Absolute Aukiman

Swinging it in the top end

2011-08-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Swinging it a the old Darwin town hall ruins with
Quito Washington and Kelly Ann Doll

Today I woke up to a special start, and it wasn't anything as tame as bacon and eggs in bed either, my 0600 start was an opportunity to work with the indomitable Kelly Ann Doll filming a swing dance sequence for Swing Dance NT dance master, Quito Washington.

No stranger to the camera , Kelly is one of those people that can actually provide energy to invigorate a scene. After just five minutes with her I could see she has (quite aptly) been described in the past as the 5 foot pin-up pocket rocket, and this girl can move! Not just as a swing dancer either, Kelly Ann Doll has redefined the art of cabaret,was the first burlesque performer to tour Singapore and this year was a headlining star at the Australian Burlesque Festival with other featured Australian tours with Gangsters Ball, Burlesque Royale at Crown Casino and an boasting an endless list of premier events, functions and festivals all over Australia.

In front of the cenotaph on Darwin's esplanade

I had seen Kelly in action previously in the feature film 'Swing It' and her incredible assortment of stills work from her casting profile on Star Now, but the piece of media I found the most interesting was her Burlesque showreel on youtube check it out to see energy in abundance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64jIN6fUxg

Todays filming was shot pretty much 'guerilla style' - the idea is in your head and you just wing it at different locations and work out the shots as you go. Relaxed, only semi-organised and a really good way of practising improv with limited gear. I only brought the glidecam rig with the Canon 7D, a tripod, an LED spot and a a panasonic AG-HMC41E for the morning and that pretty much covered all scenarios. I'd almost forgotten how much fun unscripted shooting can be.

Murphys law invariably threw some clouds our way, but nothing that a little warming up in post editing can't fix.

Relaxing weekend shoot with Colleen D'Arcy

2011-08-03T16:12:00.001-07:00

Setting up in the studio with Auki ,
Colleen & Katie

After nearly two months of video producing and editing tasks I have managed to find some spare time to get back into the studio for a bit today and I have to say the change was so refreshing. Today I asked Colleen D'Arcy back into to help me test an Elinchrom Ranger kit and just generally catch up over a few drinks.

Mark Hamilton has been preaching the Ranger word to me for quite some time now, till this weekend I have just not had the time to give it a go. Now, predictably though, I find myself browsing through the Elinchrom website and budgeting for what I will need to buy from them now.

I'll almost guarantee any photographer who has used one of these kits will agree with me when I say they leave you craving for more. The sheer power available 'on-tap' gives you an unsurpassed comfort zone and makes the job so easy.

Back to the unfortunate budgeting reality though, the Ranger will have to be a 2012 purchase as they are definitely not cheap toys, next bargain buy in line for 2011 is the X-10 Vest that accompanies my Glidecam HD-4000 rig we currently operate. This will bring a new level of smoothness to the DSLR filming and perhaps save me some aching biceps in the process!

Gallery Samples

Model: Colleen D'Arcy
Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

Kamfari 2011 Feature on its way

2011-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Final morning filming for Australian Trailrider magazine.

Today I finally submitted the master of the DVD feature we produced for the 40th Anniversary of Kamfari. The event ran in May and we have been working on the edit in time for the September release of Universal Magazine's Australian Trailrider publication.

From beginning to end this project was a lot of fun, it was one of those jobs you get at the last moment, one of those ones where a quick thought about limited resources at the last moment naturally crosses your mind, but is quickly replaced by enthusiasm to take on the challenge.

The media team at HighRPM who I work with regularly are the 'lets give it a shot anyway' type of people, a concept which I take great delight in indulging, and so it was that we decided we'd accept the brief.

The statistics? A four hour motorcycle endurance event covering a couple of hundred kilometres worth of action through some insane terrain including crocodile friendly swampland in hot humid Northern Australia. We managed to cover most of the action with just two dedicated video cameras whilst HighRPM presenter Heather Banham also assisted with a video capable DSLR, as did boom operator Katie Abraham. When you are on a budget you find ways to stretch it believe me.

The variety of shots we managed to get for the feature was largely thanks to the experience of long time motor sports cameraman Ed Forman who's passion for getting in amongst the thick of the action saw him walk almost the whole length of the circuit, including standing almost up to his waist in mud and water to get the riders perspective. This was key in getting shots the commercial broadcasters couldn't. Being in the thick of it all is definitely an angle you can't replicate when you are standing on a dry patch of ground zooming in on the action a couple of hundred metres away.

The guys from Blackwater once again allowed us to use a number of their tracks for the action. This time from their newly released self titled EP. Their songs definitely suit the motorsports genre perfectly and we can only hope that our opportunity to give them extra exposure is as helpful to them as their music has been to us on our productions.

It reminds me that an amazing amount can be achieved in this world and can still be done on a budget if you are lucky to be surrounded by people not just chasing cash as a bottom line but rather collaborating as a team.

I'd like to acknowledge Clint Holmes and the Darwin Motorcycle Club who gave us this great opportunity to film an event that has become an Australian sporting institution and also Tuffy and the crew from Australian Trailrider magazine who decided we could deliver what they needed.

NT Photographers on Google+

2011-07-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

With the recent July 6th opening 'by invite' to Google's new Google+ platform the world response has been phenomenal with reportedly 18 million users already at the time of this article being published. The clean, fast interface and superior ability to control who sees what content has been appealing to many different types of user, whether for socialising, marketing or collaborating.

Photographers who were used to facebook as a distribution and marketing medium in the past are now seeing definite advantages with "G+"in the form of better web filename SEO and freedom from facebooks poor picture compression algorithms.

I am compiling a list of talented photographers from the Northern Territory who are now starting to take advantage of Googleplus and its amazing features.

Follow G+ Photographers here in the NT !

Mark Hamilton -
Darwin's best known glamour photographer and one of the most recognised faces in the industry. Although he specialises in glamour he is know for excelling in many different genres.

Martin Eadie -
Well known for his extensive work in the field of both civilian and military aviation, Martin has also branched out into other fields including glamour and action motorsports.

William Nguyen-Phuoc -
An accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer, William's amazing work around the territory has earned him widespread recognition. Has recently been involved in commericial and aviation projects.

Auki Henry -
Then there's me. Relatively new on the photography scene, better known for my work in front of the lens as presenter on HighRPM I have been lucky to have mentoring in photography by some of the Territory's finest, Will shoot a variety of genres but I have found a niche for people photography!

Huangshan city mirage, all down to bad translation.

2011-06-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

The ' Huangshan city mirage ' generated some wildly speculative claims amidst a whirlwind of media misinformation and hype. In a nutshell the reality was bad chinese translation combined with hyper-sensationalist reporting. All the buildings in the footage are real buildings, not visions, mirages or illusions, they actually physically stand exactly where they were filmed. The only thing out of the ordinary here is they are surrounded by floodwater and mist.

Background of the myth:
Huangshan City in Anhui Province, China was one city out of a number affected by the 2011 flooding over 12 or 13 provinces. By 14th June 2011 the water had exceeded warning levels in reservoirs and inundated low parts of land near the city.

Click to Enlarge - Huangshan City
Googlemap image with key identifying landmarks
within frames in the 'Mirage' video.

Incredibly, video footage of the floods, as the waters slowly rose were broadcast, sensationalised and then spread by western media with a completely incorrect story.

An all too literal translation of the english interpretation describing the surreal sight of the buildings looking mysterious as they rose out of the mist above the flood waters ironically fell foul of the 'Chinese Whispers' phenomenon and was circulated via news websites, touted as being an amazing mirage with never before seen clarity.

Presumably this misinformation was passed on in the same hurried fashion endemic to modern media that does away with cross checking of facts in order to increase readership traffic to their sites. Poor journalism indeed!

Predictably the YouTube videos for this event went viral, along with the emergence of a multitude of conspiracy and prophecy theories ranging from hologram technology experiments, the second coming and otherworldy portals.

The truth of course is a little more mundane than the fiction and just doesn't sell a story, the poetic romanticism of 'floating' buildings suspended in mist above the river may be lost in sloppy translation but it strikes me as odd that the worlds media had not linked this footage to the 2011 China floods. It was a mildly amusing that a lot of news sites did try to provide rational scientific explanation of the 'phenomenon' they were reporting on by including videos of scientists explaining how mirages work!

I don't think any amount of science can help them when it comes to poor language translation and lack of basic reference checking however. However if one thing should come out of this whole thing it is that real people have died in this very real flood. Hopefully there's a very real but very unfortunate story that the media SHOULD be covering instead.

The Video Landmarks for your Reference:
For easy identification the coloured key and identifiable landmarks/buildings are marked for you below with the corresponding slides from the video.

Click to Enlarge Image

Click to Enlarge : Not a 'mirage' after all, Easy to identify Huangshan City landmarks in the video.

The Video (complete with incorrect reporting )

that started it all off

Studio Shoot with DTOWN-3

2011-06-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

The boys from Darwin's own DTOWN-3

This was another one of my privileged requested shoots with successful musicians who have come across some of my freelance work.

Aussie rappers Liam Devine, Nate Polkinghorne and Zac Calma formed in late 2009. Their group DTOWN-3 (aka DT3) has climbed the ranks of both local and statewide recognition rapidly with their distinctive infusion of American style with Australian influence. The group have stamped a confident mark on their genre by already appearing on the 2011 lineup of the NT's annual Bass in the Grass in less than 2 years from their original conception.

2011 has also witnessed the release of their debut EP "Skyhigh" which is testament to their enthusiasm for self sufficiency and getting things done as they produced this in their self built studio.

The tempo continues after this shoot as the boys have been confirmed to perform alongside some major upcoming acts yet to be announced.

The shoot itself was called to prepare for their busy next couple of months of public appearances, the brief being basically to do a studio style set of both individual and group shots to update their promotional arsenal.

Some other publicly available samples of the shoot are available : HERE

Due Respect 101 - The very basics of sharing etiquette

2011-06-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Auki Henry 2011

The cropped signature edit of my original piece that was
discovered in : Darwin Photos

Being an avid photographer / videographer I am submitting work left right and centre to most mediums, including online to social networking sites such as Facebook. It's a great medium to share and gain exposure, both for you and your models!

It's only natural that somone eventually takes a liking to your work and wants to share it and show it around.

For the most part this has been made easy by most sites offering content, you can embed video using special embed codes, sites like Facebook have 'share' buttons that allow you to link to content. There is, in fact, little that you need to do apart from a couple of mouse clicks and you are done. All these ways generally help to leave credit to the original creator in some way or other.

A lot of the time I find people will contact me about sharing the things I have done, almost all the time they will link back and give credit in some way. I don't even mind if they don't leave credit as my signature is usually displayed on all online work (or in the case of videos a reference to all the people who put in the hard work are mentioned in the credits).

