This gallery contains 26 photos.
One of the most common spoils wagons you will see are the rusty old NDCHs – however these come in two main types. The more common type are ex NOBX open wagons. The majority seem to be rib-sided with flat … Continue reading
This gallery contains 16 photos.
Next in the series of photos is the NDCF – I understand these to be converted from GP/NOHF concentrate wagons, and as far as I know they are all painted yellow. Silvermaz make a kit of the GP wagon which … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
NDNF: I believe the NDNF is also a former BD/NOAF wagon, but with the full length being open (ie no end decks). Note most have partially corrugated sides and pressed ends, however NDNF 2637 N has completely flat side panels, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 11 photos.
As mentioned in the intro, one of my interests is trains – particularly those running today. Most enthusiasts/modellers of the present day go for the glamour like passenger trains, or brute force of intermodal, coal, grain, or a steelie, and … Continue reading
Right, so now I have a blog, and active Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ accounts. There’s also Linkedin, Friendster, and god knows how many other networks out there. So what do we do with them all?
The blog is fairly obvious – it is for longer posts like this where I want to outline my thoughts on a subject in more than just a few words – that’s clear.
Twitter is great for simple observations that don’t need any depth, though the 140 character limit can be just that – limiting,and I am increasingly using services like Twitlonger to get around that if I need just those few extra words.
Facebook is Facebook – a bloated awkward means of maintain a link with people you haven’t seen in 20+ years, workmates you see almost every day anyway, and friends who you should be trying to maintain a more than virtual link with.
Google+ feels to be a lot of Facebook, with a hint of Twitter thrown in. The best part of it is circles – being able to easily define groups of people, and post to the groups of your choice. Nonetheless it is really just a sleeker version of Facebook, and so the same root issues of types of relationships prevail, and may even be more highlighted by said circles.
So none of this is really news, as everyone pretty much knows all this anyway. Why then the blog post? My problems are as follows:
– no one “follows” the blog, so my more in depth ramblings go unnoticed in the wider world – I ironically need the other social media to advertise said ramblings, causing immediate cross-postings.
– I prefer Twitter as a means of putting stuff out there, but only a handful of friends use it, so to share with those I know, it isn’t sufficient – it does however provide a limited extra audience of those sick puppies who consider me worth following even though I don’t know them
– Facebook is Facebook – almost everyone seems to use it, but most don’t really know why. It is full of bugs and privacy issues, so I don’t like using it, but it is the most comprehensive means of sharing stuff.
– Google+ is new, and not many people I know are on it yet. It too seems to be showing some privacy issues, and being new has some kinks to iron out, but I feel compelled to give it a chance.
So where does that leave me? When should I post what where? I find myself often cross-posting on all three, but for what purpose? Anyone linked to me on all three must be sick of it surely? Unfortunately I have no answers on this one, and am actually keen to hear some feedback. I can distinguish the concept of Twitter against the others, but my friends increasingly use FB in a Twitter-like manner despite maintaining they don’t like or understand the concept of Twitter. Ideally I would drop FB altogether, but until people of genuine interest to me (ie friends) switch elsewhere, it seems it will stay. I would like to use G+ just for more personal sharing with friends, but again most of them simply aren’t there yet, and may not see the need to switch from FB.
And so I come back to the question of what should I post where …
So Apple are taking legal action to try and prevent Samsung releasing their new Honeycomb tablet in Australia, and now in Europe also, on the basis of breaching patents. Some of the patents seems questionable at best (such as using a gesture to unlock the screen) and in my view it is ridiculous that such things are allowed to be patented in the first place. Needless to say Samsung are taking action against Apple for other things, Apple against other manufacturers also, and just about everyone else in the mobile industry seems to be taking action against each other for just existing. Meanwhile Google are spending a ridiculous sum for Motorola Mobility seemingly primarily for 25,000 odd mobile technology patents as a bit of future protection against such actions.
Now, I fully appreciate that some ideas are truely innovative and need protecting, but the extent to which all this sort of thing is happening all seems a tad fucking pathetic. Honestly, if company X thinks they have the superior product to company Y, why not fight it out in the shops rather than the courts?
