Australia - The Land Down Under

Hmm... I can kinda remark on the Sydney Opera House - but only kinda.

I have driven by the Opera House. When I flew into Melbourne I took a bus to Cann River. When I flew in the second time I landed in Sydney and rented a Land Rover. Cann River is close to being halfway between them, but I've been across that bridge, so I went by the Opera House. My understanding is that it was closed when I went by it, so I didn't make any real effort to do touristy stuff.

For those who have never seen it, it's a heck of a lot bigger than it appears in pictures. It's legitimately huge. It's also a bit awe-inspiring, but I suspect that it'd be more so if you were able to get closer to it. Even without getting close (but knowing a wee bit about the building), I'm pretty sure it is (and should be) on a list of modern wonders of architecture and construction.
 



MAKE SURE you have any autoplay enabled and volume turned ON

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Lyrebirds are social learners and mastering their vocalisations requires a lot of practice.
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Neat. Not many animals have generational knowledge. For example, elephants and crows do have generational knowledge and octopuses are thought that they would be one of the smartest animals if they possessed such a trait.

I think it may be a number of species in the Corvid family that have generational knowledge, which would include your magpies. Smart buggers those birds are... They not only use tools, they use properly sized sticks to make appropriate portion sizes for their young - so they could be said to be using eating utensils.

(I think some of them also use a stick as a skewer to get bugs out of trees.)
 
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Medical monitoring devices, baby monitors, EFTPOS machines, security cameras and smartwatches are some of the devices that might still be reliant on 3G.

Even emergency triple-0 calls will no longer be possible on impacted devices.

3G was introduced to the world in 2003, bringing with it a faster data rate, more secure encryption algorithms, and more efficient use of the radio bands it operates on.

But now 20 years on it has since been superseded by more advanced technology, as online behaviour and internet demand drastically changes worldwide

1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G are all generations of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, which operates using radio frequencies.

The “G” stands for generation, and the number corresponds with each upgraded iteration of the technology. 1G and 2G have already been phased out.

3G is being phased out because the technology is no longer in demand.

Data consumption is increasing by more than 30 per cent each year, largely through streaming in hi-definition, a change which meant 3G is not fit for purpose anymore,

By using the radio frequencies that 3G currently runs on, and repurposing it for more advanced technology, providers can offer better service to the customers using that in-demand technology, without needing to acquire new frequencies

If your mobile device is compatible with 4G, it is likely set to automatically shift to 4G operation.

In some cases, though, devices may have been locked to a band and/or network — for example, the 3G network using 850 MHz spectrum

Anyone that has a medical monitoring device should check with their supplier to understand if they need to upgrade those devices
Any devices still running 3G will not be able to access Emergency services.
 
I'm sure retailers will be very happy at this news.
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looking at all major retailers (NSW)...none sell 3G phones...all are 4G and 5G now.
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Snakes. Australia has them. Big and small, venomous and not so venomous..

The eastern brown .....venomous.


A big one is generally around 5' long...1.5M......

Australia's spring is about to start....the sudden onset of shrubs, trees, etc etc blooming early is fair proof of that.

With the onset of spring comes snakes

this fella below made an appearance in a veggie garden in Armidale, NSW....reasonably close to where I live.

Thankfully, the residents there called an experienced snake handler.


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The monster eastern brown is relocated as snake season kicks off early.(Supplied: Glen Cratchley)
 
What a top bloke....



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The Travelling Jackaroo

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Well that’s my good deed done for the day, a lady had a flat tyre out near Wamuran thisavo, I did a uey on the highway (as you do
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) to see if I could be of any help, she didn’t have the strength to undo the wheel nuts or lift the Tyre, and the wait for RACQ to turn up was over and hr and a half, but it only took me about 15-20mins to get it done for her. She tried to offer me payment for giving her a hand but I politely declined because that’s not why I wanted to help, sometimes it’s nice to just be a Good Samaritan, part of being a good Aussie in my book
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She tried to offer me payment for giving her a hand but I politely declined because that’s not why I wanted to help, sometimes it’s nice to just be a Good Samaritan, part of being a good Aussie in my book
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One of my favorite activities is to take the truck out when it's snowing. First, I love driving in the snow. Second, I carry all sorts of recovery gear. So, I get to pull people from ditches, snowbanks, fields, off-road, and the occasional lunatic that drives to the top of a mountain.

I sometimes get to some places before a towing company has even been called and the owner (and cops) will allow me to pull them out. More often than not, I find 'em before the cops/tow trucks are there (or even called).

Granted, a percentage of the people I pull out are inebriated, but I figure the snowbanks make good 'drunk bumpers' and they're mostly harmless - or at least less harmful than they'd be if they froze to death or required a major rescue operation. I'm not sure why, but Maine still has a lot of drunk drivers. I gave that up back before it was unfashionable.

I never accept real payment but I will accept baked goods and crafts. I also plow out driveways for old people and the church. Though, my son has undertaken quite a bit of that for me 'cause I'm getting up there in years. (I love plowing snow. It's an absolute riot.)
 
It's amazing what animals (and some people) will do in the face of adversity.

I've touched on it before, but I was involved in a spectacular automobile wreck (note that I never call it an accident) and was faced with what I'm going to say was a similar circumstance. I could have stayed in bed in a nursing home or I could get deal with the extreme pain of getting out of bed just to perform the extremely painful physical therapy.

Obviously, I chose to not stay in bed. But, those opiates and bed confinement were very tempting.

Not gonna lie, I do miss one thing. I had a plastic urinal and I could pee in the urinal without leaving the bed.

It was that or a catheter and I was having none of that.

But, yeah... Being able to pee in a jug in bed was socially acceptable and darned convenient!

Alas, it's no longer a 30 minute ordeal to get out of the bed and another 30 minutes to use the bathroom. So, I no longer get to pee in a plastic urinal. But, man... That was sure convenient.

Seriously, I'm absolutely amazed at the strength of animals and people alike. It's amazing what we can go through and still thrive.
 

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