Author Archive
Heartwarming
Watch this video of a concert where the star invites a member of the audience to participate in a duet … and she turns out to be fantastic! The combination of the song’s message and the way the performance works out moved me… “Still me” (1’38”) is such a clanger, in retrospect. – P via […]
War on privacy
What a great MAD magazine cover! {insert pointed local reference of your choice here} – P via @iA
Denial is not just a river in Egypt #GCSB
“I don’t think the inquiry was a botch-up at all” [Chief executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Andrew Kibblewhite] said, although mistakes were made about providing certain information. Right. All good, then? Read coverage of the Privileges committee ‘hearing’ into the just ever so slightly botched-up inquiry set up by GCSB minister John […]
Planning
Spotted this on my walk yesterday. It made me chuckle.
Please stop taking pictures of your genitals
Oh dear, my first thought was, Are radio stations in one of their ratings survey periods again, by any chance? (Or is this guy just a twit?) Also: I laughed at the offer as an ‘excuse’ … that he meant to send a Snapchat picture of his genitals to a female co-worker. Oh, gee, that’s […]
Have you voted in Campbell Live’s GCSB poll?
I have not participated in the angst-ridden/gloating discussion about how spymaster prime minister John Key ‘performed’ in his appearance on Campbell Live this week — ostensibly to defend and/or justify his GCSB Bill and its new, to-be-expanded powers of domestic surveillance provisions. Judging by a superficial reading of the reaction to the interview, people’s view […]
Adding colour to history
Here, via the Twisted Sifter blog, is a historical, iconic photo with colour added after the fact. As a photographer I've always liked B/W imagery. In a lot of cases, but by no means all (and some spectacular exceptions) the amount of “information” added by colour can be minimal — but clearly, colour is more […]
Still delightful. Mila Kunis
I saw this at the time (March this year) and found it charming … stumbled across it again today and still chuckled. If you haven’t watched, see if you enjoy Mila Kunis enjoying a little bit of welcome variety on the PR treadmill … – P
Yet another beautiful model with the geek glasses
Remember I mentioned in ‘Trying to make Google’s glasses look glamourous‘ how the strategy seemed to be: Juxtapose beautiful women with the Google Glass in hopes for a bit of glamour rub off? Yeah, that. – P
Criticism and questioning are part of your job description, Mrs Collins. Get over it.
Apropos my post ‘With respect, Mr Key, you misjudge me.‘ I had a trifling interaction with another government politician under siege this week. I’ve been researching an article about Justice minister Judith Collins — specifically the criticisms of her handling of the David Bain compensation issue. (You may recall my sense of genuine regret and […]
The Letters
Radio NZ’s Mediawatch podcast featured a couple of excellent interviews — with Jim Tucker and David Fisher. As is my habit, I listened to it on my walk this morning. Available here (35’27”). I recommend you listen to it. Later on my walk, as I carefully picked my way around the coast at low tide, […]
Because I like and respect John Armstrong
I’ve learned that in the ongoing parasitic relationship between politicians and the news media (some call it symbiotic, but meh) certain actors on both sides overestimate their importance. But not John Armstrong. Read John’s column from the Weekend Herald: Government betrayal on a monumental scale. What he says about ‘the democratic fabric being ripped asunder’ […]
‘a good way to divert attention from the uproar over the N.S.A.’s data-collection programs’
It’s really hard not to see this, from the New York Times in the context of my posts Justifying mass surveillance with ‘terror threat’ is a right wing talking point Qaeda Messages Prompt U.S. Terror Warning WASHINGTON — The United States intercepted electronic communications this week among senior operatives of Al Qaeda, in which the […]
My daughter is still using this iPhone
I mentioned the misfortune which this noble iPhone 3G suffered. Well, it’s still going. – P Pic: At TEDx Auckland today.
Claims of ‘terrorist plots’ debunked in US — ‘not buying it’
From June … Ron Paul on NSA: They Have To Justify Their Existence, Otherwise They’re Out Of Work Relevant, huh? Especially the comment ‘Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile’. Where are New Zealand’s right wing libertarians on this surveillance issue? (Serious question.) – P
