Posts by Ross Mason
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Busytown: Sons for the Return Home, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Of course.......Auckland. I forgot. ;-)
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And did you see the link in "Grauniad" on "High Frequency Trading"
New meaning of "Long term investor"
"If small investors and if long-term investors — and by long-term investors, I mean longer than a few seconds — if long-term investors don't have confidence that they're on [a level] playing field with giant supercomputers ... How are they going to feel about owning equities? That's the real scare."
"A few seconds" !!! FFS.
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Might not be the post to drop this into but I thought it was an interesting piece anyway. Could be the real reason why the broadband cable is really really necessary??? So John and his hedge money mates can get the jump on the opposition. Staggering "worth".
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And a whole lot of better and more exciting galaxies to stare at down here too!!! With unpolluted, light free (nearly) skies!!
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I still have a box sitting in the basement packed 30+ years ago with all sorts of things we brought back from Canada. Why........is...it...still....there.....We still can't bring ourselves to dump it...sigh...
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Here is a good RWC Results / Fictures / Teams/ Venues / Dates website.
Ad goes with it I am afraid.
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Ronnie Corbett.. Cracker. So,,,we all stroll the streets with autograph books - or even better, Tom Scott's cartoon of McCully's head on the gate spikes and ask "Ronnie" for his signature when we see him.
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Have just read the transport report it does appear that the trains were an issue. They were filled too much. Noted in future that they will be limited to 10% below max capacity.
People collapsed from the heat inside. Noted air conditioning will be set to lowest temperature at the start of the trip.
Emergency Stop activated on one trip. Train stops as per requirement and checked out before resuming, (Eminently sensible thing to do BTW.)
BIG prob at Britomart due to people arriving AND people trying to get on the trains to go the park (presumed). Noted that having two events simultaneously wanting to use the same route in and out of the station causes big headaches.
BIG problem of passengers forcing doors open and walkiing on tracks. Noted that cooler aircon may help......All in all a confusion of disjointed events that repercussed all the way down...the line. One train stops then the next is delayed etc.
But I can't help thinking that an educational piece in the paper might be useful for people unused to travelling by commuter train.
Some lessons learnt in Welly:
Rule 1. The train WILL stop at the next station. So please don't activate the emergency button if a passenger ON the train becomes a medical problem. Where TF would help come from out in the boonies?
Rule 2: They are a bit like aeroplanes. Once the door is shut you are there until the next station at least.
Rule 3. If the train stops, accept it. Forcing the doors really reaLLY REALLY screws the system for everyone.
Rule 4: Patience is more than desirable. After decades of traffic jams up thar in the big smoke I can understand the frustration.
Rule 5: Trains do not stop on the whim of the driver, or the system, or the council, or Viola (sic), or the gummint. There will be a human involved in the incident. Accept it, you is one.
Finally: Check taht the big screens work at least the day before. Yes, that probably means putting up with the exta day's rental. "Suppliers have confirmed that all screens were tested prior to their arrival on site." doesn't cut the mustard I am afraid.
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200,000 people downtown watching the final. Assume NZ is in it. What would happen if we lost................? Holds breath for 6 weeks starting......now.
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Has anyone else noted a change in the "voting" system in rugby over the last 20-25 years???? In the "old days" I thought the touch judges were there to "vote" on whether the ball went over. That is, each TJ decided if the ball went between the posts and they then put their flag up - and here is the punch - without comparing notes. The referee then had the deciding vote as to whether it was a McCarthey "It's a Goal" or not. Now you see them talk to each other, compare notes and mutually agree or disagree. Then usually the referee signals. My experience in this kind of mutually assured shinannigans (another sport but where two people have to decide) is that a less experienced TJ could be influenced by their more experienced colleague.
Just had a chat to an old referee mate who concurs that that was how it was and as far as he knows it hasn't changed. Checking the laws of Rugby Law 6 says that the referee may refer to a match official if required. Couldn't find anything about "voting" but there is no doubt the indication is that the referee could overrule both TJs if he felt inclined to disagree with their decision.
I certainly recall games where TJs indicated opposites and the referee needing to make the final decision.