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Gosh, Now it’s Underwater Welding

It is I, Georgina Glass.

As if I wasn’t already busy enough, I’ve now been contacted by the Melbourne stainless steel fabrication industry. Imagine that! They sent me a message saying that they saw a design for an underwater welding pod that I’d drawn about ten years ago for a school project. The teacher just told us to take something used in the industrial sector and make our own version of it; I think it was in metal tech? Anyway, everyone else was making weird-shaped cement mixers and whatever else- I think my friend took a wrecking ball and made it a gigantic cube- but I wanted to go a little bit further. I took an interest in welding, because it’s a fascinating industry when you really get down to the nitty-gritty of things. Underwater welding, for real? That stuff is crazy. So I did a bit of a mock-up for an underwater welding chamber, a bit of a different design to how they usually do things. And I’m not saying that I want to upend the industry or how they do things, but apparently there’s a stainless steel welding conference and and they’d like to get me to speak. That is, on a design I did in school ten years ago. I don’t think I’m the keynote speaker or anything, but wow, the fact that they want me to talk at ALL is seriously surreal. I don’t know too much at the moment, but they said that my design was really interesting, and there’s always a section on designs for the future. It’s only one night…at the moment. Hopefully this won’t interfere with my plans to meet up with the BF’s family, my cosmetics job, my course on energy usage…wow, I’m really spreading the whole thing a bit thin. Still, I can brush up on marine fabrication in Melbourne, see how they do things. And maybe they’ll give me a design job! Always wondered what that would be like…

-Georgina

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Me and My Inadequate Sailing Boat

Well, that pretty much puts an end to my plans of sailing across from Australia to Hawaii using only a rickety fishing boat. I’d done all my research, calculated how much supplies I’d be needing, patched up the boat as best as I could, mapped out my route…only to find out that the coastguard won’t allow it. Apparently it’s tantamount to suicide, and you’re not allowed to commit suicide in Australian waters so they won’t let me go.

RUDE. Anyway, I have to steadily improve my boat until it reaches international water law standards, whatever that means. People are sponsoring me for this as well, so i’d better find a way to make it happen.

So…first up, I need to find a place that repairs anchor winches in Melbourne. Apparently, just having an anchor on the end of a chain doesn’t fit the law’s standards; I also have to have a way to reliably lift it back up, hence the anchor winch. I can SORT of understand…but meh, I don’t really have that much of a problem. It’s good back exercise hauling it back up. Also, I need to get an official to make sure I’ve got this outboard motor thing down pat. For real: I can’t even do the rowing myself. Apparently there’s a certain distance that you can row, and after that it violates some kind of maritime law they put in place after the great Australian boat tragedy of 1976. And look, I know many people were lost, and the whole thing was poorly planned, but I wasn’t going to be like that. I HAD a plan. Also, it’s 2017; you can hold WAY more food in small spaces. One protein bar can keep me going for days. Like, a day maybe. An afternoon, definitely. But now I’m scouring Melbourne for outboard motor servicing, because it’s the law. What am I going to do with all that time I should’ve been rowing? Guess I’ll…read some books?

-Darren

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The Present is All Hyperbaric Medicine

They say say there’s no time like the present, because that’s why they call it the present, because it’s a gift.

Wait, let me try that again…every day is a gift; that’s why they call it the present? But then, the gifts of tomorrow actually belong to the future. Wait…is the future the gift-giver in this scenario? The future has the present, and it gifts it to us. That’ll do. But why are we getting a present? Is every day our birthday?

Phew…when I think deep thoughts, I sometimes just bend reality. I’ve been thinking a lot of them in the last half an hour, because I’m actually writing this LIVE from an oxygen chamber. Melbourne is just the forefront of technology nowadays, don’t you think? You can almost say they’re the future…and they’re giving us the gift of technology, now, in the present. I swear, this oxygen chamber is unlocking parts of my brain that I didn’t even know existed. So many great thoughts, flowing as swiftly and easily as the air in my nostrils. That’s a lot of air, I’ll have you know.

Funny thing is, I got this oxygen chamber experience as a present, which means I’m in the present, which was given to me as a present, experiencing something that was given to me…as a present. It’s like unwrapping a gift, only to find a gift underneath the wrapping paper, because the true gift was the act of receiving a gift. This is so many layers of profound; I actually cannot even. Who knew that oxygen, something that we breathe every day, can bring out such deep and meaningful thoughts? If I’d know it would be this good, I would’ve gotten into Melbourne’s hyperbaric chambers a lot sooner. Anyway…I’m going to take a nap. Probably about to dream some premium dreams, too. The ones where you can fly. Maybe even prophetic…we shall see!

-Bailey

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Podiatry Explained

Podiatry is, at its core, is medicine related to feet, ankles and lower extremities (the leg).

For as long as humans have had feet, they’ve needed taking care of, and need to be given special care since they are in constant use. This is where the profession of podiatry comes in.

Throughout history, the job has varied; for example, in ancient times the feet were simply considered to be another part of the body that needed care, and fell under the broad jurisdiction of physicians. It wasn’t until the time of ancient Greece that the feet were respected as especially important, and enough to receive their own study and medicine.

