Tim Richards

Travel writer living and working on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia.

Rail travel expert, current books on sale include Heading South, Ultimate Train Journeys: World, and Train Europe. My book The Kick of Stalin's Cow is a travel narrative about post-communist Poland. I also have a novel out in ebook form, Mind the Gap.

See my published writing at iwriter.com.au, and become a patron of my Patreon at patreon.com/timrichards.

Public Key

npub1kh5khvq8vcap06aw9tzzcy0devhn45f7qqy9wh7wcklp53l7x72s9pw4wd

NIP-05 Address

timrichards@aus-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqstt6ttkqrkvwshawhz43pvz8kukte66ylqqzzhtl8vt0s6gllr09gpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43qt48cce

Publishing to

relay.ditto.pub

Author Public Key

npub1kh5khvq8vcap06aw9tzzcy0devhn45f7qqy9wh7wcklp53l7x72s9pw4wd

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Last Notes

2026-10-27 00:27:41 UTC

Insane. Who on earth has the right to disrupt both people's and animals' body cycles like this? Bloody tech bros, no sense at all. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/california-sunlight-space-mirrors-satellites

2026-10-25 21:05:50 UTC

Good news from Serbia. Another authoritarian bites the dust!
#serbia https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/25/europe-serbia-elections-aleksander-vucic-student-list-protests-bulgaria-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6ade679a8f0806c7a53cfb51

2026-10-19 20:13:34 UTC

Good morning from Melbourne! I caught this great shot when I looked out the window this morning around sunrise. Great effort by Melbourne weather.
#Melbourne #Weather #Sunrise
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2026-10-17 01:30:40 UTC

At the marvellous Hill of Content bookshop today - here's my new book, Train Europe! And moments later I'd signed it, so if you want a signed copy you know where to go.
#Melbourne #book #books #train #trains
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2026-10-14 08:12:42 UTC

Those of you who enjoy fantasy fiction books - please consider my fantasy thriller Mind the Gap (details at this link): https://harpercollins.com.au/products/9781460704028
If I can sell another dozen or so of these, then my royalties in the next half-year will rise just high enough for me to receive the first payment in a while.... seeing the accrued total has to reach $100 to be paid out.
I think you'll enjoy it! And you'd also be helping my cashflow. :)
#book #books #fantasy #train #trains @nprofile…9pr4 @nprofile…exlq
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2026-10-13 20:50:32 UTC

Ross Gittins in good form. Immigration isn't the problem, lower wages are.
"What’s eating the voters – and driving much of the surge in support for One Nation – is the high cost of living which, as I’ve argued repeatedly, is not so much because of high prices as it is lower wages to pay for stuff. That’s hard to fix; bulldusting on about migrants is much easier."
#auspol https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/i-m-sick-of-immigration-being-blamed-for-problems-it-doesn-t-cause-20261014-p61558.html

2026-10-09 21:56:41 UTC

Good morning from Horsham station! Not one of Victoria's busiest (usually just two passenger trains each way per week).
Just waiting for our own train. I'm on a heritage rail tour with Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.
#Train #Trains
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2026-10-05 22:32:08 UTC

Here's a new Patreon post that's free for everyone to read – announcing the publication of my new book, Train Europe. In it, I talk about how I wrote the book and what's inside it.
The post also includes the video of the complete Q&A session which was held at the book launch at Readings last week, in which editor Bradley Smith asked me questions about Train Europe.
Enjoy!
https://www.patreon.com/timrichards/posts/train-europe-my-171455562
#travel #train #trains #book #books @nprofile…exlq @nprofile…9pr4
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2026-10-05 21:58:27 UTC

Interesting idea from the Greens. The federal government used to own things like banks in order to force competition, so why not a supermarket chain? And food is an essential item.
#auspol https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-06/green-institute-proposal-public-supermarkets-break-duopoly/107228700

2026-09-27 22:33:02 UTC

Interesting piece about "lifestyle creep". That's capitalism at work I guess, finding ways to relieve you of any excess cash.
"According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, we’re not imagining the financial strain; groceries remain one of the biggest drivers of inflation. Yet, scrolling through our bank statement one night, I wondered whether we were actually struggling financially, or whether our discretionary spending had gotten out of control. Were our subscriptions to Netflix, Disney+, Binge, Amazon Prime, Apple TV (because Slow Horses is back) and National Theatre at Home (because #culture) an absolute necessity?"
#money https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-re-so-poor-we-ve-got-six-streaming-services-and-uber-eats-only-once-a-week-20260927-p610tp.html

