Michael Kirker

Where the turtles live

2011-01-28T22:00:00.000+13:00

Here is a bit of chalk graffiti I found on the Wellington waterfront walking home from work one day.

Nice to know others out there still remember Ninja Turtles.

"Ninja Turtle home"

Fog in Wellington

2010-05-11T21:55:00.001+12:00

Here are a couple of photos taken from my walk to work this morning. The fog was so thick I couldn't see the city from my place. The only thing really visible was this one patch of golden light further around the coast.

with beads of light.

2010-01-20T22:33:00.001+13:00

Taken after one of the many days of rain we have had this summer.

Rimutaka Incline

2010-01-13T21:51:00.001+13:00

Over the Christmas break, I rode the Rimutaka Incline with my Dad. While at the summit of the incline, we were able to get a few nice shots. I dont remember the waterfalls being there last time I went on the ride (mind you, that was a few years ago). I guess all that rain we had over Christmas was good for something!

I hope that we can get back to the Rimutaka Incline sometime soon (when the weather improves), and have a go at riding the entire length of it.

Wishful thinking

2009-11-13T21:07:00.001+13:00

Walking home through Wellington today, I saw this bus driving down the street. It looked like an ordinary bus to me. I guess its amphibious features were hidden or something.

Time for an upgrade

2009-11-01T23:05:00.001+13:00

Inside the shell of my desktop is a little white sticker that shows the machine was built in 2001. Since that time, it has only had a few upgrades in a vain attempt to keep it at least somewhat current.

But I have finally given up, and for the last week or so I have been shopping around for a laptop to replace my desktop and to give me a bit more portability and room.

The surprising front runner at the moment is the 13 inch Macbook Pro (my budget wont stretch up to the larger models). It is portable enough, seems like it should have enough power, and from the anecdotal evidence I have heard, the battery life is actually a selling point, rather than a detraction like in most laptops.

The price is the only sticking factor at the moment. I know that a PC laptop could give me the same performance for a lower cost. But so far, the PC laptops I have found have fallen short. Either the battery life isn't up to scratch, the track pad/keyboard feels cheap and horrible, or the laptop is a shinny black fingerprint magnet.

I am going to give the PC laptops another week or so to prove that one of them is worthy of consideration. Otherwise, I might be jumping ships into the Mac camp.

Iceberg in Wellington harbour

2009-08-11T22:52:00.001+12:00

You see some pretty strange things in Wellington. But this morning while walking to work I came across something you don't see every day (even in Wellington). An iceberg floating about 20 metres off the beach near where I live.

From the photos you can see I was not the only one interested in the floating white thing. The police patrol boat came across from the other side of the harbour for a look. But after determining the iceberg was no threat (or perhaps did not contain any donuts), it turned around without stopping and headed back home.

For the rest of my walk to work, I tried to imagine why someone would place a rather oddly shaped iceberg in Wellington harbour. In my mind, it was some fed up local protesting against the very cold and crappy weather we have been swamped with this winter.

When I got to work and read the news paper online, I found out I was kind of close. It was actually a protest against climate change, or something boring like that. Oh well.

10 more kilometres

2009-04-30T23:08:00.001+12:00

Tonight I signed up for my next race. The Shoe Clinic Harbour 10K run. Even though 10Km isn't a huge step up from the 7km Round the Bays I did in February, Trying to jump all the way to a half marathon (21Km) was a bit too much given how busy things have been lately.

The race itself is two months away, but between all the hockey, indoor soccer, tennis and running I have been doing recently, I don't see the distance being any trouble. Instead, I am going to focus on trying to run a good time.

The only problem is I don't know what a good time for my first 10km race is. According to Wikipedia, the world record for 10km is 26:17.53. That might be a little out our my league. If you take my average speed for the Round the Bays run, I should be able to do the 10km in 52:56. So at this stage, I am aiming for a sub-50min time at least. Although, 50min still sounds like an awfully long time. I might have to time a few training runs to get a better gauge of what a good/realistic time will be.

Photos: More from my Christchurch trip

2009-04-13T20:23:00.001+12:00

Here are a few more photos taken in and around the gun emplacements down in Christchurch.

See also the previously posted HDR photo.

