Posts by Robyn Gallagher
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Oh, you know what I used to do with my dad when I was little? We'd visit the Hamilton Building Centre. It was one of those places that showcased all that latest stylish and innovative home products the early '80s had to offer. I remember a display showing how warm some insulation was, and a fountain of different bathroom taps.
The visits weren't for my parents' benefit - there was no renovating going on. It was for my amusement.
Probably not as education as a High Court visit, but it did get me interested in built environments at an early age. Ha.
One of the benefits of growing up in dull Hamilton in the '80s!
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The YouTube embedding trick is like a secret PA System thing, even though I'm sure it's not meant to be. There are no instructions and it's not obvious what to do.
It's something that only regulars know how to do. Should we keep it like this or should this tip be shared?
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That is exactly the sort of thing I would have liked to have done when I was a wee girl.
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I was looking at the NZ iTunes store's top songs list and noticed this:
2. Baby Come On - Elemeno P
3. In The Air Tonight - Phil CollinsBoth these songs feature in current TV ads. Interesting how old media has such an effect on new media.
Also, can anyone explain why Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer always seems to be in the iTunes top 50?
I can understand its appeal, but I can't work out why it seems to be relentlessly popular? Is there something about the tale of the struggling lovers that strikes a chord with Kiwis in these often difficult economic times?
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The OED tells us that it first appeared in 1999, in a song by Jamaican artist Gleaner.
The Gleaner* is the name of the daily newspaper in Jamaica.
What the OED is referring to is the first written record of "bling bling" used as an adjective, which was in the Gleaner on December 18, 1999.
The first published use of bling bling as a noun is the 1999 rap song of the same name by B.G.
* The Gleaner one of my favourite online newspapers because it has some articles and commentary written in Jamaican patois, fo' example. I tink dat important.
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That Fernleaf Butter family that had everyone entranced in the early 90s? Fake.
The Fernleaf family was obviously played by actors and they were obviously acting.
The Telecom ad looks like it could have been made by real people who'd made the ad as part of some workplace team-building exercise.
There are plenty of ads that feature a case study of a real person or company, showing how the product has benefited them. That's what the Telecom ad seemed like.
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After the frequent disparaging mentions of the Herald's Your Views, I thought I'd mention their current one:
What is the best thing since sliced bread?
I had a look and found this suggestion:
Polar fleece sleeveless vests!
It's the uniform of the suburban and the rural mum!
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I knew Good magazine had launched when every bookshop or newsagent I went into had a topless Robyn Malcolm smiling benevolently down at me. Eek!
In recent weeks I've heard two (very much non-greenie) people moaning about all the "green" things they're being enticed to buy. Consuming less is the ultimate green move, but you can't sell that.
I mean, it's all very well buying a shopping bag so you don't have to get a plastic bag with every thing you buy, but do you really need to buy a $40 shopping bag?
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Anyway, if we're all going to be doing apocalyptic banality here's how:
Craig, I love you.
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Robyn - can I quote you on your masterful summation?
Of course you may. And if anyone else has any things to add to the list of things of which ordinary Kiwis have had a gutsful, please do.
Oh, and I've just thought of something that needs to be added to the list:
- petrol prices
- food prices (especially cheese)
- leaky homes
- taggers
- truckers road usage fees
- crime in South Auckland
- ineffectual police
- Global Warming
- The pending collapse of the world finance system
- Asian immigration
- Third World Health provision
- High interest rates
- Dog attacks
- P
- Gangs
- Dodgy finance companies
- Poor public transport
- Underinvestment in infrastructure
- Crap weather (I'm from Auckland)
- John Banks (see above)
- Lightbulbs