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This is a bit of trivia that you might find interesting.

I asked my local Toyota dealer if he thought he would be selling EV work vehicles to local agriculturalists. I put up the range limit point. He said that a lot of them were installing solar systems and those systems would enable recharging of EVs. Then I considered how the locals used their work vehicles and came to the conclusion that those vehicle were not driven on long trips. Most trips into the local town wouldn't be more than 50 kms and back. From my place to Dubbo and back is only 150 kms, plus about 10 for running around in Dubbo. That sort of distance is only about half the range of a full charge. We all know that cockies have sedans and SUVs for the longer trips. They are likely to be hybrids.

I spotted this Ural M-63 frame on marketplace, same year model as the one I picked up recently. You don't often see photos of bare frames for comparison; sometimes youtube restoration videos can show some detail. The only thing I learnt from this photo is what the tank rear mounting bracket looks like, as mine has been removed. Only of any use if a stock tank was going to be refitted, which is highly unlikely. Good luck to him trying to get $1,000 for it.

Yes, it's best to keep out of them.

You tend to get killed in war zones. You can easily get killed riding a Pushbike in traffic. Young people tend to take more risks. . Only young pilots were good in fighters. Nev

Societal disruption and Breakdown of the rule of Law will be the biggest Problem. WE are very interdependent, whether we like it or not. Nev

There's LESS heat going to the roof's surface, once the Solar Panels are Installed. Cooking in daylight hours would cost BA. Some Bunning's Roofs have been done. too, Nev

If you were on gas the situation will be worse. The connection fee for Power is at present about 150%of the price of hiring a set of Oxy-acetylene bottles. Eventually the system will be able to process the feed in Tariffs better and the Payment will be a bit more realistic.. More storage anywhere will bring that change. Nev

A lot of industries are already exploring renewables and some are already off grid such as parts of the mining industry. As solar and batteries get cheaper, it will be irrational for households to connect to the grid merely to support the grid for the benefit of industry.

Pity industry will have trouble disconnevtibg to the grid. The more people that disconnect the harder it will be to compete. China are laughing there heads off i reckon

Unfortunately that is true. But the ball is rolling, and so far this year, about 400,000 home batteries have been installed this year. The whole system is changing. This transition is going to require some socialist support for those who are disadvantaged by the changes.

But there are still a lot of goslings who must remain connected to grid.

Yeah. I could not find anything online about damage to the roof. Mosty articles comment on the positioning of teh solar panels which crate those pyrimidal shapes designed to look like "fish scales". I suppose the curvature of the edge of the roof is to create the illusion of a piece of filleted fish.

I hope someone points out that this will result in the public buying more solar panels? I'll make sure my surplus solar power covers the connection fee.... until I am confident I can disconnect. Then those companies will find they killed the goose.

Not unexpected.

I think this is a humorous reference to the shape of the roof.

Looks like the power companies are changing their billing - increasing the fixed daily charges while dropping (in some cases) the kWh rate. Wonder if this is driven by the uptake of home batteries - they're losing money from the supply of power so they're charging more to stay connected to the grid? Australia politics live: energy minister asks regulator to investigate big jump in power companies’ supply fees https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/jun/24/australia-politics-live-war-memorial-tax-reform-greens-labor-deal-ndis-review-coalition-question-time-anthony-albanese-angus-taylor-ntwnfb?CMP=share_btn_url https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-24/why-power-bill-may-rise-despite-lower-default-market-offer/106830428

Fact check results, please.

yes. nev

The Heat has already buckled the Roof.. Nev

On another random thought track, walking along a deserted train platform as the train company reduced their services and the trains in service are buckling under this heatwave, I wondered if the doomsday preppers inadvertently got it right for the wrong reasons. The earth is getting drier and food will become more scarce. Having a decent sized bunker underground with enough food to last one or two generations and enough weapons to defend it from all but bunker buster bombs may result in them surviving heree others fall, and fornicating a brave new world..

Actually he does have form.. Not only as a councillor in Manchester, but also as a an ex parliamentarian and secretary of state (cabinet minister): https://members.parliament.uk/member/1427/career I honbestly wish my house was completed and sold.. He is likely to suff things up more than most.

Yes thanks for the corrections. I was typing from memory and that's in a poor state of repair these days. Gerry's wife was a Kiwi, I used to wonder if he'd ever get married, they must have really clicked when he first met her. He was a bit reserved around women when I knew him, but he had a sense of humor and I don't think he realized that that was enough to get the women in (I should say "girls", we were all pretty young then, in our late teens). It hits me hard when friends lose their lives. Another was a young tradesman, a conscript too, in my platoon at basic training. He was blown up in a crater that the N/Vietnamese had booby trapped, his Dad told me years later when I called him. They ran into an ambush and ran for cover. I read about his death in a newspaper at the same time I was doing kitchen duty that night. It was a shock that took me a week to shake off, a young tradesman dying like that for no good reason.

China?

Making large steps in nuclear power development as well as India