"Ooooooooh!"
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Dictator Abbott?
By bringing back Dames and Knights is Abbott acting like Putin. The comparison can be made. Neither consulted his immediate political advisors before they acted. This is reminiscent of Kevin Rudd before he was shown the door. It could also be said about John Howard before he ignominiously lost his safe Liberal seat when he lost his last election.
Total power totally corrupts and Tony Abbott is acting as if he holds all the power. Of course, the Senate is controlled by Labor, the Greens and Independents at the moment, so he cannot do everything he wishes. It also seems certain that he will not fully control the Senate when the newly elected Senators take their seats. The worry is the leader and cabinet can do many things that do not have to be reviewed by the Senate. That is why they call it the executive. Leaders of some countries have even gone to war when this power has not been given to them in the constitution.
The "knee jerk" behavior of a leader is worrying. One wonders what will be coming next - a ban on gay celebrations? Cabinet is already planning to allow racial abuse by striking out legislation. While Coalition politicians argue that they are making things better, their arguments are on sandy ground. Instead of consistent laws they are making some legislation incompatible with other legislation. The High Court will get even more work to settle arguments over racial vilification.
Let's face it people do not like a dictatorial leader. Consultation with cabinet is expected in a democracy. There are worrying signs across the world of democracy being watered-down. Leaders are seemingly doing just as they please. However, there could be a price to pay. For example, will Putin win the next election if Russia goes into recession due to his shocking behavior?
Politics by Ty Buchanan
"Australia Should Develop a Bionic Brain - Nonesense!
One of the most difficult things to do is to develop a computer brain that operates like a human brain. Intelligence that evolved by nature is very complex. A computer "thinks" linearly with one activity followed by another. The human brain works outward from a central point, spreading out to different areas depending on the particular task.
To say that Australia should concentrate on making the world's first bionic brain is a leap too far. Saying that $250m over ten years will get the job done is way off the mark. There are many scientists already working with much more money than that and they haven't achieved much.
Pioneering the healthbionic ear and eye is kid stuff compared to replicating the brain. Using nerve activity to make artificial limbs move is also far from understanding human intelligence. Even after all these years measuring intelligence is beyond us. The IQ test only gives a score for rating cultural knowledge. It is misused by so many people.
We need to start at the real beginning and understand genetics first. Genes build the brain. Consciousness is another thing. Is it the outcome of the overall activity of the brain or is it something separate, like a soul? Saying humans are the only animal to have a soul is nonsense. When you get to Heaven expect to find some Neanderthal there!
Science by Ty Buchanan
Dog Bikie
"Sod the Queensland bikie laws."
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Cheapy Tablet Market Explosion
Australians are buying cheap tablets at a record rate. Just about every major store is selling a low-cost tablet. People are not worrying about completely new brands and are snapping them up. The computers do the basics. 'This is all users seem to want. A spare lying around the house is always useful.
Established companies like Intel are taking notice. They are about to launch a "cheapy" into the booming market. Sales of all types of tablets doubled last year in Australia. Apple seems to be ignoring the trend keeping its prices high. This could prove very costly in the long run. You just cannot ignore a change in purchasing. The market has changed with people moving away from major brands. They have realized that tablets are much the same.
Making tablets is new for Intel. It is moving with the times and rightly so. Intel does not intend to manufacture in the US. It is consulting with Chinese companies. It knows a quality chip in integral for even cheapies to work well and it has the skills to design a fast chip.
It is designing a product for each price range, a good idea if it is to become the major manufacturer. That is its goal. The Bay Trail chip is 64-bit. This will offer real power as new applications is made for the system. The market is growing and buyers are expecting more features in a low-priced product.
Tablets by Ty Buchanan
No Best Monkey
"No best man? Shame on you."
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Australia's Chinese Bushranger - Sam Pu (Poo)
Australian bushrangers (outlaws for those in other countries) were all believed to be Caucasian. They were of mostly of Irish heritage with a few of English and Scottish heritage thrown in. Oddly, I cannot seem to find any Welsh bushrangers, but I will stand corrected on this. There was a Jewish offender, of English origin.
The one exception to this "rule" was a Chinese bushranger. His life is being made into a movie. Named Sam Pu, he came to Australia in the early 19th century in the search for gold, like many fellow Chinese.
His spirit was raised to hostility at the riots of Lambing Flats, where white immigrants fought against the Chinese as they worked in large groups and moved into sites abandoned by whites, who usually worked on finding the alluvial gold in small groups. The greatest problem was "running costs" - they ate less than Europeans!
Sam Pu had two quirks. Firstly, he had a white girlfriend. Secondly, he couldn't ride a horse. His mistake was shooting and killing a policeman. The hunt was on. He was caught and hanged.
Like most movies, Aodaliya Gold will not be true to this boring end. Pu joins famous bushrangers Frank Gardiner, Johnny Hall and Ben Hall. He also finds an itinerant Chinese girl along the way. They all ride (or walk) out into the sunset to lead a multicultural life.
Ah well, that's life, or maybe it isn't!
History by Ty Buchanan
Society by Ty Buchanan
Climate Change - Buildings Down and the Surf
Australia has always been a harsh place to live. Despite the luxury living on the coast with all the latest modern services, inland there is a desert. Many people who are born in the harsh center remain there all their lives. A fewer number choose to live there moving from coastal cities. Let's face it many prefer the heat over the cold and they have personal reasons for choosing to do this.
We do yet know what lies ahead for us in this vast continent. Climate change is happening at this very moment most definitely. El Niño and La Niña are the major factors influencing the weather on the east coast. Scientists forecast more extremes from these usually opposite climate impacting factors. The intermediate stage between these cycles has lasted for several years now. Weather is very unpredictable ranging from drought inland to too much rain on the coast. It seems we experience one or the other extreme with changeable in between.
The level of the ocean is rising. Coastal buildings will be inundated and lost forever. Oddly, this is bad news for surfers. As the sea rises the surface becomes smoother. This means smaller waves on the beaches. The era of Australia being a surfing nation could come to an end. Storms along the coast will decrease further exacerbating the problem. With more water volume, temperature differences in the ocean even out leading to calmer weather. The few storms that will occur will be very large indeed. High-rise buildings on the Gold Coast in Queensland will fall into the sea. We will lose our tourist mecca.
Climate by Ty Buchanan
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