Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 9h

Honestly, nothing has informed my entire taste in music more than acoustic-metal-band Days of the New. And their *second* album which just barely sneaks in at 1999 is just unhinged genius by a seriously tortured artist.

Liz Ryerson @ellaguro.bsky.social · 20h

a poll idea that just popped into my head: since we've collectively been doing 90's nostalgia for awhile as a culture, what's your secret/stealth best 90's album? not something necessarily widely super critically beloved but is nonetheless great and defining for you?

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 10h

Christ-like behaviour: reduced 90 percent.

the babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 23h

these metrics are not meaningfully connected to the claim

Eric Daugherty: JUST IN: Stunning data reveals Christianity is SURGING in the United States

Bible sale: +41.6%
App downloads: +79.5%
Christian music streaming: +50%

What an amazing sight to see.

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 22h

My kingdom for a modern tech business idea that is neither plagiarism nor phrenology.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 1d

Facial expressions common to all humans! 🙃

PainChek is one of these behavioral models, and it acts like a camera‑based thermometer, but for pain: A care worker opens the app and holds a phone 30 centimeters from a person’s face. For three seconds, a neural network looks for nine particular microscopic movements—upper‑lip raise, brow pinch, cheek tension, and so on—that research has linked most strongly to pain. Then the screen flashes a score of 0 to 42. “There’s a catalogue of ‘action‑unit codes’—facial expressions common to all humans. Nine of those are associated with pain,” explains Kreshnik Hoti, a senior research scientist with PainChek and a co-inventor of the device. This system is built directly on the foundation of FACS. After the scan, the app walks the user through a yes‑or‑no checklist of other signs, like groaning, “guarding,” and sleep disruption, and stores the result on a cloud dashboard that can show trends.

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 23h

Can't live off of manosphere supplements alone.

Brooke @brooklynmarie.bsky.social · 1d

Jordan Peterson critically ill with pneumonia, neuropathy, and sepsis

Jordan Peterson is sick, and suffering from "spiritual attacks" (and surely it's not the drugs, or long COVID, or a meat-only diet, or...)

boingboing.net

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 1d

I get it, anything impaling me is mine by right.

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Reposted by Tom Eastman

Hampus 🎃 @hampus.bsky.social · 1d

The real money is in blackmailing all the creeps who provided a photo ID to generate illegal porn

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 1d

Every single one of these claims can be rebutted simply with "no, it's not".

See Marilyon Monroe (no, it's not) in game of thrones (no, it's not), Sora may be the prelude to (no, it's not).

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 3d

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

www.scientificamerican.com

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 1d

This woman was explicitly named as an inspiration by Brenton Tarrant. The man who murdered 51 New Zealanders.

Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa @sanjanah.bsky.social · 1d

Meanwhile, in New Zealand: Conservative US commentator Candace Owens granted NZ visa after government intervention www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 1d

Morons (by which I mean "too many C-Suite types") are looking at this and going "wow, what *can't* ChatGPT do?"

The rest of us can see it for what it is: flailing in blind panic throwing literally every thing at the wall to see if *anything* will stick.

404 Media @404media.co · 1d

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced in a post on X Tuesday that ChatGPT is officially getting into the fuckable chatbots game, with “erotica for verified adults” rolling out in December.

🔗 www.404media.co/chatgpt-erot...

ChatGPT’s Hail Mary: Chatbots You Can Fuck

As recent reports show OpenAI bleeding cash, and on the heels of accusations that ChatGPT caused teens and adults alike to harm themselves and others, CEO Sam Altman announced that you can soon fuck t...

www.404media.co

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Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.bsky.social · 1d

To everyone who says, "But this won't matter": *MAKE IT MATTER.*

You have that power! This is not inside baseball and your friends and neighbors will likely be appalled. And if they're *not* appalled, don't be cynical yourself. Take the lead, give the cue.

Politico @politico.com · 2d

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 2d

When I moved to nz we had a five digit phone number (in golden bay)

When I was born my grandmother's neighbours found out before my grandmother because they still had a party line (in golden bay)

I'm not even 45.

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Dash0 @dash0.com · 28d

🐍 #Python’s logging is powerful, but turning it into structured, useful logs feels like extra #infrastructure.

#Structlog takes a simpler approach with a clear chain of processors.

