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Blog Archive
October
Should we be polite to large language models like ChatGPT? There are good arguments on both sides of the debate.
Changes to the New Zealand research funding meeting may spell the end of my career but, more importantly, what do they spell for research and science?
What do lawyers and bears have in common? I’m not sure, but given the choice, I’ll pick the bear.
Japanese toilets are something else! So were Mongolian toilets, through in a different way. Given their fancy toilets, why does Japan have such awful toilet paper?
September
When in Japan, where do you put your rubbish, given the complete lack of public bins?
Routines are hard things to escape, even when you leave the country...
When it’s time to slow down and smell the snowdrops...
Ozempic is everywhere…one of a new class of weight loss drugs promising reduced body mass and increased health. Are the claims real? And what are the downsides?
August
Why has NZ repaired a bell tower for $10 million, then fired the only person who can ring the bells? And why has Fonterra sold off all its added value products? So many mysteries in todays world...
Thanks to AI you, or Donald Trump, can be many places at once as an online video of yourself...
Life is a continual process of learning – be it software or how to work with people. Life would be so much easier if I didn't forget what I've learned...
There's plastic waste everywhere on the Mongolian steppes...what to do?
Should we be searching for 'the' road? Or should we keep our minds open by looking for 'a' road to our destination? This was a constant topic of conversation in Mongolia, where there are many many roads.
July
Having a five week break from tech was part of the appeal of Mongolia. Did it live up to my expectations?
Brick to the Head - trying to get back home in London after catching the wrong bus…
Brick to the Head - people ask if going to e.g. Mongolia is safe. I say the only place I've been physically attacked is London…
Depths of Dankai - fighting the wind and each other on the way back to the Pamir Highway.
June
Depths of Dankai - we cycle over Karachym Pass to find out how deep Dankai really is
Depths of Dankai - rain, tool theft and a sheep in a pot.
Depths of Dankai - scouting deep rivers on an off-track cycling route in Tajikstan. Why were we there?
Happy Birthday to me soon in Mongolia...and why do I want to celebrate my 60th birthday there?
May
Everyone loves dinosaurs. We visited dinosaur footprints on a hot Spanish afternoon, not so different from the temperatures in which the dinosaurs were paddling along the river 120 million years ago.
Want to know my secret fear...or at least intense dislike? Read on to find out, although you've already got a clue...
My first tattoo...a much bigger deal for Gen X than for Gen Z...
Was condemnation of Trump's blue suit at the Pope's funeral fair? And how does this link to concerns about my writing a song about a prominent societal figure?
April
Our minds influence our hearts and our hearts influence our minds. Music can make our heartbeats synchronise with the people around us. Everything is connected...
Autumn is right time to extend pa harakeke's plantings - "Why are you doing this?" a visiting cycle tourist asked. "As reciprocity for being part of the biosphere," could be my answer.
According to the authors of 'AI 2027', by 2030 AI will either have eliminated humans or helped us reach the stars. Science fiction? Prophesy? What should we believe?
I'm on top of Mt Alta. Do I need to know how many minutes it took me to get there? Or how high I have climbed? Has technology addicted us to counting things that don't matter?
We're getting ready for a bikepacking trip in Mongolia. How might this be this similar to preparing for a doomsday event?
March
My dress sense was tested this week by Nature's Symphony. When you dress in a style different from your norm, are you in costume? How important is dressing to fit in with the group?
Eliciting emotion - the best way to influence behaviour. Science isn't good at using emotion to influence, time for fiction to step in and creative the narratives we need...
Chickens are productive and convivial members of the pā harakeke whanau; it was a sad day when we found two of them slaughtered by a visiting dog when our guest wasn't paying attention.
I tried not to write a post about Trump this week. I even went surfing at Colac Bay to get him out of my thoughts. Unfortunately, every road apparently leads to Trump, even when thinking about improvisation and genius.
February
How to find a friend group in the Wakatipu is a common topic in conversations – why is it so hard? And why does Christopher Luxon need to know about this?
Margaret Atwood must be laughing, or crying. The Handmaid's Tale is upon us as Trump signs an Executive Order stating humans come in two sex categories, determined at conception. That's not a scientific possibility. "So?" says Trump.
I launched Threads of Connection in Christchurch tonight. Read on for a summary of how I came to write a novel about climate change, bombing as a viable form of protest, and how crucial community is in challenging times.
Why does time in the mountains seem more real than anything else? I'd love to give some politicians a dose of that reality and see if they might come to some sense.
Meme coins are for everybody, including Trump. Since Trump's launch of $TRUMP just before his inauguration, its market cap has risen to USD5 billion. You could have a meme coin too – read on to find out how.
January
If you think AI dominating the world might be a problem, have you also thought about the risks created by AI's need for vast amounts of energy? How much energy does AI need and where will it come from?
What will it take for humans to act in the face of climate change? Will the LA fires be a tipping point? So far, it's not looking like they will provide the impetus required.
Creepypasta...know what it is? How about peepspeaks? Read more to find out about current (or relatively current) web-based culture.
If aliens landed in central Queenstown, what might they be wanting to do? Visit with our leader? Go bungy jumping? Or maybe go shopping, like all the other tourists?