Richard Beddie's take on simplifying the world we live in
Richard
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Home page: http://www.richardbeddie.co.nz
Posts by Richard
Hug a Gay Day 2012
04 days ago
by Richard
in Random Rant
2nd Feb 2012 is the 5th Annual Hug A Gay Day.
For more details please see my previous posts on this, well worth a read (IMHO):
And to recap:
- Anyone can hug a gay today (best to ask 1st)
- Gay guys hugging gay guys is OK – but you do that anyway right? So its more about str8 mates hugging you to show how cool and modern and metro (if they are a guy) they are.
- Self hugs don’t count (even if you are gay)
That is all.
Black and White Version: You can hug a gay any day, but especially on 2nd Feb.
Media writing stories about nothing (well more earthquakes).
06 days ago
by Richard
in Misleading media
Today the NZ Herald had a headline Quake demolitions anger ex-owners.
In it they quote various sources including John Key, the some ex-quake destroyed house owners, and Labour’s spokesperson for earthquake response, Lianne Dalziel.
The central issue reported is:
The first of the red-zoned homes will begin being destroyed today, with a trial demolition of 11 government-bought properties taking place on Seabreeze Close, Waireka Lane and Kokopu Lane in Bexley .
The properties will be cleared over a four-week period.
And some people aren’t happy with this. The EX-owners wanted to be told about this (consulted even?, I can’t tell from the story). Umm, over what? And why?
You got offered compensation, you agreed to it, you got paid it, and then moved out. Move on, let go.
Sure you can always have an interest in a former home, just like I always check out the house where I was bought up as a kid if I drive past it (it has a new owner now), but I dont expect anyone to CONSULT me over it.
Something we all (well I hope all!) have learnt from the Christchurch quakes is that it’s just STUFF. What matters is people, and lives. Sure having ones home destroyed is never nice, but it’s a FORMER home. Which an EX-Owner has issues with. This is not the story they make it out to be.
Once again Key shows that he gets the issue, and how most former home owners would react, and was quoted as saying:
…for the most part, I suspect there’ll be many who will have said “it’s been a terrible situation but I’m building myself a new home or I’ve bought a new home, and that’s the Government’s problem not mine’.”
Black and White Version: Media are making a story out of nothing (again). And Labour are just stirring the hornets nest to try to get a response. -ve -ve -ve. Fail for both of you.
Hat Tip: Mr Payne – thanks Mike!
USA road-trip in detail
0USA ROAD TRIP 2012
My last post was a quick one on driving in the US. This one is much more detailed, and contains a full list of where I went, along with the highlights of each day.
Firstly, here is a map of our trip. I’ve indicated below which cities we stayed at overnight, as well as those we stopped at on the way thru during the day.
I should also mention we stayed at 3 star type accommodation most of the time. Easy to find in the US, and super cheap – often $40 US a night inducing wifi and breakfast (for 2). TripAdvisor helped heaps here! So not an expensive trip compared to hotels in many other places. Petrol (gas) is also crazy cheap – especially when you are driving a hybrid using less than 5l/100km (50mpg+).
View US Road Trip in a larger map
Driving in the US of A
0
I have recently (like 3 days ago), finished a road-trip through the US southern states. We drove from Los Angeles California (which is on the west coast), to Florida (the east cost in case you didn’t know) and back again in around 3 weeks. That’s like 10,000km+ (or 6,000 miles+ if you’re from the US). If you’re from Texas, it means we drove more than Texas 
Anyway, I’ll have LOTS of updates on this soon, with lots of good blog topics from the trip, but wanted to touch on one thing first: Driving in the US, and US drivers.
The black and white version of driving in the US:
- Interstates rock! You can actually get the signposted speed 99% of the time (in fact mostly much more, see below)
- Almost everyone speeds, like 10-20 miles over the limit. If you go on the limit EVERYONE including trucks passes you
- US drivers tailgate on interstates and state highways. Like 1m behind you @ 70miles and hour (100km/hr+).
