Strandbeast

2012, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia. More at the creators website.

It is Friday night, once a going out night, later becoming a stay at home night, and to use a great American expression after a glass or two of Scotch, Ray and I would 'shoot the shit'. Sometimes a significant plan for the future came out of such a conversation but mostly not.

I am excited about tomorrow's Australian Rules football grand final match, because the pre game entertainment will be performed by our own Kylie Minogue and I'll be glued to the tv to see her. Say a bad word against her, you will be sent to a prison at Port Arthur. My favourite Kylie song....not sure. My favourite video clip, this one. She is enough to make a gay man straight.

High Seas

This is an interesting video from our ABC. Note the mention of tide height. I've never seen the presenter before but he does a well enough job.

At 12 metres/49' I thought we had the highest tides in the world but no. For that you must visit the east coast of Canada, to the Bay of Fundy (thanks Jackie) with its shores being in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provinces where tides can be up to 17 metres/56'.

Check out this video with commentary and time lapse video.

Or this purely visual and luscious video. 

I don't know if I should continue to occasionally publish posts like this. They take time to get things right, and find the right clips, let alone that I am using the work others.  

Dashcam caught a crash

Yesterday was a bit of a disaster. Phyllis wanted to show me an incident that would be caught by dashcam, so I removed the SD card, brought it up to plug into my desktop. I am struggling a bit with the front and rear dash cams connectivity to my the app on my phone, but I'm getting there. 

We viewed the footage, showing one of two incidents he passed by in one trip. The first was a tipped over concrete mixer truck but other vehicles blocked most of the view.

I took the SD card back to the car to insert it into the camera unit and as I pushed it in, the camera fell off the windscreen. I also realised I had put the card in the wrong way and it was stuck. I tried to pull it out but made it worse, pushing it in further. I can't do this in semi darkness in the carpark, even with my phone torch. I unplugged the camera from the wires and tapped the unit on a hard car surface and the card disappeared altogether, somewhere inside the camera. Woe is me! Yes, I could hear the card rattle inside the unit. Back upstairs.

Kosov, help me. I gave him the jeweller's kit screwdrivers and went off on my errand, hoping he could extract the card. I returned and he had taken part of the camera apart. His opinion was that the card was not inside and had fallen out, so down we went and with our phone torches on to search the car where it may have fallen out. It was not found.

I was very sure the card was inside the unit somewhere, so Kosov used the AI Gemini to find out how to take the camera further apart. Later I asked him, couldn't you just find that using Google. Yes, he replied but it will take me much longer because of promoted ads, and a lack of detail where I will have to burrow down unknown holes. Gemini gave me an instant answer in about 10 seconds. 

Armed with information, he stripped the unit down to exposing its motherboard and and did find the card, carefully extracted it with tweezers and we reassembled the unit and put it back in the car and all was well. That was about an hour out of his day because of my stupidity. But really, that part of the camera was not designed well. I didn't force anything, and it all went terribly wrong. 

To to the incident. Traffic was banked up at an intersection. Phyllis did not know why. He gave a toot to the driver in front of him and then soon realised the driver was stuck, and felt so bad about the toot. The dash cam downloads separate files each of about two minutes in 4K definition, over 100mb for two minutes of recording. 

25 seconds in you can see there is an issue. 

30 seconds Phyllis tooted the car horn.

42 seconds it is clear the driver in front is trying to change lanes. One driver to the right hesitates to let the car in but the driver in the car front did not pick up on this. The next driver was rather impolite for not letting the car diverge into the right lane. 

Then Phyllis diverged left around the obstacle. And what was the obstacle? It becomes visible at 50 seconds. A learner driver on the wrong side of a three lane road facing oncoming traffic. On the face of it, a terrible mistake by the learner driver. But let's look closer.

The car is a Royal Automobile Car Club of Victoria car, displaying learner driver L plates, meaning there is a student at the wheel, with a driving instructor who has foot and perhaps steering controls on their side of the car. It simply cannot end up where it is without a very good reason. Move on to 58 seconds and freeze, and you can see the car as been hit. I suspect it was hit and spun around by another driver and I doubt the L driver in the RACV car was at fault.  

