Posts by Rob Stowell
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Hard News: The crybaby philosopher, in reply to SHG,
It is completely sensible and noncontroversial to at that Tiger Moths and 747s are both aeroplanes.
Jeez. If you were to attempt to describe a Tiger Moth by saying- it's like a 747- you'd be about as obtuse (and helpful) as Mr Whyte.
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Hard News: The crybaby philosopher, in reply to SHG,
He compares their status as legally privileged groups within the legal frameworks of their respective countries and eras. That is a sense in which a comparison is completely sensible and uncontroversial.
I suggest you take a look at the legal status of the aristocracy in pre-revolutionary France (Hint- they were close to being completely outside the law) . Then at the whole range of legal 'privileges' of 21st Century Māori. (Hint: this will only take a moment.)
Then think again about whether it's a 'completely sensible and uncontroversial' comparison. -
Hard News: The crybaby philosopher, in reply to Keir Leslie,
he acts as a politician then demands to be treated as a philosopher.
Philosophy can be a bloody affray too. I can't agree with those who say Whyte should 'go back to academia'. He doesn't, prima facie, seem capable enough.
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Hard News: The crybaby philosopher, in reply to MxDEJ,
How about because civilised, careful, fact-based debate might work a little better without the side-order of name-calling?
Fair enough. The problem is, when Mr Whyte gets on the end of careful and reasonable objections to his assertions (I hesitate to call them arguments), he either ignores them or tells his opponents some version of 'you can't think straight'.
As someone who (long ago, far away :)) once took philosophy seriously, Whyte is an embarrassment. What I've seen of his economic, legal and social 'arguments' are shallow, shrill, poorly constructed and fact-free. -
Hard News: Media Take: In the Eye of the…, in reply to Simon Grigg,
“Contains Punk Cult Material”).
This would be a classic gravestone inscription :)
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Hard News: Going solar?, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,
a small woodburner for my city life, for aesthetic purposes
We always wanted on of these 'studio' fires. They look good, but as our architect affirmed (he put one in in his own huge open-plan Queenstown house) just don't put out enough heat for a big space.
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Hard News: Going solar?, in reply to Brent Jackson,
Has anyone else ever connected a hot water feed to the dishwasher ?
We do, to an ASKO which claims saving up to 75% of the power in the 'enviro' cycle (which uses a water temp of 55 degrees) when you provide hot water to the machine.
Because we also have a long run from tank to kitchen, and seldom have 55 degree water anyway, the electricity saving will be considerably less on average. Still, solar/wetback hot water is something we can afford to chew through in a way that power isn't, so it works out for us. -
Hard News: Over the paywall?, in reply to Nik Dirga,
I find it extremely depressing how many ostensibly serious news sites are aping the “You won’t believe what happens when…"
It is depressing. And it’s turned on itself, to the point where ‘you won’t believe what happens next!’ is translated by the brain as ‘you don’t want to waste your time on this.”
I’ll be asking NZ On Air chief executive Jane Wrightson what the agency is taking from the results of Where are the audiences?
Headline includes: "Music and the young are shifting fast to digital platforms." Possibly because there isn't the free-to-air music channel we once had? (Although being able to find every music vid ever made, plus many never before seen, on youtube is a biggie.)
And maybe ask - how did ’Hope and Wire’ mange to turn into ‘Soap for Hire’ :( -
Hard News: Friday Music: Good ideas and grumbles, in reply to Keir Leslie,
I have a vague feeling students’ associations are weaker these days as well
That's true. It's partly funding changes. But it's also down to a shortage of passionate radicals. Enthusiasm is a commodity you can't buy, but a little can generate more, and it can achieve things money can't. (Which I guess is pretty evident on this thread.)
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Hard News: Dotcom: Further news of the unlikely, in reply to ,
I am thinking of voting for someone to represent me in parliament.
None of the above want to do that, apart from the GreensBack in 1999 I watched Nandor and Sue on TV on election night, and thought: YES! Someone in parliament who actually represents values and ideas and policies I broadly agree with - who look and talk like Kiwis I know.
That's valuable itself. Having people who represent you in govt would be even better :)