Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Spread the Noise

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  • Sacha,

    net better-informed by simply knowing nothing

    It's bliss, I tells you.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    the contextless, uncorrected noise of the police radio scanner being streamed to the internet

    So even one of America's tech capitals can't afford a working secure emergency services radio network? Must have spent the dollars on donuts.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    I'm a fan of Seth Mnookin and I have followed him on twitter for a while. Apart from his amazing name he is great science writer, most memorably for me for his Panic Virus. It is likely to become more common as social media links grow, that people you follow for their expertise in one area will be caught up in and report events in their geographical location that make global news. I see his Wikipedia page mentions his Twitter contribution to the Boston marathon manhunt.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • johnno,

    LOVED listening to the police scanners. Pretty raw, but full of genuine emotion. Occasionally exciting, often boring, but a lot more immediate, and better informed than the steady parade of CNN frontpeople. And jut what exactly is a "less-lethal shotgun?" Something that fires bean-bags?

    It's a bit of a sidebar, but this was one of my favourite pieces about the lockdown.

    http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/lust-during-wartime

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report Reply

  • Evan Yates, in reply to johnno,

    And just what exactly is a "less-lethal shotgun?" Something that fires bean-bags?

    Probably.
    They're afraid of being sued if their weapon-of-disablement actually does kill you. Like the disclaimer "Processed on equipment that also handles eggs, nuts and dairy", so if someone has an allergic reaction the processor can say "Well, we did put a warning on the package".

    It's a weasel wording response to truth in advertising principles... We don't intend to kill you if we shoot you with one of these... But we can't rule out the possibility.

    Hamiltron, Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Nov 2006 • 197 posts Report Reply

  • ChrisW,

    RB -

    We're more sanguine about the idea of "citizen journalism" now, but, equally, citizen reporters are a valuable part of the plan in every newsroom.

    “Sanguine”? Did you mean less sanguine rather than more, in the sense of sanguine as optimistic?
    But I’d say it’s pretty well obsolete now as a useful word, there being so little consistency in what limited use there is. Except where a traditional double meaning works well, as in an updated context for “Despite the early set-back, the general remained sanguine of success in his ‘big push’ on the Somme.”

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to ChrisW,

    “Sanguine”? Did you mean less sanguine rather than more, in the sense of sanguine as optimistic?

    I meant "guarded". In fact, I might just change it to "guarded", so at least I know what I mean.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • ChrisW, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I'd say that's very good evidence for 'sanguine' being pretty well obsolete ...

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart, in reply to ChrisW,

    I'd say that's very good evidence for 'sanguine' being pretty well obsolete ...

    Can we keep it for 'exsanguinated' - the sensation of feeling less optimistic because you're covered in your own blood?

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • ChrisW, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Indeed, a good match for the sanguinary general.

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Andrew, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Could you then be ensanguinated if you were more optimistic because you were covered in someone else's blood? Positively Tarantinoesque.

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report Reply

  • wendyf,

    That was an interesting experience, reading your account of the Sept. quake. Interesting because I hadn't read it before - power was off and I was at my daughter's. And interesting because reading about it now, I still get the shallow-breathing thing, but not so much.

    But the stars that morning were so bright. So close.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 88 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Millar,

    wendyf, I know just how you feel. Parts of the Sept quake are still vivid--I can recall the freight train roaring through the house, and then shivering under the stars, barefoot on the frosty lawn waiting for the first shocks to stop. What is harder to recall (sadly) is the optimism and community spirit of those first weeks. 22 February and the relentless grind since has overwritten all that. I experienced the shallow-breathing you mention when I looked at the latest archive we've just finished prepared to go into the CEISMIC earthquake archive. It is every edition of The Press between 4 Sept 2010 and 22 Feb 2012 and some of it is very poignant. The 11/12 sept 'Tribute Edition' will have you smiling and crying. The collection is at https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/collection/158

    Since Jul 2010 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Carol Stewart, in reply to ChrisW,

    The only person I know who regularly uses 'sanguine' in conversation is my mother. Her Ilford County School for Girls education seems to have served her very well for vocabulary. On one occasion, she was summoned by excited cries from the biology mistress: Come quickly, girls! The paramecia are conjugating!

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report Reply

  • wendyf,

    Thanks Paul - that's a massive site and I'll settle down with a cup of something and read.

