Jan
28
2011
glenjplayer
This little reflection starts with a though:
That Broadly speaking, and in comparison to interstate, Brisbane people tend to buy their tickets only a couple of weeks before the show is on. That is, there is no pre-sales to speak of.
If true, this is a bit of problem, at least an economic one.
Seemingly like everyone else, I’ve recently watched Freakconomics and their conversation on incentives got me thinking about what incentives might be pushing patrons to act like this.
Well, frankly there seems to be a few of big ones right off the bat:
- Stalling for time gives you options. Including the option of not spending any money at all, the option of going to the movies, going out for something to eat, even staying at home and watching a bit of Bondi Vet.
- People don’t like planning ahead. Exception to this is if it’s something we’re looking forward too, but even then we can be pretty slack. It’s all stressful and icky. Especially if we’re trying to get other people involved or make a fun evening for a loved one. Besides, isn’t the ultimate night out one that just seems to happen without any for-thought?
- Regular theatre punters don’t really like to punt. They like to know something will be good before they go. So if they can hold off on tickets until their mates tell them how good something is, then why not?
Okay fine, but are there incentives to buy sooner?
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1 comment | tags: pricing, producing, theatre | posted in Novelties
Jan
22
2011
glenjplayer
Mash-up words are fun.
You know that oft-times irreverent combing of the morphemes of two words so as to form something new.
Despite the young wanting to claim everything cool as they’re own invention, they’re nothing new. Lewis Carol who invented a good many in the delightful nonsense poem Jabberwocky called them Portmanteau, so named after a French travelling suit case which opened into two halves.
At best they fill a meaning gap, offering an idea instantly recognisable though previously unspeakable – they open outwards revealing the well fit contents of their interior.
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no comments | tags: portmanteau, words, writing | posted in Novelties
Jan
20
2011
glenjplayer
A friend of mine recently disparagingly commented on a mentoring program for their use of the word “mentee”.
To quote: “You’d think a mentoring program would know there’s no such word.”
For those of you thinking I’m being needlessly fastidious and that I’m going to say the word should be mentoree, you’d be wrong, as mentoree is not a word either.
Say what?
It’s true. Both of these constructs reflect the same kind of grammatical over extension toddlers make when they say things like swammed or runned.
It’s as if people have searched through their recollections of word forms and dragged out good old:
- addressor/addressee
- departor/departee
- abductor/abductee
and applied it to mentor.
Well, what’s wrong with that?
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6 comments | tags: Greek, mentor, words, writing | posted in Novelties
Jan
16
2011
glenjplayer
For some months I have been using google docs to write.
This might seem like somewhat of a no-brainer, after all it is a word processor so what else would it be used for exactly?
Well, creative writers can be a sketchy lot, part fancy, part reality, part party. For the most part we’re not very good with change, even though that’s what we write about, and we don’t like trusting out precious to some unknown other that’s sitting somewhere out there in The Cloud.
The Cloud? Seriously it just doesn’t build confidence.
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no comments | tags: google docs, writing | posted in Novelties
Jan
14
2011
glenjplayer
It wasn’t so long ago that I was laughing with a friend of my about how Linux tended to make evangelists out of its users.
I would shake my head in pity for the poor people who had nothing better to talk about then their new operating system.
It’s strange how one changes.
1. Stability.
Having been a Microsoft (windows) user since the early nineties, it seems a pretty odd time to switch away from windows given that with windows 7 Microsoft seems to just about made as stable an operating system as Microsoft is ever going to make.
What got my goat though is the increasing cost of this stability:
I mean, first money for the new operating system.
Then for your hardware.
Then for antivirus etc to make is safe.
Then the bugger needs gigs of ram just to sit there and do nothing.
Both the monetary and resources costs were just plain annoying.
(That and my damn windows machine kept crashing when left on overnight.)
Lesson: Stability issues makes one look elsewhere.
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no comments | tags: linux, ubuntu | posted in Novelties
Mar
13
2010
glenjplayer
For the last 20 minutes, while I waited for my bus, I watched quietly as every single bloke who drove by turned their head and looked over the cute 15ish year old girl with sunglasses who sat beside me. She was clearly aware and hiding her discomfort.
Now there was a lot of traffic, so we’re talking one head turn every 10 seconds. That’s 6 a minute. Maybe 180 in the time I sat there.
If this is her everyday experience what kind of attitude will she grow up with – about men – about her body – about sex?
I wanted to ask her how old she was, what she thought of the attention, and if it bothered her, but I didn’t. Instead I just turned my head and looked.
That’s how I knew she was wearing sunglasses, that how I knew she was uncomfortable, that’s how I knew she was cute.
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no comments | tags: blokes, chicks | posted in Novelties
Mar
7
2010
glenjplayer
Catching the late night bus,
Past 12 am -
Only on a Saturday night.
Dreaming of my bed.
Stupid cunt, that’s why Australia is the way it is, because of people like you. Fucking mole.
I didn’t realise mole was still an insult.
I’m on the bus. I’m not drunk.
Soon I’ll be home.
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no comments | tags: Adelaide Fringe, ode | posted in Novelties
Mar
3
2010
glenjplayer
Buying my concession ticket -
Old mate theatre going public,
Getting dirty in my behind.
‘Good one mate’ – when I’m done.
His wife agrees, on that one.
Sorry i’ll be quicker next time.
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no comments | tags: Adelaide Fringe, ode | posted in Novelties
Feb
26
2010
glenjplayer
Hot chicks flirt with me -
I show my dimpled glee.
Wearing my artist pass,
No harm can come to pass -
There’s her boyfriend
Oh shit run.
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no comments | tags: Adelaide Fringe, chicks, me | posted in Novelties
Feb
25
2010
glenjplayer
BackPacker Weirdo
Lying in my bunk bed -
with a cooling breeze blowing my head –
wishing it was one of the hot swedish backpackers who surround me –
trying not to get a bone –
knowing I’ll fail –
waiting for the chinese guy to stop hitting on the chinese girl –
hoping he’ll fail –
oh! He’s just mounted me, I mean the upper bunk -
i feel like i need to wash -
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no comments | tags: Adelaide Fringe, backpacker | posted in Novelties
