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

Rental acquired. Will do for a year or so until I work out what the hell I'm going to do here and build a house.

Also some furniture would be nice.

I thought that you had a master plan with moving to Japan wolfie, importing/exporting light trucks to the colonies? Is that still happening?

I guess that's the joy of moving countries though, not having any furniture, having to re-establish your abode, learning the good suburbs / locations etc. How's the wifey enjoying being there?

spotto, driving around Brisbane today.

two thingymajigs, both left hand drive apparently

I'll throw a bet out and say Subapoo's?

That partnership fell through,

though there are still a few things at which I want to try my hand. She's never good with moving,

she'll take a while to settle in.

We're getting the dog back next week which will help...

Star Trek: Discovery’ Casts Michelle Yeoh as a Starfleet Captain
BY KAT SOMMERS | 4 DAYS AGO

Forget Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer: A new Star Trek TV series is in the works at CBS, with a captain in the form of Michelle Yeoh.

Deadline reports that the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star will play Starfleet Captain Han Bo in Star Trek: Discovery, which is due on our screens in May.

Fans welcomed the news, including the USS Enterprise‘s helmsman Sulu (a.k.a actor George Takei), who took to Twitter to express his excitement:

Incredible news! Welcome to the family, Michelle Yeoh. http://deadline.com/2016/11/star-trek-disc...ain-1201859554/ …

So what do we know about her character? Well, apart from her name and rank, not very much. Details about the new series are being kept under wraps, though we do know it’s set ten years before the original one featuring Captain Kirk, and will bridge the gap between 2005 series Enterprise and the Kirk years by following the crew of the USS Discovery as they discover new worlds and civilizations.

We also know it’s canon, thanks to recent comments made by showrunner Bryan Fuller. He confirmed the show will revolve around an incident in Star Trek history that’s been talked about before but never fully explored.

Hmm. Intriguing. Michelle’s character isn’t the captain of the eponymous ship, however, but another ship called the Shenzou, which is “set to play a big role in Discovery‘s first season,” according to Deadline.

She also isn’t the series’ main character, or not the only one, anyway. Unlike all of Star Trek‘s earlier incarnations, the star of the new series won’t be the captain, but rather a lieutenant commander “with caveats,” according to Fuller.

He explained: “We’ve seen six series from the captain’s point of view; to see a character from a different perspective on the starship — one who has a different dynamic relationships with a captain, with subordinates, it gave us richer context.”

The Hollywood Reporter goes even further than that, by claiming there will be no fewer than seven lead roles, including one played by “an openly gay actor,” as well as “a female admiral, a male Klingon captain, a male admiral, a male advisor and a British male doctor.”

Whether this turns out to be the case or not, it’s safe to say Michelle’s is the first of what’s bound to be a series of exciting casting announcements.

Who’ll be announced next? Start placing your bets, please.

that sucks, oh well, changed of scenery i guess. Where's your wifes family, are they not nearer now?

New import world record!! The Team Zoian 2JZ powered Camry has just run a blistering 5.75 @246 in testing today at Orlando Speed World Dragway. We would like to congratulate our good friend Jimmy and Team Zoian, what an incredible achievement!

August 26 2017! Bring it on!

Willowbank Raceway | Drag Racing's FinestLike Page
3 hrs ·
Huge news for Jamboree fans with the deal overnight dropping, 4 Puerto Rican's are coming to Australia for Brisbane Jamboree 2017 to take on the Aussies!! Including the infamous 20b powered Loquito Killer will be shaping up to be a big event !


Dave Reid shared Willowbank Raceway | Drag Racing's Finest's video — with Collin Willshire and 16 others.
2 hrs ·
Ohh yeah you asked for Jamboree to get next level ... 4 Cars from PR to mess shit up at Jamboree 2017 !!!
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Ask NRMA: Is it illegal to attach a camera to motorbike helmet?

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Paul@NRMA

An NRMA Member recently asked us on Facebook if it was an offence to have a camera attached to your motorbike helmet while riding. Is it legal to wear a GoPro on your motorbike helmet

Amongst other things, the answer to the question depends on how ‘approved motor bike helmet’ is defined in the legislation.

