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  You can "I don't want smart appliances" all you like but I appreciate that my new Bosch dishwasher notifies my phone when it's finished.

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  Apparently Kim's old phone (Moto Edge 30 Neo) supports Sailfish OS and I absolutely need a way to waste more time on pointless tinkering.

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  Trying to work out how to type the ™ character and it turned out to be easier to copy/paste it out of one of the webpages that tells you how to enter the ™ character.

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  It's nice to be back in the land of working internet, where you don't have to choose between how you're connected and what services you want to access. The blocks on Google and Facebook services were particularly annoying. If you're going to China I suggest not bothering with wifi and VPNs. The wifi was typically very blocked and the VPN never worked for long. Assuming your phone supports a second SIM (either eSIM or card), get one that supports roaming in China with a few GB p...

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  So you can train a beagle! I saw someone say they had started calling "Housekeeping!" whenever there was spilled food to clean up, and it amused me enough that I followed suit. A year later and if I call "Calcifer" I might have to repeat it multiple times before he drags himself over, but one cry of "Housekeeping" and he's over in a shot. 😋

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  I borrowed an Oculus Quest 2 and I have had to download an app and login with a Facebook ID. It then tried to fool me into spending money on a custom avatar, requested my credit card number, tempted me with "one month free trial" on the $15 subscription, and then spent a bunch of time updating. It's the quintessential predatory modern gadget experience. #Enshittification

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  I haven't been sold on foldable phones - they're kind of neat but I can't really see myself using one. But yesterday I had a play with the new Samsung Galaxy 8 foldable. It's shorter and wider, and folds out into a lovely wide screen. I'm not sure the design is practical in a world where phone apps are designed for tall and skinny, but somehow it was very appealing purely on the 'cool gadget' level. But not for $3100!

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  The more I think about Winston Peters and his recent behaviour, the more I think that he's no longer mentally fit to be a cabinet minister. He loves playing Minister of Foreign Affairs but then he refers to one of our largest trading partners with "Go back to your own country, that's where they lie like a flat fish"? That's not only racist but also stupid. His outburts are increasingly aggressive and often just weird. It's time for Winston Peters to retire.

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  Wondering how many people I still call by their nick/handle from forums and chat systems that not only have we stopped using, but that they no longer exist. It's the social equivalent of historical urban geography, where you describe how to get somewhere by reference to places that aren't there anymore.

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  When I read the InternetNZ strategy I can't help feeling that they need a bit more commitment to the ability of people to use the internet to communicate, protecting it from both big businesses and the government. "Open and uncapturable" as they used to say in the old days. https://internetnz.nz/about-internetnz/our-strategy-20262031/

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  Trademe won't tell me how much it is to sell a car before I enter the details. They also say "We sometimes A/B test our pricing, so some members will be offered a different price than others. If you have any questions about this, please contact us." I think it's so nice of them to put so much effort into giving me the cheapest possible price! #ScumSuckingTechBroBullshit

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  Help me out here. Back in the 1980s or possibly very early 90s, someone in the UK was developing a new computer and I remember the early marketing even included a moving gaming chair (I assume inspired by Outrun). Of course it never happened but does anyone else remember this? Was it the Elan? The SAM? Something else? #RetroComputing Edit: Thanks to @scruss@xoxo.zone for supplying the name Konix Multisystem. Here's a link to a website all about it: https://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/inde...

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  Got dumped with some family 'heirlooms' yesterday. I've put the painting by my mother up (we have a few already) and will store some of the others, but do I really need to keep her university degree or piano ATCL certificates? Or the books that mention some relative in passing? (Yes, I am related to the Jack Humm famed for his eponymous crab apple.)

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  Many people in Aotearoa will be glad on Friday morning that they turned off their regular alarm tonight. #Matariki

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  It might be time to write to your Labour MP and tell them not to do anything as stupid as supporting National's proposed ban on social media for the under 16s: https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361003311/national-labour-and-subscribe-our-new-bill

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  I'll be one of the speakers at the Keith Locke Memorial Debate tonight at 7pm, affirming the view that hate speech laws are a threat to freedom of speech. You can get the link to the live stream here: https://keithlocke.org.nz/

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  @gsuberland@chaos.social Changing threat models indeed. security advice, 2010: don't let Chinese companies and therefore the Chinese government, store/access your data. security advice, 2026: don't let USA companies, and therefore the USA government, store/access your data.

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  1990s: Things would be better if the nerds ruled the world! 2020s: Nope.

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  Biblically accurate robot vacuum cleaner.

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  Google has enabled Gemini in Android Auto and it's impressively useless. When told to "play Moderat" it responds with: "I'm sorry, I can't play music from your apps but I can tell you more about Moderat and where they might be playing next." Then it gave some pissy reply when told to "fuck off" rather than just shutting up.

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  Took the 14yo and friend to the 40th anniversary showing of Aliens and damn if it doesn't still hold up very well. It's a hell of a ride. #LiftOffAndNukeFromOrbit

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  Oh no, the 14yo's pancake pan doesn't work on induction! And no, I'm not buying them a Le Creuset pan for $400.

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  Over the years I saw them getting older, the garden getting out of control, the metal access ramp being added to the house. Today we went to the house clearance garage sale and joined in picking over the bones. #FinalAct #Melancholy

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  Yes we literally used #8 wire to build this covered garden in an old iron bath tub. 😀

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  I have six teens in my lounge and they just started watching Robocop! I had many movie watching sleepovers as a teen and I don't think we ever watched any 39 year old movies. What does this mean? Edit: I should note that we're taking them to the 40th anniversary of Aliens on Thursday so maybe parental influence is at fault.

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  After switching from an 'infinity' gas hot water system to a heat-pump hot water cylinder, I'm now getting range anxiety. Just think how much worse it's going to be when I get an EV!

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  Carterton now has a sushi shop and it's actually pretty good. The long drought is over! (Masterton has a couple of sushi shops but they only sell punishment sushi. The sort of thing you buy for someone if you don't like them.) Now let's work on Malaysian food. #SmallTown

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  Just signed up for a shingles vaccination and it seems to me that I shouldn't have to pay $600-800 in a socialised medical system. Edit: I also just paid $40 for a flu vaccination.

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  I'm highly amused by Luxon attacking Winston Peters for enabling Jacinda Ardern as PM. Winston Peters new-found cooker friends won't be happy to be reminded that their latest hero was responsible for the Great Satan in NZ politics (at least in their warped minds). Next: National has to take on David Seymour and ACT. The time for coalition is over, it's all posturing independence from here on in.

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  It's just magnificent. #Catstodon