Showing all posts about travel
Is coincidence not coincidence but something else?
27 June 2026
George Musser, writing for Nautilus, ponders the nature of coincidence, particularly the more “out there” instances. Read about his repeated encounters with another backpacker, as he travelled — solo — in Africa some years ago.
I could probably write at length on this topic. For instance…
A few years ago, someone whom I will refer to as Mick, was residing in the apartment building where I stay when we are in Sydney.
We would often stop for a chat if we bumped into each other at the door of the building, or in the hallway. Mick had arrived in Australia a few months earlier, and was looking for both work, he’s a chef, and a larger apartment, as his wife and daughter were joining him later.
He eventually found a job and somewhere to live, and moved out. I saw him just before he left. He asked if I could message him, should any mail arrive for him, and left me his phone number.
We exchanged a few text messages in the months following, but after a time ceased communicating. About five years later, some mail arrived for him. The building manager, who assumed the role after Mick’s time, had left it on the console in the foyer.
It was from a car dealership. Mick had also mentioned before moving out, he was buying a car. I decided not to bother Mick with the news of this letter. I wrote “return to sender” on the envelope, and when I went out later that day, dropped it in the post box along the road.
I came home a few hours later, and decided to log into Facebook. It was something I only did every few days at that stage. It’s hardly ever now. On opening Facebook though I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a friend request from Mick.
The request was only a few hours old, and he must’ve sent it at almost the same instant I was putting the letter that had arrived for him in the post box. I didn’t share that news with Mick, but was astonished, to say the least, at the timing of his friend request.
In my view, as intriguing as coincidence can be, coincidence is coincidence. It’s random, there’s no force of some sort in the universe lining up curious happenings to bemuse and baffle us. Things just happen. This of course doesn’t make any given coincidence, particularly the seemingly weirder ones, any less magic. Provided that is, they’re a pleasant sort of concurrence.
Incidentally, Mick had studied in Australia about twenty-years earlier, and on the flight here back then, had met the woman whom he later married. So I suppose there is that.
RELATED CONTENT
mathematics, psychology, travel
Converting old London Underground train door buttons into light switches
7 May 2026
Specifically, a Hue light switch, using an old door opening button from a Jubilee line train.
I lived in London for a few years awhile back, and the District line also had door buttons you’d press to open or close the train doors. As I recall it, the doors on all other lines were controlled by the guard. These passenger operated door buttons could be something of a double-edge sword though.
I was travelling to Richmond one afternoon, and a passenger — possibly still on the way from home from the night before — and wanting to alight at a station, was getting the action all wrong in constantly pressing the door button.
He was — unawares, I was pretty sure — cancelling out the efforts of someone on the platform trying to open the door to board the train. There was confusion on one side of the door, frustration on the other, as the door went through a cycle of partly opening, then partly closing.
Maybe these door open and close actions are better controlled centrally, and the door buttons should be used as light switches instead.
RELATED CONTENT
design, London, technology, travel
Bad design trends: hotel rooms without bathroom doors
2 December 2025
Bring Back Doors. A hopefully growing list of hotels where there are doors to the room’s bathroom.
I’ve emailed hundreds of hotels and I asked them two things: do your doors close all the way, and are they made of glass? Everyone that says yes to their doors closing, and no to being made of glass has been sorted by price range and city for you to easily find places to stay that are guaranteed to have a bathroom door.
I’m trying to think how this — hotel rooms without bathroom doors — became a thing.
Did an architect stay at the once sole establishment in the world that did not have bathroom doors in the room, and thought: now there’s an idea, I must incorporate it into my future hotel room designs.
One thing led to another, and suddenly bathrooms sans doors were a trend. A terrible trend.
RELATED CONTENT
Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, return for Northern Lights trip
12 August 2025
It seemed pretty clear 2020’s The Trip to Greece was the final jaunt for British foodies Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. This after travels to the north of England, Italy, and Spain.
But now a new six-part series, The Trip To The Northern Lights, where the pair will venture around Scandinavia, starts production later in 2025, and presumably screens sometime in 2026.
RELATED CONTENT
entertainment, film, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, travel, TV
Cast of The Castle reunite, but not for a sequel, nor a prequel
16 July 2025
Alisha Buaya, writing for Media Week:
Uber has reunited Australian film icons, stars of The Castle, Michael Caton, Stephen Curry and Anthony Simcoe, to highlight Uber Green’s transition to a fully electric rideshare product.
