<unnamed>

Public Key

npub1fju3h6z4vj6wv9ep3z2mvvl4p7m9w36nr94ktkqpvzdd64dpldrs6xfajc

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsyewgmap2kfd8xzusc39dkx06sldjhgaf3j6m9mqqkpxka2kslk3cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43quf4mn2

Publishing to

relay.ditto.pub

Last Notes

2026-10-20 22:11:06 UTC

Question on a problem solution for #SelfHosting #email:
Damn, just found out that my VPS hosting can't even do port 25 *incoming* (I knew already they can't/won't do outgoing, but I've got a workaround for that).
Any suggestions on how I can work around the blocked port 25 (SMTP) incoming, while still doing email self-hosting?
It's permissible to rely on another service. Preferably free of charge, and preferably not based out of Murica.

2026-09-28 05:12:01 UTC

With the current news of a feasible breach of security with RSA signatures, I've been wondering when CAs will finally move away from them. I'd been surprised that still so many certificates had been issued still over the last years with it instead of using ECC.
This may also be a wakeup call for making a move for better cryptographic agility towards adoption of post-quantum secure hybrids.
#cryptography #EllipticCurves #ECC #PQC #PostQuantumSafe

2026-09-28 02:26:05 UTC

I'm in need of renewing my personal/self hosting services again. I don't have need for much, but I do want to host (for family use only) the following (doesn't have to be snappy, 3 users so far only):
- Nextcloud
- Readeck
- Vaultwarden
- email
- Wordpress
These are so far the hosting options looked at. Any further suggestions? At the moment the Infomaniak option with 2 vCPU looks most pleasing to me.
* Linode - Nanode 1 GB
- US$ 5/month
- https://www.akamai.com/cloud/pricing/asia-pacific
- 1 GB RAM
- 1 vCPU
- 25 GB storage
- 1 TB traffic
- US or Asia/Pac
* Hetzner - https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/#174613
- EUR 11.49/month
- 1 vCPU
- 20 TB traffic
- Germany
* Uberspace.de
- EUR 6/month
- https://manual.uberspace.de/basics-resources/
- https://uberspace.de/en/product/#prices
- 1.5 GB RAM
- CPU (as available)
- 10 GB storage
- Germany
* Infomaniak - VPS Lite
- https://www.infomaniak.com/en/hosting/vps-lite
- EUR 5.40/month
- 2 vCPU
- 2 GB RAM
- 40 GB storage
- EUR 2.70/month
- 1 vCPU
- 2 GB RAM
- 20 GB storage
- Switzerland
* Namecheap - Spark VPS
- https://www.namecheap.com/hosting/vps/
- US$ 3.88/month (annually)
- 1 vCPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 20 GB storage
- 1 TB transfer
* DigitalOcean
- https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets#basic-droplets
- US$ 6.00/month
- 1 GB RAM
- 1 vCPU
- 25 GiB storage
- 1 TB traffic
#SelfHosting #VPS

2026-09-07 21:05:24 UTC

Who would've thought. Business does what business wants, no matter what the regulator says, if it improves profit margins.
#nevent1q…xe03

2026-09-02 22:47:55 UTC

We've had a great scouts night again this week. Fire making and bush cooking was the topic.
Had a patrol making fire with flint & steel, incl. chopping wood and kindling. Another did lashings for a tripod to use over the fire, and the third prepared the meal in a glazed Dutch oven.
Too bad the wood was not of the kind to burn quickly (it was good, hard wood for heat, but not for quick fire building), so in the end the scouts chucked the Dutch oven onto the stove.
But we did manage to boil some kawakawa tea over the fire. Also teaching the kids that they have to wait for good, hot coal/ambers for cooking and not open flames (the tea had a side taste of a peaty single malt Scotch whisky).
#scouts #scouting #ScoutsAotearoa #ScoutsNZ

2026-08-30 21:01:44 UTC

I've been wondering. I'm using #kawakawa leaves quite regularly, usually for some tea. One is supposed to pick the 'holey' leaves for their 'better' properties. Some people even believe the other leaves are poisonous.
Is there any research on the difference in properties between the uneaten and the 'holey' leaves?
#nature #science #Aotearoa

2026-08-28 02:23:43 UTC

Terminology for the modern world: #MeatProxy
#GenAI #LLM #AI
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/117/170/748/209/053/500/original/5de8da6ab8b7fdf6.png

