Richard Atkinson
@atkinsontas.bsky.social
📤 73
📥 168
📝 71
Environmentally concerned, socially conscious, relationship anarchic, bleeding-heart lefty.
Here we go, the beginning of reduction of scope.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
3 days ago
0
0
0
The irony of Abetz trusting experts when it suits him. Treasurer Eric Abetz: "The figures that we have are on the very best of professional advice from quantity surveyors, and we do not at this stage see any blowout," he said.
loading . . .
Tricky stadium project may need another vote if costs blow out
A stadium on Hobart's waterfront has gained enough support to pass parliament, after key independents declared on Wednesday they would support the contentious project.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-03/hobart-afl-stadium-to-pass-tasmania-upper-house/106098582?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other
4 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Coup Otter
6 days ago
crisply argued, and with authority! anyone suggesting this is either a con man or a mark h/t
@davidgerard.co.uk
loading . . .
Datacenters in space are a terrible, horrible, no good idea.
There is a rush for AI companies to team up with space launch/satellite companies to build datacenters in space. TL;DR: It's not going to work.
https://taranis.ie/datacenters-in-space-are-a-terrible-horrible-no-good-idea/
1
18
7
I realise that those who should read this are highly unlikely to, but I'll post it anyway.
loading . . .
Stadium Benefits - Unquantifiable Intangibles Vs Economic Reality - Tasmanian Times
The debate over the proposed Macquarie Point stadium has reached a critical juncture, moving from economic scrutiny to a battle over intangibles and aspirational claims. This is Part One of a two-part...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/11/stadium-benefits-unquantifiable-intangibles-vs-economic-reality/
6 days ago
0
0
0
It's funny/sad that, according to some, there's nothing at all that attracts young people to stay in Tasmania and that a stadium will change all that. Perhaps this would be something to ask the Premier about.
6 days ago
0
2
0
In further nonsense, the made-up figures for transport to the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium say that 3% of patrons, 735 people, will arrive by bike. I wonder where the bike parking is planned to be? 🚲 🤷♂️
7 days ago
0
1
0
That's all very well, but why not put a picture of a left wing politician for the story?
loading . . .
Millennials are the first generation to move left as they age
Millennials are bucking trends, becoming an increasingly progressive voting bloc and rewriting the long-held rules of politics, writes Isabella Higgins.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-26/millennials-rewriting-the-rules-of-australian-politics/106050836?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other
12 days ago
0
0
0
I've heard that Musk can't tell a joke. Maybe this all fits together and there still is a little hope for humanity, maybe.
loading . . .
Can’t tech a joke: AI does not understand puns, study finds
Researchers say results underline large language models’ poor grasp of humour, empathy and cultural nuance
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/24/ai-doesnt-get-puns-study-finds
13 days ago
0
2
0
Why does the Tasmanian government work against the best interest of Tasmanian - over and over and over?
loading . . .
Marinus Link - An Economic And Environmental Disaster - Tasmanian Times
This article, contributed by John Devereaux, offers a critical perspective on the proposed Marinus Link project, challenging the prevailing governmental narrative that it is “good for Tasmania, good f...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/11/marinus-link-an-economic-and-environmental-disaster/
20 days ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Independent Australia
21 days ago
Recent programs have confirmed ABC News is increasingly under the control of pro-Coalition activists. ABC News advances its alliance with Murdoch’s Sky News ~
@alanaustin.bsky.social
loading . . .
ABC News advances its alliance with Murdoch’s Sky News
Recent programs have confirmed ABC News is increasingly under the control of pro-Coalition activists.
https://buff.ly/TAfWk3J
1
50
34
'When he signed that contract in May 2023, the Premier effectively committed the state to a blank cheque addressed to “whatever it takes”.'
loading . . .
AFL Contract Transfers All Stadium Risk To Tasmanians - Tasmanian Times
Economic Puff Piece – Stadium Costs are Clearly Understated In response to an opinion piece in the Mercury from the Coordinator General Our Place Hobart has submitted two articles to Tasmanian Times ...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/11/afl-contract-transfers-all-stadium-risk-to-tasmanians/
21 days ago
0
1
0
'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
loading . . .
