I Belong – Do You? Be involved in snapshots of the people of Melbourne

The Immigration Museum is capturing the faces of Melbourne for its forthcoming exhibition Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours. Join us on Little Collins Street to be a part of the I Belong – Do You? photo shoot and become part of a collection of faces that represent the diverse identities of Melbourne. All photos will be uploaded to Flickr.

Where: Little Collins Street – between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, Melbourne (Look out for Immigration Museum staff in the bright yellow T Shirts.)

Date: 11am – 2pm, Thursday 31 March and Friday 1 April 2011

Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours

Unlike any other exhibition in an Australia museum, Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours provides fresh and challenging insights into personal identity – who we are, how we perceive each other and what it means to belong or not belong in Australia today. Focusing on the things that make up our sense of who we are – ethnicity, ancestry, language, spirituality and citizenship – the exhibition explores the many and varied identities that make up our nation today. Featuring objects, immersive multimedia displays and a range of personal stories from Australians of widely diverse backgrounds, Identity will challenge visitors to examine their own assumptions and confront everyday prejudices about Australia’s multicultural society.   

Date: From May 2011 

Autumn school holiday program

Delve into the past and explore your family’s cultural heritage at the Immigration Museum these autumn school holidays. Make your own unique family tree, pop out a cardboard suitcase and create a picture of all the things you would take with you if you had to leave Australia with your family today and make a set of babushka dolls.

Date: 9 to 26 April 2011

West Africa: Rhythm and Spirit

This exhibition explores the long-held traditional beliefs and cultural practices of contemporary West African society. Featuring over 200 objects, including colourful masks, intricately carved figures, musical instruments, beautifully decorative cloth and jewellery as well as photographs and film, this exhibition provides a window into the life of today’s West African cultures. West Africa: Rhythm and Spirit encompasses six major themes – kingship and authority, fertility, pattern and adornment, divination, masks and masquerades, and trade – which reflect the diversity and dynamism of this unique and fascinating region.

Date: Until 29 May 2011

Honouring our Ancestors: Remembering Timor Leste

This exhibition explores a ritual called Se Matebian, which takes place each year on All Souls Day and honours East Timorese ancestors. It looks at how the East Timorese community in Australia continue to practise this ritual today. Personal stories and reflections of people from the East Timorese community are shared and featured objects include a silver breast plate and head piece worn by elders during ceremonial peace, a silver jewellery box with an ancestral worship home on top, jewellery associated with ancestors, timber statues representing ancestors, hand woven baskets and East Timorese fabrics.

Date: Until 10 April 2011

Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne.  Open daily 10.00am to 5.00pm except Good Friday and Christmas Day. Admission: Adult $8, child/concession FREE. More info 13 11 02 or museumvictoria.com.au/immigration museum

With almost perfect timing with the soon to be released exhibition at the Melbourne Museum, Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, King Tut’s Curse by National Geographic is the perfect precursor to not only get a taste of the exhibition but learn the possible cause of one of the world’s most famed pharaohs. Not only is it a great presentation but it’s a documentary that can be watched many times without the information becoming too overbearing.

Full review – http://www.impulsegamer.com/dvdnationalgeographickingtutscurse.html

When I first saw the HAF 912 Advanced Case from Cooler Master, the immediate word that came to my head was monster… the second word was wow. For the uninitiated, HAF is an acronym for High Air Flow that basically maximises the throughput of the airflow through chassis with some careful architectural design by Cooler Master. The airflow works by taking cool air from the front of the case and then moving it to the top and rear of the case. An optional side fan can also be included to move additional cooler air into the unit.

Full Review – http://www.impulsegamer.com/hardwarehaf912advanced.html

A Kingdom Besieged by Raymond E. Feist is the first novel of the Chaoswar Saga that finalises a variety of themes which have been running throughout the series and not just from the Riftwar storyline. The story begins 10-years after the conclusion of the Demonwar Saga (At the Gates of Darkness – Published 2010) which saw the Demon King Dahun destroyed by the Magician Pug and his conclave of shadows. But questions were raised, why was the Demon King so desperate to flee his realm?

Full Review – http://www.impulsegamer.com/bookakingdombesieged.html

JOY THE SWEET LIFE! ZUMBO COMES TO DVD – MAY 4, 2011 ($29.95srp)  

Available this May – just in time for Mother’s Day! – ZUMBO takes us behind the scenes of Adriano Zumbo’s delicious patisserie empire. The series is a delectable mix of tense kitchen reality, mouth-watering dessert ogling and face to face time with Zumbo himself, as well as many of his colourful and talented colleagues – all the while charging towards a stunning end-of-show gastronomic extravaganza.

