Last week I started using my shiny new Commuter Club Myki. It’s worked well, and as I would expect it… with some exceptions, documented in this short video: 1. It beeps twice at the readers. This is the case at the standalone readers, on trams and buses and at Myki gates (currently seen at Parliament ... [More]
Author: Daniel Bowen
Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.
Footscray and Maribyrnong residents, that noise you can hear is Top Gear Live at the Showgrounds. #Melbourne #
Arachnocide
I don’t like spiders, but if they’re not invading my territory, I try to leave them in peace. I figure they’re doing their bit to keep the erky insect/annoying fly population down. I don’t know what variety this one was, but unfortunately for it, it was invading my space. It was found unexpectedly waiting, having ... [More]
Almost new phone time
I’m about due for a phone upgrade. I haven’t made my mind up whether it’ll be iPhone or Android. Some will have very strong views on these. I’ll make up my mind closer to purchase time, but meanwhile there are some other factors I’m considering. Radio waves All phones emit radio waves. Some more than ... [More]
The trilogy of disasters: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency, bringing untold misery and tragedy to the people of Japan — and what does ACA do? They use a caption which makes it sound like it’s a scene from a musical. It was clear from the time the first videos were shown on Friday afternoon that ... [More]
The plan for the house
I was chatting to a carpenter bloke about various things around the house, which helped solidify some of the ideas I’d been pondering for some time now. After years of inaction, I’m finally starting to move on them. I’ve had the Attic Ladders people come in for a quote, and they’re now booked-in to install ... [More]
I was impressed enough by the Google Chrome advertising at suburban railway stations, such as this poster at South Yarra. Then someone told me Southern Cross Station had also had a Chrome makeover. Sure enough… Apparently this Internet thingummy-wotsit has some money behind it. (Note the banners along the sides of the upper deck.)
Is Oak flavoured milk trying to make their product appeal to psychos who wander the streets mumbling to themselves? # Surprised people with a trolley full of stuff use the self-service checkout. Even with a queue, human checkouts much quicker. #
Odd place for a zebra crossing
This is Little William Street, just east of William Street. It appears that two attempts have been made to establish a zebra crossing here, though I can’t figure out why. There’s little traffic, virtually no footpath, and no significant building entrances or other traffic generators to cross between. Perhaps the landscape here looked radically different ... [More]
In 2008 I started a project I wish I’d started earlier: Every few months we get out the tripod, switch the camera to auto, and take a photo of ourselves in front of the house. I got the idea from a newspaper article. Some of them are taken just as we leave on a weekday ... [More]
So, the new Samsung TV is a couple of months old now. (The purchase / First impressions). I’m still liking it. The picture really is excellent, though occasionally when it’s windy it seems like the old antenna isn’t handling the digital picture well, so the odd digital glitch occurs. Might look at an antenna upgrade. ... [More]
An offer likely to be ignored
This addressed flyer was slipped into the fence of this property, offering the householder a free exchange of their shower head to an efficient one, and a discount on a toilet upgrade. The only problem is that in this case, there’s no toilet, no shower, no householder, and in fact… no house.
For an hour or two yesterday, a number of people with multiple cards on their Myki accounts found that one or more of those cards were registered to Hannah Whiting. Upon advising the Transport Ticketing Authority of it, they managed to fix it pretty quickly, but it’s not yet clear what caused it. I wonder ... [More]
@esurientes @injerarufus Web site working again now; try it again. in reply to esurientes # More fuss in the HS today about speeding fines. I have still *never* got one. Thanks to all the leadfoots for subsidising me. # I'm still hanging out for the Samsung television ABC iView app… due Q1/2011 apparently http://j.mp/ga5ypV # ... [More]
The Late Show’s Doctor Who parody
I was looking for something else on Youtube, and as sometimes happens, got distracted by this instead: a Doctor Who parody from The (D-Gen) Late Show from 1993. For those who don’t follow such things, the real Brigadier, Nicholas Courtney, passed away last week.
It’s taken me longer than I thought to get this post to something approximating shipshape. I’m not sure it’s perfect yet. Reminder: the views expressed on my personal blog do not necessarily represent the views of the PTUA. Following on from previous posts about the Loop, the next question is: Should the City Loop reverse ... [More]