Skip to main content

history

Joan Ross

joanross.com.au

World's Strangest Research Vessel Heads for Scrapyard After 60 Years

maritime-executive.com

EXP TV

exptv.org

Endless stream of obscure media and video ephemera

How a suburban skate ramp drew pro skateboarder Tony Hawk to Tasmania in the 90s

abc.net.au

On December 3, 1990, world-renowned professional skateboarder Tony Hawk dropped into a ramp on a skateboard in the suburb of Rosny in Hobart.

Hawk performed “pretty much” every trick possible on a vert ramp — a ramp with a flat bottom and steep vertical section at the top — in front of a captivated audience drawn from all over the state.

His presence, on one of a handful of public skate ramps in Tasmania at the time, was unbelievable.

It was his first and only visit to Tasmania.

Our Friend The Computer — Australia's Microbee Computer

ourfriendthe.computer

After the girls discuss recent tech-art exhibitions they’ve seen in New York and London, Camila introduces Ana to some stories about the history of computer eduction in Australian schools. This months episode is a two-for-one! Firstly, we learn about a government plan to develop an especially Australian computer for use in schools with options for networking and for portable ‘laptop-style’ use. Then we hear about the rise and fall of the ‘Microbee’ computer—Australia’s first home-grown personal computer. This computer, which was designed and manufactured in Australia, controlled a large portion of the primary school computer market not just in Australia but also Scandinavia and Russia, winning contracts over Apple!