Jun 26 2009

Submission on Auckland Governance

News & issues - 9 days ago

I prefer not to mention political matters on this blog, but it seems forgiveable to discuss local politics on occasion. Last night, I wrote my submission on Auckland Governance which I’ve included below. Recently, Auckland has been ranked the Economist’s 12th best city and Mercer’s 4th best city in the world. However, like everywhere else, it has its problems.


Jun 13 2009

Angels & Demons

Rated 3 starsReviews / Movies - 3 weeks ago

It was with some trepidation that we went to see this last night as my 35th birthday treat - there wasn’t much choice and we’d heard some bad reviews. It’s as ludicrous as a thriller as any action blockbuster, but it’s refreshing to see a protagonist who prevails using his wits, and overall it was pretty entertaining. 0


Jun 11 2009

Holly the pony

Family life - 3 weeks ago

Last Sunday we welcomed Holly the pony, on indefinite loan to Emily from friends. Holly is 11 hands, or in layperson’s terms, 3′ 8″ from the ground to her back above her shoulders. As you can see in the second photo, Emily loves her - here she is giving her a kiss.


Jun 6 2009

Winter collection

Family life - 4 weeks ago

Just some more cute pictures of Emily in her winter gear, which we’ve now had extended use out of having bought it in the UK last Christmas. It’s a Baby Gap outfit with (below) some homegrown Bobux boots.


May 31 2009

Girl racer problem

Family life - 5 weeks ago

I was washing my car and put Emily in after I’d pulled the seat up and as far forward as it would go. She thought it was great! I love her expression and her hand resting on the door.


May 31 2009

Theme options for WordPress 2.7

Creative matters - 5 weeks ago

Amongst other features, WordPress 2.7 includes numerous improvements around the security and flexibility of user options for third-party themes and plug-ins. I’ve been trying to add an options page to my theme but I couldn’t find any clear, up-to-date advice on how to go about it for this particular version. Here’s how I did it.


May 13 2009

Star Trek

Rated 4 starsReviews / Movies - 8 weeks ago

The original series and movies have mostly been fine by me, but I disliked the endless TV spin-offs of the last two decades. However I think pretty much everyone has a soft spot for the original Star Trek characters and was keen to see the new movie. It is great and the new cast, with the exception of Simon Pegg, skilfully wove the vocal and behavioural mannerisms of the original cast into their performances without succumbing to cheap impressions. 0


May 4 2009

Sun deck gates

House & land - 2 months ago

Using the new tablesaw, I knocked up a pair of gates at either end of the deck to contain Emily and the dogs. The dogs can still get out into their run when the gate is shut through the hole on the left. There isn’t one at the other end. The tablesaw’s crosscut mode makes short work of cutting all the posts to uniform length.


May 1 2009

Wolverine

Rated 3 starsReviews / Movies - 2 months ago

I enjoyed the X-Men movies so far, even parts of The Last Stand, so I was looking forward to seeing this spin-off. I’ve read a few of the more recent comic books, and what I find with superhero films is that they often don’t match the epic scale of the battles in the books. Despite its clunky plot, this comes close, with some ambitious action sequences and a gratifying amount of property damage. 0


Apr 23 2009

St Georges Day ‘09

Creative matters - 2 months ago

Due to popular demand, I laid on a repeat of last year’s meal for everyone at work today. This time, instead of famous quotes, I prepared what I call a ‘trivia minefield’ where I start and end on St George, stringing together some famous English people and associated titbits along the way. Be warned, though, I used Wikipedia.