Reposted by Robert MerkelLiam Hogan @liamhogan.id.au · 27/09/2026This is a shopping list of Australian housing myths, including my favourite, ‘there used to be housing commissions’. Yes, and the absence of public housing is a real factor in crisis. But the Cwth and State housing commissions built a tiny fraction of our cities, the vast majority was private built 62817
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 26/09/2026This this this, and it doesn't just apply to the US and climate. 010
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 26/09/2026This this this, and it doesn't just apply to the US and climate. 001
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 25/09/2026So the latest AI hype train is arriving for a tool called Jev, which is supposed to be a fast, cheap model designed for classification rather than generation. 100
Reposted by Robert MerkelAsher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I absolutely refuse to get caught up in hype about a “hack” of a public service that simultaneously tries to block public access to data and also doesn’t know how to set permissions in their own data management www.croakey.org/on-secrets-s...croakey.orgOn secrets, Services Australia and a call for more transparent public governanceIntroduction by Charles Maskell-Knight: One of the problems in delivering government entitlement programs fairly and legally is ensuring that the 33513
Reposted by Robert MerkelJosh Taylor @joshtaylor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026If ultimately there's no criminal responsibility for this incident here then FOI just became a lot easier if we ask AI agents to go find those documents for us. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.comAlbanese says OpenAI hacked Medicare and told Australia months later via email to generic inboxPrime minister says he told Sam Altman he was disappointed it had taken OpenAI ‘way too long’ to disclose breach 7338127
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Not often a bulk mailout from our local MP brings a tear to the eye…but this one did. Rest in peace, Dr Read. He was genuinely one of the good ones. 010
Reposted by Robert MerkelMark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026New YouGov shows Reform increasingly suffering from tactical voting: Lab vs Reform Lab: 41% (+6 from Feb) Reform: 26% (-5) Con vs Reform Con: 35% (+4) Reform: 20% (-4) Lab vs Con Lab: 34% (+5) Con: 27% (-1) 1486
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Interesting research about an extraordinarily fraught question. 010
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Read this. Not Nock’s main point but the national airlines of all the Pacific states are a disaster area: if they had any sense they’d merge the lot into a single airline. 110
Reposted by Robert MerkelNick Feik @nickfeik.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Why does this micronation have a commercial airline with seven Boeing 737s? Because the Australian government goes to absurd and dangerous lengths to prop it up. The scandal of Nauru Airlines and Australia’s offshore detention regime. Now on my substack:nickfeik.substack.comThe scandal of Nauru Airlines and Australia’s offshore detention regimeWhy does this micronation have a commercial airline with seven Boeing 737s? Because the Australian government goes to absurd and dangerous lengths to prop it up. 615587
Reposted by Robert MerkelSean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 17/09/2026This from a man who has asked his son to monitor his on-line porn consumption. 1313419688
Reposted by Robert MerkelDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 16/09/2026There are dissertations to be written about climate change vs. AI -- the nature of the risks, how they were communicated, how elites responded, on and on. A rich vein. 59015
Reposted by Robert MerkelTom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 16/09/2026the hardest thing for the politician-bureaucrats to understand -- but which NSF staff *absolutely do* understand and always have -- is that you actually make scientific progress by giving young people money and promising not to bother them 430084
Reposted by Robert MerkelDavid Fickling @davidfickling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026It’s darkly funny that data center bros are all installing gigawatts of diesel generators because batteries are girly and foreign, just at the moment the entire global diesel production system is breaking apart. 4215
Reposted by Robert MerkelNick Feik @nickfeik.bsky.social · 15/09/2026New investigation: How Australia is propping up an entire international commercial airline (and a dangerously mismanaged one) for its offshore detention regime:thepoint.com.auWhy is Australia propping up Nauru airlines to keep offshore detention alive?Here’s a question you’ve probably never asked yourself: Why does Nauru Airlines exist? There’s a simple answer – Australia’s offshore detention regime. Australia’s “resettlement” program in Naoero req... 14184111
Reposted by Robert MerkelBeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026kids are natural cops tbh 1526211
Reposted by Robert MerkelJohn Quiggin @johnquiggin.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Australian media: Migrants are pushing house prices up, and that’s a disaster Also Australian media: Tax policy is pushing house prices down, and that’t a disaster #auspol 49828
