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"Soul destroying" queue to inspect rental property goes viral

Footage of an "insane" line to view a Sydney rental property has gone viral, highlighting the reality of the ultra-competitive rental market. The video was shared to TikTok by Irish expat Ciara O’Loughlin, who has been struggling to find a permanent home since she moved from her hometown of Dublin to Sydney at the beginning of January. Ciara had viewed many apartments in her search before heading to a humble unit in Randwick, which had scores of people lining up around the street to get a peek inside. She decided to film the “insane” queue and post it online, where it racked up over 120,000 views in just a few hours. Ciara explained that the mammoth line was not unusual, with each of the 12 properties she viewed in the same week having similar amounts of prospective tenants eager to view the apartments. “I’d say the longest queue was easily between 100 and 150 people,’ she told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11612859/Sydney-rental-market-crisis-Hundreds-line-unit-inspections-Randwick-Coogee-Zetland.html">Daily Mail Australia.</a> “But I actually wasn’t waiting too long at all, I’d say the longest wait was 20 minutes as people were literally in and out in two minutes.” “What I’ve heard is people are offering over the asking rent to secure a place so it’s very competitive.” People were shocked by the footage, with many stating the rental market was similar “everywhere”, not just the trendier inner city suburbs. “Had the same experience in Western Sydney,” one person said. “Not quite as many people, but way more than you’d expect.” “What a soul destroying process” wrote another. “This is why they can charge whatever they want.” “Been to loads in the inner west this week,” one added. “It feels like you’re lining up for a concert.” Image credits: TikTok

Real Estate

TV hosts face backlash for alleged "queue jumping" to see the Queen

Claims that a disabled woman in the queue to view the Queen lying in state was moved aside to make way for UK TV hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have been denied. ITV has responded to the accusation made against the posts, in a recently deleted tweet. "This is a photo taken by my sister's husband yesterday after he had queued with my sister, their 10-year-old daughter and my disabled mum for 13-plus hours," it read. "My mum was ushered out of @hollywills and @schofe way so they could #queuejumpers without even a thanks #schofieldgate #queuejumping." Responding to the accusations, an ITV representative said, "This Morning asked Phillip and Holly to attend Westminster Hall to make a report on the Queen lying in state as part of a wider piece around the death of the monarch." "They followed all restrictions and guidelines and attended the media area, entering via the media centre door, in a professional capacity alongside many other broadcasters and media. They neither jumped the queue nor took anyone's place in the queue." Since the claims emerged that the pair "queue jumped" during Queen Elizabeth II's lying in state period, thousands have signed a petition calling for the duo to be fired, as members of the public including celebrities like David Beckham, waited hours in the line to enter Westminster Hall. Willoughby and Schofield have since addressed the controversy on air, saying they would "never jump a queue." "Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists, we were given official permission to access the hall," Willoughby said. "The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast, those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause." "None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen." "We of course respected those rules. However, we realise that it may have looked like something else, and therefore totally understand the reaction. Please know that we would never jump a queue." Following claims the pair were not on the media accreditation list to see Her Majesty, an ITV representative explained they were accredited via their production team and "Holly and Phillip continue to have our full support." About a quarter of a million people viewed Queen Elizabeth's coffin ahead of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19th. Image: Instagram

Caring

Antarctica without windchill, the Louvre without queues: how to travel the world from home

