Sam the Koala goes on view at Melbourne Museum

From today, visitors to Melbourne Museum will be able to see Sam the Koala, a powerful and internationally recognised symbol of the tragedy of Victoria’s bushfires.

Sam became the most famous koala in the world when images of her were seen by millions of people around the globe following Victoria’s devastating bushfires in February 2009.

“The images of Sam and her rescuers came to define the wonderful spirit of community and friendship that is now helping Victoria rebuild – and I commend the people who worked so hard to care for her,” said The Hon Lynne Kosky, Minister for the Arts.

“It is fitting that Sam will have a permanent home in the Melbourne Museum where children and families will be able to visit her and learn about her story.”

 “For millions of people here in Australia and overseas, Sam the Koala represents the tragic impact of the summer 2009 bushfires on people’s lives,” said Dr J Patrick Greene, CEO, Museum Victoria.

“Sam became a symbol of the enormous loss felt by so many in the aftermath of last year’s terrible bushfires, and for this reason I believe it’s important that visitors from Victoria, across Australia and from overseas can see Sam and be reminded of her story and the events of Black Saturday.”

He added, “At the Museum, Sam will help visitors of all ages to reflect on events, such as natural disasters, that shape our lives.”

Sam’s public story started a week before Black Saturday when she was filmed drinking from a firefighter’s water bottle after being caught in a controlled back-burning operation. On February 6, Sam was located on Samson Road, Mirboo North, by Wildlife Rescue and Protection (WRAP) volunteers and taken to the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter (SAWS), a shelter specialising in the treatment of burns. Sam was among more than 100 fire-injured koalas cared for at SAWS following the bushfires.

The publication of Sam’s image became headline news around the world, when she became a symbol of hope and resilience amidst the loss and trauma of Australia’s worst bushfires on record. Her story also involves the thousands of people in the community, many of them volunteers, who play a vital role in responding to bushfires and their aftermath.

Sam recovered from her burns but sadly was later euthanized due to Chlamydiosis, a disease which is widespread in koalas and is exacerbated by loss of habitat. Sam’s display at Melbourne Museum will help educate visitors about how environmental change – including climate change – is affecting Australia’s native flora and fauna, particularly through drought and bushfire.

Visitors to Melbourne Museum can see Sam the Koala in the main foyer of Melbourne Museum. Admission to the main foyer is free. In late March Sam will move to the Victorian environment section of Wild: Amazing animals in a changing world, the Museum’s latest exhibition. Sam will be part of a display teaching visitors about biodiversity and issues such as climate change and population growth.    

– ENDS – 

Sam the Koala goes on view at Melbourne Museum

From today, visitors to Melbourne Museum will be able to see Sam the Koala, a powerful and internationally recognised symbol of the tragedy of Victoria’s bushfires.

Sam became the most famous koala in the world when images of her were seen by millions of people around the globe following Victoria’s devastating bushfires in February 2009.

“The images of Sam and her rescuers came to define the wonderful spirit of community and friendship that is now helping Victoria rebuild – and I commend the people who worked so hard to care for her,” said The Hon Lynne Kosky, Minister for the Arts.

“It is fitting that Sam will have a permanent home in the Melbourne Museum where children and families will be able to visit her and learn about her story.”

 “For millions of people here in Australia and overseas, Sam the Koala represents the tragic impact of the summer 2009 bushfires on people’s lives,” said Dr J Patrick Greene, CEO, Museum Victoria.

“Sam became a symbol of the enormous loss felt by so many in the aftermath of last year’s terrible bushfires, and for this reason I believe it’s important that visitors from Victoria, across Australia and from overseas can see Sam and be reminded of her story and the events of Black Saturday.”

He added, “At the Museum, Sam will help visitors of all ages to reflect on events, such as natural disasters, that shape our lives.”

Sam’s public story started a week before Black Saturday when she was filmed drinking from a firefighter’s water bottle after being caught in a controlled back-burning operation. On February 6, Sam was located on Samson Road, Mirboo North, by Wildlife Rescue and Protection (WRAP) volunteers and taken to the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter (SAWS), a shelter specialising in the treatment of burns. Sam was among more than 100 fire-injured koalas cared for at SAWS following the bushfires.

