Posts by Keir Leslie

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  • Hard News: Swine flu, terror and Susan Boyle,

    Both statements are true no?

    It is domestic terrorism; and he does have ties to right-wing extremist groups.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Hard News: Swine flu, terror and Susan Boyle,

    Now, if you meant that there is no strict legal definition, or that it is a term that is, in a legal sense, difficult to define, then you might have a point, and the Wikipedia article acknowledges that.

    Except, um, the US does have a definition of terrorism, which it looks likely this meets. And there may also be RICO implications.

    They're sending in the US Marshals to protect clinics in the US apparently.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Field Theory: An odd morning,

    Yeah but how many can say why

    I doubt it was the money that took Aberdeen to the Cupwinner's Cup against Real Madrid. (And the Super Cup!)

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Up Front: Are We There Yet?,

    But, um, if you start to argue that we are the product of a Christian heritage, etc. etc., couldn't a Protestant bigot turn around and start using the same logic on you, only more tightly focused on NZ's specifically Protestant heritage?

    Especially, it just isn't true that Protestant and Catholic conceptions of marriage are the same, so you can't jump from `England's Christian heritage' to `Catholic definitions'.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Wolfram Alpha: Tech journos FAIL,

    What about us learning to understand the machine? Getting better feedback from the machine?

    Machines are basically cheap and getting cheaper; people are expensive.

    (Quite aside from all the moral Taylorism issues and suchlike.)

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Hard News: That Buzzing Sound,

    How do you know that Keir ? She hasn't even started it yet. You tend to put commas and full stops in the wrong places, but that doesn't mean you should stop writing comments.

    One certainly overuses semicolons (and one knows damn fine what intellectual sin that's revealing of!), yet one is reasonably sure that, while one's commas and full stops may not always be perfect, one has never managed to stuff them up so awfully awfully badly as to be unreadable, although no doubt quite badly enough that one should not want, say, to apply for a job as proof-reader or copy-editor on the basis of these comments, whereas Rankin has managed to bugger up previous jobs that --- one assumes --- are acting as her qualifications for this one, has managed to say offensively racist things about child abuse, has positions on what the family, that famously nebulous concept, is, that one, and one is sure, many other New Zealanders, find deeply abhorrent and would appear to be unable to move on from a culture of extravagance and brash offensiveness even when it is brought to her attention, while one should argue that one has managed to place in the preceding words, arguably legally, half-a-dozen commas delimiting some rather nastily nested clauses, several apostrophes, two em-- and en-- dashes and a pair of parenthesis (although sadly for readability not yet a single .)

    (To put it less Wolfsonianly, I don't stuff up that badly and I don't use these writings as a claim to be employed copy-editing. Rankin has screwed up badly and that would appear to be her qualifications for being a Families Commissioner. Also, if I can't judge her ability until after she has started I am truly going to have some difficulty hiring people if ever I have to. How will I be able to spot the incompetents beforehand? They haven't started yet.)

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    and my question asking from the media owners perspective is why should I bear the burden of that.

    Same reason that anti-DRM measures are often illegal --- because the law says you can or can't do that, and that should be reflected in code, supposedly.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Hard News: That Buzzing Sound,

    Well, yes... and how exactly is that inaccurate?

    Well, (as you know Bob) in traditional Catholic theology, suicide is often not a choice in the `exercise of free will' sense; it is the result of an illness, and no more a choice than coughing is a choice if you have the cold, etc. This is quite a sensible position I feel.

    Also, even if true, (and that's kind of doubtful) it is pretty damn tactless, no?

    Mind, this whole story is ugly and disgusting, and Rankin shouldn't resign because of it. She should resign because she can't do the job. (Still, let's be honest Rankin isn't looking like a class act; she's looking better than the media, which is basically as simple as not jumping in mud and shouting obscenities at passers-by.)

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    oh ffs stop it the lot of you.

    Russell says don't be dicks and suddenly everyone's trying to outdo the last in offensiveness.

    (And I'm scarcely a model of politesse myself, but come on, there's no need to be utter tossers, and I think that not saying anything is probably a damn good idea at this point*.)

    * yeah, yeah, I know, physician heal thyself. But I shall!

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Field Theory: Quickly on a busy morning,

    <i>Also stadia that have to be booked for weeks of games that never happen.</i>

    Happens anyway, no? (Inherent in any elimination tournament.)

    <i>. Some will watch anyway, but no where near as many as would watch it if their team was in it.</i>

    Many people already don't give a damn.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

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