Posts by JackElder

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  • Southerly: This Week in Parliament,

    However did you know that if you filled an olympic pool with custard you could comfortably walk on it? True story.

    Pics or it didn't happen.

    Actually, do you happen to know at roughly what size of receptacle you can get custard to take a point weight of 100kg? There's probably some relation between depth and width of the custard field that defines how much weight it can support. And I'm sure there's an contributing factor from how thick the custard is.

    I'm just wondering. Obviously, filling an olympic swimming pool full of custard is going to be prohibitively expensive, but if (for example) you can get the same effect in a domestic bathtub, I think you could probably bring that in for under $500 - making it well within the realms of the home hobbyist.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Auckland Council as leaky…,

    So is this the first tweet quoted in the House?

    There was that business with John Key quoting David Cunliffe's twitter account last year. Bit of an own goal when it turned out to be the fake David Cunliffe, mind.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Southerly: This Week in Parliament,

    Taking advantage of the time before Emma gets broadband hooked up in her new house to write stories with headlines like "One hump or two", I see. Probably wise.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Cracker: Wallywood,

    Reproduction is generally not discussed frankly in LOTR anywhere.

    No, that's what slash is for.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Cracker: Wallywood,

    I just thought of another argument against the Wellywood sign. I fear that the powerful cultural cringe might interfere with the aircraft navigation systems.

    Personally, I was very disappointed at the scratching of that fishhook statue around SH1 on Wellington harbour. The idea was to have two giant columns, looking like the sides of a giant fishhook embedded in the ground, as a reference to the legend of Maui fishing up the land. The finishing touch was to be the "line" going up into the stars, as a laser light. It got canned when someone pointed out that this would potentially cause problems for aircraft coming in on the northern approach. Pity.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Cracker: Wallywood,

    I can still do it - it works easily with any horizontally repeating pattern - or of course with a proper stereoscopic image. You just have to find the locking point.

    I find something similar when I'm looking directly at a fairly close range repeating pattern - I first noticed it in the lifts at VUW, which have a repeating dimple pattern on the inside. If I'm close enough, my eyes can't lock onto points of difference and I suddenly lose all depth perception. It's very unnerving - I usually have to wave my hand in front of my face to "reset" my brain.

    I'm staying out of most of the discussion here, but one thing I will say is that someone upthread mentioned the problems of filming 3D using forced perspective (as was done for LotR). This also occurred to me at one point; I asked around about it, and have been reliably assured that Nuke has a compositing node enabling forced perspective footage to be composited into a 3D scene without looking odd.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Field Theory: It's a summer get-together,

    Actually, that was prompted by my dim recollection of one of the objections to the introduction of the Euro to Italy being from strippers. With lire, their clients could apparently tip small and frequently - which worked out for everyone. But with the Euro, the smallest notes were impractically large denominations for casual G-string tuckage, hence strippers found that their daily take-home diminished a surprising amount. The solution, I seem to recall, was supposedly "magnetic underwear" to which Euro coins could adhere - though I have my suspicions that this wouldn't actually work in practice.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Field Theory: It's a summer get-together,

    $25 fell out of my bra.

    Notes or coins?

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Field Theory: It's a summer get-together,

    Um... Megan is making me a champagne breakfast...

    OK. If you find one of my business cards around your person the next morning, you met me that night.

    When in doubt, leave documentary evidence.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

  • Cracker: Wallywood,

    According to press reports, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally found a movie about the Iraq war they liked because it is “apolitical.” Actually, “The Hurt Locker” is just the opposite; it’s an endorsement of the politically chauvinistic view that the world is a stage upon which Americans get to deal with their demons no matter the consequence for others.

    From Robert Scheer's Article, An Oscar for America's Hubris.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report

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