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Damon Colbert

@mrdcolbert.bsky.social
110 followers 184 following 314 posts

Science can be testing (he/him)

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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Fixed it.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
I'm confident these two would. She especially seems to hate birds and is very reactive to TV noises.
A chuffed small brindle dog wearing a bowtieA brown and tan miniature pinscher standing on long grass.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
How To Get Away With Laundering, coming to a lecture theatre near you.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
As usual you're a trend setter, Martin. I was also updating vaccinations, and when I saw this in a cabinet I followed suit.
Custard slice - a New Zealand sweet treat comprising layers of firm vanilla custard between flaky pastry with vanilla icing on top.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Serving us as well after we're gone at it does now 😅 @smbccomics.bsky.social
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Our very own Woodwose.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Starting 2025 as I have ever - with a loudly expressed fart at a completely inappropriate opportunity.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 25/12/2024
Seasons Greetings adventurers! I dungeonified our sad little fake seasonal tree this year, with some 3D printed and painted monster ornaments.
A sad little fake Christmas tree with both regular and D&D ornamentsGoblin in a Santa hatSanta LichTroll skill in a Santa hat
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 11/09/2024
I quit after an hour and headed to the nearest beer venue, Rockwell. I've been pleasantly surprised with the diversity of offerings in St Louis! A lot of European and British styles, done pretty well. Best part of Rockwell was this absolute unit who greeted pretty much everyone in the bar.
Rockwell brewery taproom. Arcades and games on one side, barrels on the other, bar at the rear, a classic set up.A unit of a black and white cat, who appears to live in the Rockwell bar/brewery.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 11/09/2024
Day 4 I tried 2 museums in one day - almost doable if I'd gotten up early enough 😅 The History museum isn't too big, doable in a couple of hours unless you like to linger, had some interesting local stuff. The Art Museum needs a full day really, barely scratched the surface of one floor!
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 11/09/2024
Day 3 also had some cool stuff. Maybe the best ribs I've ever had (definitely top 3 at least) at Pappy's. Mexican at La Vallesana on Cherokee st (great place if you're into antiquing). Some truly excellent beers at Side Project Cellar in Maplewood - and other recs from the bartender there.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 08/09/2024
If you're ever in St Louis you definitely absolutely must check out the City Museum which is four floors of an old shoe factory fitted out with climbing frames, all manner of caves, nooks and crannies to explore, multi-storey slides, and a skate park. Absolutely wild.
Outdoor wood frame climbing gym with old business jets, and a castle fortification.A multi-storey spiral slide.A view down the normal boring stairs of 3 of the 4 floors. The fun ways down are slides, cave passages, and hidden stairways.The indoor skate park (for walking only now) the occupies a quarter of one floor.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 07/09/2024
Day 1 exploring St Louis by myself while the wife attends a conference. Drinking coffee and checking out Cherokee vintage shops before going on a beer tour.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 10/07/2024
Been a while since I've taken a bus to work. My normal place of work doesn't have a single route that gets where I'm going in reasonable time. Makes for a nice change.
A view across the Manukau harbour towards a slightly foggy Auckland City.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 27/05/2024
And here is a naughty one... 😈
A purple headed fungal fruiting body, strongly reminiscent of a purple headed human fruiting body.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 02/05/2024
Exciting development! We have confirmation that our sighting was in fact Takahe leavings!
Email message from the Department of Conservation, confirming that my previously posted photo was in fact Takahe poop, and that a Takahe made the big slip area of the Kepler track it's home several years ago.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
New Zealand - we have the absolute privilege of living in a beautiful country! Get out there and enjoy it if you can. And let's better support those protecting it. DOC are out there doing incredible work on the smell of fresh rainfall.
View down from alpine section of Kepler track to the Southern fiord of lake Te Anau, under a looming grey sky
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
Award for neither heard nor seen, but for leaving tantalising traces: Takahe - supposedly in the Murchison mnts to West of Kepler, but Hadley's story about one wandering out, and the discovery of the pictured poop remarkably similar to their rope-like fibrous leavings, makes for a compelling story.
