Tootfinder

Wilderness 4WDing is a 'hobby' no one should be allowed to have. It's simply wasteful and destructive. It's like having the hobby of demolishing other people's buildings. It's just stupid. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/nati…

Thinking about all the citizen data that our government is shipping offshore to AU & elsewhere... there're apparently indications that Russian vessels have been hovering around undersea data cables in the north Atlantic... some suspect they've installed charges on all cables supplying data to Europe. In a future conflict, they could use these to continually disrupt European communications & intelligence. Who's to say that the US/China/others? haven't done the same to …

I've been working on assembling my one-kilogram QSO¹ kit. I set a 1kg limit including the case into which to cram everything I need to work POTA on a whim because it's just bouncing around in the bottom of my backpack. I'm still working out what to carry for filter, choke, and ununs; after I'm done, I'll write up the whole kit with pictures.
I just swapped out a 20Ah Anker power bank for an 88g

Listening to pundits talking to Kathryn Ryan on RNZ NineToNoon about their 'AI' reckons - most of them don't understand much. Their optimism is misguided. Wow. They don't get the implications on how people learn and behave. Or the fact that new LLMs are trained on content that might be mostly LLM-generated content (who can say?), with constantly declining veracity.

Just took a wee walk around the garden and saw at least 7 (native grass) skinks out and about, doing their thing. Warms my heart each time.

Your Donations at Work: Funding Josh Matthews' Contributions to Servo - Servo aims to empower developers with a lightweight, high-performance alternative for embedding web technologies in applications.
https://servo.org/blog/2025/09/17/your-donations-at-work-funding…

This is what I'm rocking out to while applying system updates to 30ish VPSs on a stunning warm late spring morning in Ōtautahi... #DLO3

ich bin ja gerade dabei, für meine #forgejo - Instanz https://git.schmidl.dev die Runners einzurichten. Was mich wirklich fertig macht: Sie _sagen_, dass sie github actions unterstützen. Okay. Aber die meisten actions fun…

This interview https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2019013452/emergency-departments-to-use-ai-consultations-with-patients suggests a fait accompli of 'AI' saturating ou…

This is quite splendid. Why are we settling for either Chris when we could have someone like this steering the waka?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtSsFV9eC1Y

The HTML-First Approach: Why htmx and Lightweight Frameworks Are Revolutionizing Web Development
📊 #html

The HTML-First Approach: Why htmx and Lightweight Frameworks Are Revolutionizing Web Development
After years of Single Page Application dominance, more and more teams are rediscovering the power of the HTML-first approach. With htmx and other server-driven frameworks, we return to the simplicity of the original web without sacrificing modern interactivity. Let's explore why this paradigm is winning over developers and companies.

Turns out writing a WP-CLI plugin (for my sins, in php) is not a road well travelled or sign-posted. Sigh.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@glynmoody/115733951845579974
Yup. The EU is orchestrating its own obsolescence, just like the US has.

Who's the real enemy now? Extremely wealthy people (oligarchs) and large corporations (especially in health, fossil fuels, media, & tech). Everything else is probably manageable. We need to hobble the extremely wealthy and the mega corporations. We need to end the 'corporations-as-person' model. as well. It is untenable. That also means rejecting, explicitly & systemically, groups like the Atlas Network/Project 2025.
For the record, these have long been the enemy, b…

Katherine Rich gives Uber far too much credit. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2019013122/what-uber-ruling-could-mean-for-gig-economy They didn't do any of it to 'make the world be…

Wow, loving our greenhouse - already have the first tomatoes turning red! Only a couple weeks into summer (not even proper summer, 22 Dec in Aotearoa, yet) Crazy! This is months before we've ever had ripening fruit pre-greenhouse.

Reminder - if your software is 'a little bit proprietary', it's entirely proprietary. It's like claiming to be a little bit pregnant.

Ugh, listening to RNZ right now - Kathryn Ryan talking to a US correspondent, who's just stated, with what sounds like a straight face, that US Republicans are saying that the reduced tax on wealthy people will 'trickle down' to poor people. And Kathryn didn't even question the legitimacy of that concept. Come on Kathryn, you need to call this stuff out. Stop the gormless credulity please.

