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Minge repellant. It's either a send up, or someone did it on purpose. And when did "repellant" become "repellent". More Americanisms sneaking into the Queens English??

Yes I did see that this morning. Thankfully I am no longer a developer, but also coming up to retirement, anyway. I had a catch up with a friend of mine who is a developer and he is very concerned. They are required to use Claude (https://claude.com/), whichis a specialist software development platform. If they don't ring upa big enough biill in Claude, they are considered underproductive and not adept to change, and the door will be shown to them. Hi is absoltely gobsmacked at how far the paid for version has come. He can literally do in minutes what was done in days. And itis all highquality code and consider the edge cases without being prompted. We concluded that there will be far, far fewer, but higher quality developers managing the delivery by prompt. I have said for a while now that AI has hit critical mass and jobs are going to go.. Software development is a clear one. As are solicitors and even barristers (not baristas, though), accountants, even financial engineers (quants) are going to find it hard going. Project management, etc.. It is all Not to mention interviews are becoming more grulling as the questions are created by AI. Development interviws give you an AI set and a timelimit and you have to build a fully functioning app in the technology stack using the AI tools within an hour. I have said it before and will say it again.. Unlike other labour disruption technologies in whhich people could redeploy, AI will replace without the redeploy option for most.

Scottish Company Stuck With 10,000 Bottles of “Minge Repellent” After Catastrophic Typo A small Scottish outdoor products company has found itself in a rather awkward situation this week after a printing error left them with 10,000 bottles of insect spray labelled “Minge Repellent” instead of “Midge Repellent.” The product, intended to protect walkers, campers, and anyone foolish enough to stand still in the Highlands for more than three seconds from midge attacks, was due to launch this spring as “the most powerful midge repellent in Scotland.” Unfortunately, somewhere between the design team and the printing press, was one unfortunate letter mistakenly inserted. The result? Shelves full of bottles claiming to repel something entirely different. Company founder Dougie MacRae addressed the situation at a press conference yesterday, “Look, we want to make this absolutely clear. These bottles do not repel minges. They repel midges, which are sometimes far worse in most parts of Scotland. Believe me using the spray will not have any impact on your ability to get your leg over." MacRae explained that correcting the mistake would cost thousands in reprinting and relabelling, which for a new company could be catastrophic, so the company is now appealing directly to the Scottish public. “Please understand,” he continued, holding up a bottle while visibly trying not to laugh, “this is still one of the best midge repellents on the market today. The spelling mistake does not affect the formula in any way.” Early reactions online suggest the error may actually boost sales. Several outdoor shops have already reported customers pre ordering multiple bottles “for the laugh,” while one Highland camping store reportedly sold out of future orders within an hour after posting the label on social media.

Mal wasn't a full silver spoon boy but a sheep farmer, successful yes but no full landed gentry. Taylor is the full silver cutlery draw. The best dressed idiot the LNP ever had.

And what makes it worse, is those on the far right with dreams of authoritarian rule in Australia and other countries are encouraged by what they see in the US.

Bet he didn't learn that at home.

Quite so. But mainly so because our PM and party are playing nice in the sand pit. But just look at the Trump fiasco and you can see how a ruthless mob can tilt the playing field with disasterous consequences. We rely on the politicians obeying the checks and balances built into the system. So far that's worked. The yanks had checks and balances, but they stopped playing by the rules and it ceased being 'by the people, of the people or for the people'.

News that Jerry won't want to hear. A number of software developers, here and overseas, are laying off thousands of staff and relying on artificial intelligence to lower costs and prevent going out of business. ‘Devastating blow’: Atlassian lays off 1,600 workers ahead of AI push Source: The Guardian. Many other reports. Layoffs to affect 10% of workforce amid Australian company’s restructuring plan to push into artificial intelligence and enterprise sales. Software giant Atlassian has announced it is laying off about 10% of its workforce, or roughly 1,600 positions, and replacing its chief technology officer as it restructures to invest further in artificial intelligence. More than 900 affected positions were involved in software research and development, a spokesperson said. Most of Atlassian’s employees work in software engineering and design, accounting for over 50% of its 13,813 full-time workforce in June 2025. About 640 affected employees are in North America, 480 in Australia and 250 in India, with the remainder spread across Japan, the Philippines, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to the spokesperson. And that's just one Aussie company. Total job losses could exceed 20,000.

Are you saying that someone who is not third-generation is not truly Australian? I can't quite discern your meaning.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/wwiii-fears-ignited-as-president-zelensky-issues-chilling-warning-over-iran/ss-AA1YpLxz?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=69b288f97a9e47198ab09c9d91ae72f0&ei=48#image=8

It should be obvious. Integrate into the Aussie culture and Aussie values ... and be at least 3rd generation.

