Comments for Perplex Me Not

Comment on Driving Issues by Vik

Vik — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:29:59 +0000

What about this one?

Bugger, it won’t let me load it.

Comment on Driving Issues by Lena Prummer

Lena Prummer — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:40:28 +0000

Lucy,
I love reading your blog and your style of writing that’s full of subtle humour!

Comment on Driving Issues by Phil Stewart

Phil Stewart — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:48:15 +0000

Congratulations! Now under deep cover in MA.

Comment on Creditable by newenglandkiwi

newenglandkiwi — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:32:55 +0000

My first 5(?) years in the states included a credit card with $100 limit, underwritten by $100 I had to keep on deposit at the issuing bank (quite possibly I could have transitioned away from this setup much earlier, but I never bothered).

Mike has been offered this sort of deal, but they want to charge him something like $100 a year for the privilege of borrowing $500 of his own money, and I think he finds this just a little too insulting to take. But it’s all quite bizarre given how easy it was to get (relatively low-limit, but respectable) credit cards in New Zealand. For very reasonable fee rates. I liked Kiwibank before, but the American banking system makes me want to give them all a hug and some home baking.

Comment on Creditable by Amy

Amy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:14:24 +0000

The only logical reasoning I can come up with is that because I am (on my own) a relatively poor student (though, let’s face it, doing OK compared to the median wage) I’m a greater credit risk and therefore more worth having as a customer because they’ll make money off me (but not so risky that they think I won’t pay it off at all.) But that’s still poor reasoning.

Poor or not, I’m 99.999999% sure that this is the reasoning the companies are using. My first 5(?) years in the states included a credit card with $100 limit, underwritten by $100 I had to keep on deposit at the issuing bank (quite possibly I could have transitioned away from this setup much earlier, but I never bothered). Then suddenly the limit was higher! And then higher! And then higher! My interpretation of the notification letters was absolutely along the lines of “hmmm, so you can pay that much off, huh? Well, what about THIS, Ms Smartypants?”. There’s no profit in a credit card customer who can pay off their balance.

Comment on Te Ao Nui by Phil Stewart

Phil Stewart — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:50:26 +0000

I’ve seen that international thing reflected in just one small department at Massey (deer production), where few if any of the PhD students are from NZ. In fact I’ve just downloaded a few papers on leptospirosis in deer by a PhD candidate from Thailand. His predecessor was from Mexico and he has colleagues from Brazil, France …
Interesting point in your link about having the time to read papers. I interviewed a vet about that very thing last year and we talked about what hoops a paper should jump through before you even bothered reading the abstract.
Great blog as always!

Comment on Reverse Psychology And Weather Systems by Vik

Vik — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:32:23 +0000

Don’t joke LL, we HAVE been building Arks here in Quake City! Not so much to escape the rain, but the liquifaction.
Shakerattleandrolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll only ten under 5.1 so far today!

See here: http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/

Comment on Buying Local by Brendan

Brendan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:01:37 +0000

As someone who very much misses the microbreweries in the US, (living in Auckland now, and all), I’ve got to give quite a lot of credit to the NZ microbrewing scene. Relative to population, it’s solid, and there are some good really good beers from all over the country.

It also turns out that hops grown in and around Nelson are in large demand worldwide by microbrewers.

Comment on A Little Lamb by Rory

Rory — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:25:25 +0000

I recall at least one or two restaurants in Petaluma having lamb on the menu (though I didn’t order it or take much notice since we have so much here in NZ), so your theory about the west could hold true. Whether restaurants have any bearing on supermarket availability, I don’t know as I only ever went to the many Wallgreens in San Francisco which to me resemble large 4 Squares, and staying in a hotel devoid of any fridge, let alone cooking facilities (I’m still grappling with the concept of why I had to store my Fanta coloured “natural” cheddar & margarine in an ice bucket!!), I wasn’t exactly paying half the attention to meat that I was to desperately find gluten free carbs.

I’ll ask my boss though when he’s here in a week, but I gather that Americans make up for lamb by eating more steak, or at least if the steaks we were served in Santa Rosa were anything to go by (they came in 16 or 20oz portions!)

Comment on In Hindsight by David Neufeld

David Neufeld — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:47:37 +0000

Dear NE Kiwi,
I’ve spent the last month visiting my daughter (reading Geography at Antarctic Gateway) in Christchurch. She lived in Avonside and lost her place, now lives in Beckenham a little more securely, just like your notes said. The earthquakes, both past and recurring, are everything, dominating media but not so much conversations, too much I suppose. My impressions noted at blog above with another piece on the getting things together to follow in a couple of days.
Best wishes on the new year and I share your hopes for a settled Christchurch,
David