SpaceX’s recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/spacexs-historic-launch-gives-australias-booming-space-industry-more-room-to-fly-139760">Falcon 9 rocket launch</a> proves humanity has come leaps and bounds in its effort to reach other worlds. But now there’s a quicker, safer and environmentally friendlier way to travel to the centre of the galaxy – and you can do it too. <a href="https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2020/gcenter/">NASA</a> has co-developed a free virtual reality (VR) adventure providing 500 years of travel around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. The experience is available to download from two major VR stores, <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240350/Galactic_Center_VR/">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.viveport.com/21f8b24c-783b-4af2-8e81-a63a14553721">Viewport</a>, in a non-collapsed star system near you. And this kind of spacefaring may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of virtual travel and tourism. <h2>The virtual travel bug</h2> Simply speaking, VR refers to technology that immerses users in a computer-generated world that removes them from reality. Augmented Reality (AR), however, aims to superimpose virtual imagery over a user’s view of the real world. Pokémon Go is a popular AR game. VR-based tourism has a longer history than you might think. In the 1850s, it involved staring at <a href="https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/stereo/background.html">stereographs</a> with a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/sterographs-original-virtual-reality-180964771/">stereoscope</a>. With this invention, viewers looked at slightly different images through each eye, which were then assembled by the brain to make a new image providing the illusion of spatial depth (in other words, a 3D effect). A century later, 1950s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinerama">Cinerama</a> widescreen viewing inspired cinematic travel though its large, curved screens and multiple cameras. The 1960s <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2014-02-16-morton-heiligs-sensorama-simulator.html">Sensorama</a> foretold a shiny future of multimodal immersive cinematic experiences, playing 3D films with sound, scents and wind to immerse users. In <a href="https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html">VR circles</a>, Ivan Sutherland became famous for inventing the head-mounted display, as well as augmented reality (AR). Travel restrictions under COVID-19 <a href="https://www.ft.com/virtualtravel">present an opportunity</a> for virtual reality travel to finally take off. In an era of lockdowns and social distancing, we could use VR to travel to remote, distant or even no longer existing places. Remote tourism is here (the <a href="https://www.remote-tourism.com/">Faroe Islands</a> offers a great example), and interest in VR tourism is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2020/03/18/virtual-reality-and-tourism-whats-already-happening-is-it-the-future/#5b39a26228a6">blossoming</a>. <h2>VR comes in many forms</h2> The word “virtual” can refer to an immersive 3D experience, but also 360° panorama photographs and movies (a <a href="https://wiki.panotools.org/Panorama_formats">cylinder, sphere or cube of photographs</a>). What is deemed “virtual” varies greatly across different devices and platforms. Let’s look at some of the ways this term is applied. Desktop virtual environments: these are computer-based 3D environments on a flat screen, without the spatial immersion of VR platforms. Cinematic VR: these are phone-based panoramic environments. Many desktop experiences of 360° movies or images can be conveyed in low-cost <a href="https://arvr.google.com/cardboard/">stereoscopic VR through smartphones</a>. Google Street view can be viewed in <a href="https://www.blog.google/products/google-vr/get-closer-look-street-view-google-earth-vr/">Google VR</a> on Android and <a href="https://3g.co.uk/guides/what-smartphones-work-with-virtual-reality">some Apple</a> smartphones, but it’s not real VR. Head-mounted displays: HMDs such as <a href="https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Google-Cardboard/">Google Cardboard</a> and <a href="https://arvr.google.com/daydream/smartphonevr/">Google Daydream</a> are what many people think of when they hear “virtual reality”. Some HMDs are self-contained, not requiring connection to a computer or console. Arguably, the market is <a href="https://3dinsider.com/oculus-vs-htc-vive-vs-psvr/">dominated</a> by the Oculus range owned by Facebook, the HTC Vive range, and PlayStation VR. <h2>VR in a pandemic</h2> In a post-coronavirus age, device sharing is problematic. HMDs aren’t easy to clean and VR software can quickly become obsolete, with new headsets sometimes not running two-year-old software. Users also have to deal with costly updates, eyestrain, and having to share displays that sat on someone else’s face. Developing and sharing content across different devices can be a nightmare but there are increasingly <a href="https://www.vrtourviewer.com/">simple</a> and effective ways to create <a href="https://www.pocket-lint.com/ar-vr/news/google/142054-google-arcore-android-s-equivalent-to-apple-arkit-explained">AR</a> and VR content, despite a bewildering range of platforms and equipment (there are more than <a href="https://www.archives.gov/files/applied-research/ncsa/8-an-overview-of-3d-data-content-file-formats-and-viewers.pdf">140 3D file formats</a>). Despite this, many VR projects are not preserved – including <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/8/2425">virtual heritage</a>projects! Even for the largest HMD companies, supplies can be <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/20/21177442/half-life-alyx-vr-headset-compatible-valve-oculus-rift-quest-htc-steamvr-available">limited</a>. <h2>Places you can virtually visit now</h2> Nonetheless, there are plenty of VR programs available to help relieve lockdown boredom, with many sites <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/best-virtual-reality-apps/">offering</a> <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/virtual-reality-tourism-4129394">lists</a> of their favourite picks. The Street View app for Google Daydream and Cardboard provides a “virtual tour” of <a href="https://chernobyl-city.com/virtual-tour/">Chernobyl</a>. <a href="https://earth.google.com/web/@-10.50049963,35.75744511,1062.93460117a,116.59974009d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CisSKRIgMzczNGFmOTk5MTIzMTFlOTliOTNjYmE2MDYxMWYzYzMiBXNwbC0w">Google Earth</a> and <a href="https://earth.google.com/web/@-10.50049963,35.75744511,1062.93460117a,116.59974009d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CgQSAggB">Google Earth Voyager</a> feature travel sections, too. <a href="https://arvr.google.com/earth/">Google Earth VR</a> is available on the <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/348250/Google_Earth_VR/">HTC Vive</a> and <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1513995308673845/">Oculus Rift</a>. <a href="https://www.vrfocus.com/tag/tourism/">VRfocus</a> also has an interesting travel section. You can virtually explore <a href="https://grandtour.myswitzerland.com/">Switzerland</a> or <a href="https://www.virtualyosemite.org/">Yosemite</a>. Or you may want to stay in Australia. Australian company <a href="http://whitesparkpictures.com.au/">White Spark Pictures’</a>Cinematic/360 experience of <a href="https://www.dneg.com/antarctica_vr/">Antarctica</a> tours museums. Melbourne-based company <a href="https://www.lithodomosvr.com/">Lithodomos</a> brings “the ancient world to life” and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.hallingdata.hiddenar&hl=en_AU">Hidden AR</a> offers mythical augmented reality. Other links to check out include: <ul> <li>the Guardian’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/mar/23/10-of-the-worlds-best-virtual-museum-and-art-gallery-tours">review</a> of the world’s best virtual museum and art gallery tours</li> <li><a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/">Google Arts and Culture’s</a> virtual tours and online exhibits from myriad <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en">museums and galleries</a>, as well as scavenger hunts – including at <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/project/virtual-tours">the British Museum</a></li> <li>the Louvre’s <a href="https://arts.vive.com/us/articles/projects/art-photography/mona_lisa_beyond_the_glass/">Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass</a></li> <li>the <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/515020/The_VR_Museum_of_Fine_Art/">VR Museum of Fine Art</a>.</li> <li>Europeana’s <a href="https://teachwitheuropeana.eun.org/stories-of-implementation/implementation-of-vintage-vr-soi-hr-109/">vintage stereo VR</a> and <a href="https://pro.europeana.eu/data/vintage-stereoscope-cards">examples</a> of how to create stories and <a href="https://teachwitheuropeana.eun.org/learning-scenarios/vintage-vr-ls-es-14/">lessons</a> with stereosonic VR prints</li> <li>The Smithsonian’s <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour">virtual tour</a> and downloadable <a href="https://3d.si.edu/">3D artefacts</a>, including a tour of a <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/vrhangar">hangar</a> from the National Air and Space Museum</li> <li><a href="https://sketchfab.com/museums">Sketchfab</a>’s cultural heritage section which can be accessed through <a href="https://sketchfab.com/virtual-reality">VR headsets or Google Cardboard-enabled smartphones</a>. There’s also a places and travel <a href="https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/categories/places-travel?date=week&sort_by=-likeCount">section</a>.</li> </ul> Image credits: Getty Images This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/antarctica-without-windchill-the-louvre-without-queues-how-to-travel-the-world-from-home-140174" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Tips

