Readers' Tips
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There were three options for subtitles:
1. English
2. English for the hearing impaired.
3. Off.
At the time I thought it very strange that hearing impaired had different subtitles than the rest of us, but I guess other sound effects would be included.Technically, #1 is subtitles and #2 is captions. Captions are subtitles with sound effects, music and other non-verbal descriptions.
I worked as a captioner for four years. It's a total TV/pop culture/media/grammar nerd job.
There are all sorts of things to take into consideration - do you describe the music by name (what if the viewer was deaf from birth and wouldn't recognise it?) or do you describe the type of music ("jaunty music plays")?
And modern technology brings news captioning challenges - how do you convey a a totally gay cellphone SMS message tone?
And then there's audio description - that's verbal descriptions of visual action for blind viewers and done in creative language that matches the tone of the film. Sony are making the effort and doing lots of AD, so if you get a Sony DVD, check out the menu options - it's quite an experience.
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Inspired by my daughter's spelling practice, a handy little mnemonic to ensure that when practising the art of writing, your practice of practice / practise is correct.
Practise, the verb, contains within it a verb, is: pract**is**e.
Practice, the noun, contains within it a noun, ice: pract**ice**.
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How can I remember how to spell occasion?
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Advice for naviagating stairs when on crutches: good goes to heaven and bad goes to hell.
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I'm unsure what a cardamon pod is, but the seeds I have are about a cm long and very fibrous. Because they don't decompose in the cooking, they're bastards to find in your mouth, and they're really hard to identify before you've eaten them.
That's a cardamom pod, all right.
My next innovation will be a wee muslin bag in which I can put the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods during the cooking, so they'll be easy to fish out.
Various authorities suggest using the foot of a nylon stocking. I have done this from time to time, but must warn everyone in the strongest possible terms not to use one straight out of the packaging - boil it first. Dye can come out. I know whereof I speak.
[Was that my turn? Spice identification and a warning against "natural tan" coloured soup? Well, damn.]
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A Handy Tip for visitors to Wellington:
Keep a bit of bluetak under the dash.
When you pay for your parking ticket and put it in the car, stick it to the dash with the bluetak.
Otherwise gusts of wind can catch it before you've shut the door.
This can be frustrating. Also you look such a dork chasing the ticket and flailing after it as it blows down Featherston St. Or wherever.
No bluetak? Piece of chuddy works just as well.
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When selling a car it is vital that the ownership transfer is completed by both parties. The seller's only is insufficient. I've heard of cases where the "buyer" has driven the car around for months, accruing lots of tickets, and then abandoning it on the side of the road. The "seller" can be held liable for all those tickets.
The official advice is to not hand over the keys until the buyer completes the transfer. This used to be somewhat impractical (eg seller lives miles from a Post Office, transaction occurring after hours), but now the change of ownership can be done online at any time at :
http://transact.landtransport.govt.nz/Convient.
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If you're ever using a glass bottle of Heinz tomato sauce (or, as the Americans like to call it, ketchup), and can't get the damn stuff out, tap the bottle on the number 57 just above the label. It's like magic.
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I worked as a captioner for four years. It's a total TV/pop culture/media/grammar nerd job.
Big cheers for Robin. Good-quality captioning makes such a difference to my daughter's life. Poor-quality captioning provides unintentional hilarity.
And yeah, my partner reminded me that the descriptive ones are read out loud, which I should have remembered, because we 'listened' to Pirates of the Carribbean once and it was a total trip.
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A Handy Tip for visitors to Wellington:
Keep a bit of bluetak under the dash.
Nice.
A handy tip for visitors from Wellington to Sydney:
Ask for a strong coffee (whatever variation you prefer). Tragically, Sydneysiders like their coffee to taste primarily of milk.
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Tragically, Sydneysiders like their coffee to taste primarily of milk.
I'm almost tempted to go see how they make my short black taste like milk. :)
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Andrew, ordering a short or long black is always advisable when going somewhere new in Sydney. You'd think ordering a macciatto might be safe but no; you'll often be asked if you want that short or long.
