onetrack

In his new line of work, repairing faulty airport signboards?

You'd only need the setup in cities. Out in rural or remote regions, the EV could burn itself out without much need to put it out immediately. Once a car starts to burn, even a small wiring fire, it's a write-off, anyway.

Jerry, unfortunately for the wine industry, neither SWMBO or myself drink wine any more. The after-effects of wine drinking, we've both found unattractive, as we age. It knocks us around too much. I have an occasional whiskey, but a bottle lasts me a long time. We will have a good high-quality meal together shortly, but I'm afraid it won't be in Broome, the culinary skills here, leave a bit to be desired. We've also put a bid on a business-class upgrade for our return flight, that sounds like a good use for win money, to us. Re the win amount, it was less than half an hour after I posted, that I remembered how we could win so much. I'd forgotten the Powerpik 7 is a Systems ticket, and to work out your win amount, you have to consult the Systems Tables. I didn't even think of looking at the Tables initially, as it's been quite a while since I bought a Systems ticket. So, we won Division 5, which was 5 numbers and the Powerball, which was $195.25 - but when I looked at the Tables, a Powerpik 7 win with 5 numbers also gives you 19 times the Division 7 prize, which was $49.95 - which adds $949.05 to your prize winnings - bringing our total win up to $1,144.30. https://www.lotterywest.wa.gov.au/assets/games/documents/systems-table/powerball-systems-table

Over

Unbridled enthusiasm

Modern Family

As I've mentioned in passing in a couple of other threads, SWMBO and myself are on holidays in Broome for 12 days. 6 days down, 6 to go, and it's very nice up here, although the place is overrun with rich tourists! SWMBO is always encouraging me to buy a Lotto ticket here and there - but I often resist, because I don't believe the mid-week or Saturday Lotto is good value any more, since they changed the systems so you generally need 3 numbers and at least one supplementary to win anything - and it's usually only $8 or $10, anyway. The only reason I buy Lotto here is because the W.A. Govt owns LotteryWest and all profits are ploughed back into worthy community events, structures, grants - and the RFDS, too, of course. This is far better than lining the pockets of already wealthy people who own shares in a corporate structure such as Tatts. I've bought quite a few mid-week and Saturday Lottos in recent months and years, with very little success. An occasional win of $20 or $30 or $50, and they were few and far between. I like buying Powerpik 7's because you get all the Powerball numbers with that ticket selection, and this system vastly improves your chances of winning something. So, yesterday, I went into the LotteryWest agency near the Town Beach, and bought a Powerpik 7 ticket. I didn't check it until nearly bedtime, and then found I had FIVE winning numbers! Woo-hoo! I looked up the prizes and saw where 5 numbers won $195.25. I said to SWMBO, "Oooh, we've won close on $200 in the Powerball draw! She was chuffed, it's the most we've won on Lotto in about 30-plus years. So, we went down to the Lotto place this morning, placed the ticket in the checking machine, and it came back with THIS!!! I nearly fell over, I had no idea we'd won that much, and it was because I'd missed a number and because I'd forgotten they pay out on all the other smaller winning number combinations, too!!

As the old saying goes, Spacey - "It's all good fun, until someone gets hurt!"

I personally think it's utter brainless stupidity to let kids ride powerful machines when they're 10 yrs old. It shows the parents fail to understand childhood brain development. They lack experience, motor skills, fast reflexes, and mature decision-making processes in their brains. Kids live in a fantasy world until they're about 8, how else can we adults fool them with Santa Claus stories up to that age? I get angry when I see stupid Yanks getting their children to drive farm machinery at age 5 or 6, or letting them drive high-powered quad bikes at age 7. It's a recipe for a multitude of child deaths and injuries - and over 300 kids are killed on American farms every year, thanks to farming parents brainlessness. Would you let your 10 yr old drive a V8 powered car on the highways? Of course not, and authorities intelligently ban such stupidity. We stopped child labour over 100 years ago because of the massive death toll of youngsters.