2026-09-07 22:26:10 UTC

So dim-witted. Obviously people dipping into their superannuation would further fuel inflation.
#auspol https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/one-nation-s-super-raid-inflationary-today-impoverishing-tomorrow-20260907-p60v02.html

2026-08-02 23:55:37 UTC

Now free for all to read (but please consider subscribing for future exclusive posts)...
Want a good travel tip - or what the funky people nowadays call a 'travel hack'? Show up early. Let me explain:
https://www.patreon.com/timrichards/posts/show-up-early-or-152107711
#travel #tip #TravelHack
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2026-07-30 02:26:13 UTC

I agree with all this. For someone so careful with my money, spending $10,000 or whatever on a wedding would make me faint. In fact @nprofile…nq2u and I had our wedding secretly in the back yard of the celebrant, with our friends Craig & Julia as witnesses. Avoided all the palaver. :)
What do you think? Have weddings vecome too extravagant?
---
"I feel wary of the spectacle that weddings have become. I don’t think it was always like this. Talk to older people and you’ll hear stories of a family dinner and then a dance in the local pub. These days – even for non-celebrities – they are often big, flashy affairs, perhaps in exotic destinations, sometimes over several days. I hear so much about arguments when people don’t get invited, even though we all know space is usually limited. I wonder why people feel it has to be like this. I wonder, too, if the opulence makes the whole thing even more emotionally charged."
What makes a good wedding these days? I say flirting and chaos, but not three days in a French castle - Rachel Connolly https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/29/good-wedding-flirting-chaos-spectacle#comment-175289324
#wedding #weddings

2026-07-21 08:07:05 UTC

Feeling frustrated by the word "elevator" gradually replacing "lift" in Australia. I mean, it's not even more convenient to say - it's four syllables, for god's sake!

2026-07-19 23:58:43 UTC

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@nprofile…a4ar Hmm all those cheating university students seem to be avoiding cognitive effort...

2026-07-19 23:30:10 UTC

I imagine AI will be doing its bit to promote dementia, given that the avoidance of cognitive effort seems to be its biggest attraction.
"A healthy diet rich in leafy greens, berries, nuts and olive oil, and low in processed and ultra-processed foods, along with physical activity and daily cognitive stimulation, were among the most crucial dementia prevention strategies.
"The latter could be taking a course, learning a language, attending public lectures, reading and playing games: 'things that actually challenge your brain. It’s not just doing the same crossword every day,' said Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey, director of the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute and the only Australian on the WHO’s dementia panel."
#AI #health https://www.smh.com.au/national/almost-50-per-cent-of-dementia-cases-could-be-prevented-this-new-advice-tells-us-how-20260719-p60gk0.html

2026-07-15 23:00:39 UTC

I am interested in seeing The Odyssey – but for anything three hours long I'm going to wait until it's available on streaming. Sounds interesting though.
#movie #movies #film https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/the-odyssey-review-20260715-p60fg1.html

2026-07-14 22:42:37 UTC

Disturbing. Boeing seems to be having a run of bad luck in recent times. #travel
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/if-we-die-we-die-together-wife-details-ordeal-after-man-partially-sucked-out-of-plane-window-20260714-p60fbv.html

2026-07-08 08:01:31 UTC

This is interesting. I kinda understand the desire to believe that you're really living in 2006 rather than 2026, Telstra firmware, I really do.
Link: https://www.theage.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/telstra-investigating-outage-affecting-thousands-of-customers-20260708-p60dho.html
#Telstra
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2026-07-08 00:19:35 UTC

I never queue for anything if I can avoid it. If I do want to try a popular restaurant I'll visit at a silly time, such as 3.30pm on a Tuesday.
---
"There are queues forming around the world right now that travellers are only too happy to join, mostly to get the photo of the thing that everyone else has already got a photo of, because then you can show you’ve been there and got the same photo."
Is this really how you want to spend your holiday? We’ve lost our minds https://www.theage.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/is-this-really-how-you-want-to-spend-your-holiday-we-ve-lost-our-minds-20260707-p60dak.html
#restaurant #travel

