Nostr notes by Strypey

> Supernodes aren't bad things, but gatekeeping supernodes ...

2026-10-30T00:40:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…r0m6
_________________________

> Supernodes aren't bad things, but gatekeeping supernodes with no deniability are

Have you tried #Holos yet?

"Holos turns your phone or computer into a full ActivityPub server. No big-tech hosting, no middleman reading your posts. A relay keeps your identity online 24/7 while your device stays in your pocket."

https://holos.social/

> Also substack are Nazis so don't read them

Link has now been replaced with a non-SS one, on a community-hosted Ghost instance : )

#fediverse

SoapDog (npub1p02…ecmj)

> Keen to start afresh For sure. Any sense yet of when ...

2026-10-29T23:42:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…9cp3
_________________________

> Keen to start afresh

For sure. Any sense yet of when social.iridescent.nz might be up and running?

> huh, the NZOSS one? Yeah sorry, quite an exaggeration there. ...

2026-10-27T06:35:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…rf83
_________________________

> huh, the NZOSS one?

Yeah sorry, quite an exaggeration there. I was in a hurry, and my verbal filters need time to work ; )

> It's working ok for me

Mostly for me too. But searching on that Wafrn link didn't work here, and I couldn't publish a post with the link in either. Just tested on mastodon.nz, worked fine.

I know you're fighting many fires ATM, but happy as always to help you debug. I described the issue on the forum, let's triage it there in due course : )

Eg see my reckons on the new Narnia movie project, which I just ...

2026-10-27T03:30:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…6tmz
_________________________

Eg see my reckons on the new Narnia movie project, which I just Boosted because hey, we're still figuring out all this 'separation of concerns' stuff 😁

EDIT: Well, I would have Boosted it, if it wasn't for this poor old Mastodon vomiting up its lunch every time I so much as look at it ...

(2/2)

Just a reminder that in anticipation of the sunset over ...

2026-10-27T03:28:03Z

Just a reminder that in anticipation of the sunset over mastodon.nzoss.nz, my micro-reviews of pop culture, music, TV, movies, etc, will be posted on my Wafrn account (strypey (npub1h8s…pelk)) from now on (if I remember).

This is to keep that stuff somewhat separate from;

* my political ranting (see strypey (npub1sgc…nnan))

* my hopefully more measured tech/ media news and commentary (still here for now but see thread attached to pinned post)

(1/2)

XMPP server eJabberD has had Matrix support for a few years now; ...

2026-10-26T12:47:11Z

XMPP server eJabberD has had Matrix support for a few years now;

https://www.process-one.net/blog/matrix-gateway-setup-with-ejabberd/

I wonder if the Prosody IM (npub1jyt…9kzy) team have considered doing the same? I know how passionate they are about XMPP and fair enough. But hear me out, I'm going somewhere with this.

(1/2)

#Matrix #XMPP #FederatedChat #chat

@npub1wvv…yqvy Just out of curiosity, have you checked out ...

2026-10-26T10:07:53Z

Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 (npub1wvv…yqvy) Just out of curiosity, have you checked out Wafrn?

One thing that gives it an edge over other fediverse server software is an ATProto 'sidecar'. Which enables a PDA for each account that opts in, making their posts and replies visible in the ATmosphere. I presume ATProto accounts can be followed without bridging too, but I've only just started testing.

(1/2)

#Tumblr #Wafrn #ATProto #fediverse

> every [PHP] server needs to be updated RIGHT NOW (which ...

2026-10-21T21:37:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…qfld
_________________________

> *every* [PHP] server needs to be updated RIGHT NOW (which was ~3am NZ time)

> Anyone who was still on 4 or 5 is not guaranteed to be able to upgrade

That's the kind of juicier I was anticipating ; )

I hope PHP-based fediverse software has already been patched, and server admins are upgrading as quickly as possible.

#PHP #FediDevs

Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 (npub1wvv…yqvy)

> because I don't see that much in common between ...

2026-10-21T21:27:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…78d0
_________________________

> because I don't see that much in common between different arms of "AI", & I think we'd be better doing away with the term

From your lips to God's ears, my friend ; ) Like "intellectual property", "AI" fudges together a bunch of wildly different things, and misrepresents the nature of all of then.

I almost never use the term "AI" without the scare quotes, but you've inspired me. From now on, that's going to be *never*

(except as hashtags, because punctuation marks break them)

#AI

Thank you both, that does sound very rough for folks with PHP ...

2026-10-21T21:11:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…9ygc
_________________________

Thank you both, that does sound very rough for folks with PHP dependencies.

OK, why is this unusual and why will it get rough for people ...

2026-10-21T18:23:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…nz76
_________________________

OK, why is this unusual and why will it get rough for people using PHP? Because you expect a long tail of software projects or deployers dragging their heels on upgrading their PHP version? Or is there something juicier going on here?

Future Sprog (npub1kt8…pr64)

> This appears to use a broader definition of "AI", ...

2026-10-21T18:13:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…2vz6
_________________________

> This appears to use a broader definition of "AI", & discusses ways to resist different harmful arms of the field

It's about time someone addressed the wider topic of AI from a forward-looking luddite POV. I presume you've seen;

https://betterwithout.ai/

Which is mainly how societies can shore up their defences against the downsides of generative models, and;

https://betterwithout.ai/gradient-dissent

... which is a more in-depth explainer on the backprop algorithms that underpin them.

#AI

The power of denial summed up in a single image. ...

2026-10-21T10:47:18Z

The power of denial summed up in a single image.

> things are about to get very rough for PHP-based ...

2026-10-21T06:35:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…xq4s
_________________________

> things are about to get very rough for PHP-based technologies

Ooh, why's that?

Future Sprog (npub1kt8…pr64)

> point me to the turnkey open source alternative store A ...

2026-10-21T01:27:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…f66d
_________________________

> point me to the turnkey open source alternative store

A replacement for Shopify. Hmm. Not my area of expertise. Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 (npub1wvv…yqvy)? Anyone else?

