Mark
@maetl.bsky.social
Lecturer in Product Design at UCNZ. Tech industry dropout. Narrative systems and geoscience meddler. Old school web sectary. Frankenbike curator. Waste stream wrangler.
Pinned
Mark
@maetl.bsky.social
· Jun 25
I don’t want raytracing or photorealism, I want the lo-fi dwarfs in their fortress to be standing in grid cells backed by a fully simulated carbon cycle, atmospheric fluid flow, insolation, atmospheric chemistry, evapotranspiration, geological strata, ecological systems...
Reposted by Mark
omfg. "wicked problem" are you fucking kidding me, jesus fucking christ
The real wicked problem here is Australia's mostly-white journalist class persistently stepping on the exact rakes the salivating white nationalists want them to step on. It is so nuts to me how none of this ever changes
The real wicked problem here is Australia's mostly-white journalist class persistently stepping on the exact rakes the salivating white nationalists want them to step on. It is so nuts to me how none of this ever changes
November 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM
omfg. "wicked problem" are you fucking kidding me, jesus fucking christ
The real wicked problem here is Australia's mostly-white journalist class persistently stepping on the exact rakes the salivating white nationalists want them to step on. It is so nuts to me how none of this ever changes
The real wicked problem here is Australia's mostly-white journalist class persistently stepping on the exact rakes the salivating white nationalists want them to step on. It is so nuts to me how none of this ever changes
Reposted by Mark
Rainbow orgs have released a statement: “The banning of puberty blockers is an example of government overreach and political attacks on healthcare… it is an unprecedented and inherently discriminatory use of the Medicines Act to deny healthcare to a particular population on the basis of their sex”
Government Overreach in Healthcare with Puberty Blockers Decision — Rainbow Support Collective
www.rainbowsupportcollective.nz
November 20, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Rainbow orgs have released a statement: “The banning of puberty blockers is an example of government overreach and political attacks on healthcare… it is an unprecedented and inherently discriminatory use of the Medicines Act to deny healthcare to a particular population on the basis of their sex”
This is for a game project which is currently under wraps, though analog switches give a strong hint as to what the experience might entail.
November 20, 2025 at 9:56 PM
This is for a game project which is currently under wraps, though analog switches give a strong hint as to what the experience might entail.
Reposted by Mark
“Trust us! Marginalising these communities more will absolutely bring down the cost of a KG of Mince and get your job back!”
November 20, 2025 at 4:47 AM
“Trust us! Marginalising these communities more will absolutely bring down the cost of a KG of Mince and get your job back!”
Reposted by Mark
We elect people who value numbers on a piece of paper over whether actual people eat or have a roof over their head or can get healthcare when they sick. We elect people who value numbers on a piece of a paper over children eating or being educated. I also note that the numbers are all fake.
November 19, 2025 at 8:51 PM
We elect people who value numbers on a piece of paper over whether actual people eat or have a roof over their head or can get healthcare when they sick. We elect people who value numbers on a piece of a paper over children eating or being educated. I also note that the numbers are all fake.
We invented a universal hypertext medium that is persistent and stable over decades-long time scales. Then, we made it unstable by continually shoving in all the features of modern operating systems and apps. Reinventing the medium over and over, using more memory and bandwidth each time round.
Man, do I ever feel this as an Old in the web development world. So many overengineered single-page dynamic framework "apps" being built for sites with extremely static content, when late-1990s tech (HTML, CSS, server-side rendering, aggessive caching) would be lightning quick & fit for purpose.
November 20, 2025 at 9:24 AM
We invented a universal hypertext medium that is persistent and stable over decades-long time scales. Then, we made it unstable by continually shoving in all the features of modern operating systems and apps. Reinventing the medium over and over, using more memory and bandwidth each time round.
lolsob at how this image is becoming a meme stacking up all the bullshit in much the same way as the computing culture it reflects.
Extremely upset that a throw-away XKCD joke somehow became the organizing principle for the Internet.
