I suppose, for certain values of "fair," this is fair enough. Like, if "fair" == "fair to the bigger companies, oppressive to individuals" then it's fair. Or if "fair" == "totally rotten scurrilous and invasive." There's a lot of ways you could say it's fair.
But those businesses that are "gaining an unfair advantage over competitors by deliberately avoiding tax" - I'd just about bet that they won't really notice this new campaign. You and I, on the other hand, we're prime targets for this. Haven't repaid a tax debt from last year of $100 or so, figuring you'll pick it upthis time around? Don't bet on it... While those dodgy businesses can shuffle employees around the phone extensions, afford answering and screening services, changing their phone numbers even, we with less resources can't move everyy time the Taxation Dept sends us a dunning letter, can't change the mobile number each time we get a "please respond" SMS or phonecall from "withheld"...
As if the depth they reach into our pockets with petrol excise isn't already enough. (And yep - for every tankfull of petrol you put in your car you're giving the government between $19 and $28 straight up.)
So how much of that money is going toward paying this call centre contract? How much of your taxes are going towards it? And when said call centre calls you and harasses you 10 -20 times in one day over what turns out to be an accounting error, will you get some of my tax back in damages?
And I bet this call centre will be exempt from the Do Not Call Register too...
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Monday, 28 May 2007
VMoto: Milan 50cc vs Monza 50cc Shootout
I only say this because ScrappyV is very unwell. Because my trusty steed has had the magneto and oil pump replaced and subsequently turned into a Jekkyl and Hyde monster intent on throwing me under the wheels of rush hour traffic. Because of this, the VMoto head office took ScrappyV back this morning and gave me a loan scooter to get home.
All kudos toVMoto, this was a good move on their part, and I must say I fairly drooled at the chance to chuck a leg over a blue Monza. I was a bit surprised, I must say. Here's a scorecard:.
Milan: Speedo marked red from 35kph to 60kph, highest speed 60kph.
Score 1 for lack of bullshit
Milan: Top speed level road no wind: 65kph
Score 1 for effort
Milan: Acceleration: Gets to top speed in about 20 seconds
Score 1 for big heart
Milan: Fuel: Tankfull of fuel (5litres) gets me 100km
Score 1 for economy Fuel:
Milan: Small wheels you feel every bump.
Score -1 for comfort, sorry Milan
Milan: Drum brakes all around are reasonable for the machine.
Score 0 for brakes, not spectacular
Milan: Low CG, uncomfortable seat.
Score 1 for overall riding position and comfort
Milan: Scored: 4
Monza: Speedo marked red(ish) from about 50kph and goes all the way to 90kph.
Score -1 for total bullshit and misleading speedo markings.
Monza: Top speed level road no wind: 62khp
Score 0 for top speed
Monza: Acceleration: Gets to top speed in about 30 seconds
Score -1 come on, you're a more recent model your performance should be better!
Monza: Tankfull of fuel (unknown) gets me 70km by the look of it
Score 0 for economy - Why should I fill the tank every day?
Monza: Larger wheels but still quite bumpy.
Score 0 for comfort. Best score so far...
Monza: Disc brake front is overkill, not well matched.
Score 1 for brakes, 0 for matching to machine
Monza: High CG, slightly more comfortable seat
Score 1, because the high seating position is uncomfortable
Monza: Scored: 0
As you can see, the old jx-50 Milan wins hands down. And it's not for any other reason that I can see except that the Monza is not a well-designed well-matched machine. The higher seating position is not comfortable, needs extra structure which costs in weight, and the machine is heavier for a similar engine which leads to a clumsy and sluggish feeling vehicle.
The disc brake on the front is overkill for the Monza machine, and makes it a far more demanding ride in wet conditions. While the Milan's two drum brakes aren't wonderful, they are far better matched to the weight and speed of the bike and stop you in plenty of time. The only downside to the Milan's brakes is that many of them came with really crap compound and squeaked and were very embarassing but I believe the latest pads are far better.
More overkill, the Monza has an remoted alarm system. Totally over the top, and also given what I know about the tiny batteries fitted to scooters, what's the point? It will run out of peep in about twenty minutes, and then the bike will still be just as stolen as a Milan with the steering locked. I.e. you can't secure a machine that one person can pick up off the ground. Steering locks and alarms are pretty much lipstick on a pig in this case, VMoto take note we'd prefer it if there was a chain lock using the same key as the ignition welded to the frame somewhere.
The under seat storage space seems smaller than the Milan's, and that's sad. Also there's no real shopping bag hook, the one on the Monza is almost a vestigial stump of a bag hook and in fact neither bike wins on this point. The Milan has a good solid bag hook but it is at such a bad angle that bag handles slip right off, and on both bikes the hook has been frustratingly placed so that only tiny shopping bags will hang, for all the rest the handles will blow right off the hook.
