SouthernCrossAI/Reddit-posts · Datasets at Hugging Face

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This is a place to share what you are reading or perhaps look for suggestions for new material. Have a favourite author you want to talk about? Looking forward to an upcoming release? All are welcome here.
These threads are posted every Tuesday and various times (depending on when I'm free).
Book Swap
Are you looking to buy/sell/swap/give some books? Please feel free to list them here in this thread. Do you see something you want that someone is offering? Send them a Private Message so that you can organise the details.
Do Audiobooks count?
Absolutely! This isn't a place for purity of written material, this is a place to share.
What about manga/comics/visual novels?
More than welcome here. If it's something you're reading/listening to and you want to talk about it, you're home.
Spoilers
It should go without saying that no one wants a book spoiled. Please put anything that could be a spoiler inside a spoiler tag. If you aren't sure if it is a spoiler or not, act like it is.
I just read The Book of Bill by Alex Hirsch and a troupe of very talented artists. Yes, it's a picture book and it's from an animated Disney show - Gravity Falls - from ten years ago. (I bought it to read myself then give to my son.)
However, it's also very, very funny and if you are/were a fan I can't recommend it enough. It was the number 2 best selling book on Amazon for over a week so I'm not the only adult that enjoyed it, and it comes with a disclaimer that it's for older readers. There's codes and ciphers all the way through and there's currently an international hunt to find out what they are leading to.
I finished the final book of The Wheel of Time
I actually have an urge to read the entire series again. maybe after Stormlight 5.
I just finished Night by Ellie Wiesel. Powerful read
Read project hail Mary by Andy weir (the Martian).
I enjoyed it a fair bit, the story is different from the usual SF save the world story.
You definitely see similarities with the Martian stories, like the focus on science and trying to make the story as realistic as possible.
Overall a good read and I would recommend it.
Currently reading Without Fail by Lee Child.
I've heard great things, but also that some of the middle books are a hurdle. Did you have the same experience?
It's very good and was worth the long investment
But yeah, the middle few can drag. The first several books have a complete story, with some sort of resolution at the end of each, while still heading towards the main story. But from book 5 (?) on is a long several book arc that only covers a few months and some characters feel like they are just slow as molasses. There are still great moments, but they feel farther between.
But book 10 (11?) hits the ground running and the last several books everything comes together wonderfully.
I think the middle books will work better on a second pass as there is much world building and small character parts that are useful for later
Be aware that if you go to a Psych outside WA, they must be registered with WA Department of Health to write prescriptions valid within WA.
Yes, a psychiatrist that doesn't have authority to prescribe to a West Australian won't take on a West Australian for this reason.
Headline:
> Mobile phones to be confiscated
Actual:
It's one idea being proposed.
Ahh bullshit. In absolute numbers yes, but then, our population has also increased.
For comparison, there were 45.6 road deaths per 100,000 head of population in 2014, versus 43.3 in 2023. So in real terms, the number is decreasing.
There's a fuck of a lot of handwaving in that article.
Yes, there was a rise in the number of fatalities on the roads in the first half of this year to levels almost as high as in 2016. The largest rise seems to be in regional areas, not metro areas, after a particularly low-fatality year in the regions last year.
And while you should \not\ use your phone while driving, there is no evidence presented that phone use behind the wheel has risen in the last year that would explain why we should be seeing more casualties as a result. And where are we going to put these phone-detecting cameras they're proposing? I'm betting they won't be in regional areas where the actual rise in fatalities has happened, they'll catch far more people in the metro areas. Which is fine, again, people shouldn't be using phones at the wheel, but then don't pretend they're related. The whole article is a non-sequitur.
If road fatalities are getting worse, how about someone actually finds out why this is happening, rather than just jumping on the cause du jour and wittering about phones?
(Figures for fatalities by year are here - [https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/road-fatalities-year-date-and-annual-statistics](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/road-fatalities-year-date-and-annual-statistics) , flick on to page 2 of the graphs for previous full-year data)
So there has been an increase in number of and deployments of speed detection devices, yet there has also been an increase in the death toll. Interesting.
Traffic police on the road would go a long fucking way IMO.
Never see cops on the road.
I find it interesting that all we ever do is to tinker with fines and punishment.
According to figures published by the International Transport Forum, Australia’s rate of death per 100,000 vehicles is higher than that of Germany (a country with unlimited speed limits on the Autobahn). The fine for being caught on the mobile in Germany is roughly $160 for the first offence. In WA it is between $500 to $1,000
Anybody that has spent some time in Germany knows that you have to be incredibly unlucky to get fined and even if you do, it comes with some form of review and education.
Clearly enforcement doesn’t work. Driver education does. So do roadworthiness inspections. Don’t learn from your parents - drive a car in safe working condition.
