Public Address | Cafe | Busytown: The art of seismography https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/ en-us Copyright (c) 2026 Public Address Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=195906#post195906 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=195906#post195906 According to those worthies at Environment Canterbury, whose authority is untainted by anything so grubby as having been democratically elected, "The earthquakes being felt in Christchurch today are still part of the normal aftershock sequence from September’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake."

So, rest relatively easy folks. Except, according to Earthquake Commission…

]]> Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:22:41 +1300 Ian Dalziel https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=191289#post191289 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=191289#post191289 There's a hole in my heart...
a new initiative in Christchurch to make creative use of the new empty spaces – Gap Filler come along to the first evening event...

Mind this gap!
Opening Thursday 25 November
Temporary garden café, petanque, live music, poetry readings, outdoor cinema...

832/834…

]]> Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:42:04 +1300 Jolisa https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=181828#post181828 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=181828#post181828 motherlode of earthquake stories, pinpointed on a map of the city. The one located out to sea is certainly worth a read! ]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:54:43 +1200 Sofie Bribiesca https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=181025#post181025 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=181025#post181025 Or a dogbox assembler :) Have you seen what the dog does with doors? If a self inflicted confinement in the bathroom cannot save the door, what's a box gonna do for the master? ]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:41:21 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=181014#post181014 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=181014#post181014 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:53:32 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180999#post180999 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180999#post180999 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:49:09 +1200 Sofie Bribiesca https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180967#post180967 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180967#post180967

I predict some aftershocks from that one..

hmmm :)

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:58:19 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180965#post180965 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180965#post180965 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:57:12 +1200 Jake Pollock https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180957#post180957 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180957#post180957 I wouldn't think so Sacha. The original quake was so weak most Wellingtonians wouldn't even wake up for it.

Speaking of images though, last week the NYT featured photos of the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake that almost have dimensions of religious iconography to them.

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:43:26 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180952#post180952 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180952#post180952 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:27:12 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180936#post180936 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180936#post180936 A biography is a picture or image of a person using words it is not a discussion or analysis. Similarly Historiography is a factual representation of a body of work pertaining to a historical topic and as such can be regarded as an image.
As for...

'seismology' is taken by,…

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:49:12 +1200 Jake Pollock https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180924#post180924 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180924#post180924 So how is a biography about fonts, Steve? Or historiography, for that matter?

ETA: especially seeing as 'seismology' is taken by, um, seismologists.

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:23:59 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180914#post180914 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180914#post180914

Oh, Steve. You are so -logical!

Tell me about it...
;-)

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:12:52 +1200 Jolisa https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180911#post180911 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180911#post180911 -logical! ]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:08:05 +1200 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180897#post180897 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180897#post180897

The New Seismographers

Stay Places

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2pH0w-viDs&feature=related

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:27:59 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180879#post180879 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180879#post180879

logy is talking, -graphy is writing.

Aha! but..
When we are writing and having a discussion, as we are here, we are talking in the sense depicted by the suffix -logy. You would be correct if you were referring to the "Graphics" of writing, as in calligraphy as the suffix…

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:45:35 +1200 Lilith __ https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180840#post180840 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180840#post180840 Lovely blog post, plus photos, from Matthew Walker the day after the quake. ]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:33:25 +1200 Ian Dalziel https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180829#post180829 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180829#post180829 my size-mometer is running...

I'll see your and raise it (a ?). Isabel is right: -logy is talking, -graphy is writing.

whichever way you flag it
(and at the risk of suffixation)
as usual – it's all about seis (mo) ...


My seismosaurus is running...
The definitive source of shaky…

]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:50:44 +1200 Jolisa https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180750#post180750 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180750#post180750

Seismotypography? [or does that just sound like shaky typesetting?] :-)

P'raps that refers to this controversial T-shirt (no longer in production?)

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:02:26 +1200 Jolisa https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180749#post180749 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180749#post180749 Isabel, this phrase made me shudder:

and when we peered outside there was a chimney across our driveway

It has the quotidian surreality of a fairy tale.

For ChrisW, on aftershocks, this just in from Adrienne Rewi: there have been over 556 aftershocks in 9 days. I'm too stunned to…

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:56:32 +1200 Jolisa https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180746#post180746 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180746#post180746 Steve, I'll see your and raise it (a ?). Isabel is right: -logy is talking, -graphy is writing. But we do write in a very talkative way, so Megan is maybe even righter:

seismological epistolarity



Nice! I did toy with "seismological autobiography", but I think epistolarity captures the vernacular, dialogic… ]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:51:52 +1200 Megan Clayton https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180738#post180738 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180738#post180738 As one who will only occasionally use a single word when a noun phrase would be more fun, I'd take seismological epistolarity.

Thank you Jolisa for the link (and for pointing out I was the "Christchurch writer" cited in Philip Matthews' account).

One of the curious features of this life…

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:30:20 +1200 Sam F https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180737#post180737 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180737#post180737 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:27:53 +1200 Isabel Hitchings https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180728#post180728 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180728#post180728 seismology be what you do over a few drinks and seismography be what you do in your diary or blog? ]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:55:57 +1200 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180724#post180724 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180724#post180724

True enough, but I'd like to propose a new sub-definition:

2. writing about earthquakes and their aftermath.

No, that is Seismology

Seismology (from Greek σεισμός, seismos, "earthquake"; and -λόγος, -logia, as a whole "Talking about earthquakes")

 ]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:38:28 +1200 ChrisW https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180713#post180713 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180713#post180713 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:15:03 +1200 Lilith __ https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180708#post180708 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180708#post180708

Seismography, n. 1. the science of detecting, measuring and recording ground vibrations, especially those from earthquakes.

True enough, but I'd like to propose a new sub-definition:

2. writing about earthquakes and their aftermath.

:-D

Given that blogs aren't handwritten, perhaps it's Seismotypography? [or does that just sound like shaky typesetting?]…

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:49:17 +1200 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180701#post180701 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180701#post180701

Lastly, for the tiniest taste of how abrupt and upsetting the continuous, random aftershocks can be, see this security-cam footage of the staff of C1 Espresso sussing out the shop (link courtesy of Cheryl Bernstein).

I salute their choice of background music.

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:17:12 +1200 Fooman https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180697#post180697 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180697#post180697 From the Eruptions volcano blog (bloody good blog) came:

highly allochthonous

which is a good ripping technical discussion of the earthquake. Followed it to:

dotearth at NY Times

which has a, er, interesting discussion on the sociology of earthquake struck NZ compared to earthquake struck Haiti. Is pointed out in…

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:07:54 +1200 Public Address https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180696#post180696 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/busytown-the-art-of-seismography/?p=180696#post180696 Discussion from blog post.

]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:07:54 +1200