Sign in

David Hood

@thoughtfulnz.bsky.social
7.1K followers 1.8K following 10K posts

I like collating data, and getting thoughts in the brain. All for Public data, Aotearoa New Zealand, and informed communities. #openData #NewZealand #Aotearoa #rstats. He/him. He tangata tiriti ahau

PostsRepliesMedia
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 41m
I think there should be a thin streak of blue visible on at least the South Island (I am not sure if the North Island's plateau would be visible at this resolution).
NZ areas more than 100km from nearest coast
241
Reposted by David Hood
🔜 Soon Lee @soonleenz.bsky.social · 6h
Most of my friends are already reasonably aware, but if you are looking to explore, there are a bunch of quizzes I've found that can help you decide which party to vote. #nzpol whichparty.nz parliamentpulse.co.nz/quiz newzealand.isidewith.com/political-quiz www.onthefence.co.nz
whichparty.nz
WhichParty NZ - The 2026 Election Quiz & Compass
Which NZ party actually matches your views? Take the free 5-minute quiz for the 2026 election.
185
Reposted by David Hood
Andy McKay @korimakoecology.bsky.social · 6h
I've had a quick skim through this and there is a huge number of things to think about. 1. Relationships are critical. Still way too much helicopter decision making. 2. Peers are trusted. Which goes to Point 1. re relationships. 3. Much of the distrust can be traced back to economic incentives.
1179
Reposted by David Hood
The Spinoff @thespinoff.bsky.social · 21h
Ipsos urges National to withdraw inaccurate claim about its polling on tax
thespinoff.co.nz
Ipsos urges National to withdraw inaccurate claim about its polling on tax
‘We take the accurate reporting of our research and survey data seriously.’
25523
Reposted by David Hood
André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 23h
It's well known that today Australia goes from having 3 main time zones to 5. But one state just went from having 3 time zones within its borders to two: NSW Most of the state advanced from +1000 to +1100, Yancowinna County (Broken Hill) from +0930 to +1030, and Lord Howe Is from +1030 to... +1100
13813
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
They don't give out I voted stickers any more, so make sure today you will be getting your election souvenir mailed to you.
056
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
18-24 electoral enrolments (as of 4 days ago) with now 3 weeks to go that people can enrol before the election. Data source: elections.nz/stats-and-re... Checking enrolment or enrolling: vote.nz/enrolling/en...
Graph of general electorate areas and (combined General and Maori) enrollment for that area
2168
Reposted by David Hood
Topi Tjukanov @tjukanov.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Next month is November, which means the #30DayMapChallenge 2026 themes are here! More information on the official website: 30daymapchallenge.com
32715
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
With the 18 most recent posts in a row on my following feed being train related,I did actually check I hadn't gotten into some kind of unusual feed or something.
5450
Reposted by David Hood
RNZ News Feeds @rnzrss.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Big boom for Wētāpunga population celebrated
rnz.co.nz
Big boom for Wētāpunga population celebrated
New Zealand's heaviest insect has been taking big steps toward a population boom, with the success of a ground-breaking breeding and conservation programme.
04516
Reposted by David Hood
A. Feder Cooper @afedercooper.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In our work on extracting memorized pieces of books from open-weight LLMs, we measure how likely models are to output training text verbatim. But near-verbatim cases matter too. E.g., high-probability continuations for this Gatsby quote differ from the original only by punctuation:
For Llama 1 13B under top-k decoding, three likely continuations of a passage from The Great Gatsby: 'They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated'. The greedy continuation ends with an ellipsis instead of a period (Levenshtein distance 1, probability 0.1477). The exact original text comes second (distance 0, probability 0.1431). A third drops a comma (distance 2, probability 0.0671).
193
Reposted by David Hood
Florian Naudet @floriannaudet.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🔥 OUR STUDY FEATURED IN NATURE NEWS What if one flawed zombie trial 🧟 helped shape the evidence for treating depression in children? Quote : "Elia Abi-Jaoude, [...] calls the paper a “slam-dunk study”. “I hope it will get wide exposure” he says."
32513
Reposted by David Hood
Terry Baucher @trabaq.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A huge & disconcerting story here, covering organised crime, 501s (thanks Australia), money laundering, migrant abuse, extensive tax evasion corruption in the construction industry & prison system. Excellent work by Jared Savage. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-wa...
New Zealand’s construction industry may face a reckoning after police uncovered a money-laundering system moving hundreds of millions of dollars in organised crime profits through building businesses. Gangs are exploiting cash-paid labour to launder drug money while unscrupulous subcontractors dodge tax and undercut legitimate operators. Police say the true scale is likely greater, warning construction leaders their systems are simply not robust enough. Jared Savage reports.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are being laundered through the construction industry each year by organised crime groups, according to a new police report to the Government.

