timrichards

timrichards, 47 minutes ago to Trains

Another V/Line train trip today. I'm heading to Bendigo to have lunch with my brother. As you do. A bit easier now that the country train fares in Victoria Victoria have been capped at $10.60 per day.

#Train #Trains #Victoria

timrichards, 41 minutes ago to random

Not a headline you read every day.

Allegedly naked passenger forces Virgin plane to turn around on flight from Perth to Melbourne - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-28/passenger-allegedly-runs-naked-on-virgin-plane-perth-melbourne/103901778

timrichards, 1 day ago to melbourne

Crikey. Mega!

Car crashes into Moon Dog brewpub at former Franco Cozzo store

(maybe paywalled) #Melbourne #Footscray https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/car-crashes-into-moon-dog-brewpub-at-former-franco-cozzo-store-20240528-p5jh5a.html

timrichards, 1 day ago (edited 1 day ago) to Trains

Snacks aboard a TGV Lyria train from Zürich to Paris, photographed by me on this date in 2019. You can't escape those paprika-flavoured chips anywhere in Central Europe!

#train #trains cc @diningcar

timrichards, 1 day ago to random

Snapchat still exists?

Snapchat Snap Map turbocharges comparison culture and risks normalising stalking to Gen Z

(maybe paywalled) https://www.smh.com.au/national/snapchat-s-worst-feature-is-turning-gen-z-into-narcissistic-paranoid-stalkers-20240417-p5fkjy.html

timrichards, 1 day ago to random

OH NOES!!! #MiddleClassProblems

I can no longer afford olive oil. What else can I use? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-25/olive-oil-cost-of-living-alternatives-/103888144

timrichards, 1 day ago (edited 1 day ago) to random

Want to try your hand at travel writing? Come to my workshop at St Kilda Library, Melbourne, on 27 July!

More info and bookings via the link below:

Travel Writing Workshop with Tim Richards https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1232799?

#Travel #TravelWriting #TravelWriter #StKilda #Melbourne

timrichards, 2 days ago to random

Nice idea, but in the end it's frequency and reliability that increase public transport use. If they can get that right in conjunction with lower fares, it could work.
https://rssfeed.media/@abcfeeds/112504897669985180

timrichards, 2 days ago to random

I wonder who this is supposed to appeal to. Probably voters too old to have to do it, I suppose.

British PM Rishi Sunak announces plan to bring back mandatory national service - ABC News

#UKpol https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-26/rishi-sunak-announces-uk-national-service/103894632

timrichards, 2 days ago to random

The NHS under pressure...

An exodus is underway in the UK's health system, and most workers are headed Down Under - ABC News

#UKpol https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-27/nhs-exodus-predicted-to-accelerate-as-doctors-head-down-under/103871994

timrichards, 2 days ago to Trains

Today in print in The Sunday Age and Sun-Herald - I write a section about new and upcoming rail experiences in the 'Next Great Journeys' special supplement. Includes trains in Italy, Australia, Norway, Japan and Laos.

Buy a copy in print today; I'll share the online version if/when it appears later.

#train #trains

timrichards, 3 days ago to melbourne

On a tram to St Kilda. Am I imagining things, or is this a very mild May? Lots of sunshine lately. #Melbourne

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

It's getting so ridiculously complex, they might as well reinstate staffed checkouts.

Coles staff told to ‘assist’ shoppers in scanning bulky items to stem theft
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/coles-staff-told-to-assist-shoppers-in-scanning-bulky-items-to-stem-theft-20240524-p5jgbl.html

timrichards, 4 days ago to auspol

I'm feeling mildly confident of the Greens winning a bunch more inner-city and inner-west seats in the next Victorian election. The Greens always do well when Labor starts disappointing while in office - and that applies to the federal election next year too.

Jacinta Allan’s Labor faces trouble as the west gets wild

#SpringSt #VicPol #auspol https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/jacinta-allan-s-labor-faces-trouble-as-the-west-gets-wild-20240522-p5jfty.html

timrichards, 4 days ago to auspol

Housing prices today are absolute nuts; in 2003 our apartment cost less than half of the median unit price in Melbourne today. God knows how we'd buy a place nowadays on freelance incomes. Way past time for government to remove property investor tax incentives.

Australia property prices: Average household would struggle to buy average house

#auspol https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/people-feel-cheated-cut-to-home-buyer-budgets-leaves-households-reeling-20240521-p5jfe6.html

timrichards, 4 days ago to AppleWatch

Knocked off this month's Apple Watch challenge with a week to spare. Fairly low bar this time around, admittedly.

#AppleWatch

Screenshot reading: "May challenge: You earnt this award by earning at least 16 Exercise minutes per day 14 times."

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

Ballarat was looking visually appealing today...

#Ballarat

A large number of open blue umbrellas, suspended above an alleyway.
Government building with an unusual design, its brown metallic walls punctuated with numerous windows of different sizes.

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

Visiting Ballarat today. V/Line cancelled our preferred return train, so we're killing some time at the Provincial Hotel across the way. Lovely place to wait for a train. #Ballarat

timrichards, 4 days ago to ai

Well said!

“Hey, look, this new magic instant dictionary is super convenient and easy to use!”

Oh, nice — so it gives you correct definitions and everything?

“Well, some of the time.”

Gemini is the new Google+ – Computerworld

#AI https://www.computerworld.com/article/2117752/google-gemini-ai.html

timrichards, 4 days ago to Travel

All tourist traps are awful IMO, but there are ways to avoid them at their worst. It's amazing how effective getting up early is; most travellers would rather deal with crowds than do that.

Popular tourist trap attractions worth visiting (and 10 you should avoid)

#Travel https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/ten-tourist-traps-that-are-actually-worth-visiting-and-10-others-to-avoid-20240517-p5jehg.html

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

I'm guessing the answer is YES. The same answer which always applies to the question "Is X the fault of capitalism?"
https://social.chinwag.org/

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

Tough times for restaurateurs. This quote rings true:

“Hospitality can’t pass prices on in the same way that most other industries can,” he says. “There is only so much you’ll pay for a coffee or sandwich or bowl of pasta.”

Cost of living Australia: Why are so many restaurants closing right now?
https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/eating-out/the-reason-so-many-restaurants-are-closing-20240523-p5jg04.html

timrichards, 6 days ago to random

That's odd. The UK election is being held on the USA's Independence Day, while the US election is being held on the UK's Guy Fawkes Night.

Don’t know if we can draw anything from that, but it's curious...

#UKpol #USpol

timrichards, 5 days ago to random

Weird science. You wonder why some future society would be keen to develop science to bring deceased 80somethings back from death. What's in it for them?

Southern Hemisphere's first cryogenically frozen client at rest in regional New South Wales facility - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-23/sydney-man-first-cryogenically-frozen-holbrook-regional-nsw/103879454

timrichards, 5 days ago to random

Just had fun writing a new Patreon post, figuring out which countries I've been to "plane-free", ie never having arrived in nor departed from them by air. To my surprise, there were 11. I'm not giving anything away by saying that Europe features heavily on the list. :)

Post will go live on Tuesday for my lovely patrons; if you'd like to join the gang see here: https://www.patreon.com/timrichards