Avron 🇳🇿
@avron.bsky.social
Old Millennial, queer, autistic, depressed, pakeha, born and raised in Aotearoa.
My block/mute/ignore reactions are based on years of tumblr bots/spam.
TILT (Thing I Like Tuesday/Thursday) - lasted five months.
My block/mute/ignore reactions are based on years of tumblr bots/spam.
TILT (Thing I Like Tuesday/Thursday) - lasted five months.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
I feel like there's some productive work that could be done on climate change advocacy that's just going 'you know how absolutely horrible it is in 30°+ weather like today? Days like this are going to happen literally 400% more often unless we change things'
January 11, 2026 at 2:28 AM
I feel like there's some productive work that could be done on climate change advocacy that's just going 'you know how absolutely horrible it is in 30°+ weather like today? Days like this are going to happen literally 400% more often unless we change things'
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
_Police_ shouldn't carry firearms. That's what specialist firearms teams are for.
Here’s the deal: ICE officers shouldn’t be allowed to carry firearms at all. If they find themselves in a potentially violent situation, they should retreat and call the local police to handle it.
January 10, 2026 at 3:30 AM
_Police_ shouldn't carry firearms. That's what specialist firearms teams are for.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Today, Facebook permanently banned the account of fellow author and Star Trek tie-in scribe Ilsa J. Bick because its automated censor detected no-no words in her otherwise normal post about the murder of Renee Good. Be aware that the fascist machines are working overtime to suppress free speech.
January 9, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Today, Facebook permanently banned the account of fellow author and Star Trek tie-in scribe Ilsa J. Bick because its automated censor detected no-no words in her otherwise normal post about the murder of Renee Good. Be aware that the fascist machines are working overtime to suppress free speech.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Gmail welcoming the Gemini era?
That's it. Guide to disable Gemini everywhere: tuta.com/blog/how-to-...
That's it. Guide to disable Gemini everywhere: tuta.com/blog/how-to-...
January 9, 2026 at 8:53 AM
Gmail welcoming the Gemini era?
That's it. Guide to disable Gemini everywhere: tuta.com/blog/how-to-...
That's it. Guide to disable Gemini everywhere: tuta.com/blog/how-to-...
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
"It’s not a PR issue, it’s an ethics issue." -- The Head Horse
Not every game company is hopping onboard the AI hype train. Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse bans gen AI art in its contracts.
"If I sound frustrated, it's because, like, honestly, all this thing has done is made our...
https://kotaku.com/hooded-horse-gen-ai-art-ban-4x-strategy-steam-2000658179
"If I sound frustrated, it's because, like, honestly, all this thing has done is made our...
https://kotaku.com/hooded-horse-gen-ai-art-ban-4x-strategy-steam-2000658179
One Game Publisher Is Pushing Back Against AI Art With Contracts That Ban It: 'It's Cancerous' - Kotaku
Hooded Horse won't work with developers that use gen AI
kotaku.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:42 PM
"It’s not a PR issue, it’s an ethics issue." -- The Head Horse
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.
unlike this study which actually does establish a causal relationship between using LLMs and cognitive decline arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task
This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools). Each completed thr...
arxiv.org
January 7, 2026 at 8:29 PM
LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
second degree murder, and specifically depraved heart murder, wherein the accused doesn't actively plan to kill a specific person or people but acts with callous disregard for human life - like firing a gun into a crowd or driving drunk - should apply to decisions made by CEOs and heads of industry
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
January 5, 2026 at 6:30 AM
second degree murder, and specifically depraved heart murder, wherein the accused doesn't actively plan to kill a specific person or people but acts with callous disregard for human life - like firing a gun into a crowd or driving drunk - should apply to decisions made by CEOs and heads of industry
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Now, I understand that there are more cases to be solved than this. Especially when we leave the consumer side.
But I'd really like you to consider how I have nearly completely cut hydrocarbons out of my life and in the vast majority of cases my life is now MORE convenient than it was.
But I'd really like you to consider how I have nearly completely cut hydrocarbons out of my life and in the vast majority of cases my life is now MORE convenient than it was.
January 3, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Now, I understand that there are more cases to be solved than this. Especially when we leave the consumer side.
But I'd really like you to consider how I have nearly completely cut hydrocarbons out of my life and in the vast majority of cases my life is now MORE convenient than it was.
