Augustus Brown 🌈

A currawong eating an apple. 🐦‍⬛ 🍎

Meta pervert glasses used for stalking?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/08/ai-smartglasses-camera-film-privacy-consent

#Privacy #AusPol #GeneralNews

Have you noticed?

The traffic lights on both Napier Street and Canning Street are now 'double cycling' at the Eastern Highway (Alexandra Parade and Princes Street).

This means the pedestrian and bike crossing phase can be called twice in the cycle, reducing waiting times of more than two minutes to as short as approximately 40 seconds.

The double cycle is uneven (short then long then short, etc) and you'll notice it more in peak times when there's a constant ped and bike demand. The double cycle may not call if the button isn't pressed in time or if the overall cycle time reduces in times of low traffic (usually overnight).

Snowy winters fading from memory in New South Wales.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/blue-mountains-snow-drought-reaches-record-four-years/106982612

#ClimateChange #AusPol #GeneralNews

Police accuse anarchists of 'terrorism' against a military manufacturer in Melbourne last year.

I will find it curious if such a definition of terrorism stands.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/far-left-extremists-likely-behind-terror-attack-on-melbourne-defence-manufacturer-police-20260804-p60lai.html

No paywall: https://periscope.corsfix.com/?https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/far-left-extremists-likely-behind-terror-attack-on-melbourne-defence-manufacturer-police-20260804-p60lai.html

#AusPol #GeneralNews

K-Mart's pervert glasses sell out.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/04/kmart-camera-glasses-anko-meta-smartglasses-australia

#Abuse #AusPol #GeneralNews

This evening's tram driver doesn't seem keen on the job. He's slumping over the controls at every red light and driving very slowly. I thought we must be running early. Nope, five minutes late and getting later.

Jon Faine on Back to Back Barries. He discussed his Jew-ish-ness and how he thinks the Royal Commission is worsening antisemitism and social cohesion by failing to bring minority groups together.

Link should start at 18:56.

https://youtu.be/nfNzxO7xTro?t=1136&si=ZymJj0ETO2845XLA

#Podcast #AusPol

The baby boomers made some of the best televisual entertainment around the 90s and early 2000s.

It's the evening and you're driving alone along the main street of an unfamiliar town looking for a hotel for the night.

The pavement is rather bumpy and you feel eerie as the streets are deserted.

Then, as you approach the Town Hall, the doors burst open and the townspeople emerge shouting 'monorail!'.

Terrified by what you were fleeing back home in Ogdenville, you make a dash for the only bridge out of town. Maybe there will be a room in Shelbyville.

Sheltered public bicycle parking with horizontal rails allowing you to lock the frame and both wheels immediately scores you the maximum of 10 points in the Transport Planning Olympics.

Donald Trump's war improving bus services in Melbourne.

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/bus-bonanza

#SpringSt #AusPol

A quick look at the narrowed bike lanes on Elizabeth Street, Richmond.

The positives. The new smooth surface and removal of road humps from the bike lane are great. You can ride without giving attention to pavement obstacles.

However, the bike lane is now too narrow for social cycling and passing. This was considered to be a luxury item by the populist mayor and low on his hierarchy that puts car parking above.

I think social cycling is very important for normalising bicycle transport from an early age. The simple act of allowing a parent to cycle beside their child with a hand on their back goes a long way.

As a side note, this bike lane plus the buffer would be about the width of a stepped bike lane design from Copenhagen. They don't bother with buffer space there and let you use the whole width between the footpath and parking lane (example linked below). If such a design was made here, you'd keep parking and still allow social cycling.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@55.684195,12.543591,3a,26.7y,91.76h,78.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slqrrvNKS1y_VqQdaPH_q1g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

#TransportPlanning #Melbourne

Concluded.
-
Support the ABC's worker strike. Don't interact with trackable ABC services from 11 am AEDT this Wednesday to 11 am Thursday.

Don't use ABC websites. Don't use iview. Don't use ABC apps. Don't interact with anything trackable.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/24/abc-staff-strike-bbc-content-to-replace-flagship-shows-including-730-and-am

#Labour #Australia #AusPol #GeneralNews

RE: @augustusbrown@aus.social

Noting for other purposes - These will be approximately two-metre-wide bike lanes created by removing parking on one side of the road.

A juxtaposition for another part of town?

@streetsaliveyarra@aus.social @jessta@aus.social @yarrabike@toot.bike

I've made use of the new 10-minute service on the Sunbury line to visit St Albans.

This is one of the few outer suburban areas to have a traditional shopping strip (likely the result of a pre-existing town captured by Melbourne's expansion).

Traditional commerical strips with separate small landholdings are critical for independence and innovation.

Most post-war suburban areas only have consolidated single owner/manager commercial centres that prefer low-risk chain retail and hospitality.

It's why pre-war development areas tend to be fun and interesting, while post-war development areas tend to be bland and boring.

I must come back to see if the local IGA supermarket has a deli.

#UrbanPlanning