Fair Use and Stupidity

After attending a recent training on Australia's antiquated Copyright laws I have been waiting to see if the latest submission to the Federal Government regarding Fair Use will be accepted. We have only been waiting 6 years for a decision!
But alas it seems not,  Common sense has not prevailed. A predictable response from Senator Brandis in assuring content providers that our stupid laws will continue.

Instead, in a country where copyright violation in some form occurs across the entire population, we will get more draconian views and become criminals by watching "Game of Thrones" at the same time as the Northern Hemisphere. We will not be able to copy DVD's we legally own to back them up, not be able to participate legally in meme making, not keep up with digital technology in any meaningful way.

Instead, our Government will look at making Internet Service Providers (ISPs) impose more restrictions. I'm sure my son will have something to say about that as an employee of an ISP
Welcome to the new world of the brave and the free, Australian style.
Try this 2011 Infographic

Smoke and Mirrors

After several days of thick smoke blanketing Melbourne I'm beginning to feel a bit thick headed and wheezy. The smoke is being blown over Melbourne from the bushfires still burning in Gippsland. The Kilmore area fire, north of Melbourne is still going and together 45 houses have been lost and thousands of livestock burned to death. Thanks to the great efforts of the emergency services and the resilience of the people, no lives have been lost thank goodness.
The predicted rain in the north of Victoria may do something to reduce the fires but we are not going to get the cleansing effects here.
Here are a couple of images from the Nasa Earth Observatory

Smoke from the Gippsland Fires 12 Feb 2014

10 Feb Night Image showing the brightness of the fires north and east of Melbourne.

I will be interested to hear the amount of CO2 and other pollutants being released into the atmosphere as a result of these fires. Also the number of hospitalizations from both the smoke and continuing heat.

Melbourne's electricity use and water use are also very high.

Prior to the end of the drought we were being asked to keep our water use to 150 litres per person per day. My latest Water Bill received a couple of days ago shows that we are keeping to that figure, but this may not be the case with the next measurement if the heat continues. 

Almost all of our 12,000 litres of water collected in the water tanks are empty. So please let it rain.

I don't want to return to the days of the 15 year old drought where Melbourne only had a couple of years of dam water left.

But how much CO2 do the current fires emit? The Conversation has the answer and its not the one the Federal Government wants to hear. As Philip Gibbons of the Australian National University wrote in a 2013 article "Warren Truss’ statement reflects a view that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are insignificant relative to natural events such as bushfires that have occurred for millennia in Australia."

But like the Minister for the Destruction of the Environment, Greg Hunt, the National Party Leader Warren Truss does not let someone with the facts destroy a good story. These comments were expressed last year so I wonder whether he will say the same this year!

Hence Smoke and Mirrors - Hear and see nothing that will disturb their own point of view. 

Five Years On

Five years ago the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bushfires left thousands of homes burn't, 174 people dead and people wondering how our emergency services didn't cope.
Five years today and we have improved our systems and are hoping not to have a repeat performance.

Black Spur Trees- Mar 2009

But the hot days this summer have been almost as bad as 2009. We have had more plus 40 degree days than I can remember in the last 30 years. So many 30 plus degree days that I'm beginning to think them cool!

So to all the Black Saturday survivors and their friends, best of wishes.
I hope you have all managed to rebuild and restore your lives somewhat.

Keep the memory alive so we don't repeat the horror anytime soon.

Near Marysville - Jul 2009