Mike Dickison
@adzebill.bsky.social
My Jeopardy categories would be Wikipedia, natural history of Aotearoa New Zealand, Sondheim musicals, bird bones, and enough typography to get me into trouble. Ōtautahi, Dr Him.
0000-0003-1183-2550, Q56458901
0000-0003-1183-2550, Q56458901
So many great non-fiction contenders on the Ockham longlist (He Puāwi, Uncommon Land, Mr Ward’s Map, Northbound, Fomison, the Welcome of Strangers etc). Now for the annual ritual of Steve Braunias championing the weakest contender and declaring all the Ockham judges are idiots.
January 28, 2026 at 8:12 PM
So many great non-fiction contenders on the Ockham longlist (He Puāwi, Uncommon Land, Mr Ward’s Map, Northbound, Fomison, the Welcome of Strangers etc). Now for the annual ritual of Steve Braunias championing the weakest contender and declaring all the Ockham judges are idiots.
"If you build defences, people build new houses. We shouldn't be building any new houses in Westport, full-stop." www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Insurer temporarily halts new policies in Westport due to flood risk
The decision will be the first of many as the full force of climate change arrives, a researcher says.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 28, 2026 at 7:51 PM
"If you build defences, people build new houses. We shouldn't be building any new houses in Westport, full-stop." www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Mike Dickison
And here we go: Remember you might not believe in climate change but your insurance company most certainly does and here comes our first example of No Insurance due to High or Very High Natural Hazard Risks. Aka 1% AEP events repeating too often
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Insurer temporarily halts new policies in Westport due to flood risk
The decision will be the first of many as the full force of climate change arrives in New Zealand, a researcher says.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 28, 2026 at 6:13 PM
And here we go: Remember you might not believe in climate change but your insurance company most certainly does and here comes our first example of No Insurance due to High or Very High Natural Hazard Risks. Aka 1% AEP events repeating too often
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
An educator at the museum once assured with great Dunning-Kruger energy that there would have been a Te Reo name for every NZ weevil species.
Was asked to include local names where possible, and I'm like, do you even know the names of the ants in your yard? Why would you expect other cultures with historically even less access to microscopes to have named every 2mm long yellow thing that lives under rocks?
January 28, 2026 at 7:36 PM
An educator at the museum once assured with great Dunning-Kruger energy that there would have been a Te Reo name for every NZ weevil species.
Reposted by Mike Dickison
This image, which strongly resembles a photograph, instantly caught my eye because it is a form that I've never seen previously in the Ediacara. Intrigued, I clicked. Very disappointing to see the credit for this image is given to "AI - Science Daily".
*What the hell, Science Daily?*
Garbage. ⚒️🧪
*What the hell, Science Daily?*
Garbage. ⚒️🧪
January 27, 2026 at 7:37 PM
This image, which strongly resembles a photograph, instantly caught my eye because it is a form that I've never seen previously in the Ediacara. Intrigued, I clicked. Very disappointing to see the credit for this image is given to "AI - Science Daily".
*What the hell, Science Daily?*
Garbage. ⚒️🧪
*What the hell, Science Daily?*
Garbage. ⚒️🧪
Reposted by Mike Dickison
Reposted by Mike Dickison
After years of being one of the absolutely worst people in politics, Judith manages to resign at a time when she isn't even top 5.
January 28, 2026 at 2:09 AM
After years of being one of the absolutely worst people in politics, Judith manages to resign at a time when she isn't even top 5.
Reposted by Mike Dickison
Judith Collins: "I don't like wetlands – they're swamps ... Go and find someone who actually cares about this, because I don't," in response to questions about her links to exported swamp kauri. These kauri logs are routinely obtained by destroying wetlands publicaddress.net/envirologue/...
Swamp Monsters – the Looting of Northland’s Sunken Assets • Envirologue • Public Address
publicaddress.net
January 28, 2026 at 2:09 AM
Judith Collins: "I don't like wetlands – they're swamps ... Go and find someone who actually cares about this, because I don't," in response to questions about her links to exported swamp kauri. These kauri logs are routinely obtained by destroying wetlands publicaddress.net/envirologue/...
