iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026

Anyone see what's wrong with this picture? Perfect RJ45 crimps too. How's your day going? Guess it could've been worse. Could've remembered to put them on, but backwards. Sigh.

Close up of a curled grey cat 6 cable on a desk with clear Ethernet (rj45) plugs on either end... and two blue plastic crimp protectors sitting in the coil, unattached to the cable.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 03/09/2026

Gorgeous warm spring day on Ōtautahi today! The native skinks are subtly soaking up the rays... See if you can spot them! At least 2 there...

Our lizardarium in our suburban yard. It's made of old clay roofing tiles staggered to create terraces and hiding places for native grass skinks in amongst the grasses and native shrubs.

Another angle on the lizardarium. See if you can spot two of them!

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026

Finally got around to a spring time project: a Welcome Swallow nesting box. Now we wait.

Hands holding a tung oiled ply bird house with dimensions around 20cm with an overhanging roof with surrounding ply lips to help with perching and shedding water. There are holes in the platform to allow drainage.

The house from another angle, mounted high on the outside of our house in a sheltered but accessible corner.

A view of the box in its location high on a sheltered external wall.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026

Balmy breezy day in Ōtautahi... And the skinks are out! ☺️Happy day!

Some clay former roof tile staggered and nestled into a mound of earth and overgrown with mostly native plants. A couple native grass skinks (striped and bronze) can be seen in the upper right gaps between tiles...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 04/06/2026

Yikes, it's the first week of winter and flowering cherries are already blooming. Is that ok, @joncounts?

Picture of flowering cherry, with flowers in it... at the start of June... In Ōtautahi.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 14/05/2026

Here's the state of today's batch, on what's supposed to be my 'fasting' day, with our embarrassment of lush massive feijoa riches.

A full and a much-depleted loaf of salt-crusty sourdough bread on a wooden cutting board with bread knife and possibly Nutella smeared knife, with over flowing bowls of feijoas.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 14/04/2026

Today's #sourdough batch, with locally grown & milled organic wheat flour thanks to @stephen ! Turned out pretty well, I reckon.

A wooden cutting board with a couple slices of the bread and the remainder of the crusty round loaf showing the excellent crumb!

Two recently opened Dutch ovens revealing two lovely rich reddish brown crusty looking round loaves

Same two russet loaves on a metal cooling rack resting on a stainless steel benchtoo in front of a ceramic tile wall .

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 01/04/2026

For folks in Ōtautahi Christchurch, I'll be running a Linux InstallFest on 12 April at Halswell Library from 13:00. If you want to take back control of your technology, come along and have a play!

Leading with the call to action: "Take Bake Control of your Digital Life" this is a colourful poster for the InstallFest with details of the event, at Te Hāpua (Halswell Centre, Public Library) 341 Halswell Rd on Sunday 12 April from 13:00...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 10/03/2026

Sometimes I'm not so convinced that veganism is victimless... (Note, I'm not vegan but I do recognise it as a viable, noble choice.)

Photo of a hand holding a quarter of a red bell pepper/capsicum that, with seeds appearing to be teeth, flesh appearing like a curled lip and stem like nose and eyes, looks quite a lot like it's screaming in desperation.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 18/02/2026

Wow, serious rite of passage: my younger son playing his first lp... On our turntable unused for a decade or two, with a just-replaced cartridge... These speakers are also getting their first airing despite me having had them for years (gifted by a mate as excess to requirements)...

Mr 14, standing side on in his school uniform with phone recording this epic experience: excited to be hearing his first LP for the first time. This is in our lounge with Tannoy speakers on the floor, cobbled together speaker cables, and stereo components (Yamaha power amp & radio receiver, Onkyo turntable, and Technics dual cassette deck. Incidentally, the latter was bought from Lan Pham's husband 7-8 yrs ago) in a home made ply rack sitting on the carpet in front of curtains blocking out the light from a sunny Ōtautahi late summer arvo.

Closer view of the stereo rack for the audiophiles.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 17/02/2026

So, it's been raining. We have a lake across the road right now....

Rainy photo of a bloke paddling an orange and white canoe with a single paddle on a lake with reeds poking out. He's paddling towards the camera, about 15m away.

Same bloke, on the shore, back to camera, about to climb into the canoe in among the reeds and grasses. This is normally a dry wetland with walking tracks, currently under water.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 31/12/2025

Current situation... Could be worse. Could be tenting...

Sunset image to the west with ocean horizon and distant rocks to the left with lush green Aotearoa rain forest between our balcony and the sea and ominous dark grey rain cloud headed this way from the north west...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 16/12/2025

Wow, loving our greenhouse - already have the first tomatoes turning red! Crazy!

