I gotta say, a lot of the time, Top gear's Photographyand soundtrack are serious top fucking notch.
S'truth. The cinematography always impressed has me, but even more so since I started living with film students. It's car porn in the same way as No Reservations is food porn.
We don't have mandatory road safety training though.
If what I've heard is correct, you do--relative to the US. If you learn how to change a tire or anything involving maintenance of a car or roadside safety and procedures during a breakdown or a blowout, you are WAY beyond US standards. We hand out licenses like Halloween candy here.
Fun fact: I have had my licence for six or seven years, and I've never driven a car with an automatic transmission.
If what I've heard is correct, you do--relative to the US. If you learn how to change a tire or anything involving maintenance of a car or roadside safety and procedures during a breakdown or a blowout, you are WAY beyond US standards. We hand out licenses like Halloween candy here.
Our system is both like that, and the absolute opposite of that at the same time, because politicians have gotten a hold of it and used it for vote-mongering. It used to be - in my state, at least - That you had your learners, Then your Provisionals - nicknamed you P's - and then your open licence. You got your learners by doing a written test of the road rules and waiting a year - which you were meant to get experience and learn to drive in - and then you did a practical driving test to get your Provisional. Then, after a set period of time had past, you'd get your opens, which wasn't really functionally different, for most people.
Now, you do your written test to get your Learners - the test is easier than it was, but not unreasonably so - and then you have to log down 100 hours of driving experience, with various restrictions, from memory, You can't drive after a certain time at night, you can't drive more than a certain number of hours a day, you can only log a certain number of hours a day, and you're not meant to drive over 80 Klicks and hour. It's structured so that it should take ten months, but most of the people I know of who have gone through that system, it takes about a year and a half or more solely to get the hours. You can do some time with a driving instructor which counts for triple, but that's capped at thirty hours, and whatever you do after that only counts normally - And driving instructors here are expensive, generally $60 to $90 an hour - so, to get you the full thirty hours, it's costing you Six hundred to Nine hundred bucks.
Then, for the price of an expensive driving test, we have the new P-Plate system. Previously, you just had your provisional licence, and that was that. Now, you have to display a plate on your car, and there are two levels of provisional licence, both of which have severe restrictions, including curfews, restricting P-plate drivers to cars whose engine output is at best described as Anaemic, No turbos of any kind(but for a single exception which you have to apply for, that being a 4 Cylinder turbo diesel, since many P Platers are apprentices, and will usually have a diesel ute to drive - though at one point, before they reviewed the law, It was simply "Nothing over 4 cylinder, no turbos, no mods" which meant, somewhat hilariously, that a P plater could drive a latest model RX-8, but couldn't drive a dinky little Smart car), no superchargers, no mods of any kind(And they are crazy strict about it), only a certain number of passengers - restricted at One passenger, for the lower level of P plate - The passenger can't be drunk, the passenger can't talk on a mobile phone, the driver can't have a mobile phone in use at all, even on hands free, can't have a GPS under the same rule, etc, etc. You are also required to have each of these licences for a period of years - Three for the lower(Red), and two for the upper(Green) if I remember rightly.
Then, by the time you're about 23-24, you can apply for your open licence, at which point you have to do ANOTHER expensive driving test. Oh, and of course, when you turn 25? You can opt not to bother with all of that bollocks, and go to an old-style unrestricted P-Plate for a year - if you haven't previously held a P Plate licence - and then after driving as if you had an open licence for a year, you fill out a form, and they give you an open licence.
How's this for fun - If you are on the old Provisional licence, and you let it expire? They will - or at least, when it was introduced, they would - drop you back to a learner's licence, and force you onto the new system, even if it was only expired by a matter of hours.
You are missing absolutely nothing.
Word.
EDIT - Actually, Y'know what? I'm gonna be a cunt about this, on a grand scale. I'm going to find out which local pollies supported this institutionalised sodomy with an unlubricated pineapple being wielded by a sadistic mental patient, exploit some family and professional connections, and then it's time for an old-fashioned Spider-style Monstering. Time to get my research on.
Don't they also confiscate cars in Australia and crush them if the driver has been spotted overrevving or doing burnouts too many times?
Not all over, no, just in some states, and it's not a "You did this, now your car is being crushed as punishment" - The cars are confiscated, and given back after a time. Repeat offenders have them permanently confiscated, after which, the police auction them off, and whatever cars are left over are crushed.
I GOT A PLACE! I'm moving to Waterfront! It's near Nats Stadium.
I'm teh jealous.
I've secured the unsecured wifi at my new place and changed it to a channel with much less traffic. I've also created my own firewalled subnet to separate my computers from the rif raf, complete with my own wifi.
On a group my friend made on Facebook that is called something along the lines of "Otaku! Come and fight against the idiocy of the American Anime Industry" or something like that, I mentioned rather randomly that I'd be interested in joining and helping the fansubbers Live-Evil, I got a message from someone from Live-Evil asking if I'd be interested in joining and making my way up to be an Editor (which is what I'd enjoy doing). I'm going to take a few days to think about just so I can work things out and find some time to do that.