The Greenies have gone too far…

2009-03-31T22:19:00.001+13:00

The other weekend I went to Rebel Sport to pick up some gear for the upcoming hockey season. When I paid for my purchase, the checkout lady didn't put it in a plastic bag, instead she just slapped a sold sticker on it.

Not wanting to carry around my bulky purchase all day, I asked the nice checkout lady if she would give me a plastic bag. Her reply was to tell me that they don't give out large(/regular sized) plastic bags because “they were going green.”

Now I understand plastic is a petrol based product, and that makes Mother Earth cry. But how many endangered creatures is cutting back on large plastic bags going to save? Certainly installing energy efficient light bulbs or cutting back on items with excess packaging would be a better move for the environment. And if Rebel Sport is so environmentally conscious, why were they still giving out small plastic bags for purchases of small items?

Photos: HDR gun emplacement

2009-03-15T22:10:00.001+13:00

Here is an HDR I put together from a few jpegs taken from my little point-and-shoot camera during a recent trip down to Christchurch.

I spent an extra day down there to catch up with a friend. He took me for a bit of a drive around and we went to visit the old gun emplacements just outside of Christchurch.

Race complete

2009-02-16T20:20:00.001+13:00

In the end, the run didn't kill me. In fact, it was rather enjoyable. I managed to make it around the entire 7km course without stopping, and without too much pain in the legs afterwards.

My time: 37:38
Placing: 1346

So with the first race under my belt, I am looking forward to the next one. At this stage it looks like it might be the Harbour City 10km race in a few months.

Prisoner # 9748

2009-02-14T19:33:00.001+13:00

Tomorrow morning I’ll be pounding 7km of pavements as I take part in the Wellington round the bays “fun run.” The last race I remember running was the annual school cross country, five years ago. So I expect tomorrow will be a real shock to the body.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is shaping up nicely, unlike my pre-race training. But it should be a fun day out in the sun. A report on how things went will hopefully follow the completion of the race (assuming it doesn't kill me…).

Think of the children.

2009-01-24T14:22:00.001+13:00

The obsession the world seems to have with Hello Kitty is nothing short of scary. I have always harboured the suspicion that Hello Kitty could be an evil cult, brainwashing millions of people in an attempt to make the whole world pink.

Yesterday a friend passed on to me a link that does nothing to alleviate these fears:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/3680683/Hello-Kitty-themed-maternity-hospital-opens-in-Taiwan.html

Birth must be pretty traumatic for a baby even at the best of times. But entering a world which features cartoon cats with oversized heads on every item in the room must be down right petrifying.

I think the worst part of the whole story is 'Hello Kitty birth certificates.’ When the children born at this hospital grow up and want to apply for a drivers licence or university, they are going to feel pretty embarrassed handing over their pink birth certificate as one of their forms of official identification.

Photos: Christmas 2008

2009-01-03T00:55:00.001+13:00

Here are a collection of photos taken over the Christmas break in the Coromandel Peninsula.

On this trip, we visited New Chums beach for a picnic lunch one day. Its a nice and secluded beach that reminds you how lucky it is to be New Zealand and to have access to such peaceful places.

Christmas day itself was spent with all the family after flying up to Auckland on Christmas eve, and driving down to the Coromandel Peninsula that night. I didn't arrive until 1:30am Christmas morning.

The weather was kind over the break, and we managed to sneak in some kayaking and flat-fishing in between all the summer barbeques.

Now a published author

2008-12-18T22:50:00.001+13:00

This afternoon, my very first Discussion Paper was released online:

Does natural rate variation matter? Evidence from New Zealand

I wont bore people with the details of the paper here as lets face it, if you find Bayesian estimation of time-varying natural rates in a new Keynesian model exciting, you are either crazy or a macroeconomists (I am not sure which is worst).

Hopefully in the not too distance future I might be able to get the paper published in an economic journal.

I live in a remote place…

2008-12-11T22:21:00.001+13:00

I know people don't have a very high regard for the Hutt Valley (heck, even I give it grief and I live there), but this could be a new low for the Hutt Valley’s reputation:

Its now Summertime so that means all the real estate agents come crawling out from wherever they hide over winter and spam your mailbox with reminders that ‘now would be a great time to sell your house [and give me a big fat commission cheque].’

