Calling new tech companies “startups” is a problem, it’s used to justify irresponsible business practices and negligence toward social impacts. New businesses start all the time. Tech businesses have been a growth focus for generations. There’s no need to forgive them if they play stupid games.

I imagine the cost to get ahead of this outbreak, to support the population and medical teams and all that will entail, all that cost will be less than the cost of the first 24 hours of renewed war with Iran that it seems likely we'll see kicked off by Israel and the USA in the coming days.

I'm not always a fan of friendlyjordies, (sometimes Labor gets it wrong and needs criticism). But today we're on the same page while he's laying into the "aspirational landlord class".

It’s disappointing that the racist “Helen of Troy can’t be a black woman” would persist even if they had the origin story in the movie: Zeus as a swan impregnates either Leda or the goddess Nemesis, an egg is laid which Leda cares for and from which Helen emerges.

“Amaze amaze amaze” shows a linguistic device called reduplication used in many languages as an intensifier or to form plurals. For Aussies, it’s why we had place names like Wagga Wagga. It’s not formal English so it can sound childish or informal to us, but it’s just normal language for many.

Labor denies CGT tax reform will ‘kill startups’ as tech giant Canva warns of stifling innovation

I find it fascinating when animals masquerade as other animals, living among them as predators or parasites. Like Wikipedia saying Chris Minns is a Labor State Premier but his actions and words reveal him in practice as one of the most effective Liberal leaders in the country.

Why is News Corp attacking tax reform? Because it’s actually a real estate company www.crikey.com.au/2026/05/20/t...

I got a weird message yesterday about my hot water account being cancelled, so I got on the chatbot help and it said it seemed very strange likely fraud and to report it. So I filled in a fraud report at the government website. This morning I have several more emails and the account is cancelled.

BBC on US negotiations for bases in Greenland that amount to Greenland permanently ceding sovereignty to the US in both territory and economic activity. #AUKUS increases US military presence in Australia as well. I don’t believe they have any respect for Australia’s needs or interests. #auspol

One day someone is going to do a dissertation on algorithmic feeds and the impact of trying to understand why the machine is showing you whatever the hell it’s showing you today. Today my Instagram feed is filled with clips and interviews for Hail Mary, Lord of the Rings, and Andor.

Story/analysis of US military hamstrung by equipment supply prioritising private profit over effectiveness in the field. Multiply downstream to us if we organise our navy around US submarines. Also a Ukraine story on the value of being masters of your own military equipment supply. #AUKUS #auspol

Pets are well known to have positive health impacts, both physical and mental health. Denying rental tenants who would like to have pets is prejudicial to their wellbeing and just another way we like to punish people for being less well off.

Weird: Hasbro having been trying to turn D&D book sales from a one time purchase by a subset of players into recurring revenue from all. Earning hate from players with each new manoeuvre. Fender are now aggressively deploying lawyers to ring fence the iconic Stratocaster design (after 70 years).

It’s a simple thing but I love the smell of rice when the rice cooker doing its job.

as an ‘older’ Australian I’m increasingly concerned about having a secure roof over my head #housingcrisis #auspol

A shockingly pathological proportion of the energy industry and even some wild sections of the climate space treat gas not only like it isn't a fossil fuel but like it's the same as wind and solar. It is truly bonkers

Insomnia is awful. (He writes at 2am.) I think maybe I should go do the sitting up and reading until my eyes close then back to bed trick.

We should take pride in helping those in need, instead of this nastiness and cruel gatekeeping. To never deny or accuse or punish people in need means we'll give a more than some theoretical optimum: a worthy price to be sure no one in need goes without or suffers because of our systems. #auspol

New music from a long time favourite composer: Ola Gjello

"We will define biological sex in the Act. Male or female. The sex you are born. And we will protect single-sex spaces across Australian life." Well _akshully_, as this biology paper discusses in detail, "There is No Consensus on Biological Sex": onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #auspol

I'd love to know if increased public transport use, and perhaps more cost sensitive driving, is having an impact on traffic conditions and accident rates. Esp, if we could compare areas better or worse served by public transport. I'd hope that fewer cars on the roads would make roads safer. #auspol

One of Claudia Goldin’s findings (2023 Nobel prize economics) is a fairly robust J-curve for women’s participation during industrialisation (considered nation by nation). Pre-industrialisation women often worked with their husbands, learned those skills, and took over the family business as needed.