During a recent six month trial on WA roads, the cameras caught a driver using their phone every four minutes. : Surely just take the license away from that driver. They seem to not understand the law.
Gotta have a police presence to confiscate phones. ;)
This is a stupid idea.
My phone has 2FA for things like work and personal use. Imagine not being able to log into work because a cop saw you drive past with something in your hand that they thought was a phone.
Police taking someone's phone off them? Good luck. Privacy advocates not gonna stand for that.
Camera operators taking phones off people? Good luck. Too busy on theirs 100m away sat in a ute hidden in a bush.
They say a % increase in road deaths. Does that take into account population growth? What's, say, the figure per 100,000.
With the population booming then of course the death toll will increase. Taking phones is a dumb idea though,
The solution to increased deaths on country roads is harsher enforcement in the Perth metro area.
Anyone who disagrees obviously wants more people to die!
I wished, I would actually drive more often.. look at how distracted drivers are, you kinda lose all confidence in driving because you are no longer responsible for your life, each person behind the wheel, driving behind, towards you on the other lane, are the ones who decides our fate.
How much fucking longer can this go on when we all understand it’s bullshit, using fake numbers (don’t correspond to per capita growth) to catch what is profitable.
Ie, stationary unmanned cameras on busy roads. Virtually no upkeep and free $$$.
No action on the actual issue on regional roads. Total contempt for the role of police in protecting the community because it’s just easier to do this
Sounds like we just need more speed cameras! /s
Yes so did immigration and population
Bring in fuck loads of people….. road toll goes up … wow wat a surprise
they will just get another phone..
i spent the weekend in the city and pretty shocked how addicted people are to their phones.. the urinal, people on their phones.. ordering food at the counter, people on their phones... many other examples where witnessed, its a disgrace.. like put it the fuck down & be present people
[deleted]
Legit just this morning watched a lady using her phone at a green light for the entire cycle holding up the long line of cars behind her. No one honked. Then she realised and gunned it through the orange.
I never ever look at my mobile while driving !
Not surprised with all the migration we have had. Population has shot up and everything else is lacking behind
It boggles my mind how many people I see “looking down at their laps” while they’re driving their car.
It’s not just younger drivers either.
Yes it pisses me off at the lights when I’m delayed but even more so when these selfish pricks think they’re not a risk splitting their attention between social media or YouTube and a freeway doing at least 80kmh.
The fines need to be more, the attention on this has to be more. It needs to inflict some real financial pain to make people think twice, and we need better cameras to catch it.
Changing the tailgating culture and people learning to drive in the rain would make a massive difference.
Ban touch screen controls
Could have nothing to do with mass immigration? Some of the quality of the drivers today is abysmal. I never drive through green lights without looking both ways.
Increased population and road users and comparing to COVID affected numbers (in some cases) = alarmism like this. I'm sure another speed camera hidden in the bush or another speed limit change in Bunbury will solve it !
This rubbish is published every year. The Road Safety researchers believe we should all walk or catch public transport. The number of deaths per 100,000 population has decreased steadily since seatbelts were introduced in the 70s.
This is so WA blanket rules made by sub humans who think they run WA.
And
These shit stains of humanity allow corporates to install ad signs on the freeway.
I fuckin HATE self serving politicians
[deleted]
Good luck with that
Driving to be confiscated next, we can’t do it
I hate that we need to rely on cars to get around. I hate how many people die in car accidents. I support anything that would reduce the number of deaths on the road
It would probably work better.
https://i.imgur.com/HQou9kw.png
As a successful drug dealer with a multitude of burner phones, I don’t mind donating the odd one.
How are they going to do that? Just take it from you and you lose all the function of the phone. Can’t call 000, can’t get help if in trouble etc. won’t happen and it is just a political stunt by idiots.
Yeah that’ll fix it!
Good. Only thing that will matter to some of these people as fines are no.big deal to them.
So many still touching their phones whilst driving.
Best ones are the ones with phones maybe on their laps and you'll see them 'playing' with themselves, waiting at the traffic lights... And then suddenly seem startled when the other cars move and these jokers will speed.up to catch up.
Good. I would like to see instant weekly bans from driving. Make these assholes walk home.
How about they start policing the roadworthiness of vehicles, the amount of cars I've noticed held together with duct tape or with at least one brake/tail light not working has been shocking
Genuine question. If it turns out that I’m just eating my cheese toastie, will they confiscate? I paid $7 for dat thing.
This would be good news, the amount of people on their phones is just outrageous…
What are they, my parents when I got grounded? “Give us your iPod”…
Just a reminder that speed cameras have no effect on speeding, and red light cameras greatly increase accidents at intersections. It's not done for our well being. It's done for their revenue and ticking boxes.
Speeding cameras don’t deter speeding, and this won’t deter people using their phones. More than likely, the habitual phone users will just keep a burner that the cop can take or find some other loophole.

