Posts by Raffe Smith

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  • Hard News: Sunday in Super City,

    @Gareth - see here.

    Joshua's blog is a must read on these transport matters.

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Hobbit Wars,

    Kristin Thompson, a film academic who wrote a book on the LOTR trilogy has a worthwhile blog that has been following the issue closely.

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Music's emerging digital market,

    Just because it feels better, and because you get the joy of old school cynical record store service.

    Indeed. I asked as I also enjoy the perverse pleasure of putting the cd case in its alphabetical home on the shelf.

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Music's emerging digital market,

    So for example, if I was to buy Buffalo via the TPF Bandcamp site at $28.95 vs JB HiFi at $21, I assume the band gets a larger (and fairer) cut, as a proportion of the purchase price?

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: A Strange Surprise,

    A mesmerising film shot from the front of a tram travelling down Market St in San Francisco, in 1905, before the fire. Soundtrack by Air.

    Queen St probably wasn't too different back in the day....

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Speaker: A day or two at Dramfest,

    I can recommend an excellent book on whisky: Peat, Smoke & Spirit by Andrew Jefford.

    The book uses whisky as an axis to look at the history, geography, culture, flora and fauna of Islay - essentially it is a very good piece of travel writing. Chapters on each distillery are interspersed through the book, which go into the history, style and production in some depth, down to the shape of the lyne arm atop the still and how this influences the character of the spirit.

    The book also makes an excellent guide for a visitor to Islay, and is so enjoyably well written that even a non-whisky person such as my girlfriend didn't feel like she was doing me a favour by reading it...

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Brimful on the 45,

    Happy birthday. :)

    Amstrad 286, in 1991. 1Mb Ram, 40Mb HDD, 12mhz cpu...
    Still, it played Dune 2 and the original Civ well...

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Death Spiral!,

    I just want to add to the chorus on The Omnivore's Dilemma. Brilliant book, just don`t read it while you are travelling through the US, as I did... It may put you off certain foods, and I became obsessed with checking the packaging for ingredients derived from corn.

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Just some links, really,

    Ben, yeah, Monmouth supplies Flat White. I had a beer outside the pub opposite their cafe the other evening, but it was shut so I couldn`t try the coffee. It's only a couple of minutes walk from London Bridge tube stop, next to the Borough Market as you say.

    I haven`t seen a good tea shop either, but haven`t exactly been looking for one...sing out if you find one though.

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Just some links, really,

    Also having just relocated to London, I have found the trick is to stick to straight espresso. Don`t let them muck it up with milk, as they froth it to a bubble-bath consistency, rather than the smooth velvet we are used to in NZ. You can then get a reasonable, but not great, coffee.

    However I have found (conveniently close to my flat) a great little cafe in Kennington Lane, in the middle of Lambeth. Called Firozzi, but rather than being Italian as the name might suggest, is run by a couple of Indian women in beautifully tailored saris. The serve coffee as it should be, i.e. a double shot in a small cup with thick crema, and for lattes and macchiatos the milk is properly smooth and velvety. Fantastic.

    Mount Albert. • Since Nov 2006 • 40 posts Report Reply

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