Usually, these ‘reminders’ take the form of note pads or cheap pens. But a friend at work received this lovely calendar (which he gifted me) featuring “remote places of New Zealand.”

And what remote and distance location did they choose to feature on the cover? Why the very remote, and very sparsely populated, Hutt River Valley of course!

Obviously very little research went into this calendar as other “remote places” include: The Waimakariri River – located only minutes from Christchurch (now the 3rd largest city in the country); and Mt Ruapehu – The only ski destination in the North Island, and an unavoidable landmark if travelling in the central North Island.

I guess expecting real estate agents to have more than some basic grasp of geography is asking a lot…

Photos: Christmas in the Park – Fireworks

2008-12-07T22:45:00.001+13:00

Tonight ‘Christmas in the Park’ rocked Lower Hutt. There was no need for me to actually go down there as you could hear the music loud and clear from my room. And just before 9pm, they launched an impressive fireworks display (well impressive on a Lower Hutt scale of things…).

Leaning out of my 2nd story bedroom window I managed to get this one great photo of the fireworks using my little point and shoot camera (click to see a larger version):

Photos: First hockey injury

2008-12-01T20:15:00.001+13:00

I picked up my first ‘real’ summer hockey injury tonight. I fell over spectacularly in front of our own goal and managed to graze my elbow.

I thought the graze looked fairly impressive after the time. But after getting home, cleaning up the “wound,” and removing half a beach worth of sand from it, it’s not as impressive as I was hoping for.

And the score? Well we won by default (they didn't have enough girls to field a legit team), but lost in the muck around game we played against them anyway.

Photos: Bailey on the stairs

2008-12-01T19:59:00.001+13:00

I found Bailey having a rest on the stairs this weekend. I guess he was a little tired from his walk. But the way he is resting doesn't look too comfortable.

Photos: Walking around Seatoun

2008-11-01T20:33:00.001+13:00

Overall the weather behaved while I was house sitting out in Miramar. So one weekend I took a short stroll through the tunnel to the beach in Seatoun. It is very nice down there. In many ways it has the same ‘beach holiday’ feel as the Coromandel (which we visit frequently), yet it’s so close to the heart of Wellington.

Adventures in house sitting

2008-11-01T20:30:00.001+13:00

I am back home now after my month long adventure house sitting for a colleague. I managed to survive, the house stayed in one piece, and the cat has received only minimal mental trauma.

I really enjoyed the chance to get out and give flatting on my own a go. The first few days were tough going, but once I managed to settle into a routine, things were fairly smooth sailing. Stories of my adventures/misadventures may follow when I have had time to settle down back home and get everything packed away.

Photos: Don't tell Mum

2008-09-24T21:38:00.001+12:00

Bailey and Zac enjoy a bit of quiet time on my bed.

Photos: Misc collection

2008-09-21T16:52:00.001+12:00

Random photos taken recently

Photos: Zac, the drowned rat

2008-09-20T22:12:00.001+12:00

After his bath, Zac looks more like a drowned rat than a dog. But it seems the walk and bath he had today took its toll on him and he spend the rest of the day napping.

Photos: Dogs off for a walk

2008-08-09T18:55:00.001+12:00

Today it has been bitterly cold here. Even the dogs had their jackets on for a walk. I know they look silly in them. And I usually refuse to take them walking if they have them on. But today it was cold enough for me to give in, just this once.

Photos: Waiting for Mum and Dad

2008-08-05T21:21:00.001+12:00

Mum and Dad are out tonight at some work-do. Bailey and Zac have been waiting for them on the stairs, watching the front door. Occasionally one of them will leave the stairs to come and see what I am doing, but apart from this they have been waiting on the stairs patiently for hours.

Dog destruction

2008-08-01T20:32:00.001+12:00

Yesterday I forgot to close my bedroom door before leaving for work. The dogs were left on their own all day and decided to play in my room. They managed to do a lot of damage (see the photos). From what I can piece together they destroyed:

2 coat hangers
2 pairs of new socks
Something with the vodafone logo on it – from the small bits that remain, I cant work out what it is.
A large number of econometrics notes, pulled out of my folder.

