Thoughts from a human torch
I thought the Informers might be pretty interesting with the story coming from Brett Easton Ellis and a cast with the likes of Billy Bob and Kim Basinger, but it isn’t. It has a certain style in the first few minutes and I might even buy the soundtrack, but the movie is just so horribly disjointed, plotless and full of characters that are neither likeable nor interesting, I found it hard to sit through the whole thing.
Good impression of Christian Bale by Jon Foster though….
Posted in Cinema.
– September 8, 2009
I read two articles the other day in Silicon Republic, which never wanders too far off the beaten trail of rehashed press releases, but is readable enough in small doses.
The bad
The first, and this is the one I am pissed off about, is a puff piece about 11890, one of the directory enquiry providers in Ireland.
Put simply, they are exploiting the current downturn and using the misfortune of others as an advertising gimmick.
Directory enquiry firm Call 11890 has pledged to create up to 90 jobs across its call centres in Dublin and Galway, if it succeeds in reaching certain call targets.
Wow, so if your business increases, you are pledging to hire extra staff to answer the calls? How big of you!
“At a time when many of us are feeling a little helpless with the economic downturn, this is a real opportunity for each and every one of us to directly create employment, and at the same time enjoy savings by using the cheapest operator in the market,” said Nicola Byrne, managing director Call 11890 Ltd
How are you creating employment? You are just taking business away from the other directory enquiry service which is also an Irish company and has Irish staff – if you succeed in reaching your sales targets. Do these muppets think that they are going to grow the market for directory enquiry services? Are directory enquiry services exportable? Does it deliver efficiencies to the economy? Hardly.
See the full slightly modified press release here.
The good
In another article, wearable computing company Adwalker seems to be doing some great things. They have just released a new version of their wearable computing promotional gizmo things, and I have to say, they do look interesting.
Kind of like the directory services company, they are getting attention for their press release with a gimmick: they are offering to give away 2,000 units of their unit (there will be a small associated daily charge).
At least these guys are innovating and exporting. Well done Adwalker and good luck. If I come across and potential uses for you in NZ I will keep you in mind.
Check out Adwalker’s website here for more info on their product.
Posted in Personal.
– May 22, 2009
I am off to do the Tongariro Crossing in 2 weeks time. I don’t think it will be overly tricky but I have been stocking up on a bit of kit so I am fully prepared.
Since I have a near unshakeable belief that all of New Zealand is a death trap (a mix of reading the papers and having witnessed a tragic accident early in my stay here), I reckoned it would do no harm to have a basic first aid kit in my back pack.
Obviously you really don’t want to lug around a whole lot on the off chance something happens. I was hoping for something lightweight with a few bits and pieces to patch up until professional help arrives or you go to it.
Doing a quick online shop around, the candidates I found were:
It arrived today, just a day after ordering. It is just as light and compact as I had hoped and fits nice and neatly into my backpack.
Of course today I was browsing through torpedo7.co.nz and spotted a way cooler piece of kit: Lifeline ultimate survivor in a bottle – a bit more expensive but some great bits and pieces in it, though maybe not enough first aid gear.
One of the reviews on that site reminded me of something I forget quite often – it is not just out tramping you might need a survival kit as I do live in a city located on an earthquake fault line.
I better stock up on canned food too then…
Posted in Personal.
– March 12, 2009
I haven’t done one in a while and I’m not sure why G sprang to mind, perhaps because it is slap bang in the middle of my keyboard. Well I’m sure I can think of a few:
Gargoyles - Ireland
God knows what made me think of them, but Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin has some. Strangely, the only trace I can find of Gargoyles in New Zealand is in the city of Christchurch, but they were in garden centre, so Dublin wins.
Gay Scene – Ireland
This is not my area of direct expertise so I am basing this on one criteria only: Gay pride parade. Dublin has a great one, but none in NZ. Shame gay kiwis, shame.
Galleries - New Zealand
Te Papa is pretty impressive. The Irish natural history museum in Dublin was pretty good and I enjoyed bringing my niece there, but since it is also structurally unsound, I think NZ offers a slightly safer experience.
Gardening - New Zealand
I was often roped into assisting with fun tasks like lawn mowing and tree root removal in exchange for a mention in the mammy’s will, but I have the perfect excuse now that I live a bit further away. Also I don’t have anything other than a bucket of herbs to tend to here. Game, set and match NZ.