November 20, 2025 at 2:43 AM
lolsob at how this image is becoming a meme stacking up all the bullshit in much the same way as the computing culture it reflects.
Cruston
LYLE is here to solve the case and maybe perhaps steal ur heart??? 🔍💖
#datingsim #lgbt #indiegamedev #indiegame #gamedev #indiegames
#datingsim #lgbt #indiegamedev #indiegame #gamedev #indiegames
November 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Cruston
Many people, including the former mayor, repeatedly tried to warn you. This blatant infosec breach is a real ‘standard you walk past is the standard you accept’ moment for Mayor Andrew Little.
Mayor Andrew Little says he and chief executive Matt Prosser have had assurances from Chung the situation was unintentional and that Chung has apologised.
Private council briefing blogged online after ‘hot mic’ moment
Wellington City councillor Ray Chung left an open phone line to a controversial social media figure for 40 minutes during a closed training session, the mayor has confirmed – the contents of which wer...
www.thepost.co.nz
November 18, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Many people, including the former mayor, repeatedly tried to warn you. This blatant infosec breach is a real ‘standard you walk past is the standard you accept’ moment for Mayor Andrew Little.
So we’re back on this NZ managerialist cultural tic of ‘I’m comfortable managing my own conflicts of interest’.
Councils around the country who lost walking and cycling infrastructure because they don’t have access to a minister who can override the process should be apoplectic.
Councils around the country who lost walking and cycling infrastructure because they don’t have access to a minister who can override the process should be apoplectic.
NEW: Chris Bishop used housing money to fund a bridge in his electorate his own Govt had killed off.
Officials were against the move and Labour say he shouldn’t have been anywhere near the decision.
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...
Officials were against the move and Labour say he shouldn’t have been anywhere near the decision.
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...
Chris Bishop diverts Kāinga Ora money to fund a bridge in his electorate
Officials warned against the use of housing funds for bridge building but Bishop says it was a “pragmatic choice”.
www.thepost.co.nz
November 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
So we’re back on this NZ managerialist cultural tic of ‘I’m comfortable managing my own conflicts of interest’.
Councils around the country who lost walking and cycling infrastructure because they don’t have access to a minister who can override the process should be apoplectic.
Councils around the country who lost walking and cycling infrastructure because they don’t have access to a minister who can override the process should be apoplectic.
Given widespread evidence that constant car noise has deleterious impacts on health (that we completely ignore), demanding flight paths follow the historic socioeconomic contours of the northern hill suburbs is pure ‘we live in a society’ grievance culture.
www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
‘We bought a house in a nice quiet suburb:’ Residents fight back against flight path change
With 38 daily flights, Khandallah residents say their peace has been shattered, and flights should instead be directed over another suburb.
www.stuff.co.nz
November 16, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Given widespread evidence that constant car noise has deleterious impacts on health (that we completely ignore), demanding flight paths follow the historic socioeconomic contours of the northern hill suburbs is pure ‘we live in a society’ grievance culture.
www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
Reposted by Mark
If the NZ media gave you a free hit ‘Seymour says’ headline and lede, what would yours be?
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
November 16, 2025 at 6:19 AM
If the NZ media gave you a free hit ‘Seymour says’ headline and lede, what would yours be?
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
Being ‘indifferent to covers’ is such a frustrating attitude from authors. Design and typography shapes the material form of books. People not caring about production details is one of the forces influencing the prevalence of slop.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/17/o...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/17/o...
Ockhams dump AI books from awards
A new ruling on AI means the Ockhams are in the strange position of judging a book by its cover
newsroom.co.nz
November 16, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Being ‘indifferent to covers’ is such a frustrating attitude from authors. Design and typography shapes the material form of books. People not caring about production details is one of the forces influencing the prevalence of slop.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/17/o...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/17/o...
Reposted by Mark
Absolute banger article on usability:
verou.me/blog/2025/us...