“And of course no individuals will get done for it”. Corporate decision makers are expected to and are forgiven for almost anything done to make greater profits. Shareholder primacy, fiscal responsibility, etc, have all been twisted for some supposed obligation to the profit motive. #auspol

“Australians will need to exhaust ‘all appropriate’ treatment options to access NDIS under proposed rules” Including people who may be housebound, have memory or speaking problems, who may not have much internet ability, whose needs make consistently turning up impossible. Insultingly unrealistic.

Moral taxes are a two edged sword, high prices and health campaigns will in time diminish the trade, but government gets addicted to excise income. One day government will have to fix the fundamental tax system to deliver progressive personal tax for high incomes and company tax without loopholes.

GitLab layoffs for AI initiative and Shares in Gitlab down 9%. But noted in a Forbes story recently: Markets no longer rewarding companies for down sizing, treating it as weakness. AI initiatives were being used bluff about down sizing. And now investors are increasingly unimpressed by the fig leaf.

I’m not a wealthy person. Will never be able to buy a house. However $250 will do bugger all to change my situation. It will do a lot more to change someone on Jobseeker’s situation. Weekly that is. #Auspol.

Just found a great new protest rhyme in Spanish: “La educación no se vende, se defiende”. “You don’t sell education, you defend it.” I think it’s come up in an Argentinian context, where government funding is a problem, but it’s a universal concern. #universidadpublica #educacionpublica

No one in govt is talking about before the budget, but just FYI, the level of Jobseeker is now 42% below the poverty line - worse than it was during the Howard years... live.thepoint.com.au

Small kindnesses make a big difference. I was at the laundromat doing some work while the laundry ran. The cleaner was doing his thing and when he came to refill the vending machine offered me my pick of a drink. I have had some really bad days and low mood’s recently and this sort of thing helps.

Tips for working with AI: Don't ask AI for answers. Ask AI for options and rationales. Then ask for opposing options and rationales. If you get an answer that says choose A, then also ask why not A, or why B instead. Give yourself a palette of options and take responsibility for your final choices.

A tidy piece on the US Virginia class submarines being purchased as part of AUKUS. It's more than just the money. It also gives the US a submarine base facing China's oil shipping and commits Australia to join US conflicts, (trusting the US will be reasonable in the wars it chooses).

Don Pettit, the oldest active astronaut at age 71, is growing potatoes in zero-g on the ISS to satisfy his own curiosity. I’m trying to find some clever words, but I’ve got nothing.

It’s so hard to do satire in this day and age: Trump and Homelander unveil their golden statues on the same day.

Pretty much every management and team org book talks about sustainable work practices. Any company whose leadership doesn’t prioritise those things is knowingly transferring a cost to their workers. For physical harm we decided the org is responsible, the question is who pays for mental health harm.

Toad looked at the sunshine coming through the window. “Frog,” he said, “I am so glad that you came over.” “I always do,” said Frog.

Masayo Fukuda, contemporary master of kirie, or Japanese paper-cutting, crafting hyper detailed creatures from single sheets of paper #womensart

I've definitely gone down the YouTube algorithmic rabbit hole when I'm the first listener on a channel with a single subscriber for a live video of an alt rock ballad from a small scale Japanese band performing on tour in Shanghai a couple of weeks ago. And I am more than okay with that.

“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.

Yep, habit had me checking social media this morning, but between algorithmic rage-baiting and toxic comments, I’m going to try to stay clear of social media for the rest of the day, it’s a tough habit to say no to, but I don’t need the annoyance.

Feed people. House people. Make people safe. Protect nature. Reduce waste. Reduce energy usage. What am I? An extremist. #Auspol.

I love the sound of wind and rain when I’m snug at home at night.

Detailed article, worth a read. Some topics were already on my radar (FOI weaknesses, non release of inquiry reports), but there’s a lot more procedural stuff I wasn’t aware of, painting a picture of politicians’ wide reaching disregard for what I assume to be essentials of our democratic system.

I’m having one of those days where my attention is drawn to all the bad things. I’m going to go offline, at least away from anything with current affairs etc, maybe for a couple of days. (Exceptions made for job hunting.)

I don't only think that college should be FREE but I think young people should also receive living stipends while in school. Finally, I do not care what they major in because education needs to actually BE DECOUPLED from a future job. You are welcome. You should have 4 years to study anything.

NDIS cuts: How we treat the vulnerable tells us who we really are. What politicians do to the vulnerable is what they’d do to you if they could get away with it.

Apparently Stack Overflow site visit stats are way down, but I just searched for an answer for “what is the difference between dynamic programming and memoization” and Stack Overflow had already pinpointed the difference with an elegantly succinct answer. Stack Overflow, I still love you!

For those unsure of how different Australia is from the US or UK, here’s a neat little introduction to our constitution.