The Tragic View Of Place - Tasmanian Times
A way of understanding a location through a lens of loss. Among the elected representatives in whose hands the fate of the Macquarie Point Stadium rests, few would remember the David and Goliath battl...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/11/the-tragic-view-of-place/
24 days ago
0
2
0
Fail
loading . . .
The 5% first home buyers scheme is a miserable policy failure – and the latest chapter in Australia’s housing disgrace | Greg Jericho
The government is juicing demand to make houses more expensive for Australians while providing good public housing for … Americans
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2025/nov/13/the-5-first-home-buyers-scheme-is-a-miserable-policy-failure-and-the-latest-chapter-in-australias-housing-disgrace?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
25 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
The PS1 startup sound as a lesbian
25 days ago
Honored to be featured on the freshly-relaunched
@aftermath.site
with this new piece! It's about AI and Fascism, and also the beloved Y2K-era teen comedy Mean Girls.
loading . . .
AI Is The Ultimate "Forced Meme"
There are few things in this world more insufferable than a rich person trying to force their shitty ideas on everyone else. And in 2025, there are very few things that feel more forced than “Generati...
https://aftermath.site/ai-is-the-ultimate-forced-meme/
4
162
45
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Tassie Devil
30 days ago
Why anybody eats Tasmanian farmed salmon is a mystery to me. It's not healthy eating. We're being told this antibiotic use is fine. Don't eat wild fish caught within 3km of salmon pens though. So people who want to catch their own fish can't even do that.
#politas
loading . . .
Antibiotic approved for Tasmania's farmed salmon — but maybe don't eat fish caught nearby
The industry's use of the drug is in response to an "endemic" bacterial disease that caused the deaths of up to 15,000 tonnes of salmon from January to April, resulting in dead fish material washing u...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-07/salmon-florfenicol-antibiotics-approved-tasmania/105983426?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other
2
9
5
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
The Cathy Wilcox
about 1 month ago
PANIC!! My @smh @theage cartoon
13
404
170
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Nick McKim
about 1 month ago
Tasmania once criminalised people for being gay or for cross-dressing. Yesterday Tasmania's Parliament finally passed laws to erase those convictions and offer redress for the harm caused. This is justice decades overdue.
2
330
86
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Guardian Australia
about 1 month ago
Net zero is an insidious loophole that distracts from the scientific imperative to eliminate fossil fuels | Joëlle Gergis
loading . . .
Net zero is an insidious loophole that distracts from the scientific imperative to eliminate fossil fuels | Joëlle Gergis
History tells us that polite incrementalism and political kowtowing will prevail at Cop30 – even as catastrophe unfolds around us As world leaders gather in Brazil this year for Cop30 – the first Amazonian Cop – it’s worth doing a quick reality check on how we are collectively tracking to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite 30 years of UN climate summits, about half of the carbon dioxide accumulated in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution has been emitted since 1990. Incidentally, 1990 was the year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the global authority on climate change science – released its First Assessment Report confirming the threat of human-caused global warming. As scientists all over the world prepare the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report, we do so knowing that our work is still being overshadowed by politics. Despite all the well-intentioned half-measures, the truth is that the world is still disastrously off track to limit dangerous climate change. Dr Joëlle Gergis is an award-winning climate scientist and writer from the University of Melbourne. She served as a lead author on the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/07/net-zero-distracts-from-scientific-imperative-to-eliminate-fossil-fuels-cop30?CMP=aus_bsky
0
21
10
'In Tasmania, such battles tend to end in the mud and sometimes in jail – but they usually end the same way. The Franklin River, the pulp mills, the stadium: the people win, and the empire retreats in shame.'
loading . . .