The Castle was made by Australian actor, comedian, and filmmaker, Rob Sitch. The 1997 film is a feel good, David versus Goliath comedy, about a working class family attempting to stop property developers taking their home, their castle, away from them.
But wait until you see where the home is located.
The Uber promotion informs riders they now have the option to hire an EV for their journey. As yet, I’m not sure just how much of The Castle — aside from the stars — comes into this.
RELATED CONTENT
Australia, Australian film, entertainment, film, Rob Sitch, travel
Australia, land of the most expensive passport in the world
2 January 2025
From yesterday, 1 January 2025, the price of a ten-year Australian passport rose to four-hundred-and-twelve Australian dollars. That’s the cost of thirty-five pints of Victoria Bitter at the local pub.
Happy New Year.
As a comparison, the new price converts to a little over two-hundred-and-fifty dollars American, a little under two-hundred-and-fifty Euros, and about two-hundred British pounds. However, the hefty price tag is justified, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who notes that the Australian passport is “a high-quality travel document”:
“The Australian passport is respected internationally as a high-quality travel document. It has a high level of technological sophistication, backed by rigorous anti-fraud measures, which ensures its integrity,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This is a key reason why Australian passport holders receive visa-free access to over 180 countries.”
RELATED CONTENT
Tesla reduces prices of electric vehicles in Australia
12 January 2023
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has modestly reduced the prices of cars across its range in Australia.
The Tesla Model 3 now starts at $63,900 (was $65,500), whereas the Model Y now starts at $68,900 (was $72,300).
Price reductions vary from 1.9 to 3.9 percent. Still on the pricier side, but perhaps a little more affordable for some buyers now.
RELATED CONTENT
Digital nomads soon able to work tax free in Indonesia
17 September 2022
People who need little more than a laptop and an internet connection for their work, and want to live in Indonesia, will soon be able to apply for the newly introduced Digital Nomad Visa. Presently the work-permit will allow remote workers to spend six months in Indonesia tax free, though the Indonesian government is considering extending the visa to five years.
The Indonesian Government has just announced the proposed introduction of a brand new ‘Digital Nomad Visa’, with them looking to welcome three million lucky freelancers to their tropical shores for a five-year working visa. This is excellent news for remote workers, allowing visa holders to stay in paradise long-term on an international income, all without having to pay any taxes to the Indonesian government.
While the digital nomads may not be paying taxes, much of the money they earn will be spent locally, boosting businesses in the areas workers choose to reside in.
RELATED CONTENT
All about bringing public electric vehicle chargers to Australia
5 September 2022
With electric vehicles (EV) set to sky-rocket in popularity in Australia, there has to be plenty of business and start-up opportunities in the sector. Publicly available EV charging stations, which I wrote about the other day, would be one of them.
Melbourne tech-writer Anthony Agius was behind two companies whose aim was to install and operate charging stations across Australia, and in a detailed article, he outlines what he discovered about making them available for anyone to use.
The point of this post isn’t to analyse why I’m not an EV charging mogul with dozens of stations making mad profits around the country. The point is to dump everything I’ve learned about this topic into a single place so even if I don’t make anything out if, maybe someone else will stumble across it, learn something and do what I couldn’t. Even if one extra EV charger gets installed because of this post, it’ll be an improvement over my pathetic attempt.
RELATED CONTENT
electric vehicles, technology, travel
Electric vehicle charge stations coming to suburban streets in Sydney
3 September 2022
Presently, general use charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) are relatively scarce in Australia, with the majority being located mainly in car parking buildings. While not a problem for EV owners who have a garage with a charger at home, or drivers with access to one in their workplace parking area, recharging the battery of an EV can be tricky for many others. Limited numbers of public charging stations may even be putting off those wishing to switch to EVs.
Even though a Transport NSW map of publicly available charge stations shows them to be seemingly abundant, most EV owners want the option to recharge their vehicles at home. But a trial being introduced by several municipal councils in and around the greater Sydney area, may prove to be a game changer. In the near future, EV owners will be able to plug into chargers connected to power poles.
The scheme could eventually result in almost two-hundred-thousand EV charging stations appearing on suburban streets, says Jason Carter, writing for TechAU:
There will be a total of 50 street-side locations selected for the EV Streetside Charging Project, with each EV charging station to be connected directly to the overhead electricity supply and energy use matched with 100% GreenPower. There is potential for 190,000 EV chargers that could be connected to street-side power poles across Australia.
RELATED CONTENT