Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Short and Long of It

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  • Islander,

    James G - u r knot rong

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • Kong,

    Kong, I ride on the shoulders of giants and numberless unknown experimenters with the most inclusive (not to mention devouring) language we humans have yet invented-*

    Don't we all?

    Standardisation and simplification is poison to English.

    Sometimes, sometimes not. Depends what purpose you are talking about. For precise communication standardization is virtually necessary. In covering every idea expressible, standardization is virtually impossible, and attempting it is probably undesirable.

    But hey, people who want spell checkers aren't usually concerned with standardization and simplification. They just don't like typos. That's my main reason for using one, and when you have to pick one, you have to make a choice. EN_GB is every bit as arbitrary as EN_US, or even EN_NZ. It's the EN part we really want. I wouldn't mind actually merging all of the EN dictionaries. There's a thought...must research it.

    Since Jul 2009 • 89 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    Islander -Thanks for the reference to that site. I couldn't find the autochthony bit but what a lovely blogsite. Has links to my favourite History Workshop Journal and also I noted Giovanni's Bat Bean Beam with a beautiful recent post on his father.

    Thank you Hilary, you're very kind. And Reading the Maps really is consistently, almost infurtiatingly brilliant - here's the link to that post about the autochtons.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • JLM,

    Dunno if anyone has mentioned it yet - I'm on holiday, haven't got time to read 13 pages - but I would like to be able to change my own login name. I'm sick of being anonymous!

    Judy Martin

    Judy Martin's southern sl… • Since Apr 2007 • 241 posts Report

  • Jason Kemp,

    Firstly thanks for all the publicity about wordcamp and WordPress. As one of the organisers I can't help but feel flattered by the attention.

    There are 15m+ blogs & wordpress based sites some with thousands of users - lets not tar everyone with the same brush.

    Opinion is the currency of the blogging world. Robust opinions are fine with me and most blogs wouldn't exist without strong opinions.

    Regarding wordcamp nz - We've gone out of out way to make it as open and acessible as possible to people to attend ($75 for nearly 2 days of tips and tricks) and we plan on giving away 300 or so hosting accounts plus other prizes.

    We are also supporting the bowling club as well (rather than a corporate business in town.)

    We are specifically recognising voluntary organisations and giving them a helping hand. WordPress is an enabling technology and the whole point is for the "systems" to vanish as much as possible so users can concentrate on the content.

    I know many of the comments here are meant in good faith and fun but wordcamp is a way to connect the different users of the WordPress systems with each other so they can get on without being distracted by the technology and systems.

    In very simple terms a good blog / website is like a good cup of coffee.

    We can get all distracted by the any number of things in the coffee making process like - are the beans freshly roasted and so on. Important to a point but really we just want a good cup of coffee.

    Sometimes features are important to users but really only when that gets in the way of the content.

    Also I disagreed with Lance on his blog and made comments to that effect supporting PAS.

    BTW - Threaded conversations are only working on a few wordPress sites as it in relatively new and not all themes support it yet nor will they.

    For anyone wanting to check the schedule

    wordcamp NZ schedule

    At the end of the day wordcamp is about making it easier for anyone to blog just like many PAS readers already do.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    We can get all distracted by the any number of things in the coffee making process like - are the beans freshly roasted and so on. Important to a point but really we just want a good cup of coffee.

    Boy, did you choose the wrong example! :-)

    I'm now going to start campaigning for answers on whether Wordpress is fair trade or not.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Jason Kemp,

    Giovanni - OK wrong example for a useful analogy. My apologies for coffee growers everywhere.

    Hopefully most readers will understand wordcamp / wordPress are about trying to take away the process pain so that content generation and facilitation is easier.

    Also WordPress an Open Source system where users make voluntary donations for the most part (or not.)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report

  • Hilary Stace,

    Jason - are there likely to be any participants over 45, or 50 even - apart from the bowling club members wandering through?

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    Dunno if anyone has mentioned it yet - I'm on holiday, haven't got time to read 13 pages - but I would like to be able to change my own login name. I'm sick of being anonymous!
    Judy Martin

    Simple Judy. Just sign up again under your real name, new name, new password, new account. You can just ignore your old one or use it for mischief if you so desire.
    ;-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Jason Kemp,

    Hi Hilary,

    Yes of course - the people coming along are from incredibly diverse backgrounds and include Miraz Jordan, Jo Macleod (Hubris) , Robyn Gallagher and a fair few others well known here at PAS and elsewhere.

    http://www.givealittle.co.nz , http://ymediachallenge.co.nz/ and others

    Wordcamp is as much about what happens next especially blogging and content management.

