@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 random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

That was fun. Ordered a pizza at Leo's in St Kilda and asked the Italian waitress to add anchovies to it.

She looked baffled, so I pointed it out elsewhere in the menu and she jotted it down. Later I looked it up on Google Translate and showed the result to her.

"Ah, acciughe!" She cried.

I have learned a new Italian word today. :)

engagedpractx, to random
@engagedpractx@sciences.social avatar

Slackers of Facebook, we need to talk. It's 'a belated happy birthday,' not 'happy belated birthday,' unless their special day arrived late by some temporal anomaly.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@engagedpractx Facebook?

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I like this shot I took on the Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne on Tuesday morning. Shiny.

timrichards, to Canada
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Jeez, I don’t think I'm polite enough.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@MichaelPorter @LALegault I played hockey at school, but it was field hockey! We don't have much ice here.

timrichards, to random
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Crikey I boarded a tram on a hot day and the aircon is working. Oughta buy a Lotto ticket next.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I must have made the mistake of glancing at a cat-related reel on Instagram - my feed is now 80% cat videos. [sigh]

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Hail the Montague Street Bridge

Placed on this earth to remind us of our humility

By crushing trucks from time to time

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I'm having a business Xmas lunch at the Oakwood hotel - the more distant shiny tower in the photo - so I needed to pay my respects to this Melbourne celebrity after I crossed it by tram. 🚃

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Interesting idea mentioned at the end of this article - a government-run supermarket to bring competition to the existing duopoly. Intriguing.

Coles and Woolworths set to face a Senate inquiry. NZ has been down this road before - ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-08/coles-woolworths-nz-grocery-duopoly-market-study/103184662

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Big new exhibition at NGV:

NGV Triennial: Banana taped to wall, Yoko Ono’s work and robot dogs painting in blockbuster exhibition https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/ngv-s-blockbuster-has-arrived-and-yes-the-banana-taped-to-a-wall-is-here-20231130-p5enz8.html

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

The Republicans in Congress are so irresponsible. Putin must be delighted.

Russia-Ukraine war: US on verge of cutting off aid for Kyiv

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/us-congress-on-verge-of-cutting-off-aid-for-ukraine-20231208-p5eq0y.html

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Such an arrogant government; looks like Jacinta has inherited Dan's flaws.

Jacinta Allan dismisses ombudsman report: Labor MPs actually believe wrongdoing is ‘just how things are done’

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/for-victorian-labor-reports-of-dodgy-behaviour-are-of-no-concern-20231207-p5epta.html

LordWoolamaloo, to DoctorWho
@LordWoolamaloo@mastodon.scot avatar

This evening's classic nostalgia trip on the iPlayer: Tom Baker era sci-fi with The Seeds of Doom.

Alien infection starting in Antarctic Base, reminiscent of The Thing, except of course, it predates that by a good few years.

Animated gif from classic mid 1970s Doctor Who story The Seeds of Doom, with a giant alien creature, a living plant now grown to huge size, engulfing a country house.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@LordWoolamaloo Brilliant story. One of the few six-parters that justify the length.

danielbowen, to random
@danielbowen@aus.social avatar

From yesterday while trying to post an infographic to LinkedIn - their iPhone app made it impossible to enter the Alt Text, by hiding the field underneath the keyboard. Couldn't even paste anything into the field. I tried adjusting the phone display (text size) settings; no luck.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@danielbowen Yeah phone layouts are getting too busy, I have a lot of similar problems. On the iPad there's an annoying options field that appears when you're trying to tap the top of the page to scroll up.

collin, to random
@collin@ruby.social avatar

Looking at this new hashtags tab in Ivory really shows how little they are used at all for anything. There are supposedly several million people on here, and yet trending hashtags will have been used maybe tens of times in the last week.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@collin Good point. Shows why search is needed.

augustusbrown, to random
@augustusbrown@aus.social avatar

I do find it a little bit funny that the original frightening horns on the X'Trapolis trains are being replaced with nice not frightening horns. But the original not frightening horns on the Comeng and Siemens trains are being replaced with new frightening horns.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@augustusbrown Surely "frightening" is what one wants in a train horn?

Transportist, to random
@Transportist@mastodon.social avatar

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/07/shortsighted-in-the-extreme-clover-moore-rails-against-nsw-governments-metro-west-decision

Prof David Levinson, a transport analyst at the University of Sydney’s civil engineering school, said adding stations in the 7km gap between Olympic Park and Parramatta made sense, but that adding too many stations risked diminishing the speed savings of the route.

