Synthesisers are wonderful things, but in the wrong hands can be extremely dangerous. Like when you pre-record a synth part at 44.1kHz sample rate but play it back on-stage at 48, and the pitch shifts up more somewhere between 3 and 4 semitones (or is it 5 and 6?)
It happens to the best of 'em...including a recently reunited (again) Van Halen on stage in Greensboro, NC in September. Watch them soldier on though, turning 'Jump' from a loutish 2am karaoke hit in to a screaming, proggy-jazz atonal mess. And listen to the cheer at the end...seems some can do no wrong! Bonus points for the giant inflatable microphone at the end though.
RW370 via BoingBoing via Gizmodo
Saturday, 20 October 2007
Monday, 15 October 2007
Honours part one, done
Yep, today I've handed in just over 40,000 words. Relief and exhaustion. Euphoria hopefully tomorrow.
Saturday, 13 October 2007
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Latest column on www.theset.co.nz - How much should free speech cost?
Hey folks, my latest column has just been published on www.theset.co.nz
It touches on the Electoral Finance Bill and aspects of the 'spending money is free speech' debate.
Enjoy
It touches on the Electoral Finance Bill and aspects of the 'spending money is free speech' debate.
Enjoy
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
100% Pure New Zealand
You know a blogger got allllll lazy when it just start posting videos...but this one is quite cool. Cheesy, yes, and the song is quite repetitive, but the presentation of NZ is nicely simple and unpretentious, kind of like kiwis at their best I suppose.
Thursday, 13 September 2007
A must-see show - Flight of the Conchords
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS begins Monday 17th September at 10.00pm on PRIME. It is a truly unmissable take on how kiwis approach the big wide world, and what the world thinks back.
Here's a clip from the show:
Other FOTC stuff on YouTube
Here's a clip from the show:
Other FOTC stuff on YouTube
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Obesity is Contagious, and so is Junk Science
TCS Daily has a good piece on the recent study 'proving' that obesity is contagious. The experimenters examined the Body Mass Index data of a particular group of people over time, saw some nice correlations, so instantly jumped to the conclusion that fatness spreads through people who know each other.
By what causal mechanism you say? Apparently 'social contagion' means if your friends are fat, so will be you, because you emulate their lifestyle. Unfortunately what the study 'proved' are really just some interesting hypotheses that need some real testing. Unfortunately all that the media (rightly so) seizes on is the bottom-line.
And here's a joke for all the physicists out there. The study 'proved' that having fat friends makes you more fat. It also found that the distance of friends from each other didn't matter.
By what causal mechanism you say? Apparently 'social contagion' means if your friends are fat, so will be you, because you emulate their lifestyle. Unfortunately what the study 'proved' are really just some interesting hypotheses that need some real testing. Unfortunately all that the media (rightly so) seizes on is the bottom-line.
And here's a joke for all the physicists out there. The study 'proved' that having fat friends makes you more fat. It also found that the distance of friends from each other didn't matter.
'The jump from association to cause may be most evident in the conclusion drawn by the researchers with regard to the association of weight gain in friends living far from each other. "We were stunned to find that people who were hundreds of miles away had just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends who are next door."'Now that, my friends, is spooky action at a distance.
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
320 views is quite a lot of views!
Wow, Huge in Japan's one and only music video is still ticking along! Check it out: "Huge In Japan - Magpie (Live)"
And if you're after a copy of our EP, contact me through the link to your right.
And if you're after a copy of our EP, contact me through the link to your right.
Saturday, 11 August 2007
Dylan genius, Ticketek/TSB Arena/Chugg Entertainment not
7 June 2007
- 9:00am - Bob Dylan tickets go on sale
- 9:19am - 'Bronze Reserve' Bob Dylan tickets purchased for myself and four friends
- 7:30pm - Arrive at TSB Arena, keep walking walking walking down the side to our block of seats
- 7:35pm - Locate seats, sit down. "Wait a minute, we're actually behind the banks of PA speakers"
- 8:30pm-10:00pm - listen to the genius of Bob Dylan, well at least his band because could hardly hear a word the man sung. Naturally he has reverb on his vocal channel, but by the time this bounces of the back and corners of the Arena and gets back up front to our ears, the vocals are just one big muddle. Great view though!
- Concert promoters, ticketing agencies, venue management will ALWAYS screw you wherever they can (in this case by selling tickets that did not so much require a 'restricted viewing' warning but rather a 'restricted listening' warning...none was forthcoming at purchase time and some would say the listening is quite an important part of music)
- Never, ever, skimp on important concert tickets. Get the second-cheapest or higher. Don't expect the cheapest seats to actually really be part of the same concert experience as the rest.
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
Bruce Willis/Robert Duvall WILL save us
From asteroids that is. Remember the dual-threat asteroid-doom movies of 1999? You may have tried to forget Armageddon but Aerosmith's epic theme song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" sticks to your heart like bad cholesterol. And you can't forget Deep Impact because that was that other asteroid movie of 1998 and you're positive there were two.
Well it turns out that, as usual, the folks at NASA are watching everbody's backs. Slashdot reports that TopSpin rights that Flight International reports (god I love the blogosphere) "scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center have developed designs for an array of asteroid interceptors wielding 1.2-megaton B83 nuclear warheads. The hypothetical mission for these designs is based on an Apophis-sized Earth impactor 2 to 5 years out."
What's an Apophis-sized Earth impactor? The scenario is based on the REAL Apophis asteroid, which on April 13 2029 "will pass closer to earth than geosynchronous satellites orbit." Wowzer!
Well it turns out that, as usual, the folks at NASA are watching everbody's backs. Slashdot reports that TopSpin rights that Flight International reports (god I love the blogosphere) "scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center have developed designs for an array of asteroid interceptors wielding 1.2-megaton B83 nuclear warheads. The hypothetical mission for these designs is based on an Apophis-sized Earth impactor 2 to 5 years out."
What's an Apophis-sized Earth impactor? The scenario is based on the REAL Apophis asteroid, which on April 13 2029 "will pass closer to earth than geosynchronous satellites orbit." Wowzer!
Monday, 6 August 2007
10 weeks to go...
...until I hand in my four research papers. Things are going very well indeed. Just gave another seminar on one paper, which means I've done 80% out of 400% of assessment.
Now just one seminar to go on Friday 17th. That last one isn't marked so no more assessment until final deadline!
----------------
Now playing: Two - Ryan Adams
via FoxyTunes
Now just one seminar to go on Friday 17th. That last one isn't marked so no more assessment until final deadline!
