zhasper.com - Comments

Re: Tweet of the day

yiri — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:25:55 +1000

please tell me he was kidding, god.

Re: Shitty, shitty journalism at SMH

Stilgherrian — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:43:40 +1100

As newsmakers' budgets have been cut, it's "more with less". Newspapers are no longer the facts of the news ("Drinking beer makes you more attractive"), but a collection of gossip ("A spokesperson for some organisation says that drinking beer makes you more attractive"). Journalists sit at their computers rather than getting out there and gathering facts.

We'll have to get used to it, I think.

And by the way: You're tagged!

Re: Apple: never afraid to leave the past behind

sych — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:28:29 +1100

I'm considering a laptop for when I go to China.

I'm not totally thrilled with the MacBooks because they are actually a bit heavier than I'd like, and I'm not sure I could cope with going from a 20" screen down to 13.3". The black MacBook looks great, though.

The 15" MacBook Pro is a good size but I think the aluminium is perhaps too fragile - I have seen many of them banged up and dented. I don't like the keyboards that much on the MBPs, either.

A 15" black MacBook would be lovely, particularly if it were a little lighter and maybe thinner. I don't mind losing the optical drive.

MacBook Air. Hmm. Since it's so small and thin and light I think I could live with the 13.3" screen. Since I'm travelling though, and it's going to be my primary machine, I probably will need an optical drive from time to time. And maybe a bit more storage. Pity I can't plug the optical drive into Time Capsule (as I understand it), because that would be a neat enough solution for accessing an optical drive wirelessly without having another computer around.

My other worry about the MBA is the speed of the disk drive - it's 4200 RPM PATA. I suppose 2GB of on-board RAM will speed things up. I think 80GB is adequate. I can't justify $1400 or whatever it is for a 65GB SSD.

So. I don't imagine my laptop will be leaving the house/dorm/whatever much, and I like my 20" screen, but I think a 17" laptop is stupid. So that means my choices are 15" MBP, 13.3" Black MacBook, or MacBook Air.

Or ship over my iMac.

Hmm. Decisions decisions.

Re: Something to refresh the palette

zhasper — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:17:09 +1100

You know, I don't actually remember. Shh, that's not the point.

Re: Something to refresh the palette

Julia — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:29:24 +1100

Lolz, I have not seen that for about 4 years. Where did u manage to dig that up from?

Re: I aten't dead (yet)

i386 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:06:23 +1100

Whats so special about it? :(

Re: Linkbloggery

zhasper — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:42:29 +1000

I've gone back to using del.icio.us for what it's good for - storing my bookmarks (although I'm also using gBookmarks for that).

Shared Stuff makes for a nicer unified sharing interface: I can stick stuff in the linkblog, or email it, or both..

Re: Linkbloggery

Sherif — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:31:32 +1000

I'm impressed with Google Shared items, especially the Bookmarklet in Firefox... so have you given up with del.ico.us? Im trying to work out a way to tie the two in together...

Re: It's not a free speech issue, it's inappropriate use of for

zhasper — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:54:51 +1000

I don't think your comment about handcuffs is accurate. The police comments after the most recent incident (and, I think, the audible comments in the video) suggest that they were trying to handcuff him at the time, but he hadn't been cuffed yet. I'm not sure about the UCLA incident, but after he's tased the first time, they're yelling at him to "stand up or we'll tase you again" - it doesn't sound like he's already cuffed.

As for why it's not a free speech issue - I see removing him from the room as being akin to me deleting comments I don't approve of from my blog[1]. I'm not denying people their right to express their opinion, I'm just refusing to pay for the bandwidth/hosting to deliver their message for them. Similarly, no-one seems to have been saying that the twerp didn't have a right to ask the questions he was asking (even if they were only in jest and designed to annoy/amuse) - just that he didn't have the right to use someone else's microphone during a 'private' meeting on 'private' property to broadcast them.

I agree with what you said about not objecting to police having tasers: eg, if the Vic police had been equipped with tasers a couple of decades ago, there'd be a dozen or so fewer dead crazy people. They're a great alternative to guns in some cases. I just don't like the way they're being abused in cases like these.

Unfortunately, neither of the two most egregious misuses of tasers that I'm aware of was caught on tape, but both are fairly well documented.

This site has a lot more detail about police misuse of tasers/

Re: It's not a free speech issue, it's inappropriate use of for

Daniel Kirkwood — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:01:53 +1000

You might have seen that I wrote a letter to the NSW police minister after I saw that 2nd video a few months ago. I hadn't seen the 1st video you posted (with the drunk woman in custody) before, but it's even worse.

I'm happy with the idea of using Tasers in situations where people are violent, and as a genuine alternative to guns. The problem is that it seems like they're not used like that in many cases, and instead of *replacing* lethal force in most cases, they're instead just adding a new category of force to the armoury. A really convenient, really easy, really *sexy* new category of force (have you seen the Taser marketing videos!?).

Another thing that bothers me greatly is this
directed energy weapon stuff. It's similar to the Taser in that it can cause debilitating but non-lethal (or should that be "less-lethal"?) pain, but this one works without electrodes attached to wires, and I believe it could be directed at a whole group of people at once.

I'm interested in why you don't think the University of Florida issue was a free speech issue. The guy was forcibly taken away while trying to speak - I think that makes it a free speech issue. Yes, he was yelling and worked up, but I don't think that really warranted the response.

On your point regarding inappropriate use of force, it's worth noting that in all three cases - the guy in the UCLA Library (your first video), the drunken woman in Sheffield, and now this guy in Florida - all of them were already handcuffed when they got 'tased'.

It's basically torture.

Re: Open mouth, insert foot: Security theater exposed by street

superbbluewren — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:02:54 +1000

Great post, James! You have hit the nail on the head. It is all theatre.

Re: And would sir like the matching travel set as well?

Sarah — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:31:59 +1000

Nice work, James. I am so glad you get it. Welcome to the world of LV.
I better send you a catalogue soon..

Re: MapBlogging comes to town

Mike — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 23:42:19 +1000

Curious to know what the URL of this taxi-driver's blog is.. or even just his My Map? If you can send it across to me on the email I've left for this post! :)

Thanks!
Mike.

Re: Harry Potter: done.

Julia — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:19:05 +1000

I have finished! I read it in just 2 days. I thought it was great, what did u think of it? I reckon J.K Rowling did a great job finishing it up.

Re: Harry Potter: done.

Murray-Luke — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:18:47 +1000

Nooo! I won't be finished by then!