2026-07-07 22:36:53 UTC

Telstra really is down, it wasn't working at all for me on the tram on the way to Docklands. I'm using Wi-Fi now at a cafe. Luckily its payment system wasn't affected.
#telstra https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/v-line-train-disruptions-live-updates-telstra-outage-sparks-mass-delays-across-victoria-s-regional-train-network-20260708-p60di3.html

2026-07-06 23:27:12 UTC

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@nprofile…pfuj Sounds like a standard cat to me

2026-07-06 06:53:15 UTC

Interesting read. Since 2016 the EU has become even more collaborative, including incurring common debt for big projects. Would a hoping-to-rejoin UK be happy to fit in with this?
---
The EU that the UK left no longer exists - Mujtaba Rahman https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/06/eu-uk-andy-burnham-britain-rejoin
#EU #UK #UKpol

2026-07-06 02:29:26 UTC

What a cruel but clever email from a travel PR this morning:
#travel #Fiji #winter
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2026-07-06 00:33:32 UTC

Sounds like the start of a Doctor Who story
#nevent1q…5k0x

2026-07-05 22:34:08 UTC

A comparison of George Washington and this current clown. Makes you weep.
"One famously wouldn’t tell a lie. The other famously can’t stop telling lies."
#USpol https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/the-lyin-king-trump-is-the-kind-of-leader-washington-feared-and-reviled-20260705-p60co9.html

2026-07-01 23:56:38 UTC

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@nprofile…l9xp And it already has four members of the Commonwealth: the UK, Australia, Malta, and Cyprus. :)

2026-07-01 23:26:03 UTC

Hear hear. I must email my Labor MP to add pressure to this campaign.
"Australian authors who successfully sued artificial intelligence giant Anthropic for covertly scraping their work are urging the government to stand its ground against lobbying from the sector to weaken domestic copyright laws."
#auspol #ai https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/write-us-a-cheque-australian-authors-musicians-want-ai-forced-to-pay-for-using-their-work-20260701-p60bn9.html

2026-07-01 23:10:38 UTC

Jeez they'll let anyone join nowadays ;)
#Eurovision https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/eurovision-eh-canada-joins-australia-in-european-song-contest-20260702-p60buv.html

2026-06-30 03:22:01 UTC

The digital rights of my round-Australia rail book Heading South have recently reverted to me, so now I can make some decent royalties from ebook sales!
That's of no interest to you, however - you just want to know if it's a good read. To that I say yes! Here's the blurb:
"Freelance travel writer and Lonely Planet guidebook contributor Tim Richards decides to shake up his life by taking an epic rail journey across Australia. Jumping aboard iconic trains like the Indian Pacific, Overland and Spirit of Queensland, he covers over 7,000 kilometres, from the tropics to the desert and from big cities to ghost towns. Tim’s journey is one of classic travel highs and lows: floods, cancellations, extraordinary landscapes and forays into personal and public histories – as well as the steady joy of random strangers encountered along the way."
You can find out more and buy the ebook at the following links:
Kindle AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0H25VSGR3
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/heading-south-9
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/au/book/heading-south/id6770431038
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=5CDaEQAAQBAJ
Enjoy!
#Australia #train #trains #rail #book #books #travel @nprofile…exlq @nprofile…9pr4
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2026-06-29 06:18:16 UTC

Now free for all to read (but please consider subscribing)...
Does this object look strangely familiar? If you're a fan of the BBC science fiction TV series Doctor Who, it should. I explore the history of the City of London 'Police Post':
Image of the week: London's miniature TARDIS https://www.patreon.com/timrichards/posts/image-of-week-149223557
#London #UK #DoctorWho #police #history
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2026-06-27 00:22:35 UTC

Nice profile of Dunedin Railway station from one of my colleagues. Criminally underused – there should at least be a regular train between Christchurch and Dunedin.
#NewZealand #train #trains https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/this-train-station-is-more-like-a-fairytale-castle-and-it-s-seriously-underused-20260602-p60365.html

2026-06-26 01:17:52 UTC

Fun story - a town that moved to higher ground in 1956:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-26/tallangatta-the-town-that-moved-70th-anniversary/106839584

2026-06-24 08:46:09 UTC

This is good to see. Rogue developers who knock over buildings without permission have had a solid warning via this drama.
"It’s a scene that regular patrons of the Corkman Irish Pub in Carlton would have deemed impossible a decade ago.
"Standing on the corner of Leicester and Pelham streets are Raman Shaqiri – the man who owned the bulldozer that illegally tore down the 160-year-old pub in 2016 – and heritage architect John Briggs. The pair stand in front of the newly completed exterior of the reconstructed hotel."
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/after-a-decade-of-drama-corkman-pub-s-concrete-clone-is-complete-20260624-p609jx.html
#Melbourne

2026-06-24 01:23:45 UTC

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@nprofile…w0mx that's a long one. Do they let you out at LAX to stretch your legs?

