RobiNZ Personal Blog

MySKY HDi, a crappy stupid "Flash" website

All I wanted to know was how much SKY Television's new HD set top box costs.

That meant waiting ages, and this is with broadband so God help dialup users, for the flash based site to load. Then I had to listen to some stupid receptionist prattle on about nothing, at one stage even telling me “Don’t forget, you have to click stuff”, while trying to find anything that looked like a “Price” link.

This is on a site that has no mention of pricing until you click on “Get MySKY HDi”. I don’t want to get it, I just want to know how much it is!

God forbid if you want any other info as clicking a link triggers yet more prattle from the receptionist, vaguely related to the feature, then asks the question “Would you like to learn a bit more about it?”. Well that’s why I clicked on the bloody link in the first place!

Oh, if you want to know I eventually clicked “Get MySKY HDi” and it’s a one off $599 joining fee or $49 installation fee plus $15 per month for the rest of eternity (about how long the damn site takes to load).

I then clicked “Close” on a website that did nothing to make me want “MySky Hdi”.

Who designed this crap?

NotMySKY HDi - SKY Television's crap website about their new HD set top box.

John Walker vs Apple/iTunes

AutoCAD pioneer John Walker isn’t very impressed with Apple’s latest video venture. I’m not an ipod owner, nor likely to be…

Apple/iTunes: Tiberius Time (Fourmilog: None Dare Call It Reason)
Sure, Steve, force us to discard our investment in your gadget, mute all the video content we've paid for from your online store, and then expect us to spend more money on your products? Yeah, that's gonna work…

What do TV adverts say to me?

I’m sure fortunes are spent by experts in the mind control they call “Marketing” and “Branding” but you wonder about the message they are trying to convey. Here’s what I get from watching them*:

• Toyota Corolla Lost Key – Man looses car key resulting in a massive national search to find it. He then sits down and realises it has been in his back pocket the whole time.
  • Toyota think Corolla drivers are stupid. If you’re stupid buy a Corolla
• New World Supermarket Woman – She buzzes around the supermarket getting stuff, forgetting stuff, leaving shoes in aisle, holding up other customers but looks great, and smiles happily, while doing it.
  • Unless you want to get stuck behind an stupid inconsiderate, but attractive, woman, don’t shop at New World.
• Suzuki Swift “Hitchhikers” – Sexy girls trying thumbing a lift but reject several offers until “Mr Cool” comes along in his Swift. Cut to him standing by the road with a “Help” sign while the women drive around town in his car.
  • Suzuki Swifts are driven by thieving tarts.
• Mercedes Benz “Love the road” – Stunning shots of a Mercedes on New Zealand roads with smooth music
  • Awesome attempt to do something about the Mercedes “Fat belly Business Man” or “Up-market retirement carriage” image. Someone at Merc actually likes driving for more than just transport. They should be appointed head of the Land Transport Safety Authority
• Fiat Auto – No, I haven’t seen an advert either!
  • Selling a few hundred cars per year can’t support a TV budget which leads to….
• Saab – Saab is driven through dramatic scenery with the emphasis on performance and style.
  • Nice ad but they only sold 302 last year, what’s paying for a TV campaign?
• The Warehouse – All the ad’s (Disclosure, I do work for them)
  • Hasn’t Oliver Driver (Voice Talent) got enough jobs already?
• Aston Martin and Audi A7 – Not brand adverts but their appearance in Big Wednesday Lottery Commission ads
  • How does “they give them away” help Aston Martin’s image? It’s another reason to prefer Ferrari
  • The Audi A7 now seems cheap in addition to stupidly large, ugly and pointless.

But then, I know nothing about advertising. I’m just a consumer!

* I usually record and blitz the ads from anything I really want to see but sometimes, news, you cant avoid them.

Boy racer (?) chases F1 dream

In New Zealand the term “Boy Racer” is associated with jerks that drive high powered road cars on public roads, badly, so I think Stuff have “stuffed up” using it in this context. Brendon Hartley is a racer, some may consider him a boy (I don’t), but he’s no “Boy Racer”.