Poop, clearly fibrous in nature. Broken apart into pellets but clearly could have been one rope at time of laying. Suspiciously like leavings of a Takahe, which can lay 7 to 9m of rope per day. Awaiting DOC comment on provenance.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
Award for most seen & heard: Kea - usually being fended off your gear. Seen here attacking a stoat trap intended for it's protection. Also seen flying & skwarking about the Alpine tops in a group of ten. Just incredible. Award for often heard but never seen: Iris Burn Kiwi, being complete teases.
A Kea, shamelessly attempting to investigate or pull apart a stoat trap intended for it's own protection.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
The Kepler loop is 60km, we were planning the 30km Routeburn in the same number of days! The last few kms drag on and on. Near the end I steamed ahead of the wife, dropping my pack and returning to relieve hers down the final slope. We arrived at 6hr:40mins, the group jubilant to be out in time!
A very damp & sweaty bearded guy in wet weather gear, just glad to be out of the bush after 4 days, at least 120mm rain, 60 km distance, and about 1000m elevation gain.
Be glad you can't smell this photo.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
An almost full hut of 42 people in good spirits (though many on short rations) nonetheless applaud the 7am news that the track was open again on day 4 (Friday). Everyone hurriedly packs, as we've lost a day and need to skip the final hut and make a swift 22km tramp to the nearest exit (6.5 to 8hrs).
View towards the Kepler mountains from near Iris Burn, after 49mm rain on day 3 and 85mm rain on day 4 (plus snow in them thar hills) - which kept the track towards Luxemore closed.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
Just in time to learn that the track is closed the next day due to high rain. Not much we can do about that. But we only planned on 3 days, 2 nights, with one extra nights food. We went on 1/4 rations next day to ensure we had enough for the walk out. It was a hungry day waiting out the rain.
Bonus content: This Kea might have had our quarter rations, if my wife hadn't fended it off her pack.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
Big call because we didn't really train for this many kms. And wife has been recovering from a knee injury. But she said Yes, and did really well. The descent was slow and very tedious, the rain set in, and the last 2 hours were a slog. But we got to Iris Burn...
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
Ranger confirms there's actually room in next hut along, Iris Burn, but to make it on our current schedule we need to skip the final hut and do a 22 km walk out, and leave promptly to avoid bad weather in PM. Big call, but we very much want to do the next section, so we go with it. Good call.
View across the Alpine ridge section of the Kepler track, somewhere between Forest Burn and Hanging Valley shelters. Alpine tussock drops away steeply on either side to deep valleys and lakes.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/04/2024
So we get to the Luxmore hut, after a 17km hike (probably 9km more than sensible people who arranged get transport across the lake, and 8km more than we ever trained for). The last 45min through 50+ kph gusts pelting us with rain. Lovely hut. Lots of people. Plan is to stay 2 nights and walk back.
View of alpine tussock from Luxemore hut, looking across the southern fiord of lake Te Anau to the Murchison mountains (home of the only wild Takahe).
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/03/2024
The engines of capitalism go brrrrrr What an absolute load of tripe from Act - how, HOW are holidays and training requirements holding employees back? Watch as holiday entitlements are removed, as H&S laws are changed so employers aren't responsible.
Beckham meme. 
Vic quoting Brooke van liar: We're committed to cutting red tape
David: Be honest
Vic: Workers are suffering because uncertainty around entitlements led to underpayment
David: Be honest
Vic: Policies meant to help workers only added to business uncertainty and costs.
David: Well, that's a start.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 08/03/2024
From Reddit: The Lust Supper www.reddit.com/r/newzealand... (Or why we should stop worrying and learn to love the AI) (The comments are gold)
An AI-generated image of a sausage being inserted into a hot cross bun. An advertisement for Fresh Choice supermarkets reading "Fresh Choice are here to help make those last few get togethers happen".
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 19/02/2024
As it turned out it went brilliantly - enough of a challenge that I had them sweating (Sorceror went down twice, they discussed fleeing), but there was some great cinematic moments of action and everyone played a part. Highlight was the Barbarian doing the classic jumping on it's back.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 16/02/2024
From Reddit; Hungary being completely wrong about New Zealand.