The study of feet was treated as so different that it was separated from traditional medicines entirely, and was not included in doctor circles of any kind. Though chiropodists (as they were then known) were still physicians, they were not part of traditional medicine and were wholly independent. The 20th century saw their renaming as ‘podiatrists’, the name they are now known by in most places around the world.

Podiatrists don’t simply inspect feet and give appropriate medication; they have a wide range of duties, including x-rays, surgery, physical therapy and setting fractures.

It isn’t particularly uncommon for a sporting team or other such organisation to employ podiatrists full-time, since feet are an essential for many sports and need to be kept in top condition.

Orthotics is an even more specialised form of podiatry that focuses on restorative orthoses; that is, physically helping or enhancing foot performance with custom orthotics. This is another profession often used extensively in sport to help athlete performance.

Overall, podiatry is an essential profession; it may not sound like the most pleasant of jobs, but our feet are important. Someone has to take care of them!

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Retirement Might Just Suit Me

Run a hotel, they said. It’ll be a blast, they said.

First day of retirement: excellent. Not sure I’ll ever get used to just…waking up. Not having to get up at 4am is lovely for anyone, but this morning I simply had breakfast by myself, no guests asking me anything. No kitchen crises. No sheets to fold or big fry-ups to make. Nobody lost their keys, or came back at 2am after a few too many drinks and caused a stir. It was just…me. So quiet, so calm.

I wonder if I’ll ever go to stay in a Lorne hotel? Maybe not for a few years; it would just be far too strange. I’ve been a guest at other places before, of course. I did take holidays sometimes, if not nearly as often as I would like. But still, going back to Lorne to stay in a hotel, after 50 years of working in one? That would just be a bizarre turn of events. I’ll leave it for a bit, see how I feel.

One thing being a hotel owner DOES do is make you ultra-judgmental of other places. I will say I tried to take off that hat and learn some things from the places where I stayed, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as fun. Judging just comes naturally when you’re in the same profession. If there weren’t enough mints provided, or I didn’t get a change of bed linen during the day, or if the breakfast wasn’t quite up to scratch, then I would let them know. Gently. It’s the only way people improve, and I’d want to hear if I was lacking in a certain area.

How is Lorne accommodation ever going to improve unless it gets proper feedback from outsiders? Not from me, though…not for a while. Which is a shame, because so many hotels could use my wise advice and many years of experience.

-Bruce

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Hologram Communication is Coming

One day, we will all communicate using holograms. And it will be absolutely terrible.

See, right now we have video calling, which most people hate. In fact, we’ve gone *backwards* when it comes to communication, because people never used to have instant messaging or any of that silliness. It was calling them up on the telephone, or you just didn’t talk to them at all. Or maybe you’d throw up some smoke signals. But then one day soon we’ll all be chatting with holographic projectors so you can see the entire person, and it’ll be horrible because you can’t even just smooth your hair and hold the phone on your face. No…you’ll have to dress up, for every conversation. Ugh.

Just imagine how much power we’ll be using.  At least the commercial energy monitoring sector of Melbourne will be doing well, because instead of charging our phones every night or whatever, we’ll all have complicated holo-projectors everywhere and they’ll require loads of power. Maybe there’s going to be a new industry for Fitness Conversations, where people climb onto exercise bikes and have holographic conversations while they cycle to generate the power. At least then people will get fit, and you don’t necessarily have to be super fit to get into it. Still, if you don’t feel up to fitness shenanigans, then you’re up the creek. Or you’ll have to wrangle someone else to cycle for you.

See, this is why we need to be researching more efficient industrial solar, right now. Funding for green energy has been cut by the current government in a move to save money. If you ask me it’s an investment in the future. 

I’m happy to throw all my money at the problem, get solar panels, do whatever…so long as I don’t have to cycle just to ask my wife if she can pick up some frozen peas. Imagine appearing as a hologram in the middle of the supermarket. It’ll be so awkward.

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Toast, and Buyers Advocacy

I do like toast. Everybody likes toast, I think. The best thing about toast is that it comes in so many different varieties, and yet is one of the easiest things to get your hands on that isn’t junk food. Choose your bread, choose your topping, and off you go. Toast, all for you, ready in minutes.

I wish building a house was more like making toast. Building a house takes SO much time, much more than your average toaster cycle. And then when you’ve built the home, you have to fill it with stuff, make sure the taps produce water, and the wiring gives you electricity…and for all this stress, you pay quite a bit. This is why I keep saying we need to look up one of those property agents. You know the ones in Melbourne. Property advocates I believe is their official title. Everything should, in this life, be around the same level of difficulty as making toast. For you see, toast has a hidden level of difficulty that many do not realise. See, you tend to eat toast at two times: once at breakfast, and any other time when you need food fast. That means that, while you’re thinking that it should be easy, it actually SEEMS a lot harder because you’re hungry and thus everything becomes a lot more cumbersome.

