Consider ultralights.

I am in the process at the moment of converting my GA time over to an aussie UL qualification. The big advantage aside from lower flight costs is no stupid expensive medicals.

In Australia you have a "light sports" category that lets you fly aircraft up to 600 kg. I am currently doing my conversion (5 hours solo required) on one of these:

http://www.australianflying.com.au/i...-J230D_sc1.gif

Similar weight to a Cessna 152 but slightly more powerful so not a bad performer.

Steam is the very last option to me. Not that I wouldn't like the ease of use, the ease of online shopping and playing... But I hate how you cannot turn off the automatic updates and how it doesnt even tell you its going to download, or downloading right now, something. If those DAILY apparently 20-30mb patches arent vital and why would they be, for Steam's functioning, why the heck cant they be downloaded whenever the user wants to?

This is especially annoying, as the bandwidth usage is not just random, but also happens when I'm playing a Steam game. I don't have an 8mb/s connection and I'm not going to get one any soon, so the way Steam currently works, its not an option.

You can turn off the automatic updates for games. It does tell you when it's downloading, but doesn't announce it will begin to, as you've left the option for automatic updates checked. Thus, it happens automatically. If you want to do it as and when you choose, turn off automatic updates.

Steam doesn't announce its own updates, this is true. Nor does it allow them to be optional. Why? Because they're very often anti-exploitation patches. Makes perfect sense to me.

Considering pretty much everything you said is wrong you've either never used steam or didn't bother to change your settings. Either way good job spreading false information about a program you're ignorant about. Not nearly enough of that happening around here :rolleyes:

I use Steam to play Red Orchestra and its mods several times a week. Last Saturday I couldnt, because the Steam kept using 95% of available download bandwidth despite the game being open. There is no option to stop automatic updates.

EDIT: I know that you can stop automatic updates for GAMES, but not the Steam itself. My Steam Client wants to update itself about twice a week, of course not telling me when its doing that, how much it has to download or how much there is left. Half of it is probably spyware and commercials.

EDIT2: it actually doesnt even tell what its downloading. Game updates it is not, those are turned off.

So one day you had trouble with steam so it is spyware and commercials? Because last Saturday Steam supposedly used all your bandwidth it's a malicious program. If you have trouble with small updates that occur maybe once or twice a week you shouldn't be online anyway. Or, could it be that the problem you were having was an anomaly? If you can play multiplayer games online, you can update steam with no problem. All the times I've seen hyperlobby down and you whine about problems with Steam ONE SATURDAY.

One Saturday? I gave an example. Happens on average once a week, probably because I dont have Steam open every time I have computer open, mostly exactly because of its tendency to use use all the bandwidth for hours. Keeping it offline I at least know when that is going to happen...

If I'd consider it malware I wouldnt use it, let alone give it my credit card info. You missed the joke. :grin:

Edit, HL down, when last, for how long? ;)

I already explained why that happens to you and everyone else.

And that is why I have the Steam offline now, and why with my current connection it will not be an option for il2:cod multiplayer...

Well, cheerio then! Thanks for posting in the goodbye thread. I'm sorry you won't come with us, as we probably have many fine years of CoD and its corresponding expansions ahead, but I admire your strength of character in refusing to compromise your position.