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Have you tried ‘bring me a beer’?

Definition of a gentleman - someone who knows how to play the bagpipes -- but doesn't.

On my new Samsung 26 Ultra phone, I just have to ask AI to draw me up a wallpaper image that suits my description. I typed, "I want a beach scene painting and nothing else, drawn in the impressionist style". It promptly produced a very good "art-deco, impressionist style" wallpaper, with a beach scene with chalk cliffs behind the beach, art-deco style ships in the distance, and impressionist images of people and umbrellas on the beach. I'd give it 9.9 out of 10.

My current gripe is around mobile phones. The Wednesday before Anzac Day, my u-beaut, 2-years-and-9-months-old Motorola Edge 30 Fusion locked up. Just wouldn't open the lock screen. Tried shutting it down and it took some effort as even the shutdown menu wouldn't respond to touch pressure for about 5 mins. When I did get it to shut down, and then re-started it, nothing had changed, it was still frozen. I could take calls still (although they sounded a bit funny), but I could do absolutely nothing else with it. Of course, part of the problem could've been the fact that I've dropped the phone numerous times in the period I've owned it. The screen cracked, the back cracked - in fact, it looked like a POS. When I asked repairers if they could fix it, they all grimaced, and said "$250 is the starting repair price, and it could end up more". 😞 I only paid $499 for it! The difference between the Motorola and the Samsungs I've owned previously, was that I could fix the Samsungs easily myself. I had a Samsung Note 4 for about 6 years, it was truly the best phone I've owned. I smashed the screen on it twice, and replaced it myself both times. That was the entire LCD assembly. The battery was replaceable on that phone, I replaced the battery twice. It had a stylus for writing notes on the screen with, and it had excellent performance all round. I think I paid about $360 for it off an eBay seller about 2016. The Note 4 was released in 2014 and became obsolete around 2020 as LTE technology appeared, and LTE technology made a lot of phones obsolete overnight. LTE is the current "backbone" of our phone services, bandwiths and "groups", being the latest evolution of 4G, and a still a support system behind 5G - although 5G actually uses advanced, scalable Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) framework for its technology. I have several "working" phones here - a Samsung S4, the Note 4, SWMBO's old Note 4 - and they are all useless, because they do not have LTE technology built in to them. You can install a SIM card in them, and they won't connect. I bought the Motorola as a mid-range replacement for the Note 4, and I must admit, it did work reasonably well in the 2 yrs and 9 mths before it simply locked up. So, when I had time, I set to and downloaded Motorolas "Repair Fix", the programme designed to cure Motorola software issues. But - despite loading the Repair Fix onto the Motorola, it changed absolutely nothing. I was greatly concerned that all my photos and contact information and messages were on that Motorola, and there was absolutely zero I could do to access them. 😞 In desperation, I carried out a factory reset and lost everything on the phone - and I tried the Repair Fix programme again - and still zero result. The phone was "bricked" as the young 'uns like to say. So, I decided to buy a top-of-the-wozza Samsung S26 Ultra - which comes with the stylus and some decent photographic ability. I started doing the rounds of the local stores - JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Retravision, the Good Guys, even Officeworks! Guess what? The phone is $2000 (well, ($1999 actually) at EVERY STORE - take it or leave it, was the message. Not a single discount of any kind. Asking about online "price matches" brought about general answers where they stated "they don't compete with the grey market". Yeah right. The "grey market" sellers simply buy the phones off Samsung outside Australia, and sell them for much less than the local "bricks and mortar" ripoff merchants. Knowing just how much profit there is in mobile phones, I was determined to not pay "the going rate". Of course, the S26 Ultra has only been out since late February and is the latest technology and latest processors, and the latest Android operating system (they're up to Android 16 now, and 6.2 standard for Bluetooth) - so discounts are "simply not done" on the latest phones, according to the local floggers. Even on the Samsung sales website, the phone was $1999. As a result, I went looking for an online supplier of an S26 Ultra. Bingo, I found "Nostech", based in Adelaide and Melbourne. Run by Indians of course - but they have 8 people working in the company, the two here in Adelaide and Melbourne have commerce degrees, and the other operatives are scattered through Asia - Singapore, HK, etc. They were selling on eBay and had highly satisfactory feedback. They buy the phones directly out of Vietnam (where they're manufactured), they go to HK and are then sent to buyers in Australia. Best of all - their S26 Ultra price was $1749. And for $100 extra, I could upgrade to 512GB memory, over the standard 256GB. So I bought a 512Kb - and paid $10 extra for Express Delivery via AustPost. Then the fun started. It was Anzac Day holiday on the Monday, and I thought that would slow things up for a day. However, I got notified the phone had been ordered on the Monday (27th May), and they said "2 to 4 days" delivery. I got an AP tracking number. I watched as the tracking said it had been processed at Toongabbie on the next day, Tues 28th. THEN, I watched in dismay, as the journey showed the phone going through no less than SEVENTEEN processing points within AP - and I watched it go from Sydney - to Perth - then back to Sydney again!! Jesus wept. https://auspost.com.au/mypost/track/details/34HFP509107801000964506 After 7 days and an "expected delivery date of May 5th", I gave up (because I really, really, NEEDED a working phone! - and went over to Costco and bought a new A37 5G Samsung - a mid-range phone - on special, for just $487. Normally selling for around $540 or more, it looked like a good fill-in phone, until I actually received my S26 Ultra I was still waiting for! The A37 turned out to be just an average phone, I was quite surprised that the camera on it wasn't anywhere near as good as I expected (and Samsung brag about their cameras). I tried some close up shots of a problem part I was seeking compensation on, and I couldn't get it to focus clearly at close range - despite using Macro (which is limited at .6, whereas the Motorola went down to .5 on Macro). Finally, the S26 Ultra arrived (on Tues May 5th, as AP promised (so much for "2 to 4 days" on Express Delivery) - and it is remarkable the difference in performance another $1363 makes. The S26 Ultra uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, as compared to Samsungs own Exynos 1480 processor used in the A37. Supposedly around 20% faster than the previous Exynos processor, the Snapdragon 8 blows it out of the water. Plus, the cameras on the S26 Ultra are incredible. All in all, a stressful 2 weeks that has left me feeling a bit ragged, but with the new S26 Ultra phone up and running, and still being fine-tuned, hopefully the worst of my phone hassles are behind me. However - GUESS WHAT. Yep, today Samsung sent me a "special discount deal" from their online store - and the S26 Ultra is now available from their store for - $1750!! 🤦‍♂️

