It’s easy when looking at aerial pictures to see the vast amounts of land taken up by freeway interchanges. (Pic: Google Maps) What is sometimes forgotten is the impact at ground level from elevated roadways. Here are some snaps from around South Melbourne — which of course being inner-city, has some of the most valuable ... [More]
Some bits of transport news worth noting today: July: new services The Herald Sun has the scoop on public transport service upgrades from late-July: Work commute eased as new train, tram, bus services announced (a very narrowly focussed headline given the upgrades benefit a lot more than 9-5 workers). Details are still a little sketchy, ... [More]
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Waterproof jackets
My old Snowgum waterproof jacket, which I got about ten years ago, is finally wearing out — self-destructing from the inside, a little like the Snowgum stores themselves. It’s been so handy that I want something similar to replace it: reasonably lightweight (but not flimsy and featherweight) but waterproof (not just water-resistant), that can be ... [More]
Sometime one morning in 1983 (I think) I was walking through Elsternwick Park on my way to the bus stop to go to school (year 7), when I saw a hot air balloon at low altitude. On the basket appeared to be a Penrose triangle — the logo for Infinity Limited, the ABC’s science show ... [More]
This was posted on Facebook by a Melbourne train driver last week. It’s well worth a read. Given he says “please share this” (and other copies doing the rounds are screen dumps, making it difficult to read, especially for those with vision issues), I’m posting the text in full here: I try to keep my ... [More]
I was passed this infographic on public transport from some mob from Ireland called HoogleIt. They seem to be sending it around to various bloggers to get it posted around the place as a promotional tool. Fair enough. It has some interesting factoids on it. Anything about Melbourne in here? Indirectly. The photo illustrating “liveable ... [More]
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Automatic for the people
Those of you who read the blog regularly might know that it started in my university days in 1990, with a twice-weekly email called the “Toxic Custard Workshop Files“. You can still subscribe to it, via YahooGroups — it’s got about 650 members. I never quite imagined when I sent the first edition that it ... [More]
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Derek
I didn’t know him — I think I only met once, when we were kids — but know his brother and mother quite well. I was greatly saddened to hear that this week we lost my cousin to depression. RIP Derek, 1980-2014. Lifeline: 13 11 14. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636.
I have an electric kettle. It’s pretty fast to boil water, but wow, does it burn up electricity. Here you can see our live electricity meter thingy on the fridge. On the left, a couple of lights are on, as well as the fridge and I think a computer was on as well. On the ... [More]
I was chatting on Friday to a colleague who has just bought a house with her husband. They ended up in an area they are familiar with and like, and as a bonus, she said, it’s in zone 1. I was the same when I bought my house back in 2005 — it wasn’t necessarily ... [More]
As an occasional cyclist, nothing puts me off like feeling unsafe. Bike lanes help me feel safer, but tend to fizzle out before intersections — just where many cyclists would consider that you need them the most. It doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s a real life example of continuous bike lanes: the corner ... [More]
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RIP Rik Mayall
BBC: Rik Mayall, star of The Young Ones, dies aged 56 I’m quite upset by this news. As a teenager, I grew up with – and adored – the shows he was in… The Young Ones of course, but I went hunting for those that people may have since forgotten (or never seen, because they ... [More]