----------------
Now playing: Two - Ryan Adams
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, 28 July 2007
Jon Stewart gives Parliament the smack-down...
Parliament passed a law outlawing the use of the new permanent broadcast for satire.
Jon Stewart's Daily Show has got our back, in its regular 'America to the Rescue' segment.
Jon Stewart's Daily Show has got our back, in its regular 'America to the Rescue' segment.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Why we have the internet
While searching the internet to see what the 'Fruit Leather' in Cookie Time Christmas Cookies is made of (I've always wondered) I came across a site that reminded me of pretty much the entire internet circa 1998. Before all this fancy-schmancy Web2.0 guff came along.
Check it out: Mom's Fruit Leather Innovations and The "Magic" of an Egg Explained
Check it out: Mom's Fruit Leather Innovations and The "Magic" of an Egg Explained
Monday, 23 July 2007
Sunday, 22 July 2007
12 weeks to go...
12 weeks until deadline for papers, they're going well and I'm preparing to give presenations on two of them over the next few weeks (one presentation done already, went well).
Oh, and a website: http://www.shaunmcgirr.com/
Oh, and a website: http://www.shaunmcgirr.com/
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Sunday, 8 July 2007
14 weeks to go...
Well its 14 weeks since I last said how long it is to go until I have to hand in my four research papers. Just working on one of them now made me remember and look at my countdown calendar. Thankfully its not 40,000 words on October 15th...actually only about 30,000 now due to stuff already written and them not all needing to be 10,000 words exactly.
Peace out.
Peace out.
Saturday, 7 July 2007
I'm a teacher!
Well, a tutor more accurately. For POLS112 - 'Introduction to Political Ideas' here at Vic. Bascially, its about all the -isms... liberalism, conservatism, socialism, etc. It will be my first time tutoring a university course and I'm pretty excited!
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Ok so we didn't win that big auld mug, but...
...we did get listed as one of the eight best geek vacations by Wired magazine!!! Surely that's some consolation, no? Ok, it was Lord Of The Rings hangover, but still.
Wired Magazine: The Best Geek Vacations
Wired Magazine: The Best Geek Vacations
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Research update - Politics and Markets
Part II in the never-ending quest to find the perfect 'cocktail party lines' to succinctly and accurately describe my research. Actually, it's very helpful to a researcher keep restating her/his theses!
For Politics and Markets I am integrating document formats into the recent literature on the "networked information economy". The central idea of that literature is that this new information economy (with the Internet at its foundation) has replaced the previous, capital-intensive "industrial information economy". Any change to the structure of an economy threatens its incumbents, who in this case are both the traditional media and (ironically) the large telecommunications companies that own the infrastructure of this new network that so threatens their interests. Skype on your Xtra broadband connection to save on Telecom toll calls anyone?
What seems to have been missed is that most of the electronic work of the world is still done in documents, discrete 'containers' of specific information. For documents to work as tools, they need to be based on standards, so I can read what you have written and vice versa. Microsoft gained a monopoly on desktop computers with Windows through the 90's, leading to dominance of Microsoft Office and its proprietary, binary (i.e. non-human-readable) file formats. They became defacto standards. Recently, a competing XML (human-readable) file format (Open Document Format - ODF) was developed and released as an 'open file format'. This means no one vendor is in control of its development, and anybody is free to implement it in a free or commercial software package.
When the State of Massachusetts IT office mandated that government documents be stored in these formats and not Microsoft's defacto standard formats, there was a media and political furore. After the shouting, Massachusetts began the implementation using a plug-in for Microsoft Office that allows documents to be saved in ODF. The recently-released Microsoft Office 2007 has its own 'open format' (though there is some argument over just how open it is). This is in part a move by Microsoft to allay government and customer concerns about how their information is stored - everybody wants to access all their documents forever. After all, it is their data and they want to hold the keys to it. So now there are potentially two competing document standards, that for most users will be indistinguishable for most everyday uses. But what happens when you get emailed a document in a 'foreign' format? What if your government stores documents in only one of these formats?
This is a debate about:
For Politics and Markets I am integrating document formats into the recent literature on the "networked information economy". The central idea of that literature is that this new information economy (with the Internet at its foundation) has replaced the previous, capital-intensive "industrial information economy". Any change to the structure of an economy threatens its incumbents, who in this case are both the traditional media and (ironically) the large telecommunications companies that own the infrastructure of this new network that so threatens their interests. Skype on your Xtra broadband connection to save on Telecom toll calls anyone?
What seems to have been missed is that most of the electronic work of the world is still done in documents, discrete 'containers' of specific information. For documents to work as tools, they need to be based on standards, so I can read what you have written and vice versa. Microsoft gained a monopoly on desktop computers with Windows through the 90's, leading to dominance of Microsoft Office and its proprietary, binary (i.e. non-human-readable) file formats. They became defacto standards. Recently, a competing XML (human-readable) file format (Open Document Format - ODF) was developed and released as an 'open file format'. This means no one vendor is in control of its development, and anybody is free to implement it in a free or commercial software package.
When the State of Massachusetts IT office mandated that government documents be stored in these formats and not Microsoft's defacto standard formats, there was a media and political furore. After the shouting, Massachusetts began the implementation using a plug-in for Microsoft Office that allows documents to be saved in ODF. The recently-released Microsoft Office 2007 has its own 'open format' (though there is some argument over just how open it is). This is in part a move by Microsoft to allay government and customer concerns about how their information is stored - everybody wants to access all their documents forever. After all, it is their data and they want to hold the keys to it. So now there are potentially two competing document standards, that for most users will be indistinguishable for most everyday uses. But what happens when you get emailed a document in a 'foreign' format? What if your government stores documents in only one of these formats?
This is a debate about:
- the cost to users of accessing public information
- the persistent storage of that information
- the ability of users to easily exchange their information
- whether one standard and competing implementations is 'better' than competing standards
- whether strong network effects of a defacto standard may, even after they open their standard, give one company "too much power to control the course of innovation" (James Boyle)
Friday, 18 May 2007
Friends in far-off places
My friends Christian and Clare (the CCIA - who do you think invented that?) are about to embark on a super-tour, going it seems, EVERYWHERE in Europe. Follow their progress at http://christianclare.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
The Bolger Years MkII - 3rd column on www.theset.co.nz
My latest politics column on http://www.theset.co.nz is an expansion of my earlier 'Bolger Years' post. Enjoy!