Ad for pizza: New Zealand Summer pizza. Beetroot bbq base, mushrooms, broccoli, beets, Kiwi (fruit), Cherry tomatoes, bacon, mozzarella.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 07/02/2024
Oh, the subclass you get at third level. Totem, Ancestral guardians, I can't recall the others. She looks badass anyway. Hope you have fun with her! I had a autognome barbarian a little while back, his whole schtick was being the party dad.
A robot gnome with dad vibes; featuring a large hammer, moustache, bald on top, and a bumbag of snacks for the party.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 01/02/2024
We're planning to do the Routeburn track in April, and have been spending our Thursday evenings walking Mangere to condition ourselves. So far we've been really lucky with the weather, and it can be quite pretty out here.
A view of Mangere mountain crater and dome struck by afternoon sun.A bearded hipster squinting in the sun, standing in front of Mangere crater.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 27/01/2024
A cat wearing a sushi hat
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 04/01/2024
The wife and I just came back from doing the Pinnacles track. Track was busy and hut was fully booked. Didn't sleep, but corollary was I did get up super early for some morning shots.
Early morning sunrise view from the base of the Pinnacles down to Pauanui, the bush still dark and the sky peach to blue.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 25/12/2023
NOW it's tasting like Christmas. A good 2 hours candying pumpkin, and then another 3 hours steaming the pudding. But it's worth it to have Christmas pudding that won't set off my IBS.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 21/12/2023
First day of annual leave, and it's almost more work than I've done all week.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 15/12/2023
Absolutely wrecked (tired) after running our work end of year function ("ToyBox" themed). Another big do, dusted for the year.
A bearded guy in sunglasses, a bucket hat with a large d20 atop it, and a 3rd Edition D&D starter set box on his chest.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 20/11/2023
Made a new friend yesterday. I met Mia on my way home from work, near home. Mia was taking herself for an (unsanctioned) walk. Not wanting to leave her to the mercy of traffic, we chatted on the walk back to my place, where she hung out for a bit until her family called by to pick her up.
Bearded pakeha man holding a tan spoodle dog with a wistful look
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 30/10/2023
Elder lady with walking frame saying "Netflix used to come in the mail" being helped by a younger woman saying "Sure Grandma let's get you to bed".
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 30/10/2023
Boy howdy is there some serious scams running on FB at the moment. These two were most of the ads in my feed.
A Facebook scam offering Millennium Falcon Lego sets for $3.A Facebook scam offering peoples undelivered NZ Post courier parcels for $2.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 25/10/2023
There are many Homers, but this might be the closest for me, with D'OH substituted with multiple swears.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/10/2023
Being 35-40 is realising that wildly swinging a sword at random is a young persons game, and if you continue you're only going to injure yourself.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 12/10/2023
Needed to pick myself up today, so reaching for some of my favourite humour.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 01/10/2023
Can't entirely recall which was first, but it would have been one of these, or maybe 3D Pool in 6k colour.
A picture of The 1991 videogame Sim AntA picture of the 1991 videogame Scorched Earth
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 22/09/2023
This is one of the textbooks from my years of studying macroeconomics. I pursued science as a career and never used my economics knowledge. Tomorrow my wife will use it to press blood bags collected from (very generous) donor dogs. And that will be the most use this textbook has ever been 😅
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 13/09/2023
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 08/09/2023
Blue from gallery? Understood.
Resort view of a tropical beach & pool
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 02/09/2023
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 31/08/2023
In the 90s the internet used to scream at you when you tried to enter and they should never have taken that warning away.
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 25/08/2023
Great to see this platform beginning to reflect the best parts of the old one. To help I'm going to post a few of my favourites from the old times.
Child: I learner a joke at school. Me: okay, let's hear it. Child: What goes in stiff but comes out soft? Me: (thinking). Child: (waiting). Me: (silent). Child: (waiting). Me: Is it a-. Wife (dashing in from other room): SPAGHETTI IT'S SPAGHETTI
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Damon Colbert @mrdcolbert.bsky.social · 08/08/2023
Doing immunocytochemistry to look at particular markers in fish cell cultures. A routine stain with DAPI (staining DNA showing chromosomes at different stages during cell division), making me happy.
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