The Thread about Nothing....

Ace final day at Bright. Flogged myself up Hotham through to the final 10km. Climber teamy took over from there and flung up the climb and held onto 5th on GC. More time in the hills for me next year.

-----------

Here is a TAN worthy rant I've crafted tonight on the issue of 'online privacy'. Wasted tucked away on Facebook. So here is a cut+paste.

I've changed my views on this a lot in the past few months. An example - You're walking down the street for a coffee. A person with a clip-board walks up to you and demands to know where you're going, how much you're spending, when you're going home, via which route, and they want a record of every word you'll speak that day. 10/10 times you'd tell them to mind their own business and not give them that information (this is your basic right to privacy). Your walk to the coffee shop isn't illegal. You are breaking no laws. You have the right to get your coffee yourself without revealing why to strangers. If you've ever replied to someone "It is none of your business" then you're already a supporter of privacy. Online we have to accept that every step of the way can be viewed, reviewed, stored, and profiled. The digital person with the clip-board is over your shoulder. Does it matter? Maybe not. Do they need to be there? No.
Take smart meters as another example. My energy company knows when I go to bed, when I wake up, when I get home from work, and when I'm away from home. No big deal? Maybe not. What I am uncomfortable about is that I have no control over who at this energy company has access to this information, IT workers, contractors, their kids with iPads and a bookmark to their admin systems with a saved password, who knows? Even worse is the energy company themselves profiling my power usage and having the ability to tailor their plans to maximise their profits. Tin-foil hatting, sure, another example of where 'data' is collected by flicking a light switch.

Is there a lawyer in the house? I need a coffee, or another drink of undisclosed contents from my fridge that I've hot-wired into someone else's power circuit. 🙂

-----------

Further on that. I'm no Snowden but I have been an outsourced IT security person for years. It'd scare the [censored] out of most people the data that I was in a position to view. From anywhere at any time.

I support your right to online privacy.

Good postage Llammie. I've been cogitating on these matters a lot of late. Haven't really come to a settled position though. But I do wonder how much good Mr Snowden (and men/women/indeterminates of his ilke) has done the world. I mean, even the dull and the unengaged are probably aware that Governments spy on their citizens. And those in other states. That is hardly news. So what of these revelations? Lots of diplomatic inconvenience for several Western countries. No great harm there, but no great benefit either. I think you are highlighting the more pressing problem... how much private enterprise kowns about us and how few safeguards there seem to be to protect our privacy. If the US Government, with all its safeguards and protocols, cannot secure its data, how much more are we at risk with private enterprise? As usual, the technology has run ahead of our taking stock of the implications of the technology. On a slightly different topic, but perhaps related, is this latest issue of freedom of association. While I abhor the culture and the illegal activities of the bikie gangs, I am more than a little unsettled by the legislation which prohibits their freedom of association. I think it sets a very bad precendent. Very bad indeed. Menzies tried it with the Communists and he failed. It is dissapointing that one of our Parliaments has permitted this kind of law. But then, it is Queensland... and they run a unicameral Parliament. Sigh...

[IMG ALT=""]http://www.cyclingforums.com/content/type/61/id/294654/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

Its interesting how you can injure a lollipop lady and get jailed for six months and lost his licence for four years (rightly so I might add). theage.com.auman jailed for running into lollipop lady while using phone 20131202 2yljl.htmlOpen ↗

But kill a cyclist while using your phone gets you a $900 fine and banned from driving for six months. theage.com.audriver caused cyclists death coroner 20130701 2p75p.htmlOpen ↗

Moral of the story here is if a business owner who happens to ride a bike, doesn't pay their invoices on time, don't waste time with debt collectors or solicitors. Just buy an old dunga of a car off ebay and fix them up yourself. [IMG]files.cyclingforums.comsick.pngOpen ↗[/IMG] I f_ckin hate this country sometimes.

I heard a stat the other day, something along the lines of "mobile phone usage has now overtaken alchohol as a primary cause of road fatalaties." I feel like causing a few fatalaties when [censored] walk into me while they have their faces in ther phones. [IMG ALT=""]http://www.cyclingforums.com/content/type/61/id/294659/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

Ma, do you have a view on this? http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-03/survey-shows-patients-off-heart-drugs-after-abc-catalyst-program/5130670

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by paulambry

I heard a stat the other day, something along the lines of "mobile phone usage has now overtaken alchohol as a primary cause of road fatalaties."

I feel like causing a few fatalaties when [censored] walk into me while they have their faces in ther phones.

As someone once said on Bike Forums during one of the interminable "headphones or not" debates: "we've all gotta open our eyes and stop relying on our ears"

Spending time at a friend's joint in Rae St, North Fitzroy eventually taught me to look, rather than listen, because there are so many hippies on bikes riding on that street. :-)

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by steve
Its interesting how you can injure a lollipop lady and get jailed for six months......

I've said this before, but a motorist could plan and murder a cyclist with their car and easily get away with it by saying "they moved in front of me"

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by gplama
Ace final day at Bright.

How much do you reckon Gallagher weighs? Was the TT course flat?
Were you working for just masters team-mates, or 'young' team-mates, too?

Or did you tow guys to the bottom of Hotham after they shoved cash in your pocket? That's what I woulda done. :-)

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by 531Aussie
How much do you reckon Gallagher weighs? Was the TT course flat?
Were you working for just masters team-mates, or 'young' team-mates, too?