YouTube is as ridiculous as it is absurd about background music, and because there is music playing in the background of the car, for copyright issues, in some countries this clip won't be viewable. YouTube even informed me of the two songs being played. Hey, it's better at recognising music than Shazam.  

For the birds

Today has been good but stressful. I bought a new car. Obviously more on that another time. I only have the mental energy to post this rather lovely live webcam site.

 

Let's visit Ireland, where a pair of blue tits are raising their young. I haven't really researched Fionn O'Donoghue but I like what I did read about him, a good guy. So, check out the baby blue tits. It seems the babies of Lapis and Lazuli will fledge in two weeks. Blue tits remind me of Australia's fairy/blue/little wren. Tip for Aussies, the feeding action is really full on after 5.00pm east coast time. 

Songs of Phyllis

At times I hear a song I like coming through the car's sound system being played by Phyllis' phone. I don't really expect most of you to like the music.

My first discovery, and I am repeating a previous post, was Dua Lipa. I'd never heard of her until I heard Phyllis play her music. I love hearing Phyllis singing along when he is in the shower.

This one is a real flea in the ear for me, by Samuel Kim. Da, da, da da da da.

There is a Just a Boy song and Just a Girl song. I prefer the Just a Boy video. The song is described as rap. I don't hear it like that at all, at worst it is light rap. It sounds sweet to me, and is also quite catchy. 

Always learning, as I composed this post I came across a Japanese word that is often used to describe sex or rather lack of between married Japanese couples. Yep, I feel rather mendokusai about 'the biz'.

Musical Monday

Thanks to Linda for reminding me of this song, and so many decades later it is still great. I am bit too young for The Beatles (take that, kapow).

I've never really taken notice of Ringo Starr which led me to check him out. Yeah, I like his looks and the last photos are of him in his eighties. Absolutely amazing. Sexiest Beatle, for sure. He had style, he had grace, Ringo gave very good face.

The song is quite brief, as were songs at that time. I have tried to train my ears to be more sophisticated about music, really listening closely to whatever I choose. The sounds quite sophisticated to me, especially for the time.

I enjoyed the rabbit hole I partly went down as I checked out Ringo. I didn't look at his Wikipedia entry or any bio.

Windows 11 update seems to have turned on autoplay a next song, which I thought I had turned off. It was nice to hear too. Go on. Wallow in some nostalgia with Mary. 

Sadly I also knew this next to play one too, Mouldy Old Dough. The seventies were a crazy musical time.

YouTube's algorithm that curates my music feeds has kept me up very late at night in the past. Grand Designs, England, with its superior being Kevin is about to appear on my tv screen. I might just have an evening of music. 

Friday Funny

It's not really funny, but a bit amusing. It has just been added to our national sound archive. 

Soulful Saturday

Tom Dula, pronounced Dooley, in North Carolina murdered a woman and was hanged for the crime. 

A live performance of the song by Kingston Trio in the 1950s has poor audio. This audio only recording is good. 

Flights

I confess I am not great with a camera, still or video. I did capture this video of planes on Australia Day.

Then there were plane flyovers for the Australian Grand Pricks Prix.

With a plane making a roll over.

The Grand Pricks finale

In memory of her late Ricardo, Ingrid will have been glued to the screen watching the Australian Grand Prix, as Rick did. No, Ingrid?

As I type just before 9pm, fireworks have gone off so that's the end the Grand Prix and the most awful invasion of inner Melbourne.

Sadly Australia's Oscar Piastri bumped into a wall before reaching the start line and a wheel fell off. He's not a bad looking dude.

No worries mate. Next time.

Media Lies

About a week ago I came across this video. I immediately wondered why I had not heard of this? How come there weren't alerts on my phone? How come it is not a news flash interrupting our normal tv? 

I watched on and my disbelief heightened. I checked online and I couldn't see anything about the matter.

I reported it to YouTube for being false report pretending to be genuine news. I phrased my report with great care, but there wasn't a response. I tried again and the second time I did receive a pro forma response.

