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I used to work in a lab with an incredibly ambitious bloke who was obsessed with collecting skulls. Just obsessed!! Like, he would do anything to get ahead.

A boy and his date were parked on a back road some distance from town, doing what boys and girls do on back roads some distance from town. Things were getting hot and heavy when the girl stopped the boy. “I really should have mentioned this earlier. Actually, I'm a hooker and charge $20.00 for sex." she said. The boy just looked at her for a couple of seconds, but then reluctantly paid her, and they did their thing and they did their thing. After the cigarette, the boy just sat in the driver’s seat looking out the window. “Why aren’t we going anywhere?” asked the girl. “Well, I should have mentioned this before, but I’m actually a taxi driver, and the fare back to town is $25.”

'Tis better to end a sentence with a proposition than a preposition.

A proper funeral would have been better than swept under the carpet.

I think the life span of EV batteries is proving to be better than expected. This is not just anecdotal And research from fleet management technology Geotab suggests EV batteries on the market today could last 20 years or more. That report found that newer EVs degrade by about 1.8 per cent per year, a significant drop from the 2.3 per cent degradation rate seen in 2019. Meanwhile, a study published in Nature Energy in January this year found that in the UK, EVs were achieving comparable lifespans to ICE vehicles, even under more intensive use. EV batteries may last 40 pct longer than previously thought, new study shows We have debated this before. There are pros but considerable cons to battery swap. The short times quoted at existing battery swap stations sound good, but you have to consider the relatively small number of vehicles using them. Consider these charging centres. Insights About FAQ For business The Largest EV Charging Hubs In the World I would seem a little problematic to replace these purely with battery swap without creating queues and logistical problems. On a trip with my son in NZ in his Tesla, we made 3 charging stops. All of these stops were to just top up whilst having coffee It's a piss stop. The first one was about 40 minutes in the car park of a supermarket, where we picked up some supplies and had a coffee. The other stops were no more than 10 minutes. With the battery swap system, I guess you would have to decide on the optimal swapping point. There would be no point in swapping a battery that still had substantial range. Also, on the particular trip, it would be hard to imagine battery swap facilities in the backblocks of NZ, but plenty of charging centres. Another issue is that my son's Tesla is charged solely from his solar system (except on long trips) Why on earth would he want to go to a battery swap service and pay instead of using his own clean power? In the end, the market will decide. Given that battery swap vehicles can also be charged by conventional means, people will do what is cheapest and most convenient.