Post: http://www.theset.co.nz/home/node/262
Previous posts and profile: http://www.theset.co.nz/home/taxonomy/term/87
Post: http://www.theset.co.nz/home/node/262
Previous posts and profile: http://www.theset.co.nz/home/taxonomy/term/87
Thursday, 3 May 2007
Good old RiffRaff4
Some time ago I was a member of a jazz quartet in Christchurch called RiffRaff4. They were good times, but the band doesn't exist any more.
However, if you are in Christchurch, New Zealand and want some good jazz for your event, then send me a message via the following page and I'll put you in touch with the right people - www.contactify.com/a4a94
au revoir
However, if you are in Christchurch, New Zealand and want some good jazz for your event, then send me a message via the following page and I'll put you in touch with the right people - www.contactify.com/a4a94
au revoir
Carolyn the Caravan for sale
RDU is finally letting go of beloved Carolyn, its faithful campervan of many years. The campervan is pivotal to the station's history (Wammo and Spanky broadcast out of it from Victoria Street during renovations) and is listed on TradeMe here. Get in quick, it's going to fetch an amazing price!
More info: http://www.rdu.org.nz/cheapaschips2007.html
More info: http://www.rdu.org.nz/cheapaschips2007.html
The Bolger Years
Last Friday and Saturday I attended the seventh annual Parliamentary Conference, organised by the Stout Research Centre and the Political Science Department at Victoria.
An amazing experience, reliving the politically turbulent 1990's, the era that got me interested in politics in the first place.
We heard from all the major players, including former Prime Ministers Bolger and Shipley, former ministers Birch, Richardson, Kidd, Burdon, as well as various media people, public servants and party officials.
The final session was the best. First Sir Douglas Graham, then Sir Tipene O'Regan, and finally Chris Finlayson spoke about the Treaty of Waitangi negoatiations process. Sir Douglas gave a very moving speech, concluding that he hoped he had done some good in the process, but what he received was ten times more. He was overcome with emotion in making this final point, no doubt as a result of the task he was given in the 90's - to begin 150 years worth of healing between Iwi and the Crown.
Two things struck me at the conference. The first was how convincingly the neo-liberal economic agenda introduced in the second term of Lange Labour government and the first term of the Bolger National govenment has won the policy debate in NZ. Now it is a given, and accepted by all major parties that we are tied economically, for better and worse, to the fate of the world economy.
The second thing was that no matter how you view that policy victory, and its inevitable social costs, I think most can agree that the Bolger government significantly shifted the Treaty discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand. This shift was towards a mode more constructive and beneficial, one of reconciliation, reparation and remorse.
An amazing experience, reliving the politically turbulent 1990's, the era that got me interested in politics in the first place.
We heard from all the major players, including former Prime Ministers Bolger and Shipley, former ministers Birch, Richardson, Kidd, Burdon, as well as various media people, public servants and party officials.
The final session was the best. First Sir Douglas Graham, then Sir Tipene O'Regan, and finally Chris Finlayson spoke about the Treaty of Waitangi negoatiations process. Sir Douglas gave a very moving speech, concluding that he hoped he had done some good in the process, but what he received was ten times more. He was overcome with emotion in making this final point, no doubt as a result of the task he was given in the 90's - to begin 150 years worth of healing between Iwi and the Crown.
Two things struck me at the conference. The first was how convincingly the neo-liberal economic agenda introduced in the second term of Lange Labour government and the first term of the Bolger National govenment has won the policy debate in NZ. Now it is a given, and accepted by all major parties that we are tied economically, for better and worse, to the fate of the world economy.
The second thing was that no matter how you view that policy victory, and its inevitable social costs, I think most can agree that the Bolger government significantly shifted the Treaty discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand. This shift was towards a mode more constructive and beneficial, one of reconciliation, reparation and remorse.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Back in Wellington
Safely back in Thorndon after a lovely trip to Christchurch. Wonderful catching up with friends and family. A highlight was the new jazz bar down His Lordship's Lane/SOL Square, called "Fat Eddie's". Amazing atmosphere, it is genuinely like an old jazz club, with a loft upstairs that feels like France in a WWII movie! Amazing amazing, I'm jealous of Christchurch kids now.
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Rats, anyone?
You can buy rats on TradeMe. Is anybody a little concerned?
What is scarier is the number of very very specific, non-ironic questions at the bottom.
Click here to see the rats and the even scarier people who are interested
What is scarier is the number of very very specific, non-ironic questions at the bottom.
Click here to see the rats and the even scarier people who are interested
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
28 weeks to go
Yes only 28 weeks until Monday 15th October, submission date for 40,000 words.
Thanks to my department's stringent 'early topic' requirements I now have three of four topics sorted and can start researching right away. This makes the target a little less daunting!
For Politics of Market Creation in Europe I'll be looking at aspects of the political economy current 'format war' between Microsoft's new Office Open XML format (as used by Office 2007) and OASIS' (not the Manchester lads') Open Document Format. Complicated? Yes!
For Politics of International Migration I'll be evaluating migraiton policy responses by the new post-soviet border states to the EU (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova) since EU enlargement in 2004. This topic might change though if information is too hard to procure.
For Global Civil Society I will compare Civil Society education and management in Western and non-Western contexts (cases undecided as of yet).
Obviously I'll have some better 'cocktail party lines' about each of these sorted when I know more about them!
Ok go listen to some Cat Power - her Greatest is an excellent introduction.
Thanks to my department's stringent 'early topic' requirements I now have three of four topics sorted and can start researching right away. This makes the target a little less daunting!
For Politics of Market Creation in Europe I'll be looking at aspects of the political economy current 'format war' between Microsoft's new Office Open XML format (as used by Office 2007) and OASIS' (not the Manchester lads') Open Document Format. Complicated? Yes!
For Politics of International Migration I'll be evaluating migraiton policy responses by the new post-soviet border states to the EU (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova) since EU enlargement in 2004. This topic might change though if information is too hard to procure.
For Global Civil Society I will compare Civil Society education and management in Western and non-Western contexts (cases undecided as of yet).
Obviously I'll have some better 'cocktail party lines' about each of these sorted when I know more about them!
Ok go listen to some Cat Power - her Greatest is an excellent introduction.
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Tourists and cricket
Overheard while walking past a cricket game and some tourists this morning: "Ah I've been wondering about zis - dey are all wearing white, so how do you know who is on which team?"
Fascinating! To people more accustomed to overtly adversarial sports, those pitched battles between teams striving openly for domination, cricket must seem very strange, sedate, and English.
Fascinating! To people more accustomed to overtly adversarial sports, those pitched battles between teams striving openly for domination, cricket must seem very strange, sedate, and English.
