Shuff's General Chat Thread ... #73 - Talk about anything and everything...  

BBQ RULES:

We are about to enter the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity . When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.

Here comes the important part: (5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

(6) The woman goes inside to organise the plates and cutlery.

(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat

Important again: (8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes

And most important of all: (11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ' her night off ', and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women..

Is V8 Supercars broken, or just running rough?

V8 Supercars racing is again under the spotlight this week following news that Volvo has severed its high-profile factory-backed program, effective from the end of the current season.

The decision was made by Volvo’s Polestar high-performance arm, with the local operation powerless to influence the outcome. The Swedish brand is going in a different direction with fuel-thrifty four-cylinder turbo engines; its V8s were mothballed years ago.

Volvo’s imminent departure comes on the heels of the official exit of Ford from the series (although Falcons are still run by Prodrive Australia and DJR-Team Penske).

Garry Rogers Motorsport, which ran the Volvos, has indicated it will continue to race its S60s without factory support. However, technical partner Cyan is demanding the return of all its Volvo-supplied hardware – including the engines – at the end of this season.

Volvo motorsport car parke© Provided by Bauer Media Pty Ltd Volvo motorsport car parke
Nissan, which supports a team of four Altimas, is reviewing its future involvement, with a decision to be made by head office in Japan.

V8 Supercars Australia will be dreading another departure, which would leave just Holden with manufacturer backing. Just two years ago there were five brands involved – Holden, Ford, Nissan, Volvo and Mercedes-AMG.

So even with its imminent Gen II Car of the Future providing choices of engines beyond the traditional 5.0-litre V8, could it be that Supercars (with the V8 dropped from the name) is flogging a product that today’s carmakers simply don’t want to buy?

Mazda has consistently rejected overtures from V8 Supercars over many years, its heroic sales success coming with only sporadic involvement in motorsport, specifically the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Mazda Australia’s Karla Leach told Wheels that, while Supercars is very popular here, it is not compatible with the company’s global motorsport strategy.

Cheerleaders for the category have long opined that high-performance European luxury brands would be a good fit for the category. But none has been tempted.

The Mercedes-AMG badge came in only as a non-factory privateer squad (Erebus) and departed last year. Mercedes-Benz Australia was never a supporter and maintained that V8 Supercars was not a good fit for its customer demographic.

BMW Australia spokesperson Lenore Fletcher wasn’t tempted to comment on Supercars directly, but said that BMW’s choice to compete in the Australian GT Championship was supported by a number of good reasons, specifically that its M6 GT3 was the ideal product, and that the local series was in line with the marque’s global motorsport direction.

“The demographics of the participants and audience of the Australian GT Championship align with our customer base,” Fletcher added. “Besides, Australians and the entire BMW Australia family love their motorsport, and the Australian GT Championship offers the perfect opportunity to participate in a performance-based competition.”

Another more coy industry figure from an upmarket brand dismissed the prospect of Supercar involvement.

“It’s as obvious to anyone with half a brain that V8 Supercars racing has zero positive effect on sales,” he suggested. “Some will argue that competing [in motorsport] is about enhancing ‘brand image’ … I’d rather a positive sales impact from the racing.”

He went on…

“It’s the formula that’s the problem. Those engines are no longer in production, or are sourced from trucks or are faux Nascar engines then wrapped in silhouettes that have no relevance to the market.”

He was also more enthusiastic about GT3 sports car racing. “GT3 racing is where the future is. Think about it – GT3 race cars can be purchased from the manufacturer, are based on road cars, have genuine OEM support and the fan base is just as tribal as V8 Supercars’. The difference is they actually buy the OEM product!”

Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior – once a supporter of local motorsport – is now scathing of the state of the sport, not just V8 Supercars, for not moving with the times.

“So much of the automotive landscape has changed since the first V8 Supercar race in 1997, yet so little of motorsport has changed in that time. The local manufacturers are departing, passenger cars are on the cusp of being surpassed in sales by SUVs, there is a growing environmental awareness, and pick-ups are the number two category in the marketplace.

“I went to my first rally event in 12 years a few weekends ago and thought I had lobbed at a classic rally by mistake. The winning car was 17 years old and 250kg lighter than our current showroom-stock vehicle. There were six WRX STIs in the first 20 cars that were all in different classes!

“And there’s no meaningful cap on spending anywhere in Australian motorsport, and that is so 1990s. If CAMS wants manufacturers to compete I would suggest a national forum be held to help progress a motorsport blueprint for the future.”

The sobering Volvo news comes in the wake of a more positive announcement that Virgin Australia will become the naming rights partner of the renamed Virgin Australia Supercars Championship from July 1. The deal runs for five years.

Supercars CEO James Warburton remains confident in the future of the sport but admits decisions on manufacturer involvement in the category are becoming increasingly hard to manage at a local level. He said Volvo liked the Supercars Championship but ultimately believed it was “off brand” to be racing a V8 engine.

”Gen II has delivered engine optionality to manufacturers – it opens the conversation with manufacturers to use something other than V8s, at a time that suits them,” Warburton said.

He is pragmatic about brands that head to the exit: “They’re all up for renewal at the end of this year. It’s what happens in our business. There could be one brand [involved officially] next year. Or four. Or none. But there will be a healthy grid of Supercars.