#Shopify

As many others have said, KB decision-makers had clearly never ...

2026-10-21T01:13:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…0n94
_________________________

As many others have said, KB decision-makers had clearly never heard of the Streisand Effect. I bet they have now. But If they were responding to an employee feeling objectified, I kind of sympathise.

Thing is, using scattergun DMCA takedowns - some of which targeted furry erotica with no connection to KB's mascot - was definitely the nuclear option. As a result of swinging the banhammer, they've now given Buck's voice actor many times more memes to feel uncomfortable about : (

(8/8)

Unlike, say Sydney Sweeney, who unflinchingly trades on her ... ...

2026-10-21T01:05:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…r9kt
_________________________

Unlike, say Sydney Sweeney, who unflinchingly trades on her ... assets ... this is not what the voice actor behind Buck the Sheep signed up for. I very much doubt she anticipated having an animated animal character being widely represented online as a sexpot

I'm guessing that her discomfort with this unwanted attention - other members of KB's hole-digging, marketing collective feeling discomfort on her behalf, may have been the animating force behind the copyright smackdown.

(7/?)

Now before anyone takes me to task for objectifying the ...

2026-10-21T00:59:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…jdfk
_________________________

Now before anyone takes me to task for objectifying the disembodied parts of this poor woman, I'm going somewhere with this. The fuzzy boundary between the cartoon animal and the real woman may be part of the reason KB came down so hard on this otherwise harmless fun.

(6/?)

I'm no furry myself (although I do have a thing for Jessica ...

2026-10-21T00:51:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…adn3
_________________________

I'm no furry myself (although I do have a thing for Jessica Rabbit), but if I'm going to be embarrassingly honest in public, I *kind of* see what they mean on this one. I think it's a combo of the eyes (those fluttering eyelashes!), and the voice.

I'm presuming the animators did the Disney thing of modelling the facial features on the voice actor's. If so, whoever she is, she has very pretty eyes, and a voice that could launch a thousand ships (Helen of Troy reference, look it up).

(5/?)

Finally, I have to address the elephant in the room (so to ...

2026-10-21T00:46:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…6qgh
_________________________

Finally, I have to address the elephant in the room (so to speak). Is Buck - as #HaydenDonnell suggested in theSpinoff - a hot sheep?

"@jestermaxxing posted an image from Kiwibank’s own ad material and sees their DMCA request as a tacit acknowledgement from the bank itself that it, seemingly accidentally, has created a hot sheep."

https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/03-10-2026/kiwibank-is-desperately-trying-to-stop-people-saying-they-want-to-fuck-its-sheep-mascot

(4/?)

Second, when I finally watched the ad (I've been mostly ...

2026-10-21T00:35:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…r6e4
_________________________

Second, when I finally watched the ad (I've been mostly ad-free for years), it gave me a deeply unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. Presumably because generative models were used in the animation. Giving it that living plastic look, which stands out like a chip packet blowing around the forest.

It's visual noise pollution, and just like that chip packet it just doesn't seem like it ought to be there. Why couldn't they have done this with a puppet, early-Weta style?

(3/?)

But there's a few things really baking my noodle in this. ...

2026-10-21T00:25:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…ru8m
_________________________

But there's a few things really baking my noodle in this. Firstly;

"Created by Kiwibank and its fully Kiwi-owned independent collective including Special, Together, DNA, and TRA, the integrated campaign ...

#RickiGreen, 2026

https://campaignbrief.co.nz/2026/07/03/kiwibank-introduces-kiwis-to-buck-the-green-wooled-sheep-who-refuses-to-follow-the-flock-in-new-campaign-via-special-together-dna-and-tra/

Does it really take 5 companies to carry out 1 ad campaign? How much are KB customers (effectively) paying for all this? It does feel a bit like the public workers cliche of 4 blokes getting paid by the hour to watch the new guy dig a hole.

(2/?)

> I think I heard a friend was ditching Shopify Anyone who ...

2026-10-20T23:34:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…0h2c
_________________________

> I think I heard a friend was ditching Shopify

Anyone who doesn't support white supremacy ought to be ditching Shopify ASAP, even if it was free of charge. Even if they *paid* you to use it, it's still the archetypal Nazi Bar;

https://stopomarchy.org/

#Shopify

Bill Bennett (npub17fj…ctcs)

I feel duty bound to comment on the Buck the Sheep controversy. ...

2026-10-20T23:29:34Z

I feel duty bound to comment on the Buck the Sheep controversy. I'm kind of embarrassed that both theSpinoff *and* John Oliver stole a march on me on this one. I've been busy doing fuck all, as is the nature of burnout. But I digress ...

In brief, I when the Greens and ACT/ Free Speech Onion agree on something, it's usually pretty bona fide. Obviously satire ought to be exempt from NZ copyright law. Or even better, BORA ought to have teeth enough overrule it.

(1/?)

#BORA #copyright #satire

I'm think about a new project, codename; #DeadPage. The idea ...

2026-10-20T00:05:10Z

I'm think about a new project, codename; #DeadPage.

The idea is to set up a service that mirrors the homepages of public interest commons projects, like those developing Free Code software. With some kind of archive.org style header to make it clear that it's a mirror.

The mirror would be hosted as a subdomain, eg;

https://glimpse-editor.deadpa.ge

Ideally in such a way that if the homepage is unresponsive, for any reason, the the DeadPage version gets served instead. But I'm not sure how though.

How the rest of the country sees The Tron ... ...

2026-10-19T02:50:42Z

How the rest of the country sees The Tron ...

"In our world, all the sentiments and expressions of ...

2026-10-17T15:22:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…dwez
_________________________

"In our world, all the sentiments and expressions of humanity, from the debasing to the angelic, are parts of a seamless whole, the global conversation of bits. We cannot separate the air that chokes from the air upon which wings beat."

#JohnPerryBarlow, 1996

https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence

(2/2)

Social media bans for children? Barlow called it, 30 years ago; ...

