Posts by BenWilson
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to 3410,
I feel that way about Bon Jovi.
& many others. But I'm being convinced here that maybe I'm just conflating not liking the particular music, to not liking music generally, in that setting. If good alternate picks keep rolling, I'll buy it. What would you play, and when? This is a question to the readership.
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Hard News: The Sound of Music, in reply to Russell Brown,
You'd be a nightmare for a market researcher :-)
You'd think so, but I had regular work at $50/hour on evenings for ages, until I just got sick of doing it. Considering I was employed to do marketing at that point, they were getting some pretty high quality time from me, probably didn't get a lot of people who genuinely engaged with their questions and used as much lateral thinking as I possibly could for them.
I'm only commenting on my own impressions about the music - newer Kiwi stuff, particularly Maori/Pacific oriented, doesn't do that, but the golden oldies just immediately put me back into my childhood when I thought rugby crowds were racist violent arseholes. It's not something happening at a conscious level, and I try to suppress it, so that I can enjoy the games, but the fact that I even have to do that...
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Hardly noticed the music at the game I went to. There was too much other stuff going on. Great music is not something I've ever associated with rugby. It's more about the crowd noise. It didn't seem especially muted to me, but I've never been to, say, an FA Cup match.
To be honest, the sudden blaring up of repeated clips of music reminds me of a commercial break on TV, something that my brain has learned to filter out. I felt my hand involuntarily twitch to an imaginary remote.
In the mid 90s, I was once paid to do a focus group on how rugby could be promoted, paying particular attention to beating its rival, rugby league. This went on for several hours. There were 4 of us, two who claimed to prefer rugby, two for league. I was quite surprised just how outspoken the league guys were about the failings of rugby in generating an entertaining stadium experience, how Tina Turner had done wonders to promote the league, and suggesting strongly that more rock music at the the games would be a good idea. I disagreed, mainly because I thought rugby should be seeking differentiation, rather than copying, and suggested that rugby could look to classical music, particularly anything with a military style, since one of the key things that appeals about rugby is the nationalism. Those are key elements of the anthems and the haka that have always been very popular at rugby games.
It has seemed ever since then that they listened to both ideas, putting more of both kinds of music in.
One of the things I find most incongruous about NZ music at the games is that they always, always, evoke thoughts of people who would most likely have been very much on the anti-tour side. It doesn't cause nice feelings, I feel just that little bit alienated from the game every time. The kind of people who dig kiwi music and the kind of people who like rugby, as cliches, would seem to be very different tribes.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
You might want to ask how getting smacked around for charity worked for Bill English. :)
It made him Minister of Finance. It just took 6 years longer than he'd hoped.
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Hard News: Dropping the Bomber, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
And while we're talking about being under-briefed, safe handling and disposal of toxic oil and God only knows what else might wash up is a little more complicated that photocopying a couple of flyers, and handing out rubber gloves and zip-lock baggies.
Is it? What is actually involved? It looks like a job for some gumboots, rubber gloves, a shovel and plastic bags.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to hamishm,
No Right Turn has a picture of 1/3 of the oil recovery fleet. Which would be funny if it wasn't so sad.
According to Steve Barnes' link earlier, that thing can go 25 knots. That would be a wild ride in the slightest swell.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Steve Barnes,
250Km by sea (about 10 hours @ 25 knots)
Try 5.4 hours. 25 knots is 46 km/h.
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Hard News: Where are the foreigners?!, in reply to Bart Janssen,
And I thought you were about to mock me for misspelling capsaicin ... multiple times.
I'd presumed you were using a more scientific name for it than mere mortals can look up on Wikipedia.
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Hard News: About Occupy Wall Street, in reply to DCBCauchi,
I don't think it's something you merely watch and hope about. It's something you play a part in. You have something to contribute. Something important.
Such as? Not being rude, but I'm in aporia too, so I'm teachable.
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Hard News: About Occupy Wall Street, in reply to DCBCauchi,
It was a way of dealing with scarcity.
Yes. From the point of view of the conquered it was not profitable, of course. But it's only very recently that loot has not been a basic expectation for a soldier, and much more if you are high ranked. The highest classes of people took part deliberately, because the rewards were great.
You say scattered. I say focusing. From a whole variety of perspectives.
I think they're in a state of aporia, that all alternatives seem to lead nowhere. This was where Socrates always led his victims, because that's where his teachable moment was at it's most powerful, when the student is confused at the collapse of their own beliefs. They can be focused, for sure. It's what they most want, because aporia is an uncomfortable feeling. I just hope the focusing goes somewhere useful.
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