Categories
TV

The final Bill

Back in the day, I was obsessed by The Bill — part of my greater obsession with British television drama. I watched it religiously from the late-80s until about 2001 or 2002 when went off the rails and into soapie land, then I abandoned it. Last night I watched the final two episodes, courtesy of  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Who to vote for in Transport?

Please note that as always, the views expressed on my blog are my own, and are not necessarily a PTUA position. The state election’s about six weeks away. The Opposition has been criticised for not having a transport policy, but it’s important to note that Labor hasn’t said much about what they’d do, either. Sure,  ... [More]

Categories
Politics and activism

Stop slacktivism now!

Pic from Indymedia So you’ve got a beef? Something’s wrong with the world and you want it fixed? Don’t be fooled — joining a Facebook group won’t change it. Adding a ribbon to your Twitter avatar won’t change it. Leaving a comment on a blog won’t change it. All these forms of Slactivism may help  ... [More]

Categories
Geek transport

Myki short term tickets set off shop alarms

Occasional commenter Peter from Murrumbeena has sent me this video of Myki short term tickets setting off a shop alarm. Apparently it relates to the RFID technology used in the tickets. When a number are placed in close proximity, they look to the shop alarm like the tag attached to protected goods, setting off the  ... [More]

Categories
Doctor Who

How old for Doctor Who?

My old high school mate Konrad asked (a little while back now): How old were your boys when you introduced them to Dr Who and do you think it was the right age? I ask as I’m wondering how old my daughter will have to be before I can introduce her to him. I think  ... [More]

Categories
Morons on the road

Stupid place to park

Not loading, not unloading. Just sitting there. And plenty of spaces on the street. Dear WKY762, that is a bloody stupid place to park. Do you understand what a footpath is for?

Categories
transport

Major event at MCG: Sorry, no PT

It’s pretty pathetic when the organisers of a major event at the MCG have to tell thousands of participants that there’s no public transport. With start times of 7.00am, 8.00am and 7.30am respectively, public transport is not an option for Marathon, Half Marathon and 10km competitors. Why? Well despite the MCG being served by Jolimont  ... [More]

Categories
Food'n'drink

“Soup”?

So if it’s not actually soup, what is it? See also: The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks.

Categories
transport

Freeways, freeways, everywhere

Via Google’s archive of The Age, I found this, the 1969 freeway plan for Melbourne, with 1974 modifications (including a number of cuts). It’s a little bit stylised, but according to the article, the plan was deliberately vague about which inner-suburban areas were to be demolished. A monstrous plan, you might think. Freeways everywhere! But  ... [More]

Categories
transport

On the road

What do you think of this double-sized tram shelter? Top of William Street, near the market. Pretty good hey? Particularly for a spot which isn’t actually a tram stop. No trams are regularly scheduled to stop there. Occasionally some will get diverted off Swanston Street onto William, and terminate in the shunt here, but otherwise,  ... [More]

Categories
transport

A parting gift

Metro Trains CEO Andrew Lezala addressed the Melbourne Press Club today. I was amused to see they presented him with a framed print of a cartoon from the Herald Sun. Video of the event should be online later. Disclosure — I attended the lunch as a guest of Metro, to lobby on behalf of PTUA  ... [More]

Categories
Friends and loved ones

Things I discovered when picking up my father’s ashes from the crematorium

Things I discovered when picking up my father’s ashes from the crematorium: 1. At Fawkner, you pick them up from the office, not the crematorium itself. If you catch the train there, the office is in a non-intuitive location, back towards Sydney Road. 2. Make sure you have photo ID. I guess they don’t want  ... [More]