2026-08-18 02:41:52 UTC

I've been wondering: For my home-brew #budgeting tool (Python TUI tool), it's kind of tedious to always have to go and export for *all* accounts the transactions via Web UI interfaces separately, tediously giving time frames, form of export, etc. Lots of clickety clack involved.
With the introduction to 'open banking' in Aotearoa NZ, is it possible for individuals to access their bank's (in this case #Kiwibank ) #OpenBanking APIs to get access to transactions?
Or is 'open' in this case only coined towards accredited, paid up, commercial entities, but not the bank customers themselves?
#API

2026-08-16 05:03:53 UTC

A successful day baking with #SourDough. The main dough contained a good percentage of left over whey from cream cheese making.
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/117/103/436/311/710/676/original/477675d5f876b6b4.jpg

2026-07-29 22:05:25 UTC

I've just spotted for a (repeated) time a colleague wearing 'smart' (Meta) glasses in a meeting. Apparently they've been using them for convenience of being a mic/speaker Bluetooth device. Gladly so far only in online meetings, but I saw that they were at the office today.
But I'm finding it quite icky and I'm feeling uncomfortable about it.
I don't want to be unreasonably rude to that person, as they're usually very nice, helpful and a 'good colleague'.
How does one deal with it? I'm inclined to ask the corporate's privacy officer about it without mentioning a name at first.
After all, this is likely just the beginning, and there *will* be more over time.
#GlassHoles #SmartGlasses

2026-07-26 22:11:40 UTC

Quite interesting, isn't it? Aotearoa NZ is discovering that decentralised for power grid infrastructure is the way to go for resilience, cost and meeting climate goals. Additionally, it gives us significantly more sovereignty from overseas suppliers.
Now Aotearoa will also need to see this with IT infrastructure. #Decentralisation to boost resilience over centralisation via SaaS and hyper scaler's #cloud infrastructure.
#DataSovereignty #decentralization #EnergyTransition #BigTech

2026-07-16 02:38:46 UTC

I'm really struggling to get an #OpenWrt router (v 24.10.4) to connect with our NZ fibre (our.net.nz). All the instructions I've found in searches online were written up for older version of OpenWrt (19 and 21), but the interface seems to have changed significantly, and the 'update notes' only said confusing and contradicting things.
Things I know:
- somehow create a VLAN tagged `10` on some device
- use DHCP or PPPoE
But I just don't know how.
Any insights or help appreciated. There must be folks in Aotearoa having set up OpenWrt with fibre already with newer versions.

2026-06-29 00:48:56 UTC

I really like using alternative, good #DNS services. I've been using a lot #quad9 @nprofile…a827 . Unfortunately, I've been seeing a lot of DNS resolution failures happening. All on mobiles, with different browsers and OSs, whether with mobile data, at home or at work.
So I have grudgingly fallen back to Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1.
Any suggestions on what else one could do for a *reliable*, privacy preserving and low latency DNS?
Note: I like ad blocking, but don't want any other filtering (e.g. 'parental' concerns). The main concern is privacy and reliable DNS.

2026-06-25 23:38:49 UTC

Has anyone here tried out #BizzFed (bizzfed.de)?
It is a federated professional network (like LinkedIn, Xing, ...), but based on ActivityPub (Mastodon protocol).

2026-06-25 22:41:53 UTC

I've used happily for the last few years Wise to affordably transfer money between Aotearoa NZ and the EU.
Now my parents tried to contribute some money to our son's hobby. The transfer has been rejected by the local (German) bank (the city's Sparkasse). This screams to me like discrimination and/or censorship (maybe to suppress competition on lucrative transactions).
I've just done a bit of research. And it seems illegal since 2014 – though not uncommon – for European banks to bar transactions to/from banks with a different origin nation's IBAN (international bank account number).
It makes me furious!!!
It's like demanding DOCX formats even though PDF or ODT are a legal requirement.
#Wise #moneytransfer #InternationalBanking #IBANdiscrimination #Sparkasse

2026-06-24 00:22:52 UTC

So, looks like Xero's pulling a Silicon Valley move, and giving many engineers the boot.
Someone very good and thorough I know is affected, too. So ... asking for a friend ...
If anyone in/close to Auckland needs a senior software engineer with back- and front-end experience (definitely JavaScript/TypeScript, possibly/likely also other like Python and/or Rust): Please, shout out. He also knows a bit or two about cryptography, RESTful services, etc.
#FediHire #GetFediHired

2026-06-23 02:32:47 UTC

If you're Auckland-based and want to learn #Freediving. We still have a few spots left in the July induction course at the Auckland Freediving Club
Club Intro Membership: July 2026, Tepid Baths
Dates: 6–20 July 2026
Time: 6:45pm–8:30pm
Location: Tepid Baths, 100 Customs Street West, Auckland
Price: $150
This three-month membership includes three Monday pool induction sessions, then access to AFC pool training sessions and member-only events until the end of September.
Book Club Intro Membership:
https://aucklandfreediving.co.nz/induction-booking/
There is also later in the month an opportunity to get an AIDA 1 certification or AIDA 2 for intermediate level divers (for an extra charge for the cert).