The publication of Sam’s image became headline news around the world, when she became a symbol of hope and resilience amidst the loss and trauma of Australia’s worst bushfires on record. Her story also involves the thousands of people in the community, many of them volunteers, who play a vital role in responding to bushfires and their aftermath.

Sam recovered from her burns but sadly was later euthanized due to Chlamydiosis, a disease which is widespread in koalas and is exacerbated by loss of habitat. Sam’s display at Melbourne Museum will help educate visitors about how environmental change – including climate change – is affecting Australia’s native flora and fauna, particularly through drought and bushfire.

Visitors to Melbourne Museum can see Sam the Koala in the main foyer of Melbourne Museum. Admission to the main foyer is free. In late March Sam will move to the Victorian environment section of Wild: Amazing animals in a changing world, the Museum’s latest exhibition. Sam will be part of a display teaching visitors about biodiversity and issues such as climate change and population growth.    

– ENDS –

Sports Island heads to DS!

Hudson Soft’s classic sports series comes to DS with 10 all-new events

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is to bring Hudson Soft’s popular Sports Island series to Nintendo DS in May 2010, with a special edition featuring 10 all-new events specifically designed for the handheld.

Sports Island DS uses a combination of the touch screen capabilities of the hardware and button use to give the player total control within its 10 events. Players can try their hand at Rugby, Table Tennis, Sepak Takraw (a version of Volleyball wherein players kick the ball as opposed to punching it), Arm Wrestling, Bobsled, Climbing, Sky-Diving, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Golf, and Cheerleading.

Hudson Soft has worked tirelessly to ensure each sport boasts a unique control system, with players steering their on-screen Sky-Diver into position, for instance, or chasing and flicking towards the target on the screen to shoot Clay Pigeons. This adds an incredible amount of variety to the game, with Rugby fans given control over every pass, try and run, while timing and precision play a greater part in the likes of Bobsled, Table Tennis or Arm Wrestling.

Sports Island DS can be played alone or with six players working together – Climbing as a team, for instance – or against each other using just one copy of the game. Players can also set up leagues to keep track of the best performers in each event, while bespoke teams can be created and giving individual names to personalise them. Likewise, the avatars used in-game can also be edited, allowing players to actually put themselves and their friends in the game.

About KONAMI CORPORATION

KONAMI CORPORATION was established in 1973, and became a holding company on March 31, 2006. KONAMI CORPORATION covers the fields of “Digital Entertainment Business”, “Health & Fitness Business” and “Gaming & System Business”. KONAMI CORPORATION went public on Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, the London Stock Exchange in 1999, and the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Home Page URL: www.konami.co.jp. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary, responsible for popular franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Pro Evolution Soccer amongst other top sellers. For more information concerning Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH and its products, please visit www.konami-europe.com/games.

About HUDSON SOFT COMPANY, LIMITED

HUDSON SOFT CO. LTD., was established in 1973, and creates and provides various own brand games for home-use video game consoles, as well as aggressively promoting digital download content. Additionally HUDSON conducts wide range of other businesses, including provision of mobile contents, PC games, music, visuals and e-commerce. For more information, please visit:  http://www.hudson.co.jp/index_e.html

Lenovo Pushes ThinkPad Brand to the Edge

Lenovo Introduces First ThinkPad Laptops Featuring VISION Pro Technology from AMD

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA– January 14, 2010: Lenovo today announced a new ThinkPad laptop series designed to push ThinkPad design and innovation to the edge. Simply called “ThinkPad Edge,” the 13, 14 and 15 inch models are designed specifically for small to medium sized business (SMB) customers. The 13 inch model represents one of the first ThinkPad laptops to offer AMD’s VISION Pro Technology. In addition to performance, the new laptops are designed with style and affordability in mind for today’s budget-conscious customers. For example, they include new rich and vibrant colour choices and a new contemporary keyboard.

“Small to medium business customers tell us they want PCs with bold yet professional designs, uncompromising durability and reliability with the latest technologies that meet their budgets,” said Chris Kelly, Product and Marketing Director, Lenovo, Australia and New Zealand. “Our answer is the new ThinkPad Edge family of laptops. They deliver stunning technology and powerful performance at unprecedented value.”

Click here to watch a video introduction to the ThinkPad Edge laptops.

Sophisticated and Simple Design

The ThinkPad Edge Series laptops reflect a new progressive and strikingly clean appearance while retaining ThinkPad durability and reliability. For example, the laptops include spill-resistant keyboards and value-added ThinkVantage Technologies like the Active Protection System and Rescue and Recovery.