Although I am sure it has happened many times before, today it was brought to my attention for the first time by a good friend, that a piece of work I had collaborated on with a team of people and a model was being displayed without any hint whatsoever of the source of the material.

It is a little disappointing that this would happen as I am quite happy to share my work free, a lot of my full size landscapes are free to download if I am approached, I don't even include watermarks, just so it looks good for the framed finished product.

Perhaps it is just the pride in the work that makes it disappointing, both the model and myself discussed this shot and tried till we got it exactly how we wanted it, pose, shadows and post processing. Perhaps it is the the amount of work that goes into a shoot. Even a quick shoot like this took 3 hours out of an afternoon and many more in the post processing workflow.

Even if it was just 'shared' using the facebook share function that would have given me some credit for my portfolio work and that of the model as well. After all this is how the model gets recognition for photographers who want to do shoots, this is also how I get recognition for people or organisations who want to shoot with me.

My video/photography equipment costs are reaching up into the tens of thousands of dollars now, and I think most of you would agree the icing on the cake doesn't really happen when your work is mangled and your only crediting marks are cut out of the final piece ( albeit with a sloppy yellow border ).

The lessons of due respect are learnt with having the decency to acknowledge others, and I have done all the hard work for anyone wanting to share, I've left the signature in the corner of the original! It is far more work to have to go to any length to cover it up and hide it. /rant /lesson

For anyone wanting to share, the original web size shot is below ( with signature intact of course ). Feel free to use it on any pages you wish as it is. There are plenty others to share at http://photography.aukihenry.com

Model: Lan Treagus

Photographer: Auki Henry (Auki Henry Photography)

Filming the Doorslammer Special

2011-05-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Auki & Ed on location at Hidden Valley - May 2011
Picture by Mark Hamilton

Here's one of the few times you wont see me in front of the camera for a HighRPM feature. I recently went down with the media team to film some promotional footage for Hidden Valley to be used for future TV advertising, the schedule over the two days was pretty hectic which left limited time to get my head around any presentation material so I opted to concentrate just on filming.

As habit would have it though, we couldn't help ourselves and inevitably altered the schedule to shoot some extra material for a highlights reel, so with the help of HighRPM's newest presenter, Heather Banham, we quickly stitched together a rough running script for it.

We used a variety of cameras and lenses for the footage, utilising the Sony and the Panasonic AG-HMC41E for lightweight handheld shots and fast pans and two Canon bodies ( 5DMKII & 7D ) with 70-200mm and 24-70mm to get some nice DOF.

It was one of the best weekends of filming we have done, we had a great crew down there and despite the sore legs from hours of standing, crouching, climbing barriers and shifting gear it flew by. The noise of the doorslammers from up close, not to mention the smell of methanol and the vibration through the body as they accelerate hard off the line is very addictive!

Here's the quick highlights reel just hot off the press.

Darwin Ice Hockey

2011-05-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

Darwin Ice Hockey feature

The Darwin Ice Hockey Team are undefeated internationally.

Born from the intrepid rocksitters mentality, laid back tropical Darwin has been thrust into the spotlight once again with the Darwin Rocksitter 's competetive sports arm.

The tropical city in Australia's north is internationally competitive in a winter sport.

Don't try to draw parallels however to the cool runnings of Jamaica's Olympic bobsled team, the Darwin Ice Hockey team are amazingly undefeated, even against traditional ice hockey playing nations such as the Nordic, Russians and North American teams.

In a celebration of the true Aussie spirit. Our iconic breakfast spread, Vegemite, has paid homage to them in a fitting tribute to Darwin athelticism.

Presenting - Maddison Ash

2011-05-09T12:58:00.001-07:00

Darwin's girl next door Maddison Ash
Photo: Auki Henry

Maddison Ash is a recent discovery, friend and fellow photographer Mark Hamilton did a shoot for an advertising campaign recently which was actually Maddison's first exposure to a pro photo shoot.

Her natural beauty was evident, nothing forced about her smiles and very confident in stature.

We got quite a lot done on that first shoot in such a short amount of time, and admittedly the time was shorter as I slightly miscalculated the speed of the setting sun by about 20 minutes. Luckily we have a few more shoots with Maddison to come this year.

The article picture inset is one of those pics that I took just a little too late for the setting sun to provide a backlight, so rather than waste the photo it was turned into a fantasy composite. I'd like to say twilight scene, but the movies have ruined that for me, no offence to team Edward but I'd like to class Maddison in a league apart from the connotations of the movie . . . I will refer to it instead as a surreal moonlit forest.

Below is a linked sample set of the shots we got in before the sun went down too far; enjoy!

Click on the samples below to see some more Maddison Ash

Kamfari behind the scenes with HighRPM

2011-05-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Action from the air at the 40th Anniversary Kamfari Race, Darwin NT
Photo: Auki Henry

HighRPM sent a media team down to Black Jungle ( just south of Darwin, Australia ) on the weekend to cover the gruelling 4 hour "Kamfari", one of the best known and toughest motorcycle endurance events on the Australian calendar.

Due to factors such as track length, terrain and the hot tropical conditions at an event like this it is usually hard to get many cameras to prime locations. Our crew had a camera on track at all times to get in amongst the action, so to get a few more angles it was necessary to take to the air.

Here's a small 'behind the scenes' ride with Heather Banham and Katie Abraham who accompanied me up to get a birds eye perspective of the action.

Community Spirit & Australian Motorsports

2011-04-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

The heart of the action. The Australian motorsports family
is an enthusiastic and helpful community.

Through my involvement with the team at HighRPM Australia I have had ever increasing exposure to some big names in the motorsports scene, not only in terms of teams and drivers, but to the various media groups that cover motorsports such as magazines, production centres and TV channels that carry the various genre of sports.

So far one thing I noticed above other aspects without fail so far is the abundance of help that has been available to anyone willing to pitch in and get involved with motorsports.

HighRPM's missions has been to bring about a public awareness of the fantastic motor sports we have to offer in the Northern Territory, it was born from the need to try to balance out the disproportionate media representation of the various football codes against all other sports, almost to the point where top ranking teams and riders/drivers move their vehicles and bikes to southern states for competition as more recognition and support is received.

It would seem this imbalance in sports coverage would be a hard tide to turn against at first glance, but the various organisations we have worked with over the last seasons of operation have provided so much enthusiastic support, guidance and prime access to their events that it has been comparatively easy to start spreading the word. It doesn't stop there, the big southern stations that cover national action have from time to time swapped material and information with us to help us achieve our goals. One such event that comes to mind was an advertising brief we accepted from Darwin's Hidden Valley Drag Strip to create a 30 second TV spot for the launch of their new ANDRA Pro Series capable strip. With lack of local footage of top doorslammer events we asked a favour interstate for footage specifically for a one-off campaign. The response was immediate and generous with permission granted to freely use for the single event project ( at which we could obtain our own footage and possibly return the favour ).

Below is the 30 sec advert I completed which will be appearing on local channel 7Mate this month.

Always Tired? Get up and move!

2011-04-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Auki Henry 2011

Auki Henry says "Get up and Move"
Photography - Katies Cottage

I am observing a more and more common syndrome nowadays, the one of people being constantly tired and feeling 'under the weather', 'not the best' or even depressed. Even more worrying is the prevalence of this condition for those who work in an office environment compared to others with more physically active occupations. Statistics reveal that although not completely unrelated, this is less to do with stressful or mundane work, workplace stress and environment than a simple lack of healthy diet and regular exercise.

The correlation of deficiency in workout with experienced constant fatigue and other related ailments speaks volumes in itself, combine that with poor dietary habits and you have an affliction that now pervades a large percentage of modern western society.

The explanation for why this happens is pretty straightforward, the method for counteracting this condition is even simpler.

In short, your body is made for movement. There's nothing you can do to change that fact, it's the way we have evolved to be. Constantly moving muscles and joints conditions your body and keeps it operating effectively. Regularly exercised bodies also require a better ability to use oxygen to cope with the muscle activity, regular exercise adjusts your ability to utilise the oxygen more effectively, your body responds by getting fitter. Due to our modern convenience geared lifestyle this no longer occurs for the majority of people during the course of the day, so it is important to set aside some time for exercise to achieve this instead.

The most common factors that combine to cause the constant fatigue most people will experience are due to the fact that:

Sedentary lifestyle and insufficient exercise reduces cardiac output.
Sedentary lifestyle and insufficient exercise reduces the ability of your body to take in and utilise oxygen efficiently.
Poorly oxygenated blood leads to reduced brain functions including a decrease in alertness, focus and concentration.
Reduced serotonin levels due to lack of physical activity result in reduced melatonin levels at night which are attributed to lack of sleep or disturbed sleeping patterns.

Luckily, increasing physical activity will mostly result in the opposite of the above:

Greater lung capacity results in more oxygen in your blood.
More oxygen in your blood means your muscles get the oxygen required to function efficiently and avoid lactic acid build up.
More oxygen in your blood also leads to increases in alertness, focus and concentration.
The increased seratonin levels from exercise result in higher levels of converted melatonin at night which help with sleeping patterns and a deeper sleep.

Obviously to effectively maintain yourself through exercise, your body and mind will also need a healthy diet, plenty of water, plenty of sleep.

Pretty much the message here is to get out there, get some exercise. If you are honest with yourself and put in a little effort you will notice improvements quite quickly.

*Always check with your physician before beginning any exercise routine.

Race the Police - Legally

2011-04-07T23:17:00.001-07:00

Shane Shewring in "The Heat" - Picture : HighRPM

Racing against a "cop" is a draw card that would be hard to resist for many die hard speed fans, even better when you can do it legally in a safe & controlled environment.

The "Beat the Heat" initiative pits some of the Northern Territory's finest real life police officers against keen racers of all ages. After successfully drawing the crowds to the Hidden Valley Raceway since 2003 the series has become a popular attraction for the motorsports loving public making household names of officers like Senior Constable First Class Shane Shewring who is the popular driver of "The Heat" and "Street Heat".

The passion of those involved in the initative is a credit to them, they receive no funding from the NT Police or the Government and rely totally on support from the community, local businesses and service organisations.

This year Auki Henry and Ed Forman ( Zerolizard / HighRPM ) were approached to kick off their 2011 advertising with footage from HighRPM's debut 2010 season. Here is the 15 second ad format due to broadcast on 7 Mate in the coming weeks.

Monsoon Madness 2011

2011-03-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Auki Henry and Krystal Eldridge go behind the scenes with Mark Hamilton at the 2011 Monsoon Madness photoshoot in Darwin, Australia.