This guide shows you how to get production-ready #logs without the boilerplate.

Guide: dash0.link/python-loggi...

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Reposted by Tom Eastman

Kiwi PyCon @kiwipycon.nz · 2d

🐍 Want to help run Kiwi PyCon 2025 — or maybe lead in 2026?

Join the volunteer crew this November 21–23 in Wellington!

It’s a great way to give back, meet amazing people, and see how all the moving parts come together 💛

Sign up → kiwipycon.nz/attend/become-a-volunteer

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Reposted by Tom Eastman

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 3d

Imagine, if you will, fifty protesters in inflatable animal costumes converging on ICE agents while blowing Aztec Death Whistles

youtu.be/x12hyuonfFI?...

Aztec Death Whistle: The Sound That Terrifies

YouTube video by Aztec Death Whistle

youtu.be

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Sunny Moraine @dynamicsymmetry.bsky.social · 4d

Also? Getting comfortable enough with failure that failure no longer crushes you is like a basic survival skill if you’re hypersensitive/have anxiety, and the only way to do that is to just go ahead and fail repeatedly

human scary bean @humanbean.net · 4d

people don’t realize that there are things that they need to practice to get better at them

they think it should be easy so they keep just trying occasionally and then deciding it’s not for them

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 4d

Some weirdo on Twitter has been absolutely melting down for like 36 straight hours because I posted:

When this is over, do not forget what ICE did, and what ICE is. And do not make room for them in society. Make sure they know that they are, and will continue to be, reviled and beneath contempt.

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Lauren M @elenem.bsky.social · 4d

I'm old enough to remember 5 years ago when they promised us great things and now they're just like 'lol fuck cycle lanes and fuck the future'

A screenshot from 5 years ago when Stuff launched 'The Forever Project' and promised to do better on climate coverage

A screenshot from the piece where they (rightly) call climate change an epoch-defining challenge and they promise better, more meaningful coverage

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Reposted by Tom Eastman

Nick Young @nickofnz.bsky.social · 4d

Mind blowing.

The Luxon Government has confirmed it will rewrite NZ’s once bipartisan climate change law to dilute methane reduction targets and PERMANENTLY exclude dairy from the Emissions Trading Scheme – a move Greenpeace says amounts to full-blown climate denial.
#nzpol

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Ify Nwadiwe @ifycomedy.com · 4d

I think we really should stop using antifa and just fully say anti-fascist and get them saying they are against anti fascism. Using antifa is giving them some distance and I genuinely think some of their base don’t even know that’s what it stands for.

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 5d

He'll disappoint every side.

Joel MacManus @joelmacmanus.bsky.social · 5d

Andrew Little has been elected as the new mayor of Wellington.

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Connor Sharp @connorsharp.bsky.social · 5d

I cant even tell you the number of public interest (and interesting) stories about the local election that journos wanted to do, but couldn't because of editors..

Shout out those that did do coverage, esp The Spinoff

Patrick Reynolds for a greater Auckland @patrickreynolds.bsky.social · 5d

Well done media, you achieved this brilliantly, your campaign to nearly completely ignore AKL’s local elections has flowed on to its inevitable outcome. Accelerating your own irrelevance simultaneously -> www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...

Auckland records lowest turnout in local elections

“Vote today or let someone else choose Auckland's representatives for you,” Aucklanders are told, with local body elections entering the home straight.

www.thepost.co.nz

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 6d

This is why spoilers are actually a good thing sometimes. Because otherwise you might not get the point.

Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 7d

TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it

One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway
I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way.
What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money.
Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight.
To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.

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Paul Brislen @brislen.nz · 7d

PEOPLE. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. MY GOD THERE ARE LUNATICS STANDING FOR SEATS

RNZ News Feeds @rnzrss.bsky.social · 7d

Only one in five Aucklanders have voted in local elections

With two days remaining until polls close, only 21.9 percent of eligible voters had returned their papers.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Shane Harris @shaneharris.bsky.social · 7d

At a conference in Estonia, a panelist discussing AI and its regulation remarks, “I’m pretty sure the U.S. is clear where it stands on western values.” Audience chuckles.

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Tom Eastman @tom.eastman.nz · 7d

Is there a Japanese restaurant in Wellington that doesn't suck at gluten free options?

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