- Less than 5% of the drivers indicate. Especially noticeable for lane changes.
As an aside, interstates and highways are pretty easy to navigate, and are very well signposted.
Anyone in New Zealand will know about spaghetti junction in Auckland. Well the photo for this post is for the Dallas/Fort Worth interchange. I think that must be the spaghetti factory there! And yes, I did drive it!
Black and White Version: Driving in the US was surprisingly easy. Interstates are fast and easy, and drivers are (mainly) good – but they sure do tailgate, and don’t indicate.
It’s been a while eh?
0
For my regular readers (yes both of you), you may have noticed my blog posting has been rather slow of late.
This is partly due to the fact that I have done heaps of traveling in the last 3 months (Italy, UK in Nov, and then Canada/US for 5 weeks in Dec/Jan 2012).
Anyway, enuf excuses, you’ll see a whole bunch of posts in the next day or 3.
Black and White Version: Yes, I am blogging again
Awesome Gay Short Film
01 month ago
by Richard
in Random Rant
I was emailed a link today, and asked to blog about it. 90% of the time I don’t, coz either the link is spam, or I don’t support the message being pushed.
Today was an exception. Here is a truly awesome gay short film.
WARNING SEXUAL THEMES (well more to the point, actual sex).
“306″ Short Gay Film from Elliot London on Vimeo.
iPhone 4s review for use in New Zealand
03 months ago
Despite my earlier thoughts, I did buy an iPhone 4s in Sydney last Friday. (My iPhone 4s pre-review is here)
So, after almost a solid week using it, here are my cut to the chase, black and white, observations:
| What’s it like? | FAST (and awesome). |
| What’s Siri like to use? | Entertaining (see Siri quotes here), and super useful even with the limitations of no location search outside the US. Speech recognition is AMAZING! Very intelligent. This is no standard dictate only app, it’s very smart. Things like What’s the weather like and What’s the weather forecast in Wellington tomorrow all work seamlessly. Oh, and yes, you can dictate to it too (which is handy when driving). |
| Other stuff? | Well iOS5 rocks – love iMessage integration of text and data messaging. iCloud will take smartphone convenience to the next level for many users (especially the ones that don’t back up!) |
| Camera | This is a point and shoot camera killer.I am not that interested in 8 vs 5MP, but the speed of focus, and between shot time (under a second) and the fast lens (this means it lets more light in, so brighter pics) is SUCH a pleasant surprise. Add in iCloud integration, and I take a pic, and 10 seconds later it’s on my home PC and also my iPad (as soon as I am in Wifi range that is).If I was CEO of Canon et al, I’d be worried. (Just like Hallmark cards should be) |
| Should I get one if I have an iPhone 4? | Well, probably you don’t NEED one. But do you WANT one? Actually, upgrade to iOS5 1st, then decide if Siri+camera+speed is what you are after. |
| Should I get one if I have a 3Gs or earlier? Or don’t have an iPhone? | If you want a smart phone, IMHO, the iPhone 4s is the best on the planet as of today’s date. |
| NZ issues |
|
| iOS5 | Just like lots of the cool stuff about the iPhone 4 was iOS4, iOS5 rocks. In my view it’s the most significant upgrade since they added multi-tasking. Ironically the issue for many when upgrade the iOS is things like oh, I lost my music coz my PC crashed last year or My app settings got lost coz I forgot to back them up, and the ONE thing that will stop that from happening again is the very OS they are upgrading it to. iOS5 + iCloud allows for truly PC-less backups/OS upgrades etc. |
| More on back ups etc | To show you how cool iCloud/iOS5 is, my friend in Sydney had already migrated to iCloud on his iPhone 4, and upgraded that to iOS5. On Saturday he goes into a store, gets an iPhone 4s, tethers to my iPhone (ie on WiFi) and withing 60 minutes has ALL his apps (in folders), settings, contacts, the WORKS on his phone. No PC, no iTunes, nothing, just a WiFi connection and a “yes, please download my stuff” clicked once. Apple are onto a winner here. My acid test is could I give it to my mum to use, and the answer is yes, it’s that simple. |
| What don’t I like? | Minor gripe is despite same basic form factor (shape and size) as the iPhone 4, the side controls (mute switch and volume controls) are are few mm lower than on the iPhone 4. This means buying a new case OR putting up with every so slightly mis-aligned holes. Not a major, but annoying. FYI, all others line up (camera, dock,headphones etc) |
Some observations on buying one:
- It was SUPER easy. Apple know how to make stuff work, including retail sales.
