It’s not just about people who stand on the right hand side of escalators. There seem to be lots of pedestrians who, in high-traffic areas, manage to block things up and slow people down. Some — and it’s not just oldsters and tourists — will walk slowly in the middle of a path that fits ... [More]
Wow — a piece in the Good Weekend last week that wasn’t about Barry Humphries. It was about houses being built modelled on Martha Stewart’s homes, apparently being bought by people who have no original ideas for themselves, but trust Martha to design something good. “We’re delighted because we have no vision ourselves and Martha ... [More]
One of my favourite authors is Bill Bryson. I haven’t yet read The Thunderbolt Kid yet (I have a dislike of hardbacks, though I’m currently reading Michael Palin’s diaries in hardback — and loving it). Bryson is touring at the moment, and Jon Faine’s conversation with him last Friday on ABC 774 is available to ... [More]
Was away for the weekend in parts of the world you can only get to by road. 275km covered, which is a lot for me, who rarely drives more than 10 minutes in any direction. Thankfully there were four of us in the car, and the conversation made the driving go so much faster and ... [More]
Yesterday at Fed Square, the white stationwagons were a dead giveaway that the TV guys were around. Sure enough, across the road on Princes Bridge, Ted was fronting the cameras. I got my go a few minutes later. (It was one of those days, if you didn’t know.) In the pack I can see Alan ... [More]
Vale Harry Melbourne, inventor of the Freddo Frog. Maybe I’ll eat one today in his memory. Quote of the day yesterday, first school day of the year: “I can’t believe I’m in Grade 6” — Isaac. (Neither can I, as it happens.)
I was sitting doing some coding at work when The Posture Police arrived. The Chair Squad. The Ergonomic Inspectors. Seriously, a team of three did a sweep through the office and checked every chair to make sure it was working properly, able to be adjusted, and offering the correct back support. Zowee. It reminds me ... [More]
Wikipedia started a fundraising drive in December, and given the value I get out of it, I decided to contribute. Happily, I chose a day when all donations were being matched by some anonymous donor, which was a bonus. Imagine my surprise when a couple of weeks after Christmas, I got a Christmas card from ... [More]
Some pictures snapped in the last few days… I’ve never seen them have to explain what Happy Hour is before Pah, I’m not even going to try Hands up who remembers Stacks of Slax from The Late Show? Alas, they’ve just closed down.
With all the controversy over the flag this year, and what it may represent in the hands of some people, I found it refreshing to read this, posted on one of The Australian’s blogs by ex-serviceman John Taylor: The Australian flag has many places where it can and should be displayed. But this is not ... [More]
I know how much I’ve changed over the years. I’d like to think I’ve matured. My outlook on all sorts of things has altered. My lifestyle is radically different now from when I was 18 (if you think I’m a dag now, you should have seen me then), and has changed several times during that ... [More]
I saw this Google Map Mashup a while back, but Pete found it for me again: What happens if the sea level rises? Even for the maximum shown, a 14 metre rise, if this is right, apparently most of Melbourne will remain above water, though if you live in Altona, Port Melbourne or Chelsea, you ... [More]
The cockroaches are starting to get me down. I gather they’re around the city in large numbers this summer, but that’s no consolation when I seem to find at least one somewhere in or around the house every day. Possibly the worst moment was stepping on one in the dark last week in my bare ... [More]
This morning’s train in: And if you think that’s crowded, you should have seen the one before it. Admittedly this was down to earlier cancellations, but regular peak hour travellers know this kind of thing isn’t that unusual. So, are they buying more trains? No. (In fact they just scrapped a bunch.) But hey, they ... [More]
I wonder how much money actors make? I don’t mean the megastars, I mean just your average medium-sized stars. Random example: Gareth Thomas. Played the title character in Blake’s 7, which must have occupied him for the three-and-a-bit years he was in it back in the late-70s, and made him famous. Since then IMDB lists ... [More]
Okay dream analysts, see what you can make of this one: I was appearing on a Siegfried and Roy TV show. You know, those odd American/German guys with big cats (who stopped in 2003 when Roy was injured by a Tiger). I was meant to lie down on my stomach, with my arms outstretched, and ... [More]