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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 15h

And he really is New Zealand’s best book reviewer

Newsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 15h

NZ's best book reviewer on a major biography of the caustic, abrasive, sarcastic and loveable Chris Knox.

Book of the Week: To Chris with love

newsroom.co.nz

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 15h

A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed talkingpointsmemo.com/news/a-short...

A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed

The scale and scope of federal data and statistics that have been...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 1d

This is just fascinating. Great work by Jonathan Milne.

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Ethan Landes @ethanlandes.bsky.social · 1d

The UK is within spitting distance of having more murders portrayed annually on TV shows and movies set in the country than occur in real life

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 1d

It's so incredible how low homicide rates are in Europe. The UK, with a population of 70 million people, had fewer than 600 murders in 2023.
www.connexionfrance.com/news/double-...

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Chibdm @chibdm.bsky.social · 2d

Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop

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Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 2d

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 2d

It's probably wrapped around the harbour bridge by now

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Jolisa Gracewood @nzdodo.bsky.social · 3d

Also: back in May, MSD said: “How many people will be affected?
It is estimated that approximately 17,800 people aged 18 and 19 will not be eligible for Jobseeker Support in the first two years of implementation.”

So where does the “only 4300” number come from?

www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-an...

Jobseeker Support – tightening eligibility for 18 and 19 year olds - Ministry of Social Development

A parental assistance test will be added to the eligibility criteria for Jobseeker Support and Emergency Benefit for single 18 and 19 year olds. This test will assess whether the young person can reas...

www.msd.govt.nz

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 3d

Definitely not disputing that. I'm just wondering what 'adjunct' means in this case. Do they pay him? Or does he pay them?

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 3d

What does 'adjunct fellow' to a lobby group mean anyway

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SCP @10-5.bsky.social · 5d

Prior to AI, a lack of artistic talent and creativity was holding back MAGA fascists.

As a movement primarily concerned with the *aesthetics* of politics but not the substance, they weren’t fluent in their own preferred language.

Now, they have been gifted the means to steal that language.

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 4d

America

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 4d

A WILD ONE: A man broke his leg during an arrest by ICE at a car wash south of L.A.

ICE has held him under 24/7 guard at a hospital, registering him under a pseudonym, for *37 days* without telling him why.

A judge has ordered his immediate release.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 4d

I reckon between 99.9 and 100 percent

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 4d

Sean Plunket is also calling loudly for smelling salts

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 4d

Something called the New Zealand Centre for Political Research Facebook Group (27.3k members) is not happy. They are all cancelling their subscription

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oratiabooks.bsky.social @oratiabooks.bsky.social · 5d

In the New Zealand Listener this week: Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics - by Matthew Wright
Review by Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social

#oratiabooks #NewZealandListener #ErnestRutherford #physics

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Mike Dickison @adzebill.bsky.social · 6d

Ah, the joy of freelance life. A couple of 2026 funding pools have just dried up, so if anyoneʻs interested in a project with a Wikipedian, now’s the time to get in touch. www.rove.wiki

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 6d

The "AI" responses that Google gives about me and my work are consistently error-prone, which I know because I am me. If I know Google's "AI" responses give incorrect answers about things I know about, I can't trust it to give correct answers about things I don't know. So, no, I don't use it.

John Gordon 🇨🇦🇩🇰 @johngordon.bsky.social · 6d

I’m surprised you don’t use ai answer engines in research you currently do with Google

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 7d

“There’s artificial intelligence, and there’s actual intelligence.”

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 7d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 7d

ER doc here! This is a lie. Wait times are up because the American healthcare system is an unsustainable business model and a for-profit national healthcare system just doesn’t work. These problems will continue to get worse until we change that system. It literally has nothing to do with immigrants

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d

Vance: "If you're an American citizen & you've been to the hospital in the last few years, you've probably noticed wait times are especially large & very often somebody who's there in the ER is an illegal alien. Why do those people get healthcare benefits at hospitals paid for by American citizens?"

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 8d

I suppose you can't blame AI for not knowing how kitchens work. It has never washed a dish. It has never cooked. Hell, it has never eaten

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 8d

"It’s not so much throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks as it is a half-hearted tossing of whatever was in arm’s reach, knowing it will just slide down the wall but hoping you’re not still in the job by the time it starts to pool on the ground."

Damp squib energy reforms reject 8 of 10 review recommendations

Analysis: The Government's limited energy package doubles down on fossil fuels after a market review recommends privatising the gentailers

newsroom.co.nz

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 8d

That AI drawing of an ICE official looks like Tom of Finland’s brother, evil murderer of Finland

Reposted by Jenny Nicholls

David Farrier @davidfarrier.com · 8d

as reported in webworm today, the nz media council has ruled against RNZ, saying it lacked balance and fairness in its reporting over the death of trans teen alex. hopefully this encourages RNZ to look at all their reporting on trans issues - they need to (www.webworm.co/trainhopping/)

In their ruling, released today, the NZMC also took issue with that, writing:

The parents are entitled to express their views about the tragic events and their views on the teen’s gender identity and RNZ is entitled to report them. But their perspective came from a particular point of view and drove the narrative. The fact that the story was brought to RNZ by a group that is regarded as having an anti-trans perspective should have alerted RNZ to the fact that there was a wider agenda at play.

The NZMC concluded:

The Council believes RNZ should have been aware that there was a wider agenda at play and another side of the story that needed to be told, particularly when further information emerged after the publication of the first story. They could have provided a balancing alternative perspective in a number of ways, in the original story or subsequently.

The complaint is upheld for lack of balance and fairness.

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Jenny Nicholls @jenster.bsky.social · 8d

His theory - the US military failed in Afghanistan and Iraq because the generals ate too much