In my continuing quest to post ten year old photos, I went looking for good stuff from March 2005. There isn’t much of interest, alas. It was the month that the new revamped rebooted Doctor Who started — on 26th March 2005 — and I did find this photo of Jeremy — not watching from ... [More]
Category: Toxic Custard newsletter
Appears in the weekly Toxic Custard newsletter
This morning The Age published more detailed train service data than we usually get to see. Some information is routinely published, but we rarely get an insight into the breakdown between AM, PM and off-peak punctuality, for instance. In some ways the data was no great surprise — in the first week of March, hundreds ... [More]
This is one of those blog posts which is mostly for my own interest. We’re up to the start of season 2 in our West Wing DVD (re)watching. That season 1 cliffhanger is brilliant… only spoilt by the excessively perky end theme music (I love the opening title music, but I’ve never liked the ending ... [More]
I’ve been pondering Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) services. The thinking goes like this: Let’s say I want to watch Breaking Bad. I’ve heard great things about it, and I love high-quality long-form drama that good television provides. Blu-ray is the best way to watch this type of drama, for the ultimate in (domestically-available) quality ... [More]
Via a couple of stories in the last few days, The Age has revealed proposed changes to the tram network, probably to take place from mid-year with the next big round of timetable changes. Some context First, some context. All the changes need to be seen in light of fleet changes, and growing patronage. The ... [More]
I’m not the world’s biggest drinker. So last Thursday night after a chat with a PT industry insider over 2 pints and a pot, I was feeling a bit tipsy as I headed home. Waiting at Flinders Street for a train home, I encountered one of the Spring Street state press gallery’s Finest and Brightest, ... [More]
I recently read a book I bought a couple of years ago after seeing an interesting article about it: Moving Minds, Conservatives and Public Transit, by American conservatives Paul Weyrich (who passed away in 2008) and William Lind. It’s an interesting read, providing a perspective on transport issues which isn’t often seen prominently, at least ... [More]
FebFast is over I think FebFast has brought a change in attitude from me. I’m going to continue to take in healthier snacks with me to munch on at work — to my surprise, I don’t actually mind the taste of raw carrots, and it’s been easier to Just Say No to biscuits than I ... [More]
As I’ve noted in the past, I no longer wear ties to work, and have a range of different shirts. Apart from regularly stocking up with Van Heusen and Gloweave shirts when the sales are on, I’ve been trying out Charles Tyrwhitt shirts — you know, the online shirt company that at one stage seemed ... [More]
One of the advantages of rail over road transport is the ride quality. Well, that’s in theory. If enough care and funding goes in, trains can be extremely smooth. In practice on a rail network like Melbourne’s, with aging infrastructure, it can be a bumpy ride. Now, I don’t have a major problem with a ... [More]
Some more in my series of photos from ten years ago. I seem to have very few of interest from February 2005. Woo hoo! iPod Shuffle! Little Collins Street, looking east. I’m not actually sure why I snapped this (actually I’ve got three similar photos), but note the car that’s got itself stuck between the ... [More]
Over the weekend at the supermarket: I was suspicious of this (which is why I took the photo). Would these Pink Lady apples be $5.98, or $6.48 per kilogram? (The Granny Smiths to the left were a different price again.) Come the checkout, sure enough… the higher price. Was I ripped-off? If I had the ... [More]