I was a late starter learning to ride a motorbike (as with most things in life, really). When I was 27, I did a one or two day L plate course with a company called Stay Upright. The course was great as it was done at the old RAAF laverton airbase. We were hooning around on Suzuki GN250s and some tank was being put through its paces. Apparently, they were testing it for purchase, and that day the plan was to see if they could roll it. They looked luike they were having fun as well. I never did progress from the L plates. It wasn't that I lost interest, but in the big scheme of things, motorcycling was a lower priority - certainly than flying - so once it lapsed (after a year or two - I can't remember), I didn't renew it. At 31, I moved to the UK and with a haitus in flying, I thought - for a very long time as it turns out - about getting a licence. At the time, in the UK, it was similar to Australia, except that learners (CBT - Compulsory Basic Training) were (and still are) restricted to 125cc motorbies, about 1/2 of their Aussie counterparts. A change in the law came, in the form as Direct Access motorcycle licences. I can't remember the precise rule, but it was something like if one was over 25 and had a full driving licence for over 5 years, they could get their CBT (learners), and then, if they did a minimum of a certain amount of hours training and pass their test on a bike of more than 47 hp or thereabouts, they got a full motorcycle license. Well, I thought about it, moved to Australia for a couple of years, and then returned. In the time I was in Australia, the EU expanded from 11 or so to something like 27, and it seemed most of the tradies from the new countries rocked up ionto South West and West London. At the same timne, London introduced a congestion charge, resulting in a lot of cars skirting the zone. And the problem for me was my work at the time was not in the city - but in Watford. The transport links from my place to Watford was slow, decrepit and passed through areas that were not very safe. Ironically, my last jon before moving to Australia was 2 doors from my new job after arriving back. Before moving to Australia, normal driving to work was about 40 minutes or so.. After returning form Australia, that same drive had around doubled with the sheer volume of traffic on the road. We just had a daughter and I convinced my partner that to be able to at least see her, I should get a motorcycle. I got my CBT in a suburb called Croydon. It is a bit of a shiphole, but the training organisation and instructors were great. In the morning, I couldn;t release the clutch without stalling it. By the afternoon, I was reasonably confident on the road. I really enjoyed it, albiet the bike being a whole 12 hp. On the Monday, I trundled into Motorcycles Direct in Watford and bought a brand spanking new Honda CG125 to spend time getting used to the road and riding before doing the cirect access course. It took a couple of days for them to pre it for delivery (it had to be assembled, etc, and they were quite busy at the time). On the day it was ready, I lugged my protective clothing, helmet and boots, in on public transport! I let my partner know I would be home much quicker than with the car as the bike was narrow and would easly filter through traffic. I was looking forward to being a smug little git passing in between cars stopped in a traffic jam. That very first ride home took almost 2 hours! As a CBT holder, one is not allowed on the motorways, and a motorway was part of my normal journey. And even though it was in peak hour, becasue I would be going against the flow of traffic, the motorway section was always fast (normally 80mph until the end of the line). So, I had to take normal roads home.. And they tend to be a lot busier. Not only that, but as I came up to my first set of lights, the gap between the cars looked decidedly marrpw and dangerous to this 40+ year old learner. So, I ended up on normal suburban roads, stuyck in traffic and not filtering to the front of the queue. To say my partner was not happy when I got home woud earn youy a prize of the understatement of the year. I figured it was useless doing the direct access course if I was too timid to filter through traffic. After maybe two weeks, I racked up the nerve to try it and by the end of that week, I was filtering through traffic confidently and safely. I was still taking longer to get home on account of being stuck on long suburban roads, bt at least it was well under 2 hours. I used to visit the bike shop regularly as I got to know one of the salesman, and ogle the new big-boys bikes. Anyway, one day, I walked in and declared I was going to go back to the school in Croydon and do the direct access course. They suggested using a local Watford school (not so local to me!). So I went theit their suggestion and also very good instructors. I booked a 5 day course over three weekends. Blimey, riding a big bike is easier than the little ones I though, although those slow u-turns took some getting used to. I was booked in for the test at a suburb called Penge. This was, of course, a week day. I took a day off beforehand to practice with an instructor. But on the day of the test, as Penge wasn't that far, I just "nipped out" for the test. The bike I trained on was a Kawasaki ER5. Bugger me! I failed it! I did everything right, except as I did a left hand turn into the T intersection, which was a narrow road, a car parked in the oncoming direction pulled out from the parking space. I braked, and he braked too. Apparently, the examiner judged because the oncoming car had to stop, I was blocking his way and didn't show adeuate control of the bike to stop in time coming out of the turn into the T. I thought it was touch and go as I was quite late in the turn before he motioned out, but it was useless arguing. That was the first time in my life I had failed a test. We re-booked the test, I took a another weekend of lessons and the second time was a straight pass; no lost points. I rode back to the school with instructor behind me and intercoms switched on. The instrutor's voice came over the intercome, "OK Lance.. wait for your own boke to put on some pace" or some such words. As a newly, but filly licnesed moptorbike rider, I wanted to feel what acceleration these things really had. The ER5 is a 500CC 50hp bike, and compared to the CG125, I kept the CG125 for a little while, but would ride it on the motorway.. which was a crack. On a flat surfacec, the 11hhp with full throttle and no wind could get to about 55mph. It is uite embarressing when a fully laden tip truck rockers past you on a motorway. On a downhill, very occasionally I could get it to the speed limit of 70mph. In the end, I ended up selling it after I purchased, off eBay and uneen, a Honda VFR750. I knew all the consumables needed changing - cables, chain/sprockets, etc. I paid an appropriate price. I rode it from Brighton home to Richmond - about 50 miles I would think. It roade really well, except the chain was rattling a bit. I booked it in for a service with the bike shop in Watford, maybe a month or two after I got it. After all, it had a new MOT (Road Worthy Certificate). On the morning it was going to be serviced, I rode north up the M1 from where it starts in London. I was doing maybe 80,ph, when a stonking Merc overtook me at a great rate of knots. The testosterone injectors in the helmet kicked in and I was not having that. So, I decided to show this wanker what he was up against, and I overtook him at about 100mph, where the power band kicked