail system for passenger service, with free service on the line between Circular Quay and Randwick for the first weekend. … Continue reading →

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Visited: CeBIT Australia (ICC Sydney, 29-31 Oct 2019)

Posted on November 10, 2019 by lui_gough

The CeBIT Australia exhibition came to ICC Sydney two weeks ago, which I attended as a regular visitor to the show. I would have blogged about it earlier – if it were not for a number of crises that I … Continue reading →

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Opinion: Sydney Metro Northwest – One Week In & More Detective Work

Posted on June 2, 2019 by lui_gough

Since my in-depth look at the Sydney Metro Northwest covering the launch-day observations and experiments received a lot of traction online, I feel like it’s probably a good idea to write a follow-up article now that the first week has … Continue reading →

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Visited: Vivid Sydney 2019 (31 May: Darling Harbour, 1 June: Chatswood)

Posted on June 2, 2019 by lui_gough

Having visited Vivid Sydney’s Circular Quay precinct on opening night, I decided to come back on 31st May to visit Darling Harbour and 1st June to visit Chatswood, finishing off the free precincts and concluding my visits to Vivid for … Continue reading →

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Event: Sydney Metro Northwest Launch Day & Analysis (26th May 2019)

Posted on May 28, 2019 by lui_gough

Sunday marked the launch of the Sydney Metro Northwest – the first driverless metro system in all of Australia, built nearby to where I live. This new system includes eight new stations, joined up with the Epping to Chatswood rail … Continue reading →

Posted in Event, Opinion, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Visited: Vivid Sydney 2019 (24 May: Circular Quay Precinct)

Posted on May 25, 2019 by lui_gough

As someone who likes to take photos from time to time, I couldn’t miss yet another Vivid Sydney light festival. The festival opened last night on Friday 24th May and runs through to 15th June. Even though I’m extremely busy … Continue reading →

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Visited: Central Coast Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) Wyong Field Day (24 Feb 2019)

Posted on February 24, 2019 by lui_gough

Buzz … buzz … buzz. It’s 4am on a Sunday and my wristband alarm goes off. On any other week, that would be rather abnormal and I’d plop right back to sleep. But today, instead, I leapt out of bed … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Radio, Tech Flashback | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Event: Sony Alpha Sessions Sydney (6-8th December 2018)

Posted on December 30, 2018 by lui_gough

I’ve always been interested in photography – in fact, that’s probably what I focused mostly on during my major holiday in 2016. Of course, being interested doesn’t quite equate to being good at it – but I’m still trying. Being … Continue reading →

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Visited: ElectroneX Expo (5-6th September 2018)

Posted on September 9, 2018 by lui_gough

Every two years, the ElectroneX Expo comes to Sydney. This expo is like a trade show for those involved in electronics design and assembly with a number of stalls from relevant vendors, free talks and is held in conjunction with … Continue reading →

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Visited: Powerhouse Museum (Free Museum Weekend 23-24 June 2018)

Posted on July 3, 2018 by lui_gough

Once a year, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences holds a free museum weekend. This year, it was held over the weekend of 23rd – 24th June 2018 with free tickets that could be booked online to visit the … Continue reading →

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Visited: Vivid Sydney (10th Anniversary: 25 May – 16 Jun 18)

Posted on June 16, 2018 by lui_gough

Every year, the festival of light, music and ideas comes to Sydney, transforming the harbour and surrounding areas into a vibrant bustling work-of-art. This year, Vivid Sydney celebrates its 10th anniversary and as with previous years, I just had to … Continue reading →

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