Well known for his notoriously difficult Masterchef challenges, Adriano Zumbo is no ordinary patissier. His creations elicit admiration from critics and the public alike and for good reason; they’re unique in concept and execution – quite simply, you won’t find anything else quite like them in Australia. Inspired by the world around him, his desserts tell a story or take on the personality of their namesakes. Zumbo’s fertile mind, exceptional skill and natural curiosity for unlikely ingredients are his biggest assets.

This country boy’s first taste of the sweet life was raiding the lollies and cake mix from his parent’s Coonamble supermarket. In his pursuit of mastering the art of pastry, he has trained and worked both in Australia and France with Australian culinary greats such as Neil Perry and international heavyweights Ramon Morato and Pierre Herme. Zumbo has long said that his goal is to ‘caramelise the nation’ and he
is well on his way to achieving this.

MASTERCHEF star ADRIANO Zumbo comes to DVD May 4, 2011 – $29.95srp.

Want to cook like Zumbo? Check out the recipe below!

Golden Macarons Recipe

Ingredients

Vanilla-gold ganache
200g white chocolate, cut into small pieces
120g cream
1 vanilla bean
65g unsalted butter
2 sheets 23-carat edible gold

Macaron shells
95g egg whites
125g caster sugar
40g water
270g TPT (this is a mix of halfblanched ground almond meal and half pure icing sugar. To make it yourself,
put 135g whole blanched almonds and 135g icing sugar in a food processor)
2 tbsp gold powder
Metallic gold dust, to decorate

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION
The ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl aside. In a saucepan, mix your cream and vanilla over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and wait 20 seconds, allowing the heat of the cream to melt the chocolate. Stir the mixture with a whisk until a glossy ganache forms. When the chocolate has completely melted, add the butter.

Stir the butter through and mix well. Gently break up the gold leaf and fold it in. When you begin to see little gold flecks, the ganache is done. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the surface of the mixture. Then put the bowl in the fridge.

The golden shells:
Crack the eggs and separate them. Put 50g of egg whites in one bowl and 45g in another. Pour the water into a saucepan. Add the sugar and gently stir. Place the mixture on the stove and, using a cooking thermometer, stir until the temperature reaches 118°C.

Meanwhile, put the TPT mixture in another bowl. Make a well in the centre of the TPT and place 45g of egg whites in the well. The egg whites should just sit in the nest. Set that bowl aside. Place the remaining batch of egg whites into the clean, dry bowl of a food processor.

On medium speed, slowly run the hot sugar mixture down the side of the bowl so it blends in with the egg whites. After 3-5 minutes, it should form a firm, glossy meringue mixture. Take the bowl with the TPT mixture and gently fold through the meringue mix. Then lastly, add the gold powder. Fit a piping bag with a 9mm tube.

Fill the bag half-way, and pack the mixture down tight so there are no air bubbles. Line a tray with baking paper. Make each shell about the size of a 20-cent piece. Lay out the shells in alternate rows so the air flow on the tray is nice and even.

When finished, pick up the tray and lightly tap the bottom. That will get rid of any excess air. Set the tray aside for about 30 minutes or until a skin forms on the top of the shells. Once they’re touch-dry, put the shells in the oven at 135°C and bake for 15 minutes. When the shells are cool, flip them out and match them up in pairs.

Assembly:
Take the vanilla-gold ganache out of the fridge and load up the piping bag using a 7mm tube. Pipe a ball of ganache, roughly the size of a 20-cent piece, onto half of the shells. Then top with the remaining shells to make a beautiful golden sandwich.

For the finishing touch, take a dry brush and skim a little metallic gold dust on top of each macaron, then turn the macaron over and repeat on the other side. Put them on a baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap, then leave in the fridge overnight.

With Digital Copy and Featuring Exclusive New Bonus Content

Universal Pictures International Entertainment, Sydney Australia — With machine guns blazing, the explosive underworld epic Scarface arrives on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def September 2011 from Universal Pictures International Entertainment. Considered one of the most influential gangster films ever made, Scarface’s gritty depiction of Tony Montana’s lethal ambition has made it a cultural touchstone that spans generations. Now, fans can experience the film’s raw power in spectacular high definition picture and explosive 7.1 audio for the first time ever. With digital copy included in-pack plus exclusive new bonus content created especially for this release, the film’s iconic legacy as of one of the greatest crime sagas of all time continues. Scarface is also available for legal digital download and via video-on-demand. 

Nearly 30 years after it first exploded onto the screen, Scarface stands as a cultural icon with a passionate and growing fan base that continues to exert an enduring influence on not just moviemakers but artists across the entire pop culture landscape.

