iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Stephen Hill

'Before the tender began House of Science chief executive Chris Duggan was also added to a group helping to write the science curriculum, on Stanford's recommendation [...] she stood to gain materially from being on it.' #nzpol www.1news.co.nz/2026/10/01/l...

1news.co.nz

Labour calls for investigation into $40m school science kit contract

The House of Science had repeatedly lobbied the Education Minister for funding – but Erica Stanford insists it’s all above board.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

morgan godfery @morgangodfery.bsky.social · 20h

I think the Mata poll showing a surge in support for the Greens among Māori voters signals a structural shift as millennials/Gen X Māori rapidly outnumber the older population. This shift was emerging 10 years ago, and for the foreseeable Labour/Greens/and TPM will roughly share support in thirds

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Marco @mcognetta.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

As @karpathy.bsky.social said: tokenization is the root of all suffering. Come learn the good stuff.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I spent the full hour on NPR/@wbur.org's "On Point" in conversation with Meghna Chakrabarti on this year's very strong El Niño event--which is expected reach record intensity by Nov--and the broader context surrounding it, as well as local-to-global impacts.

wbur.org

How the 'super' El Niño will shape the global climate

El Niño has become an annual global climate phenomenon. But this year, scientists are warning of a record-setting 'super' El Niño. What that could mean for the weather everywhere on planet earth.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Robert Rohde @rarohde.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Temperatures in the Central Pacific El Niño region are the hottest ever measured (top panel), and far above any other El Niño at this time of year. But, if you adjust for the warming of the global ocean, the current trajectory is not so different from other very strong events.

Two panel plot showing daily time series of temperature anomalies in the Central Pacific Nino3.4 region during the last four strongest El Niño events without and with correction for changes in global ocean mean temperature.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Christina Hood @christinahood.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Lindsay Wood has more background on the complaint about NZ's compliance with the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement climate obligations here:

climatemattersnz.substack.com

“NZ in the Dock” Climate Matters Special

Guilty as charged?

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Sam Schwarzkopf @sampendu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

If you can spare ~20 min on an online study on perception & #mentalimagery please consider participating: #visionscience #psychscisky #neuroskyence tstbl.co/131-782

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

André "Normal" Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Unfortunate choice of images here.

A screenshot of a NZ Herald news alert about a woman's murder. The accompanying image is of Nicola Willis and David Seymour.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Nick Young @nickofnz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A Dutch environmental group claims New Zealand has broken its #climatechange promises in the free trade agreement with the EU and is lodging the first complaint of its kind through the European Commission. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

rnz.co.nz

NZ accused of breaking climate change promise with EU, but Todd McClay rejects claim

A Dutch environmental group claims New Zealand has broken its climate change promises in the free trade agreement with the EU and is lodging the first complaint of its kind through the European Commis...

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Jenna Russell @jennarussell.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Would you realize if the book you were reading was AI? What if it was humanized to remove AI-speak? We find that even without using stylistic cues (e.g., word choice or sentence structure) narrative choices alone give AI fiction away!

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Along with others, I've had a bit to say about Simeon Brown's deranged 2024 Transport GPS. But this is actually shocking. It was altered *after the consultation period* to make the books look better – in a way that wrecks the National Land Transport Fund. www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2026/09/29/t...

greaterauckland.org.nz

Transport borrowing comes back to bite - Greater Auckland

Today, Treasury is releasing the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (or PREFU) ahead of the election. So I figured it was worth looking at a significant recent change to the way transport expendi...

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Foxes @foxylustygrover.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I think the media are really out of touch with how much women want pay equity for all women #NZPol

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Stuart Palmer @spalm.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

"Fresh Butternut Pumpkin Whole".

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Byron C Clark @byroncclark.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If these numbers were repeated on election night, The Greens would have 20 MPs. One of them would be New Zealands first Palestinian MP www.1news.co.nz/2026/09/28/p... Crossposted with @openvibe.social

1news.co.nz

Poll: Greens surge to best result ever as National, Labour slide further

The 1News Verian poll result would give the party 19 MPs if repeated in November’s election.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I'm a day later than I should've been, but those of you back home in NZ are now five hours ahead of me in Perth rather than four, and as is tradition I'm reupping my thread about NZ's innovations timewise If you got up for work at 7am today, that would have been 5:30am on NZ's original mean time

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Nick Baker @nickbaker.digital · 27/09/2026

