http://www.phigmov.co.nz/ Another Website About Stuff en rpatel@phigmov.co.nz (Raj) Copyright 2016 PivotX - 2.3.6 Sun, 03 Jan 2016 13:14:01 +1300 60 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=810 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=810#comm Tiny Houses way back in 2006 - theres now a doco - posted in its entirety on Youtube. Its definitely worth a watch and theres some inspirational ideas for efficient use of space in here too - check it out. ]]> 810@localhost/ misc Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:04:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=713 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=713#comm
Anywho, 'The Fitz' is closing.

Probably the most popular student bar in Palmerston North (possibly NZ).

Rumour has it that a previous owner (a hotel chain) was going to close it down but they looked at the financials and realised it was the only thing keeping their chain afloat.

As a pub it was a dive - if you haven't experianced an old urban Kiwi Tavern (rural ones actually have a bit of character) they tend to be designed in the 56/60/70's to maximise profit and minimise pretty much everything else. A big hall with a long bar and uncomfortable seating on stools and tall tables with cheap tin ashtrays embedded in them (they tend to fill with beer by nights end). The carpet is industrial and usually beer soaked (ie sticky) and the bogs are tiled and industrial to allow for easy hose-down. if you were lucky it'll include some pool tables and dart boards. When I was there you could get a jug of beer (about 2.5 pints) for $5 - most nights it was standing room only so there was plenty of spillage as people tried to pour beer into their 7-ounce glasses in a heaving crowd. You'd invariably stumble home (via the 24 hour hot-bread shop or pie-dispensing 24 hour petrol station) covered in beer and reeking of cigarette smoke.

Most Taverns had a 'sport bar' annex which was marginally classier (it had pokey machines and comfy seats) and had the older die-hard alcoholics in it.

Still, for all its faults, you could bowl on up the The Fitz (short for Fitzherbert - the street it was on) at almost any time of the day and be sure of meeting someone you knew from uni there procrastinating the day away.

So RIP The Fitz. ]]> 713@localhost/ misc Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:13:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=705 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=705#comm Driving and shooting and Flying without pants.

Hopefully it lives up to expectations! ]]> 705@localhost/ misc Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:36:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=700 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=700#comm Macro to Micro Etching as it relates to the Rosetta Disk.

Think about Very Long Term Backup.

This kind if thing is amazing - how long will anything you do now last ? As it stands the high-tech information we're all collecting and storing by the terabyte is likely to last no longer than 5 to 10 years. Sure you can throw it into the 'cloud' but who really trusts this medium and as file formats become obsolete, opening the files will become problematic.

Remember that plain text is your friend and if you have anything *really* important commit it to paper - it'll outlive your disks and PC. ]]> 700@localhost/ misc Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:03:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=699 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=699#comm
So get your mates together and join in the Movember fun.

Update - you can sponser me via this link or my team the TECMO's (don't ask) by going here, clicking on 'Donate to a Team', enter our team name 'tecmos' and the 'Donate' button. ]]> 699@localhost/ misc Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:33:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=660 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=660#comm Every single Sopranos death.

Probably best not to view before eating. ]]> 660@localhost/ misc Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:56:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=647 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=647#comm coolest staircase ever.

Problem solved ]]> 647@localhost/ misc Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:04:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=624 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=624#comm wonderful New Scientist article humanity is going to feel the mineral resource crunch in a serious way in the next 5 to 10 years.

Check it out - we run out of Platinum in 15 years and Indium (used for those swanky LCD's everyone is buying to replace their CRT's and TV's) in 5 - 10 years.

Let the hoarding begin . . . ]]> 624@localhost/ misc Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:49:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=620 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=620#comm
A few moving related recommendations -

A1 Movers - at about $95Z/hr (+ a $10 difficulty allowance) these guys are brilliant. Being a mover of any kind (delivery, furniture, piano etc) in Wellington is a difficult job - anyone thats seen the place will know that those tight contours make moving anything bigger than a small crate pretty painful. These two guys got two double beds, a sofa bed, tv, fridge and 15 large boxes shifted in two hours flat!

