Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Has anyone else’s Google maps voice changed to a guy who pronounces Māori place names nicely? 120
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Just heard an advanced “thank you driver” on the bus. “Thank you very much sir, I appreciate it”. Makes me wonder if he says that on every bus or if this bus driver was exceptional in some way 120
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 11/05/2026The only useful heuristic I can identify from this is that the Green Party took some photos of candidates against some greenery with a 50mm lens and nice depth of field, the Conservative Party took some photos of candidates being backed into a bush with a phone camera 120
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 28/04/2026The path I see for this is that AI will likely reduce in availability to the general public, but the technology will still be used in enterprise and crime, and the damage it is doing to the public information ecosystem will increase as AI scrapers and hackers make it more difficult to host anything 271
Reposted by MerrinJer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 21/04/2026The whole web is built on a primary grace: that the people visiting you are trustworthy. It costs a little something for me to serve my webpage to everyone who goes there. When the number of scrapers outnumbers the number of humans by an order of magnitude, this grace is fragile. 120357
Reposted by MerrinJohn Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 08/04/2026More evidence that Big Tech is locking us into a new generation of fossil fuel infrastructure and destabilizing our climate: the 5 largest hyperscalers have announced 16GW of power deals this year, and only 3GW have been for clean power. 714479
Reposted by MerrinJeff Colgan @jeffcolgan.bsky.social · 09/03/2026As an IR professor, it's depressing that this is outperforming all others as the best theory of US foreign policy 160100912441
Reposted by MerrinMichael Wood @mtroskill.bsky.social · 24/03/2026The clean car discount was making New Zealand’s vehicle fleet cleaner, cheaper to run, and helping us to be more resilient in an unstable world. Its cancellation was a massive own goal by the Luxon Government and is now seriously costing New Zealand. 612239
Reposted by MerrinOliver L @eey0re.bsky.social · 17/03/2026I'll be speaking on a panel about Open Government, with the Chief Ombudsman and others at Forum on Democratic Resilience and Transparency this Monday 23 March at Parliament. Free tickets might still be available: events.humanitix.com/democratic-r... 245
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 14/03/2026Went to the opening of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, the Wellington central library. So good. Excited to read some books and use some sewing machines and microfilm over the coming months and years. The cafe was great and ran very smoothly for a first day at capacity. Also the baby joined a brass band 1152
Reposted by MerrinKetan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 04/03/2026Emissions from Australia's biggest data centre operator are *definitely* growing. Airtrunk is the worst but everyone's on the way up. This isn't projections and possibilities, anymore. www.crikey.com.au/2026/03/04/a... 1196
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 26/02/2026@mattbevan.bsky.social hi, we have been really enjoying Black Swans. Except for 24:53 into this where there is a horrible high pitched noise in the TV clip youtu.be/qr7oj5_o5x8?...youtu.beThe Home Ownership Collapse | Black Swans 2 | If You're ListeningYouTube video by ABC News In-depth 210
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 23/01/2026Just made a Spotify account for the baby so we can play her baby stuff. It’s a special supervised kids account, included her date of birth in 2025, specified that she should not be able to access explicit music. Guess how many of the 10 albums on the landing page have tracks with explicit language 330
Reposted by MerrinMark @maetl.bsky.social · 21/01/2026The tragic loss of lives in NZ flooding events this week are climate change deaths. Media and govt are avoiding the topic. Leaders and commentators must acknowledge the emerging reality of ordinary summer rainstorms carrying volumes of water akin to tropical cyclones of previous decades. 8225105
Reposted by MerrinKevin Veale 😷 (Toitū Te Tiriti) @krveale.bsky.social · 06/01/2026Let's talk about generative AI, contaminated information, and rhubarb. Once upon a time, Europe was at war. Food was scarce, and the government of the quote-unquote United Kingdom looked for alternatives. 1/ 21262879
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 29/11/2025It’s an amazing, lively, sunny day in Cuba St. Christmas in the Quarters in Glover Park, Palestine market on Left Bank, and the street closed off between Ghuznee and Vivian with a delightful craft market on Swan Lane. So good 190
Reposted by MerrinChris Knox @vizowl.bsky.social · 05/11/2025BusinessDesk has a fantastic (and rare) for a data journalist in New Zealand. The Herald and BusinessDesk are separate publications, but whoever is in this role will work with me on projects like Budget day visualisations 1/2 careers.nzme.co.nz/jobs/6697721...careers.nzme.co.nzData Journalist - BusinessDesk - NZMEJoin BusinessDesk as a Data Journalist—break market-moving stories, visualise insights, and set the global benchmark for data-driven reporting. 11115
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 23/10/2025Finding simple recipes online is so dire now. Search results are full of websites that are unusable because they’re so full of ads, and the content often looks AI generated. I can see why it’s appealing to use an AI agent directly for things like this even knowing that it’s what poisoned the well 020
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 21/10/2025I saw a Blunt umbrella in a bin on Molesworth St, as a measure of wind strength in Wellington today 080
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 12/10/2025I feel like the impact of AI on the information ecosystem is kind of like when you drink too much of a particular liquor, have a horrible time throwing up all night, and then for the rest of your life you can no longer drink it without being viscerally reminded of vomit 120
