How Ya Goin?

Greetings, from Australia!

SydHarb, And Other Measurements

One of the world’s deepest natural harbors, Port Jackson / Sydney Harbor, exceeds 150 feet at one point. The harbor has ended up a unit of measure, with one SydHarb ending up equal to 562 gigalitres. Australians, to make that volume more relatable, say that the amount of water in the harbor equals 238,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Australians also have another strange form of measurement, this time for length. In a fun bit of slang, some refer to a short distance as a “bee’s dick.”

For a more “mad” series of measurements, even hardcore computer nerds might not know that famed computer scientist Donald Knuth came up with the potrzebie, equal to the thickness of Mad Magazine Issue 26. Mad published part of the 19 year-old’s “Potrzebie System of Weights and Measures”, which detailed volume in ngongn, mass in blintz, power in whatmeworry, time in cowznofski, among other important things to quantify. Makes me wonder how many hoos and hahs it took for Knuth to write TeX.

Sydney Harbor

A view of the harbor from a boat ride. Honestly, we could have seen more of the harbor with just as much fun by taking a water taxi, no need to pay for a small cruise.

We not only saw the iconic Sydney Opera House from the harbor, but we also attended a performance of Madama Butterfly.

For people who enjoy hikes and heights, you can walk to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Hard to tell from this photo, but you can see people standing up there.

Car Crash

Called “Still Life With Stone And Car”, this art installation on a Sydney roundabout shows a two-ton quartz smashing a Ford Fiesta. Because of the interpretations offered, the online explanations regarding its significance and meaning took me down a comical rabbit hole that lasted hours.

Croc

Spotted a croc! Well, atop this electrical panel, someone made a little artwork.