I need to vent!

[Megatran]

Someone stole my bike. I liked that bike. Bye, bike. :(
Where was it stolen?

[Ploughmans Lunch]

Where was it stolen?

Front of my house. Lil mistake but generally its been fine to leave it there but whatever hey

[M-bot]

Buying book for my step-son as he starts year 7. Maths book - Digital version - $58. Physical version - $68. Surely - SURELY - the fact that it is digital should make it significantly cheaper? Wondering if the school is getting some kickbacks. Seriously, that price is ridiculous.
They're also wanting us to spend $36 on a scientific calculator, when there is already one integrated in the iPad they need us to buy. Nope, that ain't happening.

[GoktimusPrime]

Had a guy in a van cut across three lanes in front of me today! :eek: I beeped my horn and flashed my high beams at him as I had to brake. He incorrectly gave me an apologetic wave with his middle finger extended. If you can't even wave properly, then I dare say that you may lack the dexterity and motor skills to operate a vehicle! :eek:


Buying book for my step-son as he starts year 7. Maths book - Digital version - $58. Physical version - $68. Surely - SURELY - the fact that it is digital should make it significantly cheaper? Wondering if the school is getting some kickbacks. Seriously, that price is ridiculous.
They're also wanting us to spend $36 on a scientific calculator, when there is already one integrated in the iPad they need us to buy. Nope, that ain't happening.
I'm still rather skeptical about this whole digital BYOD thing with Year 7 this year, especially as a language teacher. Because language is a social skill, and these devices often encourage kids to be anti-social (i.e. facing screens instead of another human being). We all know that the best way that children learn languages is via human interaction. It's not as if infants learn their first language through a freaking app. :rolleyes:

I don't know why the digital version would cost so much, but perhaps one reason is the sheer amount of time it takes to digitise documents. I know that it took us aaages just to document our Year 7 Latin, French, German and Japanese booklets. Ages. Just as well I had a young techno-savvy student teacher who really sped things along quickly for us (she did in a month what would've taken the rest of us about a year :p). :o I think that we've dispensed with using physical copies of the Latin, French and German books, but we're still undecided as to whether or not we want to give them a printed version of the Japanese book, because it does require students to learn how to hand-write new scripts. AFAIK we're not charging any extra though.

I do recommend that you get a calculator though, as I suspect that media devices will not be allowed in tests & exams (because students might be able to cheat by accessing saved documents containing notes, formulae etc.). This is why students aren't allowed to use their phone calculators.

I do share your concern that this all makes education all the more expensive. One of my personal criticisms with the BYOD policy is that it may serve to further marginalise poor families. :( Theoretically, students who cannot afford their own device can access one from the school's pool, or seek government funding. But there are a lot of families who don't qualify for assistance but aren't overflowing with money to spend on this technology. Something that concerns me is that these devices may become status symbols at school; i.e. more affluent kids can afford to get the latest devices with all the latest apps and doohickeys. This may serve to make the rich and poor kids stand out more. :(

One great thing in countries like Australia is that most of our schools enforce a uniform. I've spoken to people from countries like the U.S. and Canada where most schools don't, and they tell me that discrimination against poor kids is rife because they obviously can't afford to wear expensive clothes. In a uniform school, you can't immediately tell who are the rich or poor kids because everyone dresses the same. When the government rolled in the free notebook policy for students in Year 9, they were all given the same Lenovo notebooks. So again, no socioeconomic discrimination because everyone had the same model.

Another concern that I have is the distraction factor. This was a problem that we had with the notebooks. A lot of kids were using them to play games or access social media etc. during class. I even had some parents come and complain to me that their child's notebook was proving more of a distracting hindrance than a help. The immediate challenge for teachers is that whenever we stand at the front of the classroom, all we can see are the backs of their devices. So obviously we're going to have to physically roam a lot more during class, which I admit is something I've been doing less of since I started using CLIL teaching, simply because I need constant access to the keyboard for presentations. Last week I bought myself a Logitech Wireless Presenter so that I can use the laser pointer and also remotely control certain features of PowerPoint during presentations while I roam around the classroom. So I am trying to prepare myself for this. :o

I dunno... maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this big push for preparing our students to be "21st Century Digital Learners" is the right way to go. Maybe I'll completely change my mind about this by the end of this year. I can only hope that my concerns will be proven unfounded.

[M-bot]

Hmmmm... I hadn't thought of the exam/test scenario you propose, where he may not be allowed to have access to his device. I will have to talk to teachers about that when the time comes. Even so, I can't imagine why a scientific calculator would cost that much. It's possibly one of the simplest computing devices you can get, so it just shouldn't be that expensive, to my mind anyway.

As for digitizing books, unless the original text books were typed out with a typewriter or hand written, I can imagine it would be too difficult. What was it that took a long time for your language booklets? Presuming you didn't have digital copies somewhere?

As for the changes in the classroom setting - I imagine there were changes every time a new technology has been introduced. This is no different. There are going to be adjustments along the way, for sure. It sounds like you're finding your way in your classroom, despite the limitations.

[GoktimusPrime]

Hmmmm... I hadn't thought of the exam/test scenario you propose, where he may not be allowed to have access to his device. I will have to talk to teachers about that when the time comes. Even so, I can't imagine why a scientific calculator would cost that much. It's possibly one of the simplest computing devices you can get, so it just shouldn't be that expensive, to my mind anyway.
In my personal opinion, I think that Year 7's too early to begin introducing calculators. Maths teachers all say that it's to get Year 7s used to operating calculators at an early age so that it gets easier when they have to use more complex scientific functions later on. But let's face it, there's not a whole lot in Year 7-8 level maths that really requires the use of a calculator. When I was in Year 7-8, using a calculator actually started killing off my maths skills. My maths coach outside of school forbade me from using a calculator, basically weened me off it and forced me to do sums with my head again. My maths results improved after that. :)


As for digitizing books, unless the original text books were typed out with a typewriter or hand written, I can imagine it would be too difficult. What was it that took a long time for your language booklets? Presuming you didn't have digital copies somewhere?
^The latter. We didn't have digital copies.


As for the changes in the classroom setting - I imagine there were changes every time a new technology has been introduced. This is no different. There are going to be adjustments along the way, for sure. It sounds like you're finding your way in your classroom, despite the limitations.
Well... anytime anything new of any nature is introduced. :p And I'll admit that I've been wrong about new innovations that I was initially hesitant about. Two of the biggest revolutions to my own teaching that I was initially skeptical about were:

PBEL (Positive Behaviour in Engaging Learners); the idea of being able to manage children's behaviour without shouting and getting angry at them? Giving kids choice and power instead of telling them what to do? I thought that this was just some do-gooder hippie idea that would ultimately spoil the kids rather than giving them discipline. How wrong I was. To this day I still use PBEL, I still teach it to my student-teachers, and I even use it in dealing with my own daughter.

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning); teach a class entirely in the target language using ZERO English? And you want me to move away from teaching the target language but to actually teach a broader course curriculum in that language (e.g. maths, history, science)? Again, I thought that this was more impractical fluff. I couldn't have been more wrong. I only recently learnt about CLIL last term, and I can't wait to get back to school and try to develop my skills in using it more! :D It not only boosts student engagement (and enjoyment of lessons), but also drastically reduces misbehaviour (because most students act out in class because they're not engaged in the lesson).

So hopefully I'll be proven wrong about BYOD too. :) Honestly, there are times when I want to be proven wrong. I'm still waiting to be proven wrong about my thoughts regarding Michael Bay's TF movies, but uh... 5th time lucky? :p

[Ultra Mackness]

Buying book for my step-son as he starts year 7. Maths book - Digital version - $58. Physical version - $68. Surely - SURELY - the fact that it is digital should make it significantly cheaper? Wondering if the school is getting some kickbacks. Seriously, that price is ridiculous.
They're also wanting us to spend $36 on a scientific calculator, when there is already one integrated in the iPad they need us to buy. Nope, that ain't happening.

I really feel for you M-bot. I'm the Maths coordinator at my school and responsible for decisions exactly like this one. I can give you a bit of insight on the use of digital books which we haven't been at all happy with.

For its entire history, our College has had second hand book sales which until about the last 5 years have run successfully and been a great way to ease the burden of new book costs for parents. The publishers haven't liked this, naturally, and have been working towards a scenario where parents are forced to buy brand new text books each year. The way they've done this is by beefing up the "bonus" electronic content which came with the text. Previously on a CD which came attached to the back cover, the electronic content is now only accessible with a code which is only valid for 12 months!

The current scenario that schools are presented with is that we can book list either:
i) brand new text with "fresh" e-content code, or

ii) second hand text book, AND new e-content code

If the parent goes for option 2, whatever money they saved on the book will go on the e-content.

With schools investing heavily in technology, whether from there own funding, or levying parents or simply getting parents to purchase the tech, there is pressure on teachers to use that tech (whether there are to be any genuine learning advantages or not!), consequently forcing the current book list situation.

The publisher we currently use, not that there is much difference between any of them, is Jacaranda. They don't bother to print chapter reviews in their text anymore, it's e-content. So even if parents went for a second hand text and not the e-content, their child is disadvantaged.

It's not just Maths either, it's the 4 core subjects and languages, so far.

The use of calculators in class around Years 7 and 8 is always a bit contentious. While much of the curriculum involves arithmetic (which is to Maths what spelling and grammar are to English) which could be easily done by a practiced adult, and should be easily done by a student, the purpose of any Maths class is to encourage within the student creative ways of applying algorithms, not to demonstrate one pathway to a "correct answer" and reward those students who can mindlessly lemming their way through to that answer. One of those creative means is the appropriate selection and use of technology - particularly the importance of generating within the student an intuition (as much as a cognisant decision) about when technology should and should not be used. This is examined in Year 12 and requires years of exposure to the decision making process.

Our school book lists a Scientific calculator in Year 7, probably the same one - comes in at about $36. But we require the students to keep it until the end of Year 12, where subjects like Chemistry and Physics only permit Scientific Calculators and CAS calculators are not permitted. This way the cost is effectively $6 per year. I think Gok also mentioned that for assessments, iPads would not be permitted, especially for NAPLAN.

Hope this helps

[M-bot]

It does help Ultra Mackness. You and Gok have given me some valuable insights. See? It pays to vent around smart people who know more about your vent than you do!:D

I'm still not entirely sold on the idea that an e-book should cost virtually the same as a print book. The logic just doesn't follow. If you're not producing physical copies of something, it should be a fraction of the cost to produce and distribute. As I said before, I suspect there's a bit of rorting going on. The school and the book publishers know that parents have no recourse or reasonable alternatives and they can charge whatever they want.

As for the scientific calculator, I think we'll probably bite the bullet and get one, just not immediately. We've outlayed a stack of money in the last few weeks (not just on school stuff, but thats a whole other vent;)), so we'll have to get it when we can.

[GoktimusPrime]

Do you know anyone who's just finished high school and may no longer need their calculator? There should be nothing wrong with using a second hand calculator so long as it's still in good nick. Also better for the environment. :) Do any of our Melbourne based teachers know of any Class of 2015 Year 12s who may no longer want their calculators?


With schools investing heavily in technology, whether from there own funding, or levying parents or simply getting parents to purchase the tech, there is pressure on teachers to use that tech (whether there are to be any genuine learning advantages or not!),
^This! :) It's also too reminiscent of what happened with the Lenovo notebooks. Often we integrated them into our lesson plans because we were pressured to, and not because we felt that there was necessarily any actual learning benefit to it. This is also why I refuse to have the old traditional whiteboards removed from my classrooms. Yes, I do use the IWB frequently, but there are other times where I'd just rather use a regular whiteboard. And yes, I've been asked numerous times if I'd like to have a normal whiteboard removed from a classroom... (-_-)

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

iPad they need us to buy. Nope, that ain't happening.
I assume you can't get away with buying another ipad thing that isn't an Ipad? I often wonder about the kick back deals that go on with things like this, like did the education dept get some cheap ipads, to ensure that schools now have to buy ipads. My sceptic is large.

Just recently I had an exhibition lesson where we were forced to apply ipads to a lesson. We ended up adapting a lesson we were planning to do, to fit in the ipads and it was OK, but for another (newly added) part of the lesson the ipads completely failed meaning that part of the lesson was a complete loss.
We changed tacts and did some basic paperwork and what not, but had I the choice, I would have used the ipads for the section that worked and not for the secondary section.

Annoyingly the setup and connection shenanigans took 2 hours prep time as we messed about trying to set them up. That's two hours prep time that is unavailable before lessons normally.

the after lesson was interesting, in that not many other teachers were convinced of the benfits of technology in classrooms. Doesn't help that most teachers here are scared of tech ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

I assume you can't get away with buying another ipad thing that isn't an Ipad?
No. Any wifi capable portable device is acceptable, other than phones. So it can be any kind of tablet, laptop, notebook etc.


I often wonder about the kick back deals that go on with things like this, like did the education dept get some cheap ipads, to ensure that schools now have to buy ipads.
Schools nothing, parents have to buy these devices! :eek: Schools may purchase a limited pool of devices to give to students whose families are experiencing financial hardship. But the majority of parents have to pay for themselves. :(

My concern is that this may be driving a wider wedge between the haves and have nots. There are minimum specifications which seems to vary between schools. :rolleyes: At my school the min. specs are:
* Wireless must support 5GHz networks marketed as 802.11na
* Must contain Windows 7 or later, or OSX Leopard 10.5.8 or later operating system
* Minimum 64Gb storage on windows device
* Minimum screen size 25cm
* Battery life of 5+ hours or a second detachable battery
* Must contain a physical keyboard
* Must contain antivirus software (at cost to the student)
* Insurance for accidental loss and breakage
* Google Apps and Microsoft Office 365 will be available to DEC students through the students DEC portal. Students will be able to download these at no cost.
So not only do parents have to purchase these devices, but they also need to pay for mandatory antivirus software and insurance. This all adds up, especially if you've got multiple kids going into high school. I'm really not a huge fan of any compulsory educational initiative which places a greater financial burden on families. It seems to detract from the core principles of education as a fundamental right for children, and not a privilege for those who can afford it <insert.rant.about.public.education.advocacy.here>.

