A speech I gave at Toastmasters recently.  This was Speech 7, ‘Research your speech’, and my goal was to explain the basics of how nuclear power plants work to a lay audience, using the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant as the prime example.  Also the word of the day was’perturbed’.  :-) Note: My aim here [...]

Catastrophes, Education, New Zealand, Personal, Science, Technology, Wellington | 1 Comment »

Yet another anti-alcohol study has popped up: Otago University researchers say people are more likely to binge if there’s an off-licence nearby. Otago University Professor Jennie Conner says … “We found that the more liquor outlets you live close to the more harm you’re likely to report from drinking”. A classic case of poor science [...]

Brewing, Education, Free Speech, Freedom, New Zealand, Science | No Comments »

Only a week after my discovery of a disgustingly thorough example of the Broken Windows Fallacy, another example pops up, this time from the Herald’s Business Editor, Liam Dann. Disaster forces Govt to spend up The earthquake in Christchurch is a disaster … But one upside … is that nature has unleashed the biggest job [...]

Catastrophes, Education, New Zealand, Quotable, Skepticism | 10 Comments »

Now that I have a proper garage, I am getting back into my woodworking. Here are my latest projects. Vodka Bottle Coffee Table – More DIY How To Projects Folding Wooden Stepladder – More DIY How To Projects

Education, New Zealand, Personal, Photos, Technology, Wellington | No Comments »

I was amused by this article in the Sydney Morning Herald about iMac problems. Faults reported on forums range from cracked glass, screen flickering, yellow tinged or noisy screens and have been experienced by users around the world as far afield as North America, Europe and Australia. It’s a product sold globally – why on [...]

Education, Quotable, World | No Comments »

I read in the Kapiti Observer this morning about council plans to distribute 34,000 fluorescent lightbulbs free to every household.  This will involve a $74,000 interest-free loan from the EECA.  The report contained estimates that the bulbs will save Kapiti residents $5.8 million – that’s a huge return of $74 per $1 spent over the [...]

Education, Energy, Freedom, New Zealand, Science, Wellington | 3 Comments »

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tertiary Education Libertarianz Condemns Universal Student Bribery “The Libertarianz Party utterly condemns the attempt by the Labour Government to buy their way into power yet again,” Libertarianz Education Spokesman Phil Howison declared today in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that, if re-elected, her party would introduce a universal student [...]

Catastrophes, Education, Freedom, Labour, Libertarianz, New Zealand, Politics | No Comments »

About a year ago I put up a post explaining how to make homebrew beer, the kit way.  Making beer from kits is easy and fast, and you don’t need much equipment.  The beer, however, while easily equal to Tui, Heineken and the like, fails to measure up to the real beers like Duvel and [...]

Brewing, Education, Freedom, New Zealand, Personal, Photos, Science, Sex | 5 Comments »

I’ve been told so many times that freedom is just a fantasy, that you can’t live that way in the real world, that there are too many commitments that have to be met, that in real life things are much too complicated to be able to do what you want and to enjoy yourself. But [...]

Education, Freedom, Personal, Quotable | 3 Comments »

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Youth Libertarianz education spokesman Phil Howison today slammed Helen Clark and John Key’s mirror-image plans to nationalise New Zealand teenagers. “Forcing students to stay at school until they are 18 will cause unruly classrooms, bored students, stressed teachers and an increased burden for taxpayers” says Libertarianz education spokesman Phil Howison. [...]

Education, Labour, Libertarianz, Politics | No Comments »