This seems most auspicious: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/12/yes-new-york-will-soon-be-under-new-management-but-zohran-mamdani-is-just-the-start anti-trust specialist Khan on M…

Battery-based renewable electricity generation is pretty much unassailable now. No justification for gas or coal in Aotearoa NZ any longer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR--t-eMq_Y

RE: https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@futuresprog/115550268885525233
Superb. It works, recursively!

Wow, Blender 5 looks frickin' incredible: #libre

Ok, so I just found out that today's 'Ministry of Ed-mandated' teacher-only day at our boys' high school is so that teachers could have 'professional development' in "'AI' skills" (whatever that means), provided by someone from the Google corporation. This is totally corrupt bullshit. Nothing to do with education.

Just disposing of a couple Indian pickles in my substantial collection. These two had a pretty good run. Need to make room in the cupboard for more recent acquisitions.

Hello all - it's that time again - tomorrow evening, Tue 13 Jan, at 20:00 NZDT, we'll be having our Jan Libre/FOSS meeting at https://meeting.iridescent.nz - anyone welcome to join us. It'll be held on our BigBlueButton instance (thanks to Prodigi.nz for sponsored hosting infrastructure!). We'll …

Wow, right after I posted that Facebook comment in response to your post on 'enshittification' @… with a recommendation that folks shift to the Fediverse - the one you said was 'hidden' for you by FB - I got notified I was banned from FB. I appealed, and, a few minutes later (they told me it would take a day) I'm unbanned again. WTF? They didn't…

Looking at a recent Hobson's Pledge post on FB commenting derisively on Tania Waikato's potential political future, it occurs to me that Hobson's Pledge is a great example of one thing: Bigotry is just applied ignorance unjustified entitlement.
Those folks need a major attitude adjustment & a broader perspective on the world. They haven't got nearly enough intellectual surplus to squander what they burn through trying to justify their racist hatred.

Ok, this is pretty epic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GFGA1amUU One person recreates the best 20ish minutes of music ever. The final Abby Road medley.... Crikey, impressive effort, Fathom.

I wish more folks from the US (and here in Aotearoa) worked this out like the Italians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQMZR64G_eM I don't think Fonterra is doing 'co-op' right. They've corrupted it by adopting US-style CEO pay scales.
And the Italians know. Recall that it w…

Tomorrow (Tues, 11 Nov 2025) from 20:00 NZDT we're having a #Libre / #FOSS catch up at https://meeting.iridescent.nz…

It begins: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/581225/man-dumps-home-insurance-over-tower-insurance-s-sea-surge-assessment - people being unable to afford insurance for their homes due to climate-related risks they don'…

And Juice Media is bang-on as usual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxRB5qWphJE The 'under 16' social media ban is precisely the wrong approach. The right approach would involve regulating US BigTech by leading the formation of a global consortium of countries. Sadly, few politicians have …

Everyone with a digital existence needs to watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wE8G-d7SnY Cory Doctorow is on fire. His fluency is astounding - a 'gattling gun of jaw-dropping moments'.

Oh my word: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUh9aV0xRfE AOC is superb, and yes, this is terrifying. The US' economy is a house of cards. And it will fail spectacularly. And I fear for all of those who will be affected because they're oblivious to the extreme (unconscionable) recklessness of…

Huh. Just got given a generous gift of a $50 petrol voucher by my boys' school for my help as an Ultimate (frisbee) coach this year. Our main vehicle is a full EV. I guess it's fortunate we still have one (33yo) ICE vehicle, albeit hardly used.

It's that time again! Tomorrow evening (Tue 9/12), 20:00 NZST is our monthly FOSS/Libre Tech catch up. Find us at https://meeting.iridescent.nz - all welcome! We'll be discussing relevant current events, sharing case studies, looking at new technologies, and how to make a living doing this stuff! Our mee…

We need more folks who understand POSSE and why it's crucial to a) personal digital sovereignty, b) functional open (democratic) societies, and c) a free and open Internet: Publish on your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere.
canonical: https://indieweb.org/POSSE
popular media:

Golfer, 74, hits three aces in a month - odds 1.95 trillion to one https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/578273/golfer-74-hits-three-aces-in-a-month-odds-1-point-95-trillion-to-one Let that sink in.
🤪

Almost literally rubbed shoulders with Marlon Williams at the supermarket earlier over the tomatoes in the produce section. He's a tall dude. Everyone was respectfully pretending he wasn't there, as NZers tend to do with famous people.

