Today's #APOD demonstrates the highly damaging effect of satellites on astronomical photography. Long exposures end up looking like the Tholian Web. Can you find the comet tails amongst the noise? https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260427.html
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Dave Moskovitz (((❤️)))
@davemosk@mastodon.nz
mastodon 4.7.2Building the world I want to live in. Chartered Director & Startup Investor; Business Geek, Tohunga Rorohiko, Lexicographer, Klezmer, Reprobate.
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418 Following
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Joined November 20, 2022
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Whetū Kairangi, Aotearoa
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Palantir posted a manifesto that reads like the ramblings of a comic book villain
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/palantir-posted-a-manifesto-that-reads-like-the-ramblings-of-a-comic-book-villain-181947361.html?src=rss
Palantir shared 22 points excerpted from CEO Alex Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska's 2025 book, The Technological Republic, and they're troubling.
Court Win Against Hanson is a Win for Every Australian Muslim - Australian Muslim Advocacy Network
https://www.aman.net.au/court-win-against-hanson-is-a-win-for-every-australian-muslim/
MEDIA RELEASE 28 July 2026 The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network congratulates Senator Mehreen Faruqi. Yesterday, the Full Federal Court threw out Pauline Hanson’s appeal. All three judges agreed. She lost on every single ground. The Court backed what Justice Angus Stewart found back in November 2024. Sen...
The jury’s out on social media bans. Here’s a better idea NZ can borrow from Australia
https://theconversation.com/the-jurys-out-on-social-media-bans-heres-a-better-idea-nz-can-borrow-from-australia-288089
A version of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner could be a better way to tackle the online harm experienced by under-16s – and New Zealanders of all ages.
Our government using free US-based AI tools for defence. It's claimed that "Data and information stays within an organisation's boundaries". Uh huh.
NZDF still drafting AI directive months after rolling out tech | RNZ News
The risk of weather data sabotage is rising
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/17/1140622/weather-data-sabotage/
Prediction markets and a move toward AI forecasting are starting to put the accuracy of weather predictions at risk. Here’s what we can do to safeguard them.
Replying to
@SimonCHulse Our opinion here in the Fedi doesn't count. The only people who matter here are your potential customers. "Get out of the building" and start talking to them.
How AI Models Reproduce Caste Bias
https://www.csohate.org/2026/07/13/caste-ai-chatbots/
The rapid adoption of large language models has brought renewed attention to how caste hierarchies embedded in training data can be reproduced and normalized through AI systems.
Fees Free Dropped without Evidence or Consultation
https://www.salient.org.nz/post/fees-free-dropped-without-evidence-or-consultation
Documents revealed by the Official Information Act (OIA) show the Government scrapped Fees Free without consultation with universities or student unions, and without evidence on the impact of its final-year model.Fees Free had four goals when it was announced in 2018:removing financial barriers to education, reducing learner debt, supporting life-long learn...
FFS.
Microsoft Edge stores all passwords in memory in clear text, even when unused | Hacker News
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48012735
'Nature' Retracts Paper on the Benefits of ChatGPT in Education
https://www.404media.co/nature-retracts-paper-on-the-benefits-of-chatgpt-in-education/
“What educators, parents and policy officials really needed was high quality data and evidence to help guide them. What they have had to deal with instead is some substandard research.”
Arctic winter sea-ice extent fails to expand and sets a new record low in 2026
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-arctic-winter-sea-ice-extent.html
In 2026, the Arctic winter sea-ice extent (annual maximum extent) reached the lowest value since satellite observations began in 1979, following the previous record low in March 2025. As part of the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability III (ArCS III), the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) ...
Australia moves to tax Meta, Google and TikTok to fund newsrooms
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/g-s1-119142/australia-moves-to-tax-meta-google-and-tiktok-to-fund-newsrooms
Australia is proposing to tax Meta, Google and TikTok a proportion of their revenue to pay for news reporters. The government intends to introduce the draft legislation to Parliament by July.
Johnny Clegg and Savuka
The Waiting
#Waiting#JukeboxFridayNighthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlrnlaXFPhc
I believe this is the passenger rail line, which when it was disestablished, was estimated to be more expensive than offering each passenger a chauffeur driven Mercedes for their trips.
Kaimai Express showed what regional passenger trains could be – Editorial - NZ Herald
Replying to
@FizzyDaisies@mas.to @eff@mastodon.social I wrote this RSS reader so that you could essentially write your own algorithm against your trusted feeds.
https://perceptive.news/
Please give it a go - I'd love your feedback.
Racing into climate change solutions is risky business - Newsroom
https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/04/08/racing-into-climate-change-solutions-is-risky-business/
Today from The Detail: Little cellulose balls could be a big answer to burying carbon emissions – if there's proof they work. Getting that is proving difficult.
RIP social media. What comes next is messy. - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/rip-social-media-what-comes-next-is-messy/
The manosphere’s grip on Kiwi boys — and why teachers are worried | Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360958530/manospheres-grip-kiwi-boys-and-why-teachers-are-worried
The manosphere influencers featured in the popular Louis Theroux documentary are having an impact on boys in NZ, teachers say.
