I mentioned two weeks ago about passes of the International Space Station over the Canberra area this week. I didn’t get this ready in time for Monday’s pass though sorry. However we a rare treat coming up this week.
The Soyuz spaceship will also be visible as it chases down the ISS, while taking the next [...]

Space geeks should check out this free talk next Tuesday from 6pm at the CSIRO Discovery Centre.
Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith is CSIRO’s Project Scientist on Australia’s bid to win the giant Square Kilometre Array project. This is a massive project of some 3000 radio astronomy dishes and arrays with a total surface area of (you guessed [...]

The giant owl sculpture in Belconnen that has been the source of so much debate is gone. Just the concrete base remains…
Here’s how the mystery unfolded on Twitter on Friday night, to a deal of amusement, courtesy of Canberra Times cartoonist David Pope’s feed (I tidied up RTs and rearranged to make sense to non-tweeps), and [...]

Unlike many urban art pieces, you get to see this one coming together.
A large block of granite in the centre of Veterans’ Park is being carved by two guys into a piece vaguely reminiscent of those Soviet bloc heroic pieces. I think the location and back to back subjects tell a fairly clear story.
Interestingly straight [...]

Rain may halt the cricket, but not the weekly ideological stand-off outside the Marie Stopes clinic…
Chanting was heard.
[ED - Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it in to images@the-riotact.com ]

The ACT has dabbled in social media by trying a series of one-hour Virtual Community Cabinets on Twitter, using the hashtag #ACTVCC. But it is pretty hard to have a meaningful discussion about complex government issues in 140 characters or less – including spaces. Or in single crammed sessions held sporadically.
They have also always sought [...]

Just received from a workmate via Facebook:
Just got passed by a car chase on the way out of Canberra! One blue car flat out followed by 2 cop bikes, 3 D cars, 4 marked cars, road stingers on the roads, plus cop 4WDs on the roadside.
Then:
They got him! Blew his tyres out.

When: Tuesday 13th December, 2011
Where: Gunghalin Library, downstairs meeting room
The meeting will be attended by NBN Co’s head of construction and will include:
- an overview of the constructions timing and processes
- updates on the status of the 12 month build program
- Retail Service Provider and pricing updates
- updates on planned local community notification and engagement
- [...]

[ 4 December, 2011; 12:00 am to 4:00 pm. ] Mt Stromlo Observatory will be open to the public during its Annual Open Day this Sunday 4th December 2011 10am to 4pm. Entry to the event is free.

Mt Stromlo Observatory is the research headquarters for the Australian National University Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. It’s home to the country’s leading research in optical and [...]

Anyone interested in the launch of the new bigger, smarter, faster Mars rover Curiosity this weekend (2am Sunday) may be interested to know there’s a Canberra connection to the launch.
The Canberra Deep Space Communications Centre (or Tidbinbilla Tracking Station to locals) will be hosting a “Tweetup” of 50 lucky NASA/CSIRO Twitter followers at the [...]

Don’t you love all these copses of poplars around Canberra? Unless you’re trying to hold your breath as you ride past them to avoid choking on the rotten fluff fall.
I’d imagine Kippax is at its 20cm-deep-looking-like-snow best around now. And riding past the Art Gallery…enough to send you blue. The Federal Hwy has some moments [...]

One of our @gungahlincc tweeps (Mel from Curves Gungahlin) has reported that both northbound lanes of the GDE are open and they are in the process of opening both southbound lanes right now. Slick trip home tonight for you all!
And next week people will be able to try out using Gungahlin Drive (yes can we please [...]

[ 14 September, 2011; 7:30 pm; ] It’s our Annual General Meeting. All executive positions are open to anyone interested. We have incumbents willing to continue in most positions. But we do need to fill the president vacancy (we have some candidates for that role) and a person experienced with InDesign to be Editor of our newsletter Gungahlin Smokesignals (a.k.a. GunSmoke). Anyone from [...]

This bizarre headline from Canberra Times today will surely leave many people puzzled or bemused.
It opens with the following words:
“Raiders five-eighth Josh McCrone will soon wed his childhood sweetheart, making his life’s greatest partnership official.”
In an interesting juxtaposition, there’s another article titled: “Don’t expect Campese to fix everything“. So we don’t have any confusion about [...]

GCC’s August meeting is on tonight (second Wednesday each month as usual) from 7.30pm at the Gungahlin Library downstairs conference room.
Special guest is Simon Corbell, ACT Minister for a whole bunch of things that are near and dear to the people of Gungahlin – transport and planning chief among them.
No doubt the prioritised public transport for [...]

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced dates for the rollout of the Stage 2 NBN Pilot Sites. Gungahlin is to start in October.
There is no information about where goes first because as they advised us at a recent meeting in Gungahlin, once they start they will just keep going until all of Gungahlin is [...]

