Ekka Public Transport

Another shining example of why Go Card is dumb

Remember the advertising mantra for the Go Card. 30% cheaper. Like bicycle helmets and speeding - The government says it enough times and you we believe it. Along with the idea that the Go Card is the best way to implment a public transport ticketing system.

Amazes me that we implement a system that requires so much hardware - terminals, people to answer queries and sort of account issues, A thing that you have to own and carryu with you.

Compare this with flying on a plane - book and print your own ticket at home.  Same with the footie and for both of those you can send it to your phone.  But not translink.  Oh no.  You need a go card.  The wonderful system that works oh so well and 30% chaper.  Must be so much better than anything else.

And then blow me over, you go to the Ekka and how much does it cost.

Well when you go to the footie, the train fare is just in the ticket.  You just have to have you footie ticket on your person and hey presto you are good to travel.

You would think that the Ekka could do this too but no they have the best of both worlds.

From http://www.ekka.com.au/plan-your-day/getting-to-ekka.aspx    and we read

 New for 2012
Getting to and from the Ekka has never been easier or cheaper with TransLink's new Ekka travel ticket.

Simply pre-purchase your Ekka entry ticket then show it at any attended Queensland Rail station or on board any TransLink bus or ferry and you can buy your Ekka travel ticket for only $6 return for adults and $3 return for children/concession.

That's one price across the entire TransLink network that covers both journeys to and from the Ekka.

 Sorry did I read easier?  You still have to rock on up to a ticket window and buy a train ticket and thats easier?

Mind you to use that wonderful GoCard thing its more expensive (I think) but how do you ever know.  I assume this is "Off Peak" being sunday. 

No wonder public transport is so frustrating.

Fare information

This is a 3 zone journey, travelling in zones 1 - 3

Ticket type	Price
go card adult	$4.24
	$3.40 (off-peak)
go card concession	$2.12
	$1.70 (off-peak)
Single paper adult	$6.20
Single paper concession	$3.10

Chris's Birthday Party

For Chris's 13th birthday party we went to the Sizzling Mongolian restaurant at Tarianga.

We was Chris, Callan, Caelum, Mitch - Good Friends from Primary School and 4? friends from BGS whos names I have to confess I do not know.

Two of our guys at the back near the window and the food.

Gold Medal Crisis

Apparently we have a Gold Medal Crisis.  (GMC)

You may recall recently we had a GFC and the government responded by giving us things - Cash, pink bats, school halls.

I think it is high time the govt handed out gold medals to each of us.

I wonder if we were to take the budget given to the AIS and simply use it to make gold medals and hand them out to the general populace.  Perhaps the KPI's would look significantly better.

Camp Sing A Lot

Megan vanished on Friday and it turns outy she went to Camp Sing a Lot. I am not sure if that is the real name or not.

Megan was responsible for the stage themeing and  this was her creation.

We (Frank, Marcus, Sarah, Alistair, Chris, Dan & Jemma) Thats 7 I think, turned up as requested to the final concert.  It was a lovely afternoon and great singing.  Ian & Fay were there too and they had brought Kerry Joyner's parents who I had not seen in years and did not recognise anyway but that's just me.

Megan (in red).

UQ Openday

Last night Marcus & Sarah stayed at Alistair's house.  This morning, Marcus got to UQ somehow for a music performance.  We managed to arrive just in time to not see him.  We could hear him playing through the door and sort of watch through a peep hole but they would not let us in.

After not watching the performance we did not wait for the judgement to which Marcus was subjected and instead went and looked at Arcitecture and Electrical Engineering.

I want a house like this

This was part of the Elec Eng display.  The students program an X-Box game using the microsoft Kinect.  Apparantly the Kinect does key things like working out the joint postitions and the student program uses this information to draw stick figures that follow your actions.  It was a lot of fun.

Dan and Jemma also managed to pick up some silly putty and marvel at some memory metal.  (Nitinol).  Chris enjoyed looking at the Robotics.

BGS OpenDay

Saturday Went to the BGS Open day.  Marcus was (I thought) supposed to be performing from 1-3pm.

Dan & I managed to miss him by that much.

On the way we did look in on the infamous lab 13 where (cue music) back in the 1970's I met "Doc Sol" renowend member of Sherwood Uniting Chuch who in conjunction with Geoff Beikoff managed to construct what I believe to be the first computer in a Queensland school classroom and inspied me to build my first computer.

Not sure if "Slow Point" is particularly inspiring.

Dan played soccer. They drew 2 all. Dan is number 12