2026-06-24 01:12:28 UTC

It's my birthday today! So @nprofile…nq2u kindly took me out for breakfast to Roma Ristorante, a fun new Italian eatery behind St Michael's Church in Collins Street.
The vibe is that of a mid-century Rome cafe, with a relatively simple menu of breakfast options focused on good ingredients. Made a nice change from the usual over-fussy brunch cafe dishes.
Also - Narrelle bought me some very warm hiker's thermal socks! Just what I need. I'm always complaining of frozen feet in winter.
#Melbourne #birthday #breakfast
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2026-06-24 00:40:22 UTC

This is the one problem about those extra-long non-stop flights, you might have to land somewhere unexpected if fuel runs low.
"A Qantas flight from London to Perth has been forced to make an unexpected landing in a West Australian mining town after running into headwinds without enough fuel to complete its planned journey in one go.
"The 17-hour flight, QF10, was scheduled to land at Perth Airport at midday today, but instead diverted to Karratha Airport, about 1500 kilometres north in the Pilbara region."
#flying #Qantas #travel https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/qantas-flight-forced-to-make-remote-landing-after-running-into-headwinds-20260623-p609e9.html

2026-06-20 09:23:51 UTC

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@nprofile…mmvc @nprofile…x67q Yes I had a feeling it might have been an eastern states thing – I went to school in Perth in the 1970s and never heard about it.

2026-06-20 03:23:45 UTC

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@nprofile…amrh Highly thought-provoking. Probably commenting on the fall of capitalism as expressed by supermarket theft.

2026-06-12 23:12:17 UTC

Curious to think that locksmiths are becoming rarer - that always seemed a fairly mainstream trade to me. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-13/rare-trades-locksmiths-stained-glass-in-decline/106510440

2026-06-10 00:50:17 UTC

Good read.
'... it’s hard to find any creative worker who can contradict the Irish novelist Anne Enright when she said, “I wait for boredom to kick in because boredom, for me, is a very good sign.” The boring bits are the best part of writing. The boring bits allow the mind to wander into unplanned corridors, and the drudgery is when happy accidents happen. The inefficiencies, the dead-ends, the research rabbit-holes and other wastes of time, the battle to “write sentences from scratch”, are where the fun is. I can’t put it better than the Booker Prize winner Yann Martel, who, when asked last month if he used AI with his writing, replied, “Why would you do that? That’s like hiring somebody to have sex for you.”'
#AI #writing https://www.smh.com.au/national/things-i-d-never-outsource-to-a-robot-sex-and-the-joy-of-writing-20260605-p6048l.html

2026-06-09 09:17:12 UTC

I blame the misspelling of "barbecues" https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/barbeques-galore-to-close-up-to-500-jobs-to-go-20260609-p6059e.html

2026-06-08 00:57:29 UTC

Well, he'd know.
#USpol
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2026-06-07 07:08:57 UTC

Putin getting desperate.
#UkraineWar #StandWithUkraine https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-07/russia-embarks-on-plan-to-recruit-soldiers-from-universities/106757174

2026-06-07 03:29:03 UTC

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@nprofile…5w5c Good read. The quality of steaming entertainment has also dropped IMO.We've recently cut right back to two services which bundle in with other elements- Apple TV and Prime. Netflix has jumped the shark quality-wise IMO.

2026-06-05 01:32:18 UTC

Good read (passed on from @nprofile…kl9c on LinkedIn):
"OpenAI and the entire AI industry has a major problem on its hands. The massive amounts of capital they’ve poured into AI have not led to miraculous breakthroughs. Everywhere warning signs are flashing. AI is polling worse than ICE. Young people hate AI because they see it compressing their future prospects. Workers hate AI because its makers say it will take their jobs. Parents hate AI for screwing up their kids’ education. Journalists hate AI Companies hate AI pricing because they’re not seeing productivity gains for all that spending. Managers hate the tsunami of AI workslop that’s invaded corporate life. Even LinkedIn hates AI on LinkedIn. Creative people hate AI for commoditizing art. The pope warns against AI entrenching power and furthering exclusion at the expense of human flourishing."
https://www.therebooting.com/p/everybody-hates-ai
#AI #tech

