@jond@mastodon.nz
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

jond

@jond@mastodon.nz

Facilitation. Training. Coaching. Strategy.

Husband. Friend. Neighbour.

Curious about life in general.

#books #bikes #food #leatherwork
#film #tv #arts #culture #nz
#autism #neurodiversity
#auckland #aotearoa #newzealand

Banner: Sunrise over Rangitoto from Birkenhead.
Profile: Pencil-drawn caricature of Jon

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

billbennett, to random
@billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

Have been planning to buy a new second hand car for months, but there have been issues, all the planets suddenly align and now I’m damned if I can find the kind of thing I wanted anywhere this side of town.

jond,
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

@billbennett If a Prius is a possibility, have a look at a Mazda Axela hybrid. These have much of the same power/drive train apparently. Mine has been rock solid for 3 years and the Toyota specialist I use for servicing has two for his family and swears by them.

jond, to ai
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

I had a corridor chat about with two designer friends about the enshittification of the internet yesterday, with me, 20+ years their senior, waxing lyrical about the good old days of the World Wide Web. One of them forwarded me the long form piece 'Are We Watching The Internet Die?' by Ed Zitron's. It confirms all of what worries me about generative AI. Here's hoping there's a way to step back from the edge.

https://www.wheresyoured.at/are-we-watching-the-internet-die/

jonoabroad, to random
@jonoabroad@mastodon.nz avatar

https://tidal.com/browse/track/2814452?u

Follow me for your up to the minute musical hits

jond,
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

@jonoabroad Took me straight back to 80s mix tapes :-)

billbennett, to random
@billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

Last time I get an Australia visa for my UK passport it took a couple of hours. This time it's been sitting unprocessed for 10 days. This really is a wake up call to get the New Zealand passport I've prevaricated over for the last 30 years.

jond,
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

@MikeBartley @billbennett I can here in 2005. Secured a job with a Work To Residence visa (after many interviews). Six months after that, gave my passport to my employer to get visa for an Oz work trip and got it back the day before I left. Visited 5 reference sites in 5 cities in 5 days. Tried to board late flight home from Perth on day 5, only to find the returning resident visa wasn't in passport and I wasn't allowed to travel. 1/2

jond,
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

@billbennett @CarolynStirling @MikeBartley An article (Guardian?) in which a UK based journalist recounts how he was invited on a press junket to help kick-start the US tourism industry after 9/11. In excruciating detail, they described the nightmare they experienced at the hands of US Immigration, Homeland Security and the TSA. All because their name was Arabic/Muslim. While unsuccessful, an internet search for the same article reveals the practice is still all too common.

billbennett, to random
@billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

Is it possible to set up a web client for Mastodon that is simple, as easy to read and navigate as the standard B;ueSky web client?

jond,
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

@billbennett I'm not a BlueSky user but I also Mastodon and Elk on Android; Elk and Phanpy on Windows and Chrome.

jond, to books
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

I have just finished reading How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, bought on a whim after reading the bookseller's recommendation card in the shop. It is an amazing debut novel. A sweeping arc that rivals David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, it contains a series of episodes that follow an archaeological-sourced pandemic. Through each of these, threads of relationship, connection and love are woven to create an extraordinary chain of stories. A great read.

billbennett, to random
@billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

I keep what my grandfather would have called a 'steamer trunk' full of cables and connectors in the attic. I doubt I am alone in this.

I also doubt that I am alone when I say that this collection almost never includes the one connector I need to make something work.

jond,
@jond@mastodon.nz avatar

@billbennett Definitely not alone. I have two smaller under-bed boxes; one with my small collection of Palms and PDAs (from the days when they held the promise of 'silver bullet' levels of productivity) and the other with bundles of cables and connectors. Given that I'm local, let me know if you need something and I can spend at least a good half hour looking before confirming that what you want is the only thing I don't have 😑

ojala, to academia
@ojala@mastodon.nz avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @ojala As a facilitator/trainer, I have been asking to provide highly detailed run sheets and workshop plans (at times, in a very specific format) by prospective clients or L&D organisations as part of their RFPs or procurement process. My answer is invariably some version of 'I don't work for free'. One even countered with 'Its a requirement - you could just whip one up with ChatGPT if you want'. [face palm]

    jond, to foss
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    Loving the premise & promise of the . I am slowly pulling away from Big Tech and shifting more to , so I have happily signed up. The form factor reminded me of my 2014 X1 DAP. To scratch the itch until shipping, I have dug it out of storage and fired up for old times' sake (my lossless catalogue badly needs an update! 🙂).

    Tangara developers on Masto: @buzzyrobin @jacqueline @ailurux

    bananabob, to random
    @bananabob@mastodon.nz avatar

    Camembert, Brie cheese face extinction after fungus fails

    😭 😭 😭

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/camembert-brie-cheese-face-extinction-after-fungus-fails/BET4OLNIGNA4TONPIEJKRV37BM/

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @bananabob Nooo! My brother (who lives in France) is coming to NZ next week. Must aske him to bring some with him (start a NZ 'camembert mountain' stockpile).

