TV, movies, music, that kind of thing
Before blogging and the web, there was email and Usenet and FTP sites. Just over 29 years ago I started writing online, sending out literal undergraduate humour to mates at Monash University and beyond mostly via email, under the truly ridiculous name “Toxic Custard“. It got into the student newspaper, then in 1996 it went ... [More]
Yes, sometimes my blog isn’t about transport. If you’d prefer to see only transport posts, you can use this link. Here’s a post where I ramble on about recent upgrades around my house. Wall insulation I had wall insulation installed earlier in the year. The winter gas bill came in recently. It’s down 37.7% from ... [More]
On Saturday night at the Croxton Bandroom we saw They Might Be Giants playing a 1990s vs 2000s concert. The night before they’d done a 1980s vs 2010s concert. It was great stuff, very enjoyable. Now that I’ve heard Instanbul, Doctor Worm and Birdhouse In Your Soul live, I can die a happy man. And ... [More]
I was looking through some old photos, and found these from November 1996. I’ve scanned them from the negatives. As you can see, they provide some good advice… (Click on either photo to view it larger in Flickr) Things to note here: “Don’t be a jerk” is a work by Barbara Kruger, originally from 1984 ... [More]
I found SBS’s “Where Are You Really From” to be compelling viewing. If you don’t look ethnic, you won’t know the experience of people asking where you’re from — and not taking “Sydney” for an answer. They don’t want to know where you’re from. They want to know where your family originated. The whole series ... [More]
It’s amazing to think that had circumstances been different, the western world might have developed its road transport around electric engines rather than fossil fuels. That’s one of the key points made by “A Most Deliberate Swindle“, by Mick Hamer – the tale of the London Electrobus company, which pioneered the use of electric buses ... [More]
Ten years ago today: trying out Twitter — Daniel Bowen (@danielbowen) August 20, 2007 Yep, ten years ago today I joined Twitter. As you can see, my second Tweet was just as compelling: is thinking about another cup of tea — Daniel Bowen (@danielbowen) August 20, 2007 This was all pre-smartphone (at least for me) ... [More]
Friday night concert! I was sold on Things Of Stone And Wood – though my compradres were really going for the support act, Club Hoy. It might be cruel to call TOSAW a one-hit wonder, though none of their efforts charted as well as Happy Birthday Helen. But the song was on an album called ... [More]
I don’t have “get rich quick” schemes. I kind of have “get moderately well-off, gradually” schemes. The worst one has been buying shares. I got a tip that shares in Xero (the online accounting software company) would skyrocket. And they did, from about $6 to something like $40. But that was before I got around ... [More]
Since I don’t have a transport-related post ready at the moment, here’s a quick one about music. I’m loving the Sonos system. I’d been warned that buying extra speakers for it was addictive, and it’s true. I just got another Play:1. They’re the smallest of the range, but they still pack a punch. (All Sonos ... [More]
Every so often I’ll splash out on a new toy for myself. Last year it was a new camera. The year before was a hifi. The year before (just over two years ago in fact) that was an iPad Mini. Those paying attention will know that I had considered adding a multi-room music setup to ... [More]
I can be a bit of a pedant, so this photo caption in Saturday’s Age caught my eye: “Former NGV director Patrick McCaughey” pictured in 1986 — so was he the former NGV director back then? No — the article text makes it clear he was the director in 1986. There’s a simple way of ... [More]
Brace yourself… a non-transport-related blog post. A couple of years ago I bought a Yamaha surround sound setup, which has been fabulous. I’d single out the sound track on Mad Max Fury Road in particular; very immersive. Heck, even later seasons of the West Wing had some subtle surround going on, adding to the viewing ... [More]
I’ve started publishing Singapore trip posts, backdated to the day they happened. Click here to see them. I found this amusing, way back in the day. This is a scene from an old episode of The Bill: “Bad Company”, from 1989, repeated on the ABC recently. Can you spot the production error? How many views ... [More]
I used to love The Bill, way back when it was a cop show with a sense of realism, rather than a full-on soapie. The episodes I enjoyed the most, season 4 (from 1988) are currently airing on the ABC, in the middle of the day (around 3pm, and again the next morning around 5am). ... [More]