Chiel G., a gentle cynic

Random morning thought: is the red pulse on Pink Floyd’s Pulse CD still blinking away somewhere, three decades later?

Just heard Smells Like Teen Spirit playing in the supermarket.

I guess it’s official that the sounds of my teenage rebellion are now background music for the pasta aisle.

Alright, finally, my submission for ABC Radio's Top 100 Books Of The 21st Century. I clearly need to read more.

Vote now: bit.ly/45rGkgE

#RadioNational #Top100Books #booksky #books

Yellow “R U OK?” logo at the top, followed by a scene from The Simpsons of Homer sitting on the couch, angrily pointing while eating dinner off a TV tray. Caption says, “I TOLD YOU LAST YEAR, NO!”

Yearly Reminder

Yeah , I know most CBD towers aren’t designed for livability and that families need schools, clinics, green space not just an open-plan office made into apartment shoeboxes without sunlight.

But I’m a big proponent of conversion. It would take incentives, planning, and a bit of political courage.

Yes, there are challenges: retrofits are expensive, zoning is outdated, and developers prefer to sit on empty towers rather than lower profits. Councils also rely on commercial rates.

But these are political financial choices, not physical impossibilities. The only obstacle is willpower.

National office vacancy rate hits 30-year high - latest commercial property news - API Magazine National office vacancy rate hits 30-year high With a deluge of new offices hitting the market and workers entrenched in their work from home arrangements, national vacancy rates continue to rise.

Vacant offices hit a 30-year high. Affordable rentals are at crisis point.

You’d think combining the two would be easy.

But it was never about space, or WFH, or a ‘dying CBD.’ It’s about money. And nothing else.

Erik ten Hag sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just three matches Bayer Leverkusen have sacked Erik ten Hag following a 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen which was one of just his three matches in charge

You know what? I know a club who'd love to have you ... Come home, Erik, they need someone other than Oosting #fctwente

The fact that my white ass, as a recent immigrant to Australia, has been told multiple times today that this ‘March For Australia’ isn’t about me or people like me… tells you everything you need to know.

They’re confusing racism with patriotism.

So in Melbourne several hundred anti-immigration protesters turned up for the March For Australia, among them open neo-Nazis and one speaker in a wannabe Gestapo trench coat.

And the police response was to pepper-spray the almost 10000 strong anti-fascist counter rally? Have I got that right?

The cover of the board game Paris: La Cité de la Lumière. The artwork is a colorful, impressionist-style night scene of Paris, with glowing streetlamps, red-brick buildings, a café, the Moulin Rouge windmill, and the Eiffel Tower lit up in the background.

Game setup for Paris: La Cité de la Lumière. The box bottom is used as the central board, with purple cobblestone tiles showing streetlights. Around it are player pieces, polyomino-shaped building tiles, and postcards of Paris landmarks. A pot of purple tea and a glass cup sit nearby on the table.

Mid-game shot of Paris: La Cité de la Lumière. The box-bottom board shows colorful cobblestone streets filled with polyomino building tiles. Small orange and blue wooden house pieces mark each player’s buildings, while a painter character token stands at the center.

A spread of the game’s illustrated postcard cards, each depicting Paris landmarks and attractions: Sacré-Cœur, Chartier restaurant, Moulin Rouge, Jardin des Plantes, Métro entrance, Fontaine des Mers, and others, painted in a vibrant, vintage poster style.

Recent purchase. What a marvellous 2-player #boardgame is Paris: La Cité de la Lumière. It's a bit like an upgraded #patchwork. Quick game, about 30 minutes, with a lovely theme and great artwork. This one will be on the table more often.

So many books could be 200 pages shorter if the characters just sat down and had one honest conversation. #booksky

With the current portal network that's a job for dozens of people over a long period of time. I don't think a new start-up like Niantic Spatial can even remotely afford this

Wide view of the White House Rose Garden replaced by an expansive white stone patio, lined with bushes and scattered with white metal tables and chairs.