What he’s doing and what he is capable of achieving is amazing. I hope he gets to Formula One but doubt New Zealand’s ball sport fixated media will be capable reporting it.

Boy racer chases F1 dream - Stuff.co.nz

A Palmerston North teenager is receiving millions of dollars of backing in his quest for motor racing's ultimate prize.
Brendon Hartley may as well have been born in a racing car…

Tags: Brendon+Hartley

Penn Says

Sony gave Penn Jillette a bunch of camcorders and the result is Penn Says… I miss his radio show, heard via podcast, but these gems fill some of the void. I’ve Subscribed!

Introduction to Penn Says

Real Life: Healer Or Hoaxer? Crap documentary or great advertorial?

I just watched “Real Life: Healer Or Hoaxer?” on TVNZ’s TV One. It was billed as an insight into the work of spiritual healer “John of God” (JoG) described in the show notes as: “a man who some call the most powerful spiritual healer since Jesus”. It claimed, in the previews, to ask the question: “Is John of God a miracle worker or a charlatan?”

John of God - Healer or Hoaxer – Top Shelf Productions
Healer or Hoaxer follows these human journeys from a balanced point of view, seeking to answer the question of whether John of God really is one of the world's most powerful spiritual healers, or whether he's just another trickster preying on the weak.

They followed three Kiwis who went to see "JoG" when he visited New Zealand, two of them later following him back to Brazil. As all were facing life threatening illness it’s impossible to criticise them but not the makers of this documentary. As an investigation into the value of Spiritual Healing it was a total waste of  time. There was no attempt to quantify the impact of his treatment beyond, understandable, subjective hopeful comments from the patients involved.

The only seemingly critical element were some insipid non-committal comments from a “scientist”, whose name I didn’t catch*, Mark Wilson (a pyschologist and behaviourist) who added little to the exercise. He offered vague explanations of what could be happening if the spiritual healing was working but no critique of the techniques used and their possible impacts. Sadly for those involved the result seemed to be no measurable physical improvement and certainly no miracle cures. The programme failed to challenge JoG or question the outcome.

THANK THE INTERNET, and YouTube, for allowing us to see James Randi’s analysis of a similar ABC sham documentary back in 2005. Since Randi is expert at exposing the physical tricks used JoG a quick Google search found the article and video below. It’s amazing how the local effort duplicated the lack of investigation seen in sham show which inspired Randi’s comments. He explains how JoG relies on carnival tricks and the natural, physical, responses to them to achieve his short term “cures”. It’s also amazing “Top Shelf” didn’t tackle the issues Randi raises or mention his extensive analysis in an hour, actually 44 minutes + adverts, of air time.

In short it was a crap "documentary" with little evidence of critical thinking and a brilliant "Advertorial" for a charlatan. What a waste of a good opportunity.

"John of God." - A JREF Special Analysis - February 18, 2005
Folks, the page previously prepared for this week's slot has been pre-empted so that I can present my observations — and some of those from the public — concerning the February 10th, 2005, showing of the American Broadcasting Company's "Primetime Live" program. It dealt with a man called "John of God" who works out of Brazil. This was a major show that could have been a useful, productive, and informative program, but failed to reach that standard. Read on…

Below: James Randi on John of God (aka João Teixeira, the miracle man and João de Deus) and criticizes the way the media portrays "psychics."

Real Life: Healer or Hoaxer – TV ONE | tvnz.co.nz
Wednesday January 9 at 9.30pm on TV ONE
Real Life features some of the more unusual and moving documentaries you'll ever see, covering people both little and large, facing the world with a different perspective.

* I didn’t record the program so cant check and there is no reference in the details on the program website. If you know leave a comment or email me using the sidebar link and I will update the post. Post amended 10/01/08

Gronholm & Loeb 0.3 seconds apart after 3 days of Rally NZ!