2026-06-16 20:27:01 UTC

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@nprofile…sjdl
I'd actually like a good retro Motif theme. Oxygen and Air are a bit too modern.
#KDE #Plasma

2026-06-08 09:44:35 UTC

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@nprofile…e762
I hope/predict that the unfortunate and sucky choice of OOXML default format is just a legacy of having been forked from OmlyOffice.
With moves in the EU to mandate ODF as a default, I do have hopes this will be flipped to an ODF default sooner rather than later. And that would support the ecosystem favouring LibreOffice as well.

2026-06-04 23:58:49 UTC

Facepalm!
#GenAI #LLM #AI
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/116/694/537/531/899/350/original/622d726f594f8e9c.png

2026-06-02 22:25:20 UTC

I've been pondering on the topic of #GenAI/#LLM security.
There is something that orgs are doing to isolate an agent. But ... well ... the LLM for the agent is still (usually) running on 'other people's computers' (cloud, SaaS). At least then the agent only has access to what's within its sand box.
After that, pretty much *all* security is usually just a plaster or patch on top. But at the core, security is still rotten. There's conceptually no security in depth (possible), which is the common approach to system security.
So all bloody LLM-based systems deployed are rather mediocre about security in the same sense as 'runs on my Windows computer under my desk' is.
And as for #privacy ... there's no clean data classification of records or data elements. It's all 'enslimed' in the same slop neural network without data delimitation. So enforcement of data release is also virtually impossible.
It seems so odd, that 'decision makers' just don't get these types of thoughts, and then make them drive away from the Mordor of slop.

2026-06-01 21:31:20 UTC

So, the proto-fascist #Aotearoa #NewZeaand government wants to offload MSD beneficiary decision making to #GenAI?
Think twice, this is a bad idea! Look at the sanity of social decision making in a research trial. Chaos! Dying communities. Evolution of a mob. Agentic suicide.
https://cybernews.com/ai-news/ai-agents-experiment-emergence-world/

2026-05-27 22:36:47 UTC

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@nprofile…j0zl
I'd been pondering this as well when the time comes for us to switch to a modern vehicle (likely an EV then). How can we disable the telemetry and surveillance tech?
Are there people documenting this stuff out in the world? Wrapping the aerial in tin foil? Ripping out the SIM card (likely an e-SIM, though)? Clipping the red wire?
I'd like to see some community to arise around this, just like there's stuff around jail breaking Android phones ...
@nprofile…4fan @nprofile…eexk

2026-05-21 21:11:22 UTC

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@nprofile…xpw3
What Google is planning is in effect a MitM attack. Or more and recisely a Censor-in-the-Middle.

2026-05-19 23:29:39 UTC

WTF? I **hate** #WhatsApp, and I only use it in a sand-boxed user account with a former (expired) SIM card/phone number on my GrapheneOS phone. I'm using WhatsApp for a single purpose only, and mostly through a web browser (as one can type there properly).
Now, it looks like Meta has spoiled that, by requiring a login to Facebook first before being able to use it on the web. WTF?
#SocialMedia #enshittification

2026-05-13 20:58:16 UTC

OpenReception is an open source medical practice booking system. It's employing a lot of good and forward facing tech to enhance security as well as
privacy (passkeys, PQC, Shamir Secret Sharing, etc.).
Sounds like it might be a good alternative to tech stressed medical practices in #Aotearoa NZ.
Unfortunately the link is in Geman. But the publisher often/mostly releases the same content in English a few hours later, then a clickable flag appears on the same page.
Interesting to you, @nprofile…v9wr ?
https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Terminbuchungssoftware-OpenReception-Entwickler-sehen-Ende-der-Passwort-Aera-11293916.html
#ManageMyHealth #OpenSource #DigitalHealth

2026-05-07 21:39:53 UTC

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@nprofile…xpw3 This sounds like another case of ISDS, where foreign 'free-trade agreements' are biting a country in the arse when facing repercussions of foreign interventions in domestic decision making.

