Litespeed

I think he is taking the piss out of the Ruskies.

Remember the president is a former actor and comedian.

The jokes on Putana.

So correct me if I am wrong...

POM is prisoner of moaning.

You buggers are all health freaks 

Best I could do was only drink the good stuff.

I use to get bad gout, painful bloody toes.

My two half kidneys just had trouble with the uric acid.

Solution was do not drink shitty Australian beer eg VB etc.

They are chockas full of preservatives that create exceed acid.

The red Peroni - Italian,  drink has zero shit by law like German beer, just hops, barley and water.

Since changing I have had no gout.

I take it that was because it did not contain Ham?

11 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

Well that's disturbing.

Sadly, one of the least disturbing things he would do.

One of his smallest sins.

I won't knock the idea of hydrogen production as part of the solution but it's  not a universal answer. 

It is all dependant on the market,location available resources etc to be economically viable but most importantly environmentally viable.

Sadly anything the minerals council does is to  put out a hand for government subsidy and to do variations of the same shit and now call it green like clean coal and doing hydrogen from fossil fuels.

If done carefully and with long term goals in place that are environmentally and socially sustainable it can work.

Aviation is a prime example, for long haul flights hydrogen will be the key technology as hybrid with batteries. The form the hydrogen comes in as energy is the ❓. Different solutions for different circumstances will be the end result but money will be gambold in many directions, sadly we often just repeat the same shit and dilute any benefits to the rich 🤑. That's the issue...

As we transition to new energy forms and start to repair the harm fossil fuels and mining has done, it's vital we change the paradigm both environmentally, socially and economically. 

For the vast number of humans getting energy is a burden of life, of work and sacrifice just to have heat to cook, lighting and a way to travel. The rich investor does not feel any environmental or social costs and can move to nicer climes in a private jet.

Now is the time to systemically change the way we do energy generation and use in all its forms. It's also the time for the benefits to be socialised as a normal expectation of a modern society. What you do with your cheap abundant energy is up to you. Not a part of the genetic lottery.

Power just like water should be a social right and resource, not the plaything of big business. It should be in public hands and no speculated on markets that see our resources as a private gain to sell overseas at dirt cheap prices , when the actual owners of the resource, ie us pay a fortune and business can't afford energy intensive industry.

Once government was about the social and economic development of the country as a fundamental driving force.  

Energy in the form of oil and gas, has been fundamental to every war in the 20th and so far the 21st century. It's also the cause of large amounts of political and social instability. The whole world freaks out over the red sea passage and it's mainly about the oil price.

If a country can be largely independent energy wise by sustainable means, it does not need to suffer the ups and downs of politics and profiteering. But the policy must be right to get there.

Currently most of the wealth involved in the energy and Mining sector all bleeds overseas, bar the essential workers and small contractors, it all heads offshore generally and pays bugger all tax.

We need to change to a nation owned energy system, for public not private benefit and economic benefits cycling through the economic lives of community. Not on non productive assets of the super rich. 

Your normal home should be solar, battery, car  and all linked to a community system. Power for your car/ute farm etc is owned by the landholder. Any excess is banked and returned when needed and only priced for sharing not speculative profits.

If everyone had basically no power or fuel bills, that would be a step change for society. It's not as hard as it seems and can be done, if we are brave against vested interests.

But it's all in the mindset of what's possible, we just have to want a new paradigm on society and where does the benefit go to, the many or the few?

If as a nation we spend $100 billion plus on power assurance, reliability and new storage, generation- the government investment must be for public not private benefit.

I see them daily having fun and communing with their family and friends.

The yacht masts  are perfect perches that include a play pen of interesting toys like wind vane and wind speed devices which are great swings and merry-go-rounds.

Plus the rigging lines for spinning/hanging on.

Once I observed a couple land on a mast and try out the wind vane and wind speed generator, they were very sticky and would not turn.

They looked at different angles, chatted, made a plan and then pushed and pulled on both devices too loosen up the bearings etc. 

They helped each other in a very careful way and quickly had both spinning freely.

Now their play pen was fixed it was play time.

One would sit on the wind vane and the other would push and spin it. It was funny watching them like children playing for fun, but they had to fix it first. Then they tried hanging on a flying in circles, the arm was too short for success but they tried and learn very quickly.

Unlike the galahs, cockatoos etc they are not destructive but help with maintenance.

Which is a good thought, if they decided to run a avian led planet- we would be stuffed.

It's always best to have benign geniuses.

On 12/02/2024 at 10:07 PM, red750 said:

Thanks onetrack. Actually it was March 2022.

My apologies, I lost mine in 2014.

Still miss her.

On 30/01/2024 at 7:29 PM, onetrack said:

Red, you already posted the jogger brain teaser. You need more mind exercise - or perhaps, memory exercises!

Leave Red alone.

His still recovering from the "diamond incident".

Once the swelling does down he be fine.

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

I don't think I'd bother with braided brake hoses on a car.  On motorbikes ..Yes, because they aren't power assisted (Vaccuum) and you're dealing with smaller volumes of oil.  and less force from a hand.   Nev

I would replace them either all new brakes hoses or a full braided set. The cost difference is little.

The old hoses swell and take up most of the pressure leaving little for braking.

