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• Post #4228324

  Something needs to be done about companies denying access to human customer service reps when something goes wrong. It's a practice which should be banned. https://www.smh.com.au/technology/queer-venues-locked-out-as-meta-suspensions-hit-melbourne-and-sydney-20260729-p60jia.html

• Post #4218891

  RE: https://social.chinwag.org/@abc_bot/117005777898167797 [tuts at waived fine]

• Post #4022466

  RE: https://ecoevo.social/@benlockwood/116964893643461218 I think this is called "threatening us with a good time". #USpol

• Post #1926382

  Interesting read by the people behind @TheWarOnCars - I just borrowed it from the library. Lots of good for thought re tackling the automotive scourge. #TheWarOnCars

• Post #1762666

  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

• Post #1753335

  At the risk of sounding old, I know what she means. I wonder sometimes why people travel, if they spend so much time on their phones while doing so. And only sourcing travel advice from social media means everyone goes to the same places. "A well-travelled friend just returned from Paris, and instead of getting a boost from his trip, he came back feeling dispirited. Not one to complain, and ever grateful for the ability to travel, he nevertheless was discouraged by the behaviour of oth...

• Post #1753331

  New at my Patreon... I've taken 47 overseas trips since becoming a freelance travel writer in 2004. That's a lot of international travel, and it might help to explain something I've noticed in recent years: the feeling - sometimes - of being jaded: https://www.patreon.com/posts/jaded-by-travel-156645807 #travel #NewZealand #Europe #nature #city #museum

• Post #1554316

  I have to agree with my colleague here, $422 does seem suspiciously high for a passport when you compare the price to other countries'. Sounds like a nice little profit earner for the federal government. #travel #Australia https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/our-passport-is-the-world-s-most-expensive-we-re-getting-ripped-off-20260417-p5zou0.html

• Post #1173867

  Run of classic autumn weather coming up here in Melbourne. #Melbourne #Weather #MelbourneWeather

• Post #1154922

  RE: https://mastodon.social/@kottke/116403480925631181 The proportion of US leaders in their 70s-80s is quite striking. In Australia, our prime ministers and premiers tend to take office when they're in their 50s. #USpol #auspol

• Post #1109903

  Fun piece about coffee's role in prompting liberal thought: 'Coffee houses were not just places where people could gather to drink the newly imported dark liquid; they were debating chambers where people could test their opinions, “penny universities” where they could educate themselves, and social networking hubs where people of different classes could rub shoulders. 'Jurgen Habermas, the social philosopher who died last month, famously argued that coffee houses provided something...

• Post #946266

  New at my Patreon... I saw this remarkable aircraft in the town of Mandeville on New Zealand's South Island. It was constructed in 1910 by mechanic Bert Pither, who claimed to have then flown it successfully above Oreti Beach. Unfortunately he had no witnesses; so could it really fly? https://www.patreon.com/posts/image-of-week-up-154459353 #NewZealand #Flying #History

• Post #929851

  I can't even start to see how using AI to help write a review could be legitimate. A critic must give a 100% personal opinion of a work, not some derivative thing partly sourced from other reviews. #AI https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-03/artificial-intelligence-new-york-times-review-alex-preston/106527724

• Post #925811

  Here's the online version of my Traveller article about a visit to Angkor Ban, a Cambodian village which escaped destruction in the Khmer Rouge era: https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/the-other-angkor-a-village-that-time-forgot-20260302-p5o6o0.html #Cambodia #travel #cruise #history

• Post #878894

  I've said this all along - Bluesky will eventually betray its users. Mastodon is the better choice for user freedom from tech-bro manipulation. #SocialMedia #Bluesky [From https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/30/blueskys-new-ai-tool-attie-is-already-the-most-blocked-account-other-than-j-d-vance/]

• Post #875149

  Ah this is perfect, found a quiet corner of the Hermitage Hotel cafe at Aoraki/Mt Cook in which to do some writing. I can even take refreshing looks at the mountain from time to time. #NewZealand #mountain

• Post #866487

  The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is underway! Good fun. I'll catch some shows when I get back from NZ. #Melbourne #Comedy https://www.theage.com.au/culture/comedy/melbourne-international-comedy-festival-2026-reviews-1-20260326-p5zivb.html

• Post #866486

  New at my Patreon... I visit Dunedin's famously over-the-top railway station, opened in 1906 as an extraordinary Edwardian statement of confidence in the importance and future of New Zealand's railways: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dateline-dunedin-154289016 #NewZealand #railway #station #rail #train #trains

• Post #866485

  Good morning from New Zealand! On a charter train from Dunedin, heading north along the coast to Oamaru. Beautiful scenery. #train #trains #NewZealand

• Post #866482

  Just arrived at Aoraki/Mount Cook, the village below NZ's highest mountain of that name. This is the view from my room at the Hermitage Hotel, I'd say it's acceptable... #NewZealand #hotel #mountain

• Post #828189

  I've just discovered that today is the last day that The Age newspaper will be printed and available for sale in Tasmania. That's a pity, I remember being able to pick up The Age while travelling in Tassie. I still get the print editions of the weekend Age delivered in Melbourne, as an add-on to my digital subscription. Anyway, I'm pleased to have had one of my articles in the final Tassie edition, in the Traveller section of the Sunday Age today. #Newspaper #Tasmania https://ww...

• Post #722182

  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

• Post #686733

  Fair enough really, Telstra has been getting away with murder with its coverage maps. I'm also tired of all its mini-blackspots in big cities, but that's another story. "Telstra is on track to lose about 1 million square kilometres of claimed mobile coverage – an area larger than NSW – under a proposed regulatory standard that would force carriers to show only areas where a normal smartphone can reliably make a call. "The Australian Communications and Media Au...

• Post #597295

  I'll be chatting with Brigitte Duclos on ABC Radio Melbourne this arvo about train travel - you can listen in via this link at 1230 AEDT: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/live/melbourne #train #trains #radio #travel

• Post #452951

  The SMH is looking very glam for Mardi Gras. #Sydney #MardiGras #SydneyMardiGras #lgbtq

• Post #435652

  Wondering why there are so few validators at some Sydney tram stops. Would make more sense to have lots of them along the platform if you want people to touch on & off quickly. Can't imagine it'd be that expensive to add more.

• Post #435651

  RE: https://aus.social/@timrichards/116117092256118313 Well I was right with this prediction, it's bucketing down.

• Post #435650

  Wet out here #Sydney

• Post #435649

  Having bar snacks with @NarrelleMHarris at the 29/30 Bar at the W Sydney. It's too wet to sit outside looking over Darling Harbour, so we're facing the CBD instead. There's a certain charm to a rainy city skyline, anyway. #Sydney #bar #food

• Post #435648

  Good morning from Sydney! Bit grey out there. Luckily I don’t have far to walk today if it rains, just the short distance to the ICC for the second half of the conference. #Sydbey