As far as photoshoots go, this is one of the most looked forward to on the NT Calendar, what started as a fun way to get some different kinds of studio shots done whilst the Darwin wet season rages outside for half the year has become an annual institution of sorts in the local glamour scene.

Hamilton Photography NT's dynamic duo of Katrina Welfare and Mark Hamilton have been doing photography of all kinds for years, they are particularly well known for their glamour photography and quality portfolio work with models they have both gained national and international recognition for their product in this area.

It became very clear to us during our research for this featurette that they were so much more than just great photographers, the number of people who wanted to come forward to offer testimonials to us on how much help Mark and Katrina are to the local scene, selflessly offering time, equipment and expert advice to other photographers. They also often offer their services for free when they are able to, considering their best rewards as seeing the local models who have aspirations to continue on in the field succeed because of their help.

The Monsoon Madness shoot is a brilliant opportunity for photographers and models alike. The publicity and great imagery generated from the event fills plenty of portfolios and the girls involved get some great hype around the local scene.

The 2011 girls included Darwin finalist for TV's Australia'a top model lineup, Amelia Weber and 2011 Zoo Magazine calendar girl Grace Brenton along side the well known faces of Khia Marriott, Rachael Jacqueline Barritt, Kayla Robinson and Heather Banham.

Who is Jerry ? - the 199-Jerry Question

2011-03-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

" who is jerry, 199Jerry, 199-Jerry, who is 199 jerry "

Auki asks Who is Jerry ?

These are all keyword searches we have uncovered this month from people panicked about 'somone' called Jerry who knows too much apparently. But the reality is somewhat more of a giggle.

199 Jerry is the latest texting phenomenon, an SMS service craze simlar to information text service Bongo. How does Bongo work? - according to their FAQ "thanks to a number of intelligent human researchers and a very sophisticated software application with a huge database".

With the ever expanding use of social media services and shared personal information publicly available nowadays, society tends to forget that personal information is; in fact, not personal anymore once you have entered it in somewhere. It lives electronically potentially into perpetuity.

Whilst some of us are able to have a laugh and know that it is in fact just intended as a bit of fun, I can't help but noticed cases where people are dismayed or frightened by some of the information they receive from the 199Jerry "Trivia Service".

However, before anyone gets indignant about the answers "Jerry" gives them and feels the need to take action, the terms and conditions for using this service are laid out in their privacy policy and their terms documentation.

HighRPM Best of 2010 - Feature artists Blackwater

2010-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

Auki Henry December 21 2010

Auki Henry with Blackwater & Luke Abraham
Adelaide 2010

This month HighRPM flew me down to Adelaide to interview one of the most exciting acts of the year, the dynamic South Australian band Blackwater.

It was a chaotic 4 days I spent there as we also had some photo shoots to take care of for other musicians down there.

The purpose of the feature was to introduce the band to the motorsports community up north, get exposure for the band prior to the 2011 release of their debut EP and also seek permission to use their hit single "Cut Down" in a look back at the year that was 2010 in HighRPM footage.

All missions accomplished. Enjoy the end result below. This will be my last post for 2010, so here's to wishing you all a safe Xmas and a happy new year.

Presented by: Tamika Barnett, Auki Henry & Krystal Eldridge

The Low-Carb alcohol myth explained.

2010-12-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

Auki Henry explains the reality behind the "low-carb" beer hype.

Low-Carb Beer, not what you've been lead to believe.

First up, here is an important fact that needs to be impressed upon readers, hence me starting this article with it . . .

Alcohol is NOT a carbohydrate.

Some of you carb watchers may be breathing a sigh of relief at this point, thinking that the fad of drinking "Low-Carb" beer and straight spirits are your "healthy alternative" for splurging on alcohol whilst maintaining an eating regime.

If you'd like to keep believing this, please stop reading now.

The REAL Deal:
If you are still reading then here's the scoop. Whilst alcohol is not a carbohydrate it is still a dense source of energy. Taking a look at the figures in the most simplistic sense you may be surprised to find that the caloric content of alcohol is more than carbohydrates.

Fat: 1 gram = 37.80 kilojoules ( 9 calories )
Alcohol: 1 gram = 29.40 kilojoules ( 7 calories )
Protein: 1 gram = 16.80 kilojoules ( 4 calories )
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 16.80 kilojoules ( 4 calories )

Armed with this bit of information, its easier to see how the drinks industry leverages the popular low-carb diet hype to influence consumers to buy their product.

Technically they are telling the truth - yes, their product is lower in carbohydrates, you can see this by checking the label. The label also does not infer that you will lose weight by drinking this product.

They have however, quite cleverly utilised the way the phrase "low-carbs" has associated itself in modern society's mindset as being synonymous to weight loss or being healthy. This is misleading to someone who does not understand that alcohol is more energy dense than carbohydrates, almost double even. Alcoholic beverages ALL contain kilojoules, the most part being what is found in the alcohol itself and not the advertised carbohydrate content. Simply put, the higher the alcohol content of a drink the more kilojoules it contains.

The mechanisms of how the body uses alcohol as energy is material for another article however, suffice it to say you have been provided with a source of information that you may find useful.

- Auki

A Darwin Sunset with Canon's EOS 7D

2010-12-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Sunset at Nightcliff Jetty - 9th Nov 2010

Canon EOS 7D / 10-22mm EF-S Lens

Well here's a complete change in thought process for me over the space of just a few weeks; Not long ago I found myself in the market for a DSLR, and not for photography - as strange as that may sound to many people.

I chose a Canon 7D because of the amazing video quality and variable frame rates available to me. I shoot plenty of video, both for my own projects as well as for a couple of web-tv projects I work on.

Wanting to make the transition to shooting quality music videos with local bands has introduced me to the new world of DSLR movie making.

However I digress. Sooner rather than later the inevitable happens when I have a decent bit of kit lying around the place; I play with it. Although more comfortable shooting video I was curious enough to try to pick up a few tips on using the new camera for its intended originally intended purpose - photography. I have plenty of friends in this field so I was not short on good pointers.

Previous to owning a DSLR I had only ever found use for a point and shoot, while it's true I had a reasonable working knowledge of shot composition (from my video work) which I used when taking pictures with a point and shoot - I didn't fully appreciate the different effect you get from alternate focal lengths when using "proper" lenses - till now that is.

Whilst I am a long way from perfecting the skill of DSLR photography I find some of the photos I manage to get are motivation enough to keep me wanting to practice more. I have to admit, it's a really nice change of pace, no rushing to get action when it happens or re-shoot due to sound problems, wardrobe problems etc. I can go somewhere, take my time setting up a shot, sit in a chair, enjoy myself and take in my surroundings.

I reckon the 7D has paid for itself just in terms of therapeutic benefits and relaxation!

- Auki Henry

Auki's Festive Alcoholic Eggnog

2010-12-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Alcoholic Eggnog, with a kick! Auki's favourite kind.

Alcoholic Eggnog Recipe
This recipe is an annual thing for me ... and it packs a nice punch to boot - so get in the holiday spirit (no pun intended) and make this at home for the weekend ! - Recipe taken from the RadioAukiman archives.

Please note that this eggnog is a very potent alcoholic cocktail! Be mindful to drink in moderation, it goes down very easily!

Aukiman's Revised Easy Alcoholic Eggnog

( Approx 16 serves )

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white rum
3 cups full cream milk
3 cups whisky
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons sherry
2 cups heavy cream
Fresh ground nutmeg to taste

Method:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place into separate bowls.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2cup of the sugar, set aside.
Heat milk till it is just boiling then remove from heat, immediately add the yolk/sugar mix and whisk vigorously (this will let it cook slightly).
Set this mixture aside and let it cool thoroughly.
Beat egg-whites until stiff, then mix in other 1/2 cup of the sugar.
Pour the cooled yolk mixture into the whites and mix together thoroughly.
Stir in white rum slowly
Stir in whiskey slowly
Stir in brandy and sherry slowly
Stir in cream slowly

Serve chilled and sprinkle nutmeg on the top.

http://www.aukihenry.com

Xtreme Merchadising | Another adventure in custom graphics.

2010-10-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

The requests seem to be coming in quickly lately. The people over at Universal Xtreme asked me to do the artwork for their merchandise range, the brief was to design a gaming inspired logo for their team which would be used on the cafepress service to produce a whole range of merchandise that could be bought reasonably cheaply.

The logo needed to look good on a number of products, both dark and light and it needed to reflect the teams "tags" [UX] that are their recogniseable brand online.

As chance would have it I have been right in the middle of a rebuild of my computer, so I opted not to use 3D studio Max for solids as I traditionally would have, instead this time the work was done entirely in Photoshop, which was easier and faster in the long run.

I have worked with Universal Xtreme many times before, the team used to comprise mostly of game server administrators who used to run official medium-sized online gaming platforms for a number of Australian ISP's. Now they are a relaxed bunch who enjoy the gaming scene casually rather than having it consume all of their time.

I have found designing for gaming groups over the years to be the most fun, they expect flashy and slightly abstract designs from experience and are appreciative and willing to spread the word about your work. Unlike some commercial jobs I have taken on which virtually kill the soul when it comes to compromising your own creative ideas.

True, I make very little on the former, whilst the latter can pull in a couple of hundred dollars an hour, but in the end my sanity really enjoys the break and the opportunity to let loose once in a while, not to mention the rewards of seeing people genuinely enjoy and appreciate your work.

Universal Xtreme Apparel Designs by Auki Henry

Universal Xtreme Merchandise Designs by Auki Henry

Photography - Canon vs Nikon - Why I still sit on the fence

2010-10-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Canon vs Nikon? It is an age old comparison of the two best known brand heavyweights in the SLR category, more so in the amateur arena where there is a much larger choice of product available.

Let the Confusion Begin:
There is a certain 'fan boy' element in this equation, die hard brand lovers with blinkers on who have fallen in love with the name rather than the merits. Chuck into this mix the 'stats geek fanboy', an uber fanboy who likes to talk pure numbers and settings and you are left with a huge vortex of confusion for those trying to start off on the beginning of their own DSLR adventure.

Expense is obviously a limiting factor; brand lenses are not cheap to make, and thus not cheap to buy for the average consumer. Various factors require them to be built as proprietary hardware so they are not very interchangeable between different brands of camera bodies without some compromise or the purchase of additional adapters. The reality for most people is once they start down the road of a particular brand it isn't financially viable to switch later if they decide they want to try a new model from a different brand.

It is true their are definitely noticeable differences in the 'look' of pictures that come out of these brands and their associated lenses and debate will inevitably touch on the topic and the merits of each 'look', and this is where I sit on the fence.

I have the good fortune currently of owning both these brands of DSLR, a Nikon D90 and a Canon 7D with a small compliment of lenses, and I can safely say I still can not decide which ones I like best, either in terms of functionality or the 'look' of the pictures I produce from them.

