The totally off-topic thread

[oz_mark]

yeah, but a drop from 46 to 33 in 10 mins does not mean its going to be a cool night

Forecasting a min of 20, which isn't too bad.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Melbournes hottest day since 1855.
Tell you a job I don't fancy,refueling a plane at Tullamarine in those temperatures:!:

 

[oz_mark]

Melbournes hottest day since 1855.
Tell you a job I don't fancy,refueling a plane at Tullamarine in those temperatures:!:

Got to 46.8 at mel airport, and 47.9 at avalon.

 

[anat0l]

Well tomorrow I'm heading out of a bain-marie and into a hot oven.

Predictions for Perth over the next four days is tipped to be temperatures between 33 and 40 degC, but should be dry. Not sure if that's enough of a consolation, considering that the camps where we're staying won't have airconditioning .

 

[Nigelinoz]

Got to 46.8 at mel airport, and 47.9 at avalon.

And a friend in London hasn't been able to get her car out of the garage for over a week due to snow a couple of feet deep.

 

[drron]

Just finished my 4th week in Mackay-1 to go.Saw some blue sky the last 2 days-thought the world was coming to an end!Rain every day.Temp 23-27/29 every day.
As mrsdrron was going troppo went for a drive to Airlie today-rain began about 30km south of Proserpine and continued non stop until we got back to this point.Decided to leave after lunch so as to make sure we did get back to Mackay.
So there you go-Queensland,warm in winter cool in summer.Certainly no fire risk here.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Just finished my 4th week in Mackay-1 to go.Saw some blue sky the last 2 days-thought the world was coming to an end!Rain every day.Temp 23-27/29 every day.
As mrsdrron was going troppo went for a drive to Airlie today-rain began about 30km south of Proserpine and continued non stop until we got back to this point.Decided to leave after lunch so as to make sure we did get back to Mackay.
So there you go-Queensland,warm in winter cool in summer.Certainly no fire risk here.

Could do with some of that rain down here,just heard that there is a fire
that has already burnt 100 hectares on the outskirts of Beechworth and
it's still going strong.If the wind changes the town of Stanley is directly under threat.
Reports of houses being lost in and around Beechworth.

 

[serfty]

Wonderful clear 22° day here in Hong Kong

SWMBO has given me reports on the temp in MEL.

 

[Nigelinoz]

At least 14 dead in Victoria bushfires

Fourteen people have been killed in the savage bushfires which set Victoria ablaze on Saturday.
Victoria police confirmed the deaths on Saturday night and said they fear the figure may reach into the 40s.
Deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe said all the deaths were in a massive blaze northwest of Melbourne - six at Kinglake, four at nearby Wandong, three at Strathewen and one in Clonbinane.
Mr Walshe said he believed the Kinglake victims were all in the same car.
He believed arsonists were responsible for some of the nine major fires ripping across the state.
"We suspect a number of the fires have been deliberately lit," Mr Walshe told reporters.
"This is an absolute tragedy for the state and we believe the figure may even get worse," Mr Walshe said.
"We base that on the fact we're only just getting into these areas now ... to search buildings and properties these have been very very significant fires ... the figure could get into the 40s."
The fire started in East Kilmore, 80km north of Melbourne, and covered a huge area as it pushed 30km east to Kinglake, through the small townships of Wandong, Strathewen and Clonbinane.
Mr Walshe said he could not determine whether the victims were civilians or firefighters. He said identifications could not be carried out until at least Sunday.
Kinglake resident Peter Mitchell said the town had no time to act as the fire raced through.
"The whole township is pretty much on fire," Peter Mitchell told ABC Radio.
"There was no time to do anything ... it came through in minutes.
"There'll be a massive loss of houses ... there'll be a lot of us homeless.
"All those who have made it into town will be fine. The others will be sheltering and working on their fire plans, God help them."
Mr Mitchell said he was with around 200 residents holed up in the local pub and that no fire trucks could get into the town.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) said at least 100 homes have been destroyed as nine major blazes burnt out of control across Victoria in the worst fire conditions in the state's history.
The Ash Wednesday fires in February, 1983 claimed 47 lives in Victoria and 28 in South Australia and remain the deadliest bushfire in Australian history.
More than 100 fires which started on February 16, 1983, destroyed 2,800 homes in Victoria and burnt out 210,000 hectares, while 383 homes went up in South Australia.
The Kilmore fire started at 11.49am (AEDT) and quickly spread to neighbouring towns.
But with the cool change which swept across the state late Saturday afternoon came a shift in direction of the wind which then sent the fire eastwards towards Whittlesea and the sub alpine communities of Kinglake, Healesville and Warburton.
It grew alarmingly from a 4,000 hectare blaze to one covering 30,000 hectares in just a few hours.
Five hundred firefighters on 100 trucks were battling the inferno which was threatening to push even further into the town of Broadford which was warned to be on high alert on Saturday night.
Water bombing aircraft will resume operations at first light on Sunday.
Ambulance Victoria said it had airlifted a young girl with burns from Whittlesea to Royal Melbourne Hospital and had set up casualty centres at Whittlesea and Kinglake to deal with mounting injuries.
More than 3,000 firefighters and many more residents battled other major fronts at Horsham, Coleraine, Weerite, Bunyip, Churchill, Dargo, Murrindindi and Redesdale in all corners of the scorched state as the searing heat in the mid-40s and high winds exceeded authorities' dire fears.
Several areas of Gippsland in the east were on high alert as an uneasy dusk fell on Saturday night, while the Horsham fire was downgraded early in the evening.
Fifty houses were reportedly lost in the Bendigo area in the Redesdale blaze.
The cool change early Saturday evening was expected to create more volatile conditions.
"It hasn't helped the firefighters, only presented them with new fronts," a CFA spokeswoman said.
The CFA and DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) warned Victorians to prepare to be hit by fire late on Saturday night and to be especially prepared for ember attack.
La Trobe Valley power stations were under threat as a fire on the eastern fringes of the Strzelecki Ranges spread toward the Gippsland coast, threatening towns such as Yarram, Langsbrough and Manns Beach.
"It is pretty well every part of the state except the far northwest," CFA Deputy Chief Fire Officer John Haynes said.
"The fire weather ... was extreme and off the scale."
The Horsham fire burnt 5,700 hectares and claimed at least three homes, the town's golf club and several sheds, while the Bunyip State Park fire reached 2,400 hectares and destroyed some houses in the town of Labertouche.
Victoria Premier John Brumby said one fire threatening his parents' home in Coleraine was stopped literally on their doorstep.
"I would like to thank DSE, CFA and SES (State Emergency Services) fire fighters and volunteers who have fought tirelessly throughout the day to protect Victorian people and property," Mr Brumby said.
One man, aged in his 40s, is in critical condition after suffering burns to 50 per cent of his body when he tried to move stock in Coleraine area