Tasmania Can't Sell Soul For Devils - Tasmanian Times
Opinion A footy club meant to unite Tasmanians is bitterly dividing them Richard Flanagan, 29 October 2025 — article courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald For decades the dream of a Tasmanian team was...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/10/tasmania-cant-sell-soul-for-devils/
about 1 month ago
0
1
1
Yawn. ALP manages to call the cross bench 'protest parties' 4 times in one media release. The rest of the time they're talking about the Liberal-Green Government. Do they realise they could be in government if they stopped behaving like children? If only they'd they'd learn to collaborate.
loading . . .
Rockliff Ambushes Crossbench, Cancels Union Talks, Credibility Collapses - Tasmanian Times
In the last eight days, the Rockliff Government’s credibility came under sustained attack following two documented instances of broken promises. First, the government promised crossbench consultation ...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/10/rockliff-ambushes-crossbench-cancels-union-talks-credibility-collapses/
about 1 month ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Dr Richard Denniss
about 1 month ago
Even the big iron ore miner, Fortecue, says its time to rein in Australia’s $10 billion per year expenditure on diesel fuel subsidies…imagine all the housing, renewables and cheap education we could have if we took
#climate
or tax policy seriously.
thepoint.com.au/news/251031-...
loading . . .
Fortescue: Fuel Tax Credit makes diesel 'artificially cheap', overhaul needed for climate
A Fortescue executive has called for a major overhaul of Australia’s $11 billion fuel tax credit scheme, arguing it undermines the nation’s climate goals by making diesel “artificially cheap”.
https://thepoint.com.au/news/251031-fortescue-fuel-tax-credit-makes-diesel-artificially-cheap-overhaul-needed-for-climate
6
146
60
This would be funny if it wasn't so serious. The feral government grants money to Tasmania for urban renewal, transport and wharfs and the state wants the spend it on a white elephant stadium.
www.pm.gov.au/media/macqua...
loading . . .
Macquarie Point to be revitalised with Government Co-investments
A once in a generation vision for Hobart’s last remaining waterfront and urban development site will be realised, under a partnership between the Australian and Tasmanian Governments. A Federal Government investment of $240 million under the 2023-24 Budget, will help unlock the potential of the Macquarie Point precinct, cementing the site as the next step in building a more vibrant Hobart.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/macquarie-point-be-revitalised-government-co-investments
about 1 month ago
4
2
0
This should be front page news and cause outraged laughter whenever the figures are quoted by the government.
tasmaniantimes.com/2025/10/perr...
loading . . .
Perry's Stadium Analysis Raises Serious Questions About Independence - Tasmanian Times
The 22 October Public Accounts Committee hearing into Coordinator-General John Perry’s controversial stadium opinion piece has raised serious questions about the independence of his analysis and the u...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/10/perrys-stadium-analysis-raises-serious-questions-about-independence/
about 1 month ago
0
4
3
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Alex Hanna
about 1 month ago
Thanks to Cory Doctorow for reading our Driven Down report, and also describing a horrifying mental image: chickenized reverse-centaurs
pluralistic.net/2025/10/23/t...
loading . . .
Pluralistic: Checking in on the state of Amazon’s chickenized reverse-centaurs (23 Oct 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2025/10/23/traveling-salesman-solution/#pee-bottles
0
15
4
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Paris Marx
about 1 month ago
The AI industry wants us to believe AI superintelligence is the real threat from generative AI. But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
loading . . .
Generative AI is a societal disaster
Governments are deluding themselves into believing investment justifies allowing AI to upend society
https://disconnect.blog/generative-ai-is-a-societal-disaster/
10
1289
545
One of the most insightful articles that I've read on the insanity of AI boosterism.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
1
15
6
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
RuthForrestMLC
about 2 months ago
As promised - This is a more detailed and expanded version of the opinion piece published on 17 October titled When Economic Spin Masquerades as Analysis.
ruthforrest.com.au/opinion/vood...
#economics
#politas
#EconomicAnalysis
#infrastructure
#infrastructureprojects
loading . . .
Voodoo economics: The Government’s new approach to project appraisal – Ruth Forrest
https://ruthforrest.com.au/opinion/voodoo-economics-the-governments-new-approach-to-project-appraisal/
0
1
1
A sensible article from a former Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party candidate.
tasmaniantimes.com/2025/10/plut...
loading . . .
