Don Knowles
@dxk.bsky.social
SciFi fan, Amateur Photographer, Motorcyclist, Atheist, Republic for Australia! @DonXK on the blue bird site.
created August 14, 2023
355 followers 192 following 623 posts
view profile on Bluesky Posts
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I've been sitting here for 20 minutes, struggling for a way to express my own outrage that you have suffered such an attack. A soulless scumbag has invested time & energy to send such vile poison, and no doubt, thinks he/she is clever. I hope you attain maximum satisfaction against that person!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I've already posted this, but since it suits your experience it bears repeating: on the weekend, I went to the coast for some photography. On the way I saw a flashing LED sign that said ROAD WORKS AHEAD IGNORE GPS
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Don't let them spoil your fun!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
We've got bushfire burnoff in the Berserker Ranges. This is a phone photo from the north end of Kemp Beach near Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia, showing the smoke rising until flattened by the westerly wind. The plume extends beyond the Keppel Islands. ##photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
In my continuing series of experiments with wide-angle photography: A water runnel in sand, plus rocks, shadowed by late afternoon sun. Let's play "spot the bare foot print"! #photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Squeezing her way out of her skinny genes. π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Too true! She is adept at raising them ... π€
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Apparently not: last seen going to Virginia for golf. Does not look well ... but maybe just less layers of ochre glaze than usual.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
A spectacular froggo! Is it in your garden? Or, are you travelling again?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
My fun day at the beach included some more experiments with the ultra-wide angle lens. This is a view of the harbour side cliff face showing the basalt columns of Double Head at Rosslyn Bay near Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia. #photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
One day I found two leaves on a twig sitting beside my driveway. I thought it looked odd, so I bent down to pick it up ... it was growing there. I swapped it for a weed in the middle of the garden, then mowed the weed. The gum tree is now well above the roof, with a friend rescued from a gutter.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I went to the beach for some photography, but now I'm home I'm catching up fast! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Don't hold your breath, they've probably got a dozen clones stashed somewhere ... πΉ
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I've just spent a few hours at the coast, a bit of photography, a bit of exercise & sunshine. On another note, there was a flashing LED sign on the way there, announcing: ROAD WORKS AHEAD IGNORE GPS No, sorry, I didn't stop to take a photo! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the crocs here know how to "skin" a swag off ... π΅βπ«
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Yes, we still have crocs, including above the barrage which is where the Olympic rowing is set to take place. The camera is a Nikon D3100. I call it "older" because I've had it longer than the Nikon P1000 that I used for most of the photos I've posted.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
The Himalayan Pink Salt fad is weird: I remember a documentary in which they showed people with disabilities in Tibet (?) caused by the use of the pink salt. The problem was not the salt per se, but the fact that there was no iodine in it. Iodine added deliberately and it was all good!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Revelling in the sunbeam! ... with a side of belly trap.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I bought a 14mm Wide lens a year or so ago, but only recently started experimenting with it. I still have a lot to learn about it. It never occurred to me to try a night sky photo! This is one of the experiments: #photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Wow, Monty must be really tired: no belly trap, draped over the edge of the sofa. π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Would labelling it as something like "literature" or "novel" be enough to get it past the "obscene" tag applied to "book"?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I own an EV. I am of the view that I already pay a "road user charge": registration. #auspol #EV
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
As an owner of an EV, I thought I was already paying a "road use charge": isn't that what "registration" is defined as? Otherwise, obtaining a number plate would be a "one-off" fee.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I used to make a fried rice that took about 3 hours prep (O.K., I'm a bit slow) and ten minutes to cook ... haven't done it lately, but the family loved it. O.T.O.H., maybe they saw something in my eyes when I served it up.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
And just how are you supposed to hit a pea sized target from that far away? π€¬
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
It's your animal magnetism, affecting everything! πΉ
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
I've been experimenting with an ultra-wide lens for an older camera that I bought some time ago. I'm trying to work out how to best make use of it. Let me know what you think of my "signs of civilization". #photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Did they invite the lettuce too? Or is it doing something worthwhile, like participating in a salad sandwich? π₯¬
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
That looks a little loopy, even to me (non-sewer). π€ͺ
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I understand completely. But ... I am also getting bored with the constant repetition of outrage that spirals around his every word and action. I sometimes wonder: if everyone stopped paying attention, stopped talking about him, would that tiny, tiny, half-blown ego just implode?! π€¬
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I would say that even something as simple as "safe to flush because it will dissolve" is beyond the mental ... I wanted to say "capacity" but it's more to do with the willingness of people to even attempt logical thinking. Thinking logically is hard, too many people look for any excuse to not bother
