Sign in

John Small

@smalltorquer.bsky.social
292 followers 634 following 509 posts

Open-minded economist, koro to 4 mokopuna, promoting prosperity for Aotearoa and the mana of all who live here. Posts are personal views. Shares are not endorsements.

PostsRepliesMedia
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
*goose meme* ...who built the sandbox Sam? and who designed the agents? fortune.com/2026/09/26/o...
fortune.com
OpenAI pauses training a second time after saying its AI agents escaped a secure 'sandbox' again just last weekend | Fortune
OpenAI looks to improve test security again after upgrades it made after the Hugging Face attack proved insufficient.
010
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Talked cartels & competition with Jack Tame last week & its screening tomorrow morning on Q&A.
021
Reposted by John Small
Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The best sign in the history of everything.
855894929
Reposted by John Small
Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#OTD in 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to grant all adult women the right to vote in national parliamentary elections. The first election held after this milestone was in November 1893--an incredible 82% of registered female voters voted. #WomensSuffrage
This image shows a bronze bas-relief detail from the Kate Sheppard National Memorial located on Oxford Terrace in Christchurch, New Zealand. A tribute to New Zealand's women's suffrage movement, depicting prominent campaigners. From left to right, the main figures featured in the sculpture are Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, Amey Daldy, Kate Sheppard (center next to a wheelbarrow of suffrage petitions), Ada Wells, Harriet Morison, and Helen Nicol. The monument honors the landmark 1893 Electoral Act, signed on 19 September 1893, which made New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world where women won the right to vote in parliamentary elections.
231618422
Reposted by John Small
audioculturenz.bsky.social @audioculturenz.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
While chopping wood, East Cape songwriter Henare Waitoa had been working on Māori lyrics to the melody of an old US cowboy song, ‘Goldmine in the Sky’. Written in the 19th century, the song had been a hit in the 1920s for Carl T Sprague and, in the 1930s, Gene... 🧵 audioculture.co.nz/articles/wel...
audioculture.co.nz
Welcome Home: the birth of ‘Tomo Mai’, aka ‘Hoki Mai’ - Article | AudioCulture
Just as the departure of the Māori Battalion to the Second World War inspired a song that became a standard in New Zealand’s repertoire (‘Blue Smoke’), the soldiers’ return also helped create a song t...
121
Reposted by John Small
MonzaGT 🇳🇿 @monzagt.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Jeez that’s an oldie but a goody I saw my 5ft 2 Mum use with a drunk on a Hutt Valley unit. He was all sorry lady and got off at the next station.
011
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The usa AI sector has suddenly adopted ...reverse ferrets share.google/ASN8N1WcNmg3...
share.google
Google Image Result for https://ugc-assets.mumsnet.com/images/202010/large-694847-reverse-ferret.gif
010
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
3 years living in Auckland CBD with no vehicle = plenty of public transport experience. My reckon: we're handling anti-social conduct pretty well, and we need to see this as a collective responsibility.
261
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Political attitudes to AI matter. Here's an idea to kick around. What if the government went large on open weight models? Download to nz servers & open them up to all accredited official agencies. Cheap, customisable & data-sovereign.
100
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Superb
020
Reposted by John Small
Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 09/09/2026
Not to brag, but our product has been foldable since 1828.
142135262192
Reposted by John Small
twist @pvdork.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
22171441983
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
DMs not available in Australia without proof of age.
000
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
We are on holiday at a QLD beach. Super impressed at how many people are getting around on 2 electric wheels. I reckon they outnumber dogs, but that view is contested. We are both seizing on evidence that supports our particular view.
000
Reposted by John Small
Trades Union Congress @tuc.org.uk · 26/08/2026
Reminder that Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 is a film about three women taking over an office and introducing free childcare, paid vacation, and flexible hours, resulting in a 20% increase in productivity.
9839270
Reposted by John Small
Dr. Cassandra Mudgway @legallyfeminist.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
And that's a (say it with me now) a privacy concern! Not only because Meta will have more information about a person, including biometric data, that it could use for commercial purposes or building out its AI tools but it's sensitive info at risk of security breaches.
1255
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Darcy was like a shooting star in the NZ music scene. Burned out far too soon. I bet Dolly would've loved this version.
010
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Timeline cleanse: Fat Freddy's Drop...... youtube.com/watch?v=7UcS...
youtube.com
Fat Freddy's Drop - The Best Live Performance Ever [HD]
YouTube video by Strictly Good Tunes
020
Reposted by John Small
Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
But I thought Trump controlled the Strait? oilprice.com/Latest-Energ...
oilprice.com
Another Tanker Struck as Hormuz Shipping Crisis Deepens | OilPrice.com
Another tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz highlights persistent shipping risks even as Iran and Oman discuss restoring navigation through the critical waterway.
2627765
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Agree: exit of losers is as important as innovative new entry.
031
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This was good fun. I missed the first talk but caught the other 2.
120
Reposted by John Small
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Pro democracy chalking at the botanic gardens
Vote encouragement
414048
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Any Otautahi friends interested in a tech conversation tomorrow night? Register (free) & I'll see you there.... luma.com/5h3u4t7h
luma.com
Conversational Commerce · Luma
3 AI TALKS · POT LUCK DINNER Join us for an impromptu evening to learn about AI Search, Agentic Engineering & Human Adoption Patterns. The Talks: 01 Why Do…
000
Reposted by John Small
Jonathan Coe @jonathancoe.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Full marks for the typo. Chef’s kiss for the reply.
81614304