However, the new laptops blend expressive design and ease of use in several new ways:

• Contemporary Keyboard – A new contemporary keyboard gives the laptop a clean and inviting look. Uniform black keys and removal of the embedded number pad also help create a modern design. The Function keys have even been re-designed so that users only need to use one finger to access multimedia functions and more. Other rarely used keys like System Request have been removed. Additionally, select models of the ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 inch versions will come with illuminated keyboards for visibility in low light conditions while adding a touch of elegance to the keyboard.
• Expanded Touchpad – A large multitouch touchpad provides an oversized landing pad for fingers to pinch, zoom and scroll.
• Expressive, Colourful Palette – Midnight glossy or midnight soft black remain the traditional colour for business, but for those who want to make a statement, ThinkPad Edge laptops come in heatwave red too. Additionally, a sleek silver band frames the exterior of the laptop.

SMB Performance Gets New Edge

Lenovo designed the ThinkPad Edge Series to give SMB customers stylish and eye-catching designs with high performance, reliability and the latest technologies including:

• Great performance with choices of AMD Athlon Neo dual core processors or Intel Core 2 Duo ultra low voltage processors¹
• Optimised for Windows 7 under Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience program
• Long battery life of up to eight hours²
• Wireless connectivity technologies including WiFi and optional Bluetooth and  3G
• Crisp and clear voice over Internet protocol with Skype™ software, high definition speakers, low light sensitivity cameras and microphone and camera mute keys
• Commitment to green technology. The laptops meet Energy Star 5.0 criteria. The Edge laptops contain no foam and use many materials which are derived from 100 percent recycled content, such as thermoplastic, sugarcane or sorghum

“AMD energy efficient desktop PCs have proven successful for Lenovo in Australia. Now our partnership extends to a new level with AMD VISION Pro Technology in the Lenovo ThinkPad notebook range. These new products represent a great opportunity for both of our companies, especially with SMB, Education, and Government customers,” said Caleb Leung, Country Manager, AMD Australia. “By basing these laptops on VISION Pro Technology, Lenovo is enabling customers to gain a competitive advantage with performance you can see on today’s collaboration and visual productivity applications, unbeatable value at every price point and a means of eliminating IT headaches through open standards manageability and security features.”

Total Service and Support

Lenovo also offers a full suite of flexible service and support solutions for the new ThinkPad Edge Series.  Lenovo-branded services give customers and business partners a single source solution that helps minimise risks and increases protection and productivity.

These services include:

• ThinkPad Protection to protect from unexpected repair costs in case of accidents or spills
• Priority Support for 24/7 tech-to-tech support
• Hard Disk Drive Retention that lets customers keep their failed or damaged hard drive to ensure data remains safely in their hands

Pricing and Availability³

The ThinkPad Edge 13 inch version will be available now with models starting at approximately $999.00 through Lenovo Business Partners and www.lenovo.com.au.  The 14 and 15 inch versions will be available starting in mid April. All prices quoted include GST.

For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centres in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.au.

¹Available on 13 inch ThinkPad Edge models.

²Select models including the ThinkPad Edge 13 inch with Intel SU7300 and 6-cell battery and ThinkPad Edge 14 and 15 inch with 9-cell battery.

³Prices do not include shipping and are subject to change without notice and is tied to specific terms and conditions. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

VISION Pro Technology from AMD Gives Businesses the Competitive Advantage of Powerful and Responsive Visual Computing
AMD Expands VISION Pro Business Notebook Offerings with Lenovo 

Sydney, Australia: Jan. 14, 2010— AMD today announced VISION Pro Technology, a commercial PC platform brand that delivers a superior visual computing experience to help businesses increase productivity and gain competitive advantage by enabling visually stunning communications, marketing and sales materials.  Together with Lenovo, the company unveiled the 13” ThinkPad Edge and ThinkPad X100e, aimed at the ever important SMB and education markets in Australia. The two products are the result of the two company’s first collaboration to offer AMD processors on ThinkPad laptops and to be offered on AMD’s VISION Pro Technology.

Following on from the September 2009 launch that introduced VISION Technology from AMD, VISION Pro Technology will focus on real-world usage, not just technical specifications. VISION Pro Technology aims to help SMBs, enterprise, government, and education PC users to better understand the benefits and value of AMD platform technology.

