Tau

joined 2 years ago
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[–] Tau@aussie.zone 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Cut a length of timber the width of the window frame (or slightly wider if necessary), run a router around the ends and top to make it look pretty, then sit it on top of the window frame and mount it to the studs. That'll give you a nice solid point to attach the curtains to.

Edit: Going the whole hog with this idea and extending a box out from this mount to make a pelmet for the curtains is also an option, and one that will reduce energy loss too if you make it suitably resistant to air flow.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago

Discord implemented age verification due to us and the UK moving towards such laws, a third party involved in this was breached and ~70k users had information leaked (though presumably not all of these included IDs). Approx 68k of these users turned out to be Australian.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It's pretty depressing to see how many people in favour of this are prepared to make everyone suffer invasive demands for personal information in order to use a good portion of the internet. These laws haven't even come into force yet and they've already caused harm in the form of tens of thousands of leaked IDs, to say nothing of the problems with further reducing anonymity of discussion in an increasingly authoritarian world.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

The continuous output is where average people actually want more power though, one of the main points of ebikes is to reduce effort from climbing hills. Most people are not going to be at your level of fitness or investment in cycling (in both the physical and mental sense) and just want to get places without needing a shower afterwards. I can see why you want to keep a purer form of something you have an interest in (similarly I think there is limited need for automatic transmissions outside of disability) but there is a case for more power if you want more people to be riding over driving.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 1 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

The 250w limit in EN15194 is overly low, NSW finally changed their laws to a more sensible 500w a few years back so this change will make it so you can't import a whole variety of bikes you can legally ride. Even 750w isn't a problem IMO, having ridden one (with throttle and all) I'd class it as definitely still on the bicycle end of things rather than an actual motorbike.

Looking on the bright side though import restrictions will hopefully induce more manufacturers to do ADR compliance for those of us who do actually want the motorbike end of 'ebikes', even for dirt bikes the ability to rego them makes them much more useful for non-track riding.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 3 points 1 month ago (3 children)

First thing that comes to mind is to replace it with a button head machine screw. A bit of work with a drill and tap will get you threads at the pivot point (if the original stub was not threaded, it might be) and then you can use a screw into those threads to act as a pivot. A good serve of loctite to hold the screw in place and ideally a nylon washer between moving parts (if clearance allows) and it should hold up well.

Another option which would be a bit more work to do well would be to remove both sections of the mechanism, clear a hole through the pivot point, insert a short length of steel rod, and peen over both ends. The hard part would be spreading the ends well while also maintaining easy movement - judicious use of the hammer would be required.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 9 points 1 month ago

I guess someone's been having a go at magnet fishing...

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yet again I have to mention how dumb it is that we have much safer cars than when our standard speed limits are set but all we ever get is decreases to these limits.

"People think 'I can do 110 legally so therefore it's OK to do it,'" he said.

So close to the problem but no we can't focus on teaching people to drive to conditions because lower speed limits solve everything. Never mind that even 70km/h is going to be too fast in some conditions but 100km/h+ is fine in others - even on the same road.

 

WA Labor senator Glenn Sterle has criticised a proposal to reduce speed limits on unsigned roads.

It suggested default speed limits could be reduced to 70, 80 or 90km/h.

More than 11,000 submissions were received during public consultation on the proposal.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It sounds a logical start point, the central coast and Newcastle have a large population base to work with and it's not that far apart. The sheer amount of tunnel for that route compared to what one would expect with a corridor through more open country is a downside but you might as well start somewhere rather than talk about it for a few more decades.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

They're most of the way there but fall a bit short of a real Tim Tam. I find the chocolate has a slight sourness to it compared to the original (as if they let an American pick the recipe) - not enough to stop me eating them but enough to reduce the normal Tim Tam desire to rip through a whole packet.

The Choceur chocolate blocks however tend to be a quite acceptable replacement for Cadbury and even Whittaker so not all hope is lost for more affordable chocolates.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've somehow managed to never read or watch any of the versions of that, I know the general gist of the story due to cultural osmosis but not the details. Might have to get around to reading the book at least.

