Melbourne Australia January 2026

 Travail:

It's been horrible lately, driving to work. I live 40km from work, out in the West of Melbourne.

For the least few years there has been great work done on the Westgate Tunnel to alleviate the traffic from the great West, but the day they finished the tunnel, which isn't useful to me but could take some of the traffic density away to Docklands and the central City, the Road Works folk start 10 days of working on the Westgate Bridge itself, making 5 lanes into 2 lanes. It's an annual thing they do.

So, the journey that used to take one hour to cover the 40km of freeways now takes about 3 hours. Grinding delays. Then, when cars escape the jams, they crash into each other. Thus more delays.

So, I'm grateful to have tomorrow off as annual leave, the last day of Bridge upgrades. (But what traffic manipulations are next? Who knows. Something is planned, I'm sure)

For a long time now the only difference between Melbourne traffic and Bangkok traffic, is that Bangkok has more Toyotas and Melbourne has more Teslas, but they equally block up the travel corridors. And Australians don't cope well with the savant sinuousness required to get through Bangkok traffic. When the road is clear, here, everyone just crashes into each other.

Melbourne drivers are much better than, say, Queensland drivers, and everyone observe the road laws here (for fear of really unbelievably massive fines), but, if the sign says 100kph, then that's exactly what people drive at, whether there be rain, ice, accidents, fog, anything...they just keep rushing along.

So, I am relieved to have tomorrow off.

All my life, like my Dad, I've loved driving, but no more.

Last week I was in a 5 car crash, in the middle of it, and the car behind, a ute, took out my rear parking and turn lights. This pushed me into the electric Kia in front, and I must admit my iron bull bar did its job and basically destroyed the Kia. I got a migraine and another hours delay. Damage to my ute was a need to replace 2 parking/turning lights, and you can just buy them anywhere for the Ute I have, and cheap.

The old purely mechanical 2015 Nissan Navara 4WD D22 turbo diesel, remains a remarkably strong and capable vehicle. It goes well, doesn't break down, It's strong and stable and boring. It's just a light truck that does well anywhere, and can cross lots of land without any roads with ease, if necessary. The fuel costs are the same as a comparable small Volvo, so not a lot, and servicing is cheap.

Glad to have a Holiday tomorrow. We even washed the truck for the first time in years just the other day. Goes even better now. I will have to check the water and oil and tyre pressure in it one day. It's been a few years.

So, a New Year is on the horizon. This doesn't matter, and yet, at the same time, as we know, everything matters. An important factor for us Darwinian atheists, in our short lives and in our literate homage to Mr Albert Camus, the suavest and coolest smoking existentialist we have known lately, involves making something matter, for ourselves and those we care about. To create Meaning. That's what humans can do. Good laws, good times, good improvements to how things are, for all of us.A better-off society. There are many things that are indeed still getting better. Mostly due to China in terms of alleviating world poverty etc now that everyone else has actually stopped doing that. And to remember Not to hate and be greedy etc, not to wage genocide on anyone, anyone at all. That'd be good. Gosh, wouldn't that be good? That some people actively choose the genocide of poor folk just trying to live on their own land, well, that's awful. They are very sick people who do do that and they must be stopped, and seriously punished, for sure. There used to be laws against genocide, even in our own time. Remember? Remember Human Reason? It had its limits but it was generally a good thing. There was goodness, bright thought, industrious compromise, intense negotiation, etc, and even some kindness to it. I liked Human Reason. I miss it.

 So, a New Year is on the horizon.

This doesn't matter, and yet, at the same time, as we know, everything matters.

An important factor for us Darwinian atheists, in our short lives and in our literate homage to Mr Albert Camus, the suavest and coolest smoking existentialist we have known lately, involves making something matter, for ourselves and those we care about. To create Meaning. That's what humans can do. Good laws, good times, good improvements to how things are, for all of us.A better-off society.

There are many things that are indeed still getting better. Mostly due to China in terms of alleviating world poverty etc now that everyone else has actually stopped doing that.

And to remember

Not to hate and be greedy etc, not to wage genocide on anyone, anyone at all. That'd be good. Gosh, wouldn't that be good?

That some people actively choose the genocide of poor folk just trying to live on their own land, well, that's awful. They are very sick people who do do that and they must be stopped, and seriously punished, for sure.

There used to be laws against genocide, even in our own time.

Remember?

Remember Human Reason? It had its limits but it was generally a good thing. There was goodness, bright thought, industrious compromise, intense negotiation, etc, and even some kindness to it.

I liked Human Reason.

I miss it.

I still like the idea of a fortress America, with a huge and high wall all around it. Close the borders in and out. Then give the people there as many high powered guns and drugs as they like, more tv channels, more angst, more disparity, and then just let them make sense of themselves. Less American school kids. That's not a crime. That's benign enhanced human evolution at work in the real world.

Hegseth

 Not judging, just noticing.

Pete Hegseth reminds me of the Damian character from the End of Days type movies, although I don't recall Damien drinking whilst masturbating, and getting the tasks mixed up so much.

Gaza Peace Plan TRUMP

 I think the plan will fall apart within 2 weeks when Israel receives a lot more, but a bit older, heavy bombing weapons from the USA. You don't need new expensive weapons to pulverise Gaza as they can't fight back. The USA moving both the bulk of older weapons to Israel, and the newer ones to their bases in the Middle East ready for a war with Iran, within that same two weeks.

There will be some bizarre scripted horror event that does marginal damage to Israel/US bases, and then the USA will cut loose.

I am not a robot. Anymore.

Melbourne Victoria Australia Protest at Weapons Show day, today

Australia isn't so good at urban pacification. I find both the Thai and the Hong Kong Police much more civilised and advanced.

If someone wants to take-over a weapons selling expo day in the city of Melbourne, well you draw back all your police, and you let the protestors take the building. Because Australian Police should not hurt Australian people. The Prime Directive. Don't hurt your own people. They are very upset about something. Let them make their point. This is real democracy. Australian police should not be in the business of hurting Australian people.

What are the protestors going to do after taking over the expo place anyway? Then you surround the expo, turn off the electricity, TV, water and internet, and just wait. No contact. Play scary music late at night. Psychological operations. You isolate them without touching or hurting them.

The protestors, They've got to go home one day. They have jobs and universities and big mortgages, etc to go back to, & they have nice families to return to. They won't like being there for very long, especially without being able to leave, & especially without good coffee, and with no wifi.

When they do beg to go home after a day a week or a few weeks, you just pick off the defined leaders on the way out, and give the rest free bus rides home. Thus you've identified and incarcerated the leading characters and been kind to everyone else.

Australia, like America, is very bizarrely primitive, and amazingly violent, in terms of urban pacification. They are equally so destructively pride-full. We both have much to learn from Asia. Asia deals with these social issues in a much more effective way, and with much less harm done. Otherwise it's all just about government pride and police pride and prestige...yuck. That doesn't work if people are really upset with the government...and the police. That doesn't do anyone any good, ever. Relax and relent, and after awhile they and you, and all of us, we, can all go home to our lovely families. Rather than amassing police to cause harm and trouble, you just stand back. It's intelligent. In essence, what are they going to do? Hurt someone's feelings?