COVID queue jumper met with road rage response

A frustrated man in Cairns has confronted a daring queue jumper at a busy drive-through COVID-19 testing centre. On the first day of lockdown for the city in the north of Queensland, tensions were high as many lined up in a queue stretching for kilometres to get tested for coronavirus. The argument kicked off when one driver pulled into an empty stretch of road in front of several vehicles who had been waiting for their turn to get tested. A man witnessed the car jump the queue, and waved down a cameraman for 9News who was filming the area to expose the audacious driver. When the driver refused to leave their spot in the queue, the man made aggressive hand gestures at the car's driver and stood in front of its bonnet. <img style="width: 445.4828660436137px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842985/cairns-man.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8d806272ecd1408db4183845bf73ba9d" /> Image credit: Nine News The car then rolled forward, forcing the man to slide up onto the bonnet and sit there defiantly. "Mate it was pretty full-on wasn't it, ay," witness Jan Bradley told 9News. Residents have said that sights like these are becoming more common, as COVID-19 cases grow in the region causing long lines and wait times at both testing and vaccination clinics. One local said, "People's tempers getting frayed sitting here, but I mean you've gotta do it." Acting Chief Superintendent Chris Hodgman has urged locals to re-assess their behaviour during the three-day lockdown, as police have called for patience and calm during the difficult time. Image credits: Nine News

Legal

Russell Crowe spotted queueing up for COVID jab

One of Australia’s top film stars has been spotted in the queue with thousands of Sydneysiders waiting to get vaccinated. Russell Crowe has spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales and took to Twitter to confirm he was one of tens of thousands to get the jab over the weekend. “How I spent my Sunday. Lining up with 7000 good citizens to get shot 1 of vaccine,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Book yours via NSW Health,” he added, along with a link to the Service NSW website. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> How I spent my Sunday. Lining up with 7000 good citizens to get shot 1 of vaccine. Book yours via NSW health <a href="https://t.co/WcppFuTlFO">https://t.co/WcppFuTlFO</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZyON96npWu">pic.twitter.com/ZyON96npWu</a> — Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) <a href="https://twitter.com/russellcrowe/status/1414704323544555520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2021</a></blockquote> Dr Karen Price, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) applauded Crowe for publicly supporting the vaccine rollout, responding: “Follow Russell’s example and roll up your sleeve to get your COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can”. “It doesn’t matter if you are an accountant, construction worker, small business owner or Hollywood movie star - we all have a role to play in fighting this pandemic.” Since the end of February, about 2,728,897 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state. 20,749 of the doses were administered in the last 24 hours. Image: Russell Crowe / Twitter

Caring

Kyle Sandilands jumps vaccination queue then says “privilege still exists”

Kyle Sandilands has drawn criticism for skipping the 120-person queue to get his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Westmead Hospital on Tuesday night. The radio host defended the move, saying he was simply using his “celebrity privilege” to jump the queue. On Wednesday morning, the shock jock discovered live on-air that he had been called out in a now-viral Reddit penned by a member of the public also waiting in line for the jab. “Kyle Sandilands cut in front of me in the vaccine line… Not the least bit surprised,” the post read. When confronted with the accusation, Kyle said: “That’s right, that’s celebrity privilege right there.” Co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson then asked how many people Kyle had cut in front of at the hospital. “Probably about 70 people,” Kyle replied. “And then in the waiting room there was probably another 50 people, I walked straight through past them. “But that is what happens when you are white, old, fat, male and a celebrity. Privilege still exists.” But, it appears that Kyle is simply stirring the pot, with his management team making a statement to the Daily Mail confirming he didn’t physically push in. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CP2LNLXsYAK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CP2LNLXsYAK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kyle and Jackie O (@kyleandjackieo)</a> </div> </blockquote> The Reddit user backed up the claim in later comments and wrote that they were more amused by the fanfare surrounding the star’s arrival than upset by his queue jumping. “The optics of the huge line and him pulling up in his Bentley were just too funny not to share. I think if this encourages his listeners to get the jab, I’m all for it,” the user wrote. “He didn’t physically push in. He was escorted by the media. [I’m] not genuinely upset. Just found it entertaining during my boring wait.” In a clip shared on the Kyle & Jackie O Show’s Instagram account, Kyle is seen encouraging others to get the vaccine and admitting he couldn’t understand the apprehension, saying: “It’s one needle to save us all.” Image: Kyle & Jackie O Show / Instagram