But I'd really like you to consider how I have nearly completely cut hydrocarbons out of my life and in the vast majority of cases my life is now MORE convenient than it was.
I read more books during 2025 than in any year since 2003, if discounting the "cheat" books it was still better than any year since 2008. thestorygraph.com
And (with somewhat imprecise measurement data) it seems that the stack of what I read would be almost exactly as tall as I am. LibraryThing.com
And (with somewhat imprecise measurement data) it seems that the stack of what I read would be almost exactly as tall as I am. LibraryThing.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:00 AM
I read more books during 2025 than in any year since 2003, if discounting the "cheat" books it was still better than any year since 2008. thestorygraph.com
And (with somewhat imprecise measurement data) it seems that the stack of what I read would be almost exactly as tall as I am. LibraryThing.com
And (with somewhat imprecise measurement data) it seems that the stack of what I read would be almost exactly as tall as I am. LibraryThing.com
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
I offer you all my traditional New Year's toast: to 2026, may it not suck.
January 1, 2026 at 5:06 AM
I offer you all my traditional New Year's toast: to 2026, may it not suck.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Okay, I will preface this with the GIGANTIC disclaimer that I promise I know how this looks, and I *swear* this is not personally motivated: If you have an old #LiveJournal account, and it has things you still care about in it, download it or import it to Dreamwidth SOON. Details:
January 1, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Okay, I will preface this with the GIGANTIC disclaimer that I promise I know how this looks, and I *swear* this is not personally motivated: If you have an old #LiveJournal account, and it has things you still care about in it, download it or import it to Dreamwidth SOON. Details:
Board Games played through December 2025, both in person (left - recorded at BGG) and online at BGA (right - not recorded).
No specific game play appears in both grids, although some did get played both in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
No specific game play appears in both grids, although some did get played both in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
January 1, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Board Games played through December 2025, both in person (left - recorded at BGG) and online at BGA (right - not recorded).
No specific game play appears in both grids, although some did get played both in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
No specific game play appears in both grids, although some did get played both in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
Books I read during December, not quite averaging a couple of days to read each book. Took a short break from the Trek to read the second book in a compendium. Nearing the books that were published around when I started watching Trek.
app.thestorygraph.com
app.thestorygraph.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Books I read during December, not quite averaging a couple of days to read each book. Took a short break from the Trek to read the second book in a compendium. Nearing the books that were published around when I started watching Trek.
app.thestorygraph.com
app.thestorygraph.com
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
The absolute minimum a government should do is ensure everyone in their country has access to food, shelter, Healthcare, and education. If a government does not do this and in fact seems to be hindering any of them, people need to have a long think about if that government needs to exist.
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
December 29, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The absolute minimum a government should do is ensure everyone in their country has access to food, shelter, Healthcare, and education. If a government does not do this and in fact seems to be hindering any of them, people need to have a long think about if that government needs to exist.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Knives out: the upper middle class are squabbling vicious children who do not deserve their inheritance
Glass onion: the new elite are the stupidest murderous cunts alive and deserve your scorn
Wake up dead man: those preaching anger as salvation are leading you to death, hope and kindness matter
Glass onion: the new elite are the stupidest murderous cunts alive and deserve your scorn
Wake up dead man: those preaching anger as salvation are leading you to death, hope and kindness matter
December 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Knives out: the upper middle class are squabbling vicious children who do not deserve their inheritance
Glass onion: the new elite are the stupidest murderous cunts alive and deserve your scorn
Wake up dead man: those preaching anger as salvation are leading you to death, hope and kindness matter
Glass onion: the new elite are the stupidest murderous cunts alive and deserve your scorn
Wake up dead man: those preaching anger as salvation are leading you to death, hope and kindness matter
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
If someone keeps telling you they have a plan, or a strong set of values, or guiding principles, but never spells out what they ARE in plain language, you are legally permitted nay obliged to draw the worst possible conclusion
"we've then put together a common sense sort of plan. We know that that plan needs to be executed daily, yearly, year in, year out" Isn't it amazing that you keep going on about this plan, which YOU CANNOT ARTICULATE IN ANY DETAIL AT ANY POINT because YOU ARE A FUCKING IDIOT
December 20, 2025 at 2:23 AM
If someone keeps telling you they have a plan, or a strong set of values, or guiding principles, but never spells out what they ARE in plain language, you are legally permitted nay obliged to draw the worst possible conclusion
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Posting this again because I've been getting questions: at this moment there is no licensed merch for Murderbot or Sanctuary Moon except what is on Worldbuilders Market worldbuildersmarket.com/collections/... where it's sold for charity fundraising. And they are getting a new t-shirt design soon.