Reposted by Robert MerkelTim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 13/09/2026Australian energy efficiency maven Jenny Edwards is on an upcoming home reno series where the schtick is to fix up an old 1970s house to bring it into the 2020s for (relatively!) cheap. I don't know the show, but Jenny is great value. I will be watching. You should too for cheap idea! 3298
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Im not going to dispute the necessity and potential effectiveness of this advice but not being a campaigner I’m allowed to conclude that One Nation voters are, in fact, racist idiots. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.comDo not call her a racist: anti-Pauline Hanson strategists tell campaigners character attacks won’t work in VictoriaExclusive: strategic rethink urges progressive activists to respectfully steer one-on-one conversations with One Nation supporters towards economic concerns 010
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Bill Kelty is right. The well-off would periodically take (concessionally taxed) money out of their super to avoid hitting the $3 million cap. It's a tax handout to the rich. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/economy...thesaturdaypaper.com.auBill Kelty on One Nation’s ‘giant tax avoidance scheme’The former ACTU secretary and architect of Australia’s superannuation system says workers will risk lower wages, higher inflation and a poorer future all round if super funds are tapped today. 000
Reposted by Robert MerkelZach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I miss Old Internet a lot, but admittedly a major part of that is that the early internet had a very weird opt-in procedure that you can't recreate, the result of which is that the default user was a curious dorkwad. Plus, there was no money to be made, so no branding/positioning all the time. 1854238
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Aside from the obvious privacy and legal issues - I'm confused. What is the use case for this feature? I'm having a conversation with someone, I miss a point, and I stop and fiddle with my watch to get a transcript of their last statement? 010
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Congratulations to the journalist who bothered to ask a very basic question - is there a reason why road funding isn't keeping up - and got some useful answers. 020
Reposted by Robert MerkelTyler Alterman @tyleralterman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026If you had to design a high school class that every person on earth were required to take, what would it be? (Keep in mind the problems of distribution at scale: your content will often be watered down and mistaught, like all high school classes) 561
Reposted by Robert MerkelNick Feik @nickfeik.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Imagine if we had a national anti-corruption commission that exposed corruptiontheguardian.comThe Icac allegations are astounding – even with NSW’s inglorious history of corruption and property developmentThe evidence presented so far raises some disturbing questions about the influence of certain figures in NSW politics 32315115
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 03/09/20265 hours and 40 minutes on a paddle board? Swallowing salt water? I’d rather do an Ironman bike leg on a fat bike. 000
Reposted by Robert MerkelDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 02/09/2026Just gonna toss out there that one of the central facts of US politics--all politics, really--is that the general populace knows very little about who holds power, how gov't works, what policies do & don't exist, the balance of economic forces, or really much of anything outside their lifeworlds. 29792106
Reposted by Robert Merkellauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 02/09/2026it's a very old rule of moderated digital spaces that you need an "i know it when i see it" clause for harassment or else bad actors will aggressively toe the line without ever technically going over. that's why i don't think the "why cant you give me an exact definition" replies will go anywhere 642230287
Reposted by Robert MerkelNick Evershed!? @nickevershed.bsky.social · 31/08/2026‘Scary’: how misinformation and AI hallucinations are infiltrating Australia’s parliament - Guardian analysis reveals that dozens of policy submissions from across the political spectrum incorrectly summarise real research and invent or wrongly cite sources www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.com‘Scary’: how misinformation and AI hallucinations are infiltrating Australia’s parliamentExclusive: Guardian analysis reveals that dozens of policy submissions from across the political spectrum incorrectly summarise real research and invent or wrongly cite sources 9255168
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 29/08/20261970s trenagers talk a lot, at school, a bowling alley, and at an outdoor party. Nothing changes as a result. 010