2026-06-04 09:27:48 UTC

Sunset over Beecroft Park in City Beach, Perth. The Indian Ocean is not far beyond that line of trees.
#Perth #Australia #sunset
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2026-06-03 04:50:49 UTC

This seems like good news. Less Chinese strategic involvement with our Pacific neighbours is probably for the best, from Australia's POV. #auspol https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-03/solomon-islands-china-security-pact-pacific-treaty-australia/106753784

2026-06-03 04:30:17 UTC

Hello from in the air. The pilot has chosen to fly a big curve below the Great Australian Bight to avoid turbulence, so we've only just regained wifi connection (it's land-based). Looking scenic out there. I rarely sit in a window seat, so this is a bit of a novelty for me.
#flying #Qantas
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2026-06-02 06:23:47 UTC

Awkward. #AI https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/starbucks-quietly-retired-its-ai-agent-just-months-after-deployment-after-it-miscounted-coffee-shop-inventories-and-slowed-down-baristas-192259953.html

2026-05-29 01:36:27 UTC

I borrowed this book from Yarra Libraries for @nprofile…nq2u (she's interested in finding out more about the history of the battle), and almost collapsed hauling it home. Must weigh a kilo! :)
#book #books #history
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2026-05-27 23:20:10 UTC

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@nprofile…w0mx What a pain with that train from LHR! Last thing you want after a long flight.

2026-05-25 23:16:24 UTC

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@nprofile…d6wc I mean, who cares? How is any of that a human achievement?

2026-05-22 06:51:36 UTC

We're watching the final part of Good Omens, and @nprofile…nq2u has popped out to Hareruya Pantry to pick up some Japanese gelati to eat during the second half.
Which two flavours would you choose?
#icecream #gelato #gelati #Japan #Japanese #Melbourne
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2026-05-20 02:37:23 UTC

I'm catching trains from Canberra to Melbourne in late June, with a 90-minute gap at breakfast time in Goulburn. Any tips for a Goulburn breakfast café within walk of the station?

2026-05-12 01:48:42 UTC

I'm glad it's not just me who hates the murky blue-grey colour grading that seems to be applied to everything nowadays. Awful.
"A 'blue-grey' aesthetic has recently taken over our screens, washing out colours in major blockbusters and television. Some said F1 looked clinical, almost as if it were an advertisement for Apple TV. Meanwhile, both Wicked films were criticised for looking flat and homogenous, especially in comparison to the vibrant Technicolor in The Wizard of Oz."
#tv #film #movies https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/the-devil-wears-prada-it-s-just-a-shame-we-can-t-really-see-it-20260505-p5ztsx.html

2026-05-11 23:05:07 UTC

That is a bit weird. Has to change, if people are to own their own homes.
"The political task is now formidable, not least because of Australia’s unique national hobby: landlordism. The designated pathway to wealth and prosperity left the boundaries of humble home ownership and became about owning other people’s houses long ago, but it was encouraged by Howard’s CGT changes in 1999. Almost 1 in 10 Australian adults is now a landlord (9 per cent), compared with 7 per cent in 2000, and 1 in 21 adults in Britain."
#Australia #housing #auspol https://www.smh.com.au/national/tax-reform-is-not-enough-to-help-the-young-wages-need-to-buy-more-20260507-p5zuje.html

2026-05-09 03:10:39 UTC

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@nprofile…w0mx All the media should walk out when they do that. That'd stop them very quickly, I imagine.

2026-05-06 22:22:13 UTC

Good read. If I was in charge I'd phase out negative gearing completely within three years, abolish the capital gains tax exemption, and no grandfathering. That'd lower house prices.
"Welcome to the disaster that is the Australian Ponzi property market.
"We all know that housing is way too expensive – every one of the nation’s capital cities is ranked among the 20 least affordable cities in the world.
"Demographers believe one of the reasons for falling fertility rates (and the delay in couples starting families) is high-cost housing.
"As a society, we are eating our future generations while scrolling through our favourite Insta real estate influencers as they highlight the best Italian splashbacks.
"And whenever there’s even a sign that prices may be correcting, there are those (who own a home) warning it’s the end of days."
#auspol #housing https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/how-australians-are-eating-our-future-one-home-auction-at-a-time-20260506-p5zu90.html

