timrichards

timrichards, 3 days ago to restaurants

The thing I like least about the recent wave of inflation is having to now forensically check every cafe/restaurant menu to decide whether I can afford to eat there. Never really had to do that before. But prices are soaring while my freelance income remains much the same.

#Inflation #restaurants #CostOfLiving

timrichards, 3 days ago to Travel

I do stick to just one item as carry-on, though I imagine it's often over the weight limit. On my flight from Belgrade last year I suddenly realised I was on a low-cost carrier and had to get the backpack down to 7kg. So everything that absolutely wasn't needed went out - nail-clippers, papers, toiletries. And I zipped about 1kg of notebooks into my jacket pockets. :)

Carry-on luggage limits in Australia: The battle for space has become a joke

(Maybe paywalled) #Travel https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/the-battle-for-carry-on-bag-space-on-planes-has-become-a-joke-20240514-p5jdg8.html

stephanie, 3 days ago to random

Antivaxers have invented... vaccines by demanding raw milk from infected cows... They invented the most dangerous type of vaccine... What, why.

TrishEM, 3 days ago to random

I just voted! If you live in a place that is having elections, please get informed and vote! Don't ever let anyone tell you that your vote doesn't matter, because it does, even if it's just to let the powerful know that people are paying attention. Waiting for perfection is a mistake. "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

hastingsmothman, 3 days ago to architecture

Lovely trip to Clough William-Ellis’s Portmeirion - ‘I am not a number, I am a free man!’ purchasing an obligatory The Prisoner mug … followed by a walk and an afternoon on the Blaenau Ffestiniog heritage railway #portmeirion #theprisoner #architecture #wales #holiday #railway #train #history #heritage #culture #walking #wanderlust #alttext

View through an arch across a piazza in Italian folly villlage of Portmeirion. Through the arch is a giant chess board beyond which are some shallow steps leading up to a fountain. Topiaried bushes are either side of the steps. Pastel coloured buildings in the background
A view down an alley overlooking a round house used as Number 6’s house in The Prisoner. It is circular with white washed bottom half and peachy pink top half. Some flowers and bushes are beyond
View from a railway bridge overlooking two steam train engines on a platform. The one on the left faces us and a man is working near the footplate. On the other platfrom the rear coach of a line of coaches about to depart away from us. Some benches are on the platform between and a metal railway bridge goes over both platforms

mkivinen, 4 days ago to random

I'm off for a four day trip to Stockholm, and my luggage is about the same magnitude as for my six week interrail. 🤔

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

Intriguing. | Orcas have sunk another vessel off the European coast. Why won't they stop ramming boats? - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-14/why-orcas-are-ramming-boats-and-sometimes-sinking-them/103843932

timrichards, 4 days ago to comicbooks

I'd forgotten about this. Probably for the best.

Superman: Why DC Gave the Man of Steel a Mullet

#Superman #ComicBooks https://www.cbr.com/why-superman-had-a-mullet/

ComicContext, 4 days ago to random

#ComicsOutOfContextAfterDark

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

Ugh, mass plagiarism aided by AI. What a wonderful tool it is.

Lawyer linked to 'parasitic' AI content network identified https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-14/australian-ai-content-network-lawyer-identified/103833258

kentparkstreet1, 4 days ago to random

I wonder if cafe owners have considered that making their cafes more pleasant places to be may attract more customers?

Music too loud, staff too cool, furniture uncomfortable, taking ages to make a coffee then hustling you to leave the moment you’ve finished it, coffee on my balcony is better.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-14/cost-of-living-coffee-costs-cafes-instant-sales-rising/103824058

timrichards, 4 days ago to Trains

New at my Patreon... Are there any rules which could apply to all sleeper trains? I detail a few, using examples of trains from around the world:

Rules of the sleeper train https://www.patreon.com/posts/rules-of-sleeper-103526292

#Train #Trains #SleeperTrain #RailTravel #Rail

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

There's a remake idea that has red flags flying everywhere 🚩 🚩 🚩 https://flipboard.com/@indiewire/indiewire-746h1epez/-/a-HgEiIvm8TyO1s2RX0LffWw%3Aa%3A1805834852-%2F0

timrichards, 4 days ago to random

Christ, imagine feeling nostalgic for the Trump presidency. Those four years were the worst, and I don’t even live in the USA! #USpol https://flipboard.com/@axiosnews/stories-by-mike-allen-s53fkjd8z/-/a-0TXdLUCASym-3BijsmSeIg%3Aa%3A2150299410-%2F0

timrichards, 4 days ago to food

Something I've noticed about restaurants in this cost of living crisis... if it's an existing restaurant, it'll put up prices but feel the need to have some continuity with their previous prices.

If it's a new restaurant replacing an old one, they just jump straight to high prices, the $35 bowls of pasta etc. And I never pass through their doors.

#Food #CostOfLiving #Melbourne

neonbubble, 4 days ago to random

Currently on a ship somewhere in the North Sea in the nightclub listening to what might possibly be some of the worst music our ears have been abused by. Flo-Rida and Soulja Boy were just the last two according to my phone. The only three people dancing are a white mum, dad, and daughter, all in similar t-shirts and him in khaki shorts - it's formal night, by the way - and the mother is trying to out-youth her daughter with her moves. It's both admirable and excruciating.

thisismyglasgow, 4 days ago to glasgow

Another of Glasgow's Edward VIII pillar boxes. This one is on Crown Terrace in the West End. Twenty six such boxes were installed in the city during the 326 days Edward VIII was on the throne, which one source claims was more than anywhere else, but I'm not convinced this is actually correct. As far as I can track down, six of these 26 remain in place today.

#glasgow #pillarbox #edwardviii #edwardviiipillarbox #crownterrace #postbox

simonvarwell, 4 days ago to random Esperanto

I often dwell on how generations heading into middle age are in weird in-between times: while older generations’ experiences were mostly not digitised and today’s young folk are over-digitised, only some of my generation’s past is digitised. That leaves us in an existence where life is patchily recalled.

I’d never imagined there being equality dimensions to this, however. A fascinating article.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/13/tv-episode-black-britain-gay-history

erkpod, 4 days ago to random

For a simple lift such as at a railway station that only has 2 floors, I suggested a single button marked GO. It's simpler than expecting people to know what button to press.

I have seen this in action at Perth Underground station. https://aus.social/@jessta/112433585648157837

lauren, 4 days ago to random

BREAKING: It appears that AT&T's attempt to end landlines in California will be rejected!

The administrative law judge issued a scathing preliminary decision which is likely to be followed when the CPUC meets to vote in June. He ruled that the application should be dismissed with prejudice. More details as I understand them. A decision was previously expected in September, so this came down very fast.

Here is an article:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/california-rebuffs-att-says-it-must-
keep-offering-landline-phone-service/

Here is the CPUC judge's decision PDF:

https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M531/K085/531085885.PDF