in.. that was somethign I wasn't prepared for! We both ended up racing each other and hit 140mph, at which time, the testosterone hit started to wane while I remembered I had a new born daughter and I decided that was enough. I released the throttle and the bike was soon agian cruising at 80mph. I dropped the bike off at the shop (which was also a Honda dealer at the time). The commented it was a bit rough - a winter hack - but they are great bikes. At lunch time as I was walkign around Watford, I saw the mechanic test riding the bike. In the afternoon, I walked to the shop from work, and went to the service desk looking forward to a serviced bike, but not the repair bill I was expecting. When the service manager told me the bill was a £35, I was stunned. "What? I thought you were going to do a full service and replace just about every consumable there is". He explained that when the mechanic took a side panel they they noticed the frame was bent and there was one more weld than there sholuld have been. My heart sank - earlier that morning, I took a bike that should have been written off and with a weakened frame, and rode it up to 140mph! And I just had a new kid!! Onto eBay it went,. I declared everythign wrong with it, and in the end the highest bid was £50 more than I paid. So not all was lost. I decided the next bike would be a new one. so walked into the Watford bike shop on the Monday after I sold the VFR750. The Hondas were too expensive, but a slick looking Kawsaki ER6f brand new looked great, and was affordable, I thought to myself even idf they aren't as good as Hondas, it is 20 years younger than the VFR750 was, so with the engineering and technoloigy advances in that time, it surely will still be a good bike. I put the deposit down for a new bike without test riding a demonstrator, got 0% finance after negotiating the price down, and a couple of days later was riding a new, albeit boring 650CC bike.. That was 2007 and I had it for 10 years riding it in all conditions and not looking after it terribly well (as it was a boring bike to be honest). I insured it for 10k miles per year, and it did about that. But, in 2017, there was just too much wrong with it to keep it on the road. So, I sold it for parts and with other things going on (like being back into flying), riding took a pause for a while. The COVID lockdowon came and I thought I wouldn't work in London again. A motorbike was far from my mind as working out how to eek out a living in the regional cities was pressing on my mind. Of course, I ended up working in London and now commute with a car. But it is incredibly frustrating at times, because I still have to rely on public transport. That, in itself, is not bad, but, if I just miss a train into London, at that time of the morning, it is a 30 minute wait. Guess what? This week, I was running well on time for the train after my commute, only to be stopped at road works and then missing my train by a minute. A half hour wait ensued. Then when I get to Waterloo, it is a faff to get to Liverpool street and takes the same time to get three miles as it does to get from North Sheen to Waterloo on the slow (stopping all stations) train, which is about 15 miles. And last night, leaving the office, I got to Waterloo at 8:02; two minutes later than the train to my station leaves. Guess what, it is a half hour wait to the next one. But, with a bike, I can ride all the way to Liverpool Street and park for free. No waiting for trains, issues with train strikes or faulty signals/points that brings the network to its knees. And there is no congestion charge. And, if I get a young enough bike, there is no ULEZ charge either. So I decide, I have had enough and am going to take up riding again. My choice of bike is the Honda NC750X, as it offers a little more weather protection than the Honda NC750S (competely unfaired). The reason is these bikes are only 55hp, but have a lot of low down torque, rev low so are never stressed, and they have a range of upt to 80mpg. The problem is, even early ones are around £3,000+ pounds unless they have really high milesage or someone is desperate to sell. But as this is a commuter that is going to be used on motorways at all hours of the morning and night, with salt, grime, etc. I don't want to spend £3,000+ Enter the CBF1000. A much understated bike, this has a detuned 1000cc firebalde engine, so has a lot of torque and doesn't rev hard, but pumps out 97hp (new). It is a bigger bike, faired better, and is ideal for longer distance touring. Although I am commuting, the distance from my place to central London is 170 miles using the mortorways, which is what I would nornally use as they don't often get animals on them and there is sufficient motorway services to stop, revive, and survive. There are two downsides compared to the NC750s. .First, fuel consumption is not quite double the NC750s at between 45 and 50 mpg. Secondly, the NC750 doesn't seem to have anything that commonly goes wrong with them. In other words, the design is pretty sound. However, the CBF10000, especially the Mk 1 (2006 - 2010) suffers a problem where the stator burns out regulalr - about every 15k - 30k miles I think (it may be less dependent on riding style). The problem is the stator sits in the engine housing bathed in hot oil, and that it produces high current which dissipates heat into the oil. Combined with a shunt type reg/rectifier which dumops excess current to ground resulting in heating the regulator and stator, both end up burning out. The answer is to replace the regulator with a MOFSET or series regulator and to ensure the engine oil is topped up. Of course, getting an uprated stator will help, too. I guess they gave that part of the design to an intern! But the benefit of a CBF1000 over an NC750 is price. And I found a beaut for £1,500. It isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than the VFR750. A lot better! And it is comfortable, clean, and everythign works -even the stator, which was rewired a few thousand miles ago. . The bike has a little over 40,000 files. Mechanically it seems great. All of its documentation checks out. So a deposit put down and I collect on Monday, which is the start of two weeks off work for me. My partner will drive me the almost 2 hours to pick it up. I will ensure there is enough oil in the bike and then ride it home. Thankfully, the weather is forecast to be sunny, of cold: The ride home is quite good. The bike is in a nice Cotswolds village called Northleach. It is not far from Cheltenham. A wide enough road out of the village to a dual laned A road, which runs to the M5 motorway - from memory about junction 12 or 13. From there, it is the M5 south all the way to Taunton (Junction 25) and then about 15 minutes on town roads and then country lanes home. I am looking forward to it, even though I haven't ridden for quite a few years. On Tuesday, it will go for a full service and check over - just to be sure, as well as its MOT (RWC), as that expires on December 18 and once a vehicle hits three years old, a valid MOT for the vehicle is required to legally drive it on public roads. It will also have heated grips and storm guards fitted. And I may get them to fit a USB powerbank. The rest of the two weeks will be mainly DIY, but I am going to get my aviation medical in Oxford, so will probably ride there if the weather is goof enough. And then, on the morning of the 2nd of December, my first commute to London from Halse will begin at around 3:30am. That will be the test of whether or not I made the right decision.

