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Thanks octave, and yes, you are a rational person. Your views are always balanced and thoughtful and appreciated. No TDS, just rationl analysis.

When I learnt to fly, it did initially bother me that the throttle was operated with my right hand and the fine work of controlling the plane was with the stick and my left hand. The 10% of the population that are left-handed seem to learn to drive OK.

OK. The Party Abbott was fighting was the Labor Party. Just ignore that for a moment as I concentrate on what I want to say. It seems Abbott's sole aim was to gain power. He was elected to provide good governance to the Nation. That was more important than going for Power for Power's sake. He might have got the top job if he had won, but where would that leave the Common people? No better off.

I know polling has its limitations, but the polling suggests people are increasingly dissatisfied with DJT. https://www.natesilver.net/p/trump-approval-ratings-nate-silver-bulletin Whilst it is easy to say that all politicians are bad, DJT takes it to an extreme level. Sure, he will probably be gone in a couple of years, but the ongoing damage will take years to fix. The problem is the creeping acceptance of deviance. As a rational person, I look at some of his appointments, and I can't believe it. The health of the nation is in the hands of crazy RFK. An advanced nation is being led away from rationality. Yes, of course, I am not an American citizen, and it is up to them; however, what a powerful country like the US does has an effect on the whole world. I, too, have a couple of US friends, and they do despair at where the country is going. It is easy to judge what people are thinking from their own individual silos. The polling could be getting it wrong, of course, but we shall see what happens in the midterms. DJT is already trying to say that the elections in California must be rigged (because he doesn't like the result). Is this how elections are going to be lost or won in the future?

Time will tell with Tony Abbott. I'm not about to underestimate him. He was an unsuccessful prime minister but a very successful opposition leader. He saw off the Rudd/Gillard show with a handful of three word slogans and it took Labor three terms to get back in the hot seat. His record as opposition leader is of pulling Labor down to a hung parliament in one election and leading the Coalition to a landslide defeat of Labor in the following election. This time around his job is to rebuild the party. Good luck to him with that one, I don't like his chances there, but you never know until it happens one way or the other.

How many of us are right-handed? Cars are designed for countries which drive on the left right side. That means that dashboard layouts are suited to a driver who has controls accessible by the right hand. Here, that same dashboard layout is on most people's left hand side. Those people aren't used to doing accurate things with their left hand.

Do they? Screen tech has been used for many years now in critical areas such as aviation. As I intend to buy an EV next year, I have spent a long time researching. I can't really find any evidence of screens failing. I have seen evidence of faults that tend to be fixed by a system restart. Other common faults are the failure of the 12-volt battery. Manufacturers tend to supply crappy 12-volt batteries to save money. A lot of EV owners upgrade. The good news is you can easily jump-start an EV if the battery fails. I don't really agree that EVs are still at an early stage of development. Whilst the number of EVs in Australia is still low, sales in May were 20% of new car sales and if you include hybrids, almost 50% of the new car market. In countries such as Norway, where 32% of the fleet is pure EV and 98% of new sales are pure EV. If these cars are unreliable, you would expect this to show. I am not sure what bugs you mean; however, even new models of IC vehicles have problems. There is no reason you should buy an EV. For me, though, I am not conservative. I want to sample new things. There is nothing I love more than while visiting my son in NZ and having the full and free use of his Tesla. Whilst I have no wish to buy a Tesla (fvcken Elon), I would have to say that it is the easiest car I have ever driven. This is very helpful when driving on roads I am less familiar with. I'm not sure I have even interacted with the screen whatsoever, other than for GPS. It does have a great rear view for lane changing. This does not mean staring at it, but when changing lanes, you can see it as you check the passenger side external mirror. I have always enjoyed change and adapting to the new. I bought my first computer quite early on, as well as digital photography, etc.