This is a place to share what you are reading or perhaps look for suggestions for new material. Have a favourite author you want to talk about? Looking forward to an upcoming release? All are welcome here.

These threads are posted every Tuesday and various times (depending on when I'm free).

**Book Swap**

Are you looking to buy/sell/swap/give some books? Please feel free to list them here in this thread. Do you see something you want that someone is offering? Send them a Private Message so that you can organise the details.

**Do Audiobooks count?**

Absolutely! This isn't a place for purity of written material, this is a place to share.

**What about manga/comics/visual novels?**

More than welcome here. If it's something you're reading/listening to and you want to talk about it, you're home.

**Spoilers**

It should go without saying that no one wants a book spoiled. Please put anything that could be a spoiler inside a spoiler tag. If you aren't sure if it is a spoiler or not, act like it is.

I just read **The Book of Bill** by Alex Hirsch and a troupe of very talented artists. Yes, it's a picture book and it's from an animated Disney show - Gravity Falls - from ten years ago. (I bought it to read myself then give to my son.)

However, it's also very, very funny and if you are/were a fan I can't recommend it enough. It was the number 2 best selling book on Amazon for over a week so I'm not the only adult that enjoyed it, and it comes with a disclaimer that it's for older readers. There's codes and ciphers all the way through and there's currently an international hunt to find out what they are leading to.

I finished the final book of **The Wheel of Time**

I actually have an urge to read the entire series again. maybe after Stormlight 5.

I just finished Night by Ellie Wiesel. Powerful read

Read project hail Mary by Andy weir (the Martian).

I enjoyed it a fair bit, the story is different from the usual SF save the world story.

You definitely see similarities with the Martian stories, like the focus on science and trying to make the story as realistic as possible.

Overall a good read and I would recommend it.

Currently reading **Without Fail** by Lee Child.

I've heard great things, but also that some of the middle books are a hurdle. Did you have the same experience?

It's very good and was worth the long investment

But yeah, the middle few can drag. The first several books have a complete story, with some sort of resolution at the end of each, while still heading towards the main story. But from book 5 (?) on is a long several book arc that only covers a few months and some characters feel like they are just slow as molasses. There are still great moments, but they feel farther between.

But book 10 (11?) hits the ground running and the last several books everything comes together wonderfully.

I think the middle books will work better on a second pass as there is much world building and small character parts that are useful for later

Be aware that if you go to a Psych outside WA, they must be registered with WA Department of Health to write prescriptions valid within WA.

Yes, a psychiatrist that doesn't have authority to prescribe to a West Australian won't take on a West Australian for this reason.

Headline:

> Mobile phones to be confiscated

Actual:

It's one idea being proposed.

Ahh bullshit. In absolute numbers yes, but then, our population has also increased.

For comparison, there were 45.6 road deaths per 100,000 head of population in 2014, versus 43.3 in 2023. So in real terms, the number is decreasing.

There's a fuck of a lot of handwaving in that article.

Yes, there was a rise in the number of fatalities on the roads in the first half of this year to levels almost as high as in 2016. The largest rise seems to be in regional areas, not metro areas, after a particularly low-fatality year in the regions last year.

And while you should \*not\* use your phone while driving, there is no evidence presented that phone use behind the wheel has risen in the last year that would explain why we should be seeing more casualties as a result. And where are we going to put these phone-detecting cameras they're proposing? I'm betting they won't be in regional areas where the actual rise in fatalities has happened, they'll catch far more people in the metro areas. Which is fine, again, people shouldn't be using phones at the wheel, but then don't pretend they're related. The whole article is a non-sequitur.

If road fatalities are getting worse, how about someone actually finds out *why this is happening*, rather than just jumping on the cause du jour and wittering about phones?

(Figures for fatalities by year are here - [https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/road-fatalities-year-date-and-annual-statistics](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/road-fatalities-year-date-and-annual-statistics) , flick on to page 2 of the graphs for previous full-year data)

So there has been an increase in number of and deployments of speed detection devices, yet there has also been an increase in the death toll. Interesting.

Traffic police on the road would go a long fucking way IMO.

Never see cops on the road.

I find it interesting that all we ever do is to tinker with fines and punishment.

According to figures published by the International Transport Forum, Australia’s rate of death per 100,000 vehicles is higher than that of Germany (a country with unlimited speed limits on the Autobahn). The fine for being caught on the mobile in Germany is roughly $160 for the first offence. In WA it is between $500 to $1,000

Anybody that has spent some time in Germany knows that you have to be incredibly unlucky to get fined and even if you do, it comes with some form of review and education.

Clearly enforcement doesn’t work. Driver education does. So do roadworthiness inspections. Don’t learn from your parents - drive a car in safe working condition.