Thursday, 29 March 2007
A little too fishy...
This evening I started to make the wonderful Tuna & Cannellini Bean salad from Cuisine (http://www.cuisine.co.nz/index.cfm?pageID=50971) when I realised the tin of fish I had just open was actually JW salmon.
I had been seduced at the supermarket a week earlier by its cheap price and proximity to the tuna I also bought at the time, but used earlier. I decided to persevere with the salmon.
On opening the tin I was horrified to discover a small bone, the sort that riddled that underwhelming whole fish you unwisely ordered at that restaurant last year. 'Ok' I thought, 'maybe they just do things like this with salmon.' Then I saw a piece of skin. Then I saw more bones...but not just little hair-like bones, actual cylindrical spinal-cordy-looking things.
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh! What the hell is this? When I buy a tinned good, I expect it to be reasonable well prepared inside, and not just the entrails of somebody's first salmon-hacking training lesson. Straight into the bin with that, not spending an hour extracting the real fish from the fish meal ingredients and still being mortally afraid of the result!
Or have I got this completely wrong? Up 'til now I lived what I have come to realise, all too abruptly, a gilded salmon life. Being grandson of an accomplished Rakaia fisherman means I don't think I ever opened a can of salmon before. Perhaps it is always like my experience tonight? God I hope not.
Anyway out of all traumatic experiences one can extract a silver lining. Mine was this salad:
Shaun's Rescue Salad (thank you Ryan Adams)
I had been seduced at the supermarket a week earlier by its cheap price and proximity to the tuna I also bought at the time, but used earlier. I decided to persevere with the salmon.
On opening the tin I was horrified to discover a small bone, the sort that riddled that underwhelming whole fish you unwisely ordered at that restaurant last year. 'Ok' I thought, 'maybe they just do things like this with salmon.' Then I saw a piece of skin. Then I saw more bones...but not just little hair-like bones, actual cylindrical spinal-cordy-looking things.
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh! What the hell is this? When I buy a tinned good, I expect it to be reasonable well prepared inside, and not just the entrails of somebody's first salmon-hacking training lesson. Straight into the bin with that, not spending an hour extracting the real fish from the fish meal ingredients and still being mortally afraid of the result!
Or have I got this completely wrong? Up 'til now I lived what I have come to realise, all too abruptly, a gilded salmon life. Being grandson of an accomplished Rakaia fisherman means I don't think I ever opened a can of salmon before. Perhaps it is always like my experience tonight? God I hope not.
Anyway out of all traumatic experiences one can extract a silver lining. Mine was this salad:
Shaun's Rescue Salad (thank you Ryan Adams)
- one can cannellini beans
- half a can beetroot
- some sprouts
- a red onion, chopped in half vertically, then into medium slices horizontally, to create nice half-rings of various sizes (soak in water for 5-10 minutes if the bite is too much)
- torn spinach leaves (however many it takes to even the colour balance)
- a few drizzles of olive oil and some lemon juice
- some cottage cheese if you like that sort of thing
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Would you live in Plato's city?
Disturbing and interesting news from the UK recently, courtesy of two reports by the lecturers' union there. It seems 'core subjects' are being gutted from many universities, meaning some can't offer basic science subjects or foreign languages to students.
Strange isn't it, when there are fortunes to be made on the continent, that:
European integration? Perhaps Margaret lives on. I wonder what the numbers are like in New Zealand. I know Spanish has taken off remarkably in the last five years, after previously being only offered at Waikato. Likely not for trade with Spain though. Russian at Victoria was axed at the turn of the century, and the department at Canterbury is now under threat. I have no idea about European and Asian languages, may do some digging.
I attended a celebration on Wednesday of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the 'founding document' of what is today the EU. There Terry Ryan, a former Member of the European Parliament spoke in passionate Wigan-ese terms about the value of language education in unlocking business opportunities in Europe. We cannot simply rely on the good fortune of being native English speakers.
Also, we cannot simply rely on science to solve all problems. Thanks to science, there is probably enough food produce on Earth to feed the entire population. But it doesn't. And thanks to science, there are some amazing treatments for debilitating and deadly illnesses. But these aren't available to everyone. Why? The problems are economic and political.
I was particularly struck by the sometimes arrogance and hubris of science in comments about the above reports in The Times Higher Education Supplement where I originally spotted the story. Unfortunately it's subscription-only so I can't quote exactly, but in the front-page story, a professor at the soon-to-be closed Reading University Physics Department said "I can't believe they're cutting out physics. At times like these we need science, not wooly courses. Only science can solve the world's problems."
He has a point, physics departments shouldn't be closed, and we do need science. But science can only solve some of the world's problems, for some of its people. At the same time that the heralded advances of modern science are available to relatively few, is it any surprise that the academic world, becoming increasingly subject to market forces worldwide, is introducing new fashionable degrees and forcing out 'core' disciplines in arts and sciences?
Those wooly courses referred to are, presumably, all humanities, and probably most of the social sciences. The professor forgets that science is only part of the picture. Once a technical challenge is solved the solution must be propagated to 'save the world' - time and again we have seen this is the tougher challenge. How will that happen without students of History and Sociology to track its course and provide us with feedback of its impact on societies? Who apart from Political Scientists will theorise and examine the possibilities of new governance mechanisms to regulate the wonderful world of science?
Perhaps a more productive stance would be to focus on the well-being of academia as if it were a human whole. Cutting off small parts ('courses with decreasing demand') may reserve more blood ('money') for core competencies ('vocational degrees in profitable industries') but eventually the organism loses manual dexterity and eventually thought (the ability to critique itself). Infighting will help neither sciences nor arts.
Perhaps the professor will say 'scientists should govern'. The idea of technocracy - government by those most able to govern - is not new and might indeed spread the achievements of science equitably across the globe. But I think not. Besides, such a conception elevates scientific knowledge above all else, a fallacy. In Plato's city, the myth of the metals was used to explain why certain social classes existed. The 'Golds' were the rulers, philosopher-kings whose lives were devoted to the consideration and application of 'perfect rule'.
What if we should forgo politics and submit our destinies to those who 'know best'? I for one would rather live in the world of uncertainty and turmoil, and feel I have some say, however small, than be ruled by an all-knowing cult of science.
