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Well, we're taking the jump. My wife and I test drove 3 EVs today - MG 4, MG 4 Urban and MG 5. Kate had already put down a deposit on the MG 4, but after driving all 3 we're tossing up between the Urban and the MG 5. In all 3 cars the acceleration is brilliant. Handling is great. We found the Urban and MG 5 more comfortable because we're both tall (and possibly a bit wider than we should be). Over the weekend we'll decide which way to go and switch the deposit on Monday.

Interesting question. I could just wimp out and say, “I’m retired now.” Music has always evolved alongside technology. The instruments available to composers today are vastly different from those available centuries ago, whether in orchestras, jazz, rock, or electronic music. Of course, AI is a rather different innovation. I think AI in music is inevitable, and like most technological change, it will bring both benefits and drawbacks. On the positive side, AI is a democratiser. It allows almost anyone to experiment with composition, arranging, and production. That could open the door for talented people who may never have had formal training or industry connections. On the downside, it may also lead to an overwhelming amount of average material. Music has often evolved because composers and performers broke the rules of their time. AI, at least in its current form, largely works by analysing existing music and reproducing variations of it. Whether it can truly innovate in the human sense remains an open question. For me, music is deeply human. I would rather hear a second-rate live orchestra or band than a flawless recording of a world-class performer. The imperfections, the spontaneity, and the sense of shared experience matter. In some ways, this tension has existed for decades, as recordings became increasingly engineered and perfected. Technology has always reshaped the music industry. In the 1940s, venues employed large big bands with 20 or 30 musicians. The arrival of the electric guitar and amplified music made it economically attractive to hire four or five performers instead. That was a loss in one sense — the big band era was awesome, but it also helped create rock and pop music as we know it today. I suspect AI will become very useful in commercial areas of music. For example, we may not always need a human composer to create an advertising jingle or background track. My concern is whether this eventually leads to a kind of musical “fast food”, content that is efficient and disposable, but lacks depth, individuality, and genuine human expression. In the end, I don’t think AI will destroy music. But I do think it may change what we value in music, and perhaps make the human element even more important.

You know that old thought exercise about which famous people, alive or dead, you'd invite to you ultimate dinner party? People choose Einstein, Jesus, Confucius, Plato etc. I'd choose Trump, Vance, Hegseth, Putin, and Netanyahu. Catering by Erin Patterson.

NRMA also have a battery on their vehicle to transfer energy to an EV. Battery to battery can be very high speed so it does not take long to get enough charge into the empty EV battery to enable it to get to the nearest charger. using a generator would take hours to get very little energy in the EV unless it was a massive generator capable of 150 kW plus. I don't know of anyone who has run out though. EV owners are good planners, partly because the public charging network has not kept up with EV sales. Also because the cars software knows the range and can list all the chargers within range. State & federal governments are now putting a fair bit of effort into improving the number of chargers particularly in regional areas. There are plenty in large centres and along major highways. Installing chargers is a lot easier than building a petrol station & once built at huge cost it has to be supplied with fuel. Portable units are being installed in the outback. They have a large battery and solar panels & get delivered on the back of a truck. Several companies are supplying these to Outback farms etc. Larger ones have a small solar farm & big batteries to supply several vehicles at once. NRMA have one in the NT somewhere with 4 chargers. Public EV charging is only in its infancy & some of the early ones were very unreliable. Not so now & there are plenty that are capable of 350 kW way more than almost all EVs can receive. I am off on a 350km round trip tomorrow. The battery is fully charged (free from my solar system) & I won't need to top up anywhere. If I did though there are heaps of charging options. I just hit the go to button & the Satnav guides me to the neared public charger & lists all within range. Simples.

None, They all represent interests of themselves as billionaires.

Geez, you've really been sucking on the Trump Kool-aid bottle, haven't you? What do you think is going to be the next thing to happen? A long-lasting peace plan engineered by Trump, where the Iranians lay down all their arms, and come meekly to the surrender table to sign the surrender document? You're off with the fairies, along with the Tangerine Toddler. He's so full of sh**, it's a wonder they haven't called the portaloo collectors to come and collect him.

This is beautiful.

Most People who've experienced such circumstances hate war and seek something better.. Nev

The mothers may have been under the same duress as the Iranian Women's Soccer Team who wanted asylum in Australia, with threats to their family in Iran. They may have had no say in who they married, the Muslim religion treats women worse than dogs. 9 year old girls are forced to marry. The mothers did not want that sort of treatment for their children. Bringing them here gives the kids a chance to grow up as caring compassionate human beings.

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

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?”

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

I emailed him and got a reply within 15 minutes. He is well, but has had a few system problems logging onto different sites.

Here are a couple of pieces of music trivia. During war 2, the BBC would play the opening of Beethoven's 5th Symphony (which I think everyone would recognise) before news programs. The rhythm is short, short, short, long, which is the same as the Morse code for V. This became part of the V for victory campaign. Famously, Churchill used to hold up his fingers as a V but initially got it the wrong way round, which meant something quite different. The well-known theme tune to Mission Impossible, composed by Lalo Schifrin started out with that famous long, long, short, short, which is Morse code for MI

Although I love aviation, I find commercial air travel to be mind numbingly boring. There are however usually some moments of beauty. I snapped this last night on my way home from Adelaide.

