Posts by Mike Graham
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Using averages can distort things immensely. Consider a grossly simplified example - in a sub-population of 20 people, 19 have a mortage of $100k and 1 has a mortgage of $1m.
Q: What's the average mortage
A: $145kQ: How many have a mortgage (and therefore repayments) below the average?
A: 95%Lies, damned lies, and statistics! (especially averages)
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Doesn't our narrow guage tracks have something to do with why our trains don't go faster?
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sorry, seemed to have stuffed the link in the previous post - it's Brian Rudman in the Herald talking about Westfield's non-notified resource consent for downtown Auckland.
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So while the Govt tries to make rail work, the Auckland City Council seem to be trying to stop any progress on getting more Aucklanders using rail for commuting. Rudman doesn't always make sense, but this time he does. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10507960
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I think I heard Bruce Shepherd say something along the lines of: 'it might be good for the customers, but it's no good for the shareholders".
I guess most of us are customers, not shareholders of Telecom, so we are happy with the changes. He is representing the shareholders, but if the customers aren't happy then the shareholders will ultimately suffer.
Thank goodness Williamson isn't Telecoms minister anymore or we'd still be waiting for some action.
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endless departmental staff meetings in Japanese
I was told prior to going on my one and only trip to Japan that "the purpose of a meeting in Japan is to arrange the next meeting". It was certainly true some of the time.
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but anyone who has been to a Football match in the UK ... will understand that spectator sport in this country can seem a bit passionless at times
Agreed - although my experiences were primarily at the Shed end of Stamford Bridge.
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Sport ... weather? Not news.
definitely - as that means that it's only 20 minutes, and if you're lucky you've had dinner with the family and can watch the sports news with the other males of the household.
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Isabel - I agree!
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sometimes they're quite happy to just be lurking.
As someone who must be on the gray line between lurker and non-lurker (average of less than 2 posts per month since Nov 06, and the last month has pushed that average up) - I often find that some-one has already said what I would have said. Combine that with the reality of work where I try to limit my blog-reading time, the conversation has often moved on by the time the kids are in bed and I get my turn at the keyboard. So, overall, I'm happy to be lurking!
The reception here is significantly better than other places I could mention, and I think that it's the type of abuse that is prevalent in those other places that puts off '1st time commenters' in general.
It can be a bit intimidating, but well done to PAS for great forum, even if a lot of us do a lot more reading than contributing.