Strange isn't it, when there are fortunes to be made on the continent, that:
"The number of higher education institutions offering French has fallen by 15% in the past decade, institutions providing German courses have dropped by one-quarter, and institutions offering Italian have fallen by 9%, the report says."http://education.guardian.co.uk/universitiesincrisis/story/0,,2008543,00.html
European integration? Perhaps Margaret lives on. I wonder what the numbers are like in New Zealand. I know Spanish has taken off remarkably in the last five years, after previously being only offered at Waikato. Likely not for trade with Spain though. Russian at Victoria was axed at the turn of the century, and the department at Canterbury is now under threat. I have no idea about European and Asian languages, may do some digging.
I attended a celebration on Wednesday of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the 'founding document' of what is today the EU. There Terry Ryan, a former Member of the European Parliament spoke in passionate Wigan-ese terms about the value of language education in unlocking business opportunities in Europe. We cannot simply rely on the good fortune of being native English speakers.
Also, we cannot simply rely on science to solve all problems. Thanks to science, there is probably enough food produce on Earth to feed the entire population. But it doesn't. And thanks to science, there are some amazing treatments for debilitating and deadly illnesses. But these aren't available to everyone. Why? The problems are economic and political.
I was particularly struck by the sometimes arrogance and hubris of science in comments about the above reports in The Times Higher Education Supplement where I originally spotted the story. Unfortunately it's subscription-only so I can't quote exactly, but in the front-page story, a professor at the soon-to-be closed Reading University Physics Department said "I can't believe they're cutting out physics. At times like these we need science, not wooly courses. Only science can solve the world's problems."
He has a point, physics departments shouldn't be closed, and we do need science. But science can only solve some of the world's problems, for some of its people. At the same time that the heralded advances of modern science are available to relatively few, is it any surprise that the academic world, becoming increasingly subject to market forces worldwide, is introducing new fashionable degrees and forcing out 'core' disciplines in arts and sciences?
Those wooly courses referred to are, presumably, all humanities, and probably most of the social sciences. The professor forgets that science is only part of the picture. Once a technical challenge is solved the solution must be propagated to 'save the world' - time and again we have seen this is the tougher challenge. How will that happen without students of History and Sociology to track its course and provide us with feedback of its impact on societies? Who apart from Political Scientists will theorise and examine the possibilities of new governance mechanisms to regulate the wonderful world of science?
Perhaps a more productive stance would be to focus on the well-being of academia as if it were a human whole. Cutting off small parts ('courses with decreasing demand') may reserve more blood ('money') for core competencies ('vocational degrees in profitable industries') but eventually the organism loses manual dexterity and eventually thought (the ability to critique itself). Infighting will help neither sciences nor arts.
Perhaps the professor will say 'scientists should govern'. The idea of technocracy - government by those most able to govern - is not new and might indeed spread the achievements of science equitably across the globe. But I think not. Besides, such a conception elevates scientific knowledge above all else, a fallacy. In Plato's city, the myth of the metals was used to explain why certain social classes existed. The 'Golds' were the rulers, philosopher-kings whose lives were devoted to the consideration and application of 'perfect rule'.
What if we should forgo politics and submit our destinies to those who 'know best'? I for one would rather live in the world of uncertainty and turmoil, and feel I have some say, however small, than be ruled by an all-knowing cult of science.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
My latest on www.theset.co.nz
My latest article is up on www.theset.co.nz - official website of the Smokefree RockQuest. This one is called 'Representation - is it a good thing?' Here's a snippet:
"it can be hard to bear what often seems the dominant form of political discourse in this country – ‘moaning’. Yes government by its nature is imperfect, we all know that. And that politicians sometimes do naughty things is a given."Read the full thing here: http://www.theset.co.nz/home/node/176
Saturday, 17 March 2007
Cyborg anybody?
One can argue that we are already moving towards becoming cyborgs by the technological devices we adorn ourselves with, and feel pain to be separated from. This guy though, has taken it one step further. He has implanted an RFID tag (like those to be used in NZ for tracking dogs) in his wrist, enabling him to logon to his systems with proximity rather than passwords. Interesting, and I imagine quite convenient. Imagine the consequences of large-scale adoption though...no driver's licenses, credit cards, door keys...and if the state got control of the technology?
http://www.rubbervir.us/projects/rfid/
http://www.rubbervir.us/projects/rfid/
Thursday, 15 March 2007
Maps of data
Came across these amazing visualisations of two datasets - first is scientific paradigms and their relations, second is the relative strengths of nations. http://didi.com/brad/mapOfScience/
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
easylowdown
Rather than checking a blog site, which can make you look obsessive, why not subscribe to the changes via email? Put your address in the box to the right, and click the button. Then verify your address in the email that it sends you. Simple!
Course correction
Last Friday was a tough one. Having tried out almost all the Honours courses I had to choose which four to do. There were six I would have been happy to do, but the best combination for me was:
Politics of International Migration - looking at an under-researched area of politics, formerly considered 'low politics' and outside the remit of serious, realist IR. But increasingly important. Why do people migrate? How much control do states have? Who sets and benefits from immigration policy? So moving beyond economic cost/benefit equations of migration to bring in political considerations as well.
Politics of Market Creation in Europe - one of the International Political Economy (IPE) -based classes at Vic (there are several offered). Looking at major theories of the relationship between politics (including but not limited to states) and economics (including but not limited to markets) and using examples from Europe to illustrate. Trying to unpack 'Globalisation' a little too.
Global Civil Society - looking at all the stuff that happens 'outside' states and inter-governmental organisations. So NGOs and social movements, and their effects on development at local, national, regional, global levels. From the discussion in class today, definitions aren't that simple though. Also looking at what 'Globalisation' might mean and what people do about it.
Political Sociology - reading and discussing the 'big ideas', the big frameworks of political systems and political change. Starting on Friday with Fukuyama and Huntington, proceeding from there to look at electoral systems, political choice etc.
Hard-core? Yes, more so than what I started at Canterbury. I'm very happy with the choice and combination. Plenty of intertwining, but minimal over-lapping (I won't be reading the same authors twice!)
And now just a bit over thirty weeks and 40,000 words separate me from an Honours degree.
Politics of International Migration - looking at an under-researched area of politics, formerly considered 'low politics' and outside the remit of serious, realist IR. But increasingly important. Why do people migrate? How much control do states have? Who sets and benefits from immigration policy? So moving beyond economic cost/benefit equations of migration to bring in political considerations as well.
Politics of Market Creation in Europe - one of the International Political Economy (IPE) -based classes at Vic (there are several offered). Looking at major theories of the relationship between politics (including but not limited to states) and economics (including but not limited to markets) and using examples from Europe to illustrate. Trying to unpack 'Globalisation' a little too.
