(What does it mean for you?) How often are you standing in the queue for self-serve checkout and wondering where all the staff have gone? Both Coles, Woolies, and soon Aldi offer self-serve checkouts. Like most people, you probably drop into the supermarket on the way home from work. It's always busy. You’ve decided to do a quick Woolies run to grab something for dinner. It probably happens more often than you like. So juggling ...

For decades, Flinders Street Station has played an integral role in Melbourne's life.  The hustle and sounds of peak hour in the city. People rush about and look down at their screens. Everyone is going in every direction, converging on the corner of Flinders and Swanston.  All in the mad scrambled to get into the office.  And many times, made plans for that night with workmates, friends or loved ones.  Catch a show at the ...

Incredibly, VoIP, video conferencing, or Zoom Phone usage has surged by over 210% during the pandemic.  I mean, at one stage, everyone was on Zoom Phone calls or talking about how they had another Zoom call coming up. As you walk around Melbourne now, catch up with your mates for weekend barbie or walk the dog along Elwood foreshore, it's hard to believe we were trying to do all these things on Zoom. Remember in ...

I recently listened to a live stream event from Cyber Security Connect, discussing what businesses should do and know following the Optus Data breach. The event was streamed live from the Land Forces Exposition in Brisbane and was chaired by Phil Tarrant - Director of Cyber Security Connect. His two guests were Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson, AM, PhD, who is the Inaugural Head Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force and Adam McCarthy, CEO ...

You can sense the excitement in the air. The footy is back at the MCG in September. Where it rightfully belongs. The Melbourne Show is back with overpriced show bags, carnival rides and a few farm animals to balance it out… Melbournians are free in Spring for the first time in three years. As the city streets and gardens bloom in the warming Spring weather, your mind wanders to weekend getaways. Or longer summer holidays ...

Managed Services Provider (MSP) (Dry and dull) definition of an MSP OK, let's start with the textbook definition of an MSP, thanks to Gartner. A managed service provider (MSP) delivers services, such as network, application, infrastructure and security, via ongoing and regular support and active administration on customers’ premises, in their MSP’s data center (hosting), or in a third-party data center. What is an MSP in English? An MSP will manage and maintain your IT ...

Lining up. Queueing. Waiting. Call it whatever you want.  But queuing must surely be one of the frustrating things we must do. 9/11 brought enhanced airport screening, which is now commonplace across Melbourne at significant events.  Think the footy, Formula 1, tennis and even, at times, conferences.  And the pandemic only aggravated it more with QR codes and a Covid marshall needing to check it. For many, they are just going through the motions. You're ...

What do Lygon Street, Toorak Road and Barkly Street all have in common? How are these Melbourne communities tied together?  No matter where you find yourself, each of these villages is a thriving and bustling local community.  Ask any Melbourian where the best place to eat a roast pork Bahn-mi with crispy fried crackling is.  They'll say Footscray. (Actually, some locals will challenge that. Instead, they will suggest you head southeast to Springvale.) What about ...

Do you know some of Melbourne's hidden secrets? An underground cheese cellar discreetly located under Spring Street?  Or, if you were looking for some mid-week drinks? You can quench your thirst at one of the secret bars in "a laneway off another laneway". And perhaps the most magical secret of all…a room dedicated to magic and its' history at the State Library. Melbourne is full of hidden gems to explore. But it's only when you take the time to learn from ...

What's more Melbourne than a green and gold W-class tram heading up St Kilda Road past the Arts Centre? The W-class trams were like a long-lost friend. They greeted you while strolling along Melbourne's tree-lined streets and boulevards for decades.  They carried Melburnians from the footy at the 'G... ...down to Acland Street and out to Coburg.  As the years wore on, the trams showed their age with braking problems. Finally, in 1992 the W-class ...