Click to Enlarge Image

The picture on the left is taken with a Nikon D90 & 50mm f/1.4 lens. The picture on the right was taken with a Canon 7D & 10-22mm lens. Both compositions will appeal to different people in different ways. Model - Katie Abraham.

Visual imagery is a highly subjective area, there is no one particular look that will appeal to everyone. I have never found that arguing the merits of the end product. ie the photographs, can be rationalised by statistics of any kind.

In reality the people viewing your photos will enjoy them for what they are, quite probably with only a cursory interest in how they were taken or what settings were used. My own thinking is just get out there and enjoy taking pictures. I have plenty of still shots taken with my old standard 'point and shoot' consumer camera that people comment on as being fantastic simply because the shot was well composed, they often are surprised that those shots were not even from an SLR.

- Auki

Thanks to Katies Cottage for letting me publish these photos in this article.

The Original Electric Goat Mousepad | "Geek" Your Heart Out

2010-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Many people who are familiar with my media roles in front of the camera are usually surprised that I am reasonably competent behind it as well, most people are even more surprised to find out that I have been moonlighting on and off in the freelance design industry for a few years now as the odd creative burst hits me, mostly when time allows.

It only recently struck me as odd that I had never actually bothered to try my hand at merchandising some sort of simple product range like a clothing label or similar.

As the result of a mild shock from a cheap badly wired ebay external HDD powersupply, an over abundance of filter coffee and a penchant for weird names I envisoned a desperately random but sufficiently unique idea for a streetwear range and was lucky enough to score the lapsing domain name of electricgoat.com to help market it.

A good designer friend of mine, Brooke Ottley, just happened to have shown me the finishing touches to one of her pieces that she was uploading to the online service 'Cafe Press' which gave me the momentum to get off my ass and do it myself!

So here's me bringing you the first official range of Electric Goat products which you can buy direct from the Cafe Press store online @ : http://www.cafepress.com/aukiman

- Auki

Win Yourself A Power Gaming Suite from Razer!

2010-10-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

The folks over at Razer have done it again! In celebration of reaching 133,337 fans on Facebook, they are offering this incredible chance to win one of their quality gaming setups.

Not one to miss out on the chance to win FREE stuff ( lol of course ) I registered. Here's to sharing the link with you for those who want to get in touch with their inner "Geek"

Enter HERE

Myth | Exercising in Heat Burns More Fat

2010-09-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is a question that has been asked of me many times, so much so that I feel it is an important myth to highlight to a wider audience as the consequences of exercising in extreme heat conditions can be dangerous and sometimes even fatal.

Quite simply put the actions of temperature on your body (whether hot or cold) does not act to enhance the body's metabolism to use fat any quicker than exercising at comfortable temperatures.

Training in hot conditions such as exercising at midday in warm climates or by using "weight loss" or "sauna suits" is quite often incorrectly thought to be better for fast 'fat loss' than exercising in cool conditions. The problem being that this perceived loss is not fat at all but loss of bulk water via perspiration. The lost weight is regained once proper hydration levels are reached.

Calorie Deficit is the Key
The way to achieve fat loss is by creating a calorie deficit, either by means of exercise or changes in diet ( or both ) to encourage the depletion of fat stores by using as them as energy. Exercise should not be carried out in conditions of extreme heat, you risk dehydration, heat exhaustion or worse. Be smart, exercise safely, stay hydrated and keep cool!

- Auki

Cut Down | Blackwater's FREE Digital Release

2010-09-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

Personally I have to say 2010 has been an exciting and productive year on the creative front for me working with some great people in the media field and a whole range of talented individuals in the music industry. One of my highlights of the year so far has been the opportunity to work with the Australian rock band Blackwater, not in my normal role in front of the camera however but, refreshingly behind the scenes and behind the camera. The band put the feelers out to see how I felt about the digital release project of their latest single "Cut Down" and were interested to know if I wanted to work on some of the marketing material they envisioned for the track.

Obviously I jumped at the chance to work with them again, having done so a few months ago when I was travelling in Adelaide.

The latest project brief was to supply CD Single cover art for the song in keeping with the mood of the lyrics. "Cut Down" takes a stab at corporations, questioning the morality of the leaders and decisions to quote bass guitarist and singer Ben Baumann's words . . .

" In an effort to increase the riches of the wealthy, some companies provide no loyalty to the hard-workers that drive the company forward, instead using them and spitting them out. The leaders give false hope to employees then fight to take everything from them. "Cut Down" asks the question "Why don't you care?" "

Now admittedly I am already a keen fan of Blackwater's music, ( in fact HighRPM utilised partial Blackwater tracks in one of the videos from their motorsports channel features I present ), so obviously it was exciting to get a sneak preview of the song to get inspiration from, and I certainly got the inspiration needed in the form of "fast paced heavy rock riffs and a punchy groove".

The cover, it was decided, would be the inner reflections of a dejected victim of retrenchment, the portrayal of the hopelessness, desperation and betrayal felt when the means of ones livelihood in todays society is suddenly removed. I asked one of the HighRPM general ground crew members, Damien Freddi, to pose for the cover shots on this one and spent a couple of afternoons scouting for locations to use.

Obviously we were trying to keep the schedule as tight as possible owing to the incredible heat and humidity combinations here in Darwin during the latter months of the year, combined with the fact that Damien would have to be clothed in business attire suited more to the much cooler southern climate. I am unsure if the discomfort due to heat lent itself to the moment but just about all of Damien's shots perfectly conveyed the message we were trying to achieve.

Details on where to download the MP3 of this free release are on the band's Facebook Page and their Official Blackwater site.

Katies Cottage - Homestyle Bread

2010-09-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

This one directly from Katies Cottage.

Katie Abraham's little corner of the web. She finally talked me into taking the time to make this stuff from scratch, no bread machines at all. Needless to say I was impressed and ate an entire loaf!

As she says on her site -
"Throw away those bread machines and make it with a bit of love, it is doubly satisfying to know you haven't just lumped in pre-mix, added water and pressed a button."

This easy recipe makes approximately 2 incredible tasting fresh loaves.

Ingredients

6.5 cups plain or bakers flour
1 tbsp salt
3.5 tbsp soft/gently melted butter or lard
2.5 cups lukewarm water
2 sachet (14g) yeast
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Method

In a small mixing bowl dissolve sugar in water and add yeast, stirring gently. Allow to sit for 5 or 10 minutes until bubbles form.
Place the plain flour into a large mixing bowl and scoop out a small well to add the wet ingredients. Add the yeast mixture, salt and soft butter then mix together well until the dough has pulled together. Remove dough then thoroughly was/dry bowl to use later.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes or until dough has a soft, elastic feel.
Lightly grease the large bowl and place dough in it again. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm, draught free place to rise for about 60 minutes or until dough has roughly doubled in size.
Punch dough down with your fist to deflate it, transfer again to lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces and roughly form into loaves in two lightly greased bread pans.
Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let them rise for another 45 minutes so they fill out into the shape of the bread pans.
Preheat oven to 200°C and bake for about 30 minutes or until the loaves look golden brown. The easiest way to tell if your bread is cooked is to tap the base of it with your knuckle. It will sound hollow if it is cooked.
Transfer the loaves onto a wire rack to cool immediately, don't leave them in the pan as they will sweat moisture which will soften the crust.

Farewell to Racing at Hidden Valley, at least for 2010

2010-09-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked by the HighRPM producers to present a small feature for their motorsports show on the 2010 wrap-up to the racing season.

Along with friend and fellow presenter Tamika Barnett (who I have now had the chance to work on a few projects with) we compiled the latest report, dedicated to showcasing what the Hidden Valley Drag Strip culture in Darwin is all about - safe relaxed, fun racing.

The upgrades to the track are due to be completed in time for the 2011 season and should not only bring a new level of competition to the region but will also make the exciting prospect of ANDRA pro series events to the northernmost part of Australia a reality.

In a media role the perks usually tend to include being able to get access to people who are identities in their particular sports and this time we were fortunate enough to be able to chat to big names like National ANDRA Pro Series competitor Matt Abel and Nigel Benson driver/owner of the popular Aussie Bandit Exhibition Wheelstander.

During the course of the first year running with the HighRPM team we have also met a lot talented musicians who are keen to work with us on production tracks. It was a meeting with Australia's latest rising stars of hard rock/metal Blackwater during a trip to South Australia this winter that scored us the rights to use some of their music for this compilation.

Watch the HighRPM featurette below. Presented by Auki Henry, Tamika Barnett, Christine Watts and Ed Forman.

Blackwater - Kicking it with the band

2010-09-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

I recently had the good luck of being invited to exercise my fledgeling photography skills to do a promo shoot for the exciting new Australian band Blackwater. I was travelling through Adelaide, South Australia visiting family when I got the offer, and not being one to knock back opportunity if it presents itself I simply couldn't refuse.

Obviously I was nervous about getting it right, but the chance to be involved working with talented people is always a driving factor with me. It was pure fortune that the bands lead guitarist Bam Morris had seen some of my video work with the HighRPM show that linked back to some amateur ( at the risk of humbling myself too much I can't stress the word amateur enough here ) photography I had archived. Lady luck smiles on me all too kindly some days, they liked my work and attitude enough to ask me if I'd do a small shoot with them.

Blackwater's History

Blackwater is a three piece hard rock/metal band, with Ben Baumann on vocals and bass guitar, Bam Morris on lead guitar and Trav Emms on drums. Blackwater was formed in mid 2008 when a chance meeting between Bam and Trav led to the three friends reuniting. With Trav and Ben still playing on a regular basis, the school mates were keen to get together and jam on songs that Bam had written. After a couple of rehearsals it was decided that new material should be written to encompass the influences of the whole group. The resulting sound was a mix of modern hard rock, big metal riffs, melodic vocals and punchy, groove based rhythms.

Much of the next two years were spent writing material while the band tightened it's sound in the rehearsal room. Ben took on the role of lead vocals with Bam covering back-up vocal duties. Blackwater's first gig was at one of Adelaide's most well known live music venues, the Crown and Anchor on the 24th of June 2010. Taking to the stage in support of fellow Adelaide band Quaero Verum, the Blackwater boys gave an awesome performance, showing that the long time spent on preparation was well worth it.

Since then, Blackwater has played many shows alongside Quaero Verum and other bands including Loaded Billy, Sirius, Another Day Another Tragedy, A Black Picture and Texas Embrace Them.

Growing Influence

With their fan base starting to grow globally the band has had to take a serious look at marketing to a wider audience. They have also reportedly been approached with music licencing requests for use on shows such as Darwin's HighRPM motorsports channel.

