Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Forums › Off topic › Today's Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

1 | ... | 283 | 284 | 285 | 286 | 287 | 288 | 289 | 290 | 291 | 292 | 293 | ... | 301

1970 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1905

#3447435 27-Dec-2025 06:51

KiwiSurfer:

Took the train as I normally do for sale days. Fast, cheap, stress free. Befuddles me why people still take the car in a city where we have a world class train system.

I hope you're not planning to take the train today or any time in the next few weeks.

Western line: Partial closure between Swanson and Henderson, and a reduced frequency from Tuesday 28 October to Friday 26 December.

Southern line: Full closure for nightworks will be in place from 9:30pm on Monday 1, Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Thursday 11 December.

Eastern Line: Full closure for nightworks will be in place from 9:30pm on Sunday 7 and Thursday 11 December.

Onehunga Line: Full closure for nightworks will be in place from 9:30pm on Monday 1 and Monday 8 December.

All lines: Full network closure from Saturday 27 December 2025 to Sunday 18 January 2026. Some services resume between 19 January to 26 January 2026. Full closure 27 – 28 January 2026.

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

richms

29104 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10222

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3447443 27-Dec-2025 08:46

KiwiSurfer:

gzt: "Boxing day traffic snarls motorways as traffic heads to malls"

Took the train as I normally do for sale days. Fast, cheap, stress free. Befuddles me why people still take the car in a city where we have a world class train system.

I live in Auckland, where the trains do not serve a majority of the city and are about as far away from world class as you can get.

Richard rich.ms

floydbloke

3646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4554

ID Verified

#3447506 27-Dec-2025 10:28

KiwiSurfer:

... in a city where we have a world class train system.

Is that you, Dean Kimpton? 😜

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

k1w1k1d

1714 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1314

#3447521 27-Dec-2025 14:29

"...city where we have a world class train system."

I take it that you are not in New Zealand.

kingdragonfly

11992 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12887

Subscriber

#3447545 27-Dec-2025 22:20

Wow they say everything is bigger in Texas.

Two thugs tried to steal an ATM from a 7-Eleven early on Christmas Eve by hooking it to a stolen SUV with a metal cable and attempting to drag it out of the store.

They caused massive damage to the interior and storefront, but the ATM eventually came loose, was found abandoned nearby, and the cash inside remained intact.

Someone also tried the same thing in Dallas.

It's common in the US to have ATM's with "Intelligent Banknote Neutralisation System", IBNS. If the machine is tampered with, it stains the cash irreversibly.

Thieves hook ATM to SUV, rip it out of store

frankv

5705 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3666

Lifetime subscriber

#3447559 28-Dec-2025 11:16

kingdragonfly:
It's common in the US to have ATM's with "Intelligent Banknote Neutralisation System", IBNS. If the machine is tampered with, it stains the cash irreversibly.

So, assuming a machine is tampered with but the cash not taken as in the story, what do they do with the irreversibly stained cash?

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

Rikkitic

Awrrr
19071 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 16318

Lifetime subscriber

#3447562 28-Dec-2025 11:32

frankv:

So, assuming a machine is tampered with but the cash not taken as in the story, what do they do with the irreversibly stained cash?

I don't know but I can guess: I think money that is damaged can be exchanged for good stuff as long as the denomination is clear. I am not sure where, but I seem to remember reading something about this once. Obviously this does not apply to stolen money, but that would not be the case here so the operator of the ATM would be able to make a claim. That is how I think it would work.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

johno1234

3357 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2843

#3447609 28-Dec-2025 17:22

k1w1k1d:

"...city where we have a world class train system."

I take it that you are not in New Zealand.

The Auckland train system is not bad if your start and end stations are in a convenient location for your journey.

kingdragonfly

11992 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12887

Subscriber

#3447657 29-Dec-2025 07:24

frankv: So, assuming a machine is tampered with but the cash not taken as in the story, what do they do with the irreversibly stained cash?

I forgot to mention, most ATM's also have GPS trackers, and some kind directional radio transmitter backup as you'd expect.

Off subject, it's surprising how much heavy equipment gets stolen. Not exactly subtle either.

How the US government handles your mutilated money

CBS Sunday Morning

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
9334 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6203

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3447659 29-Dec-2025 07:41

johno1234:

k1w1k1d:

"...city where we have a world class train system."

I take it that you are not in New Zealand.

