Lacessit

ASEAN is going downhill fast. First it was guys saying their girlfriends are all self-supporting, now it's people claiming they need outsized condoms. What's next? Posters that reckon they can satisfy a woman six times in one night, or can satisfy six women in the same time?

A new Nissan Leaf in Australia is $69,000. The cheapest used Nissan Leaf ( 8 years old ) is $15,000. That is serious depreciation, more than $6000 a year. I know the Leaf has a poor reputation. Having said that, I would say buyer doubts about battery life in secondhand EV's is going to inhibit that market for some time to come. Conversely, the Toyota Prius ( Hybrid ) seems to hold its value quite well, presumably because a buyer knows even if the battery is kaput, they still have the ICE for backup.

Do a reformat, then run a strong magnet over the HD.

I have had 3 new cars, a 1974 Honda Civic, a best forgotten 1984 Ford Laser, and the AWD 2004 Mitsubishi Magna. The rest of the time, company cars which were traded in at 120,000 km - barely run in. IMO the Magna was the best car I have ever owned. Years ahead of its time, brilliant engineering, but poorly marketed. It's a commentary on how cars have bulked up over the years when the 1974 Civic weighed in at 800 kg., and the 2023 Civic is a tad over 1300 kg. I've only been married one time, that was enough.

I seem to be living on a planet with more than its fair share of a##eholes.

In Thailand, wearing any footwear without socks is an invitation to cellulitis infection, as I found out the hard way. I prefer function over form, and don't give a rat's bum about what other people think. I always wear black or brown belts, white gets dirty too easily.

It makes much better financial sense to buy a low-mileage second hand car, and drive it into the ground. My son still has my 2004 AWD Mitsubishi Magna with 340 K on the odometer. One of the most under-rated cars ever built. About 15 years ago, a manual Triton cost $19,000 in Australia. The same vehicle sold in Thailand, where it was built, for $24,000. I can't say road noise from the Vios has ever bothered me, but then I put Michelin tyres on any car I own out of habit.

Perhaps you are more of a leadfoot than I am, the Vios has gone all over Northern Thailand. CR CM Phitsanulok Ayutiya, Korat Chaiyapum Khon Kaen Udon Thani Loei Nan Phayao Phrao Phrae. I am a convert to smaller cars, much more nimble. Touch wood, no accidents after ten years driving in Thailand, scooter and car. I must be doing something right.

Why? It's germane to my point ICE's can last a long time if they have to.

I am quite happy with my 2006 Toyota Vios, which will probably outlast me. To me, it looks like EV ownership is becoming a cult, much like owning a Merc or Beemer. I am financially sensible. The depreciation on my Vios has cost me about 15,000 baht/year since I bought it secondhand about 8 years ago. You probably blew more than that the moment you drove it out of the showroom.

Eat them in good health. However, be aware Adam was tempted by Eve in the Garden of Eden with an apple, and history repeats itself.

Read consumer reports on Segways, they are not complimentary in terms of after-sales service.

I have no argument with the fact EV's are cheaper to run. It's when EV owners start virtue signalling I call BS. The cheapest new EV in Australia is AUD 43,000. The cheapest new ICE is AUD 21,000. Same price to buy? BS. You had better get used to ICE's being around for a while yet. EV pickups are off the chart in terms of cost compared to ICE's, and the Cubans have managed to keep vehicles that are 70 years old on the road..

https://www.fuelcellstore.com/hydrogen-equipment/hydrogen-storage/metal-hydrides

In South Africa, the equivalent Afrikaner term is rooinek. I doubt it has the same Scottish origins; however, thanks for the interesting information.

If you really want to splash money around, Le Meridien in Chiang Rai is 7000 baht/night. Swimming pool the size of a football field. Chiang Saen Skywalk, Phu Chi Fa, Wat Sang Kaew Phothiyan and the Mae Sai markets are all worth a visit. Charin Gardens on the 118 is a sweet-tooth paradise. Outside Thailand, Vietnam. Danang beach, Dalat in the mountains, a Halong Bay cruise. Happy fiftieth.

IIRC you are a Trump supporter, rednecks are part of the landscape. I don't use starch, and I don't eat it either.

You are correct if the hydrogen is manufactured by cracking natural gases such as methane and ethane. You are incorrect if the hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water, using renewable energy such as solar, wind or tidal power. If you are recharging your vehicle solely from the solar panels on your house roof, you can virtue signal. When you recharge from any public supplier, you're kidding yourself if you think you have transitioned away from fossil fuels. This is a public charger on the 118 going out of Chiang Mai. Dollars to donuts the electricity comes from Mae Moh.

I turn my collar up to avoid becoming a redneck. Of course, I could achieve the same effect by wearing a MAGA baseball cap backwards. However, I understand that would involve a drop of IQ of 50 points, and I don't want to revert to the mean.

IMO you are missing the point entirely. Where do you think the electricity going straight into the car comes from? Worldwide, fossil fuels still account for about two-thirds of all electricity generation. https://www.google.com/search?channel=fs&client=ubuntu&q=Worldwide+fossil+fuel+percentage+electricity+generation North-west Thailand gets its electricity from Mae Moh power station, fuelled by lignite, the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. If you are decanting electrons into an EV, you have simply transferred the pollution from the vehicle to the power station. There's no real difference between an ICE and an EV in terms of environmental impact, when one takes into account the toxicity of what the storage battery is made of. OTOH, use hydrogen as a fuel, the only bulk emission is water. Virtue signalling by EV owners they are environmentally responsible is utter BS.

The CSIRO in Australia has already succeeded in converting hydrogen to ammonia - one atom of nitrogen, three atoms of hydrogen. Much easier to store and transport as a pressurised liquid, and non-flammable. The Chinese are very interested. Imagine manufacturing hydrogen from electrolysis of sea water with the abundance of solar energy in Australia, then converting to ammonia with membrane technology. Ship to Shanghai, reconstitute as hydrogen. All it needs is development funding, although IMO quite a few roadblocks will be thrown up by vested interests.

I can say without fear of contradiction by any scientist the vast majority of materials expand with heat, and contract with cold. Willies are no exception. It's probably where the expression "the wandering Scot" came from. Emigrating Scots found living in warmer places made them bigger. Australia is hot, which is why we are 20 places ahead of you guys. BTW, I do have Scots ancestry. Clan of Ross and Cromarty.

I knew that was coming. A pity the Scots didn't get a separate statistic, all that icy wind whistling up their kilts. Probably knocked down the average for the UK.

Always knew Australia was ahead of the US and UK.

The other advantage - rabbit poo doesn't smell like dogs and cats do.