I'm sure that there are many teachers who will see the immediate benefits of BYOD. I think it depends on the subject matter, the teacher's individual teaching style etc. As a language teacher I still remain skeptical. But as Lord Zarak once said, "We shall see, Galvatron. We shall see."

[TAAUBlaster]

I don't have any kids, but I'm not keen on this big push for everything being electronic in schools.
Not only the cost factor (my parents did it tough for my brother and I just buying books up until 2004. I can't imagine what would've happened if we had to buy 2 devices at today's prices.) but If iPad's are going to be used in schools, won't this just end up creating a generation of near sighted kids?
Kids already spend too long their phones, and private devices (not to mention playing consoles, etc.) Adding another small screen to stare at is just going to make things worse isn't it?

And how are kids going to retain all the knowledge from the device centered lesson? I don't know how the lessons work, but I've always found the best way to begin learning something is to physically write down notes. Does that still happen?

I'll admit, I don't know much about how kids are taught these days. And maybe I'm getting old, but I really don't like the idea of mandatory tech in schools. It just doesn't sit well with me personally. :(

[kup]

I assume you can't get away with buying another ipad thing that isn't an Ipad? I often wonder about the kick back deals that go on with things like this, like did the education dept get some cheap ipads, to ensure that schools now have to buy ipads. My sceptic is large.

You can get perfectly decent Android pads for as little as $100. I bought my Acer tablet for less than that about 3 years ago at office works and functions just fine. The only thing it can't do is play some of the latest heavier games, everything else is good.

Only seeing an Ipad as the only choice is silly beyond believe. It is the most expensive pad out there yet hardly the best.

[UltraMarginal]

Someone stole my bike. I liked that bike. Bye, bike. :(

that sucks dude, really sucks.

As for the discussion about devices in schools. I think a good scientific calculator is worth having. especially if you're going into a more technically oriented career.

I remember when I started year 10, back in 1994... I was heading towards a career in engineering, all the students doing the medium to high level maths had to buy a TI-82 graphing calculator. They were $192. they were cool, and programmable, some of the guys in my physics class programmed a level of what they called stick doom, it was a frame at a time but impressive on a dot matrix screen.
They also ruined my ability to draw a graph from a simple equation easily. they were only allowed in exams if you could prove to the examiner at the beginning of the class that you had wiped the memory so that you had no notes or equations written in them.
Once I got to university they were banned from all exams. I've hardly used it since.

I sometimes use excel for larger repetitive calculations but as a professional engineer, I am yet to find a more efficient tool than a pencil and pad for doing calculations and rough workings on. I think something that needs to be made clear to the education system, like everything else, just because something is cool and shiny doesn't make it better. It is important to keep up with advances in technology and be aware of it, but it doesn't have to run your entire existence.

as a non-teacher, non-parent that's my 2c.

[Trent]

I don't have any kids, but I'm not keen on this big push for everything being electronic in schools.
Not only the cost factor (my parents did it tough for my brother and I just buying books up until 2004. I can't imagine what would've happened if we had to buy 2 devices at today's prices.) but If iPad's are going to be used in schools, won't this just end up creating a generation of near sighted kids?
Kids already spend too long their phones, and private devices (not to mention playing consoles, etc.) Adding another small screen to stare at is just going to make things worse isn't it?

And how are kids going to retain all the knowledge from the device centered lesson? I don't know how the lessons work, but I've always found the best way to begin learning something is to physically write down notes. Does that still happen?
I'll admit, I don't know much about how kids are taught these days. And maybe I'm getting old, but I really don't like the idea of mandatory tech in schools. It just doesn't sit well with me personally. :(

In high school, my economics teacher used to have a board full of writing as we walked in each lesson for us to copy down in our books. Sometimes there was so much that the entire 40 minute period was taken up writing this stuff down, he didn't even get to talk to us about it.

I learned two things from that class:

1) The human brain is an incredible thing. By halfway through year 11, about half of the class could copy what was on the board into their books with only two glances at the board. TWO! After a 6-7 second look at the board, I could write down, without looking up again, AT LEAST half of what was on the board. By the end of year 12, I could pretty much do the board from one glance! We had to do this because sometimes there was multiple boards worth and he had to rub out what was on there to get the rest up before the end of the class. That was impressive.

2) I had no recolection of what I had just written down. I was memorising the words, but wasn't reading what was written. So from one glance at the board I could write the whole lot down, but couldn't tell you what it was about. I had to go back and read it once I was done.

[Gehirn]

Sounds like my electronics class. Lessons full from start to finish of writing, but the most I could probably say about it is the titles or headlines throughout it.

[Ultra Mackness]

A little bit of recent history of the use of iPads in schools - probably none of this will be surprising:

Back in 2009, when iPads were first introduced and were pretty much the only tablet on the market, textbook publishers cottoned onto the fact that they could be used like a glorified USB with a display option, so textbooks could be loaded onto the iPad, removing the necessity of the hard copy book. Since ideally, publishers want no hardcopy texts (no second hand sales, complete control of use as they host the e-book on their site, charge full price for all users, maximise profits) publishers then worked with Apple to promote the iPad as THE electronic storage and access device. Getting in on the ground floor has meant that most schools view iPads as THE device when it comes to tablets.

Although there are many different Apps that MAY be used, for the most part, a tablet for students is to replace many kilos of weight in their bags from hard copy books.

Ironically, the feedback from students has been poor. Turns out that when viewing a PDF of a textbook you always have to start at page 1 and slide through to whatever page you need to be at - not great if you're up to chapter 12, 500 odd page swipes through. Many students, particularly more senior students resort to using the hardcopy anyway. Many schools are moving away from iPads or other tablets back to a more traditional laptop style machine. And the promised benefits in learning still haven't arrived.

I am however a big fan (as a Maths teacher) of graphics (now CAS or Computer Algebra System) calculators. Demonstrating transformations of graphs used to be a nightmare, but may be done using animations or similar graphing software. Exploring the evolution of dynamical systems (sounds like a riot, doesn't it!) would be limited to a few steps at best without it. Bluntly, the nature of the subject of Maths has evolved to a point where it would be negligent of the education system to ignore the use of CAS, even though the calculators aren't permitted in exams at Uni. Many of my past students use the CAS throughout the semester to assist them in their learning which I see as a positive thing - they are being creative in the way they accomplish the task of mastering algorithms, which when you read the study design published by the VCAA is one of the key skills that students are supposed to adopt.

[Deonasis]

A little sore in the teeth, nose and sinus region today after me and my mate both got punched during a walk between pubs night. It was unprevoked and luckily witnesses came quickly plus the cops drove around the corner 15 seconds later and nabbed the guy.

The rage he had and the way he leapt towards us was just ballistic.

[Ultra Mackness]

That's terrible! Are you and your mate okay?

[GoktimusPrime]

Today I took my daughter to the art gallery. When we were at our local train station, there was some random guy shouting and swearing really loudly, including spitting on the platform. It was relentless and he kept on behaving in a really belligerent and menacing way. I wasn't prepared to take my chances with my daughter in tow, not to mention other families on the platform, so I told my daughter to stand behind me as we made our way to the nearest Emergency Help Point where I pressed the button and reported what was happening. Our train soon arrived and we hopped on, so I didn't see what happened to the menacing man afterwards. When we got the Central Station, we had to change to a bus service to. But the driver arroved at our stop, he only stayed for about 20 seconds and only opened the back door. We tried to squeeze through the people and kept on saying, "Excuse me," but then the driver closed the door and drove off before we could even get halfway there. When we arrived at the next stop, I complained to the driver who, instead of apologising, gave me excuses like how he'd opened both doors (although other passengers did remark that only the rear door had opened, and our stop there was so brief that I heard many other passengers ask if we'd even stopped there at all!). So we had to get off and catch another bus back. In all, our entire train-bus trip took two and a half hours. :mad: Then on the way home, the train that we caught was nearly packed. There was one spare row of seats, but a lady decided to put her feet up, so nobody could sit there. I was just about to say something when another couple who were getting off at the next stop kindly offered their seat to us. I saw other people coming up to look for a seat, and that same girl wouldn't take her feet off. :rolleyes:


A little sore in the teeth, nose and sinus region today after me and my mate both got punched during a walk between pubs night. It was unprevoked and luckily witnesses came quickly plus the cops drove around the corner 15 seconds later and nabbed the guy.

The rage he had and the way he leapt towards us was just ballistic.
Replied here (http://otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=508377&postcount=835).

[Deonasis]

That's terrible! Are you and your mate okay?Yeah alright. First was my mate who was hit on the side of the head and knocked off balance as he began to look behind (we were already past the attacker). He has a smallish bump on side of his head today. Then me. I had fully turned around (and retreating) and was trying to keep distance but he very quickly ran/lept close enough to punch me front on in the face. I was quite bloodly with tomato sauce coming from my upper lip and nose.

I am glad i walked with my mate or he would have coped it all and got punched atleast 3-5 times without balance before help came. Luckily neither of us fell and hit the concrete.

[UltimateGalvatron]

Yeah alright. First was my mate who was hit on the side of the head and knocked off balance as he began to look behind (we were already past the attacker). He has a smallish bump on side of his head today. Then me. I had fully turned around (and retreating) and was trying to keep distance but he very quickly ran/lept close enough to punch me front on in the face. I was quite bloodly with tomato sauce coming from my upper lip and nose.

I am glad i walked with my mate or he would have coped it all and got punched atleast 3-5 times without balance before help came. Luckily neither of us fell and hit the concrete.
That's really lucky. Hope you and your mate are recpvering ok.

[Handsprime]

I've been having troubles connecting to the Internet on both my laptop and desktop :mad: I have stuff to do on both and I can exactly do it on my iPhone :(

[BigTransformerTrev]

Root Canal - f'ing ouch on both mouth and wallet :mad::(

[jazzcomp]

Root Canal - f'ing ouch on both mouth and wallet :mad::(
Ouch! How much was the damage?

[BigTransformerTrev]

Ouch! How much was the damage?

Health Insurance covered a bit but even with that the 3 visits are gonna cost me near a grand :(

Didn't even have a toothache a few weeks ago :rolleyes:

[jazzcomp]

Health Insurance covered a bit but even with that the 3 visits are gonna cost me near a grand :(

Didn't even have a toothache a few weeks ago :rolleyes:
That sucks! :(

[GoktimusPrime]

I have the best luck on the road. This morning a lady driving an SUV merged into my lane and clipped the front of my car. Hooray. :rolleyes: Now to go through the hassle of bringing my car in for inspection and then bringing it in again for repairs.

[5FDP]

I think it's time for the bus Goki :)

[Handsprime]

When people fail to respond to messages you sent to important stuff :mad: I'm trying to organise my bday party and no responses. I'm trying to see if there is a spot for another party and no responses. I'm trying to get featured on a local dj mix thing and no responses. And these people are online so they are clearly ignoring my messages!

[CHILENO20]

When people fail to respond to messages you sent to important stuff :mad: I'm trying to organise my bday party and no responses. I'm trying to see if there is a spot for another party and no responses. I'm trying to get featured on a local dj mix thing and no responses. And these people are online so they are clearly ignoring my messages!

Send out a general "get back to me or don't bother again" message. Especially if you have given them plenty of time.

[UltimateGalvatron]

When people fail to respond to messages you sent to important stuff :mad: I'm trying to organise my bday party and no responses. I'm trying to see if there is a spot for another party and no responses. I'm trying to get featured on a local dj mix thing and no responses. And these people are online so they are clearly ignoring my messages!

Just have a birthday party with your buds from Ozformers as your guests. :p

[Skullcruncher]

Man I really dislike the G1 transformers groups on facebook. They are just filled with ignorance and arrogance.

[UltraMarginal]

Man I really dislike the G1 transformers groups on facebook. They are just filled with ignorance and arrogance.

I think it's Facebook.

I joined the TFCCA Facebook group a few month ago and several times I've considered quitting it.
there are some really immature tools on there and the vitriol around the Australian sellers is amazing. there's an explosion at least once a week. and the amount of post deletion the mods do just to keep the place clean is a bit disturbing.

[Trent]

I think it's Facebook.

I joined the TFCCA Facebook group a few month ago and several times I've considered quitting it.
there are some really immature tools on there and the vitriol around the Australian sellers is amazing. there's an explosion at least once a week. and the amount of post deletion the mods do just to keep the place clean is a bit disturbing.

Their refusal to wield the perma-ban hammer like Thor at a Frost Giant party is somewhat disappointing. Just a few members gone and the ace would be infinitely better.

[Handsprime]

I think it's Facebook.

I joined the TFCCA Facebook group a few month ago and several times I've considered quitting it.
there are some really immature tools on there and the vitriol around the Australian sellers is amazing. there's an explosion at least once a week. and the amount of post deletion the mods do just to keep the place clean is a bit disturbing.

At least it's not as bad as Fatties Burger Appreciation society. Just recently someone posted a video on the group and all the comments were criticising the guy for sharing a SoFlo video. Oh and the whole #BanTanner thing

[UltraMarginal]

At least it's not as bad as Fatties Burger Appreciation society. Just recently someone posted a video on the group and all the comments were criticising the guy for sharing a SoFlo video. Oh and the whole #BanTanner thing

fortunately (I'm pretty sure), I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

[Skullcruncher]

fortunately (I'm pretty sure), I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

I am pleased I'm not the only one :)

[BigTransformerTrev]

fortunately (I'm pretty sure), I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.


