Posts by Jarrod Baker

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  • Hard News: Sunday blues, and we're on Sky,

    But your friend doesn't have 'digital cable', he has the regular Sky digital contraption that Sky subscribers get, it just happens to be sold by Telstra.

    Might be a similar decoder, but the signal enters his house via a cable from the road (the same cable that carries his internet connection) rather than via a satellite dish. I.e. digital cable.

    Not to mention that there's a Telstra-branded remote, Telstra-specific channel packages, and so on.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Sunday blues, and we're on Sky,

    They don't even offer cable to new customers anymore.

    Ah right. Analogue cable. Next you'll be telling me you still have a CRT television, a transistor radio and a watch with hands.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Sunday blues, and we're on Sky,

    none of the new channel that have come on stream in the last eighteen months or so (documentary, comedy, etc.) were put on the cable system

    Not true: documentary and comedy aren't part of TelstraClear's basic package, but if you go for one that gets you movies or sport then you get those channels too.

    I don't subscribe myself, but was at a mate's place on the weekend and watched the rugby followed by comedy - he has cable, not Sky.

    TelstraClear's channel lineup

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: What to Do?,

    Wikipedia says yes.

    Well it certainly contributed to their eventual breakup. I assume by "Panteral correction" you mean "causing Pantera to cease producing music"?

    That's the problem with this referendum. The question is too multi-faceted.

    I am not, nor have I ever been, a Pantera fan.

    It doesn't matter whether or not you love Pantera. Just know that they love you.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: What to Do?,

    I think that takes more than a light smack.

    A smack probably has no part in good Panteral correction then...

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: What to Do?,

    I keep reading it as parenteral correction.

    I prefer to think of it as being "a light smack for Panteral correction". I.e. for the purposes of correcting Pantera.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The Flashing Question Mark,

    I have an Apple TV and like it despite all its shortcomings, but it is a pain to re-encode video from codecs that aren't Apple-supported.

    With a little bit of, uh, "coaxing", an Apple TV can be made to decode any sort of content you like, and to stream it from anywhere on your local network - in my case both from a USB drive attached to an Airport Extreme, and from external drives attached to other computers on the network.

    Of course, you can do the same thing with your console of choice, but that's no good if someone else would like to use that console for something weird and outlandish like gaming.

    Also: I really like the Apple trailers functionality.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Through the Looking Glass,

    The gummint in Queensland gave my mate AU$1500 towards installing a solar hot water heater on the roof of his Sunshine Coast home.

    Energywise will contribute towards the cost of solar water heating right here in New Zild. And depending on your income they'll help with other energy efficiency stuff as well.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The joke that went too far,

    Ah! I could get behind that! How much did it set you back?

    It was about $80. But immediately afterwards I discovered while in Moore Wilsons that the price from a non-specialist retailer should be something more like $60.

    I'm not aware of a manual grinder that will do a good espresso grind. Anyone seen one?

    I mostly use a plunger - will experiment with a finer grind on mine and let you know.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The joke that went too far,

    Surely true caffeinistas make homemade coffee grinders from old vacuum cleaners and industrial parts purchased from T&E?

    Nah, I use a manual grinder. Not only am I thinking of my carbon footprint, but I'll still be drinking coffee after the impending global economic collapse sends the world a bit Mad Max.

    I haven't yet figured out how to maintain a consistent supply of coffee beans after the apocalypse, but I'm working on it.

    Wellington • Since Dec 2006 • 32 posts Report Reply

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