2026-10-17T15:21:25Z

Social media bans for children? Barlow called it, 30 years ago;

"You are terrified of your own children, since they are natives in a world where you will always be immigrants. Because you fear them, you entrust your bureaucracies with the parental responsibilities you are too cowardly to confront yourselves."

#JohnPerryBarlow, 1996

https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence

(1/2)

#B416 #SocialMediaBans #AgeVerification #AgeGating

Sadly, most people (young Strypey included) didn't really get ...

2026-10-17T08:32:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…2mp5
_________________________

Sadly, most people (young Strypey included) didn't really get it. Instead, we kind of romaticized the desert punk aesthetic of the sequel and turned the bitter, self-interested murdering cop into some kind of steampunk superhero.

This missing of the point led directly to the third film, Beyond Thunderdome, complete Tina Turner's 'We Don't Need Another Hero' on the soundtrack. The franchise completely jumped the shark with the godawful Fury Road. A triumph of style over substance.

(3/3)

For those who didn't see the original Mad Max, or haven't ...

2026-10-17T08:28:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…ftc9
_________________________

For those who didn't see the original Mad Max, or haven't revisited it for years, the scenario is much more yahoos in back-country Australia than the post-armageddon setting of Mad Max 2. Which was released in the US with the subtitle 'The Road Warrior'.

The writers of the sequel wanted to explore the societal breakdown that might result if the yahoo behaviour and mercenary policing of the first film were normalised. In combination with the consequences of Peak Oil and climate change.

(2/?)

Maybe it's just a case of OMYAC syndrome, but I've been ...

2026-10-17T08:23:59Z

Maybe it's just a case of OMYAC syndrome, but I've been noticing more and more ludicrously noisy motor vehicles and reckless driving these days. Anyone get the eerie feeling we're now living in the first Mad Max movie? We're not at the Road Warrior stage yet, but it's starting to feel more and more plausible.

(For the uninitiated, OMYAC = Old Man Yells At Clouds)

(1/?)

#dystopia #MadMax #movies

Does anyone know of an article that explains why someone might ...

2026-10-16T05:37:53Z

Does anyone know of an article that explains why someone might want to publish their blog or newsletter into the social web, and explains the basics of how to do that? Using simple, clear language that non-geeks can easily make sense of.

#publishing #SocialWeb

I can neither post that Bandwagon link, nor search for the link ...

2026-10-16T03:11:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…8pg8
_________________________

I can neither post that Bandwagon link, nor search for the link to my own Wafrn post, using this account. Do you think this is related to the way that last upgrade crippled the server?

It could also be a do you a bug in the version of [@Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@Mastodon ) we're currently using? Or a UX fail resulting from some new feature they've rolled out?

> i don't know of any humans that are willing to voice act ...

2026-10-16T01:03:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…qu2h
_________________________

> i don't know of any humans that are willing to voice act 8+ hours of an audiobook ... for free

We've had perfectly functional text>speech since the 1980s (I used S.A.M on a Commodore 64 FFS). So this comes under the category of tasks that can be done with more deterministic forms of AI.

Using a generative model is using an elephant gun to shoot a fly.

(1/?)

I guess a follow-up question would be; Well, the same question ...

2026-10-16T00:56:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…nuay
_________________________

I guess a follow-up question would be;

Well, the same question really. *Why* don't you want to work with other humans? Is there anything that could improve the UX of humans for you (eg working online, asynchronously, text-only? So it becomes as least as attractive as exchanging language with a stochastic parrot in a box.

The things generative models can do, which can't be done with ...

2026-10-15T22:29:55Z

The things generative models can do, which can't be done with more deterministic forms of AI (a very broad category including a lot of genuinely useful automation), are all things that can otherwise only be done by humans.

So a question I'd like to ask anyone boosting the use of generative models is;

Why do you want to avoid working with a human?

This is not a gotcha question, I'm genuinely curiously. There are many possible answers, all of which could be illuminating.

#GenerativeAI #AI

BTW @npub1xse…lgk3, if you have the time and inclination, ...

2026-10-14T01:14:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…qg5y
_________________________

BTW wakest ⁂ (npub1xse…lgk3), if you have the time and inclination, I'd love to have your help with fediverse.party again!

We're working through some technical debt, to make pushing changes to the site easier. As well as doing research to bring all the data on the wiki up-to-date, as a reference for a major update to the site. It's an all hands on deck sort of situation.

If not you're not keen, I'd like to add you to a past contributors list I want to add when I update;

https://fediverse.party/en/about/

Is that OK?

The account at ...

2026-10-14T01:11:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…pe6a
_________________________

The account at [@fediverseobserver](https://fediverse.one/profile/fediverseobserver ) also confirms it uses the podupti.me code. Nothing posted on that account that I can see since May.

wakest ⁂ (npub1xse…lgk3) can you think of any other way to contact David and find out what's up?

Intriguing. The repo still appears to be marked 'read-only- ...

2026-10-14T00:58:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…l6x0
_________________________

Intriguing. The repo still appears to be marked 'read-only- and the ReadMe still says;

"... this software is no longer developed."

I looked at the GL profile for @dmorley, who made those recent commits. It lists fediverse.observer under 'contact', so I guess that's just a rebrand of Podupti.me, using the same code? Archived f.o page confirms that.

It also lists @alpacasncats@toot.wales as a fediverse contact. Maybe David can shed some light on what's happening here?

EDIT: guess not.

The fediverse.observer domain name seems to have expired too. The ...

2026-10-13T10:11:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…7eck
_________________________

The fediverse.observer domain name seems to have expired too. The server is not responding to requests for;

https://data.stefanbohacek.dev/projects/fediverse

Seems like fediverse stats portals are becoming an endangered species again 🙄

[@stefan](https://stefanbohacek.online/@stefan )
[@fediverseobserver](https://fediverse.one/profile/fediverseobserver )

#FediverseObserver #FediverseStats

the-federation.info has been down for at least a couple of days. ...