2026-05-05 21:39:35 UTC

So, you may want/need to adjust which browsers you're deeming as being a 'good' standard recommend for use:
* MS Edge browser is storing (all) passwords it manages in clear text in memory. A memory dump can be created very easily using on-board Windows (or other) tools to compromise them from user account level.
https://isc.sans.edu/diary/32954
* Google is to install a 4 GB in size local LLM silently on Chrome browsers (No consent dialogue. No opt-in. No opt-out. Reinstalls itself if the user removes it manually.)
https://www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-silent-nano-install/
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
#browsers #LLM #GenAI #enshittification #privacy #security #BigTech

2026-05-05 02:56:10 UTC

Embedding a Mastodon feed into a #Wordperss web site:
Web search resulted in many options, but I don't know which would be a most suitable for my needs.
I would like to integrate a block/widget into a Wordpress site that can pick up a particular Mastodon account feed of posts to embed in the web site. What would be a suitable approach for this?
I believe there was quite some discussion around Mastodon/Wordpress integration last year or so, but I've only now have had a use case for trying to put this into use.
Any tips/hints?

2026-04-29 23:20:10 UTC

I'll be running a #freediving induction course (pool, not depth) in May in #Auckland. Dates are 4, 11 and 18 of May on Monday nights at Tepid Baths. Costs are $150 and that gives you a 3 months club membership (Auckland Freediving Club), including the induction course (3 weeks) with any subsequent training session at any of the Auckland training locations.
The induction includes some theory, freediving safety as well as static breath hold (just holding for a (longer) while) and dynamics (swimming (longer) distances under water). Usually after the Monday night training, we're hitting the pub for a bit of a social gathering (optional).
https://aucklandfreediving.co.nz/events/club-intro-membership-may-2026-tepid-baths/
Let me know if you're interested. There are currently 2 spots still available. As there was no induction in April, 8 are already taken up. So, don't delay ... ;-)
Also, feel free to share with others (if there's interest)
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/116/490/542/352/024/770/original/10530bce097c2a9a.png

2026-04-28 22:17:44 UTC

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@nprofile…vvev @nprofile…zzne
The way this presents itself to me is Colonialism 2.0. It's the global corporates that are 'strip mining' NZ for resources, adding value overseas, and selling back to us. All that, while profits are flowing off-shore.
#ColonialismV2

2026-04-22 23:24:38 UTC

TIL:
Ever seen the term EBITDA, but didn't know what it means?
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/116/450/928/098/338/560/original/65b58da6f4e32ec0.png

2026-04-21 01:16:06 UTC

Frustrated the Govt.NZ mobile app for Android won't work on my (much more secure) @nprofile…8d0p
Android phone, because they use Google's device attestation and/or play integrity API. It's likely much more secure than either bloated and/or outdated devices with Google sh*t.
There's not even a benefit in it AFAIK to raise the degree of security. What *extra* security would that give they're not already getting without it???
It would be nice if someone (who is pro-attestation/integrity) could *actually* describe a true threat vector that it prevents. So far, it's just corp orate bullying, and people buying into it as it's being sold as an additional security feature.
#GovtNZ #SecurityTheatre

2026-03-31 04:01:11 UTC

Would there be a (small) NZ hoster to offer cheap/affordable/simple hosting to a NZ non-profit (a local #scouts group).
Needs are a (simple) web site (currently Wordpress), email hosting (currently email forwarding only) and possibly file/collaboration (seldom, low load, possibly Nextcloud with ONLYOFFICE).
Maybe @nprofile…v9wr might know somebody or be interested to help/provide?
Note: This might help to provide a stepping stone to integrate with the fediverse, and/or also get them on board with departing from Facebook/WhatsApp eventually. Any insights/suggestions/strategies are welcome.
#fedihelp #AotearoaNZ

2026-03-30 22:02:36 UTC

Interesting perspective. As much as I like the #EuroOffice attempt with a fork of #ONLYOFFICE, it looks like OnlyOffice does have a point here.
You can't selectively chose to ignore/drop any conditions under a copyleft #OpenSource licence (in this case the #AGPLv3).
I guess the Euro-Office initiative is in a bit of a pickle, here.
https://www.onlyoffice.com/blog/2026/03/onlyoffice-flags-license-violations-in-euro-office-project-by-nextcloud-and-ionos

2026-03-30 04:33:40 UTC

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@nprofile…wj33
If you want to leave a 'friendly comment' on Charlotte's LinkedIn post, here's the link:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7443786297028001792/
I bet many more people have an account on LinedIn than newsroom.co.nz
She seems quite proud of her 'populist piece', which is resonating (unfortunately) too well with the less educated population in the 'but think about the children' narrative.

