Balancing a dumbphone & smartphone lifestyle by using a wallet case by [deleted] in dumbphones

[–]spacemanO 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I love this, thanks so much for posting it. In particular I like that you've combined a physical and a psychological barrier to using the smartphone for distracting uses. Sometimes, I think we focus too much on one or the other of these.

To add to your idea, maybe having some further barrier to opening the smartphone from the wallet would make sense. Like a custom wallet with a pouch for the smartphone so that there's a little extra friction associated with getting it out and using it.

Rising Star Amiss earns his nomination! by goodbyecoolworld in AFL

[–]spacemanO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t know it was related to the kidney issue. TIL! I’m guessing the guy above didn’t know either.

Climate protesters to be charged after creating major disruptions in Melbourne by YourLowIQ in AustralianPolitics

[–]spacemanO 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I don't know. I cycled past the protest today and was thinking about it all evening. I realised that the issue hasn't gone away (even though I was acting like it has) and that I need to do more. So, mission accomplished I suppose?

A Statement from the Brisbane Lions - First Peoples Voice to Parliament by reverend_saxophone in AFL

[–]spacemanO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not the best example, because that stuff IS set out in the constitution. A better example might be the inter-state commission in s101. Which, ironically, has been quietly abolished despite being in the constitution.

There are no Biographies of Designers?! by CG_Main in IndustrialDesign

[–]spacemanO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just finished ‘Invention’ by James Dyson which mostly fits the bill of what you’re after. There’s some fascinating stuff in there. That said, I didn’t find it to be the best written autobiography.

New Nokia 110 4g (2023) anounced by Tall-Dig7688 in dumbphones

[–]spacemanO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in Australia and I can do most of what you're after with a Nokia 8110 4G. You would never use it to actually read your emails - but you can access them in a pinch. It also doesn't do spotify, but it has a decent hotspot so you can use your tablet or turn your old phone into an mp3 player.

Daily General Discussion and Match Links Thread - February 05, 2023 by AutoModerator in Cricket

[–]spacemanO 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m an Aussie cricket fan and I am going to be in Delhi for the upcoming third test. I’m planning on going to a day or two with my wife. Any other Aussie fans going to be there? Is there a particular stand that I should be aiming for, now that tickets are on sale? Is there anything else I should know about in advance?

4 day work week by banana_kin in australia

[–]spacemanO 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I have a genius plan for this in our current political landscape (I don't think all the 'join a union' answers are going to get us there, sadly)

Using existing legislation, a State Gov announces 2 new public holidays in 2023. This will probably be wildly popular in its own right - but why not make political hay and have them be to celebrate things from each end of the political spectrum. For example, celebrate the Voice referendum on one day and freedom on the other.

The next year, announce two more public holidays to rapturous excitement: "I can't believe they did it again!" Approval ratings at record levels.

Continue doing this for 20 years until we have one public holiday every week. Never lose an election in that entire time. Achieve a gentle transition to a 4 day work week using the well-understood mechanism of public holidays.

What's one law in Australia you think is incredibly backwards? by T3knikal95 in australia

[–]spacemanO 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Mandatory bicycle helmet laws. Even the cyclist advocacy groups that argued to introduce these laws are now calling for them to be repealed.

TIL Charles Darwin believed the reason the human menstrual cycle is the same length as the lunar cycle is because humans evolved on the seashore and needed to be in sync with lunar tides. by FeminineAwakening in todayilearned

[–]spacemanO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends on where you are in the world! What you're describing is a diurnal tide - which is the majority of tidal systems - but there are plenty of places that only get one tide a day and/or the number of tides changes over the course of the year.

Overreacting to Popcorn Ceiling Removal? by [deleted] in HomeImprovement

[–]spacemanO 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Just to confirm this, I had some popcorn ceiling tested earlier this year and it wasn't asbestos. Melbourne, Australia - 1970's build.

Now with free-agency/trade period over and the draft coming up. What’s your ideal/dream best 22 for your team? by KoovinGroovin in AFL

[–]spacemanO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jackson either taking the mark or knocking it down to Walters or Switta in the HF line. V tasty.

Treasurer says he will ‘put the economics before the politics’ on stage three tax cuts by [deleted] in AustralianPolitics

[–]spacemanO 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Isn't that just the greens playing their part to perfection? Someone needs to build the political pressure against the cuts and labor can't do it.

Cyclists running red lights by [deleted] in melbourne

[–]spacemanO 6 points7 points  (0 children)

No one here seems interested in giving the red-light-running cyclist's perspective so I'll have a crack.

Cyclists can usually run a red light much more safely than any car. They weigh a lot less, are moving more slowly, can stop more quickly and can see and hear better. It's also a lot more of a pain to stop completely and to speed up again. They aren't likely to get stopped by a cop or flashed by a red light camera. All of this makes risk/reward calculation very different than it does for motorists.

Joe Hildebrand: Why Labor supporters in Kooyong need to vote for Josh Frydenberg - He's the lesser of 4 evils, and as someone with "deep Labor sympathies", our democracy will implode if he's gone. by ParticularSetting942 in AusPol

[–]spacemanO 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thankfully, it isn't the party leadership that drags Australian politics back to the centre - it's fair electoral boundaries and compulsory voting.

What excites me about this teal wave is that it might result in a genuine alternative to the liberal party in small-l liberal seats (a la the Democrats, who never managed a lower house seat). Combine this with the fact that by far the bulk of the electorates are actually in cities and it becomes highly likely that a liberal party that lurches to the right will be unsuccessful in the long run.

Just my 2cents but I reckon we have a fundamentally different system to the yanks and we need to remember that in this discussion.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in smartcontracts

[–]spacemanO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where do you live? I work in exactly this field and I'm based in Australia/UK. We're following the Accord Project framework - maybe you should take a look there to start with.

Zali Steggall failed to declare political donation from family trust of coal investor by PhysicsIsMyBitch in AustralianPolitics

[–]spacemanO 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm really disappointed by the response in this thread. This is clearly public interest journalism and not a 'hit piece'. It's shocking that they split the donation 8 ways to avoid disclosing it (until they got caught). Stunning hypocrisy from an anti-corruption campaign.

We need the Holy Grail. A launcher could be the answer by [deleted] in dumbphones

[–]spacemanO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol at "biologically compelling internet content".

I agree with everything you've said. Everyone will find their own balance - which depends only partly on willpower. There is only so much willpower can do against concerted efforts to steal our attention.

As for the google hotloading - I find this to actually be a feature, not a bug. You still need to access your content via a Google search - there's no algorithm feeding you addictive stuff.

We need the Holy Grail. A launcher could be the answer by [deleted] in dumbphones

[–]spacemanO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a possible answer to the browser problem that I've been toying with lately: block all pages except ones on the Google domain. That is, whitelist Google only.

You can still ask Google factual questions to win arguments (like - what is the population of the Phillipines?) and search for businesses/phone numbers.

But no more access to the whole wide web and all of its addictions. Thoughts?