I was sitting in the departure lounge at Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport waiting for my flight watching the ground support staff move the aircraft to the departure gates. The people next to me talking and trying to work out how they did it.

To me the answer was simple, the pushback tractor releases the brakes of the aircraft and tows the aircraft around. There was no crew in the aircraft that we could see, clearly ground support staff have to gain access to the flight deck to release the brakes, but the rest isn’t difficult to comprehend.

They could not see how such a small tractor is able to pull an Airbus A340 around but it isn’t too much of a mystery. It is all about torque and not size and the tractor develops plenty of wheel torque. A diesel engine, powershift transmission and torque converter assembly coupled to low range transmission develops substantial torque.

It is not unreasonable to incorporate a 9:1 reduction in the low gears of the transmission. The torque converter is basically a fluid clutch that can increase output torque by a factor of 2:1 depending on design and application.

However, this isn’t enough so a single reduction differential carrier increases torque approximately by a factor of 4:1 before dividing torque to the wheel ends. The hub reduction gearing increases torque again at the wheels by a factor of 10:1 so the torque developed at the engine flywheel is increased proportionally at each stage.

The aircraft isn’t running, there is no pilot available to crank up the turbines and taxi the aircraft around under its own power, the movement is all the work of the pushback tractor. For me, listening to people chat is very interesting, I had imagined people knew all this and no explanations were required.

Clive Palmer is an enemy of the state, that is the state of Western Australia. We are Covid-19 free in Western Australia, we have achieved eradication and all it takes is one person to end all the hard won gains. We are currently living in a bubble, an island within an island. With state borders closed, all the infections of the east coast cannot get in and wreck the economy of Western Australia, overwhelm the hospital system, make people sick and ultimately take lives.

Clive Palmer is a narcissist, he cares little about the people in this state, this is all about him and the business and political meetings he wants to have. Well, use Zoom or Webex like everyone else. We don’t want you here, we support the Premier in closing the borders and our economy is motoring along nicely at the moment. So, to polite as we can, fuck off, we don’t want you here and we refuse to open our borders to you or anyone else until it is safe to do so.

What was once one of the leading retailers in Australia, Myer has been on a downward trajectory for a long time. Heritage, prestige and history count for nothing in the new retail environment, in the US, Bloomingdale’s has filed for bankruptcy protection along with Chicago based Sears.

So, what’s going on at Myer? You walk into their stores and you cannot find a sales assistant that can help you, if you do they are staff for another brand. It is difficult to locate sales staff, it is up to you to track them down. If you are able to track down a sales assistant, they will look into the computer system so ad to inform you they don’t hold this in this store, you will have to go to another store at another location if that is what you want.

I am told their inventory is all old, that I am unsure about as I don’t really know the latest fashion trends, nor would I want to sometimes. That being said, my customer service experience has been different. Recently I was in their store asking for something they did not stock, the sales assistant was using the computer to my locate retailers in the general area where I could purchase this item so I would never complain about their customer service.

The Omega Flightmaster for me built on a contradiction. Omega first produced the Speedmaster in 1957 for motor racing but quickly became the official timepiece of choice for pilots and astronauts. Introduced in 1969, the Flightmaster was squarely aimed at pilots, ironically the year Buzz Aldrin donned his Speedmaster over his spacesuit during his moonwalk. Neil Armstrong was rumoured to have left his Speedmaster in the lunar module as the mission timer failed.

The iconic case is large, enormously large for the late 60s and early 70s but was designed to be legible to pilots under all conditions. The case design is unusual insofar as it is machined from a single block of stainless steel that is pressed and tempered for maximum strength. Unusually, the large case does not have exposed lugs instead opting for hidden lugs to form an elliptical shape to fit the contour of the wrist. An enclosed movable bezel, seven hands and five dials allows the pilot to set the chronograph.

The dial is set by colour coded auxiliary crowns on the left and pushers on the right controlling the chronograph and rotating bezel making the Flightmaster a GMT. Interestingly, the calibre 910 is based on the legendary Lemania manufactured calibre 861 movement as found in the Speedmaster. For my views, the Flightmaster is very much late 60s and early 70s style and whilst I like retro, I don’t think the Flightmaster is the style for me. The classic  styled Speedmaster remained the timepiece of choice for aviators despite being specifically designed for flight.

How good is Buzz Aldrin? Not only is Buzz a highly credentialed MIT graduate in astronautics, Aldrin is also a mechanical engineer and fighter pilot downing two Migs in the Korean war. His right is pretty decent for an old guy.

Calling Aldrin a thief, liar and coward – Sibrel demanded Buzz swear on the bible. Instead, 72 year old Aldrin reacted by punching Sibrel in the jaw. It could be claimed Sibrel is the liar, he was the one who lured Aldrin to the Beverly Hills hotel on the pretext of a Japanese TV interview – he got exactly what he deserved.

Perth used to have a local butcher in every suburb, maybe a couple of independent butcher shops in each area until about the early 1980s when the large supermarket chains forced them out of business.

We are now seeing a revival of the independent Butcher, at the very least, the supermarkets are being forced to lift their game and provide better options. Consumers are demanding more choice, better quality, a more extensive range and higher levels of service. With more competition, the supermarkets are under pressure to meet consumer expectations and are investing heavily to maintain market share. Forgetting about the convenience of purchasing all their goods from a single retailer, consumers are avoiding the large shopping centers for more frequent smaller purchases.

No longer are consumers engaging in large weekly shopping habits, they now quickly drop down the local shops for small purchases on the way home from work. They want fresh and healthy and shops providing pre-prepared ingredients are winning back consumers. This is where the local butcher is able to gain business, excellent cuts of meat, pre-prepared and marinated options that are ready to cook are gaining customers. Fast to react, quality products and personal service are making a comeback – great news.