Reposted by Mike Dickison
good riddance to Minister Judith Collins, who orchestrated the present gutting of New Zealand's science funding establishment
I've not seen or heard any coverage today that mentions this tiny detail, affecting 100s of millions of public dollars and endangering NZ's entire intellectual community
I've not seen or heard any coverage today that mentions this tiny detail, affecting 100s of millions of public dollars and endangering NZ's entire intellectual community
Judith Collins resigns after a near quarter century in politics
She has been in Parliament for more than 20 years, as the MP for Clevedon, and then Papakura.
www.stuff.co.nz
January 28, 2026 at 1:05 AM
good riddance to Minister Judith Collins, who orchestrated the present gutting of New Zealand's science funding establishment
I've not seen or heard any coverage today that mentions this tiny detail, affecting 100s of millions of public dollars and endangering NZ's entire intellectual community
I've not seen or heard any coverage today that mentions this tiny detail, affecting 100s of millions of public dollars and endangering NZ's entire intellectual community
Reposted by Mike Dickison
Next Thursday is the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of the "Waitangi dildo incident"
HOW WILL YOU BE CELEBRATING?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitang...
HOW WILL YOU BE CELEBRATING?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitang...
Waitangi dildo incident - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 27, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Next Thursday is the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of the "Waitangi dildo incident"
HOW WILL YOU BE CELEBRATING?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitang...
HOW WILL YOU BE CELEBRATING?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitang...
In 2024/early 2025 the Press was relentlessly covering the Court’s cost overruns and bullying CEO. Then in April they began a Support The Court! campaign (I presume for $$) cheerleading the building and memory-holing the ex-CEO. I guess that money’s run out now, so they’re doing reporting again.
Theatre calls issues ‘normal post-opening phase’ but patrons report persistent problems with cramped seating, blocked views and accessibility.
Cramped, uncomfortable, can’t see the stage: $61m Court Theatre faces chorus of complaints
Theatre calls issues ‘normal post-opening phase’ but patrons report persistent problems with cramped seating, blocked views and accessibility.
dlvr.it
January 27, 2026 at 7:51 AM
In 2024/early 2025 the Press was relentlessly covering the Court’s cost overruns and bullying CEO. Then in April they began a Support The Court! campaign (I presume for $$) cheerleading the building and memory-holing the ex-CEO. I guess that money’s run out now, so they’re doing reporting again.
A new article by @cloventt.net about Kaikōura's Takahanga Marae is appearing today on Wikipedia’s home page. That page gets about 6.7 million views a day.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takahan...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takahan...
January 27, 2026 at 3:16 AM
A new article by @cloventt.net about Kaikōura's Takahanga Marae is appearing today on Wikipedia’s home page. That page gets about 6.7 million views a day.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takahan...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takahan...
Chiles producing well. I tried pruning a couple right back and letting them spend the Ōtautahi winter under a cloche; fresh growth and fruiting in spring.
January 27, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Chiles producing well. I tried pruning a couple right back and letting them spend the Ōtautahi winter under a cloche; fresh growth and fruiting in spring.
Reposted by Mike Dickison
It amazes me that so many people correctly diagnose that social media companies can't be trusted with access to their children, but think they can be trusted with access to their ID.
Remember Facebook is the company that abused 2FA phone numbers for ad targeting.
Remember Facebook is the company that abused 2FA phone numbers for ad targeting.
January 27, 2026 at 12:16 AM
It amazes me that so many people correctly diagnose that social media companies can't be trusted with access to their children, but think they can be trusted with access to their ID.
Remember Facebook is the company that abused 2FA phone numbers for ad targeting.
Remember Facebook is the company that abused 2FA phone numbers for ad targeting.
Reposted by Mike Dickison
NZ taxpayers spent $6M to bring Michelin stars here and only paid $3M to the WHO.
Contributing to world health seems like a much better spend to me. #nzpol
Contributing to world health seems like a much better spend to me. #nzpol
January 26, 2026 at 4:13 AM
NZ taxpayers spent $6M to bring Michelin stars here and only paid $3M to the WHO.
Contributing to world health seems like a much better spend to me. #nzpol
Contributing to world health seems like a much better spend to me. #nzpol
Reposted by Mike Dickison
So glad this is being used in schools and universities.
Latest ChatGPT model uses Elon Musk’s Grokipedia as source, tests reveal
Guardian found OpenAI’s platform cited Grokipedia on topics including Iran and Holocaust deniers
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:40 PM
So glad this is being used in schools and universities.