I was going to head to the Waikato chasing WRC Rally New Zealand but spending most of yesterday sorting out some other travel meant today was the only option. At best I would only see one or two stages and the Super Special at Hamilton. It’s a long haul and the “supers” are usually a bit boring, more publicity events than real rallying, so decided to stick to the TV coverage.

Well, wasn’t that a bad decision! It’s totally amazing that after 3 days of full on competition Marcus Gronholm and Sebastien Loeb entered the Super separated by just 0.7 seconds. At the end of that Gronholm emerged the victor just 0.3 seconds ahead!

Rally New Zealand is the best, biggest, and most important international sporting event held in this country in terms of local spectator and international media interest. Yes, I’d include the America’s Cup and Rugby World Cup because Rally New Zealand is annual, soon every two years, event.

So why does it struggle for sponsorship? Does the myopic “Rugby is the only sport” mentality extend to the boardroom of New Zealand’s major companies? In the commentary they mentioned it requires about three or four million to run and relies on three thousand, yes thousand, volunteers to stage. If the America’s Cup is worth thirty million, surely four million for the rally is a bargain.

Gronholm squeeks in to sets new standard - Stuff

Gronholm's tidy negotiation of the final 3.14km super special stage – the 18th and final stage of the 353km, three-day event through the Waikato – also gave the Finn an unprecedented fifth victory on New Zealand gravel…

http://www.rallynz.org.nz/

Hoping for the perfect America's Cup result: 5 - 4

Just a few hours from possibly the last America’s Cup race for 2007 the news reports are using words like “battle” and “fight” as if they are reporting a war.

While the odds are against Emirates Team New Zealand winning the next three in a row there is a chance. I was thinking what would be the perfect result? 

I hope the nine race series goes to 5 – 4, then the best team wins the final race. It doesn’t matter so much which team that is. While rivalry is good I’ve never understood the need to hate the opposition as seems common in so many sports supporters. I can admire and support Emirates Team New Zealand without hating Alinghi or being devastated by them winning. It seems this isn't common as New Zealand usually descends into deep nationwide depression after a sporting loss.

So, whatever happens tonight, may the best team win. I think it’s remarkable given our tiny population and resources that it’s certain to be a Kiwi Skipper.

Tags: Emirates+Team+New+Zealand, Alinghi, America's+Cup

Women are so stupid they can't work out what to wear to work...

No, I don’t think that but imagine the uproar if a major news organisation published that. Apparently it’s OK to be as bigoted about men if you read the article linked to below. Its “casual Friday’ every day at my work & don’t remember struggling to decide what to wear every morning.

As for wearing a suit to work I’d rather not. The only suit I own is made of neoprene and used for surfing. It would be a bit hot and I would struggle to choose a tie to match it. Not due to indecision, but because I don’t own any.

I hope never to wear a useless, annoying strip of cloth around my neck as some concession to “convention”.

Thank God for the demise of casual Friday - Stuff.co.nz

“Thank God it's Friday and I can wear a suit again. That sigh of relief has been going through the minds of many men following the demise of casual Friday. The trend largely disappeared from the workplace several years ago - and with it went a lot of collective anguish.”

“Instead of giving men some sort of freedom from the uniformity of the usual office outfit, casual Friday presented whole new dilemma.

What was appropriate? A blazer, polo shirt, chinos and loafers?”

“What could be easier than selecting one of the two or three suits in the wardrobe, the familiar white or blue shirt and an inoffensive tie?”

Air New Zealands Weight Problem

Air New Zealand have announced they are getting tough on overweight baggage;

New baggage system to cut costs Air NZ - Stuff.co.nz

"This new X-bag system is designed to ensure that we more closely control baggage weight, and fuel use. Every extra kilo carried on an aircraft means extra fuel burned," Air NZ executive Norm Thompson said today.

