An article in Saturday’s Age mentioned a UN International Energy Agency study that said if every old light globe was replaced by an energy-efficient one, it would save 16,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the next 25 years — the equivalent to taking every car in the world off the road for six ... [More]
It’s just about dinner time. I’ve been attempting (for the first time) to cook a beef stew, a meal designed and built around the half-a-bottle of red wine I had left over from Friday. It’s been slowly cooking for about six hours or so, and I’m getting very hungry. Here’s what my (ancient) stove looks ... [More]
VicRoads web site: Footscray road (Docklands Hwy) west bound lanes at Appleton Dock road/West Melbourne VicRoads advises there is currently a Police Road Closure on the Footscray road (Docklands Hwy) west bound lanes at Appleton Dock road, West Melbourne. Traffic is being diverted at Appleton Dock road to Coode road back onto Footscray road. The ... [More]
What’s with all the lime green being used in corporate colours nowadays? Did Boost Juice start that trend? Is it the power colour for 2006? Other sightings: The CD case for iPod Shuffle; Australian Tax Pack 2006.
Now for a bit of controversy. I really enjoy doing footy tipping, and indeed watching it can be quite entertaining. Love a bit of kick-to-kick in the park. But footy, for real? Nup. I reckon it’s a mug’s game(*). As much as I might make fun of the Americans and their super-armour-padded version of football, ... [More]
(This is a second go at this picture, which didn’t quite get the long row of cabs I’d been hoping for. I can probably find longer if I try.) PS. Maybe I have a fascination for pictures of rows of things. Like garbage bins.
The bigwigs in retailing have talked about this for ages. Last week I tried out the funky new self-checkout computermachines at Big W at QV. Why queue to have someone serve you, when you can serve yourself? It’s a bit like a combination of using one of those price checker scanner things, and an ATM. ... [More]
The other day I found a coathanger sitting on top of the hedge at the front of my house. Not one of those wire coathangers used by drycleaners, but a metal and plastic one like you might get when you buy a coat. Perfect condition. Odd place to find such a thing, I thought. Attempted ... [More]
I might not have blogged about it, but I’ve had dreams before about having to be somewhere semi-unexpectedly, and running late. Last night’s was that (matching reality) I had to be somewhere today by 11am, out of my usual routine. In the dream, I woke and found every single clock in the house not working ... [More]
It was the winter solstice on Wednesday, and there’s been cold weather to match it this week. In Australia, we claim winter starts on the 1st of June. In many other countries, they say it starts on the solstice. By my reckoning, being the shortest day, it should actually be the middle of winter. I ... [More]
As a parent, I know one of the worst things is unwanted parenting advice. As such, it’s generally a topic of conversation I avoid like the plague — even in my blog when it’s directed at nobody in particular. But this has been bugging me, so just this once I will offer my opinion on ... [More]
While I was waiting for a train at Brighton Beach yesterday morning, there was a bulldozer doing its thing nearby. I stood there watching it ferrying loads of dirt from one pile to the other. I was pondering if someone could make a mint of money by setting up a quarry somewhere, and letting blokes ... [More]
Thoughts on the free Melbourne Tourist Shuttle bus service: Despite the name, it’s not a shuttle, it’s quite clearly a loop. I was going to say that unlike the (also free) City Circle tram, every bus I see go past is empty. But it’s not true: I saw one last week that had about 10 ... [More]
The good We had a low-key but enjoyable celebration of Marita’s birthday on Saturday. In doing so I discovered that both our suburbs are host to dog-related cafes — the Dancing Dog in Footscray, and the Spotted Dog in Bentleigh. And both do a very fine meal. The bulk of the rest of the weekend ... [More]
I’m guessing the drought is still on, because there doesn’t seem to have been much rain recently. (Today being an exception.) Obviously the impact in rural areas is a big problem, but what does it mean in urban areas? Water restrictions will keep going. No bad thing. I can’t believe until recently people used to ... [More]
Walk The Line — The story of Johnny Cash, and in particular his drug addiction and relationship with June Carter, based on his autobiography, which doesn’t paint him in entirely a good light. Interesting to see where some of his better-known songs, such as Folsom Prison Blues, and Walk The Line, come from. Really good. ... [More]