@timrichards@aus.social
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

timrichards

@timrichards@aus.social

Travel writer living and working on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia. Rail travel expert, current books on sale include Heading South and Ultimate Train Journeys: World. See my published writing at iwriter.com.au.

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timrichards, to ai
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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

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

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Ballarat was looking visually appealing today...

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,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@frogglin Trains all day :)

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@frogglin Fair call. I sometimes stay overnight when I'm visiting my brother there, it is a lengthy run to do twice on one day.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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, to auspol
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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

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

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@imalcolm They might belatedly get interested when the Greens start winning their seats, powered by disgruntled renters. Hope so, anyway.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@imalcolm Yeah I have price ceilings for the price of a dish. And I'm generally having tap water with meals now. Would rather save money on drinks than food.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Nice biographical piece by Nyadol Nyuon. I used to follow her on Twitter, inspirational.

Nyadol Nyuon: On returning to the Kenyan refugee camp she left 20 years ago
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/after-20-years-i-finally-returned-to-the-kenyan-refugee-camp-i-d-left-for-a-new-life-20240513-p5jd9m.html

timrichards, to Travel
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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)

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

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@sister_ratched Didn't you visit Sintra? ;)

mawsonbear, to random
@mawsonbear@mastodon.au avatar

Still considering how to explore the UK (see posts below), Scotty abandoned the self-drive idea and pondered about train travel instead. (See more with tag ).

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@mawsonbear God yes, rail is the way to go. Consider a BritRail Pass, good value.

timrichards, to random
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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.

timrichards,
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Should've stayed in that hotel bar longer. The next train after the cancelled one was only three carriages long, and thus completely packed. [sigh]

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@railmaps Sadly the next train was packed; full of returnees from a one-way Steamrail jaunt from Melbourne! We should've lingered over the beer.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@kcfromaustcrime Next time!

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Tough all round - prices going up for restaurants and customers, with inevitable results.

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

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Weird science...

Evidence for 'Planet Nine' lurking on the fringes of the Solar System is building. So why can't astronomers spot it? - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-05-24/planet-nine-mike-brown-trans-neptunian-objects-solar-system/103845100

ChrisMayLA6, to random
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Vital point:

The date of the general election seems designed to disenfranchise young people as much as possible, since most university students who vote do so at their term-time address. Universities are in recess on 4 July & many students will be at their parents’ or between university accommodation. Please make sure anyone you know in this situation registers at an appropriate address, preferably with a postal vote.

Michelle Kimber
Plymouth
(Guardian letters)

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 So strange that you don’t have Absent Voting in person in the UK. In Australia you can vote at any polling place in your state, and interstate at selected polling places. There's also early voting and postal voting.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 Much easier just to show up than register for a postal though. The Tories are being sneaky.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@lionelb Pretty decrepit 80-year-old slaves though

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@joannaholman Yeah I can't see the motivation.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

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

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@Lukas Yes never having entered/left via plane on any trip. I had several other countries where I'd done that once, but not on every occasion.

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Stuck on a westbound Collins Street tram near Parliament, something seems to have happened up ahead; can hear the odd siren. Eastbound trains are running OK though. Wonder what the issue is?

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@leece Just seemed a risky calculation, as the tram might run again any moment.

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