@leighelse@mastodon.nz
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

leighelse

@leighelse@mastodon.nz

I've spent half my working life as a broadcaster and half as a software developer. Along the way I've been a professional musician, and an assistant to apiarists and undertakers (although not at the same time).

I live in Whanganui, where I write and record music, help out part-time at the software company I used to own, and enjoy biking, reading and travelling.

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

timClicks, to random
@timClicks@mastodon.nz avatar

For a "simple" format, there are a surprising number of incompatible variants of Markdown.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@timClicks Aren't there?

18+ leighelse, to random
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

I've completed the first iteration of an app to make my scheduling of TV shows quicker.

It downloads Matt Huisman's Freeview programme guide, parses it into an SQL database, then filters it against channels and programme names I've excluded because I have no interest in them. In the screenshot example, 6,500 programmes in a week are cut down to 39.

There's a detail dialog which navigates the list and provides all the information I need to quickly enter programmes into the NAS.

The log. Nothing very exciting to see; more useful when downloading and parsing.
Live filtering in the button bar.
The programme list, in this case showing only programmes I haven't excluded.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@bananabob Object Pascal using Lazarus.

iangriffin, to random
@iangriffin@mastodon.nz avatar

I love that, after years of not watching, when I drop into an episode of Coronation Street because I am in a random Wellington Hotel, I can vaguely understand what's going on.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@iangriffin Be too. I only see an episode of Coronation Street every few years, but immediately sync with the storyline.

bananabob, to ai
@bananabob@mastodon.nz avatar

Can I take your order – and your data? The hidden reason retailers are replacing staff with AI bots

https://theconversation.com/can-i-take-your-order-and-your-data-the-hidden-reason-retailers-are-replacing-staff-with-ai-bots-229202

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@bananabob This makes an excellent point. Thank you for sharing it.

strypey, to random
@strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz avatar

"In the two weeks before October's election, more people than ever before (454,000 people) enrolled to vote, including more than 100,000 enrolments on election day.

The Electoral Commission did not expect this number of late enrolments, putting pressure on its systems, the report said."

, 2024

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/516189/official-2023-election-result-final-check-done-in-a-few-hours-under-extreme-pressure

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@strypey @98Percent ... until the government instructs the Electoral Commission via regulation or legislation.

(Just to complete your sentence.)

bananabob, to medical
@bananabob@mastodon.nz avatar

Our medical centre has just put up some of its fees ($63 a visit) and introduced "Note that appointments running over time will be charged at $20 per 5 minutes, including for community services card holders. A standard appointment only allows 10 minutes of consultation and 5 minutes for your clinician to make notes. Only one item can be addressed safely in a standard consultation." (NZ$)

What sort of charges do you experience where ever you are in the world?

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@bananabob The big change I've experienced for medical care since COVID has been the increase in reliance on practice nurses. For my GP they now handle everything for which a doctor isn't mandatory. I approve of this change, and would be keen to see my GP add a Nurse Practitioner to the practice to take even more of the load.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@bananabob @nigelharpur It's usually ten days for me.

But the receptionist does keep a number of slots available for the truly urgent. She decides who qualifies, and while I've benefited on occasion, at other times I've had to go to the After Hours Clinic.

sumisu3, to Birds
@sumisu3@mastodon.nz avatar

My local Kōtare/Kingfisher just surprised me. Flew at the window and heard it “hit” but then it went and landed on a post and had a praying mantis in its beak. And now it just flew through the top of a rose bush and came out with another bug. This is fun. Front row seat.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@thomasbeagle @sumisu3 Eagle vs beagle.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@thomasbeagle @sumisu3 Oops! I just noticed your name ...

[blushes in embarrassment, closes Mastodon, leaves the building]

paulhellyer, to linux
@paulhellyer@mastodon.nz avatar

Dragged out at old Intel i3 NUC computer (2012 era) from the back cupboard. After replacing the faulty mSATA drive, and getting wired keyboard, installed Linux Mint. I’m impressed. It runs very well considering the age of the hardware and I have even been able to access it via ssh on my iMac. Might see if I can get it running as a web server. It’s years since I tried Linux of any kind, but Mint feels very polished. The messages are very geeky and I'm still not a fan of Nano!

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@bananabob @paulhellyer I've also been using it as my daily driver for ten years. I periodically trial fashionable alternatives, but come back to Mint every time.

It's also proven to be the OS that family and older neighbours adapt to most easily. It's a good way of giving older Windows machines a new lease of life.

ThisCJ, to random
@ThisCJ@mastodon.nz avatar

Why I don’t use the Oxford Comma:

“Flutter apps can work on Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and Mac OS, and the Flutter UI and rendering engine, included with every app, translates everything to the OS layer.”

The Oxford comma before “and Mac OS” means that one can’t easily discern the end of the list. If, instead, it read “…Windows, Linux and Mac OS, and the Flutter UI and rendering engine,“ one would know that the Flutter UI and rendering engine were not part of the list but a separate clause.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@ThisCJ Horses for courses in my opinion. There are times when the Oxford comma is appropriate, times when it is not.

retiolus, to random
@retiolus@mamot.fr avatar

I've been using, and paying for a #Tutanota email for over 3 years now. And I think I'm going to give it up.

