I've been re-reading Tony Parsons The Stories We Could Tell - after all, one of the main characters is a thinly disguised Iggy Pop - who's playing tomorrow at the Big Day Out.
One of the characters writes a left wing fanzine called Red Mist, and reading about this makes me think that blogs are the fanzines (or minority political newspapers) of the 21st century. The difference is, in 1977 you had to *want* to spend 20p on buying Class War. Nowadays, you just have to click a link.
Which means that ideas and attitudes that didn't make the mainstream a few years ago now get wide circulation - to the annoyance of those like Deborah Coddington who expect the nation's reading material to fit inside certain boundaries. Way back when, I'm quite sure that you could find a poorly duplicated A4 mag comparing David Lange to Stalin - now you just need to click over to Sir Humphreys.
Strikes me, if you don't like it, then don't buy it - even if "it" is available free on the web instead of being sold by a lad on a street corner.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Monday, January 09, 2006
Got away with it!
The latest vulnerability in Windows seems to have attracted remarkably little coverage in the media. Surprisingly, given it's the silly season (at least in the southern hemisphere).
For those that missed it, there is a vulnerability that allowed a (fairly) obscure file format to be loaded with arbitrary code that'd run on your computer when you browsed a website or viewed an email. Quite nasty - most recent exploits have required an unusual configuration, or been easily blocked by firewalls - this one wouldn't (unless you run intrusive content security software like WebMarshal).
Perhaps it's that no confirmed exploit turned up before the patch was issued - or maybe kicking MSFT for security holes is just so 2005.
For those that missed it, there is a vulnerability that allowed a (fairly) obscure file format to be loaded with arbitrary code that'd run on your computer when you browsed a website or viewed an email. Quite nasty - most recent exploits have required an unusual configuration, or been easily blocked by firewalls - this one wouldn't (unless you run intrusive content security software like WebMarshal).
Perhaps it's that no confirmed exploit turned up before the patch was issued - or maybe kicking MSFT for security holes is just so 2005.
Movie Reviews
From Tim Dunlop (an Australian):
From the esteemed Russell Brown:
Whether to go and see it? One should perhaps factor in the views of Mr Brown in 2004 and indeed Damian Christie way back in '02. To summarise: watching NZ movies is like watching a national sports team - they may put on a piss-poor performance, but it's still a patriotic duty to go and yell for them.
Thus it's hard to tell whether Russell's right, it's a great movie and Tim is just smarting after they lost at League; or Tim's right and Russell is cheerleading like a true patriot.
Maybe I'll get it on DVD - that way I can always watch it at X8 with subtitles (thank you Douglas Coupland for this suggestion on how to deal with overlong movies).
"Don't watch the new King Kong movie. Ever. Not even as a late-night re-run on commercial television in ten years time when you are sitting home one evening with nothing better to do than put lard on the cat's boils. Choose to lard the cat. Really."
From the esteemed Russell Brown:
"...we loved it. I thought it was a tremendous piece of film-making."
"The crowd cheered and applauded"
"Naomi Watts ... was great. The script was spot-on."
Whether to go and see it? One should perhaps factor in the views of Mr Brown in 2004 and indeed Damian Christie way back in '02. To summarise: watching NZ movies is like watching a national sports team - they may put on a piss-poor performance, but it's still a patriotic duty to go and yell for them.
Thus it's hard to tell whether Russell's right, it's a great movie and Tim is just smarting after they lost at League; or Tim's right and Russell is cheerleading like a true patriot.
Maybe I'll get it on DVD - that way I can always watch it at X8 with subtitles (thank you Douglas Coupland for this suggestion on how to deal with overlong movies).
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Bah Humbug
Only three sleeps to Xmas!
I'm just so over the whole thing already. It's going to rain solidly until the 9th January, when it will become scorchio for the rest of the month.
In fact, I question whether we need public holidays at all. New Zealanders get 15 days mandatory holiday a year (rising to 20 at some vanishingly distant point in the future) and unlike other countries, that's all most people get. In addition, we get ten days of public holidays - so we get 15 days of our own choice and 10 at the same time as everyone else.
Also, most employers *make* their employees take 3-6 days over Christmas and New Years - reducing freely chosen holidays to 9 days - not long enough for a fortnight's break.
Why not just make it 25 (rising to 30) days of the employee's choice with compulsory leave banned? Then I could choose to work through till January, then take some holiday when it's all quietened down - or just take a 3 day weekend overy other week.
I'm just so over the whole thing already. It's going to rain solidly until the 9th January, when it will become scorchio for the rest of the month.
In fact, I question whether we need public holidays at all. New Zealanders get 15 days mandatory holiday a year (rising to 20 at some vanishingly distant point in the future) and unlike other countries, that's all most people get. In addition, we get ten days of public holidays - so we get 15 days of our own choice and 10 at the same time as everyone else.
Also, most employers *make* their employees take 3-6 days over Christmas and New Years - reducing freely chosen holidays to 9 days - not long enough for a fortnight's break.
Why not just make it 25 (rising to 30) days of the employee's choice with compulsory leave banned? Then I could choose to work through till January, then take some holiday when it's all quietened down - or just take a 3 day weekend overy other week.
Friday, December 02, 2005
C.P.F.Z.
I've decided to declare this site a Canadian Politics Free Zone (CPFZ) for the duration of our great neighbour to the Northeast's election, maybe longer.
Canadians are cool people, but there's something about their politics that brings on the snore factor. If the Quebecois were to engage in violent succession and threaten the US with nuclear attack, then things might get more exciting - I find this unlikely though..
Would anyone like to join me in ths effort - I could design a logo.
For those who are interested, here is a link to an explanation of Canadian electoral law, translated into French by Google.
Canadians are cool people, but there's something about their politics that brings on the snore factor. If the Quebecois were to engage in violent succession and threaten the US with nuclear attack, then things might get more exciting - I find this unlikely though..
Would anyone like to join me in ths effort - I could design a logo.
For those who are interested, here is a link to an explanation of Canadian electoral law, translated into French by Google.
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