[–] Tau@aussie.zone 1 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and The Mysterious Island (this one is barely sci fi) both include messages in bottles but not at both start and end of the story, so at this point I think I'm out of ideas.

 

Archive link: https://archive.md/2025.10.26-023636/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/glamping-proposal-for-national-parks-slammed-as-privatising-public-assets-20251025-p5n57y.html

Commercial operators could reserve sections of public campgrounds in national parks to offer services such as glamping under a proposal being explored by the NSW government which has been slammed as “privatising public assets”.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has called for expressions of interest from businesses to provide “supported camping” in 16 national parks and reserves across NSW.

Selected commercial providers would be given early access to book out parts of campgrounds up to 365 days in advance, more than double the 180 days allowed for families.

Greens environment spokeswoman Sue Higginson said the proposal was “regrettable” and inequitable, expressing concerns that the scheme was a “beachhead” for the further privatisation of public campgrounds.

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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by Tau@aussie.zone to c/australia@aussie.zone
 

I don't like it, it's another exercise in taking a functional website and 'modernising' it by making it look like a mobile app (i.e. the make it look attractive to kindergarten kids school of design).

For my own use cases it's made it more annoying to get to the 7 day Canberra forecast, made the local radar harder to see, and I'm not noticing a link to the written ACT region forecast which I will want to look at in winter.

 

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/24761204

Drivers with an iPhone 14 or newer — including the latest iPhone 17 models — will be able to connect to NRMA Roadside Assistance via satellite, even when they’re beyond mobile coverage.

According to another article this will also work with various other roadside assistance providers:

Roadside Assistance via Satellite can be used in Australia to get help from NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAA, RAC, RACT, and AANT.

 

Drivers with an iPhone 14 or newer — including the latest iPhone 17 models — will be able to connect to NRMA Roadside Assistance via satellite, even when they’re beyond mobile coverage.

According to another article this will also work with various other roadside assistance providers:

Roadside Assistance via Satellite can be used in Australia to get help from NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAA, RAC, RACT, and AANT.

 

The New South Wales Government has introduced legislation to remove temporary speed limits in road work zones when outside of construction times.

Rather than forcing drivers to always slow down through road works – regardless of whether workers are on site or not – the new proposal will allow speeds to be raised when construction isn’t taking place.

However, in some cases, reduced speed limits will remain to ensure driver safety.

The NSW Government says it expects the change to be implemented next year following consultation with stakeholders this year.

 

The Queensland government says it's open to reviving a road rule which would allow Brisbane drivers to turn left at red lights.

It was previously trialled under the former Labor government, which axed it in 2021 amid safety concerns.

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg says the government is seeking advice from the department on how the trial could be rolled out and what needs to be considered.

 

We rank amongst the world's richest nations when it comes to personal wealth but, in terms of our economy and particularly its complexity, we sit amongst the world's poorest.

It's a situation that is progressively getting worse.

At just 5.1 per cent of GDP, we have the lowest level of manufacturing of all 37 nations in the OECD.

 

The reforms will deliver:

  • a one-off 20% reduction in HELP and student loan balances, effective from 1 June 2025. Someone with the average Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt of $27,600 will see around $5,520 wiped from their outstanding student loan.

  • Lower repayment amounts, under a new marginal repayment system making it easier to manage living expenses.

  • Higher income thresholds, increasing how much people can earn before repayments are required, allowing graduates to keep more of their earnings. The new repayment threshold will change from $54,435 to $67,000.

 

Across the board, Australians are reading less than ever before, with young men reading the least and older women reading the most.

The trend is reinforced from a young age, with parents more likely to read to their daughters than sons.

Australia Reads, a book industry initiative, is calling for a national strategy that reminds people of the fun and comfort that reading can bring.

 

From my study of the tracks I can conclude the kangaroo in question was feeling chilly...

 

Canberra can be seen in the distance, you might be able to spot Black Mountain Tower just below the horizon on the left hand side.

For an idea of scale look for the guy sitting on the top of the rocks on the right hand side...

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