Discussion Random Discussion

[st_trav_ofWA]

The one I was looking at was the Daniel Craig one. I think I started watching the Swedish one, or have seen part of it. Can’t quite remember. Will look for it again. Great story. Haven’t read the book though.

its part of a series of four books called the Millennium Series ... the first book being the girl with the dragon tattoo the story then continues to tell more of the story of Lisbeth.. ive read the first 3 books but not the 4th as yet (im saving that for when i go on holidays in Feb)... they are great reads when i read the girl with the dragon tattoo i smashed it out in 3 days (im generally a slow reader so thats an amazing record for me ) i just could not put it down.. Personally i rank Lisbeth as one of the best female lead charaters in any book ive read...

 

[SaintsSeptember]

The motor vehicle was invented over 100 years ago and we're still learning, adapting, and legislating around that. As soon as a functioning form of the technology becomes affordable it will kick away and we will spend the next 100 years learning and adapting.

The choice the machine will be programmed to make will have no value judgements in it. If there are two objects in it's path it will be programmed to steer in the direction that gives it the best opportunity to stop. But we all know that accidents will be unavoidable. If you have cruise control engaged in your car now and plow into the back of a vehicle who is responsible? I think it follows on logically from there.

Of course its a different scenario if ALL the cars are autonomous. When the car 6 in front of you brakes all the cars behind can know about it at electronic speed.
Nearly every day i'll be travelling at 80km/h and some clown will pull in front of me from a side road, causing me to brake or change lane. If i crashed and i had it on camera to prove it, it would be their fault. But its much better not to crash.

Statistics are one thing but there is also a psychological barrier to accidents caused by technology.

I die in the accident. My wife thinks......
My husband died, he drank and drove, he was so silly, if only i hadn't let him.
My husband died, he was texting, if only he hadn't, i'll tell other people not to do that.
My husband died, his car couldn't tell there was a truck in front of him and it didn't even slow down.
etc

Even if the accident rate halves, there will still be a non-acceptance of accidents caused by system failure.
There are currently legal cases involving conventional cruise control systems where people have claimed it causes accidents.

FWIW , when cars are all autonomous they will become totally boring IMO, like a tram or a suburban train.

 

[gringo2011]

Of course its a different scenario if ALL the cars are autonomous. When the car 6 in front of you brakes all the cars behind can know about it at electronic speed.
Nearly every day i'll be travelling at 80km/h and some clown will pull in front of me from a side road, causing me to brake or change lane. If i crashed and i had it on camera to prove it, it would be their fault. But its much better not to crash.

Statistics are one thing but there is also a psychological barrier to accidents caused by technology.

I die in the accident. My wife thinks......
My husband died, he drank and drove, he was so silly, if only i hadn't let him.
My husband died, he was texting, if only he hadn't, i'll tell other people not to do that.
My husband died, his car couldn't tell there was a truck in front of him and it didn't even slow down.
etc

Even if the accident rate halves, there will still be a non-acceptance of accidents caused by system failure.
There are currently legal cases involving conventional cruise control systems where people have claimed it causes accidents.

FWIW , when cars are all autonomous they will become totally boring IMO, like a tram or a suburban train.

I was talking to a guy a while ago who set up computer systems for car dealers so that the information can be fed back to the manufacturer on wear, driving styles etc. He was saying there will be a time where hackers will start manipulating car systems, most cars now drive by wire instead of a mechanical cable to things like the accelerator. With bluetooth he said someone could technically hack your braking or steering systems on cars that use wired systems. He thought it was dangerous to have systems controlled by sensors for that reason.

The fact that manufacturers are getting fed information from dealer servicing departments could mean that they can decline repairs on warrantee if the driver was using the car in a way that might have caused excessive wear or damage.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I was talking to a guy a while ago who set up computer systems for car dealers so that the information can be fed back to the manufacturer on wear, driving styles etc. He was saying there will be a time where hackers will start manipulating car systems, most cars now drive by wire instead of a mechanical cable to things like the accelerator. With bluetooth he said someone could technically hack your braking or steering systems on cars that use wired systems. He thought it was dangerous to have systems controlled by sensors for that reason.