News

Monster queues for unlikely ALDI product

Footage taken outside one of ALDI’s Sydney stores has shown customers waiting in lines up to 400m long to pick up a very unlikely buy. In a user’s YouTube video, a large number of customers are seen queuing up outside an ALDI store in Western Sydney on the morning of Saturday, May 8. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.53846153846155px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841189/aldi-queue.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/29d1231de3d9486a821995beff5849f7" /> ALDI fans have been known to line up for air fryers, back-to-school gear, and winter ski sales, but this time shoppers were looking to get their hands on something different. The product that’s in such hot demand? ALDI’s new range of budget cast aluminium pots and pans. The supermarket’s Special Buys sale for May 8 included three cast aluminium saucepans, a frypan, and a baking dish - all priced between $19.99 and $24.99. Many shoppers reported seeing similar buying frenzies at their local stores too. “Was the same at my local ALDI too, heaps of heaters - but the pots and pans, all gonski,” one said. Another added: “I saw a woman at ALDI Greensborough Plaza yesterday with a trolley full of the pots and pans. She had them stacked two and three high.” An ALDI worker said: “We had just about the same queue in Glenmore Park this morning, was crazy to see! “We had to open up five registers this morning within the first 2-3 minutes, air fryer, heaters and all pots and pans are already sold out.” Many viewers were surprised by the rush of shoppers trying to grab items depicted in the video. Some were questioning what the fuss was all about. “Bizarre. Nothing really that special about the pots and pans that warrants this reaction. You can get similar elsewhere without the queues and the battle scars,” one said. “How many pots and pans does the average person need? I have had the same set for over 50 years!” another wrote. Image credit: SydneyCarsNTravel / YouTube

Money & Banking

Fitness instructor roasted for jumping the vaccine queue

A social media influencer has been slammed after it was revealed she received the coronavirus vaccine ahead of frontline healthcare workers and the elderly. Stacey Griffith, 52, made a name for herself through her Soul Cycle videos to which she posted to social media. However, her 64,000 followers were less than impressed when she informed them in a now-deleted Instagram post that she had received the novel jab. "VACCINE DAY! Step one of the Moderna magic!! One hour drive to STATEN ISLAND worth every minute! It takes a village," she wrote. Griffith is one of 850,000 New York City residents in the U.S. who are to receive the first round of the coveted vaccine but was criticised heavily by followers for being vaccinated before high-risk individuals. "Doesn't sound like someone who should've gotten vaccinated to me," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote on the celebrity fitness instructor's post. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839741/soul-cycle.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/76188e78400647b5b4fc03e7d16592e5" /> Another comment made by a caretaker revealed their wife had been battling stage four cancer, and is still in the dark on to when they will receive the treatment. "She is at least two to three months out from being eligible for a vaccine," they said. "But yes, let's celebrate that we are making the world safe for in-person spin class in the midst of a global pandemic." Online media organisation <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22195549/soulcycle-decline-reopening-bullying-bike-explained" target="_blank">Vox</a> reported that Griffith earns at least $800 for every Soul Cycle ( a popular form of a spin class) session she teaches. She told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/soul-cycle-influencer-stacey-griffith-posted-a-vaccine-ig-and-all-hell-broke-loose?via=twitter_page&via=twitter_page" target="_blank" title="The Daily Beast.">The Daily Beast</a> that she received the vaccine earlier than many others due to her role as an “educator”. "Having me vaccinated can stop the short spread within groups!" she said. "In my profession of health and wellness as a teacher, it's my priority daily to keep my community and their respiratory systems operating at full capacity so they can beat this virus if they are infected by it. I can only teach to them if I am healthy myself." Griffith clarified she received the same opportunity to be vaccinated by filling out an online form. She insists she has pulled “no favour” or paid :no money” to get the vaccine. She added that not all Soul Cycle instructors would be eligible for the vaccine. Griffith took to Instagram initially after deleting her first post to apologise. "I want to apologise from the bottom of my heart for my recent action in receiving the vaccine," the post read. "I made a terrible error in judgment and for that I am truly sorry." A SoulCycle spokesperson told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/soulcycle-instructor-stacey-griffith-apologizes-getting-covid-19-vaccine-teacher-192920095.html" target="_blank" title="Yahoo">Yahoo</a> that Griffith had "operated in a personal capacity in applying for a NY State COVID-19 vaccine.” They confirmed that the organisation had "no role" in organising or obtaining vaccinations. In the first stage of vaccine rollouts, those eligible for the vaccine include healthcare workers, elderly residents over 65 and essential workers, including supermarket staff and educators. To date, there have been over 1,473,200 cases of coronavirus in the state of New York.

News

ALDI shoppers form dozens-long queue for unlikely item

A shopper shared a surprising photo of a queue that "went the length of the store" while she was trying to get into her local ALDI. Mum Maria revealed the "crazy" scene at ALDI's annual "Back To School" Special Buys sale. Many look forward to this sale as it started nationally on Wednesday, January 13th. “Another crazy day at ALDI,” wrote Maria on the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1034012533313136" target="_blank">Aldi Mums</a> Facebook page. “Back to school sale. People everywhere, line up to the end of the store.” <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839476/aldi.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/78fd6fccb97b43b29905c5a858238c7a" /> People are eager to get their hands on the store's popular $14.99 school shoes, especially with the pandemic tightening budgets around the nation. Other shoppers agreed that busy scenes were the norm at their local ALDI stores. “Yes, I had to line up for half an hour to pay,” said one. Added another: “I was 3rd in line but the woman who was first took every box of the white double strap jogger.” Some were quick to point out the lack of social distancing at the stores. “Hope they were all wearing masks,” said one. “I wanted to go but thought social distancing and COVID are more important.”