2026-03-30 03:33:24 UTC

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@nprofile…wj33
There are multiple angles to this:
Yes, social media is bad (for kids). So, go against the US Surveillance Tech social media mega conglomerates to get it right! Bust them in court to eternity for ludicrous sums of $$$ until they stop abusing their position.
Age gates are bad. They massively torpedo people's privacy. It needs to be a social **right** to get certain information anonymously (e.g. mental health, gender issues, and all kinds of other things).
Who's behind this? Predominantly the decision to adopt age gates has been driven and fuelled by Meta and other social media giants. Estimates are that Meta has put approx. US$ 2 billion into this in lobbying and funding of 'interest groups' that are supposedly pro-family and for child protection. Meta has the most to gain (exclusion of smaller competition that can't afford it, plus *verified* identity data of users for better targeting ads and campaigns).
#SurveillanceCapitalism #NZpol #AgeRestriction #AgeGate

2026-03-26 21:28:43 UTC

Ooooh. Now, that I've convinced the Domestic Department of Internal Affairs (DDIA) of roof top solar to be a good idea, this site doesn't work any more:
https://solarpower.cer.auckland.ac.nz/
Any suggestions on what other resources for input on planning/decision making would be suitable?
I'd think we'd start with a set of panels up front, and in future years add battery storage later on (to make it more manageable from a financial perspective).
#RooftopSolar #solar #energyindependence #Aotearoa #NewZealand

2026-03-25 03:48:04 UTC

A lecture **every** #LLM bro should re-watch on a weekly basis.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ShusuVq32hc
LLMs **don't reason!** LLMs **don't deduce!** They're just stochastic word (token) predictors!
And this isn't anywhere close to where the problems stop.
#GenAI

2026-03-09 22:43:01 UTC

More reasons to ditch US Big Tech:
This is highly worrying from a cyber point of view: President Trump's Cyber Strategy for America
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/President-Trumps-Cyber-Strategy-for-America.pdf
> This is highly worrying from a cyber point of view: President Trump's Cyber Strategy for America
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/President-Trumps-Cyber-Strategy-for-America.pdf
>
> This document reframes cyberspace as a US-dominated military domain. It calls for offensive operations as a standard policy instrument. It boasts openly about destroying foreign critical infrastructure. Not only that, it also pledges to impose American “norms” on the global internet.
>
> It calls for deregulation at the very moment when any serious security expert agrees that regulation is essential for setting a baseline security bar.
>
> “Adversary” is not defined in this pamphlet, and any foreign organization may now fall easily inside the definition at any time. (akin to disabling all Microsoft infrastructures for the International Criminal Court, ICC, in 2025, or declaring Anthropic to be a “supply chain risk”).
>
> If the U.S. treats foreign technology as an adversarial risk, how can any government or organization trust U.S. technology any longer?
>
> This is the foundational strategic question now: how long are we willing to build our IT infrastructures on systems that another power, governed by executive orders, has declared to be part of their military arsenal?
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7435955619792216066/?originTrackingId=TWIwavEFeQdojh5LYKQLqg%3D%3D
#murica #trump #BigTech #sovereignty #cybersecurity #CloudExit

2026-03-01 21:43:05 UTC

It's not just the CLOUD Act.
Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google are giving us reassuring messages about using their services. "The risks aren't all that high", "Donald Trump isn't reading your email", and all of them have created European legal entities that allege to be "sovereign".
But over the years America has given itself a variety of tools that allow the administration to control US companies trading overseas, to seize data or metadata, to influence or stop financial transactions or make it impossible for those companies to serve certain customers, wherever they are located on the planet.
As America gradually moves away from international agreements and indeed from being a law and rules based society we cannot, should not close our eyes for the risks we incur.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7433041716460359680/
#privacy #DataSovereignty #CLOUDact
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/116/156/083/133/291/090/original/fdded89e8cc055a4.png

2026-02-25 20:58:37 UTC

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> "The US is obviously struggling at the moment with the rule of democracy and rights-based society. They have government-sponsored gangs of people wearing masks who refuse to identify themselves disappearing people off the streets," Beagle said.
>
> "This is seriously in the direction of heading towards fascism - the idea that we're then going to give these people access to our private data and even the private data of people associated with travellers is very, very concerning.
>
> [...] New Zealand's Privacy Commission declined to answer questions on whether it had been consulted, what safeguards or limitations were or should be in place and whether a Privacy Impact Assessment had been carried out.
2/2