The Monza looks like it should be the better machine but *just* misses out. Where I can run around for a few days on the Milan before filling up, or manage two trips to Midland and back, the Monza forces me to fill up once before going to Midland and again before the trip back. Where I can carry a spare 5 litres of fuel, a bottle of 2 stroke oil, tools, spare riding gloves and spark plugs, and still have room in the Milan, I was hard pressed to put my lunch and my bumbag under the seat of the Monza.
And I have to confess that if it came down to a choice of which of the two bikes I trust mechanically, I'd still choose the Milan despite the recent breakdown it's had, because the Monza even sounds odd.
All kudos toVMoto, this was a good move on their part, and I must say I fairly drooled at the chance to chuck a leg over a blue Monza. I was a bit surprised, I must say. Here's a scorecard:.
Milan: Speedo marked red from 35kph to 60kph, highest speed 60kph.
Score 1 for lack of bullshit
Milan: Top speed level road no wind: 65kph
Score 1 for effort
Milan: Acceleration: Gets to top speed in about 20 seconds
Score 1 for big heart
Milan: Fuel: Tankfull of fuel (5litres) gets me 100km
Score 1 for economy Fuel:
Milan: Small wheels you feel every bump.
Score -1 for comfort, sorry Milan
Milan: Drum brakes all around are reasonable for the machine.
Score 0 for brakes, not spectacular
Milan: Low CG, uncomfortable seat.
Score 1 for overall riding position and comfort
Milan: Scored: 4
Monza: Speedo marked red(ish) from about 50kph and goes all the way to 90kph.
Score -1 for total bullshit and misleading speedo markings.
Monza: Top speed level road no wind: 62khp
Score 0 for top speed
Monza: Acceleration: Gets to top speed in about 30 seconds
Score -1 come on, you're a more recent model your performance should be better!
Monza: Tankfull of fuel (unknown) gets me 70km by the look of it
Score 0 for economy - Why should I fill the tank every day?
Monza: Larger wheels but still quite bumpy.
Score 0 for comfort. Best score so far...
Monza: Disc brake front is overkill, not well matched.
Score 1 for brakes, 0 for matching to machine
Monza: High CG, slightly more comfortable seat
Score 1, because the high seating position is uncomfortable
Monza: Scored: 0
As you can see, the old jx-50 Milan wins hands down. And it's not for any other reason that I can see except that the Monza is not a well-designed well-matched machine. The higher seating position is not comfortable, needs extra structure which costs in weight, and the machine is heavier for a similar engine which leads to a clumsy and sluggish feeling vehicle.
The disc brake on the front is overkill for the Monza machine, and makes it a far more demanding ride in wet conditions. While the Milan's two drum brakes aren't wonderful, they are far better matched to the weight and speed of the bike and stop you in plenty of time. The only downside to the Milan's brakes is that many of them came with really crap compound and squeaked and were very embarassing but I believe the latest pads are far better.
More overkill, the Monza has an remoted alarm system. Totally over the top, and also given what I know about the tiny batteries fitted to scooters, what's the point? It will run out of peep in about twenty minutes, and then the bike will still be just as stolen as a Milan with the steering locked. I.e. you can't secure a machine that one person can pick up off the ground. Steering locks and alarms are pretty much lipstick on a pig in this case, VMoto take note we'd prefer it if there was a chain lock using the same key as the ignition welded to the frame somewhere.
The under seat storage space seems smaller than the Milan's, and that's sad. Also there's no real shopping bag hook, the one on the Monza is almost a vestigial stump of a bag hook and in fact neither bike wins on this point. The Milan has a good solid bag hook but it is at such a bad angle that bag handles slip right off, and on both bikes the hook has been frustratingly placed so that only tiny shopping bags will hang, for all the rest the handles will blow right off the hook.
The Monza looks like it should be the better machine but *just* misses out. Where I can run around for a few days on the Milan before filling up, or manage two trips to Midland and back, the Monza forces me to fill up once before going to Midland and again before the trip back. Where I can carry a spare 5 litres of fuel, a bottle of 2 stroke oil, tools, spare riding gloves and spark plugs, and still have room in the Milan, I was hard pressed to put my lunch and my bumbag under the seat of the Monza.
And I have to confess that if it came down to a choice of which of the two bikes I trust mechanically, I'd still choose the Milan despite the recent breakdown it's had, because the Monza even sounds odd.
Hari Kari Sushi San
Things are bad for the Japanese government. I'm just sorry it wasn't the Minister for Whaling Research.