Money & Banking

Antarctica without windchill and the Louvre without queues: How to travel the world from home

SpaceX’s recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/spacexs-historic-launch-gives-australias-booming-space-industry-more-room-to-fly-139760">Falcon 9 rocket launch</a> proves humanity has come leaps and bounds in its effort to reach other worlds. But now there’s a quicker, safer and environmentally friendlier way to travel to the centre of the galaxy – and you can do it too. <a href="https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2020/gcenter/">NASA</a> has co-developed a free virtual reality (VR) adventure providing 500 years of travel around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. The experience is available to download from two major VR stores, <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1240350/Galactic_Center_VR/">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.viveport.com/21f8b24c-783b-4af2-8e81-a63a14553721">Viewport</a>, in a non-collapsed star system near you. And this kind of spacefaring may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of virtual travel and tourism. The virtual travel bug Simply speaking, VR refers to technology that immerses users in a computer-generated world that removes them from reality. Augmented Reality (AR), however, aims to superimpose virtual imagery over a user’s view of the real world. Pokémon Go is a popular AR game. VR-based tourism has a longer history than you might think. In the 1850s, it involved staring at <a href="https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/stereo/background.html">stereographs</a> with a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/sterographs-original-virtual-reality-180964771/">stereoscope</a>. With this invention, viewers looked at slightly different images through each eye, which were then assembled by the brain to make a new image providing the illusion of spatial depth (in other words, a 3D effect). A century later, 1950s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinerama">Cinerama</a> widescreen viewing inspired cinematic travel though its large, curved screens and multiple cameras. The 1960s <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2014-02-16-morton-heiligs-sensorama-simulator.html">Sensorama</a> foretold a shiny future of multimodal immersive cinematic experiences, playing 3D films with sound, scents and wind to immerse users. In <a href="https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html">VR circles</a>, Ivan Sutherland became famous for inventing the head-mounted display, as well as augmented reality (AR). Travel restrictions under COVID-19 <a href="https://www.ft.com/virtualtravel">present an opportunity</a> for virtual reality travel to finally take off. In an era of lockdowns and social distancing, we could use VR to travel to remote, distant or even no longer existing places. Remote tourism is here (the <a href="https://www.remote-tourism.com/">Faroe Islands</a> offers a great example), and interest in VR tourism is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2020/03/18/virtual-reality-and-tourism-whats-already-happening-is-it-the-future/#5b39a26228a6">blossoming</a>. VR comes in many forms The word “virtual” can refer to an immersive 3D experience, but also 360° panorama photographs and movies (a <a href="https://wiki.panotools.org/Panorama_formats">cylinder, sphere or cube of photographs</a>). What is deemed “virtual” varies greatly across different devices and platforms. Let’s look at some of the ways this term is applied. Desktop virtual environments: these are computer-based 3D environments on a flat screen, without the spatial immersion of VR platforms. Cinematic VR: these are phone-based panoramic environments. Many desktop experiences of 360° movies or images can be conveyed in low-cost <a href="https://arvr.google.com/cardboard/">stereoscopic VR through smartphones</a>. Google Street view can be viewed in <a href="https://www.blog.google/products/google-vr/get-closer-look-street-view-google-earth-vr/">Google VR</a> on Android and <a href="https://3g.co.uk/guides/what-smartphones-work-with-virtual-reality">some Apple</a> smartphones, but it’s not real VR. Head-mounted displays: HMDs such as <a href="https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Google-Cardboard/">Google Cardboard</a> and <a href="https://arvr.google.com/daydream/smartphonevr/">Google Daydream</a> are what many people think of when they hear “virtual reality”. Some HMDs are self-contained, not requiring connection to a computer or console. Arguably, the market is <a href="https://3dinsider.com/oculus-vs-htc-vive-vs-psvr/">dominated</a> by the Oculus range owned by Facebook, the HTC Vive range, and PlayStation VR. VR in a pandemic In a post-coronavirus age, device sharing is problematic. HMDs aren’t easy to clean and VR software can quickly become obsolete, with new headsets sometimes not running two-year-old software. Users also have to deal with costly updates, eyestrain, and having to share displays that sat on someone else’s face. Developing and sharing content across different devices can be a nightmare but there are increasingly <a href="https://www.vrtourviewer.com/">simple</a> and effective ways to create <a href="https://www.pocket-lint.com/ar-vr/news/google/142054-google-arcore-android-s-equivalent-to-apple-arkit-explained">AR</a> and VR content, despite a bewildering range of platforms and equipment (there are more than <a href="https://www.archives.gov/files/applied-research/ncsa/8-an-overview-of-3d-data-content-file-formats-and-viewers.pdf">140 3D file formats</a>). Despite this, many VR projects are not preserved – including <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/8/2425">virtual heritage</a> projects! Even for the largest HMD companies, supplies can be <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/20/21177442/half-life-alyx-vr-headset-compatible-valve-oculus-rift-quest-htc-steamvr-available">limited</a>. Places you can virtually visit now Nonetheless, there are plenty of VR programs available to help relieve lockdown boredom, with many sites <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/best-virtual-reality-apps/">offering</a> <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/virtual-reality-tourism-4129394">lists</a> of their favourite picks. The Street View app for Google Daydream and Cardboard provides a “virtual tour” of <a href="https://chernobyl-city.com/virtual-tour/">Chernobyl</a>. <a href="https://earth.google.com/web/@-10.50049963,35.75744511,1062.93460117a,116.59974009d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CisSKRIgMzczNGFmOTk5MTIzMTFlOTliOTNjYmE2MDYxMWYzYzMiBXNwbC0w">Google Earth</a> and <a href="https://earth.google.com/web/@-10.50049963,35.75744511,1062.93460117a,116.59974009d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CgQSAggB">Google Earth Voyager</a> feature travel sections, too. <a href="https://arvr.google.com/earth/">Google Earth VR</a> is available on the <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/348250/Google_Earth_VR/">HTC Vive</a> and <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1513995308673845/">Oculus Rift</a>. <a href="https://www.vrfocus.com/tag/tourism/">VRfocus</a> also has an interesting travel section. You can virtually explore <a href="https://grandtour.myswitzerland.com/">Switzerland</a> or <a href="https://www.virtualyosemite.org/">Yosemite</a>. Or you may want to stay in Australia. Australian company <a href="http://whitesparkpictures.com.au/">White Spark Pictures’</a> Cinematic/360 experience of <a href="https://www.dneg.com/antarctica_vr/">Antarctica</a> tours museums. Melbourne-based company <a href="https://www.lithodomosvr.com/">Lithodomos</a> brings “the ancient world to life” and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.hallingdata.hiddenar&hl=en_AU">Hidden AR</a> offers mythical augmented reality. Other links to check out include: <ul> <li>the Guardian’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/mar/23/10-of-the-worlds-best-virtual-museum-and-art-gallery-tours">review</a> of the world’s best virtual museum and art gallery tours</li> <li><a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/">Google Arts and Culture’s</a> virtual tours and online exhibits from myriad <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en">museums and galleries</a>, as well as scavenger hunts – including at <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/project/virtual-tours">the British Museum</a></li> <li>the Louvre’s <a href="https://arts.vive.com/us/articles/projects/art-photography/mona_lisa_beyond_the_glass/">Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass</a></li> <li>the <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/515020/The_VR_Museum_of_Fine_Art/">VR Museum of Fine Art</a>.</li> <li>Europeana’s <a href="https://teachwitheuropeana.eun.org/stories-of-implementation/implementation-of-vintage-vr-soi-hr-109/">vintage stereo VR</a> and <a href="https://pro.europeana.eu/data/vintage-stereoscope-cards">examples</a> of how to create stories and <a href="https://teachwitheuropeana.eun.org/learning-scenarios/vintage-vr-ls-es-14/">lessons</a> with stereosonic VR prints</li> <li>The Smithsonian’s <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour">virtual tour</a> and downloadable <a href="https://3d.si.edu/">3D artefacts</a>, including a tour of a <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/vrhangar">hangar</a> from the National Air and Space Museum</li> <li><a href="https://sketchfab.com/museums">Sketchfab</a>’s cultural heritage section which can be accessed through <a href="https://sketchfab.com/virtual-reality">VR headsets or Google Cardboard-enabled smartphones</a>. There’s also a places and travel <a href="https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/categories/places-travel?date=week&sort_by=-likeCount">section</a>.</li> </ul> Escapism through gaming There are also VR games with which you can: <ul> <li>escape inside a physical exhibition of Assassin’s Creed – <a href="https://uploadvr.com/preview-e3-2018-assassins-creed-vr-wireless/">Temple of Anubis VR</a></li> <li>travel through New Orleans, <a href="https://store.playstation.com/en-au/product/EP2397-CUSA18498_00-TWDSSSTDEDITION0">but with zombies</a></li> <li>tour medieval fantasy worlds via <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B072MZ3NLC?tag=georiot-au-default-22&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=trd-3438856826073335000-22">Skyrim VR</a></li> <li>explore alien worlds with <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-au/games/no-mans-sky-ps4/">No Man’s Sky</a> on PlayStation VR</li> <li>watch Amazonian <a href="https://www.viveport.com/6792ef3d-0775-4ab4-b3d3-3d9c15b64d47">shamans</a>, or</li> <li>explore <a href="https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/vr/">Minecraft</a> in VR.</li> </ul> VR can show your outer space, and also convey interpretations of <a href="https://www.viveport.com/1edac723-2fed-4e56-b509-b0b8e796ba81">time and space</a>. With it, there is vast potential for travelling to infinity and beyond. Written by Erik Malcolm Champion. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/antarctica-without-windchill-the-louvre-without-queues-how-to-travel-the-world-from-home-140174">The Conversation.</a>