The Auckland train system is not bad if your start and end stations are in a convenient location for your journey.

The problem is that for most Aucklanders that's not the case. IMO it's a third-world-class train system - as is NZ's entire railway system.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

frankv

5705 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3666

Lifetime subscriber

#3447715 29-Dec-2025 09:37

eracode:

IMO it's a third-world-class train system - as is NZ's entire railway system.

You say that like you think it's a bad thing.

IMO, NZ should scrap its intercity rail system, and instead spend the money on upgrading its roads from being third-world class. Because NZ does not have the population density to support an inter-city rail system, so we have continually subsidised rail in various ways for at least the last 50 years. It fails to compete with road on even the most rail-appropriate routes (e.g. transporting milk from Oringi to Hawera). Whilst people tout rail as greener, that only applies if the carriages are near full. Now that EVs are an increasing reality, road transport is increasingly a competitor for rail in this space too.

Geekzone support

Support Geekzone with one-off or recurring donations Donate via PressPatron.

Rikkitic

Awrrr
19071 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 16318

Lifetime subscriber

#3447720 29-Dec-2025 09:48

frankv:

You say that like you think it's a bad thing.

IMO, NZ should scrap its intercity rail system, and instead spend the money on upgrading its roads from being third-world class. Because NZ does not have the population density to support an inter-city rail system, so we have continually subsidised rail in various ways for at least the last 50 years. It fails to compete with road on even the most rail-appropriate routes (e.g. transporting milk from Oringi to Hawera). Whilst people tout rail as greener, that only applies if the carriages are near full. Now that EVs are an increasing reality, road transport is increasingly a competitor for rail in this space too.

I live in Hawke's Bay and used to regularly travel between Hastings and Morere (near Mahia). There is rail as well as road but the National government at the time didn't want to spend money on rail repairs so all the big logging trucks went by road. Having to negotiate those was an exhausting and terrifying experience. Trains are valuable for more than just passenger transport if the car lovers could just get past their dumb blind spot!

Edited: On reflection, I get that this doesn't apply to urban rail, but my point is that rail has an important place in transport but there seems to be some kind of political fixation against it here.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

pdh

442 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 290

#3447749 29-Dec-2025 13:57

The problem with rail in NZ is not the cost/benefit of the infrastructure - it's the fragility (single-point-of-failure) of the human component.

Unlike the roading network, you can build a multi-billion dollar rail network and have it all shut down at the whim of a union boss with the morals of a Somali pirate.

Ask anyone who lived through the 80's in NZ (as an adult trying to run a business) and they'll explain why our country's limited resources are better used to fund a system that can not be held to ransom.

Efficiency or greeness or cost-per-ton-km are irrelevant.

kingdragonfly

11992 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12887

Subscriber

#3448287 31-Dec-2025 09:34

The US Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches by the government. It generally requires police to have a warrant based on probable cause before searching a person, home, or property.

US State Supreme Court Says You Waive 4th Amendment Rights When Using Google
...
"The court contacted Google and said, 'Give us the information on anyone who searched for personal data on the victim in the time leading up to crime.'

And Google came back and said, 'There's one person, one person.'

When they got the DNA from that one person, it matched DNA from the crime scene. And so they think they got the right person, but they got it by again searching random search histories on Google.

They had no evidence and nothing else except "I wonder if they did that search. I bet they did."

According to the court, it is common knowledge that websites, internet-based applications, and internet service providers collect and then sell user data. Consequently, the authorities obtained a reverse keyword search warrant, which allowed them to ask Google to hand over the IP address of any user who Googled the name or address of the victim leading up to the commission of the crime.

The software giant complied and released the information highlighting the exact IP address that had been used to conduct two searches for the victim's address just hours before the attack.

So, some people say, 'But Steve, they caught the guy. That's good.' Yeah, it is good. It is good. I'm just concerned about the fter effects of a ruling so broadly stating that well you consented to give this one entity your information therefore you've waved it with respect to everybody including the government. "
...

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
9334 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6203

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3448986 2-Jan-2026 14:33

Mrs Code just bought some Christmas mince pies from Woolworths. Six for $3 - were around $7 pre-Xmas. Thought they must be close to Use By or BB date - but no, that’s 24 April 2026. Jeez - what’s in these things?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

1 | ... | 283 | 284 | 285 | 286 | 287 | 288 | 289 | 290 | 291 | 292 | 293 | ... | 301