Gaelic Sports – Irelad
This is a bit of an unfair one, I mean Gaelic football and hurling is indigenous to Ireland, but honorable mention has to go to Wellington GAA who are doing their bit to preach to the heathens. I do miss not going to see the odd match in Croke park though.
That said, check out this fantastic video from the Wellington GAA lads on why you should take up Gaelic:
Graveyard - New Zealand
Where else but Wellington can you enjoy a saunter through the old graveyard on your way from the terrace to the Botanic Gardens. Choice.
Well that is all I can think of for now. Another draw at 3 a piece. Feel free to let me know of anything else you feel should have been covered in the G section. Not that I am in anyway bothered, or is anyone else…
Posted in Personal.
– November 30, 2008
Today is a bad day to be an Irishman in New Zealand. Over a hundred years trying to beat the All Blacks and still no luck.
This is added on top of the usual slaggings I get for the funny way I talk (th’s beings especially entertaining).
It seems that when you travel, you carry the can for the entire nation. Thankfully nobody has yet taken me to task on the revocation of medical cards for the over 70′s or the dropping of cervical cancer vaccinations (they probably assumed it was some sort of Irish joke).
I am off to a bbq on Wednesday and I have this brilliant plan that by taking along some uniquely Irish, fantastic dish of some sort, I can do what no Irish rugby team has done in a century of test matches, and restore some Irish pride.
The problem is, Ireland is not exactly known for it’s culinary delights. Booze rather than food is generally accepted as being our sphere of influence in the grand scheme of things, doubly so when it comes to BBQ food. I mean, did anyone in Ireland even manage to get a bbq lighted this past summer with all the rain and flooding?
My only option so far seems to a be a Guinness marinade.
It could taste awful, but then, now that I think of it, all the other guests will be Kiwis, so perhaps an awful tasting Irish dish is just what the doctor ordered. If you can’t beat em in rugby, poison them.
Revenge, as they say, is a dish best served with slightly burnt sausages in a Guinness marinade.
Posted in Personal.
– November 17, 2008
Wellington seems to punch above it’s weight in terms of venues, happenings and general odd stuff you can get involved in.
It could of course just be the people I’ve fallen in with here, but no, I think it is Wellington in general. After we polished off a bottle of vino and some very alcoholic tasting liqueur sweets in the office (which did not help productivity), myself and Natalie went across town to join her friends Claire and Charlie for the launch of the Climate Action Festival which of course meant the room was full of all sorts of tree huggers, but good none the less. I was peer pressured into signing on as a volunteer for the day but I did refuse to be a chidren’s face painter. I am pretty sure the kids will be better off without my dubious art skills on their visages.
Claire is an uber activist, organising rallies against flyovers, campaigning for better public transport and all sorts of other crazy things that will never happen. I get tired just hearing about what she is up to. Her latest scheme on the day of the festival is a race in which 3 cars & drivers compete with 3 cyclists to complete a shopping list around Wellington. Just to even up the odds, I have volunteered to be one of the car drivers (I can’t drive), but there may be some legal implications around this.
Charlie seems pragmatic about the whole thing. Sure a festival isn’t going to change the world, but hey, it will be a nice day out and like any other form of branding, it sells the message to people, gradually pushing them in the right direction.
From the worrisome issue of how our planet is going down the tubes, we moved on to Bodega bar where we saw some very cool bands on stage. The most entertaining was The Beat Squad who were bizarre, funny and pretty damn good musicians too. The lead singer had black trousers with a silver lightning bolt running down each leg. I was jealous. They even had a song about my hood, Aro Valley.
My favourite part of course was when the Pie Girls joined them on stage. 4 scantily clad ladies wearing tight shorts, tops and a pie on their head. Only in Wellington. Their gratuitous booty shaking elicited a hilarious “oh my goodness!” gasp of shock from Natalie.
I am raging I didn’t have my camera. Note to self: always take it with you, you never know when you might run into some pie girls.
This is The Beat Squad in action on a previous occassion, I think it gives a flavour of their style:
Posted in Personal.
– November 15, 2008
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– November 4, 2008
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– October 31, 2008
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– October 24, 2008
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– October 23, 2008
