The totally off-topic thread

[anat0l]

Trying to find the motivation to head outside to the post office to return some goods to M&S. It's just tipped over 30 and supposed to get up to 32 today........

Hearing about the "soaring" temperatures in London is pretty hilarious until I remember that most places are probably not well set up to deal with this weather (poor air conditioning, ventilation) - especially the tube!

 

[Mal]

Hearing about the "soaring" temperatures in London is pretty hilarious until I remember that most places are probably not well set up to deal with this weather (poor air conditioning, ventilation) - especially the tube!

Yep. That's the main problem. For example today, I was stuck on a non-airconditioned train that was stationary for at least 20 minutes. The heat inside was horrible. Even my apartment tonight must still be above 30 degrees ... it really is designed for keeping warm in winter rather than keeping cool in summer.

The Tube has gotten better over the last few years. A couple of lines have had new railstock added which has aircon. Plus they've done a lot of work to improve airflow around tube stations too. But yes there are both good and bad lines to be on ... and well sometimes it is very hot inside.

Now - do people remember when Brisbane had non-airconditioned buses?

 

[Flashback]

Hearing about the "soaring" temperatures in London is pretty hilarious until I remember that most places are probably not well set up to deal with this weather (poor air conditioning, ventilation) - especially the tube!

Hahaha. What aircon?

Yep. That's the main problem. For example today, I was stuck on a non-airconditioned train that was stationary for at least 20 minutes. The heat inside was horrible. Even my apartment tonight must still be above 30 degrees ... it really is designed for keeping warm in winter rather than keeping cool in summer.

The Tube has gotten better over the last few years. A couple of lines have had new railstock added which has aircon. Plus they've done a lot of work to improve airflow around tube stations too. But yes there are both good and bad lines to be on ... and well sometimes it is very hot inside.

Now - do people remember when Brisbane had non-airconditioned buses?

Yep, Metropolitan line is good now. Victoria is slightly better but as good as it will get I think given its just been refreshed but no aircon due to what they have to work with.

 

[anat0l]

Now - do people remember when Brisbane had non-airconditioned buses?

Yes, very much so. But at least opening the windows (at least partially) was an option.

Ventilation is quintessential (and crucial in some instances). Temperature control comes next.

 

[serfty]

There would be a lot of chat about the best seat in a Beechcraft at NZFF, aisle or window?

See here: Air New Zealand Air Points - FlyerTalk Forums

 

[Mal]

I find it strange that I reach for my phone (even when I have laptop in front of me) for certain tasks.

Internet banking is one of them. Kaching from CBA is a whole lot better than internet banking for a quick check of my accounts. My UK bank has an app that quickly shows my balances etc. Again much quicker than using their web interface.q

 

[NM]

Now - do people remember when Brisbane had non-airconditioned buses?

Yep ... my ride home from school each day in the 70's, and to/from uni in the 80's. We used to pray for an orange bus coming along (they had the AC), but alas they were extremely rare on the route I used to frequent.

 

[Mal]

Yep ... my ride home from school each day in the 70's, and to/from uni in the 80's. We used to pray for an orange bus coming along (they had the AC), but alas they were extremely rare on the route I used to frequent.

There were blue and orange buses? I'm a bit younger than you so my memory isn't as complete. I do remember laughing at school that we had 'MAN' buses and wondering where the 'Women' buses were.

 

[JohnK]

I find it strange that I reach for my phone (even when I have laptop in front of me) for certain tasks.

I find a phone coughbersome to use for anything other than phone calls and sms.

 

[Mal]

I find a phone coughbersome to use for anything other than phone calls and sms.

Well we are different indeed. Does depend which apps you have installed but the mobile experience should be better for some banks.

 

[Hvr]

I find a phone coughbersome to use for anything other than phone calls and sms.

And sometimes even those can be hard.

 

[anat0l]

I find it strange that I reach for my phone (even when I have laptop in front of me) for certain tasks.

