someone’s been eating my porridge

I’ve been checking the underside of plant leaves looking for the culprit or culprits that are neatly nipping off leaves at the stem.

It is caterpillar season again, and having spotted them nibbling my newly planted basil and spinach seedlings I’ve resorted to the ‘vegetable dust’. No organic gardening for me this season.

The infrequent rain washed the vegetable dust off the leaves today so I’m out doing the rounds looking for more nibbling.

The basil and spinach are fine, but I noticed this critter on the ivy geraniums that were given to me a couple of weeks ago.

When poked, the millipede swung around to ward off my leaf and then curled up. Based on this behaviour, I’m guessing that it is a Portuguese millipede [1].

I thought that millipedes were like snails and that they went for the decaying stuff in the garden, but perhaps like snails, they like fresh green leaves too?

[1] Department of Agriculture Gardennote 02 (PDF)

in transit

Today I found out from Under Mouse Arrest that Perth is to be the first Australian city to be included in Google Transit, a trip planning service offered by Google.

Recently, I used the Transperth website to plan trips to Perth International Arts Festival events. It mostly worked. I knew at what time to catch the bus and where, and even found out that if I got off on St Georges Tce a few stops early the fare was $1.50 (2 Sections) instead of $2.20 (1 Zone).

Trip planning was always done ahead of time as the Transperth web site is slow, and it does take a while to navigate around the maps and suggested routes.

I have previously used Google Maps to find routes from Perth, for example, to Koorda or Bremer Bay. But being able to do this around the city would be terrific, particularly if the Google service speeded the task up and included the public transport data.

Somewhat related, Uncle C started to send coordinates via SailMail. Then stopped due to technical difficulties. But hopefully when he starts again I will be able to use Google Maps to chart his progress across the Pacific.

not parking

I very rarely use the car to get to uni, and today I was reminded why. It’s because you can’t get $^%&* parked.

Yes, it is only the second week of first semester, but I don’t feel that parking on Tuesdays is going to become any less congested. Tuesdays means lots happening in the Guild Courtyard, on the Oak Lawn, and with DJs in the Tav why would anyone leave campus for the day once you were there?

Similarly, when I then drove to the local post office as I was already in the car - I could not get parked. Well, I could, in the Coles Supermarket car park. There were a lot of spaces.

I peeked into Coles on the way past to the post office and there were queues at each checkout. I just wish those that shopped at Coles parked at Coles, so the rest of us can get on with enjoying the local shopping precinct while continuing to ignore them.

The problem that I have with parking at Coles is that the supermarket will be able to claim that they are providing the required car parking, when their shoppers are not actually parking in the car park that they have provided. I wonder if anyone has done any research into the number of Coles shoppers that have 4WDs and or cannot successfully park in the tight parking spaces provided by Coles.

Hint for South Perth shoppers: There is always car parking at the Coles Supermarket. If you are not shopping at Coles, then the only drawback is having to hold your nose while you go down the stairs (or in the lift) until you get past the ‘roast chickens’. Ugh!

WA on Show

Lots to see and not see at WA on Show.

There were a lot of displays suggesting that regions of Western Australia are places to go with things to do. For example, the Mandurah Crabfest is on next weekend. I thought it may be a good idea if you were looking for a reason to try out the new bit of train track. The reason I noticed the display is because they had a light blue/beige scooter which is a prize for a competition during the Crabfest. I thought it would be just right for popping to the shops when I couldn’t be bothered getting into clothes suitable for riding my bicycle.

I thought that the Main Roads Department’s static display of historical posters was the most interesting. For example, there was a great photo of a Volkswagen Beetle going through a very rocky river bed. Made me wonder why we needed all these slick bitumen roads for the increasing number of 4WDs.

Although I was resisting collecting pamphlets and show give-aways, when we stopped to ask questions or fill in a competition entry (bikes and weekends away being the most popular), we were plied with the ’stuff’.

Some of the stuff was quite useful, such as the sachets of sunscreen, pens, and travel tags. But we were on our way to the Music Box with plans to dance and didn’t want to be carting stuff around. So I found a phone booth on the walk up St Georges Tce, and left the show bag there thinking that anyone that went to use the phone would have more time to fossick through the bag and take anything they found useful.

don’t do this at home

The Ideal Home Show 2008 and WA on Show are on this weekend, and you can travel on the bus or train for free on Sunday to see either or both.

We caught the bus in early on Friday to pop in for a couple of hours prior to having tea and making our way to His Majesty’s Theatre for a show. It was a good day to go as there were very few people and less likely that you were going to get your ankles clipped with a pushchair. The entry fee was only $5 for the Home Show, which we thought was ample for the hour or so we planned to spend there. Note: Entry fee is $10 on other days.