I was sitting in a vehicle driving from Ubud to Kuta with Simon and his wife Sophie discussing current projects and future work, Simon was due in the recording studio to convert one of his publications into an audio book when one of his earlier works became a topic of discussion.

I have hard copies of a number of his books and asked why Scuba Physiological was not available in hard copy; for me, the answer was intriguing. Initially, the book was written by scientists and based on their research into decompression theory. As scientists, they had written their publication based on their scientific principles and publishing requirements.

For anyone who has been required to read through a scientific publication, usually due to study knows these publications can be very arduous. Although technically correct, working through the calculations, formatting style and descriptions might not officially be classified as torture by the Geneva Convention, it is closer than one thinks.

As was explained to me by Simon, he was discussing dive publishing with co-authors Professor Costantino Balestra and Dr. Peter Germonpre who was a little miffed as to why the book was a poor seller. He requested Simon take a look at it for him and Simon came up with a number of poignant observations In essence, whilst the research was sound and the findings no doubt valid but the book was just unreadable for anyone who isn’t a scientist.

As Simon was asked to critique the book as to determine why it was not selling, he not only came up with a bunch of issues, he also offered a solution. As a technical diving instructor, he found the work important as peer reviewed decompression theory is imperative for technical diving, he felt this research should be brought to a wider audience.

There were issues though, this book already had a publisher and there are naturally copyright issues. Simon’s solution was simple, he would simply take the existing publication, reorganise and restructure along with rewriting in a manner that the layperson would understand so now we have a research based book that is readable.

So, the image of Winnie the Pooh is banned in China, the CCP, that’s the Chinese Communist Party adamant that mocking President Xi Jinping is not funny – I, along with many others disagree.

The resemblance is uncanny, when Obama met with Xi Jinping in 2013, the censors ensured this image was removed from Chinese consumers. The Great Firewall of China swung into action and banned these funny portrayals of Xi Jinping and Barack Obama in 2013 when Xi Jinping visited the US. Whilst the CCP complain that this is a serious effort to undermine the President and the dignity of Xi Jinping, they will work out that the more you ban it, the more we will share it.

The visit of Xi Jinping to Manila in 2018 sparked the ire of Filipinos, they resent the CCP ignoring the 2016 International Tribunal ruling in The Hague for their island claims in the South China Sea. They further invoke international condemnation by pursuing militarisation of the islands.

Significantly, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is displaying a lack of leadership by not questioning Xi Jinping and their intentions – submitting to CCP rule is nothing but weakness by Duterte.

I have a training book ready for publishing and I am working on my next training book, although that has stalled somewhat.

I am busy compiling trainee workbooks for my actual employment, that takes mental exertion and I come home in the evening and the words just don’t flow. I am physically and mentally tired and I find it difficult to write fluently. I am not writing posts either, I lack the external stimulation and influences. As soon as I leave site, the ideas will flow and I am busy coming up with new ideas. This is even though I have a long list of topics to write about, I just can’t do it. I don’t think it is solely connected to being tired, the 4 am rise isn’t the only factor that wears me out.

So, my first training book will be published independently, based on author friends I have a publisher identified so I just have to get the draft to them. That is already completed, this will be the next book in the series addressing different issues on setting up an enterprise based training system from an engineering perspective. So my book is compiled slowly, whilst I know the material, I am struggling somewhat, but I am fine with that. It takes time, I need to get a move on at some stage, there is no external pressure, it is all internal.

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked worldwide protests, this is all bullshit of course, insofar as this is an American internal issue based on the actions of their police force. Should the police officers involved be charged with murder? The video footage was very clear, Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck leading to his death – this was disgusting.

Jaylen Dimer is seen at the BLM march in Perth, he is protesting black lives matter but let’s take a closer look at Jaylen’s actions. Outside the Paramount nightclub in Perth, nightclub manager stepped outside at around 4.30 am to grab a kebab before he was attacked by Jaylen Dimer with a coward punch.

A coward punch, once known as a king hit is a punch thrown at an unsuspecting person who is not looking. Giuseppe Raco was knocked unconscious by coward Jaylen Dimer by the coward’s punch, he struck his head on the footpath and died a couple of days later in hospital whilst on life support. He is survived by his five month pregnant wife and two year old daughter.

The charges against Jaylen Dimer have been upgraded from grievous bodily harm to assault causing death, this charge carries a potential 10 year sentence. He remains remanded in custody but one asks, is this enough? You throw a coward’s punch with the sole intention of knocking that person unconscious, this could and should be attempted murder.

It is likely Jaylen Dimer won’t serve the full sentence, the law was brought in to curb the rise in one punch attacks. According to the preamble, these are characterised by the victim and perpetrator not being acquainted and the attack unprovoked. The prosecution previously had trouble proving manslaughter due to the nature of the law so new laws were enacted related to the public outcry.

So Jaylen Dimer attended a black lives matter rally in Perth, but the life of Giuseppe Raco mattered little to him. The police need to step up their presence in the nightclub district, they need to come down hard on these thugs who act in an anti-social manner. These people who attended the BLM rally are no doubt annoyed by the police presence curtailing the criminal behaviour.

Well, the issue is, stop acting like arseholes and the police will leave you alone. It is difficult to claim you are being singled out when you act in a criminal manner. The police have come out and stated that they will increase their presence in the entertainment precinct where drugs, alcohol and violence are almost accepted.

The police have stated they will be targeting trouble-makers so be warned, stop crying about being targeted – stop acting like an arsehole and you will no longer be targeted. You can carry on at a rally, if  you are a loser who acts as a thug, then you will come under increased attention of the police and you get everything you deserve.