abhibeckert
@abhibeckert@beehaw.org
- Comment on Elon Musk’s X is betting that Australia is too weak to protect its elections 11 months ago:
The fact is in the 2022 US election, voter turn out was as low as 40% in some states and never anywhere even remotely in the same vicinity as Australian elections (over 90%).
- Comment on Quick thinking teenage girl saves runaway bus from crashing into New South Wales petrol station 11 months ago:
“The incident has been reported to officers from Richmond Police District who have commenced an investigation.”
If I was the driver’s lawyer, I’d be instructing him to keep his mouth shut for the entirety of that investigation and whatever criminal charges might follow.
At the start of the video the bus is stopped on a downhill, so the handbrake must have been on.
- Comment on ‘Something doesn’t add up’: the small Queensland town united in its fight against speed camera fines 11 months ago:
If it were a major interstate route, it would have a name
It’s effectively part of National Route 1 - the highway route that goes around the coast through every coastal city on mainland Australia.
It’s not officially part of it, but Route 1 has a bridge that was partially closed three years ago — reduced to one way traffic with lights on either end, and load limits that block it from being used by heavy vehicles. It doesn’t seem like the bridge is going to be fixed - they’re likely to move the highway instead. In the mean time (and possibly permanently), Atherton-Malanda Rd is the detour for most of the traffic that used to take National Route 1.
- Comment on ‘Something doesn’t add up’: the small Queensland town united in its fight against speed camera fines 11 months ago:
They just want things to change now, and that’s not happening.
Yeah see that’s exactly what gets everyone worked up. Youth detention centres are so overcrowded it’s almost certainly a breach of human rights to send any kid there. And the crimes the kids are committing are even more unacceptable than that.
This absolutely should be dealt with now. The people in those towns want the state premier (not just a random politician from a minor party) to drop whatever she’s doing and deal with this. Now. Right now. But instead we get speed cameras that don’t even work properly.
- Comment on ‘Something doesn’t add up’: the small Queensland town united in its fight against speed camera fines 11 months ago:
Gods that data is appalling. Is it really likely that that rate speeding is really going on? Especially after the first few days once the locals are familiar with the placement of the camera and won’t be caught unawares.
I bet none of those fines were locals. It’s a major highway and the locals know the speed limit and how heavily it is enforced.
- Comment on ‘Something doesn’t add up’: the small Queensland town united in its fight against speed camera fines 11 months ago:
As someone who grew up in Malanda… not much crime there as far as I know.
But other towns only slightly larger in the same area are out of control. I’m talking nuisance crimes - such as a kid smashing in the windscreen of your car with a baseball bat or spray painting a dock on your shop sign for no reason other than they think it’s funny.
Even with insurance, you’re still out of pocket a few hundred bucks and when it happens again three days later, and then again a week later, and nobody is ever charged…
- Comment on MYOB on Linux, or MYOB alternative that works on Linux? 11 months ago:
Nothing that runs on Linux. I’m not sure any such software exists.
- Comment on MYOB on Linux, or MYOB alternative that works on Linux? 11 months ago:
The critical feature of MYOB (and Xero), that’s largely missing in other options, is integration with the Australian Taxation Office.
You can easily enter all your business activities, then when tax time comes along double check all your data and simply click a button to file it with the government.
Aside from those two, the only options I know of are a lot more expensive and intended for use by full time accountants (employees or external contractors).
- Comment on If housing was considered a human right, would it fix our housing crisis? 11 months ago:
This. Housing is definitely a human right and it is generally provided in Australia.
Where it gets more complex is how much should housing cost and what quality of housing should people get for their money? A four bedroom house on the beachfront walking walking distance of a free state run school, shops, and a high speed rail train station that takes you straight to work, affordable on minimum wage with a four day work week… that’s not a human right.
- Comment on 'Unacceptable': Experts say Optus coverage outage could happen again 1 year ago:
NBN should take over wireless communications.