Divide by two gives , twice as many homeless parts .LoL spacesailor

It's likely started some time ago.

I decided to check for you by asking ChatGTP "is there someone named Nomadpete?" This was the answer: Yes — there is at least one online user who goes by the handle nomadpete. Here are a few details I found: They have a profile on the forum “AircraftPilots.com” where they’ve posted numerous comments (on topics like ultralights, Rotax 912 engines, etc.). Aircraft Pilots+2Aircraft Pilots+2 Their profile indicates a location of “Van Diemen’s Land, A little pissant town halfway between civilization and the South Pole / Australia”. Aircraft Pilots+1 They also appear to use the same handle on GitHub. GitHub On a travel/social-tracking site they appear simply as “@nomadpete” with a listing of many trip-destinations. Nomads.com I cannot verify any more about their real identity (full name, background, etc.) from the sources I found.

Most things about Trump are Tasteless, Gaudy and Fake. He's certainly NOT a CLASS act. Nev

Fact checkers say the desk in the photo is most likely a replica as a number of copies exist and this one appears to have some differences to the original. If so, it’s a fake, and therefore entirely appropriate for Mar-a-Lago.

I should have posted this on the Artificial Intelligence thread because it shows a positive facet of A.I. Great to see Truth Social speaking truth.

France exporting over 15GW at the moment, must not be much sun or wind. France | App | Electricity Maps

He ran a fish and chip shop - they make great politicians.

My doctor said I only had ten weeks to live - but when I couldn’t pay the bill, he gave me another six months.

