Author Archive
A polite request from Plunderbund: ‘Please unblock our ads’
As we’ve discussed, a lot of web browsers (people not software) — including me — have installed ad-blocking software. In my case, I was driven to it by feverishly animated Air NZ ads on the NZ Herald website and whirling dervish property spruiker ads on PropertyTalk. So, look what I spotted following a search result […]
Negative credibility sux, eh @whaleoil? eh @dpfdpf?
We’ve discussed before Dan Gilmor’s concept of ‘Negative Credibility‘ — the idea that sometimes information can have an appearance of LESS VERACITY because of its source. Gilmor pointed to Andrew Breitbart’s exposé of the Weiner/underpants/twitter ‘scandal’ (triggered by Rep. Weiner accidentally tweeting a photo as a public reply when he meant to send a DM, […]
Chris Trotter on the Urewera Four. Wow!
I’ve held off making any comment about the Crown decision, announced this week, not to retrry the ‘Urewera Four’ on charges of ‘belonging to an organised criminal group’ after their original trial jury failed to reach a verdict on those charges. This, despite my own (default?) views of police powers, disclosed here before. But wow! […]
An entertaining discussion of privacy and name suppression
I like Tory MP Louise Mensch. I think she’s bright, articulate and beautiful (as we have discussed.) I’m quoting her in another context elsewhere, but came across this appearance, where she featured on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You, 22 April 2011 adding her bit to the campaign to discredit the UK ‘super-injunctions’ […]
Simon Lusk in the headlines again!
Well, well. Just a few weeks after my mild curiosity-fueled questions about Simon Lusk (see ‘So, who is Simon Lusk?‘) he’s in the news. Again. TV3 News reports in ‘Secret minutes reveal split in National’s ranks‘: Leaked minutes of a National Party board meeting in March show major concerns over a party member who is […]
‘That politician got amnesia again’
I finally got around to listening to this, following the NZ Herald carrying it yesterday. It’s catchy! Listen here [Audio clip: view full post to listen] (or 3.5MB mp3 file for non-flash browsers). – P
Why not put it out there?
I know the cynics may try to tear this down. I don’t care. Why not aim high? – P Via Nick Bilton thanks to Tim Murphy.
Teapot tape saga sputters out with withdrawal of ‘costs’ action against cameraman
For the record: Teapot costs bid dropped By Cherie Howie Herald on Sunday May 6, 2012 The Attorney-General has ditched plans to demand nearly $14,000 in court costs from freelance photographer Bradley Ambrose over the long-running “teapot tape” saga. Ambrose was embroiled in controversy and faced criminal investigation after he taped a conversation between Prime […]
Self-hate as a metric of intolerance?
This conversation, spurred by a reworking of the old saying ‘It takes one to know one’ got me thinking this morning: I reckon Nick Denton is RIGHT. (‘Takes one to hate one.’) Or enough right that it’s worth doing a self-audit, so: How much of my own intolerances are a result of my ‘dislike’ of […]
Mike Hosking: ‘a note of some clarification’ re SkyCity
On Radio NZ’s Mediawatch today I heard clips of broadcaster Mike Hosking’s statement of ‘clarification‘ about his work with SkyCity casinos broadcast on NewstalkZB earlier this week. Hosking was responding to commentary and news reports like this and this that he’s received tens of thousands of dollars of cash and benefits from the Casino and […]
John assures John he’s complied with electoral law
Yesterday, Labour leader David Shearer called for Prime Minister John Key to stand Banks down from his ministerial portfolios. A spokeswoman for the prime minister said Banks had assured him he had complied with local body electoral law.— NZ Herald 29 April 2012 Like this?: “The Long Adios,” a Walmart detective story “Are you lying, […]
‘No compromise’ extremism damages a political system
I mentioned Tea Party pin up boy Rep. Allen West’s Joe McCarthy-esque very specific but fact-free assertion that “78 to 81” Democrats in Congress are “members of the Communist Party” recently as an example of political actors telling bare-faced lies with such regularity that it’s almost become unremarkable now (see An obituary for Facts). The […]