    Yes there are platform related presentations but Steven Price is talking about Blogging and law. Doug Casement is talking about Media , Xero are talking about blogging in a business context and so on.

    Last but not least WordCampo NZ is a charitable trust and non-profit set-up and run by volunteers.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    I'm on holiday, haven't got time to read 13 pages -

    ???? I'd suggest you could take time out for a cuppa and a read, it is afterall a holiday. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • ScottY,

    Dunno if anyone has mentioned it yet - I'm on holiday, haven't got time to read 13 pages - but I would like to be able to change my own login name. I'm sick of being anonymous!

    Seconded. But if I sign up under my real name my posts count goes back to zero and everyone will think I'm new to PAS. I find with many sites that nobody listens to you until you've been around a while.

    As my post suggests, I'm very insecure.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    You could put "Formally known as" in the from column along with "been here since ~ and had # posts before so don't treat me as a newbie" annat.
    ;-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Phil Lyth,

    But if I sign up under my real name my posts count goes back to zero

    Didn't happen for me on PAS, got noticed from post #1. But if it's important to you, sign up under your real name then put 418 posts on the end of the copyright thread: will only add 1% or so to that one. Then you'll be sweet.

    As my post suggests, I'm very insecure.

    Even hypochondriacs get ill and die.

    Wellington • Since Apr 2009 • 458 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    But if I sign up under my real name my posts count goes back to zero and everyone will think I'm new to PAS.

    This is your penance for not following suggestions:

    We prefer that you use your full name as your username, thanks.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    sign up under your real name then put 418 posts on the end of the copyright thread

    That's diabolically clever.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • George Darroch,

    This isn't a complaint, rather an observation; when I login I have to put two spaces between my username (george darroch). I'm not sure how that happened, but now I just think of it as a quirk.

    This is your penance for not following suggestions:

    We prefer that you use your full name as your username, thanks.

    I think that this was clearer for those who were around when PAS was launched - Russell explained this quite well, and the reasoning behind it (which was to encourage rigorous debate, IIRC) - and also to those who've lurked for a while before registering.

    I like that the quotes are seperated from the text. It reminds me a little of the style in academic english, which is somewhat similar (at least in my discipline). If something is important enough to blockquote, giving it the dignity of seperation seems right. If it isn't, a simple "" and attribution to the author will suffice.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report

  • ScottY,

    This is your penance for not following suggestions:

    Now I feel like I've been a naughty boy.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Phil Lyth,

    No, ScottY, naughty was saying:

    "Formally known as" in the from column

    When you really meant "Formerly known as". The new (real) name would be the formal one.


    Phil
    who is pedantic
    and who relishes the view of some in the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives that pedantry is a character trait which should be highly-valued

    Wellington • Since Apr 2009 • 458 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    and who relishes the view of some in the Office of the Clerk

    What? Did you word the referendum question?;)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    "Formally known as" in the from column

    Ah but. The quote was in quotation marks so the attribution is void.
    Pendanty pedanty pendant

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • ScottY,

    So I just put my name in the location part of my profile, which can be changed.

    Don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Rich Lock,

    Now I feel like I've been a naughty boy.

    I'm trying very hard not to post obvious and smutty 'should a' jokes at this point.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report

  • JLM,

    Brilliant Scott! Like you, I don't want to give up my miserly posting total - it's taken me at least 18 months to get to forty something.

    And sofie, sorry, but 13 pages of comments against playing killer scrabble with my sister - no contest! Besides, it's their computer, and I shouldn't hog it.

    Judy Martin's southern sl… • Since Apr 2007 • 241 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Dunno if anyone has mentioned it yet - I'm on holiday, haven't got time to read 13 pages - but I would like to be able to change my own login name. I'm sick of being anonymous!

    Judy Martin

    I can do this -- but only if Karl from CactusLab has time this week (brand new baby and resting mum to look after).

    But let's make it worthwhile: does anyone else need a name-change? It's probably best to do it in a batch.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

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