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500 Words and Sony Xperia Z

Lately, I’ve been playing with Android 4 variants, and last night I got to take a look at the new Sony Xperia Z (both phone and tablet). Wow! Android: you’ve come a long way baby.

Getting Active

I just listened to John Key’s 2013 opening speech. It was vacuous, condescending, and shouty. Listen to it again. It sounds like an opposition speech, belittling his opponents and complaining about their policies. Thing is John, opposition policies are irrelevant. It’s your policies and plans to help New Zealand we need to hear about. Apparently [...]

On Cycling

I’m frustrated. Every time – every single time – I bring up cycling and cycling-related deaths the response is, in one way or another: “fucking cyclists”. Either they’re riding two abreast on a small road, or running red lights, or holding up traffic. To the best of my knowledge, none of the eight people killed [...]

2012 Predictions

Looking Back Let’s start by looking back at the most highly-visible* changes in technology from previous years: Smartphones: Apple reinvigorates the market by introducing a responsive, capacitive-touch device with the iPhone. Google follows, then Microsoft. Google gets great market share, but no one makes more profit than Apple[1]. Microsoft currently languishes, despite Nokia’s heft. RIM? [...]

Evidence Based Policy?

Last night I had a little conversation with one of my local elected representatives. Sure, I told him I wasn’t planning to vote for his party, but I was very interested in his party’s position on the environment, or lack thereof. Given how reliant New Zealand is on dairy farming (and food production in general), [...]

Upcoming Speaking Gigs

It’s that crazy time of year again, the one where I run around like a lunatic llama preparing slide decks and sample code. There’s a bit of added spice in the form of Intergen Dynamics Day, and a trip to the USA there too. Good times! Here’s what’s on the cards: August 10: Intergen Dynamics [...]

Japantrip Part 1

I can tick Shibuya Crossing off my list now. The same list includes the Eiffel Tower (done), a Formula 1 race, and a manned space launch. We walked out of the Hachiko exit from a dimly lit Shibuya station (half of all lights are still turned off to save power), into a sunny day at [...]

The Wonders of Crowdsourcing

I often have to write speaker bios, and I always forget to save them. After revealing this fact on Twitter, a genius suggested I should crowd-source the creation of my next bio. The actual document is changing moment by moment.

Groupy Grumpy

Groupy. Hadn’t heard of it until yesterday when they announced a purchase by Yellow. Today Groupy had a run-of-site ad all over Stuff.co.nz, advertising a deal for $1 pizzas from Hell Pizza. Serendipitously, I’d just been discussing on Twitter about how poor my last few experiences with Hell were. Someone suggested I give them another [...]

Daddy, what’s a Microsoft MVP?

I’m brimming with pride to announce that I’ve been recognised as a Windows Phone MVP for 2011.

Twitter: nzben