Posts by Jason Dykes
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Hard News: Psst! Got any Earl Grey?,
This is all so bloody cyclical. There was a "thermoblast" scandal in Wellington in the mid-90s. I tried some and immediately felt compelled to do a 20km cycle around the bays and city streets. I am pretty sure I lost half a kg.
Yes, Wellington is good for you. After moving to Auckland then Hong Kong I realised quality of life was more important than dollars alone and returned to this beautiful and vibrant town.
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Oh, please give them some whisky too.
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Great show. This is going to go places. It's hard to replicate a "live" feel on a pre-recording. Hopefully the live audiences will help. Maybe guests would benefit from a shot of good single malt before going on camera!
I use latest version Firefox on a newish Mac. Speed test 854kbps, second test 345kbps. Maybe it's a bit random tonight but I got lots of stop start in the Media7 download. Youtube a good option I think.
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(even though I don't want to turn this blog into Trade and Exchange)....
If any one is passing through Hamilton East in the next two weeks and wants to travel on with a bag of feijoas, just bung me a messageGeoff, as it happens, yes I will be travelling past Hamilton East with feijoas in the next couple of weeks. I am trading with my uncle for honey while at a work-related conference.
You can reach me at my name with dot in middle at gmail.
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Oh ... I also have some spare bottles of absinthe if anyone's interested.
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Okay, you have three weeks to front up. After that, harvest is over.
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Hell yes, but not from shops. Sounds like a great trade.
I have to admit that technically the feijoas are not mine (ha ha). There's an old, overgrown and abandoned orchard behind our place. I watched the fruit rot the first year I lived here and in the last two years I've been the only one taking the fruit. I don't eat many feijoas myself but have given them to neighbours and workmates.
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like everything in the botanical gardens if you are visiting on days when they are digging up beds a nice hello and a smile will get you whatever they are digging up, or pruning.
For a couple of years in the 90s employees in the Bot Gardens cultivated mushrooms. I observed them having considerably more effect than nutmeg.
...and whilst we are on the pleasures of the garden..the feijoas have started dropping
Same here. Anyone want some? Gave away bags and bags last year.
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I think I've got to the point where I can't buy any product without using the Internet for research (if not purchase). Given the Obama example maybe that should apply to political candidates as well as TVs!
Most consumer products are sold on low margins. There isn't much budget left for service, let alone support. I once spoke to a product manager at a computer company who worked out if they got two service calls (simply phone calls) after selling a PC, they'd lose money on the sale. If NL takes two hours to do paperwork I expect that will be showing up in their bottom line and if not fixed will sink them.
Even if I do strike a good sales person in a shop, I generally want the best deal I can get for my dollars. I feel guilty using up their time to educate me on features when I'm likely to go and buy the product elsewhere.
If you don't have the Internet and want a hassle-free purchase, I don't there's much choice but to rely on the Goodsonnet (or equivalent).
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Hard News: Leaving the bunker,
I worked for the public sector in the early to mid 90s when a number of cuts were being made to public spending. I worked 60 hours a week on a 40 hour/week salary (partly for the work experience, partly because I felt I was doing a public service). We had cuts to our budget. I asked the department's finance manager why. We got on quite well and he probably shouldn't have, but he showed me a memo telling him the Dept had to cut its total budget by 5% that year. The Govt at the time when questioned by news media denied they had told Govt Depts to cut their budgets. I wish I had been able to copy the memo. There was no Web then. Would probably be different now.