During a recent six month trial on WA roads, the cameras caught a driver using their phone every four minutes. : Surely just take the license away from that driver. They seem to not understand the law.

Gotta have a police presence to confiscate phones. ;)

This is a stupid idea.

My phone has 2FA for things like work and personal use. Imagine not being able to log into work because a cop saw you drive past with something in your hand that they thought was a phone.

Police taking someone's phone off them? Good luck. Privacy advocates not gonna stand for that.

Camera operators taking phones off people? Good luck. Too busy on theirs 100m away sat in a ute hidden in a bush.

They say a % increase in road deaths. Does that take into account population growth? What's, say, the figure per 100,000.

With the population booming then of course the death toll will increase. Taking phones is a dumb idea though,

The solution to increased deaths on country roads is harsher enforcement in the Perth metro area.

Anyone who disagrees obviously wants more people to die!

I wished, I would actually drive more often.. look at how distracted drivers are, you kinda lose all confidence in driving because you are no longer responsible for your life, each person behind the wheel, driving behind, towards you on the other lane, are the ones who decides our fate.

How much fucking longer can this go on when we all understand it’s bullshit, using fake numbers (don’t correspond to per capita growth) to catch what is profitable.

Ie, stationary unmanned cameras on busy roads. Virtually no upkeep and free $$$.

No action on the actual issue on regional roads. Total contempt for the role of police in protecting the community because it’s just easier to do this

Sounds like we just need more speed cameras! /s

Yes so did immigration and population

Bring in fuck loads of people….. road toll goes up … wow wat a surprise

they will just get another phone..

i spent the weekend in the city and pretty shocked how addicted people are to their phones.. the urinal, people on their phones.. ordering food at the counter, people on their phones... many other examples where witnessed, its a disgrace.. like put it the fuck down & be present people

[deleted]

Legit just this morning watched a lady using her phone at a green light for the entire cycle holding up the long line of cars behind her. No one honked. Then she realised and gunned it through the orange.

I never ever look at my mobile while driving !

Not surprised with all the migration we have had. Population has shot up and everything else is lacking behind

It boggles my mind how many people I see “looking down at their laps” while they’re driving their car.

It’s not just younger drivers either.

Yes it pisses me off at the lights when I’m delayed but even more so when these selfish pricks think they’re not a risk splitting their attention between social media or YouTube and a freeway doing at least 80kmh.

The fines need to be more, the attention on this has to be more. It needs to inflict some real financial pain to make people think twice, and we need better cameras to catch it.

Changing the tailgating culture and people learning to drive in the rain would make a massive difference.

Ban touch screen controls

Could have nothing to do with mass immigration? Some of the quality of the drivers today is abysmal. I never drive through green lights without looking both ways.

Increased population and road users and comparing to COVID affected numbers (in some cases) = alarmism like this. I'm sure another speed camera hidden in the bush or another speed limit change in Bunbury will solve it !

This rubbish is published every year. The Road Safety researchers believe we should all walk or catch public transport. The number of deaths per 100,000 population has decreased steadily since seatbelts were introduced in the 70s.

This is so WA blanket rules made by sub humans who think they run WA.

And

These shit stains of humanity allow corporates to install ad signs on the freeway.

I fuckin HATE self serving politicians

[deleted]

Good luck with that

Driving to be confiscated next, we can’t do it

I hate that we need to rely on cars to get around. I hate how many people die in car accidents. I support anything that would reduce the number of deaths on the road

It would probably work better.

https://i.imgur.com/HQou9kw.png

As a successful drug dealer with a multitude of burner phones, I don’t mind donating the odd one.

How are they going to do that? Just take it from you and you lose all the function of the phone. Can’t call 000, can’t get help if in trouble etc. won’t happen and it is just a political stunt by idiots.

Yeah that’ll fix it!

Good. Only thing that will matter to some of these people as fines are no.big deal to them.

So many still touching their phones whilst driving.

Best ones are the ones with phones maybe on their laps and you'll see them 'playing' with themselves, waiting at the traffic lights... And then suddenly seem startled when the other cars move and these jokers will speed.up to catch up.

Good. I would like to see instant weekly bans from driving. Make these assholes walk home.

How about they start policing the roadworthiness of vehicles, the amount of cars I've noticed held together with duct tape or with at least one brake/tail light not working has been shocking

Genuine question. If it turns out that I’m just eating my cheese toastie, will they confiscate? I paid $7 for dat thing.

This would be good news, the amount of people on their phones is just outrageous…

What are they, my parents when I got grounded? “Give us your iPod”…

Just a reminder that speed cameras have no effect on speeding, and red light cameras greatly increase accidents at intersections. It's not done for our well being. It's done for their revenue and ticking boxes.

Speeding cameras don’t deter speeding, and this won’t deter people using their phones. More than likely, the habitual phone users will just keep a burner that the cop can take or find some other loophole.