The November 24 show should be a good one, with a retrospective look back at the last decade of gadgets and games. The Christmas show, which will happen at the Hotel CBD rather than the Shelbourne on December 8, will be a Christmas bonanza, with the coolest tech for the holiday gift-giving season. Should be a lot of fun on both counts, so if you’re in Sydney, make sure you RSVP and check it out (and say G’day if you see your friendly Giz editor there).

[Byteside]

According to the Ry Crozier article, the company had to have a special device custom made in Germany and shipped to Australia in order to remove the glass using an army of suction cups, alongside the replacement sheet of 4-inch-thick glass.

Repairs will continue tonight, but in the meantime you should definitely check out the ITNews article and their photo gallery…

[ITNews – Pic credit ITNews]

While it’s a far cry from being my favourite song, the band has a dedicated site where you can print out five separate markers – one for each member of the band – and then use your computers webcam to watch the band spring to life and sing their song. You can then record a video of you doing that and share the clip with other fans on the same site.

Because the whole thing just works off printed markers, you can have as many band members as you’d like as well. Some of the clips already uploaded include sitting them in front of the Opera House and standing on someone’s head.

You can check out the site for the band – as well as print off your own markers – here.

The idea is to help create a familiar setting for when you’re driving through an unfamiliar city. Or something like that anyway. The first device to boast the feature that is the Uniden TRAX 5000, which hits shelves next week. It’s Sydney and Melbourne only at the moment, but there are plans for Brisbane, Perth, plus Auckland and Wellington in NZ.

I can’t say this particular feature has me ready to upgrade my satnav any time soon. How about you?

But I did what any geek would do. I regressed into an excited 10-year-old, grabbed the camera, and went out to play in the freakish weather. After five minutes of constantly clearing my throat, and noticing that my G9 had started to collect dust, I decided it just wasn’t worth it. Having been asleep with a window open meant a little dust was also inside. I switched off my main desktop (it’s got a big air-intake fan), and fired up a laptop to find out what the hell was going on.

Big winds had swept the dust from Australia’s drought-stricken interior, carrying it hundreds of kilometres to the east coast. Sydney (with a population of 4.3 million) was most affected, but other cities were, too. In terms of air pollution, particle concentration reached a thickness of about 15,000 micrograms per cubic metre — a normal day here has about 10-20.

Comedian Arj Barker (from Flight of the Conchords) Tweeted this pic: “It’s like Dune here in Sydney. This is the giant dust storm we had to land in.”

Until winds swept the dust to sea mid-afternoon, flights were cancelled, Twitter went crazy, MMS traffic spiked 50% and data centres installed air filters…it was interesting to watch how technology intersected with the bizarre weather.

The dust cloud was the worst in 70 years, and it’s still unclear if climate change was to blame. But at the very least, I got a dusty taste of life on Mars for the day (well, sort of). [Sydney Morning Herald]

Every Friday night in September, starting on September 4, there will be a live performance from Aussie rock Gods. On September 4, Hoodoo Gurus take the stage; September 18 sees Mental as Anything take the stage and September 25 will be Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss and Diesel playing together in one mind-blowing classic rock show. Well, it will be if they do Khe Sanh…

There’ll also be a show on September 11, but at the moment the artist is still to be announced.

The best part about the whole thing is that the shows are completely free. They’re also on a “first in, first served” basis, which means you’ll want to get there well before the 9pm start time.

[Apple Sydney Retail Store]

The event will consist of an hour long Q&A session from 6pm. No idea what kind of stuff it will cover – whether it will venture into the gadgety hardware needed to make film or any kind of post production chatter, but it could definitely be an interesting (and free) night out if you’re that way inclined…

[Apple]

None of you guys are likely to get anything out of there that you don’t get daily from Giz (although we are always fascinated by what “Australia’s number one dating and relationships guru Samantha Brett” has to say), but it does give you the opportunity to have a play with the new iPhone.

But perhaps the weirdest aspect of the whole tent thing is that inside, there’s a clothesline with the word “Happiness” emblazoned across it, with lemons hanging everywhere. We’re not sure exactly what message Optus is trying to push here – Happiness is a lemon? The new iPhone is a lemon? Optus is a lemon? When all you have is an Optus iPhone 3GS, make lemonade?

Or maybe it was just for decoration, and we’re reading too much into it. Probably.

THE HAPPY PLACE – Apple iPhone 3G S Pop-Up Event

Optus has announced it will be opening an inflatable pop-up venue –The Happy Place – where all Sydney-siders will be able to find out more about the new Apple iPhone 3.0 software.

Open to all and free of charge to the public, the venue will host a series of interactive, intimate ‘HAPPlication Sessions’ where a range of leading experts and celebrities will share their stories on how the device has enhanced their work and life since its iconic launch.

The pop-up venue will also provide visitors information about the advantages and new features of 3.0 – as well as offering advice on how to upgrade your existing handset software. Experts and enthusiasts will also be on standby to demonstrate applications and functionality.

The experience aims to bring ‘happiness’ to Apple iPhone fans in the days leading up to the Australian launch of the new Apple iPhone 3G S handset on June 26.

The Happy Place, located at First Fleet Park, will provide a wide range of speakers conducting up to eight sessions daily from Monday 22 – Thursday 25 June.

Presenters include:

- Journalist and broadcaster Mia Freedman

- Celebrity trainer Michelle Bridges

- Radio host James Mathison

- Writer, author, television and radio presenter, and Australia’s number one dating and relationships guru Samantha Brett

- Leading social media and technology experts such as Firemint (developers of the world’s number one Application Flight Control game) and Blunty 3000 (one of Australia’s leading video bloggers)

I shockingly realised the other day that Giz AU has been going strong for almost two years now, and we’re yet to have our first reader meetup. Well, that’s all going to change!We haven’t settled on a date, time or precise location yet, but it will be soon and it will be in Sydney. It will also be fairly casual, giving us all the chance to talk gadgets and other random stuff.

What I want from you guys is an idea on whether you’d be interested in coming along, some ideas for Sydney-based venues and any other ideas you’d like to contribute to the first Giz reader meetup. Let us know in comments!

Hit up Asher Moses’ coverage at SMH for more details, but I wouldn’t hold your breath for a faultless timetable app for Cityrail. After all, you can’t polish a turd…

[SMH]