Categories
Consumerism music Video games

Foolish lockdown purchases

Forgive me for this indulgence. No transport stuff in this post – try this link if that’s what you’re looking for. I started writing this post in 2020 after my sons moved out, adding to it every few months. The space in the house after they left plus lockdowns plus online ordering resulted in some  ... [More]

Categories
Toxic Custard newsletter Video games

Back to the arcades?

Every so often I’ll splash out on a new toy for myself. Last year it was a new camera. The year before was a hifi. The year before (just over two years ago in fact) that was an iPad Mini. Those paying attention will know that I had considered adding a multi-room music setup to  ... [More]

Categories
Retrospectives Toxic Custard newsletter TV Video games

The Old Bill

I used to love The Bill, way back when it was a cop show with a sense of realism, rather than a full-on soapie. The episodes I enjoyed the most, season 4 (from 1988) are currently airing on the ABC, in the middle of the day (around 3pm, and again the next morning around 5am).  ... [More]

Categories
Film Geek Toxic Custard newsletter transport Video games

Crowdfunded documentaries

I’m aware that my blog has evolved… these days most of the posts are about transport, reflecting my current interests. I wonder if this is a bit dull for those who have been on the old Toxic Custard mailing list, which is the descendant of the humour-based email list I started while at uni. Yet  ... [More]

Categories
transport Video games

PAX Australia – overall a success, but the public transport arrangements let it down

An article in The Age today notes that while there were a few issues, last weekend’s inaugural PAX Australia video game festival went well. We went along on the Sunday, and had a good time. We avoided the sessions with long queues, and instead saw an XBox launch event, played some games in the retro  ... [More]

Categories
Culture Melbourne Video games

Can you combine street art, classic video games and a Melbourne street map? Yes!

Can you combine street art, classic video games and a Melbourne street map? Yes! CDH Art: “Using the familiar street art motif of retro gaming, I created a walking guide-map to Melbourne’s street art.”

Categories
Consumerism Video games

There goes my August spending money

Yowzers. It’s been 7 years since I bought the house. And it’s been four years since I bought the car. At the time I bought the car, the dealer I bought it from had just paid the rego, so it’s due every August. This year it’s $696.50. Obviously because I bought the car in August,  ... [More]

Categories
Video games

Flashback to 1984: The Challenge Chamber

One of the lesser-remembered 80s Australian computer games magazines is PC Games. At least, I assume it’s lesser-remembered because it doesn’t seem to have a Wikipedia entry, although its UK cousin does. PC in those days simply meant personal computer, not necessarily the IBM/Microsoft platform it does today. Australian PC Games ran for, I think,  ... [More]

Categories
Retrospectives Video games

Retro Gamer edition 100

Yes, it’s true: I paid extra money to get a magazine about old video games sooner. I truly am a sucker for nostalgia. But hey, it’s the 100th issue, with a reprint of edition one as a bonus!!! PS. 8pm Saturday: Spotted today at my brother-in-law’s birthday barbecue, this tattoo of Rik’s:

Categories
Movember Video games

Movember: any Modern Warfare/Call Of Duty fans want a limited edition USB drive?

Are these Modern Warfare: Call of Duty 3 “Captain Price” USB drives, sent out as part of Movember, really “limited edition”, or are there eleventy-billion of them out there? Although I’d normally subscribe to the view that one can always use another USB drive, I’m wondering… would any of you MWCOD fans pledge a donation  ... [More]

Categories
Film Melbourne Photos transport Video games

A few pics: Myer, trams, crocs and Star Wars

I don’t have a proper blog post for you, so here’s a few pictures from the last week or so. If you were looking for Myer’s Lonsdale Street store, it’s gone — almost all of it except the facade. (When I was a kid, we often went into the City on a Friday night, had  ... [More]

Categories
Consumerism Video games

A few pics for Thursday

Pac-Man on Lonsdale Street (though if the ghost is blue, Pac-Man must have had a power pill, and should be chasing, not chased) I don’t want to seem paranoid, but I don’t think this is a real ATM: Behold! The temple of Gorm!