Australia hey? Very nice place to expatriate to, I hope you enjoy it.

Just keep in mind that you’re moving to a PAL & 240V country. Luckily your copy of Left 4 Dead 2 is region free, you’re not likely to find a replacement in Oz (they’re quite strict about violent games).

Big move huh. You get the joy of PAL TV, but probably a lot less HD content. You’re data caps are probably gunna be WAY less than 350gb, although their data caps are better than here in New Zealand. You’ll have to pop across the ditch and come even further down under, NZ is only a short plane ride away.

Hi Tom, Mike from meadows in South Australia. welcome down under soon.
A few pointers when you come down to Australia.
All the prices you see displayed is the price you pay, tax and charges included.
, we spent 6 weeks in US last year and couldn’t get used to the plus tax and the tax differs from state to state. also on a food note we didn’t find any real bacon in US. You will love the bacon in Australia
When you are in Australia check out Vaf speakers and Krix speakers they are made in South Australia, I suppose if you are looking for a dish that is exclusive to Australia, then try our meat pies and Coopers beer. If you make it to Adelaide to check out VAF and Krix speakers then contact me and I can show you the cinema room that I designed and built, which has been featured in our national magazine “Sound and Image” twice.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chibby99/
PS. Remember that it will be Winter when you get here

TOM
All the Australians logging in to say Hi. Sure you can keep doing what you do from Perth (except reviewing products, oops).

Perth is a truly beautiful city. I’d live there if I had a high paying job. It’s a resources town (lots of money, no population).

It’s also the most isolated city in the world. I kid you not. And you need to travel (the equivalent of across the U.S. to get anywhere else, even just in Australia) to stay sane. You’ll get used to it.

Luckily you can see the most amazing stuff by car from Perth— giant trees, rock formations, wild dolphins, sharks, coral reefs and islands, wineries, there’s something for all tastes. But be warned, take a look at the state you’re in, Western Australia is about half the size of the U.S. and distances are a whole different mindset there.

And prices. Nothing is as cheap as the U.S. GM makes cars here and sells them at a retail price in the U.S. that’s below the Australian manufacturing cost.

As for food, try everything, preferably at a good restaurant so it’s prepared well. Roo, croc, they all taste great. Kangaroos are a plague here (strip the countryside of anything green), so it’s no biggie to put ’em on the plate.

DINA
I think this is the show you mentioned that some folks want you to shut up and let Tom speak. I’m the opposite. I’d rather hear you talk 50% of the time. Your impressions of Avatar were entertaining and informative and I’d be happier if you actually spoke about your experiences of this stuff. Tom is good on the technical, but I think you have a lot more to offer from the consumer’s view.

I’m not a morning show person, but like Tom getting a Mac, against all odds, I’m still listening.

Congrats on the move, Tom. Maybe now you and Dina can do the podcast at a time that is good for both of you!

BTW, wiring speakers in parallel halves the impedance. In series adds the impedances. Oddly enough it works the opposite with capacitors.

Hello from Brisbane. Tom, regardless of some of the logistical challenges you’ll face (Perth? Seriously?), just remember this. When you get to Australia, you can walk into any department or sporting goods store and buy yourself a cricket bat. I think you know what I’m saying. Good luck with the move! dan