My preference is a for a flat white. To receive anything resembling what I used to get in Wellington (from Silo at Masi... god I miss that woman), I have to go to one of three places and have to ask for a strong three-quarter full flat white.
The exception is Campos in Newtown where they make fantastic coffee for those prepared to queue!
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ask for a strong three-quarter full flat white.
probably a good idea in AK too. For those times when you arent sure whether to trust the barista.... Until now I have often asked for a short black with an inch of milk. the only thing worse than a milky coffee is a milky bad coffee.
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Another tip for readers. Always read the label and never assume anything.
Decided I needed to fix a paint scrape on my car and thought I'd do it myself rather than paying a professional. That was my first error. Two things I needed to buy were primer and paint. Went to Supercheap Autos ( it was the "autos" bit that attracted me) and purchased the items.
Anyway, fixed the scrape and looks good from about 200m. It's several days later now, and I've just read the instructions on the primer spray can. Turns out that, while it's suitable for use on a very long list of surfaces, at the end of the list it states "not recommended for automotive use" WTF! -
Silo at Masi... god I miss that woman
You and me both.
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She was charming, friendly and quite beautiful as well as making kick-arse coffee.
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One for movie night.
Red Elephant - Thai resturant behind Dennys in Christchurch off Moorhouse Ave.Great food - most around $17 bucks - but the Thick Red Curry on top of (whole) Fish was $21.
Really pleasant service but the real winner was LIVE MUSIC, solo singer and guitar, request taken but just really nice and beats a CD hands down. -
Silo at Masi... god I miss that woman
You and me both.
Jeez, the small world of PA...was acquainted with Silo & planning on nipping in for coffee & chat on planned visit to see the Rita Angus exhibition when it opens. Darn.
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One for Auckland PAS folk: presumably the old blue council recycling bins would do even better than buckets for portable potatoes? Solves the problem of the bins themselves being non-recyclable, at least...
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__I'm unsure what a cardamon pod is, but the seeds I have are about a cm long and very fibrous. Because they don't decompose in the cooking, they're bastards to find in your mouth, and they're really hard to identify before you've eaten them.__
That's a cardamom pod, all right.
Darn - that was going to be my tip. Cardamom seeds are little black hard things. Can be bought seperately whole or ground, or, if you're really bored, got out of the pod one by one.
I actually quite like biting into a well-cooked cardamom pod or one that's been infusing in a chutney for weeks.
Tip for making hiccups go away: drink a glass of water backwards - works about 95% of the time for me.
Depending on the hiccup, a spoonful of strong vinegar can stop it with a quickness. Yoghurt also worth a shot.
Here's me:
Don't put your tomatoes in the fridge. -
Don't put your tomatoes in the fridge.
Do put your (well-wrapped) onions in the fridge, though. Makes them much less teary when you chop them.
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Do put your (well-wrapped) onions in the fridge, though. Makes them much less teary when you chop them.
Emma, really?? For some reason I've become *more* susceptible to the Doom of Onions in my 30s. I've been known to weep while slicing leeks! Ridiculous.
(Note: if you wear contact lenses, you will never cry while chopping onions. Sadly, I gave up on the contacts some years ago...)
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Emma, really?? For some reason I've become *more* susceptible to the Doom of Onions in my 30s. I've been known to weep while slicing leeks! Ridiculous.
I have found it so. And yes, either my ageing eyes suffer more, or the onions of today are more virulent than the onions of yesteryear.
A really, really surgically sharp knife helps too.
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Lydon, thanks for providing proof for my long held suspicion. You can never know, nowadays, whether refrigeration is responsible for the sad and pathetic fruit that pretends to be a tomato but I've guessed it didn't help (hence, I'll be grow'n my own from now on).
Incidentally, I heard this tip as part of an eulogy for a British broadcaster, Miles Kington:
Knowledge is knowing that tomatoes are a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put them in a fruit-salad.
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For onion eyes, try wearing those safety glasses that hardware shops sell, the ones that are wrap around or like goggles. Or even swimming goggles. They help reduce the amount of irritant vapour hitting your eyeballs. (You just look like an idiot.)
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