Edited to add that at 7.00PM the ABC news reported 66 deaths and hundreds of houses lost.
a black day indeed in Victorian history.
Hope there is no AFF members affected..

 

[Alanslegal]

Call me very unpatriotic but I have a very big passionate dislike of the Australian cricket team. Maybe once more new 'blood' and 'spirit' is injected may I once re-follow the team which I once followed.

As we're on this, the Aussies are going to win the 3rd one day'er against NZ

 

[Nigelinoz]

Call me very unpatriotic but I have a very big passionate dislike of the Australian cricket team. Maybe once more new 'blood' and 'spirit' is injected may I once re-follow the team which I once followed.

As we're on this, the Aussies are going to win the 3rd one day'er against NZ

Can I ask why? Is it the arrogant image that they have cultivated over the last few years or something else?
I'm genuinely interested to hear your views,alanslegal,because I am leaning slightly that way myself.

 

[Alanslegal]

Can I ask why? Is it the arrogant image that they have cultivated over the last few years or something else?
I'm genuinely interested to hear your views,alanslegal,because I am leaning slightly that way myself.

Game over, NZ being 33 runs short

Sure, ever since the late 90's/early 2000's I have just interpreted/perceived the cricket team as being arrogant, a sore loser/winner, who do not promote a friendly spirit and like to whinge & whine.

They were the masters of sledging yet when other teams played their style - they complained about it. To them, name calling wasn't tolerated by them yet they perfected it themselves and they argued that it was part of the 'psychological warfare' that happens on the field.

When they won, to me, they bragged about it. When they loss, they would suggest the victorious team was lucky. There was never a humble receipt of a win, nor were they ever gracious in defeat.

To me, they would complain other teams cheat or allege to cheat eg.throwing, ball tampering, umpire persuasion ... yet they do it themselves.

My view is their antics on and off - gave the game a bad name. That's just my interpretation.

Once Pointing is sent to retirement and Hussey & Clarke promoted to 12th man before finally decommissioned, I might start following them. Let the new spirit flow in, for the better of the game.

 

[serfty]

Actually, this all goes back to pre-Pointing days - I'm damning the early 90's.

I've had this view for at least 10 years. In fact Ricky is like a breath of fresh air, compared to back then.

When a rookie is given their baggy green they are indoctrinated with a set of rules. - one is that "Walking" is verboten. ("It's a team sport and you are letting you team members down" - more than that a walker costs money (sponsorship, prize money etc..)

That's why when Gilchrist walked some years ago it cause such a stir. I reckon a more junior member would have been dropped for doing so.

 

[drron]

I miss Douggie and Max.Now they had the right attitude.

 

[Flashback]

You know you're losing your geek brain when you see LAN and the first thing you think of is the airline.

 

[NM]

You know you're losing your geek brain when you see LAN and the first thing you think of is the airline.

Depends what part of the IT industry your work . for some of us, LAN means it was derived from ARCnet.

So does WLAN originate from West Chile?

 

[oz_mark]

Aren't all the geeks this week keeping an eye on the epoch countdown (or countup)??

Countdown (actually up) to the UNIX Epoch time being 1234567890!http://www.escapeclub.com.au/

 

[NM]

Aren't all the geeks this week keeping an eye on the epoch countdown (or countup)??

Countdown (actually up) to the UNIX Epoch time being 1234567890!http://www.escapeclub.com.au/

And it happens on Friday 13th

 

[serfty]

That's 10:31:30 on Saturday Morning AEDST

 

[straitman]

Victorian Bushfires

We have just been through a weekend that I/we never want to experience again.

From our daughters place we saw the start of a fire in the Churchill area of Gippsland. We quickly packed up a couple of cars and headed out via the one (of three) roads that was still open. If you go to their web site you will see some of the pictures with more to be posted later.

Gippsland Fires

The story is our daughter Karen's first thoughts and more will be added later.

In Sale we are many klms from the fires and everything has black soot over it.