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I think it was the ACCC that took the manufacturers to court, here in Australia, but lost: apparently "flushable" is legally allowed to be used on the packaging. Perhaps they'd get the point if a couple of packets of wipes were shoved in their toilets, to see how flushable they really are? π΅βπ«
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Glad to hear you so chirpy! As for a name, perversely, how about "Smith" or "Brown" or "Green": common names are easy, but rarely used.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I too have always spelled it with a "c" but dictionary[dot]com says "s". I wondered if the "s" version is American, "c" in "English English"?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
Just for a change of pace, a photo from my phone of Venus and Jupiter (faintly) taken this morning #photography:
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Oh No! I'm not falling for that one! ... and g'day! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Get well, soonest! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Finn & Vanilla: Never mind the philosophical stuff, get scritching!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
My "stellar career" in the Qld Public Service encompassed rubber stamps and biros to make entries in dusty old register books, up to partial, and eventually full computerisation of the process of registering land transactions. Born 1956. Do I feel old? You betcha!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I had the same weird sensation when my GP sent me for arterial & venous ultrasounds on my legs. I didn't know I could be so loud! π₯
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
The sheep will love so much tree fodder! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
But think how brightly it would shine, once a month ... π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Yes, but wouldn't more moonglow be a good thing?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Is it bait for a different trap? Perhaps he has lost interest in the "belly trap" and is trying variations?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm with you on that one! When I was made redundant by dear old Campbell, I subsequently volunteered at the library to teach people various things like "How to Use MS Windows". Imagine my horror when they put the course on at 9 a.m. Mondays!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
A double rainbow, no less. Magnificent!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
Another photo of a cormorant or darter, taken at Woolwash Lagoon, Rockhampton. It was on the near shore of the lagoon so I didn't even need my long lens! The sunshine is showing clearly the striped feathers near the base of it's wings. #photography #nativebird
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
It might be a cheap lens, but you're nailing those shots!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
You could always have offered them a nice juicy beef wellington ... not that they would have understood! π€
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
After the Banking Royal Commission I received a refund of all the insurance premiums I'd paid for a term life policy. I was offered the policy, and cheerfully accepted it, when I was taking out a mortgage from CBA to protect my wife from losing the house. Totally unexpected.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
"You said I'm not allowed to play with my food, Mum!"
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
2/ ... a junior nurse was trying to encourage Mum to breast feed me, which was a bit difficult because she was stoned and I was "sleeping like a baby" *cough* stoned out of my tiny new-born mind too. Explains a lot about me! π€ͺ
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
My Mum told me I was born on a Friday, which happened to coincide with a hot & heavy weekend away that had been planned by the doctor & chief nurse of the small country hospital I was born in. They gave her a huge dose of (probably) morphine to "help the process along". After my birth .../2
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
G'day Rob! Is that what they mean when they talk about "manna from heaven"? πΆβπ«οΈ
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I think a couple of key phrases in the article point to the cause: "selective" means many people now do not feel the societal pressure to marry. Since the '50s or early '60s the "shame" of bearing a child "out of wedlock" has disappeared.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I often wander off to other social media, mostly because the hard-hitting news & politics that I see has migrated here. The other ones have only got pictures & pleasant stories left, at least in the people I follow there. A little light relief from the serious stuff! π΅βπ«
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
This all sounds like a "me me" in the making: what else could we come up with? π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
As you say, so many people seek validation of their views on social media. To me, social media includes choice, if I don't want to comment on something I scroll past. If I didn't enjoy it, I'd be gone. Those people seem to be frightened of being deemed irrelevant or being condemned for their views.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Yup! Thar she blows!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
Not a bird! I went hunting fog photos early, and got this shot of the Moon surrounded, not by a halo, but fuzzy with fog. #photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Not an office phone, but I had to explain to my son that unless a certain person was on the other end, when the landline phone rings, it's a scam call. That one person who still rings the landline had to use her mobile recently because her landline wasn't working. π€
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Years ago, we had kids coming to the door every 6 months, always using the exact same spiel to sell encyclopaedias. I learnt the wording so well, I knew who they were before they got out more than 3 words. Later there was a court case against the "contractor" taking advantage of their naivete.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Can't answer, mouth is full!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
All Hail! The Cormorant, King of the Log, has arrived. Worship Me ... if you will. Another of the denizens of Yeppen Lagoon, Rockhampton, Australia. #photography #nativebird
