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Jul 30, 2023Liked by Melanie Newfield

I'm loving the little details about New Zealand.

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Thank you. I'm trying not to confuse people outside New Zealand as I realise that sometimes I can be a bit "local".

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One of my favorite experiences in working with control systems is dealing with low spots in control loops. Humankind puts so much pressure on nature in the "low-spots". This essay highlighted how much "native knowledge" and experience you have for your home.

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Thanks Mark. And your comment reminds me how much I'm looking forward to getting your perspective on risk at some stage.

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I do have a few funny stories. I believe now that even those that try very hard to keep the tendency at bay, humans are just real bad at assessing risk :) Just observe people turning left at a four-way stop.

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Very true. Are you familiar with the concept of "outrage" in how people assess risk? It goes a long way towards explaining why people are terrified of things which are very unlikely to kill or harm them, then drive without seatbelts or jaywalk across busy roads.

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Jul 30, 2023Liked by Melanie Newfield

Thanks, that led me to read more about the history of swans in aotearoa, which was very interesting!

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I'm glad to have sent you down a research rabbit hole.

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Great writing.

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Thank you, I appreciate it.

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That picture of the swans swimming in the murky water with cans and debris in the foreground was just heartbreaking. Nature continues on the best it can while those humans/companies responsible for the mess are off somewhere else, oblivious. We have similar polluted places here in the U.S. and it's maddening. Thank you for taking us along on your walk!

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That's a perfect way of expressing it - nature doing the best it can.

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