EV ranges have increased as well as the charging speed and availability. Toyota has developed an SSB (solid state battery) with a range of 1000km and an extremely short charging time. These batteries already exist and should be on the market soon. What is still to be done is to perfect mass manufacture at a reasonable price. They say the first wave will only be in premium cars, but like with previous innovations, it will work its way down to cheaper cars. 1000k and a 10-minute recharge time will surely bury range anxiety. Apart from that, a lot of range anxiety is based on old thinking,"How far can I go between refuels?" instead of How easily can I top it up?" Unless you can not charge at home, "refuelling" an EV is much more convenient than refuelling with petrol.

A positive to celebrate!!! Today I attend Gilgandra's Remembrance Day ceremony. We have an early education centre in town which seems to have a good enrolment. The older children were walked to our memorial and sat down to listen to the ceremony. Not that they attended to it without distraction, but they were well behaved. When it came time for the laying of wreaths, the little ones lined up and came to the memorial with commemorative poppies which each child placed in the memorial. It wasn't "cute". I doubt that any one of them knew the significance, but by involving our young ones from an early age is a way to maintain links with the honourable histroy of volunteer military service of our forefathers. This link is a particulary strong in Gilgandra as it was from here in 1915 that the first of the locally organised recruting marches began - The Coo-ee March. https://www.mrl.nsw.gov.au/learn/historical-research/world-war-one/coo-ee-march https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowball_marches

85-90% of EV owners charge at home, usually when the electricity tariff is off peak, from their own solar, during free zero tariff times or all 3. Battery swap may be useful for only a small percentage of owners & possibly hire companies as renters are often going long distances. It wouldn't suit me at all. I charge from my solar and also get 3 hours of free electricity each day (11.00am- 2.00pm) plus only 8c/kWh from midnight to 6am. When I do go on a trip the cars range is longer than my bladder so 20 minutes at a fast charger will get the battery back to 80% & that is barely enough time for a coffee and ablution break. Lots of hotels & motels now have destination chargers. These are slow AC 7kW chargers but you just plug in and unplug in the morning with a full charge. I also note the government is considering legislating free power for everyone in the middle of the day. There is now so much solar & wind power that they are turning the systems off as the price goes negative so they have to pay to get rid of their energy. Of course the real solution is to install battery storage & use that when demand & spot price is high. I am installing a battery with a new solar system at the property I have just moved in to. In theory I will be able to go off grid but I will see how it goes through all different conditions first.

I'm not gay so I don't know if someone who was would find it offensive, but it seems a bit vague and pointless. Why wouldn't you just describe them as gay, if their sexuality is a valid point of discussion?

You're a Smartie.

They say the more colourful your salad is the better it is for you, so I replaced my croutons with M & M's.

Mr cash for comment You could trust John to spin anything to advantage himself and make us feel he was the voice of truth. You pay and he will say The blueprint for Alan Jones et al.

Just treated myself to this little beastie: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/25219301277695614/?referralSurface=messenger_banner&referralCode=2 Yep, it is old, but at £1,500 compared to others, it is a steal.. and is in pretty good condition. I won't pick it up until next week.. I have aleady insured it (£420 fully comp without any no claims bonus as it has been more than 3 years since I have ridden, but includes Europe wide beakdown cover and helmet/clothing insurance). I already ordered a set of Oxford Pro silcone heated grips at a knockdown price on sale. Will get some storm shields (muffs are too daggy), boots, jacket, glives, trousers next week from here: https://jsaccessories.co.uk/ As it needs its MOT by 18 December, will put it straight in for a service/MOT. The headlamps seema bit dim, so will either replace the bulbs or get LED units. The sprockets are a little on the worn side, but the chain looks OK.. .sidearm is still forward and slack looks good. The regulator/rectifier has just been replaced and the stator has been rewound (these are common problems on early CBF1000's). However, I may splurge on an uprated stator. They aren't cheap. The tryes will probably last through winter, which is good... It is a winter hack/commuter for getting me to and from London, without the hassle of waiting 1/2 hour for a train if I just miss one in the morning, and without the 30 minute on average shlep form Waterloo Street to Liverpoos street, whichever way I go, and the timetables where the connectingg service I need seems to pull out just as my service is pulling in (I am talking transport connections - minds out of the gutter, please ;-)) These are well underrated bikes and except for the stator, virtually bulletproof. The valve clearances were done about 5,000 miles ago, but I will get the mechanic to check them, anyway. I can do the rest of the stuff myself. Will have to dig out old tools and the bike stand.. Edit: It doesn't come with a top box, but I happen to have one with a plate just like it. Can't wait!