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I hope you're feeling a whole lot better real soon! Say "Hi!" to April and Schnitzel for me, please. π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Would that be a "meta rabbit hole"?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
Reposted to hook it into my own profile: love the song!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
More of the native bird life on Yeppen Lagoon, Rockhampton, Australia. This one is a cormorant or possibly a (similar) darter, resting on a stump in the middle of the lagoon and enjoying some afternoon sun. #photography #nativebird
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I know the feeling! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I've said a few times before, it's the wrong way round: it should be a 2 day working week, a 5 day weekend and triple the pay so we can afford all that recreational activity. π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
The classic example of that is a kingfisher sitting on a "No Fishing" sign. No, my fine feathered friend, you can do as you like! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
3 native ducks all in a row on Yeppen Lagoon, Rockhampton, Australia. I didn't have to bribe them or anything! #photography #nativebirds
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Always nice to make new friends!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
She's an Anatolian Shepherd (i.e. from Turkiye). Normally won't set foot in the house, she spends the night in the paddock guarding the sheep. They were bred to fight off wolves, so a mere fox does not stand a chance if she catches it!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
This photo was taken across the Woolwash (lagoon) on Port Curtis Road (the old highway) just out of Rockhampton. I think it's a wedgetail eagle, perched in a lookout tree popular with local birds. #photography #bird
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Usually such cheap offers are for outdated versions, no longer supported by M/Soft. They are also often the "professional" version, for which generic keys are available, but might get you an accusation of "piracy", although they don't seem to pursue it with much vigour these days.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
On the bright side: at least you have hair! π Seriously, looks nice ... but can you trust AI?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
In all the time I've dealt with CentreLink/MyGov, I've found either the website or an in person visit to be the best bet. Phone calls always seem to stretch intolerably. Granted, there's an office "just down the road" from my place, but "in person" seems to get the best results.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Too right! When you first mentioned it Ian, I asked my doctor and she wrote instructions on the spot. I got a reminder for the 2nd follow up shot from the clinic. All good!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Tsk, cruelty to animals: what did the big black dog do to deserve such a fate?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Quadrophenia? Quad-stereo? It doubled up on the usual stereo for 4 channels. I vaguely recall my parents spending a huge amount on a record player/radio, and Dad sitting revelling in surround sound bagpipes on LP. π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Roll on the weekend ... ! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
BRR! My son broke an ancient tap handle in the bathroom a while ago, the good thing to come out of it is that I can now wash my hands in warm water: luxury! Cold showers are not for me! π₯Ά
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I've stopped clicking on a lot of links, not because I'm frightened by "You've read ..." but because I figure it's fair enough that a lot of them want you to subscribe. OTOH, with my bank account hitting single digits before a pension payment arrives every fortnight, I'm not subscribing to anything.
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
My "doom scrolling" has become "zippy scrolling" ... faster, faster, don't look!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
A giant moth has taken up the residence in my home. It is itself slightly moth-eaten. #photography
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
That would surely rate as "false and misleading advertising"!?
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
More like: Those people want to talk common-sense to me, I'm not having that!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm in the same position with USB drives! I can see 3 USB hard drives in my immediate line of sight, one of which is covered in dust. There are a few USB sticks in every tub or crate in the house. π
bazzlecat.bsky.social (@bazzlecat.bsky.social) reposted
Reposting this for the next 24 hours. Happy Barack Obama Day!
Kent Parkstreet, Laird of Doofus (@kentparkskeet.bsky.social) reposted
"Aukus will be shown for what it always has been: a deal hurriedly scribbled on the back of an envelope by Scott Morrison, along with the vacuous British blowhard Boris Johnson and the confused President Joe Biden." Paul Keating Via BBC News Yet our inane Labor government is all in. #AusPol
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Spectacular!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
I was once poking around the shelves in a 2nd hand book shop, and found a trilogy I recognised, widely separated, which I then took to the people on the counter. When I advised them it was a trilogy, they were surprised. I didn't buy it, I already had it!
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social)
I couldn't see any strawberries, but then my phone is a bit fuzzy at 100x zoom! #photography #fullmoon
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
It seems that, although you said nothing for ten years, you must have said it very well! π
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Living as I do in the supposed "Beef Capital" of Australia, I regularly hear people saying that the best goes overseas, and we get the rest. I'm not about to accept something even worse! π₯©
Antony Green (@antonygreenelec.bsky.social) reposted
Four graphs that help explain Labor's landslide victory as well as the continuing decline in major party support. antonygreen.com.au/fed2025-four...
Don Knowles (@dxk.bsky.social) reply parent
Greetings and Salutations! O.K. that was probably a bit overblown ... but what the heck!? π€ͺ
Aeryn (@chaoskirin.art) reposted
If you updated to Android Galaxy One UI 7 and found that your battery is draining at an alarming rate, it's because of the Gemini AI. Here's how to disable it. It's pretty easy, but there's a few steps. Oh, and please share this post. I haven't seen any instructions for this... 1/4