Cruising

Jump the queue in Woollies thanks to this little known hack

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Time-poor customers will be over the moon with Woolworth’s latest queue jumping hack that allows them to pay for their items as they make their way through stores. Woolworths have introduced a new scheme called Scan&Go, which has since been rolled out in ten stores across Sydney. After a successful trial in Sydney’s Double Bay store, many have trialled the scheme and labelled it “exciting”. "The customer feedback on Scan&Go has been pleasing, with repeat usage of the app high. This speaks to the growing demand for quick and easy shopping experiences in our busy lives,” a Woolworths spokesperson told <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/woolworths-scan-go-scheme-no-checkouts-phone-075349863.html" target="_blank">Yahoo News Australia</a>. The scheme involves shoppers downloading the Scan&Go app from the App Store or Google Play and registering payment details into the app. Customers then go around scanning items on their phone as they put them into their bags before tapping off at a designated kiosk. This can shave minutes off shopping times for those who are too busy to stand in line. Woolworths Group Head of Payments and Financial Services Paul Monnington said that the scheme is aimed at customers who lead busy lives. The 10 stores operating the scheme across Sydney are Double Bay, Mona Vale, Miller Junction, Chullora, Pitt Street, Met Centre, York Street, George Street, Manly and Strawberry Hills. However, there are no concrete plans to roll out the scheme across the country. "We're continuing to explore opportunities to expand Scan&Go to more stores, but have no firm plans at this time,” they said. </div> </div> </div>