A recent investigation into the commercial drug dealing of the Comancheros led to more convictions for the gang’s hierarchy – and a disgraced accountant – but also uncovered a new methodology of disguising the profits of their drug dealing.

Known as cash wages money-laundering, organised crime groups hand their dirty cash to a subcontractor who provides casual labourers to work on construction projects.

The subcontractor uses the gang’s cash to pay the labourers, often exploited migrants, under the table.Excellent diagram showing how the cash wage money laundering works through the construction industry.
0177
Reposted by David Hood
Alyssa Fowers @alyssafowers.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I started a thread in March asking for examples of data visualizations that focus on the human cost of violence, tragedies, and disasters. Today, the course I built with those examples is out on the Open Visualization Academy, free for everyone: openvisualizationacademy.org/courses/visu...
openvisualizationacademy.org
1.0 Introduction - Visualizing Loss and Tragedy - Open Visualization Academy
22212
Reposted by David Hood
Alex Hanna @alexhanna.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“AI” won’t solve Indigenous peoples’ healthcare gaps. @emilymbender.bsky.social and I speak with Keoni Mahelona, CTO of Te Hiku Media, about his work on Indigenous data sovereignty, and why it’s worth being skeptical when the “AI" industry says it cares about preserving Indigenous languages.
18125
Reposted by David Hood
RNZ News Feeds @rnzrss.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Tip Top recalls batch of Jelly Tip ice creams
rnz.co.nz
Tip Top recalls batch of Jelly Tip ice creams
Tip Top is recalling a batch of its Jelly Tip ice creams due to the possible presence of a bacteria which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness.
036
Reposted by David Hood
Keith Ng @keithng.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Me, a very funny person: haha if any buggy code is rogue AI, what about my shitty cron jobs is that rogue AI too hahahaha? Meta: introducing Muse
3152
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Total pop enrolled at election time: 2017 - 92.4%, 2020 - 94.1%, 2023 - 94.7%, 2026 at 30 Sept 90.77% old data elections.nz/assets/2023-... current elections.nz/stats-and-re... But 18-24 age current down about 15% on 2023 (by eye), 25-29 down about 5%
21816
Reposted by David Hood
Aaron Rodericks @aaron.bsky.team · 01/10/2026
My hope is that this will tremendously clean up a small but vocally abusive subset of users in my interactions, and then I'll be able to genuinely communicate with other folks who want to have real conversations about Trust and Safety. docs.google.com/spreadsheets... 4/4
docs.google.com
sample of 50 replies, mentions, and QPs
4632319
Reposted by David Hood
Lyndon Hood @lyndonhood.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
RNZ pop up alert with extra text added - Midday report live: (A computer can never be held accountable therefore) David Seymour doesn't see why AI shouldn't write cabinet papers
3368
Reposted by David Hood
PHANZA Professional Historians of New Zealand / Aotearoa @phanza.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Dunedin Heritage Weekend is coming up 9-11 October, with talks, tours and events exploring some of the stories, places and people that have shaped Dunedin. Come along and get a taste of Dunedin's rich heritage resources. www.southernheritage.org.nz/events
southernheritage.org.nz
Events | Southern Heritage Trust
Join us to appreciate Otago’s rich social, cultural, architectural and industrial heritage.
086
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
BTW, Thanks to PHFS still publishing what data they are funded to collect, we know that in a smoothed (4 week average) kind of way, there has never been less covid in wastewater ATM than in all the time since it spread nationwide.
my quick graph of the PHFS data
3276
Reposted by David Hood
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 01/10/2026
Sounds great.
According to experts I interviewed, the internet is about to get more frustrating. These agents may cause a cascading chain of problems that shake the foundations of digital infrastructure. Chances are good that you're about to live through an era of online chaos. 
The internet was built for humans with limited time and patience. AIs don't have those restraints. You'll probably have to fight with robots over concert tickets and booking appointments. Small businesses could drown in machine-made pestering. AIs don't look at ads, and websites that rely on them are already crumbling. You'll be buried in endless loops of proving you're human. And if you use these AI tools, some may betray you.
7416110
Reposted by David Hood
Sacha @sachadylan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Māori roll party vote for Greens is up 11% since the 2023 election, now level with Labour. @mihiforbes.bsky.social #NzPol
rnz.co.nz
Poll says Māori are turning to the Greens for their party vote
Māori are turning to the Greens for their party vote with a new poll revealing a change described by commentators as "massive".
14313
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I suspect those who been watching me update this chart over the months are not mind-boggled
Oh no, it is the consequence of their actions.
4379
Reposted by David Hood
CEO Johnny Cans @oldmatecans.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
unexpected allies but welcome ones to be sure
Gimli and Legolas meme