- Comment on Indefinite immigration detention ruled unlawful in landmark Australian high court decision 1 year ago:
The particular foreigner was hardly polite company… he pleaded guilty of a crime that would commonly result in a life sentence in prison.
- Comment on Melbourne Cup: most Australians have little or no interest in ‘race that stops the nation’, Essential poll finds 1 year ago:
I didn’t even know it was happening until the news stories about interest rates potentially rising on the day of the race.
- Comment on QLD Digital Licence Now Available 1 year ago:
It shows a QR code on the screen, and ‘sir’ scans the code on their own phone without touching yours.
Also - you can customise the amount of data revealed, for example you might just provide proof that you’re over 18 without letting them know all the other details on your license.
- Comment on Australian producers to keep prosecco, feta and parmesan as European Union trade deal doomed 1 year ago:
The brand I linked is sold nationwide - have you tried it? They have incredibly high quality milk, some of the best in the world, and they do a good job at the factory as well.
- Comment on QLD Digital Licence Now Available 1 year ago:
As far as I know, patrol cars (or roadside RBT cars) generally scan the number plate of every car on the road near them and alert the officer if someone’s license is expired/suspended/warrant for their arrest/etc.
Even before those existed, it was common practice to use a radio to ask someone back at the police station to run the number plate of a car they just pulled over. They want to know, before they walk up to your door and ask for your license, wether the owner of the car has a criminal record for example.
So - if they do ask for your drivers license, chances are they already know if it’s valid or not. They just want to see the photo and compare it to your face.
- Comment on Australian producers to keep prosecco, feta and parmesan as European Union trade deal doomed 1 year ago:
Well, except Feta - the Greek stuff is amazing.
You can buy Australian made “Greek style” Feta. Try this one: …com.au/…/organic-fetta-in-brine/
- Comment on This seems to happen more and more recently 1 year ago:
I’ve seen that happen when a free was re-routed to the other side of a hill or a windy section of road was replaced by a straight line cutting through the hills… sometimes the mapping companies don’t update as quick as they should.
Never seen it on an established road that hasn’t changed recently though.
- Comment on This seems to happen more and more recently 1 year ago:
I almost wonder if it’s the triangulation of cell towers (assisted GPS) at this point
No that wouldn’t be it.
The way GPS works, it takes a 12 minutes for the satellites to send enough data to calculate your approximate location. And note I said “send” enough data. Your device might not receive the data, especially since GPS is designed for very large (basketball sized) antennas mounted up high on top of a military ship surrounded by open seawater with no buildings, trees, car roof, etc for the radio signal to bounce off.
If your device already knows it’s approximate location, then the satellites are continuously sending data to calculate your precise location. So… with cell tower triangulation (or even better, wifi triangulation) to calculate an approximate location then Assisted GPS should be able to figure out where you are in a few seconds as long as you’re not surrounded by sky scrapers or in a tunnel.
Even if A-GPS isn’t available, your phone will just assume you are near the location you were last time it calculated your location. As long as you haven’t just hopped off an interstate flight that should work fine too.
- Comment on This seems to happen more and more recently 1 year ago:
Have you ever used it?
- Comment on Repairing vs writing off a car - any thoughts? 1 year ago:
Take the car to a mechanic you can trust and get a qualified opinion from someone who has actually seen your car.
Smash repair places often charge excessive amounts of money and your car might be repairable somewhere else for a fraction of the cost.
- Comment on Repairing vs writing off a car - any thoughts? 1 year ago:
I would much rather buy a second hand car which was a little older than I might like, than have to drive a car which has been in a serious accident.
These days a “write off” often means purely cosmetic damage. It can cost several thousand dollars just to bend a single panel back into the original shape and re-paint the panel so that it matches the sun faded colour of the other panels near it.
If you’re less picky (for example, just buy the exact same panel in almost exactly the same colour from the wreckers) you might be able to fix it yourself for a hundred dollars plus 45 minutes with a spanner and screwdriver.