"It's important to remember that there is no change to our current policy. This is categorically not a revenue-gathering exercise," he said”

Air NZ allow 20kg luggage then charge $5kg over that which is fine except…

I weigh 68kg which means if the gross weight of me + my luggage exceeds 88kg I start paying. According to the CAA the average passenger weight is 85kg so Mr Average sitting beside me doesn’t start paying until his gross weight is over 105kg. That’s hardly fair but the answer is simple:

• Weigh the passenger and their luggage
• Charge the anything above the average 105kg (85 + 20) at $5/kg
• Discount anything under the average 105kg at $5/kg.

Since the aim is to control weight, not increase revenue, in future I’ll be asking for my $85 ($5x17kg) discount when I fly Air New Zealand or taking 17kg extra luggage. Fare enough Mr Thompson?

www.caa.govt.nz Air Passenger Weight Survey
“In recent years passenger weight surveys have shown that the current prescribed standard weight of 77 kg is well out of date. This was confirmed in a CAA survey carried out in December 1999. The outcome of that survey showed that the average weight of passengers travelling on the larger Part 121 aeroplanes was 85 kg. As the weight of the general population increases, the number of passengers that can be carried safely may reduce. Changes to the Rules were proposed as a result of this trend, and consultation with the aviation industry began.”

UPDATE 07–11–2006: Asked airnz.custhelp.com

Question Reference #061107-000***
---------------------------------------------------------------
Product Level 1: Baggage
Date Created: 07/11/2006 10:18 PM
Last Updated: 07/11/2006 10:18 PM
Status: Unresolved

UPDATE 15–11–2006: Reply from airnz.custhelp.com

We are happy to carry your baggage, and offer a free allowance of 20kg per person. A charge of NZ$5.00 Domestic and NZ$10.00 Trans-Tasman per additional kg is charged for any weight above 20kgs. The free baggage allowance has not changed with the introduction of the Domestic and Trans-Tasman product. However, to be consistent and fair to all our customers, this policy is being strictly enforced.

Due to the highly personal nature of the individual body weight of a passenger, it is not possible to take this into account when charging passengers for excess baggage. To do so would be considered discrimination. Additionally, although flights are not always full, excess baggage charges are still applicable as fuel is measured the actual weight carried.

I trust this explains the matter to you and appreciate you taking the time to write and express your views 

Yours sincerely
Customer Support Specialist

This is fair enough I guess & I have no problem with them charging for weight but it’s odd that it is OK to penalise, discriminate against, “less than average” people?

Tags: Air+New+Zealand

****ing obscene letter?

Scott Adams finds the most obscene letter isn’t A – Z!

The Dilbert Blog: The Most Obscene Letter
If you ask me, the most obscene letter in the alphabet is…

Fireworks or not?

Mixed feelings about a fireworks ban...

• They are a bit annoying now, I loved them when a kid.
• Wouldn't worry me if they were banned, think it's sad kids will miss out.
• Public Displays, while cool, are not the same
• They are a waste of money, but probably paying my wages this week.
• Idiots will be stupid with them, if banned Idiots will be stupid with something else.
• They are potentially dangerous, life is potentially dangerous.

In balance, worth the risk.

Tags: Fireworks

US govt bans Vegemite!

Shocking news via Boing Boing. I predict a hoard of US based Aussies heading home for a Vegemite fix.

In New Zealand you are either a Marmite or Vegemite person: It’s Vegemite for me!

I’ve noticed on the cycle trips that Tourists new to these delicacies struggle to like either – finding them strong & salty. Don’t know what they mean, but then it’s part of our staple diet!

Boing Boing: US govt bans Vegemite
US govt bans Vegemite
The US has banned importation of icky Australian delicacy Vegemite (a brown gunky spread that is simultaneously delicious and grody), enraging Aussie expats in the US, who require a steady supply of Vegemite in order to remain functional.

Tags: Marmite, Vegemite

A tale of two Barinas - The price of safety?

Our local paper has a story about Waitakere City Council (WCC) cancelling a 32 car order for Holden Barinas after learning of it’s dismal ANCAP 2 Star crash test rating.