Plutocrats, Profits And The Public Good Betrayed - Tasmanian Times
The Takeover of Tasmania – How a Quiet Island Became a Playground for Plutocrats There is a quiet war being waged for the soul of Tasmania. On one side stands a coalition of multinational corporations...
https://tasmaniantimes.com/2025/10/plutocrats-profits-and-the-public-good-betrayed/
2 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
404 Media
2 months ago
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’ 🔗
www.404media.co/iceblock-own...
loading . . .
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never t...
https://www.404media.co/iceblock-owner-after-apple-removes-app-we-are-determined-to-fight-this/
24
438
149
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Guardian Australia
2 months ago
Dear computer boffins please stop trying to fix problems I don’t have | First Dog on the Moon
loading . . .
Dear computer boffins please stop trying to fix problems I don’t have | First Dog on the Moon
I don’t want AI in anything and certainly not everything please stop asking * Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published * Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/oct/03/dear-computer-boffins-please-stop-trying-to-fix-problems-i-dont-have?CMP=aus_bsky
5
71
47
'... telecommunications infrastructure is a natural monopoly, and that the idea of “facilities-based competition” is an absurdity.'
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
loading . . .
Optus’s triple zero debacle is further proof of the failure of the neoliberal experiment | John Quiggin
Privately owned monopolies always look to increase profits at the expense of consumers. Australia must hasten its return to public ownership of vital infrastructure
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/26/optus-triple-zero-debacle-further-proof-failure-neoliberal-experiment-privatisation-infrastructure?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
2 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Bethany Brookshire
3 months ago
Some people think ChatGPT has a place writing things like news briefs, stuff written to a specific style and tone and, y'know, kinda boring. So Science did a study. ChatGPT failed. Why? It got stuff wrong. "Also, extensive editing for hyperbole was needed."
www.science.org/content/blog...
loading . . .
Can ChatGPT help science writers?
https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/can-chatgpt-help-science-writers
10
418
232
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Ketan Joshi
3 months ago
Good morning!! Here's my latest for
@crikey.com.au
-> one of the reasons the CCA weakened its climate target suggestions is the possibility of uncontrolled data centre growth. I found the lobbyists already working to sell them as 'climate solutions' in Aus ---->>>>>
loading . . .
How data centre lobbying is shaping Canberra's climate policy, right down to our timid emissions target
Hidden in the fine print on the Climate Change Authority's decision to pull back its emissions target? The role of artificial intelligence and data centres.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/09/19/data-centre-lobbying-canberra-climate-targets/
11
165
85
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Annie Leymarie
3 months ago
As for biodiversity, a brand new study also confirms what's well established: overall ruminant meat, especially from grazing animals (which require more land, entailing more carbon & biodiversity opportunity costs) has the biggest 'extinction footprint' of all foods:
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
6
144
53
“I just want people to know that AI is being sold as this tech magic – that’s why there’s a little sparkle symbol next to an AI response,” said Sawyer. “But it’s not. It’s built on the backs of overworked, underpaid human beings.”
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
loading . . .
How thousands of ‘overworked, underpaid’ humans train Google’s AI to seem smart
Contracted AI raters describe grueling deadlines, poor pay and opacity around work to make chatbots intelligent
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/11/google-gemini-ai-training-humans?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
3 months ago
2
2
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Pat Caplice
3 months ago
Tassie (that I know of) Brendan Blomeley. Mayor. Clarence City Council Marty Zucco. Councillor. Hobart City Council Louise Elliott. Councillor. Hobart City Council
3
15
9
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
RuthForrestMLC
3 months ago
Over coming days I will post a number of updated breaking down some of the information provided in the publicly available but heavily redacted Whole of State Business Case - this us the first
#energy
#energytransition
#marinus
#transparency
#politas
ruthforrest.com.au/opinion/mari...
loading . . .
MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC) – Update 1 – Ruth Forrest
https://ruthforrest.com.au/opinion/marinus-stage-1-whole-of-state-business-case-wosbc-update-1/
0
3
1
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
The Driven
3 months ago
The proposed Road User Tax is a political dog-whistle that will have the fossil fuel industry laughing all the way to the bank. Here are 10 reasons why it is bad policy.
loading . . .