This is your school holiday assignment. Complete the school lunch quiz by matching the image to the name - a quiz based on the school lunch images sent by @ninjakitty.bsky.social this past school term. There are 15 images in total. forms.gle/et7qDL4VGBJH...

forms.gle

The Aotearoa New Zealand School Lunch Quiz

The images show 15 school lunches delivered to a school in August 2026. Your task is to pick the name that was assigned to each one.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Newsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 27/09/2026

Shoddy studies keep making the news – and they’re all over social media. What are some solutions to the rising tide of misinformation?

newsroom.co.nz

The media is polluted with bad science, but there are ways to clean it up

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Roger Watt @rjwatt42.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Braitenberg's book Vehicles: I don't know why it isn't part of every cogsci adjacent degree. He stated two laws: 1. Downhill law of synthesis - making complex behaviour out of simple components is easy 2. Uphill law of analysis - inferring the simple components from complex behaviour is difficult

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Richard D. Morey @richarddmorey.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I find it weird that the reaction to calling LLMs “stochastic parrots” (a statement about *how they work*) is to deny it because of their apparent capabilities. The reaction should be “isn’t is interesting what a stochastic parrot can (apparently) do?” or to query the appearance.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

NinjaKitty 忍者キティ🥷🐈‍⬛ @ninjakitty.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

So, @andrewtychen.bsky.social and I put together a bit of a talk today, facilitated by Napier Libraries, and I wondered if there was interest in taking the messaging out wider? It’s non-partisan information

NAVIGATING POLITICAL & NEWS MEDIA

LEARN ABOUT
• the role of media in elections
• bias
• the impact of Al & social media algorithms
• fighting misinformation

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Terrible Maps :bot: @terriblemaps.zpravobot.news.ap.brid.gy · 25/09/2026

Countries by how New Zealand they are

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Seems like it should be part of the "are phones ruining the kids" debate that every marker of teen mental health has improved since 2021 www.cdc.gov/yrbs/youth-h...

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Carl Horsley @carlhorsley.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Framing matters. Same poll Different headlines #nzpol

Labour rated top party to manage big issues; most people support wealth tax - new poll
Stuff headline 25/09/26

New survey shows two-thirds of Kiwis want wealth tax, Labour's control of machine issues slipping
NZ Herald headline 25/9/26

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

samuel mehr @mehr.nz · 24/09/2026

eliminating the marsden to create an underfunded replacement ('TRF') led the govt to cap the # of apps from each uni obvious outcome: junior PIs are getting triaged more than senior PIs, so their science isn't even considered. heard today from a junior prof at UoA who didn't make the cut #nzpol

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

André "Normal" Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Last day of tutorials today on bullshit. We had ChatGPT "write" an "essay" about whether or not LLM outputs out as bullshit, and the kids are alright: in less than five minutes they were calling for political violence targeted at tech companies.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

M R. X. Dentith @mrxdentith.com · 24/09/2026

You know, if this is happening (and evidence says it is) its being driven by a culture of secrecy at the top of the organisation. We have a word for that: conspiracy

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Newsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 24/09/2026

Newsroom exclusive: Mayors express frustration at indecision, as ministers runs out of time before election. Jonathan Milne reports.

newsroom.co.nz

Govt pauses plans for council amalgamations until after the election

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Adela Isvoranu @adelaisvoranu.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I've been noticing that “cross-sectional” has become shorthand for “methodologically weak” in (network) research, and often data being cross-sectional is treated as a methodological objection in itself. I took some time to put my thoughts down in writing. Pre-print: osf.io/preprints/ps... 🧵⬇️

osf.io

OSF

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Marcus C Sarofim @marcusmarcusrc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Also, methane's reaction in the atmosphere produces ozone, which has direct effects on health & ecosystems in addition to its climate-mediated effects (e.g., see agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... and work by Jason West, Arene Fiore, Drew Shindell, and more)

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The Social Cost of Ozone‐Related Mortality Impacts From Methane Emissions

Increases in mortality attributable to ozone produced from methane are not currently considered in the government's social cost of methane Ozone from a 2020 methane emissions pulse results in 760...

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Did you know that about half of the climate change we have seen to date is caused by OTHER greenhouse gases beyond CO2? We tend to underestimate the importance of methane, N2O, f-gases, and so on.

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Will Wilkinson @wlknsn.xyz · 23/09/2026

Look, let's clear this up. LLMs can't think or understand because those are evolved capabilities of embodied living organisms embedded in the physical and social world and LLMs aren't that. Don't make it harder than it is.

