Nikon Over-Exposed

Talk about f-stops!

A whole lotta cleanin' goin' on here...!

A Chinese camera shop recently almost brought its neighbourhood to a halt, after hiring some bikini-clad bunnies to do the cleaning.
Professional photographers as well as passers-by rushed to get a look at the girls who stripped off to clean windows and floors at the Golden Eagle Nikon flagship store in Taiyuan.
The stunt was designed to attract the attention of as many people as possible and generate good business and interest in the process.

Store manager Jin Yeh: "I wanted the store to look clean and fresh, to make a good opening impression." (Riiiiiiiggggghhhhttt! They were only there to CLEAN...) "But of course we are a camera shop, and photographers like to have good things to photograph, so I wanted some models here as well to pose." (Uh-HAAA!!!!) "From that point, it was a simple matter to combine the two. I had the shop cleaned up, and pretty subjects for photographers to snap."
Interesting to note that, as well as a crowd, nearly 100 freelance photographers - all from the Shanxi News Network - all showed up!
An ever-so-slight amount of OVER-exposure?

F.A.B., Mr.Tracey!

Half a century on, Thunderbirds are still GO!!!
ITV Studios UK, in collaboration with the dynamic NZ duo of Pukeko Pictures and world-famous Weta Workshop (Avatar, King Kong, Lord of the Rings), have produced Thunderbirds are Go!, a 26 x 30min. major new series launching on TV2 this weekend!

TB2: Virgil is Da MAN!!!

This re-invention of Gerry Anderson's iconic series uses a unique mix of CGI animation and live-action models. It'll also affectionately pay tribute to the legacy of the original classic series, often credited with changing the history of animation and action-adventure.
Featuring the world's most famous family of heroes, Thunderbirds are Go! will blast the five brave Tracy brothers from International Rescue (IR) back onto tv screens, piloting incredible vehicles into impossible rescues across the globe.
And as a nice doffing-of-the-cap to the original series, David Graham reprises his role as chauffeur/IR agent Parker.
As one who grew up avidly watching the show, and playing the part of Virgil (pilot of the big green TB2), I look forward to seeing the combination of current film techniques and the much-loved heritage that's endured for the past 50 years.
The puppet strings, mono-brows and flashing eyes may be gone...
but the Tracey brothers, Lady Penelope, Brains and Parker are back - smarter, fitter and with better gadgets than ever!



PS: And just for the record, IR's "F.A.B." code (defined by Collins English Dictionary 2002 as "an expression of agreement to, or acknowledgement of, a command"), was not actually conceived as a code at all.
When asked in 2000 what it stood for, Gerry Anderson said: "Absolutely nothing! The abbreviation "fab", as in "fabulous", was all the rage in the '60s, and I just changed it a bit." He also described it as the futuristic equivalent of "Roger" ie: 'Message received and understood'". So now you know...!

Thunderbirds are Go!, 7pm Sunday 12 April 2015, TV2.

Epic Chase Ends: Thunder Rolls

After a record-breaking 4-month pursuit by Sea Shepherd's ship Bob Barker, of the pirate vessel Thunder, which stretched from the Southern to the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean, the chase has ended in

dramatic circumstances.
On Easter Monday, the captain of Thunder sent out a Mayday call that his ship was taking on water. Bob Barker immediately moved in to assist.
When SS's Chief Engineer boarded Thunder in the hours leading up to the sinking, he saw clear evidence that the vessel was intentionally scuttled. Usually when a vessel is sinking, the captain will close all hatches so as to maintain buoyancy. However, on Thunder, the reverse was done - doors and hatches were tied open and the fishhold was opened.
SS's Bob Barker and Sam Simon rescued all 40 crew, including the captain, officers, and deck crew, who were all able to disembark to liferafts from Thunder before it sank.

Thunder was the most notorious of six vessels (which Sea Shepherd dubbed the "Bandit 6") known to engage in Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported (IUU) fishing of vulnerable toothfish in the Southern Ocean.
On Xmas Day 2014, Sam Simon commenced retrieval operations to remove the illegal fishing gear abandoned by Thunder when it first fled from Bob Barker. More than 72kms of illegal gillnet were recovered over a 3wk period, and over 1,400 fish (a total of 45,000kgs) were returned to the ocean.
In March, two more of the "Bandit 6", Viking and Kunlun, were detained by authorities in South East Asia, and their captains arrested.
The poaching vessels were the target of Operation Icefish, SS's Southern Ocean Defence Campaign targeting IUU fishing operators in the waters of Antarctica.

UPDATE: 12 October 2015 - final victory over Thunder.