Posts by Ben Austin
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Commodore 64 here - my father liked tech and found a nice local software package to do his taxes on. However that was once a month at best, so we got to use it the rest of the time.
I beg to report that software piracy and trading was common in C64 circles and our library of many hundreds of games was probably 10% legit. This of course predates video being a part of games and my now highly developed respect of copyright protection.
For all you Wellington types who feel the need to revisit your glory days of childhood computing I advise you to pop in and visit the computer store in the Karori Mall. I am not really sure what the deal is with that shop but it has a huge selection of really old games for old systems (Amiga for example) that are still (or were 4 months ago) at the original RRP. That being often over $100 (is it any surprise that 80s/90s teenagers became such software pirates?).
We really are pretty lucky these days - games and consoles/pcs are comparatively dammed cheap. IIRC the C64 cost my father well over 3k in 83, and he ;ater purchased a new keyboard and colour screen a year or two later (and at least 7 joysticks over the years). $3k today would get me a very nice gaming machine, or even a not so nice but still good gaming laptop.
Oh and happy birthday!
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That was the first and only time I was going to buy the Daily Mail.
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Very interesting article, it is good to see the Critic is making an effort still. I am impressed that he has toed the line re US involvement though, I would have thought it incrediably easy and rewarding to mutter a few "Bush out of Iraq, lol!" comments for any NZ politician.
On another note, this post is almost custom designed for TL;DR posts.
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I don’t think many people have treated Moore as holy writ for sometime, no matter what their political leanings may be. However I’d wager Stupid White Men must be one of the most popular political books coming out of the US (or English speaking area) for a decade, if not the most popular but that cannot be said for any of his other recent work. Most people have long since developed the ability to critique Moore’s work.
That being said, Moore made one of my all time favourite TV moments back during his TV Nation days – where he took Communism for one last road trip through the southern US states. He got a big truck/trailer unit, painted it Communist red, added in the Hammer and Sickle then filled the back up with memorabilia. The encounters with police were the best.
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Promise me none of you picked up the Brown Sauce habit? Although I guess NZers can't talk, the BBQ sauce habit is equally vile
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On the theme of public school hi-jinks I can't recommend Tom Brown's School Days highly enough, it taught me all I know about being a just, wise and responsible 19th century MP and the virtue of the pre Industrial English countryside
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Social networking invites pretty much go straight in the bin, I spend too much time on the internet as it is without adding another thing. Besides, I don't like living in other people's pockets.
The Encyclopedia of Stupid speaks for me on this issue. Its thoughts on MySpace and Facebook are not safe for work, well, most works, certainly not the kind where you need to fill in an incident report for your supervisor]
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Will do. Its probably as simple as looking in the yellow pages, but where is the fun in that?
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Reffe, apparently Monmouth's is a pretty reliable supplier of good coffee too, not that I've seen one yet. I hear they have a stall at the Borough Markets. My local is on Portobello Road in Notting Hillish way, called Coffee Plant. They are pretty good, so far at least and not far to walk.
But what I really want is a good tea shop. I've not really looked, but I had sort of thought every street would have one. Instead every street has like five bookies, which kind of makes me nostalgic for the TAB, which is pretty bloody strange as I don't even gamble.
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Very interesting about the coffee. I've just moved to London and have found it a little challenging for coffee so far, although the potential is good. I put them a couple of years behind NZ, but they will catch up, there are espresso machines everywhere. Generally espresso ranges from about $3.8-$7, so it is only mildly more expensive than home, so long as you avoid Starbucks.
There is a place in Soho (Berwick St) called Flat White, which is NZ/Australian owned and run I believe which makes more sense now I know about the history. Very good coffee, sadly their lammingtons cost 2.5 pounds, and are by far the most expensive baked good. Price collusion for lammingtons in London is worrying, I've not seen one for less than 2.50, and they are rather small and sad looking. On the other hand the waffle scene is pretty dammed good, far superior to Welllington.