The fact that manufacturers are getting fed information from dealer servicing departments could mean that they can decline repairs on warranted if the driver was using the car in a way that might have caused excessive wear or damage.

They then have to prove that it was used in such a way.
ACCC have already busted Holden for not complying with "mandatory" consumer laws. Most of them try to get out of warranty if they can.

The more connected the system is , the more open it is to hacking of course. Not everything can be hacked.
Nissan are exploring the use of a central call centre, where human operators can fix "stuck" cars.
Something like this would surely be a hacking risk.

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/nissans-self-driving-teleoperation/

 

[gringo2011]

They then have to prove that it was used in such a way.
ACCC have already busted Holden for not complying with "mandatory" consumer laws. Most of them try to get out of warranty if they can.

The more connected the system is , the more open it is to hacking of course. Not everything can be hacked.
Nissan are exploring the use of a central call centre, where human operators can fix "stuck" cars.
Something like this would surely be a hacking risk.

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/nissans-self-driving-teleoperation/

A lot of cars like Audi already use service connection for tech faults so that they can plug in to run a diagnostic when there are faults. The german technicians analyse the data and send a report back to Australia.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

today marks 50 days exactly until i head off on hunt for the Northern Lights in Iceland , Norway and Svalbard.. anyone got any tips on how to stop myself freezing to death

 

[gringo2011]

today marks 50 days exactly until i head off on hunt for the Northern Lights in Iceland , Norway and Svalbard.. anyone got any tips on how to stop myself freezing to death

Vodka might not stop the death part but it's helped a few people through some pretty cold winters.

 

[gringo2011]

today marks 50 days exactly until i head off on hunt for the Northern Lights in Iceland , Norway and Svalbard.. anyone got any tips on how to stop myself freezing to death

My cousin did an adventure trip to Kamchatka in Russia a couple of years ago. They drop you off in the wilderness and you trek your way back to the coast from the mountains by yourself. They give you a pack of food, compass, a flare-gun for bears and some vodka. He made it back alive, it looks intense the arctic. It will be an incredible experience.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

My cousin did an adventure trip to Kamchatka in Russia a couple of years ago. They drop you off in the wilderness and you trek your way back to the coast from the mountains by yourself. They give you a pack of food, compass, a flare-gun for bears and some vodka. He made it back alive, it looks intense the arctic. It will be an incredible experience.

yeah when we hit Svalbard we have a two day trip out into the wilderness (i say wilderness but Svalbard itself is fairly uninhabitied) with a guide on sled dogs its going to be epic but given my lack of experiance with the cold (im of Indian decent raised in Perth) its certainly going to be out of my comfort zone.. ive been told that once you experiance the northern lights its spiritually life changing so im really looking forward to chasing them down and adding that to my list of spiritual experiances

 

[SaintsSeptember]

yeah when we hit Svalbard we have a two day trip out into the wilderness (i say wilderness but Svalbard itself is fairly uninhabitied) with a guide on sled dogs its going to be epic but given my lack of experiance with the cold (im of Indian decent raised in Perth) its certainly going to be out of my comfort zone.. ive been told that once you experiance the northern lights its spiritually life changing so im really looking forward to chasing them down and adding that to my list of spiritual experiances

Watch out for inbred Icelandic rednecks with chainsaws and masks made out of human skin.

 

[gringo2011]

yeah when we hit Svalbard we have a two day trip out into the wilderness (i say wilderness but Svalbard itself is fairly uninhabitied) with a guide on sled dogs its going to be epic but given my lack of experiance with the cold (im of Indian decent raised in Perth) its certainly going to be out of my comfort zone.. ive been told that once you experiance the northern lights its spiritually life changing so im really looking forward to chasing them down and adding that to my list of spiritual experiances

Yeah, it would be pretty mind blowing seeing them. I have done a couple of desert crossings and I reckon it's probably similar being in the remote arctic. You get a sense of how small you are with no one around and nothing but clear sky and a million stars.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

Yeah, it would be pretty mind blowing seeing them. I have done a couple of desert crossings and I reckon it's probably similar being in the remote arctic. You get a sense of how small you are with no one around and nothing but clear sky and a million stars.

yeah the isolation is going to be very differant...

