Coming into Glebe on Thursday to prep and present the Newcastle Herald, I was confronted by a new piece of technology for the session I was about to do. Studio 2 had a new desk, sleek and black with a range of mellow lights and calibrated levels for volume and such like.

As I began to set up the computer for the reading, I mused whether this new control panel would offer any challenges for someone who had never seen it before and had had no training in using it. A techie emerged eventually and gave me a Cook's about what was different and what was the same about the new desk. With 5 minutes to go before going live it was certainly cutting things fine.

It turned out okay but it took a little getting used to. The panel is much better than what it has replaced and I'm pretty sure will improve the quality of broadcasts over time. I think the unit is upwards of $30,000 and we are getting three of them!

The page in the foreground is from the NCH and gives you some idea of what we are reading from. But that will change too soon when large tablets are installed and readings will be from a screen. I can't wait for that!