The @guardian gets the headline right 🏆 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

#Helsinki achieved zero road deaths in a year—without autonomous vehicles on its streets. They did it through road diets, car-free zones, and 30 km/h speed limits. Not by flooding the streets with robotaxis. (Waymo isn't allowed in #Finland.) To really save lives... 🧵

Given obvious markets for Black horror (Sinners, Get Out, Nope, Candyman) and stylish Neo-noir action (John Wick, Nobody, Monkey Man) it's incredible that Marvel couldn't piece together the cinematic concept of letting a handsome two-time Oscar winner dice up vampires in a nightclub for 100 minutes.

Umm. Walmart. U OK.

“What the hell kind of Christian is this guy anyway?” From the new Private Eye, out now.

EXCLUSIVE: Leaked WhatsApp messages show Labour MPs urging govt to leave X, arguing that it should "show direction to others in the UK" The MPs said X owner Elon Musk is "fascist" and that the platform's AI tool, Grok, had put "children in harm's way"

It’s time for governments and politicians to get off the child porn app. Staying is a statement of its own.

In case you've seen the story about “grok now only generates images for paid users”, it's untrue. Apparently everyone just reported it because… it was what grok told them 🤦🏼 www.theverge.com/news/859309/...

Pathetic. Both of them.

Average monthly job growth since April (Liberation Day): USA: ==========+12k Canada: ======================+22k.

This is extremely not an accident.

like, the Linehan of even a decade ago would not be cheering on the murder of a woman in the street by a fascist U.S. government. But he is now!

"He's very rich, you see."

"Macroharder" Because the people with all the money and power are also somehow 12 years old.

Superstition xkcd.com/3191/

"We had to readjust the branding to fit the new schedule following the boycott."

I picture her given him the coin and there’s an awkward pause and some aide whispers to her, “And the money?”

La Mafia Imperialiste. (Front page, @humanite.fr magazine.)

Hello Tim Cook I worked at Tumblr when you gave us 48 hours to get rid of all the consenting, adult boobs. Up all night at your whim, out of the blue. But you're still cool with Twitter and its CSAM and revenge porn and whatever the fuck this is? Why do you even HAVE guidelines?

Sit Rep: 3pm Shit is worse, it is going to get worse. Rapidly evolving situation across all of Victoria. In addition to the Longwood and Walwa fires 3 New Emergency Warnings have been issued for new fires. Major Towns are in impact maps. #VicFires

'Matinee Idle' co-hosts Phil O'Brien and Simon Morris sign off

The best way I can describe Matinee Idle is like an old school op shop where you wander through a lot of bric a brac to find gems that are all the more special for the journey. It was an acquired taste which I will miss immensely. www.rnz.co.nz/life/culture...

"The Office of the Clerk is currently considering its use of X as a platform." Shaming works

“New technologies will come along to save the environment.” What they said versus where we are: From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

I'm glad to see this pressure on Google and Apple. If any other company was running an active CSAM generator in public you better believe it would have been removed from their app stores by now www.wired.com/story/x-grok...

the man widely regarded as creator of Korean fried chicken has died www.koreaherald.com/article/1065...

I think important context not in that article is while international arrivals to Queenstown are up 40%, arrivals to New Zealand are down 7% (2025 vs 2019). It is changes in where people are arriving- Invercargill is up 204% and Hamilton up 22,850% in the same period but won't get glossy adverstories

The NZX itself is still on the pedo site

UFO art circa 1973-77 by Bruce Pennington

I think what is remarkable here is that it illustrates the bubble Trump is in. As soon as another human being questions his interpretation as they watch the actual video, he moves on. Online, and clearly in the White House, no-one is pushing back and so he makes outlandish claims.

Denmark changes Greenland’s name to Epstein Island so Trump will stop talking about it.

just sorta feels like every investor and company and even many ppl rn have a big strategy whiteboard and the only thing on it is the word “thunderdome?” circled 40x

I remain convinced that if the mainstream media simply treated this administration the same way it treated the Biden administration *or even Trump 1*, this one would already have collapsed less than a year in. These people are deeply, fundamentally insecure and terrified of any resistance.

Birthday remembrance - William Hartnell, the first Doctor #botd

This is from Orbital by Samantha Harvey, and it so perfectly speaks to our moment that it is quite difficult to read.

Why do you think he signed up to ICE?

Dum-dums throwing money down a hole, sounds like current management, yeah.

Still vey accurate and frightening. NZer Low was on the Gestapo arrest list had the Germans invaded Britain.

more generations need to discover M*A*S*H

Was just reading an article about Tim Shadbolt that embedded a tribute from Chris Luxon on X. 1) Oh look, he can publicly respond to current events. 2) I forget he used X... I wonder if... Oh yeah, there it is. The response is exactly what was requested.

Perception of reality is inimicable to life, according to jellyfish. Yeah that tracks.

Poster for TWINKLE, TWINKLE, "KILLER" KANE (aka THE NINTH CONFIGURATION - 1980) Written and directed by William Peter Blatty - BOTD in 1928

Meanwhile rentals available in Wellington have doubled.

The most expensive place to rent in New Zealand is Central Otago Lakes District

I often get approached by fraud victims who want to expose a costly con. My well-worn pep talk goes a bit like this: “I can help expose what happened, maybe nudge authorities to take a proper look, but in all likelihood your money is gone.” www.nzherald.co.nz/business/per...

Timeliness cleanse on a rough day online - Routeburn Falls just before Christmas. Touch some grass, hug a tree and listen to water falling or waves at the beach.

📣 reshare if you think that world leaders are not doing enough to drive climate actions at every front 📣