I have a long weekend ahead of me trying to piece back together all the notes…

Good idea, bad idea

2008-07-17T19:53:00.001+12:00

Good idea: Providing helpful advice to your customers who might be having trouble accessing the internet.

Bad idea: providing that advice on your webpage…

Photo: Zac on my bed

2008-07-14T21:44:00.001+12:00

Zac having a little nap on my bed.

Photos: Clouds

2008-07-07T20:04:00.001+12:00

A few pictures of the evening clouds I snapped yesterday.

Video: Passing clouds

2008-07-06T16:46:00.001+12:00

This last week, we have had some pretty shocking weather in Wellington (and across most of the country). It has been very cold, very wet, and very windy. Which is why I was shocked to see blue sky out my window this afternoon. Hopefully the worst of the weather is over.

Here is a time-lapse video I made with my digital camera. I set it up to take photos every 20 seconds for nearly an hour. This is my first attempt. Next time I will try it with a more exciting subject.

Umm, what are you suggesting?

2008-07-04T22:44:00.001+12:00

I use Google Reader to read the latest news and RSS feeds. One of the features of Google Reader is a personalised list of ‘recommended’ RSS feeds. However, recently a few very strange recommendations have been popping up.

Google apparently thinks I need help with my marriage/relationship. I am still struggling to see how I could be having marriage troubles, given my marriage is non-existent.

Video: The dogs take on a toy helicopter

2008-06-29T17:50:00.001+12:00

Dad got out his new toy helicopter this evening. He had a great time playing with it, but the dogs didn’t seem to like it as much. They barked and carried on as the helicopter hovered just above their heads.

A night at the ball

2008-06-29T11:42:00.001+12:00

Last night was our annual work function. A Masquerade ball. It was a great night out that even the weather couldn't spoil. The drinks were free, the food was good, and The Noodles provided covers of some great songs to dance to.

In the end, the inspiration bug finally bite and I was able to finish off my mask and get an outfit organised ahead of time. Here are a few pics taken before the ball. I was pleased with how well the mask came up. It was well worth getting covered in spray paint and glitter for.

That dog in the glass

2008-06-19T20:32:00.001+12:00

Poor Zac still hasn't worked out that the dog he sees in the glass is in-fact, his own reflection.

This morning he was trying to enjoy a bit of rest in the beanbag, when he noticed that dog in the glass was also in a beanbag! So he decided to let him know how he feels…

Lacking inspiration

2008-06-16T21:14:00.001+12:00

Our mid-year work function is coming up soon. The theme for this year is a masquerade ball. So I popped out in the weekend to pick up a mask with the goal of making my own rather than buying a pre-made one. But as you can see below, the inspiration bug hasn't bitten quite yet.

I am kicking around a few ideas and themes, but I fear that I underestimated how tricky it would be to design a mask. Compounding the problem, I still have to decide between wearing ‘formal’ or ‘fancy dress.’

But still, there is nothing like the last minute to sort everything out, right?

After the long walk

2008-06-15T17:37:00.001+12:00

The dogs had a good weekend with big walks on both Saturday and Sunday. But it seems long walks can take their toll on little legs…

A wet winter's day

2008-06-02T14:23:00.001+12:00

Trapped inside on a wet winter's day with nothing to do but stare out at the tiny leaf stuck to the outside of my window...

Crazy dogs

2008-05-27T20:21:00.001+12:00

Here is a video of Zac trying to get out of my room, past Bailey the guard dog. This is his third attempt with the same results as the first two.

Gender equality, not quite there yet.

2008-05-24T16:05:00.001+12:00

I bet most people are like me and usually pay no attention to the washing instructions on their clothing. But this one caught my eye. I have owned this black sweatshirt for ages, but it wasn't until the other day I noticed this was printed on the washing instructions tab.

...OR

GIVE IT TO YOUR WIFE

IT'S HER JOB

It's not often you see humour in washing instructions, let alone correct grammar.

Graduation - BCA Honours 2008

2008-05-20T20:52:00.001+12:00

Last Thursday I managed to graduate university with my BCA Honours in economics. Four years of work, but its now all behind me. Here are a few pictures taken on the day.

