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tochee @aussie.zone
Posts 2
Comments 14
EBook Management
  • For downloading, I use Readarr or manually download from where I buy the books. A lot of the time the books I buy have DRM so I end up pirating them anyway 🤷. When readarr sends a book to calibre, it tells it to convert it so I've always got epub and mobi available.

    For accessing my library, I use calibre-server, which I think comes bundled with the calibre desktop app. It's got a basic web interface for uploading, editing some metadata, and downloading; and an OPDS API which my e-reader can use to download books. If I'm outside my home network I use my VPN to access it because I don't trust calibre to be secure enough for internet exposure lol.

    Don't recall why I chose this instead of calibre-web but it works fine for my purposes. I don't read comics though.

  • Sleeper trains are making a comeback. Why are ours being axed?
  • I got a bus + sleeper from the Gold Coast to Sydney last year, loved it. Bed was fine, was cool having my own little cabin. The shower was adequate, kinda cramped but the temperature was good. Breakfast was proper food, unlike someone else's description of the Syd-Mel. The electricity was a bit weak as I recall, just made my laptop drain a bit slower.

    Going in the other direction during the day was absolutely lovely, a much nicer experience than flying. Got to see so much scenery and felt very relaxed...until the bus ride.

    It was not much cheaper than flying and I only did it because I care about carbon emissions. Would be nice for the environment if they could bring the cost down - when NSW did free trips they included the XPTs and they were booked out, so people are obviously willing to use them if the price is low enough.

    Or just carbon tax the fuck out of air travel 😈

  • Yes23 campaign asked to keep purple and white signs away from AEC voting centre signage
  • Apparently the same guy that did the purple Liberal signs, Simon Frost, is the Yes23 campaign director. Explains why things are such a shambles; when was the last time anyone from the Coalition ran a positive campaign?

  • ICAC finds Gladys Berejiklisn (former NSW premiere) engaged in serious corrupt conduct
  • Plenty of corrupt conduct doesn't quite meet the criminal standard. It's one reason bodies like ICAC exist. In this instance, it seems like Berejiklian should have declared her conflict and recused herself from dealing with these grants. But did her relationship actually change how she acted on them? That's harder to prove even if it was the case.

    Edit: this page has info on the elements that constitute criminal misconduct

    Edit2: oh yeah, ICAC also has coercive powers that allow it to get evidence that would be inadmissible in court. There's probably a bunch of that here.

  • How do you pick books to read?
  • I used to lurk /r/printsf and /r/weirdlit, and note down anything that sounded interesting. I also sometimes look at award winners + nominations. I guess I'll have to make more of an effort now.

  • *Permanently Deleted*
  • I used to get mad about aphids but now I'm happy that they attract ladybugs and give the lacewings something to eat.

    The ants though, they can get fucked. Can't enjoy this nice little ecosystem I'm cultivating if they swarm me every time I step on the grass. I mix cornmeal, maple syrup and borax when they get too populous.

  • What have you been reading this week? [June 26-July 2, 2023]
  • Nearly done with Book of the Short Sun! Just started the last book in it. I really like the two-timeline structure of it, though I may be one of the minority who prefers Long Sun. It's more...idk, cosy. I like the religious themes.

    I want to mention something else but not sure how to do spoilers here

  • Looking for more info about Simon Crean

    I've been curious about him for a while since he was supposedly a good sort but unpopular, and I have a lot of sympathy for politicians like that.

    Looking at the obituaries and tributes, you'd be forgiven for thinking the only thing Simon Crean ever accomplished in his life was opposing the Iraq invasion, also he was a union figure and did some non-specific trade diplomacy. What were his values and policy positions? Why would he have been better than Latham? Dunno lol, Iraq

    I read on Wikipedia that he was the ACTU president during the Accord, which would have been a tough job and quite a legacy, whether you think it was ultimately a bad idea or not.

    Regarding his supposed unpopularity, I just saw someone point out that he actually would've beaten Howard with an 8-seat majority off Greens preferences, but the Australian didn't calculate the 2PP properly and so created the narrative.

    https://twitter.com/mumbletwits/status/1673198594512527360

    Given a Crean Labor government may well have happened in a less stupid world, what might that have looked like? How would his government have changed the country and faced challenges like climate change, asylum seekers and the GFC? Would something like the Intervention still have happened under his leadership? Etc

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