2026-10-13T09:38:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…hpv8
_________________________

the-federation.info has been down for at least a couple of days. The last good version in the Wayback Machine was in late August;

https://web.archive.org/web/20260000000000*/https://the-federation.info/

The archiver has tried a number of times since then, but hit server errors. Hope the battle-weary survivor hasn't gone down for the count this time 😟

[@thefederation](https://socialhome.network/u/thefederation/ )

(2/2)

#TheFederationInfo #FediverseStats

> I'm trying to make a list of all the websites that list ...

2026-10-13T09:34:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…pleu
_________________________

> I'm trying to make a list of all the websites that list ActivityPub 1) software 2) instances and whose content isn't too out of date;

Necroposting I know, but there may some helpful stuff in here;

https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fediparty/wiki/Fediverse-Guides-and-Community-Resources

These wiki pages have been getting a fair bit of love over the last year or so. Unlike fediverse.party itself, which is proving a bit of PITA to update, but we'll get there.

(1/2)

#FediverseGuides #fediverse

#Listening to The Pit by @npub1dkn…ljh3, from the 2019 EP Hello ...

2026-10-13T01:35:22Z

#Listening to The Pit by Butterfly Doom (npub1dkn…ljh3), from the 2019 EP Hello Cruel World;

https://bandwagon.fm/668613500477057c74ab4012

I like the strutting beat, the quirky lead guitar, and especially the raw rock attitude of the lyrics and vocal performance. Well worth a listen.

(1/2)

#ButterflyDoom #LoFi #rock #music #CCBYSA #CCMusic

Clearly we agree on the big picture here. But at the risk of ...

2026-10-12T22:30:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…7tsk
_________________________

Clearly we agree on the big picture here. But at the risk of splitting hairs ...

Cy (npub1ekj…wjxt)
> I can link to a video on my own website. And it's not swarmed, not p2p, not multi-homed. It's just left to me to upload every copy of it to everyone

... unless you're using WebTorrent, like PeerTube does. Although I'm not sure if any PT videos have gone viral enough yet to test this at scale.

Sad that the author of this piece falls into individualist ...

2026-10-12T04:23:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…479x
_________________________

Sad that the author of this piece falls into individualist thinking and victim-blaming towards the end of that blog post. Network effects are a thing. Collective action problems are a thing.

There are examples where major libre tech institutions like Mozilla and Wikipedia have run consultations, and got community buy-in for using Matrix instead of Slack for their chat rooms (or whatever). Then struggled to get people to actually migrate there.

These are wicked problems, for everyone.

"But yet, despite video now being native to the web, people ...

2026-10-12T03:37:02Z

"But yet, despite video now being native to the web, people still habitually treat YouTube as the only way to publish video content on the web. Despite native support for video streaming and all the server software available, people habitually treat Twitch as the only way to stream. Despite web browser vendors working together on a standard API for video/voice calls (WebRTC), people act as if Discord is the only way to hold a group call."

https://arcanican.is/blog/2025/retvrn.php

(1/2)

#OpenWeb

In response to the comment about algorithmic playlists replacing ...

2026-10-11T09:03:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…aulu
_________________________

In response to the comment about algorithmic playlists replacing human curation though, I think that trend passed its peak even before the Great Flood of Slop. Which is reminding people of the value of human intention in the acts of both creating and collecting.

So by all means, walk away from podcasting because it feels right for you to do that. But *not* because you worry that your curation work has no value. It absolutely does, and will be sadly missed by this indie music fan.

(2/2)

#Listening to the latest edition of Radio ...

2026-10-11T08:56:23Z

#Listening to the latest edition of Radio [@bsots](https://mastodon.social/@bsots ), which I somehow missed when it dropped in August;

https://radiobsots.blogspot.com/2026/08/193-wrapping-up-and-winding-down.html

I really enjoy this podcast, every time, and I'm very sad to hear Macedonia talk about calling it a day. But I totally agree there's no point struggling on with a hobby project you're not enjoying anymore.

(1/2)

#BSOTS #podcasts #CCMusic #music

> check the classified section These mostly don't exist ...

2026-10-10T05:02:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…sgc2
_________________________

> check the classified section

These mostly don't exist anymore, and where they survive, they don't have anywhere near the network effects they once did.

> go to businesses talking with them and handing out your resume

If you're looking for whatever job you can get in your local area, this might work. But a professional social network helps people with specialist skills and experience find *suitable* jobs.

There's been a bunch of discussion here recently about ...

2026-10-10T02:08:00Z

There's been a bunch of discussion here recently about building a federated replacement for the recruitment and jobhunting aspects of LockedIn. There have been a couple of attempts to build something like this, and today I stumbled on another one. Development started at the end of 2020 and stalled a few months later, although the repo was only official archived and the homepage taken down in 2023;

https://github.com/Flockingbird

( 1/2)

#FlockingBird #LinkedIn #ProfessionalNetworking #FediDevs

Anyone know why all the sites run by Ted Unangst, the developer ...

2026-10-10T01:13:18Z

Anyone know why all the sites run by Ted Unangst, the developer of Honk and azorius, seem to have gone down at the end of last year? Is Ted OK?

https://web.archive.org/web/20251207001422/https://honk.tedunangst.com/u/tedu

#Honk #azorius #TedUnangst #FediverseParty

"... a national conversation about governance beyond party ...

2026-10-09T21:19:19Z

"... a national conversation about governance beyond party politics [which] ... could mean experimenting with citizens’ assemblies, deliberative democracy, local decision-making, participatory budgeting, digitally enabled consultation, rotating civic representation, transparent public deliberation and new mechanisms for allowing expertise and lived experience to enter decision-making without requiring people to join or identify with a political tribe."

#NotAParty, 2026

https://www.nap.org.nz/

A friendly reminder from the late, great Bill Hicks that ...