2026-02-25 20:58:04 UTC

Aotearoa/New Zealand is now considering to grant the US automated access to their demands for biometric information, police records, but also highly sensitive information about a person's political opinions, trade union memberships, or even sexual life. This is (automated in the background) on top of email addresses from the past decade, five years of phone numbers, personal details of family members, face, fingerprint, DNA, iris and other data they're *requesting from travellers* for the travel authorisation process
In the US, there's currently a "let's grab everything first and ask questions later approach, which is really, really concerning about how that information may end up being used, where it's being stored, the retention period" type of attitude around these things.
And it looks like New Zealand is - unlike countries of the European Union - in no position to demand security and privacy protections.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/587964/government-deciding-whether-us-should-get-access-to-new-zealanders-biometric-data
> Any information handed over to the US may end up with [...] ICE [...], and concerns have been raised about the opaque process, data sovereignity and surveillance overreach.
>
> [...]
>
> [NZ gov] had not stated what information might be shared, what safeguards would apply, or whether parliament or the public would be consulted before any agreement was finalised.
>
> [...] the proposed scheme was much more invasive than existing data-sharing arrangements and officials should consider the Trump administration's approach to immigration during negotiations.
1/2
#NZpol #privacy #murica #travel

2026-02-24 01:56:25 UTC

Yikes!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360942689/major-nz-health-app-breach-alive-patients-marked-deceased-names-changed-charlie-kirk
> An apparent hack of medication platform MediMap has led to some alive patients being marked as deceased, and others labelled as ‘Charlie Kirk’.
> The digital medication management platform MediMap widely used across New Zealand remains offline after some records were found to have been “incorrectly modified”.
Another day, another #NZ #Aotearoa health system breach ...
#breach #privacy #ManageMyHealth

2026-02-24 01:46:08 UTC

AI Added ‘Basically Zero’ to US Economic Growth Last Year, Goldman Sachs Says
https://gizmodo.com/ai-added-basically-zero-to-us-economic-growth-last-year-goldman-sachs-says-2000725380
In other words, Goldman Sachs states 'The only ones actually making money or benefiting from the #AI boom are the vendors of the shovels (hardware) and AI-companies themselves.'
#GDP #GenAI #LLM #FAIL

2026-02-09 19:32:19 UTC

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@nprofile…v9wr
Been thinking the same. Instead of nationally sovereign energy strategies that will pay back big time in generations ti come, they're pushing us more deeply into dependence for offshore profit's sake.
Let's make it an economic opportunity to 'escape forward' for NZ's and humanity's sake.
The lobbyists' pockets must be deep, I reckon.
#EnergyTransition #FossilFuels #LNG #NZPol

2026-01-31 18:20:21 UTC

I've been wondering. Has anybody got any good tips (experience) #baking #sourdough #bread in a dutch oven on a camp fire? I was thinking of trying that with our #scouts group at one of the camps this year. The group has a dutch oven (so I won't have to 'ruin' mine that's well used to baking in our oven at home) that could be used, and I have a nice rye starter.
It should work, but I have no idea on timing, strategy, etc. to do that on a camp fire. But I'd like this to be a hopefully successful experience for them on back to basics, and not a likely doomed experiment.

2026-01-28 02:24:30 UTC

If you want the powers and penalties under the Privacy Act 2020 in #NZ #Aotearoa be strengthened, please consider signing this petition by Katja Feldtmann. It has already reached threshold # of signatures and thus has attracted an MP willing to present the petition to Parliament formally.
https://petitions.parliament.nz/88fd4852-1539-419c-af36-08de4ca872ae?lang=en
Here's a LinkedIn post by the author of the petition on that:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/katjafeldtmann_a-super-exciting-update-on-my-privacy-act-share-7422085737103142912-jv-9
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/115/970/315/513/241/593/original/efe9482daf8a728a.png

2026-01-21 21:52:57 UTC

It seems that #quad9 (the #DNS resolver under 9.9.9.9) is sometimes having issues with some domains. Yesterday for example it was able to resolve anz.co.nz, but not www.anz.co.nz.
Has anyone else seen such problems?

2026-01-20 00:36:43 UTC

A #LinkedIn re-post on #GenAI:
> "AI doesn’t create. It averages.
> And averaging is the enemy of originality.
> The most misunderstood part is that it’s not anti-AI.
> That’s an accurate description of how LLMs work."
> The truth is, we’re settling into average outcomes and letting our creativity fade. Standardized results can’t ignite fresh ideas or big breakthroughs—our minds are built to think, explore, and imagine.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/isaac-hung-53191551_turns-out-ben-affleck-has-a-better-understanding-ugcPost-7419139184067633152-2A2u
#LLM #AI

2026-01-15 17:55:56 UTC

I love the care and cadence of GrapheneOS updates.
@nprofile…8d0p

2026-01-15 04:46:23 UTC

MMH now prompted me for a password change. It didn't prompt me for the configured MFA TOTP code, but rather sent a code by email.
When using a passphrase tweaked to meet their 'strength' requirements it failed. After meeting all the criteria in the first so many characters the check passed (otherwise same passphrase).
Now I can't log in any more. Sounds like some client side security theatre with password truncation that will then fail on an actual log in on the front door.
#MMH #ManageMyHealth #FAIL

