Posts by Ben Gracewood

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  • Hard News: The Public Bad,

    People rely on the Internet for vital life support? Or is that "no-life" support?

    There are medical devices available that report status (blood pressure, weight, etc) via the 'tubes, but I'm not sure how life-essential they are, and/or if they happen to be in use in New Zealand.

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Public Bad,

    Her response (correct me if I misremember, Don) was that there were no unintended consequences, which tells you a lot about the type of thinking that went into this law.

    That really is appalling. How hard is it to do a tiny bit of research into the chilling effect of laws like this and the DMCA?

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Public Bad,

    the problem with Section 92(A) is that it places the adjudication of a legal dispute either in the hands of parties who are not competent to make such decisions (ISPs and telecommunications companies), or (in the approach endorsed by RIANZ' Campbell Smith) in the hands of one party to the dispute. To say this isn't ideal is putting it mildly.

    This is the largest issue I have with s92a. In addition to the penalty being unduly harsh, enacting a law that requires only interested parties to implement it is madness.

    I liken it to the ranchers and rustlers having at each other in the Wild West. But the modern bit-ranchers have a lot more power and a lot less at stake.

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: Emma Hart is a werewolf,

    KiwiFoo is just brilliant. I can feel the enthusiasm and cognition bubbling over from the event through the 'tubes (via Twitter and blogs), and I wasn't even there!

    This is why New Zealand isn't fucked. Great work Nat, Russell, and everyone involved.

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: Effectively Friday,

    The Christian Bale remix is great, but I'm labeling this shirt as the best thing to come out of the stoush.

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: A Weird Day in the Hood,

    A possible final vindication for on-ramp signals?

    No, because they are not installed or enabled east-bound on the North-Western yet. And besides, they are an unforgivable abomination of a device that should be rended from this earth with extreme violence.

    I can't find the reference, but I'm positive that beyond a certain level, traffic control and signage actually become detrimental to safety.

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: A Weird Day in the Hood,

    Having fired a few rounds from a police-esque Glock 9mm (at a pistol club as part of a stag do... long story), I have absolutely no surprise that the police failed to hit the suspect standing on an erratically moving flatbed truck.

    It's hard enough to hit a stationary paper target from 10 metres. Seriously. Do not believe the movies when James Bond downs a moving helicopter with a single shot from a pistol.

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Current Status: Holidays,

    Amazingly, not one has killed itself, in the 30year period the ranchsliders have been there-

    Honestly, I'm amazed your ranch sliders are still there after a keruru impact!

    We have a lone Tui who likes to sing from the apple tree next door. It likes to sing the four notes from Beethoven's 5th, but very, very slowly: "tweet tweet tweet..(sometimes a 5 second pause)... twoot".

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Busytown: Flying visit,

    Land into teeth of northerly gale, rediscover religion.

    It was probably 5 years ago, but I still remember my "best" worst Wellington landing like it was yesterday.

    After a particularly violent sideways shove (the other bumps and rolls were merely sickening), I heard the "whoop whoop" of some sort of alarm from the cockpit. In the 2 or 3 seconds it took for the pilot to silence the alarm (or put the plane back on the correct course), I had probably 10 different and equally horrific ideas as to what the alarm meant.

    Do they even have an alarm for "the tail has fallen off your plane", or is it just one of those polite female voices like "pull up"?

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

  • Hard News: They can see your house from here,

    Yes, you see I read that as him saying that the boots didn't keep their feet warm in winter, so they went and stood in cow pats to warm their boots up.

    It doesn't say they took their boots off then stood in the pat.

    </pedant>

    Orkland • Since Nov 2006 • 168 posts Report

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