2026-10-09T07:20:37Z

A friendly reminder from the late, great Bill Hicks that regardless of who wins what electoral race in Nov - in NZ or the US - nothing much will change by itself. What Hicks joked about here;

https://video.kamloops.social/w/bd35ca5e-1336-4eb7-95e6-5d34ffa9d553

... was all but confirmed by Confessions of an Economic Hitman;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK45TyCq9XI

Democracy means we have to make the change together, and in our current system, make it clear to political representatives of the corporate class they have no choice.

#elections #BillHicks

secularism is not about being anti-religious. It's about ...

2026-10-08T23:47:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…j4w7
_________________________

secularism is not about being anti-religious. It's about being tolerant of religious freedom, including the freedoms to be religious, non-religious or anti-religious, as you see fit (during my life I've been all 3, and not in sequence either).

I'm non-religious but I'm no longer anti-religious. Human belief systems are far more complicated than simplistic, Eurocentric, theist vs. atheist framings can account for.

I'm not really sure what your argument is here. ...

2026-10-08T20:28:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…20q2
_________________________

I'm not really sure what your argument is here.

Cy (npub1ekj…wjxt)
> The threat of violence is concrete, whereas the fear inflicted by religions is invisible and imperceptible

So irreligious threats are more abusive than religious threats? I'm not sure the psychological and biological mechanisms behind fear understand the difference.

> arguing that they're equal is just another vain attempt to make people think that religion is inevitable and so they should give in and submit to theocracy.

Uhh, how?

The Kingmakers Debate feels more like a game show than a robust ...

2026-10-08T05:37:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…ay5g
_________________________

The Kingmakers Debate feels more like a game show than a robust debate. Who Wants to be the Government? David from Epsom likes cutting taxes and starving kids, will he win tonight's big prize?

Maybe it's time we consider the possibility that we could ...

2026-10-08T05:00:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…65ge
_________________________

Maybe it's time we consider the possibility that we could have a more democratic system without the demagogue-friendly popularity contests of elections, or the politicians they empower?

https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@strypey/117329709373299209

(3/3)

It's not that they're intentionally lying (although some ...

2026-10-08T04:57:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…4tql
_________________________

It's not that they're intentionally lying (although some may be at times). I think it's more that like religious fundamentalists, they just live in an ideological dreamworld. One that has almost nothing in common with the everyday reality most of us have to navigate.

I get exhausted trying to simulate all of these dreamworlds in my head, so I can filter their words through their one, and extract some meaning from what they say. I'm honestly starting to wonder, is there really any point?

(2/?)

Trying to watching the Kingmakers debate, it occurs to me that ...

2026-10-08T04:53:51Z

Trying to watching the Kingmakers debate, it occurs to me that Parliamentary politics has devolved into the secular equivalent of an interfaith debate club. They constantly say things as if they're stating obvious facts. Even though, more often than not, they're unverifiable articles of political-economic faith, and when they are falsifiable they're usually unproven, if not directly contradicted by available evidence.

(1/?)

I'd really love to see someone adjust the results of each ...

2026-10-07T23:00:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…asp5
_________________________

I'd really love to see someone adjust the results of each poll to re-include the figure for undecideds, then republish the results. For example, take the 1News-Verian poll Peacock mentioned there;

https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/09/28/poll-greens-surge-to-best-result-ever-as-national-labour-slide-further/

Here's the percentage of support expressed for each party adjusted for that, based on my back of a napkin scribbling (I am *not* a statistician, going back to the raw data might alter this a bit);

Labour: 24%
National 24%
Greens: 13%
ACT: 9%
NZF: 8%
Opportunity: 5%

(2/?)

"Though Jake Tame point out, the most significant stat from ...

2026-10-07T22:19:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…6yqa
_________________________

"Though Jake Tame point out, the most significant stat from all that, was the one that didn't create great [poll] graphics. The 13% of people who said they're still undecided, and in the end, could decide the outcome."

#ColinPeacock, 2026

https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/mediawatch/2026/overhangs-hang-over-election-rnz-s-next-chief-phil-gifford

It's mindboggling that pollsters don't include undecideds in the results they publish. Percentages for the parties always add up to 100%. This seems misleading.

(1/?)

#ElectionPolls #MediaWatch #RNZ #podcasts

> using fear-based religious lessons is ... a form of ...

2026-10-07T22:08:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…rmgm
_________________________

> using fear-based religious lessons is ... a form of psychological abuse against minors

Ae, I think so. But because it's fear-based, not because it's religious.

It's amazing how many replies you're getting from True Believers of anti-'religion' religions, pretending that this is a problem specific to religion. Threatening to smack the crap out kids if they don't behave is equally abusive (even if the threat is never actioned), but totally atheist.

(1/2)

I'm a died-in-the-wool political tragic, but I'm finding ...

2026-10-07T21:55:53Z

I'm a died-in-the-wool political tragic, but I'm finding it really hard to pay attention to the election campaign. It's all so cynical and spoon-fed.

I'm normally like a kid at Christmas During election time. But for the first time ever, I just want it all to be over so we can go on with our lives.

#NZElection2026 #NZPolitics

New #Disintermedia blog post about supplying groceries to ...

2026-10-07T11:43:26Z

New #Disintermedia blog post about supplying groceries to households in Aotearoa in more decentralised, low-emission ways, and hopefully breaking the supermarket duopoly;

creative policy approaches to
https://disintermedia.net.nz/breaking-the-supermarket-monopoly-over-grocery-supplies-in-aotearoa/

I dropped this off last week, before a young family member came to stay (it's been enjoyable, exhausting chaos). In all the hubbub I kept forgetting to share the link. At one point I forgot which blog I posted in on : P

#KiwiDelivery #AntiMonopoly #supermarkets #groceries

assuming bottom lines are bottom lines, there's no question ...

2026-10-04T08:58:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…neju
_________________________

assuming bottom lines are bottom lines, there's no question about it. If they're not bottom lines, then Opportunity will never get a second chance.

