Living in Auckland, New Zealand. I write about IT, Public Transport, Auckland, Food, Trailers, Audiobooks & Geeky stuff Work with Cloud Infrastructure. Kubernetes, AWS, Linux, Monitoring, etc. Blog: https://blog.darkmere.gen.nz/
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I was asking because people who oppose dense housing or cycling/pedestrian infra will often bring up access for disabled people (ie people in wheelchairs who drive) as reasons to oppose it While naturally stand alone housing and car-orientated infra gets a free pass
👉 Is your data taking an unplanned leave? 👉 Are your cloud hosts all controlled from differing legal jurisdictions? 👉 These are questions of #dataSovereignty. ⏰ Come and share with us at #EverythingOpen Canberra 2026. #CFP 21 Sep 2025! 2026.everythingopen.au/programme/pr... #EO2026 #conference
Yep. Same as spending money on the NZSO, RNZ or your local library.
It means that Auckland is seen as a city with a bit of culture by people in their 20s and 30s so maybe they don't need to move to Melbourne They stay in NZ and grow the economy and culture further. Other events happen because there are proven crowds and venues still exist
Do you complain about new (and existing) detached houses too? Steps to get in front door Second story with only stairs Doors not wide Bad PT access
Weird talking to some dude who can't get it into his head that somebody who loses their home doesn't deserve more sympathy than somebody who loses their life savings on an investment. Start same, finish same but only the one that bought and lost the house deserves any empathy
The Astronaut Maker: How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation by Michael Cassutt 4/5 Review: A biography of NASA administrator George Abbey covering his career at NASA and influence he had over manned spaceflight. www.thespacereview.com/article/3555/1
No idea if this is true but made me WTF Fun random fact: the tool used to animate the Smurf's hats in 3 out of 4 CG smurfs films, was actually created for Doctor Manhattan’s junk for the original Watchmen film.
The Astronaut Maker: How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation by Michael Cassutt 4/5 Review: A biography of NASA administrator George Abbey covering his career at NASA and influence he had over manned spaceflight. www.thespacereview.com/article/3555/1
I think you under estimate how much of the motorway was planning. The point in the new regs is to get development near transport especially close to town. Leaving it up to politicians elected by Nimbys got us where we are..
Unfortunately with all the Nimbys around they blocked nice plans. Note there is a lot of capacity in those areas for water etc. individual lots won't be built until that is sorted. Of course "cheap kitset" is just emotive. Aabuilders will build what market wants
Another reminded that the Auckland Local Election this year is probably the single most important election for transport since the start of the Super City in 2010. So vote! And vote City Vision for local boards and councillors in the central isthmus.
#nzpol Data released by Statistics New Zealand shows that the labour market is even more bleak than feared, with the loss of more than 10,000 jobs in just three months. The data shows that there are more than 50,000 fewer jobs than in December 2023. A 🧵 www.stats.govt.nz/information-...
I'd never heard of this "In our time" podcast until this week
Postwar attempts to rebuild American downtowns for the convenience of suburban drivers fail because cities cannot compete with the suburbs on ease of driving and parking; and attempting to do so destroys the vibrant street life that makes cities worth living in or visiting in the first place.
Did the DevOps team write that policy or do they just have to enforce it?
You have people that say "All AI art is theft" and that Algorithms developed by OpenAI are tainted along with any AI that uses them. Not worth trying to engage with them Weird to meet them in a fan forum where people post lots of stuff derived from an in-copyright author though
The National Anthem talks about guarding NZ from "dissention, envy, hate and corruption" All those values are associated with NZ First
Spent this weekend remotely attending the Oxonmoot Tolkien conference. In the UK so up late and still missed some talks Interesting talks and great people. Online experience good
@erinsalibrarian.bsky.social Like your talk at Oxonmoot. I've just sent though an email with a possible owner of the domain.
🚨 Call for sessions extended! You now have until 21 September to get your session proposal in. ✍️ Also, if you need a little help, there will be a writing workshop on 17 September! More information at: 2026.everythingopen.au/news/submiss... #EO2026 #EverythingOpen #conference #openSource
Sure. But they don't have the same people doing every shift...
Wages are not everything. Even within countries wages don't match everywhere. If for example housing was significantly cheaper (as in the past) in NZ then Australia would have less attraction.
It is 80 years old so potential for all sorts of problems have built up. Interior looks like it had a remodel 20 years ago. Cute it definitely is. The park behind is one of the places I walk through regularly. Back in 1999 it sold for $260k
The trouble with renting in a nice area is that when I see I little house and think "that would be nice to buy" the price is insane This little 2 bedroom has estimated value of $1.2m. It's down on what it was worth 3 years ago but still unaffordable for me rwmtalbert.co.nz/properties/r...
So replacing a laptop will increase my share of ewaste by 5-10% for this year? Divided by the number of years I keep it Sounds like not a big worry
Currently New Zealand has one Costco. There are people who have a little business doing a 5 hour drive (each way) each few weeks to pick up orders from their local town archive.ph/FcOJc
TBF it is possible their parents had been born after the band broke up..