Reposted by Mike Dickison
dad is coming over tomorrow - 25th Jan - the anniversary of the day in 1999 when he popped into mitre10 for a tin of undercoat. his wife waited in the car. the undercoat was on special, stacked in a pyramid at the end of an aisle. he grabbed a tin by the handle. as he did so, it clipped another tin
January 24, 2026 at 5:39 AM
dad is coming over tomorrow - 25th Jan - the anniversary of the day in 1999 when he popped into mitre10 for a tin of undercoat. his wife waited in the car. the undercoat was on special, stacked in a pyramid at the end of an aisle. he grabbed a tin by the handle. as he did so, it clipped another tin
A thread for anyone who might not think NZ native plants are beautiful.
i’m going to try to remember when the flowers bloom, rn it’s ngaio, ti kōuka, whau, rewrewa and hinau. rangiora is finishing and kōtukutuku seems to always bloom. what else?
breezy evening and the path was be-bloomed including these darling little hinau flowers, one of my faves.
breezy evening and the path was be-bloomed including these darling little hinau flowers, one of my faves.
January 24, 2026 at 8:08 AM
A thread for anyone who might not think NZ native plants are beautiful.
Reposted by Mike Dickison
Someone on the minimum wage should be able to rent a modest one bedroom apartment or townhouse for about a third of their income, that would make rent about $252 a week
January 24, 2026 at 5:29 AM
Someone on the minimum wage should be able to rent a modest one bedroom apartment or townhouse for about a third of their income, that would make rent about $252 a week
Reposted by Mike Dickison
Reposted by Mike Dickison
January 21, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Mike Dickison
This incredibly cool new research shows that the first really big large organism on land was not a giant fungus, as many gave hypothesized. It was so chemically different from fungi that the authors propose "this enigmatic organism is best assigned to an entirely extinct eukaryotic lineage."
Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below!
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
January 21, 2026 at 9:19 PM
This incredibly cool new research shows that the first really big large organism on land was not a giant fungus, as many gave hypothesized. It was so chemically different from fungi that the authors propose "this enigmatic organism is best assigned to an entirely extinct eukaryotic lineage."
My RealMe has validated! Even through I’m sure I was blinking when I should have been nodding. (NZers will understand). Does it always take three goes to accept it, or did anyone out there get it right first time?
January 21, 2026 at 4:07 AM
My RealMe has validated! Even through I’m sure I was blinking when I should have been nodding. (NZers will understand). Does it always take three goes to accept it, or did anyone out there get it right first time?
Reposted by Mike Dickison
Couldn't find who shared this into my feed because of the tab jungle I find myself living in but this feels like partial vindication for all rice re-heaters.
www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/grain-of-t...
www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/grain-of-t...
Grain of Terror
Why is the Western world so afraid of reheating rice? Joe Zadeh reports. Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath
www.vittlesmagazine.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:18 AM
Couldn't find who shared this into my feed because of the tab jungle I find myself living in but this feels like partial vindication for all rice re-heaters.
www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/grain-of-t...
www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/grain-of-t...
Reposted by Mike Dickison
One of the most horrifying bits of Christopher Browning's book "Ordinary Men," on a group of German Holocaust perpetrators, is the fact that absolutely nobody in the unit Browning researched was ever punished in any way for refusing to participate in massacres. These guys could just say no.
In an interview with @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social, Blas Nuñez-Neto wouldn't tell us his clients, but did say we should remember that ICE agents are people too. (Can't believe this quote below)
prospect.org/2026/01/19/a...
prospect.org/2026/01/19/a...
![Nuñez-Neto recommended that protesters understand that ICE agents are people, too.
“I think it would help both sides to appreciate the fact that that’s a human being across from you who may or may not want to do the things they’ve been ordered to do. In my long history being in and out of the Department [of Homeland Security], it is very often what makes the news are the terrible things that happen but what doesn’t get reported are the … stories about agents bringing toys into the border patrol station,” he said.
“We’re all human beings, many of them have families, many of them don’t want to be doing what they’ve been directed to do … so it would help us all to lower the temperature a bit. I’m angry too.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nztbvvo2gl4227zuxjf7gog3/bafkreia3sqpgq4ufvy746ld4tuadfwuf7ul4so6u2wjhf5oggd6kzxibtm@jpeg)
January 19, 2026 at 5:45 PM
One of the most horrifying bits of Christopher Browning's book "Ordinary Men," on a group of German Holocaust perpetrators, is the fact that absolutely nobody in the unit Browning researched was ever punished in any way for refusing to participate in massacres. These guys could just say no.