Tom Butlin
@tombutlin.bsky.social
Google jockey, slow runner, slow cooking enthusiast.
Pessimists go through life being pleasantly surprised
Aotearoa New Zealand
Pessimists go through life being pleasantly surprised
Aotearoa New Zealand
Reposted by Tom Butlin
I want this moment for us
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
I want this moment for us
Reposted by Tom Butlin
the decline and fall of the american republic in two headlines
November 26, 2025 at 4:52 PM
the decline and fall of the american republic in two headlines
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Reuters also reported on a May 2025 presentation by Meta safety staff which estimated that the company’s platforms were involved in a third of all successful scams in the U.S.
The UK Payments Systems Regulator found Meta platforms were linked to 54% of payments scam incidents in 2023.
The UK Payments Systems Regulator found Meta platforms were linked to 54% of payments scam incidents in 2023.
Facebook is a scam factory. Meta's own internal audit reveals 10% of their revenue comes from spam advertising - $16bn annually. Between 2020-2023 scam losses in Australia increased 249%. In 76% of cases, contact occurred on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp).
November 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reuters also reported on a May 2025 presentation by Meta safety staff which estimated that the company’s platforms were involved in a third of all successful scams in the U.S.
The UK Payments Systems Regulator found Meta platforms were linked to 54% of payments scam incidents in 2023.
The UK Payments Systems Regulator found Meta platforms were linked to 54% of payments scam incidents in 2023.
Reposted by Tom Butlin
👏🏾 It's 👏🏾 because 👏🏾 it's 👏🏾 about 👏🏾 ethnic 👏🏾 cleansing 👏🏾 of 👏🏾 the 👏🏾 United 👏🏾 States 👏🏾 Round II 👏🏾
This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.
November 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
👏🏾 It's 👏🏾 because 👏🏾 it's 👏🏾 about 👏🏾 ethnic 👏🏾 cleansing 👏🏾 of 👏🏾 the 👏🏾 United 👏🏾 States 👏🏾 Round II 👏🏾
Reposted by Tom Butlin
OpenAI says they aren't liable for the suicide of a user their chat bot urged to kill himself because suicide is a violation of the TOS
Additionally, OpenAI argues its not liable because Raine, by using ChatGPT for self-harm, broke its terms of service
November 26, 2025 at 4:43 AM
OpenAI says they aren't liable for the suicide of a user their chat bot urged to kill himself because suicide is a violation of the TOS
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma.
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma.
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Reposted by Tom Butlin
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Hoggard is minister of animal welfare, where he has extended the farrow crate agony of pigs, minister of food safety, where he has weakened food safety regs, and assoc minister of enviro, where he allowed more freshwater pollution. Just a regular Federated Farmers guy. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Minister Andrew Hoggard assures PM he's following Cabinet rules after complaint
SAFE has made a complaint to the prime minister after the decision to allow the continued use of farrowing crates and mating stalls.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 25, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Hoggard is minister of animal welfare, where he has extended the farrow crate agony of pigs, minister of food safety, where he has weakened food safety regs, and assoc minister of enviro, where he allowed more freshwater pollution. Just a regular Federated Farmers guy. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Reposted by Tom Butlin
While the story itself is more than 4000 words (all gold, honestly), it can be told through this single visualisation. Here, with tools from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, we see traffic routes of oil tankers flagged to the Cook Islands in August 2024. NB: Oil tankers don’t deliver oil to Russia.
November 24, 2025 at 5:49 PM
While the story itself is more than 4000 words (all gold, honestly), it can be told through this single visualisation. Here, with tools from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, we see traffic routes of oil tankers flagged to the Cook Islands in August 2024. NB: Oil tankers don’t deliver oil to Russia.
Reposted by Tom Butlin
SpaceX now has over $100 million revenue in NZ from Starlink. Seems there's money to be made with broadband in rural and remote areas then.
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
SpaceX now has over $100 million revenue in NZ from Starlink. Seems there's money to be made with broadband in rural and remote areas then.
Unrelated, of course, but I note the NZ has dropped from #1 to #4 on the world corruption index.