Martha Wells
Worldbuilders Market is the official online shop of Worldbuilders, a geek-centered nonprofit supporting humanitarian efforts worldwide. We carry a wide variety of officially licensed merchandise from ...
worldbuildersmarket.com
December 15, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Posting this again because I've been getting questions: at this moment there is no licensed merch for Murderbot or Sanctuary Moon except what is on Worldbuilders Market worldbuildersmarket.com/collections/... where it's sold for charity fundraising. And they are getting a new t-shirt design soon.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
YES INDEED
One argument I used to make to my students about why it was important to learn history (and historical thinking) is that someone was always going to be trying to tell you things were natural or had always been this way and that you needed to be able to see that as an exercise of power.
December 14, 2025 at 3:41 PM
YES INDEED
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Not taxing the rich sufficiently leads governments to cut spending in lots of areas.
The court system may not tug at people's heartstrings like health, education and housing, but the proposal to severely restrict jury trials will hurt us all too. When govts claim 'delay', ask how much they've cut.
The court system may not tug at people's heartstrings like health, education and housing, but the proposal to severely restrict jury trials will hurt us all too. When govts claim 'delay', ask how much they've cut.
Government weighs UK-style jury trial cuts to ease NZ court delays - https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/12/07/government-weighs-uk-style-jury-trial-cuts-to-ease-nz-court-delays/ - Details and more news at: https://nzccl.org.nz/news
Government weighs UK-style jury trial cuts to ease NZ court delays
The UK has proposed to scrap jury trials for offences carrying sentences of less than three years, a change the Justice Minister says New Zealand is also considering to help speed up court processes.
www.1news.co.nz
December 11, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Not taxing the rich sufficiently leads governments to cut spending in lots of areas.
The court system may not tug at people's heartstrings like health, education and housing, but the proposal to severely restrict jury trials will hurt us all too. When govts claim 'delay', ask how much they've cut.
The court system may not tug at people's heartstrings like health, education and housing, but the proposal to severely restrict jury trials will hurt us all too. When govts claim 'delay', ask how much they've cut.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Yes and specifically for NZers: bookhub.co.nz if you need an online option
December 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Yes and specifically for NZers: bookhub.co.nz if you need an online option
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
After much research and development I have made an offline version of ChatGPT.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
December 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
After much research and development I have made an offline version of ChatGPT.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
Now you can save water and electricity while navel-gazing, and carry one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in your pocket.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Here's one such split, I think -- each of these hemispheres is roughly the same as the whole globe.
December 3, 2025 at 5:28 AM
Here's one such split, I think -- each of these hemispheres is roughly the same as the whole globe.
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
Oh @rianjohnson.bsky.social played all innocent "I'm not doing a muppet thing with Knives Out" he knew HE KNEW
'Forks Out': A Benoit Blanc Sesame Street Mystery | Wake Up Dead Man | Netflix
YouTube video by Still Watching Netflix
www.youtube.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Oh @rianjohnson.bsky.social played all innocent "I'm not doing a muppet thing with Knives Out" he knew HE KNEW
Reposted by Avron 🇳🇿
The new integrated payments on Christchurch Metro lets you use a credit card, but you can only buy one ticket. Driver was having to give free rides to family members because there was no way to pay for them. Surprised nobody anticipated the rare scenario of buying two bus tickets.
December 1, 2025 at 3:04 AM
The new integrated payments on Christchurch Metro lets you use a credit card, but you can only buy one ticket. Driver was having to give free rides to family members because there was no way to pay for them. Surprised nobody anticipated the rare scenario of buying two bus tickets.
Board Games played through November 2025, both in person (left - recorded at BGG) and online at BGA (right - not recorded).
No specific game play appears in both grids, although Eminent Domain did get played in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
No specific game play appears in both grids, although Eminent Domain did get played in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Board Games played through November 2025, both in person (left - recorded at BGG) and online at BGA (right - not recorded).
No specific game play appears in both grids, although Eminent Domain did get played in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com
No specific game play appears in both grids, although Eminent Domain did get played in person and online.
Images from the www.bgstatsapp.com