I sometimes think that bananaby's face is a reminder to take my hypertension medicine...... or put on more sunscreen. Anyone else wanting to Slip, slop, slap?

My random discovery.....

All UAE has to do is wait for the right time to activate the self destruct system they left in the aircraft.

I'm have got to stop starting posts with headline-like sentences. They are always misinterpreted. What I was trying to say was that it was a good thing that domestic solar installations were being done at a great rate and that the battery subsidy was a big help. It was my belief that the inability to store excess electricity was holding back the adoption of solar. That disability now seems to have been overcome That's good. An aside: I was nearly going to write that solar installation rates were going through the roof, but I didn't want to pun.

I never take a HTV card. Firmly of the belief that everyone who is eligible to vote should take their responsibility to engage in democracy seriously and number all boxes. It's not a big ask, once every 3 years.

Wait up..... I'm confused ...... I'll have to go back and find some episodes of 'Blue Hills' and 'Dad n Dave'...... that should clear this up.

So, since Trump is saving the world from the spread of mass killings and nuclear weapons, when can we expect him to make Israel give up their nuclear weapons?

Every ON voter questioned on TV, when asked why, said "We needed a change."

It seems funny hearing people refer to 4% as high interest rates. It was 17.5% when I took out a variable rate loan to buy my place, and the loan peaked at around 20%. My father was paying around 22% on his business loan at it's peak.

I tried the beer when I was up in the country, but it was hard to get, warm and tasted like the worst home brew you'd ever tried. Rotten egg gas smell when you opened them and no two bottles were the same. Apart from right hand drive cars driving on the right, another oddity was a couple of years later when Ne Win introduced new currency based on his lucky number 9. He also demonetized three existing notes which rendered 75% of the country's cash invalid. It wiped out most people's savings in a country that relied heavily on black market cash and hammered the economy. The military government was a bit crazy. In the first place I stayed there was a window between floors in the stairwell. In the distance seen out of the window was a big red building, and on the wall a poster with a stern government warning not to look at the big red building. I imagine in the big red building there would have been a government agent with the job of looking through a telescope to see if any foreigners were looking at the big red building. I wouldn't have even noticed the big red building if I hadn't seen the warning sign, so of course the natural response on reading the sign is to look out the window at the big red building.

I agree with you there Nev...the media in this country is shockingly bad. Journalism is now tainted with woke and left bias. Very few have any right bias its mainly left. What ever happened to unbiased fact based journalism that just gave you the facts and not the spin depending on who owns the media company The ABC used to until it was poisioned by idealogy and crap interviewers

Great man. He's done a lot for the world.

Nev's right though. For all their absolute stupidity for going off to join the caliphate, and the abhorrent isis, they remain Australian citizens with Australian passports. Any crimes they have committed over there, which are offences under Australian law or international laws that Australia is signatory to, will be charged. The children of course are innocent and should be given the same opportunity to grow up in Australia as any of us. To suggest we should somehow prevent Australian citizens from returning home is just wrong.

No need to squabble guys. Every tech answer has an application. Diversity of energy sources is like an insurance policy against one source stopping. Specifically relating to Energy, reducing the pollution caused by any industry, is a benefit to all humanity. We should wean ourselves off the fossil fuel industry because burning it causes many kinds of pollution. Sooner the better, as long as we do it progressively. And EV's are a great step in the right direction.

Random government thought......... At some point in the future there will be a need to reward a person who tells the truth. A No Bull Prize.

Aren't they called ESV's - Emotional Support Vehicles?

Have you got a NEW Cause Celebre, Mark? You can get artificial Spray on Mud for those Toorak Tractors. Enhance your MANLY Image (and that of your Wife ) when she takes little Johnie to Private school. each day. The whole 1-2 Kms that doesn't even get the engine Warm. Nev

What I can't understand is why people drive those kinds of vehicle around the suburban area. They take up 1.5 car parking spaces, and anyone in a medium sized sedan parked beside them can't see past them when exiting their parking space.

This presupposes that we are the only country attempting to cut CO2. Yes, our share is small, but all of the countries that contribute under 2% make cuts adds up to 30% (I am happy to back that figure up) How are these actions abhorrent? When you say you don't accept the science, are you saying that CSIRO is incompetent or part of the malicious conspiracy that you alluded to? I approach climate science like any other area. I have had people tell me that vaccination doesn't work or causes autism, etc. I reject this because I can see what CSIRO says. Being extra cautious, I can cross-check this with other respected sources. This seems to me to be a solid method of determining what the likely "truth" is. If you believe this is a flawed method, then suggest a better method. If the outliers in climate science are right, then why not the outliers in medical science or any other field? Vaccine sceptics also tend to cite "grand conspiracies."

