Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.
Oil prices went over US$100/barrel again last week. Caltex expects people to pay more than $3 a litre in the next ten years. Meanwhile the interim Gaurnaut report came out, warning of the need to cut emissions. Recently when petrol nudged $1.50 per litre, I heard Wayne Swan on the radio having a whinge about ... [More]
Maybe things haven’t changed all that much in the last 119 years. And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street, And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting, Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet. — ... [More]
The party made their way slowly down the corridor. Leading was Raftor the Brave, followed closely by Roder the dwarf. Bringing up the rear were the wizard Pyhus and Felonius, the group’s thief. They came to a door, which marked the end of the corridor. Raftor tried the door; it was locked. Felonius got out ... [More]
Don’t use Dymocks bags for permanently storing things in. They seem to be made of some kind of plastic that degrades quite rapidly. I’ve had two that were kept in drawers, out of the sunlight, which have unexpectedly disintegrated into lots of little plastic bits. Actually I think it’s great that they’re using this kind ... [More]
When I first needed childcare, back in 2000, I first looked at council-run places. There were none without a long waiting list, so I looked at private. I found a place nearby called Wilmar, run by a lovely couple called Neville and Pat, with a handful of staff. So I signed the kids up there. ... [More]
OMG. Why did nobody tell me about this before? The King of Kong. I know, I know… I didn’t actually list the original Donkey Kong in my top ten games… I don’t know what I was thinking of — it’s definitely one of my favourites. My own high score is around the 31,000 mark. It’s ... [More]
This is something we only get the chance to say every four(ish) years, so… Happy Leap Day! Enjoy the extra day of summer. (If only, for those in Melbourne, it actually seemed like summer.) But remember… if today didn’t exist, it’d be the weekend already. (Hmm, not sure that’s right, is it?)
The top ten Daniels, according to Google Australia (which shows pages from worldwide, but skews slightly in favour of Aussies): 1. The biblical Daniel. 2. The accompanying Book of Daniel. 3. Daniel Boulud’s Restaurant Daniel in New York City. 4. The Daniel Morcombe Foundation, working for protection of children from abduction. 5. Daniel Measurement and ... [More]
“What is this ‘One Way’ of which you speak?” (Picture snapped on their second revolution of the car park.)
Why don’t I listen to the collective wisdom of those who comment here? Last August, Highriser Andrew commented: “Plan now for hot water service replacement as they never break down when it is convenient. If you don’t, the temptation to just replace it with the same is great.” Last night, it broke down. When describing ... [More]
In December a friend of my sister passed away, leaving her husband and their two young children. Their friends have started a fundraiser to help him cope with the costs of raising his kids: Help Sam And Charlie.
Why is it that some oldsters seem determined to jaywalk? In fact it could be my imagination, but it sometimes seems the less agile they are, the more likely they are to jaywalk. The other evening in Glenhuntly I saw a lady who was struggling to merely push a shopping trolley, and she decided to ... [More]
Keating! — the musical. It was great. Very funny script, great cast, great band. Really good. I’m still chuckling over the election night coverage bit. Highly recommended, but if you’re pondering catching it, get a move on: apparently it’s only on for another fortnight. PS. Interestingly, we (in our late-30s) were among the youngest there. ... [More]
Rather delighted about Craigieburn — MP3, 9 seconds, 147Kb. (I guess they got the lady back in to record that extra word for the lexicon last year)
Well I got the car to the service place yesterday morning to get the smoke looked at, and the guy said he was 99% sure what it was, blah blah blah stuff I can’t remember, it’ll be about $600-650 to fix. Dammit. I ummed and ahhed for a few minutes. On the one hand, I’d ... [More]
Yay. My cluster headaches have gone away, for now, even after having gone off the medication. Something to watch out for next spring, as I suspect they’ll re-appear then. Funny thing is I had suspected the medication would impede my ability to donate blood. I rang the blood bank and they said no, it’s fine, ... [More]