Global Civil Society - looking at all the stuff that happens 'outside' states and inter-governmental organisations. So NGOs and social movements, and their effects on development at local, national, regional, global levels. From the discussion in class today, definitions aren't that simple though. Also looking at what 'Globalisation' might mean and what people do about it.
Political Sociology - reading and discussing the 'big ideas', the big frameworks of political systems and political change. Starting on Friday with Fukuyama and Huntington, proceeding from there to look at electoral systems, political choice etc.
Hard-core? Yes, more so than what I started at Canterbury. I'm very happy with the choice and combination. Plenty of intertwining, but minimal over-lapping (I won't be reading the same authors twice!)
And now just a bit over thirty weeks and 40,000 words separate me from an Honours degree.
Friday, 9 March 2007
News, on the run
If you ain't got time to be reading New York Times articles (they're so long!) and when the BBC just seems so dry, why not try 'The First Post'?
At The First Post you can read a variety of mostly one-page articles about the current events of the day. And not just the hum-drum of politics...but arts, culture, and a really nice 'picture of the day' section.
A small excerpt from their 'About Us' page (I love About Us pages, especially when they are a major link on a site) says "Our political OPINION has been described as 'ill-defined' and even 'all over the place'. This is what we want to hear." Nice.
www.thefirstpost.co.uk - hopefully the name is an ironic gibe at blogs
At The First Post you can read a variety of mostly one-page articles about the current events of the day. And not just the hum-drum of politics...but arts, culture, and a really nice 'picture of the day' section.
A small excerpt from their 'About Us' page (I love About Us pages, especially when they are a major link on a site) says "Our political OPINION has been described as 'ill-defined' and even 'all over the place'. This is what we want to hear." Nice.
www.thefirstpost.co.uk - hopefully the name is an ironic gibe at blogs
Camera Obscura at SFBH
Wow what a gig! Camera Obscura are a band from Glasgow, and they play plaintive, melancholic, hopeful pop music that harkens back but has modern synthey bits too.
Their set at the San Francisco Bath House (formerly Indigo) on Wednesday got off to a wee bit of a shaky start. They'd only just flown in from Sydney, and they looked and sounded very tired. This led to a little shakiness to begin with, but they soon became unstoppable.
The real turning point was 'Books Written For Girls' off their second album, 'Underachievers Please Try Harder'. For this, the drummer moved to percussion, the percussionist/trumpeteer moved to guitar, and TracyAnne Campbell the lead singer put down her guitar. Kenny the guitarist got out the old metal slide and I almost teared up.
Total magic. After the idiots in the front-right corner (yes you know who you are!) realised they were the only ones talking in the gaps and shut up, there was absolute silence. How often does that happen? I have it on good authority that the number is never for SFBH.
Here's an excerpt from that song:
You can compliment me on the style of my hair
Give me marks out of ten for the clothes that I wear
You probably thought I had more upstairs.
Thanks to AbsoluteLyrics.com
From then on the whole band seemed buoyed by the raucous applause, the banter increased, TracyAnne became sweeter, and the crowd was more enthralled. They left 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' til last - and it rocked!
And then, to my delight, a genuine encore. Yes the real thing folks - five minutes of applause, yelling and stomping, and then a nice little two-song send-off.
If you're an RDU listener you'll already be familiar with 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' and 'Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken' (thanks Pip!). Rest assured the 2006 album 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' has plenty more to offer than just the hits. It has to be one of my top five albums of last year.
Another thing that pleases me immensely is that Camera Obscura has a great flash-based website (including compilation tapes, recipes, film recommendations, wisdom, top fives and book reviews - one theme per member) www.camera-obscura.net
Take note bands...a SpyMace page may be good for accumulating 'adds' and for letting people listen to four of your tracks free, but your 'rad' yellow text on semi-scrolling black background with the tiled, moody cover photo from your latest EP just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. That is all.
Their set at the San Francisco Bath House (formerly Indigo) on Wednesday got off to a wee bit of a shaky start. They'd only just flown in from Sydney, and they looked and sounded very tired. This led to a little shakiness to begin with, but they soon became unstoppable.
The real turning point was 'Books Written For Girls' off their second album, 'Underachievers Please Try Harder'. For this, the drummer moved to percussion, the percussionist/trumpeteer moved to guitar, and TracyAnne Campbell the lead singer put down her guitar. Kenny the guitarist got out the old metal slide and I almost teared up.
Total magic. After the idiots in the front-right corner (yes you know who you are!) realised they were the only ones talking in the gaps and shut up, there was absolute silence. How often does that happen? I have it on good authority that the number is never for SFBH.
Here's an excerpt from that song:
You can compliment me on the style of my hair
Give me marks out of ten for the clothes that I wear
You probably thought I had more upstairs.
Thanks to AbsoluteLyrics.com
From then on the whole band seemed buoyed by the raucous applause, the banter increased, TracyAnne became sweeter, and the crowd was more enthralled. They left 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' til last - and it rocked!
And then, to my delight, a genuine encore. Yes the real thing folks - five minutes of applause, yelling and stomping, and then a nice little two-song send-off.
If you're an RDU listener you'll already be familiar with 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' and 'Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken' (thanks Pip!). Rest assured the 2006 album 'Let's Get Out Of This Country' has plenty more to offer than just the hits. It has to be one of my top five albums of last year.
Another thing that pleases me immensely is that Camera Obscura has a great flash-based website (including compilation tapes, recipes, film recommendations, wisdom, top fives and book reviews - one theme per member) www.camera-obscura.net
Take note bands...a SpyMace page may be good for accumulating 'adds' and for letting people listen to four of your tracks free, but your 'rad' yellow text on semi-scrolling black background with the tiled, moody cover photo from your latest EP just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. That is all.
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
Battle of titans
I had a farcical battle yesterday morning on the hills of Wellington. I was running along Mairangi Road and just when it changes into Pembroke Road, a man on a mobility scooter darted out of a driveway.
Initially he pulled away, but I caught up, and turns out his model scooter was the perfect pace-setter for me. I stayed behind for about 10 minutes, wondering whether I could pass or whether that would get me tooted at and run down later if I slowed.
Then a complicated hilly intersection! He had to slow right down to get to the kerb round the corner, and I sped past, on to victory.
I'm sure to an observer it must have seemed quite an absurd battle, or else some weird training exercise from my geriatric running coach. All I can say is watch out for terrors on the footpaths...
Initially he pulled away, but I caught up, and turns out his model scooter was the perfect pace-setter for me. I stayed behind for about 10 minutes, wondering whether I could pass or whether that would get me tooted at and run down later if I slowed.