Photo from near the ground in a garden patch inside a greenhouse, looking at a small group of tomatoes on a tomato bush, two of which are turning green. A number of other tomato plants are nearby, some with many still green tomatoes. In the foreground is a timber upright with wires going through it which run the length of the garden and are used to tie up the tomatoes in a row.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 12/12/2025

Just disposing of a couple Indian pickles in my substantial collection. These two had a pretty good run.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 07/10/2025

The sun's out again in Ōtautahi! The local skink community is taking full advantage!

A photo of my Lizardarium, two sets of staggered old clay roofing tiles - with a sunny outlook - set into a dirt pile that's now covered in lush grass and native plants for cover. There are at least 4 native grass skinks visible. Can you spot them?

Another angle of the Lizardarium, should be 4 skinks visible there, too.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2025

There are at least two Aotearoa native grass skinks in this picture... Can you see them?

Two skinks in our Lizardarium: this view shows two stacks of old clay roofing tiles, staggered to provide a good place for skinks to sun themselves with easy access to shelter, with lots of grass growing up around it to provide plenty of cover. The skinks are poking from between the top two tiles on each stack.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 11/09/2025

Current situation... I'm starting to prepare tea... But things could be far worse.

A picture of a full glass of amber ale, with a(n empty) can of McLeod's Tartan IPA featuring a picture of a highland coo wearing a Tartan scarf. On a stainless steel benchtop with a bag of salad greens behind.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 27/08/2025

Over the weekend, I saw the first skink of the season taking in the sun in our "Lizardarium"...

Close up of a native grass skink (small lizard) visible between two staggered clay roofing tiles among grasses in our yard in Ōtautahi (Christchurch).

Another close up of the skink, from the side rather than from above.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 27/08/2025

Oh happy day! Saw my first ever tui in Ōtautahi! It was feeding in a flowering tree I didn't recognize on the north eastern hillside of our valley, below the Sign of the Kiwi...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 16/07/2025

Holy cow, only 24 hrs after putting it out in the yard, the silver eyes have already found the new sugar water feeder! I'm delighted 🤩🤗

Photo of a wooden fence in a winter back yard with some leafless branches (fruit trees), one holding up a red repurposed humming bird 'nectar' (sugar water) feeder, with larger hole to suit native Aotearoa birds. At least one silvereye is at the feeder.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 02/05/2025

Oh my word. We have so many ducks and other water fowl taking refuge in our 'lake' across the road this morning. They must know duck hunting season opens today (we're too close to the city for hunting).

Early morning view of lake stretching across our valley. Lots of water fowl visible (and audible). This is normally a fairly dry reserve. The foreground has lush green grass, with green hills on the far side & a few houses.

Another view of same lake with early morning sun hitting the hill on the far side. More fowl in frame.

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 02/05/2025

The dam up our valley is full (to overflowing) for the first time.

Rainy vista of a brown, silty lake in between lush green wooded hillsides, with the far end covered in mist & cloud. Normally this is an almost dry depression with gravel walking tracks through it...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 20/03/2025

Today's a good day in the Lane Lizardarium... Saw these wee friends taking in the sun, and spotted 5 others in my stroll around the yard.

Two stacked but staggered sets of black clay roofing tiles set in around some grass & other plants in that garden in the sun. Two native grasd skinks are poking their heads out from under the top two tiles, taking in the rays on this autumn day...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 25/02/2025

Here's about NZ$350 worth of kit that just turned up... What am I building? Anybody have a guess?

A pale oak dining table with an array of tech spread out on it: a flat 14" 1080p screen (USB powered), a small NVME drive, a RaspPi 5, some USB & HDMI cables, & a US-style dual USB power adapter...

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 20/02/2025

First ride up the hill in a wee while. Decided to get one in before the storm comes through...

A long distance view, south along the hip of the Port hills with the Canterbury plains to the right. Grassy hillside & house in foreground, dark low clouds fadt approaching below a fleetingly blue sky. Southerly wind's picking up as I type. Better continue my ride up the hill!

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Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 @lightweight.mastodon.nzoss.nz.ap.brid.gy · 29/11/2024

Afternoon all, I'd like to introduce you to the matriarch of our yard, to whom we refer as " Three-leg" for obvious reasons. She's been holding forth under this roofing iron for the past several years (since the house was build) and seems to have provided […] [Original post on mastodon.nzoss.nz]

A small brown, grey, bronze striped shiny lizard - an indigenous grass skink - with an ornate pattern, a regrown tail (with a different pattern), and a gravid (carrying eggs internally) midrift. On close inspection you might notice she's missing her left front leg. Doesn't seem to bother her.

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