Blackwater takes time out to pose with me in Adelaide, August 2010.
L to R - Bam Morris, Auki Henry, Trav Emms, Ben Baumann
Image courtesy of photographer Katie Abraham.

With their planned singles release of 'Cut Down' coming soon and an eventual album release I am hoping they might be able to utilise a skillset I feel more confident with, that of making videos. Although music vids would be a completely new genre for me, I am confident I have the creative edge needed to make that jump, especially with such great music material to work with!

Visit them at the Official Blackwater page

The Perfect Pushup | Comes Aukiman Recommended

2010-08-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Now its not often I will go out of my way to publicly recommend a home fitness item, to be perfectly honest a lot of them are false representations and make far fetched claims about extraordinary gains for limited effort, basic human physiology dictates this isn't how it works.

A lot of people see the toned bodies and chiseled abs of the male and female TV models using advertised fitness products and get distracted by the eye candy blasting their abs or thighs or whatever the product is saying it does and then spend their money on an item that don't work as advertised, and which inevitably will eventually be sidelined in the closet somewhere and perhaps sold later at a lawn sale.

The truth of the matter is that those TV models already had that physique from hard work and training to begin with, long before they picked up that 'home fitness' item for the camera's.

I am pleased to say though that I have found an exception to the false claim rule in the Perfect Pushup, this astonishingly simple concept is a spin on the classic pushup exercise, quite literally. The rotation of the arms while performing the perfect pushup adds an extra dimension of exercise to the arms, chest and even lateral areas.

Buy Perfect Pushup products direct from Amazon :

Most of all, this has got to be one of the most inexpensive, portable pieces of equipment I have ever had in my arsenal of fitness products. I can't recommend this item enough to family and friends, and when people approach me to work out a training program for them this is one of the first items on my checklist for them to get.

Its as easy as sticking to the 21 day program the manufacturer includes with the product and you notice results in strength and firmness fast!

Do Toilets Flush Backwards in Australia?

2010-08-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

And the answer is a definite NO. The google search term for this one is intriguing and suggests its not such a widely written debunk of an old theory despite having been 'busted' on the popular show Mythbusters.

The text behind the myth is often based on a misunderstood theory that "toilets flush in one direction in the northern hemisphere and in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere due to the 'Coriolis Effect' ".

This myth has been perpetuated by popular television shows like the Simpsons and X-Files perhaps explaining the confusion in the public arena.

Now although the Coriolis Effect is real and measurable (due to the Coriolis Force), it is proportional to the mass of the object and in reality is so minute at a small scale compared to other factors that it is only really applicable to be described for object movements over great distances and broad segments of time, for example the movement of large weather formations in the atmosphere or water currents in the sea. Definitely not for a tiny enclosed system such as a sink drain or toilet bowl.

Generally toilets flush in the one direction constantly because of factors such as the shape of the bowl, the temperature and the angle that the water in that particular toilet enters the basin. If the stream of flushing water was encouraged to mostly enter from the opposite direction the water would then exit and spin in that opposite direction.

Because the influence of Coriolis Force is so weak the only way you are going to be able notice the Coriolis Effect in action at small scale is under very carefully controlled and averaged experimental lab conditions where all other factors of forces at play are isolated and removed from the equation.

An experiment such as this was indeed carried out and later published in the scientific journal 'Nature' without boring you with the raw data the scale of the experiment involved a large tank containing over 1000 L of water that had been allowed to settle for a full 24 hours in a temperature stabilised room before gently allowing the water to exit slowly. This experiment was duplicated and repeated in both hemispheres to confirm the action of the draining water. and so small were the forces involved that it took up to a full 15 minutes before any noticeable direction of vortex was achieved!

Aukiman's Oakleys for Sale!

2010-08-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a change of pace, I am downsizing my collection of Oakley sunglasses as I do not need more than two pairs surprise surprise! First up for auction are a set of Genuine Oakley Liv's we used in the 2009 Darwin Waterfront Promo Shoot.

They are in near mint condition apart from one tiny imperfection on the frame which is barely noticeable unless you look for it! The eBay auction is below!

The "River Cottage" Effect

2010-08-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

I had always prided fitting myself in to the class of being a reasonably modern urbanite, I had a healthy, but not obsessive, appetite for keeping up with those around me on the latest gadgets, gossip and lifestyle. That was till just a few short months ago however, when two life changing catalysts altered my thinking for what I realise is a better more sustainable future for both body and peace of mind. My lovely partner Katie who has been instrumental in bringing me back down to earth and helping me once again realise that excess is far from success and her sister for introducing us both to the almost magically romantic notion of downsizing as a smallholder in country England presented by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Channel 4 Reality/Documentary type TV series "River Cottage".

The four main seasons of this series follow Hugh's adventures from leaving his past in the big city and making an effort to become a self-sustaining small holder in Netherbury, Dorset. Starting out from small beginnings in a rented former game-keepers lodge he quickly makes friends with the locals, understandably helped by his personable character he also wins their hearts through his culinary skill and willingness to learn from them and help them in return.

Not only are his adventures via simple back-to-basics lifestyle choices a pleasure to watch, but his background in journalism and food-writing lend him an impeccable presenting style, the material and the way it is presented tells a story so appealing that you would be very hard pressed not to entertain wonderful thoughts of making his same dream your reality, and if not, at the very least you may find yourself making small changes to the same effect.

I am a great fan of the entire story and concept, but as a food lover I am also a convert to his robust completely home grown or locally sourced style of cooking and plan to be immersed as far as possible in the back-to-basics cooking ethos as I can. Get your hands on this series, it's a must see and guaranteed almost impossible not to fall in love with!

HighRPM Australia coming to the spotlight

2010-04-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Australian based project HighRPM is getting the gears rolling this year, literally. Aimed at the local motorsports scene in the Northern Territory the team aims to help the motoring community expose the enthusiasm and quality that exists by the bucketload but is rarely highlighted enough by the media.

Originally intended mostly for the web market with traditional website and forums focused mainly on local content the development team has also embraced the opportunity for airtime on digital television, encouraged by the realisation that video media is the best way to capture such a range of fast and dynamic sports.

With a four person presenting team made up of local identities from the Darwin area (Auki Henry, Tamika Barnett, Ed Forman, Christine Watts) and a talented development team working behind the scenes they intend initially on bringing featurette style articles to the public alongside their web platforms. This is shaping up to be a great concept for local motorsports in general and considering the amount of local interest it is generating will have plenty of support to get going.

Zerolizard Media put together a behind the scenes look at the media teams first presenter promo shoot at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin just last month (below).

The Best ( Alcoholic ) Eggnog

2009-12-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

Alcoholic Eggnog, with a kick! Auki's favourite kind.

The festive season is quickly approaching again, it seems to come faster every year so I have posted up my recipe for all to share.

I have received so many requests to use this recipe in writeups around the place that I am just going to write a standard disclaimer that anyone is free to publish this in any medium if they just link back to aukihenry.com

Ultimate Alcoholic Eggnog Recipe
This recipe has been an annual thing for me for over a decade now. It is the product of a few experimentation sessions and a love for all things festive. It packs a wicked punch and tastes creamy and indulgent. Ideal to get in to the holiday spirit (pun fully intended).

Beware - this eggnog is a very potent alcoholic cocktail. Please be mindful and drink responsibly, it goes down very easily.

Auki Henry's Ultimate Alcoholic Eggnog

( Approx 16 serves )

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white rum
3 cups full cream milk
3 cups whisky
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons sherry
2 cups heavy cream
Fresh ground nutmeg to taste

Method:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place into separate bowls.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2cup of the sugar, set aside.
Heat milk till it is just boiling then remove from heat, immediately add the yolk/sugar mix and whisk vigorously (this will let it cook slightly).
Set this mixture aside and let it cool thoroughly.
Beat egg-whites until stiff, then mix in other 1/2 cup of the sugar.
Pour the cooled yolk mixture into the whites and mix together thoroughly.
Stir in white rum slowly
Stir in whiskey slowly
Stir in brandy and sherry slowly
Stir in cream slowly

Serve chilled and sprinkle nutmeg on the top.

Luke Dickens - The Embodiment of Aussie Spirit

2009-11-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

Australian viewers will remember Luke from Season 6 of Australian Idol in 2008, the country boy born and bred in New South Wales who endeared a nation to him with not only amazing raw natural talent but also his incredibly honest and down to earth approach to life, the quiet and unassuming shearer who is the embodiment of what the Australian psyche would consider a true 'fair dinkum bloke'.

His time on Idol was all the more of an event for his fans as they watched Luke become a first time dad with the birth of his son Jordan as well as becoming a final 2 contender on the show just a few weeks later, all the while keeping his trademark cool. Amazing when you consider how stressful the experience of the Idol journey is on contestants who make it into the final 20, let alone having a new addition to the family during the competition.

And how did Luke deal with the pressure of being thrust out of his comfort zone and into the public spotlight on a top rating TV show? Just with his usual calm and straightforward approach that has made him such a popular bloke. When quizzed on this topic in an interview with 'WHO' luke replied quite matter-of-factly:

"I don't know. They're cameras, man. They're not guns. Lots of worse things could be happening. Life's easy when you think like that."

Now busily immersed in his Post-Idol career Luke has not had much time for rest; from a whirlwind of appearances such as tours and gigs both in Australia and the US to time in the studio and in front of the camera working on the release of his debut single and music video "Seize The Day". Through all this Luke still remains remarkably grounded, he regularly chats to his fans both in person and online and is always keen to share a laugh with people.

For such a hectic schedule it still amazes me how much time he makes to interact with the people around him in a very personal way. I think back to earlier this year when I published an article on ANZAC day, a topic close to my heart being an Australian soldier. I remember that one of the very first people to comment on that writeup was Luke out of the blue thanking me for sharing the article and explaining what ANZAC day meant to him as well.

Luke has only just completed shooting the last day of his "Seize the Day" music video so expect it to be available for viewing very soon. In the meantime enjoy this live performance of his single recorded at his recent guest appearance on the Kerri-Anne show.

The Health Hunters

2009-11-01T15:13:00.001-08:00

"How far would you go in the name of health?" asks the intriguing question on the facebook fan page of The Health Hunters crew.

One could be forgiven for not knowing where to start the soul-searching, but while you ponder just how far you might be willing to search make sure to watch as the crew give you some ideas you may well be hearing about for the very first time!

I recommend you keep a sharp lookout for this exciting new TV show which is coming soon, I got news of this concept via a chance meeting with a member of their development team and I have to say this is TV that promises to be fresh and original as well as entertaining.

On the show we join the presenters Chad and Shy on their global quest to discover unusual and bizarre therapies and remedies from age old cultures around the world. The concept video shows just a tiny snippet of what the show will be like . . .