Gimli: I never thought I'd be fighting alongside Fletcher building, silver fern farms and Orion

Legolas: how about alongside people who say "fuck Jenny marcroft and transphobia"?

Gimli: Aye I could do that.
17923
Reposted by David Hood
Robert McLachlan @robertmclachlan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New NZ utility solar records set on 24 & 29 Sep, 550 MW peak, 4408 MWh for the day, due to the Tauhei & Kowhai Park solar farms (each 150 MW) entering service. Will double in next 12 months. Previous record was 360 MW set in August during Tauhei commissioning.
13311
Reposted by David Hood
Robin Z @firepile.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Remember this @404media.co report about the Vegas Amazon facility destroying rare books? Today in my AI class, one of my students realized we were talking about the facility where he had worked. He had no idea what the purpose of the book scanning was - they were told they couldn't know.
404media.co
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
01710
Reposted by David Hood
Marco @mcognetta.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🚨 [Token][ization] Paper Alert 🚨 Tokenization is a wildly understudied area of language modeling despite it having effects across all of NLP. Over the past ~8 months, 32 (!) tokenizer researchers put together the most comprehensive survey of the field. Check it out!
112433
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I was in a meeting today explaining my new role, and putting a bunch of issues on the right paths then and there. I said I am spending a bunch of time just wandering the corridors of the institution chatting to people with open doors about how it is going, what's on their mind in my area, etc.
2180
Reposted by David Hood
🐶🐙Dr. Caffiend☕️😷 @captcaffiend.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If you or people you know aren't sure who to vote for in the upcoming NZ election, this handy resource has been created by some awesome people I know. www.onthefence.co.nz
onthefence.co.nz
On the Fence 2026
On The Fence helps Kiwis get started on their political journey. Answer a series of questions on the issues that matter most to you, and we'll show you which political parties share your values.
167954
Reposted by David Hood
ThatIngrid @thatingrid.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Overseas Kiwis: enrol to vote if you're eligible. Deadline to enrol is mid to late Oct. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
A tight election looms in New Zealand. This time, overseas voters could be bad news for the big parties
More than 100,000 have enrolled to vote from abroad in the November poll, and many are unhappy with how things look back home
26138
Reposted by David Hood
Prof. Michael Fuhrer @michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Source: www.abs.gov.au/statistics/h...
abs.gov.au
Deaths due to acute respiratory infections in Australia, August 2026
Acute respiratory disease mortality in Australia, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV
031
Reposted by David Hood
aethylred.bsky.social @aethylred.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
An idea too clever for thermodynamics
033
Reposted by David Hood
KnitMeAThneed @thneed.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
@universityofotago.bsky.social @otagobiochemist.bsky.social @zoologyotago.bsky.social @otagoreligion.bsky.social It's a beautiful day to go and take a photo of a student flat so you can enter the Wiki Loves Scarfie Flats photo competition tomorrow! w.wiki/UYBq for more info and to register
Wiki Loves Scarfie Flats Want your flat to be immortalised? Get it into Wikimedia Commons and be in to win, 1–23 October 2026
079
Reposted by David Hood
Grant Jacobs BioinfoTools/NotJustDNA 🔬🧬🖥️✍️📚🇳🇿 @notjustdna.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🦠 Newly discovered virus sickening cattle in Western Europe – transmitted by midges – closely related to a virus infecting cattle in Africa – not for the first time, likely to stay in Europe – diseases globalising Nice write-up by @kakape.bsky.social in Science: www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Newly discovered virus is sickening cattle in Western Europe
The pathogen, which reduces milk production, is the latest midge-transmitted virus affecting ruminants to reach the continent