Audiobooks August 2025 Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed 4/5 Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon 4/5 blog.darkmere.gen.nz/2025/08/audi...
Which subreddit ?
My t-shirt for the Oxonmoot 2025 conference has arrived www.tolkiensociety.org/events/oxonm... Oxonmoot is the annual Tolkien Society conference. I will be attending online ~4-7 Sept
Not aware of any specific controversy and quick google doesn't find anything major.
Audiobooks August 2025 Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed 4/5 Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon 4/5 blog.darkmere.gen.nz/2025/08/audi...
NZ homeowners: "When I voted for low rates I expected my children and grandchildren would pick up the tab. Not that I'd be paying the consequences in my 60s 😢"
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon 4/5 Review: This 3rd edition from 2017 covers the conception, making and afterlife of the movie. Lots of details, interviews and eye-witness accounts. Recommended for Fans alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2017/11/05/b...
Council rates skyrocketed in 24/25 and 25/26 because the govt cancelled three waters. The govt then blamed councils for wasting money, when what they were doing was continuing to own, operate, maintain and upgrade the water assets the govt had cancelled the transfer of. This is surprisingly obvious.
Next level rice cooker.
And this is number of actively registered passenger cars and vans per driving age capita since 2017. Some lockdown affects, but it is another dataset suggesting peak car.
It's been done morganfoundation.org.nz/cats/
New Zealand alcohol consumption has been decreasing steadily for years. As the article says Wellington economy is bad and $15/glass beer is now a luxury many can't afford
Sorry but those flags are imported
Are you going for the "most wrong things in one post" record? Loop? Monorail? Driverless cars?
Not all New Zealanders eat spiders but many do. More info here: www.reddit.com/r/newzealand...
Meanwhile got a bunch of threads about NZ (and other governments) bringing in age filters and potentially tracking every Internet user and crickets from the FSU members
Great piece with some excellent graphs, the 5 things that a really standing hard between Luxon/Willis and a miracle recovery. They've made their bed now they must sleep in it #NZPol
The last day of Neat Cakes in Auckland. They were doing a fundraising sale. I picked up: BB Sampler Box - Lemon Meringue pie - Baked Chocolate Mousse - Burnt Butter Cake Mixed Box - Pistachio Brownie - Mango Macaroon - Red Velvet cupcake Plus got a free coffee 😋
Why not a land tax? A lot easier to collect and has a side effect of encouraging better use of land.
and all the maps in that article have little wheelchair symbols...
As someone pointed out with New Zealand house prices going down a capital gains tax would not be bringing in a lot of money (assuming it didn't excluding primary homes) and might in fact be losing money as people claimed back losses Another reason to favour a Land Tax
There was a big queue of over 100 people stretching along Dominion road. I turned up around 25 minutes early and was about 25th. They were only selling boxes today and had already sold out one type of box when I got to the front
The last day of Neat Cakes in Auckland. They were doing a fundraising sale. I picked up: BB Sampler Box - Lemon Meringue pie - Baked Chocolate Mousse - Burnt Butter Cake Mixed Box - Pistachio Brownie - Mango Macaroon - Red Velvet cupcake Plus got a free coffee 😋
NIMBYs who claim nobody wants to live in an apartment and everyone really wants to live in a 3-bedroom house but are force to settle are funny I troll them by saying they are settling for a pokey little house instead of living in a mansion Cost is always a factor but there are many others
20 minutes till Neat Cakes last sale and I'm about 25th in the queue I used to come to their popup sales and this time would put me first in the line
I promise you are not ready for what these guys do before they go underwater youtu.be/cAk4v34ehCs?...
Got a cake from neat cakes. Yummy as usual but I'm sad cause they are closing this weekend. Note: Half for me, half for my partner
Lol original guy has now blocked me. He was suggesting a private company based in Franch is somehow tied into a terrorist act by the French Government 40 years ago Therefore they shouldn't own another brand of butter
Good interview with @bernardchickey.bsky.social by Community Housing Aotearoa about New Zealand housing affordability crisis and related topics Bernard Hickey - The ‘housing theory of everything’ www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiuI...
Got a cake from neat cakes. Yummy as usual but I'm sad cause they are closing this weekend. Note: Half for me, half for my partner
Which country owns Lactalis?
Well with fast track maybe they could actually get some stuff built. Like some rail in the cities or renewable energy projects.
Lol. It is some speed bumps on a street . Some of the locals didn't like it. There was no real more effective solution. The locals were only going to be satisfied if nothing was built They found a legal technicality and a sympathetic judge.
They installed them on a street where people driving too fast caused danger to others Plenty of places (eg streets near me) have them already. Why should that street be exempt?
Why do project in New Zealand cost so much? Example 153: "A young east Auckland resident has won a judicial review in the Auckland High Court relating to the construction of several controversial traffic calming measures along a waterfront road." www.times.co.nz/uncategorize...