Look - they are having internal issues, this is obvious. It's a government falling apart at the seams, because, as with everything else, beaurocracy has been adopted and elevated to an artform.
I won't I won't I won't say anything else about the whaling fiasco and I won't I won't I won't say anything about Kyoto Protocols, I just mustn't. So I'll let you think about it all, and wonder how many issues were on Mr Matsuoka's mind besides just a bad voter swing.
Look - they are having internal issues, this is obvious. It's a government falling apart at the seams, because, as with everything else, beaurocracy has been adopted and elevated to an artform.
I won't I won't I won't say anything else about the whaling fiasco and I won't I won't I won't say anything about Kyoto Protocols, I just mustn't. So I'll let you think about it all, and wonder how many issues were on Mr Matsuoka's mind besides just a bad voter swing.
Thursday, 24 May 2007
The Vital Difference
Most of you know I use a shyteload of tech to stay in touch. A lot of you also know I use (or used) two "webSMSenger" systems that purport to send messages to your mobile phone and accept SMS messages and forward them into the conversation on the server. Of the two, System A has few glamorous features, their server breaks down often, and the SMS gateway for Australia left us stranded for over a week. System B has glitter and polish, allows lifestream feeds to be added, and has recently caved in to mounting usage, not by crashing as the other one did, but by sneakily limiting features without telling anyone.
When I had a problem with System B, I left messages all over the place and finally got one petulant querulous and supercilious response from one of the developer/admin type people, and most of that response seemed devoted to telling me what a fecking idiot I was for not knowing all the stuff that he, an insider, knew and took for granted.
When I had a problem with System A, I emailed them and was actually a great deal more curt and abrasive with them, yet they treated my report with respect. I've since emailed them back and applauded them for their switched-on, userfriendly, and definitely brilliant support.
So you can guess which System I'll be pulling the plug on as soon as I post one last response to the admin guy's response... It goes into meltdown on a semiregular basis, yes. But each time it comes back there's some improvement. It may not be a glaring obvious one, but each shutdown signals some improvement has been made.
System A may not support hundreds of RSS feeds per user, but then let's face it the opposition only managed to do so by making that feature useless.
The web interface is quite simple and barebones - but then I will use SMS almost as much as I use that web interface.
And the SMS may have gone the way of the dodo for a week there, but it came back, and unlike System B's efforts, it IS there working right now.
I get friendlier support, a good bunch of friends, and besides, System A has lolkitties! How can anyone resist that?
When I had a problem with System B, I left messages all over the place and finally got one petulant querulous and supercilious response from one of the developer/admin type people, and most of that response seemed devoted to telling me what a fecking idiot I was for not knowing all the stuff that he, an insider, knew and took for granted.
When I had a problem with System A, I emailed them and was actually a great deal more curt and abrasive with them, yet they treated my report with respect. I've since emailed them back and applauded them for their switched-on, userfriendly, and definitely brilliant support.
So you can guess which System I'll be pulling the plug on as soon as I post one last response to the admin guy's response... It goes into meltdown on a semiregular basis, yes. But each time it comes back there's some improvement. It may not be a glaring obvious one, but each shutdown signals some improvement has been made.
System A may not support hundreds of RSS feeds per user, but then let's face it the opposition only managed to do so by making that feature useless.
The web interface is quite simple and barebones - but then I will use SMS almost as much as I use that web interface.
And the SMS may have gone the way of the dodo for a week there, but it came back, and unlike System B's efforts, it IS there working right now.
I get friendlier support, a good bunch of friends, and besides, System A has lolkitties! How can anyone resist that?
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
Empowered By Tech?
Noticing that the world is changing. (Takes a bow, realises people are laughing at him not with him, slinks off the stage.)
No, seriously. Just commented on the question of the day at Jeff Pulver's blog, and realised - I use around a dozen forms of IM on a daily basis, keep up several websites as well as my blogs, have dozens of other contact methods all involving technology, and use most of them to get things done in my daily life. On top of that I also put in a full day at a regular job, and no I don't blog at work these days or run regular IM sessions on the company's network, those are things I do in my spare time.
If (as tonight) I have a lousy dining experience, I blog it, and if it's a superlative experience, I also blog that. The thing is, my voice here online affects stuff IRL. I noticed that several of my friends who'd normally go to Fast Eddie's have made the effort to go to Pizza Bella Roma in Fremantle recently, and one has become a regular there.
If I have a suddenly insoluble problem at work or with one of my extracurricular jobs, I mentally go through the list of my friends on IM for someone who works on that stuff and can help me work it out.
What are Trish and I doing this evening? ebroadcast has the TV guide for the evening, the movie theatres' websites provide ideas for movies we want to go see, and Twitter and various others have lists of local events.
