Renovations

The March death of Everest man, Lincoln Hall, is a stark reminder that asbestos kills. Lincoln cheated death when he survived a night at 8600m near the summit of Mount Everest, without oxygen or proper equipment. But there was no escaping the disease caused by exposure to asbestos as a nine year old.

Australia has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world, with around 700 people diagnosed each year. And as Lincoln’s death some 47 years after helping his father build two cubby houses with asbestos sheeting reminds us, the time between exposure and the onset of symptoms can be anywhere from 20 to 50 years.

For those who have already been exposed to this carcinogen, the reality is that it may be too late.

Continue reading "A dusty death sentence that reality TV can help prevent" »

About two years ago, when I wasn’t ready, you took a photo of my then ramshackle house and posted it on Google Street View for the world to see - you rude bastards.

Well, after 24 months of back-breaking renovations, I’d like to invite you back to take another snap. But that’s not going to happen, is it Google?

Why? Because you’ve gone and got yourselves in trouble for privacy breaches and your fleet of Street View vehicles has been taken off the road (read the article here). So it seems all the work I did on my old place was wasted.

Continue reading "Google, where’s the credit for all my hard work?" »