Have the Australian government gone full retard?

[langwadt]

https://theconversation.com/new-defence-trade-controls-threaten-academic-freedom-and-the-economy-55310

the list of things on the list: https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2010L01084

>40MHz MCU, 14bit >2.5MHz sample rate ADC, >133MHz FPGA

[AntiProtonBoy]

Don't get me started. The current government right now is an absolute disgrace on many fronts. I dare say, borderline criminal.

[Rerouter]

from reading over all of that, that refers to prohibiting the export of, not import,

But by god some of the stuff in that listing, its mundane, all the way down to certain alloys.

[coppice]

https://theconversation.com/new-defence-trade-controls-threaten-academic-freedom-and-the-economy-55310

the list of things on the list: https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2010L01084

>40MHz MCU, 14bit >2.5MHz sample rate ADC, >133MHz FPGA

That document is dated 2010. The limits still look low, but not quite as low as they seem today.

[VK3DRB]

Just remember the vicious law the wankers imposed against journalists, social workers or medical staff who dare speak out about the abuse going on with the prisoners at Nauru. The politicians are simply too scared or gutless to act out their threats because it knows it will be the end of them if they dare try it.

Maybe John Faulkner probably had little comprehension of what was in the Defence and Strategic Goods List Amendment 2010. Most politicians are not even up to the level of a high school student with regards to technology .

[daqq]

Looks reasonable assuming it's 1975.

[dannyf]

Being retarded is the natural state of any government.

You should be surprised if your government isn't retarded.

[Cerebus]

Being retarded is the natural state of any government.

You should be surprised if your government isn't retarded.

I think in Aus it's regarded as mandatory. Some good number of years ago an Aus friend of mine said that the Aus government always waited until a law had been tried and conspicuously proven to be broken in the USA or UK before proposing it as Australian law. From what I've seen of Aussie politics from a distance in the years since it looks like this isn't the cynical joke it sounded like but instead quite an accurate assessment. In recent years the Canadians seem to have been doing the same thing. It completely buggers me because I always had Aus and Canada top of my list of places to run to if the government here in the UK turned full fascist - which if you look at the investigatory powers bill now before parliament it looks like they are trying to. Perhaps it's time to learn to speak Dutch.

[HAL-42b]

Being retarded is the natural state of any government.

You should be surprised if your government isn't retarded.

Act retarded - get away with shit. Good strategy for any government.

[Chris Jones]

If the http://www.pocketnc.com/ were made in Australia, it would be controlled under 2B001b2 and imagine the practicality of applying for an export licence for each crowdfunding backer! The US has similar rules (sometimes sillier, sometimes better) so perhaps that is why the pocketnc is presently only available for delivery in the USA. For a US company, that would be annoying but tolerable as at least they have a large enough domestic market to be viable. For an Australian company it would be fatal. So if you want to start a technology company, Australia is not the place for you to live.

Probably these rules are not enforced anyway - unless you forget to make your political party donation, or criticise someone well-connected.

[wraper]

The most stupid fact is that you are not even allowed to work with these technologies abroad if you are Australian. IMO they should kill themselves for the stupidity. According to that law, basically if you are Australian, you should become a farmer. Otherwise they can put you for up to 10 years into jail  .

[wraper]

                   a.     Recording equipment as follows and specially designed test tape therefor:
 
                           1.    Analogue instrumentation magnetic tape recorders, including those permitting the recording of digital signals (e.g. using a high density digital recording (HDDR) module), having any of the following:
                                  a.     A bandwidth exceeding 4 MHz per electronic channel or track;
                                  b.     A bandwidth exceeding 2 MHz per electronic channel or track and having more than 42 tracks; or
 
                                  c.     A time displacement (base) error, measured in accordance with applicable IRIG or EIA documents, of less than ± 0.1 µs;

10 years in prison for selling a videocassette recorder from dumpster.

[wkb]

Being retarded is the natural state of any government.

You should be surprised if your government isn't retarded.

