Day 118 | Beegull Rockholes and caves: well almost, camped on the old road nearby
69 km | zzOz total: 5,941 km
My little pocket transistor radio gives the morning weather forecast about 520am, late thunderstorm predicted although the area covered in the vague one line forecast is about the size of France and Germany combined. Usually half the state is ignored, presumed to be sunny or of little consequence, I guess the people in Perth don’t like hearing the temperature elsewhere is usually in the 20s and not a cloud in the sky, ie, perfect cycling weather.
I know I must be making some progress because there’s now South Australian radio stations coming through better than those of my current state.
The only issue is that now daylight saving has started to fade the curtains in the southern states to the east and there is a colossal difference of 2.5 hours between here and Adelaide.
The country is now a mess with time zones, if WA is 0, the NT is +1.5 hours, Queensland + 2 hours, SA +2.5, the rest +3 hours. Yeah, SA is well ahead of Queensland.
I could blunder about with sufficient light at 5am, except this morning I choose instead to lay in bed to scoff my brekkie, the sun makes an appearance just after 530am.
Tonight I heard the news of Steve Jobs. As a Mac user of 20 years who suffered through Systems 7 through to 9.2.2, before the jump to the magnificent X, the first Mac of my own was the 7100, which basically referred to the price, and I tap out this blog on my trusty MacBook, most of what has been said in the eulogies has been true. You just have to think back to MS Dos to realise that if anything he sped up the process of technology becoming easier to use for the average punter, if only he’d focussed his talents on sorting out the DVD player or microwave as well.
I’m not completely aboard the technology wagon train, in a shootout of internet or mobile phone payments the internet would be the victor, my phone neglected, unused, since Perth, over 4 months ago. Well, since I had to hand my work phone back and assume responsibility for payments.
Out here the only technology that works is the ancient radio form and even that turns to static as soon as the sun hints at its appearance.
These thunderstorms included a second GCR dumping along with the massive rumblings.
Thinking about it, all the news you really need to know out here, where time and human concerns other than life and death are of limited consequence, is that forecast.
But then the weather, or road surface condition for that matter, are going to happen just the same despite any prediction.