On a side note the purchase of Moto by the big G is interesting – Google say they are out to protect Android against certain legal action, but it gives them the hardware to become an all stop shop like Apple. I’ve not been a big fan of Motorola in the past, but the Xoom is a seriously nice piece of kit (see earlier blog post) showing they have potential to compete in the hardware stakes. If Google do start giving Motorola an advantage, then (as has been mentioned on a few news websites) other Android players may “up shop” and switch to a new platform. Given how quick Motorola were in releasing Honeycomb 3.2 compared to others, who’s to say it isn’t already happening?
Google need to be very careful here – there’s already the threat of paying a per handset fee to Apple for alleged patent violations, and now there’s a chance they could alienate their biggest allies. They need companies like Samsung and HTC on side, and to do it they need to show Motorola won’t get any advantage in earlier releases or extra OS features. Motorola’s market share is currently too small for Google to stand alone with. Then again if Google and Samsung were to merge …
Could Ice Cream Sandwich be the last version of Android? I hope not, even if it’s only because it’s too stupid a name to go down in history as the end of a technological era.
A couple of days ago I excitedly received in the mail my Motorola Xoom wifi tablet. In the box itself is the tablet, a charger, and a USB cable, along with the usual paperwork. The tablet came fully charged, and I was immediately able to upgrade to Android 3.1.
Extra note – I had to complete this entry on the PC, as I could not select the correct words to fix spelling mistakes – it would instead jump multiple lines up. Could be the blog, or the Android browser – either way, something Google need to fix.
It won’t be of interest to many of you, but needless to say for those that know me I took a few pics of buses and trains whilst in Dunedin … here’s some of the shots (the bus ones are just to show the variety – not well composed though as most were rushed, and some are from the phone).
 |
| Custom destos seem to be the thing with Citibus |
 |
| I remember this old girl being introduced new into the fleet – note the old desto number (St Clair 7 … not 27 as it now seems to be) |
 |
| … and again … |
 |
| Dodgy shot, but interesting desto |
 |
||
There were Dennis Darts a plenty, but this was the only one that seemed to have the Dennis badge on the front. The others I think were all in the standard Citibus livery.
|
 |
| An Ansair midi? |
 |
| Shot in Oamaru, but it was the bus we got back from Dunedin to Christchurch |
I also notice Taieri Gorge Railwayhave boosted their fleet with some of the curvy type carriages and a new (for them) parcel van, and also them expanding with trips to Palmerston – good to see them doing well. Not sure I like the new livery on DJ1227 though …
Dunedin – home. When I last visited (four years ago) I was worried – the city centre seemed to be dieing a slow painful death with the likes of Penroses and DEKA (Nathans and maybe even Woollies? when I was a kid I think) partitioned off into market-like stalls, and all the big shops moving out into the southern part of the one-way system with mega-stores.
This visit was quite different though – the mega stores are still out there, and there may even be more of them. My dislike for them has changed to a realisation that they are for Dunedin’s benefit, with one big store with a wider range replacing maybe two or three little stores with bugger all selection, and replicating each other – yes, the shopper has more choice.
The even better news is it no longer seems to be killing the city centre – George Street looks busier than ever, and the replacement of the shell of DEKA with Wall Street mall is a vast improvement, tidying up the area and providing a proper environment for stores.
I can’t say however I am such a fan of the glass portion of the facade, with painted on windows of days gone by – in historic Dunedin a proper historic style facade would have been far more in keeping.
Now I see the city centre recovering so well, I wonder how far down Princes Street the benefits may be felt in the near future? Maybe not so rosy, as I have come to another realisation that distances in Dunedin are not what they seem – it may only be a five to ten minute walk from say the Golden Centre to the Octagon and beyond, but to locals this is massive and imposes an almost insurmountable barrier they cannot pass. It’s not until you spend time in big cities overseas that you realise how ridiculous this is, however with Dunedin existing on a smaller scale, it is what everyone grows up to expect.
I won’t even start on South Dunedin, but to say its future looks as grim as its past.
More to come …
