"Qui Croire?" – amazing garden by François Abélanet

Check out the video below. For the impatient, the video starts at the 40 second mark. Make sure to watch it through to the end.



For the non French speakers, like me, the name means, “Who to believe?” / optical illusion you won't believe your eyes /

Tesla Model 3 prices in Australia – update

Tesla Model 3 – first deposits were taken 31 March 2016 – over 3 years later, Australians can now place orders for the first time.
Credit: Steven Loveday/InsideEVs

All prices are Australian dollars, registered in ACT, as displayed on the Model 3 configurator. “Autopilot Included”¹. “Full Self-Driving Capability”² is a $7,100 upgrade.

Standard Range Plus, black paint, 18" wheels, black interior, drive away price: $68,109

Performance, black paint, Performance upgrade (includes 20" wheels), black interior, drive away price: $98,273

Performance, black paint, no Performance upgrade (sic), 18" wheels (sic), black interior, drive away price: $90,213³

Order yours at:
https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/model3
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¹ Autopilot Included

• Enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically for other vehicles and pedestrians within its lane.

² Full Self-Driving Capability

• Auto Lane Change: automatic lane changes while driving on the motorway.

• Autopark: both parallel and perpendicular spaces.

    Coming later this year:

• Recognise and respond to traffic lights and stop signs.

• Automatic driving on city streets.

• Summon: your parked car will come find you anywhere in a car park. Really.

• Navigate on Autopilot: automatic driving from motorway on-ramp to off-ramp including interchanges and overtaking slower cars.

³ If you are puzzled, I am too – more details when I work it out.

/ searchkeys /

Cleaner jailed for 10 years for altering academic record

Justice
Credit: Disability Support Services, Monash University

The forgery was not detected until the un-named, 53-year-old woman had been working at a nursery, as a cleaner, for 15 years.

And the extent of the crime? Alteration of a school record to show that she had completed 6 years of primary school, rather than 5!

Needless to say, this case has caused an uproar in Greece:
“This decision is not simply inhuman. It is another very indicative sign of permanent pathogens in the criminal justice system.” — Hellenic League for Human Rights

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/greek-cleaning-lady-jailed-for-10-years-for-faking-diploma-20181123-p50hse.html

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-greece-court-cleaner/greek-cleaning-lady-jailed-for-10-years-for-faking-diploma-idUKKCN1NR25W / justice is blind injustice cleaning woman cleaner cleaning lady pre school pre-school preschool forgery /

Vale Stan Lee

Stan Lee in 2014
Credit: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia



Stan Lee 1922-2018

Excelsior

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Wikipedia: “Stan Lee”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

/ Marvel public figurehead cameo appearances in movies Marvel characters honorary executive producer credit superheroes Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man /

Elon Musk: Staying Public

And so with that very brief tweet, & a rather longer post on the Tesla web site, the flirtation with becoming a privately held company¹ comes to an end:

Staying Public https://t.co/gUrAnInBOu

— Tesla (@Tesla) August 25, 2018

Post on the Tesla web site:
https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/blog/staying-public

Looks like the short sellers will have to wait a little bit longer.
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¹ HitchHiker’s Guide 2 Tech: “Elon Musk: considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured”, https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2018/08/elon-musk-am-considering-taking-tesla.html

/ tesla shorts shorters short selling short sellers burn burned Elon Musk /

Elon Musk: considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured – update

Elon Musk at the Tesla Model 3 Handover Event – 28 July, 2017
Credit: Tesla/YouTube

Update: not gonna happen
https://hhg2tech.blogspot.com/2018/08/elon-musk-staying-public.html

Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018

A few expressed concerns for how this would impact retail investors. In fact, their interests seem to have been provided for:

My hope is *all* current investors remain with Tesla even if we’re private. Would create special purpose fund enabling anyone to stay with Tesla. Already do this with Fidelity’s SpaceX investment.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018

Either way, many would be glad to see the short sellers lose in excess of $12 billion¹ – $1.3 billion on paper so far.²

Reuters: Tesla statement on potential deal to go private
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-musk-text/tesla-statement-on-potential-deal-to-go-private-idUSKBN1KS277

Electrek: “Elon Musk elaborates on plans for Tesla to go private in email to employees: says structure would be much like SpaceX”, https://electrek.co/2018/08/07/elon-musk-tesla-privsate-plans-like-spacex/
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¹ Electrek: “Elon Musk elaborates on plans for Tesla to go private in email to employees: says structure would be much like SpaceX”, https://electrek.co/2018/08/07/elon-musk-tesla-privsate-plans-like-spacex/

² CNBC: “Elon Musk’s tweet about going private costs Tesla short sellers $1.3 billion”, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/07/elon-musks-tweet-about-going-private-costs-tesla-short-sellers-more-t.html

/ tesla shorts burn burned Elon Musk /

We’ve all heard of excess packaging, but this is absurd

Recently had a box delivered. That’s it in the picture above. By my measurement, its 370 x 495 mm (14.5 x 19.5 inches). Not shown – the packing material in the box, to stop the card from rattling around.

The part I ordered on the ’Net? The small dark rectangle in the middle of the card. Up close, it looks like this:


SanDisk iXpand Mini Flash Drive
Credit: SanDisk

Sandisk says it’s 12.1 x 4.6 x 53.0 mm¹ (0.48 x 0.18 x 2.1 inches). As far as I'm aware, Sandisk doesn't quote a spec on that absurd, oversize card it’s attached to in the image at the top.

Initially, this article was headed: “We’ve all heard of excess packaging, but this may be a record” – obviously had to change it on seeing the the image below:


Credit: Emily-Jane Clark

Emily-Jane Clark (pictured) received the “spider catcher” she's holding, in the box she's crouching in.

More from Emily-Jane Clark at: https://metro.co.uk/2017/10/04/10-examples-of-ridiculously-pointless-packaging-6976457/

Excess packaging & online shopping – When convenience costs the Earth
https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/packaging-labelling-and-advertising/packaging/articles/excess-packaging-and-online-shopping

Changing the Culture of Excess [Packaging]
https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/saying-no-to-excessive-packaging/
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¹ SanDisk: “The iXpand Mini Flash Drive For Your iPhone”, https://www.sandisk.com/home/mobile-device-storage/ixpand-mini

/ tonnes consumer packaging landfill packaging litter overall recycling rate consumer packaging volume of packaging material mail postal system grown increasing popularity online shopping clicks plastic foam paper cardboard packing packed retailers transport transit transportation companies take responsibility damaged products bulk up buffer packaging cost environment extra material costing money creating new problem re-use re use recycle discarded recycling lighter more compact packaging more stuff being shipped consumers greater volume packaging higher product prices increased fees for recycling consumers concerned excess packaging retailers e-commerce companies minimise packaging lobby local government local councils state governments environmental organisations information on recycling understand the size of the problem /