Hmm.. (Added bold) How am I defending it, exactly? I am putting other points of view as I see them. Regardless of how bad Chump is, there are others doing it under a pretence they are working for the people. I merely gave examples. But I think people are getting sick of being taken advantage of.. Have they got it worse under Chump? Yes, of course. But do they care? I would argue for an increasing number, no, because they probably feel that they are already at the stage that they can only get their head above water for the odd gasp of air, so they don't care if it gets worse. It isn't only economic; it is cultural as well - perceived or real - that they are being left behind socially as well. More and more middle classes have less and less... is the feeling. In my case (of course, UK), my heating bill has quadrupled in 6 years... quadrupled. What about Australia's gas scam, where the Australia institute report that the Japanese government make more from Aussie gas than the Australian government - money that could be used for better education, health, lower energy costs, and the like. Yet, what does Albo (and the libs before) do about it? Nothing while the industry lobby pays a good whack of money to party coffers for the odd lunch. Chump campaigned on doing much of what he has done. People knew, or ought to have known most of what was coming. We all did. His Doge, his tariffs, his cosying to Putin in deference to Ukraine, etc.. ICE and undocumented immigrant deportations; the wall, ignoring the constitution; They were openly committed to during the election campaign, despite him distancing himself from project 2025 at the end of the election but never what he was going to do. On the other hand, I recall in these fora a disagreement about the utility of secrecy of the NACC, and it wasn't long before the conduct of the NACC proved my position - that Labor should have enacted - as they enthusiastically promised prior to the election - public hearings and a transparent NACC. When they got into power, what happened? Secret hearings. It may be small in the scheme of things, but a) it is not isolated; and b) it is seen as them protecting their mates from misconduct. That leaves a foul taste as does all other coverups and stealth operation, especially if you voted for them in good faith of keeping what should be fairly simple election promises. People are now sick of it... Chump is a product of that - a protest vote - people probably knew they were not going to be better off; for many they are not worse off or if they are, it makes no material difference. So, may as well stick it to the establishment. Do you think Farage, or Hanson, or the other European ultra right would start becoming successful if they weren't/ We often forget there is a silent majority, and now they are starting to no longer remain silent. Their motivation may be valid if the actions aren't. If you are not as angry about what your government is doing as you are about Chump, I would argue a) you don't really know what is going on in your back yard; b) you don't care; or c) your dislike is so profound of Chump (for which there is nothing wrong with such a dislike - mine is very profound), that you're not taking that big an interest in your backyard. I agree, other countries don't proactively air much Aussie news in the MSM; but today, it is very easy to find reliable news and facts today in any country that doesn't black out its internet.

I think Trump would be happy with this little gem from the IPCC...but of course the MSM are keeping it quiet

If I recall correctly (I often don't), Morris Minors and Austins had their instruments and switches halfway across the dashboard. Drivers seemed to cope with it. Seriously, though, Old style switches seem to last half a century, and are easily replaced if they break. I have had a Subaru with electronic dashboard. When the speedo failed, no replacements were available, and the car was instantly unroadworthy. I know that touch screens don't have a great longevity. I'm a fan of steam gauges in planes for the same reason.

The main problem with a screen is having to look over at it and move your finger to make something happen. It is very distracting. Not like knobs and buttons that can be found by feel.

Nev, my take is that LCD/LED screens are the manufacturers taking the cheap way out, as a screen and software would only be a fraction of the cost of the buttons and switches. Add in the fact that these screens have a vastly increased failure level and increased susceptibility to damage, as compared to switches and buttons, and I know what I'm going to buy in any future vehicle purchase. No, I haven't driven any EV yet and I'm not rushing into doing so. I consider current EV technology is still in the "further development required" category, and I'll wait a while yet before I try out the technology. I'm conservative by nature, and have always abided by a policy of never being an early purchaser of new technology or new models, until the bugs are sorted out.