A masterful collaboration between acclaimed director Brian de Palma (The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way) and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Platoon), Scarface features extraordinary performances from a powerhouse cast that includes Academy Award® winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Hairspray), Academy Award® nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Color of Money, The Perfect Storm), Academy Award® nominee Robert Loggia (Jagged Edge) and Steven Bauer (Traffic). The film was nominated for three Golden Globe® Awards (including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score), and was named one of the Top 10 Gangster Films of All Time by the American Film Institute.

BONUS FEATURES: *Denotes all- new content

• *The Scarface Phenomenon— This all-new documentary presents Scarface as a unique phenomenon in cinema history.  It explores how a film plagued by controversy leading up to its release has become a Hollywood classic, influencing a whole new generation of filmmakers and leaving a lasting imprint on popular culture.
• Deleted Scenes
• The World of Tony Montana —Experience the world of the ultimate gangster and hear from experts on the real world violence, fear and paranoia that surrounds a drug lord.
• The Rebirth —Director Brian De Palma, producer Martin Bregman, actor Al Pacino, and screenwriter Oliver Stone revisit the history of Scarface, from the inspiration of the original Howard Hawks classic to the evolution of the script.
• The Acting — Join the filmmakers, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer to discover how each of the roles was cast and how Brian De Palma worked with his actors to get unforgettable performances
• The Creating — A fascinating, controversial and definitive journey through the making of the film, which began with the production being forced to leave its initial location in Florida. Discover how the chainsaw scene was filmed, learn about the production design, the photography, and the struggle to get the film an “R” rating in the US.
• Scarface: The TV Version—A revealing and hilarious montage of film clips comparing the theatrical version to the network television version of Scarface.
• The Making of Scarface: The Video Game: Immerse yourself in the world of Scarface in this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the video game.
• *U-CONTROL FEATURES ON THIS BLU-RAY DISC:

• Scarface Scoreboard—Watch Scarface like never before.  Keep track of the number of times the “F” word is used and monitor the bullets fired!
• Picture in Picture – Access interview footage of Brian De Palma, Al Pacino, Screenwriter Oliver Stone, and others without interruption to the movie experience.   Also featured is a scene comparison between the 1983 version of Scarface and Howard Hawks’ original film.
• ·pocket BLU^™ app— Universal’s groundbreaking pocket BLU^™ app uses iPhone^™, iPod^® touch, Smartphone, Android^™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray^™  player and offers advanced features such as:
  • Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray^™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live^™ functions with ease.
  • Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.
  • Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray^™ discs to save to mobile devices or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
  • Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray^™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard to facilitate such Blu-ray^™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.

• *BD-LIVE^™—Access the BD-Live^™ Centre through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more.

SYNOPSIS

In the spring of 1980, the Mariel boatlift brought thousands of Cuban refugees to the sun-washed avenues of Miami in search of the American dream. From acclaimed director Brian DePalma, Scarface is the rags-to-riches story of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams…at a price he never imagined. Tony Montana’s meteoric rise, lavish life and soul-destroying fall anchor an epic film that inspired a worldwide following. Pacino is at his most memorable as Montana, blasting his way to the top of Miami’s drug underworld in a bravura performance.

The Official Game of the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP^™ coming to HD consoles and PC on September 22^nd with new handheld platforms to follow 

Gamers Invited to Ask the Development Team Anything and Win World’s First Test Drive of F1 2011 

25^th March 2011 Sydney – F1 2011, the sequel to the fastest-selling FORMULA ONE game ever released, will race into ANZ stores September 22^nd 2011, Codemasters® announced today.  Now available for pre-order, F1 2011, the follow up to the BAFTA award winning F1 2010™, is in development at Codemasters Birmingham for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC Games For Windows®.

Bespoke handheld editions of F1 2011 are also in production for Nintendo 3DS™ and Sony’s next generation portable entertainment system (NGP), each designed to take advantage of the new platforms’ unique capabilities; specific release dates for the handheld editions are to be announced.

In F1 2011 players will be challenged to ‘Be the driver, live the life, go compete’, with wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements on and off track and vastly extended competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2011 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the highly anticipated 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the current FIA FORMULA ONE Drivers’ World Champion Sebastian Vettel. The 2011 season also sees the debut of the 2011 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF INDIA at Delhi’s Jaypee International Race Circuit and the return of the iconic Nürburgring to the calendar.

GAMERS INVITED TO ASK THE TEAM ANYTHING & BE THE FIRST TO PLAY F1 2011.

To mark the announcement, Codemasters is offering gamers the chance to be amongst the first in the world to play F1 2011 ahead of its release and star in future Development Diary videos. To enter the competition, fans are invited to ask a question about the game on a video uploaded to YouTube.