VERY naughty puppy

2008-05-12T21:13:00.001+12:00

I cant leave that little puppy alone for one minute! I just went to plug my cellphone in to charge, only to find the charger cable chewed into several parts.

Yesterday the plant, today the cellphone charger. What going to be destroyed tomorrow?...

Photos: Naughty puppy

2008-05-10T21:52:00.001+12:00

This afternoon Zac got up to some mischief. He came racing into my room, his face and feet covered in dirt. Fearing the worst we went down stairs to find the lounge covered in dirt and the pot plant lying out of its pot.

It turns out Zac pulled the pot plant over on himself when he was eating the plant and digging the dirt out. It gave him such a fright he came running for safety.

After a quick bath and vacuum, the evidence was covered up before Mum got home. That is, apart from the pot plant and photographic evidence...

Photos: Latest photos of the pets

2008-05-07T22:20:00.001+12:00

Zac is 4 months old now. Here are the latest photos from him, Bailey and Zac.

Photos: Second attempt at HDR

2008-05-03T10:56:00.001+12:00

Here is my second attempt at doing some HDR photography. My last attempt came out looking like a painting. This one is a bit closer to what true HDR photos are meant to look like.

Hopefully the weather will clear up one of these weekends and I will be able to go out and get some new photos to try making some more HDR tone-maps.

Photos: Zac goes to work

2008-04-29T18:37:00.001+12:00

I just got sent through this photo taken when Zac went to visit the people at CAA.

Honest Spammer

2008-04-28T20:01:00.001+12:00

I don't usually pay much attention to the spam that builds up in my mail box. But this particular one caught my eye. The subject of the spam email was:

We are a dodgy drugstore

It's refreshing to see spammers showing some honesty these days.

Photos: Down by the river

2008-04-26T22:07:00.001+12:00

Today we took the dogs down for a run at the river. They enjoyed the chance to run around, even if Zac did get a bit scared when bigger dogs came over to him.

Down at the water, the dogs wouldn't go in much deeper than their paws, even with encouragement from other dogs. I also tried teaching my cousins how to skim stones with very mixed success. But it was good chance to get out and enjoy what could be the last of the good weather before winter sets in.

Photos: Sleeping cat HDR

2008-04-19T15:55:00.001+12:00

While playing around with creating an HDR image, I went a little off track. But I somehow managed to come up with this interesting 'painting' effect...

(Kussie asleep on my bed)

Too much free time

2008-04-14T22:18:00.001+12:00

Now that I have been working for a while, I was beginning to forget what it was like to have free time. Thankfully this video came along to redefine what too much free time is...

Photos: Asleep on the couch

2008-04-13T20:36:00.001+12:00

Last night I decided to blob out on the couch to watch a bit of TV and unwind. It was obviously such a good idea Kussie, Zac and Bailey decided to join me.

It got pretty warm buried at the bottom of that pile. The blanket wasn't my idea. But apparently the dogs like it.

Photos: Damp cat

2008-04-06T19:10:00.001+12:00

One damp and spunky looking cat

Photos: Where sleeping dogs lie

2008-04-05T21:45:00.001+13:00

Here are a few photos of what I found when coming back into my room after a shower.

Zac is just big enough to get over the barrier now. He doesn't like to be left alone down stairs so he has taken to jumping the barrier to follow Bailey upstairs.

I know we should discourage him jumping the barrier, but when you find Him and Bailey like this it's so hard to be mad.

Photos: Macros

2008-04-05T16:35:00.001+13:00

A few photos taken in the garden when I was playing with the macro setting on my digital camera.

Business Cards

2008-04-02T21:01:00.001+13:00

Out of the blue the other day, I received my very first business cards for work. There is a huge pile of them now sitting on my desk (how someone could ever get through so many is currently beyond me). But they are rather flash and I am sure they will be worth a lot once I become all rich and famous.

On a related note, I am now have a Research staff profile on the RBNZ's website. The publication section is a little thin at the moment (i.e. empty), but over time that will change.

Running

2008-03-24T15:44:00.002+13:00

This week I'm getting closer to my milestone of running 5km on a regular basis. I have been following the The Couch-to-5K Running Plan from Coolrunning.com and am currently up to week 8 of 9. To help me keep track of the run (and when I should change pace) I have been using Robert Ullrey's Podcasts for Running which gives you the instructions as you run. While not featuring my particular taste in music (techno is a lot closer to noise than it is to music in my opinion), it has been invaluable for motivating me and making sure I don't push myself too hard, too early.