2026-05-06 07:15:32 UTC

Dramatic shot across Victoria Harbour as I walked around from the library to the number 86 tram stop. It was that Melbourne thing of trying to do two types of weather at once.
#Melbourne #Weather
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2026-05-05 23:20:58 UTC

Now free for all to read... In December I wrote about the opening of Melbourne's new Metro Tunnel beneath the city centre - focusing in particular on the art within its station walls:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/melbourne-art-on-145174317
#Melbourne #train #trains #station #railway
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2026-05-04 23:08:06 UTC

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@nprofile…w0mx Useful. I do that too sometimes, I'll be just round the corner having coffee. We have an app connected to the front door intercom so we can see who's there and speak to them, which helps.

2026-05-03 22:40:07 UTC

Good luck to the UK Greens in the upcoming council elections, hoping they can show there's a positive alternative to far-right nastiness.
#UKpol https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/desperate-leadership-moves-raise-stakes-for-starmer-farage-in-uk-elections-20260503-p5zt6o.html

2026-05-02 00:02:22 UTC

New at my Patreon... I learned a new phrase this week: casse-croûte. French speakers use it to refer to a snack, or more broadly to a snack bar - which is what I discovered when I ventured down one of the Melbourne CBD's more obscure laneways, Coromandel Place:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/dateline-laneway-157124874
#Melbourne #food #lunch #French
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/116/502/049/928/442/789/original/440030ca9c2059ee.png

2026-04-29 23:18:49 UTC

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@nprofile…emk6 looks like he's leopardsplaining

2026-04-27 22:26:01 UTC

I've been thinking from the start of this stupid war that it seems a slow-motion version of the Suez crisis that humbled Britain in the 1950s. The whole thing is an embarrassment for the US.
"Yet, after two months of war, Trump remains entangled while Iran treats him with contempt. Indeed, Trump’s administration can’t even organise a meeting with the enemy.
"Iran’s negotiators flew out of the purported venue for peace talks, Islamabad, on the weekend as the US delegation was about to fly in. They would have encountered an empty meeting room.
"Trump was left to cover his embarrassment by claiming, once again, that 'we hold all the cards'. Yet he has no one to play cards with. This is a new nadir for American prestige."
#USpol #IranWar https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-says-he-s-won-the-war-no-one-has-told-the-iranians-20260427-p5zr90.html

2026-04-26 22:56:19 UTC

That's appalling. With plenty of sane independents to choose from, they're going to preference the hard-right racists who want to destroy them? Great work, Liberal Party. #vicpol #SpringSt https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/victorian-liberals-to-preference-one-nation-at-state-election-20260426-p5zr5l.html

2026-04-20 23:35:56 UTC

Brilliant article about AI, says a lot of what I've been thinking myself.
"The people who tell us that AI will dominate our future and take our jobs are the people who are hoping that will be true. They may be hoping this because it makes them feel important, or because they want to be billionaires, or because they simply do not understand other people. I think that final point is underestimated. If you are going to provide me with a robot servant, I have a very clear bar: It’s gotta be at least as much bang for my buck as my dishwasher.
"Normal people aren’t running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to automate every single part of their lives."
https://www.theverge.com/tldr/915176/nft-metaverse-ai-weirdos
#AI cc @nprofile…nq2u

2026-04-20 01:58:52 UTC

Aha this has finally shown up at the library! Have been looking forward to reading it, love his work.
#book #books #biography
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/116/434/555/948/831/825/original/a91b62e1bbe211a6.jpeg

2026-04-17 01:37:01 UTC

People doing long business video calls in public libraries are strange.

2026-04-08 09:55:06 UTC

Forced to frequent a Subway outlet round the corner from my Auckland hotel, given the late arrival of the train from Wellington.
Subway sandwiches are odd. They're *almost* good, but somehow not. I think the bread is the issue.
#food

2026-04-06 21:12:28 UTC

Fun pedestrian lights with Māori designs here in central Wellington:
#Wellington #NewZealand
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/116/359/819/105/124/245/original/037dcf0e1170ce97.jpeg
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/116/359/819/776/186/648/original/328bced4cdcf8cb9.jpeg

2026-04-03 19:20:57 UTC

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@nprofile…9jxk No it's Saturday

2026-03-30 23:12:32 UTC

The Otago Daily Times had to do a *lot* of censoring on this front page story:
#Dunedin #NewZealand
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2026-03-28 03:08:11 UTC