I think they're smart enough to know that its in their interests to follow through. Which is why none of their really transformative policies are in that list. It's all commonsense stuff, that any party who aren't a corporatist front would easily agree with. That's why both Nats and Labs will struggle to shallow them.

There's a good chance the NatACT First and LabGreen TPM blocs ...

2026-10-04T08:41:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…kqg8
_________________________

There's a good chance the NatACT First and LabGreen TPM blocs will end up neck and neck after the election, as they have in most polls since 2023. If so, whichever one wants to govern will have no choice but to pass these policies.

I really hope that's how it plays out. I would love to watch Labour and especially the Nats squirm as they swallowed the dead rats (from their POV) and tried to pretend it was their idea all along.

(3/3)

Anyone worried that Opportunity were some kind of false front for ...

2026-10-04T08:38:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…kmru
_________________________

Anyone worried that Opportunity were some kind of false front for the corporatist right - despite all the evidence to the contrary - ought to be have their worries put to rest by this. If not, I guess nothing will convince them.

Anyone frustrated with the current regime, and with Labour's spinelessness, is surely going to be encouraged by this. I wouldn't be surprised if they get a boost in the next round of polling.

(2/?)

#Opportunity party have released 5 bottom lines for post-election ...

2026-10-04T08:18:56Z

#Opportunity party have released 5 bottom lines for post-election negotiations;

* "Giving the Commerce Commission more teeth and greater independence ..."

* "Regulating lobbying and capping political donations ..."

* "... 10-year plan to 'fix the health system' alongside health professionals ..."

* "Phasing out bottom trawling ..."

* "Recommitting to Paris Agreement emissions reduction obligations and protecting the Climate Change Commission's independence."

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1643401/health-supermarkets-and-political-lobbying-among-opportunity-party-s-bottom-lines

(1/?)

When people ask why it matters if species go extinct, when most ...

2026-10-04T03:17:04Z

When people ask why it matters if species go extinct, when most of us have never even heard of them and they don't seem to do anything for us, here's a way to answer. Point out that there are plenty of components in their computer, or their car, that they've never heard of and don't know what they do either, and ask them if it's ok to randomly pull a few out.

#extinction #ecology

"On Tuesday, the IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an ...

2026-10-03T02:30:57Z

"On Tuesday, the IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an investigation of the [documentary] film [NAZA] to be carried out. Reportedly, the IDF will be seeking the assistance of the security agency Shin Bet in their inquiries, and legal action may be taken against the film-makers."

#Gordon Campbell, 2026

https://werewolf.co.nz/2026/09/gordon-campbell-on-israels-extreme-responses-to-the-film-naza/

Well that's a military and a government with absolutely nothing to hide. Nothing to see here, move along ...

#NAZA #Gaza #IDF #Israel

> it displays their post at the beginning This is up to the ...

2026-09-28T00:31:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…2wt2
_________________________

> it displays their post at the beginning

This is up to the client, I guess, but in the example on the linked page it's embedded below.

> it doesn't notify the person

It does. That's what makes it different from ...

> removing the mention of person you're replying to

And as for;

> it doesn't "embed" the post, but links to it, then your client UI makes it look kind of like it's embedded

That's a distinction without a difference. In what others sense would 'embedded' be meaningful?

I'm on the hunt for a kiwi with fairly average reading ...

2026-09-27T07:06:05Z

I'm on the hunt for a kiwi with fairly average reading skills, and not a 'computer person', as a co-author or subeditor for the Disintermedia blog;

https://disintermedia.net.nz/

My goal for Disintermedia has always been to explain digital rights issues, and rights-respecting software and online services, in a way that the average kiwi can grok. But when I'm deep into one of my special subject, it's easy to think my somewhat technical explanations are 'simple' ones.

(1/2)

#Disintermedia

One model I'm particularly jazzed about is worker-owned and ...

2026-09-27T01:53:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…c0zf
_________________________

One model I'm particularly jazzed about is worker-owned and audience-owned news co-ops. Which brings me back to Stuff. It's acquisition for $1 by its CEO was a tragic missed opportunity to reverse decades of ownership consolidation.

Stuff's previous owners, like Fairfax, bought up and assimilated dozens of previously independent newspapers. When Boucher ended up as the sole owner, I argued here that each masthead ought to offered to its staff to run as a co-op (say, for $1).

(6/?)

Another thing I think journalists need to realise is that the ...

2026-09-27T01:10:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…qvk9
_________________________

Another thing I think journalists need to realise is that the days of news media being funded by advertising are all but over. This isn't even bad news.

Advertising is a foul industry, whose minimal benefits are rendered obsolete by the web, and particularly web search (yes I know, there are problems there too, but that's another conversation).

Journalists need to face that head on, and start thinking and experimenting with other models for funding reporting. Many already are.

(5/?)

For a start, I suggest anyone who considers what they do ...

2026-09-27T01:04:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…3crf
_________________________

For a start, I suggest anyone who considers what they do journalism - trained or untrained, paid or unpaid - to get involved in their union. In Aotearoa, that's E tū;

https://etu.nz/industry/communications/the-journalists-union/

I don't just mean join, and pay dues, I mean *get involved*. I'm sure E tū organisers are facilitating regular strategic conversations among journalist members about the future of their industry. If they're not, maybe ask them why not, and get it happening.

(4/?)

We could spend a lot of time speculating about what corporate ...

2026-09-27T00:57:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…kl97
_________________________

We could spend a lot of time speculating about what corporate media will replace professional reporters with.

Will it be unpaid 'citizen journalists', like those involved in Stuff's Neighbourly-based news local news hubs? Will it be text auto-generators? Not because those can do a reporter's job, but because they're cheaper (at least at first), and they don't talk back.

But the question I want to ask is; how can journalists help plan and build a robust, futureproofed news media system?

(3/?)

As a profession, journalists need to understand that there is no ...

2026-09-27T00:54:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…xw23
_________________________

As a profession, journalists need to understand that there is no future for them in corporate media. They need to be planning for a future where financially stressed media companies replace the last of them, so they can compete with other publishing giants who don't pay for the "content" they carry (ie DataFarming social media platforms).

