Categories
Melbourne News and events

Common decency

I was saddened to see the damage to the Flinders Street Station stained-glass windows on the news, from the protests by Indian students today, but I think it probably shows just how angry they are about the crimes against them. I’d be angry too. Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said there was a perception that Indian  ... [More]

Categories
PTUA transport

Those Brits look like Aussies!

Dear London Daily News, that photo you’ve used was taken by me for use by the PTUA. I don’t recall providing permission for you to use it, and I don’t see any attribution on it. I wonder if anybody clicked through to look at the detail in the picture and wondered whereabouts Caulfield station is  ... [More]

Categories
Consumerism Food'n'drink

What’s that got to do with the price of milk?

As part of my conversion to a cheapskate, I was comparing low-fat milks. For a while I’d been buying Pura Light Start or Rev. The supermarket brands are a lot cheaper, and maybe my taste buds are AWOL, but I can’t really detect a huge difference in taste. But how do they stackup on nutrition?  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne transport

Walkability and churches

I found the video below on the Walkscore.com blog. Amusing, and quite thought-provoking (if a little preachy). On this topic, I’m not quite sure why, but I had noticed there’s an enormous variety of places of worship in my suburb. Seems whatever your faith, there’s probably a local place for you. Seriously, within about fifteen  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Baaaa!

Level crossings like the one at Glen Huntly slow down trams, cars, pedestrians and trains alike… in fact due to the tram/train crossing (one of four in Melbourne), trains have to slow down to 15 km/h. And the confined pedestrian

Categories
News and events

Clare the bogan

One commentator says Claire Werbeloff (the “fully sick” “Chk Chk Boom” Kings Cross bogan hoaxer) is this year’s Corey Worthington. Uh huh. Well it might be worth pointing out that last year’s Corey Worthington is now an unemployed nobody looking for a labouring job. Perhaps the best Claire Werbeloff commentary came from the victim of  ... [More]

Categories
driving

I don’t understand

This is the corner of Whitehall and Wingfield Streets in Footscray. (Aerial view in Google Maps) The traffic lights closest to the camera in these photos are basically for the pedestrian crossing, on the northern side of the intersection. But the southern side of the intersection includes a stop line, so that’s where the cars  ... [More]

Categories
transport

How much has really changed?

I’ve been using Glenhuntly Station for about fifteen years, since when I first moved to the suburb. I still go there even though I live in Bentleigh, on days when I’ve dropped off the kids at school. In that time, about the only thing that’s changed is that there used to be a booking office  ... [More]

Categories
Geek

You’re invited — bring a slave

I wrote about this ages ago, but it hasn’t changed, as it still works the same way on my newish Nokia N95 phone: The predictive text, which usually works really well, reckons if you press 752737, the most likely word you want is slaves. I always want plates. So if I’m not careful to change  ... [More]

Categories
Consumerism

No more cigarettes

I was in the barber shop last week getting a hair cut. I’ve been going there for something like fifteen years, and things have changed little over that time. One thing that used to be different is they had ash-trays in the waiting area to accomodate smokers. Those disappeared some years ago. But now for  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Bike hire

Pre-state budget, there were strategic leaks of various initiatives. One that got a lot of press is the bike hire scheme. It’s a $5 million dollar scheme to have a bunch of inner-city bike stations where people can hire a bike. Obviously there’s some detail to come out here. Where will they put them? How  ... [More]

Categories
Politics and activism PTUA

Why yes, I have done that

Ever tried to do a press conference at Southern Cross station and compete with a locomotive for the microphone? Don’t try. Locos 1. Me 0. — Kevin Rudd PM on Twitter Amusing. It occurred to me that there’s not very many people who would be qualified to reply in the affirmative to that, so even  ... [More]