Or did you tow guys to the bottom of Hotham after they shoved cash in your pocket? That's what I woulda done. :-)

68?

Not flat.

Team mate. Shove this 'young' masters thing fair up your [censored], we're all bike riders and I'm sick of defending age groups. I'm 35 so qualify for what was the original masters from day 0. [censored] to Cycling Tips if you want to debate it. (with all due respect) 🙂

Sprinters teams towed us to the base of Hotham. I slogged up to the faster sections of the climb and did what I could through to where it really went upwards sharply at the toll booth.

I see. Thanks.
I think I've made it clear that I'm not cool enough to hang out with the inner city latte set on Cycling Tips :-)

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by 531Aussie
I see. Thanks.
I think I've made it clear that I'm not cool enough to hang out with the inner city latte set on Cycling Tips :-)

that ain't nothin to be ashamed of either mate.

I don't have any interest in introducing myself to those city folk, until there's a 50kph crossy blowing somewhere in the south west of the state. [IMG]files.cyclingforums.comevil.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

Yeah, the funny thing is, is that I've probably smashed 80% of them at some point
[IMG]files.cyclingforums.comembarrassed.pngOpen ↗[/IMG][IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG][IMG]files.cyclingforums.comnerd.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]
([censored])

Closer to 95%

More like 95% Nev. I hate showpony [censored].

Ok, 95% :-) ... why not? Ha

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by gplama

68?

Not flat.

Team mate. Shove this 'young' masters thing fair up your [censored], we're all bike riders and I'm sick of defending age groups. I'm 35 so qualify for what was the original masters from day 0. [censored] to Cycling Tips if you want to debate it. (with all due respect) 🙂

Sprinters teams towed us to the base of Hotham. I slogged up to the faster sections of the climb and did what I could through to where it really went upwards sharply at the toll booth.

Playing devils advocate here, but if you want to race as a team you are meant to be racing in Men's A. How many other teams were there in Masters A?

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by cheetahmk7

Playing devils advocate here, but if you want to race as a team you are meant to be racing in Men's A. How many other teams were there in Masters A?

rrraaaaaaaaaaant... 😉

CMD (5-6), Hampton(5?), TotalRush (4?), Total (2?), Euride (2), ZoomVideo (4), Us (3), probably a lot more I didn't see. Team racing within Masters has existed for years. If you've lined up for any of the VRS you'll know. In fact it is going to 'teams' next year. I honestly think it is a few years too early to worry about it. Nobody will aim for a 'teams' classification nor does it really predict the outcome.

We don't belong in A Grade Elite. We are not that good. We're not after NRS rides in 2014. Not to mention there is no room for another 50-60 riders in A Elite (or B for that matter). Leave those places to the young bucks who are going places. Or those who don't want to do Masters. The racing within Masters A this year was some of the best and safest around. Every single rider loved it. The only people banging on about it are those on the sidelines or not even on the sidelines. Do you see any of the Masters guys paying out on the 30yo+ in Elite? Nope. We support them giving it a crack! Same can't be said in return most of the time.

Can we flip the coin and start looking at those sub-par performances that are not worthy of an A Grade start? The common consensus is that if you can ride a bike then you should race A Elite. Focus on cleaning up A Grade to make it worthy of being called Elite. All this talk of the grading system, good or bad, is only ever spoken about in one direction, up. If you're coming in 30mins down in a 5hr event - or are consistently in the lower 10-15% - of all grades - then down you go to make room for the top 10-15% of those below you. Fight your way back up next year. Want to BE an A Grader? Earn it on the road. Not by agreeing with someone's opinion on the Internet.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by paulambry

Ma, do you have a view on this?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-03/survey-shows-patients-off-heart-drugs-after-abc-catalyst-program/5130670

Statins benefit a select group of people, but there are a lot of people who are on them who really should not be. These things have some potentially horrendous side effects, so a doctor should not be starting a patient on them just because they have a high cholesterol - they need to look at their risk factor profile and that that into consideration too. You treat the person not the number, but unfortunately a lot of doctors fail to do that.

Every time I read the "if people stop taking these drugs they will die" line the Heart Foundation seems to want to peddle, I want to punch someone in the face. What a load of emotive [censored].

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by matagi

Statins benefit a select group of people, but there are a lot of people who are on them who really should not be. These things have some potentially horrendous side effects, so a doctor should not be starting a patient on them just because they have a high cholesterol - they need to look at their risk factor profile and that that into consideration too. You treat the person not the number, but unfortunately a lot of doctors fail to do that.

Every time I read the "if people stop taking these drugs they will die" line the Heart Foundation seems to want to peddle, I want to punch someone in the face. What a load of emotive [censored].

Nice reply. A lot of the so-called nonprofits or community services that have managed to get govt accreditation and money back when that was easier have very quickly gotten chockablock with uppity middleclass bureaucrats ([censored] that's a cnut of a word to spell, and I'm normally good at that) who should never have been allowed off the RTA front desk, or maybe if they were special, the library desk. And those useless knobs and their ilk now more or less run the country, or at least a lot of the public spiels about how we should be controlled.
You know, a bit like remember how it was four drinks for a bloke but two for a chick was considered reasonable daily, but now it's just two all round even for us fat blokes. Cnuts.