You're *not* the centre of the universe

From the great xkcd, puzzled that an older civilisation would have got naming rights for much of the world, and understandably puzzled by using relative locations.

(And for those in the northern hemisphere, please also learn 'north' does not = 'up'.)

James

More cars at the Rock

As I said this time last year, every year, on the Valentine's Day weekend, the Macedon Ranges & District Motor Club hosts the 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' car show. It's a great event with thousands of interesting cars in a unique venue and really is a giant picnic. Here's this year's selection, starting (above) with a Yank Tank in front of the Rock.

While there's a fair amount of repetition of popular classics, there's enough rare and odd stuff if you keep looking. There's a French bias in this list, just because the French built so much neat machinery. After all what car show would be complete without a DS Goddess?

The Nash above is the first of many contenders of why the American machines are bigger than the British; although a Mini on the wing's hardly fair!

Good to see an old friend from London.

That famous signature logo pops up all over.

Australian icon, the early Holden.

And of course a good representation from Germany. Beetles (or Bugs) are still popular worldwide, but Australia has a good representation of the other 60s types on the road as well.

However you don't see many of these here, however common they are in Europe. This one for Greg!

I'm not sure, but I think that may be Thunderbird 9. FAB!*

Neat logo, and an English reminder. Not so exotic in the local lingo, sadly.

Winner of Best Commercial and oldest driver (at 88, for the owner) this magnificent Thornycroft, with solid tyres.

And if your parents are dedicated, no need for the young ones to miss out. However the green machines 'off-driveway' capability seemed as limited as you'd expect. Think the motor got a bit grumpy.

Just in from the Sudan, or possibly a Victorian barn...

The locals were very patient with all the visitors. This guy seemed a lot more sensible than his many admirers (they are wild animals and they can kick hard, folks). The Moggies seemed almost as rare this year.

One of the overall views. It's a great venue.

And to finish, Austin corner. Didn't Noddy drive one of these?

More pictures, including the above, can be seen here in my photo account.

James

*Thanks to the various people who've kindly helped the idiot who tried to make a lame joke about how the car looks a bit like one of the Thunderbird Supermarionation machines, and was nothing to do with Ford Thunderbird cars, or the USAF Thunderbirds, or a drink or any stations west... It's actually a 1965 Buick Rivera. Please do not continue to write in.

Single left-hander...

Hussey is probably the only Australian player who has done his job in the three tests. ABC.

I hadn't written about the Ashes tests since the last post, because in the words of a great Australian captain, "There are two teams out there, one is playing cricket. The other is making no attempt to do so."

Sadly the issue was that Australia's team were simply not up to the level of Ashes test cricket.

Conversely, England's players were clearly a team, all credit to them - they have played well as a team, and looked solid, not missing chances, rebuilding after knocks and being top class batting, bowling and fielding. Good cricket depends on both teams finding form, and playing well, together, and Australia were certainly - to be as kind as possible - out of form. They were a sad shadow of the team of Waugh's era. The fielding was poor, and the batting from the dedicated batsmen for the most part a disgrace. But after a couple of sparky individual performances up to yesterday - including another solid batting performance by Hussey and Haddin, and a remarkable high score with the bat by fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, today saw the contest really come to life with two teams fighting on form. Tellingly it was a dedicated fast bowler that high-scored for Australia yesterday, and it's ironic that the same chap was responsible for knocking over most of England's team today in one of the tightest, most effective single bowler efforts I've seen. When you're hot...

Mitchell Johnson (and that tattoo) celebrate another England wicket.

As another great Australian bowler, Terry Alderman, now summarising for the ABC's Grandstand commentary said: "Single-handedly Mitchell Johnson has got Australia back in the game." I'll just mention Mitch is a left-hander.

An 18 minutes ABC highlights summary here.

Obviously I'm glad Australia's back in the game, and serious, but better still for everyone is that as I write tonight, this game (and the series) is now really in the balance, and we've seen (and hopefully will see) some really good cricket by both sides, which is what it should be about. Serious questions remain. Ponting's poor scores with the bat mean (were he not captain) he'd almost certainly be out, but Clarke, the deputy, is fairing little better and no obvious other successor. A sad reflection on the previous solid succession planning Australia developed through the 1990s and early 21st century. Another pressing question is what was Johnson thinking with that tattoo. No, really, no.