 

[Diehard Saint]

today marks 50 days exactly until i head off on hunt for the Northern Lights in Iceland , Norway and Svalbard.. anyone got any tips on how to stop myself freezing to death

You are very brave ( or stupid ).
We went to Lapland, north of the arctic circle in Norway, but in summer, time of the midnight sun. Our worst problem was how to get to sleep in the light in our tent!
Good luck, hope you get to see them.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

today marks 50 days exactly until i head off on hunt for the Northern Lights in Iceland , Norway and Svalbard.. anyone got any tips on how to stop myself freezing to death

Come to Mt Isa for a week before you leave.

 

[StFly]

So, Last Jedi was OK, but kinda obvious that it was Empire Strikes back mk2 and there's a ship which was a repainted iron where 4 cinemas full of people like myself groaned with what in the literal shit since it steamed with the same noises.

But hey, better than the prequels thus far.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

So, Last Jedi was OK, but kinda obvious that it was Empire Strikes back mk2 and there's a ship which was a repainted iron where 4 cinemas full of people like myself groaned with what in the literal shit since it steamed with the same noises.

But hey, better than the prequels thus far.

Maybe Mel Brooks should have made it.

Anyone remember "Space 1999".
Was a major upgrade from any previous TV sci-fi at the time.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

saw a report last night saying 1.6million Australians will be without christmas this year due to poverty... now obviously that figure is the same for any day but Christmas just acts as a good referance point to highlight the issue.. it got the missus and myself talking last night about how much money we blow on christmas and how much it has changed from when we were growing up (neither of us came from particularly wealthy familys).. we always do our donation to foodbank each christmas and this year we have purchased items to give for the salvos but i reckon the big issue is a lot of familys are too proud or embarrased to come forward and admit that things are getting tough and with the expectation of what chirstmas is meant to look like due to the images we are fed through advertising this is a pretty tough time for people.. i know us guys in this crazy old Saints community are pretty good at pulling together and helping eachother out when times are tough so if anyone out here who is feeling the pinch please dont be afraid to ask for help ..

 

[gringo2011]

saw a report last night saying 1.6million Australians will be without christmas this year due to poverty... now obviously that figure is the same for any day but Christmas just acts as a good referance point to highlight the issue.. it got the missus and myself talking last night about how much money we blow on christmas and how much it has changed from when we were growing up (neither of us came from particularly wealthy familys).. we always do our donation to foodbank each christmas and this year we have purchased items to give for the salvos but i reckon the big issue is a lot of familys are too proud or embarrased to come forward and admit that things are getting tough and with the expectation of what chirstmas is meant to look like due to the images we are fed through advertising this is a pretty tough time for people.. i know us guys in this crazy old Saints community are pretty good at pulling together and helping eachother out when times are tough so if anyone out here who is feeling the pinch please dont be afraid to ask for help ..

You're a good man Trav. I tend to forget about locals doing it tough but the cost of living must be pretty hard with the price of bills and everything else. I might have to give a bit of cash to the Sacred heart mission to feed some folks a bit of a Christmas dinner.

