Category: General
Debauched puritanism
Samsara is the Buddhist concept of impermanence, or the constant flow of existence. Despite being unwittingly immersed in the idea my whole life (and possibly before too) I hadn’t heard the term until I saw the film.
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Bring it back: Technology
I was born in 1979, during the decline of technology. I’m not saying today’s technology is dead, but it bores me to tears.
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You don’t know me: Ali Ikram
We’ve invited a group of well known New Zealanders to submit pieces about subjects that they aren’t well known for.
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Pulp Friction
The very first book I ever read was about a little dog that got lost and had an adventure. At one stage it befriended a raccoon and learned to live at night so it could eat trash.
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Why we’ll never quit Star Wars
“Star Wars references are deeply embedded in popular culture”, says Wikipedia’s article on the subject. Why do we keep talking about Star Wars? Why can’t we get over it?
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Shaming: it’s a bit crap for everyone
It’s no surprise to anyone that Twitter and Facebook are filled with vile, racist, homophobic, bigoted awfulness. Because humanity is filled with vile, racist, homophobic bigots.
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Untitled angry rant
So I guess the goal in life is to have full and satisfying challenges to accomplish, with a minimum of time spent on what we could file approximately under “admin” or “chores” or “tiresome bullshit that sucks the joy out of your life”.
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The new good guys (some spoilers)
Are fallen heroes the new normal? Or did I just grow up?
Read MoreGaining integrity while looking at old emails
I got a new computer, and I spent some time importing some old emails (from a non-cloud, pre-hotmail type of email account) so that these old emails could live on in infamy.
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Obligations: or how I learned to grow up and iron a Goddamn shirt
I guess one of the real tricks of adult life – one of the ways you can tell that you are, in fact, growing up – is figuring out how to get stuff done that you don’t want to do without being a total asshole.
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Google Me This
I’m 32 and I feel like I wasted my education. At present, I’m in France, traipsing around the countryside admiring castles and all sorts of other old shit. I’m scouring the leaflets and information signs attached to various wonders, but the main thing they illuminate is my ignorance.
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Casting the first stone
Much has been written of Aaron Gilmore and his poor decision making skills at a Hanmer Springs bar. But the whole affair has made me feel a bit icky.
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Tradition and respect
I’ve been invited to an event in the next few weeks which is designated as black tie. I don’t have any problem with this, and will almost certainly follow the dress code in its official, formal capacity, which is rather more complicated than many kiwis think.
Read MoreShhh. Listen.
There are perfectly straightforward reasons why the sound of your recorded voice is quite different from what we think we sound like.
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Dead Dreamboats
My friend, Courtney, and I share the hobby of drooling over dead guys. It sounds weird I know, but…. ok, it’s weird. I take a lot of comfort in knowing we’re not alone.
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The Day The Music Hid
I was in the UK when it happened. HMV and Virgin and other big music outlets suddenly rearranged themselves. One day, their entrances were enormous displays of music. The next day, the music was gone, and instead there were DVDs. Lots and lots of DVDs.
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Thinking: It should make you think
This week I learnt about the passing of Baroness Thatcher via a joke on Facebook.
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Writing errors: what do they say about you?
I tend to be annoyed by basic writing errors. They always seem to represent a lack of care, or a lack of intelligence, or both.
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