Ok, doing Drupal updates while a wee bit snookered, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

The solar PV story is pretty incredible. China's long term strategic plan (with all the negative things that went with it) is bearing amazing fruit that's changing the economic proposition around the world, especially in the poorer (colonised) global South: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8JFCJP70rg…

Wow, https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019011532/chch-physicist-s-examination-turns-nz-x-ray-history-on-its-head when I saw the picture, I thought, 'I recognise that guy…

I never really knew much about the Linux Mint team... but this is very good to see! #LinuxMint

So, apparently, Mamdani is the new mayor of NYC. This could be a huge deal for modern democraciea and the societies that want to retain them. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/577912/us-politics-zohran-mamdani-wins-election-for-new-york-mayora…

Given the reticence of its local affiliates to mention it's name, one could get the impression that ACT, the NZ Initiative, Curia, the NZ Taxpayers' 'Union', and the 'Free Speech' 'Union' are keen to avoid drawing attention to their Atlas Network (also responsible for the US' Project 2025) affiliation. Could it be they're keen to avoid more scrutiny of where their funding comes from? 🤔 Assuming their search is trustworthy, on the RNZ website, there'…

Dang it all. The dryer at our holiday accommodation appears to have, bizarrely, melted the zip (just a small section, but enough) on my Cactus shorts... and now I'm perpetually flying low. These are my 90% of days-type clothing in summer. Sigh. Luckily, I'll be able to take them in for repairs shortly... assuming I can find something to wear while they're at the shop.

RE: https://moo.nz/@Tatjna/115657762894893625
Bingo. This is entirely self-defeating. It's preserving the fictional profits of unsustainable producers. Their profits are funded by future generations who'll have to spend far more than these folks are profitin…

Ugh, listening to Kathryn Ryan on RNZ NineToNoon interviewing Sonny Taite(?) about an 'AI' scribe to take hospital staff clinical notes. Why - oh why - doesn't she ask the important question: where does the data go?! Which jurisdiction? Who's storing it? Who has access? Who cares for it and maintains its security & integrity? Her producers miss it every bloody time. Very disappointing.

Nice to see POSSE at the top of Hacker News right now: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46468600

Food production: perennials vs annuals... This is fascinating... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LItFWbCAjY wondering if Good King Henry is available in Aotearoa or would be seen as an invasive?! Anyone know?

Superb. "For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have employed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty." Boom. #Mamdani

Running my own full-service, multi-tenanted & multi-domain email service gives me a remarkable feeling of power. It's is seriously cool (been running 4 of them for a bunch of years). In other news, Mailcow is superb - . https://mailcow.email/ (I run their Dockerized install)

Can't help but wonder why democratic governments, worldwide, are doing whatever US #BigTech tells them to do with regard to 'AI' policy & adoption. How do these governments not realise that BigTech is inherently authoritarian, psychotic, & working against democracy? They are antithetical to our societal values & yet they're welcomed with open arms? Do our government…

@… I'd be willing to bet that the ownership of Medtech don't actually know where all their data is, e.g. backups. I'd be very surprised if no personal data is stored, unencrypted, offshore.

Current situation... Could be worse. Could be tenting... Heavy rain watch for the next dozen or so hours... Have a great finish to your year! It was... a year, eh. Ok to put it behind us.

This is frickin' brilliant: #TimMinchin, you lil' beauty.

