In the scheme of things it’s now time to say, Happy New Year, and wish, hope and trust all our members and visitors past and present, a positive, prosperous and particularly safe 2025, yada yada yada, blah blah blah, same as every new year.

But for many people around the world the next four years will be one of trial, trepidation and maybe trouble. Keep you and your family safe and sound, all the very best. Cheers.

As I write this, here in Sydney it’s New Years Eve Dec. 31st, and outfits around the world are preparing their fireworks and displays for the midnight welcome to January One.

Timewise going by the International Dateline, New Zealand is first and in Auckland there’ll be colourful fireworks display for the crowd at Midnight.

Going West across the Tasman Sea, 2 hours later Sydney is next with 2 NYE fireworks displays on Sydney Harbour. They’re both televised live, the first at 9pm local is for the little kids before they go to bed.

The main one at Midnight is larger and both are produced by the family company that specialises in displays and it takes them 12 months to plan and organise for each N.Y.E. fireworks display. There’s an hour live entertainment show leading up to midnight, then a 10-1 countdown when the producer presses the start button.

This is a coded digital program that triggers off each of the barges on Sydney Harbour to fire off colourful giant skyrockets in sync with a music program, that’s heard in speakers set up for the hundred of boats and the one million viewers around the harbour. It’ll be spectacular. In 2002 Alan C. the American who bought my recording studio biz. also got the job of syncing the music, ever since, although he’s now retired.

So wherever you are, check the time and if you’ve got a big arse Television, maybe invite a few friends in and watch the live Sydney midnight fireworks. Click photos to enlarge and Happy New 2025. Cheers.

Thanks Allan.

Tomorrow is new year's eve here, so I think it's nearly time to wish you and all other forum members a Happy New Year too.

And where is DVinfo's Chris?

Andrew

Andrew, DVinfo founder Chris Hurd is in Texas and even though he doesn’t post now, I think for old times sake he looks in occasionally.

What’s your New Year’s resolutions guys? Like past years, really my only one is .. more regular exercise.

But with growing hotter temperatures and oppressive humidity in Sydney, it’s no fun going for a brisk walk even early in the morning.

As most know I’m motivated by machines, so my answer is this adjustable exercise rig.

It gets excellent reviews, costs AUD$129.00 and the best thing is, even on 100+ degree Summer days and we’re now getting them, I can row row row my boat in air conditioned comfort. Cheers.

What’s your New Year’s resolutions guys? Like past years, really my only one is .. more regular exercise.

Mine is similar: To take my new Osmo Pocket 3 out for regular walks in the forest or down by the river. Thankfully, unlike a dog, I won't have to feed it or clear up after it :).

HNY Dave, it’s 0900h New Year’s Day here, last night we locked our animals up. During the Sydney midnight harbour fireworks, on our front verandah we could hear them and smell the smoke.

HNY Al.

It's 0817 on January 1st. here and the wind is trying to rip the roof off the house. Our biggest NYE celebrations (London, Edinburgh) were cancelled due to the bad weather, although there were some fireworks here at midnight. I guess we'll find out how many celebrations went ahead on the news later. The clips we saw on the news last night of the Auckland and Sydney displays were quite sppectacular.

As you know I, too, am fascinated by machines. My latest fitness aid, not the camera, is a TENS machine. Having suffered chronic back pain for years and no treatment lasted longer than about 5 minutes, it's a relief to be able to stand and walk and not be in agony and bad tempered with it. I've been using it for several months now, expecting the effect to not last, but it has, used sparingly.

Happy New Year everyone!

Thanks Derek, you too, HNY.

Hi Dave, what a great find with your ‘machine’ They didn’t have tech like that in the old days, people just suffered. Thanks, I’ll pass your find on to friends here.

That’s a shame about the London and Edinburgh fireworks, disappointing for the kids too. On CNN and MSNBC we saw it rained in New York too. Yes both Sydney Harbour fireworks displays went off with a big bang. Nine tons of fireworks will do that for you.

The new features we saw were programable drones, more lights and Lasers on the Harbour Bridge. Co-incidentally in 1977, I was lucky enough to buy a one bedroom unit right on the Harbour, right opposite the Opera House when it was being constructed. Back then the New Years Eve fireworks show was not as big, but we had a party on the night.

I could fish out the front window. When I first moved in, getting used to the sound of the electric trains on the Harbour Bridge took a while, but I enjoyed the effect on visitors. I was married in that unit, 52 years last November. I eventually sold Unit 4 to finance my new recording business, but as it turned out, the biz went like the clappers and I didn’t have to, I should have kept it.

It’s things like that you try to pass on to your grandkids, if they’ll listen :(
Cheers.

Happy 2025 to everyone on DVinfo. I still check in to see whats going on. Stay safe and have a healthy 2025. Bob

Same to you Bob .

I’m as much to blame as anyone else for being absent , but sincerely believe that if those of us who remain can put some effort into posting here again , we can turn this forum around and revive it .

We need new people to find this forum on their search engines , and to engage with us .

Let’s make that an ambition for 2025

Elsewhere on the same subject, I think it was Dave Baker who first suggested that social media had slowly grown to take over members of all ages and all topics.

The Wedding Forum has collapsed. Looks like the cameras in the guests cell phones now provide the visual record of the event and the father of the bride collects the best photos and gets them put into professional photobooks.

Quora, the social media site where you’re not required to log in with a password is forging ahead.

Apart from introducing interesting topics in the forums here, there’s nothing we can do about increasing the membership, except maybe offering to pay the punters a $50 joining fee. However there’s only one problem with that can anyone guess what it is?

Cheers.

And today this is the situation. Cheers again.

Good luck everyone.

Cheers.