“VISION Pro Technology from AMD is an ideal foundation for the business-class entry ultraportable ThinkPad X100e and our full-featured ThinkPad Edge laptops designed especially for small to medium businesses,” said Sam Dusi, vice president, ThinkPad Product Marketing, Lenovo. “These laptops offer features like great visual computing performance, manageability and security that give businesses an edge, and they come at prices customers will find attractive in this tough economic environment.”

“At virtually every price point, commercial PCs based on VISION Pro Technology from AMD offer incredible value and the balanced platform performance needed to leverage today’s visually oriented business applications,” said Nigel Dessau, Chief Marketing Officer of AMD. “With support for the latest in open standards-based security features, as well as the performance headroom needed for standard productivity applications, VISION Pro Technology has been designed to provide businesses with PC systems that generate, propagate and display world-class business materials.”

VISION Pro and Graphics for Business
Graphics matter more than ever in business communication and innovative companies are demanding balanced PC platform technology to generate and view rich visual presentations including videos and 3D graphics to communicate winning ideas. Studies show that more than 80 percent of human comprehension is gained visually and that the use of visual aids with oral presentations improves content retention as much as 6.5 times greater than using words alone.1 

Furthermore, the increased viewing area provided by multiple monitors helps improve worker productivity by as much as 40 percent.2 Commercial PCs based on VISION Pro Technology from AMD offer out-of-the-box support for multiple monitors, seamless viewing of videos, use of video conferencing software, and the performance necessary to create and view rich presentations with embedded video and 3D graphics.

Industry Support for VISION Pro
“Business customers have told us that they want to use their PCs for business applications, as well as the full set of consumer scenarios in Windows 7,” said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Platform Strategy at Microsoft Corp.  “To respond to these needs, Windows 7 Professional and Vision Pro technology from AMD deliver the manageability required by businesses without compromising the performance and functionality end users demand.”

Security and Virtualization
Security features supported by VISION Pro Technology include the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), AMD’s Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP), and key Windows® 7 Professional features.3 AMD client virtualization technology [AMD Virtualization™ (AMD-V™) technology] provides the full, chip-level optimization needed to support legacy applications under Windows XP Mode.3

Additional Resources
 – Get more information on what’s in store for AMD at CES.
 – For more details on VISION Pro Technology from AMD, click here.
 – Find out more about Lenovo and their new ThinkPad Edge and ThinkPad X100e notebooks featuring VISION Pro technology from AMD.
 – Learn more about all Desktop platforms and Notebook platforms that feature AMD technology.
 – Follow AMD Unprocessed on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook

About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

“Forza Motorsport 3” speeds up with the addition of the “AutoWeek Car Show Pack.”

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA – January 13, 2010 – Car manufacturers, professional drivers, and Chevrolet fans the world over are revving up, in celebration of one of the biggest auto shows in the world, Detroit’s Auto Week, and Xbox 360 is bringing the year’s best cars to life with the “AutoWeek Car Show Pack.” available today for “Forza Motorsport 3”on Xbox LIVE.

For 400 Microsoft Points, the new downloadable car pack raises the curtain on some of the most exciting new cars for 2010, and adds several elite 2009 racers to the ever-growing “Forza Motorsport 3” car roster, including the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 and 2010 Aston Martin One-77.

Coveted by car enthusiasts for years, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport was first conceived in 1963 by legendary Chevrolet engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov. The 2010 model brings classic style and track-proven performance to the table with an updated 6.2-litre LS3-based V8 engine rated at 430 horsepower, wide-body styling, and an updated suspension setup.

The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is a must-have in any “Forza” fan’s garage. Featuring a 5.4-litre supercharged V8 that pumps out 540 horsepower, the Shelby GT500 runs on an updated chassis with new suspension and aerodynamic improvements. Additionally, the 2010 Aston Martin One-77 combines modern technology and design with supreme craftsmanship for the ultimate expression of Aston Martin exclusivity. The 7.3-litre V12 pushes the car to well above 300 KPH, which may make it the fastest car in your “Forza Motorsport 3” stable.