I noted others had already done so, yet it still is online a week later. While YouTube gives me much pleasure, it is clearly not a responsible media organisation, or tech company if you like. 

Could Canada close its airspace to US airlines? I don't know, but I do think the repercussions would be as huge as described.

YouTube leaves lies like this report online for a week, and clearly longer, what a disgrace. Just the headline of Canada closing air space to the US should have triggered something at YouTube to verify the report. 

Update: According to YouTube, the video has now been removed. I am sure it wasn't just me alone who protested. Better still, the account has been suspended. While I didn't look at them, there were other videos at the same site, no doubt in a similar vein. 

Sunday Selections

River and others participate in Sunday Selections, as I do but not every Sunday.

Jass showed great interest when this toy arrived in the post from Temu. Lordy, the rubbish P&K order at Temu. She was never inclined to pursue it, but from a raised position, she liked to monitor it carefully. Today, she just ignored it and went off to another room.

The problem with it is it stops after five minutes when it could be under furniture. There is a second one but it is under a bed somewhere, and I ain't gettin' down to find it. A phone charger gives it too much current so I charge it via the desktops USB outlet. This is on its slow setting. 

It is always exciting to see balloons fire up their gas burners.

Can you work out what this map shows? New Zealand is the only yellow country, and Australia and England have something in common, and I think Ireland should probably be green too, or do you disagree with that from your Irish people experiences. Later edit: Think of a swear word.

And as Sandra Cox says each Wednesday, I didn't know that; in Australia men's shoe measurements are in UK sizes, as is New Zealand's, but women's shoes in Australia use American sizes. Why? I am a 9, which I guess is nine inches, a very satisfying number.

Friday Funnies, the lazy edition

Lazy, because I will simply provide links to the linked videos in Jackie's post called Married Life. 

At times you really have to feel sorry for the incompetent sex. Even in gay relationships, there is the incompetent but try hard partner.

I wear the wife's glasses while Phyllis and Kosov are in this household.

POV: You try your wife's glasses on

When he is cleaning but not in the way you would like. My comment about P&K above stands.

VIDEO

I know he won't get it right. I'll just ignore his efforts. 

VIDEO

Yep, easier to do it yourself. See P&K comment above.

VIDEO

In this household, I am the OCD person. 

POV: Daily struggles living with an OCD wife

Does the crime deserve such a severe response? It was an accident, honey.

VIDEO

Go to Jackie's blog to see a couple more. 

Ten years ago

Almost ten years ago, that is.

These were quite interesting clips, the first in Alaska, the second in Minnesota and the third in Toronto. The post may be a little slow to load. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20160219012656/http://highriser.blogspot.com/

And, happy Valentine's Day. Luv youse all. 

Jass at play

 

Jass' hiding spaces since she arrived:

Under my doona/duvet.

In my wardrobe, after she learnt to slide the door open. Ditton the spare room wardrobe door.

Under the spare bedroom bed.

The linen press, after she learnt to put her paw under the doors to pull them open.

But now her firm place is under the lounge room chairs, where she runs to when she sees Phyllis, or even hears him moving around in his bedroom. This will  change in a week or so after the new lounge room chairs arrive, well, after the old ones are disposed of.

Jass did not take to me initially but to Phyllis and Kosov. But my quiet daily presence when they were at work won her over. I don't spoil her, rarely giving her treats, but I do feed her most of her meals. I am now a bit harder on her when I think it is necessary. 

I think she grew to dislike Phyllis because he is loud and full on. Kosov it gentler with her, sits with her on the floor and talks to her, strokes her cheeks and lets her sniff his fingers. I'm sure she'll get over her hate on Phyllis in time. She doesn't hate him when he feeds her treats. We should be grateful she isn't as bad as John Gray of Wales cat, Weaver, but even he is making progress with his enemy.  

A very happy divisive day

Happy Australia Day, and as is my wont most years, also happy Indian Republic Day. Thankfully the overt jingoism that occured in Australia for several years seems to have toned down since Covid lockdowns. The genuine celebrations of our country's achievements and what it is to be Australian are wonderful, but protests become louder. I've long thought the date should change to reduce friction.