    Carol - "Let conjugation thrive!"

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 88 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Jeremy Andrew,

    Could you then be ensanguinated if you were more optimistic because you were covered in someone else’s blood?

    "Hey -- at least this isn't my blood I'm covered in!"

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Paul Millar,

    I experienced the shallow-breathing you mention when I looked at the latest archive we’ve just finished prepared to go into the CEISMIC earthquake archive. It is every edition of The Press between 4 Sept 2010 and 22 Feb 2012 and some of it is very poignant. The 11/12 sept ‘Tribute Edition’ will have you smiling and crying.

    Congratulations! You'll recall that Media3 was at the function where Andrew Holden announced the gift of the Press archive, so I'm delighted to see it delivered. Looks great. I'll see if we can squeeze it in the show this week.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to ChrisW,

    Deadword...

    ...very good evidence for ‘sanguine’ being pretty well obsolete...

    Now if we can just stop Key and Shearer using 'fulsome' all the time - clarity of meaning and communication will take a tiny step closer together...
    I suspect it's because Key can't let the words 'honest', 'sincere' or 'genuine' pass his lips.... not sure of Shearer's excuse - a cheap Roget's Thesaurus?

    I confess I still use 'sanguine' in lieu of 'comfortable' and 'relaxed' - John Key stole those from me!

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Millar,

    Thanks Russell. I recall Media 7's presence at the UC CEISMIC launch well, and I greatly appreciate your ongoing support. Andrew Holden and Fairfax Media more than delivered. The archive will soon contain print quality pdfs of every page of every edition of The Press since 4 September 2010 along with thousands of images, published and unpublished. We're aiming to have 100,000 digital objects accessible through ceismic.org.nz by the end of the year. Among the other fascinating collections are the NZHPT archological reports on demolished buildings (see, for example, the report on the kilns discovered under the Smith's City car park at 550 Colombo St and then re-buried https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/750?id=17028&view=media) and also the extremely moving narratives in the Women's Voices oral history project (https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/collection/228). If anyone reading this knows of earthquake-related digital collections, UC CEISMIC would welcome hearing about them. Everything we collect is made freely and publicly available for commemoration, teaching and research.

    Since Jul 2010 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Millar,

    Since Jul 2010 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • ChrisW, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    I confess I still use 'sanguine' in lieu of 'comfortable' and 'relaxed' - John Key stole those from me!

    Mmm, I wonder if someone influential were to refer to Key's style of policy and political management as 'sanguine' often enough, with ostensible meaning of something like (unthinkingly foolhardily) optimistic, whether it would be heard with sanguinary connotations like those proposed for 'ensanguinated' and stick as stuff does to blankets?

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • ChrisW, in reply to Carol Stewart,

    Come quickly, girls! The paramecia are conjugating!

    Lovely story!
    It would have been very educational for me as a 4th former more advanced in my Latin scholarship than biology - that sense of 'conjugating' would have been unknown to me and I would have thought: But surely paramecia is a noun not a verb, so it's declension not conjugation they're doing?

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Can we keep it for ‘exsanguinated’ – the sensation of feeling less optimistic because you’re covered in your own blood?

    Bloody Hell?

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to ChrisW,

    […] refer to Key’s style of policy and political management as ‘sanguine’ often enough, with ostensible meaning of something like (unthinkingly foolhardily) optimistic, whether it would be heard with sanguinary connotations

    Using potentially confusable words might not be the best strategy. Probably would be more effective if people were to repeatedly refer to his management as foolhardy, unthinkingly driven by ideology, and lacking in long-term strategic vision for the country.
    Or how about …
    fabricational; lackadaisical; unaspirational,
    This is what we call the Muppet Show.

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • "chris", in reply to Russell Brown,

    Couldn’t we find something more useful to do than jonesing on a tragedy half a world away? Well, yes. But we don’t need sport, porn or pop music either, and they’re still all quite popular.

    In our household the 15th of April was a toss-up between the Boston bombings (3 dead 264 injured) or the wave of attacks in Iraq (75 dead, 350 injured). Unable to reach a timely accord we headed out to McDs which was not only celebrating 57 years since the opening of its first franchised restaurant but is also 100% Pure Americana. Here's Tom with the weather:

    location, location, locat… • Since Dec 2010 • 250 posts Report Reply

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