This is RANDOM..... Oscar Wild's conundrum....

Haven't you all had enough of The Decine and Fall of the American Empire? How do you think the gods feel about it?

What's the difference between an Electrolux Vacuum cleaner and a Swiss Admiral? ans. The Electrolux sucks and sucks and NEVER fails. Nev

I'd really like to know how many bikes haven't been dropped, as so many adverts claim. I'll wager it's only a tiny percentage that haven't gone down at some stage of their lives. I can recall driving N out of Kalgoorlie one evening on the Kalgoorlie Menzies Rd (the Goldfields Highway today). About 10 kays out of Kalgoorlie, in the deep dusk, I spotted a big motorbike lying on its side, on the edge of the (gravel) shoulder, on the opposite side of the road. I pulled up rapidly from my normal 120kmh, fearing that someone had come off. As I stopped and wound down my drivers window, I could see someone who appeared to be lying down behind the bike. Even worse, I could hear grunting and groaning noises coming from the body! I called out, "Are you O.K., mate?", whilst getting ready to get out of the ute. A strained voice came back, "No! I stopped for a piss, and the bloody bike fell over, and now I can't stand it up again!!" 😄 Of course, what had happened was, the bike had actually ended up lying somewhat downhill as it fell over the shoulder, and was partly lying on the drop-off, away from the road shoulder! And of course, the rider was struggling to get any footing on the slippery slope below the bike - what with it being covered in pea-gravel rocks, and being about a 1-in-3 slope! I got out and went over to him, and with both of us under the bike, we managed to get it upright again. It was a big bike, and bloody heavy, too! I don't recall what it was now, just a big Jap bike and certainly around 1000cc or more. He was extremely grateful for the assistance, and he soon had it cranked up and ready to go again, so I left him with it. But I'll wager he'd also learnt a good lesson about being careful where you park your big heavy bike, on country road shoulders!

Read the t-shirt.

I've eaten croc. Kind of like a mix of chicken and fish. Probably wouldn't eat it again, if there were other options.

My daughter & hubby are " grey-nomads " , don't rent their house out , their neighbour watches it . We can go there after acquiring the key from their son . Nice seaside home a block from the beach . spaesaior

You will stuff up the rest of your life if you don't find some way to get over this. Plenty had a worse deal than YOU did. It's YOUR call. Nev

Well thanks. The don does like to take his work home sometimes, doesn't he?

Possession is nine tenths of the law and Trump is clearly a law-abiding citizen.

That depends on witch skool you went to...... Ooops, the granmar police are watchin....'to witch skool you went'.....

Remembrance is a two-sided coin. On one side we remember the brave act those people made to enlist to protect their principles. On the otherside we realise the futility of armed conflict. Perhaps in the 21st Century we might instil in people the futility of armed conflict. Probably a forlorn hope, but still a hope.

Who cares? Other folk's proclivities are none of my business

I am in Vic temporarily, last 47 years, always meant to go back to NSW.

Yes Jerry, BUT.... I think OME's point is that S&P 500 reflects the profitability of those businesses ($), without reflecting actual physical useful produce. The financial situation is no indication of overall wellbeing of the masses. Are they fed any better when the economy is (to quote the orange muppet) "The BESTEST ever!"? No. It only tells me that the investers can now afford bigger yachts.

I got a brochure in the mail for a prepaid cremation. Special offer: If I die in a fire I get half my money back.

Well, OME, the graph represents important data on Artificial Intelligence. That's why I posted it here. But I do see your point. As yet, I haven't heard how they intend to pay the power bill that all those data centres will run up.

He made LOTSA Dough Peddling Toyotas and sheds. Nev

He was a B grade actor at his best, but he had a good sense of humour & cracked quite a few good jokes. May of these are on Youtube.

That looks a little like Bells Palsy

James Watson, co-discoverer of the double helical structure of DNA passed away on 6 November at the age of 97.