I am pleased I'm not the only one :)

I too am in the dark - ignorance truly is bliss ;)

[Megatran]

fortunately (I'm pretty sure), I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.


I am pleased I'm not the only one :)


I too am in the dark - ignorance truly is bliss ;)
Oh look at the clock. It's time for your mid afternoon nap. :p

[janda the red]

Man I really dislike the G1 transformers groups on facebook. They are just filled with ignorance and arrogance.

Link?

I'd like to check out these fools

[BigTransformerTrev]

Oh look at the clock. It's time for your mid afternoon nap. :p

Do you have any idea the amount of people I'd kill to have the chance to have a daily afternoon nap?!

Those Spaniards have the right idea

[CHILENO20]

Those Spaniards have the right idea

Yep, right up until their economy crashed.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Yep, right up until their economy crashed.

Yeah, but at least they were well rested when it happened ;)

[Trent]

Do you have any idea the amount of people I'd kill to have the chance to have a daily afternoon nap?!



I love afternoon naps. Before we had a kid, when Wifey and I weren't at work we would be in bed by 2pm in the arvo and not rise before 6pm.

It was bliss.

[UltraMarginal]

I love afternoon naps. Before we had a kid, when Wifey and I weren't at work we would be in bed by 2pm in the arvo and not rise before 6pm.

It was bliss.

careful people, that's how kids happen, or so I've heard.

[Trent]

careful people, that's how kids happen, or so I've heard.

Yes well, look where we are now...

[drifand]

Just met another non communicating buyer for masterpiece ironhide.

I asked the guy when is he picking up and he beat around the bush and now not even replying messages.

Meaning I got stuck with ironhide and ratchet. As much as I will eventually sell them, I really hate wankers who can't be upfront or be responsible for their orders. I mean crap, if you don't want it anymore say it so!

I think I will wait till weekend is over and then open the ironhide as my piece was meant to come later.

I just hate being taken for granted with buying toys upfront and people don't even show a bit of courtesy of communication .

[janda the red]

Maybe you should start taking a deposit Drifand?

That'd piss me off too

[drifand]

Maybe you should start taking a deposit Drifand?

That'd piss me off too

I like to help people sometimes and I know there are many who cannot fork out cash for pre orders. This was no stranger and I was kind of let down he took this path.

What piss me off is the communication .
I always give an advance notice to people when items are coming and on its way. If they had issues with funds they should address it.

they may not be board members but I know some of these guys go to nexus fair which by that means they do know some Perth members here.

[drifand]

Blessing in disguise, I just sold my roadrage ironhide and ratchet due to tfi cancelling orders.

Well I don't have to care about the guy who jerk me off. Which he still ignores me anyway. I am thinking he doesn't give a toss what I say.

[Trent]

Blessing in disguise, I just sold my roadrage ironhide and ratchet due to tfi cancelling orders.

Well I don't have to care about the guy who jerk me off. Which he still ignores me anyway. I am thinking he doesn't give a toss what I say.

You think he'd at least call you afterwards.........


:p

[Megatran]

That's a happy ending right there.

[drifand]

You think he'd at least call you afterwards.........


:p

Not an issue, I can always sort another ironhide etc....

[ampoldj]

daughter drained my phone's battery watching youtube all night...woke up late coz alarm is on that phone...never made to bus so need to drive into heaps of road works and traffic while stupid motor bikes using bike lanes on your left and overspeesing utes in your right. then speed cams setup hidden in the trees and police setting up cameras as well wow :eek:

[drifand]

daughter drained my phone's battery watching youtube all night...woke up late coz alarm is on that phone...never made to bus so need to drive into heaps of road works and traffic while stupid motor bikes using bike lanes on your left and overspeesing utes in your right. then speed cams setup hidden in the trees and police setting up cameras as well wow :eek:

Cameras that hide are really to grab revenue. Nothing more.
I got caught for just speeding over 3kmh. And yes damn pissed as it was a down slope.

From then on, I set my car at cruise control through those areas

[jazzcomp]

Cruise control will still exceed set limit (most of the time) going downhill.

[5FDP]

That's a happy ending right there.

I see what you did there ;) :p

[BigTransformerTrev]

You think he'd at least call you afterwards.........

:p


That's a happy ending right there.

I'm just confused by the conflicting statements:



Well I don't have to care about the guy who jerk me off. Which he still ignores me anyway. I am thinking he doesn't give a toss what I say.

I mean which is it? :confused:

[drifand]

Either? It feels like whatever I message I think he ignores. So I should just stop communicating as there is no point .

Anyway, resolved. Someone bought and paid deposit for ratchet .

[5FDP]

I saw a good movie the other day called Lost in Translation.

[Raider]

I saw a good movie the other day called Lost in Translation.

lol

http://www.graffitiwithpunctuation.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/600full-lost-in-translation-screenshot.jpeg

[BigTransformerTrev]

I saw a good movie the other day called Lost in Translation.

Nice ;)

[drifand]

Cruise control will still exceed set limit (most of the time) going downhill.

I actually set lower. Example 75 on 80kmh limit and yes I don't road hog and I stick to the left.

It's not worth it. Is basically one masterpiece I could have afford.

[ampoldj]

I actually set lower. Example 75 on 80kmh limit and yes I don't road hog and I stick to the left.

It's not worth it. Is basically one masterpiece I could have afford.

Exactly why im afraid of road/traffic violations the fine can cost me how many TFs :D

[Megatran]

I see what you did there ;) :p
I had no hand in regard to the matter. My hands are clean.



Cameras that hide are really to grab revenue. Nothing more.
I got caught for just speeding over 3kmh. And yes damn pissed as it was a down slope.

Aren't there guideline to which speed camera must operate in WA. :confused:

Back in the day, setting speed traps on a downhill road were common. These practices are no longer permissible ... at least in VIC anyhow.

[griffin]

I saw a good movie the other day called Lost in Translation.

Okay, moving on now people... ;)

[drifand]

I had no hand in regard to the matter. My hands are clean.



Aren't there guideline to which speed camera must operate in WA. :confused:

Back in the day, setting speed traps on a downhill road were common. These practices are no longer permissible ... at least in VIC anyhow.

Nah I don't think they give a damn

Not only down slope but within 50m in 80 -100 kmh sign board where people in normal instinct accelerate

[Lint]

Cruise control will still exceed set limit (most of the time) going downhill.

Actually depends on the car I think. I've never caught my car's cruise control going overspeed downhill but a rental car I drove a fortnight back was far more forgiving.




Aren't there guideline to which speed camera must operate in WA. :confused:

Back in the day, setting speed traps on a downhill road were common. These practices are no longer permissible ... at least in VIC anyhow.

Setting traps downhill is currently permissible in VIC (http://www.camerassavelives.vic.gov.au/utility/faqs/)

The caveat though is that, if challenged, I think these downhill setups are difficult to prove to be accurate and refunding fines probably costs the government more than it's worth.

[drifand]

Actually depends on the car I think. I've never caught my car's cruise control going overspeed downhill but a rental car I drove a fortnight back was far more forgiving.



Setting traps downhill is currently permissible in VIC (http://www.camerassavelives.vic.gov.au/utility/faqs/)

The caveat though is that, if challenged, I think these downhill setups are difficult to prove to be accurate and refunding fines probably costs the government more than it's worth.

I don't think it was okay for them to fine me on a down slope when I exceeded 3kmh that was rubbish.

It shouldn't be allowed and do was putting a hidden camera just before the 100kmh sign board was also poor IMO .

[Trent]

TV broke yesterday. I hate buying TVs. On one hand I only want a cheap one that looks half decent. On the other hand, I'll walk into a store and see a shiny one with sharp pictures and want it.


#FirstWorldProblems

[UltraMarginal]

TV broke yesterday. I hate buying TVs. On one hand I only want a cheap one that looks half decent. On the other hand, I'll walk into a store and see a shiny one with sharp pictures and want it.


#FirstWorldProblems

Keep in mind that most panels are made in the same factory, it's the supporting hardware and software that makes the big difference.
Cheaper stuff does tend to have pretty shi77y software.

we have a Samsung and I'm pretty happy with it.

[Trent]

The one that just broke was a Samsung. It lasted 7-8 years. Would by one again.

But fortunately I won't have to. Getting a hand-me-down from the mother in law. Nothing fancy but it'll do. The main purpose of the tv these days is to play the likes of The Wiggles, Hey Duggie, Teletubbies and Curious George on endless loop anyway.

[BruiseLee]

The main purpose of the tv these days is to play the likes of The Wiggles, Hey Duggie, Teletubbies and Curious George on endless loop anyway.

You didn't subconsciously break that old TV did you? ;)

[Raider]

The one that just broke was a Samsung. It lasted 7-8 years. Would by one again.

But fortunately I won't have to. Getting a hand-me-down from the mother in law. Nothing fancy but it'll do. The main purpose of the tv these days is to play the likes of The Wiggles, Hey Duggie, Teletubbies and Curious George on endless loop anyway.

I know the feeling. My beautiful 64" TV with Foxtel is used basically for recording and playing ABC4Kids.... over and over and over... so sick of the Peppa Pig and Thomas jingles. Things we put up with for our kids.

[drifand]

There is a abckids app you know and you can use that on iPad or android tablet.

My son is already bored with most of them.

[5FDP]

The one that just broke was a Samsung. It lasted 7-8 years. Would by one again.

The last time I bought a TV, it was a 30th b'day present to myself. That was 11 years ago. It's still going strong. And 'yes', it's a CRT unit - RETRO!! :cool:

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

The last time I bought a TV, it was a 30th b'day present to myself. That was 11 years ago. It's still going strong. And 'yes', it's a CRT unit - RETRO!! :cool:

Yeah Baby! My first TV lasted soo long as a glorious CRT. It was beautiful, had great sound.

Currently, my TV after moving to Japan was bought by the wife. I love her and the screen is nice, but man LG tvs piss me off! Has all this auto picture adjust crap going on, so the brightness goes up and down depending on ambient light. Managed to turn that off.

Worst of all, it has this BS eco setting thing that would pop this huge display thingo up whenever it decided to adjust something. So there's Tets playing some awesome game, SHIT! half the screen is obscured by a message telling me my TV is now using more power.

Honestly LG, who thought that obscuring part of the picture for shit information was good idea? Never buying LG again. It was a good test for my Japanese skills though ;)

Smart TV my arse. smart-arse tv is more like it

PS, I also really liked Lost in Translation, the bit where they're filming the advert and the director is speaking for a long time in Japanese and Bill's character asked what was said, and all that was said was "to turn to the camera and smile" Ha ha ha ha! Funny

I love Bill Murray

[Skullcruncher]

The last time I bought a TV, it was a 30th b'day present to myself. That was 11 years ago. It's still going strong. And 'yes', it's a CRT unit - RETRO!! :cool:

Heh my Sony CRT is still going too, was purchased in 2005, its done a couple of thousand KM's and been dropped several times. My wife wants to upgrade but my excuse is that the Sony is working fine and there is no way in hell that the little guy will ever knock it over :D

[ampoldj]

heh SONY TVs before need no extended warranty or you will just giving them money :D

[TAAUBlaster]

This was my tv up until about 3 or 4 years ago. :D
It was originally my grandfather's and he bought it pretty much when it first went on sale. Manual dial channel changer and no remote. The good old days. :p

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b251/taaublaster/TV_zpsstj3nsoc.jpg (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/taaublaster/media/TV_zpsstj3nsoc.jpg.html)

Built a hell of a lot sturdier than today's TV's. It's whole life, only needed to replace the tube three times - nothing else.

[drifand]

Today's flatscreen are so huge when they spoil I like to see how it is disposed

[TAAUBlaster]

Today's flatscreen are so huge when they spoil I like to see how it is disposed

A lot of them end up at electronic recyclers either directly by the person, or in bulk by the landfill staff and they get stripped down (for gold, other precious metals) and then recycled.

[GoktimusPrime]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/natsukashiiterebi_zpsxnuqks6r.jpg ;)

Although we had one of them new fangled TVs with push buttons to change channels instead of dials! However our VCR was this top-loader (http://www.oldtechnology.net/images/panasonicnv2000.jpg). I see you had one of them fancy front loaders. ;) (I found it was actually easier to clean the heads of top loaders)

[Megatran]

Starscream true to form. Lead in to battle from the back row.

[Trent]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/natsukashiiterebi_zpsxnuqks6r.jpg ;)

Although we had one of them new fangled TVs with push buttons to change channels instead of dials! However our VCR was this top-loader (http://www.oldtechnology.net/images/panasonicnv2000.jpg). I see you had one of them fancy front loaders. ;) (I found it was actually easier to clean the heads of top loaders)

I seem to recall my grandparents having that model of television.

[TAAUBlaster]

Transformers made a frequent occurrence on that TV :p

My grandmother had a channel push button TV, but I've never used a top loader VCR before.

This model must've been one of the popular ones at the time, because I've seen a few around at 2nd hand stores over the years. No so much these days though :p

[Sinnertwin]

we had an old akai top loading vcr also...notoriously temperamental towards the end of its life :D
Kind of inspired to track down an old tele too now :D

[philby]

I know the feeling. My beautiful 64" TV with Foxtel is used basically for recording and playing ABC4Kids.... over and over and over... so sick of the Peppa Pig and Thomas jingles. Things we put up with for our kids.

lol. this is my little brother george! *snort*
my newphew doesn't seem to be that into thomas, he loves paw patrol though. no job is too big, no pup is too small!

[SMHFConvoy]

People not resizing photos to post on the boards. I've done it on occasion, it's inconvenient, stop doing it.

Also housemates who don't clean up after themselves. If they want me to do it they can knock 50 bucks off my weekly rent.