 

[sunny3193]

When I was living in South Carolina I had a girlfriend from Alaska.
(The ultimate in geographic impossibility).
When she needed information about a subject, no matter how trivial, she would Google. (A function of Alaskan isolation: for her, going to the big city was a four hour flight to Seattle).
As a contrast to myself where the first option is to ask someone.
So I need a handyman for a task beyond my skills.
First point of call: ask around the neighbourhood, but no luck.
Next step: the classifieds in the local newspaper.
Five handymen: two didn’t respond to messages, two did but never followed up on the appointment, the last guy responded too but was late and was last seen driving off into the sunset.......
This is not going well.
Then on Tuesday, in discussion with a friend, I discover there is an app.
I load the app the next day, set up my account, decide to test it on an associated task - window cleaning.
Now Thursday, I’ve had three sites visits and three quotes.
And follow ups by the app administrators.
Ignoring whether any of these window cleaners are any good, the app performance has been brilliant.
If anyone is interested in getting home and tradesmen related issues solved quickly, PM me and I’ll share the app name.

Plugger66 and Mowman - if you’re looking for work this app might be good for your business.

Learning for me: there is always an app for any need (Even Medicare has an app now).
I am so millennial now.
(Except I can spell)

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Old School Business :
"We need to move with the times , we have appointed a panel to take the steps we need ".

( 1 year later ).
Business is the same , but they have an app. They are now a digital age business.

 

[gringo2011]

When I was living in South Carolina I had a girlfriend from Alaska.
(The ultimate in geographic impossibility).
When she needed information about a subject, no matter how trivial, she would Google. (A function of Alaskan isolation: for her, going to the big city was a four hour flight to Seattle).
As a contrast to myself where the first option is to ask someone.
So I need a handyman for a task beyond my skills.
First point of call: ask around the neighbourhood, but no luck.
Next step: the classifieds in the local newspaper.
Five handymen: two didn’t respond to messages, two did but never followed up on the appointment, the last guy responded too but was late and was last seen driving off into the sunset.......
This is not going well.
Then on Tuesday, in discussion with a friend, I discover there is an app.
I load the app the next day, set up my account, decide to test it on an associated task - window cleaning.
Now Thursday, I’ve had three sites visits and three quotes.
And follow ups by the app administrators.
Ignoring whether any of these window cleaners are any good, the app performance has been brilliant.
If anyone is interested in getting home and tradesmen related issues solved quickly, PM me and I’ll share the app name.

Plugger66 and Mowman - if you’re looking for work this app might be good for your business.

Learning for me: there is always an app for any need (Even Medicare has an app now).
I am so millennial now.
(Except I can spell)

I will have the name, I was trying to get someone to rebuild my fence and I called a few guys who just snubbed me or didn't call in for the quote, how ****ing hard is it to get a basic job done now? One guy had me measure it all up call him back then said he doesn't do private jobs, he only works for realestate agencies. ****ing idiot. When I got my extension done I had a few guys charge to quote then give sky high figures, it's a good scam.
don't think you need to PM do you? It's not the ABC.

 

[VDS66]

saw a report last night saying 1.6million Australians will be without christmas this year due to poverty... now obviously that figure is the same for any day but Christmas just acts as a good referance point to highlight the issue.. it got the missus and myself talking last night about how much money we blow on christmas and how much it has changed from when we were growing up (neither of us came from particularly wealthy familys).. we always do our donation to foodbank each christmas and this year we have purchased items to give for the salvos but i reckon the big issue is a lot of familys are too proud or embarrased to come forward and admit that things are getting tough and with the expectation of what chirstmas is meant to look like due to the images we are fed through advertising this is a pretty tough time for people.. i know us guys in this crazy old Saints community are pretty good at pulling together and helping eachother out when times are tough so if anyone out here who is feeling the pinch please dont be afraid to ask for help ..

We do a bit of gift distribution for charities.

It does confuse us somewhat, and we had a discussion after seeing the report last night on The Project.

Firstly, there are certain socio-economic groups doing it tough. No question.

One thing we were shocked at when delivering were the quality of homes and cars owned by the recipients.

I just wonder if this hardship is genuine poverty or due to lifestyle choices?

People on low incomes who can hardly afford to pay their bills and food genuinely need our help.

For others it may well be a bit of discipline in terms of priorities. Do you really need that packet of smokes, or that magazine?

Totally agree about peer expectations and far too much excess for my liking.