Food & Wine

How to cut queues at immigration – with maths

When going on holiday to a foreign country, there’s one part of the journey that everybody dreads: border control. Everyone has to have their passport checked by an immigration official when entering a new country – and even when leaving some – so queues are almost inevitable. At Heathrow airport – <a href="https://www.internationalairportreview.com/article/32311/top-20-largest-airports-world-passenger-number/">one of the largest in the world</a> – many arriving passengers are <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6030399/BA-boss-criticises-two-hour-queues-Heathrow-Airport-border-farce.html">experiencing waiting times</a> of up to two hours at passport control. Border control officials seek to manage these queues through staff rosters – and when there aren’t enough staff rostered on to meet the number of arriving passengers, then queues at passport control can become excessively long. Staff rostering presents what’s known in industry as an “optimisation problem”. It is used in hospitals for nurses, in call centres and even in schools, <a href="http://www.optimisationintherealworld.co.uk/2018/04/13/challenges-in-producing-a-staff-roster/">for playground supervision</a>. The main goals are typically to ensure that services are completed in a reasonable amount of time, and to reduce the cost of staff. But these two goals are often contradictory – since paying more staff usually leads to better service. And because of this contradiction, staff rostering can be a very difficult optimisation problem to solve. Meeting requirements To balance these two aspects of staff rostering, organisations or regulatory bodies typically impose “service requirements”, in the form of expected service times. At Heathrow airport, the <a href="https://www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/performance/airport-operations/border-force">service requirements</a> state that 95% of passengers should be processed at passport control within 25 minutes for EEA citizens and 45 minutes for everyone else. Unfortunately, the border force at Heathrow has been unable to meet the services requirements for non-EEA immigrants since February 2018. July saw the worst performance, with 24.5% of all passengers entering the UK through terminals three and four experiencing waiting times of more than 45 minutes at passport control. In <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/977533/british-airways-heathrow-airport-passport-control-queues-UK">June</a>, <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/991733/summer-holiday-travel-delay-Heathrow-airport-luton-airport-manchester-airport">July</a> and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6030399/BA-boss-criticises-two-hour-queues-Heathrow-Airport-border-farce.html">August</a>, there have been reports of passengers waiting longer than two hours. Having lots of valid data is critical to making a good roster and reducing waiting times. The main components of staff rostering are modelling demand, scheduling days off and assigning staff to shifts or tasks. If the demand is known exactly in advance – for example, if the number of playground supervision tasks are the same every day throughout the school year – then staff rostering only needs to consider the last two components. In more dynamic environments, such as airport arrivals, demand modelling plays a crucial role in staff rostering. In an airport, the demand for passport control is directly related to the arrival times of aircraft, which can in turn be delayed. For example, in May 2015 only <a href="https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Flight-reliability/Datasets/Punctuality-data/Punctuality-statistics-2018/">75.93%</a> of flights arriving into Heathrow airport were on time. <a href="https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Flight-reliability/Datasets/Punctuality-data/Punctuality-statistics-2018/">Of the remaining flights</a>, 17% were delayed by less than an hour, and about 7% were delayed by longer. Since <a href="https://www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/company-information/facts-and-figures">94% of passengers</a> are international travellers, border control is massively affected by flight delays. Digging into the data One of the worst options, in regard to meeting service requirements, is to roster staff according to the scheduled arrival time of all flights. Although this would be relatively cheap, it ignores the fact that air travel is routinely subject to delays. A better way for border force to reduce delays at passport control is to roster staff so that the largest expected demand can be served within the set service requirements. Basically, this would mean opening as many booths at passport control as possible, at the busiest time for arrivals – taking into account any expected delays. But this is a very impractical and expensive solution, and there are limitations with respect to the number of available staff – especially since <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmhaff/421/42105.htm">border force is already struggling</a> with insufficient numbers of staff. Fortunately, there is lots and lots of data relating to air travel, which can be used to model demand more accurately, and roster staff and employ other available technologies accordingly. Historical records of flight arrivals, the number of EEA and non-EEA citizens arriving and the demand at passport control are all available. Through the use of statistical and data science techniques, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forecasting">forecasting</a>, a sophisticated model of demand at passport control can be developed. Performing staff rostering with such a demand model may be conservative, meaning a higher overall cost, but it will be more likely to fit with the reality of air transportation. Yet proper demand modelling can also highlight situations – periods of time when predominately EEA citizens are arriving – where automatic passport scanners could provide flexibility in rostering staff, and which could decrease costs. Given the excessive delays reported at Heathrow border control, we can only assume that there is significant limitations to the demand model currently being used for staff rostering. By making better use of statistical techniques and drawing on the large amount of data that is available, it’s possible to significantly reduce the waiting time for passport control – even when flights are delayed.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100988/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Stephen J Maher, EPSRC Research Fellow, Lancaster University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-cut-queues-at-immigration-with-maths-100988" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

International Travel

Good news for Aussie passport holders: No more queues at Heathrow!

Australians who travel to British airports are now able to skip the long immigration queues due to UK authorities giving the all clear to go through the ePassport gates. The British High Commission announced that electronic passport gates are now available for Australians who carry electronically enabled passports. The self-serve terminals, which are similar to the ones that are used at Australian airports, significantly speed up the processing of arriving travellers due to the use of facial recognition. The facial recognition software matches the traveller with the image printed in their passport, which eliminates the need to come face-to-face with border officials. British Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that the change offers Aussie travellers a “smooth” arrival into the UK. “Our new global immigration and border system will improve security and fluidity for passengers coming to visit or work in the UK,” he said in a statement. “Expanding the use of ePassport gates is a key part of this and allows us to improve passenger experience arriving in the UK while keeping our border secure. “I’m delighted that Australian nationals will benefit from their use and have a smooth beginning to their visit to our country.” The change is also applicable to eligible New Zealand nationals. With Heathrow being the busiest airport in Europe and having 80 million passengers passing through it last year alone, anything that speeds up the arrival process is a good thing.