[philby]

People not resizing photos to post on the boards. I've done it on occasion, it's inconvenient, stop doing it.

Also housemates who don't clean up after themselves. If they want me to do it they can knock 50 bucks off my weekly rent.

what size is too big? i think some of the ones from my mobile are pretty large so a couple of my 'action shot' photos may have pissed you off...

[BigTransformerTrev]

what size is too big? i think some of the ones from my mobile are pretty large so a couple of my 'action shot' photos may have pissed you off...

I don't even know how to resize photos :o Whether its from my phone or my camera hooked up to my PC I just chuck'em on photobucket and hope for the best.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

People not resizing photos to post on the boards. I've done it on occasion, it's inconvenient, stop doing it.

I hear ya, although I notice my phone likes to do massive picture sizes. I just hate having to scroll though wheels and wheels of mouse wheel spinning for like 4 photos.

I don't even know how to resize photos :o Whether its from my phone or my camera hooked up to my PC I just chuck'em on photobucket and hope for the best.

I think photobucket tends to make them a small size, especially if you use the IMG code straight from the site. IIRC

[UltraMarginal]

I don't even know how to resize photos :o Whether its from my phone or my camera hooked up to my PC I just chuck'em on photobucket and hope for the best.

luddites Unite!!

[Ralph Wiggum]

luddites Unite!!

Two questions: Can I join and what's your dental plan like?

[UltraMarginal]

Two questions: Can I join and what's your dental plan like?

two answers, yes and no:D

[kup]

People not resizing photos to post on the boards. I've done it on occasion, it's inconvenient, stop doing it.

Also housemates who don't clean up after themselves. If they want me to do it they can knock 50 bucks off my weekly rent.

This is very subjective as what's 'too big' or 'too small' is dependent on what resolution you are running.

[BigTransformerTrev]

About to have Part 2 of my root canal work done :(

[tinyJazz]

I don't even know how to resize photos :o Whether its from my phone or my camera hooked up to my PC I just chuck'em on photobucket and hope for the best.

You can resize in microsoft paint! It's really easy. And uh, I hope your dental surgery went well.


People not resizing photos to post on the boards. I've done it on occasion, it's inconvenient, stop doing it.



This is very subjective as what's 'too big' or 'too small' is dependent on what resolution you are running.

I think this is too big:

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww93/tinyJazz/smh_zpsbjtgveui.jpg

(No hard feelings toward the poster, of course, this is just for demonstration. :D)

[Deonasis]

^lol!

[griffin]

If I come notice something that is way oversized and have time, I will edit the post and replace the images with a link to the image.

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

Feckin' Optus still haven't fixed up my internet connection! :mad:

[Lint]

Feckin' Optus still haven't fixed up my internet connection! :mad:

I'm suffering too.



I think photobucket tends to make them a small size, especially if you use the IMG code straight from the site. IIRC

If you use imgur to host images you can upload your images full rez but handy dandily resize/thumbnail your images for posts by adding an s, m, l or h to the end of your link. (eg. http://i.imgur.com/xxxxxxxm.jpg)

I usually size my images for computer users. Sorry mobile users! But like kup said, what is big or small really is a matter of perspective. Someone with a 4k monitor probably finds all the images to be woefully tiny.

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

I'm suffering too.

If you use imgur to host images you can upload your images full rez but handy dandily resize/thumbnail your images for posts by adding an s, m, l or h to the end of your link. (eg. http://i.imgur.com/xxxxxxxm.jpg)

You poor sod! I reported the problem to Optus, was given a case number but no fixes or changes.

And thanks for the imgur tip! I didn't know about that! Now if only Optus would fix up my net so I can use the tip! :D

[DaptoDog]

I was with Optus for years but my internet just became a joke. I gave them 2-3 months to fix it but it was a waste of time. Since switching to Telstra my connection has been stable and faster so I have no regrets.

On a similar topic, I should have my NBN connection set up within the next 3-6 months. The crazy thing is that the people across the other side of my street are getting FTTP and I'm only getting FTTN. At least it will be an improvement from my current speeds.

[Trent]

I was with Optus for years but my internet just became a joke. I gave them 2-3 months to fix it but it was a waste of time. Since switching to Telstra my connection has been stable and faster so I have no regrets.

On a similar topic, I should have my NBN connection set up within the next 3-6 months. The crazy thing is that the people across the other side of my street are getting FTTP and I'm only getting FTTN. At least it will be an improvement from my current speeds.

Got my "NBN is avialable now" letter yesterday :) I'm searching for a reasonably priced plan. Telstra is instantly excluded.

[jazzcomp]

Got my "NBN is avialable now" letter yesterday :) I'm searching for a reasonably priced plan. Telstra is instantly excluded.
Lucky you :) I still don't know when they'll have NBN here and my area is considered Metro Sydney.

[5FDP]

Lucky you :) I still don't know when they'll have NBN here and my area is considered Metro Sydney.

All of the streets behind me have NBN and there's no ETA for ours. Should ask my neighbour if I can run a cable over the back fence :p Can't really complain much though, I pay $2.50 per month for ADSL :D

[BigTransformerTrev]

We pay $80 a month for 15 gigs of wireless out on my farm, despite only being a 10 minute drive from town.

To up it to 25 gig a month it would cost us $175 :eek::mad:

Think my area is probably WAY down the list of places the NBN will get rolled out in. I think they are planning on doing the moon before they do us :(

[UltraMarginal]

Since switching to Telstra my connection has been stable and faster so I have no regrets.


That's a statement you don't see, hear or read every day.:eek:



Think my area is probably WAY down the list of places the NBN will get rolled out in. I think they are planning on doing the moon before they do us :(

to be fair the moon is geographically closer to most larger population centres. :p

[Zippo]

Events that lead me to create this thread
http://www.transformersnewzealand.com/tfnzboard/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=14230

[BigTransformerTrev]

to be fair the moon is geographically closer to most larger population centres. :p

If take offence at that, if it wasn't true :p

I remember a Billy Connoly stand up with him pretending to be someone from Perth: (whiny voice) "You know, we are closer to the moon than we are to Melbourne"

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

I was with Optus for years but my internet just became a joke. I gave them 2-3 months to fix it but it was a waste of time. Since switching to Telstra my connection has been stable and faster so I have no regrets.

I've been with Optus for years and years now, and this is the first time i've had any major problem.

On the bright side, it's all fixed now! :)

[DaptoDog]

I've been with Optus for years and years now, and this is the first time i've had any major problem.

On the bright side, it's all fixed now! :)

Nice to hear. Hopefully it stays fixed!

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

Nice to hear. Hopefully it stays fixed!

Thanks! I hope it stays fixed as well! :D

[DaptoDog]

Got my "NBN is avialable now" letter yesterday :) I'm searching for a reasonably priced plan. Telstra is instantly excluded.

Congrats! Yeh I know the Telstra premium is redundant with NBN (although the copper in my street will likely still play up so Telstra is best placed to manage issues). When I contracted with them 6 months ago I thought the NBN may arrive during the contract period but didn't want to bank on it because I was meant to have it in 2013! Better to be pleasantly surprised.

[Lint]

Events that lead me to create this thread
http://www.transformersnewzealand.com/tfnzboard/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=14230

Family, you love em but not as much as they love making your life difficult :rolleyes:

[TAAUBlaster]

Events that lead me to create this thread
http://www.transformersnewzealand.com/tfnzboard/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=14230

Wow, that really sucks man :(
It really sounds like your Dad crossed a line that he should not have crossed. I hope things work out for the better in the near future.

[GoktimusPrime]

On Saturday morning I was driving on a main road; 3 lanes. I'm in the far left lane going at 55km/h in a 60km/h zone. This other driver is riding hard on my tail trying to push me to go faster, even though there are two other lanes that he could use to overtake me. It seemed that he wanted to speed, but as the traffic in the other lanes were driving at 60km/h, they were too slow for him, so he merged into the far left lane to pass the other lanes from the left, but then got stuck behind me. And quite frankly, if a driver's gonna be pushy like that, I'm definitely not going to temporarily speed up to let him slip by. Besides, the traffic in front of me wasn't going much faster anyway. This other driver later merged right and gave me a filthy look and angry gestures as he overtook me. Yes... how dare I drive slightly slower than the posted speed limit in the slow lane on a 3 lane road. :rolleyes:

[ampoldj]

Family, you love em but not as much as they love making your life difficult :rolleyes:

Very true indeed :rolleyes:

[ampoldj]

On Saturday morning I was driving on a main road; 3 lanes. I'm in the far left lane going at 55km/h in a 60km/h zone. This other driver is riding hard on my tail trying to push me to go faster, even though there are two other lanes that he could use to overtake me. It seemed that he wanted to speed, but as the traffic in the other lanes were driving at 60km/h, they were too slow for him, so he merged into the far left lane to pass the other lanes from the left, but then got stuck behind me. And quite frankly, if a driver's gonna be pushy like that, I'm definitely not going to temporarily speed up to let him slip by. Besides, the traffic in front of me wasn't going much faster anyway. This other driver later merged right and gave me a filthy look and angry gestures as he overtook me. Yes... how dare I drive slightly slower than the posted speed limit in the slow lane on a 3 lane road. :rolleyes:

When i encounter these kind of drivers i tell my self: if they have points and money to pay fine then just go ahead and overtake me. I am not generous enough giving my money away with all these plastic crack coming :p

[jazzcomp]

Family, you love em but not as much as they love making your life difficult :rolleyes:
I still love my family. Can't imagine my life without them.

[TAAUBlaster]

I made an order on a US based site, and paid via their website with credit card. For some reason the payment didn't go through (customer service and myself think it has something to do with it being an Australian credit card?) anyway, I then arranged payment via Paypal which was fine.

Fast forward to today. I checked my credit card statement and it looks like I was charged for my original card payment, but then it was refunded (or bounced back?) a couple days later. The problem is the refund matches in USD, buts my refund amount in AUD is about $40 less than what the debited amount was :mad: So I'm basically forking out $40 for nothing! :mad: So frustrating! :(

[philby]

that's bullshit. get onto the card company or the site about it or something!!

[Megatran]

I had a problem about a year ago with paying return shipping to an online store. I paid in AUD & they refunded me back with the same dollar amount in USD. Lets just say I didn't want any more hassles & left it at that. :D

[drifand]

that's bullshit. get onto the card company or the site about it or something!!

Happens to me before, and unfortunately it also can be the other way round if exchange turn better for you

[Handsprime]

My PSP isn't working and I tried turning it on. Eventually it did but things weren't working right so I tried to fix it but it froze and won't turn on again :mad: I wanna play my PSP but I don't wanna buy another one because they're probably expensive nowadays

[TAAUBlaster]

Once again, JBHiFi online has sent some of the blu rays in my order order with the security devices still attached... :rolleyes:

It becoming pointless and very frustrating ordering from them online as I have to go into the store to get the stupid tags removed every second order anyway. :mad:

[DaptoDog]

Our gas heater was due for a service. Was quoted $240 for an in home service which felt a bit rich so decided to take it to my local service centre for a cost of $120. It was awkward getting it out of my small boot and it was also raining. It slipped out of my hands and hit the road pretty hard, denting one corner. Tomorrow I will find out if it will require any repairs beyond the normal service. Doh!

[Jaxius._]

Well i have been told to man up for years and the one day i fight back this person gets pissed. How about you practice what you damn preach!!!

Anyway its to damn cold to vent heat

[CHILENO20]

Well i have been told to man up for years and the one day i fight back this person gets pissed. How about you practice what you damn preach!!!

Anyway its to damn cold to vent heat

Know the feeling dude. They say that but cry foul when they're on the other side. Hypocrites!

[prjkt]

Once again, JBHiFi online has sent some of the blu rays in my order order with the security devices still attached... :rolleyes:

It becoming pointless and very frustrating ordering from them online as I have to go into the store to get the stupid tags removed every second order anyway. :mad:

hope you didn't pay any shipping

[TAAUBlaster]

hope you didn't pay any shipping

I'll be talking to them about that when I go in later this week. Usually the DVD security locks I can take off without too much hassle, but the Blu Ray ones are impossible :(

[Pig's_A_King]

Thát Joel Freedman from TcCa facebook... I bought a couple of things off him, last purchase he sent me a MP ratchet in a banged up box like three weeks late because he was in Thailand.... He offered me a $20 discount on my next purchase... But it bloody sucks, as Most of my TFs are misb with no Dinged boxes... I do not recommend him

[aching878]

Thát Joel Freedman from TcCa facebook... I bought a couple of things off him, last purchase he sent me a MP ratchet in a banged up box like three weeks late because he was in Thailand.... He offered me a $20 discount on my next purchase... But it bloody sucks, as Most of my TFs are misb with no Dinged boxes... I do not recommend him

How was the box packed? Padded etc ? Could help to put some context to it oppose to just "I got a banged up box"

If it was poorly padded packed then sure fair call, but if it was properly packed and protected yet still got damaged, then it's a diff matter then

Also this is the wrong thread for feedback anyway

[yoshi594]

Thát Joel Freedman from TcCa facebook... I bought a couple of things off him, last purchase he sent me a MP ratchet in a banged up box like three weeks late because he was in Thailand.... He offered me a $20 discount on my next purchase... But it bloody sucks, as Most of my TFs are misb with no Dinged boxes... I do not recommend him

I hope you got another ratchet to replace that one thou.

[griffin]

It is best to voice your concerns on that site, if the admin allows it, and if you've already spoken to the seller and were unable to resolve the matter first. You can vent your frustrations here of what happened on other sites, but it is probably best to leave out names if they aren't proven to be scamming people or are not doing this sort of thing regularly.

