Recent content by Johnson

I bought big containers of P&S Bead Maker and Dream Maker, then mixed them together to get the internet-named “Clean Maker”. Frankly, the finish was just okay, and the way it collected dust was insane. I was lucky enough to win some Adam’s Finishing spray, so gave that a go. To my eyes it gives...

They look terrific. I’d love to get some once the issues are sorted — being in Australia makes it tricky to sort things out if they arrive faulty.

My pleasure buddy. And I'm glad us two oldies can discuss this with smiles on our faces. For me this whole trade mess is a bit personal. Years ago I worked for the US State Department (as a foreign national) in Canberra while the two countries were dismantling decades of artificial trade...

Agreed. I was given a little Makita blower when I bought my latest drop saw, and it does wonders to blow the droplets off before they can mineralise. Then a quick coat of Adam’s finishing spray and the surface keeps its hydrophobicity.

Desperately trying not to pick on you @Eagle7, but you should be aware that Trump isn’t playing nicely (or rationally) at all. Australia has zero tariffs on US imports, but Trump has implemented a 25% tariff on our aluminium and steel exports to the US. And he’s looking to add other tariffs to...

Chuckle… you need to move here to Tasmania. *Any* sports car is rare (apart from Porsches), so when I drive downtown people react like they’ve seen a spaceship. I’ve had people pointing, running after me… one girl broke out in a huge grin and waved frantically. I try to be effusive about it but...

This is why trade impediments are poor substitutes for domestic business support or revenue raising. Trump’s backward policies will see China take over as the world’s locomotive economy, and his burnt bridges with traditional partners will be hard to mend.

“Level the playing field”? More like ploughing the whole field into the ground. Raising the cost of alternative goods for your population is poor business, and ineffectual business support. In the 1970s, Australia had high tariffs on TVs to support our single domestic manufacturer. For years...

Affects all vehicle imports, so spare parts etc. Looks like no one is immune to the price hike.

VAT is applied to (almost) everything in the UK, so not relevant to the tariff discussion. It’s an internal tax, not a trade-related one. I’m still a bit baffled how Trump — someone who obviously has no understanding of simple economics — is allowed to single-handedly set new taxes without...

Incredible photo! Is that Lumon in the background?

Two Aussies with some good thoughts (fast forward to the Lotus bit):

https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/motoring-news/safety-requirements-end-production-for-popular-cars/news-story/129e10943e4defec9e210529210a940d More stringent rules for new cars in Australia are seeing a bunch of models being removed from the market. Apparently autonomous emergency...

@BWAK sorry if I missed it, but do you know what colour the underside of the bumper was before respray? I’m intrigued how Lotus could miss something so obvious, particularly if the undercoat was a grey colour…

Applies to any form of technology really — the more complex, the greater the amenity… but the more there is to go wrong. E.g. I love being able to control my smartlights with voice or phone, but when the power goes out (a regular occurrence) my house lights up like a Christmas tree. I’m happy...