02318
Reposted by David Hood
We Are RLadies+ @weare.rladies.org · 26/09/2026
If you want to participate in a challenge, the #30DayMapChallenge starts in November. Are there any challenges I missed? 30daymapchallenge.com
30daymapchallenge.com
30DayMapChallenge
The official home of #30DayMapChallenge — a free daily mapping challenge held every November. Make one map a day for 30 themed days and share it with the world.
011
Reposted by David Hood
David Roberts @volts.wtf · 27/09/2026
"Against this backdrop, the widespread assumption of the field that polarization is inherently detrimental warrants re-examination. ... In the current moment of rising extremism, not all polarization is equivalent nor undesirable."
116234
Reposted by David Hood
Sam Abbott @seabbs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A few years ago we (Kelly Charniga @sangwoopark.bsky.social et al.) did some thinking on how we should estimate and report epidemiological delay distributions (i.e incubation periods etc. etc.). journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
journals.plos.org
Best practices for estimating and reporting epidemiological delay distributions of infectious diseases
Epidemiological delays are key quantities that inform public health policy and clinical practice. They are used as inputs for mathematical and statistical models, which in turn can guide control strat...
2127
Reposted by David Hood
Andrew Jull NZRN (he/him) @andrewjull.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Private equity healthcare does not work. Another OmniHealth clinic, who is part owned by American equity Sanford World Clinic. www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/...
rnz.co.nz
Last remaining GP at Horowhenua's Taitoko Health clinic resigns
The last general practitioner of a clinic for 4500 patients in Horowhenua has resigned.
1126
Reposted by David Hood
Ira Hyman @irahyman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seems like a big deal. Hold the oligarchs responsible for their horrible behavior and serious harm.
02011
Reposted by David Hood
newimprovedtom.bsky.social @newimprovedtom.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Dunny-Kroger effect.
02711
Reposted by David Hood
David Gerard @davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026
lol didn't see this in time for today's Pivot - Meta Muse uploads your past and present Apple Messages to Facebook's cloud, even if you told it not to appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/28/…
appleinsider.com
Meta Muse AI reportedly read Mac Messages without consent
In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Meta's Muse AI is stealing Apple Messages, past and present, and uploading the contents to its cloud, even if explicitly told not to.
23835
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As this can operate locally on machine, I am at least going to raise it as a thing the various investigative journalists, activists, and researchers who read me may want to evaluate as an alternative to corporate government friendly cloud tools (I don't know how well it works yet myself)
282
Reposted by David Hood
Katiesaurus @katiesaurusseven.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Using a mathematical model, we show that repealing the mandate could trigger the largest measles epidemic in the United States in nearly half a century, with projected pediatric deaths numbering in the hundreds within five years."
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
098
Reposted by David Hood
The Progress Report @theprogressreport.co.nz · 28/09/2026
Big (and often requested!) new feature for The Progress Report has just dropped, you can now automatically estimate which seats will change hands in the MMP Calculator! theprogressreport.co.nz/mmp-calculat... #nzpol
1112
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My entertainment only "if an election were now & the polls reflect reality" election simulation has The Opportunites Party trend consistently over 5%, and the two blocks relatively close, so an 80% to 85% chance of TOP deciding who governs. I'd like more detail on how far TOP will cooperate with NZF
8327
David Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Voyeur, voyeur, plaits on fire.
0120
Reposted by David Hood
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
2198