"Shy is a holistic nutritionist with an enquiring mind and a zest for the quest. Chad is her adventurous sidekick we call him 'the guinea pig' . . . "

Both our presenters seem to have exactly what it takes to make the show a hit, from the fresh energy and radiance of Shy to the adventurous 'try anything' attitude of Chad (I can already see we are going to get some hilarious moments out of Chad) but besides their obvious on-screen charisma I have been told by the crew that they are both down to earth easy going characters in real life and just plain fun to be with, which is perhaps the attribute that makes their role and rapport with each other look so natural and most importantly perhaps, fun!

The Health Hunters project buzz has started and they have a fan page on Facebook already, please show your support and get in there early, click the banner below and become a fan! Personally I can't wait for the show to air in Australia, this one definitely has the two thumbs up from Aukiman!

Video | The Health Hunters Teaser

Foundations of Good Health, Fitness and Physique

2009-08-22T00:26:00.001-07:00

Good health, fitness and physique, realities for some, goals for others and for many it would seem just far-off dreams.

In fact you may be surprised to know these attributes are actually attainable by most people regardless of their current condition except in very extreme circumstances.

Let me make an important point right from the outset by stressing that there is no magic method for doing this in the long term. People looking for shortcuts and fad diets fall short of their goals or create problems for themselves in other areas of their health and well being.

The good news however is that if you are prepared to mentally set yourself to the task and are serious about achieving these goals then a methodical approach, some patience and a little bit of application will serve you well.

Continued progression and gradual but noticeable improvement also helps encourage you to continue for the long term. The decision to start down this path needs to be viewed not as a 'diet' but rather as a change of lifestyle, a change for the better, a permanent change.

The information given to you below is suprisingly not as widely known as it should be for the most part. In nations affected by the obesity epidemic governments are still very slow to saturate correct information to the public through their marketing machines. It is my belief that basic knowledge such as this should be pushed out there for FREE to people so they have the knowledge and power to help themselves.

This article is aimed at the average person wanting to know some solid basic truths, I will not go into too much technical detail but rather present information and techniques that can be used as guidelines for achieving your goals.

The Misinformation Minefield

Modern society is a media and internet minefield of misinformation, outdated thinking and unscrupulous marketers selling a variety of 'magic' solutions to those who are seeking help. Attitudes today are about easier and faster lifestyles, processed packaged foods, eating on the move and high levels of stress. The human body is tuned to eating basic unrefined foods where some work needs to be done to process the food into useful energy. Today's overabundance of easily attainable, highly refined foods and an increasing trend towards a sedentary lifestyle are the main reasons people become overweight and unfit.

The Fat Fallacy

I believe it is important to start by debunking the fat myths as this topic tends to be the one misunderstood by most people. Eating fat will not make you fat! DIETARY fat does not directly turn into BODY fat. Does this sound like it goes against what you have previously learned, or rather been told? If it does it is because it goes contrary to popular beliefs and even some outdated nutritional thinking. It is your body that controls how much fat you will store via the actions of hormones, specifically insulin and your body does not secrete insulin in response to fat laden foods. The food industry who have a share in the low fat / no fat market would like you to believe it will. Yes fat is an energy dense food, but a healthy body also needs certain amounts of fat for energy and essential nutrients, dietary fat is used by your body to help manufacture tissues and hormones. The simplistic approach of counting and cutting out the fat content in your diet will lead to your body missing out on important energy and nutrient sources. In fact a certain amount of fat in your diet can assist you in becoming leaner than if you had cut that fat out of your diet altogther.

The Importance of Dietary Fibre

Not only is fibre an important part of a balanced diet, it will also help to temper spikes in your blood sugar caused by your body's response to carbohydrates in varying degrees of refinement. In recent years it has been trendy to categorise foods according to their rating on the GI scale. While this is helpful if you happen to be a sufferer of diabetes, it is a very simplistic approach and does not take into account that foods when eaten together as a combination will temper the spike in blood sugar that would have occured if that food was eaten by itself. In very basic terms the less of a 'spike' the less chance of converting to storable body fat. Combining again with portions of meat and some healthy fat source will slow this even more, and again this is an excellent reason to remember to keep a balanced diet and not to follow any fad diets that promote cutting out sources of good nutrition.

The Sugar Complex

The above explanation of the importance of fibre makes a point that will help readers to understand the significance of this next one. Fruit is a necessary part of a healthy diet, if possible it should be consumed daily in moderation, however it is important to make a distinction between eating WHOLE FRUIT and drinking squeezed FRUIT JUICE. All fruit contains sugar, mostly in the form of fructose, whole fruit also contains a lot of fibre, as explained previously the presence of this fibre will temper the body's blood sugar reaction to the sugar content and therefore will not secrete so much insulin to regulate it. Fruit juice however is sugar rich, basically many pieces of fruit with all or most of the fibre removed, regardless of whether its freshly squeezed or re-constituted, the misconception people tend to make when validating drinking fruit juice at every meal is that it must be ok because it is 'natural sugar'. Here's the deal, sugar IS natural sugar, no matter what level of refinement it comes in. The body can use sugar in the form of glucose as immediate energy, excesses of glucose or other sugars however will be stored as lipids ( fat ). Put in the most simple context fruit sugars are fructose and need to be converted to glucose for use, the extra stage of this process will usually mean it will not be used as instant energy when the lifestyle of most people is taken into account and will then tend to be stored as fat. The lifestyle tip to remember here, eat whole fruit rather than processed fruit juice.

'Fad' is Bad

Don't fad/crash diet! Just don't. Fad diets tend to make wild promises about easy weightloss, obviously this is a huge temptation to anyone looking for a quick fix to their problems, it is also a huge mistake. If you are interested in losing weight seriously make changes to your lifestyle, long term ones. Ask yourself this; do you want to try to lose weight only to pile it on again (sometimes even more than before) after your diet is finished? Or would you like to change your lifestyle gradually so the new, leaner, fitter you is permanent and manageable? Marketers of fad diets will point to testimonials of fast weight loss and great results, with the standard disclaimer of 'results varying for individuals'. The truth of the matter is that while some will deliver a certain rate of weightloss it comes at a cost. I will use the well known Atkins 'diet' as an example. The Atkins method centres around the process of ketosis where a carbohydrate depleted metabolism attempts to use fats for its energy source, the initial rapid weightloss experienced by Atkins dieters is really a loss of water retention in the muscles due to depleted glycogen stores, further stages of weightloss include fat stores (albeit inefficiently) and also muscle wastage. The muscle wastage in itself hinders further fat metabolising as maintaining lean body muscle helps to boost your base metabolic rate, your body is also losing out on essential nutrients gained from other food sources that are left out of the diet. Statistically speaking it is reported that only around 1% of all fad dieters will actually achieve their goal and be able to maintain the levels they have reached. This is quite possibly due to exceptional circumstances in their physiological build rather than the merits of a diet that excludes so many foods that a healthy functioning human requires. If you are like me and do not like those odds, steer clear of the fad diets. Simply put, a diet which encourages you to cut out good sources of nutrition is not a healthy option.

Regime Versus Routine

I use these two words in a different context when it comes to exercise. An exercise regime can be a list of things you do to exercise, for example your gym program, your running schedule, days or times you go swimming, cycling or walking. This is a positive thing, every human needs to exercise. To see good results and to gain the most benefit, your regime should be varied, not just in exercise type but also intensity. This is where I will explain why in this context the word 'routine' can be less useful to your goals. The human body is an adaptable machine, when you exercise particular muscle groups the same way regularly they quickly become used to that and your body will begin to do that particular exercise more efficiently ie it will expend less energy doing it. If you repetetively do the same exercises the same way every time you will find that whether its fitness, strength or fatburning as your goal you will eventually reach a plateau in your gains. Varying the intensity of your workouts regularly is the key.

To Weigh or Not to Weigh?

This point is mostly a psychological helper. For the first couple of months of a new regime at least I normally recommend to people that they 'throw away the scales'(you dont physically have to throw them out, just pack them away 'out of sight out of mind'). If the objective is to get leaner or fitter, standard scales can be a mental hurdle to most and indeed one of the main reasons people will give up an otherwise promising regime. Weight is just one measurement out of many that will change if a body is in a state of flux, weight as a single measurement can also be deceiving as you may be gaining lean muscle weight at the same time as losing fat. Expect your body to change weight sometimes and not others, people who 'scale watch' tend to fail primarily because their body will at times level out on plateaus and they become disheartened watching their weight stay the same but not noticing their fitness increasing and their waistline decreasing. Gauging progress by weight alone can be the psychological hinderance that causes a person to give up their hard work under the false impression that they are not making gains.

The Spot Reduction Myth

I am approached quite regularly for advice on how to lose fat from specific body areas, the short sharp answer is 'You can't spot reduce'. This myth seems to be particularly leveraged by marketers who aim to get you to buy machines designed to 'tone' the abdominals or thighs, the truth is that while these machines may exercise the areas they target you will not see specific reductions in fat around those areas to get the 'toned' look the equipment is bought to achieve. Fat loss occurs uniformly over the body, if you want to lose fat from around the abs or thighs you need to have a total fat loss strategy to achieve it. The types of exercises that burn the most fat are those that stress the larger or compound muscle groups such as lifting weights or high intensity interval type cardio.

- Auki

How Hot is My Chilli ?

2009-08-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Just out of interest, and because I tend to forget the finer points of chilli talk when I need them to discuss them with friends (usually over a few beers the talk eventually leads to food, and then to chilli) I have placed the handy heat reference to help right here.

The 'heat' of a chilli is traditionally measured by the amount of capsaicin it contains. Obviously the 'heat' perception will vary from person to person as people have a differing density of taste buds, and therefore nerves to send the heat messages to the brain. Also regular chilli eaters are somewhat acclimatised to these fiery signals.

This 'heat' rating is measured in Scoville Heat Units or SHU. This is indicated on the Scoville scale (After its inventor, Wilbur Scoville), see below.

**Scoville scale ( from Wikipedia )**
Scoville rating	Type of pepper
15,000,000–16,000,000	Capsaicin
8,600,000–9,100,000	homocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin
5,000,000–5,300,000	Pepper Spray ( Law Enforcement Grade )
855,000–1,050,000	Bhut / Naga Jolokia
350,000–580,000	Red Savina Habanero
100,000–350,000	Habanero chili, Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Datil pepper, Rocoto, African Birdseye, Madame Jeanette
50,000–100,000	Thai Pepper, Malagueta Pepper, Chiltepin Pepper, Pequin Pepper
30,000–50,000	Cayenne Pepper, Ají pepper, Tabasco pepper, stronger Chipotle peppers, Cumari pepper
10,000–23,000	Serrano Pepper, weaker Chipotle peppers
2,500–8,000	Jalapeño , Guajillo, Anaheim pepper, Paprika
500–2,500	Poblano Pepper, Rocotillo Pepper
100–500	Pimento, Pepperoncini
0	Bell pepper

The Chilli Seed Bank

If you are interested in obtaining hard to get varieties, including the worlds hottest, you can order seeds ( or other quality chilli products ) from the Chilli Seed Bank. They have easy ordering with various payment options for both Australian and international customers!

