been staring at this image on and off all day

I missed this part, Auckland Council data was not included because the planned rates rises were TOO LOW and might skew the National Average (the data also didn't include like, 50 other local authorities), so its probably way less than a can of baked beans or whatever

The last word of every sentence is in italics here, the better to imagine the Beastie Boys rapping about quicklime.

Every couple of weeks we get a different description of the apparently awful stench coming off our necrotic president and I think it's high time the media nail down exactly what kind of rotten meat covered in women's perfume he actually smells like.

This is really the damning part of this Newsroom story about the rates cap gimmick. They had their performative policy and weren't very interested in being told whether it made sense or not. newsroom.co.nz/2026/01/15/r...

If there’s a better obituary for an evil cartoonist than an A.I. generated version of his character that fucks up the defining detail of its design, I can’t think of it. No notes. 👨🏻‍🍳 💋

If only they had some writers who would help them

🕯️My cousin Brian passed away last night. After a courageous 3 wk stint with ICE. He slipped on a fellow agent’s frozen peepee puddle & somersaulted many times in the air, yelling “yabbada yabbada yabbada” & tragically aspirating (a different) agent’s pee he’d been gargling. He hated women🇺🇸💔

Rightwing influencers are so bad at interpreting source material that they can only do it correctly by accident, when they're trying to make a joke

Pete Hegseth to Rocket Lab: “You are the engine of America’s new arsenal of freedom to project our will anytime, anywhere." Fuck’s sake.

Look up X on the App Store, scroll down to Report a Problem and fill out the form with this information.

One of the coolest photos ever taken in New Zealand. RIP a true original.

been thinking about what it meant that BotH came to us with this story I think it points to how alt-weeklies and small music venues used to be part of the same independent culture ecosystem. Arts infrastructure as a public utility — but totally separate from city govt. We so desperately need it

Was it a treat for you, for me, or both? Listen here.

SIRAT rules - #4 here

I think about this a lot

This interview was one of my work highlights of 2025 - a great chat.

Millions of Ashes cricket fans have nothing to do for 3 days. We can help. You can become the first ever fans to binge watch the Icelandic national team! In the following post, you will find video links to our devastating trio of wins over Lithuania, Latvia & Ukraine in 2025!

Back when James Ellroy still lived in Los Angeles, he would go into all the bookstores in our mutual neighborhood and obsessively scribble messages in every copy of his books that he could find on the shelves. Sometimes he just wrote “BLOOD”; other times he was more…effusive.

Now playing - Merry Xmas to us!

(to the tune of "feliz navidad") denis villeneuve

What a year of viewing - it's always been fun to put this countdown of the best shows together, and I hope it's put to good use during your holidays to discover at least one gem(stone?).

Akl Xmas 🔥

It's been a while since I've done one of these... (a radio show!) Filling in on Drive tonight - tune into 95bFM from 4pm

1976 photo with some real "live-action Miyazaki film" vibe.

Instead of NZ's Nat-Act govt handing out billions to landlords / canceling ferry projects we could've owned Snoopy

I want an oral history of the unchecked hubris of the Rhino Records CD box set department in the early 2000s.

I’m at the combination Pizza Hut and Kennedy Center.

Fuck yeah, @domcorry.bsky.social! A dream interview, and very well done.

Another annual highlight - getting the Flicks crew together to pick the year's best pics. Shit it's been a good year for moviewatching.

A podcast asked me to record a voice note about my prediction for 2026 and here it is.

A) great news. B) as I said earlier, not unexpected. Enough looks facially dodgy about process, and the consequences of the decision sounds severe, that I thought the court would hold things in place until it can deal substantively with the claims next year. That's what they've done.

I’m having a lot of fun but bittersweet ‘one last time’ moments as I count down my final days at Flicks - this is way up the list. It’s always been a great part of the end of year, thanks Aaron!

You're not supposed to pick just one, but THE QUIET EARTH is my favourite movie out of Aotearoa - a trippy time capsule with an incredible lead performance. Don't miss this rare chance to see it on the big screen tonight (on 35mm!) - Hollywood Avondale at 7:30pm, rare clips & trailers from 7pm

The early 2000s was a great time to be at bFM - and as an account manager, looking after ads and media partnerships with Subtronix, Lightspeed, Titanic/Wyndham Bowling Club etc was a blast

usually in these stand up specials when they cut to the audience it is people laughing and smiling but like 75% of the time in this it is the audience member looking legitimately distressed and like they might become ill, really good

As the year winds down, it's time to share some news: my role at Flicks has been disestablished. I finish up on Dec 29. In 12+ years at Flicks, I've worked with so very many awesome people enthusiastic about connecting others with movies and shows to fall in love with. It's been my mission, too.

The first occasion when Science Fiction Monthly decided to do Christmas in space, November 1974.

"Smug is the emotional tone of Mastermind. I want the buyer to feel judged by the box. Like the box is already disappointed in them. If you don’t want smug, don’t name the game Mastermind. This isn’t fucking checkers. This is a duel in a seminar room at Davos."

From the mists (mince?) of time, Raw Meat For The Balcony have reemerged with an album lost for three decades. Turn it up.

White House Begins Christmas Season With Ceremonial Lighting Of Cross

This is what the banning instead of parenting lobby want for us all in NZ