Got my car insurance renewal from Bingle. $375.10. I’ve had it there since 2009. Thought I’d quickly look around at insurers known to take low car usage into account. PayAsYouDrive… whipped through the form, and it came up with $426.50 for the minimum 5000 kms per year of driving. A more conservative 7000 kms came ... [More]
Terrible scenes in England. What started peacefully seems to have descended into pure opportunism from troublemakers. Did anybody see it coming? Well check this fascinating article from The Guardian, a week ago: Farewell youth clubs, hello street life â and gang warfare With budget cuts leading to the loss of facilities that kept many inner-city ... [More]
I was telling the kids about the days when arcade games were ubiquitous. When we lived in Pine Avenue, Elwood in the early 80s, the local milkbar on Ormond Road had a Donkey Kong Junior machine, for instance. But a short bus ride away in St Kilda was video game heaven. For starters, Luna Park ... [More]
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My garden thinks it’s spring
Yes, there are some mornings that it does feel like I’ve left my brain at home in Bentleigh. (The various ads at Richmond have different stations named depending which platform you’re on.) I’m not sure a Dare Iced Coffee really will fix this screen.
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Video: Talking to the chickens
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Cleaning out the roof
I spent about 4 hours in the roof on Sunday, with an industrial vacuum cleaner from Kennards, trying to clear out some of the residual insulation and other crap from up there. I had thought the half-day hire would be enough, but man, it’s hard work manoeuvring around up there, let alone with a big ... [More]
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Tonight I’m going to see Pulp
…along with all the GenXers Common People. Festival Hall tonight, and part of M’s birthday present. In the all-ages (alcohol-free) section, because that’s where the best seats were! Apparently that’s just how Festival Hall works; I wouldn’t expect a large number of youngsters attending for this old person music. Looking forward to it immensely. If ... [More]
In January 2010 we spotted a Google Streetview car passing the post office in Bentleigh. Google Streetview finally updated its pictures, and it includes imagery from that day. Alas, it wasn’t shooting when the car passed us, but it did once it entered the nearby side street — that’s why you can see it turning. ... [More]
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Servicing a car that barely gets used
Somewhat to my surprise, I’ve now had my car for almost three years. This means the dealer warranty that came with it is just about to run out, which in turn means I don’t have to keep driving it across town to Alan Mance to keep it current. Good. I’ve only made use of that ... [More]
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Downfall of the Pharaoh
Eventually even the Pharaoh will suffer his downfall. Banners for the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition at the Melbourne Museum are coming down.
Lovely crinkly edges. Our thoughts are with you, Norway. … PS. Perhaps if nothing else, this will serve as (yet another) warning about the dangers of extremism — no matter whose — and the importance of democracy, and letting people have their say and input into the political process by peaceful means. As the Norwegian ... [More]
I’d heard ages ago that there was a Samsung ABC iView app in the works. It’s now out, but some kind of screw-up means it’s visible to newer (2011) Samsung television owners, but not owners of last year’s models. Thanks to wiser people than me on the ABC iView forums, here’s how you do it, ... [More]
(Probably my favourite lightbulb joke when they were all the rage was: Q. How many surrealists does it take to change a light bulb? A. Two. One to hold the giraffe and the other to fill the bathtub with brightly coloured machine tools.)
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Plumbing mishap
I thought I’d be clever and change all the washers in the bath, and show the kids how it’s done at the same time. The shower ones were okay, but when we tried to take off the bath hot, it broke away. Result: nothing to grip onto. I assume the whole bit will have to ... [More]
This is a Short Term Ticket. Part of the Myki system, they are available in regional cities using Myki, for two-hour or daily fares, for people who don’t have a reusable Myki smartcard. Something that was missed in the announcement last month was that it’s not just trams where you won’t be able to buy ... [More]