Mouthburners

Keep an eye out for this site opening soon hailed as being 'the ultimate chilli resource' mouthburners.com should be more good news for chilliheads everywhere.

Swing It

2009-08-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

"Falling In Love to a 6-Beat Rhythm"

Australian based independent film producer Quito Washington is now in the post production stages of his latest feature film "Swing It". After a gruelling schedule of shooting on location and travelling we were able to briefly catch up with him during a moment of rest to find out where he is at with his latest creation.

We understand you have just returned from Sydney recently for film related business?

Quito: Yes this weekend was good. Met with the people at AtLabs to discuss the color correction of my films and generally making the visuals look sweeter, I could try and do it myself, but you know, the reason that I gave them was that they could do it better, and faster, than me trying to do it, really would be a pointless exercise because they would know the limits of what could be done.

So what stage of post production has this brought you to?

Quito: where are we at with it? Well, the best way to say is "on track", as promised the film is visually done - watched it on a big screen and honestly, it changed the way you view the film. Watching it on a TV screen, any TV screen, is still just "a TV screen" I've never appreciated John Goodman, one day I may use him in a film, but at the moment, he does nothing for me, seems to play the same role every time. So I watched my film on a big canvas screen and it was just magic, I think everyone should take the time to watch the movie they love on a big canvas screen, push it up to wall size but not plasma or LCD, a serious canvas sheet.

And continuing where is this taking you to eventually?

Quito: So from here, the colour correction, the trailer, and then the DVD will be "ready", then we begin our film festival strategy to raise awareness of the film, attract distributors, travel a bit with the film through our best markets, Asia and India so this should be hitting shelves in about 18 months when all is said and done.

QUITO WASHINGTON FILMOGRAPHY

PRODUCER - Short Films
1998 Son of a Preacher Man screened at CSUSM film festival night
1999 A Girl A Train and A Pager (short film, various film festivals)
1999 Vampire’s Kiss (short film, various film festivals)
2000 Midnight in front of the Fridge (short film, various film festivals)
2001 A Murder Most Successful (short film, various film festivals)
2002 The Cockroach animation screened at Darwin’s Fist Full of Films
2002 Moments Before the Bus (short film, various film festivals)
2003 Self-Satisfaction screened at Coff’s Harbour Cool Bananas Festival
2003 171 entrant to Brisbane Short Film Festival
2003 Caught winner of International Prize at Independent Filmmakers Coalition of Kansas City
2003 Lara Croft: Destination Australia
2003 1-800-Call-Bill screened at Darwin’s Fist Full of Films
2003 She Thinks He Thinks entrant into Darwin’s Fist Full of Films
2003 Disappear
2004 Corner of the Earth screened at the Down Under International Film Festival
2004 The House
2004 Suffer Kate: episodes 1-7
2004 Regret entrant into Darwin’s Fist Full of Films
2005 Reason 2 Kill screened in Sydney, Darwin, Los Angeles, and New York City
currently in distribution negotiations.
2005 (I Was) Waiting For You To Notice winner best Northern Territory film at the Down Under International Film Festival
2005 Top 100 finalist in Project Greenlight Australia for "Always A Bridesmaid" feature length script (which was subsequently filmed as an independent feature length production)
2006 Top 50 finalist in Project Greenlight Australia for “Earthbound”.

Producer - Full Length Films
2004 Always A Bridesmaid produced (Full Length Film)
http://www.afc.gov.au/filmsandawards/recentfilms/cannes06/feature_159.aspx
2005 Reason 2 Kill produced (Full Length Film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473385/
2008 My Last Night in Singapore in festival rotation (Full Length Film)

The Aukiman Tattoo Project

2009-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

The decision to get inked is a personal one, easier for some than others. Some opting for the urge to get inked on the spur of the moment after a wild night out, others deliberating over the matter and finally deciding months or even years later on what to do. Most who have tattoos will say that they got them for a specific reason such as a meaningful time in their lives or to remember someone, some will get tattoos for fashion because they feel more sexy or adventurous wearing them, others opt for tattoos simply because they love the design element and sometimes even design their own themselves.

My own opinion on the matter is that I needed to use a certain combination of caution and good judgment, when finally considering the real possibility of wearing a tattoo I spent the 10 months previous to this article taking into account where my future employment opportunities might take me, the impact this may have on opinions of those nearest and dearest to me, even as far as imagining what the skin might be like on various parts of my body in years to come. Originally I had thoughts of getting a tattoo on my neck but realised this would be too limiting in terms of employment or roles in independent film, for me at any rate.

I have finally reached my decision that concealability suits my own life choices the best and have opted for a quarter sleeve and my own tastes run to tribal patterns of sorts. Now even at this stage of planning there is still a fair way to go. I know my tattoo interests are mostly in the design and I prefer tribal theme's and pattern type tattoo's but here again are a number of paths I could take. While I have a celtic heritage and it would be good to be able to tie some meaning to that I have found a lot of the traditional celtic knot designs are a little too intricate.

One design that caught my eye over the last few months and I constantly keep referring back to is the Samoan design quarter sleeve of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Dwayne travelled to Hawaii to fulfill the Samoan tradition of having his family history tattooed on him, the artist incorporating deep meaning of both family and tradition into the design at the same time as skillfully fitting the work on to the curves of his musculature.

This highlights another possible path I could take, the other half of my heritage is Melanesian in origin (Papua New Guinea), the tattoo designs of this area tend to be geometric motifs and abstract depictions of everyday objects which could quite easily be adapted into a design of my preference.

Testing the Final Design

Testing designs for 'The Aukiman Tattoo Project' will be an important part on finalising the design I will hopefully eventually wear permanently, it is one thing to see a two dimensional flat pattern design on paper, but when translating that design onto a body with curves and ratios I want to see for myself the effect as well as give the tattoo artist a definite guide of what I want done. A photographer supplied template is the ideal testing environment. In the example above superimposing Dwayne Johnson's Polynesian tattoo design gives me a fairly precise view of what it would look like against my frame and body curves and would also allows for the adjustment of various ratios.

We will be using this technique of course to decide on the final pattern and placement. What we are looking for now is expressions of interest from tattoo designers/artists who can work with us on "The Aukiman Tattoo Project" to completion.

Wanted Tattoo Designers/Artists

Expressions of interest? If you are interested in getting the commission plus the free publicity for this project please contact us using the form below.

Happiness meets Cute with Buono!

2009-07-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Introducing the all female Japanese idol pop group to the western world, the beautiful Buono! girls Airi Suzuki, Miyabi Natsuyaki and Momoko Tsugunaga.

Buono! was formed in 2007 and was created from under the Hello! Project which is an all female recording artists collective.

Their trademark sound is a mix of catchy upbeat music and fun energetic lyrics, and although the lyrics are japanese the girls deliver their music with such heart and cute energy that it is immediately watchable even by those who do not converse in their language.

Their discography to date includes 2 albums release in 2008 and 2009 and 8 Singles all of which have been used as themes in the popular anime series Shugo Chara!

Click Here : Lyrics for "Honto No Jibun"

Buono! Honto No Jibun from Transfer on Vimeo.

Ron Douglas on KFC's Original Recipe Secret

2009-07-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Ron Douglas is the man who has devoted his time to discovering the recipe secrets of famous world wide chain restaurants perhaps most famously the closely guarded secret of KFC's Original Recipe Chicken 11 herbs and spices which he has been trying to recreate for years.

His website recipesecrets.net was founded in 2003 and has attracted such a large following that he reportedly quit his position as finance manager at JP Morgan two years ago to pursue his culinary passions. He also hires part time chefs to help reverse engineer a host of other famous and popular recipes

Douglas has revealed that a key to KFC's secret recipe could be the generous use of 'Accent', a brand of MSG. He has admitted that even with his recipe a home chef hoping to recreate the KFC trademark chicken probably wouldnt be able to without the commercial pressure fryers the restaurant chain uses.

The title of the new book which contains the copycat KFC recipe is "America's Most Wanted Recipes "

Penny Robinson - Hits of 2009

2009-07-21T14:26:00.001-07:00

"Penny - Hits of 2009" is the amazing debut album from singer/songwriter Penny Robinson, after the european success of her single release "Wishing".

The original has been remixed as a Radio Mix by Bryce Porter from Torchstone and included as a bonus track in the hits of 2009 lineup.

Hits of 2009 showcases the singer's personal material and reveals the fun, sensual and glamorous side of who she is.

"There are defining moments in all our lives . . ." says record producer Mark Skellen "and this will be the one for Penny personally being introduced to the world."

Available In Stores + Online November 01

Ed Forman's Wild RX2

2009-07-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Darwin is comparitively small when it comes to the rotary scene, through the late 80's and for over a decade the street scene was dominated by the V8's here, with the occasional fast 6 or 4 popping its headlights up into the classes.

Over the last few years however a growing group of local rotary fans have slowly changed that showing the true potential of what they can do with their cars. The ideas and innovations in the rotary scene around Australia in fact has begun to earn the country big kudos and with the information available nowadays the Darwin rotary scene has not wasted time in using this to its advantage and turning it into respect. The V8 crowd have really begun to sit up and take notice especially with Ed Forman's latest debut.

Ed Forman is a fan of tough street cars and over time his passions have turned to small tough cars that pack a huge punch. Ed's turbocharged 13B Bridgeport is an engine that packs just that sought after performance and delivers it to his RX2 so easily that

driving it has become just a 'hop in and turn the key and forget about it' daily event. What is remarkable about this car is its ability to change from a reliable (if not somewhat powerful) daily driver to a vitamin enhanced strip eater with the press of a button thanks to its custom mapped microtech setup.

Ed has been building cars for years in one form or another, not just rotors but the big V's as well, he's not a one-eyed rotor fan by any means nor is he a subscriber to any particular number of cylinders or configuration instead Ed has tried his hand at a few, this just happens to be his latest passion. He does freely admit though that he has become very impressed with the versatility and incredible potential that a rotary has and he has researched his options on this car to a great depth.

Indeed when you get a chance to look over it closely and hear it running you begin to get the idea of how thoroughly he has done this most recent project, not to mention the countless weekends and late nights that slip past. As many project car builders will tell you, it wont happen without the hard work, long hours or dedication.