Bingo: "awareness is growing that digital autonomy is no longer a luxury but a prerequisite for a well-functioning democracy." https://ginaplat.com/posts/20251031-digital-sovereignty-and-gov/ Thanks for this, @…

Damn - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/577448/watch-the-moment-a-dramatic-blaze-ignites-in-whangarei-hospital-s-carpark imagine if the person in that ICE ute had a blanket and had thrown it over over the fire at th…

Microsoft is increasingly shrill in its desperation to get people to love it's 'AI' service, 'Copilot'... https://www.windowslatest.com/2025/11/28/you-heard-wrong-users-brutually-reject-microsof…

For all you nature lovers (especially herpetological sorts, i.e. lizards, and more specifically, geckos here in Aotearoa) get a load of this: https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-strange-beautiful-lizard-at-the-bottom-of-the-world/ Stunning. I tried t…

This is freakin' cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSch_NgZpQs how trees actually work. I learned a lot!

For the record, I'm pretty sure that no one should care what Bill Gates thinks. He's missed/misjudged every single technological and social leap in the past 30 years. I'm amazed he's made any money at all, but I guess that's what multi-million $ trust funds and a willingness to ruthlessly exploit ill-gotten monopolies will get you.

Can someone remind me why no national leaders (so far as I know) are clamouring for a global, independent tax authority to rein in exploitative global corporations (and their attendant billionaires)?

On a side note, where are the Chinese-made EV station wagons? That most perfect of form factors seems to be a dying breed (and all of the current models European except for maybe Japanese Subarus, but even they're looking very bubbly-SUVy to me these days) - it's all hatches and inflated SUVs... yuck.

Huh, think I might've figured out why one (but only one) of my NextCloud instances loses contact with the OnlyOffice instance on the same host... Figured out it *might* be because of frequent polling that's resulted in the Mailcow instance (also on the host, as I'm trying to economise) is seeing it as making too many connections and is temporarily fail2banning it nightly. I've added the host's IP(v4&6) to the Fail2Ban whitelist... 🤞 it's still connected tomorrow!<…

Jeepers, Piwigo has come out with an impressive new version! https://piwigo.org/release-16.0.0 (I've been running one for a decade or so). Hot damn, preparing to upgrade.

Wow, that's pretty cool - got $50 off my Quic broadband bill this month, because someone apparently listed me as their reason for transferring to Quic.nz - no idea who, but I'm chuffed! Thanks to whoever it was!

Welp, after a day or two of fermentation and a few hours preparing the accompaniments, like the potato filling, the 'gunpowder' to sprinkle over it, and both tomato and coconut chutneys (all made from scratch, even involving cracking a fresh coconut!), I've made my first ever dosas. I'm quite chuffed by the result. It's a lot of work for a one-off...

Just received a Christmas email from a dear older cousin of mine. Suspect it's gone out to a lot of people (He savvily used BCC), but the PDF he sent out is a blank one pager... sigh. This brave new world of pervasive digital tech is a real challenge for all of us.

Migrating a large accretion of complex blog post content between platforms is a draining & thoroughly demoralising experience. It turns out that we, as web developers, are capable of creating byzantine platforms which give diligent blog writers the ability to create hours and hours of unrewarding work that is so cryptically & diversely broken that no script can be written to make sense of the mess.
Enjoy your holidays if you're in a cultural context where that sort of thin…

Yup, cats, and their wandering predatory ways, are a huge problem in Aotearoa, and getting much bigger: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/579669/why-are-there-so-few-rules-for-the-millions-of-cats-that-damage-our-biodive…

Hah - interesting that this was considered newsworthy: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/576752/picton-man-uses-electric-car-to-cook-hot-breakfast-amid-power-outages during the ongoing windstorm that's knocked out po…

On RNZ right now, they're talking about how the software used by pharmacists is not even remotely fit for purpose. Imagine that. Why isn't that sort of thing being sorted by a publicly funded, openly licensed (available to all) system developed by a consortium of companies - that can be scrutinised by anyone - because it's too important to be entrusted to the proprietary gain of any one company. This stuff is a no-brainer. Some things are far too important to be dependent on a pr…

Wow, it's a stunner here in Ōtautahi, but that nor'west wind is formidable! Hope the greenhouse holds up to the onslaught!

I wonder how many digital service businesses who have been affected by the AWS outage... have all their comms to their customers also happening through that same service... Wonder how many of them recognised that issue and went 🤷‍♀️ we'll be fine.

Most days I'm reminded of this: 'expedience is the absence of principle'...