- It was SUPER quick – 15 minutes queue @ 1.30pm on Friday 14th October (the 1st day of sale) for the Sydney main store on George St
- Staff very helpful
- Apple staff rock!
Black and White Version: The 4s is an awesome phone. Like the iPad 1>2 upgrade it is more incremental, but Siri and the camera are super nice additions, and the speed is REALLY amazing. iOS5 + iCloud ROCKS!
Big Ben on a lean? No, media got that headline wrong (again).
43 months ago
The REAL big ben
Today the NZ Herald reports that Pisa expert says Big Ben leaning. Using the text Monitoring instruments suggest the tower’s tilt has increased by about a centimetre a year since 2003 below a picture of the tower.
I am gonna call them on that one and say I can guarantee it’s not. How do I know this? Coz as anyone who’s done a tour of London knows Big Ben is NOT the clock tower, it’s the big bell inside it. So the headline should read Tower hosting Big Ben is on a lean says Pisa expert. (or something like it).
Sure, it doesn’t REALLY matter to 99% of people, and lots of people do call the tower Big Ben, BUT journalists do this for a job – this isn’t a twitter post, or a FaceBook status update. They need to do their homework.
End of rant.
Black and White Version: Sometimes Journalists are lazy. Sometimes that annoys me. Sometimes I blog about it.
iPhone 4S – Black and White Pre-Review
124 months ago
Just like I did with the iPad 2, here is my black and white review of the iPhone 4S.
Note: It’s a pre-review since I don’t have one yet (nor does anyone else, except maybe this guy).
Btw, if you don’t like Apple (or secretly do, but like complaining about features it doesn’t have – go here)
UPDATE 20/10/11: I ended up buying one. My iPhone 4s review is here.
| Item | Comment |
| Killer Feature | Battery life (read that several times – got it yet?) |
| Anything else? | Yes, iOS 5 (but you can get that on the 4, or 3GS) |
| What else is new/improved | Camera, faster processor, i |
| What’s everyone talking about | Siri - it’s where you can speak commands to your phone |
| What’s everyone bitching about? | It’s not called and iPhone 5, and its shape is the same |
| Should I get one? | If you want to. Your call. If you say “There are no new features” then you missed the killer feature of battery life. |
| Will I get one? | For now I will say maybe. And like the iPad 2, the more I look at it, the more it will probably be a yes There is a TINY WINY problem in that it won’t be avail in NZ for ages – so I guess I will have to order online and get it delivered to a mate overseas like I did with my iPad. Or maybe a(nother) wee trip overseas? |
Anyone with a smart phone (and who actually uses it as one) knows the frustration of battery life. While it’s fine when you use it for calls and text, once internet use comes in to the picture, a FULL days work is hard to get on a phone. Apple nailed that with battery life on the iPad, and now, have MAJORLY improved it on the iPhone. To me that’s the true revolution of the iPhone 4S.
Black and White Version: iPhone 4S’s killer feature if battery life. iOS rocks, and Siri is a “oh .. nice”.
This is just awesome – the Lost Generation
25 months ago
by Richard
in Cool Stuff
I reserve posting random YouTube clips for the awesome ones. This is one of them:
Watch it till the end.
Black and White Version: Just awesome! (share it).
Hat Tip: Shannon’s BlogSpot
