The totally off-topic thread

[Mal]

There's a small but vocal part of the community wanting to ban tourists from using our local hospital:!: I thought public hospitals were for everyone. Plus what happens when we travel to your town?

That small but vocal minority probably don't travel further than the bowls club or wherever their place of gossip lies. So no issue there with having to use other hospitals.

 

[anat0l]

Not impressed by the Qantas First lounge in Hong Kong. Is there something I am missing.

Nah, you're not missing anything. It is just a very nice open air lounge. CX lounges are of course better - as in better food and better showers (if you can get a shower or cabana). But then again HKG is CX's home. JL lounge is probably on par, but JL lounge has no showers. In saying that, I think the showers in the QF J lounge are larger than the F ones.

 

[markis10]

In saying that, I think the showers in the QF J lounge are larger than the F ones.

At least the F lounge now has showers, a considerable improvement on the previous partitioned QP.

 

[Mal]

At least the F lounge now has showers, a considerable improvement on the previous partitioned QP.

And I've found that at certain times of the day that there can be queues for CX showers, but that you're likely to easily find one in the QF lounge. Very handy.

 

[samh004]

Not impressed by the Qantas First lounge in Hong Kong. Is there something I am missing.

Only a short time here so didn't bother with the CX lounges. And the wifi is not working in the F lounge so using the airport wifi. Slack Qantas.

I have to say I'm surprised you'd use the QF lounge when the CX ones are far better.

Generally if you can get into the lounge of an airline that calls the airport a home port it'll be far better. CX/HKG, BA/LHR, QF/SYD/MEL etc.

 

[markis10]

A quiet average lounge will beat a crowded good lounge any day, especially if it's near your gate.

 

[JohnK]

Not impressed by the Qantas First lounge in Hong Kong. Is there something I am missing.

In my opinion it is much quieter (as it is frequented by people who respect others and do not speak loud to one another) and more relaxing than the CX lounges and unless things have changed since opening it is the only one of the lounges in HKG (QF, Wing, Pier, Cabin) to have bottled beer.

Beer in a can just does not taste the same....

 

[Princess Fiona]

Just had FaceTime with Shrek, he's in the SYD Flounge en-route to HKG. The wireless Internet is down there also and they are handing out Ethernet cables at the desk. He's flying CX and on check in they offered him big dollars to downgrade J -Y on rtn, unlike the true Scotsman he is he refused

 

[samh004]

...and unless things have changed since opening it is the only one of the lounges in HKG (QF, Wing, Pier, Cabin) to have bottled beer.

Beer in a can just does not taste the same....

Plus it can’t be re-sealed with a screw top

Just had FaceTime with Shrek, he's in the SYD Flounge en-route to HKG. The wireless Internet is down there also and they are handing out Ethernet cables at the desk. He's flying CX and on check in they offered him big dollars to downgrade J -Y on rtn, unlike the true Scotsman he is he refused

Did you do FaceTime between iPhone’s or was a mac also involved?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Did you do FaceTime between iPhone’s or was a mac also involved?

MBP ( Shrek ) to iPhone 4 ( me) it was surprisingly good, better than Skype. We are going to trial it while he is in Vietnam.

 

[Flashback]

I just had a 'LOL' moment. I was walking down to Sainsbury's and a kid was looking down at the ground at something as I was walking past, noticing that I was wearing only shorts/t-shirt/thongs (which gets me some really funny looks here given that it's "cold" right now, I love it!). I heard him say "Mum:!: Why is that man wearing slippers!? :shock:". So that answers the other question; over here they call them slippers.

 

[Mal]

I just had a 'LOL' moment. I was walking down to Sainsbury's and a kid was looking down at the ground at something as I was walking past, noticing that I was wearing only shorts/t-shirt/thongs (which gets me some really funny looks here given that it's "cold" right now, I love it!). I heard him say "Mum:!: Why is that man wearing slippers!? :shock:". So that answers the other question; over here they call them slippers.

Haha. It isn't cold yet... wait another month or so

 

[Flashback]

Haha. It isn't cold yet... wait another month or so

Exactly! Apparently everyone else thinks it is ....

I'm going to Oslo for a weekend mid-December, now THAT will be cold! :shock:

 

[Mal]

I got a laugh out of:

Social Media Sobriety Test

It's a firefox plugin to help control PUI issues. When you visit Twitter, Facebook, Youtube etc etc during the times you configure you have to go through an online test to check that you're not drunk.

Sad thing is that while I was playing with it, I ended up failing the test several times even when sober!

 

[Mal]

Exactly! Apparently everyone else thinks it is ....

I didn't really get cold until early Dec. I'm sure if I checked posts here I would be able to find the actual date!

I'm going to Oslo for a weekend mid-December, now THAT will be cold! :shock:

Now that will be cold!

 

[Flashback]

I didn't really get cold until early Dec. I'm sure if I checked posts here I would be able to find the actual date!

Now that will be cold!

Haha. So just after I left then, as it was coolish when I was there but not mind numbingly cold.

 

[samh004]

MBP ( Shrek ) to iPhone 4 ( me) it was surprisingly good, better than Skype. We are going to trial it while he is in Vietnam.

I’m going to have to get my mum to install it on her MB, as we usually use iChat, but would love to see if there’s much difference.

Did you try the whole 'turn the phone sideways and the app on the MBP turns too' thing? I suppose you wouldn’t notice, but it looked so cool in demo.

 

[Mal]

Greens want to rein in bank rate movements

THE Greens have called for a two-year ban on banks lifting their home loan interest rates beyond Reserve Bank official rate movements.

and

The Greens are also planning to introduce legislation to the House of Representatives to ban the $2 fee banks charge non-customers for use of their automatic teller machines.

Do we really need to regulate banks in that way?

 

[samh004]

Do we really need to regulate banks in that way?

Were any Australian banks bailed out like in the US? If they were, the government should step in and limit how much they screw people over, if not then it really comes down to the fact that they’re a business and have shareholders and do the best for them.

However at the same time, ~$5 billion profit is pretty good however you look at it, they don’t need any more than that… but then you have to remember the taxes the banks pay on all that money supposedly gives us new roads and schools and stuff… so it’s hard to pick a side.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Sent from my iPhone using AFF

Mobile Western Perimeter Rd, Hillingdon, Greater London TW6 2, UK

Now arrived into the UK on QF29, long flight, the food decent, no upgrade from Qantas but fluked a spare seat beside me.

BA First lounge isn't to bad but not as good as the Sydney First lounge.

Lot of BA planes here and what is with the 150ml cans of coke.