Longmactoppedup

@Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Road safety data shows pedestrian deaths have increased by almost 50 per cent since 2021⁩ ⁨⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m sure someone will be along to argue that correlation is not causation on this, but I’ll be surprised if it’s not mostly due to the average vehicle’s front height now being above the average persons chest.

  The other day on my bike ride in to the Perth CBD I encountered 3 separate pairs of motorcycle police with radar guns on the PSP (PSP= principal shared path, a completely separated bike / pedestrian path with no car traffic for those abroad). Presumably they were on the lookout for people on e-scooters exceeding 25km/h, which if caught get fine and their scooter confiscated permanently with no recourse.

  Meanwhile in the middle of the CBD where there are lots of pedestrians we have vehicles running red lights, failing to give way to pedestrians when turning at intersections, ballbags in a jacked up 4WDs complete with 5 post bullbars and all of the emissions controls removed running around with complete impunity.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Kate Chaney: By increasing the GST to 15%, we could make the tax system fairer for younger Australians⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Oh fuck off Kate.

  Any time the “blue ribbon” teals talk about what is good for the economy we must remember that to them “the economy” = rich arseholes yachts. Their constituents are wealthy and economically conservative, and in no way want things to become fair.

  So raising the GST will be worse for everyone who works for a living and have negligible effect on those who have accumulated wealth.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨I wish there was an uninhabited, autonomous zone for folks who want "freedom" to play out their dangerous ideas away from the rest of society⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  MDMA legalised there?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨I wish there was an uninhabited, autonomous zone for folks who want "freedom" to play out their dangerous ideas away from the rest of society⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I imagine it becoming a haven for profitable vices like drugs, gambling and prostitutes to make money off tourists.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australian Labor government threatens Signal encrypted messaging system⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  When it comes to digital rights we have slowly been heading towards fascist dystopia.

  I first stated paying attention when Rudd / Conroy tried to filter the internet. Although IIRC mobile phone Know Your Customer came in post sept 2001.

  Since then it’s just been a frog in a pot. Meta data retention, assistance and access, identify and disrupt now the hand your ID to every fucking site/app bullshit posing as a kids social media ban.

  It’s always been about the ability to silence dissent.

  Fuck our politicians. Enjoying saying that while I can. Probably won’t be long before saying that will get your internet cut off.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Uptick in inflammatory posts⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Yes have noticed more rage bait. Also more and more culture wars in comments. Still not anywhere near as bad as reddit.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Has high immigration fallen out of favour in Australia?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Headline question, answer no…

  But seriously look at the election results. Fair to say the vast majority are either in favour of mass immigration, or their views on it are not strong enough to make them vote against it.

  Mass immigration has had bipartisan support since Howard used it to ass fuck the unions and housing for anyone under 40.

  I think a lot of it comes down to housing. 2/3 own real estate and know that the flood of people equals demand equals increasing prices.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Wood heater pollution is a silent killer. Here's where the smoke is worst⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  They should be completely banned nationwide unless you live on at least a 4 hectare property.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Women Dating Safety App 'Tea' Breached, Users' IDs Posted to 4chan⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  What if they fucked right off and left parenting what kids do on their devices to their parents?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Women Dating Safety App 'Tea' Breached, Users' IDs Posted to 4chan⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Maybe I’m just getting old, but the idea of “verifying” my real identity to a faceless website or mobile app is abhorrent.

  I guess it doesn’t help that governments in some countries (UK, Australia that I know of) are encouraging this bullshit with Trojan horse laws claiming to protect children from adult websites / social media.

  Can’t help but think there is also an element of pot meet kettle here, when users of an app designed to dox and slander people without their knowledge are now the ones getting doxxed themselves.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The secret deal behind the teenage social media ban⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Why the fuck is the media still calling this a kids social media ban instead of what it really is? A fucking Trojan horse for govt and big tech to further erode digital rights and harvest more personal data.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australians, especially men, are reading less than ever before⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I read a lot of fiction books in my own time when I was in primary school for the enjoyment of it.

  When I got to highschool I hated English so much. Analyse what the author’s theme was in this bla bla fuck off! Sucked the joy out of reading. Didn’t give me any useful skills for the career path I was heading in to either.

  There needs to be an academic English subject for people who just need it to get in to STEM courses.

  Took some years after high school to get back in to it, but I do occasionally read fiction when I have time these days.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Fear of 'being cringe' blamed for lack of dancing on nightclub dance floors⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I’ve read they are drinking less and taking less recreational drugs and having less sex than previous generations.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Fear of 'being cringe' blamed for lack of dancing on nightclub dance floors⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m so glad that capturing everything with photos / videos and uploading to socials wasn’t a thing in the early 2000s when I was going to clubs and electronic music festivals.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australians losing billions in savings due to poor management of appliance efficiency scheme, audit finds⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Pears said the energy rating stickers “have a lot of credibility with people” and is “relied upon” by consumers.

  Really?

  I’ve never really bothered much with appliance ratings.

  Any time I see star ratings on anything that the govt has been involved with I automatically assume it’s a load of bullshit that was guided by industry with their wants put well ahead of consumer needs. At best star ratings just dumb down actual metrics.

