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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she

@ordinarystarman.com
1.3K followers 661 following 436 posts

Non-binary binary star modeller. Sāmoan & manuhiri to Aotearoa. Builder of cool shit. Absolute nerd. Opinions own. Research Fellow @ University of Auckland Current book list: ordinarystarman.com/books they/she.

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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 01/10/2026
Pleased to announce the availability of a tiny little python utility of mine: Khriss! Khriss lets you make aesthetic matplotlib images for journals at the right resolution the first time, every time. It's three lines you drop into your python code. Find it here! pypi.org/project/khri...
pypi.org
khriss
Khriss: print-quality figures in Python
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
Dr Jan Eldridge @astro-jje.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Very proud of the amazing Dr @ordinarystarman.com who has now graduated and can get "Dr" on all her bank cards. Also not everyday you hear someone you work with on the radio because they're the first Samoan PhD in astrophysics from UoA: www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific...
rnz.co.nz
First Samoan astrophysicist encourages Pasifika students to reach for the stars
The first Samoan person to graduate with a PhD in physics at the University of Auckland has encouraged Pasifika students to remember that they belong and can succeed in academia.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 23/09/2026
can't believe I get to say this, but I'm now officially Dr Sean Richards! I got profiled by the University website on my journey -- "from gamer to stargazer", and being the first Sāmoan physicist from the University of Auckland. www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026...
auckland.ac.nz
From gamer to stargazer: first Sāmoan astrophysicist graduates with PhD – University of Auckland
Dr Sean Richards' research helps astronomers more accurately model the formation of neutron stars and other extreme cosmic phenomena.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 20/09/2026
most important election of the year right here.
Bird of the year vote. I have voted for (in order): kererū, tūī, pūkeko, takahē, fantail.
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
The Onion @theonion.com · 16/09/2026
Gas Station Price Sign Using Scientific Notation
Gas Station Price Sign Using Scientific Notation
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 04/09/2026
I may not be the target audience for this, I fear. mydialect.us/quiz-standar...
A dialect map showing my most similar area is New York.Cities most & least like you.
Most similar: Boston MA, New York NY, Portland ME
Least similar: Oklahoma City OK, Omaha NE, Dallas TX

What gave you away:
What do you call the drink made with milk and ice cream? (thick shake)
How do you pronounce Mary/merry/marry? (all 3 are different)
What is your generic term for a sweetened carbonated beverage? (fizzy drink)
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket? (supermarket trolley)
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 04/09/2026
as I left work today, I ran into my COMPSCI 101 lecturer. Haven't sat in a class of his since 2016. Whenever we see each other, we chat. I told him I'm graduating at the end of the month, and he just turned to me and said "Congratulations, Doctor." 🥹
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Dr Sarah Hendrica Bickerton 🏳️‍🌈 @sarahhbickerton.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
You know, just a bit of positivity amongst all the crap we all see ... There's been a rather large trend lately I've been seeing on Instagram from amateur geeky artists of drawing comics of 'Petra Parker' ... ie Peter Parker (Spider-Man) if she were trans and transitioned. They're all so lovely.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 04/09/2026
Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. -- Dead Poets Society [3/3]
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 04/09/2026
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" [2/3]
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 04/09/2026
We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. [1/3]
rnz.co.nz
ACT promises to axe millions in roadside art spending
ACT is promising to stop motorists' money being spent on roadside sculptures, cultural monuments and decorative artwork, saying fuel taxes and road-user charges should pay for roads instead.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 03/09/2026
The most important election of the year is upon us. We need something new, not more of the same old, same old. That’s why I am formally endorsing the kerurū for this year’s #BirdOfTheYear.
rnz.co.nz
'Manufestos and wings': The new twist in this month's Bird of the Year competition
The country's politicians aren't the only ones gearing up for an election as Forest & Bird's 2026 Bird of the Year opens for voting.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 31/08/2026
”hey Sean how did you know your friend group was autistic” well you see they spent 5 minutes interrogating the DM about what kind of stone was on the walls that their pet dragon was being kept hostage in, and what this meant (geologically) for where the dragon was being kept
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 24/08/2026
many thoughts about the privacy implications of this policy. but one of the things that confuses me most is that platforms like discord and roblox are *excluded*? surely if the motive is protecting children you *want* to encapsulate the pedo game and the most popular messaging platform?
The bill would require "high risk" platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, and Facebook, to take "reasonable steps" to check users were over the age of 16.