WCC run the previous model Barinas which were based on the EuroNCAP 4 Star rated Opel Corsa. In Europe the Corsa has recently been updated, sharing much with the Fiat Grande Punto, and now has a EuroNCAP 5 Star rating.

In New Zealand Holden chose to replace the Euro sourced Barina with the Daewoo sourced Kalos:

New Barina's price calms sentiment - Road tests and Car reviews - CARSguide
You do not even have to give the Holden Barina the courtesy of a drive around the block to realise just how spoilt we once were.
The high quality and smart looking Opel Corsa-sourced Barina is now gone and just looking at the replacement is enough to send a shudder. Holden has replaced the well-designed and engineered Barina with a GM Daewoo product from Korea which starts life as a Kalos.
The difference in quality between the now dead and buried Opel Barina from Europe and the Daewoo jigger is a bit like the difference between a cold pie and a hot one.
Holden are extremely sensitive about the adverse reactions to the Barina, which has gone down in quality but, at the same time, has also gone down in price.

The Western Leader report – “Holden deal off after poor safety rating” Oct 12, 2006 – that WCC scrapped a decision to order 32 vehicles for $458,000 after learning of the ANCAP LTSA results;

New Holden Barina slips to two stars in crash tests - www.LTSA.govt.nz
The new model Holden Barina has received a poor two star rating in the latest Australasian crash test results, released in New Zealand today by Land Transport New Zealand and the AA.

“Car buyers need to be aware that the new model Barina is a completely different vehicle to the previous four-star model. It is built in a different country and it does not provide the same level of occupant protection in crash testing as the previous model. New car buyers would not expect the new Barina to be a two star vehicle when the previous model achieved four stars.”

Although the process is now the same as EuroNCAP I’ve read that ANCAP results can be criticised due to the small sample size tested. It’s difficult to compare cars from different markets & tests from different organisations but EuroNCAP Kalos ratings are not much better:

• 2006 Chevrolet Kalos: 3 Stars Passenger, 2 Stars Pedestrian
• 2002 Corsa: 4 Stars Passenger, 1 Star Pedestrian

It’s good to see WCC considering more than price with this deal even if they have to spend a bit more. I’m sure the new Barina delivers more profit/vehicle for Holden, compared to a Euro sourced version, but at what cost to it’s brand integrity & customers? It’s already lost them some sales.

Tags: Holden+Barina

This is crazy & I'm paying for it!

Waitakere City Council, to whom I pay rates, is prosecuting itself for not following it’s own process. What the…?

Waitakere council to take itself to court - 13 Oct 2006 - Building & construction

The council has found itself on the wrong side of the law after accepting tenders for the removal of six homes on the Henderson Valley flood plain. It contracted out and approved the buildings' removal without the necessary consents.

The council is the authority that grants consents

He did not know how much the case would cost the city council but so far it had spent about $3000 in getting an outside legal opinion.

Levitating Stadium latest plan

We could build a levitating 60,000 seat stadium held up by Telekinesis and float it around to the various cities as events demand it. Crazy idea, well it’s no worse than the stupid idea of putting a stadium by the harbour…

Stadium over water latest plan - 18 Sep 2006 - NZ Herald Building & construction

“The idea for a waterfront stadium has captured the public imagination, with more than two-thirds of nearly 200 people who sent emails to the Herald last week on the Bledisloe Wharf option saying a new purpose-built stadium would be a showcase for the city and the nation”

Which leaves about 4.2 million who couldn’t be bothered responding to this crap.

The Herald understands that Helen Clark and Mr Mallard strongly favour a waterfront stadium,

I bet they are, anything to divert attention from the other things going on at the moment.

It is not known how much the Captain Cook/Marsden stadium would cost or how much wharf and water space would be needed. 

I’m suspect it will cost at least 1.5 times whatever they say it will cost.