(2/?)

MediaWatch this morning also covered Stuff's latest round of ...

2026-09-27T00:49:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…8e9p
_________________________

MediaWatch this morning also covered Stuff's latest round of bloodletting, as it tries to fire it's way to profitability. As with the last round of layoffs, the people being fired are reporters. Particularly those based in the regions rather than the big cities.

When managements at Stuff and other commercial media keep shedding journalists, rather than managers or marketing people, that tells you everything you need to know about their priorities.

(1/?)

#Stuff #NewsMedia #MediaWatch

I suspect one goal of the Trumpian strategy of attacking the ...

2026-09-26T23:30:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…ykvv
_________________________

I suspect one goal of the Trumpian strategy of attacking the media as biased towards 'liberals' - or in Aotearoa 'the left' - is to produce this posture of false balance. To make editors afraid to call a spade a spade, even if that description makes right-leaning people or groups look bad only because the evidence suggests they've done something bad.

This kind of equivocating will not get the reputation laundering right off their backs. On the contrary, it will only encourage them.

(2/2)

"The Taxpayers Union, the lobby group that advocates for ...

2026-09-26T23:20:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…ja4y
_________________________

"The Taxpayers Union, the lobby group that advocates for accountability, transparency, and free speech ..."

#OneNews, quoted by #MediaWatch, 27 Sept, 2026

https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/mediawatch/2026/hager-headlines-putting-down-the-watchdog-regional-news-cuts-propaganda-and-pie-prices

This is *exactly* what Nicky Hager quite rightly criticises in Dirty Work. News media naively parroting reputation laundering self-descriptions, by groups whose real goals and practices are *observably* nothing like those self-descriptions.

(1/2)

#TaxpayersUnion #MediaWatch #RNZ #podcasts

For a while now I've been using 'hard right' and ...

2026-09-26T22:39:57Z

For a while now I've been using 'hard right' and 'far right' to distinguish between corporatists and other market extremists, on the one hand, and crypto-fascists and open fascists on the other. But the more I think about it, the more the phrase 'far right' seems to miss the point.

The problem with fascists is not how far to the right their take on economic issues (often it's actually more centre-left), but their deeply authoritarian and antidemocratic social attitudes.

(1/?)

#FarRight

Some people will interpret this as Hager trying to swing the ...

2026-09-26T22:25:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…r43z
_________________________

Some people will interpret this as Hager trying to swing the election campaign. The hard right untruth machine the book aims to expose will certainly try to spin it that way.

But I suspect CLuxon is not bothered as a politician. But rather as a corporatist - whether in a Parliamentary seat or a c-suite one - who fears this will create a democratic groundswell in Aotearoa against the disproportionate influence of money in politics. So even if NatACT First win in Nov, it'll be a hard road.

(2/2)

This morning's edition of MediaWatch covers the Nicky Hager ...

2026-09-26T22:19:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…gdfu
_________________________

This morning's edition of MediaWatch covers the Nicky Hager book launch, playing audio of CLuxon saying the words I quoted upthread;

https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/mediawatch/2026/hager-headlines-putting-down-the-watchdog-regional-news-cuts-propaganda-and-pie-prices

Just wow. He tried to sound ironic and nonchalant, and he failed completely. I've never heard the man sounding more rattled!

He knows exactly who Hager is. He know the new book is his own party members exposing the extent of the lies and reputation laundering that won him the PM seat.

(1/2)

#NZElection2026 #NZPolitics #MediaWatch

I have a suggestion about inviting people to speak at tech ...

2026-09-26T05:32:41Z

I have a suggestion about inviting people to speak at tech conferences. It's particularly focused on people who sometimes get described as "problematic".

I don't mean self-identified white supremacists (like DHH), or people's whose behaviour is unambiguously abusive. I mean all the edge cases, where some people feel uncomfortable, and others don't (for a wide range of reasons).

To explain the idea, I'll use the example of RMS (Richard Matthew Stallman).

(1/?)

#RMS #ConferenceSpeakers

Anyone who's followed my account for any length of time will ...

2026-09-26T03:00:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…v8jh
_________________________

Anyone who's followed my account for any length of time will have noticed that I'm constantly quoting bits of the posts I'm replying to ...

> like this

... in case the people reading it can't see the post I'm replying to (there can be a range of reasons for that). I now understand that Boost Comments that notify the OP are another way I could do that, ie Quote Posts.

Thanks Darius Kazemi (npub1fd2…f2f9)!

(2/2)

"Mastodon has a feature called "quote tweeting" that ...

2026-09-26T02:58:02Z

"Mastodon has a feature called "quote tweeting" that lets you embed what someone else posts, with your own comment right next to it. It's really useful for provide commentary in context, like this, where I point people to a sale and they can read both my comment on the sale and the original tweet about the sale in one post."

Darius Kazemi (npub1fd2…f2f9)

https://github.com/hometown-fork/hometown

Finally, I understand what makes Quote Posts distinctly useful. Another way to describe them would be Boost Comments.

(1/2)

A few weeks back I was wailing and gnashing my teeth, about all ...

2026-09-26T01:30:58Z

A few weeks back I was wailing and gnashing my teeth, about all the perfectly functional hardware that will go to e-waste in Aotearoa because of the 3G turnoff. In response, someone (can't remember who, sorry!) was schooling me on all the reasons why it's impractical to re-purpose obsolete mobile devices, eg as home media servers.

Anyway #TIL there's a company in the EU that's found a creative solution to that problem;

https://citronics.eu/

#Citronics #EWaste #recycling

@npub1tjt…2xn4 > A favourite or like from me just means ...

2026-09-25T05:18:24Z

Dgar (npub1tjt…2xn4)
> A favourite or like from me just means "Marked as read"

I've been told people do this. It breaks my brain. The button literally says 'favourite'. How can everything you read be your favourite?

