octave

I think this is extremely important. My concern about AI is, who will reap the benefits? If the increased profits from reducing the workforce only end up in the CEO's pocket, then it will be disastrous. This is being considered with regard to robot technology, with the idea of taxing industrial robots as if they were a paid worker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_tax. We need to ask questions about how many hours a week we should be working. Throughout history, working hours have decreased, and for most, the standard of living has increased The thing is that the companies using AI need to have customers. If half the population is unemployed, then what will who will Amazon sell to? I think there are legitimate things to worry about; however, there are also significant gains.

I tend towards optimism. The future could be challenging for many; however, throughout history, innovation has killed off some jobs but created others. If I were still in high school, I would be choosing a career that was not so vulnerable to AI. 🇦🇺 Australia: AI “At-Risk vs High-Growth” Occupations (based on JSA & PwC 2025 data) Category Occupation AI Exposure (JSA) 2035 Outlook Why It’s at Risk / Resilient Recommended Upskilling Path ⚠️ At-Risk General Clerk / Office Clerk Very High Declining Highly routine — data entry, scheduling, record-keeping. Learn digital workflow tools, AI supervision, or shift into office management. Receptionist High Flat / Declining Routine information-handling now automated by chatbots & kiosks. Customer-experience, CRM systems, or service management. Bookkeeper / Accounting Clerk High Declining Transactional bookkeeping automatable via AI & accounting software. Cloud finance systems, financial analysis, data analytics. Call-centre Operator High Declining Voice AI and chatbots handling Tier 1 support. Escalation support, customer success, technical training. Data Entry Operator Very High Declining Fully automatable — no interpretation needed. Move into data quality assurance, analytics support, or automation oversight. Retail Cashier / Checkout Operator High Declining Self-checkouts and AI-based payment systems. Retail operations, logistics, customer service. Paralegal / Legal Clerk Medium-High Declining AI can draft, summarise, and search legal documents. Legal technology, compliance, AI-assisted legal tools. Telemarketer / Sales Rep (Outbound) High Declining Generative AI automates email and phone outreach. Digital marketing, account management, CRM analytics. Junior Programmer / Coder Medium-High Flat AI code assistants reduce entry-level demand. Software architecture, cybersecurity, prompt engineering. Warehouse Clerk / Inventory Officer Medium-High Flat Automated scanning & robotics streamline logistics. Supply chain analytics, automation maintenance, safety systems. Category Occupation AI Exposure (JSA) 2035 Outlook Why It’s at Risk / Resilient Recommended Upskilling Path 🌱 High-Growth / Resilient Registered Nurse / Midwife Low Strong Growth Requires empathy, clinical judgement, and physical presence. Clinical tech, patient data literacy, telehealth. Aged Care Worker / Personal Carer Low Strong Growth Human contact & manual support — low automation potential. Digital recordkeeping, health safety, coordination. Teacher / Education Professional Low-Medium Growth AI assists, but human guidance remains essential. EdTech tools, AI tutoring systems, curriculum design. Construction Labourer / Tradesperson Low Strong Growth Manual, outdoor, and safety-critical tasks. Robotics operation, site automation safety, project management. Cleaner / Laundry Worker Low Growth Physical/manual, not cost-effective to automate widely. Facility management, equipment maintenance. Chef / Cook Low Growth Creative, sensory, and hands-on role. Food innovation, sustainability, automation oversight. Engineer (Civil / Electrical / Mechanical) Medium Strong Growth Design work augmented, not replaced, by AI. Simulation software, AI-aided design, systems integration. Data Analyst / Scientist Medium Strong Growth AI increases productivity but expands demand for interpretation. Machine learning, ethics, visualisation. Cybersecurity Specialist Low-Medium Strong Growth Growing AI risk landscape drives demand. AI-driven threat detection, security automation. Hospitality Worker (Waitstaff / Concierge) Low Strong Growth Customer-facing, interpersonal, and dynamic. Hospitality management, digital booking systems, service design.

EV ranges have increased as well as the charging speed and availability. Toyota has developed an SSB (solid state battery) with a range of 1000km and an extremely short charging time. These batteries already exist and should be on the market soon. What is still to be done is to perfect mass manufacture at a reasonable price. They say the first wave will only be in premium cars, but like with previous innovations, it will work its way down to cheaper cars. 1000k and a 10-minute recharge time will surely bury range anxiety. Apart from that, a lot of range anxiety is based on old thinking,"How far can I go between refuels?" instead of How easily can I top it up?" Unless you can not charge at home, "refuelling" an EV is much more convenient than refuelling with petrol.

I think there are crops suited to the shade of solar panels. Can crops grow better under solar panels? Here’s all you need to know about ‘agrivoltaic farming’ How shading crops with solar panels can improve farming, lower food costs and reduce emissions

We are. Most of the solar in the system is rooftop 1.3Gw (11.3 per cent of TOTAL energy generation as opposed to only 319Mw of large scale solar. I have posted this before but in the city I grew up in, the local shopping centre is full of solar on the roof and in the car park and this IS quite common at many shopping centres now. When it comes to rural solar farms, the detractors would like to have you believe that farmers are being tossed off their land or that they are being forced to host solar farms. Farmers will farm whatever they find is profitable. Let's face it, farming is a tough business. If a farmer finds cattle profitable, then that is what they are likely to farm. If a farmer needs or wants to farm energy, then that is their prerogative. Many smart farmers are realising that they can earn a better living by multiple use of their land (agrovoltaics)