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Richard Easther @rjme.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This needs a serious look -- NZ First copied their health policy almost word-for-word from the website of an advocacy group stuffed with fringe practitioners and for-profit "supplement" pedlars... www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361...

stuff.co.nz

NZ First’s health policy copy-pasted from advocacy group’s website

New Zealand First released a health policy on Sunday that is largely copy-and-pasted from a charitable trust called Make New Zealand Healthy.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Musical Chairs @musicalchairs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

You might have seen articles today about the 'employment confidence gaining ground' (Herald) or 'employment confidence rises from June low' (RNZ). Here's the actual report. It is littered with typical westpac hopium, but the data doesn't lie. Q3 was second lowest confidence ever (in over 20 years).

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Sophie Fern @sophiefern.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I have written some Very Serious Thoughts about the "shy" description of the Chatham island Black robin here: sophie-fern.medium.com/dear-headlin...

sophie-fern.medium.com

Dear Headline Writer: Karure Are Not Shy

I’d been off the boat for less than an hour and was maybe ten metres into the bush when I saw my first ever karure/Chatham Island black…

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

André "Normal" Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I think it's obviously true that the people running AI companies have weird/obviously false beliefs about AI as a whole, and also that their beliefs aren't the problem, but rather how their products are built, sold and used.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Dylan Reeve @dylanreeve.com · 20/09/2026

Winston F. Kennedy Jr... Should be no surprise that NZ First is copying reactionary MAHA movement, I guess. And rolling in a bunch of stuff to cater to the people still angry about NZ having an effective Covid response.

rnz.co.nz

New Zealand First reveals plan for 'bold shift' in healthcare

New Zealand First has released its plan to "Make NZ Healthy", promising to put prevention at the centre of healthcare if re-elected.

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PsyPost @psypost.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A new demographic study finds that the massive size of the baby boom generation suppressed wages for decades. As this cohort finally retires, researchers project a severe labor shortage that could significantly drive up wages for younger workers.

dlvr.it

How the baby boom generation shaped a 50-year wage slump for young workers

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Betty C. Jung @bettycjung.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Poll: Most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schools Last year, a slim majority thought schools that integrated AI would be better for students. Now a majority say schools that ban AI are better, according to the NBC News Decision Desk Poll. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

nbcnews.com

Poll: Most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schools

Last year, a slim majority thought schools that integrated AI would be better for students. Now a majority say schools that ban AI are better, according to the NBC News Decision Desk Poll.

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Reposted by Stephen Hill

Andrew Dickson @andrewdickson13.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

So my new article asks why Swarbrick’s economics sounds so unusual in NZ politics, and why voters may be responding to it. Ok fine, I eventually mention Warren Mosler. andrewdicksonnz.substack.com/p/chloe-swar...

andrewdicksonnz.substack.com

Chlöe Swarbrick Knows Something About Money

The Greens’ co-leader just edged Nicola Willis on economic trust. Her language about debt, spending and productive capacity helps explain why.

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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The atmosphere just hit a new water-vapour record: 27.35 kg of water vapour per m2 in August 2026, ~20 trillion litres more water than the previous record. Warmer air holds ~7% more moisture per °C. More water vapour means more energy to fuel extreme weather. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.com

El Niño and global heating pushes water vapour in Earth’s atmosphere to record levels in August

Global heating contributes to record, with a warmer atmosphere able to hold more water, scientists say

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Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This week 49 years ago (Sep 1977) students at Melbourne University protested against lectures given by psychologists Hans Eysenck and Arthur Jensen, who falsely argued that there was a link between race and IQ. The protests led to much discourse about a free speech crisis at Australian universities.

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David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

From email, the BOTY leaderboard. The never won before Karure is out in front

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Tom Stafford @tomstafford.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Self-directed information search reinforces climate policy evaluations and polarization across 15 countries www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1… "Across all countries, participants preferentially selected attitude-consistent information with information engagement being […]

mastodon.online

Original post on mastodon.online

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Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Our new paper may be one of coolest studies I've ever done. We show that the structures of visual storytelling in comics aligns with the word order of the languages of the comic authors. Here's what we did... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Syntactic headedness aligns with visual narrative structure

Recent research has highlighted how visual narrative sequences involve similar structures and processing as syntax in language, yet no work has asked …

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