(Part 2) Top products from r/Wellington

Interesting and not entirely surprising. "Human factors" are the messy part of these kind of enterprises. I saw the Mirimar outfit and another outfit called Fab Lab which also seems mostly targeted to kids/young adults. It appears to be a Massey initiative and the website doesn't seem to have had a lot of activity since 2016.

So in terms of funding, services for kids seem to be adequate (an easy sell). I wonder if there's another angle into this than encouraging STEM uptake or fostering commercial innovation? The Menzshed model is an interesting one to investigate. From what I see, they're strapped for cash and resources (possibly a factor of retirees generally having more options and a dying interest in shop work) but their tie-in to community projects is a good strategy.

I'm thinking a good angle into this is personal growth. Adopt and reflect the "Shop Class as Soulcraft" philosophy (a great book if you haven't read it). A kind of Outward Bound for knowledge workers to reconnect thinking with doing. Taking that angle, it might be possible to muster up corporate sponsorship from companies that want to be seen to value innovative, creative and resilient work forces? Possibly even health-related project funding to cater to folks who are burnt-out or looking for an outlet for tangible creativity?

Appreciate the interest. I've cued up a drink with someone in the thread for 6pm tomorrow. Seems sensible to widen the invite out to all who have expressed interest so will confirm they're OK with that and if so post meeting details to original post.

Hi, I am doing whittling and wood carving here in Wellington for a while and what I found out is that ok wood for whittling is cedar, rimu and kauri. These are reasonably soft and great option for whittling (carving only with knife). For wood carving with gouges is totara and also all the above great option. Otherwise I order basswood(european lime) from Amazon. This is so far the best wood for carving and its a pleasure to carve. I am a bit sad that basswood is not very present here.. :-( even though Ive seen these trees here, they are considered more exotic and it will be quite shame to chop them down..

Down below are links for whittling knife which I use and am very happy with (i have tried more than 15 different whittling/carving knives) and basswood.

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If you are interested to meet me I offer these whittling/wood carving workshops here in Wellington(the last is 20 July 2019) Then I go back to Czech republic for more wood carving studies:

https://homewoodspirit.com/wood-carving-wellington/

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VladimirM

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Whittling/wood carving knife:

https://www.amazon.com/Flexcut-Detail-Knife/dp/B00FQCYVY8/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1YKNLPJ3CV2EN&keywords=flexcut+wood+carving+knife&qid=1556563129&s=gateway&sprefix=flexcut+%2Caps%2C397&sr=8-10

Wood for whittling:

https://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollow-Basswood-Whittlers-Carving/dp/B0018N9Z72/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=basswood&qid=1556563068&s=books&sr=8-2

Your dad's a thoroughly nice dude. :)

Apologies that I couldn't find the connecting cable - try https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-6-Feet-MDIN-6-Cable-100092/dp/B001TKQOTG

> Usually, I feel like fascist gets thrown around a lot as a way to dismiss people

I held that same opinion until I began studying the history of fascism in many nations, and realized that this is a long term, dangerous problem which we are mostly not paying attention to. For a very brief and illustrated overview of the topic, try this: https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Fascism-Graphic-Stuart-Hood/dp/1848316127

It might be possible to borrow that book from our local collective on Able Smith St. I do not see it in the city library system's catalogue.


> ...but reading their site shows me that these are actual fascists. Weird.

Thank you for taking the initiative to verify the problem.

I also propose to you that this is really not "weird," but rather very common in many nations. The patterns are well documented, but not widely reported.


> Can’t see it doing well, especially Wellington.

Be warned that Fascist regimes have always prevailed in nations where they were completely underestimated. Even at times when fascists are unable to control entire governments, they often gain enough public support and agency protection to commit violence without prosecution.

The easiest time to reverse any fascist movement is while it only 3 angry men with face masks and a web site. That was February 4. By now, they might have acquired funding.

If you look closely at Dominion-Movement's proposed tactics, their first priority is to build communities (indoctrination with social capital). This is the strongest asset of any political movement, and also the most difficult to reform.

Generally, we human individuals stick to social circles of people who hold similar values to our own. This makes it difficult to perceive that we share the same space with communities who hold very different values. Reddit is a prime example of this "bubble" / "echo chamber" effect, as described by Scott Alexander: http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/30/i-can-tolerate-anything-except-the-outgroup/

When I physically abandoned my social circles in 2016, and came to Wellington, I began conversations with a diverse assortment of locals. One of my first impressions was that many people who work here hold a deep resentment of immigrants. On my way to Wellington, I discovered the same problem in Auckland. I also listen to laborers who often discusses (among each other) the topics of gentrification and the difficulty of paying expenses.

If I am to learn from history, these conditions create a perfect opportunity for fascists to gain social acceptance within subcultures. I love Wellington, but I hesitate to overestimate its uniqueness.

Amazon Prime impulse buy du jour! I just order 6 cans of Hot & Spicy Spam for $50 delivered....and it has to come all the way from Japan!

I love that shit!

If you haven't find a suitable one, maybe one of these could be a possibility?

You can buy these online but They are probably a bit small for your needs?

slightly bigger

http://www.amazon.com/Used-Burlap-Coffee-Bags-Pack/dp/B008FNUM70 ?