"You cannot uncover friction by asking users. Users are much more vocal about things not being possible, than about things being hard."
How many times do we run into "oh, nobody else has complained, sure you're not just crazy?"
verou.me/blog/2025/us...
"You cannot uncover friction by asking users. Users are much more vocal about things not being possible, than about things being hard."
How many times do we run into "oh, nobody else has complained, sure you're not just crazy?"
In the economy of user effort, be a bargain, not a scam • Lea Verou
Treat user effort as a currency. To create a product users love, design the tradeoff curve of use case complexity to user effort with the same care you design your pricing scheme.
verou.me
November 16, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Absolute banger article on usability:
verou.me/blog/2025/us...
"You cannot uncover friction by asking users. Users are much more vocal about things not being possible, than about things being hard."
How many times do we run into "oh, nobody else has complained, sure you're not just crazy?"
verou.me/blog/2025/us...
"You cannot uncover friction by asking users. Users are much more vocal about things not being possible, than about things being hard."
How many times do we run into "oh, nobody else has complained, sure you're not just crazy?"
If the NZ media gave you a free hit ‘Seymour says’ headline and lede, what would yours be?
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
November 16, 2025 at 6:19 AM
If the NZ media gave you a free hit ‘Seymour says’ headline and lede, what would yours be?
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
Mine: “He said NZ must immediately restore humanities and social science to the Marsden and increase basic research funding to 3% of GDP”
NZers have a variety of different positions on capitalism, from burn it all down, to reform and regulate. But the public largely agrees the extremist deregulatory 1980s agenda of corporate rule has failed and is unwanted in the 21st C. Media openly promotes ACT/TPU/NZI flogging this dead horse.
Greenpeace didn’t ‘automate’ anything. We (and others) just alerted people to the danger of Seymour’s attempt to cede control to corporate interests and made it easier to speak up against it.
#nzpol
#nzpol
November 16, 2025 at 12:08 AM
NZers have a variety of different positions on capitalism, from burn it all down, to reform and regulate. But the public largely agrees the extremist deregulatory 1980s agenda of corporate rule has failed and is unwanted in the 21st C. Media openly promotes ACT/TPU/NZI flogging this dead horse.
Reposted by Mark
What a thought provoking example of the state of individual vs corporate contributions to open source in the current “state of things”
Individuals are funding significantly more than the companies that profit from FOSS are. 🤔
Individuals are funding significantly more than the companies that profit from FOSS are. 🤔
We're blown away- the PSF received an anonymous $100k donation 🤯🥰 Thank you, anon, for your investment in #Python, its community, and the PSF. We are deeply grateful and committed to using every dollar to make a difference.
Want to join in? Donate today: donate.python.org
#PythonForEveryone
Want to join in? Donate today: donate.python.org
#PythonForEveryone
November 15, 2025 at 3:14 AM
What a thought provoking example of the state of individual vs corporate contributions to open source in the current “state of things”
Individuals are funding significantly more than the companies that profit from FOSS are. 🤔
Individuals are funding significantly more than the companies that profit from FOSS are. 🤔
Reposted by Mark
Love all the writers, artists, comedians, and the science community who have stepped up to offer rewards - and the community here who has amplified and donated to this very worthy cause.
The power of people to work together to make things right when leaders fail is one of the best things I know.
The power of people to work together to make things right when leaders fail is one of the best things I know.
OK team of 5m, we've got 15 days to add $27k to Siouxsie's fundraiser to top $200k.
If you can, please contribute to pay back some of the awesome mahi she did for us. If you can't, just encourage others to.
She doesn't deserve to be out of pocket over the legal battles she has had to fight.
If you can, please contribute to pay back some of the awesome mahi she did for us. If you can't, just encourage others to.
She doesn't deserve to be out of pocket over the legal battles she has had to fight.