Internet banking is one of them. Kaching from CBA is a whole lot better than internet banking for a quick check of my accounts. My UK bank has an app that quickly shows my balances etc. Again much quicker than using their web interface.q

It depends on the app design.

Ideally you would expect the app to be faster. It is supposed to be designed to do a limited number of tasks with the target hardware kept in mind.

The desktop interfaces have more bells and whistles typically attached to them, which need to load and render using a desktop browser engine.

Some apps are simply a mini-browser being wrapped up to navigate to a specific mobile website. That's very poor app design.

 

[medhead]

I die on Sydney trains even in winter. The underground platform at central on the eastern suburbs line never has ventilation.

Now - do people remember when Brisbane had non-airconditioned buses?

Yep, but you just opened a window and all was good, pretty of airflow to help the evaporation process.

 

[markis10]

I die on Sydney trains even in winter. The underground platform at central on the eastern suburbs line never has ventilation.

I always enjoyed my waiting at Mueseum when they sent a Diesel through the city loop.

 

[erkpod]

There were blue and orange buses? I'm a bit younger than you so my memory isn't as complete. I do remember laughing at school that we had 'MAN' buses and wondering where the 'Women' buses were.

Slightly related, I was in Mexico City earlier this year. I did see a woman only bus - it was empty during a layover. There's also a woman only section on the metro platforms.

 

[medhead]

Perhaps it's bad that I feel the need to open this post with a disclaimer: In absolutely no way am I defending the political situation in Germany in the 1930s and early 1940s with this post.

Just reading in the paper about a painting in the National Gallery of Victoria. Apparently, it has been positively linked back to the collection of a German industrialist Richard Semmel who fled german in 1933 and sold his artworks in Amsterdam. Apparently, the heirs to his estate are tracking down his collection and trying to get them back because they were sold off under stress. I just wonder what is the possible justification for that action in quasi-legal terms. The paintings were not stolen from him, at least that's not stated in the newspaper story. Yes, he was under stress but he did sell them and no doubt used the money to fund his move to the USA.

One of my great grandfather's owned all the property/shops on one side of Sandgate Road at Albion in Brisbane. But he had to sell them during the depression, no doubt under stress. I'm sure that I have no ability to go and claim back that property because he was forced to sell due to the circumstances of the time.

Anyway, I'm puzzled that his heirs can do what they are doing. Am I looking at this wrong or something?

I'm also struck by the situation of the heirs as well. Semmel actually died childless. The heirs are actually the descendants of his companion after the death of his wife. Sure they're the heirs to his estate, but I also wonder about their connection to the art collection.

 

[erkpod]

I always enjoyed my waiting at Mueseum when they sent a Diesel through the city loop.

I worked at Town Hall for 18 months in the mid 90s. The theory was that the motion of the trains going through the tunnels was meant to provide the ventilation to the station areas.

At this time, they started sending trains that were supposed to go via the northern line via Strathfield & send them via the north shore instead.

So while there was the occasional freight train, most the the trains they sent through were the Central Coast trains & the CountryLink trains.

At one stage on the afternoons, the XPT to Brisbane & the XPT from Grafton was timetabled to pass through Town Hall around the same time. You could not see one end of the platform (or the concourse if you were upstairs) from the other.

The newer tunnels (Airport line onwards) have extractor fans & advanced fire management systems installed as standard.

 

[medhead]

I worked at Town Hall for 18 months in the mid 90s. The theory was that the motion of the trains going through the tunnels was meant to provide the ventilation to the station areas.

Which is good in theory and there is definitely a blast of air as trains arrive at and leave the station, but during the 7 minutes between trains it is oppressively still. (at least for my adelaide dry heat acclimatised body.

 

[serfty]

... She was a total babe and chugged Emily's Run the whole time ...

It is rare that I have no more than a remote idea of what an unfamiliar phrase might mean, but this is one of them.

I tried googling it but quickly closed that page.:shock:

 

[TheEmu]

One of these days I am going to find my brain.

And it is not going to be where I expect it to be....

I expect it's on a fairway somewhere…in Thailand, most likely!