Levinson noted that Metro West was initially heralded as a way to get from the city to Parramatta in 20 minutes, which is just five minutes shorter than the express service on the existing heavy rail network.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@Transportist @ajsadauskas Hard to see the problem in taking 22 minutes rather than 20, especially if you're close to the new station.

danielbowen, to random
@danielbowen@aus.social avatar

Amused to see a news story about Armaguard illustrated using a photo of mine of them parked illegally in Bourke Street Mall.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@danielbowen Are they not allowed to park there? I see them in the Mall all the time.

Gargron, to random
@Gargron@mastodon.social avatar

I've been brewing on this thought for a while, but I think it comes down to, AI has no place in the arts. Machine-generated art has the appearance of what it is emulating, but no substance. Like cake made entirely of fondant. Or cardboard.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@Gargron And by definition, entirely derivative. Parasitically drawing from other people's achievements.

skinnylatte, to food
@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io avatar

I don't think I can be friends with anyone who dislikes novelty flavor potato chips

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/02/the-weird-secretive-world-of-crisp-flavours

especially if you only like boring American potato chip flavors

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@skinnylatte But there are limits

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

A new branch of Brunetti! Always good news.

Brunetti Classico cafe Moonee Ponds opens https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/cult-italian-cafe-brunetti-opens-in-moonee-ponds-plus-carlton-s-new-tiny-takeaway-with-a-difference-20231128-p5enej.html

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@joannaholman Yes Puckle St is coming up in the world!

psychopoesie, to random
@psychopoesie@aus.social avatar

New knowledge no longer required.

(Spotted on the way to my walk).

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@feather1952 @BlahBlah @maudenificent @psychopoesie You mean Elizabeth II. I vaguely remember seeing her on her 1954 (?) royal visit, when we were bused down to the school oval and she walked around the perimeter. Crikey that's a long time ago.

timrichards, to Trains
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

New at my Patreon... I board the Winelander, a heritage sleeper train exploring wineries in the Goldfields region of Victoria - along with its historic towns:

Wine, gold & history - by train https://www.patreon.com/posts/wine-gold-by-94170699

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Interesting read, drawing international connections.

Why does the spirit of Remain survive? Because it is about so much more than Brexit - Rafael Behr https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/06/remain-spirit-brexit-referendum-party-politics

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I still don’t get this scheme - who on earth would decide not to visit Venice because of a €5 fee?

"Venice authorities unveiled a pilot program to charge day-trippers 5 euros ($8.22) apiece to enter the fragile lagoon city on peak weekends next year in an effort to reduce crowds, encourage longer visits and improve the quality of life for residents."

Venice gondola capsizes, sending snap-happy tourists into the canal - ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-07/venice-gondola-capsizes-tourists-taking-selfies/103199418

timrichards, (edited ) to Israel
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Ugh ABC Radio Melbourne interviewing yet another apologist for killing innocent Palestinians in the "war" against Hamas (as if you can effectively destroy a terrorist organisation via conventional warfare). Changed station.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@sister_ratched I wonder if it's a knee-jerk defensive reaction to avoid being attacked by politicians. Not that that's much of a defence.

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

New Melbourne icon:

Melbourne has a new hero. He is the Voice of Flinders Street Station

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-has-a-new-hero-he-is-the-voice-of-flinders-street-station-20231205-p5ep4n.html

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@RaySF Have you visited?

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@rwba Good to have those local characters. And as he says, it probably makes people pay more attention to the safety announcements. :)

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@RaySF You should, it's a great place. I wrote this recently for Lonely Planet, might be of interest: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/things-to-know-before-traveling-to-melbourne

danielbowen, to random
@danielbowen@aus.social avatar

Comparing public transport patronage in Australia's biggest capital cities

More details: https://danielbowen.com/2023/12/07/pt-patronage-across-australia/

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@danielbowen interesting. That's quite a gap in usage between Melbourne and Brisbane, given that Brisbane is about half the size.

Also, I wonder if Sydney partly gets more usage because it still has short trip fares?

Motherboard, to Trains
@Motherboard@federated.press avatar

The Southern California-to-Las Vegas route makes total sense and involves no wishful thinking in order to be a resounding success.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjvn75/americas-most-exciting-high-speed-rail-project-gets-dollar3-billion-grant-from-feds?at_medium=Social%20media&at_campaign=Mastodon

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@Motherboard Except it's a bit weird the train won't go all the way to LA's Union Station.

ChrisMayLA6, to random
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Grrrr... so the whole point of streaming TV was that if so enthused you could binge watch (or batch watch) a favoured TV series...