Well it's nice to see someone thinks the mid-60s US military industrial complex was so honey, warm and cuddly
You understand NZ has been flying the Lockheed Hercules since 1965?
Today's AWS isn't the AWS of even 2020. www.lastweekinaws.com/blog/aws-in-...
He was talking about an inner Auckland suburb
Saw some guy complain about: "Using ‘urban design’ to force PT down their throats when most families have several essential vehicles?" I wonder why he thinks "most families have several essential vehicles" Whats worse is he's worked as a senior government adviser in transport and housing
Looks like I have two conferences in Canberra back-to-back in January 2026 Will save on flights etc 🎉 Everything Open 2026 21-23 Jan 2026.everythingopen.au OzMoot 2026 24-26 Jan signumuniversity.org/event/ozmoot...
My t-shirt for the Oxonmoot 2025 conference has arrived www.tolkiensociety.org/events/oxonm... Oxonmoot is the annual Tolkien Society conference. I will be attending online ~4-7 Sept
This week's earworm is "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" by CSS from back in 2008 www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSd...
Saw some guy complain about: "Using ‘urban design’ to force PT down their throats when most families have several essential vehicles?" I wonder why he thinks "most families have several essential vehicles" Whats worse is he's worked as a senior government adviser in transport and housing
I remember this story: "The man said he had identified a train station reflected in the singer's eyes in a selfie she posted online. " www.bbc.com/news/world-a...
Got excited when I saw a 8 Exabyte disk on a server. But turns out that just a AWS EFS NFS mount and they always show that big 8 exabytes = 8 million terabytes.
Every Legendary Project has Three Archetypes: - Visionary Asshole Founder - Stylish European Designer - Quiet Geek Engineer
Every Legendary Project has Three Archetypes: - Visionary Asshole Founder - Stylish European Designer - Quiet Geek Engineer
Normal Nimbys make sense. They don't want their street to change The weird ones are those that believe all of Auckland should be low density. With some it's a debating tactic, but others seem to actually believe it. Although to be fair they always seem to live in those nice suburbs
The media also blurs reporting and opinion pieces. Especially when the same person does both
Too much rum
Happy August, everyone! 🎉 ⏳Less than a week to get your Kiwi PyCon 2025 talk proposal in — CFP closes 21 Aug (AoE)! 🎤Submit your talk: kiwipycon.nz/present/subm...
Watch all the behind the scenes pictures and video from movies. Everyone not on camera is masking They know if an actor gets sick it could cost them $millions in missed shooting days
Been spending way too much time watching Arvin Haddad on YouTube in the last couple of weeks He's a high-end ($10m-$150m+) real estate guy who reviews walk-through of properties pointing out good bits and problems www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kqo...
Paywall now lifted: My special report this morning is about how we spent generations strangling our rivers to make room for our homes and farms, only to find we've ended up supercharging their flows. What do we do when we realise we've built a society in a riverbed? newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/13/l...
So Hipkins did front the inquiry & they let him go an hour early b/c they ran out of questions. Also Winston was part of the leadership team & urged vacs, ACT were offering $ for vax and National were begging for Labour to borrow more. Such dirty politics & 1News analysis tonight wasn't great
Yesterday I got surprisingly annoyed when I found out that businesswoman Whitney Wolfe had changed her name to Whitney Wolfe Herd after marrying Mr Herd Wolves are in Packs not Herds!
Saw a post where you ask ChatGPT to explain your job in language a 5-year-old would understand. I asked it to explain what a SRE does. Seems accurate:
Seeing more posts from people wanting to get out of IT. One I read just now explicitly said they got into it for the money and are bored Feels like some of the previous IT bubbles/crashes (dot com etc). Which probably means that in a few years there will be a shortage of people again
I like the way this Trailer builds up. Odyssey A cutthroat real estate agent takes a spectacular fall from the corporate ladder when her loan-sharks call in their debts. A wild, neon-soaked ride through London’s dark underbelly www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVnL...
Been spending way too much time watching Arvin Haddad on YouTube in the last couple of weeks He's a high-end ($10m-$150m+) real estate guy who reviews walk-through of properties pointing out good bits and problems www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kqo...
Switch it to "arsehole" and see if they pick that up. You are Australian now ..
I find it nuts that there is a least one YouTube channel devoted to AI-Generated Medieval-style music sung in Old-English Sorry I can't vouch for the authenticity/accuracy of the music, songs or language. But it does sound pretty
So you think if you were sexually abused by your parent then their name must be released?
I like the way this Trailer builds up. Odyssey A cutthroat real estate agent takes a spectacular fall from the corporate ladder when her loan-sharks call in their debts. A wild, neon-soaked ride through London’s dark underbelly www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVnL...
Cropping out someone might not even work since they would own a share in the original and your cropped version would be a derived work At least that's what their lawyer will argue
I'm Balmoral and it looks like I got moved from Mt Roskill to Mt Albert I was in Mt Albert a few elections back. I'm in one of those boundary spots that gets shuffled