Besides having the knowledge of how to build and manage the project with his own resources Ed also had enough experience to know that he couldn't just strap on a monster turbo and hope magic would follow, the numbers associated with a proper engine tuneup are enough to give most people a headache.

In this case though the tune-up came in the shape of international rotary expert Anthony Rodrigues from Maztech in Melbourne who was called on for the final stages of configuring the car and tuning her up. The motor itself was built by Lino Alessi from Maztech, the Maztech name is synonymous for quailty, power and reliability in the Oz rotary scene.

The turbo is a meaty Garret GT42r currently assisting with 12psi boost on the street which gives him a comfortable 380rwhp for city driving, on the strip the Michrotech LT10s assists in transforming this to 25psi (on C16 race fuel) giving 570rwhp, which considering the car itself weighs only 1000kg gives it a nice power/weight ratio.

Even here though Ed has left room to move till he gets used to the current configuration and dials in a little more. On the RX2's first ever quarter mile run with no feel to the new car's ins and outs it pulled an easy 10.20 seconds at 138mph, since that first run Ed has begun to get the feel of the gears and has also steadily improved reaction times but is still holding back somewhat till he figures out her handling a little better at which point he will dial in more of the boost and let it go crazy. Maztech themselves have predicted with a little extra boost the car will run easy 9.6's down the 1/4. Judging by the initial run we are sure the figures are going to be impressive!

The engine gets the horsepower to the ground via a stock Series 5 Turbo 5 speed gearbox and the drivetrain has a custom 3" tailshaft that spins to the diff. We're not giving out any prizes for guessing Ed has a 9" diff up the back to handle the transfer of power to the wheels. With this sort of snap anything less bulletproof might spell disaster.

Inside, the car has an ANDRA spec custom fitted 6 point rollcage made by We'reabout Engineering in Darwin. The racing seats are single piece fibreglass moulded with cloth covers and both driver and passenger strap into them with 5 point RCI harnesses.

The only differences between street and strip trim besides the C16 Race Fuel mix is that the tyres are changed over to Mickey Thompson 26x8.5x15" slicks on the rear and 4" mickey thompson front runners for the front.

Unfortunately for the time being; due to the phenomenal performance of the cars first few runs at the strip it now falls into the category of car that needs to have a fitted race parachute for assisted braking so this is now in the works before Ed can take it down the strip on more official races. We hope to see him back again soon!

Owner: Edmund Forman

Age: 34

Occupation: IT Team Leader

Engine: Mazda 13B Bridgeport, Injected

Turbo: Garret GT42R

ECU: Microtech LT10s with igniter Box

Trans: Ford Toploader with Liberty Gear set

Diff: Ford 9"

Suspension: Front - Original, Back - Custom, parts from hilux and tarago etc for drag racing

Brakes: Front - Commodore, Back - RX5 Disks

Wheels: Simmons 17" OM’s

Colour: Custom Orange with a Blue Pearl

Power: 570Rear Wheel Horse Power

Best Time to date: 10.20 @138mp

Build Time: 3 years and a lot of Rum and Wild Turkey

Cost: Don’t ask

Aukiman is on FaceBook

2009-07-16T12:39:00.001-07:00

Steyr Night Shoot NWS

2009-07-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Day and night shoot at Robertson Barracks MTR. Steyr with NWS. Soldiers on the footage are with the special unit recon squadron ( force surveillance ) from NORFORCE at Larrakeyah Barracks.

Aukiman Live Fire Range @ Night - The funniest videos are a click away

Aukiman is on Twitter

2009-07-15T15:13:00.002-07:00

ETQW Ranks Insignia

2009-07-15T15:04:00.001-07:00

For the game Enemy Territory Quake Wars

Couldn't find this easily on google, surprisingly seeing as the game is quite widespread now. Anyway, dug through the community forums and some helpful person posted them so here they are for those that have been looking!

ETQW | Enlisted Ranks

ETQW | Field Officers

Keywords: Enemy Territory Quake Wars, ETQW, Ranks, Badges, Insignia, Icons, Rank List, Rank Icons, Rank Badges, Quake Wars Military Ranks, Strogg, ETQW Rank Insignia, RadioAukiman

Aukiman's Alcoholic Eggnog

2009-07-15T14:48:00.001-07:00

Alcoholic Eggnog, with a kick! Auki's favourite kind.

Auki Henry's Ultimate Alcoholic Eggnog

( Approx 16 serves )

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white rum
3 cups full cream milk
3 cups whisky
2 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons sherry
2 cups heavy cream
Fresh ground nutmeg to taste

Method:

Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place into separate bowls.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2cup of the sugar, set aside.
Heat milk till it is just boiling then remove from heat, immediately add the yolk/sugar mix and whisk vigorously (this will let it cook slightly).
Set this mixture aside and let it cool thoroughly.
Beat egg-whites until stiff, then mix in other 1/2 cup of the sugar.
Pour the cooled yolk mixture into the whites and mix together thoroughly.
Stir in white rum slowly
Stir in whiskey slowly
Stir in brandy and sherry slowly
Stir in cream slowly

Serve chilled and sprinkle nutmeg on the top.

Lest we forget | The proud ANZAC legacy

2009-07-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

The Birth of the ANZAC Legend

In the darkness of the early hours of Sunday 25 April 1915 an operation began that would eventually shape the spirit of unity of the fledgling nations of Australia and New Zealand. The battle to take the Gallipoli Peninsula was to last 8 months almost 50,000 ANZAC’s were committed to the front fighting alongside their British, French and Indian allies. By withdrawal it had cost the lives of over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealanders as well as many more allied and Turkish soldiers.

Although the campaign did not achieve its military goal it birthed a powerful legacy, the Anzac Spirit, which today is an important part of the national identity of both Australia and New Zealand. (ANZAC is the name given to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps).

Occasionally I am asked by friends or family as to why the Gallipoli campaign has become the focal point of remembrance for Anzac day? There were, after all, other campaigns with equal or even worse hardships, there were other battles with famous victories, sometimes against amazing odds; in fact the campaign if not a defeat, was most certainly not a success. The answer is quite simply that Gallipoli was Australia and New Zealand’s violent introduction to the Great War. It is of special significance because it was our first true campaign, the

first time Australia as one whole nation had been in a major conflict and its cost to us was dear. News of the fateful landing had an incredible impact on the public back home and the event was forever etched as one of the most significant moments in the country’s short history.

Anzac day is a calendar day when the people of Australia and New Zealand remember this first national action, but the point of the Anzac day itself is not about the remembrance of an event or a date, it represents many more things, human spirit, mateship, co-operation and unselfishness, sacrifice, courage in the face of adversity, it is a solemn memorial of heartbreak and suffering and a reflection about the futility of war. It is also a reminder of the responsibility we should all take to ensure our own future and that of those we love. The 25th of April is now broadly recognised as a day to remember our service men and women who have served and died in all wars, conflicts, peacekeeping, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance missions, a day also to spare a thought for our troops who are still serving in operations around the globe and to wish them a safe return home.

I live in Darwin, Australia. For me Anzac day typically begins early at around 0500, assembling on base at Larrakeyah Barracks with my unit for a traditional ‘Gunfire Breakfast’ which is basically coffee mixed with rum. From there the regiment is loaded on buses and driven down to the dawn service which takes place at the Cenotaph in Bicentennial Park on the Esplanade. The turnout most years is generally a few thousand people. Modern dawn services will commonly feature similar themes across Australia,

with an introduction and history, public addresses, songs, recitations and a period of silence to remember those lost. In Darwin the dawn service starts when the RSL contingent is honoured as they make their customary march from the RSL Club on Cavenagh St to the Cenotaph. For me the dawn service is an incredibly touching ceremony and I generally am holding back tears as ‘The Last Post’ is played by a solitary bugler. By mid morning we begin mustering in the staging area on the Esplanade prior to the commencement of our march through the city centre. The march contingents represent war veterans and current serving members of the Australian Defence Force as well as Australian Defence Force Cadets and other uniformed groups. Darwin has a big military representation here from all armed services so the line-up in the staging area can stretch for quite a distance. Occasionally we will have visiting US Armed Forces who will also take part in the parade and activities. At the conclusion of the parade it is back to base again with the regiment where members and their families gather for a barbeque and the customary two-up games that follow. It is tribute to the national importance of Anzac Day that the 25th of April is the only day when it is legal to play two-up outside an officially licenced venue in Australia.

Time dims the memory of ordinary events, but not great events. In a nation’s history, great events, whether in peace or war, live in our memories regardless of time. They are deemed great not necessarily for what they achieve, nor for whether they are reckoned to be victories or successes. Rather, the great events are distinguished by the quality of the human endeavour they call upon, by the examples they create for ordinary men and women, and by the legends they inspire. So it is with ANZAC day
- General public address from defence.gov.au

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
- Ode of Remembrance ( 3rd and 4th Versus )

“Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well.”
- Kemal Ataturk ( an inscription on the Gallipoli Memorial in Turkey )

A Pittance of Time | Terry Kelly

Terry Kelly is an acclaimed singer/songwriter from Canada. He is probably best known for his Remembrance Day ballad ( movie below ) “A Pittance of Time”. It has since been adopted worldwide by English speaking nations as a general tribute to all their service men and women both past and present. Underneath the video is a short story on the events that inspired Terry to write this moving piece.

About The Song :On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.When eleven oclock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.Terrys anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, A Pittance of Time. Terry later recorded A Pittance of Time and included it on his full-length music CD, The Power of the Dream.

This article is also kindly mirrored at : bcavanagh.com

To be an Australian soldier . . .

2009-07-13T14:37:00.001-07:00

My Opinion
The chance to spend some time giving back to the country that you love and call home is a powerful calling for many.
The long traditions and history of the military make it an ideal setting to learn concepts of respect and co-operation that seem sadly to be lacking in today’s western societies.

For me there has been no greater honour than to earn the right to wear the uniform of my country.

Soldiers from various countries will of course have different reasons for their patriotic attachment and different viewpoints about what makes them proud to serve their nation. Mine happens to be the Anzac spirit, the legend that helped to forge Australia’s national identity as it is today.

The Anzac Legend lives on in the soul of this country that I call home. It is invoked in the spirit of the Australian population during times of hardships and natural disaster when we come together, we unselfishly support or provide help to those in need, not just for Australia but for others around the world in times of need.

I think what sums it up best is already written on a small piece of paper pinned next to the computer I am writing this on. An army pamphlet with a message true to the heart of most digger’s I have ever worked with.

I’m proud to share traditions built on the foundation of the Anzac legend.
I’m proud to build on the heritage of service, mateship and sacrifice of previous generations.
I’m proud to serve the Australian people by securing their future.
I’m proud to secure peace and safety for the people of other countries when they need help