International Travel

Why queues for women's toilets are longer than men's

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisel-odwyer-170118">Lisel O'Dwyer</a> is an adjunct senior lecturer at the School of Social and Policy Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a>. If you’re a woman, then you’ve definitely experienced the frustration of standing in a long, slow-moving queue for the toilets while watching men quickly go in and out of theirs. And you’ve likely had the same conversation with others in that queue - “Jeez, why does it always take so long!” Women are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/30-per-cent-of-men-fail-to-wash-hands-after-using-toilet-study-20091015-gy6u.html">more likely than men</a> to wash their hands and to use the hand dryer. So that’s a reason for more women in the general toilet area. But what about the cubicles? <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170714142749.htm">Studies</a> show men take an average of 60 seconds in a toilet and women take 90 seconds – that’s 50 per cent longer. If there are the same number of toilets for males and females, this will result in a bottleneck, backing up the flow in and out of the facilities. Here are some of the reasons women need longer in a cubicle than men. Biological reasons Some reasons women need more time in the toilet are biological. About <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3235.02016?OpenDocument">half of the female population</a> is of menstruating age <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/menstruation">(between 12 and 52)</a> and of those, at least 20 per cent will be menstruating at any one time. Menstruation means women have to deal with other bodily functions in addition to the usual reasons for using a toilet (number ones and twos). Getting pads or tampons out of a bag (or using the vending machine if one is available), unwrapping them, placing them and disposing of the used materials, add to the length of time a woman needs to occupy a cubicle. Women are more likely to have certain health conditions that force them to empty their bladders. These include <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/cystitis">cystitis</a>, a type of urinary tract infection caused by bacteria. These are more common in women because the bacteria responsible have less distance to travel from outside the body to the bladder. Such conditions may also require use of incontinence aids with the same time-consuming unwrapping and disposal requirements as menstrual supplies. Pregnancy at all stages also means <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/urinary-frequency-thirst">more frequent trips</a> to the toilet. Clothes and design Women’s clothing often takes longer to unfasten, remove and replace, in order to use the toilet in the standard Western seated position. The idea of <a href="https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/layering-clothes">more than two layers</a> of clothing (under and outer) may be completely mystifying to many men, but women often wear three or more, for practical or fashion purposes (or both). Then there are the design considerations of public toilets. The spatial area of the men’s and the ladies’ toilets may be the same. But a urinal, or several, require less space than a cubicle. So there is less area for women to empty their bladder in the women’s toilets, which means fewer women can use them at any one time. Also, the urinals in men’s toilets means more individuals can get in and out without having to open, close and lock doors and then open again, or wipe a toilet seat. Although the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43069633">manbag</a> has caught on among some, most men don’t carry much with them that needs to be safely hung behind a toilet door. So, they already have their hands free and don’t need to look for (and juggle) where to put things. Men can go anywhere, really Women are more likely than men to be looking after small children and taking them to the toilet can be an expedition in itself. Similarly, 81 per cent of <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3235.02016?OpenDocument">paid personal carers and assistants</a> (and 60 per cent of unpaid carers) for people who need assistance with toileting are women. They can be forced to use the cubicles (with extremely limited space for two people) when appropriate facilities are not available. If with friends or family, and depending on the location and time of day, women will often visit public toilets in pairs or groups rather than alone. This pattern can be due to safety concerns, and it can also be a kind of social or companionable event. Once women have completed their toileting and washed their hands, they may then spend some time checking and adjusting their clothing and appearance in the mirror. At some outdoor events under the cover of darkness or vegetation, a few men take matters into their own hands and don’t use the public toilet facilities at all. This obviously reduces men’s demand for the toilets with the benefit of making the men’s toilets available for desperate women, although cleanliness concerns in these situations can also deter them). All these things add up to more time and more individuals in a limited space, with queues as the result. In Hong Kong, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1887471/loo-queues-reduced-womens-toilets-outnumber-mens">building regulations now specify</a> there must be 1.6 female toilets for every one male toilet in public places. Such moves in other countries would be welcome. Designers and providers should use a more equitable rather than an equal allocation of space and facilities, so women can take the time they need in a toilet without having to pay for it by waiting longer. Written by Lisa O’Dwyer. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-queues-for-womens-toilets-are-longer-than-mens-99763">The Conversation.</a>

Body

The shocking way passengers are skipping airport queues

An increasing number of lazy travellers are skipping airport security and boarding gate queues by hiring a wheelchair. Known as “airport wheelchair impostors”, there has been a disturbing increase in the number of people using this shocking tactic to get an easy ride through the terminal. It’s become a particularly widespread problem in the US thanks to the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act. The legislation states that airlines have to provide free wheelchairs to anyone who asks for them, even if travellers do not provide documentation proving their disability. In Australia, wheelchairs are available for passengers to use in the public areas of some terminals, or alternatively they can be arranged with the airline you are flying with. Understandably, passengers in wheelchairs often get to skip both the queue at security and the queue at the boarding gate. According to the New York Times, airport workers have seen a spike in wheelchair requests when security lines are exceptionally long. One flight attendant, who calls the practice “miracle flights” as the passenger uses a wheelchair to get on the plane but not to disembark, told the New York Times: “Not only do we serve them beverages and ensure their safety — now we’re healing the sick.” “Airport wheelchair impostors” never request wheelchairs at the end of the flight as they’ll have to wait until the last person is off before disembarking – so it doesn’t save them time. The Sun reports it of instances where passengers in airport-provided wheelchairs have miraculously been able to walk when the airline has been unable to locate a ramp to get the chairs onto the plane. A source told the publication: “I’ve been at a boarding gate and the airline has said that anyone in a wheelchair would have to climb the stairs. “Suddenly the two passengers in wheelchairs hopped out and climbed the stairs.”

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