2026-01-14 01:04:40 UTC

Petition to strengthen the enforcement powers and penalties under the Privacy Act 2020
Let's help to put some 'weight' behind the privacy act so that it can actually 'bite' those who will abuse privacy rights.
https://petitions.parliament.nz/88fd4852-1539-419c-af36-08de4ca872ae?lang=en
#Privacy #NZpol

2026-01-13 04:38:37 UTC

Anyone wants to download #OverDrive #audiobooks (e.g. from your local lending library) to be able to use them the way that suits your own ways of listening?
Have a look here:
https://codeberg.org/pohutukawa/odmslurp
**Note: Please do honour copyright, licences and the library's lending period you are subject to with the content obtained.**
Fight #DRM!
If you want to understand a bit more of the 'why', please listen to the talk by the 'Shadow Librarian' from DEF CON 32 a year ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJT6_OcY_dc

2025-12-16 20:51:39 UTC

This might be the point in time where a successful project – #Mozilla – may need to be forked by the community (especially developers) into a new, unenshittified reimagination.
It's worked with LibreOffice (previousloy OpenOffice), MariaDB (previously MySQL), Valkey (Redis), ... and many more.
I have hopes that the recent turn of events won't kill the former browser of common sense. There's hope it'll become a 'PhoenizillaFromTheAshes' to arise without #enshittification.
Let's support a world with less #GenAI/#LLM and other shit in it, which is harmful to society, mental health, democracy as well as our environment.

2025-12-14 21:40:56 UTC

Very interesting. Just had a call with somebody sent to me by $dayjob on why I don't use ChatGPT/GenAI/LLMs more/enough, as most people here do (also through being pressed to do so).
Gladly that person was very unbiased. She had her 'run sheet' of questions to go through, but did listen to my concerns and took them on. And she had to see that there was no way in hell I'd go and become a 'promoter' of that technology and use it more in my day-to-day activities at work.
Thanks, but not thanks. They've hired me for my expertise, not the tools to shove under my nose. And I got this call only because of an instance of Goodheart's Law occurrence: If a metric (in this case uptake of licence use of ChatGPT) becomes a target, it stops being a good metric.
#LLM

2025-12-03 00:27:34 UTC

- reply

OK, seems to be solved now on my #GrapheneOS. There's an app 'KeepCalling International', which works. But not that just called 'KeepCalling' (both from the same source/vendor/developer).
Very strange ... will have to check what it looks like on my work phone where things worked off the bat.

2025-12-02 20:52:11 UTC

Very strange ... continuing on my quest to migrate the last bits from my old phone to the new #GrapheneOS phone, I'm struggling with the KeepCalling app. It's never been a great app, but it allowed me with more ease to make affordable international phone calls. I just can't install the app on the GrapheneOS phone (based on Android 16), I keep being told it's incompatible.
I've given it a try on my work Samsung with Android 16 and it works there.
Anybody have any ideas on what I could try to make it work?
(Or an alternative? I still do have credits with them, so not keen to let them go to waste.)

2025-11-30 20:18:24 UTC

What a great week end. Been at camp with our zone's #scouts for the Aotearoa New Zealand Sandford (leadership) course for existing and upcoming (assistant) patrol leads. Learnt heaps myself as well.
But now I'm knackered sleeping in the same scout hall with the other leaders and 30 hyped up kids for 2 nights.
#ScoutingNZ

2025-11-04 03:51:09 UTC

These are average cows, statistically speaking.
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/115/489/388/387/173/070/original/0af45cae41080ce5.png

2025-10-27 18:55:24 UTC

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Oooh. Bake went well. #sourdough reanimation after prolonged suspension successful.
https://o.mastodon.nz/media_attachments/files/115/447/649/018/865/368/original/47cc02e0a87ca768.jpg

2025-10-25 21:30:53 UTC

I think after 2 weeks my #sourdough starter backup from the freezer (frozen 1y+) has started recovering. Left it outside the fridge the last two days (not nights), and it got frothy again.
Made a leaven last night and it worked well. Main dough today and hopefully fresh ciabatta rolls tomorrow for breakfast then.
Fingers crossed.

2025-10-16 04:55:21 UTC

Ugh. I think my backup recovery exercise of my (frozen) rye #sourdough starter is not succeeding. However, this is an old backup (more than 1y old). I still have a backup 1 month old from pre holiday.
Keeping fingers crossed!
What do others use as means for backup or longevity during longer absences?