LOL at this headline
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Dickhead With Ute Taller Than Himself Not So Fucking Smug About It Now
https://theshovel.com.au/2026/03/18/dickhead-with-ute-taller-than-himself-not-so-smug-about-it-now/

2026-03-26 19:32:18 UTC

I've just discovered you can schedule messages from the iPhone to be delivered later. Huh. There's always something new* under the sun.
*this is possibly not new
#iPhone #iOS

2026-03-22 23:33:20 UTC

Interesting piece about supermarket theft and its intersection with the cost of living crisis. I shake my head at supermarkets installing customer-hostile security measures, when they could just reinstate staffed checkouts. (Also their dodgy behaviour over illusory discounts hasn't won them any friends.)
[gift link] https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/share/22860/2OX13elG

2026-03-22 21:46:37 UTC

Interesting. Are you a dormant Canadian?
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260318-the-rise-of-the-backup-passport

2026-03-20 21:33:53 UTC

I'm at Melbourne's Southern Cross station, about to depart by train for Clunes for the annual Booktown Festival. There's a bunch of other book lovers on the train. :)
#train #trains #Clunes #book #books
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2026-03-20 00:36:02 UTC

Anyone else going to the Clunes Booktown Festival this weekend? Might see you there. @nprofile…nq2u and I are attending the Speculative Fiction panel tomorrow at 2pm.
#book #books #festival #Clunes #Victoria https://clunesbooktown.org.au/

2026-03-09 05:21:51 UTC

You can see what happened here – when the Baby Boomers were by far the biggest generation, that numerical heft convinced politicians to make life easier for them. Now the resulting wealth imbalance is causing trouble (as I remember many of us predicted it would in the 1990s when John Howard started handing out middle-class welfare).
#auspol https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/baby-boomers-now-worth-6-trillion-after-ninefold-increase-in-wealth-this-century-20260306-p5o87f.html

2026-03-03 04:30:51 UTC

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@nprofile…w0mx that sounds good value, do you have a link to the offer?

2026-03-01 22:01:16 UTC

War is not covered by travel insurance.
#travel https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/travel-plans-disrupted-by-the-war-your-insurer-is-unlikely-to-help-20260301-p5o6fl.html

2026-02-28 02:20:04 UTC

New at my Patreon... While taking a ferry from Barangaroo to Pyrmont Bay I looked up to see this appealing scene, centred on a replica of a famous ship - HMB Endeavour:
See the full image and read my post at https://www.patreon.com/posts/image-of-week-151843734
#sydney #history #australia #ship #museum
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/116/145/867/955/357/383/original/0c3b8d09d4872f3d.png

2026-02-21 06:41:27 UTC

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@nprofile…mmvc Oh yes that's a great show

2026-02-21 03:26:49 UTC

I find Apple TV to be one of the better streaming services. They do science fiction really well, and I get the impression they're more likely to give shows a second season to establish themselves.
#tv https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/why-apple-tv-is-betting-against-the-streamer-playbook-20260218-p5o3ct.html

2026-02-21 03:02:08 UTC

I like this take. Certainly whenever I worry I've made some bad life choices, I think of former Prince Andrew or the Liberal Party of Australia, and realise things could be far worse.
'Newspapers and magazines are very keen on the headline “How I lost 10 kilos - and kept it off”. They are less keen on the headline “I keep getting fatter and fatter – and there’s nothing I can do about it”. Yet that’s the reality for me, and I imagine for a lot of others. Why not be honest about it?
'Some say the media should try to be more positive. I’m not so sure. I’d like to see a bit more negativity, just to make me feel better.'
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/the-case-for-more-negativity-why-aspirational-media-is-making-us-miserable-20260217-p5o30t.html

2026-02-03 21:58:14 UTC

I do like a minimalist look, but maybe that's just a yearning to be tidy. If you live in a relatively small apartment you do need to have spaces for things, and to put them away.
"we in the West have been sold a beautiful, aspirational falsehood. Minimalism – in architecture, in fashion, in interior design – is desirable because it is impossible for the ordinary person to achieve. For much of the past two years, I have looked at our overstuffed cupboards and yearned for it all to be so much less. I have craved simple lines, smooth surfaces, shelves housing only a single bottle of small-batch olive oil and four grey earthenware plates. Instead, I have reckoned with daily failure and the overabundance of family life."
#living #home https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/minimalism-is-elitist-and-exhausting-let-me-be-messy-20260128-p5nxof.html