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @bananabob My cunning plan is foiled 😦 Funnily enough, I had run-in with a beagle last week, arriving back from a Pacific holiday. The beagle must have smelt the lingering whiff of prior packed lunches but, after checks, their human let me proceed. This was after a somewhat more concerning moment a few hours prior when, while going through security at Nouméa, I swabbed positive for 'Explosifs!'. After a brief and intimate encounter, I was waved on my way with a '*Pas problème, Monsieur'. *

    iangriffin, to random
    @iangriffin@mastodon.nz avatar

    New toy has arrived…:

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @iangriffin
    Dyatlov: What does the dosimeter say?
    Akimov: 3.6 roentgen. But that's as high as the meter...
    Dyatlov (ignores Akimov at that point): 3.6 - not great, not terrible.

    [Edit to remove markdown]

    jonoabroad, to random
    @jonoabroad@mastodon.nz avatar

    Masto.nz shit itself for a while?

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @jonoabroad it wouldn't load/reveal images (hidden or not) for me this morning on web, Android app or Tusky app.

    scottjenson, to UX
    @scottjenson@social.coop avatar

    I collect these. I call them "design in the wild" where end users fix design mistakes on their own. It's a bit shocking how often this happens. Think of how bad it has to be to reach this point.

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @jonoabroad @scottjenson @jonoabroad Or perhaps you are amazing and/or in the top 25% but humble with it.

    jond, to random
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    Three hours and 150 kms later, we're back home and winding down after 48hrs intense in-law interaction. Relaxing with a homespun 'what's edible in the fridge?' culture-fusion toastie made with 18 month vintage cheddar and gochujang. Now for a mug of tea and a slice of Terry's Chocolate Orange - or several.

    billbennett, to random
    @billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

    It's probably breaking yet another unwritten Mastodon law to even think this let alone write it, but if anyone is interested, I’ve a couple of BlueSky invites here. First in gets ‘em.

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @billbennett I'll admit to being curious.

    Kenno, to random
    @Kenno@mastodon.nz avatar

    OMG(s)!!!!

    My beloved, overused, espresso maker is broken! I'll won't get the parts until the new year! What god is this that defiles my love of the bean?

    I'm having to resort to French Press! No good can come from this!

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @Kenno Really? I get great results from a French press. What's your process?

    jond, to random
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    Light Through the Veins by Jon Hopkins



    https://youtu.be/r5umlj3eyYk?si=Rd2GZx672LTMsvS3

    billbennett, to random
    @billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

    In the populated parts of New Zealand you are never too far away from someone selling decent quality pies.

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @billbennett Have you tried the Steak & Bacon from (relatively local to you) Sunnybrae's Gold Star Bakery? During Covid times, they operated an awesome 'pie chute' to serve customers at the door from the counter 2m inside the shop.

    Reviews here: https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Restaurant_Review-g3388342-d6886047-Reviews-Gold_Star_Bakery-Hillcrest_North_Shore_North_Island.html

    billbennett, (edited ) to random
    @billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

    When someone sends an email requesting a fast response, which you send, then get an ‘out of office for the long weekend’ reply.

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @billbennett A classic example of another putting their monkey on your back.

    jond, to philosophy
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    Enjoying the warm sunshine and partial view of the Hauraki Gulf from my perch among the palms inside Takapuna Library. Just completed the week's admin and invoicing to close out the week early, ahead of a rare 4-day weekend with my love. After a long and rough period, I feel privileged to do work that provides value and that I enjoy and am working towards a more balanced and healthier life. Happy Labour Day weekend, friends.

    jonoabroad, to random
    @jonoabroad@mastodon.nz avatar

    There are sentences you find yourself sending you never thought would have been apart of your life before, such as:

    I mean, I'm talking like an expert because it's 1 nil to me in the poolympics

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @jonoabroad As a regular at a gastro clinic over the last decade, I can tell you that would barely raise an eyebrow in some circles ;-)

    billbennett, to random
    @billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

    It's never entirely clear if pork belly is a menu option or an insult.

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @billbennett Both, perhaps? Probably contextual.

    billbennett, to random
    @billbennett@mastodon.nz avatar

    Almost overnight demand for Microsoft's Surface range of devices has dried up. What is going on?

    https://billbennett.co.nz/microsoft-surface/

    jond,
    @jond@mastodon.nz avatar

    @billbennett "On the whole they feel better than other Windows devices. However, raw performance is now a long way behind Apple"

    My current Mac experience is limited to occasionally using my old MBP with no sound running Capitan or Sierra; however, the statement above (and your other comments) ring true for me. Perhaps I need to take a look at moving back to a Mac when the next replacement comes due.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • anitta
  • mdbf
  • thenastyranch
  • Youngstown
  • hgfsjryuu7
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • ngwrru68w68
  • InstantRegret
  • kavyap
  • osvaldo12
  • everett
  • DreamBathrooms
  • PowerRangers
  • normalnudes
  • magazineikmin
  • Durango
  • khanakhh
  • tacticalgear
  • vwfavf
  • ethstaker
  • GTA5RPClips
  • modclub
  • cubers
  • tester
  • cisconetworking
  • Leos
  • provamag3
  • All magazines
    •