Now available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the “AutoWeek Car Show Pack” gives fans 10 great reasons to continue racing, drifting, tuning, and painting in the new year:

1. 2009 Audi RS 6
2. 2010 Ford Shelby GT500
3. 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven

1. 2010 Aston Martin One-77
2. 2010 BMW Motorsport M6 Coupe

1. 2010 Porsche Boxster S
2. 2009 Audi R8  LMS Show Car
3. 2010 Pagani Zonda R
4. 2010 Saleen S5S Raptor

1. 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

For fans who like to try before they buy, Turn 10 is offering the 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven as this month’s complementary* car download, so strap in and take the “AutoWeek Car Show Pack” for a test spin!

“Forza Motorsport 3” is rated G and available for a recommended retail price of $99.95 RRP or $119.95** RRP for the Limited Collector’s Edition.  For more information on the game, media are invited to visit http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/f/forzamotorsport3/.

GT Academy 2010 Time Trial Reaches One Million Players

• Nissan and PlayStation® hail early success of virtual-to-real-racer experiment
• The GT Academy 2010 Time Trial is live on PlayStation®Network until 24 January

SYDNEY, 13 January 2010 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has announced that over one million downloads of the GT Academy Time Trial have been recorded in the three weeks since it went live on 17 December, 2009. GT Academy 2010 is a competition set up by Nissan and PlayStation® to unearth a real racing driver from the virtual world of the hugely successful Gran Turismo® race simulation game. Run across 15 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, 19 winners will have the chance to take part in a racing driver ‘boot camp’ at Silverstone Circuit. The eventual, overall winner will take the controls of a real Nissan 370Z race car to compete for a full season in the European GT4 Cup.

The Time Trial stage of GT Academy has given gamers the chance to download a stunning new piece of Gran Turismo for PlayStation®3 (PS3™), offering a small taste of what is to come in the new Gran Turismo 5 due for release this year. The download features the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, a newcomer to the Gran Turismo series. Players drive the circuit using a standard, road-going virtual version of Nissan’s stunning new 370Z and a race-tuned version of the same car. Their combined lap times give them their position on their territory leader board. The fastest 20 players from each territory, when the competition closes at midnight GMT on 24 January, will then battle it out at a live national final event. Nineteen winners, from across the participating territories, will be invited to take part in the five-day GT Academy 2010 event at Silverstone to be schooled in racing technique by top-quality instructors.

ASUS BR-HD3 Delivers Wireless High Definition Entertainment

Wireless HDMI Kit Streams Stunning Images to Display Devices with Enhanced Convenience

Sydney, Australia, 13 January 2010 – ASUS announced the launch of the ASUS BR-HD3—a cross-room wireless HDMI kit that delivers 1080i HD video images wirelessly to display devices. By installing the BR-HD3, users can affordably transmit high-definition, real-time content from various devices such as HD set-top boxes, Blu-ray and DVD players, media PCs, digital cameras and even gaming consoles to their TV, LCD monitor or projector.   

The Wireless HDMI Kit supports a range of 30 metres for broadcasting signals, allowing users to watch programs in a different room to where the content is being streamed from.

The BR-HD3 extends the range of media players by eliminating the need to install expensive copper cables—with a limited optimal range of 5 metres. Home users can conveniently and cost-effectively connect their display devices to various players and media devices. This trouble-free installation consists of configuring a pair of HDMI transmitter and receiver to the various digital devices in a home. The HDMI transmitter and receiver operates in the 5GHz band of the WiFi 802.11n standard to easily stream HD content anywhere in a home. 

Users can control the video source even if it is located in another room with built-in IR relay capabilities. Family members just need to point a media player’s remote control to the display device’s IR receiver to control the functions of a media player—located in a separate room. The signals are wireless relayed to the media player via the HDMI transmitter/receiver pair and a wired IR blaster that leads to the media player.

With its embedded ADI JPEG2000 chipset and WiFi capabilities, the wireless HDMI kit distributes HD video streams using the wireless 802.11n standard up to 240Mbps throughput, to enable the display of high-definition, cinema-quality images—equal to that of wired solutions. Users can enjoy picture quality at up to 1080p resolution distributed at 30 frames per second or 1080i resolution at 60 frames per second.

It will be available from Altech and Synnex for RRP $699.

Specifications

Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit www.asus.com for more information.

–       ends –

About ASUS

ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era, with an extensive product portfolio that includes notebooks, netbooks, motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, desktop PCs, servers, wireless solutions, mobile phones and networking devices. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home, office and person. ASUS won 3,056 awards in 2008, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PCT. With a global staff of more than ten thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2008 was 8.1 billion U.S. dollars. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100, and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

What’s On at Melbourne Museum January to March

Wild: Amazing animals in a changing world
Be surrounded by the wonderful diversity of mammals, birds and reptiles from around the world in Melbourne Museum’s new permanent exhibition. Wild explores which animals are thriving and which are merely surviving and takes you on an adventure through different Victorian environments, such as the alps, grassland and wetlands. Discover why biodiversity is under threat and learn about how we can create a more hopeful future.

Date: New permanent exhibition – now showing

School Holidays

Visit the Melbourne Museum these school holidays to learn about animals from Victoria and around the world in an exciting and interactive way. Create your own animal mask in Creature Features. What sort of animal would you be? Let your imagination run wild! Celebrate Victoria’s diverse animals and environments at a WILD party through music, dance and games in the Museum’s Milarri Garden.

Creature Features

Date: Daily until 31 January

Time: 11am – 3pm

WILD Party

Date: Daily until 31 January

Time: 12pm, 1pm and 2pm

Menagerie: Contemporary Indigenous Sculpture
Menagerie features work by 33 established and emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from every Australian state and territory, who have produced sculptures depicting a variety of Australian animals in materials ranging from fibre and ceramic to wood carving and aluminium. Managerie is developed by the Australian Museum and Object Gallery.

Date: Until 21 February 2010

Lotjpa: Speaking to

This exhibition explores the connection between Victorian Aboriginal teenagers and youth and Indigenous community members and Elders in the Shepparton region. Featuring photographs taken by Koorie youth complemented by community and Elder’s stories and a series of videos, the exhibition reveals the importance of oral history in Victorian Aboriginal culture.

Date: Until 21 February 2010

Top Designs

Top Designs is in its tenth year at Melbourne Museum and is a major component of the VCE Season of Excellence, managed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The exhibition features exemplary student design in a range of VCE studies: Design and Technology, Food and Technology, Systems Engineering, Media, VET Multimedia and Visual Communication and Design.

Date: From the 27 March until 27 June

Paragon Shoes

For almost 100 years Paragon Shoes, a family business, designed and created shoes in Melbourne. Drawing their inspiration from the latest Paris, London and New York styles, Paragon’s shoes were sold throughout Australia and New Zealand. The Paragon Shoes display offers visitors an insight into local Melbourne manufacturing, fashion, and design.

Date: Now Showing

Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton. Open daily 10.00am – 5.00pm. Admission: Adult $8, children and concession FREE. For further details phone 13 11 02 or visit museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum

ACTIVISION PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES UPCOMING PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF VIDEO GAME FOR NINTENDO DS™

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – January 12^th 2009 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today the February 3, 2010 release of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the Nintendo DS™ video game based on Disney-Hyperion Books’ best-selling fantasy novel and highly anticipated film from 20^th Century Fox. The video game is a tactical role playing game for Nintendo DS™ that puts players in command of Percy Jackson and his fellow demigods as they battle for survival in a world ruled by vengeful Greek gods.

Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, who is in great danger because of jealousy and fear of his powers and heritage. Players in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief will adventure across America in search of Zeus’ master lightning bolt while assembling their best fighting team to go head-to-head against ruthless enemies. Joining Percy are his friends Annabeth and Grover, and plenty more allies each with his or her own “godly” abilities and battle advantages. Planning which team member to take into battle is key to survival – lots of opportunities exist in the game for different characters’ abilities to interact with one another, and for characters to boost each other’s effectiveness.

“Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books have been on the New York Times Best Seller list for children’s books for over 120 weeks straight, and the Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief film is one of the most buzzed about for 2010,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “We’re honored to work on such a hot property, building on the elements that fans love to create a fantastic video game that can be played on the go.”

“The film is so action-packed that a video game is a natural extension,” said Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief film director Chris Columbus. “Activision has been the ideal partner to bring the book to life yet another thrilling way.”

For more information please visit www.activision.com.