Keep in my mind that every time you hit this button you're sending the author a notification. I don't really want to be notified every time someone has merely read one of my posts. Do you?

Is there maybe another way fediverse apps could serve the purpose this serves for you?

"Democracy Without Politicians"; ...

2026-09-25T04:08:06Z

"Democracy Without Politicians";

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/democracy-without-politicians-hlne-landemore

You've got my attention ; ) This is an interview with political scientist Hélène Landemore about;

"... the concept of deliberative representative democracy by ordinary citizens, which means representing and being represented in turn."

(1/?)

#DeliberativeDemocracy #democracy #FutureHindsight #podcasts

"And Luxon said, 'I’ve never read a Nicky Hager ...

2026-09-23T23:59:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…fydc
_________________________

"And Luxon said, 'I’ve never read a Nicky Hager book'.

'I don’t know who he is, I don’t know what the book’s about', he said. Although he did appear somewhat familiar with the work, adding: 'That some author every election year drops a book, and it’s very exciting, I’m sure, but it’s not that important to me'."

⁨#GlennMcConnell⁩, ⁨#EmmaRicketts⁩, 2026

⁨https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361036953/dirty-work-what-nicky-hager-says-and-how-his-latest-book-captivated-capital⁩

So does CLuxon know who Hager is or not? The muppet can't even keep his lies straight.

#DirtyWork

"Investigative journalist Nicky Hager has launched a new ...

2026-09-23T23:44:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…t849
_________________________

"Investigative journalist Nicky Hager has launched a new election-season book alleging the Taxpayers’ Union and an interconnected group of right-wing campaigners have helped shift New Zealand politics to the right."

#GlennMcConnell, #EmmaRicketts, 2026

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361036953/dirty-work-what-nicky-hager-says-and-how-his-latest-book-captivated-capital

That's not what he's alleging. To anyone who's been paying attention, that's self-evident. What's he is alleging, is that they've done it on utterly scurrilous ways, lying through their teeth to the public throughout.

Video of the Dirty Work book launch, published by the NZ Herald; ...

2026-09-23T23:15:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…ukgg
_________________________

Video of the Dirty Work book launch, published by the NZ Herald;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4m_-zwPV9k

Nicky Hager looks only slightly less exhausted when he comes to the mic.

It seems this book was a bit of an own goal for the Taxpayers Onion. Hager said he had no plans to write about them. But then in 2023 they issued some preemptive reputation laundering claiming that he was, and within days sources started coming out of the woodwork 😂

#TaxpayersUnion #DirtyWork #NickyHager #NZHerald

My goddess, Nicky Hager looks and sounds exhausted! ...

2026-09-22T14:06:55Z

My goddess, Nicky Hager looks and sounds *exhausted*!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SnrFXy7yx0&;

Maybe also a bit nervous about making sure what he says he stays within what he can back up, and doesn't give the subjects of his book any ammunition for lawfare (like what was pulled on Bomber recently).

#NickyHager

“No, I’ve never read a Nicky Hager book. I don’t know who ...

2026-09-22T11:51:34Z

“No, I’ve never read a Nicky Hager book. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know what the book’s about.”

#CLuxon, 2026

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361036377/dont-know-who-he-luxon-unfazed-new-nicky-hager-book

Is he lying or is actually that ignorant about our political history? I really can't tell. So I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and say he's lying, and he's actually shitting himself ...

#NickyHagar

This column seems to be suggesting that renting out an empty home ...

2026-09-20T21:40:22Z

This column seems to be suggesting that renting out an empty home if the owner has no use for it in the foreseeable future, and can't sell it the price they want, is just an *option*. Which means that leaving perfectly livable homes empty is also an option.;

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/personal-finance/1483439/the-rise-of-accidental-landlords

Did they forget we're in the middle of a decades-long housing affordability crisis, where it's apparently fine to cut all sorts of corners to *increase supply*? How about making use of existing supply FFS?

#housing

> the air balloon also helps keep the chips from breaking No ...

2026-09-20T21:21:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…nvr0
_________________________

> the air balloon also helps keep the chips from breaking

No doubt that's true, to some degree. But it also conveniently obscures how empty the packet really is. Using a packet twice the size of the intended contents, when you know that fact is hidden from the buyer, is bordering on dishonest marketing, if not crossing that line completely.

Just opened this bag of chips. Haven't eaten a single one ...

2026-09-20T09:40:11Z

Just opened this bag of chips. Haven't eaten a single one yet, and the bag is already half empty! But on the shelf it looks full, because it's pumped up with air. Instead of vacuum-sealed, which would make the chips keep better, for longer.

(You don't know that I didn't eat any already, so try this at home)

#CapitalistShitfuckery #TryThisAtHome

> giving guidance for mitigating ClickFix? Replace Windows ...

2026-09-15T22:50:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…qedd
_________________________

> giving guidance for mitigating ClickFix?

Replace Windows with a secure OS? As a bonus, you get an OS that doesn't spy on and interfere with you on behalf of its vendors. Which is kind of the same thing, really.

#ClickFix

Taggart :ifin: (npub1yg8…ccz0)

"I once saw a facebook post that floored me. It talked about ...

2026-09-15T11:37:50Z

"I once saw a facebook post that floored me. It talked about hyperindependence being a trauma response. Learning to ask for and accept help is a long journey for many of us. Go gently."

#AnissaLjanta, 2026

https://anissaljanta.substack.com/p/tips-on-supporting-neurodivergent

This totally gels with my experience of my own hyperindependence, and what I've observed in traumatised friends. It can be hard to trust others when we're nursing deep psychic wounds.

#HyperIndependence #trauma

Actually ADHD (npub1cvn…evqa) Actually Autistics (npub1pce…geep)

Fuck yeah. John Oliver on the subscription-related shitfuckery of ...

2026-09-11T12:13:00Z

Fuck yeah. John Oliver on the subscription-related shitfuckery of tech corporations;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wko-2c7lZL8

#subscriptions #LastWeekTonight #JohnOliver #HBO #TV