Dread Pirate (Tom) Roberts

#Canberra resident
Heavy #Metal fan
Parent.
In Owner/Ownee relationship with cat (exact role in dispute)

Public Key

npub13g6egu8c90ftn3sqqjugd4j4jptzlvskm3v5jy8ag9uugwj7ruus7fdvxp

NIP-05 Address

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsg5dv5wruzh54eccqqfwyx6e2eq430kgtdck2fzr75z7wy8f0p7wgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds06sugz

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub13g6egu8c90ftn3sqqjugd4j4jptzlvskm3v5jy8ag9uugwj7ruus7fdvxp

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-08-08 06:06:58 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…a4ar Ok... automation, machine learning and algorithms have been with us for years. Those aspect of computing that may be categorised as "artificial intelligence" will hang around, and slowly improve.
However the LLM variant, as it exist in ChatGPT versions or Claude, are unsustainable in that their training and inference costs are greater than what the market will pay for.
They are also, as pointed out by my selective quotes, inessential to modern society.
I hope that clarifies the point I'm making. I'm not too keen on getting into an online argument about it tho :)

2026-08-08 01:52:46 GMT

Decent interview with Cory Doctorow and the ABC.
I particularly liked him calling out the 'AI isn't going away' argument.
"If Donald Trump turned off all of our chatbots tomorrow, what would change? Which government ministry would be unable to do his job? Which important firm would go out of business?"
"AI is not a part of our lives in like an important sense. AI is a part of our lives the way Tamagotchis were a part of our lives. Let's have some perspective here. Especially because there is a real digital sovereignty risk and it's nothing to do with AI."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-08/cory-doctorow-on-the-ai-bubble-and-inevitability/106982988
#CoryDoctorow #AusPol

2026-07-31 06:55:07 GMT

I zapped the cat's nose with my nose using static electricity, and now apparently I'm the bad guy.

2026-05-05 22:35:54 GMT

Wednesday Pippin is ready to take on tge world.
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/116/524/351/206/726/436/original/dc251a62847a626c.jpeg

2026-04-09 10:05:11 GMT

I've decided to watch 'Forbidden Planet' from 1956, starring Leslie Nielsen.
Surely it will be a fine film.

2026-04-04 05:20:57 GMT

Pippin cat is in a bit of a mood.
I gave him a cat toy to chew on for a while, which he absolutely attacked and cheered him up.
But I had to take it off him, cause I need my arm and hand to type up toots on Mastodon.

2026-03-27 08:54:59 GMT

So I'm reading about Final Fantasy I and this book mentions it uses a 'Vancian' magic system.
Apparently this is from author Jack Vance and the 'Dying Earth' series of books.
It refers to style of "remembered spells" that must be memorised and then disappear from one's mind when cast.
Many nerds will recognise this as the system used and popularised by D&D.
And indeed Final Fantasy I does use this system, before switching to the more generic MP system used in later games.
#finalfantasy #dungeonsanddragons #vancian

2026-03-24 11:06:15 GMT

Maybe I should ride to work tomorrow.
Given current calculations <inset your favourite *calculations* gif> I should save $500.

2026-03-09 09:25:35 GMT

I have a little voice in my head telling me I need to get back into drawing regularly.
I'm particularly proud of 'Noirwhal'.
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/116/198/492/141/083/600/original/0ffdfbdf41c4b814.jpeg

2026-03-08 12:31:16 GMT

I'm going to bed now.
Can I ask that tomorrow everyone refer to me as 'The Wolf'.

2026-03-08 09:28:03 GMT

The real danger of AI is *not* that it will become sentient and start a Terminator war.
The real danger is some foolish humans will put an unreliable machine in a key decision making role, and then a stupid decision will get made without any real human consideration about the consequences.
#AI

2026-02-07 03:32:46 GMT

I don't know why the cat seems so annoyed at the world.
He hasn't even ever had to use a Microsoft product.

2026-02-05 07:51:23 GMT

Hey, friendly neighbourhood spider-fans… what’s this?
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/116/016/929/097/685/056/original/c64e628f7b81c156.jpeg

2026-01-18 08:52:43 GMT

Inside my clothes washing machine there is a pocket dimension.
And in that pocket dimension...
... someone left a tissue.