Well, I don't have any children of my own, but I helped raise 3 nephews via living with the brother and SIL in the same house, for around 17 years. Plus, I employed a lot of young people, 18 to 25 yr olds, and I spent a considerable amount of time "kicking arses", and berating them for idiotic juvenile behaviour - quite often combined with alcohol and teenage bravado in a group, of course. But they'd do utterly stupid things at work, too - high levels of risk taking, against their training and instructions, poor decision-making, where you had to pull them up and point out how stupid or wasteful the last decision they took, was. It was standard policy in interstate trucking to not hire truck drivers under the age of 25. It was always regarded in the industry that anyone under 25 lacked adequate responsibility and maturity to be let loose with a big semi-trailer, into outback and remote areas. I still opine that a move to allow 16 yr olds to vote is either stupidity, or a clever plan to manipulate youthful, malleable voters. My Dad had a saying he repeated regularly - "One boy is a good boy, Two boys is half a boy, and Three boys, is no boys at all!" In other words, juveniles in a group become even more brainless, than they are on their own.

I was under the impression tricycle-based vehicles were reasonably stable. I used to own a couple of tricycle Honda 185cc off-roaders (ATV's), they were quite good, but if you did stupid things with them, of course they would tip over, and turf you off. I never ever had a problem riding them, and I rode them extensively. I didn't go over about 70kmh with them, although they would do over 80kmh. But of course, a few idiots did stupid things on them, ended up being thrown off and injured, and even killed - so the authorities banned them, in another fit of equal stupidity. Of course, cunning, ambulance-chasing lawyers did their bit to get them banned, too. All I can think of with the Honda is the lack of protection from heavy highway vehicles. Roadtrains - in fact, even just many single trailer semi's, create huge levels of wind deflection - and they throw up road debris, rocks and sand - and they often lose parts of the load, or bolts from trailers, or even gluts and tie-downs of various types. I regularly see ratchet straps on the highways, that have fallen off. One of them mixed up with a motorcycle-based rig wouldn't be fun. And finally of course, following a semi in rainy conditions on a motorcycle-based rig is nothing less than highly dangerous. You'd certainly need to pick your riding conditions, and be extra alert at all times.

No, no and No. 16 yr olds are utterly brainless and it's a well known fact that teenagers brains are still developing, and don't actually fully develop until they're around 20. Even then, there are plenty of brainless 20 yr olds. We don't let them drive on a full licence until they're 17, and I believe the voting age should stay at 18. I wonder what the devious plan is behind this scheme? A lot of young people brains are wrapped up in social media, the internet, "Influencers", gaming and other "electronic device" entertainment, and none of that bodes well for intelligent discourse, or intelligent choices on what direction they want the country to go in. Social media "Influencers" would end up wielding enormous undemocratic voter influence.

John Stone, former Secretary of the Federal Treasury from 1979 to 1984 under the Fraser Govt, has died aged 96. It is reported he had been suffering from leukemia for some time. https://thenightly.com.au/politics/john-stone-death-former-senator-and-secretary-of-the-federal-treasury-dies-aged-96-c-19394471

Peter, that's an August 2023 news article.

No, hang on - "Good night, sweet Prince". It's a quote from Hamlet.

Good night, sweet things?

I'm in Broome at present and spotted this Honda Goldwing trike that someone has ridden from NSW to Broome! It must have been a tiring ride, mixing it with triple road trains on the major highways.

Because the jails are overflowing with people who have committed dreadful crimes under the influence of drugs, and the judiciary is loathe to jail anyone who hasn't committed a serious crime - yet. But they let these drug-addled, anti-social misfits out on the street, saying the Parole Board and Social Support systems will keep them under control and supervised - when we all know, that just doesn't happen.

Exchanging vows

Deleted....

Enchanting cats

What do the words "abstemious" and "facetious" have in common?

Jerry, you're thinking of John Houlder, I believed he managed Elstree, he didn't actually own it. Wing Commander Ken Wallis is another memorable bloke, designing dozens of devices, including autogyros that he flew with amazing skill in his 90's. He was still flying at age 94, and he reached 97 before he died in 2013. He flew one of his autogyros in the James Bond movie, "You Only Live Twice". https://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=8700

Correct, Jerry. She invented the polar area diagram to show the beneficial effect of proper nursing during the Crimean War.

What modern nursing pioneer also developed the polar area diagram? (the polar area diagram is similar to a pie chart, but more intricate).