But, oh no, that was much too easy, now the streaming channels are doing the weekly episode drop - essentially reinventing the wheel of terrestrial/scheduled TV.

I just so want to binge , but now we have to wait to Wednesday each week to get the next episode.

I bet AppleTV think they';re being so clever....

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 TBH I think you get more out of by having to wait a week... and can discuss it with others without worrying too much about spoilers. So there is a good side.

girlonthenet, to random
@girlonthenet@mastodon.social avatar

My biggest pet peeve is restaurants/gigs/events or venues of any kind which have a social media page instead of a website. I don't have fucking instagram, so I literally can't see your menu/lineup? Even if I had instagram, it's an entirely inaccessible format so would be fucking useless? These platforms are for promotion, not for hosting vital information.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@girlonthenet @Gargron Agreed. Very tired of restaurants which only have Facebook pages.

rolle, to mastodon
@rolle@mementomori.social avatar

Almost everyone who says "Mastodon didn't work for me" on Bluesky seems to have posted only "me me me" stuff for months (if that) on Mastodon, followed about 10-20 people, never replied to anyone and then gave up because "nobody there, it didn't fly".

It seems there is a big misunderstanding how this free and healthy social media works. We are not here for the easy wins, likes, shares and dopamine spikes. We are here because we accept the fact we are not part of the commercial hype machine. We choose natural engagement over spoiling algorithms, we choose conversation and meaning in our social media. At least that is how I see it.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@rolle Well said. I find I get much better interaction to posts on Mastodon than I did on Twitter. I follow lots of people here, reply to posts, and boost plenty of posts. If you make an effort, it works well.

GossiTheDog, to random
@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social avatar

Massive story coming from this one later - thank you for Senator Wyden for blowing this up. Apple, follow through with public disclosure so this doesn't get lost.

Part of the US (and other) governments spy worldwide using push notifications. That popup telling you your friend messaged on that super secure encrypted messaging app? Yeahhhhh.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/governments-spying-apple-google-users-through-push-notifications-us-senator-2023-12-06/

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@GossiTheDog @jpm Good reason to minimise app notifications. I hardly have any turned on.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

My new role at business functions seems to be prompting the organisers to produce non-alcoholic drinks that aren't sweet (eg citrus-heavy mocktails, zero-alcohol beers). Good to be achieving something useful in life. :)

thisismyglasgow, to glasgow
@thisismyglasgow@mastodon.scot avatar

A half-timbered effect Tudor Revival building on Pollokshaws Road in Glasgow. This is not a particularly common architectural style in the city, but it does turn up from time to time.

#glasgow #architecture #tudorrevival #glasgowbuildings #pollokshawsroad #pollokshaws

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@thisismyglasgow Love that it has a computer shop in it. :)

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

We had our Xmas lunch today for the Melbourne members of Freeline, a national freelance writers' networking organisation. Lovely day for it.

timrichards, to auspol
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

This is creepy, throwing people into jail indefinitely on the basis they might commit a crime someday. That's imprisoning people for thought-crimes.

Government refuses to say how many released detainees preventative detention laws apply to https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-06/government-refuses-to-say-preventative-number/103194524

timrichards, (edited ) to Trains
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Now free for all to read... In November I boarded the Grainlander, a heritage train heading to the Mallee region for silo art, movies projected on silos, and art made from spanners:

Moving trains and moving pictures in the Mallee https://www.patreon.com/posts/92313586

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

No great loss IMO, all I get via letters is stuff that could have been emailed.

Modern mail: Australia Post to end daily letter deliveries in a bid to avoid losses https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/06/australia-post-daily-letter-deliveries-ending-company-losses

timrichards, to auspol
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

What an entertaining and (weeps) accurate article about the current Australian government...

"Their radical reconfiguration of the ALP did away with the light and the pesky hill altogether, and replaced them with a low-sensory plain of nothingness. Atop that dimly lit plain, a 'small target' can look like a mountain, and the enactment of your opponent’s deeply unpopular tax reforms can look like integrity. "

Zen and the very mindful art of Newspoll maintenance https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/12/05/anthony-albanese-zen-mindful/

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Just five tables. Peak Melbourne! Sounds intriguing though.

‘Weird’ Carlton seafood restaurant Muli almost doesn’t want you to vist. Here’s why you should make the effort

cc @LifeTimeCooking https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/the-weird-carlton-restaurant-that-almost-doesn-t-want-you-to-visit-20231127-p5en6g.html

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@LifeTimeCooking Yeah just thought you might be amused. :)

OnlyU, to random Italian
@OnlyU@mastodon.uno avatar

Praga

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@OnlyU @georgeharito Great shot

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