leighelse

leighelse, 2 months ago to random

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, 5 months ago to random

Welcome to 2024. Here in Whanganui New Zealand we're breakfasting under sunny skies with scattered cloud, and hoping that's a metaphor for the next twelve months. Best wishes!

leighelse, 7 months ago to random

My younger daughter Aelyth and I have a debut album out as the duo sideSister.

We've sent the first single off to almost all New Zealand radio stations, and have got good traction from student broadcasters and independent radio. If you don't hear it elsewhere, there's a video for "Lovelock" here: https://bandcamp.com/VideoEmbed?track=3595615183&bgcol=ffffff&linkcol=0687f5

leighelse, 7 months ago to random

Who knew? Carey Grant took acid more than 100 times. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/acids-first-convert-cary-grant-on-edward-j-delaneys-the-acrobat/

leighelse, 7 months ago to random

Any email containing "newclimate.org" is being quarantined by Microsoft's email servers without notification or explanation. This happens whether the domain name is in the From, To, Bcc, Subject or Body fields, or anywhere in an attachment. This is shutting down communication in the climate change community. https://newclimate.org/news/microsoft-error-or-external-attack-causing-disruption-to-email-communication-across-the

I'm sure it will turn out to be an unfortunate misunderstanding.

leighelse, 7 months ago to random

Cory Doctorow on "Corporate Bullshit"; the six lies corporations have told since time immemorial. https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/27/six-sells/

leighelse, 7 months ago to random

It's not really very funny. Nonetheless, thank you The Onion. https://www.theonion.com/landlord-forced-to-raise-rent-due-to-thinking-of-bigger-1850922943

leighelse, 7 months ago to random

I'm a staunch believer in bells on bicycles; every bicycle should have one and they should be used. David Tordoff agrees. https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/remember-share-our-shared-pathways

leighelse, 8 months ago to random

How Neuralink prevents publication of its failing research into brain implants in monkeys. This is not for the faint-hearted, and makes me sick and angry in equal measure. https://www.wired.com/story/neuralink-uc-davis-monkey-photos-videos-secret/

leighelse, 8 months ago to random

"Testimony during Google’s antitrust case revealed that the company may be altering billions of queries a day to generate results that will get you to buy more stuff." https://www.wired.com/story/google-antitrust-lawsuit-search-results/

leighelse, 8 months ago to random

We came back from Europe to find that my laptop had eaten all its battery despite being turned off, and declined every solicitation to boot up even after fully recharging. Booting from a USB key showed that everything on the SSD was good, which was a relief.

This afternoon I was able to manually create a new boot entry in the BIOS to launch Linux via Grub, rather than through my preferred (and much prettier) rEFInd menu. Now I need to craft a more permanent solution ...

leighelse, 8 months ago to random

"Look, here’s the unvarnished truth. Capitalism is corrupt, craven, and continuously enriching the mega rich, further impoverishing the poor and incessantly squeezing the middle class like a python wrapped around the abdomen of a cute furry little animal." https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/son-youre-old-enough-to-know-the-truth-there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-invisible-hand-of-the-market

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Uber "destroyed local taxis and local transit – and replaced them with worse taxis that cost more." https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/09/accounting-gimmicks/

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Is freedom of speech at risk if countries legislate to force web browsers to implement blocklists of banned sites? And what could we do if this mechanism was subverted by multinational corporations to stifle competition? https://www.techdirt.com/2023/08/04/will-browsers-be-required-by-law-to-stop-you-from-visiting-infringing-sites/

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Christopher Luxon says Waka Kotahi should focus on "improving convenience for people moving around our country" and I 100% agree. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/494985/waka-kotahi-too-focused-on-climate-not-enough-on-transport-christopher-luxon

I should not need to buy a motor vehicle to travel conveniently around Aotearoa New Zealand.

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Bing has evidently decided not to include certain sites in its search results. https://www.techdirt.com/2023/07/27/techdirt-has-been-deleted-from-bing-and-duckduckgo/

@jackyan plays a part in this mystery!

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Tesla rigged the dashboards in its cars to display grossly exaggerated battery ranges. Then it created a special hit team to prevent owners from making it an issue. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range/

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Apple’s already done it. Google wants to do it. Microsoft will gladly join the party. Entrenched Big Tech has found the perfect way to pull up the ladder behind it.

If only “verified devices” are permitted to access the most important internet resources, innovation will be stifled at all levels, and software development will become the preserve of large and moribund corporations. https://httptoolkit.com/blog/apple-private-access-tokens-attestation/

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Are the reasons to leave GitHub more persuasive than the reasons to stay? https://ntietz.com/blog/moving-off-github/

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Phase three trials show Metformin reduces the incidence of Long COVID. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(23)00299-2/fulltext

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

Researchers showed asbestos contaminated talcum powder caused cancer. Johnson and Johnson spun the resulting liability off into a subsidiary, and has now started suing the researchers who uncovered the link. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/johnson-johnson-sues-researchers-who-linked-talc-cancer-2023-07-13/

If you identify responsibility or ethics in the behaviour of large multinational corporations, it’s an oversight.

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

If you’re intolerant or have polarised beliefs, research shows you will probably not demonstrate strong cognitive skills. https://www.psypost.org/2023/07/new-psychology-research-indicates-that-social-rigidity-is-a-key-predictor-of-cognitive-rigidity-166284

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

From 2027 new phones sold in Europe must have removable batteries. Hopefully this means all phones sold worldwide will have removeable batteries, not “most new phones can’t be sold in Europe”. https://www.androidauthority.com/phones-with-replaceable-batteries-2027-3345155/

leighelse, 10 months ago to random

The Netherlands has an official government Mastodon instance. https://social.overheid.nl/about

When will Aotearoa New Zealand make a similar commitment to social communication that’s not hostage to multi-national corporates? The government using a Mastodon channel for the timely release of routine information would dramatically increase the percentage of Kiwis on the platform.

leighelse, 11 months ago to random

KidsCan helps feed 55,000 children in 898 schools (and 206 early childhood centres) around New Zealand. We need real change to address the root causes of poverty or this situation will multiply from one generation to the next. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/493454/worst-it-s-ever-been-kidscan-says-need-for-families-children-at-all-time-high