"Just dreaming I'm being driven along a highway."
Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
The English Still Treat Aussies as Low-Class Dumb Asses
Aussies can always put on a posh accent at a barbecue for a laugh at the poms. You see, an Aussie who adopts this accent, and some do particularly on the ABC, loses a few mates and wonders why. As Ian Chappell the famous Aussie cricketer said to many English opposition players, "Have you had your monthly bath yet?" Though we sweat a lot because of the hot climate Australians do not smell. A shower every morning is part of the culture.
The highfalutin Royal Geographical Society is treating Australians like dirt because a deal they had went bad. It holds a set of paintings by Thomas Baines done on his visit to Australia in 1855-57. There are 21 watercolor paintings in all, plus drawings.
Kerry Stokes of Western Australia haggled over the asking price; then the Royal Geographical Society accepted the offer. With the export licence approved the Society has reneged on the deal. It has now decided to sell the collection to any British buyer at a price 35 per cent lower.
To say the price reduction is due to currency fluctuation is a "cop out". The institution is clearly miffed at losing the collection to the land under whose name shall not be spoken. The English clearly still have a superiority complex today. Obviously, modernity has not enlightened them.
✴ Culture by Ty Buchanan ✴
The Computer Market Has Changed for PCs, Phones and Tablets
IBM is leaving the hardware computer market. Maturity in the market has meant demand for PCs has levelled off. Businesses still need them, but the ordinary consumer already has an old version gathering dust.
When a person needs to search the Internet he/she uses his, now large, mobile phone or tablet. It should be noted that the tablet market has tapered off as well. Just about anyone who wants one already has it. Cheap clones on sale in supermarkets has reduced profit margins significantly. Even the giant mobile phone maker Samsung has announced that it has had a bad year.
Apple is losing out to Android and its days of premium pricing are coming to an end. Unless it comes out with useful new ideas its sales will fall. It definitely needs to look into the crystal ball. Unfortunately, a crystal ball cannot be found.
Giants of recent decades have been bought out by rivals and shut down. Making what was in demand in the past is a losers game. Let's face it - some of the ideas taken on by Google are utterly stupid. Drones to deliver pizzas is an example. How can drones be allowed to fly about in populated places. Google will have injuries and law suits from everywhere.
Cloud computing may help IBM in the short term. If they want to stay relevant they will need something else. There are too many free cloud offerings out there for server profits to stay high. It is not feasible for all companies to be in the large data market.
Apple has to have a rethink and Microsoft has to wean users off Windows 7. Unless Threshold, Microsoft's version 9, offers something new and special users will remain stuck to the old system and profits will fall. Apple gives its operating system away for free. How much longer can Microsoft charge for their's?
Technology by Ty Buchanan
Heat Kills
Everyone knows that Australia is a hot country, perhaps not as hot as Africa. Nonetheless, it can get "stinking hot" here. In the past, some regions have experienced 10 days or more with temperatures close to 40 degrees Centigrade (100 Fahrenheit).
We are going through a cool period now with La Niña. However, this winter has been the warmest on record. There seems to be rain along the coast, hardly any inland. This is an odd situation. La Niña should make it wet everywhere.
Australians treat heat as a way of life, knowing that the cool will end and the scorchers will soon arrive. Most do not know that heat is the country's greatest killer. If asked in the street, most would not believe this.
Combine deaths caused by bushfires, storms and cyclones. The number will not be near as many who die from heat. Research has shown that most heat related deaths occur on January 27. This is a day after Australia Day, a bank holiday where people celebrate with too much alcohol. Could this be a factor? No, Australians drink all year round. Being outside around the barbecue could contribute though.
With electricity prices going through the roof in Australia staying in an air conditioned room is now a luxury. This is why more of the poor will die. The elderly are next on the list and those with preexisting illnesses not being adequately treated are last. It could be said that death from heat is a wealth problem - take note politicians!
Society by Ty Buchanan
War Looming That Russia Cannot Win
It is certain that what is left of Ukraine, if there isn't a world war now, will push Ukraine to join NATO. Putin thinks his actions will prevent this happening. This is a great strategic mistake on his part. Adding eastern Ukraine onto Russia will make the rest of the Ukrainian people fearful.
A new cold war could result instead of a war, Probably a face off of missiles along the remaining Russian-Ukrainian border, much like North and South Korea. The thing is, Russia is a very small target. The West is a very large one. How can Russia possibly defeat the whole West. It isn't possible.
Russia is heading for further isolation that is pushing it backwards technologically. Furthermore, taking in eastern Ukraine will be a tremendous financial burden. Russians may like what he is doing now, but they will change when economic hardships begin. Note that the conflict has already pushed Russia into recession.
✴ Politics by Ty Buchanan ✴
Oil Found Off Australia's North West Coast
There has always been a belief that Australia's future lies in finding a mineral that is plentiful in the north west of the country. Till now this has not been achieved. Everyone knows that Western Australia is full of iron ore so this is not what they are looking for.
Drilling for many years has just made holes in the ground. Companies have gone over ground already explored before. This is how the latest find was made. There is oil there and in vast quantities. Apache Corp. has made the announcement that was greeted with surprise by some people.
Apache was searching for gas when it made the discovery. Considering Australia's oil production has fallen to its lowest level for forty years this can only be good news.
Income to Western Australia from iron ore has declined due to a fall in Chinese demand. The price for iron ore is down by a third since January. Australia is producing far more ore than it can sell. Coal is not doing well either.
The oil found by Apache is of very high quality so a high price is expected for it when it eventually comes on line. Unfortunately, it could be some time before this happens. Normally developing a new oil field takes decades.
✴ Economics by Ty Buchanan ✴
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