The roofed, 56,500-seat Telstra Dome in Melbourne Docklands was built on a 2ha site 170m by 140m in 2000 at a cost of $530 million

I’ve been to a concert in the Telstra Dome and it’s a great facility. But it’s not pretty and is in the middle of an old railway/goods area. It’s about 600m from the main river/wharf & 3km from the coast, not on prime waterfront land. Stadiums are ugly inward focused buildings,  just look at that thing along the road from this proposed site that they are still trying to finish. This location is just wrong.

Car Magazines Vs The Web Part 2

This was published back in August but I only just found it today, honest!

It’s similar to my own recent rant on the same subject.

Car magazines: Don't write them off yet | Independent Online Edition
Indeed, Car Magazine has adopted a new square format to focus more on the journalism and photography, while its website, www.carmagazine.co.uk, will concentrate on supplying readers with breaking news and information.
"We have stripped the magazine of all the elements which a website can handle better," says the editor, Jason Barlow.

Auto magazines, Print vs Web

I’ve long been a reader of CAR Magazine and have read, subscribed to, a New Zealand car magazine Driver from it’s first issue. I still regard CAR as the best “World Title”, Driver the “Best local”. It’s strange that both have dabbled with the web in the past but have not really had much presence, certainly no match for their print editions. Recently, almost simultaneously, both have re-launched heavily revamped websites. It’s like they suddenly realised that the web was not going away!

The Driver website is part of a company site, they publish several titles, and it’s approach is to bring more readers to the print edition by posting news and limited content from the latest issue. CAR have a more aggressive approach with content related to the magazine but also plenty of web only material. They also offer a RSS feed making it very easy to incorporate CAR Online into my daily reading.

I have linked to some CAR articles recently and was approached about it. It wasn’t, thankfully, the lawyers asking me to remove the links but rather some research into the relationship between blogs, commercial websites & print magazines. I don’t know where that will lead but it’s something I was already thinking about thanks to a recent “clean out the garage” exercise.

I’ve been going thru stacks of old car magazines with a Stanley knife slashing out articles to keep in my “archive”. I don’t have space to keep everything but there are articles, maybe related to cars I’ve owned/would like to own, I’ve loved reading & want to keep for review. Hidden in those stacks of aging paper is brilliant writing (see the posts on LJK Setright & Phil Llewellin for a few CAR samples), photography and articles about places I’d like to visit, drives I’d like to do. Maybe that’s a clue for these magazines…

Their print editions cannot compete with the Internet for news. Every car, scoop, launch will be covered by the net based services long before the ink hits the paper. I’m not saying drop that content from the mag but don’t expect it to be the reason I’ll buy the mag. They could try competing via their websites but I suspect dedicated autoweb sites will do “web news” better. After all the mags should be concentrating most resource on the core business, a great car magazine.

I read the Internet for information, but regard the print editions as recreation. They are something to savour when off-line versus the quickest way to get the latest information. They are generating content that the websites don’t get time, or have the resources, to compile and that’s why I read them. Their opinions, drive stories, comparisons and local knowledge is what makes these mag’s worthwhile for me.

There is one thing the web news sites can’t match and that’s the magazine archive. Locked up in the paper history is a valuable resource but its not economic to reprint.  Driver have spun-off a sister magazine, NZ Today, almost solely dedicated to their expeditions. Again it’s full of fascinating reading but within a few months it disappears from sale, forever.

It would be a mission to get it loaded, maybe rights/royalties would be a nightmare, but I wonder how much traffic someone like CAR, or Driver, could generate by simply serving up the back catalogue, maybe 3–6 months behind the print edition, in a web format with a decent search engine. Unless they have stacks of unsold back issues to offload there would be little impact on print sales. I think there would be enough traffic for some revenue and it makes a great resource for them to refer readers back to related stories from previous issues. You’ve got that history; why not exploit it!

Just a thought…

Driver New Zealand – http://www.drivermagazine.co.nz/

CAR Magazine (U.K.) – http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/

Traffic Light Thought - Mugged on the way home...

Not me, but my car. Sitting at the lights by the end of the motorway, waiting for the green when out of the blind-spot comes the dreaded windscreen cleaner. Before I could react the screen is covered in wash, of some sort, so had to let him finish. The light changes and off I go without parting with a cent.