NSW Road Rule 270(1)(a) is quite ambiguous when it comes to defining exactly what constitutes an ‘approved motor bike helmet’ under motor traffic law (see law below).

Part 270 of Road Rules 2014 covers wearing motorbike helmets

(1) The rider of a motor bike that is moving, or is stationary but not parked, must:
- (a) wear an approved motor bike helmet securely fitted and fastened on the rider’s head, and
- (b) not ride with a passenger unless the passenger complies with subrule (2).

As stated in the legislation, an approved motor bike helmet must comply with standard AS/NZS 1698. It has been argued by some that this standard relates to the initial manufacturing of the helmet and not attaching third party modifications, such as cameras, to the helmet.

It should be noted that it is definitely illegal to screw a device into the helmet by drilling holes or interfering with the structural integrity of the helmet. Once it’s structural integrity is compromised, the helmet wouldn’t qualify as an approved helmet and the rider’s safety would be at risk.

An interesting development is that the law firm Maurice Blackburn recently appealed a magistrate’s decision in Victoria and successfully argued that the Australian Standard governing motorcycle helmets is not made freely accessible to the public by VicRoads, and therefore riders could not be found guilty of breaching a standard that was not publicly available.

However, at this stage in New South Wales, it is still technically illegal to wear a GoPro or other such device on a motorcycle helmet. The law on this may change some time in the near future to bring NSW in line with other states such as Queensland and South Australia. Their position is clearer, stating that the time for compliance with a standard is at the time of manufacture and not after the sale of the helmet.

Therefore, until the meaning of ‘approved motor bike helmet’ has been more conclusively defined by the courts in New South Wales, you do risk a New South Wales police officer fining you $325 plus three demerit points (for specific helmet offences including the fitting of cameras) with also the possibility of double demerit points over in a double demerit holiday period, if you wear a camera attached to your motorcycle helmet.

Nico Rosberg retires: World champion quits Formula 1 five days after title win

Rosberg is the first driver to retire as reigning world champion since Alain Prost in 1993
World champion Nico Rosberg has announced he has retired from Formula 1 with immediate effect.

The 31-year-old German won his first world title on Sunday, beating Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by finishing second in the final race in Abu Dhabi.

"I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right," Rosberg said.

Rosberg won nine of this season's 21 grands prix, beating three-time champion Hamilton by five points.

"For 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my 'one thing' to become Formula 1 world champion," he added.

"Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I've made it."

The son of Finland's 1982 world champion Keke, Rosberg made his F1 debut for Williams at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2006, finishing seventh.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said the news took him "completely by surprise".

"This is a brave decision by Nico and a testament to the strength of his character," he added.

"The clarity of his judgement meant I accepted his decision straight away when he told me."

Rosberg raced in 206 grands prix winning 23 and finishing on the podium 57 times.

Hands-On with the Glowforge Laser Cutter!
Tested

Published on Dec 1, 2016
It's finally here! We have a pre-release model of the Glowforge laser cutter in our office to test, and have been running it through its paces. Adam and Norm show off its features and run through a few test cuts, including tracing one of Adam's drawings. Let us know what questions you have about the Glowforge in the comments!

Shot by Adam Isaak and edited by Norman Chan

Walking Tour of DesignerCon 2016!

Published on Nov 25, 2016
Norm and Frank give you a walking tour of this year's DesignerCon, discussing the independent toy and art scene, trends in styles and sculpt formats, and their favorite things seen at the show. Here's a glimpse at what it's like to be surrounded by so many awesome artists and their inspiring creations.

Shot by Jon Finger and edited by Norman Chan

WORLD RECORD Rotary Powered Toyota Starlet!!!
1320video

Published on Nov 26, 2016
Would you ride in a 2100lb car that was capable of almost 200mph in 1/4mi? Watch this rotary powered Starlet get WILD as it skates around the Maryland International Raceway. The driver of this car sure wasn’t scared to push the car faster and faster, with no regard as to how much of the track he had to use to prove his car was worthy of competing in Import Vs Domestic’s x275 vs Hotrod class! Even with this car being INSANELY fast for what it is, it was battling some equally ridiculous competition!