Adventure Ausrama Blog

Technology: It is surprising how people and government bodies live with a problem for decades when the answer is in front of their noses. Quite frequently rescue helicopter crash into the sea. There is usually a "ho-hum" - another helicopter has fallen from the sky. Helicopters that can take off and land in the sea have been around for years. It is old technology. Obviously rescue organizations could have used them. However, they seem to feel that it best to reinvent the wheel. They plan to modify existing helicopters. A self-inflating buoyancy balloon will be attached to standard helicopters. When a sensor detects water, automatic inflation will occur. Australian defence is throwing $4 million at the project. Marise Payne the Defence Minister is lauding it, saying "this is a fabulous innovation, by Australian minds, Australian brains, Australian workers...."  Let us hope it is not just a silly idea! ◆ Technology by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Adventur...

We hear from many sources that the cashless society will be here "next week". Apart from Singapore which is very close to its taxation office getting everything legislation permits, other countries are a long way from it. Australians still have cash in their pockets purely because shops are not investing in appropriate technology. A test was done with "equipment" provided by Westpac. The bank app had Mastercard debit and Visa credit cards linked to it. At the first coffee shop the fast pay worked via the Mastercard. The second payment using the linked Visa showed only $1 for a $24.95 bill. Linked Mastercard solved the problem. Another payment made at the next shop worked with Visa. Shop owners and assistants for the most part had not experienced immediate payment yet and certainly did not have the new technology. Westpac will go ahead and launch its payment app whether shops are ready or not. Terminals will be set up across the country. It does...