raining

it's raining today and it's Saturday today and the rain is a good thing because I can stay inside and get things done, computer things, getting on with jobs for people, and cleaning out my inbox, and catching up with people, and outside the cane begonias are glowing pink and dark green, and it is all good

fabulous car eh!?

Originally uploaded by bonytony.

someone took a photo of the Poobus during the Newtown Festival and posted it to flickr . . .

misuse of technology

Someone just sent a text to my home phone. This is weird and stupid on a number of levels.

Firstly the phone had to read the text to me, and that sounds very odd.

Secondly the text was from someone who was running late, and wouldn't get here until 10:25. But I don't have an appointment with anyone this morning, so, it's a wrong number. But because the person has texted instead of called, I'd have to call them back to let them know that they're letting the wrong person know that they're going to be late, and the right person won't know that they're late and will, potentially, be angry at them when they do arrive.

Thirdly for me to call the person back I'd have to really quickly write down their phone number from the message, then call them and so waste money my end.

So really they should've just phoned the person rather than texting.

brother discussion sold born none

This is fantastic! Wordcount It's a program that takes the 86,600 most used words in English and ranks them. So I put in "brother" and it comes up at 1,215 followed by "discussion" at 1,216 etc . . . cool in a very peculiar kind of way.

I've just tried with "sister", it comes in at 1,389 followed by grant, smile, instead, justice . . . "friend" is at 572, followed by decisions, countries, expected . . . how "odd" (no. 2255 pension, warning, advertising)

low level terror

Today there was a low level terror threat for Town Hall station. It was all set to go off at 5:02pm, but didn't. Because it was a hoax. Or, in all-round-relaxed-and-comfortable-alert-but-not-alarmed speak it was a "low level terror threat".

Paul the guy who is usually on reception raced off to the station at about 4:55pm saying "I've got to get the train, it'll be great, there won't be anyone on it so I'll get a seat!" A couple of weeks ago he also said, when he was training me to fill in on reception and switchboard "If you get a real bomb threat . . ." with me left thinking "How many bomb threats do we get a week that you can tell what's real and what's just fooling about?"

product placement

This morning as I came out of the turnstile at Town Hall station I noticed two people in corporate t-shirts next to a big stand advertising the Cross City Tunnel. (You can use it for free for the next 3 weeks! Wow!!)

This struck me as stupid for two reasons:

1. they were talking to people who use public transport, not drivers
2. we were all getting off the train in the middle of the city, not on either side of the city

They'd be better off advertising to commuters on Parramatta Road, or at Bondi Junction. Or, we'd all be better off if they made trains and buses free for three weeks. Think of that!