Nev, it's a derogatory term used by NRL states for AFL football. On the other side of the coin they use names like kissy bums and catch me, f**k me for NRL.

I haven't watched free to air TV in years. Everything is available on demand anyway.

I don't think He will be Held for ransom. Nev

Here's another one of those swamp blues music videos that comes with an `Altered or synthetic content' notification in the fine print. Still pretty easy listening however it was created. 'Altered or synthetic content': This indicates that a video contains content that has been meaningfully altered or synthetically generated. There are several ways that this information ends up in the 'How this content was made' section of the expanded description of a video. You should expect to see this disclosure when: The creator has manually disclosed the use of 'altered or synthetic' content in the YouTube Studio workflow. When content is undisclosed, in some cases, YouTube may take action to reduce the risk of harm to viewers by proactively applying a label that creators will not have the option to remove. Learn more about our 'altered or synthetic content' disclosures. The creator has used YouTube's generative AI tools (e.g. Dream Screen). The content contains valid Content Credentials data indicating that the entire video has been made with AI. Learn more about Content Credentials (C2PA). YouTube will carry forward disclosures available from tools and creators with secure Content Credentials (C2PA) 2.1 or higher that indicate that the entire video was made with AI. This may include a label on the video player itself or language in the detailed description.

You'll need to enlighten Me there. Nev

It's supposed to be funny.. Ha Ha. Nev

That's right I forgot you're in aerial ping pong territory.

The squeeze boxes make the Best Sound as they land when they are thrown on the TIP. The Bagpipes are an ill Wind that Nobody blows any good. I like a Symphony Orchestra. Nev

I know where I was wrong. I saw the use of a switch on the guitar by Hank Marvin of The Shadows. Pete Townsends' feedback was the death cry of his guitar as he bashed it onto the floor of the stage

If you get a window seat even on a Moonless night you can often pick out lights that tell you where you are That's an early A-320 wing. The best seat is up the front om the Left. Nev

If he had his own ejection seat the choice would be easier. Wouldn't even need the missile.

If it came down to a choice between those 2 shows, I'd read a book.

I can always remember the story about Pete Townshend as a young man, when he went for a jaunt on a little motorboat that was propelled by a small two stroke outboard engine. Pete was so mesmerised by the sound of the engine, combined with the burbling water against the hull - which both created a hypnotic, "sublime" musical experience, he claimed - that he fell into a hypnotic trance, and didn't realise he'd reached the shore, until the boat grounded in the mud! He's stated he's always sought to recreate that "musical ideal".

Are all those billionaires are on the same plane to China? ..... I'd feel for the pilot with all those important people onboard if he detects a incoming missile he will have to make the hardest choice of his life........ hit the countermeasures button or not?

Angus Taylor's budget reply speech on Thursday night will have reduced viewer numbers in Queensland and NSW. It's on at the same time as the NRLW Origin 2 at Lang Park. I know which one I'll be watching.

You've got a good handle on it octave. This quote from your earlier post is an important aspect. Rule breakers have always pushed the evolution. AI by it's nature is rule based and at this stage in history is limited by that. Whether AI can evolve to become more human is something time will take care of one way or the other.

I miss Adelaide and always enjoyed the stopovers there. When we did Santos work we used to fly Qantas or Virgin from Brisbane to Adelaide, then take the Cobham/National Jet BAe 146 up to Moomba.

Here is a video from a musician who has a pretty good YouTube channel. This video is about how AI music will affect musicians. It is 15 minutes long, so I understand most folks are not that interested, so here is a summary of the conclusion. (created by AI of course) 6. The conclusion: art survives, even if the industry changes The overall message is cautiously hopeful. The speaker accepts that: AI is not going away, parts of the music industry will change dramatically, and some commercial opportunities may shrink. But he argues that: artists will still create, audiences will still seek authentic human connection, and genuinely creative music may become even more valuable precisely because it is human. His final idea is that true artists make music primarily because they need to express something — not just to make money — and AI cannot take that impulse away. The tone of the video is interesting because it starts from real fear and grief, but gradually moves toward adaptation rather than denial. It’s less “AI is wonderful” and more “AI is here, so what parts of music remain uniquely human?”

For Whom enough is never enough. It just becomes a GAME, and the Suckers and Losers can go Jump. Nev

Lighty, I didn't realise you were that kinky. Does Barnaby know about this?

ome, I'm thinking you're referring to Pete Townsend's use of amp feedback, as in Jimi Hendrix style (at a later date). Reverb is a built in amp feature on a lot of amps or an add on device that produces a constant echo type sound, a bit like being right up the back of a big concert hall. If you turn the reverb knob too high it will produce a cyclical sound, a bit like tremolo underwater which is not nice, but the right amount of reverb makes a lot of people happy. Reverb is a constant setting on the amp, just like setting treble and base levels, or some people might use a foot switch to activate it. Feedback is where the sound from the amp bounces back and makes the strings vibrate, the guitar pickups detect it and send it back to the amp creating a high pitched squealing loop.