I have replaced them in cars and bikes with a big difference in feel and modulation.

Worth the effort 

I don't know much about them but the blue bits look toxic..

I know they weigh about 10 kg and I hit them in the tinny all the time.

14 hours ago, facthunter said:

No one has conquered Afghanistan. The Yanks used/helped the Mujahedeen to kick them out. No wonder Russia hates the US..   Nev

Yes they used the Mujahideen and that would piss Russia off. 

But as per usual their meddling created a nightmare of global proportion, they helped create Al Qaeda and they trained and armed the Taliban.

In reality they Russians should be very happy overall for all the chaos, blood and treasure the US has befallen on themselves. I doubt Putin gave a damn about the body count of locals, as long as the US bleed.

2 hours ago, octave said:

BYD breaks ground on its first sodium-ion EV battery plant

 

Less energy density but a third of the price.   

 

 

A perfect example of why batteries will not be the big problem we face. It's acceptance by the naysayers that holds us back.

These far cheaper packs mean home,farm, vechicle and other stationary applications become very affordable and will only keep getting better.

It could also mean electric mining equipment and trains become far more viable. Weight of packs can be a absolute advantage, they need weight added anyway- eg loaders,tractors excavators etc.

Also big developments are coming in ultra high density solid state batteries.

Technology is not the issue it's the politics and vested interests that are the greatest threat.

The best are just green or blue but white is also good.

Here it is.

Now that's proper Headbanger music.

Sadly Red has been hospitalised for taking his wife at her word.

Sadly, us blokes forget they never really mean what they say but sure are mean when we find out.

I hope the bruises heal quickly

It's hard to argue with a dinosaur , all they can think of is dinosaur juice.

It must hurt knowing extinction is their future.

21 minutes ago, onetrack said:

BMW - Bring Many Wrenches, or Break My Wallet.

 

A mate has bought one, a late 1990's model, I've never seen such a POS in all my life. Plastic all over the engine, and every piece of it is breaking or broken, the cooling system is utter crap, the overflow bottle fell apart the other day. Most of the switches have electrical gremlins, and the latest news is, it stops when the fuel tank gets below half-full! He hasn't even started to figure out where the problem is with that. The sump gasket is leaking, it's $167 for a sump gasket!! I'd burn the bloody thing and claim insurance on it.

 

But it's a fabulous-looking machine in appearance, though!

The plastics in the cooling system can be a problem but really after 25 years should have been replaced ie new hoses, water tank and a radiator as well as replaced water pump and belts.

These are all really consumables are are not expensive if you know where to shop, actually cheaper than a bloody Toyota.

The gasket price is gold plated and clearly a rip off.

Several USA based parts suppliers will do parts at 20% of the dealer price for the same OEM parts and deliver cheaply in less than a week. The market is huge so OEM parts are cheap over there.

Here in Aus the cheapest is Tooleyimports.com.au at Frenchs Forest in Sydney, they import the parts direct at a fraction of normal prices. They do Mercedes and Audi/VW parts a well. Family owned and great people.

Also great for advice.

The half tank problem is probably the in tank pickup and filter been displaced or almost completely blocked, there is an additional filter in line under the car and a secondary fuel pump, these should also be checked. If the pressure drops the car will go to limp mode or stops to protect from leaning out and detonation.

Yes, the electrics can be a bit crap at times, as can any car that age. The BMW owners forums are a great resource and solve lots of problems.

Also the biggest issue is peeps never service and oil change as required and this can sludge the engine. The pcv should be replaced when they get old as this can be a issue for performance, oil consumption and causing excess pressure. A major cause of leaks.

The biggest issue is lack of proper servicing as they get old and bought cheaply by peeps who abuse the poor thing and never change fluids etc.

If it's a E39, ie 5s series it's one of the best handling luxury cars ever built and will never be repeated as everything got fat and heavy.  They were very expensive new and are sophisticated and need proper maintenance like any thoroughbred should.

I owned a 540i V8, it was a rocket ship and handled like a proper sportscar.

A imported radiator OEM from the states cost me under $200 delivered via airmail, the local dealer wanted $1200.

Exactly the same Behr product.

Hope this helps.

Yesterday I saw a great display of Ravens defending the nest against a predator.

A white bellied Sea Eagle 🦅 cruised along above a Ravens nest on Bull Island and came way too close- 50ft.

So the parents went on the hunt, they chased it relentlessly for 5 mins and had the big eagle on the run. The eagle kept trying to get to the nest, the Ravens were clearly prepared to die if needed to protect the family.

Eventually it flew away after been repeatedly beaked midair. 

Clearly the eagle could win against one Raven but two prepared to die if needed was too much.

Such great parents and brilliant team work.

I sometimes row or kayak but normally pull the cord and motor in.

But you can bet when it storms the outboard will complain.

I have replaced every normal bush in may euro cars with them and had no issues at all.

They were a famous brand and came with the grease and implicit instructions it must be used.

Handling was also greatly improved.

Only 500m from mooring to dock.

Yes the swell can get big, but I am generally sheltered except from - south. I am well protected by Bull island. 

My 'ship rides well so it's not bad. I am in a deep part of the passage and that helps a lot.

Swell approx 50 cm at worst today, tomorrow?