It's a serious issue yet not as clear cut as it's made out.

Great gesture and thoughts, BTW.

 

[st_trav_ofWA]

We do a bit of gift distribution for charities.

It does confuse us somewhat, and we had a discussion after seeing the report last night on The Project.

Firstly, there are certain socio-economic groups doing it tough. No question.

One thing we were shocked at when delivering were the quality of homes and cars owned by the recipients.

I just wonder if this hardship is genuine poverty or due to lifestyle choices?

People on low incomes who can hardly afford to pay their bills and food genuinely need our help.

For others it may well be a bit of discipline in terms of priorities. Do you really need that packet of smokes, or that magazine?

Totally agree about peer expectations and far too much excess for my liking.

It's a serious issue yet not as clear cut as it's made out.

Great gesture and thoughts, BTW.

lifestyle choice is a part of it i guess but there is many layers of that ... i know of a family they came to WA to make their fortune in the mining boom as such they fell in love with WA and decided this was going to be home both the adults worked full time with one doing fifo and the other working admin for a mining associated company .. they purchased their home that was compleatly over priced but it was in a nice suburb and they had the money to swing it they were living a good life , they were not over the top with spending as the house was taking a lot but they were living pretty well.. the admin lady then fell pregnant with their third kid as the down turn was hitting she decided to take the payout and left her job early 6 months later the fella lost his fifo role and sadly did a back injury preventing him from doing his trade .. now as it stands they cant afford to sell their house that the female is now working 2 jobs to try and pay for so they are pretty much stuck they get by just but say the car breaks down then they have no way to pay to fix it.. the fella is trying to get work but with a crook back its pretty hard... so to an outside person looking in they look like they are doing ok with thier big house but really they are just scraping by ...

 

[gringo2011]

lifestyle choice is a part of it i guess but there is many layers of that ... i know of a family they came to WA to make their fortune in the mining boom as such they fell in love with WA and decided this was going to be home both the adults worked full time with one doing fifo and the other working admin for a mining associated company .. they purchased their home that was compleatly over priced but it was in a nice suburb and they had the money to swing it they were living a good life , they were not over the top with spending as the house was taking a lot but they were living pretty well.. the admin lady then fell pregnant with their third kid as the down turn was hitting she decided to take the payout and left her job early 6 months later the fella lost his fifo role and sadly did a back injury preventing him from doing his trade .. now as it stands they cant afford to sell their house that the female is now working 2 jobs to try and pay for so they are pretty much stuck they get by just but say the car breaks down then they have no way to pay to fix it.. the fella is trying to get work but with a crook back its pretty hard... so to an outside person looking in they look like they are doing ok with thier big house but really they are just scraping by ...

Yeah, you give charity because you feel good in doing it yourself. Some people are campaigners and steal what should be for others but then so does big business and politicians. You just have to give and hope that some of it gets to where you want it to. Being a cynic is easier than putting a dollar in.

 

[Yawkey way]

We do a bit of gift distribution for charities.

It does confuse us somewhat, and we had a discussion after seeing the report last night on The Project.

Firstly, there are certain socio-economic groups doing it tough. No question.

One thing we were shocked at when delivering were the quality of homes and cars owned by the recipients.

I just wonder if this hardship is genuine poverty or due to lifestyle choices?

People on low incomes who can hardly afford to pay their bills and food genuinely need our help.

For others it may well be a bit of discipline in terms of priorities. Do you really need that packet of smokes, or that magazine?

Totally agree about peer expectations and far too much excess for my liking.

It's a serious issue yet not as clear cut as it's made out.

Great gesture and thoughts, BTW.

One in four Australians have less than $1000 in savings and I've seen other reports to suggest it's a lot worse than that.
It doesn't take much when people are that stretched to put them in financial stress, it leaves a lot of people with no flexibility in the short term.

My guess is that there will always be a few who may not need the help but the majority will and many will hopefully be one offs.

Keep up the good work.