Then a complicated hilly intersection! He had to slow right down to get to the kerb round the corner, and I sped past, on to victory.
I'm sure to an observer it must have seemed quite an absurd battle, or else some weird training exercise from my geriatric running coach. All I can say is watch out for terrors on the footpaths...
Monday, 5 March 2007
Oh, that great gig
I turned up late, but the first of two pre-sales, to an extremely under-subscribed gig on Saturday.
Jon Auer of The Posies and the rejuvenated Big Star (they wrote the original version of the theme song from That 70's Show) played a wonderful solo gig in support of his new album 'Songs from the Year of Our Demise'. Tracks on MySpace here.
In the end it turned out great, about fifteen people and a legend of alternative-power-pop with a fantastic honest voice and really nice guitar work. He even took us outside to the street with just his guitar at one point, and wove charming tales of each song's creation in the gaps between.
I also had an interesting conversation with the support act, Jeremy (didn't catch his last name) about the state of modern music. He said 'it used to be that you would have to use two or three bands and/or genres to give someone an idea of a fourth band's sound, but now you can often just say 'sounds like A'. I said 'maybe we need some better adjectives' and he said 'maybe we just need some better bands'!
We agreed that there is perhaps just too much music out there, too accessible, too permeable. I decried my always-too-big pile of 'current listening' and identified with his constant returns to the familiar, those comfortable classics of one's collection. And whereas previously NZ music existed in semi-splendid isolation and was distinctive and special because of it, the widespread availability of ANYTHING via several media ranging from free to cheap, has perhaps lead to a loss of innocence and uniqueness in NZ music. Yes, perhaps more NZ music is being sold now, and its profile is higher, but is it still NZ music? Interesting to consider.
On arriving I met and chatted with the promoter, a nice guy called Jim, who is also bringing Camera Obscura to the San Francisco Bath House on Wednesday! Woo hoo! Hopefully it will sell out on the night.
Jon Auer of The Posies and the rejuvenated Big Star (they wrote the original version of the theme song from That 70's Show) played a wonderful solo gig in support of his new album 'Songs from the Year of Our Demise'. Tracks on MySpace here.
In the end it turned out great, about fifteen people and a legend of alternative-power-pop with a fantastic honest voice and really nice guitar work. He even took us outside to the street with just his guitar at one point, and wove charming tales of each song's creation in the gaps between.
I also had an interesting conversation with the support act, Jeremy (didn't catch his last name) about the state of modern music. He said 'it used to be that you would have to use two or three bands and/or genres to give someone an idea of a fourth band's sound, but now you can often just say 'sounds like A'. I said 'maybe we need some better adjectives' and he said 'maybe we just need some better bands'!
We agreed that there is perhaps just too much music out there, too accessible, too permeable. I decried my always-too-big pile of 'current listening' and identified with his constant returns to the familiar, those comfortable classics of one's collection. And whereas previously NZ music existed in semi-splendid isolation and was distinctive and special because of it, the widespread availability of ANYTHING via several media ranging from free to cheap, has perhaps lead to a loss of innocence and uniqueness in NZ music. Yes, perhaps more NZ music is being sold now, and its profile is higher, but is it still NZ music? Interesting to consider.
On arriving I met and chatted with the promoter, a nice guy called Jim, who is also bringing Camera Obscura to the San Francisco Bath House on Wednesday! Woo hoo! Hopefully it will sell out on the night.
32 weeks to go
Just had a marathon first day of Honours classes, and I'm not even enrolled in any Monday classes yet!
As often happens, a course that was moved to avoid a clash with two other courses, now clashes with only one course, which I, of course, am enrolled in. I enrolled in:
Today I visited:
So now I am in quite a happy dilemma. After being satisfied with the four courses I originally chose, I am now in the difficult but also encouraging position of potentially picking, and being happy with, ANY of the Victoria POLS/INTP Honours courses. What a programme!
32 weeks to go until Monday October 15th, the blanket deadline for all Pols Honours written work.
As often happens, a course that was moved to avoid a clash with two other courses, now clashes with only one course, which I, of course, am enrolled in. I enrolled in:
- Global Governance
- Global Civil Society
- Bureaucratic Power in Western Democracies
- Sociology of Political Change
Today I visited:
- Comparative Politics: Europe (which is really more of an IPE course, using European examples to explain marketisation of societies)
- Politics of International Migration (very interesting and under-explored topic, of special interest to me via my semi-accidental background in censuses)
- Insurgency and Counter-insurgency (looking at theories and examples of non-traditional political violence)
So now I am in quite a happy dilemma. After being satisfied with the four courses I originally chose, I am now in the difficult but also encouraging position of potentially picking, and being happy with, ANY of the Victoria POLS/INTP Honours courses. What a programme!
32 weeks to go until Monday October 15th, the blanket deadline for all Pols Honours written work.
Friday, 2 March 2007
When you need a friend
Think soaring Houston melody...
That's right friends, if your SpyMace page isn't yet 'pimped' with all the 'hotties' you need to be cool, then FakeYourSpace can save your bacon.
Simply splash down some money, and you get a 'hot' new friend on your SpyMace page. (Be sure to make them a top friend so that people cruising your hopelessly formatted page with no content see your candy!)
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fakeyourspacecom-a-place-where-you-can-rent-a-friend/
That's right friends, if your SpyMace page isn't yet 'pimped' with all the 'hotties' you need to be cool, then FakeYourSpace can save your bacon.
Simply splash down some money, and you get a 'hot' new friend on your SpyMace page. (Be sure to make them a top friend so that people cruising your hopelessly formatted page with no content see your candy!)
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fakeyourspacecom-a-place-where-you-can-rent-a-friend/
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
My actual hero is Bob Dylan. Not to take anything away from Wayne.
Anyway, the 1965 documentary of Dylan's final acoustic tour through the UK is about to be reissued. Here's a preview clip of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" from "Don't Look Back". A great song, and a wonderful performance.
And the lyrics, as with all of Dylan's, are helpfully catalogued on his site: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/babyblue.html
Anyway, the 1965 documentary of Dylan's final acoustic tour through the UK is about to be reissued. Here's a preview clip of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" from "Don't Look Back". A great song, and a wonderful performance.
And the lyrics, as with all of Dylan's, are helpfully catalogued on his site: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/babyblue.html
Thursday, 1 March 2007
Wayne Anderson you are my hero
At the student union building on Tuesday, I was live witness to the musical genius that is Mr. Wayne Anderson, "Singer of Songs".With a commanding stage presence and a three-and-a-half octave range, Mr. Anderson took on a swathe of sultry songs from across the repertoire, including 'Sheryl Moana Marie' by John Rowles.
