Posts by John Fouhy

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  • Up Front: The C Word,

    My partner and I have been thinking about buying a house recently. We're currently in the window-shopping stage of looking at pictures on trademe and daydreaming, but we haven't made a mental commitment to start looking seriously.

    Anyway. My ideal house would be in a nice suburb, sunny, with a view, and well insulated and heated. But houses like that are all, well, posh. I look at the pictures on trademe of the tasteful furniture, and well-landscaped gardens, and I try to overlay images of our second-hand couch and $50 dining table/chair set, and feeling inadequate. If we bought one I'd be afraid of not living up to the standards of my own home :-)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Clover It,

    The message was that we may well presume to manipulate something that we don't fully understand the consequences of

    Welcome to science!

    (let me know when you find a topic we fully understand)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Clover It,

    Er, what? No GM method is acceptable unless "all concerns about genetic engineering are irrational"? What does that even mean?

    Easy.

    Various people have various concerns about all genetically modified organisms.

    Any one of those concerns, if valid, makes the use of any GMO unacceptable.

    Therefore all such concerns must be invalid for any GMO to be OK.

    The logic is unshakable.

    [you probably feel that there are no valid reasons why all GMO are bad, regardless of specific details. I probably agree with you]

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Speaker: KICK IT! Vuvuzelas and Jambulanis,

    On the topic of balls (ooh-er), here's an infographic on the ball used at the world cup, since 1930: NY Times

    (and I see that Adidas supplied the balls to every world cup from 1970 to 1998)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Field Theory: Settle a bet,

    Are you the Keymaster?

    No, ma'am. We're musicians.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Budget 2010: What’d you expect?,

    Like Cunliffe said, early chilhood education WTF?

    According to the Herald (quoted approvingly by DPF), the Labour government had offered early childhood providers more money if they hired skilled staff. By cutting that funding, the National government is giving ECE providers the freedom to hire quality staff who do not have formal qualifications.

    See? It's all about choice.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Dear DomPost,

    Ok, let me see if I understand the sinister Chinese plot she's worried about:

    1. A very large number of Chinese move en-masse to this island in the south of Japan. Hmm, island population of 1800, so call it 1500 voters, so they'd need maybe 1000 migrants to get a majority (assuming typical local government voter turnout).
    2. A range of Chinese stand for local government and carefully-coordinated voting gives them a majority.
    3. The now-Chinese-controlled local government ... uh ... um ... grants building consent for a Chinese government naval base?
    4. The Japanese central government either doesn't notice (unlikely, with people like Koike around) or doesn't care.

    ...

    I mean, seriously? What can local government on an island with the population of Greytown do to compromise national security? And if there is something they can do, what's stopping central government from passing a law to overrule them?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Reproduced Without Comment,

    turnout under MMP elections is consistently lower than under first-past-the-post polls.

    Is that true?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Pass the crisps: UK Election watch,

    Well, funny how the Electoral College wasn't so evil when the right guy won. :)

    Interesting idea for the Electoral College: each state passes a law that says "Our EC votes will go to whichever candidate has the highest share of the popular vote, provided at least 50% of states (by EC votes) have passed a similar law".

    You pass that law and ... nothing happens. Until enough other states have passed the same law. Then suddenly, boom, the electoral college is irrelevant and it all comes down to the popular vote.

    [not sure where I heard this idea ... maybe it's already happening in some states?]

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Pass the crisps: UK Election watch,

    No. I never joke about grammar.

    Terry Pratchett does:

    Salzella shrugged. 'We've got to do this properly. Did you know Dr Undershaft was strangled before he was hung?'

    'Hanged,' said Bucket, without thinking. 'Men are hanged. It's dead meat that's hung.'

    'Indeed?' said Salzella. 'I appreciate the information. Well, poor old Undershaft was strangled, apparently. And then he was hung.'

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

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