Categories
Bendigo 2009 Social media

Who are these clowns whose Twitter posts get into the paper?

From last Saturday’s Herald Sun Weekend section: It was sent when we were passing through Kangaroo Flat on the way to Bendigo the other week. (Thanks for spotting it, onegirlinmelb)

Categories
Social media

Twitter highlights part 3

Here, in the interests of data preservation, is the third instalment of my best Twitter posts. July 2008 What’s this? From the man who brought you Myki (Peter Batchelor) comes a new coal-fired power station, the day before Garnaut reports?! 10:09 AM Jul 2nd, 2008 from web Umbrella self-destructed, top flew off. At least the  ... [More]

Categories
Clothes

Selling shoes

So, those very nice but badly sized Ecco shoes I bought a couple of months ago… I’m finally selling them on eBay: I bought these shoes recently. I wore them a couple of times and then realised I’d made a huge mistake: I had got the wrong size. Could I return them to the shop?  ... [More]

Categories
books News and events

NASA to prove Herge right?

Tintin and friends landed on the moon in 1952, some 17 years before Apollo 11 got there. While writing the story, Herge and his team researched what the moon would look like on the surface, and as anybody who’s read the book would know, it’s uncannily accurate. After Apollo 11 made it to the Moon,  ... [More]

Categories
TV

Two more thoughts on Hey Hey

The Jackson Jive The controversy over this skit, which involved five men blacking up (and one “whiting” up) to portray the Jackson 5, rages on. I don’t think it’s as simple as some are making out. Those offended (especially the Americans and Brits) should bear in mind that “blackface” has no history in Australia, and  ... [More]

Categories
TV

Hey Hey

When we tuned into the first Hey Hey special last Wednesday, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s been ten years since the show ended, which seems like a long time, but most of the regulars from back then are still around. I first watched Hey Hey when I was a kid, when it  ... [More]

Categories
Consumerism TV

Exchange rate

I’m not going to claim I’m a currency expert, but I think Channel 10 put the decimal point in the wrong place, as I’m pretty sure an Australian Dollar is worth more than US 8 cents.

Categories
books transport

The Example

The Example, by Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson (published by Gestalt Books), might be the first graphic novel to be set entirely within the confines of Flinders Street Station. It’s a short but thought-provoking read, combining a most-of-Western-world issue — paranoia over terrorism — with a more decidedly local Melbourne issue: the trains. Speaking of  ... [More]

Categories
Video games

Avatars

One of the fun things with the Wii is creating your “Mii” — that is, an avatar used in some of the games. While the kids got busy creating some favourite fictional characters, my avatar looks like me. Here’s mine, seen in Wii Sports Resort, playing table tennis. Guitar Hero doesn’t use the standard, cartoon-like  ... [More]

Categories
Sport

If your team is out, who are you going for?

If your team is out, who are you going for? First. I’m a Geelong fan, so I’m going for them, of course. Go Cats! What of the others? Equal second. I’d have rated the Dogs or the Saints equally. Both underdogs. I have a girlfriend who lives in Footscray, and a good friend who is  ... [More]

Categories
music

Abbey Road remastered

My old school friend Raoul used to say he went into Brashs in Elizabeth Street sometime in the 80s and asked for Abbey Road and was told they didn’t stock reggae. I asked Raoul last week about the new remixed Beatles CDs, and he reckoned don’t bother unless you have a high-end stereo system —  ... [More]

Categories
Net

Regards or Cheers?

Lifehacker on signing-off emails: The Yanks might think “Cheers” is too “mock-Brit”, but Australians are comfortable with it. Personally I use Cheers on most. Regards on formal stuff. Or nothing when I’m talking to a regular correspondent and am in a hurry and/or on a mobile. An older Lifehacker article noted “Best” was awkward. I  ... [More]