You don't see too many modern Cars on the side of the road these days. The screens are not to distract you. They give you real time information relevant to where you are and where you are seeking to go. The alternative would be to use a road Map. I know which I would rather do.. Have you test driven an electric car Yet? Nev

Abbot, who Lost his Blue ribbon seat to an Independent. His new job is NOT supposed to Involve Policy Making, but that doesn't stop the Mad Monk getting straight into It. He's also on Rupert's Payroll and RUPEE's show supports Hanson.. What about thinking of the REAL liberal supporters. A top WOMAN figure in the Canberra scene has Just resigned, saying the Party is TOO TOXIC to remain in.. The Party of RG Menzies may well be finished. Nev

Trump is so full of Himself He doesn't care how corrupt he Looks as long as HE and family Make Heaps of dough. Nev

Yep their new president Tony Abbott is guiding them down the path to true irrelevance. They haven't learnt anything from their electoral failures.

I agree OT, but when I've said that I've been branded too draconian. I have said that if someone breaks into a persons house prepared to take a life, they should be prepared to lose their own. People caught setting properties and vehicles on fire should be set on fire themselves if they like fire so much.

The problem with fitting all sorts of electronic whizz-bags to cars is that when the whizz goess bang, the car stops working. I can see the benefit of a GPS, but with a small screel, not a dash-wide screen that could be used to watch a Cinemascope epic. I remember when portable DVD players arrived. It was illegal to have one in a vehicle within the view of the driver.

So. The LNP has intimted that it is willing to form a coalition with ON. Not in an atempt to provide good governance, but for the stated aim of "getting Albo out of The Lodge". I bet that would Make Australia Great Again.

The move to ensure new cars have familiar buttons and switches for the primary basic controls in a car is gathering pace, and it's being pursued by safety authorities. It's long overdue. Every car should have a similar familiar layout, to enable easy transition from one vehicle to another, without confusion or distraction. The safety authorities are becoming concerned that touch screens with many of the vehicles primary controls on it, are a safety and distraction hazard. Manufacturers are starting to agree that they went too far in trying to make cars into mobile phones on wheels. The comment from Aston Martin director of design is very relevant. He speaks of how touchscreens take away from the driver, the feel to be able to properly use the car. It's interesting to see that the ultra-conservative Toyota is still using the approach of retaining buttons and switches for the basic vehicle controls. Numerous Chinese and European and Korean vehicles have gone too far in making touchscreens the primary control device in cars, and now a number of them are admitting, they have to return to a Toyota-like, controls design. https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/big-touchscreens-to-give-way-to-physical-controls-as-car-brands-ditch-annoying-feature-and

It's a fairly simple equation - the easier it is for criminals to get away with it or get off lightly if they're caught, then the more prolific crime will be.

On the other side of the coin, if it's a simple straightforward question you want answered, the Google AI overview is a quick handy way to do it. I'm referring there to questions of the type that could probably only have a correct answer.

Yeah, old George was certainly the caravan flogger. But he died in 2013 and Apollo Motorhomes, a publically listed company bought his business as a going concern in 2017, and bought the rights to use his name as well. Then in 2022, George Day Caravans was merged into THL (Tourism Holdings Ltd), originally NZ's biggest RV rental operation - but the merger with Apollo, an Australian company, sent them global, and they operate in a multitude of countries. They are huge, and own all the major well-known RV rental brand names. So Georges name has gone global, thanks to the corporate global aims.

Clinton - His passing was noted on the Aircraft Pilots forum, so it seemed unnecessary to post the same info here.

It only works selectively. I use Google Chrome. I tried variations of the search, such as "-AI: What is Antonov AN2", or "no AI: What is Antonov AN2", and AI generated answers still appeared - but they were clips of text taken from websites (to which, they did add the link, I must say). I have to agree with Willie, that Google's use of short lengths of text from websites is a bit "iffy". However, they would no doubt quote "educational use rights", whereby you can copy parts of text of authors/websites, and it is regarded as "fair use" under copyright terms. And they do send you to the site quoted. However, Google generates income from doing so, so that negates the "fair use" angle, IMO.