Posts by Konrad Kurta

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  • Hard News: Friday Music: Going Large,

    Mp3 is highly dependent on the compression ratio - I'd love to see a comparison of how many people can tell an HD audio file from at 320kbps Mp3. I'd guess even dedicated audiophiles would struggle even with a great sound system. As for Neil Young, I don't know why he's bothering with this bogeyman - despite a fair degree of looking I've not found anyone who can pick the difference between standard cd-quality WAV audio files and full HD ones. He should stick to the 'loudness wars' if he's concerned about the integrity of the original artisitic product. But then, it's hard to make and sell a device for that.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Housing: the Feudal Model,

    Nail, head. It's also a demographics thing, namely the ones against intensification seem to be rich and older.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Movie Disaster,

    Didn't both Whale Rider and Once Were Warriors make money overseas? Surely profit and cultural relevance aren't mutually exclusive. Without access to vast amounts of capital nobody here is ever going to make Iron Man V, so shouldn't we be focusing on carving out a small-to-medium budget niche that balances both cultural and economic imperatives?

    Supposing we did have an industry that produced generic IP - would we ever have the financial clout to push it overseas?

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Everybody's Machiavelli,

    "The columnists may indeed be employed on the basis that their world view reinforces that of the newspaper’s owner – and that has always been the case: they are not charged with or pretending to be objective."

    I wonder what percentage of the Herald's readership make that distinction? I don't think it's TOO unreasonable to ask that a newspaper remain both objective regardless of who owns it. I would argue that in New Zealand we should expect that.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Everybody's Machiavelli, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Does somebody involved have shares in APN? This is one hell of a story.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Everybody's Machiavelli, in reply to Russell Brown,

    "They've shown us what really happened."

    +1

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Everybody's Machiavelli,

    When has NZ seen a sex scandal as nuanced and dramatic as this? I wonder how long it is until someone writes a screenplay...

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: A Public Address public appeal,

    Consider my small contribution a symbol of how much I enjoy this blog - it's a shining light in my almost-daily internet crapshoots.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Hard News: Game Lorde,

    Interesting read. I think with the sheer quality of her songs, people will forgive her flat moments - she isn't as polished as say, Kimbra, but her songs are just so bloody good that I think people will allow her to grow into being a live act. The other interesting story is what is happening/what might happen to Joel Little. His part in the story so far has been a huge one - I would be surprised if record labels haven't started banging down his door and throwing promising artists at him.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

  • Up Front: Good Counsel,

    This strikes very close to home. A close relative has dealt extensively with depression, and the doctor tried a few different medication combos for her. What we were most thankful for, though, were the 'talk' sessions she was able to have with a psychologist. From memory they were fully funded, though only for an initial three sessions(?).

    I understand one-on-one psychological help isn't cheap, but I don't like to think where she'd be without it.

    South Korea • Since Dec 2012 • 43 posts Report

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