Shuff's General Chat Thread ... #73 - Talk about anything and everything...  

Four Cylinder Gemini Makes over 500hp at The Tyres
STREETMACHINETV

Published on Feb 2, 2017
Scott Forrester's Holden Gemini has made around 800hp at the tyre before but with an auto trans, big converter and less boost he's making around 500rwhp. The car recently ran nines over the quarter mile on low boost. Subscribe to Street Machine for V8-powered good times http://goo.gl/DTXEnl

Facebook user gains instant fame streaming Mundine v Green live

Darren Sharpe is unlucky Australia Day has already come and gone, because he has mounted a strong case to be awarded Australian of the Year.

Sharpe did all Australians a huge favour on Friday night, after he ordered Anthony Mundine v Danny Green on Mainevent, and proceeded to stream it live on Facebook for the best part of an hour.

At last count, Sharpe’s feed – screened via the TV in his lounge-room - had attracted 112k watching live (about $7 million worth of pay per view action right there on Facebook for everyone to see), 1.3m views, 33k shares and tens of thousands of comments from fight fans thanking him for providing free access.

But cruelly, the axe fell just as the night was reaching its climax.

“I’ve just got a call from Foxtel threatening to sue me if I don’t stop. I’m not sure if they can do that or not, but sorry guys I’m going to have to turn it off,” Sharpe said shortly before Mundine and Green entered the ring.

That left fans scrambling for other livestream feeds or racing to their nearest pub.

Interesting to see that the NZ automotive scene is quite similar to what it was 10 years ago, in terms of the cars. Still lots of Evos 1-3 , 808s, third gen 323s, starlets, to name a few

Game over at 31? Why ABC TV host 'Hex' decided it was time to switch over

Sydney Morning Herald
Karl Quinn

When Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen was weighing up the pros and cons of a move from the ABC to commercial TV last year, she says she turned to a senior woman who works "behind the scenes" in the industry for some confidential advice.

The telegenic presenter had been offered more money to make the switch – she won't confirm or deny the rumour she has gone to Seven – from ABC2's Good Game, on which she had worked since 2009.

"She said to me, 'This could be a really exciting opportunity for you, but if you really love what you're doing, you shouldn't feel that you have to move. You're young, you have your whole life ahead of you to make a switch'," Bendixsen recalls.

"And then she asked me, 'How old are you, by the way?' I said 31. And there was silence. And then she said, 'I would probably be thinking about doing something substantial sooner rather than later'."

Bendixsen's brush with television's ageism may have come startlingly early, but it would probably have gone unremarked were it not for the fact the ABC used her departure, and that of her colleague Nich Richardson (aka Nichboy), as the pretext for cancelling the show after 10 years on air.

"In light of this major setback, and changes in the way audiences are choosing to get their information about gaming, the ABC has decided to end the long and successful run of the show," the broadcaster said in a statement last month.

The spin-off Good Game: Spawn Point, aimed at younger viewers, will remain on ABC Me, with the remaining presenters, including Steven "Bajo" O'Donnell, aboard.

The daily web show Pocket was axed in December.

It's hard not to detect a whiff of scapegoating by the ABC here, though Bendixsen says there was no hint a move was afoot to axe the show.

True, management had late last year, for the first time in the decade-long run of Good Game, suggested some format changes might be in order.

"But they seemed perfectly happy to leave that to us."

When Bendixsen joined the show in 2009 as the replacement for the ousted Jeremy "Junglist" Ray, she found herself mired in controversy, but in time she won the fans over.

"So," she says, "to be blamed for the show being cancelled seven years later was really upsetting to me."

The final episode of Good Game aired last December, though no one knew it at the time.

On Monday, she published on her Facebook page a letter written to her by a 19-year-old fan called Faith, who was "very upset and angry" about her decision to leave the show.

"I won't post her letter," she wrote, "but I have a feeling it probably echoes the thoughts of many of you."

Bendixsen defended her right to make a career change, arguing no one should be forced to stay in the same job forever, no matter how good it is, or appears to be from the outside.

And then she tackled the age issue.

"As a woman in my 30s, I'll be honest – working in television is scary," she wrote.

"Every year I wonder if I'll soon be considered 'too old' to be able to forge a lasting career in television. If I lost my job suddenly – who would want to hire me?

"My decision to move on from the ABC was not only about starting something new, but also trying to make sure that I will be developing enough experience across different roles and networks to carve out a strong and varied career as a presenter."

Her missive has, she says, been overwhelmingly well received by fans.

"I think most people respect transparency," she says.

"I don't agree with the decision to cancel the show and part of me doesn't want to have to explain my reasons for leaving. But if you don't say anything people can come to the wrong conclusions."

As for the new role, you can conclude what you will because Bendixsen isn't revealing details. But she does say it will be "within the gaming space for now, though I am looking to broaden out into some other things".

It's not hard to see other areas a commercial broadcaster might want to deploy this keen foodie and traveller.

But the key question is, will she still wear the nose ring now she's joined the mainstream?

"I dare say I will," she says. "It's become part of my identity now."

Until someone tells her she's too old for that sort of thing, at least.

Richard Hatch, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ star, dead at 71

Richard Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in “Battlestar Galactica,” died Tuesday. - Bill Watters/WireImage© Provided by New York Daily News Richard Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in “Battlestar Galactica,” died Tuesday. - Bill Watters/WireImage
Richard Hatch, who was best known for his role as Captain Apollo in “Battlestar Galactica,” died Tuesday.

He was 71.

Hatch got his start with the Los Angeles Repertory Theater as well as shows in Chicago and off Broadway before moving to the silver screen, where he debuted in 1971 on “All My Children.”

His first major role came in “The Streets of San Francisco” as Inspector Dan Robbins in 1976, the final season of the detective show.

But his most famous part was Captain Apollo in the 1978 “Battlestar Galactica” TV show, a role for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Over the years, Hatch also made guest appearances on shows including “The Waltons,” “Hawaii Five-O” and “Baywatch.”

He also spent much of his later career attempting to revive “Battlestar Galactica,” including novels based on the series.

Hatch even went as far as to write, co-direct and produce a trailer for a spinoff called “The Second Coming,” but Universal Studios rejected his pitch.

Instead, the studio ordered a remake from Ronald D. Moore in which Hatch played Tom Zarek, a terrorist-turned-politician, for 22 episodes over the show’s four-season run.

“Richard Hatch was a good man, a gracious man, and a consummate professional,” Moore tweeted after the news broke. “His passing is a heavy blow to the entire BSG family.”

“Richard Hatch, you made our universe a better place,” wrote Edward James Olmos, who starred in the reboot. “We love you for it. Rest In Peace my friend. So Say We All.”

“I share tragic news with a heavy heart,” wrote composer Bear McCreary, who broke the news. “Richard Hatch is no longer with us. Goodbye Tom Zarek / Apollo.”

“R.I.P. Richard Hatch. Thank you for all your kindness and advice over the years,” wrote “Galacticast” actress Casey McKinnon. “We'll miss you."

NITTO II THE HUNT FOR 6'S BEGINS 1600HP R32 GTR TESTING WILLOWBANK RACEWAY
Drag Videos Australia

Published on Jan 25, 2017
NITTO II THE HUNT FOR 6'S BEGINS 1600HP R32 GTR, HAS RUN PB 7.7 WITH A HEAP OF WEIGHT OUT AND A NEW SETUP AND MORE POWER THE RACE TO HIT THE 6 SEC ALL WHEEL DRIVE RECORD IS ON.