Author Archive
Debunking science with ideology
Following up on our conversation about differing measures of openness to ideas, depending on self-identification as ‘conservative’ or ‘liberal’ … Study tracks how conservatives lost their faith in science How do liberals and conservatives differ in their attitudes toward science? Statistics indicate that conservatives’ confidence in science as an institution has declined dramatically since 1974. […]
Inside joke: Pete says creepy things
From the Business Herald this morning, good ol’ Scott Adams. [chuckle] Yeah, it’s a private joke. But funny at a number of levels. – P
What you see depends on where you stand
Some respectful discussion today here about open-mindedness and degrees of perception. And so, this — flicked into my tweetstream this afternoon — seems appropriate …
Questions about the teapot investigation
So, it’s been announced the cameraman who recorded the pre-election ‘cup of tea’ between John Key and John Banks in November last year won’t be prosecuted. Stuff.co.nz reported: Police will not lay charges over the “teapot tape” saga and say freelance cameraman Bradley Ambrose has received a warning. Assistant Police Commissioner Malcolm Burgess held a […]
On narrow social focus and moral taste buds
A wonderful book review in the NY Times ‘Why Won’t They Listen?’ sheds some light on the ‘my tribe is better than yours’ bias we discuss here from time to time. Reviewing The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt, William Saletan describes how we acquire preferences for social values (liberal v conservative) over time, based on […]
What do you think?
Sign on the ferry back from camp yesterday. When I read ‘body parts’ I think ‘dismembered’. Am I wrong? – P Update: You know, like chicken pieces.
This is a very good cartoon
Tom Scott — as sharp as ever … It’s a funny thing, the justice system. I worked at the Supreme Court when Arthur Allan Thomas was going through an ill-fated appeal of his 1971 wrongful convictions for murder. A scientist named Jim Sprott conclusively discredited the police ‘evidence’ that a shell casing they said they […]
Bryan Gould’s must-read on the changing face of John Key
Wow. I’m still catching up on things that popped up while I was away and largely offline this week. Read this analysis from the nothing-if-not-polarising Bryan Gould in the NZ Herald: Tougher approach hints this term is Key’s last … What is now clear is that the goal of the first term was simply to […]
Simon Power is putting it all behind him. Whaaat?
This caught my eye in today’s NZ Herald piece Govt turns its back on terror law about the woeful state (sarcasm) of our country’s botched me-too Terrorism Suppression Act. [Former justice minister] Mr Power, now a banker, said yesterday he could not recall why he allowed the review of the act to be dropped. He […]
Heads must roll: Minister for Marmite
While I was away I heard the Marmite crisis predicted last year has actually bitten — hard. I didn’t know Nick Smith was the Minister responsible for Marmite, but, well, yeah, I can see he really had to go. Accountability. On a serious note, Smith’s cronyism has added more weight to those suggesting an image […]
Fishing for suckers
Just back from my school camp/tropical island holiday (ha!) and look what was on the fax machine: A new scam looking for victims… Fishy? Yup. Yellow Pages Group is warning its small business customers not to be sucked in by a scam that asks for their details so that they can be listed online. The […]
Tropical holiday
I’m a parent helper on my son’s school camp on Motutapu Island this week … so things will be quiet from me. Go well in the meantime. – P
Read the logo. What do you see?
Designer Erik Spiekermann: Standing on the shoulders of giants? Or appropriating existing symbology and harvesting its legacy? Thought provoking. – P
Denounced
I’m writing a post about denunciation and related matters … and look what popped up in my twitter stream: Ha! -P