The reasonable steps included using existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services, and formal ID.

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Discord, and online games like Roblox, are not included in the bill.

AI chatbots that are primarily for productivity, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are also out of scope, but social AI companions are covered by the ban.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 23/08/2026
Motherfucker is introducing Treaty Principles Bill 2.0. Fuck 'em, fuck the lot of 'em.
rnz.co.nz
ACT Party takes aim at 'activist judges', Treaty of Waitangi clauses
The ACT Party has released a policy designed to protect core democratic values and property rights, reign in "activist judges" and stop Parliament creating "divisive" Treaty of Waitangi clauses.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 21/08/2026
nz politics is crazy because what do you mean that the parties are: a) "guys trust me im definitely the prime minister" b) "guys trust me im not going to introduce taxes" c) "guys trust me, im the penis inspector" d) "can we get nicer school lunches" and somehow, (d) is the "loony greens" option!
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 19/08/2026
3D printer sends me a notification that its finished printing. :D I come home and the print is a pile of spaghetti on the print bed. D: It's used up all my filament DDD:
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
M R. X. Dentith @mrxdentith.com · 17/08/2026
It is moments before the heat death of the universe. Another feasibility study has been commissioned to look at replacing the Auckland Harbour Bridge with a new crossing
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 16/08/2026
I love reading about other people's experiences with their inner monologues. I've never had an inner monologue, and have lacked mental imagery for most of my life (the last concrete mental image I remember was at age 7). The range in human perception & experience is super fascinating to me.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 10/08/2026
“Hey Sean how’d you realise you were addicted to energy drinks?” When I got off the plane, went through the border, paid a 50% premium to buy one at the airport, and then sculled 500mL in about ten seconds
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 08/08/2026
God schiep de aarde, maar de God schiepen blue v
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 08/08/2026
having to drink Red Bull instead of the greatest liquid god ever created (blue v)
A Red Bull in my hand. A KLM plane is in the distance as is a Turkish airlines plane.
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
Brooke Simmons @vrooje.net · 23/07/2026
To those at the #NAM2026 plenary hearing things like “and that’s when I knew we were going to win [over other survey teams]”, know that you can do brilliant science in a collaborative and mutually encouraging way, rather than treating everyone else as a competitor. We decide/set our culture. 🔭
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 23/07/2026
Don't worry -- it matters little. 😉
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 22/07/2026
reminder that this was just three months ago
TruthSocial post from Donald J. Trump. It reads:

"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 17/07/2026
one of these things is not like the other
my cookies and site data. it reads:
messenger.com -- 17,179,867,182 GB.
facebook.com -- 1.5 GB.
sharepoint.com -- 254 MB.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 22/06/2026
guys I attacked him again and got a SECOND FUCKIN NATURAL TWENTY
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 22/06/2026
the cleric just turned to me and asked me if I wanted him to cast Spare the Dying on me, gang how fucked am I
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 22/06/2026
guys we just encountered Strahd for the first time in our Curse of Strahd campaign. My barbarian, who has Historical Beef with Strahd, attacked him on sight and got a NATURAL FUCKIN TWENTY
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 21/06/2026
The $5 is the prescription fee — might you be at a pharmacy that waives them / be at the fee limit?
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 21/06/2026
(These numbers are ballparks based on my car's fuel efficiency and assuming the fastest route with minimal traffic. This doesn't include parking when I have to drive to work for an appointment after work, or the bus fare when I pick up my HRT / do bloods.)
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 21/06/2026
really minor realisation here. My HRT costs in New Zealand are actually... dirt fucking cheap? If you take *only* the costs for the first "hey doc I want to start HRT" to now (4 months), I've paid NZ$20 ~ US$11. The biggest expense by far is my petrol to drive to my doc (on the other side of AKL).
A table breaking down the costs for my (medical) gender transition. The table entries are as follows:
First Consultation: Direct cost $0, Fuel costs $15.65
Bloodwork: Direct cost $0, Fuel costs $0
Second Consultation: Direct cost $0, Fuel costs $15.65
Estrogen: Direct cost $5, Fuel costs $0
Spiro: Direct cost $5, Fuel costs $0
Bloodwork: Direct cost $0, Fuel costs $0
Third Consultation: Direct cost $0, Fuel costs $15.65
Estrogen (higher dose): Direct cost $5, Fuel costs $0
Spiro (higher dose): Direct cost $5, Fuel costs $0
Fourth Consultation (projected): Direct cost $0, Fuel costs $15.65
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 31/05/2026
May 23: feel like shit May 25: feel normal again May 26: feel like shit, go home at lunch May 27: still feel shit. Day off work May 28: back to normal. Back to work May 31: feel sick as a dog, worst I’ve been all week please, my health, may I return to normal properly!
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 10/05/2026
I dunno chris, I think it was good at alleviating some of the financial stressors of studying but I guess what do I know with my $80k in student loan debt
rnz.co.nz
Fees-free university scheme 'didn't achieve any goals', Christopher Luxon says
The scheme, which gave tertiary students their final year of study free, is being scrapped.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 10/05/2026
We are no longer in charge. We are just documenting history as it screams past us.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 03/05/2026
Kia ora #nzsky -- I've noticed some karakia end with "Haumi e, Hui e, Tāiki e!" whereas others end with just "Hui e, Tāiki e!". I (tangata tiriti, grew up in Ngāti Rēhia's rohe) was brought up doing the former -- does anyone know if this is a regional iwi thing, or is there another reason?
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 19/04/2026
im tapping the fucking sign again. just spent 15 minutes trying to calm down our cat while trying not to have a panic attack myself.
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
Bree Lundberg @breelundberg.com · 03/04/2026
I’m completely sick and tired of hearing about HP but this article is excellent. “What you feel in your heart towards the series is almost entirely irrelevant. What matters is what you do, because J. K. Rowling is out there doing a lot of things.” defector.com/its-time-to-...
defector.com
It’s Time To Grow Up | Defector
HBO’s new Harry Potter TV series is premiering this Christmas Day. Under current plans, it will last at least a decade. The trailer looks like the original films were run through an AI generator, but ...
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 03/04/2026
Kia ora Ali! Nau mai haere mai :)
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 03/04/2026
First time I've ever actually held this. It's thicker than I expected (and I wrote the damn thing!)
A bound thesis. The title is "The Next Generation: Refining the Standard Population Synthesis Model to Better Predict Stellar Population Properties". It is written by Sean Richards. The bottommost text reads "A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physics, the University of Auckland, 2025. This thesis is for examination purposes only and is confidential to the examination process." It is held in front of a colourful PC with a city background image. Random detritus, evidence that OP needs to clean her room, is scattered on the floor.
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
CatherineQ @catherineq.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
No words. #ArtemisII
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Reposted by Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she
CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 01/04/2026
GO #ARTEMISII GO!!!! 🚀 Godspeed, humans!
Rocket launching
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 18/03/2026
hey guys look at my dumbass cat
a shorthair cat, white undercoat, darker overcoat, sitting on an ottoman, facing the wall
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 11/03/2026
Does MSU have a laptop loan scheme? My institution has loaners for either short term or long term use — www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/...
auckland.ac.nz
Tech support – University of Auckland
Get support with getting online, device recommendations or access, how to do safe computing, and a guide to student technology support.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 02/03/2026
In D&D last night my Paladin ran headfirst into her first campaign combat loudly singing Bella Ciao, and got a natural 20 on her first attack roll. No BA to be able to smite, but with her rolls it was still 12d6 with her sword Absolem.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 02/03/2026
how bad!? I know people in the administration I can talk to about it, if you’re okay with that.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 01/03/2026
the flagpole even got assembled, and now it just needs writing all over it (taking suggestions! I'm thinking either the names of prominent queer figures now + in history, or solidarity poetry since this can be used for broader than just pride).
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 01/03/2026
and thus, dear reader, a rather long list of todos got completed. and now, to relax with some Agatha All Along and a white wine.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 01/03/2026
thoroughly productive day today. Third load of laundry on, lawn taken care of, whole bunch of nasturtiums planted. Just gotta cook some meals, rip out some moth plant when the flatmates come home and can help, and (maybe) finally assemble the flagpole for my pride flags.
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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 21/02/2026
My danish flatmate in ikea: “what is this half assed bullshit”
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