[GoktimusPrime]

Well i have been told to man up for years and the one day i fight back this person gets (urinated). How about you practice what you damn preach!!!
Does your school offer the Rock and Water Programme? Because it's really good in terms of teaching conflict resolution and resilience skills. Ask your Year Adviser about it if they don't already offer it.

[Handsprime]

Was meant to do some driving tonight, but unfortunately I accidentally hit my fence and caused the right light to pop out off my dad's car, which sucks cause I really need to get my L's up and I hate accidentally ruining my dad's car.

[Golden Phoenix]

The hot water connection to one of the radiators in my house sprung a leak.

At 1am I had to go out and drain the system and turn it off so it don't flood the kitchen. No heating for me, and its been real cold here too.

Looks like the o-ring between the pipe and the valve has broken. This one had started dripping a bit a month ago and I tightened it a bit. Maybe I just went a tad too far.

God I hope the others don't start. None have dripped at all, but 3 are in carpeted areas.
Anyone think I should get them all checked? Or take the 'if it ain't broke' approach?

[BigTransformerTrev]

The hot water connection to one of the radiators in my house sprung a leak.

At 1am I had to go out and drain the system and turn it off so it don't flood the kitchen. No heating for me, and its been real cold here too.

Looks like the o-ring between the pipe and the valve has broken. This one had started dripping a bit a month ago and I tightened it a bit. Maybe I just went a tad too far.

God I hope the others don't start. None have dripped at all, but 3 are in carpeted areas.
Anyone think I should get them all checked? Or take the 'if it ain't broke' approach?

Thats pretty sucky

Hope it works out better for you than this guy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rRaWNIz73c) :p

[UltraMarginal]

I'd probably go the if it aint broke path. BUT, if the whole system is about the same age, it might be worth gong through and changing out all the O-rings while you have part of it down anyway. if one replaceable part is failing, the others might not be far behind.

[BigTransformerTrev]

if the whole system is about the same age, it might be worth gong through and changing out all the O-rings

Yeah, now I'm approaching 40 I have to do the same thing the morning after eating a curry

[Jaxius._]

A round of applause to the people who fixed my Ipad.

A month or so later the damn screen fell off.... Off to Apple :(

[kup]

A round of applause to the people who fixed my Ipad.

A month or so later the damn screen fell off.... Off to Apple :(

The joys of Apple. I don't understand why people keep persisting on that junk. I own an Iphone 6 from work and aside from having a better camera, everything else falls short to my much, much older Samsung S3.

[1AZRAEL1]

I have an iPad for work, only because I have to. I despise most Apple products. I have personal iPods because for music it's decent. Otherwise the rest, imo, is garbage

[drifand]

I gotten a notice from StarTrack to collect my parcel from a Post office which does not open on Saturdays < problem 1
So I took the time off and head to the post office only to find out "We have changed location to ......Shopping center" Ugh....seriously? so why the collection card had no updates if this was happening within a weeks notice.

Yes, I got my parcel but it was a wasted time and trip just to get it.

[5FDP]

I despise most Apple products.

Sums up my thoughts exactly... and I sell 'em for a living.

[Trent]

I don't understand the hate. They work. And work quite well.

Hating Apple must be what all the cool kids do these days.

[kup]

I don't understand the hate. They work. And work quite well.

Hating Apple must be what all the cool kids do these days.

To each their own but I can't really change my point of view of them and it is really low. I can't help to think that people just buy them because they either don't know any better or want to be pretentious about it so they can show it off to their equally pretentious friends. There is certainly no value for money and the restrictions it imposes on the user (whether they realise it or not) is ridiculous.

[Tober]

When you buy Apple, you are buying into a brand. And for a lot of consumers that is all the difference.

Huawei apparently make the best bang-for-buck phones now. But try giving one of those to your 15 year old princess...


Sent from my unpretentious Samsung Note II

[griffin]

I remember 10-15 years ago, people were hating all things windows/pc with a passion because they were lower quality and less reliable than apple.

[Tober]

Well, 25 years ago I bought an Apple Macintosh Quadra 950 for about $15,000 because I basically needed it, as Adobe/Aldus wasn't on PC back then. I ended up getting enough contract work to justify it, and it was a premium desktop for about 5 years.

15 years ago was when I made the transition to PC because there was no longer any point supporting Apple or SGI.

But don't get me started on Steve Jobs... even if he collected Macross and Transformers...

[Trent]

To each their own but I can't really change my point of view of them and it is really low. I can't help to think that people just buy them because they either don't know any better or want to be pretentious about it so they can show it off to their equally pretentious friends. There is certainly no value for money and the restrictions it imposes on the user (whether they realise it or not) is ridiculous.


So, by owning an iphone, you're saying I'm either a technological neanderthal or a pretentious twat? Oh, ok. I'll have to think about that and get back to you with which it is :rolleyes:

I have far bigger issues in my life than the brand of phone you, me, or anyone else is using.




When you buy Apple, you are buying into a brand. And for a lot of consumers that is all the difference.

Huawei apparently make the best bang-for-buck phones now. But try giving one of those to your 15 year old princess...


Sent from my unpretentious Samsung Note II

Oh, the irony ;)

[kup]

I remember 10-15 years ago, people were hating all things windows/pc with a passion because they were lower quality and less reliable than apple.

Sorry but it seems those same people went on to buy iphones. To me PC was always where it was at. Apple once again provided products with limited potential.

Only one thing they were better at and that was graphic design.


So, by owning an iphone, you're saying I'm either a technological neanderthal or a pretentious twat? Oh, ok. I'll have to think about that and get back to you with which it is :rolleyes:

I have far bigger issues in my life than the brand of phone you, me, or anyone else is using.


Perhaps you are in the more neutral side of the spectrum but nevertheless, I think when people buy iphones/ipads they are buying into the brand more than the phone as it is subpar, restricted and expensive.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I don't understand the hate. They work. And work quite well.

Hating Apple must be what all the cool kids do these days.

I disagree, I'm not cool and I don't like apple.

Although the old google is getting a bit too appleish and snoppy for my liking as well.

[1AZRAEL1]

I dislike their operating system. And other little niggling things. But I don't hate people who choose to use it and don't think they are pretentious. Stupid, but not pretentious :p ;) jk

[kurdt_the_goat]

Perhaps you are in the more neutral side of the spectrum but nevertheless, I think when people buy iphones/ipads they are buying into the brand more than the phone as it is subpar, restricted and expensive.

Not necessarily disagreeing here cause well... i don't have a mobile phone period, but i do have an older model ipod touch. It's probably restricted too but i wouldn't really know, i just use it for browsing the web, chat and checking email. LOL, not even MP3s now that i think about it. I don't consider myself "most people", since i work on computers a lot, i know more than the average person about working with this kind of device ... but even then, i don't give a shit what it does other than those 3 things, and have no desire to learn either.

So i imagine "most people" don't care either. That stuff + cheap games is all they care about, and there's hardly anything to differentiate Apple/others when you compare like that. Most people probably decide by what it looks like, what it costs, perceived "what's hot atm" factor. I think a lot of apple purchasers though have heard good stories about easy replacement as well (not to say other manufacturers don't do it just as good, just not as well known)

[Ploughmans Lunch]

the nearest polling booth does not have a cake stall but the one a few km away does. woe is me.

[Handsprime]

I tried to purchase an album the other day but it's only giving me the zip folder with nothing inside it :mad: I emailed them hoping they can solve the problem soon. But seriously this is why people pirate, because some things are too hard to access.

[Trent]

the nearest polling booth does not have a cake stall but the one a few km away does. woe is me.

I feel your pain.

Every local/state/federal election we vote at the scout hall 200m from our house. Walked down there to find it all shut up. So we had to vote at the local school which had a line a mile long and took ages.

Stupid democracy.

[griffin]

That's probably one of the reasons why a record quarter of registered voters have already voted before today... which will start to changes the whole campaign process to woo people from the start, as polls have shown that the election result would be different to today if it was held on any previous weekend.
I always thought that you could only pre-poll vote if you had a valid (proven) reason for not being able to vote on the day, as there is a reason for having as many people as possible to vote at the same time, as people voting later may change their mind knowing what others have already voted (a bit like the presidential elections in America that have results from the east coast announced before the west coast have finished voting... which they shouldn't be announcing until after polls close in all states - and here, but we don't have enough seats in WA to alter the outcome from early results that only come in if it is a landslide).

[tinyJazz]

I always thought that you could only pre-poll vote if you had a valid (proven) reason for not being able to vote on the day, as there is a reason for having as many people as possible to vote at the same time, as people voting later may change their mind knowing what others have already voted.

You don't have to provide proof, and in some cases they don't even ask you what the reason is. Also, less party volunteers to harass you as you go in to vote.

[drifand]

I use both android and iPhone, as much as I do like iPhone, I think the way is using my data is more than an android does.

Nokia used to be the best phones around but they couldn't catch up with the times. Is pretty sad and windows phone isn't cool enough

[TAAUBlaster]

I always pre-vote because its just so much easier, and I can do it on the way home from work. In all the yeas I've been doing it, I've only ever been asked once what my reason was (which was this time.) I just told them I might have to work. No proof required, and nothing else said about it. I was in and out in 5 minutes - after wresting with the big white ballot sheet in the small cubicle :p

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I always thought that you could only pre-poll vote if you had a valid (proven) reason for not being able to vote on the day, as there is a reason for having as many people as possible to
I started prevoting as well. Lining up in the heat, and often I'd be at work on saturday, unable to leave until after the polls closed.

Although I did like the atmosphere at my local polling place ( a local school) where I'd tell all the volunteers that "I already know how to vote thanks", and then get chatting with the people in the line as we complained about standing in the sun for so long.:p

Because of work I just used to organise postal voting. Because I'd do it at home, I'd research the parties, candidates and policies a bit more thoroughly.

[GoktimusPrime]

TheScreamMan and I went and voted at about 09:30. There were bugger all people at that time - we just waltzed in, voted, then waltzed out. Then stood around and talked around Transformers (spent more time doing this than actually voting :p). ;) So yeah, voting early works well. :)

[Firestorm]

Made my first ever steam purchases the other day
Most of which were games to play online with my friends who have moved overseas
Spent almost $50
Tried running the games today.
Out of the 5 games I bought 3 immediately crash or don't start
$50 well spent
Knew I shouldn't have bothered with steam

[TAAUBlaster]

Some games can be a bit hit or miss on steam these days. Best bet is to hit up the Steam forums. If you're having issues then its likely someone else has had the same issue. And a lot of the time, there are fixes that other users have found. :)

Another thing I've personally had a problem with, is sometimes if you have multiple hard drives, the game installs on a different drive for some reason which can cause issues.

[GoktimusPrime]

Nearly got duped by a phone scam.

I just had some fake Telstra technicians call up. It seemed so fishy and when I asked the technician for some details, he got stroppy and passed me onto another 'technician' who refused to supply her full name. They told me to follow instructions to "fix up" a problem with my computer to prevent it from being disconnected from the internet. I even told them that I'm not a Telstra customer and they said that this is irrelevant.

I've told them to call me back in 10 minutes, during which time I did a Google search and yeah... total scam. >:( I kinda want them to call me back so that I can counter-prank them, but I don't think they will (I may have scared them off). But yeah, if you ever get a call out of the blue from people claiming to be Telstra technicians saying that there's a problem with your internet, then be wary.

They were really pushy in a polite sounding way. They make you feel scared that you're going to lose internet connection and then offer to help you, so you initially feel like you want to follow all of their instructions because they come across as "Good Samaritans." But cracks started showing when I started asking them questions about themselves. Name, contact number (they gave me the generic BigPond tech support number) etc. The first techie even spat out a North Sydney address at me, but according to Google Telstra's Head Office is in Paddington. There's a Telstra _shop_ located in North Sydney, so I guess I could go there to buy a phone or something... I don't think that I'd get tech support for my internet connection though. Especially considering that Telstra/BigPond's not even my ISP. (-_-) Still, I can see how easy it would be for people to believe them because they work so well in psychologically disarming you. I even had my DOS window open and was ready to enter a command that the techie was telling me, but then I paused and thought, "Waaaaait a second..."

https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/news/scammers-pretending-to-be-from-telstra-technical-support-continue-cold-calling-australians
http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2014/10/15/is-it-really-telstra-calling/

[UltraMarginal]

That sounds very similar to another scam that seems to have died off now where they call up claiming to be from Microsoft technical support and that there is a problem with your computer blah blah blah. similar story, get you to log on, go to a web page click a link that opens a back door to your machine and blammo good bye computer and personal information.

[Handsprime]

Grr, I'm trying to find a create to store my vinyls in, but none of the stores in Macquarie had what I was looking for. They were either too big, too small, wrong design or they were made from the wrong materials. You think it would be easy to find a simple plastic create, but apparently the only place that seems to have them is bunnings. Guess I'll have to go there tomorrow.

[BruiseLee]

Grr, I'm trying to find a create to store my vinyls in, but none of the stores in Macquarie had what I was looking for. They were either too big, too small, wrong design or they were made from the wrong materials. You think it would be easy to find a simple plastic create, but apparently the only place that seems to have them is bunnings. Guess I'll have to go there tomorrow.

A milk crate will work well. Just need to find a supermarket or milk bar that will let you have one.

[Handsprime]

A milk crate will work well. Just need to find a supermarket or milk bar that will let you have one.

Nah, according to my mates that's a terrible idea. Plus they are too small anyways. I ended up finding one onto of the fridge in my garage, but I'm probably gonna still head to bunnings anyway and pick one up because who knows what may happen in the future?

[UltimateGalvatron]

People playing Poke'mon Go at the Holocaust Museum :mad:
That is super disrespectful.

[DaptoDog]

Was booked in to be connected to the NBN (fibre to the node) on Tuesday. But the connection didn't take, I was still getting an ADSL connection. So NBN Co was booked in again on the 18th to fix it up. In the meantime, Telstra decided to cut my ADSL connection on Friday without my knowledge (the 2nd time they have done that to me in the 12 months I have been with them) and couldn't reconnect me for the weekend. They do this once you've been connected to NBN but off course that should have been deferred until I was actually getting an NBN connection. Dealing with them on Friday night became comical, I was transfered to four different people and only the last tech guy knew what the hell was going on.

Once I'm off contract I'll be saying bye bye Telstra. I'd like to be optimistic that NBN will get me up and running tomorrow but I've heard too many horror stories so I won't get my hopes up.

[Jaxius._]

People playing Poke'mon Go at the Holocaust Museum :mad:
That is super disrespectful.

And there are Koffing's....

Saw someone walk into a wall playing it. A bit of a laugh but it is a sad thing.

_________________________________

*rant*

Got all dressed up and fancy, shaved for the first time ever. Grabbed money i'd been saving for a rainy day (this rainy day apparently is yet to happen) waiting at a train station for my date. 1/2 an hour later i get a text:

Can't go family doing things

:eek:
I wish people could you know tell you that the NIGHT before at the latest....

[Seraphim Prime]

*rant*

Got all dressed up and fancy, shaved for the first time ever. Grabbed money i'd been saving for a rainy day (this rainy day apparently is yet to happen) waiting at a train station for my date. 1/2 an hour later i get a text:

Can't go family doing things

:eek:
I wish people could you know tell you that the NIGHT before at the latest....

Boo to rudeness!

Sorry to hear the date was a no show.

[DaptoDog]

*rant*

Got all dressed up and fancy, shaved for the first time ever. Grabbed money i'd been saving for a rainy day (this rainy day apparently is yet to happen) waiting at a train station for my date. 1/2 an hour later i get a text:

Can't go family doing things

:eek:
I wish people could you know tell you that the NIGHT before at the latest....

That sucks, I'm sure most of us have a crappy dating story like that (I sure do). The silver lining is at least you find out the character of the person before you get in too deep with them.

[DaptoDog]

Was booked in to be connected to the NBN (fibre to the node) on Tuesday. But the connection didn't take, I was still getting an ADSL connection. So NBN Co was booked in again on the 18th to fix it up. In the meantime, Telstra decided to cut my ADSL connection on Friday without my knowledge (the 2nd time they have done that to me in the 12 months I have been with them) and couldn't reconnect me for the weekend. They do this once you've been connected to NBN but off course that should have been deferred until I was actually getting an NBN connection. Dealing with them on Friday night became comical, I was transfered to four different people and only the last tech guy knew what the hell was going on.

Once I'm off contract I'll be saying bye bye Telstra. I'd like to be optimistic that NBN will get me up and running tomorrow but I've heard too many horror stories so I won't get my hopes up.

Now over four hours wasted dealing with Telstra and my NBN still hasn't been connected. 2nd NBN appointment was today but my guess is they never went to the node. Still without internet because Telstra are yet to reinstate my ADSL connection. :mad:

[Trent]

Now over four hours wasted dealing with Telstra and my NBN still hasn't been connected. 2nd NBN appointment was today but my guess is they never went to the node. Still without internet because Telstra are yet to reinstate my ADSL connection. :mad:

I feel your pain. I went through all this about 6 weeks ago. It took them 7 weeks to sort it all out and get my NBN up and running. I had a rant on their Facebook page and threatened to go to ombudsman and that kicked them into gear.

Make sure you get them to throw in the 100/40 speed boost for free for messing you around. I got it and so have several other people I know.

[DaptoDog]

I feel your pain. I went through all this about 6 weeks ago. It took them 7 weeks to sort it all out and get my NBN up and running. I had a rant on their Facebook page and threatened to go to ombudsman and that kicked them into gear.

Make sure you get them to throw in the 100/40 speed boost for free for messing you around. I got it and so have several other people I know.

Oh dear, seven weeks to get connected, that's horrible! I wasn't expecting it to take that long, at least I've called in the ombudsman early. Thanks for the tip too.;)

[DaptoDog]

So after chasing up Telstra again they tell me my 2nd appointment that was booked on the 18th was cancelled by NBN Co due to "capacity issues". So basically you get no notice of a cancelled booking. Bloody brilliant set up this is. Rebooked for the 21st, I bet I'll still be without internet.

[Trent]

So after chasing up Telstra again they tell me my 2nd appointment that was booked on the 18th was cancelled by NBN Co due to "capacity issues". So basically you get no notice of a cancelled booking. Bloody brilliant set up this is. Rebooked for the 21st, I bet I'll still be without internet.

All my problems were with Telstra, although they tried to blame NBN Co. I actually got the phone number to confirm retailer service appointments and rang NBN directly and the guy I got knew his job. He was able to tell me everything Telstra had done right and everything they had done wrong. My third installation booking went very smoothly only because I confirmed everything directly with NBN. Wish I could remember the number to give you. Sorry.

[DaptoDog]

All my problems were with Telstra, although they tried to blame NBN Co. I actually got the phone number to confirm retailer service appointments and rang NBN directly and the guy I got knew his job. He was able to tell me everything Telstra had done right and everything they had done wrong. My third installation booking went very smoothly only because I confirmed everything directly with NBN. Wish I could remember the number to give you. Sorry.

No worries mate, I did try calling the general NBN number but they only answer general enquiries. I'll see if I can dig around for that number. One of the reasons I liked switching to Telstra a year ago was if you have a problem with the line then they alone were responsible for fixing it. Now Telstra and NBN Co can just blame each other.

[DaptoDog]

All my problems were with Telstra, although they tried to blame NBN Co. I actually got the phone number to confirm retailer service appointments and rang NBN directly and the guy I got knew his job. He was able to tell me everything Telstra had done right and everything they had done wrong. My third installation booking went very smoothly only because I confirmed everything directly with NBN. Wish I could remember the number to give you. Sorry.

By any chance does this number look familiar?
http://login.nbnco.net.au/contact_us

Looks like the number ISP's use to contact NBN.

[DaptoDog]

I now have NBN! :)

The NBN tech came to my house this morning and sorted it out. Telstra provided NBN with the incorrect details.

[GoktimusPrime]

^yay! :)

My previous residence has NBN, but we've since moved to a new residence which has no NBN and isn't even listed as getting NBN. :(

*massive.sigh*

[UltraMarginal]

When you're so busy at work, that you read a thread and leave it open so you can reply later...
3 days later you have 5-10 open threads and the conversation has gone stale so you just give up and close explorer...

[Golden Phoenix]

I now have NBN! :)

The NBN tech came to my house this morning and sorted it out. Telstra provided NBN with the incorrect details.

This happens all the time. There are so many jobs set up for NBN techs to go out and get the details right because the copper network is a mess.

Wish they had just stuck with Fibre to the Premise. Would have taken longer, and cost a bit more initially, but we would have gotten a more reliable network and not had to pay as much for upkeep of the out of date copper. :mad:

[Trent]

This happens all the time. There are so many jobs set up for NBN techs to go out and get the details right because the copper network is a mess.

Wish they had just stuck with Fibre to the Premise. Would have taken longer, and cost a bit more initially, but we would have gotten a more reliable network and not had to pay as much for upkeep of the out of date copper. :mad:

But I have FTTP :)

And they still stuffed it and took almost 7 weeks to get it sorted.

[Jaxius._]

Less of a vent and more of a small rant.

I was in the Melbourne CBD today while my sister saw the Sound of Music, and i had 3 hours walking around (Minotaur, Herns Hobbies etc) and the amount of homeless is just so sad! There are several abandoned houses in my town that can fit a family of 4 so why don't they fix these houses up and move the homeless into these, it was 9 degrees today with rain. Not only would we be helping them but the streets would be cleaner.

It is worse when all people do is stare. Maybe i am just to compassionate for this society....

[SMHFConvoy]

Less of a vent and more of a small rant.

I was in the Melbourne CBD today while my sister saw the Sound of Music, and i had 3 hours walking around (Minotaur, Herns Hobbies etc) and the amount of homeless is just so sad! There are several abandoned houses in my town that can fit a family of 4 so why don't they fix these houses up and move the homeless into these, it was 9 degrees today with rain. Not only would we be helping them but the streets would be cleaner.

It is worse when all people do is stare. Maybe i am just to compassionate for this society....

Because people think there's no money in that sort of thing :(

However, it has been shown that doing what you suggest would contribute to society and boost the economy as well as being cheaper than doing nothing.

[Borgeman]

Less of a vent and more of a small rant.

I was in the Melbourne CBD today while my sister saw the Sound of Music, and i had 3 hours walking around (Minotaur, Herns Hobbies etc) and the amount of homeless is just so sad! There are several abandoned houses in my town that can fit a family of 4 so why don't they fix these houses up and move the homeless into these, it was 9 degrees today with rain. Not only would we be helping them but the streets would be cleaner.

It is worse when all people do is stare. Maybe i am just to compassionate for this society....

Apparently there has been an influx of homeless people migrating into Melbourne from interstate in recent times.

And unfortunately in many cases, giving the homeless a bona fide property to live in doesn't help solve the problem in the long run, as it can prolong their state of poverty simply because now they have a roof and don't need to try as hard, while continuing to stay in that homeless mindset. It's the same as giving the beggars money - so long as they receive enough money to eat off, they will continue to beg, rather than try to improve their quality of life.

[1AZRAEL1]

The world is a mess. I see alot too on my job

[MV75]

Less of a vent and more of a small rant.

I was in the Melbourne CBD today while my sister saw the Sound of Music, and i had 3 hours walking around (Minotaur, Herns Hobbies etc) and the amount of homeless is just so sad! There are several abandoned houses in my town that can fit a family of 4 so why don't they fix these houses up and move the homeless into these, it was 9 degrees today with rain. Not only would we be helping them but the streets would be cleaner.

It is worse when all people do is stare. Maybe i am just to compassionate for this society....

You need to understand that for the most part, homeless are right where they want to be. They don't want that responsibility and choose to live like they do. There are far better places than a scummy city to be homeless in, but that is the easiest place to get booze and food while remaining without earning anything or being responsible for anything. And it's a mental illness as well as the addictions most have. And oh boy, don't try to home them, the house will be utterly destroyed. And if those houses are abandoned, good chance they already sleep there anyway, you just don't know it.

[GoktimusPrime]

People with that level of mental disability ought to be in a care facility, but that would require a government that's willing to spend more on health care, especially care for the disabled.

[philby]

anyone know how auspost tracking works? as in what stages things are at when it gets updated, who does it, etc?
someone sent a package to me on friday and the tracking says received and then processed through facility. that was very late on friday night and it hasn't been updated since. it's now been 2 full business days plus the weekend and the status hasn't changed.

* i guess i'm venting that i know it takes a few days to get here but at least be a little more up to date with the information or progress :p

[Raider]

Just watched ep 1 of Combiner Wars and I don't have a single nice thing to say about it....

Voice acting was terrible, script was cringe worthy, only lasted 5 mins of which 25% of it was spent with computron and menasor doing this repetitive punch action in space, menasor sounds like a teenager with an attitude problem, no apparent storyline, I could rant for longer.

I am just so disappointed that we have waited so long for this crap :(

[kup]

Just watched ep 1 of Combiner Wars and I don't have a single nice thing to say about it....

Voice acting was terrible, script was cringe worthy, only lasted 5 mins of which 25% of it was spent with computron and menasor doing this repetitive punch action in space, menasor sounds like a teenager with an attitude problem, no apparent storyline, I could rant for longer.

I am just so disappointed that we have waited so long for this crap :(

Beast Wars was the last true 'Good' Transformers cartoon. Animated was okay but it's terrible first season which was the longest was horrible enough to bring the whole series down despite the good shorter 2nd and 3rd seasons. The abrupt cancellation also didn't help, at least BW ended properly.

[MV75]

Cybertron was good, animated was ok. Everything after, especially rid I don't like.

[The_Damned]

Beast Wars was the last true 'Good' Transformers cartoon. Animated was okay but it's terrible first season which was the longest was horrible enough to bring the whole series down despite the good shorter 2nd and 3rd seasons. The abrupt cancellation also didn't help, at least BW ended properly.

you didnt like prime?

[GoktimusPrime]

I liked Prime, but Beast Wars was way better, and I agree that it was the last great Transformers cartoon. Prime didn't have much character development throughout most of its run, and what limited character development that it did have happened towards the latter part of the series in relative isolation (as opposed to being a continual thing throughout the story). Stories are driven by the journey of the protagonist(s) and the isolated characterisations in Prime made these journeys feel more like teleportation rather than an actual voyage. Bumblebee was the immature prat throughout most of the series until he falls into a pool of goop, oops, now he's mature and he can talk. Megatron is totally maniacal until he's liberated from Unicron, oops, now he's become a pacifist and has dissolved the Decepticon faction and is walking away from everything.

Most of the other characters remain stagnant throughout the series, including Optimus Prime. He starts off as being a flawless saviour archetype and in the end of Predacon Rising he is the flawless saviour archetype. He's gone from Point A to Point A, in other words, he hasn't made any emotional journey. He's a walking caricature who speaks in quotations rather than a character. He has the emotional range of Kristen Stewart. :eek:

---------------------------------------------------------

Had a different phone scammer call me today. Claimed that he was representing some vehicle accidents claim company. I asked him questions like:
"What is the name of your company?"
"Which client do you represent?"
He kept on redescribing his company but couldn't answer either of those basic questions. He gave me a Sydney based address, but when I insisted on the name of the company he couldn't answer me. I kept on repeating my questions and he eventually hung up.

:mad:

[The_Damned]

I liked Prime, but Beast Wars was way better, and I agree that it was the last great Transformers cartoon. Prime didn't have much character development throughout most of its run, and what limited character development that it did have happened towards the latter part of the series in relative isolation (as opposed to being a continual thing throughout the story). Stories are driven by the journey of the protagonist(s) and the isolated characterisations in Prime made these journeys feel more like teleportation rather than an actual voyage. Bumblebee was the immature prat throughout most of the series until he falls into a pool of goop, oops, now he's mature and he can talk. Megatron is totally maniacal until he's liberated from Unicron, oops, now he's become a pacifist and has dissolved the Decepticon faction and is walking away from everything.

Most of the other characters remain stagnant throughout the series, including Optimus Prime. He starts off as being a flawless saviour archetype and in the end of Predacon Rising he is the flawless saviour archetype. He's gone from Point A to Point A, in other words, he hasn't made any emotional journey. He's a walking caricature who speaks in quotations rather than a character. He has the emotional range of Kristen Stewart. :eek: :

I don't know about all that i just thought it was a cool cartoon.

[MayzaPrime]

I disagree, I thought Prime had a lot of character development, especially Starscream. I actually enjoyed the human relationships with the bots which is a first for me. When Bee got his voice back and then called Raf... 'shivers'. Predaking was also another character that went through a massive change, literally.

I love Beast Wars, it is my favourite TF cartoon, but Prime is a close 2nd.

I do agree with Goki in regards to Optimus... he did go from super warrior to super warrior, but I am interested to know what might you have changed to change the character?

[GoktimusPrime]

I disagree, I thought Prime had a lot of character development, especially Starscream.
Really? Starscream began as a selfish and amoral fiend to becoming, at the end of Predacon Rising, a selfish and amoral fiend. His alliances shifted as they suited him, but they've always been self motivated. Shifting allegiance is not the same as change in character.


I actually enjoyed the human relationships with the bots which is a first for me. When Bee got his voice back and then called Raf... 'shivers'. Predaking was also another character that went through a massive change, literally.
Bumblebee's change in character was extrinsically induced (i.e. he fell into a Cosmic MacGuffin) rather than being intrinsically induced through the sum of his experiences. Smokescreen is probably one character in Prime who went through intrinsic character change. As far as the humans are concerned, Jack underwent the greatest change, followed by Raf and then Miko. But this change, especially for Miko, was very slow. She spent the first two seasons being a cheesy stereotype until finally in Season 3 she started showing signs of maturity.

Predaking had shifts in allegiances due to changes in circumstances, but his core persona never changed. He only served Megatron when he thought that it was in the best interest of the Predacon cause, but when he discovered that it wasn't (especially when he learnt that Megatron had ordered the genocide of his fellow Predacons), that is when Predaking left the Decepticons. It wasn't because he had a change of heart but because he realised that he had been deceived and fighting for Megatron under false pretenses.

I don't dislike Prime, I do quite like it. I see it as the G1 cartoon of our time, because the G1 cartoon was really full of caricatures rather than characters (the G1 comics on the other hand gave us proper characters). So TF Prime is really no worse than G1, and in all honesty, I think that Prime is actually much better written than the G1 cartoon. It's not nearly as camp (come on, G1 gave us an episode where the Decepticons turned the Autobots evil by recharging them with evil fuel! :eek: :rolleyes:).


I love Beast Wars, it is my favourite TF cartoon, but Prime is a close 2nd.
I would be inclined to agree with this ranking. :)


I do agree with Goki in regards to Optimus... he did go from super warrior to super warrior, but I am interested to know what might you have changed to change the character?
There are all sorts of way you can do it, but basically you need to give Optimus Prime some kind of flaw or imperfection for him to improve and grow upon as a character. When you make a character an essentially perfect Messiah-like archetype, then it becomes very one dimensional as there's no room for any character growth.

Let's look at G1 comic Optimus Prime. He was more rash in his youth as a lower ranking officer, with a poor decision resulting in the death of Boltax and the loss of the Underbase from Cybertron. The Underbase eventually super-powered Starscream who then slaughtered many, many Cybertronians, including lots of Autobots. Prowl died twice cos wibbly wobbly timey wimey. ;) Optimus Prime also blames himself for bringing the Cybertronians' war to Earth (because he was the one who threw the switched that crashed the Ark onto Earth), resulting in further harm and destruction to the life forms of Earth - human, animals, plants and even environmental destruction. All of this weighed heavily on Prime's conscience, leaving him riddled with issues of guilt. Optimus Prime had become a very strong character by the time he assumed supreme executive command of the Autobots, but this strength would later prove to be a weakness. In the early stages of the war it was Prime's unwavering determination to never surrender that allowed him and his Autobots to do what the Council of Elders had long failed to do -- retake occupied/conquered City States back from the Decepticons. We know that Iacon would've fallen if not for Prime, and indeed after Prime left Cybertron, Iacon did fall to the Decepticon warlord Trannis (who was then succeeded by Straxus). The entire Council was executed except for Xaaron who managed to flee underground (leading the Autobot resistance and forming the Wreckers). But it was Powermaster Optimus Prime who realised that this indomitable will had become a liability. In order for the Cybertronians to survive the oncoming approach of Unicron he knew that he would have to swallow his pride and have himself and the Autobots under his command to surrender to the Decepticons. And this even prompted change in Scorponok's character, and the two former enemies became great allies as they fought side by side against the Chaos Bringer. Optimus Prime cradling a dying Scorponok and then mourning over his passing remains one of the single most powerful moments from G1. Just that long distance silhouette of Prime huddled over Scorponok's corpse in silent despair. The other Decepticons were busy fighting alongside the Autobots, Optimus Prime was the only one there to mourn the loss of a great and courageous Decepticon leader whom he considered a friend in the end. The G1 comics were cancelled by Hasbro shortly after this, so there wasn't much time for further character development as Marvel were pushed to introduce new toys (i.e. Action Masters) and quickly wrap things up. G2 saw a little more development in Optimus Prime, we see a first glance into how Prime laments over how he and Megatron are enemies and how great it could be if they could be allies. This demonstrated a substantial level of empathy for one's mortal enemy, continuing on from what Prime experienced with Scorponok. Optimus Prime's character has changed based on the sum of his experiences. G2 again was abruptly cancelled by Hasbro and Marvel again had to quickly wrap things up (and even joking about how it was happening again with the character name "Jhiaxus" = "gee, axe us").

I don't expect any new Optimus Prime to be a copy of G1 comic Optimus Prime, but simply to have some form of journey where his experiences shape his character. We've also seen this with IDW Optimus Prime and many other IDW Transformers. It's an entirely different journey from Generation 1, but it's still enjoyable because the journey is there and is still ongoing. It is this form of characterisation which gives a story substance and allows it to thrive. Bear in mind that the G1 comics (1984-92) outlasted the G1 cartoon (1984-87), and the IDW comics (2005-present) has now outrun the entire G1 franchise! (1984~early-1993)

[kup]

you didnt like prime?

No. I gave it a really good try but it was so frustrating to watch it episode per episode. First season was horrible and I stopped watching just before the season finale as I couldn't go on. I was then told that the season finale was good so I decided to finish of the season to see it but it was just garbage to me so I had no further motivation.

I actually find Animated more watchable than Prime by a long shot despite it also having a terrible first season but you actually see some improvements as things go on despite that as well as character progression - I don't see any of that in Prime. A frustration with Prime was also how characters would not learn from their mistakes despite terrible consequences, specially that stupid hyperactive girl. They had no reason whatsoever to have those kids hanging around and they were far more trouble than they were worth. That as well as a terribly weak plot that had nothing interesting for me. I could tell that even as a kid I would have disliked it.

The way I see it - This is how it goes with cartoons:

1st Sunbow G1 - Only first as this is the cartoon that started it although it is very cheesy by today's standards but can still be enjoyable. Several episodes were good with a unique take even if sometimes it was a bit far off.

2nd Beast Wars - Pretty much the absolute best of all Transformers cartoons - Proper character developments, story arcs that pay off, cool cameos and references, aims at both adults and kids without dumbing things down or adding too frustrating characters.. I am only placing it second because for lack of a better word, it is still a spin of show from G1 to the point that they share the same continuity. Kind of how Star Trek Next Genertation is technically better than TOS but TOS is what started it all.

3rd Animated By a considerable distance after 2nd, I place Animated in this catergory. It has a bad 1st Season but considerably improves in the 2nd and 3rd seasons.

4th would probably be RID/Cybertron at about the same.

5th Armada only because it actually has a good end of series story arc.

The rest are just absolute rubbish and I place them in the same pile which includes Prime, Energon, etc.

[Bladestorm]

There was potential for Optimus to have character development in Transformers Prime but the writers seemed to isolate his character and make him cold and flat as a consequence.

If they imbued some of the elements from G1 Optimus - the desire to be not only a leader but comrade and friends with your soldiers; the curiosity to understand humanity ... especially from a child's eyes. In fact, if they had taken the opportunity for Optimus to reflect on how distant he had become due to the burdens of leadership and time... the Orion Pax storyline would have led nicely into exploring that.
Optimus's fatal flaw (excluding movies) is always the unwillingness to take ANY life and I would have loved to see the show confront that more; give him more personal interaction where we get to see how he FEELS and reacts and grows as a character because of that. There were ample situations they could have done this but chose not to.

As much as I dislike RID2015 there was a hint of Optimus getting a bit more personality/humanity/reality check when he was with Windblade (when he wasn't giving ridiculously pompous speeches). I would have liked to see them continue along that path of the two characters discovering themselves thanks to each others flaws and insights. I see massive potential with their pairing to create a father-daughter/teacher-mentor relationship that I can see kids liking. My daughter LOVED seeing Windblade and Optimus working together.

Ultimately Megatron will ALWAYS win because of Optimus unwilling to sacrifice innocent lives but maybe that could change too if they actually did try to give Optimus a character arc where he has to sacrifice something or someone.

Interesting to note as a complete side: At Cybertroncon they had a video that showed the evolution of Transformers cartoons over time. When Transformers Prime came on the Chinese audience cheered loudly and there were calls of "bring Transformers Prime back!" much to the surprise of the head of Transformers media so the show definitely had some popularity behind it.
There were also lesser cheers for G1, Beast Wars and Animated.

Personally, if I could get Transformers Prime animation with Beast Wars storylines and G1 personalities that would be my idea of a great Transformers show.

[UltraMarginal]

I really enjoyed TF Prime, I'd rate it as possibly the most well rounded of any of the Transformers series, there were great stories, good characterisation, I liked that Miko didn't learn from her mistakes, that in itself is a reflection of a mid teen with a few life issues. If she had straight away learned not to be brash and irresponsible, or even over the first season that would have been so inhuman. And visually it was outstanding.

[GoktimusPrime]

I do agree that the animation in Prime was fantastic, especially considering that their workforce was significantly reduced after the 2011 earthquake/tsunami. :eek: :( But I find it difficult to believe that it's the same anime studio that's animated the current Robots In Disguise series, because I find the animation in that to be far below what we saw in Prime. Although it could very well be to having a smaller animation budget from Hasbro... I don't know. :confused:

[UltimateGalvatron]

Prime is probably my fourth favourite.

G1, Beast MACHINES, Beast Wars, Prime, Cybertron/Armada no real other ranking.

I really loved Beast Machines and Beast Wars because of how much it expanded on the original G1 cartoon universe, and although still some questions I had weren't answered, like, what happened after Galvatron and Skorponok plus what was left of the Decepticons left Cybertron, what happened to the Autobots after the Golden Age? I know they eventionally became Maximals and Predacons, but when and how did this occur. (Forgive me if some of these were actually answered, I haven't watched em in a while haha.)

I especially loved the Ghost Starscream episode because it was one of the earliest tie ins to G1.

[Trent]

Beast Wars is first. Animated is a very close second. Prime would be third.

I think people expected too much of Prime. Just enjoy it for what it is, a fantastically animated series with a pretty good story and some really cool fights.

I get the lack f character development but it doesn't worry me.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think Beast Wars set a new bar for Transformers cartoon in terms of delivering a series that simultaneously appealed to young adult and child audiences alike. Mainframe's writers realised that while the show was intended to appeal to the children of the time, the original fans of Transformers - the children of the 80s - were in their late teens or 20s by the time Beast Wars came out. Beast Wars is to the Transformers cartoon world what CHUGUR has been to the Transformers toy world; something that explicitly appeals to both kids and collectors alike.

That's not to say that shows like Animated or Prime are inherently bad - as I said, they're really not much better or worse than the G1 cartoon that we all hold in such regard. Because really, the G1 cartoon utterly lacked character development too (except for Blitzwing in Five Faces of Darkness who went through an excellent personal journey). But G1 still delivered some excellent short stories, and so did Animated and Prime. The difference between a short story and a full story isn't actually the length, but it's character development. A short story has no character journey, but you can still have good short stories. If we look at the better episodes in G1, Animated and Prime, they're all still short stories but they're good ones. An example from G1 is the episode The God Gambit (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_God_Gambit) where the Decepticons manipulate a people's religious beliefs via their religious zealots for their own purposes, while the Autobots try to be tolerant and respectful of their beliefs and fight against the Decepticons' abuse of said beliefs. This story is a powerful metaphor about the dangers of abusing religion for political purposes (i.e. the Decepticon cause). There's no character development in it - the Decepticons and Autobots all remain the same at the end of the story as they were in the beginning. But it's still a really great story. And likewise if we see some of the better episodes in Animated and Prime, we see a similar trend. :) I guess the important thing is that the better episodes still gave the audience a reason to care about what was happening.

One of the better episodes from Animated would have to be "A Bridge Too Close." I remember showing these episodes dubbed in German to a Year 7 German class (it was the last day of term :p). These kids had never seen TF Animated before and most of them didn't have a clue about Transformers (at least beyond Bayformers). But the kids were really upset when Omega Supreme sacrificed himself to save everyone. When he stood in front of the collapsing space bridge and said, "I am programmed to protect and sacrifice if necessary." - the entire class were gasping and crying, "No!" and some of them even started crying... one so seriously that we had to get her a box of tissues! :eek: This tells you that it's a good story, because the audience cares. There's emotional investment.

I just wish that Animated and Prime could started off on such strength. I found with both series that Season 1 felt kinda meh, then Season 2 felt kinda hot and cold, but then Season 3 really roped me in... and both series ended just as they were getting really good! Robots in Disguise (current) gave me hope that they could pick up where Prime ended and run with that momentum, but alas it didn't. :( At least, not Season 1. I've yet to get into Season 2 (that's how uninspired I was by Season 1). Transformers Prime did end really well with Season 1 though. The alliance between Megatron and Optimus Prime and ending with Orion Pax defecting to the Decepticons -- phwoar! I couldn't wait for S2. :D And similarly even Season 1 of Animated ended on a really strong note with the eventual return of Megatron and abduction of Isaac Sumdac. I actually quite liked how Animated prolonged Megatron's return like that (and I hope that RiD can try to avoid having Megatron return (no S2 spoilers please)).

[M-bot]

Just had to stop the service lady at Subway from giving me a wrap with big blotches of bright green mould on it. I saw her briefly hesitate before putting it down on the bench, but did so anyway, so I'm wondering if she saw it and was going to serve it anyway. It was difficult to miss the mould too, wasn't a small amount.:mad:

[GoktimusPrime]

I hate Subway. Haven't purchased anything from them in many years.

[kup]

I hate Subway. Haven't purchased anything from them in many years.

Not a fan either but I was able to loose a lot of weight by just eating their 1100mg 6" subs for lunch. I have gone back to them as I am attempting to loose weight now, I am currently the fatest I have ever been.

[janda the red]

Just had to stop the service lady at Subway from giving me a wrap with big blotches of bright green mould on it. I saw her briefly hesitate before putting it down on the bench, but did so anyway, so I'm wondering if she saw it and was going to serve it anyway. It was difficult to miss the mould too, wasn't a small amount.:mad:

maybe she thought it was just a splash of pesto? ;) lol :p

seriously though.... that's pretty crap.

:)

[griffin]

They probably don't get much or any training in workplace/food health and safety... just how to make the subs... especially if they are a youngen who still lives at home and still doesn't know how to cook or know what food spoilage even looks like.

[Handsprime]

I really shouldn't go anywhere on a Friday afternoon

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

They probably don't get much or any training in workplace/food health and safety... just how to make the subs... especially if they are a youngen who still lives at home and still doesn't know how to cook or know what food spoilage even looks like.

They should get heaps of training on food safety. When I worked in a servo, dealing with only pies, hotdogs and pastries, I got so much bloody food safety training it was ridiculous!

Of course, that will probably depend on the franschisee etc

[Raider]

Not a fan either but I was able to loose a lot of weight by just eating their 1100mg 6" subs for lunch. I have gone back to them as I am attempting to loose weight now, I am currently the fatest I have ever been.

If you are looking to lose weight and not have it cost an arm and a leg I cannot recommend Lite n Easy enough. Such variety and it actually tastes pretty good. Only costs about $150 for your entire weeks meals. A few weeks and you lose a few kgs.

[kup]

If you are looking to lose weight and not have it cost an arm and a leg I cannot recommend Lite n Easy enough. Such variety and it actually tastes pretty good. Only costs about $150 for your entire weeks meals. A few weeks and you lose a few kgs.

I am already on it but appreciate the recommendation anyhow as it gives me more confidence that it will work. Thanks!

[TAAUBlaster]

It's so frustrating trying to sell anything to overseas buyers. Every single time, they baulk at the postage prices, and I lose the sale despite taking a little extra off the item price to try and compensate. Someone just now wanted me to agree to sell an anime artwork set for US$50 including postage. The postage alone comes to US$45 due to the weight and insurance costs. :/

I'm running out of ideas. No-one here in Aus collects the series' I'm trying to sell, but the US collectors don't want to pay postage. :(

[prjkt]

I don't know what it is about Americans and postage costs... Maybe they're so used to being everything domestically?

[Skullcruncher]

Yeah I have encountered the same, keep in mind you could very well be dealing with someone who has never been out their state, so explaining the costs of something being posted from the other side of the world might be a difficult concept to comprehend.

One gripe I have is about a very well known G1 collector who keeps asking me to sell a book I have on ebay to him very cheaply. He just doesn't get that he needs to pay the price I want. :mad:

[TAAUBlaster]

Yeah I have encountered the same, keep in mind you could very well be dealing with someone who has never been out their state, so explaining the costs of something being posted from the other side of the world might be a difficult concept to comprehend.

I mean everyone who buys from outside the US has to pay their high postage costs for international delivery. Don't know why Americans think it should suddenly be cheaper the other way around :p


One gripe I have is about a very well known G1 collector who keeps asking me to sell a book I have on ebay to him very cheaply. He just doesn't get that he needs to pay the price I want. :mad:

Its the same thing with the anime art I'm trying to sell. Everyone wants me to give it to them for free basically. :rolleyes: I know the market isn't great, but there is a limit to how low of an offer I would accept. :p

[GoktimusPrime]

To be fair, postage between North America and Australia is obscenely expensive. Which is why I'm more than happy to use Japanese or Australian based online stores like HLJ, PC etc. Getting stuff from the US was good when the AUD was above parity with the USD... and back when you could buy toys off Amazon USA. I just don't bother with US based stores anymore.

[UltraMarginal]

it used to be so cheap to ship stuff from the states as well. I recall several times now I've shipped Baseball cleats from the states for about $20, it was untracked but first class international was reliable and always under 2 weeks.

It's harder to find people willing to ship using that method or something similar now. I think the price of it has also gone up significantly.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

That totally pushed me off of buying things from American Ebay. The last time I bought a game o something from America, the postage was almost as much as the damn game itself. After looking though a bunch of other US listings, all their postage just seemed unreasonable.

I stopped after that.

Actually I haven't used ebay for a long time now!

[griffin]

Even amazon shipping has gone up significantly in the last year or two.... as it used to be cheaper to post items from them than it was to send it across Australia. Now its not.

[1AZRAEL1]

With the dollar as it is, it's just become highly unviable to purchase from US. Shipping just compounds the issue

[kup]

I don't know what it is about Americans and postage costs... Maybe they're so used to being everything domestically?

They rarely if ever buy anything from overseas so international postage costs are shocking to them. We are used to pay $30 plus for items shipped to us and often total price may even be less than retail here (if available). However they pay a fraction of what we do at retail and if something needs to be shipped, it is often local so the shipping cost is tiny. Buying from overseas is basically the reverse and a huge shock due to the perceived large cost for the item and massive shipping costs compared to what they pay locally.

When I watch those video game/toy pickers on youtube buying high valued games/toys for like $15-$50 and then I check local market prices...Those guys don't know how good they have it.

[Ralph Wiggum]

With the dollar as it is, it's just become highly unviable to purchase from US. Shipping just compounds the issue

I'm no economist, but a quick google article search shows that a "fair" value of the AUD to be around 82 -85 cents to the USD. As joyful as it was to buy and travel overseas during the times of parity, that really wasn't sustainable.

[GoktimusPrime]

I totally agree, but the market price for things don't always represent their intrinsic value. Like paying above RRP for a Transformer toy. The price paid may be well above the toy's intrinsic value, but especially for aftermarket purchases people are paying for the rarity of the toy rather than for the toy's inherent value. This is why I often jump at the chance to purchase a CHUGUR or MP version of a G1 toy that I don't own, because I know that I'm not prepared to pay the appreciated aftermarket prices for those toys so owning a CHUGUR or MP version will be the closest I'll get to owning it. And quite frankly, I collected most G1 toys that I wanted when they were current, so most of what I'm missing are lower priority toys anyway so it doesn't matter that much to me if I own a modern equivalent of the toy rather than the actual toy itself (e.g. UTD Artfire, MP Exhaust etc.). And the aftermarket prices of vintage toys can also fluctuate depending on certain factors. Look at the aftermarket price of a G1 Fortress Maximus before and after the Encore reissue. A lot of collectors pay obscene prices for eHobby Astrotrain, but imagine if Hasbro or TakaraTOMY were to ever reissue this mould with similar colours - perhaps with actual show-accurate colours (http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/8/8f/AstrotrainTakeover.jpg) (e.g. purple helmet, yellow crest, red eyes, more purple on the wings etc.). Because as much as fans refer to it as "Anime Astrotrain," that was never what Takara called it. eHobby Astrotrain is actually 'prototype' Astrotrain, based on the colours of the prototype toy, and it was these colours that were used in Astrotrain's box/tech specs art (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d4/f0/0e/d4f00e84838fd5c6e22f1758f8cef752.jpg), 1985 catalogue photo (http://botchthecrab.com/gallery/catalog_1985_small_b.jpg), promotional photography (as seen on the box) etc. Sunbow's animators then based the cartoon colours off this prototype, but they made deviations from it as well. Henkei! Henkei! (http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/e/e5/Henkei_Astrotrain_toy.jpg) and Generations Specialist Astrotrain (https://s3.amazonaws.com/tf.images/reduced-galery_image_7598_12315.jpg) have given us the most G1 cartoon-accurate colours for Astrotrain; so imagine those colours on a G1 Astrotrain reissue. I would expect the aftermarket price for eHobby Prototype Astrotrain to depreciate.

Anyway, when the AUD was overpriced it certainly didn't represent the true value of the AUD. But yeah, it's often based on what people are willing to pay (i.e. prices driven by speculative demand) rather than what these commodities are actually worth. It's a strange model, but such is the world we live in. :o Having said that, I must confess that I absolutely love it when the AUD is overvalued. :D Although I'm sure I'd feel differently if I worked in exporting... but I don't. :p :p

[1AZRAEL1]

I'm no economist, but a quick google article search shows that a "fair" value of the AUD to be around 82 -85 cents to the USD. As joyful as it was to buy and travel overseas during the times of parity, that really wasn't sustainable.

It's currently around 76 cents atm, and has been worse. It's rare I buy something from overseas now. I'm no economist ether, I just know for me it's not viable at this time

[UltimateGalvatron]

I hate people.

[Ralph Wiggum]

It's currently around 76 cents atm, and has been worse. It's rare I buy something from overseas now. I'm no economist ether, I just know for me it's not viable at this time

Heh, I remember collecting G1's back when it was 55c to the USD. I guess buying overseas depends on whether it's cheaper or more expensive to buy here. A little online research nowadays can hopefully make things a little more viable.

[griffin]

I hate people.

Anyone in particular or all of humanity... like your namesake. :p

[UltimateGalvatron]

Anyone in particular or all of humanity... like your namesake. :p

EVERYONE! ALL HAIL GALVATRON!

[GoktimusPrime]

This stupid year has claimed the life of another celebrity. I had a massive crush on her when I was a kid too. :(
http://www.rnh.com/news/1214/We-Mourn-The-Loss-Of-Charmian-Carr

[jazzcomp]

This stupid year has claimed the life of another celebrity. I had a massive crush on her when I was a kid too. :(
http://www.rnh.com/news/1214/We-Mourn-The-Loss-Of-Charmian-Carr
Yes, certainly had a crush on her too.

[1AZRAEL1]

I've never seen Sound Of Music

[Trent]

I've never seen Sound Of Music

You're missing out. Great movie. And so many references will have gone over your head over the years.

[1AZRAEL1]

You're missing out. Great movie. And so many references will have gone over your head over the years.

I do see a lot of the references, Family Guy as a lot lol. Never interested me to see it though

[jazzcomp]

I do see a lot of the references, Family Guy as a lot lol. Never interested me to see it though
If you don't have interest in this genre, you may not enjoy it.

Similar movie recommendation - King and I :) There are others as well.

[DaptoDog]

This is more an irony than a vent. The 9 year old Sony 32 inch panel TV in our bedroom will not die despite me wanting to upgrade it for years. However, the 4 year old Sharp 60 inch TV in my man cave that cost a pretty penny did die on the weekend. This is a TV I did not want to replace. While it is out of manufacturers warranty, I'm pushing for it to be repaired under the statutory warranty that I believe it should still be covered by.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I've never seen Sound Of Music

Hey, nice to see someone else who hasn't see it.

Most people I know are shocked when it comes up that I haven't seen it. Oddly it's not like I actively try to avoid, the opportunity just doesn't come.

Weirdly, Top Gun is in the same barrel (pun not intended, but it happened)

[1AZRAEL1]

Hey, nice to see someone else who hasn't see it.

Most people I know are shocked when it comes up that I haven't seen it. Oddly it's not like I actively try to avoid, the opportunity just doesn't come.

Weirdly, Top Gun is in the same barrel (pun not intended, but it happened)

It just is not a movie that interests me tbh. My wife hasn't either.

Top Gun I saw as a kid because I love planes, but I haven't watched since. Though I do love the spoof Hot Shots haha

And on the topic of movies not seen that probably shocks some, I haven't seen Godfather

[DaptoDog]

This is more an irony than a vent. The 9 year old Sony 32 inch panel TV in our bedroom will not die despite me wanting to upgrade it for years. However, the 4 year old Sharp 60 inch TV in my man cave that cost a pretty penny did die on the weekend. This is a TV I did not want to replace. While it is out of manufacturers warranty, I'm pushing for it to be repaired under the statutory warranty that I believe it should still be covered by.

Well Sharp authorised the repair without any argy bargy. It's all about knowing your rights.:)

[Raider]

Well Sharp authorised the repair without any argy bargy. It's all about knowing your rights.:)

Congrats mate, you should post in the "share my joy" thread :D