I don’t think the picture of the woman featured on the promotional materials matched with what was on display. The exhibition was almost 100% of companies who sole purpose was to sell you services and products. I can’t think of any DIY displays. Perhaps that was the idea. If women DIY they get in a mess, look at the mess the woman got into with a simple bit of painting, so come to the Home Show so we can do it all for you.

It was very easy for me to say ‘no’ I don’t want to enter your competition for whatever products and services you provide as I don’t want my contact details on your calling list. A lot of the stuff on display I found ostentatious, ugly, or ‘what the hell would you want that for?”

A large proportion of the displays were suggesting what improvements that you can make to your backyard, mostly ‘decorating’ such that it becomes the outside room of the house. But to suggest that we have a woodfired oven to make pizza on our patio was just the last straw. I mean I’ve got a flued wood fire in my lounge room that we only light if putting on a few extra layers of clothes does not make us warm enough. Also, a few years ago the state government were talking about phasing out wood fires starting with open fires. Firewood is expensive and not always easily attainable, which is not a problem for us at the moment while we are renovating. But to encourage people to obtain a woodfired oven seemed pretty odd to me and at odds with the baby steps that government are taking with regard to climate change.

I was amused at some of the booth staff that appeared incredulous that we did not need or want window roller shutters. Apart from the fact that we will be replacing the window eaves, I haven’t seen many houses (old or new) where retrofitted roller shutters have added any aesthetics to the home. He had this stunned look on his face as if how can you walk away and not want to enter a competition and get them for free, as if there is no cost to getting something for free.

What was good to see at the exhibition was the increased number of businesses offering solar products, especially photovoltaic grid systems. Although what was a little disappointing is they appear to be flogging a stock standard 1.2kW system so that you as a consumer can take advantage of the $8000 rebate. The systems appeared to be priced at what you are willing to pay, so the supplier appears to benefit more from the rebate as a sort of corporate welfare. As soon as you start talking about the technology (solar cells, type of inverter, battery storage), you are quickly given a brochure. You as a consumer are not supposed to know anything other than the emotion of doing your bit to reduce your household carbon gas emissions and being able to hand over the money knowing that your 20 year investment is mitigated financially by the government. Having said that, we did get talking to one fellow that we were able to have a proper conversation with, who is interested if not passionate about the industry he is in, and listened. Yes, listened!

We only had time to pop our heads into the WA on Show pavilion to enter the competition at the Public Transport Authority to win a folding bike, Prospector trip, or cashed up SmartRider. The quick scan of the venue was enough to know that we would come back on Sunday as there is a lot to see. There appears to be many displays, including panels describing various WA history and developments sprinkled amongst some commercial vendors. Entry to WA on Show is free.

environmentally friendly baby bonus

Did you know that each of us produces seven tonnes of carbon dioxide per year? Coupled with the fact that there is currently seven thousand million of us with 750 popping out every five minutes - “another million net population gain every 5 days”, that’s a lot of carbon debt.

Dr Barry Walter’s talk on Too many children? on ABC Radio National’s Perspective programme introduced what I thought were some interesting solutions to climate change.

“In particular, my belief is that no nation should pay women to have babies. In fact an economic rationalist would say we should pay a carbon tax for each child we have…”

I still cringe when I think of Peter Costello (former Federal Treasurer) taking credit for baby boom with his “moral encouragement to Australian families to have one for mum, one for dad and one for the country”, increased family payments, and baby bonus.

On Perspective, Barry Walter went on to say:

“We should support families with childcare, education, health care, but cash for babies - No - this is irresponsible. This year the Government will give 1,500 million dollars in cash to new mothers. Better give each a solar hot water system or plant several hectares for each baby, better we spend it on Aboriginal health.”

This got me thinking. Rather than a $5000 baby bonus, the government can assist parents to offset the carbon debt for each child. For example, for the first child the household is provided with a solar hot water system, for the second child a greywater reuse system, and the third child passive airconditioning and insulation. I’m beginning to run out of ideas after the third, but perhaps for any additional children, plant hectares of trees.

When Barry Walter said:

“We are citizens of this earth neither more nor less than those in every other nation. If they must limit their population, so must we. Australians are not an arrogant people. Racism is anathema to us. If the world suffers, we suffer. We do not acquire a right to produce more man made gases by living in a relatively less populated area”

I thought of China. I haven’t seen, read, or heard much about anyone complimenting China for their sometimes controversial family planning policy to slow population growth. Instead, they often get brow-beaten about their need for economic expansion.