After 3 years, it's still not possible to use OpenPGP, I have to use a dodgy system and give a password to everyone I want to email who doesn't use Tutanota.

Searching for emails is a pain, a real pain.

It is not possible to use any client other than Tutanota.

I came from #ProtonMail, and changed because their commercial com. became too aggressive for my taste. I may reconsider...

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@retiolus For twenty years I've had my domains on a cheap shared hosting account, and used multiple email accounts without issue. I'm currently paying NZD150 (about €100) a year, which covers websites and utility software as well as email.

I use Thunderbird on my laptop and whatever works best on my mobile devices. I archive mail to our NAS, and can search 25 years of email there without issue.

There will be reasons a setup like this won't work for you, but I don't think it's a bad option.

iangriffin, to NewZealand
@iangriffin@mastodon.nz avatar

This morning’s Portobello sunrise was rather pretty. Here’s a #timelapse showing the colour changes. #NewZealand #sunrise

the sky changes colour over an island as the sun rises

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@iangriffin That is very pretty!

leighelse, to random
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

When I visit a cafe I'm usually disappointed that the available slices and biscuits are so huge. Today I discovered that the Red Eye In Whanganui has delicious pint-sized slices. They also taste fantastic, and unfortunately I only thought to take a photo when it was almost finished.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@billbennett I thought of that too. But I knew I wouldn't be able to put it in my bag and take it home ...

BrentToderian, to random
@BrentToderian@mastodon.online avatar

READ: “3,337 Parisians were equipped with GPS trackers to record their journeys…for journeys from the outskirts of Paris to the center, the number of cyclists now far exceeds the number of motorists, a huge change from just 5 years ago.” Via @carltonreid
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2024/04/06/french-revolution-cyclists-now-outnumber-motorists-in-paris/

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@BrentToderian @carltonreid More bikes than cars is a noble aim for every modern city to get behind.

timClicks, to random
@timClicks@mastodon.nz avatar

Do I know anyone else who does this before recycling their tin cans?

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@timClicks My grandmother. But you don't know her, and in any case she's been dead since 1977.

bigblen, to random
@bigblen@mastodon.nzoss.nz avatar

Ugh. finally caught up with me today. Fingers crossed that the vaccines protect me from the worst of it.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@bigblen I trust the vaccines will work their magic and make your COVID an inconvenience rather than a roadblock.

runoutgroover, to random
@runoutgroover@mastodon.nz avatar

I finally found a use for 'workspaces' in a browser, whānau!

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@runoutgroover Woah. I totally depend on workspaces.

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@runoutgroover I have six workspaces on my new Linux laptop; it has a small screen, so most apps won't comfortably share. Flicking between apps is then just muscle memory. Browser? one screen right. Email? One screen left. Slack? Two screens right. Etc.

iangriffin, to random
@iangriffin@mastodon.nz avatar

So my 4 year lucky streak has ended! Bugger. But at least i qualify for anti-virals!

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@iangriffin Damn, damn, and damn.

isomeme, to aiart
@isomeme@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

A cataract is growing in my one useful eye. Thanks to the extremely unusual physiology of that eye, it is degrading my vision very rapidly; I'm noticing the change from one month to the next. Soon I'll have a somewhat risky surgery to deal with the situation.

Obviously, none of this is fun. But, that being said, I do have to admit that this is the most beautiful disability I have ever experienced. 🙂

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@isomeme I'm sorry to hear you're going through this, and trust the surgery is prompt, straightforward and 100% successful.

Rjdlandscapes, to NewZealand
@Rjdlandscapes@mastodon.nz avatar

Narrator - They were not over

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@Rjdlandscapes The troika's philosophy is to move the costs of living in our society from tax, which provides services universally, to user-pays which allows commercial operators to cream off profit. This makes the same services substantially more expensive. Tax cuts don't make anyone better off; they impoverish us all.

Rjdlandscapes, to NewZealand
@Rjdlandscapes@mastodon.nz avatar

So

Food bill up by 50% in a year

My rates going up 24%

My insurance doubled over 4 years

What is NACT doing to address the cost of living crisis and these rises associated with climate change?

Nothing. They are firmly on the side of thoe causing these rises :/

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/510447/price-of-common-foods-soars-more-than-50-percent-in-nz-report

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@Rjdlandscapes

> They are firmly on the side of thoe causing these rises

... while talking all the time about how they're dedicated to bringing prices down.

Historically it's rare for prices to come down. It's far more common for incomes to go up in order to restore relativity. However, this is clearly a dynamic at odds with the current government's philosophy.

Rjdlandscapes, to TeslaMotors
@Rjdlandscapes@mastodon.nz avatar

's new the 5 entry level model will have 40kwh but no DC fast charging

Is this acceptable for 25k euro in 2024/25 ??

leighelse,
@leighelse@mastodon.nz avatar

@Rjdlandscapes Cute though.

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