Reposted by MerrinNZ Council for Civil Liberties @nzccl.org.nz · 06/10/2025The NZCCL is looking for people to join our exec committee at our AGM in November. While we're particularly looking for people with policy or legal experience, we're interested in anyone who is keen and willing to learn. Contact thomas@nzccl.org.nz to get started. 045
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 12/10/2025There are too many road-centred children’s toys and decorations and not enough playmats with decent pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure 141
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 18/09/2025Nothing reminds me of time’s ceaseless march onwards like looking at the best-before dates in my spice drawer 030
Reposted by MerrinCrikey @crikey.com.au · 04/09/2025Even if you've never filed a freedom of information request, this is why you should care about the government's planned changes to FOI laws.crikey.com.auLabor’s FOI backslide will kill public interest stories like these 097
Reposted by MerrinByron C Clark @byroncclark.bsky.social · 31/07/2025If you joined InternetNZ to help stop the takeover by rhe FSU and Hobson's Pledge, you've done some great work tonight Consider bringing that energy to other civil society organisations, groups like Voices for Freedom are also trying to take advantage of low participation to push their agenda 324365
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 31/07/2025Only just realised the whole of Bluesky was the Internet NZ AGM back channel 1221
Reposted by MerrinSana @bigshika.com · 07/07/2025toxic beef wellington more like nzpol bluesky amirite 0237
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 08/07/2025I spent a lot more of my summer than I would have liked as a patient in this ward, first in the antenatal pod then an extended stay in the postnatal pod www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... I can back up what staff are saying as a patient - you really can’t just squish these togetherrnz.co.nzStaff beg Health NZ not to swap Wellington Hospital maternity, gynecology beds for ED patientsThe agency wants to trial re-allocating 12 beds as a medical ward for emergency department patients. 084
Reposted by MerrinOliver L @eey0re.bsky.social · 05/07/2025Here in an unrelated thread, I'll quietly mention you can make a tax-deductible donation to FYI.org.nz at opencollective.com/fyi thanks to Gift Collective. But only if it's no burden! Production server costs are already covered, but I cover a few other costs personally including development. 033
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 05/07/2025The baby can now make music requests but it’s always for ABBA? She’s a big fan I guess 2120
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 02/07/2025I had seen A Guide To Rocks in the window and was looking forward to checking out a children’s geology reference book. Disappointed to find out it’s about feelings, not rocks. I’m sure it’s great, I just like rocks thespinoff.co.nz/books/02-07-...thespinoff.co.nzThe Unity Books children’s book review roundup for winterThe extended worlds of Philip Pullman, cat flaps, and dastardly fish. 000
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 27/06/2025The baby is now approximately the height of a small Blåhåj 180
Reposted by MerrinOliver L @eey0re.bsky.social · 15/05/2025Now consider that most New Zealand government and business email is also hosted by Microsoft. 0118
Reposted by MerrinNewsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 12/05/2025Analysis: Z Energy has sold its electricity retail arm and its customers to Meridian, in a $70m deal that will further consolidate the market dominance of the big gentailers. Flick Electric is expected to be shut down.newsroom.co.nzGentailers increase dominance with $70m Flick Electric takeover 023
Reposted by MerrinOliver L @eey0re.bsky.social · 11/05/2025This is awfully unfair, and should be easily fixed in a member's bill. Plenty of MPs have no bill in the ballot (this is wild to me - those MPs have nothing they'd like to improve in the law?)stuff.co.nzMum denied paid parental leave after extremely premature birthA new mum says she’s struggling to make ends meet after her paid parental leave was declined because she couldn’t meet work eligibility criteria due to a premature delivery. 1226
Reposted by MerrinEddie Clark @dreddieclark.bsky.social · 07/05/2025This, the TPB, the current government really is running the risk here of removing the expectation the public absolutely should have - and could fairly have had up until 2025 - that if they make a submission *it will be read*. Corrosive to democracy to undermine that expectation. 13914
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 04/05/2025We’re now in the spreadsheets and collating how-to-vote cards stage of election watching 040
Reposted by MerrinEmlyn Breese @credittodubois.com · 03/05/2025whan antony green says you've lost before 8:30 without working computers 25993147
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 03/05/2025Haven’t heard enough people use the word “drubbing” this evening. Love the word “drubbing” and there aren’t many opportunities better than this Australian election for it 0162
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 03/05/2025Watching the Australian election with a plate of feijoas (courtesy @br3nda.bsky.social) 010
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 30/04/2025Picked up a copy of this this morning, reading it while the baby sleeps. Wild to be taken back to the uncertainty and rapid changes of early 2020. Maybe the baby will pick this up off the bookshelf in ten or fifteen years to find out more about this historical event 1100
Merrin @merrrrin.bsky.social · 19/04/2025Does anyone know the weekend sports editor at RNZ who sends push notifications to the “breaking news” topic whenever they start a live blog about a scheduled sports event? I wish to have words with them 180
Reposted by Merrinderek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 11/04/2025How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia? Before you open this thread, take a guess. Settle on a number and then compare it to what you'll learn in this thread. 🧵 22672902356
Reposted by MerrinShaun Hendy @hendysh.bsky.social · 10/04/2025In just over two weeks I’ll be launching my book on the Covid response. This was my most challenging book project by far, and even then I’ve just scratched the surface. If you are in Wellington on April 29 come along to hear me talk about it with Susie Ferguson. 618751
