It’s going to be an interesting few weeks when the royal commission examines, as I suspect it will, the defraying of social cohesion caused by the organised censorship of writers, artists and employees across the country for daring to speak against an unfolding genocide

oh look. the murdochracy get what they want because the australian government is spineless. gosh. what a surprise.

Doors & windows closed: check blinds down: check birdbath filled & trays of water for wildlife: check vulnerable plants watered: check soaking wet from trying to debug the sprinkler: check ok, ready for 41 degrees celcius, Melbourne! 🫠

yes! bulk data delete from companies that hoard data about #california residents. https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/115844673369147748

One of my old friends (absolutely offline) was going through some scary stuff last year -- and I, helpless, live so far away. And so I asked what I could do to support her best. "When you see something that makes you think of me, text me."

🧵Spotted at a Summer Pottery Fair in Aotearoa New Zealand: A small human (5?) is carefully inspecting a display pet rocks. He first looks from one angle, then another, then another... frowning, forehead furrowed, air pensive, then looks up at Dad, asking: "What are the RULES for these?" (1)

🧵Spotted at a Country Summer Fete in Aotearoa New Zealand: A small human (5?) is strutting ahead of his sister announcing loudly to the universe: "I AM THE FRONT MAN!" Little Sister (3?) stops in her tracks. Little Sister looks OUTRAGED! Little Sister roars: "NO! I want to be the FRONT MAN!" (1)

For many years I lived in an apartment without aircon. My list of places I could go to escape the heat in metro Melbourne

Also from last night: the kitten got up to get a snack so Fiasco came in for a cuddle But then the kitten came BACK and just climbed aboard where she had been sitting His FACE

Anyone collaborating with us to make illegal content using the tools we created to make illegal content will face the same consequences as they would if they did it alone. We will also face the same consequences as if they did it alone: none.

I would like to live long enough to see our politicians show murdoch press the door. I'm 54. Don't like my odds!

The News Corp campaign for a royal commission is like pushing on a string - the other media just following their lead and Labor too cowed to push back. No rationale, no questions, no interrogation of the problems. The whole thing is genuinely stupid.

Luddites didn't hate technology. They only smashed machines that were being used to destroy workers' rights, ruin livelihoods, or that were dangerous to workers' health... something to think about, hey?

this is a fun tale with many tails...

Not surprising that Israel’s list of most “antisemitic” Australians is only a list of people against genocide and contains not one far-right/Nazi. 🫡 to those on the list

"Technology could serve life instead of serving capital." Ursula le Guin 1975

Hobbes break

Nuanced, sensitive and insightful, as always. This piece is well worth reading and sharing. Thank you, @timhollo.bsky.social. Here's to a kinder world in 2026, that doesn't avoid but embraces and navigates complex issues thoughtfully and compassionately. in-between-days.ghost.io/holding-comp...

2025 has been a shocker. Full of loss, pain, trauma, and rage. Happy to kick it to the curb. Here's to a 2026 full of love, laughter, and hugs. For all of us.

My New Year's resolution is to continue living more authentically offline, driving away poorly suited circles & attracting rad people with similar values and vibes. And to be wayyyyyy more annoying on the internet. Thanks for hanging this year. Thanks for your support. Fuck 2025

Here's me. "Weaponising the Bondi tragedy is a betrayal of all our children"

When you want to be petted but also to smack that hand interloping into your chill

Having to be constantly on alert for AI sludge is exhausting. If you wanted to invent a technology to suck the joy out of as many parts of life as possible you'd struggle to do better than this LLM shite.

A very noble guardian

If anyone needs a social scientist and UX researcher who specializes in AI, trust, and complex systems, I’m very available and ready to jump in. Currently looking for my next role. DM here or email drjuliecarpenter@gmail.

Sorry about the screaming, it turns out there was a guy under my desk and he reached out to pat my ankle as I went past I thought he was in the living room

cheers!

I am feeling petty, and my petty beef of the day is recipes with "only 3 ingredients!!" where one of the ingredients is a three course meal complete with a romantic violinist, or, worse, a packet mix with 74 ingredients. Just stop it, alright? You're being ridiculous.

I cannot grow basil to save my life! I swear we must live in some kind of basil based black hole!

There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom

Bought @scalzi.com's Lock In for my beloved. 28 pages in and my stoic engineer is already belly laughing. Can't wait for my turn to read it! a lucky find at Perth's excellent Stefen's Books. Why does Perth have so many amazing book shops???

🧵Spotted on the Market Day Before Christmas in Aotearoa New Zealand: A cheerful Pomeranian is rotating in a skipping circle below a hotdog being eaten by its human. Perpetual Motion Dog is generating more energy than it's consuming. If only science could harness this power for good! (1)

No literary agent who is going to get you a deal is going to charge you upfront. They make a percentage. That is how it works. If someone says otherwise or tries to "upsell" you, they are scammers.

The snoot. It is all christmassed out. #spudlet

who decided to call it Secret Santa when Nondisclosure Claus was right there

So I am going to say something about romance as a genre. A lot of people think that romance is ignorable because <insert thing they think about romance> and romance authors don't count because <insert thing they think about romance>. This thread is not about whether you have to like romance.

I call my cat. She comes running. And now you understand why correlation is not causation.

I find it incredibly difficult to write about my Jewishness. I didn't want to write this, but I did. We need to re-embrace complexity and nuance in thinking about and discussing the Jewish future.

the determination on this face!!

We're becoming an authoritarian right-wing one-party state and we didn't even need a coup this time out. Just a bunch of shitty newspapers and massive sellouts across politics/civil society

So particularly if you are new to this and seeing frequent “if you don’t like making [art] don’t be an [artist!]” and thinking “But sometimes I DON’T like it…” and Imposter Syndrome is gathering you close and whispering you’re-nothings in your ear, please push it away.

Making art is not all joy and fungus reanimated bunnies! That’s okay. That’s normal. That’s part of why art is important and also why artists and writers need to be paid for their work. If you keep dragging yourself back even when it’s hard, you’re doing fine.

If you have ME/CFS (even without a formal diagnosis) & live in California, I would love if you could fill out & share this survey with your friends. I am trying to prepare for a few legislative meetings I have in January w/ some old colleagues. Responses are anonymous! cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/for...

Jim Chalmers has done a good job of managing the small stuff but Australians need a treasurer thinking much bigger than “what would Sussan Ley say about that?” Our preoccupation with the size of the deficit has blinded us to the huge opportunities we face www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politic...

Here’s an idea: we build a society where people aren’t rich and can’t buy private islands and have private planes

Brilliant. "Be angry at the right things. " A masterclass in making sense of the incomprehensible.

🧵Spotted While Christmas Shopping in Aotearoa New Zealand: A small human (3?) is marching ahead of Mum in a fruit and vege shop. Mum is taking AGES and Small Human is waving a banana towards the door like a mighty scepter. But she isn't getting the hint! Hmm... Maybe a leek would work better! (1)

🧵It's almost my 2 year anniversary of posting spotted observations of life in Aotearoa New Zealand, so I thought it would be fun for today's post to be the one that kicked it all off. It might explain why we immediately fell in love with this awesome little city that we now call home.❤️🌺 Here we go:

If you've never had a good look at the eyelashes on a greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), check out the second picture. This one practically ran me over but stopped long enough to glare. Photo taken at Tingley Beach, Albuquerque on December 18, 2025. #nature #naturephotography #birds