Reposted by Robert MerkelJan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 27/08/2026🍺Cheers! Heat pumps aren't just for homes. Heineken UK is putting an industrial heat pump network into its Manchester brewery, recovering waste heat from brewing to replace gas boilers. Industrial heat is the next frontier. www.foodbeverage-outlook.com/sustainabili...foodbeverage-outlook.comHow Heineken UK is Using Heat Pumps to Slash Brewery Gas Use by 45% - Food & Beverage OutlookHeineken UK is installing a GEA low-carbon heat network at its Manchester brewery, using heat recovery and industrial heat pumps to reduce reliance on natural gas and support its production decarbonis... 423269
Reposted by Robert Merkelevacide @evacide.bsky.social · 26/08/2026If you're writing a story about police abusing Flock access to stalk current/former/potential partners, I'm begging you to please follow up on the consequences these cops face for getting caught, because a lot of the time it's barely more than a slap on the wrist. 5397107
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 26/08/2026This one might bring back some particular feels for Australian audiences of a certain age. Spectacular rendition. 000
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 25/08/2026TL;DR: It's Ben Roberts-Smith. One Nation supporters are exactly who you think they are. www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...theage.com.auThe surprising figure One Nation supporters back more than anyone apart from HansonNo.1 among One Nation voters is, as you’d expect, Pauline Hanson. But No.2 is not Barnaby Joyce or Donald Trump or any conventional political figure. 110
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Never thought ASCII art would become an aesthetic, but here we are: 0177
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026It remains one hell of a listen. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/a...theguardian.com‘It was a damn unicorn’: the pioneering, divisive power of Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40On its anniversary, the author of a new book about the album explains the complex legacy and masterful musicianship of the 1986 classic 000
Reposted by Robert Merkelmate13hd.bsky.social @mate13hd.bsky.social · 16/08/2026From today's Melbourne Age. 163
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Reminder: as well as being professional racists, One Nation produce objectively terrible policy ideas: News live: Hanson says Australians should be able to use super for cost-of-living pressures www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.comNews live: Hanson says Australians should be able to use super for cost-of-living pressuresFollow live updates 010
Reposted by Robert Merkelmtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 15/08/2026If the Dems do a Project 2029 type thing of shovel ready policy papers it's gonna be a lot of shit like "loan forgiveness for pell grant recipients who start business" when it should be "we asked 50 retired OEM dealer relations lawyers how to fuck over car dealers and here's what they said" 381721262
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 13/08/2026If the Liberals wwre serious about easing regulation to make housing affordable, nandated parking minimums would be a mich more sensible place to start. But they aren’t, so they won’t. grattan.edu.au/news/axe-car...grattan.edu.auAxe car-parking rules to ease the housing crisisThe rules that require new housing developments to include off-street parking needlessly drive up the price of homes and should be scrapped. 110
Reposted by Robert MerkelBen Eltham @beneltham.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Seems like an easy productivity win which is why I’m sure it will be ignored 512438
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 28/07/2026So Jacinta Allan has resigned. While they aren’t the things that will get attention, Fingers crossed this might mean the end of the pro-gun, and pro-feral deer nonsense this government and specifically Allan has been responsible for. 010
Reposted by Robert MerkelLiam Hogan @liamhogan.id.au · 27/07/2026My own inner 20thC progressivist says: The kind of irrational anxiety people are displaying about the AusAlert test is very bad and I don’t know how it’s healthy to share a democracy with people who demand these kinds of fear-mongering superstitions be respected. 43113
Reposted by Robert MerkelAndrew Elder @awelder.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Vale Bill Oddie, magnificent bastard, it was important to me as a kid that people like you existed too 1437
Robert Merkel @rgmerk.bsky.social · 26/07/2026I finally had the chance to set up my Commodore 64 Ultimate (a modern, hardware-based replica of the classic 80s home computer) and played a couple of games against my 10 year old daughter. While the graphics are blocky, the SID tunes still rock and the games are surprisingly fun. 000
Reposted by Robert MerkelWill Harris @sandwichpick.bsky.social · 17/07/2026The perfect parody doesn't exis- 7039251050
Reposted by Robert MerkelDr Kathleen Neal @kbneal.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Begging writers of recipes to specify if they mean fan or non-fan forced oven in *every* recipe that mentions temperatures. Not mentioning it in passing in your blog intro. Not expecting everyone to know by default. Just spell it out. Please. 2133
Reposted by Robert Merkelstuart @stuartp.bsky.social · 08/07/2026iron rule of British politics is even if a guy who dresses as a bin becomes prime minister he will have been to Oxbridge 323204798