The most interesting and creative video entries, featuring the best questions as judged by the development team, will be invited to Codemasters Birmingham to go hands on with the game, meet the team and ask their questions face-to-face in May. The day will be filmed and released as first look video. Winners unable to attend will also have the chance to be featured in forthcoming F1 2011 trailers via pre-recorded questions played out to the development team. For full terms and conditions and how to enter, head to www.facebook.com/formula1game.

In production at Codemasters Studios Birmingham, F1 2011 is being developed using the EGO Game Technology Platform, Codemasters’ proprietary tech that powered the critically acclaimed, 2 million-plus selling F1 2010™, GRID and currently driving DiRT 3.

F1 2011 will be released in ANZ September 22^nd 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows with handheld editions to follow. To get all the news straight from the studio and to win the chance to play F1 2011 ahead of its release, race over to www.facebook.com/formula1game or follow the team on twitter at www.twitter.com/formula1game.

Elite security skills Training Course for Penetration Testers, Security Officers, Security Auditors and System Administrators to form official program for world’s most prestigious security conference

Sydney, 25 March 2011 – Pure Hacking, the Australian experts in helping organisations protect their information assets today confirmed that its Chief Technology Officer, Ty Miller, has been confirmed on the official Black Hat 2011 conference program as a Trainer. Miller will be running a multi-day, high intensity training course, “The Shellcode Lab” to develop and understand shellcode in a hands-on environment. Course attendees will gain a thorough knowledge and practical skill set on how to create shellcode and tune their elite security skills. This is the second program appearance for Miller at the world’s most high profile security event. He previously presented his development of “Reverse DNS Tunneling Shellcode” at the Black Hat event in 2008.

Rob McAdam, CEO of Pure Hacking commented, “We are thrilled to have Ty included in the world’s most high profile security event. This is absolute confirmation of his knowledge in security issues and global security trends and reinforces the depth in our team here in Australia.”

The two day training course will provide attendees with a “Virtual Shellcode Development Environment” that is designed to enable shellcode development across multiple platforms including Linux, Mac 64-bit OSX and Windows. Students are instructed in the development of simple to complex shellcode and Metasploit Exploit Framework (MSF) integration to successfully execute your own shellcode within all MSF exploits.

Targeted at Penetration Testers, Security Officers, Security Auditors and System Administrators, “The Shellcode Lab” is ideal for attendees interested in shellcoding, exploitation, vulnerabilities or Metasploit. It is also suitable for developers interested in gaining low-level security development skills with shellcoding and assembly, plus management staff needing to better understand how Information Technology Systems are compromised.

For trainer and Pure Hacking CTO, Ty Miller, the confirmation of “The Shellcode Lab” is a significant milestone for his career. “I am really pleased to be able to share my experience in the security specialist industry with others. To be selected for the official Black Hat program again is an honour,” he said.

Concurrent to his role as CTO at Pure Hacking, Miller performs independent security research and is co-author of the book Hacking Exposed Linux 3rd edition. He runs the shellcoding site ‘Project Shellcode’ (www.projectshellcode.com) and was involved in the design of the bootable CHAOS Linux cluster distribution.

Interested participants can visit http://www.blackhat.com/html/bh-us-11/training/miller-shellcode.html and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY9cylPr2Bw for details on the event and how to register.

Ends

About Pure Hacking

Pure Hacking is Australia’s leading dedicated, vendor-neutral ethical hacking company in Australia. Its sole focus is risk and security. Today it provides secure development services, secure code reviews, penetration testing and training modules to a range of clients throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Wednesday 30 March, 10:00pm – 1:00am – The Nintendo Experience, EB Games Swanston Street Melbourne

25 March 2011

To celebrate the launch of Nintendo 3DS – 3D gaming without the need for special glasses – Nintendo and EB Games invite consumers to get down to the official midnight launch for Nintendo 3DS.

Join in the midnight countdown for one of the most anticipated console launches! Nintendo and EB Games will be putting on food, soft drinks, music and even giving everyone who attends the opportunity to take home their very own Mii souvenir! There will also be a Nintendo 3DS console giveaway on the night!

Staff on the night will be showing customers the inbuilt software features of the Nintendo 3DS including: Mii Maker, Mii Plaza and StreetPass. For those who purchase their Nintendo 3DS on the night and use it in store, you will be able to activate StreetPass and get started by collecting various Mii characters from like minded customers in the store!

So get down to The Nintendo Experience, EB Games, 67 Swanston Street Melbourne.

Nintendo 3DS is available to purchase 31 March 2011. To believe it, you just have to see it.

For further information, visit: www.nintendo3ds.com.au  or http://www.melbourne.nintendoexperience.com.au/