Stuff and Nonsense

[elucid8]

@shamansantics @littlefroglet @veryzoe 

Ray-Ban Sunglasses

[elucid8]

Escape from Oakleigh

Last night I got to play in an escape room with my wife and two of my best friends. The escape room itself was a brilliant experience! It was the first time I'd done one of these things, but it won't be the last (it helped that we actually solved it with a whole 5 minutes to spare).

Dinner followed, as did a conversation which meandered over several of the following (as usual, presented here in no particular order):

Escape eXperience, Oakleigh http://www.escapexperience.com.au/

Risk Bar, Oakleigh http://www.riskbar.com.au/

Risk game (no relation) https://goo.gl/pNiSa6

"I'm so glad you are home..." https://goo.gl/DVP8BY

Cameron Rogers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Rogers

Weddings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding

Gratitude https://goo.gl/aWyDR3

LARPing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_game

Nicos Cafe, Oakleigh http://www.oakleighqualitycakes.com.au/

Adelaide hills http://www.adelaidehills.org.au/

Co-housing http://www.communities.org.au/

Ouzo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouzo

Roll20 https://roll20.net/

Dungeon World http://www.dungeon-world.com/

Pocket casts https://play.pocketcasts.com/

Best free Android podcast app https://goo.gl/JXrGTm

Knackers and The Vadg https://goo.gl/mG7HU3

Tea with alice https://goo.gl/QPb2pM

Alice fraser http://www.alicecomedyfraser.com/

The Bugle (Audio Newspaper For a Visual World) https://thebuglepodcast.com/

The Bugle, live at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival https://goo.gl/udfPJP

Personal (Jodee Mundy Collaborations) http://www.artshouse.com.au/events/personal/

Hardback https://goo.gl/jvv8JV

Warumpi Band https://goo.gl/bWqE1w

[elucid8]

Tropical Redux

There's nothing like having a local guide when you go on holiday to a tourist trap, and I've just had the best Cairns holiday with the most appropriate tourist trappings thanks to my brother Robbie. Rather than post a lot of photos (I didn't take many, anyway) here are links to places we went, services we used and things we saw or did (in vaguely chronological order). You can piece together the holiday yourself from there. Each experience was almost universally good; exceptions are noted.

Cairns airport - https://www.cairnsairport.com.au/

Cairns taxi service - https://www.cairnstaxis.com.au/

Cairns tourist information - http://cairnstouristinformation.com.au/

The Esplanade - http://www.cairnsesplanade.com/

The Jack Hotel - https://thejack.com.au/

Cairns Aquarium - http://www.cairnsaquarium.com.au/

Sawfish (they live in estuaries and in fresh water too!) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawfish

Cairns bus service - https://translink.com.au/cairns

Kuranda coach service - http://www.transnorthbus.com.au/cairnskuranda.asp

Kuranda - http://www.kuranda.org/

Kuranda Original Rainforest Markets - https://www.kurandaoriginalrainforestmarket.com.au/

Kuranda Heritage Markets - http://kurandamarkets.com/

Rainforest View Restaurant (very ordinary pizza but great outlook) - https://www.rainforestview.com.au/

Baron Falls - https://goo.gl/wqqcYt

Kuranda-Cairns Skyrail - https://www.skyrail.com.au/

Smithfield Shopping Centre - http://www.smithfieldcentre.com.au/

BWS Smithfield - https://bws.com.au/storelocator/qld-smithfield-2092

Star Trek: Enterprise - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Enterprise

SugarLand car rental - http://www.sugarlandcarrental.com.au/

Aussie Container Self Storage - https://www.aussiecontainerstorage.com.au/cairns_storage.html

Cairns Botanic Gardens - http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/facilities-sport-leisure/botanic

Pitcher plant - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcher_plant

United Petrol, Sheridan (cheapest petrol in Cairns) - https://goo.gl/uLu9ZK

Ali Babas Kebabs (great falafel) - https://goo.gl/twv1et

The Orient Hotel in Brisbane - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orient_Hotel,_Brisbane

Brisbane independent music in the 80's - https://goo.gl/fZh987

Raging Thunder tours to Fitzroy Island - https://goo.gl/atXqt8

Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal - https://goo.gl/maps/pKwLP1qENbS2

Fitzroy Island - http://www.fitzroyisland.com/

Hawksbill turtle - https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/hawksbill-turtle

Green turtle - https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/green-turtle

Nudibranch - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudibranch

Nudeybeach - http://www.101bestbeaches.com/listing/nudey-beach/

The Pier Shopping Centre (OMG has this place gone downhill since the early 90s!) - http://thepiercairns.com.au/

The Pier Bar - https://www.thepierbar.com.au/

Liquorland - https://goo.gl/kNf7Dh

Babylon 5 (I have been converted. This may be worth watching after all). - https://goo.gl/kNf7Dh

La Pizza Tratoria (Amazing breakfast. Great coffee.) - http://lapizzatrattoria.com.au/

[elucid8]

When you listen to a podcast, there is often a web page of "Show Notes" that you can go to that contain added-value links to topics covered in the episode.

