Posts by Scott A
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Oooh, a H&C thread! And combined with copyright too! And, that's convenient, 'cos they sorta merge for me. I was a huge Hunters and Collectors fan back in the 80s / 90s, but over time the only CD left in my collection were "Collected Works" and a couple of later ones (because Slow Boat, understandably, never wanted to buy those off me).
Then last year I saw that documentary about the Human Frailty album; and it refreshed for me how amazing that "thinking blokes look at falling in and out of love" album was. In particular, I reminded me of this song, which is probably my favourite H&C track after "Talking to a Stranger":
Well, watching the doco, made me decide I really needed to get back in touch with some of those earlier H&C albums. But, late on a Sunday night, I couldn't find a legal download of Human Frailty that worked. But I did find a torrent...
...so I stole the album. Listened to it. Fell back in love with it, immediately, and, at the next moment I was able to went and bought the album, and other early H&C works too.
If it wasn't for that ability to get the album immediately (either legally or not) then I might've got distracted from everything else in my life and just forgotten about chasing up on those albums.
And that's the pattern for me - the internet has allowed me to reconnect with older music, discover new music, because it allows the freedom to explore and to risk the new. And while I would always prefer to pay for it, if there isn't an accessible legal option, I won't shy away from the other options. But I wouldn't need to do that if the legal option had been available.
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I do both waged work in an office and also my own work from home, and frankly I feel a bit terrified of the thought of not doing that mix. The office job gives me routine, stability (and a guaranteed income, unless Westpac screws up the government payroll...), while the work I do from home is something I genuinely enjoy, want to do, with a sense of space and freedom (to wear no pants, or to take time off for a quick hand shandy (thanks Jack)).
But, yes, this does also mean I utterly respect braver people who can do the whole hog and say "screw working for the man, I'm gonna spend all day wearing no pants to make my money!" I think I'd need to see more reliable remuneration on the horizon to take that step. And I guess this is for another thread - how have people made that jump, out from the salaried 'security' of employment to self-employment?
But for my part, for my work from home, I'd also emphasise what others had said - deadlines; even self-created ones, get me doing the work I need to do in the time I need to do it. Often accompanied by rewards (for me, often; meet this deadline and, yes, you can have this Emerson's 1812 and take the time to slow-cook a curry. That sort of thing).
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Lew Stoddart,
Didn't I read somewhere that Jim Anderton's Progressives were folding into Labour before the election? Or did I misread?
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Che Tibby,
yeah, i’m not entirely up with the state of play in the maori seats, and maori voters seem to be very canny with vote-splitting.
No need to isolate that to the Maori seats, Che; since 1996 New Zealanders have shown time and time again that they're very canny at vote splitting where it can make a difference. The political careers of Jim Anderston, Peter Dunne, Rodney Hide and Winston Peters, as well as of TMP, demonstrate that well.
The overhang question can't be ignored, as Che's pointing out. And it needs to be factoring into the thinking of the Greens as well. This election may well turn on something as trivial as the worm's impact in 2002; the smaller parties really need to target and target well.
And, for the Greens, make damn well sure their sympathisers get the hell out of their student houses and vote this time.
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Field Theory: Hospital Pass, in reply to Islander,
The stadium capacity argument is kind of weak eh?
Refund those fans who are among the 5000 or so overbooked(on a 1st come/1st served basis) and offer those who take up the Dunedin venue travel/stay vouchers (similar to the DN Passport.)Ok, so you're from Europe and you've spent a truck load of money to tickets to a RWC quarter final. Or you're an English travel bureau who has already sold your allocated packet of tours. Or you're in Wellington, and you're one of the very lucky few to win a ticket in the ballot. Of course you're going to give up your ticket for the benefit of the South Island, right?
No, of course not; that's why the quarter-finals had to go to Auckland.
Anything else would have to involve taking tickets off people who have already paid for them. And regardless of any "card is subject to change / act of god" provisos, that would end up embroiling the RWC Limited in expensive legal action, not to mention costly PR issues. Because while the earthquake was an act of god, it was a human and organisational choice to take tickets off people who had legitimately purchased them when a viable alternative (Eden Park) was available.
It's not an great outcome, but there really seemed to be no other alternative for those quarter final matches.
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Hard News: About Arie, in reply to Kumara Republic,
Would that make it a diplomatic incident, then?
They're cops, not diplomats. And, in the terms of the broader New Zealand - Australian relationship narrative, hardly one to go withdrawing embassies over.
But we really do need some MSM to pick up on this part of the story, ASAP, so that it doesn't just disappear.. I'd also be sure the overseas officers involved will be slipped out of the country as soon as possible, time is of the essence here to get a strong light shone on this assault. Left too much longer then all we'll end up with that the "the investigation into this regrettable incident has met a dead-end due to uncertainty who the officers involved were as they have left the country."
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Hard News: About Arie, in reply to Tim Hannah,
Would have been nice for the media to ask the question though.
Yes. No disagreement from me on that point. At all.
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Hard News: About Arie, in reply to Russell Brown,
No. I'm simply at a loss for any other explanation.
I'm with Richard. And I'm not someone to leap to defence of our 'boys-own-in-blue' club, but I honestly do see this as just as likely being at the hands of 'concerned citizens' or other prisoners (though that wouldn't excuse the police leaving him in a cell to suffer).
But, yeah, don't blame the police quite yet. Cry wolf, and all that, etc etc.
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to Ross Mason,
He's hit the nail on his head.
Oh. Stop. Please!
(Well, once I stop laughing, please stop. Thanks Ross.)
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Do you have any evidence it was the police who beat this young man, Russell?