Categories
Melbourne

Lest We Forget

Remembrance Day. 11am, 11/11/2009. The big picture

Categories
Culture Net

Toxic Custard?

When you throw two random words together, the likelihood of someone coming up with the same combination is, I think, fairly low. A great way to think up a dot com name, I reckon. Which is why I did a double-take when I saw this: (Originally here, but now only visible in the Google cache.)  ... [More]

Categories
PTUA

Secret identity

It seems my secret identity has been revealed…

Categories
Film

Bullet time

You may think you’ve seen some cool stuff today, but I’ll wager you haven’t seen yourself in Matrix-style “bullet time“. It’s part of the new “Screen Worlds” exhibit at ACMI at Federation Square. Pretty damn cool huh?

Categories
transport

Getting ready for Myki

The Myki Mates (or Myki Mutes, as on seasoned observer called them, given their reluctance to talk to anybody just yet; perhaps they’ve been ordered to not speak unless spoken to) are out and about at CBD stations. All the machines have been turned on, which means those of us who were mischieviously holding up  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Everybody scramble!

Oxford Circus in London has just opened its new scramble crossing. The Brits seem suitably amazed by the whole concept. [Mayor of London, Boris] Johnson said the crossing, controlled by traffic lights, was “a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old fashioned common sense”. — BBC News Online While it beats me how  ... [More]

Categories
PTUA transport

The Metcard mess, and what Metlink does

I was going to write a blog post about yesterday’s Metcard kerfuffle, in particular pointing out that despite my initial speculation, the Transport Act only requires passengers to make a reasonable attempt to buy and validate your ticket. It doesn’t require you to buy another ticket if yours doesn’t work, carry spare change, plead with  ... [More]

Categories
Health

Bowen Belly

I haven’t been well for the last couple of days. It kicked-off on Monday night, when a slight stomach pain, which I tried to quell with my usual remedy, a glass of lemonade. Because burping helps. Really. It didn’t help — instead it set off a flurry of up-chucking, joined later in the night from  ... [More]

Categories
News and events

Why some of the locals don’t like Cup Day

It’s not hard to see why some of the Footscray and Maribyrnong residents nearby to Flemington aren’t that keen on the big race days. These pictures are from Derby Day: Sorry, I missed the pic of the drunk guys walking up the middle of the road, goading motorists, and the couple arguing in the back  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Bike hire scheme: BYO helmet!

I said in May I had my doubts about the bike hire scheme for central Melbourne. Well, it’s been announced that the RACV will run it, and it’ll involve 600 bikes across 50 sites in the City of Melbourne. There’s some irony to RACV running a bike hire scheme. I guess it’s another thing to  ... [More]

Categories
TV

Red Dwarf – they thought it was an arts programme

Red Dwarf – once upon a time, the ABC thought it belonged on the Sunday afternoon arts show.

Categories
Retrospectives transport

Hector the Cat

Teaching kids to cross the road safely is a matter of laying out the basic rules, and continual practice. I’d thought over the years it might be easier if the Hector The Cat song was still run on TV, as the lyrics helps make it easy to remember what to do. Happily, thanks to YouTube,  ... [More]

Categories
If Daniel was emperor of the world transport

Stupid grunty cars

Here’s a draft of a bulletin I’ll send out at some stage after I’ve taken over as Grand Emperor of the World and established my benevolent dictatorship. Dear owners of stupid grunty noisy cars, I hereby decree that you have three choices for your stupid grunty noisy cars: 1. You may, at your expense, have  ... [More]

Categories
If Daniel was emperor of the world Melbourne

When suburb names get stupid

Came across this business. They have two branches. They have a Chadstone branch, which is actually in Hughesdale, and they have a Bentleigh branch, which I’ll grudgingly admit is technically in Bentleigh, but is actually on Patterson Road, right next to Patterson station. As I’ve noted before, Hampton East now stretches right the way to  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Myki’s biggest problem?

This was a number 96 tram in Bourke Street on Friday afternoon: Similar scenes are seen in morning peak around much of the tram network, during the lunchtime rush in the CBD, as well as the evening peak, as well as weekends. Now imagine it with Myki: everyone touching-on and off their cards as they  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Making your argument count

“That is right, 38 new trains, pity they are only 3 carriages long instead of 6 like our current trains. I guess that means we paid double.” — Comment on the Herald Sun web site Seriously, where do people get these ideas? It’s complete garbage. “Thirty eight X’Trapolis six-car sets will be rolled-out from late  ... [More]