About 20^th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment (FFE) – both subsidiaries of News Corporation. As one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Atomic and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

About Disney Hyperion Books

Disney-Hyperion Books is an imprint of Disney Book Group (DBG); additional DBG imprints include Disney Editions, Disney-Jump at the Sun Books, and Disney Press. DBG is part of Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and magazines, with over 250 million children’s books and over 400 million children’s magazines sold each year. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, Disney Publishing Worldwide publishes books and magazines in 85 languages in 75 countries.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

SEAGATE SUPER SPEEDS TRANSFER RATES WITH USB 3.0 EXTERNAL PORTABLE HARD DRIVE

Portable 7200RPM, 2.5-inch Hard Drive Delivers Transfer Speeds Up to Three Times Faster than USB 2.0

SYDNEY — January 12, 2010 — Seagate (NASDAQ: STX), the worldwide leader in hard drives and storage solutions, has unveiled the BlackArmor® PS110 USB 3.0 portable external hard drive performance kit for notebook computers. Demonstrating its industry leadership in delivering advanced and easy-to-use storage solutions, this all-in-one USB 3.0 toolkit packages a 500GB 7200RPM 2.5–inch portable hard drive, power cable and PC express card, to deliver real-world, proven speeds up to three times faster than its USB 2.0 predecessor, making it one of the fastest portable hard drives available. USB 3.0 speed has been specified at 4.8 Gbs per second or a ten times improvement over USB 2.0, however this is theoretical performance, and the new Seagate BlackArmor USB 3.0 portable drive achieves 3X performance over USB 2.0 in real world testing.

(download photos at: http://www.einsteinz.com.au/client-news/2010/1/12/seagate-super-speeds-transfer-rates-with-usb-30-external-por.html )

“As people continue to amass vast libraries of high-definition photos, movies, and music, the storage needs of US households are forecast to grow more than ten times between 2009 and 2013, and the average digital media storage requirements will exceed a terabyte by 2013[1]”, said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principle analyst of Parks Associates.

To address these growing storage needs, the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 toolkit makes it easier and less time-consuming to store and share large amounts of rich digital content. This new super speed USB 3.0 interface allows easy transfer of large files to and from the external drive at sustained transfer rates of 100MB/s, which is three times faster than current USB 2.0 devices. The familiar scenario of waiting for large files to transfer will now be a thing of the past.

With the BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 drive, a 25GB HD movie can be transferred in just four minutes versus the 14 minutes it would take using a traditional USB 2.0 drive[2]. Simply plug the PC Adapter card into a notebook, connect one end of the included adapter cord to the PC card, the other end to the BlackArmor PS110 drive, and it is set.

“The growing presence of large multimedia files in the home means that connectivity and speed is a top concern for a satisfactory experience,” said Dave Mosley, Seagate executive vice president, Sales, Marketing and Product Line Management. “The delivery of USB 3.0 further underscores our commitment to giving people an efficient way to store, access and share their digital creations.”

Coupling Performance with Protection

Considering the precious, personal content and portability of today’s external hard drives, it is important for people to give thought to protecting the data on the drive. Seagate’s USB 3.0 portable hard drive performance kit couples all the safety and security of the existing BlackArmor PS 110 portable hard drive with the increased performance of USB 3.0 in an exceptionally slim, 12.5mm form factor. Each drive ships with the Acronis business-grade backup suite, automated full-system backup and SafetyDrill+™ software, a bare metal recovery feature, is Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 compatible and covered by the an industry-leading, 5 year limited warranty.

“To date, the USB interface is the most prevalent interface and will continue to dominate as the interface of choice through 2011,” said Liz Conner, lead research analyst of IDC’s Personal Storage Research. “This will be re-enforced with the introduction of USB 3.0, which provides significantly increased bandwidth to better handle the growing number of large multimedia files being stored to external hard drives.”

The BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 performance kit contains everything you need to upgrade your laptop to take advantage of USB 3.0 speeds. The new BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 Performance kit is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and can be purchased immediately from Seagate.com for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $179.99.

About Seagate

Seagate is the worldwide leader in hard drives and storage solutions. Learn more at http://www.seagate.com.

© 2009 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. Seagate, Seagate Technology, the Wave logo, BlackArmor, and SafetyDrill+ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. When referring to drive capacity, one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes.  Your computer’s operating system may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity.  In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and will not be available for data storage. Data rate usage examples for various applications are for illustrative purposes.  Actual rates will vary based on various factors, including file size, file format, features, and application software. The export or re-export of hardware or software containing encryption may be regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (for more information go to http://www.bis.doc.gov/). Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings or specifications.