Posts by Jim Cathcart
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Whatever happened to the Hat? First went to Cause Celebre with a band of Whangarei roughnecks with our small town attitudes and egos. I think we all went back north with a different view of the world after that night.
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"I don't fully buy that savers are losing out in any way at the moment. Savings have been the best class of investment for a good 6 months. If any time were proof of the value of savings, it is now. Interest rates dropping doesn't help them, sure, but at least their investments are still growing. Most other types have been contracting. So they are 'outperforming the market' hugely."
I agree that savers are winners to the extent that they are not leveraged on non-performing assets (which means pretty much everything right now except for precious metals).
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"As I said before I design DVRs for a living - I had a 4 tuner satellite box in the US as part of a company home trial, from memory it was Sun night and we were recording The Simpsons, The Sopranos, Sex in the City and Law and Order - at which point someone wanted to check the news (4 recordings and 1 live but only 4 tuners) - see perfectly reasonable"
Awesome. I can't say enough about Axium in Auckland on the integration front.
I guess Sony's influence is the core reason behind copy protection. I'm sure there are ways of working around it.
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Great post and discussion. As an CE manufacturer insider, it's interesting to note that the bugs and problems involved with handshaking via HDMI between different components are significant. Particularly in the US where full home integration is more advanced that anywhere, many installers are voting for video at 720p/1080i via component video as a best solution.
Secondly, on a recent business trip to NZ, it was fascinating to see how well informed about high-def many people are. The Dick Smiths store in Mt. Wellington deserves special mention. Some of the retail staff are way onto it. Apaprently, Blu-ray Disc is poorly priced for the NZ market.
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Nice to see PA linking to Matt Taibbi. Is this the sign of a new irreverent take on things?
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"Labour have not done a good job on it at all, although I think it's fair to say both Kiwisaver and the SuperFund will directly reduce private debt in the longer-run."
Well I'm not sure about that because the amount that we collectively save will grow at a rate that will not grow as fast as debt servicing. Secondly, given that Kiwisaver and the SF are heavily focused on equities, we have a long, long haul to actually build any wealth.
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Gareth,
No, I'm not laying it at their feet. What am I trying to point out is that for all their vision and tinkering, they were unable to do anything about it. But did they ever have the intention to? I don't know because it was never openly debated in the public domain or talked bout with any gravity.
As for National making it worse, I don't really think it can get any worse.
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OK Matthew, so we reduce it down to a pissing match between red and blue. Just another example of how NZ is content to wallow in ignorant bliss until the shit hits the proverbial.
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Paul, I have no idea what you are saying, however I do believe that NZ's debt will be very destructive to the social cohesion of NZ. That's what pisses me off about Labour the most. For all their progression, they've glossed over and failed to contain what has been a glaringly obvious problem for years (for those who were actually bothered to look at it or admit it). David Skilling should be mentioned for trying to make it an issue, but NZers don't seem to want to see it or admit it.
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"So Jim, what could a government do to change a culture of not living within our means in the private sector? I've heard suggestion of upping capital adequacy ratios on mortgages, but genuinely interested to hear other solutions."
It's a good question. Financial education in schools might be a start though. My major gripe is that the incumbent government has done nothing to warn people that their borrowings are funded offshore and the implications of that when it all turns to custard (as we're seeing now).