Posts by BenWilson

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  • Hard News: Denial,

    The tone of the campaign has made it hard to have a rational discussion about the bill's shortcomings.

    I think it's possible to have a rational discussion about it, but it's a very boring job.

    If it actually was a bill about stopping anyone saying anything I'd be getting warmed up. But campaign finance minutiae?

    But it does warm my heart that such a dull discussion is such big news down here. Our democracy under attack is in the same spirit as our terror cells, much ado about nothing.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Denial,

    I thought Robinson's point was interesting, that the Herald basically didn't care that the EFB story is actually boring their readers.

    They have a bee in their bonnets - that is clear to all rational readers.

    I think they're basically flexing their muscles. They want to see to what extent they can move public opinion on something so tedious. It's pretty hard to argue that there's a particularly strong sense of self interest involved.

    Which in itself it interesting to watch, even if their opinions are not. I tend to think they expend political capital by doing this, that yes, they can move opinion. But I think the average reader has a strange sense of balance about how often they let a paper move their opinion. It's not an unlimited power, it's more like a card that can be played.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mighty Indeed,

    Plus ... I walked past this guy on the street yesterday who was a dead ringer for Hiro from Heroes. Even the same glasses.

    Me too. I'm seeing them everywhere. I'm a bit worried about what that says about me though.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Word of the Year 2007,

    A classic one for me was the first line in a sales document I had to proofread:

    "The savings generated by our system cannot be underestimated".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mighty Indeed,

    Walls and fences slow you down plenty fast. I know when I skated I'd prefer slamming into a wall than the ground any day.

    Unless you're going seriously fast, stopping a skateboard is as easy as jumping off and running for a little bit. Over 30km/h your legs just can't keep up.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mighty Indeed,

    That's more like it. I imagine Graeme's already got some pet names that play on his real one...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Clamour to Cringe,

    Surely 'hanging out', if it refers to a body part, would be the tongue? But isn't 'hanging out' just a phrase that means 'being somewhere (or with someone) for a while'?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mighty Indeed,

    How 'bout a naming contest for Graeme, in the vein of Yellow Peril? Or is it considered a deeply personal choice? If he posts as Legal Eagle I'll puke.

    The site of Russell ....

    Is this an eggcorn?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Word of the Year 2007,

    Emma, I don't buy it. The kind of things it pinged me for were pretty useful, like punctuation and simple typos that just made no sense (but were not spelling mistakes). Sure it didn't catch the accidental typos that did make grammatical sense, but they are a much lesser number. It's a support system, not a substitute for proof reading, and I found it useful. It catches the kind of things people miss, like putting the
    the twice across lines.

    OK, I do buy that it can make you lazy. That's pretty much the case with all software, and has never been a particularly compelling excuse not to use it. It's more of an argument to get harsh on the mistakes that people try to excuse themselves from in their lazy use of a system.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Word of the Year 2007,

    Umm, you can

    You can now. But I haven't used Word for years. Glad to hear they followed my (and a million other people's) suggestions, though.

    Emma, despite the truth of all that, that doesn't make them useless. They're good at the subset of proofreading that they do.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

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