I think in Aus it's regarded as mandatory. Some good number of years ago an Aus friend of mine said that the Aus government always waited until a law had been tried and conspicuously proven to be broken in the USA or UK before proposing it as Australian law. From what I've seen of Aussie politics from a distance in the years since it looks like this isn't the cynical joke it sounded like but instead quite an accurate assessment. In recent years the Canadians seem to have been doing the same thing. It completely buggers me because I always had Aus and Canada top of my list of places to run to if the government here in the UK turned full fascist - which if you look at the investigatory powers bill now before parliament it looks like they are trying to. Perhaps it's time to learn to speak Dutch.

Heh.. most of the Dutch speak English anyway so that would not be blocking you.

[zapta]

These our powers that were delegated by the legislature to the bureaucrats which can now ban virtually whatever they fancy and have more and more control over your life. We have the same problem here.

[Chris Jones]

from reading over all of that, that refers to prohibiting the export of, not import,

Yes, and also the export of ideas and designs is controlled. Basically they don't want anyone in Australia manufacturing or designing any technology that will be sold overseas, and will punish them with infinite paperwork if they try. You are supposed to move overseas and renounce your citizenship first, if you want to work in high-tech industries that are globally competitive. Australia will fix its budget problems by only importing and never exporting technology - that's how the "ideas boom" works, isn't it?

[Cerebus]

Heh.. most of the Dutch speak English anyway so that would not be blocking you.

Yes, but it would be polite if I was planning on living there.

I make a point before visiting anywhere where English isn't the first language to at least learn the very basics of the local language. You know, the equivalents for yes, no, please, thank-you, good morning, good bye, can I please have N beers - that sort of thing. If I do that in France and Germany I get a reply in French or German - in Holland I get a reply in English.

[Tom45]

I wonder how many of Dave's videos violate some provision of this law.

[Chris Jones]

                   a.     Recording equipment as follows and specially designed test tape therefor:
 
                           1.    Analogue instrumentation magnetic tape recorders, including those permitting the recording of digital signals (e.g. using a high density digital recording (HDDR) module), having any of the following:
                                  a.     A bandwidth exceeding 4 MHz per electronic channel or track;
                                  b.     A bandwidth exceeding 2 MHz per electronic channel or track and having more than 42 tracks; or
 
                                  c.     A time displacement (base) error, measured in accordance with applicable IRIG or EIA documents, of less than ± 0.1 µs;

10 years in prison for selling a videocassette recorder from dumpster.

Well the next sentence says basically "except civilian video recorders".
On the other hand it would be not a great stretch of the imagination to see how a hifi system from a dumpster could be made into 3A225 using the audio output jack of a phone with an app, or a CD with certain things recorded on it. I won't tell you how to do it because we'd need to get a licence first! On the other hand unless you're as thick as the people who wrote that list, you wouldn't even need to ask.

[AntiProtonBoy]

I wonder how many of Dave's videos violate some provision of this law.

Probably none, as prior art items are not included in this law.

[ndunnett]

I may be young, but I can't remember a time that our government hasn't been running at full retard.

[donotdespisethesnake]

If Aus government is retarded, so is USA. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12587

Can't have those terrorists getting hold of a little Arduino!

[KJDS]

Heh.. most of the Dutch speak English anyway so that would not be blocking you.

Yes, but it would be polite if I was planning on living there.

I make a point before visiting anywhere where English isn't the first language to at least learn the very basics of the local language. You know, the equivalents for yes, no, please, thank-you, good morning, good bye, can I please have N beers - that sort of thing. If I do that in France and Germany I get a reply in French or German - in Holland I get a reply in English.

I spent 18 months living and working in the Netherlands. I worked at a company where English was the first language. I did learn the basics but whenever I tried practicing any Dutch, the locals were always far more interested in practicing their English.

As far as governments being retards, it's the natural order of the day with rare exceptions.

[coppice]

I spent 18 months living and working in the Netherlands. I worked at a company where English was the first language. I did learn the basics but whenever I tried practicing any Dutch, the locals were always far more interested in practicing their English.

English speakers I've known who learned to speak Dutch had to live in the Netherlands countryside to be able to get anyone to practice with them.

[SeanB]

they are being polite with your poor Dutch. Just do what I used to do, and have a conversation in 2 languages. Saved me wincing at the mangled English and I often could express an idea better in English, while the reply would come back in another language, and we both learned.