Nothing on TV, no new movies, and no bands or places to go have a "leadsinkerburger"? Luckily I also receive about 800 - 1200 articles a day via RSS feeds consisting of blog posts, world news articles, hardware and software news, tech news, and tips and tricks so I'll never get bored. I'll skimread between a tenth and a third of them, and fully read between 10 and 50 each evening.
And I know I'm not Teh Bomb in this technologically-enhanced new social fabric - for proof of that just watch the real masters of the matrix, the sub-twenties. At 50 I'm one of a very small percentage of my generation who truly use technology but I just don't have the stamina or the educated SMS Thumb to keep up. My typing speed is a lousy two-fingered hunt'n'peck 40 words per minute. My brain melts after a couple of hours of trying to watch TV, read news, answer IMs, email my friends, and keep blog articles flowing.
Is my life better for it? I really don't know,because I have nothing to compare it to any more. But I do know that it's easier, it's more interesting, and I can do a lot more of the things that I want to do in my week than most other people I know.
No, seriously. Just commented on the question of the day at Jeff Pulver's blog, and realised - I use around a dozen forms of IM on a daily basis, keep up several websites as well as my blogs, have dozens of other contact methods all involving technology, and use most of them to get things done in my daily life. On top of that I also put in a full day at a regular job, and no I don't blog at work these days or run regular IM sessions on the company's network, those are things I do in my spare time.
If (as tonight) I have a lousy dining experience, I blog it, and if it's a superlative experience, I also blog that. The thing is, my voice here online affects stuff IRL. I noticed that several of my friends who'd normally go to Fast Eddie's have made the effort to go to Pizza Bella Roma in Fremantle recently, and one has become a regular there.
If I have a suddenly insoluble problem at work or with one of my extracurricular jobs, I mentally go through the list of my friends on IM for someone who works on that stuff and can help me work it out.
What are Trish and I doing this evening? ebroadcast has the TV guide for the evening, the movie theatres' websites provide ideas for movies we want to go see, and Twitter and various others have lists of local events.
Nothing on TV, no new movies, and no bands or places to go have a "leadsinkerburger"? Luckily I also receive about 800 - 1200 articles a day via RSS feeds consisting of blog posts, world news articles, hardware and software news, tech news, and tips and tricks so I'll never get bored. I'll skimread between a tenth and a third of them, and fully read between 10 and 50 each evening.
And I know I'm not Teh Bomb in this technologically-enhanced new social fabric - for proof of that just watch the real masters of the matrix, the sub-twenties. At 50 I'm one of a very small percentage of my generation who truly use technology but I just don't have the stamina or the educated SMS Thumb to keep up. My typing speed is a lousy two-fingered hunt'n'peck 40 words per minute. My brain melts after a couple of hours of trying to watch TV, read news, answer IMs, email my friends, and keep blog articles flowing.
Is my life better for it? I really don't know,because I have nothing to compare it to any more. But I do know that it's easier, it's more interesting, and I can do a lot more of the things that I want to do in my week than most other people I know.
Monday, 21 May 2007
Blogroll Changed
As you may notice, my blogroll is seldom a static thing, I tend to add and delete as my reading tastes change or the blogs mentioned change their focus.
Lately, I've been reading the adventures of Melissa Maples in Turkey, and also reading Binnur's Turkish Cookbook Blog to get me in the right mood for Mediterranean food and fun.
I also found a great UFO blog in my travels.
Stay tuned, loads of things appear here unpredictably!
Lately, I've been reading the adventures of Melissa Maples in Turkey, and also reading Binnur's Turkish Cookbook Blog to get me in the right mood for Mediterranean food and fun.
I also found a great UFO blog in my travels.
Stay tuned, loads of things appear here unpredictably!
Sunday, 20 May 2007
Another video of 9/11 released.
Very fast, very hard to catch the plane - but it's another angle of the 9/11 towers disaster.
Why is some of this stuff taking so long to surface?
Why is some of this stuff taking so long to surface?
Saturday, 19 May 2007
I'm in ur hungry, doing a macaroni
Gems from a Twitter friend, and one of the reasons I love Twitter:
(reversed so as to be in chronological order)
Housemate's lack of fear of speaking English is commendable; he just made lunch and said, "is our hungry possible? I did a macaroni to us."
@xxxxxxxxxx: we can has macaroni?
I'm in ur hungry, doing a macaroni.
(reversed so as to be in chronological order)
Housemate's lack of fear of speaking English is commendable; he just made lunch and said, "is our hungry possible? I did a macaroni to us."
@xxxxxxxxxx: we can has macaroni?
I'm in ur hungry, doing a macaroni.
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
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