Up Front by Emma Hart

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Up Front: The Up Front Guide – How to Make a Stupid Law

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  • Sara Bee,

    Wonderful post thank you. And the photos of the "home" have caused me to remark for the first time ever, "Oh my sainted aunt".

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 67 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    Is there any interpretation of this that doesn't spell doom for humanity? Answers on a postcard. The best I can do is "I'm definitely getting one of their five hundred copies[*] of The Elements of Style, but ideally in an edition that won't clash with the couch".

    Oh, there is genius in that. I once saw a coulpe of at our equivalent of the Warehouse buying a trolleyful of books in order to furnish their library. And they were clearly going by looks. I wanted to scream at them to go to a second hand book's store, for the love of everything holy, it would have costed them an absolute fortune to buy them all new - but wisely bit my tongue.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    I promise you I wouldn't have gone quietly.

    That's Ok Lucy. A good bit of screaming does wonders for the ambience of the lab. Mwa ha ha ha ha

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart,

    That's Ok Lucy. A good bit of screaming does wonders for the ambience of the lab. Mwa ha ha ha ha

    Yeah, but who's gonna clean up afterwards? Talk about contamination issues.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    Talk about contamination issues.

    Spill kit???

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    Apropos the trains (and perhaps governmental stupidity too), poneke had a ripper of a background comment here.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Deborah,

    The best I can do is "I'm definitely getting one of their five hundred copies[*] of The Elements of Style, but ideally in an edition that won't clash with the couch".

    Normally I keep my inner pendant firmly under control in comment threads, but when The Elements of Style is referenced, I just. can't. make. myself. resist. the. compulsion. Trying... trying.... I give in!

    That would be:

    "I'm definitely getting one of their five hundred copies[*] of The Elements of Style, but ideally in an edition that won't clash with the couch."


    But I did laugh out loud first. Loudly. At the very clever joke.

    New Lynn • Since Nov 2006 • 1447 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Ahem. Shifting this to the right thread...

    For those not being inundated with S92 emails, I thought I'd share this.

    Hysterical response to Copyright changes rings alarms

    Principal of Entertainment Law Firm, Dominion Law Chris Hocquard has this to contribute to the ongoing debate over the implementation of a Code of Conduct for ISPs relating to repeat infringers of copyright works.

    ``It's very difficult to understand the hysteria being generated by such a simple solution.

    ``The Government has acted calmly and reasonably...

    ``It is regrettable that certain minority interests are distorting the situation. It really does make you stop and wonder, what is it they are actually trying to protect, their customers or their income streams. If you have a business model based on the illegal trafficking of other peoples' property then perhaps it is time to revisit that model.

    I know people are speaking highly of Chris Hocquard on the other thread, but for purposes of this one I'd just like to call

    BINGO!

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart,

    I know people are speaking highly of Chris Hocquard on the other thread, but for purposes of this one I'd just like to call

    BINGO!

    So how many shots is that worth?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Ian MacKay,

    Just what are PCR's? I have an image of solemn people prostrate in front of some deeply religious icon, intoning inunintelligible tongues. So What are they?

    Bleheim • Since Nov 2006 • 498 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    And they were clearly going by looks.

    Maybe they were going to sort them by colour.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    So how many shots is that worth?

    In the entire press release I counted twelve. Every instance of
    - hysterical
    - responsible
    - reasonable
    - simple
    - distorting
    and every insinuation that the other side has some kind of mysterious ulterior motive. Also an extra square/shot for using a stat (85% of internet music traffic is illegal downloads) without any reference or supporting evidence.

    Upon review, it seems reasonable to consider that our current model of data assessment and response may cause alcohol-related fatalities.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Maybe they were going to sort them by colour.

    Hey, watch it, I've done that. It was really handy for those times you felt like reading something red.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Which would probably work perfectly well for Mills and Boon from what were said on t'other thread..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    PCR is a method of getting lots of copies of a piece of DNA.
    Full name Polymerase Chain Reaction.

    Invented by Kary Mullis for which he received the Nobel prize. And yes there are arguments about just how much he invented. But he is nevertheless an entertaining speaker :).

    PCR now forms the basis for probably thousands of techniques including amplifying ancient DNA (that's how they sequenced Neandertals recently) and the methods that were used to first sequence the human genome.

    In short it's a core technique in biology that frequently does not work as advertised :).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    Whad'ya tryin' to do Emma - keep us on topic????

    I do think you missed a piece in your How to:

    Spend more time scheduling and appearing in interviews than you do reading the legislation, after all it's about about getting your face in the media.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Whad'ya tryin' to do Emma - keep us on topic????

    Hey, someone asked a serious question back on page one and I still haven't addressed it.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    That would be:

    "I'm definitely getting one of their five hundred copies[*] of The Elements of Style, but ideally in an edition that won't clash with the couch."

    Okay, I tried to tilt the screen to see if there was something I was missing, but this is killing me: how do the two sentences differ? Is it a cryptic strunk-and-white reference?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart,

    In short it's a core technique in biology that frequently does not work as advertised :).

    To vaguely relate this to the topic in some way: also used as part of testing DNA for crime scenes. Strangely enough, however, shows like CSI fail to depict the amount of time real scientists spend playing Minesweeper while waiting for the reaction to run.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    shows like CSI fail to depict the amount of time real scientists spend playing Minesweeper while waiting for the reaction to run.

    You haven't watched the extended version on the DVD then?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Deborah,

    Is it a cryptic strunk-and-white reference?

    Nothing so erudite. I'm being a pendant, after all, not a language-smith. Just a misplaced full stop. It should be within the quote marks, not without.

    New Lynn • Since Nov 2006 • 1447 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    And to think that spotting such things is part of my job description. Tzk, tzk. I blame the liquid lunch.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Heh, well it took me ages to see the moved full stop, I'm sober, and I wrote a guide to punctuating speech for our writers because almost none of the fozy duckwits can do it.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart,

    You haven't watched the extended version on the DVD then?

    I'm not *that* much of a masochist.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Rob Hosking,

    I'm being a pendant, after all,

    You're a little flag??

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

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