10 reasons why Labor's proposed EV-only Road User Tax is bad policy
The proposed Road User Tax is a political dog-whistle that will have the fossil fuel industry laughing all the way to the bank. Here are 10 reasons why it is bad policy.
https://thedriven.io/2025/08/25/10-reasons-why-labors-proposed-ev-only-road-user-tax-is-bad-policy/
2
21
14
Why are these stories pitched as age verificaron of children? It's the rest of us that will need to verify our age, not children.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
loading . . .
The age verification technologies under-16s could face amid social media ban
Handing over identification documents or biometric screening — these are the barriers teens could face under the social media ban.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-04/how-age-verification-tools-work-australia-social-media-ban/105720526?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other
3 months ago
0
0
0
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
First Dog On The Moon
loading . . .
Across the nation, the March for Australia got underway stuffed full of Australians from all walks of (intolerant of other people) life | First Dog on the Moon
Enough is enough!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/sep/01/across-the-nation-the-march-for-australia-got-underway-stuffed-full-of-australians-from-all-walks-of-intolerant-of-other-people-life-ntwnfb?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
3 months ago
0
0
0
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
'Last year, Parisians voted to triple parking costs for SUVs, in order to tackle air pollution and climate breakdown by targeting generally richer drivers in heavy, large and polluting cars.' Gimme summa dat.
loading . . .
Safety and space at risk as SUVs reach 30% of car market in English cities, researchers warn
Campaigners call for Paris-style parking charges amid fears big vehicles are taking up excessive public space
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/29/giant-cars-motoring-uk-public-safety-paris?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
3 months ago
0
0
0
Hobart drinks the Kool-Aid.
pulsetasmania.com.au/news/hobart-...
loading . . .
Hobart council considering AI to streamline planning processes
A motion from Louise Elliot seeking endorsement to pursue early investigations into AI…
https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/hobart-council-considering-ai-to-streamline-planning-processes/
3 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Bill Browne
4 months ago
Labor's failure to compromise means there's a Liberal government in Tasmania -- but that doesn't stop Labor from legislating progressive policies from opposition. Could start with truth in political advertising laws. If they fail to do so, it's a failure of will not a fault of the crossbench.
add a skeleton here at some point
1
27
7
Tasmanian ALP criticising the cross bench. (HT JCC)
#politas
4 months ago
1
2
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Rick Lane
4 months ago
Every tech update now is like: "Great news, the word processor you've relied on for twenty years has learned to juggle! Is it good at it? No! Does it help in any way? Of course not! Has it made it insufferable to use? Oh, absolutely."
98
6208
1817
✅ 'Contains no artificial flavours or colourings' ❓Produced with 'artificial intelligence'
4 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Christine Milne
4 months ago
Imagine having a Productivity Summit with the theme of Resilence and failing to address first up the impact on Australian life, community, landscape and infrastructure of existential twin crises of global heating and biodiversity collapse. Instead it’ll be Env is a handbrake on ‘jobs and growth’.
14
197
80
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Asher Wolf
4 months ago
The Friends' School in Hobart - a Quaker institution - boycotts STEM programs sponsored by weapons manufacturers
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
loading . . .
School cuts ties with STEM programs sponsored by weapons manufacturers
The Friends' School in Hobart — the world's largest Quaker school — says the weapons sponsorships do not align with the school's peaceful philosophy.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-15/friends-school-boycotts-stem-programs-weapons-manufacturers/105657330
8
139
58
reposted by
Richard Atkinson
Paris Marx
4 months ago
Canada is facing one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, and my home province is particularly hard hit. Seeing how false and misleading information about the fires is spreading online has only further convinced me social media, especially Facebook, is a social cancer.
loading . . .
Wading through the social media haze
Wildfire responses in Canada stifled by misinformation, particularly on on Facebook
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/wading-through-the-social-media-haze
15
580
148
Load more
feeds!
log in