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Interesting quote re money in politics: "To change the game you kinda have to play the game first"
000
Reposted by John Small
Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 18/08/2026
I’d feel extremely safe on this flight because I already know they had to work twice as hard, be twice as good and make half as many mistakes just to get into those seats. Black women make up less than 1% of professional pilots. Yeah, I’d sleep good on this flight. ✈️
427149612874
Reposted by John Small
Jesse Felder @jessefelder.com · 10/08/2026
‘A few weeks ago Zuckerberg was extolling the value of open-source. And then today he released a model that is NOT open-source, hoping you wouldn’t notice the difference.’ garymarcus.substack.com/p/open-sourc... by @garymarcus.bsky.social
garymarcus.substack.com
Open-source is NOT the same as open-weight
How The New York Times just bungled this one, and why it matters, immensely
316150
Reposted by John Small
Martyn Pepperell @martynpepperell.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
A free show?! In this economy?
022
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Some good stuff in here but needs more attention to open weight models running on closed data/info sets.
010
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Endorse. If you can get teched up, you should.
020
Reposted by John Small
Ian McQue @ianmcque.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Skye landscape
Digital painting, Skye landscape with blackhouse and barn
111557238
Reposted by John Small
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I only now realized that when I searched for the cover image of White Flight earlier, it pulled up this image drawn from one of the blurbs for the book. The words are from the amazing southern historian Dan Carter. But the image is of the amazing New Zealand rugby star Dan Carter.
"In his study of Atlanta over the last 60 years, Kevin Kruse convincingly describes the critical connections between race, Sun Belt suburbanization, the rise of the new Republican majority. White Flight is a powerful and compelling book that should be read by anyone interested in modern American politics and post-World War II urban history."
3041434
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Love is... messages to your partner that start with: updog?
020
Reposted by John Small
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
There should be more news on Australia's plans to require Data Centres to be nett generators (and the degree of renewables) later this month, for legislation next year. NZ seems to have no such planning, opting for more of a US "let it hit the current grid" model. thenextweb.com/news/austral...
thenextweb.com
Australia’s world-first data centre rules hit their first snag: the power isn’t there yet
Australia has told its data centres to put more power into the grid than they pull out, an obligation no other country has tried to write into law. The demand is barely a fortnight old, and it has alr...
3337
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Outstanding! By contrast, typical seed treatments in agriculture here are pesticides.
000
Reposted by John Small
Newsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 31/07/2026
The Commerce Commission warns businesses remain strictly responsible for illegal price-fixing outcomes produced by automated algorithms.
newsroom.co.nz
How AI could accidentally engage businesses in cartels
053
Reposted by John Small
Tze Ming Mok 莫志明 @tzemingdynasty.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The CBD is like my backyard and we have been suffering so long, so so long that I am suspending my Auckland City of Fails cynicism and going full Auckland Cultural Nationalist. I cannot wait for these stations to open, they look so BEAUTIFUL, the public DESERVES NICE THINGS
2412
Reposted by John Small
Tze Ming Mok 莫志明 @tzemingdynasty.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
COOL NEW EEL
Massive bronze eel with serene and friendly face spiraling down from the celestial spring Puna Kauariki to the corner of Victoria & Queen. The Sky Tower is the background, the scale is perfect for tourist photos, they really thought this through lolEel’s kindly face 
Eel is our forever friend
1731082
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
a great read for energy friends ...
010
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
This seems like a serious loophole. www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...
rnz.co.nz
Thames Four Square owner forced migrant workers to pay $120,000 to secure jobs
A Thames Four Square and its owner has been ordered to pay $44,000 in penalties after making two migrant workers pay $120,000 to secure their jobs.
020
Reposted by John Small
Juha Saarinen @juha.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
That last bit is general advice, to be followed every day as you wake up.
15417
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Neo liberals scoff at industry policy while other countries win big by leaning into the obvious mega trends.
120
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Further evidence that China is way ahead on EVs... www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/7...
rnz.co.nz
How China won the car wars with cheap EVs loaded with technology
Analysis - In June, China sounded an ominous warning to its global rivals on, of all places, the Melbourne docks.
241
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Hey @ericcrampton.bsky.social have you got any updated thoughts on prediction markets in light of recent experience in the US?
110
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Agree and would add that economic effects should also be given more attention. Lots of NZ's international trade gains value from our GE free status.
052
John Small @smalltorquer.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Sounds great. Dal makhani here tonight 😀
000
Reposted by John Small
Kieran @nugmonster.cryptoanarchy.network · 19/07/2026
lmao archive.ph/hx9HK for those of you who don't want to pay the nytimes
nytimes.com
They Called Sam Neill ‘Skux.’ (It Was a Compliment.)
The New Zealand slang word, dating back to the 1990s, was pulled back into circulation in tributes to the actor, who died on Tuesday.
374
Reposted by John Small
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 17/07/2026
This summer, we kept the lights on all night, every night, at five soccer fields across New York City.

This was the scene at Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend, Brooklyn Tuesday night.
459210143330
Reposted by John Small
Sacha Judd @sachajudd.com · 18/07/2026
Just our tiny lil NZ app store but this feels wild.
0194
Reposted by John Small
samuel mehr @mehr.nz · 17/07/2026
landscaper: are you sure this retaining wall is square with the house? builder: yea mate I did a 3-4-5, it's square. bang on landscaper: huh but how do you know without a laser and level builder, covered in mud from digging holes: uh, because of Pythagoras
2262