Steve Jobs

When Steve Jobs' asked Walter Isaacson to write his life story his reason for doing so was (a) Isaacson wasn't an Apple insider and (b) no one could accuse it of being an inside job. For someone who was a infamous control freak it was a surprising move, but I think the book comes off better for it. It's an honest portrayal of Jobs who, at times, does not come across as a very nice person (to put it politely). But I think he may have approved (sadly Jobs died weeks before this was published and, as far as I know, never saw the final text).

While Jobs may not have been a nice person, he was responsible for some of the greatest innovations in technology for the last 50 years. While I'd like to say I'm writing this on a MacBook (I used to have one but some devil stole it, along with my two iPods a few years ago), I am writing it on a Windows PC who's look was influenced by the Mac's original GUI. Plus, outside of working hours, I'm contantly downloading tracks off iTunes to play on my new iPod. And I've got friends who rave about their iPhones and iPads. Jobs changed the world in ways few people have. And for that we should be thank full.

Leviathan - The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney

A new work that celebrates the colourful, and often dark, history of Sydney is opening at Hurstville Entertainment Centre’s Marana Auditorium on 18 September – Leviathan, based on the award-winning book Leviathan – The Unauthorized Biography of Sydney by John Birmingham.

Leviathan is a sprawling non-fictional examination of Sydney, blending factual recreations of early penal settlement, with brutal accounts of asylum seeking, racism and abuse, and powerful stories of Sydney’s migrant history

Kicking off this year’s Hurstville Discovery Festival of Community Arts, this fantastic show, launched recently at the Marana Theatre by Sydney Theatre Company directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton together with our Mayor, Clr Philip Sansom, is being produced by Sydney Theatre Company in partnership with Hurstville City Council and features Sydney Theatre Company’s ‘The Residents’ together with local community groups.

Tickets are now available for LEVIATHAN – The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney
http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingDates.aspx?eid=4972 or by phoning 9330 6084.
There are two shows only in Hurstville on the 18th and 19th of September so book your seats now!

Meanwhile, check out these photos from the Leviathan Media Launch!

Cate Blanchett & Andrew Upton, Artistic Directors of Sydney Theatre Company, at the Media Launch of Leviathan at the Hurstville entertainment Centre in early August

Leviathan Director, Stefo Nantsou with members of the cast from Sydney Theatre Company and the local Community.

(Images courtesy of the Sydney Theatre Company's Leviathan blog. http://leviathanstc.posterous.com/)