“We are comfortable with Gen II. We have been able to get costs under control, and it’s a very attractive racing product.

“But of course we need to make ourselves a more appealing option to manufacturers. The sustainability of our teams is strong but we still need to make them more attractive to manufacturers.”

As for those massive changes across the Australian automotive industry landscape, Supercars is feeling some of the uncertainty.

1968 Camaro Street Machine Kevin Riffey's Hot Rods And Restorations
ScottieDTV

Published on May 9, 2016
A 1968 Camaro Street machine built by Kevin Riffey's Hot Rods and Restorations.....There are very few changes made to the body of this one...But a lot of time spent getting it straight....Great stance...Wheels are color matched to the all custom interior by Steve Holcomb Pro Auto Custom interiors....The color is Red as Red gets....Until the light changes....Than it is a very cool Orange....Under the hood....A carbureted Small Block Chevrolet .... A very clean build...Check it out!!!...For more cool Car stuff please visit www.scottiedtv.com The Coolest Cars On The Web!!!

EXCLUSIVE: Tesla Model S, 3 and X at Gigafactory 1 – Motor Trend Presents
Motor Trend Channel

Published on May 10, 2016
Go behind-the-scenes with Motor Trend at the world’s first photo shoot of the full line of Tesla vehicles. We have Tesla’s entire range of S3Xy electric vehicles, from the refreshed Model S, to the all-new $35,000 Model 3, to the first-ever Model X SUV - all at Tesla’s ginormous Gigafactory battery production center in Sparks, Nevada.

we now have nbn.



it was just as simple as hooking up the box they sent out, putting in a few passwords and away we go. Not sure why the 2 weeks wait - we were expecting them to have a technician here installing stuff - ended up they did everything remotely in churning us over.

That is the whole BS with it all, the Front of house are truly FN clueless and full of shit, the Telstra Gateway modems are ADSL and VDSL compatable, you just plug them in and go on existing ADSL, when NBN cutover at the node happens, just swap phone over and all is good, no fn 457 visa wrecknician required

Perth father jailed after road rage attack

A Perth father will spend at least the next five months in jail, for a road rage attack where he smashed a grandmother's car window. Blake Johnson reports.

2017 Audi R8 is essentially a hand-made supercar.

Opened in 2014, the Böllinger Höfe site covers 23 hectares, around a quarter of the total area of the larger factory at Neckarsulm.

The actual R8 production facility, though, accounts for just 30,000 square metres of that space.

Alongside, is a logistics centre and energy control building that makes up the remainder of the site.

The main factory at Neckarsulm is large enough to encompass 172 football fields.

It’s also where many of Audi’s other high-performance models are produced including the RS5 Cabriolet, RS6 Avant, RS7 Sportback and S8.

1950 Cadillac E62 Street Rod "LOTACAD" Griffey's Hot Rods And Restorations
ScottieDTV

Published on May 11, 2016
The 1950 Cadillac E62 Street Rod "LOTACAD"....Built by Griffey's Hot Rods and Restorations.....Laying low to the ground this Car can be naughty or nice....It has a 6.2Liter under the hood...Putting out a little over 500 HP...A full custom interior by Steve Holcomb Pro Auto Custom Interiors....The body has been gaped and made super straight...Chrome.....Chrome...and even some more Chrome... Very cool Car...Check it out!!!...For more cool videos please visit www.scottiedtv.com The Coolest Cars On The Web!!!

Here’s The Dark Side To Street Racing

Street racing may be cool and it gets glorified in the Fast and Furious movies, but there is definitely a dark side to it. This street race ended pretty abruptly when one of the Corvettes lost control and hit a jersey barrier at 150 mph. The car caught fire and burned out completely, snarling traffic for a while. Everyone walked away, thankfully, but this is a perfect example of why you might wanna keep the racing on the track!

New Star Trek Series Premieres January 2017

CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for CBS All Access, a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.

The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive producer for the hit CBS television series Scorpion and Limitless, along with Kadin and Orci, and for Hawaii Five-0 with Orci.

Star Trek, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the Star Trek television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month.

Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and the environment.

“There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”

“Every day, an episode of the Star Trek franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce Star Trek's next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”

CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com, the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.

- See more at: http://www.startrek.com/article/new-star-t...h.GCq0kGmv.dpuf

Salim Mehajer's Auburn Council wiped from the map

The council where maligned developer Salim Mehajer rose to prominence will cease to exist altogether under the NSW government's announced mergers.

While most councils included in the list will simply join with their neighbouring councils, Auburn will be split up and added to either Parramatta or the newly named Cumberland Council, which will include Holroyd.

The entire Auburn City Council was sacked in February and an administrator appointed to replace them, but they won't have positions to return to if the ruling is overturned.

More than 40 councils across the state are slated to be amalgamated into 19 new local government areas (LGAs).

"We are ensuring our communities have stronger and more efficient councils, which will free up money for important projects such as local roads, parks, playgrounds and footpaths," Premier Mike Baird said in a statement today.

"Our plan to create stronger new councils in Sydney and regional NSW will be supported by NSW Government investment of about $500 million."