How the oil and gas industry helped rewrite New Zealand’s drilling rules
Fossil fuel companies were given privileged, insider access to confidential drafts of legislation during a two-year campaign to weaken oil and gas regulation and overturn the offshore exploration ban, RNZ has found.” #nzpol
Fossil fuel companies were given privileged, insider access to confidential drafts of legislation during a two-year campaign to weaken oil and gas regulation and overturn the offshore exploration ban, RNZ has found.” #nzpol
How the oil and gas industry helped rewrite New Zealand’s drilling rules
A paper trail shows just how far ministers went to accommodate the oil and gas industry's wishlist.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 24, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Unrelated, of course, but I note the NZ has dropped from #1 to #4 on the world corruption index.
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Holy shit! This is what I'm talkin' about. David Clayton is running for congress in North Carolina's District 5 against MAGA Republican Virginia Foxx — and this is how he introduced himself. 🙌💪👏✊️👇
November 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Holy shit! This is what I'm talkin' about. David Clayton is running for congress in North Carolina's District 5 against MAGA Republican Virginia Foxx — and this is how he introduced himself. 🙌💪👏✊️👇
Reposted by Tom Butlin
This is now even funnier considering all the recent posts about how Twitter uses are from everywhere but america
November 24, 2025 at 1:30 AM
This is now even funnier considering all the recent posts about how Twitter uses are from everywhere but america
Reposted by Tom Butlin
The banning of gender affirming care/ puberty blockers for trans kids is a TEST. This Luxon-led coalition is seeing how much pushback they receive on this issue to figure out how to ban abortion & contraception next term. They're anti-choice, they will act on this. #nzpol #abortion #pubertyblockers
November 22, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The banning of gender affirming care/ puberty blockers for trans kids is a TEST. This Luxon-led coalition is seeing how much pushback they receive on this issue to figure out how to ban abortion & contraception next term. They're anti-choice, they will act on this. #nzpol #abortion #pubertyblockers
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Having complied with the USA's anti-trans directive this week, I expect Simeon and the lickspittle AoNZ government will be coming after abortion next. #nzpol
"Countries with state subsidies for abortion, transgender-friendly policies for children, hate speech laws and affirmative action policies will now be considered to be violating human rights under rules imposed at the [US] State Department..."
www.forbes.com/sites/maryro...
www.forbes.com/sites/maryro...
Abortion And DEI Policies Now Considered Violations Of Human Rights, U.S. Says
The Trump administration has overhauled how the State Department conducts its annual Human Rights Report.
www.forbes.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Having complied with the USA's anti-trans directive this week, I expect Simeon and the lickspittle AoNZ government will be coming after abortion next. #nzpol
Reposted by Tom Butlin
"Oh we got both kinds. We got country and western."
BREAKING: The House of Representatives voted 285–98 in favor of a resolution condemning socialism.
Eighty-six Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Eighty-six Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
November 21, 2025 at 6:48 PM
"Oh we got both kinds. We got country and western."
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Analysis of the language used in Trump’s Ukraine “peace plan” shows it was drafted in Russian and translated into English.
I’ll try to dig up a link.
I’ll try to dig up a link.
November 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Analysis of the language used in Trump’s Ukraine “peace plan” shows it was drafted in Russian and translated into English.
I’ll try to dig up a link.
I’ll try to dig up a link.
A masterful gambit sir, absolute 5D chess.
I'm tempted too
I'm tempted too
This is actually pretty masterful by Elon, because this is the most tempted I've been to return to X (formally Twitter) — just to see how absurdly ridiculous I can goad Grok into being in its sycophancy toward him.
Musk's ego was mortally wounded by Joyce Carol Oates and he's been on a narcissistic supply bender since
November 20, 2025 at 9:48 PM
A masterful gambit sir, absolute 5D chess.
I'm tempted too
I'm tempted too
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Reposted by Tom Butlin
“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 Tom Butlin
In today’s NZ Herald
November 19, 2025 at 5:28 PM
In today’s NZ Herald
Reposted by Tom Butlin
Karen Chhour is quoted in this piece actively promoting conversion practices, after previously comparing gender affirming care to torture at Lake Alice. This coalition is evil. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Govt halts new puberty blockers prescriptions for gender-affirming care
Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March says the government is "buying into imported culture wars" .
www.rnz.co.nz
November 19, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Karen Chhour is quoted in this piece actively promoting conversion practices, after previously comparing gender affirming care to torture at Lake Alice. This coalition is evil. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...