This week, Australian TV turns 50!!

The development of Television started more than 130 years ago with the discovery of Selenium's photoconductive properties by Willoughy Smith in 1873.  Over time, inventers such as John Logie Baird and Philo Taylor Farnsworth both demonstrated different ways of transmitting an image from one location to another.

John Logie Baird, in 1926, demonstrated what is considered to be the first true television system by electrically transmitting moving pictures.  Just two years later, television broadcasts begun in America, followed by Britian in 1936.

Just a short 30 years after John's demonstration, Bruce Gyngell launched television in Australia with the now famous words "Good evening and welcome to television".  This first official broadcast coming from TCN Sydney, 16th Semtember, 1956.

Over the next 15 years, Television was introduced around the nation:

    NSW, Queensland and Victoria - 1956
    South Australia - 1959
    Tasmania - 1960
    ACT - 1962
    Northern Territory - 1971

From Valves to Diodes, From Black and White to Colour, from Analog to Digital - the last 50 years has been an incredible journey.

Just how big does a clock have to be to be a GIANT clock?

The Unofficial Registry of Giant Digital Clocks has that answered.  Go - check it out :)

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I have a slight addiction to shiney things...  So, anyhow, the nice folk at LEDSales were happy to oblige and supplied me with some neat LEDs for a very resonable price.

These are Russian-made side-view LEDs and are about 2mm big.  They have a rated current of around 6ma.  I am running the one in the photo at about 8ma.