Seems like we’re now stuck with the rather dull term HCMT (High Capacity Metro Train) for the new train fleet to run initially on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line. The first train was out and and about taking passengers just after Christmas (for one return trip), but more are expected to be running when the new timetable ... [More]
Two seemingly unrelated things are occurring this week: Today, Saturday, is expected to be the hottest day of Melbourne’s summer so far this season, with a forecast high of 42 degrees. And… the 60th E-class tram just came into service. We welcomed the new year in with the introduction of Melbourneâs newest E-Class tram, entering ... [More]
From Friday (January 1st) it seems a bug got into the Siemens train automatic announcements, probably associated with the timetable changes which took effect on that date. Since then, the trains (unless the driver turns off all of the auto announcements) will remind you to “Mind the gap between the train and the platform” with ... [More]
Amidst the outrage about changes to Metro’s Twitter feed, there are claims that it used to include train cancellations. This was not so. They did not tweet individual train cancellations or diversions. These only went out on SMS to subscribers, and on the web site. (Alas Metro have now deleted the evidence of this that ... [More]
Now don’t get me wrong — street violence is a terrible thing. And legendary footy coach Ron Barassi has to be commended for putting himself at risk on New Year’s Eve to come to the aid of someone being attacked. The whole thing is symptomatic of some of the worst ills of society. But really, ... [More]
My latest Ebay listing: LOTR Two Towers collector’s DVD – box and Gollum only Just the box and the Gollum This is the Australian DVD collector’s gift box of Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers… but WITHOUT the discs… eg it’s just the gift box and the Gollum/Smeagol. Just to emphasise: No discs, no ... [More]
The most exciting item – no, the only item – in the mail yesterday was a water bill. Whoopee, the good people at South East Water want $36.95 for the quarter. Given that we are deep into water restrictions, I did have a look at the little graph showing water consumption. 300 litres a day, ... [More]
I’ve been pretty busy this week, in a kind of lazy kind of a way. On Monday I took the kids to the zoo. Heaps of fun. Heaps of animals. I couldn’t help but notice one curious family, some of whom were dressed rather oddly for the zoo on a summer’s day, I thought. To ... [More]
Letters section of today’s Age: Actually, I wouldn’t go that far. Grateful? People were paid after all – some of them quite substantial sums of money, I’ll bet. Unless it all went to the consulting firms they worked for. Wish it was this easy to get my web page mentioned in the newspaper.
I don’t think I’m a particularly angry person, but the other day I got really really pissed off. At my mother. Perhaps getting cheesed off at your parents isn’t the most unusual of human experiences, but to get so angry as to hang-up on a person is beyond the normal bounds of my behaviour. I ... [More]