Support Dr Siouxsie After She Supported Us! | PledgeMe
Support Dr Siouxsie to recover some of the money she spent fighting her legal case to protect employees experiencing online abuse
www.pledgeme.co.nz
November 15, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Love all the writers, artists, comedians, and the science community who have stepped up to offer rewards - and the community here who has amplified and donated to this very worthy cause.
The power of people to work together to make things right when leaders fail is one of the best things I know.
The power of people to work together to make things right when leaders fail is one of the best things I know.
I would have acted sooner if not for the systems put in place to facilitate plausible deniability—
November 14, 2025 at 1:36 AM
I would have acted sooner if not for the systems put in place to facilitate plausible deniability—
Reposted by Mark
Many transhumanists and longevity guys are imo intent on overcoming their bodies' limitations/needs bc these needs (for clean water, air, food) represent a natural limit on forms of capital and technological development that erode our environment & are inimical to human life.
November 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Many transhumanists and longevity guys are imo intent on overcoming their bodies' limitations/needs bc these needs (for clean water, air, food) represent a natural limit on forms of capital and technological development that erode our environment & are inimical to human life.
The Wellington CCO director breaking into his neighbour’s house in a cat burglar suit and masturbating over her things.
The predatory groomer and rapist Tim Jago operating as party president of ACT for years, crowing on a podcast with Seymour about ‘victimhood’.
The predatory groomer and rapist Tim Jago operating as party president of ACT for years, crowing on a podcast with Seymour about ‘victimhood’.
November 13, 2025 at 10:34 AM
The Wellington CCO director breaking into his neighbour’s house in a cat burglar suit and masturbating over her things.
The predatory groomer and rapist Tim Jago operating as party president of ACT for years, crowing on a podcast with Seymour about ‘victimhood’.
The predatory groomer and rapist Tim Jago operating as party president of ACT for years, crowing on a podcast with Seymour about ‘victimhood’.
Reposted by Mark
azhdarchid.com/against-metr...
I really do hate the term 'metroidbrania'. I think so do many of you. Let's nip it in the bud before it becomes something people are financially invested in.
I really do hate the term 'metroidbrania'. I think so do many of you. Let's nip it in the bud before it becomes something people are financially invested in.
Against 'Metroidbrania': a Landscape of Knowledge Games
What are knowledge games? How do we relate them to each other? What sub-genres exist – and which ones might be implied?
azhdarchid.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:53 AM
azhdarchid.com/against-metr...
I really do hate the term 'metroidbrania'. I think so do many of you. Let's nip it in the bud before it becomes something people are financially invested in.
I really do hate the term 'metroidbrania'. I think so do many of you. Let's nip it in the bud before it becomes something people are financially invested in.
Chad the Brainrot IDE should be the last straw for Silicon Valley having any leadership influence on product design.
Stop it, it’s already dead, etc
Stop it, it’s already dead, etc
November 13, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Chad the Brainrot IDE should be the last straw for Silicon Valley having any leadership influence on product design.
Stop it, it’s already dead, etc
Stop it, it’s already dead, etc
Reposted by Mark
Well, it's a little clearer now why billionaires are so invested in technology that produces better written emails.
November 12, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Well, it's a little clearer now why billionaires are so invested in technology that produces better written emails.
Reposted by Mark
Brian Roche:
"This person was able to mislead the majority of the system, this system now has to make sure we're not going to get captured by that again."
You are fucking kidding me. How does he say that with a straight face?
#nzpol
"This person was able to mislead the majority of the system, this system now has to make sure we're not going to get captured by that again."
You are fucking kidding me. How does he say that with a straight face?
#nzpol
November 12, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Brian Roche:
"This person was able to mislead the majority of the system, this system now has to make sure we're not going to get captured by that again."
You are fucking kidding me. How does he say that with a straight face?
#nzpol
"This person was able to mislead the majority of the system, this system now has to make sure we're not going to get captured by that again."
You are fucking kidding me. How does he say that with a straight face?
#nzpol