I qualified for a free turkey by spending $300 at the grocery store in the past 45 days or so. This is what you have to look forward to when you get old, kids.
spending $300 at the grocery store in the past 45 days or so
That seems like a useful and very achievable goal. How did you come by this promotion, good sir?
Shop-Rite, a local NJ/NY/CT grocery chain, has been doing it for as long as I can remember. Not sure if other chains run similar promotions. I've lived in 4 different towns in the past 10 years and Shop Rite has been the most convenient grocery store in each one, so my experience is limited.
I've always, aside from when I was very poor at RIT, averaged about $200/month for groceries on my own, just under double with another person, not counting alcohol purchases.
I've always, aside from when I was very poor at RIT, averaged about $200/month for groceries on my own, just under double with another person, not counting alcohol purchases.
It sounds as though you are very familiar with the free turkey
If only there was a liquor store that gave away free shit for spending a lot of money during the holidays.
I am not quite familiar with the emoticon, so I will just assume that those are your testicles
Not...Quite...
Well then your job is to go back to your cuddling, and don't come back until you have a reason to invent an emoticon that represents your testicles
Cuddling is not available at the moment, but it will be in the future. And if I can't post until I have a reason to represent my testicles, I'm going to be gone for a very, very, very long time.
Cuddling is...Nice...:3
You know what's nicer? Kissing the girl you like.
I was going to say "sticking it in her," but that might be too advanced right now.
Working towards it, trust me. Hopefully within the week.
Comments
Now, you do your written test to get your Learners - the test is easier than it was, but not unreasonably so - and then you have to log down 100 hours of driving experience, with various restrictions, from memory, You can't drive after a certain time at night, you can't drive more than a certain number of hours a day, you can only log a certain number of hours a day, and you're not meant to drive over 80 Klicks and hour. It's structured so that it should take ten months, but most of the people I know of who have gone through that system, it takes about a year and a half or more solely to get the hours. You can do some time with a driving instructor which counts for triple, but that's capped at thirty hours, and whatever you do after that only counts normally - And driving instructors here are expensive, generally $60 to $90 an hour - so, to get you the full thirty hours, it's costing you Six hundred to Nine hundred bucks.
Then, for the price of an expensive driving test, we have the new P-Plate system. Previously, you just had your provisional licence, and that was that. Now, you have to display a plate on your car, and there are two levels of provisional licence, both of which have severe restrictions, including curfews, restricting P-plate drivers to cars whose engine output is at best described as Anaemic, No turbos of any kind(but for a single exception which you have to apply for, that being a 4 Cylinder turbo diesel, since many P Platers are apprentices, and will usually have a diesel ute to drive - though at one point, before they reviewed the law, It was simply "Nothing over 4 cylinder, no turbos, no mods" which meant, somewhat hilariously, that a P plater could drive a latest model RX-8, but couldn't drive a dinky little Smart car), no superchargers, no mods of any kind(And they are crazy strict about it), only a certain number of passengers - restricted at One passenger, for the lower level of P plate - The passenger can't be drunk, the passenger can't talk on a mobile phone, the driver can't have a mobile phone in use at all, even on hands free, can't have a GPS under the same rule, etc, etc. You are also required to have each of these licences for a period of years - Three for the lower(Red), and two for the upper(Green) if I remember rightly.
Then, by the time you're about 23-24, you can apply for your open licence, at which point you have to do ANOTHER expensive driving test. Oh, and of course, when you turn 25? You can opt not to bother with all of that bollocks, and go to an old-style unrestricted P-Plate for a year - if you haven't previously held a P Plate licence - and then after driving as if you had an open licence for a year, you fill out a form, and they give you an open licence.
How's this for fun - If you are on the old Provisional licence, and you let it expire? They will - or at least, when it was introduced, they would - drop you back to a learner's licence, and force you onto the new system, even if it was only expired by a matter of hours. Word.
EDIT - Actually, Y'know what? I'm gonna be a cunt about this, on a grand scale. I'm going to find out which local pollies supported this institutionalised sodomy with an unlubricated pineapple being wielded by a sadistic mental patient, exploit some family and professional connections, and then it's time for an old-fashioned Spider-style Monstering. Time to get my research on.
More details here.
I've secured the unsecured wifi at my new place and changed it to a channel with much less traffic. I've also created my own firewalled subnet to separate my computers from the rif raf, complete with my own wifi.
I've always, aside from when I was very poor at RIT, averaged about $200/month for groceries on my own, just under double with another person, not counting alcohol purchases.
If only there was a liquor store that gave away free shit for spending a lot of money during the holidays.
I am not quite familiar with the
I was going to say "sticking it in her," but that might be too advanced right now.
And if I can't post until I have a reason to represent my testicles, I'm going to be gone for a very, very, very long time. Working towards it, trust me. Hopefully within the week.