I think the life span of EV batteries is proving to be better than expected. This is not just anecdotal And research from fleet management technology Geotab suggests EV batteries on the market today could last 20 years or more. That report found that newer EVs degrade by about 1.8 per cent per year, a significant drop from the 2.3 per cent degradation rate seen in 2019. Meanwhile, a study published in Nature Energy in January this year found that in the UK, EVs were achieving comparable lifespans to ICE vehicles, even under more intensive use. EV batteries may last 40 pct longer than previously thought, new study shows We have debated this before. There are pros but considerable cons to battery swap. The short times quoted at existing battery swap stations sound good, but you have to consider the relatively small number of vehicles using them. Consider these charging centres. Insights About FAQ For business The Largest EV Charging Hubs In the World I would seem a little problematic to replace these purely with battery swap without creating queues and logistical problems. On a trip with my son in NZ in his Tesla, we made 3 charging stops. All of these stops were to just top up whilst having coffee It's a piss stop. The first one was about 40 minutes in the car park of a supermarket, where we picked up some supplies and had a coffee. The other stops were no more than 10 minutes. With the battery swap system, I guess you would have to decide on the optimal swapping point. There would be no point in swapping a battery that still had substantial range. Also, on the particular trip, it would be hard to imagine battery swap facilities in the backblocks of NZ, but plenty of charging centres. Another issue is that my son's Tesla is charged solely from his solar system (except on long trips) Why on earth would he want to go to a battery swap service and pay instead of using his own clean power? In the end, the market will decide. Given that battery swap vehicles can also be charged by conventional means, people will do what is cheapest and most convenient.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/traffic-light-tree

Even if you have a great tenant, it is a little unrealistic not to increase the rent. Every year, council rates increase, as well as insurance costs. A landlord also has to have enough money put aside for future repairs. Modest rent increases in line with increased costs and inflation are reasonable and necessary.

Is the end nigh? Possibly, the video would suggest that the end of the cycle may be nigh, but like the metaphorical seasons after winter comes spring so hang in there. I did do a bit of reading about Kondratiev. The consensus seems to be that his "cycle" is more useful as a metaphor rather than a predictor of timing. An article I read suggests that there is a measure of fitting the timing of events into the theory. I could be wrong but I am thinking that the video did not mention the 1987 stock market crash. The last part of the video is a little more optimistic in that it suggests how you can survive and thrive during a crash. The theory itself does suggest an inevitability to these cycles. The best an individual can do is be prepared.

According to the Opal site, this happens after 5 years of non-use. In any case, registering your card would prevent this. My Myki card is on my phone and connected to an account. When the balance falls below $10, it is automatically topped up. I don't even have to think about it

I am railing: Sir Rod Stewart reveals his epic model railway city

Big batteries are becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s power mix, and on Saturday morning smashed all previous records by providing more than one third of South Australia’s power demand in some trading intervals in the early morning peak.

"give way" = don't get in the way of any car already on the roundabout, or don't impede it. Yes, give way to any vehicle on the roundabout. Giving way does not necessarily stop. Cars already on the roundabout have right of way, meaning they take precedence over you. It is your responsibility not to impede them. If you can enter the roundabout without colliding or impeding them, you can do so. If this were not the case, then a roundabout could only ever have one car on it at once, which is clearly nonsense. Just imagine some of those enormous roundabouts in Canberra.

How long into the red should you be allowed? If it turns red, then it has already been through amber and bear in mind that if your light turns red, the other lights turn green. I am sure at some time I have made a poor choice and entered an intersection late and ended up in the red. I think you just have to cop it. Do the crime, do the time (or money in this case)

You probably won't want to hear how much my bills are (at this time of the year, my bill is negative). Should you consider solar?

Yes, but I would add to that, slow and or stop if necessary to avoid a collision. This means that often you will not need to stop at all.

My Smart Meter tells me my yearly, monthly, daily or even hourly data in kWh or dollars and cents, as well as solar exports. My solar app shows me down to the 15 minutes. I could go and read the numbers off the meter, but this gives me less information and is a bit of an effort.

Spacey, what is your definition of "give way"?

Yes

Apparently according to Google there are 49 hook turn intersections in Melbourne. Who knew? I didn't

They do feed power back to the grid. Whilst each grid-scale battery cannot supply the grid for days, they can help with peak periods, reducing the need for peaker plants. They also reduce curtailment of renewable sources that would otherwise be lost. Another service they provide is arbitrage, whereby they store power when it is cheap and sell it into the grid during periods of high demand/price. I am not saying that we just need to build more batteries and job done. Grid batteries are part of the solution. Home batteries are also a contributor, as they become more and more common.

Correct. There are times when solar output is curtailed or clipped due to too much power in the grid. It seems to me that rather than wasting this power, it might as well be utilised. It is similar to the cheaper off-peak tariff overnight. I think the motivation is to address the idea that those who can afford solar get really small bills, and those who can't or who live in rental accommodation are shut out. I think some retailers may already do this.

Australians to get at least three hours a day of free solar power - even if they don’t have solar panels Australian households in three states will be promised access to at least three hours a day of free solar power, regardless of whether they have rooftop panels, the federal government has announced. The “solar sharer” offer will be available to homes with smart meters – which is the majority of homes – in New South Wales, south-east Queensland and South Australia from July next year, with other areas to potentially follow in 2027.

Giveaway does not mean stop unless you need to do so in order to AVOID a collision with a car already on the roundabout. In other words, you do not have to stop if there is NO risk of a collision. Below is the NSW rule. The important words are you must slow down and IF NECESSARY, stop to avoid a collision. The bit about vehicles on your left means that it is your responsibility to slow down or stop, but only to avoid a collision with a car already on the roundabout. In NSW road rules, "give way" means you must slow down and, if necessary, stop to avoid a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian.