Aussie racing driver Will Power (wikipedia link)

Also the Lambo test driver Max Venturi

People are so lazy these days, they couldn’t even be bothered putting it in a bag or lighting it on fire. smh

In two different companies I’ve seen people refer to “the database” when they actually mean a spreadsheet. That’s not just a terminology mixup, these things were super complex, with pseudo-relational tables, lookups, links to other files etc. The sort of thing that should be in an actual database, that has less chance of breaking in obscure ways when someone inserts a row or types a value over a formula. It was actually pretty impressive, in an “impending doom at any moment” kind of way.

Also had one where there was a spreadsheet of everyone in the business top to bottom, shared by HR and IT. Both groups needed a list of staff, so why not just keep one, right? This thing had personal details like home address and medical conditions, plus things like salary (inc garnishments), performance management notes etc, as well as of course their username and password (which was assigned to them and they couldn’t change) and security questions and answers. It didn’t even have a password on the file. I noped tf out of that place as quickly as I could, but for reasons even worse than that stupid spreadsheet.

I don’t think you necessarily had ill intent, but this kind of question will get some resistance because often, obscure = specific. Eg 30 seconds of internetting says that was [redacted].

Whether that’s enough anonymity is up to you, but for many here it won’t be.

Wish that was the case in AU, ours is paid upfront in a lump sum and is non-refundable. If you refinance above 80% you pay it again, in full, upfront. If you pay the loan down to below 80%, doesn’t matter, no prorata refund. It’s 20-30k down the toilet, just in LMI. That’s on top of the 50-80k in stamp duty also pissed away :(

To make it worse, many add the LMI to their mortgage, so they pay interest on the higher balance. It’s also a deterrent for people to refinance while they’re within that 80+% LVR bracket, so shopping for a better deal is mostly pointless. Banks aren’t just disinterested in pushing for a better deal, they’re actively incentivised against it.

Regardless of your stance on the name change, doesn’t the executive order (and subsequent updating of the names register or whatever it’s called) make it official? In which case the maps are just being updated to reflect it.

Afaik they’re not changing it anywhere outside the US as (so far…) that’s the only place it’s been changed, so it’s not like they’re pushing that name in places where it’s not official.

It’s also not unheard of to have map details that vary depending on where you are, to align with the official stance of wherever the map is being viewed from. Ukraine, bits of the India/Pakistan border, IIRC some islands off Japan disputed by China, etc.

Not saying the name change isn’t stupid and not suggesting at all that the companies in question aren’t scum, but getting angry at the map maintainers for this change seems pointless. What did you expect them to do?

Am I missing something?

Or a meating in their case

Walt Disney

There are some excellent apps already listed that I won’t repeat, but I’ll add FFmpeg. Not sure it’s quite what you’re after, but it’s incredible.

Guessing this might be non-essential workers as per covid lockdowns, ie how important it is for them to attend a workplace in person, but it’s definitely funnier if it is a ranked list of perceived importance to society, so let’s go with that

Suspect you might be looking for meaning where there is none. Looks like standard “let’s make an in-joke” stuff to me

Australia seems to be doing its best to ditch it. Medicare levy plus a surcharge above a certain wage, but that surcharge goes away if you have private health cover. Health insurance companies have zero incentive to set premiums below what that surcharge would have been, particularly when, if you take up private health after you turn 31, then there’s a govt loading on it. Gap charges (ie the cost over and above that covered by Medicare) grow every year, bulk billing is disappearing, the public hospital system is constantly being underfunded, etc.

Just privatise healthcare, what’s the worst that could happen?

/ looks at US healthcare, and how well privatising just about everything else has gone for us so far

My app doesn’t support spoilers so I don’t know if this has worked. Maybe collapse this comment if you don’t want to see it, just in case.

Edit: fixed maybe? Thanks @Zagorath@aussie.zone

I’ve not tried them but you can get replacement pads which apparently have a cooling gel in them. Eg these.

No idea if they’re any good but would be interested in hearing from someone with first-hand experience.

Sounds like someone is full of shit

There’s no sound but all I can hear is Yakety Sax

Aussie here, to me xmas = summer time. Xmas movies always felt irrelevant, and the idea of Santa wearing all his gear is mental when it’s often 40C+ and humid af.

Being cold would feel alien that time of year, even more so if it snowed because that doesn’t happen in 99% of the country regardless of the time of year.

That is brilliant, should I be worried? 🤣 (Just noticed I had a message, oops)

I suspect we’re not taking about actual storytelling here as much as anecdotes that signal whether you will or will not agree with the rest of what’s about to be said, but to answer the question as asked, imho good storytelling depends as much on the listener as the teller.

Some find joy to be infectious, they’ll enjoy a story because the teller’s eyes light up, and watching someone loving the shit out of something is itself a joyful experience.

Some will only enjoy a story if it’s of direct positive relevance to them, regardless of who’s telling it.

Does your ISP block ports? Many do, at least where I am. Some allow you to opt-out.