I also now have my first pair of running shoes (see below). I was a bit skeptical as to how much difference they would make, but now I wouldn't even consider running in my old pair of cross trainers. The shoes absorb a lot more of the shock, especially in the heel area, making running a lot more enjoyable.

With any luck I should be hitting the 5km mark next week. I'm trying to work out a new running route that measures 5km so I can have a change from Avalon Park. After that, who knows. I might try finding a fun-run to enter, or maybe push towards 10km runs.

Photos: More from the dogs and cat

2008-03-23T17:58:00.001+13:00

Here are some more recent photos featuring Bailey, Zac and Kussie. The other night they were all in the new dog bed. From the pictures you can see the cat doesn't appear to fully appreciate the company (but he still tolerated it)...

A dog by any other name...

2008-03-19T21:05:00.001+13:00

Well its been two and a half longs weeks but there is finally consensus on the name of the new puppy. And the winning name is...

Zac

I'm so glad that's all behind us. Now we just need to teach the dog to respond to his name rather than 'pup'...

Videos: Bailey the Guard Dog

2008-03-17T21:57:00.001+13:00

Another video of our dogs in action. Bailey keeps the puppy in check and stops him getting over the barrier and into the lounge (where he isn't allowed).

Photos: Panoramic

2008-03-16T20:41:00.001+13:00

My Camera (a Canon PowerShot A720 IS) features a nifty mode for taking panoramic photos. Here are some panoramic photos I took in the Coromandel and Hong Kong.

They came out alright give the fact I didn't have a tripod available at the time these were taken.

We don't like Cricket, oh no. We love it

2008-03-15T18:21:00.001+13:00

On Thursday I went to my very first test match game at the Basin Reserve. Day one of the second test, New Zealand vs England. I have been to a few one-day games, but they have all been help in the Westpac Stadium.

The Basin is a great venue, one of the oldest test venues in the world and sits in the middle of a contender for the worlds largest roundabout.

It was a fun day out. Sunny, but not too hot. We sat on the grass bank and ate sushi for lunch. Plus the cricketers put on a pretty good show for day one of a test match.

If I had a million dollars

2008-03-10T22:31:00.001+13:00

No this isn't my first pay-cheque or bonus. But this is what a million dollars looks like in $100 bills.

How many other jobs let you do this on your inductions day?

The saga continues...

2008-03-09T21:59:00.001+13:00

Well I cant say I was too surprised. When I got back home after lunch the poor puppy had a new name. It is entirely possible now that he will develop identity issues later in life from all this trauma.

Anyway his current name is now 'Jack.' Not too different from Jake I know, but the saga continues.

Here is how I see things playing out. Eventually we will run out of names we like. Whichever name is the current "in" name at that stage will win. I cant wait until that happens and everything is finally sorted.

A name finally?

2008-03-08T21:10:00.001+13:00

Its coming up on a week now that we have had the new puppy (making him nine weeks old), and still we haven't settled on a name for the poor fella.

So far we have been through: Tyson, Ollie, Sam, Rex, Winston, Rusty, Comet, Toby... (at least those are the ones that lasted longer than half a day and which I can currently remember).

Tonight the current name being tossed around is 'Jake'. Both Mum and Dad have been trying it out which puts it well above most of the other names. We will have to see if it can survive the night and become a permanent fixture.

Who knew trying to pick a name could be so difficult?

Videos: of our new Puppy

2008-03-08T10:26:00.000+13:00

Here are a few clips of our new puppy playing. He is very cute if somewhat uncoordinated at times. But he is great fun to watch when he is playing.

Photos: New puppy

2008-03-07T22:57:00.001+13:00

Introducing the latest member to our family. Unfortunately this poor little guy doesn't have a name yet. He is a cross between a Toy Poodle and a Chinese Crested Powder Puff (I know, I don't know what type of dog that is either).

Photos: Christmas 2007

2008-03-06T19:33:00.000+13:00

A collection of photos from Christmas 2007 in the Coromandel