  See: The absolute joke that is food rating stars.

  Home energy star ratings. Why not just state use the passivhouse standard? Or just state energy used and air tightness in changes per hour etc.

  Vehicle star ratings where fucking human crusher 4wds still somehow gets 5 stars for vulnerable road user protection because it has some sensors in it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Albanese opens search for ideas to shape second-term agenda⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Pipe dream:

  Tax income generated from accumulated wealth the same as income generated from actual work. I.e. a rate somewhere in between the two. No more CGT discounts.

  End negative gearing for existing structures.

  No more tax breaks for commercial vehicles

  Curtail corporations from off shoring profits to tax havens.

  Tax on exported gas

  UBI

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Good to see us considering something that’s in favour of digital rights for once.

  Also as an android (Graphene) user it is good to get this precedent in place because Google is steadily turning android in to an awful walled garden too.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨My petty gripe: Australians just don’t know how to act right on public transport⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  If those are the biggest behavioural issues the author is worried about then I would question if she has ever even caught public transport.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia’s bowel cancer rates are world’s highest for under-50s. Scientists wonder if the gut microbiome is to blame⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Mass consumption of “low fat” (high sugar) processed food like products?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australians are obsessed with SUVs and huge utes, but experts say they are making our roads deadlier⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  As a fan of wagons, yes it sucks that there are so few left to buy.

  The European manufactures still sell wagons here. But $$$

  There is also still the WRX wagon.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australians are obsessed with SUVs and huge utes, but experts say they are making our roads deadlier⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Vehicles with a front height that’s above the average adults waist height should be given automatic zero stars for vulnerable road user protection rating.

  Anything with a zero rating should be restricted from being driven while on probation. They should also attract a special extra registration fee.

  The fact that at the moment some high fronted child crushers can get 5 stars is a damming indictment of ANCAP.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Voters, ‘left media’ to blame for Coalition wipeout: Rinehart⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The sky propaganda said this after the last election, the libs put Dutton as leader and did just that. Historic loss for them.

  Again they are saying it now. I look forward to the libs following the advice more and getting reduced to a minor party.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Here's where things went right for Labor, and very wrong for the Coalition⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I used to think that a majority labor govt should have fixing media concentration as a top priority.

  I think they should still do it, but it’s becoming less of an top priority issue these days.

  Murdoch and Packer/Gina propaganda failed this time and last.

  I think that the billionaires have learnt it’s easy to negotiate in the background with labor to get their reforms through as far as cutting red and green tape goes.

  Bolt is just salty because he built his whole fake media persona on culture war outrage. The worst thing that could happen to him is happening, that is him and the rest of the sky talking heads are losing audience share and fading in to irrelevance.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨IT'S ON: Albanese to call May 3 federal election tomorrow morning⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  We have:

  • Preferential voting.

  • Proportional representation (at least in the lower house)

  • Independent organisation that sets seat boundaries.

  • compulsory voting

  • no electoral college system

  Our system is completely different to the USA. Granted our media landscape is still just as fucked as theirs.

  First preferences also result in funding going to that party provided it meets a minimum threshold. Putting others ahead of the major parties sends them a message to do better. It has also resulted in a number of seats being held by independents.

  Unless you actually live in the seat the party leader is in, you are not voting for that party leader / giant douche / turd sandwich.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨IT'S ON: Albanese to call May 3 federal election tomorrow morning⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  As much as I love the south park analogy it simply doesn’t apply to our system at all.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Can be fairly sure they are in the USA.

  To grossly simplify a very expansive topic of concrete vs asphalt, vs bitumen…

  Concrete = more upfront cost, slower to built. It is more durable. Costs more to repair. Less traction. More noisy to drive on due to joints.

  Bitumen = cheapest up front to build. Less durable, but can still get a fairly good life out of it if designed to meet expected loads. Can be repaired more cheaply.

  Asphalt. Middle ground between the two. (It’s effectively bitumen with cement binder added) Most of our freeways, major arterial roads here are asphalt.

  Things that effect the choice: Different CAPEX vs OPEX strategies, especially with politics for public roads.

  Local availability of materials.

  Local environmental conditions i.e. freeze / thaw cycles we don’t have to deal with in most of Australia. High temperatures we do get, which does effect bitumen.

  Fair to say that costs in one country for different labour and materials look a bit different too.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Guessing you are not from Australia and have never been here. Thick concrete and rebar are not typically how we construct our roads. The vast majority use flexible pavement.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨LA is on fire. How will Australia cope when bushfires hit Sydney, Melbourne or another major city?⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  We use the outer suburbs as a fire break. No trees left to burn there. Just roof and road.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What time can you mow the lawn on a Sunday? Here's a state-by-state breakdown of weekend noise restrictions⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  What if my lawn mower is battery electric?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Do you reckon a choice subscription is worth it before making more expensive purchases?⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  A friend shared their account with me. Whilst their reviews focus on how a product is when new, it does not really do long term reviews of how they hold up over time. Which for bigger purchases is also just as important.