We were referring to the ability to add new content after release which used to be quite common for the PCGMR.

Only since the plague of consolisation have major releases been shipped broken. Console peasants put up with it, the PCGMR does not and realistically with the Steam sales being over and picking up over a dozen functioning PC games for under A$200, I really couldn't care less about this crappy port.

The biggest reason the infotainment system cant (or more accurately, wont) have read only access is the fact that a lot of cars use the infotainment system to adjust things in the engine, suspension, braking systems, throttle response and so forth. BMWs and Mercs are especially bad for this but other manufacturers are catching up.

Thats when you tell the dealer you only want Xenon lights.

If he says no, you thank him for his time and leave. He'll call you back in a day or so telling you that he's "pulled some strings and got it done" (which like everything that emerges from a car dealers mouth, is utter bullshit, he always could do it but he was hoping you'd cave in to the more expensive package).

You can also always go aftermarket which wouldn't be any more expensive than going through the dealer, even in the EU.

And those electronics are probably going to be one of the biggest issues with keeping that car going.

Depends on the car. People are still making replacement electronics for enthusiast models like 80's and 90's Skylines and Supras. I can still find an aftermarket ABS unit for an S13. Hell, it's not hard to find an original ABS controller for a R32 Skyline still in its original packaging (car manufacturers have to stock 10 years worth of parts when they discontinue a mode, often they stock more than that). Add to this that manufacturers tend to use as many common parts as possible across different product lines.

Japanese cars, I wouldn't be so concerned about as they're built to last. A Euro, well the late 90's was when BWMs and Mercedes quality went to pot, but after 15 years of continual repairs and gremlins I suspect the GP wouldn't be planning to keep that car for the rest of his life.

I agree with your principle, but you cant have remote start without having the remote system attached to the ignition system.

However the auto industry has always taken a very lax attitude to safety until lawmakers forced them to pay attention. Seatbelts weren't in most cars before laws forced them to be, same with immobilisers and OBDII connectors (technically not a safety issue, but OBDII standardisation is one of the best things that lawmakers have done for car owners). I expect the same story to unfold here.

Thats not unusual these days. Almost all Android applications are getting pretty bloated. On my Android 5.1.1 phone, Chrome is 101 Mb, Facebook is 200 Mb, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are 70 Mb a piece and even a simple forum viewer for Whirlpool is 10 Mb.

Long gone are the days of applications being under 1 Mb. Seems like more than just 3 years ago though.

That being true, this move is a clear sign that Microsoft is fearing the other office compatible products on Android, especially since Google have been pushing their own office products (that can read Office files, but saves them under Googles format).

2001 called, it wants it incorrect argument back.

For a long time, even pre-SP2 XP malware relied upon social engineering to be installed. Even the dumbest users didn't open an email attachment without a reason in the 90's unless it said something like "Denise Richards naked with hot grits". Social engineering has always been and still remains the number one infection vector for malware and since the mid 2000's it's been the vector for 99% of Windows malware.

Easier said than done.

We did warn people about the LNP before they were elected but the Murdoch press drowned out any voice of reason by repeatedly shouting "BOATS" and "BUT LABOR" and sadly this worked on the uneducated masses (voting is mandatory here, this is the best argument against it).

Sadly, things like this are completely off peoples radar because of all the damage the LNP are doing to other things like industry, employment and the economy. It also doesn't help that the LNP are trying to use the bogeyman of Terrorism to keep people distracted from everything else they're fucking up. We've elected our own George W Bush but in Australia's defence, Tony Abbott will only see one term however the damage will last beyond 2017.

I know saying "I told you so" is little consolation, but I'm planning to skip the country and head to England.

Sounds like a good idea.

Psychics take money from idiots, a license fee will be collecting from this revenue. Its like an optional tax on stupidity with the added benefit of cutting down on the amount of charlatans operating in the area.

This is pretty much the case in Australia.

Many of the polls are controlled by the Murdoch media and the Murdoch media has a vested interest in keeping the Liberal/National Party in power. The problem that Murdoch has is that the LNP has become massively unpopular. In order hide this Murdoch games the Newspoll by claiming a "3% margin of error" and applying the 3% in favour of the LNP. Other polls such as Ipsos or the Morgan poll have a far more grim view for the LNP. However this means that the best the Newspoll can claim is that the LNP will lose by a smaller margin.

However I dont believe that even these polls are reflecting the real situation. Most Australians are sick of the media's manipulation of polls and news during elections and we're definitely sick of the LNP. Right now the Labor party is looking at a landslide victory in 2017 that will dwarf Kevin Rudds victory in 2007. The bad news is, we've got another 2 years of Tony Abbott.

Because roundabouts consume a lot more land and are not that much safer for pedestrians.

Roundabouts actually consume the same amount of land as an intersection of similar traffic, they're also self regulating and dont require power. They're also more efficient and help the flow of traffic, with a crossroad or traffic light, you can only be using a maximum of two lanes, with a roundabout you can use all four at once.

The drivers are busy looking for traffic going around the circle and not compelled by personal protection to look both ways like they are at intersections

But it seems that it requires a higher quality of driver than is typical of your area.

At a roundabout you look both ways as you would for any intersection, not just for pedestrians but because people dont follow the rules. Think of it this way, when you're turning right at a T junction, do you only look for traffic approaching from the left?

Yes but this guy obviously didn't consider ego and the Dunning-Kruger effect. Remove all the road signs and make the rules unintelligible and you'll end up with a problem with attitudes like "I have right of way, am perfectly safe doing eleventy thousand KPH and can drive on the phone" making up their own rules which will make things more dangerous.

How? They cant even get Apple and google to comply 100% of the time and bypassing this is simple.

Steam barely does anything and Gog completely fails to give a shit. I can buy games that have been banned in Oz for years (Postal series) on Gog.

You're definitely not Australian or you'd realise how much bollocks you've just posted.

Yes, but what about the artists who aren't as big as Taylor Swift. Granted that these artists wont be making any money off recordings (they make almost all their money from touring) but the principle is still the same.

I have to admit, I'm having a hard time feeling any sympathy for either Apple or Tailor Swift in this scenario. Apple is an evil megacorp with a serious sociopathic bend and Taylor Swift is a cookie-cutter, factory farm, mass produced pop star with no talent designed to be as inoffensive as possible.

My initial advice would be to not purchase any Apple products, they've got contempt for both their customers and their suppliers, but also dont buy anything made by Taylor Swift. Go see a decent performer like the Foo Fighters or go see a local band that plays at a pub every Friday and Saturday night who really appreciates everyone who spends a dollar on seeing them.

Not sure if accidental or a deliberate and clever pun.