Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The First Draft

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  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Hilary Stace,

    Just had a short sharp shake in Wellington.

    While playing Warcraft, no less. The latest expansion couldn't be more thematic.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Kyle Matthews,

    I believe that's the amount of the cheese that makes up the moon that is influencing the earth's crust.

    More prosaically, some people (including scientists) like to talk about earthquakes in terms of explosive power, so I suspect "kilotons" is meant as in "nuclear bomb yield".

    Why they feel the need to relate earthquakes to nukes, I have no idea. Similar things happen with asteroids. It all seems a bit pointless to me, but I guess "ten million trillion calories" (or whatever number you'd need to encompass the vast amounts of energy involved) doesn't have quite the same impact and would mostly make people think of fast food. Or perhaps cheesecake.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • andin, in reply to Neil Morrison,

    Cheap sensationalist tv which is what he does.

    Geez then why did Brian Edwards get that expensive white charger, that overblown concern troll outfit aaand get the missus all togged up as well?
    If it was just a cheap John do?
    Arguments about the tone of i/v's, the tenor of one's voice in discussions????
    Thank goodness I have tin ears.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to uroskin,

    Kiwiblog is no longer the NZ blog of note. Steven Gray has now far more daily visitors.

    This is pages ago, but I meant to thank you for the link - it's good to have a NZ blogosphere ranking system that is not based on flat out weird formulas, a-la Tumeke. However, it's still a very rough calculation and likely to be misleading in some cases. For instance I really don't think you want to give Steven Gray's supposed mega-readership too much credit. Most of those visitors would be people who Google celebrities, not actual returning readers. How do I know? He has 3 google reader subscribers. Kiwiblog has 1,291. I'm going to go with "Kiwiblog has more readers". And nobody actually reads Steven Gray.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • David Hood, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    Why they feel the need to relate earthquakes to nukes, I have no idea.

    Perhaps they could provide the figure in Libraries of Congress

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report

  • Ross Mason,

    No, it is Nukes to TNT. Here is a link that gives the equivalent tonnage of TNT V Richter Scale. Christchurch 2011 6.3 = 42.4 kiloton

    The Oaklahoma Bombing was the equivalent of 2,200 kg of TNT (2.2 kiloton about a 5.5 earthquake). Pretty brutal bomb but a piddler to the Ruskie's Tsar H Bomb of 57 MILLION tons of TNT.

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report

  • recordari, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    And nobody actually reads Steven Gray.

    Steven who?

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to recordari,

    That was a bit harsh of me. I mean it looks like he may have very few regular readers at this stage. All power to him.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Seismologist Mark Quigley isn't too concerned about handling Mr Ring with kid gloves either:

    “No one has predicted the recent earthquakes in Canterbury. Vague quotes about dates of ‘increased’ activity plus or minus several days, without magnitudes, locations, and exact times do not constitute prediction. … [This] is opportunistic and meaningless self promotion during a time of national crisis.

    Quite.

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • recordari, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    That was a bit harsh of me. I mean it looks like he may have very few regular readers at this stage. All power to him.

    Umm, yeah, maybe I need to get out more in the blogosphere, but until you re-mentioned it, had never heard of him or his blog.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    I note that there's a physicist in Italy who studies radon outgassing as a precursor of earthquakes and had predicted the L'Aquila earthquake albeit a few days too early. He was indicted for 'causing alarm', which is actually a crime in Italy. Not sure what happened to that in the end.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    which is actually a crime in Italy

    Bit like shouting "fire" in a movie theatre. Unfortunately any such charge against Ring would simply make lawyers rich.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Ross Mason,

    Homegrown Chch Demo of Liquifaction.

    Nice simple experiment. Always the best!!!

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    I do seem to remember Mikey Havoc gave Ken Ring a bit of air time back in the day (during his first stint on Drive, I think?)

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Cheers, Ross, that's really brilliant.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    This has already been posted (and Juha linked to it on Twitter) but I'm still a little amazed at Ring's writing on "Pawmistry":

    Dismayed by the glaring lack of literature on the psychological complexities of [cats]… Ring… began experimenting with age-old tools of divination to open a window into a cat's inner self.

    Ken Ring first discovered palmistry for cats at a psychic party two years ago. He has since devoted much time to conducting research in this revolutionary new field.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • Megan Wegan, in reply to Ross Mason,

    That is amazing, thanks.

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Andre Alessi,

    I do seem to remember Mikey Havoc gave Ken Ring a bit of air time back in the day (during his first stint on Drive, I think?)

    On Breakfast, for several years, iirc. Drove me nuts. But even then, Ring was a very slick entertainer.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Martin Lindberg,

    (Just to tie this up with the Almighty Johnsons.)

    Screw both tectonics and the moon as reasons for earthquakes. We all know that they are caused by the chained Loke writhing in pain as Sigyn empties the bowl of venom held over his face to protect him, thus causing a few drops to land on him.

    Take that, Mr Ring.

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Ring also put in an entertaining but controversial appearance at last year's TEDx Auckland event. Probably footage somewhere to match this graphic sketch.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Martin Lindberg,

    (Just to tie this up with the Almighty Johnsons.)

    I so want to have your rationally impossible babies right now.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi, in reply to Sacha,

    Take that, Mr Ring.

    Loke/Loge also makes an appearance in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, commonly referred to as “The Ring Cycle”, which tells a story of tragedy and loss that leads to the destruction of Valhalla, and ultimately a bittersweet freedom for those left behind.

    We have now come full circle.

    EDIT: Which reminds me, there are always the words of the "Schopenhauer ending", which as far as I know isn't commonly used in modern productions, but still:

    Were I no more to fare to Valhalla's fortress, do you know whither I fare? I depart from the home of desire, I flee forever the home of delusion; the open gates of eternal becoming I close behind me now: To the holiest chosen land, free from desire and delusion, the goal of the world's migration, redeemed from incarnation, the enlightened woman now goes. The blessed end of all things eternal, do you know how I attained it? Grieving love's profoundest suffering opened my eyes for me: I saw the world end.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • James Butler, in reply to Andre Alessi,

    I do seem to remember Mikey Havoc gave Ken Ring a bit of air time back in the day (during his first stint on Drive, I think?)

    He also had a lot of time for a guy espousing the Doctrine of Signatures, amongst other nut-jobs.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report

  • linger, in reply to andin,

    The really ironic thing is that back in the day, Brian himself was regularly accused of being a “rude” interviewer of foreign celebrities such as Dr Christian Barnard (as described in Edwards’ autobiography The Public Eye, in which he goes to great lengths to point out the necessity of a probing interview style).

    Perhaps JC’s Ring interview wasn’t probing enough.

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to linger,

    The really ironic thing is that back in the day, Brian himself was accused of being a “rude” interviewer of foreign celebrities such as Dr Christian Barnard (as described in Edwards’ autobiography The Public Eye).

    You want an irony overdose, here's Brian Edwards’ rather less enraged and more usefully nuanced take on Simon Walker’s infamously tetchy 1975 interview with Muldoon.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

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