Watch this. It’s only touches on the very edge of the discussion but it’s an interesting one. Key words: Victoria’s Secret Model, the Power of Images, Genetic Lottery, Privilege.
Facts are fun. That’s a fact and so Kelsey and I have started doing fun facts at work. One of my facts this week was TV Pickup. To put it in a nutshell tv pickup is when everyone turns on their kettles/ opens the fridge during an ad break of a popular tv show causing a surge in electricity demand. It’s enough of a thing that in the UK the National Grid have to plan for it. E.g. Prince William and Kate’s wedding created an uptake demand of 2400 megawatts. Woah. Like. Woah.
Moving along, this time last year I decided that Paul Holmes was a bit of a dick. He had written an opinion piece on Waitangi Day calling for the day to be abolished which rather than offer useful debate instead acted as fuel for the racist and backward rhetoric which surrounds that day. Yet since his death late last week the NZ Herald has been reprinting his columns. This piece in particular is well worth reading. He writes of the horror that is P addiction from the perspective of being the father of an addict. R.I.P. Sir Paul.
Another man with strong opinions (but one who I find quite disturbing) is Julian Assange. Personally, I like the basic principles behind Wiki Leaks, but when it comes to the man himself I dislike his methods. Jemima Khan, who posted his bail in 2010 and is an Associate Editor of The New Statesman has written a pretty interesting read on the matter titled, ‘The Inside Story of how Julian Assange Alienated his Allies.’
On a completely different and possibly teasing topic as it’s actually finished on TV now but… Kevin McCloud’s Man Made Home is THE BEST SHOW EVER (possible hyperbole). After years of taking us inside other peoples homes in Grand Designs, McCloud has set out to create his own slice of ‘off grid’ excellence – essentially a shed with a few extra trimmings. The final epsiode aired last Sunday night and saw Kevin make a hot tub out of a former airplane engine, a robe out of a Llama he had shorn him self and a drop down wall. While over the course of the series he also made his own glass, an outhouse which also makes methane gas, a lazy boy out of an old tractor etc etc. It made me want to make things, it made me want to live in a shed in the bush (big call), it made me totally obsessed.
And to round it off I really want this and this. One is totally affordable. The other isn’t. Go figure.
madicattt 