2025-10-14 04:16:02 UTC

Oh oh.
Looks like #Microsoft is #blocking all emails from European (self-hosted) #Hetzner and #Scaleway domains at a large level.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeroen-jacobs-8209391_something-interesting-happened-today-it-ugcPost-7382774061120245760-2jjG
Not a nice move to torpedo the whole ecosystem giving you a business to make you what you were, just because you're a dominant force in it now. Very unethical.

2025-10-14 01:30:58 UTC

I was wondering ... and hoping for someone to know and answer the question below.
Some browsers (Chrome and derivatives and Safari) are offering the Digital credential API (DC API) to request the presentation of digital identity credentials.
Firefox (for some good reasons, but also sadly) does oppose this API. But different parties are starting to build upon using DC API.
Is there a polyfill to support DC API on non-supporting browsers (e.g. Firefox), and thus allow web pages to request for digital credentials using it?
I've stumbled upon this polyfill for CHAPI, but I'm not sure whether it also covers (the full gamut of) DC API:
* https://vcplayground.org/docs/chapi/verifiers/
* https://github.com/credential-handler/credential-handler-polyfill?tab=readme-ov-file
Any insights? Maybe @nprofile…jdg3 ?
#DigitalIdentity #Firefox #DigitalCredentialAPI

2025-06-18 01:06:33 UTC

An MIT study on the shrivelling of cognitive abilities when writing (essays) using GenAI/LLMs:
"Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task"
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872
#LLM #GenAI #BrainRot

2025-06-17 20:58:20 UTC

It looks like the public sector in Germany is to drop its patchwork of incoming communications solutions in favour of a decentralised/federated new approach based on the Matrix protocol with MLS for message e2e encryption.
Well done. I'd wish more public/government orgs would have that foresight.
https://www.heise.de/en/news/Matrix-replacing-MJP-ZBP-Co-Will-state-mailbox-chaos-belong-to-the-past-10449857.html
#OpenSource #government #Germany #protocols #floss

2025-06-12 21:17:30 UTC

It's cool to see some of the colleagues here spending some time looking into @nprofile…vcea as a desktop environment and options for #Linux distributions in their planning on what to do with devices not supporting any Wintendo past Win 10.
@nprofile…lred

2025-06-09 04:41:09 UTC

I had recently stumbled upon a research/study (from this year) outlining why an #LLM is NOT a good replacement for traditional #SearchEngines. Unfortunately I have misplaced it. Does anyone here have a pointer/link to that?
Thanks in advance!
#GenAI #search #research

2025-05-20 04:50:45 UTC

I love how a security person has put a prompt injection payload into his LinkedIn profile. With an interesting result/bite in his phishing for (ab-) users of social media profiles to get to people.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kuskos_llmslop-penetrationtesting-artificialunintelligence-activity-7328799030057009154-uVhA/
#LLM #FAIL #GenAI #security #OWASP

2025-03-18 05:18:46 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…eyyt
What a good writeup. And also applicable outside the EU, if the EU was to charge forward with it and set a precedent and evolve the #OpenSource ecosystem that then smaller countries (like AoNZ) can pick up and adopt to create a larger movement.
@nprofile…s06p

2024-12-09 03:48:10 UTC

Argh, the son (10 yo) keeps pestering us about Messenger KIds for chatting with his friends. As much as I don't mind the application in itself, but it is in a way grooming them towards later consumption of Big Tech social media. Additionally, I hate that you have to have a full #Facebook account as a parent for parental control.
Any suggestions?
#privacy #SocialMedia #chat #ParentalControll #alternatives #MessengerKids

2024-12-02 19:59:35 UTC

The dreaded time has come. Our don (10) just got his first requests from friends to join chats with #Meta's Messenger Kids.
Any inputs on approaches and/or alternatives to this dilemma?
I don't want anyone in the family to get wedded to #SurveillanceCapitalism or #BigTech (already).
Input appreciated. Even if it just were third party clients to participate.

2024-11-28 03:44:22 UTC

Here's my @nprofile…q8f0 (alternative to Pocket for bookmarking/deferred reading) reverse proxy in Python, in case anybody is interested. It works, but the code needs a bit more polishing up. So far it's been a few trips' worth of coding/experimenting on the bus to make this work.
https://codeberg.org/pohutukawa/wsgi-readeck-bridge
#python #hosting #OpenSource #pocket

2024-11-07 04:59:51 UTC

Looks lile #Monero is an unintentional stable coin (without pegging). It oscillates up and down, but is not following the major trends in the wake of BTC and such.

2024-05-16 22:52:52 UTC

/me is listening to AnnenMayKantereit in the background while at work. Thanks to @npub16uk…pv7k for pointing them out. Good music, nice and groovy. I especially like the Koelsche accent/dialect in some of the songs coming through.
#KrautRock