Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.

  • bull⚡@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    I waited until 12 ticked over to post this… but have a look at this absolute beast of a backpack holding $84 of groceries like a champ. I’ve had this backpack for maybe 7 or 8 years now, taken it half way around the world twice & on countless domestic trips, and I’ve used it as my daily carrier/work bag and it’s as good as the day I bought it.

    Can fully recommend the Osprey Farpoint 40. Never felt more confident recommending something.

      • bull⚡@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        lol you made me curious so I checked the receipt… it’s actually 21 items! A 2 litre bottle of white vinegar. 750ml windex. Can of bug spray. 3 trays of meat. 2 jars of pasta sauce. 2 packs of Penne. 1kg bag of rice. Bag of potato gems. And more. Some decently sized items!

    • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
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      1 year ago

      I have one of those (or a very similar model), it’s a great bag. I’ve never taken it grocery shopping, but it was great in Vietnam where it needed to be able to handle everything from walking and motorbike travel to air travel as both hand luggage and cargo. Also fully recommend.

  • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
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    1 year ago

    A mystery parcel is on board for delivery today. I really wish you got the sender’s name not just a tracking number with these notifications so I knew what I was getting. I have two seperate parcels with live plants expected, it would be nice to know if it is one of those so I can prepare to plant them straight away. But it could also just be the batteries I ordered.

    • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I got an aus post message the other day. They tried to deliver my “parcel” but was unsuccessful so could I possibly click the link and correct my address. Sure now gimme my parcel. I’m still waiting. I hope it’s good.

  • bananafungus@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    Woke up to someone sending me a bunch of pictures of someone’s kids… Hopefully it’s not a phishing scam because I replied telling them they have the wrong number and that I had deleted the photos.

    But holy hell what a nightmare for the parents, and also worst nightmare for me having random pictures of some kids on my phone for 5 seconds (especially as a man).

  • landsharkkidd@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    I’m actually sick of Optus. I’m still pissed that like my data gets leaked but all I get is a :c soz bro. But they have cheap credit, which is $30 every 45 days, and I get a butt load of calls and text. So I guess if anyone has other recommendations for either similar price and offer or cheaper that’d be nice.

    Though I do refuse to go to Vodafone because they too screwed me over years ago and I can hold a grudge.

    • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I’m with aldi which uses telestra. Apart from weird reception in the garage occasionally, probably because of the tin roof, I don’t have a problem. I also don’t download movies and shit on the go on my phone.

      I mainly use WiFi at home for streaming and talking to you lovely people. I hope that makes sense. It makes sense to me.

    • fullkitwanker@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      Been with Boost for over a year now. I get the yearly plan - about $200 something for a year and 160gb (not that I end up using most of it). Works out to about $20 per month and is on the Telstra network, which is great! Also 5g.

      • just_kitten@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        +1 for Boost for me as well. I’m still on the monthly 7GB plan for $22 but because they do data rollover I’m often at 10GB a month. Next tier is $35 for 25 GB which also includes international calls. But I think I might follow you and @bull and go for a yearly plan from next year esp now that I know I’m here for good. 13.3GB at $20/mth including those international calls… Sounds better than what I’m on.

        I know you can get cheaper data elsewhere but the standout to me is the full Telstra reception, always great when out in the wop wops for fieldwork or travel. People have regularly had to borrow my phone when theirs can’t connect! And still excellent in the city though I haven’t extensively tested it indoors.

        • bull⚡@aussie.zone
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          1 year ago

          haha I just checked my usage for the last 6 months and I’ve only used 26.69GB… 11GB of which was Saturday night because I streamed Prime video and Foxtel for hours in a motel without Wi-Fi. I’m absolutely moving to the 170GB plan!

      • bull⚡@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        Another vote for Boost. I might switch to one of the yearly plans because I’m on Wi-Fi most of the time. I’m on monthly now. An important distinction (for those reading this who don’t know) between Boost and the other Telstra-backed carriers is that Boost is the only one which uses the actual full-fat Telstra network and not their wholesale network. More info here.

      • landsharkkidd@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        Hmm, that’s not too bad. Optus is 5gb for 45 days which I don’t use up (only time I do is if I accidentally forget to turn on wifi while I’m watching YouTube or TikTok). But I might look into it, thank you!

    • Briongloid@aussie.zoneM
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      1 year ago

      I would never go back to a major telco when all three sell their network wholesale for cheaper.

      Telstra owns Belong, Optus owns Amaysim & Vodafone has Felix. Each of the subsidiaries are cheaper despite being under the parent company. On top of those, there are tons of third-party sellers that are just as cheap and often cheaper.

      I personally use Woolworth’s Everyday Mobile for the Telstra Network + -10% at Woolworths checkout once per month.

      • just_kitten@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        I often wonder what’s the point of the major telco plans when they have cheaper plans on their subsidiaries - exclusively serving the naïve and old? Physical store for customers to slam their fist down at?