When you run a diesel out it of fuel it will get air in the system will have to be Bled properly. Sometimes even changing a fuel filter has to be done by a competent person with the right equipment. Contaminated Fuel with water can cost thousands of dollars. None of this with EV's No turbos , No EGR Valves. No air cleaners No Mufflers to rot out. No need to warm the engine or watch it on a hot day. No starter Motor, gearbox or clutch to wear. Reduced Brake wear. Servicing reduced to tyres and windscreen wiper Blades. No fumes No tuning. . Dramatic revolutionary change. Nev

Run a Diesel to empty and you don't just fill it and drive away either. Same if you get contaminated fuel. The Longer you delve into electric the BETTER it Looks, Independence from war causing Oil and It's greedy Price and supply manipulators.. The Modern ICE Piston engines are remarkable but Now becoming an obsolete technology. Time to move on in your conceptions of it. It will continue to be even better as engines did in their day. Nev

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

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

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 thought they were dwarfs until I expanded the photo and saw they were kneeling. Should've gone to specsavers.

I recently got a towbar fitted to my MG 4 & I bought a new 6 x 4 trailer. You don't even notice the trailer is there as the elcetric power adjusts so if you put your foot down it accelerates as if it isn't there. There is a noticeable difference in power consumption though. I found at 110 kmh with the trailer & a load on it was sucking about 22 kWh/100km compared with 15-16 without the trailer, but at 80 kmh there wasn't much difference. It cost about $1,500.00 fitted but I know some people have negotiated to get a towbar fitted for free when they purchased the car (or probably they could have negotiated a lower price if the towbar wasn't fitted).

I used to take a HTV from every party so as not to signal my intentions. I haven't done this now for many years. My next stage where I used to live was because I knew the local school where the polling booth was, I was able to enter from a direction that avoided the people handing out HTVs Fir the last few years I have mostly voted by mail and therefore have done my research about who to vote for online. I did vote in person at the last election so I researched online, came up with a voting strategy and wrote it down so I wouldn't forget. My area is a very safe seat so I usually vote for a smaller party or independent knowing who will win anyway.

I have had my MG4 for nearly 3 years now & Have no regrets other than the price of the facelift 2026 model is 10k cheaper than what I paid. Still another 4+ years of warranty. I have had 2 problems, the first was a drooping rear undertray & the second was the drivers door window stopped working. The undertray is a known issue & is the cover for the electric drive motor. The window issue was just a poor connection. All new models have a 10 year warranty or 250k whichever comes first. Mine was 7 years but unlimited km warranty. I am 168 cm so no issue with fitting in. I like the edgy styling of the 4. It was actually designed by the Royal Academy of Arts & engineered by SAIC UK. It has sold very well around the world except in China. 50/50 weight distribution, low CoG & RWD gives really good handling better than most others anywhere near its price range. All the new models have LFP batteries so a bit less energy dense but no nickel or cobalt & they are cheaper to produce so that is reflected in the price drop. The new model has a bit less power but slightly better economy & a nice updated interior & a single piece spoiler, though I prefer the split spoilers of mine. The urban is FWD and has a bigger boot as there is no motor there. It has less power & range but unless you are doing long trips is a good buy for the price. For you i reckon the MG5 would be best. True SUV size though does not have the range of the MG4 nor the performance. Price depends on the spec level. I have the Essence with a 64 kWh battery so am biased but all the extra features were worth the extra money iIMHO. I'd go for the best offer without compromising your requirements. Do they still supply a granny charger? A lot of EVs no longer come with one. One thing I'd advise not to do is get talked in to one of their 7kW home chargers unless you get it thrown in for free. There are much better ones for much less on the market. I bought a ZJbeny for less than half the price & it is fully adjustable with app control, RFID, plug & play & OCCP capability. ZJ Beny make lots of chargers right up to massive super chargers. Also their V2L cable is over $200.00 & has a limited output of about 10 amps plus it is bulky. I bought a V2L adapter on line for $45.00 delivered & it has a max output of 32 amps but you need a big cable to take that load. Most of these are now limited to 16amps. Good to see another forumite joining the EV revolution. You won't regret the decision. I certainly haven't

these children were all born in Syria NOT in Australia ergo yhey are Syrians , let them all stay there with thier Traitor mothers

The project won't be canned for good. This stoppage is just a reset to get all the unnecessary hangers-on, off the gravy train, so the project can get back to realistic costs. I've seen so many of these major projects just become an open cheque book for opportunistic businesses, charging anything they like, simply because lazy, inefficient management, just wants to see progress. Once the shock of the gravy train ceasing to exist comes home with a thump, the companies and contractors then become a lot more realistic and competitlve.

What we forget is that although China is building heaps of intermittent generation, it is also building a lot of synchronous generation as well.(includes traditional hydro) It will include enough capacity to keep the grid stable. China aren't silly. Really like this comment. By all means decarbonise but don't make Australia a basket case to do it. Do it in a planned, sustainable way. It will make no difference to global warming. The other countries with low emissions should do the same thing.

I like this girl. This youtube discusses the issue of EV battery degredation, which is surrounded by urban myth and misinformation. I especially note in the comments - there are a lot of anti-EV trolls simply bagging out EV's.