Australia's National Broadband Network is a Mess

Development of Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) has been a disaster. Mismanagement by governments run by both major parties are at fault. The Coalition won office on the promise to clean up the mess and speed things up. Currently, the roll out is slowing down and it is still in a mess. Neither party knows how to manage a punch-up in a pub.
Australia is falling down the international ranking of broadband efficiency. Industry is waiting for it to be working Australia wide. Completion will probably be 2030. The technology will be superseded by then and the investment will be a waste of money.

There are pockets of users with fast broadband in the country. This is causing frustration and anger from those who cannot get it. Some people are actually buying houses in areas already covered. The poor miss out yet again.

The Coalition has been accused of bypassing Labor electorates. This is disgraceful behavior. Leaving wire connections from the node was bad enough. There is no doubt that since the election of the Liberal/National government construction has come to a standstill.

Australians move from anger to ridicule. It is seen as a joke. Telstra is laughing all the way to the bank though. The longer it goes on the more unearned income it gets.  The monopoly created by government and privatized is still a monopoly.

With the United States making the definition of broadband 25Mbps down instead of 4Mbps the technology cannot be classed as broadband internationally. Ninety nine percent of users will get something in the order of 20Mbps or less depending on the length of copper to their homes from the node.
Technology by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Sheep Wants to Know

"Do you want something?"
 
 ✴ Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Lizard Found in Australia

Something has been living out there without our knowledge. Yes, it could be called a monster - a very small one. It is in fact a new species of lizard. A team of scientists from the University of Adelaide has discovered a new kind of Varanus lizard.

It was found living in a remote part of the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia. Consequently, it has named the Dampier Peninsula goanna (Varanus sparnus). There are now a total of 77 species of the "genus Varanus". Sparnus is the smallest found so far.

The lizard burrows under the ground beneath hard surface objects like stone and wood. Not much is known about its living habits because it moves very fast. The new species seems to be localized, existing only on the Dampier Peninsula. There are no doubt more currently unknown animals in the region.
Biology by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Hair Cut Cow

"Get your hair cut!"
"What you say?"
 
 ✴ Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elecric Cars are a Mistake

Adopting battery powered cars is the worst thing societies can do. It is just a transfer from dirty oil engines to dirty oil power station. Removal of carbon at power stations is talked about a lot. However, nothing has been achieved. Experiments have largely failed.

The distance barrier is still a problem for battery cars. To go more than two hundred miles requires an enormous battery, far to heavy to put in vehicles. Price is still an issue: there is little hope of a reduction even with mass production. Weak demand continues.

Planners are saying that the lack of battery "charge" centers is the main barrier. This is only secondary. Where does the capital come from to build them? Battery swap stations were established by the Electric Light Company to service a fleet of electric trucks a century ago. Buses in China get new batteries en route. The trucks disappeared and Chinese buses are government run.

Changing to a recharged battery is not cost effective. If you have to do this you may as well keep the petrol car. A charge-up at home is the only way to go. Long distance truckers will never adopt battery power. There is little torque in the powertrain, certainly not enough to transport heavy goods.
✴ Transport Transport by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Bear Day


"What a day.  Do this. do that.  Go, go, go."
 
 ✴ Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Complacency and Support for Drug Taking is Dangerous


We are far too complacent about drug taking, assuming that we can just stop at any time. With alcohol use it is clear that this is not the case. Road breath tests frequently find no alcohol in a driver's system, but a drug test shows up positive. It seem that drugs can be substituted for alcohol. So it is wise not to take any drugs even as an experiment.

Drug addiction is not rare for the number of drug takers out there. Many think they can stop. They cannot. Even taking drugs regularly in the short term means withdrawal with occur. Furthermore, there is no know real cure apart from complete abstinence.

Not much is written about the health risks from drug taking. Many believe that smoking cannabis is completely safe. However, all the problems of smoking tobacco are possible.  All illicit drugs destroy the body.  Drugs are poison, just like alcohol.  Take them at your peril.

Another real issue is permanent damage in brain functioning that can affect national economies. Forgetfulness and lack of emotional control do not make for success in the workforce. Someone has to pay for supporting those who cannot function "correctly" in society.

Drug taking is destroying societies. Take an illegal drug once and you are hooked. You will come back to it when times get tough. People who take drugs are looking for a crutch. The truth is drug takers soon fall out of the workforce and can no longer contribute.
Science by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Otter Wants Beer Open

"Open please."
 
  Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Women Will Not be Needed to Carry Babies

The time when women choose to have babies has changed through history. At the beginning of the 20th century, Doctors told women to wait until they were at least 24 to become pregnant, because it was known that giving births earlier resulted in "damaged" babies due to the lack of medical knowledge at the time.  Waiting too long, however, also resulted in fertility problems. Of course, much of this advice went by the wayside as lack of reliable contraception led to birthing at a younger age anyway.

The Great Depression put a real "stymie" on women choosing to have children in their twenties. Lack of income reduced interest in sex and men told their wives to not fall pregnant. At least this is what we are told.

War in the late 1930s saw all of this self-control fall away as couples fell pregnant with the view that one could be dead tomorrow. Even in 1942 a doctor said people were selfish and wanted creature comforts more than children. How he came to this conclusion is a mystery. With a war on there wasn't much to buy. All labor was directed to the war effort.

After the War, the predilection for early childbirth continued. Male dominated society saw women tied to the home. When war ended people wanted to get back a stable family life as soon as possible.  Too much conflict and death can do this.

The birth control pill was established in the 1960s. This was a whole new ball game. Women could now choose when to have children. By the 1970s the number of women giving birth in their thirties doubled. This rate has continues to rise to the present day.

Culture changed along with this. More women entered the workforce as having two incomes was necessary for the high demand way of life that was developing. Two incomes were not necessary for a couple to live in past eras. People today want everything that our forebears did not have like cars, homes, air conditioning, private schools, quality health care and more importantly, safe workplaces.

Will the future continue along the same path. We do not know. Technology keeps moving forward. It is possible that eventually the human body will not be necessary to carry babies. They are conceived in a dish so perhaps they will be "carried" in some sort of chemical container.
Culture by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Where For Art Thou Romeo?

"Romeo, Romeo where are you?"






"Romeo, Romeo where are you?"
 
 Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Aboriginals Knew a Disaster Would Hit Darwin

White people just don't listen. They think they know everything and are better than black people. History shows that Europeans have believed in their superiority over Aboriginals, condemning their culture as nothing spectacular.

We do need to learn what we can from Aboriginals before all their practices are lost. Languages are disappearing as Aboriginals are westernized. Elders pass away and the traditions go with them. They know about the nature of the land, understanding things that we should record for posterity.

Evidence has been brought to light that Aboriginals left Darwin before Cyclone Tracy arrived. This is why none are seen in film footage. An Aboriginal woman Betty Pearce has come forward saying she was responsible. She travelled to Arnhem Land and went on to warn tribal people about the coming catastrophe. It was not clear in her mind what the specific disaster would be, but she knew something bad was about to happen.

She noticed something odd happening on her trip to Arnhem Land. Snakes and goannas were lying in the sun and not attacking each other. Goannas usually face the morning sun to warm their bodies up. Yet some were looking away from the sun. After seeing this she began a virtual pilgrimage to warn other Aboriginals to go home. Local people in Arnhem Land had known about the danger before she arrived.

After being told by elders to never speak of it openly, Betty finally decided to tell everyone black and white alike. After all, 40 years has passed since the cyclone and many had passed on due to old age. This knowledge is common sense really. Animals have developed senses which can identify subtle changes in the environment before a weather event. More research needs to be done on this.
Culture by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)


Things Bad for Dog

"It can't get any worse."
 
 Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)

Maremma Dogs to Look After Bandicoots

The Maremma Sheepdog guards sheep in Italy. Dogs are intelligent and are trained for many things. They are now being trained to protect the endangered eastern barred bandicoot. Whoever came up with the idea should be given an award. In hindsight it would be seen as obvious, but it was smart thinking.

Maremma dogs will be selected for the specific job. The bandicoot will be released into the wild with the dogs. Protected release locations will be closely monitored. Their welfare is important: there are no eastern barred bandicoots currently living free.

Landowners will be asked to feed the dogs. This will reduce funding requirements. The bandcoots will be given freedom to live as naturally as they can - living alongside a dog. Ironically, the animals that kill bandicoots are imports from Europe like the wolf and feral cat.

As well as training the dogs to look after the bandicoot, they have to be taught not to hunt natural wildlife themselves. It is easy for dogs to turn wild if left alone. Australia has already had success with teaching dogs to protect penguins on Middle Island, Warnambool. No doubt the enterprise will work.
Environment by Ty Buchanan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
     Australian Blog                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)