Strauss' men can, on their performance to date, be proud of being one of the best England teams to tour Australia for a long time; let's hope they keep it up. But let's also hope that Australia do so as well, and give us a series to rival the 2005 Ashes.

Here's to a good contest!

Right or left?

The left (blue) and right (red) worlds. But what type of left-right battle? Driving, of course. Image Wikipedia.

I was intrigued to read a BBC report regarding Samoa switching to driving on the left, having driven previously on the right. It's one of those not important but critical distinctions, I think, in that it doesn't matter which side you drive on, as long as everyone does the same. Having driven on both the left and right, as per the local road rules, and in Malta* as well as occasionally (briefly) on the wrong side of the road when not concentrating during international travel, I (mostly) feel comfortable with both. Claims for one being technically or ergonomically superior or inferior I think are bull, but as that's rather lacking in detail I'll ask my car ergonomicist and report back. Meanwhile...

It's also a good benchmark of international insularity. Anyone in a country that drives on the left (the minority) is aware that the majority drive on the right, but know it's possible to do either. Many used to driving on the right regard driving on the left as an unnecessary challenge to their international experience, and one that should be abolished. In other words, it's an example of the benefits of different options, rather than a monoculture - or diversity.

What makes Samoa interesting here, as they are switching from a majority preference to the minority one - against the odds, and according to the BBC the first country to attempt the change since the 1970s. Here there is an economic reason offered, to use second-hand cars from Australia, Japan and New Zealand, three of the strongest, industrialised democracies in the greater Asia-Pacific. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. Certainly driving a car designed for the other 'hand' in any country isn't much fun.

Wikipedia offers the listing of which preference countries have today; interestingly the Canadians preference for the right would at first glace seem to be one of the examples of the effect of the proximity of the USA in comparison to the other members of the old British Empire countries (- Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand all still preferring the left) but, according to the Wiki link was resolving a very un-Canadian muddle. Newfoundland was an exception then, too. The oddest factor I ever observed in Canada was in Victoria, BC, whose somewhat over-dedication to Empire involved having London type Routemaster buses with the exit platform facing into the traffic - an excellent effort for tourist culling.

The history of the 'rule of the road' as it's usually known is fascinating (as in the Wiki link above) encapsulating a lot of social history, commerce, muddling as well as technical factors, the last usually being the only one generally considered in passing. Then there's the preferences (and effects) of mounting a horse, boarding an aircraft and the side bicycles chains are fitted.

I'm sure we'll return to this topic. In the meantime, remember: Look both ways when crossing.

James

* 'The British drive on the left, the Americans drive on the right, and the Maltese drive in the shade.'

The sinister hand of power.

On January 23rd, the new American President, Barack Obama, signed the order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, ending one of the most appalling blots on a democratic country's history.

But what I immediately noticed in the above photographs is that a man - who is usually regarded as the most powerful in the world - is a member of a minority group regularly and routinely discriminated against, and subjected to second rate education, among other difficulties. No, not that he's black.

He's left handed.

That's 'sinister' (from 'Sinistrus' - Latin, left) 'cack handed', a 'southpaw', and so on and worse.

You thought the 'sinister' in the title had quite a different meaning, didn't you?

That's part of the left-hander's problems.

More interestingly for a man who received a 'good' education, going on to practice law, this photograph shows that at an early age his school failed him.

No-one taught the future President how to hold a pen properly. He has the classic 'crippled crab' of the left-hander trying to avoid smudging his ink because he was taught a right hand grip on his pen.

There's lots of study (and rubbish) written about left handedness from the erliest days when they were regarded as the devil's children, to today where they might have an advantage on the cricket field or in the arts, but from the right-hander's pocket in a man's jacket to scissors the world is set against us. Left-handers are regarded as 'more clumsy' and 'die younger' on average (66 rather than 75) because they are more prone to accidents. Using tools which are designed for someone else is quite a big bit of the explanation.

But then, the Chinese regard all western writing as incredibly cramped and restricted, their brushmanship requiring free fingers, wrist, elbow and shoulder for control. And those writing right-to-left operate in a different world on many levels.

Any left hander will know of the many minor problems we face, and that this isn't even a news item about the President's background is no surprise.

But then this minority group (7-10% est) has had quite the run in power. The only right-handed US Presidents since 1974 are G W Bush and J Carter. That's quite the minority's achievement.

It's probably not important.

But I think it's interesting.

I'm left handed.

James