I didn’t want it, would have refused given the opportunity, as my car has this incredible system that cleans the screen at the press a button. So why do I feel a bit crappy about not tipping?

Credit Where It Is Due - Bavarian Motors Limited

I was reading Earl Mardle’s praise of Thai Airlines good service and thought about a company, I’ve been a customer of for more than 20 years, that deserves a more than just repeat visits.

When first out of tech I purchased a Fiat 127, even then old, which was the answer to getting to my first job. It needed some work, the clutch was “abrupt” & brakes had some travel, but otherwise Ok for it’s age. Cars were expensive in those, pre Jap import, days and it was all I could afford after several years as a full-time student. A few days later while parked outside work a leaflet was planted on the screen advertising “European Car Servicing” at a garage just down the road. Since many shops are wary of Euro’s, even simple ones, I thought worth a try.

Ernst, the owner and BMW guru, took a look at this little car that had absorbed all my spare funds and said: “You need a clutch but that can wait, you must do the brakes now”. I replied “Great, I’ll be back when I get paid in two weeks”. Then he offered to do the work, I could pay him next pay-day. I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me, but that was the start of regular visits to see Ernst.

At the time he had a Fiat road car, I think it started life as a 125 but had been Ernst’ed into something beyond that, and also had a 125 based track car. He works on a variety of cars and it’s always interesting to see what’s in the shop. It could be anything from rebuilt BMW 2002’s, more modern 3 thru 7 series, Porsche, Merc's and I think every Maserati Bi-Turbo in NZ has probably been there at some stage. I’ve been going back for over 20 years with a variety of cars and always had great service except for one thing:

Every time I get asked:  “When are you buying a BMW?”

Bavarian Motors Ltd
6 Colway Place, Glenfield, Auckland.
Specialists in maintaining and repairing BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Audi. [+ little old Fiats for Robin…)
Ph: 64 09 444 5312.

 

 Inspired by A Networked World: Credit Where It Is Due

Traffic Light Thought - Death at the lights

Traffic is worse than usual, school are back after the holidays and it’s been raining all night. I’m sitting gazing at a red traffic light, at the front of the queue, when in the corner of my eye I see something head across the road.

Didn’t wait for the red, didn't press the button for the crossing, just picked a gap in the crossing traffic and took off. Where were the parents? Nobody else around to stop it but then it’s too late.

The driver had no chance, it’s struck with a glancing blow, and a small body is flung across the road. With luck it would have survived, but the odds are against it. The final blow, a large SUV coming the other way, crushed into the asphalt, just another victim of the mighty automobile.

In 15 seconds, while my light was red, a tiny butterfly fluttered by and died.

It’s strange what you notice on the way to work.

Offensive Western Springs Noise

Not the Rolling Stones concert, just the constant whine from those who choose to live anywhere near a STADIUM then ring up to complain about the noise.

Bigger Bang a little too big for some - 18 Apr 2006 - TV, music & film
Four complaints were made after 9pm about noise levels at the [Rolling Stones] "A Bigger Bang" concert, which wound up close to 11pm.
Some nearby residents claimed it was the loudest noise they had ever heard from the stadium.

Sometimes I'm glad I don't live in Auckland*

At least I’m not paying for this garbage…

David Farrar: Well done Auckland

*I live in Waitakere and probably pay for different garbage

Bl**dy H*ll, what a fuss!

''We've poured you a beer"
''We've saved you a spot on the beach”
“So where the bloody hell are you?"

From this part of the world it’s rather hard to understand why this Aussie tourist promotion has provoked much reaction, other than more visits to Australia, let alone the fuss that has been raised. Singapore don’t like it at all (maybe that was predictable), the Brit’s objected to “bloody” and in Canada they weren’t sure about “hell”.

Perhaps some expressions just don’t translate or maybe “Bloody Hell” seems rather tame after Toyota using “Bugger” (worksafe & funny video) to sell macho farm utes!