That he is no doubt about it. You'd never believe the so called most powerful man in the world could end up being a brain farting fool like Rump.

Nah wasn't saying the prices are the PM , just that he said we've got plenty for mths ahead. Ofc gov could do something about any of the gouging goes on here though. Rump won his election promising to get fuel prices down, house prices back to affordable, cost of living down. Very convenient though they estimate the future price then to and start making us pay for it in advance. That'd mean when or if that price actually does come round we've already paid for it so it should go down not up. And you'll notice to when fuel is cheap all over the world they somehow don't seem to estimate that in advance and cutting our price in advance. Matter of fact they'll string out their old price mths and mths. They gouge, ofc they do at any chance they get just like our super markets and lots of others that's why it's all over tv with new attempts every few mths at catching them out and fuel watches and all the rest of it and going off about the holiday gouging. They could justify those then to with demand but if that was really the case then it wouldn't be all over tv trying to stop it, well, talking about it anyway. l mean not arguing, never bother myself people can believe what they like just sayin but me, we get snowed left and right have been decades in every direction. Eveen our Covid prices on all sorts of crap including fuel, it's been 3 or 4yrs really but nothings gone back down to where it should be even allowing for the 4yrs of inflation since. l mean l suppose they could blame that on the Russia Ukr situation/fuel and all that but could've told whatever the case anyway we'd never see pre Covid prices again even allowing for inflation.

Trump shoots his mouth off big time. It's his Crude style and HELPS nothing but his insatiable EGO. He's good at Lighting fires but not Putting them Out. He's utterly TIED to Netanyahu and certainly NOT the brightest Bulb in the Chandelier. Most of the World views Trump as a very dangerous Idiot who is completely Unpredictable. Nev

Not easy to impeach or bring Trump to obey the law. He's stacked most of the Courts and makes life hard for those who Dare to speak against him. He acts like a thuggish MAFIA Boss. and that's the way HE likes it.. The GOP are a weak Gutless Bunch of Sooks by and large with a few Galant exceptions like Mike Pence and Liz Cheney. America's reputation is Being Monstered and it's an INSIDE Job. It takes time and effort to restore Lost TRUST. Trump doesn't give a tuppeny about the Republican Party once they have served HIS Purpose. Nev

We are Not doing too badly, if you add it all up.. Albo only has the Power the Labor party will allow him to exert.The LEADER so called MUST adhere to Party Policy. Labor is acting pretty much as a team with little internal discord except with the larger Numbers not as many as would like get to Keep their Portfolios. Dreyfus and Husic Lost theirs. Ed Husic, a Muslim, was a worthy performer. I'm sorry to see him not there. Nev

Well, they can impeach.

I agree about the USA. (And lib/nat impotence) But an opposition party must have some power to be assertive. Otherwise they are just background noise. Therefore even though unelected, and cannot pass legislation, they become an active part of government. Mix that with an opposition party's mandate to oppose, they actually generally hamper the elected party. Which brings the whole mob back to being like herding cats.

A strength of our system is the fact that the PM can be ditched by the party. There are many examples in recent history where PMs have been ditched (Gorton, Hawke, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull). Whilst people may find this annoying, it is much better than the US system. Republicans know that Trump is a disaster and will cost them at the midterms, but there is nothing they can do about it.

No, Trump won't punish Iran for too much longer. Iran would be getting the hint not to fund or encourage idiot foreign terrorist groups. Albo has admitted Bondi was because of Iran.

Keating said THIS is the Recession We HAD to HAVE. Interest rates went to 18%. Nev

Wille, fair point about the constitution. I am looking from the perspective of how the system seems to work now. The average punters probably don't know half the names of candidates. That's why they vote above the line. Which is basically voting for their preferred party. The problem that I see is a fundamental one. If one person is going to get the top job, they expect it to give the top power along with the top responsibility. Which practically invites the most ruthless dictator. Given absolute power they could quickly bring about many good things for their people. But then human nature kicks in, along with a dose of sociopathy. In an attempt to moderate this kind of highly successful person, we put layers of politicions around the boss, to hamstring their more grandios selfserving plans. This is because in real life, dictators are never benevolent. There is no perfect system. But we are not doing too badly.

I am not sure what you mean by this. Care to expand on it?

He actually said people would watch PORN.. It would have permitted surgery to be Performed remotely and bring us to a First world system of Fast Fibre-optic Connectivity.. What an outright CRETIN. Nev

Abbott was a Pommie loyalist. I don't think any true Traditional Aussie took any notice of him. If you're not Aussie, you won't get anywhere.