    • bananafungus@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I’m with Woolworths on the Telstra network, 40 bucks and I get 65gb of data, unlimited standard calls and texts, and unlimited calls and texts to 22 other countries (happy to post the list if needed). You can also bank up 500gb of data, if you are slow at using it up.

      Editing because I just went had a browse, they have lower priced plans but all plans contain the unlimited calls and texts, and unlimited calls and texts to 22 other countries.

  • Seagoon_@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    Ted Cat goes out into our courtyard every second day. He loves it so much. Sniffs all the bushes and fences then rolls around on the warm outdoor paving tiles enjoying his freedom.

      • Seagoon_@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        he’s still funny lookin’ . 🤭 It will take 6 months to get his full persian length fur

        ( the more I get to know him the more my heart breaks for him. He’s very small for his breed. He’s always desperate for food. He’s not well socialised. He lost his fur thru neglect. He had never been out of a cage. 😔 He was in a cat mill. )

        • Catfish@aussie.zone
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          1 year ago

          Poor bugger. My rescues have their issues we can only really guess about, but a mill is an extra awful.

  • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    We are heading into a cashless society they say. Do your banking online, it’s easy they say. Until shit hits the fan and you can’t access your funds. When the gov’ment says it’s save to vote online then I’ll consider it. Until then I’ll stick to using my card or cash thanks.

    • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
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      1 year ago

      I love my virtual money and almost never use cash. But we definitely need to have more back up systems in place in case of IT failure - not just in banking, but in pretty much everything. Companies have been very quick to take the cost savings of moving to efficient computerised systems, but have neglected to put in place backup systems to provide resilient systems. At one stage when the EFTPOS system went down they could manually swipe your card through and it would be processed later, now there is nothing.

      A lot of companies are running extremely outdated software, and either can’t or won’t spend the money to upgrade it. Which leaves them prone to breakdowns, and security breaches, leading to not just data leaks but can bring their entire system down, if (like the Fire Services) a virus gets into the system. Or in the case of my now ex health insurance company they try to upgrade but don’t seem to have a plan to wind back to a stable system if it goes wrong.

      • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        Yep. I do something similar. All online purchases and bills, credit card. All real life purchases, cash. Credit card then gets paid at the post office using cash. Occasionally I have to use my debit card but limit that to big businesses only.

  • bananafungus@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    Went to the doctors for my usual thing and mentioned a random rash that popped up on my face that’s giving me grief, and now I’m on shingles watch… Fingers crossed the antihistamines I’ve been instructed to take for the next few days confirm its just weird allergy symptoms I’ve never had before.

            • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
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              1 year ago

              What I do like is when there is something popular and the people that send the generic message lose out over people who bothered to type something to move the sale along. So the answer is often “yes it is available” when they send that first generic message, but has often become “no, it’s sold” by the time they get to the second. Making “is this available” a completely pointless question.

                • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
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                  1 year ago

                  It does happen. And it does make sense to ask if it is an old listing, but when it has only just been listed it is a pointless question. It also doesn’t take much to put something more in. How hard is something like “if this is still available I will offer you $xx and could pick up on the weekend”? If it is not available, they will tell you (or ghost you, as per their preference!) and if it is you have moved things along towards a sale.

                  You will also find that some sellers just won’t reply to an “is this available” message because most of the time it is people just wasting your time. It’s not uncommon to have maybe 1 in 10 or less that make that query actually follow up if you answer - even when you answer straight away. When you add in no-shows and other dodgy characters there are a lot of Marketplace sellers that are one “is this available” post away from just throwing their stuff in the bin instead.

    • Catfish@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      Love! I get this sort of stuff at work all the time. Ration tickets, how to vote cards, menus. Etc. Builds the history of a book fantastically.

  • Briongloid@aussie.zoneM
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    1 year ago

    Optus NBN appears to be just a DNS issue, people reporting their NBN working with third party DNS provider.

    I strongly recommend not using telco for DNS regardless.

    FYI for those that don’t know, Optus services down nationwide, effects 10 million customers as well as payment terminals, Metro trains are also partially down.

  • Bacon@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    Oh. oh my. omg.

    I wasn’t paying attention but now that I finally am, there’s this something I can take up that will make my future plans way easier.
    But that means I should make a decision soon, and take action within 2024.

    Thought I had years. Now it’s just months. It’s a most wonderful thing but AHHHHHH

    Edit: further googling tells me walking through door A doesn’t shut door B. It’s a net gain. I can go back to worrying about how full my neopet is.

    • just_kitten@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I am guessing it’s either medical and/or migration related but whatever it is, hooray for good news!! Sometimes that’s all you need to take action. I felt the same way when it dawned on me that I could become eligible for PR last year after over a decade of uncertainty

        • just_kitten@aussie.zone
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          1 year ago

          YAY!!! 🥂🪇🎊🎉 :D :D :D it feels like a heavenly moment when the stars align and you realise the door is open! Crossing all my digits for you to be able to stay on permanently without needing to lose your mind/soul/virginity/bank account

          I’ve been out of the loop but I see the government has finally established a date for when they’ll implement the long awaited 482 short term -> PR pathway. This is great news for many people I know