1. World-first hologram entertainment arcade set to open on Gold Coast

It’s called Holoverse, and it’s opening on the Gold Coast next month.

Bruce Dell and his company Euclideon are planning to bring all manner of 3D experiences to us, not to look at as in a film, but to physically go inside.

The 40-room complex will offer visitors the chance to experience holograms and learn more about the technology.

“In the room there will be simple things like a statue of an elephant coming out of the wall that people can put their hand through, as well as snowflakes falling from the sky to African safaris and holographic water up to your waist with fish jumping around you,” Mr Dell said.

“There will be holes in the floor where you can see down hundreds of metres.”

He told local ABC radio that they have plans to open hologram arcades around the world.

Not every good idea turns into a company with world-wide reach, but he’s having a crack and Malcolm Turnbull should be pleased, although I don’t see any evidence his government made any difference.

2. Shorten fights for clear air, but derailed by asylum seeker policy

It started on Day one with the ALP candidate for Melbourne, Sophie Ismail, and has continued all week. Shorten wanted to talk about education policy, but finds himself talking about asylum seekers, thanks to ALP candidates who want to freelance on the issue.

Here’s Labor’s policy. If ALP candidates can’t support it, they shouldn’t run for the ALP. Anna Bourke, who I know has concerns, made this point on radio.

Journalists should read it also and might just pick that it differs from the LNP’s. First it increases the humanitarian intake from 13,750 to 27,000 and intends to take refugees from our region. Second, it commits $450 million over three years to support the important work of the UNHCR, especially in our region.

In this manner it may build up enough credibility for countries in the region to take us seriously in building a regional framework.

3. Real estate industry unleashes campaign against Labor’s negative gearing policy

More than 20 real estate chains and industry groups have met in Sydney to plan their attack against Labor’s policy on negative gearing, which curbs tax breaks for some property investors.

LJ Hooker CEO Grant Harrod is co-ordinating the campaign.

The group has produced pamphlets to be distributed during the election campaign that warn property prices will fall, rents will go up, unemployment will rise and the whole economy will be jeopardised.

Mr Harrod said he estimated there were 80,000 licensed real estate agents and equally as many, if not more, property managers.

“Each one of those officers, those individuals, will have contact with a number of customers, so we would suggest we should be able to reach probably at least 70, 80 per cent of Australian residents via our respective databases and network of offices,” he said.

The conflict of interest is clear. Investors buy and sell more frequently than home owners. Higher prices mean higher fees for real estate agents.

Real estate agents are not amongst the most esteemed professions, but then neither are politicians, or journalist for that matter.

I think this is another headache for Shorten. Labor’s policies are up against destructive sloganeering.

4. We’re being sold the trickle-down economics con

That’s what Michael Bradley, who is the managing partner of Sydney law firm Marque Lawyers, writes at The Drum. He’s talking mainly about corporate tax cuts.

According to him Turnbull’s ‘jobs and growth plan’ is based on discredited ‘trickle-down economics’.

45 years of trickle-down experiments, promising that the rivers of money which have flowed to corporations and the rich will turn into “jobs and growth” for all, have delivered one clear outcome: a massive and sustained increase in income and wealth inequality.

The article is well worth a read.

Basically if you give more to the rich they get richer. If you give to the poor they’ll spend it and create demand. We are being sold a pup.

5. Update

We are only now, after about 6 weeks, coming into the home stretch on our kitchen renovation saga. The biggest hitch was painting the floors which needed three coats. The kitchen bloke likes to put the kick boards on between the second and third coats. A long weekend intervened so we are entirely out of the kitchen for over a week.

Only then could the splash-backs above the bench be installed.

Now we have to get a plumber and electrician to re-install the dishwasher.

We’ll move the fridge back in on Sunday, then we’ll be operative apart from the carpenter needing to finish some stuff off, and then the walls and ceiling really need painting.

We saved a long time and spent a long time designing this thing, but it’s looking worthwhile.

Introduction to Saturday salon

Because of the way the blog currently presents posts on the home page I think it’s better to remove the introductory material to a different place. For new readers, here’s the rationale for this space.

An open thread where, at your leisure, you can discuss anything you like, well, within reason and the Comments Policy. Include here news and views, plus any notable personal experiences from the week and the weekend.

For climate topics please use the most recent Climate clippings.

The gentleman in the image is Voltaire, who for a time graced the court of Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great. King Fred loved to talk about the universe and everything at the end of a day’s work. He also used the salons of Berlin to get feedback in the development of public policy.

Fred would only talk in French; he regarded German as barbaric. Here we’ll use English.

The thread will be a stoush-free zone. The Comments Policy says:

The aim [of this site] is to provide a venue for people to contribute and to engage in a civil and respectful manner.