Building a home is similar. We’re told that it’s supposed to be this dream, and I suppose it will be eventually (a lot like biting into a delicious piece of toast), but it just seems like SO much work. Fireplaces to pick out, wallpaper to browse, and all the while I’m constantly wondering if it’s worth it. This is what I get for building close to the centre of Melbourne. Buyers advocates would’ve been so much easier; they could’ve FOUND us a place of our own.

Oh well. Guess I’ll just go and make some…waffles.

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I Know I Should Take More Time Off

My friend just tagged me in an online post of a robot trying to put a box on a shelf. And yeah, it was supposed to be funny. The thing just can’t do it, and it eventually just sort of shoulder-tackles the shelf and everything collapses. Everyone in the comments was all like ‘ha, and people say AI is going to take over the planet!’. They have a point, but still, bipedal robots are just creepy. If that thing came at me , even if it was super clumsy, I wouldn’t be laughing.

I don’t like the idea of giving all the responsibility over the robots. Maybe I just work too hard…and it’s true. The boss is always telling me to go home so he can go home. Last year, for my birthday, my friends secretly arranged with my work for me to take time off, and we all went to Lorne, where beach apartments were waiting for us. And look, I’m not a soulless statue. I DID enjoy myself. Still, I did catch myself thinking about work, and how things were going, and if I was needed. And if you’re on the beach playing cricket and those thoughts keep invading your brain, you need to rewire yourself.

So then I’m thinking about a robot taking my job, which I guess could happen. They could take almost everyone’s jobs, until the only jobs left are actors and novelists, and maybe TV presenters. The economy still works just fine because the jobs are being done, so we basically just get an allowance from the government (are they robots as well?) and we get to do whatever we like. Everyone’s just booking luxury accommodation in Lorne, but…all the time. There’s no more work to be done. We just relax on the beach, pursue pet projects and visit friends A lot of coffee is drunk. Maybe we’ll all go to conference centres in Victoria where we learn to cope with our newfound freedom.

I couldn’t do it. Work is just too important to me. So…I guess I’ll find a new career as an novelist?

-Bryce

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Review: Termite Troubles Makes a Case for Pest Control

There are a few shows on television at the moment that will raise the eyebrows of even the wildest folk. ‘Singe’, the game show where all the wacky challenges involve hydrochloric acid. ‘Agents of P.E.E.L.E.D.’, where a bunch of good-looking secret agents try to prevent a vegetable-obsessed cult from taking over the world. And then there’s ‘Keeping Up with the Car-Dash-Ians’, where an exclusive club for people called Ian is formed for the express purpose of racing cars, on foot.

Some weird, some shocking, some dull. But ‘Termite Troubles’ outdoes them all. You may have heard about the controversy, since many of Mornington’s termite inspection agents have spoken out in protest at the danger the show presents. It’s easy to see why, with such a disturbing premise: three families have to live in a large house that has been thoroughly invaded by termites. The termites get into everything, from the food to the sleeping quarters. The family that lasts the longest wins the grand prize of a holiday to Albajeria and a full-home renovation.

The imagery is actually pretty gross in the first episode, which had all the families electing to stay beyond the first three days. This home really is a poor example of termite prevention techniques, although it’s certainly a dire warning to everyone who might be wondering about that pile of wood near the house, or the fact that the home’s foundations are creaking. No doubt the requests for the Dandenong termite control professionals are going to go through the roof after the remaining episodes have aired, so ‘Termite Troubles’ might have a purpose. But after all the disgusting imagery and the sheer danger of living in a termite-infested home are shown to the world, why would you want to keep watching?

-R. Jameson

 

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Seeking Non-Judgmental Pest Controllers

Sometimes I wish I lived in the UK. I’ve heard they have SOME big-ish spiders, but then that’s UK people talking and hey wouldn’t even know what they were talking about. You really can’t judge the sizes of spiders unless you’ve been to Australia and you’ve had to spend a night stuck to one side of a room because there’s a GINORMOUS one sitting in the corner, right above the door.

That, my friends, is true fear. Last time I complained about this on Visage-Tome, someone said to just look up the local Berwick pest control people and have them deal with it. There’s a sliver of logic to that, but still, this is Berwick. Not the most thriving metropolis, and many city people would call it the country. So I’d be calling pest control people from the country to deal with a problem that in the country is not a problem at all. I know! I’m supposed to be able to just look at that giant, hairy thing right in its multiple eyes and say “…whatever.” Or just pick it up by a leg and tos it out the back door, so it can have a fulfilling life far away from me.

Theoretically. In theory. The theory of the thing is that I would’ve grown up, able to do that sort of thing because I’m a tough country person. I wouldn’t even think of calling in pest control for anything smaller than a cow. I definitely am not supposed to be sitting in the corner of a room, trying to get advice from the internet because there’s a many-legged horror beast mocking me from the top of the doorframe. I swear that’s disdain in his eyes. His many, many eyes.

Tell you what. Dandenong isn’t quite so ‘country’. I’ll get in some Dandenong pest control. They’ll bail me out without me having to feel quite so inadequate.

-Kelsie