I iz surprised

Here is a couple of interesting maps I came across, displaying areas of heat in Greater Melbourne and peninsulas on both sides of the bay and they rather surprised me.

Melbourne sits at the top of the bay with its huge tall buildings pumping out air conditioning heat when the weather is warm, vast expanses of concrete and asphalt, congested traffic pumping out heat, a point where most public transport runs closely together generating heat, as those who use London's tube trains know. So why isn't the city and inner to the middle suburbs the hottest?

While it may be partly topographical, the west to the left is very flat, I put it down to street trees and large established parks in the city and inner to middle areas, principally elm and plane trees. I am not suggesting outer areas should have such trees, better that we use native vegetation, but trees are what these high heat areas really need. Also the west is generally a cheaper area to live with poorer public transport and long time and recent immigrants who either don't like large tress or don't have land enough for large trees. 

There is a couple of curious heat areas to me, the Bellarine Peninsula on the bottom left where Sister lives, and above the small other bay to the right, Westernport, encompassing the town where Ex Sis in Law lived. I thought it was her husband's son in law that made me feel hot when I was there and he was too. It seems it was just climatic. 

We're away for a few days to visit ageing Step Mother. See you all soon.  

Thoroughly Modern Millie

While I liked the convenience of just swiping my phone screen to make it operational, R convinced me it was not secure, which I already knew. Use a four digit PIN as I do, he suggested. Eventually I did and although I became used to entering the PIN to open the phone, I still found it a nuisance. 

Although fingerprint recognition was an option on my last phone, after buying my latest, I decided to give it a try. Nothing gained, and all that. It wasn't too difficult, the only problem I had was that in sunlight I would have to swipe the screen to find the finger print symbol on the screen to wake the phone up, but the more I used the phone, I came to know exactly where to put my finger on the screen. All good.

I've been observing people using their phones at public transport card readers and paying for goods in shops. At times it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth, with card readers not responding but when I saw someone my age pay using their phone to pay, that was it. I will not be left behind.

I already use Stocard on my phone for large company loyalty cards, thanks to a former blogger who lives on the mid New South Wales coast. That helped me remove cards from wallet. 

Again it was easier enough and an automated system contacted my bank and sent a six digit code to my phone to confirm my identity for both my debit card and separately my credit card and it was all done. I chose my debit card as the normal payment choice as I primarily use my debit card and so I have to open the app to choose my credit card. I only use my credit card when paying for internet purchases, holiday travel and accommodation. 

But I didn't actually know how to use the system. Does the app need to open? Does the phone need to be unlocked? A little online research told me the app doesn't need to be open but normally you have to open your phone. I also discovered the centre of my phone is where the RFID reader is located. I was set to go.

Do you want a disaster story? Sorry it isn't. It works and does so brilliantly. I guess those who have trouble paying with phones are using older models. Now a further discovery from yesterday is that when paying over $100 in a shop, I no longer need to enter to enter my PIN as I did when tapping my card. I asked staff why and she said it was just tech stuff and because I must use fingerprint or face recognition on my phone.

I love tech but believe me, I will always have my physical low tech cards with me. I don't trust this higher tech stuff and our phone internet systems, as was recently proved with many hours of downtime by our second largest telco Optus, owned by the SingTel which is owned by the government of Singapore. As seems to be often happening, the female CEO of Optus Australia became the sacrificial lamb and subsequently resigned. 

A Docklands Stroll

For Sale: One large wheel, hardly used, must be moved to a view other than of railway yards, not operating, vacant possession.  

Not for sale: Cow up a Tree, loved by many.

Once a Lady Class Sydney ferry, retired in 1991, refurbished and is now a privately owned showboat. She was named after Lady Cutler, wife of a New South Wales Governor. 

A condemned pier and it has been deemed too expensive to repair. Shed 14 next door was often used for dance parties. I was there a number of times but my memory of the times is very hazy after our arrival.

The studios of commercial television station Channel 7. Behind is our second major sports ground after the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It's had various names so it is best to refer to it as Docklands Stadium.

Among all the smart and shiny boats, this older one had so much more visual appeal.

It's art. You cannot question its merit.

More art.

Our own walkie talkie building behind a building from Dubai. London's walkie talkie is here. It was learnt that measures had to be taken to prevent such a design from concentrating the sun's rays like a magnifying glass and thereby frying objects on the streets below. The measure taken was is faces south, which is like north in the northern hemisphere as far as the sun goes.

Old tram colours with tram like windows but not a tram. A tramboat. 

US Spellings

There a few words spelt differently in the US than here that have really stopped me in my tracks. I thought I generally knew them. I initially thought they were typos, but they aren't. 

We spell the word mould and the US spells it mold. I think that was Steve, or it could have been Travel Penguin. My spell checker must be set to Australian or British English as it does not  like the mold spelling. That really did stop me in my tracks.

Just when you think you know them all, another turns up, ax instead of axe, as we spell the word. Thanks for that one Debby.

Lordy, then another has just turned up, balk and not baulk. That would be Steve again.

And yet another, as Jackie in Canada where British spellings are often followed, writes tires and not tyres. 

I have no problem with different spellings, except when I don't already know them and they break my reading concentration and distract me.

Have you been surprised by some differences in spellings between English speaking countries?  

And here is the answer to something long wondered about by me. 

An ass and a donkey are terms often used interchangeably to refer to the same animal, while a mule is a hybrid offspring produced by crossing a male donkey (jack) with a female horse (mare). It is understandable that these terms can become confused with each other since they are all similar in some ways. Moreover, many people use these terms incorrectly or differ according to culture. 

Monday Mural

I'm joining with Sami and others for Monday Mural. 

I do like a happy face, such as this featured in a Fitzroy Street, St Kilda mural. Such joie de vivre written upon his visage.  

Sunday Selections

I'm joining with Elephant's Child and River for Sunday Selections.

Our all over advertising trams generally look great but this is an 'art tram'. However with the windows covered over by advertising or art by Yarra Trams, it is a terrible experience for passengers. What is the point of tram windows if they are  covered over? 

Bad tram driving. I can't count how many times I have seen tram drivers block this intersection. Very poor training and driver monitoring by Yarra Trams. I complain a lot about our tram system not because it is terrible. I just want it to be better. 

"Beware the bees. The warning is apt. An angry bee will attack. If you are at all interested in bee keeping, and I wasn't, this clip and some others about bees from former English canal narrow boater YouTubers, who changed to being Scottish crofters of the modern kind, could interest you. There are more clips they have uploaded about bee keeping and I found the whole bee lifestyle quite fascinating. "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9kE6XLtb_g&t=1235s

I can't imagine what these on the beach front could be used for other than seating but I like a backrest, necessary for my arthritic spine.  Maybe you can do your yoga or your pilates on them, or chanting like Hari Krishnas. 

I've only seen one of this style of a live tram indicator. You can also push the button for audio information. 

I think this yellow cable is an anti theft device. I wasn't game to give it a tug to find out in case a siren sounded.

The beautiful camellia is how I see myself. In the foreground, the truth about me is more evident.

How sexist. Where are designs for men? Isn't it interesting that the writer thought to add Designs for Women? 

We kind of knew we would be living on a busy street when we moved here, but it has become so much busier.

Cranes having a pash. When I was growing up the word pash was used to replace the phrase passionate kissing. I don't think my pashing skills were that great but if you get the right person, wow! Thanks Barry, sadly dying at a youngish age from HIV. Come on you old people. Remember what young passion was like.  I've learnt a lot about pashing now but I no longer care to exchange saliva with strangers. 

Victory cranes.