An environmentally friendly baby bonus means families and our environment are assisted in a sustainable way, and children are raised in a household that is increasingly aware and doing what we can all do minimise our impact on our finite planet.

Image Credit: NASA

second best

1.1 billion dollars is the projected cost of a 60,000 seat sports stadium to be developed at Kitchener Park, Subiaco that will enable Perth, Western Australia to bid for the 2018 Soccer World Cup.

“The Government says it will seek funding from the Commonwealth, business and the sporting codes to help build the stadium.” — Subiaco wins race for new 60,000 seat stadium, ABC News

The Hon Alan Carpenter is the Western Australian Premier; and Minister for Federal-State Relations; Trade; Innovation; Public Sector Management; and Science announced today.

I say, always read the last paragraph of news stories. In closing, the ABC article about the sports stadium also mentions a new museum.

“The other site considered for the project, the old East Perth power station, was deemed unsuitable because of transport difficulties.

That site will be used to build the new WA Museum.”

The current museum in Perth could do with a revamp, more space and resources. But to send it out to East Perth appears a bit odd.

The WA Museum is right next to the State Library and Art Gallery, and on the Perth CAT route. What about the visitor numbers for the museum? Why does it cost only half-a-billion dollars for a museum infrastructure project compared to that of a $1.1 billion new outdoor stadium?

emperors and fairies

Two colonies of penguins are under scrutiny by university researchers. One colony is only five kilometres off the Western Australian coast, the other, in the Antarctic.

With the help of the Royal Australian Navy and Dr Belinda Cannell from The University of Western Australia, the Fairy (or Little) Penguins on Garden Island off the Western Australian coast are being monitored and protected.

Protection means simply being good neighbours with minimal disturbance to the penguin colony and ensuring predators such as cats and foxes don’t reach the island.

“The penguins are often more at risk from pleasure craft, fishing boats, wind and kite-surfers and jet-skis than the Navy’s big ships, she said. As well as the danger of colliding with these smaller watercraft, penguins could be harmed by fishing line, heavy metals, over-fishing and destruction of fish nursery sites.” — Dr Belinda Cannell in Royal Australian Navy guards penguins with help from UWA, University News

So while the penguins have good neighbours in the personnel at HMAS Stirling, we can help the Fairy Penguins by looking out for them and letting others know too.

From little to emperor-sized penguins. If you have seen the film Happy Feet or March of the Penguins you will know that the penguins that featured in both films were Emperor Penguins.

Dr Gary Miller of the Australian Antarctic Division, scientific adviser and sound recordist for ‘Happy Feet’ will be joining UWA’s Professor Geoff Shellam to conduct fieldwork in Antarctica .

“… undertaking research into infectious diseases and the potential impact of global warming on the Emperor penguins of the Auster rookery, which is located on sea ice about 40km from Mawson Station.” — UWA-based team aim to keep ‘Happy Feet’ happy, University News

There are two main questions that the scientists are working to solve:

• Most Emperor chicks have antibodies to a common virus of domestic poultry. Do they acquire the virus from their parents or from the environment?
• As temperatures increase in the Antarctic due to climate change, will the penguins’ well-being continue?

I have one question of my own though. I wonder why the expedition is going on the last ship of the season rather than the new 4 1/2 flight from Hobart, Tasmania?

open garden

folia is now open to the public. Like Australia’s Open Garden Scheme you can visit gardens and view plantings.

Whilst you cannot talk with the gardener unless you are a registered member of the folia site, you can view the gardener’s journal. This is wonderful news as I have been juggling what to post here at dilettante and at the same time maintain a chronological journal of my gardens and plantings at folia.

Now, from my gardener page you can view my gardens, plantings, and gardening journal.

I may still post here garden stuff that I’m particularly excited about or wish to highlight. For example, wait until you see how the mango pip is going.

out of the bag

According to the smh.com.au article Plastic bags join the endangered list, Australia uses 4 billion plastic bags a year and China uses as many bags in 48 hours.

Levy or ban? I think just ban them.

Since 2005, we have been using shopping bags that we can use and shove in the washing machine, and re-use. Yes, the conference bags that we got at Linux.conf.au 2005 are the most used and long lasting than any bags that we have obtained at conference.

Note: The article states “The energy consumed in the life cycle of a plastic bag is estimated to be equivalent to 13.8 millilitres of crude oil, or about a teaspoonful.” I think this must be a typo. I’ve always thought that a teaspoon is equivalent to approximately 5 ml, and a tablespoon to 15 ml.