Last night I went out to dinner with some brilliant friends and we had the usual "wide ranging conversation". And it was the sort of conversation that, really, requires show notes. You can try and piece together how the conversation itself went from this:

Book - "The Coaching Habit" https://boxofcrayons.com/the-coaching-habit-book/

Book - "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" https://goo.gl/KjLhe4

29th Annual Byron Bay Bluesfest https://www.bluesfest.com.au/

Mount Bogong, Tawonga VIC https://goo.gl/maps/47RAmHUpAMR2

We Rate Dogs https://www.facebook.com/WeRateDogs/ (There were quite a few references to dogs. This is probably the best summary. If you want to find out more about dogs, go here - http://bfy.tw/9yYh)

Movie - “Latcho Drom” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107376/ ...and an excerpt https://youtu.be/gXTTWmIr9jA

Australia's Romani Gypsies - Conversations - ABC Radio http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-mandy-sayer/8958454

Gypsy wagons Australia https://sites.google.com/site/gypsywagonsaustralia/home/

Nestd: Tiny Homes https://nestdhomes.com.au/

Book - “Rosie’s Walk” by Pat Hutchins https://goo.gl/fJBKQ8 BONUS MOVIE! https://youtu.be/2qDIAeNtO1o

Book - “Looking for Crabs” by Bruce Whatley https://goo.gl/1tCZ5W

Book - “Drac and the Gremlin” by Allan Baillie & Jane Tanner https://goo.gl/ftL4ZN

Bottle shops in Elsternwick https://goo.gl/jvefQ5

Knafeh Nabulseyeh (Palestinian cafe in Hughesdale) https://goo.gl/maps/CZqB3kQgTSn Kanafeh (a Palestinian cheese dessert) https://goo.gl/mvCvMY

Schnitz: Menu https://schnitz.com.au/menu/

[obviousplant]

I made some “Advice From Nature” bookmarks

Follow Obvious Plant on Facebook | Instagram

[elucid8]

😂

[elucid8]

Getting the F out of there

“Quitting Facebook Was The Best Decision I Ever Made”.

* UPDATED (see final link)

Well, I haven’t totally quit Facebook. Yet. But I have uninstalled the app from all my mobile devices, logged out from Chrome and erased cookies. I check Facebook Messenger occasionally from inside a secure browser that isn’t my regular one.

Follow some of these links and you may end up doing the same:

“Get your loved ones off Facebook” - a long article, a little technical, and quite detailed. It got me spooked about Facebook and privacy.

“What You Need To Know To Reclaim Your Digital Privacy From Online Tracking” - but it turns out privacy isn’t the only reason to ditch Facebook.

“Facebook Makes You Sad”

“Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy”.

“How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day” - TED Talk

“Facebook and the last days of reality” - radio interview with Mark PesceI

* UPDATE

This article is probably the most practical in terms of How To Manage Social Media in this environment. Highly recommended:

How to Resist Social Media and Reconnect with IRL Friends by Stever Robbins, Get-It-Done Guy

If you want to get in touch with me, try me on Whatsapp or Signal. Or just call.

[elucid8]

Small beginnings! New composter and vertical planter have been assembled (+ 2 basil plants installed) and the crops of mungbeans on the kitchen counter are thriving. This year is my year to become a Grower Of Things! 🌱 (at Oakleigh East, Victoria, Australia)

[elucid8]

Nerding it up, freestyle! First go at Imperial Assault using the "Legends of the Alliance" app.

[obviousplant]

Amazing Cat Facts from the Obvious Plant magazine, which you can buy here

[elucid8]

Devo - Head Like a Hole

Damn, I had no idea this existed. Woo!

[selfrescuingprincesssociety]

This has been going around and I just love it so much.

Source: https://twitter.com/XplodingUnicorn/status/950152500149186562

[Image of a tweet, reading: I played Dungeons and Dragons with my daughters. They were supposed to fight the wolves surrounding a town. Instead, they fed the wolves and turned them into their friendly wolf army. Girls, man. They’ll take over the world.

[elucid8]

Reduction of plastic use has become a bit of a personal crusade (yup, I've become 'that guy'). This is an interesting read.

[elucid8]

"Why African board games should be introduced into the classroom"

[elucid8]

Go Vanuatu, you good thing! 🇻🇺

[elucid8]

Definitely worth a listen.

[elucid8]

What board games can teach educators – Junaid Mubeen – Medium

Making learning playful, personalised, collaborative and human

"You can imagine the horror that would unfold if education policymakers were tasked with running a board game café. We would all be subjected to the same game, at the same pace, irrespective of our needs and preferences. Families and hard-core gamers would be forced to move through games in a fixed progression — but not before being tested on the most arcane details of each game. Players would be permitted to play only when they have fluently recalled entire chunks of the rulebook. Co-operative games would be out because there would be no easy way of measuring each player’s contribution to the outcome. We would be condemned for showing any signs of struggle, relegated to the ‘low ability’ tables where the only game on offer is Dobble."

Gold.

[elucid8]

Colour me interested.