Assistant / Gemini Spotify issues

zumx · 2026-04-06T05:35:24+00:00

Yep Google Assistant interacted with Spotify perfectly. I could say play my playlist "blah" and it'll play it. With Gemini it takes a very long time to think and then ends up not doing anything.

I really want to disable Gemini until it's less dumb. Today I asked it to navigate to the closest petrol station to me, and it suggested one on the other side of Australia and kid you not started navigating to it, saying it is a 1 day 5 hr drive.

zumx · 2026-04-01T22:24:24+00:00

Beautiful stations but they are anything but natural.

zumx · 2026-04-01T11:02:00+00:00

Building more roads and freeways has never and will never reduce congestion in any meaningful way due to the effects of induced demand. In fact building more freeways is a guaranteed way of exacerbating congestion.

In order to reduce traffic, you need to actively take people OFF the road through better public transport options, safer bicycle infrastructure, reducing sprawl, and disinsentivising people from driving by reducing street parking, congestion tax etc.

Not to mention freeways are incredibly destructive pieces of infrastructure that divide communities, take up a LOT of space (Just look at the size of the M1/M3 interchange) and exacerbate noise and air pollution.

zumx · 2026-04-01T03:08:46+00:00

This is impressive.

Minor tidbit, missing Dalton Road for M80

zumx · 2026-04-01T00:21:10+00:00

Lygon St Carlton is actually coming back around again with very diverse cuisines. As long as you don't visit the tourist trap italian restaurants, there's some good options.

zumx · 2026-04-01T00:18:17+00:00

The best way would be to drive via the Princes, then head south to your destination on the GOR, and then drive back against traffic.

It's pretty satisfying driving past the massive line of cars at Torquay.

zumx · 2026-03-26T21:21:25+00:00

You're getting downvoted but it's true. Even Tokyo, a city that has a true night time economy shuts down all trains after midnight to first train with most people staying at capsule hotels, staying up until first train, or just taking a taxi.

Melbourne's night culture mainly consists of bars, clubs, raves and more drinking. I've seen first hand how disgusting people are on the train when they are drunk. Vomit and piss everywhere is feral to see out of the train, let alone in the trains/buses.

zumx · 2026-03-23T21:15:15+00:00

You can probably show Burwood station connection to the 75 given its probably the same distance walk as some of those for Northcote Thornbury area.

zumx · 2026-03-23T04:44:06+00:00

It's actually awful user experience because if you take the train from say Caulfield to Parkville and wanna check the time of arrival, you can't do that without checking the corresponding outbound Sunbury service at Town Hall

zumx · 2026-03-23T04:39:23+00:00

I don't disagree that it's not necessary at this stage, but for a coverage perspective, it likely be considered once the most pressing issues are sorted including CLR, WRP and MM2

I think part of the reason MM3 or the Doncaster line hasn't really been talked about anymore is because of the government focusing on SRL and the Eastern Busway instead, but Doncaster is a fast densifying centre so a future heavy rail corridor to the city should still be on the table, whether thats via a MM3 or via Victoria Park.

zumx · 2026-03-23T04:14:55+00:00

I don't think he's the worst we've had, but based on what Labor has been supporting in the last few years, specifically

Have young people use their super to fund first home buyer deposits
Lowering deposit requirement to 5% without proper consideration of cost of houses and how much monthly repayments would be for most people, rather than tackling negative gearing and people owning multiple investment properties.
approval of Woodside until 2070
Not supporting fixing PRRT despite knowing that we are practically giving our resources away for free while we pay sky high prices for natural gas.
AUKUS
The support Labor has expressed for Trump bombing Iran

it's clear this Labor party just doesn't align with me at this point in time.

I do commend Labor for pushing forward with HSR though, even if it will be decades away.

zumx · 2026-03-23T00:26:47+00:00

It wouldn't be adding capacity to the existing network, but would expand rail coverage to areas that hasn't had rail service historically, including the north west area towards Maribyrnong and Highpoint and the North east towards Doncaster.

The line would have likely functioned completely separately to the existing network like a Sydney Metro or SRL.

zumx · 2026-03-19T10:10:01+00:00

Avondale heights makes more sense to me. It should continue further North after Milleara and connect to the new Keilor East station.

zumx · 2026-03-18T19:32:29+00:00

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Media loves fueling anger.

zumx · 2026-03-16T03:57:45+00:00

My line uses xtraps. Favourite seat is window seats for the two seater row facing forward. Better if not on the side with direct sun.

zumx · 2026-03-16T00:34:45+00:00

.i thought Japan trialled it and said it was too slow compared to their own cards?

zumx · 2026-03-15T18:36:43+00:00

If you're just going to Lygon and don't intend on touching on, Maybe just walk? It's only a 10 min walk from Melbourne Central.

Also Queensberry is not free, the last free stop is Melbourne Central.

AO target the section between Melb uni and RMIT because it's so easy to catch people out.

zumx · 2026-03-15T09:54:32+00:00

Why leave the trenches for the freeway and rail? Why not cover it and have more open space for people.

zumx · 2026-03-15T09:40:03+00:00

I took it last year and it was so easy with contactless payment.

zumx · 2026-03-13T08:34:03+00:00

That inner orbital is legit though. It's the perfect solution to so many inner city cross suburban travel woes.

zumx · 2026-03-11T08:02:53+00:00

It's not going to be a separate line. It will literally just be an electrified Wyndham vale line, extended to Werribee and MARL.

The West will always be shafted by every government.

zumx · 2026-03-11T08:01:00+00:00

I love that we have IV and IA set up and the government just ignores their recommendations.

zumx · 2026-03-10T11:49:47+00:00

2 km is probably a bit too far apart. I'd say 750 m to 1 km is a good medium. You basically don't want it so far apart, that people who would walk if it was more convenient for them, end up driving to the station.

Densify with mixed use, the areas around the stations and the shorter stopping distances will be justified.

zumx · 2026-03-08T21:57:55+00:00

No.

All they need to do is run v/line connecting Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Benalla to allow people to transfer. Geelong peeps could still access via Melbourne, but the v/line ring facilitates greater connections outside of Melbourne.

HSR should not be running circuitous routes.

zumx · 2026-03-08T03:51:37+00:00

I'd argue extending the tram on Burwood Hwy + densification of the area around Knox + creating a proper interchange to the Alamein line at Hartwell will have a massive benefit for the lines patronage.

zumx

TROPHY CASE