NBN Co will be conducting an information meeting at the Gungahlin Library tonight from 7.00 to 9.00pm.
Most people would be aware that the original timeframe of starting work this February has blown out due to a range of factors, not least being the ongoing negotiations with Telstra on NBN taking over their infrastructure.
But given recent [...]

So you are driving to work this morning thinking to yourself “Wow this is a real London-style pea souper this morning – I can hardly see the car in front of me.”
But you are also one of the many many people who don’t seem to have figured out that maybe it would be a good [...]

Great news for Canberra snow fans – Perisher have had the Front Valley guns going and are opening for business from tomorrow. The price is right for a quick weekend visit too, or mid-week would be nice and quiet. Time to wax the board…
The official Perisher notice:
Perisher is excited to announce that thanks to recent snowfalls, [...]

The Canberra Times are claiming the inside scoop that (front page – paper edition only) that Katy Gallagher will pull back the size of her Cabinet to just four – herself, Andrew Barr, Simon Corbell and Joy Burch for the final year and a bit of this term of the ACT Parliament.
If so, the new [...]

Channel Ten News has had a story of a 10 year old girl participating in a boxing competition.
They report that New South Wales sets a minimum age of 14 for people of any sex to go boxing, so this kid (and presumably her parents) just trucked across into the ACT, where the minimum age is [...]

The ACT Government has announced [Ed- drip fed to their poodles at the CT more like it] that this year’s budget will include funding for the Gungahlin Aquatic Centre to include a 50m pool, a 20m ‘utility’ pool (i.e. learn-to-swim, polo, etc), and toddlers area.
Since the Sport and Recreation people went out to [...]

What’s a promise worth? At the ACT Assembly this afternoon MLAs will debate the August 2008 ALP pre-election promise that “Gungahlin residents to benefit from new 50m pool complex”.
Andrew Barr said at the time that it “will include a 50 metre pool, a 25 metre pool at least 1 court space, for example a netball [...]

It’s a month with a R in it so it must be time for a cyclist vs driver rant. [ED - Actually it's been a while and we're open to them in may and june]
And after this morning’s ride, I’m in a ranting mood. Four near misses in one ride is not acceptable on anyone’s [...]

The PM has come up with her new cabinet and ministerial portfolios. And the winners are…
Drumroll please…
Movers and Shakers (and all the other office relocation specialists in town), the printers and the signwriters.
DEEWR gets a worse acronym after going totally vocational by losing Childcare and the Schools part of Education – Jobs, Skills and Workplace [...]

Roads ACT boss Tony Gill has advised that demolition of the collapsed bridgeworks on Barton Highway is to commence today. The works should take five to seven days.
Meanwhile, problems from diverting traffic continue to plague Gungahlin commutes. People are coming off Barton Highway onto Gungahlin Drive, then turning right into Mitchell at the Sandford Street [...]

The Eureka Prize is Australia’s highest science award, and this year the awards for two categories have gone to Canberra scientists working out of ANU and one working out of UC (quotes below from the respective uni media releases).
David Lindemayer won the prize for Environmental Research: “recognises his investigations into carbon storage in old-growth forests. [...]

As the final days of the interminable beige campaign wind down, perhaps it is time to think about what changes are likely to be coming our way post-election?
It must be time then to play “Guess the MOG”.
What departments do you think will be up for the infamous Machinery of Government changes that keep Canberra’s office [...]

Small footy clubs have long had a tradition of propping up players’ games fees with part-time work in the local pub or club. So perhaps that’s what’s going on at Garema Place’s Magpies City Club.
Regardless the reason, who ever is back there in the kitchen, it ain’t a cook.
Garlic bread: passable but strangely lacking anything [...]

To kick off our assistance with the consultation on the areas to receive the 3000 homes to go on the NBN broadband first stage rollout, Gungahlin Community Council has set up an online survey.
If you are a Gungahlin resident or business operator, could you please complete the survey for us at:
http://gcc.asn.au/News/Community-business/gungahlin-broadband-survey-2010.html
Thanks for your help.

We are hearing that Senator Stephen Controy is making an announcement at 1.30 today of the first 20 sites to receive the National Broadband network rollout, and that Gungahlin is on that list.
Construction looks due to commence in the second quarter of 2011, so not immediately but it’ll come around fairly quickly.
If this tip is [...]

Telstra Countrywide General Manager Chris Taylor has confirmed his attendance at the Gungahlin Community Council meeting on 14 July to respond to widespread community disgust with years of inadequate broadband services in our area.
We are aware that other areas around Canberra are suffering similar problems, so all are welcome to attend and put your concerns [...]