Close-up of an Oval Office doorway, framed with elaborate gold trim, ornate floral motifs, and portraits hanging on the wall above.

Someone who bulldozes the Rose Garden for a concrete patio, then slathers the Oval Office in gold, doesn’t do it unless they think they’ll be here another 10 years.

Oslo Davis cartoon, August 9, 2025

Oslo Davis cartoon, August 9, 2025 www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/cart... via @thesaturdaypaper.com.au

‘A stunt’: Fears work-from-home plan will empty Melbourne CBD In a blistering attack on the state government’s new policy, a Property Council boss said it was designed to distract from Victoria’s mounting debt.

Ok, this terrible piece has made me angrier than I should be. It centers the voices of landlords over workers.
It treats the economy of a few city blocks as more important than modernising work. No word on urban decentralisation, work-life balance or productivity evidence from hybrid/remote models.

Bye Bye Google Nest Wifi. Bye Bye to mystery dropouts. Bye Bye to increasingly long buffering times.
And hello Orbi Mesh AX6000 RKB860

My Tshirt today agrees

After that first episode, I'm so glad South Park is still there for us. Holy shit, did I need this!
#SouthPark #S27

Is anyone actually using em-dashes more often now that ChatGPT showed them how to use them properly?

Australians, especially men, are reading less than ever before Across the board, Australians are reading less, with young men reading the least and older women reading the most.

Read More, Talk More, Make More Friends.

The Spotswood Chapter of Tough Guy Book Club meets at The Spotswood Hotel. Like every chapter, it's on the first Wednesday of the month at 7PM

Come have a chat. And don't worry if you haven't read the book.

#books #bookclub #toughguybookclub #tgbc

Played some 2-player Ark Nova at Boardies in Fitzroy yesterday. About 1,5 hours of learning the rules of building zoos, and then 2,5 hours of playing. But a great experience and game. Very strategic, and we both loved it. Complex but very replayable. Will get a copy! #boardgames #arknova

Good to see you here, Ingress. Hope ADA has better protocols than Grok

JFC

Elon Musk's Grok praises Hitler in new posts Musk has recently expressed frustration with Grok's way of answering questions.

www.axios.com/2025/07/08/e...

I see the re-writing of Grok's algorithm is now almost completely up to Musk's standard. No more training the LLM on journalism, just train it on Twitter.

It would be so funny if they just gave it to Obama again. #NobelPeacePrize

Why are we still traumatizing pets every New Year when we clearly have something better?
#fireworks #drones

Proposal to build $1.3m giant pear in Shepparton to celebrate history Victoria's Goulburn Valley is known as the food bowl of Australia, but it could soon be known as the home of the giant pear in a bid to attract tourists to the regional centre.

The fact that Shepparton is trying to become the 'Capital of Big Things' only solidifies the opinion that this town is perpetually stuck in the 1980's
#Shepparton #BigPear

This photo shows a dramatic natural rock formation rising steeply from the edge of a calm, reflective river. The cliff is made up of long, vertical basalt columns that appear to be leaning diagonally, like organ pipes or the pages of a giant stone book fanned open. These columns are dark grey and deeply ridged, giving the cliff a striking, sculptural texture. The cliff is partially covered with sparse eucalyptus trees and shrubs clinging to the rocky surface, and more bushland continues up the slope and around the scene. In the foreground, leafy trees line the riverbank, their shapes mirrored in the still water below. The sky above is a clear blue, with just a few wispy clouds, and the overall scene feels peaceful and awe-inspiring, showcasing the raw beauty of volcanic geology in the Australian bush.

Organ Pipes National Park, 25 minutes outside Melbourne

Apparently being a white man in his 40s means Spotify keeps recommending a certain genre of bands that I'm prime demographic for.
But I just discovered the "Don't Play This Artist" button.
And it has made my days significantly better!