old man emu

Sorry, Pete, but in Mathematics, the variable denoted by the letter "x" is known as the "independent variable". The result of the equation is denoted by the letter "y" which is known as the dependent variable since its value is dependent on the value of "x" applied to the equation. A very simple calculation is "how much do 'x' apples cost?", which can be written as y = mx Where y is the total cost m is the cost of one apple, and x is the number of apples. If we wanted to know the price of x donuts the equation would be; y = mx + b Where b = the number of donuts (mx) multiplied by the rate of GST Written fully that would be y = mx +{GST x (mx)}

We forget the Putin is 72 years old. Despite the pictures of him as a bare-chested horseman that suggest good health, he's in the age group where the grip on the perch is beginning to get slippery. We don't hear of likely successors should he be found stiff, on his back on the bottom of the cage.

I didn't read it that way. I read it as the use of photos taken out of context. The readily available photos are those taken when the subject was interacting with the medium, usually while on a 'night out". When the same subject is the victim of a tragedy, it is not very possible to get a photo taken in a sober situation, eg their driver's licence photo. I did see a bit of video of the two young women who died of methanol poisoning. It showed them both jigging around in a hotel room in a way that would be normal for two young women on a carefree holiday. However, I thought that it stripped them of their dignity given what happen to them. Posting that video was definitely taking something well out of its original context.

Onetrack, I thought that I was reading my own post when I read yours. It is word for word what I would be saying, including your comments regarding styling. I was ironing a shirt the other day and realised that it would be useless to give my grandsons lessons in ironing because I have never seen any of their clothes that need ironing, although I do believe that cotton T-shirts need it.

I think the rough rule of thumb is that if you come off leaded onto unleaded, you have to watch that the exhaust valve seat doesn't burn.

I'm flabbergasted by this recent preservation of wage slavery in the USA

When I started this thread, I did not think that it would be the means of recording the collapse of the United States of America.

The evil thought that I had was that, after the chimpanzees got used to seeing their reflections in the mirror and accepted the concept, what would they do if suddenly their reflections were not there.

Nasty animal cruelty thought: I wonder what would happen if you put a large mirror in a frame into a chimpanzee enclosure at a zoo where the chimps could see their reflections, and leave it there until they got used to it and began to ignore it. Then one night while they were not out in the enclosure, remove the mirror but leave the frame where it was. Then watch what they did next morning.

Leave the sentencing on the books until January 2029 when his presidential term ends. Then he can go from the White House to the Big House.

It that because she fears they might wander into forbidden places?

I always thought that the Ronnie Burns 1969 song, Smiley, was about the character from the movies, Smiley (1956) and Smiley Gets A Gun (1958). Smiley, you’re off to the Asian war/ And we won’t see you smile no more… The boy, Smiley, in those movies would have been of an age in the late 60s to be called-up for National Service and to go to Vietnam. The name ‘Smiley’ in Ronnie Burns’s record would have resonated with Australian audiences. Whether or not writer Johnny Young intended this, it added to the song’s theme of lost innocence by bringing to mind the carefree 1950s childhood of that earlier Smiley. When Johnny Young wrote the song, he had in mind Australian pop star and Vietnam War conscript Normie Rowe: Before he left, he was really happy-go-lucky, fun-filled young fella. When he came back, he changed.

I remember when portable DVD players came in. As far as I can remember, they could not be fitted in a way that the driver could see the screen. I can also remember when Ford fitted a digital numeric display speedometer to Falcons. The problem was that, as normally happens when driving, the vehicle's speed can vary by one or two KpH. The digital numerical display kept changing and that movement attracted the attention of the brain which evolved to quickly notice any small movements. Therefore, the constant, and irregular change in the display was a constant distraction.

Mozzies, yes. Also the myriad of very small gnats and such that can't be held out by flyscreens and which cluster around illuminating lights at night. I often wonder what goes through their miniscule minds in the instant after I turn off the light and plunge the room into relative darkness.

Just don't upset the postal workers!!!!!!

Gad (n.) c. 1300, "a goad, sharp pointed stick to drive oxen, etc.;" c. 1400, "sharp-pointed metal spike," from Old Norse gaddr "spike, nail". That is the source of the expression, 'gadding about'. There also was a Middle English gadeling (Old English gædeling) "kinsman, companion in arms; fellow, man," which could have given rise to the attention seeking call of "Oh Gad!", but that is more likely to be a corruption of "Oh, God!". The first known use of gadzooks, the other exclamation, was circa 1652, perhaps from God's hooks, the nails of the Crucifixion. That do you, Nev?

You can see Trump and Musk falling out over tariffs on Chinese goods, especially on EVs. Musk is pretty tight with the Chinese buying vehicle components and selling completed vehicles. He won't like politics getting in the way of business, but isn't getting government hands off business a central tenet of Trump's political philosophy?

Who bought Red a book of Dad Jokes?

One should be careful of what one wishes for. I copped a big storm last night which dumped buckets of rain. The rain on the roof was so loud I had to crank up the volume to hear what I was watching on YouTube. It rained through the night and there was even a heavy fall about 4:00 am which woke me. The yard looked like a paddy field. The only damage seems to be to the pressure pump from the bore. I had no water from it this morning. Luckily I do have rainwater storage. With the dust washed off the grass, things look good and I expect it to be jumping out of the ground in a day or two.

It's been blowing hard here today with the wind blowing at 20 kts gusting to 30-odd from the NNE. I'm east of the front so it's pretty obvious why it's so blowy. The forecast was for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, and if not, just rain. That strong wind from the NNE looks like it's going to push any rain from the front down to the southeast, and I'll miss out again.

Little successes give you pleasure. When I put down the vinyl floor covering in the boot room, the back door began to catch in one spot as it swung. The other day I took the door off and sanded about 2 mm off the bottom of the door. I also took the hinges off and removed the paint that was on them, and fixed them so that the pins moved in and out freely, making the hinges move freely. Then I put it back using larger gauge screws. To my surprise the door swung freely and the lock engaged perfectly where before it needed a bit if a shove. Win!

I didn't say it. It was in Nev's letter to Santa.

Seems that the users of these vehicles are more aware of the safety aspects of operating a vehicle than the people who design the operating systems. Using touch screens to scroll through menus is OK when you are travelling at 0 KpH, but as soon as you start moving ... I even find looking down at my speedo when setting cruise control can let me allow the car to move within its lane if I'm not on a straight.

Dear Santa, I have been a good boy this year. I have tried to help my fellow forumites by posting sensible, useful material based on my training and experience. I am hoping that you could drop into my stocking some sort of device that will help me to identify subtle and/or ironic jokes in the post some of the drongos here like to post. Always a believer in you, Nev.

Jobs for the boys. No security checks, just campaign contribution cheques.