Holidays to swear by - Boston Globe
Via A&L Daily

http://www.wherethebloodyhellareyou.com/

South Park, Scientology and The Death of Chef

One Good Move has a news clip about the latest move in the South Park/Scientology/Chef battle. Isaac Hayes, Chef, reportedly quit after South Park mocked his “religion”, the Church of Scientology.

Seems it was OK to be Chef, and take the money, while they satirise everything else on the planet but knock a cult and pseudo-science dreamed up by a second rate science fiction writer and that’s a step too far. Matt & Trey respond with The Death of Chef episode using old Chef clips to stand in for Hayes until the character “dies” returning in the form of a Darth Vader parody.

Meanwhile, this week C4 (Channel 4 NZ) back down and apologise for screening the “Bloody Mary” episode a few weeks ago, which rated six times the usual audience. Will they screen “The Death of Chef”?

onegoodmove: The Death of Chef

Broadcaster Apologises for South Park offence - C4 – CanWest MediaWorks NZ

Makes you think...

Made me think…

• Strange Laws - The Dilbert Blog 
• “The sentence for attempted murder should be the same as the sentence for successful murder”
• The problem with "global warming" - Seth's Blog 
• Global is good
• Warm is good.
• Even greenhouses are good places.
• How can "global warming" be bad?”
• Letters without envelopes, cutting or glue - makezine
• Forget oil dependency - Joel Orr's World
• “How the United States can save as much oil as it gets from the persian gulf by 2015 and how all oil imports can be eliminated by 2040”
• How much thrust would a woodchuck generate if a woodchuck would generate thrust?
• Top Gear play with cars and jumbo jets…
• The best way to deal with lawyers - Steve Lacey
• And remain out of jail.

Choosing Spectacles - a nightmare

I went to the Optician today. I nearly broke my specs at Easter and decided a second pair would be a good idea before I managed to completely wreck them. If I had managed it the alternatives would have been: Old dark Polaroid prescription sunglasses or disposable contacts that are great to wear but don’t fully correct my vision. This meant a trip to the optician to get a second pair.

Its been 4 years since the last test, and a new Optometrist, so started with the basics.  With my glasses off she asked me to “Read the chart as far as you can”. I replied “I can’t even tell it is a chart!”. Looking at my ‘script that was probably expected but then with specs on she asked me to “read the bottom line” if I could. I could see the letters but about halfway along mixed them up – I said, “Can I try again? I can see them fine but had a dyslexic* moment and mucked up the order”. She laughed, and edged closer to the door…

The rest of the examination, complete with that Glaucoma test which always makes you leap when they fire a puff of air into your eye, was fine. Time for the worst part; I had to select a new frame.

Choosing a frame is amongst the worst retail experience for me. Its no fault of the Optometrist, it’s entirely my problem. Some consider spec frames a fashion statement or consider getting “the right frame” is worthy of lengthy investigation and many “fittings”. I consider the frame is a device to hold two lenses in about the correct position. My criteria:

• Light which means thin.
• Metal so they bend rather than break.
• Not shiny bright finish
• Not big (lens shape); Part fashion I guess but also because with my ‘script Big = Thick lens = Heavy

That reduced the selection from about 5,000 to 4,500 similar frames. I even tried to take the easiest option, “can I have same style again?”, but they don't make that model anymore. Even more tragic, it was the staff at the Optometrists that “chose” that frame for me. The next easiest option was “something similar” and that’s what I got. The first “something similar” offered as it fulfilled all my criteria.

Pitiful I know but it’s just not a priority for me. Odd thing is I can happily spend hours deciding about other purchases – computers, software, bicycle stuff, DVD’s, CD’s…

* Off topic: Why is “dyslexic” so hard to spell, perhaps I am? Why did they decide on “Lisp” choosing a word with an “sp” in it, the worst lithping letters, and “Stutter” with “st” and “tt”, the wors’s’s’s’t st’st’stuter’ter’tering letters, cruelty?