Wayne was recently featured on his own TV2 show, in an unforgivable graveyard weeknight timeslot.
If you missed is here are some educational links:
- Official website: http://www.wayneanderson.tv/
- MySpace page (come on, every self-respecting serious musician has one): http://www.myspace.com/mrwayneanderson
- YouTube videos of the show: http://www.youtube.com/butobase
- See especially Wayne's treatise on the relative virtues of Manurewa living and canned goods: 'It's Got Sausages In It' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWSEieQAaOs
Monday, 26 February 2007
We flagellate ourselves for our performance at the gym
Yes Lawrence Arabia, you got it right alright.
Attending my new gym in Wellington is fun. I get to spot a whole new set of poseurs and voyeurs. Like the guy doing a 'lat pulldown' which involves lifting off the seat slightly, leaning far back and engaging in a full-body tuck in order to bring the bar down.
Or the go-go dance bicep curl. Or the lazy-row. I could go on...
Here's a tip: go with a weight that you can actually do correctly! Weights can be dangerous if used improperly, and even machines don't enforce good technique. Be careful out there kids.
You want a quick fix? Go buy an Abflex Kingomatic 9000.
Note: Flagellate (verb) not to be confused with Flagellate (noun). Or for a conservative take on Flagellate (noun) that helps defeat the liberal US media machine, go to http://www.conservapedia.com/Flagellate. Thank you.
Attending my new gym in Wellington is fun. I get to spot a whole new set of poseurs and voyeurs. Like the guy doing a 'lat pulldown' which involves lifting off the seat slightly, leaning far back and engaging in a full-body tuck in order to bring the bar down.
Or the go-go dance bicep curl. Or the lazy-row. I could go on...
Here's a tip: go with a weight that you can actually do correctly! Weights can be dangerous if used improperly, and even machines don't enforce good technique. Be careful out there kids.
You want a quick fix? Go buy an Abflex Kingomatic 9000.
Note: Flagellate (verb) not to be confused with Flagellate (noun). Or for a conservative take on Flagellate (noun) that helps defeat the liberal US media machine, go to http://www.conservapedia.com/Flagellate. Thank you.
Drains...
These guys explore drainage systems in Canada! And some nice photos and words come out of it all.
"The built environment of the city has always been incomplete, by omission and necessity, and will remain so. Despite the visions of futurists, the work of our planners and cement-layers thankfully remains a fractured and discontinuous whole, an urban field riven with internal margins, pockmarked by decay, underlaid with secret waterways." - http://vanishingpoint.ca/about.htmlThankfully indeed! Add it to your list of hobbies to take up.
A good date is hard to find
Yes, we all know a good date is hard to find. But for any event, there comes a time when you have to set the date and just be done with it! And, importantly, let everybody know the correct date.
Already I have been extremely put out and led astray by the VUWSA (that's pronounced view-sah, it's like UCSA uk-sah) and their orientation magazine. Luckily I checked several SpyMace pages and the VUWSA site itself to make sure I wasn't mistaken.
Spare a thought for all the first-year students, who, unknowing of such problems, won't be attending So So Modern at the San Francisco Bath House on TUESDAY night not WEDNESDAY. Yes.
So So Modern are a great band, I recommend seeing them at the earliest possible opportunity. Here is a picture of the crazy kids in their jumpsuits entertaining the indie kids at Camp A Low Hum.
Already I have been extremely put out and led astray by the VUWSA (that's pronounced view-sah, it's like UCSA uk-sah) and their orientation magazine. Luckily I checked several SpyMace pages and the VUWSA site itself to make sure I wasn't mistaken.
Spare a thought for all the first-year students, who, unknowing of such problems, won't be attending So So Modern at the San Francisco Bath House on TUESDAY night not WEDNESDAY. Yes.
So So Modern are a great band, I recommend seeing them at the earliest possible opportunity. Here is a picture of the crazy kids in their jumpsuits entertaining the indie kids at Camp A Low Hum.
Youf R our fytr
Youth are our future. They are the future payers of taxes, and the future lookers-after of the people always just a wee bit older than they are.
With this heady and noble mission in mind, I have become (thanks to Spanky) a 'political columnist' for www.theset.co.nz - the official SmokeFreeRockQuest website.
From time to time, I may post links to articles on said website, like this one by me: Politix: Your awkward introduction to the P-word!
With this heady and noble mission in mind, I have become (thanks to Spanky) a 'political columnist' for www.theset.co.nz - the official SmokeFreeRockQuest website.
From time to time, I may post links to articles on said website, like this one by me: Politix: Your awkward introduction to the P-word!
Oh that's right, 'welcome to my blog'
Just remember reading somewhere that one should always welcome readers to the blog.
Welcome. This will be a place for needless and senseless commentary on all things mundane and fantastic. Including, but not limited to: the new city of Wellington; music; news; the WWW.
Under no circumstances should it be read. And Firefox and IE7 users, certainly please don't subscribe to it by clicking the little orange wavey icon up the top there.
Welcome. This will be a place for needless and senseless commentary on all things mundane and fantastic. Including, but not limited to: the new city of Wellington; music; news; the WWW.
Under no circumstances should it be read. And Firefox and IE7 users, certainly please don't subscribe to it by clicking the little orange wavey icon up the top there.
Nickname etymology
Shauny or Shaunie? Tough question. As far as I can remember, the nickname was first given to me by a family friend, Helen, over two decades ago ouch.
Took a break for a while as 'Scrauny' dominated the mid-90's, care of The Scout Assocation of NZ. Also Shaunis (mid-late 90's), McGrrr (new millenium nickname project care of Lee Ann at Stats).
Then 2006 and a true dialectic was set up, between 'Shauny/ie' (care of Pip) and 'Bills/sy' (care of JuJu).
Which remains dominant, and whether any new contenders enter the running, remains to be seen. Wellington is, after all, fertile ground for nicknames.
Took a break for a while as 'Scrauny' dominated the mid-90's, care of The Scout Assocation of NZ. Also Shaunis (mid-late 90's), McGrrr (new millenium nickname project care of Lee Ann at Stats).
Then 2006 and a true dialectic was set up, between 'Shauny/ie' (care of Pip) and 'Bills/sy' (care of JuJu).
Which remains dominant, and whether any new contenders enter the running, remains to be seen. Wellington is, after all, fertile ground for nicknames.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)