It's not such a happy Invasion Day for Australia's indigenous population.

The new ABC tv programme Always Was Tonight is quite challenging satire to watch, and it's been a while since the ABC has made anything that upsets conservative types. 

Those usual types are on the warpath, aided and abetted by the the conservative Murdoch media, The Australian and Daily Mail.  

The white head coverings in this clip are called spit hoods, and I don't necessarily agree with not using them. Staff who work in these places don't deserve to be spat upon, unless their own behaviour has been bad.

Satisfying Saturday

The cows seem very satisfied with their new scratching facility.  They do like a good rub and scratch.

As I uploaded the video, a message arrived that it would not be viewable in some countries because of the accompanying music, Hall and Oats I believe. I investigated further, and I could silence the music or change it to some YouTube approved music, so that's what I did. It kinda works.

Non gleeful Glee

I'd forgotten that this was an original Gotye recording, a music video I rather like. 

However, I came across this recording I believe is from the tv show, Glee. And by golly, does the guy sing with such passion. While Gotye sounded so sad, the character Blaine Anderson comes across as angry, hurt and very emotional. The character Blaine is played by Darren Criss. I thought his performance was terrific, and Cooper, Matt Bomer, was rather good too. 

I hate the way at times instructions like 'must watch to the end' are inserted in video clips, however in this case the performers who seem like lovers are not, and you need to watch to 2.45 for the connection between them becomes clear, but there is also a rather obvious hint at 1.30.

Guard the Leaf

It is not an official kind of boycott, but Canadians are boycotting the United States. Most provinces have cleared US liquor from their outlets. Buy local Canadian products is huge.

The numbers of Canadians visiting the US has dropped dramatically. They are avoiding flights to anywhere that travels via a US airport.

So called Snowbirders, Canadians who travel to Florida and other warm locations during the Canadian winter for a month or three are not doing so this year. Some of those who own holiday property in Florida are selling for what they can get.

Instead the Canadian Snowbirders are travelling to warm countries where they feel welcome, such as Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Asian countries. They don't have to deal with the grumpy US border force, and from my experience they are very grumpy and unfriendly. They don't want to risk having their phones and social media examined by Border Force to see if they made negative comments about #47.

Why do Canadians have a hate on the US? It began with #47 saying Canada should become the 51st state of the US. Then there were increased tariffs on goods imported from Canada. Canada and the US were the closest of friends and allies but #47 has ruined the relationship. 

The Canadian dollars that normally bleed into the US just aren't happening, especially affecting the northern US states, and as I mentioned, Florida, along with Las Vegas too. 

While I don't intend visiting the US, I can confidently say, in the present climate, I would not. The very thought of someone going through my phone is horrendous. It can happen in Australia, but there would have to be very good suspicions for our Border Force to access our phones. The idea of being rounded up by ICE, Immigration and Custom Enforcement, as a visitor is remote, but it's happened. People who were born in the US and are US citizens have been rounded up. But I don't have black or brown skin, so maybe I would be safe from ICE. 

The loss of millions of Canadian dollars into the US is hard to conceive. It will be felt for a very long time. Meanwhile, Canadians are holidaying locally or in other countries. They are not crossing the border to the US for cheap shopping, quite the reverse now. 

But like my attitude, people in other countries are not visiting the US. Visitors to the US from Europe and Scandinavia have dropped too. 

At times I watch the YouTuber, Guard the Leaf, that is the maple leaf, a symbol of Canada. He documents statistics, interviews of people talking about the matter and is very pro Canada and anti US following the actions of #47. His trigger was #47 saying Canada should become the 51st state of the US. He seems to find enough to post daily about what is happening between the two countries, and it is certainly not good for the US. If you care to watch this clip, you can observe his passion and anger. 

In a country of 350 million, 154 million voted in the 2024 election, 77+ million for #47. He feels bad for those who did not vote for #47 but they are collateral damage. It is all about Canada, its sovereignty, the insults by #47 and his sycophants and the MAGA movement.