This is officially awesome. My stepfather Peter features on one of the banners at the Immigration Museum, promoting the new Identity — yours mine ours exhibition. I’ve suggested to him that he ask them if he can keep the banner when they’re finished with it.
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Yesterday’s morning commute. Not good.
8:17 or so, boarded train train at Mckinnon. Not my usual station. Long irrelevant story. Happily got a seat. 8:36. Train stops at Hawksburn. Driver on PA tells us that the train will be delayed at least ten minutes due to signal failures near Richmond. He advises us to go to platform 3. 8:37. Most ... [More]
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Are the trains getting less crowded?
Here’s the good news: the October 2010 Metro Load Standards Survey (released to the Greens under FOI) shows that overcrowding has dropped markedly. Measured in terms of (deep breath) Rolling Hour Average Loads Above Desired Standards, the number of breaches has dropped from 38 in October 2007 to 6 in October 2010. Part of this ... [More]
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Quest for the ultimate umbrella
Thankfully my umbrella was not in as bad a state as this one, but it was in need of replacement. And of course via procrastination it was only on Thursday, when it had been raining, that I got motivated enough to go out and look. This is in part because I’m a terrible shopper. Or ... [More]
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RoadMorons strike again
Sometime last night, it seems. Update: Marita says it was Thursday night.
One of the things planners should be aiming for in making public transport easy to use is ensuring that the choices are few. The new Frankston line timetable does this in the off-peak (and evenings) with a consistent pattern: Frankston to Flinders Street (direct), stopping all stations. In peak, in theory, there are two patterns: ... [More]
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Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden is a good example of a moral issue that for me is more grey than black and white. I would like to think that I would never wish anybody dead, nor be glad at hearing of someone’s demise. But if ever I were to waver on that, it would be for someone ... [More]
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Less vs Fewer – gets me every time
“Less loop trains” isn’t true in peak. 7:01-9am Richmond to Parliament: was 73, now 77, because more trains on most lines #MetroTrains — Twitter Sorry, but Less vs Fewer gets me every time. I know the rule (“fewer” should be used when what you’re talking about can be counted)… I just never remember to invoke ... [More]
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Changing trains is not evil
There’s intense interest in the new train timetable, which technically started today, but has its first actual changes tomorrow. The level of interest should be a reminder to politicians that public transport is still very much a live issue. It should (hopefully) bring some genuine benefits in helping to fix punctuality and overcrowding. There are ... [More]
Probably just as well for this onsert: …that this story landed on page 6, not on page 1: The full story text is here: Stations to lose peak services. And here’s a big version of the map. The document the article talks about is here: Passenger Impact Statement. To decode it, you’ll need to look ... [More]
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The 2011 state budget
One would hope that the budget following an election would fulfil the promises made during that election, although it would not be beyond the bounds of reasonableness to spread them out over the term of government. Somewhat surprisingly, at least to me, the Baillieu government has largely fulfilled all of its promises with its first ... [More]
The Slap I finished reading The Slap. Great book, provided you don’t mind a little fruity language and adult themes in your novels. Looking forward now to the TV adaption. Possums I was just thinking the other day that despite seeing a lot of possums around the neighbourhood, I never heard them in the roof. ... [More]
Kudos to Terry Mulder for noting today that we need trams, trains and buses to get us out of congestion. #SpringSt #
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Inadvertently demolishing spider webs
I often think spiders would have better luck with their webs in urban settings if they had a little sense of spots to avoid, such as where us lumbering humans come barrelling through without looking (or without being able to spot them). It seems like time and time again I’ll inadvertently demolish a web — ... [More]
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I’m not a drinker
I’ve never been a drinker. Oh sure, there were the social pressures in my uni days. But it’s a habit I just never picked up. My parents weren’t drinkers. My partner isn’t a drinker. It’s just not my thing. I’m not a teetotaller though. Occasionally (perhaps a few times a year) I’ll indulge in a ... [More]
I’ve turned into one of those boring people who looks out for specials in the supermarket. This deal is from this week’s Safeway/Woolworths catalogue. If you happen to occasionally buy frozen fish and frozen chips, it appears to be a pretty good deal, saving $3.55. (Sometimes I’ll use this type of thing; sometimes I’d prefer ... [More]