Colin Web Plumber & Gasfitter - turns out that leaving your gass switched off for awhile results in dust and moisture sealing up your pilot light nozzles. So if you need hot water after you get your gas reconnected it pays to get a gas-fitter in to make sure your cylinder and heaters work the way they're meant to. Colin was available within hours of discovering a problem after the gas was hooked up - calling three other gas-fitters that were only available the following week which didn't help us as we were moving in the following day. He was able to assess and fix the problem within 40 minutes. ]]> 620@localhost/ misc Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:38:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=609 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=609#comm
A – ‘the tea-bag stays in the cup longer’

'Les Bleus' for the Rugby World Cup !

At least the Aussies got beaten too. ]]> 609@localhost/ misc Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:24:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=335 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=335#comm bought the app back in 2000 from Visio Corp) applications - now you can play at being a CSI and draw crime-scenes using specialised specialised templates.

So next time you're drawing up your network diagram be sure to drop in a blood spot or a few footprints ]]> 335@localhost/ misc Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:01:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=332 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=332#comm Dave Bishops post - "He's baaaaaack!"

Utopia was a great episode. Looking forward to the final two in the series . . . ]]> 332@localhost/ misc Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:27:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=337 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=337#comm Running the numbers. Statistical imagery representing facets of the USA - see how many handguns are out there, how many painkillers are used, how many brown paper bags are used, see a painting made up of cans etc etc

If you fancy yourself as an artiste take a look at The Structure of Man - a blog with video to help you learn to sketch the human form. ]]> 337@localhost/ misc Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:29:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=331 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=331#comm Strange Maps blog. Theres a wonderful explanation of how the left/right hand drive systems evolved in different parts of the world. ]]> 331@localhost/ misc Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:06:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=329 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=329#comm
* IT Consultation & Help in Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Helpdesk

* Scientific & Technical, Design Documentation & Help Authoring in Cambridge, UK - ScriboScience

* MacVector - Mac DNA/Protein Sequencing - recently spun-off from Accelrys

* Internet Security & Consulting - Liverton - Web/Mail Marshal & SEEMail specialists among other things

* Web Design, Development & Hosting - Face

* Handyman Services - MrLex

These are all firms either started by people I know or who have a key part to play in the services they offer.

So be sure to support small business ]]> 329@localhost/ misc Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:51:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=327 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=327#comm
* Michael McCormack - you get a wonderful feel for a variety of Wellington locations from this Island Bay artist.

* Michael Riley - definitely a nice slice of Kiwiana in his photorealistic Weatherboard paintings. You gain a whole new appreciation for weatherboards once you have to strip and repaint them.

Theres some cool stuff available via Affordable Art too. ]]> 327@localhost/ misc Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:41:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=336 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=336#comm
* Infosthetics - look for the Information Cocktail which mixes a drink based on events (in this case a Netherlands/Germany soccer match).

* Datamining - interesting charts based on publicly available data - check the GIS section for some 3d mapping comparisons between Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Yahoo Maps etc ]]> 336@localhost/ misc Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:22:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=320 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=320#comm
If something as difficult to acquire and produce as Polonium is being used to bump someone off in central London (a city where Big Brother is definitely watching) then what's to say something infinitely nastier isn't floating around ready to use on the city - A dirty question ? ]]> 320@localhost/ misc Wed, 29 Nov 2006 08:51:00 +1300 raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=330 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=330#comm Political Compass.

I come down kind of in the middle of Left/Libertarian. On the same side as Nelson Mandela & The Dalai Lama.

Nice to see I'm in good company ]]> 330@localhost/ misc Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:52:00 +1300 Raj http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=333 http://www.phigmov.co.nz/?e=333#comm Tumbleweed Tiny House Company have plans for some wonderful ones. ]]> 333@localhost/ misc Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:59:00 +1300 raj