2026-02-01 20:56:19 UTC

Apparently transparent tech housings are coming back again. Decades ago I had a transparent Palm device, it was kinda cool but also kinda tacky.
#tech https://www.smh.com.au/technology/the-90s-are-back-why-see-through-tech-is-in-style-again-20251212-p5nna2.html

2026-01-28 21:31:40 UTC

Some idiot has written over the Public Purse sculpture with white pen. Doesn't look difficult to remove, thankfully. Have reported to the council via the Snap Send Solve app (the ideal tool for public-spirited busybodies like me).
#Melbourne
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/115/974/858/034/471/704/original/afe71cae74020f9e.jpeg

2026-01-25 21:04:42 UTC

Amusing piece about Australian cultural habits:
"I took to social media to ask if my perception of some common behaviours are actually Australian norms, as opposed to my own preferences – Aussies flocked to the comments to confirm. Australians are very polite; we like to line up, we have a strong sense of fairness, we try and minimise our impact on others in public, and we are quick to help people even if they’re strangers.
"Combine these traits with the weird anachronisms of our cultures (fairy bread? The Nutbush dance? Saying “hip hip hooray” after the Happy Birthday song?), and it’s clear to me that regardless of our uncertainty about our collective culture, I’ve been absorbing an Australian identity my whole life."
#Australia https://www.smh.com.au/national/an-experience-at-a-paris-airport-showed-me-what-it-really-means-to-be-australian-20260123-p5nwne.html

2026-01-21 21:09:19 UTC

What an idiot. And these people are representing us?
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/nationals-resign-live-updates-coalition-in-crisis-as-national-mps-quit-frontbench-en-masse-after-littleproud-s-bombshell-letter-to-sussan-ley-20260121-p5nvzb.html
#auspol
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2026-01-19 08:28:19 UTC

Now that is intriguing - Melbourne has become the cheapest Australian capital city in which to rent a house. It's even dropped over the past year. And house prices here are also cheaper than in most of the other cities too.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-15/rental-market-capital-city-rents-domain-lack-of-affordability/106223682
#Melbourne #Housing
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2026-01-18 20:06:09 UTC

Good morning all! Looks like another beautiful summer day coming up.
#Melbourne
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/115/917/898/797/265/832/original/cb4a209019afe52d.jpeg

2026-01-14 02:05:20 UTC

Nice read. I'm a great fan of sending postcards too.
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As I move around the world, postcards are a tangible way to tell people that I’m thinking of them - Minoli Wijetunga https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/11/postcards-tangible-tell-people-thinking-of-them
#travel #postcard

2026-01-13 00:15:01 UTC

Personally I'm amazed people stayed on X after the Nazi salute, but whatever. The best time to leave Twitter was years ago, the second-best time is now.
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To anybody still using X: sexual abuse content is the final straw, it’s time to leave - Marie Le Conte https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/12/x-sexual-abuse-time-to-leave-elon-musk-grok-imagery-women-children
#Twitter #X

2026-01-10 04:12:05 UTC

We saw Rental Family yesterday at Cinema Nova.
Enjoyable film in which Brendan Fraser plays an American living In Tokyo who works for an agency which hires out actors to fulfill often awkward emotional requests (eg he has to prentend to be the long-absent dad of a young girl, to increase her chances of getting into a good school).
It's an enjoyable story, with a big dose of pathos as Fraser's character gets drawn into emotional connections with the clients, and as the ethical shortcomings of the company's practices become clear.
To their credit the movie's creators include a lot of spoken Japanese (subtitled) in addition to spoken English, which seems natural. It's well-paced too. Recommended.
#film #movie #movies #Japan cc @nprofile…nq2u @nprofile…k3fr
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2026-01-08 22:56:24 UTC

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@nprofile…9vmh Where are you heading?

2026-01-08 04:29:30 UTC

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@nprofile…5pn3 @nprofile…kzhu Jeez I'm glad you pointed that out, I'm in the same boat. I'll suppose I'll have to get my email forwarded by my domain host.

2026-01-07 21:34:51 UTC

Fair call. I've been to a few of these! At least I had the sense to avoid the Maneken Pis and the Little Mermaid.
#travel #europe https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/europe-s-10-lamest-attractions-that-tourists-inexplicably-flock-to-20260106-p5ns1k.html