RobiNZ Personal Blog

P.J. O’Rourke sums up the US Presidential debacle

From the outside, thankfully far away, this is how it looks to me.. P.J. O’Rourke: I’m Endorsing Hillary Clinton, the Devil We Know - The Daily Beast Let me tell you why Hillary is a great presidential candidate—by comparison. Don’t rush me here... Did I mention that she’s the second-worst thing that could happen to America? UPDATE 07/24/2016: Raybon Kan adds a Kiwi perspective Raybon Kan: Watch out world - the rednecks' hero is real They could have chosen anyone in their political party. Maybe anyone in their country. And they chose him. And it wasn't even close. Is America... Read more →

Roots, then and now

Quite sobering watching the 2016 version of “Roots” having visited the US plantation location used for episode one. I saw Evergreen Plantation, Wallace, Louisiana in 2007 when I was in New Orleans as part of a tour. Still privately owned it was rather unusual in retaining real evidence of the slave era which built these places. They had retained the less salubrious accommodation the slaves ‘enjoyed’ and evidence of their trade. I particularly remember a tax return on display; people valued, listed as assets. So elegant and lovely on a sunny day, such a bleak history. The only resident there... Read more →

Donald Trump, the first 100 Days| RNZ News

I fear satire becoming reality… Donald Trump is in the House | Radio New Zealand News A hundred days already. That went fast. Didn't it, though? But here we are, at the end of April 2017, 100 days into the first term of the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump. And the sky hasn't fallen… Read more →

14 Diaries of the Great War

Caught this series when it aired on Sky NZ recently. Found it interesting as it based on real stories — diaries and letters — from the perspective of soldiers, housewives, factory workers, nurses and children impacted by the War. 14 - Diaries of the Great War (titled Great War Diaries when aired on the BBC) is a 2014 international documentary drama series about World War I. It uses a mix of acted scenes, archive footage, and animation. It is a French, Canadian and German co-production — with experiences from all sides of the war — and presents a different view;... Read more →

Symptom of the Auckland Housing Boom?

Can relate to this sign, seen on a letterbox today. Sent from my Lumia 1520 Windows Phone Read more →

TEDx Auckland 2015 Victorious? | #TEDxAKL @TEDxAuckland

My notes & photos from TEDx Auckland 2015. I only took the phone (for both notes & photos) and was sitting right at the back of the hall so my shots are a bit ‘distant’. The italics are the speaker profiles sent out by TEDx Auckland The bullet points my OneNote notes taken on the day (which may contain errors) and a few post-TEDx thoughts after. SIOUXSIE WILES Award-winning scientist Dr. Siouxsie Wiles describes herself as a microbiologist and bioluminescence enthusiast but to others she is “that pink-haired science lady”. She believes that playmakers like Lego should lead the way... Read more →

TEDx Auckland 2014, unexpected Himalayan cycle tour preparation!

When I saw TEDx Auckland 2014 announced I really wanted to go but was a bit torn. I loved the 2013 event but it meant a precious day of weekend gone. Weekends were crucial as I was trying to get fit for a rather demanding cycle tour in the Himalayas. The TEDx 2014 theme was ‘Ascending’: Ascending is about individuals and society rising to a higher level of consciousness. Ascending is about finding the positives in any situation and building on them to make our lives, community, business and planet better. As it turned out, the day spent at TEDx... Read more →

TEDx Auckland — 2013 remembered, bring on 2014!

While buying my ticket to TEDx Auckland 2014 remembered I’d never gotten around to writing a post about the 2013 event. Earlier this year there was some flack about TED, prompted it seems by some ‘dubious’ TEDx events. From my experience at TEDx Auckland it certainly wasn’t one of those. The Aotea Centre was full, the speakers uniformly excellent and it covered a wide variety of topics. In his intro MC @VaughnDavis (below right) made a comment which summed up my TEDx experience. He said with TED on-line you tend to self censor, focus on the familiar, topics of interest.... Read more →

John Key’s affordable housing solution?

Seen in Huapai, his electorate, today. A reasonable re-locatable family home that should be quick to build. Auckland and Christchurch housing problem sorted. Read more →

Sir Paul Callaghan, should be Prime Minister

I cant embed this video but click the link to see why this man should be running New Zealand. From his Bio on sustainablefuture.info Sir Paul Callaghan (GNZM, FRS, FRSNZ) is Kiwibank’s 2011 New Zealander of the year, for his service to science in the fields of nanotechnology and magnetic resonance. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford, was made Professor of Physics at Massey University in 1984, and was appointed Alan MacDiarmid Professor of Physical Sciences in 2001. Paul is the founding director of both the multi-university MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology and... Read more →