- Comment on NSW Police considering using ‘extraordinary’ powers at Sydney pro-Palestinian rally this weekend 1 year ago:
Do you often refer to people you oppose politically as ‘these people’
I don’t oppose them politically, I oppose them because they are vile and antisemitic. And it has nothing to do with race. There are plenty of people of my own race (german, by the way) who are even worse.
- Comment on Queensland media blaming 'crime waves' on youth since mid-1900s, history suggests 1 year ago:
It’s cairns, stats are offical QLD police force numbers form their website.
- Comment on Queensland media blaming 'crime waves' on youth since mid-1900s, history suggests 1 year ago:
So, in my regional QLD state, the inner city (keep in mind, it’s a small city) has between 50 and 100 serious crimes committed per day.
A decade ago, about a third of the crimes were committed by juveniles. It’s now well over half of them.
- Comment on NSW Police considering using ‘extraordinary’ powers at Sydney pro-Palestinian rally this weekend 1 year ago:
Despite a very successful and peaceful rally, the media has reported on a tiny fringe (we estimate less than 20 people) of vile antisemitic attendees who showed up to the opera house for an event unrelated to the demonstration we organised.
Sorry, but the fact there were “vile antisemitic attendees” means it was not a “successful and peaceful” rally.
It’s not enough to tell those people they are not welcome at the rally. They have to be kept out of the rally… the organisers don’t need to do that, but they do need to help police make it happen.
- Comment on NSW Police considering using ‘extraordinary’ powers at Sydney pro-Palestinian rally this weekend 1 year ago:
The reason outlined is pretty clear - the organisers of this rally are refusing to work with police to make sure the protest is run peacefully. That’s a massive red flag and suggests they want the protest to get out of hand.
- Comment on Should Australian cities adopt car-free days? - ABC listen 1 year ago:
I took the alternate route and put myself in the middle of the city. Can’t fuck with me as much when there are fewer metres involved.
Which city though?
For example, in some European cities I’ve visited (and struggled with a wheelchair) the “ground” floor is commonly about waist high off the ground and properties might be too small (e.g. the width of a single bedroom) with no front yard at all so they just can’t have a ramp up to the ground floor at all. And you can’t add an elevator either because it’s a heritage listed area of the city and you can’t modify the 200 year old brick building.
It’s, obviously, easy enough to find a home for yourself in those cities that does work… but all your friends and family won’t live in a wheelchair compatible home and 90% of the businesses won’t be wheelchair compatible either. Shopping, in those cities, means the person in a wheelchair waits out on the footpath while someone else goes into the business to buy stuff for them.
- Comment on Should Australian cities adopt car-free days? - ABC listen 1 year ago:
This, 100% this.
I’m not disabled, but I was a full time carer for my mother who was disabled for years before she passed away from complications. Cities with pedestrian only areas were, in practice, a nightmare whenever we visited them… which we rarely did because life was so hard there.
And it’s especially bad when it’s a temporary setup, just on the weekend/etc. If you want to have a pedestrian only area then make it pedestrian only 24/7/365. That way whatever issues there are (stairs/etc) will actually be removed instead of just “oh I’ll do that when the market isn’t open”.
- Comment on Does anyone recommend evaporative cooler here ? I know aircon is much better but I wanted something that makes air a bit humid to help with my severe dry eyes. 1 year ago:
I live in a humid climate now, so they wouldn’t work.
But when I was growing up I lived in the desert - hot summer days could reach 60C/140F and we used primitive evaporative cooling to stay comfortable. Wet towel your your head, fine mist sprays, etc. It was extremely effective. We also had reflective insulation on our house, so the indoor temperature wasn’t even remotely as close to the outdoor temperature… but it certainly would have been uncomfortable without evaporative cooling.
- Comment on There's a big misconception about mobile phones and driving, and it's putting us at risk 1 year ago:
I dunno where you live, but about twice a day now I pass under a camera (which moves every day) that detects seat belts and issues outrageously high fines.
The numbers probably aren’t in yet for how effective that is, but something is definitely being done about seatbelts.