Replying to
@isaacfreeman@cloudisland.nz Currently running Linkding and Photoview (which I'd be happy to transfer over to Immich)
Replying to
@isaacfreeman@cloudisland.nz It would be handy to have pricing up on your website. I use Pikapods for some stuff, would be happy to move them to NZ.
Online hate groups sustain their messages by repeating powerful stories or routinely adding new allegations
https://theconversation.com/online-hate-groups-sustain-their-messages-by-repeating-powerful-stories-or-routinely-adding-new-allegations-276744
ChatGPT Gave Me Chilling Advice—as I Simulated Planning a Mass Shooting – Mother Jones
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2026/05/openai-chatgpt-mass-shooting-guardrails-fail/
Many NZ churches using AI, but some concerns remain - CathNews New Zealand
https://cathnewsnz.com/2026/05/05/many-nz-churches-using-ai-but-some-concerns-remain/
Many pastors and leaders in churches in Aotearoa New Zealand are making use of artificial intelligence tools in ministry, according to a recent survey. Source: Baptist Churches NZ.
In many states, election-denying candidates are running to control voting
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/04/nx-s1-5803149/election-denial-2026-candidates
In 23 states, including five presidential swing states, candidates who have denied election results are running for offices that have a direct role in certifying future elections, a new report finds.
A Bridge to Somewhere: How to Link Your Mastodon, Bluesky, or Other Federated Accounts | Electronic Frontier Foundation
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/bridge-somewhere-how-link-your-mastodon-bluesky-or-other-federated-accounts
One of the central promises of open social media services is interoperability—the idea that wherever you personally decide to post doesn’t require others to be there just to follow what you have to say. Think of it like a radio broadcast: you want to reach p...
Replying to
@phil_stevens Don't like fossil fuel companies? Get rid of your ICE vehicle. Don't like billionaires? Don't do business with their companies. Don't like particular politicians or the people who fund them? Don't do business with them either.
Replying to
@phil_stevens Relying others like governments to "get" them is doomed to failure as it is not a level playing field.
Health NZ's AI scribe rollout: What the rest of Government can learn - Creative HQ
https://creativehq.co.nz/stories/health-nz-ai-scribe-rollout/
Creative HQ's opinion on Health NZ's AI scribe rollout: Heidi and what the rest of Government can learn in New Zealand
Trump announces ceasefire with Iran, subject to Iran opening Hormuz Strait
US president Donald Trump has said he is agreeing to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks, "subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz".
"Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks." Trump posted on Truth Social.
Company interviewed more than 1000 Kiwis by AI in a month | Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360961113/company-interviewed-more-1000-kiwis-ai-month
Jobseekers will need to learn how to get through AI interviews, says boss.
Replying to
@vervain @phil_stevens 100%, and we all also need to play our part in acting constructively to bring about the world we want to live in.
Flight Of The Conchords announce four Wellington Warm-Up Shows at Meow Nui
https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=178990
Wellington, New Zealand’s favorite sons, Flight of the Conchords, are announcing hometown warm-up shows at Meow Nui on Thursday 16th April, Friday 17th April, Tuesday 21st April, and Wednesday 22...
Hidden math link helps designers build fantastic shapes
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-hidden-math-link-fantastic.html
Termite mounds are remarkable structures that regulate temperature, balance airflow, and maintain structural stability in some of Earth's harshest climates. And like other irregular, disordered systems, ...
The Venture-Capital Populist - The Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/06/david-sacks-crypto-ai-venture-capital/686941/
How David Sacks and the new tech right went full MAGA and captured Washington
Online echo chambers can arise even without algorithmic nudges or seeking like-minded people
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-online-echo-chambers-algorithmic-nudges.html
Australian Jews tell antisemitism inquiry of surge in hate before Bondi Hanukkah massacre
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360974194/australian-jews-tell-antisemitism-inquiry-surge-hate-b
The mass shooting prompted a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the highest form of inquiry in Australia.
Wikipedia founder brands Australia’s social media ban an ‘unmitigated disaster’ and ‘embarrassment’
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/04/wikipedia-founder-brands-australias-social-media-ban-an-unmitigated-disaster-and-an-embarrassment
Jimmy Wales remembers a toxic internet even before social media and says AI is ‘not a disaster’ for the free – and freely edited - online encyclopaedia
Replying to
@lightweight @heyrochelle @Niall @phil_stevens I loved Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry for the Future - it showed what's possible if we could work together.
Frank Zappa - Valley Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Q1yVLSR3I
#Stereotypes#JukeBoxFridayNight
Replying to
@phil_stevens @vervain In my experience violence rarely solves problems, but much more frequently leads to more violence.
NZ going too slow on climate adaptation - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre
https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2026/08/11/nz-going-too-slow-on-climate-adaptation-expert-reaction/
NZ is not adapting fast enough to growing climate risks, leaving communites exposed to damage and costs, says a new report from the Climate Change Commission.
The report recommends six areas for urgent action, including clarity about how adaptation will be paid for, making changes to legislation, a
Replying to
Those are some big-ass snowflakes too.
Replying to
@vervain @phil_stevens Problem is, I don't like punching. Punching up, punching down, punching sideways or even punching Nazis.
Replying to
What did Seeby Woodhouse post on X that got him kicked out of
the NZ Media Awards naming rights?