2026-01-18 08:29:59 GMT

I don't know if it was my first Fighting Fantasy book, but the one I remember most vividly was Island Of The Lizard King.
These lizard people had enslaved an island of humans. The king also had a weird brain parasite (shown in image) and a jaguar. The action starts fighting a giant crab on the beach, and escalated until you lead a whole slave rebellion.
Great stuff!
I managed to buy the reprint a few years back.
(Spoilers: If screwed up in the final moments, the parasite would stick its proboscis into your brain, and you become the evil ruler)
#FightingFantasy
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/915/147/122/331/590/original/54e8419e8b3336d8.jpg

2026-01-13 07:22:19 GMT

I was just thinking...
Between the velvet lies, there's a truth that's hard as steel.
Also...
The vision never dies. Life's a never ending wheel.
Hmmm.

2026-01-10 05:14:22 GMT

Pippin cat is resting on a couch whose side has spontaneously exploded.
#CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/869/101/431/930/988/original/685ecb5bdb539bc8.jpeg

2026-01-09 06:53:25 GMT

Today's really testing my ability to bring a positive attitude to 2026.

2025-12-25 08:09:19 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…whr3 This is quite funny.
"Partly cloudy!
Partly cloudy!
Partly cloudy!
Weather Forecast!"

2025-12-25 07:53:10 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…whr3 Yeah it's a bit of a rollercoaster here. It will be up in the 30s next week.

2025-12-25 07:19:23 GMT

The #Canberra overnight min is 5 degrees.
<insert sickos meme>

2025-12-24 09:42:48 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon
Christmas Pippin says Santa’s reindeer actually love cat food, so leave a plate of that out this evening.
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/773/881/404/021/505/original/dc713fb2dab4f1c8.jpeg

2025-12-21 03:31:31 GMT

This just in:
Cats' tummies are very fluffy.
(Survey conducted between the 21st and 21st of December 2025. Sample size = 1)

2025-12-14 11:10:03 GMT

Cats have the patience to sit in dark rooms and stare out the window for hours.
Also, they absolutely *do not* have the patience to wait the last 30 minutes before food time.

2025-12-13 05:03:46 GMT

Find someone who looks at you the way a cat looks at you just before dinner time.

2025-12-03 05:09:40 GMT

Maybe I could be the person who rings the bell at the end of tea break, and herds the nerds back to the conference talks.
I’d be a good nerd herder.

2025-11-28 05:48:44 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon Pippin suddenly decided something suspicious was going on out the window (possibly involving leaves) and pulled this look.
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/625/745/506/842/496/original/7acc1f6b6e5a1f63.jpeg

2025-11-23 22:10:26 GMT

I wish the ABC would stop letting Alan Kohler talk about AI and humanoid robots.
He's uncritically absorbed the marketing from the companies pushing this stuff, and ends the article pipe dreaming how our new slave robot workforce will cause mass retriement for eveyone.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-24/artificial-intelligence-robot-humanoid-workforce-labour-tax-ubi/106034208

2025-11-23 08:05:01 GMT

“The Bureau of Meteorology revealed its new website cost $96.5 million, not $4.1 million as the agency had originally said.”
“It said the cost breakdown included $4.1 million for the redesign, $79.8 million for the website build, and the site's launch and security testing cost $12.6 million.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-23/bureau-of-meteorology-new-website-cost-blowout-to-96-million/106042202
#BOM

2025-11-21 07:06:04 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon Friday Pippin is a normal cat who is not planning anything wild for later this evening.
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/586/410/967/758/700/original/44135e985f330dff.jpg

2025-11-19 08:01:48 GMT

I might be grumpy because there is too much fur in this house.
I should vacuum.

2025-11-18 08:15:12 GMT

I don’t profess to be a master theorist about money and such stuff, but maybe we should give re-nationalising the Commonwealth Bank a try.
Like, how could it make the banking situation in Australia any worse?
#AusPol

2025-11-17 21:26:14 GMT

My timeline is suddenly full of pets wearing bow ties.

2025-11-12 06:43:27 GMT

The AI bubble in a nutshell…
- The AI companies say they are close to AGI*.
- The AI companies are lying.
- All the investment is based on a belief they aren’t lying.
( * an artificial general intelligence, that can act at least as well as a human)
#AI #AIBubble

2025-11-12 06:17:20 GMT

I gotta say, I find email summarisation one of the more egregious uses of AI.
The reason I sent the extra long, very detailed email, was because I am concerned the recipient is lacking understanding in the topic.
“Summarising” it, and turning up to the next meeting still not understanding the topic, causes my vision to turn red and that siren from Kill Bill to play.

2025-11-05 08:38:23 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…whr3 @nprofile…4qwk I love Brütal Legend. I explored the world to find everything, which was easy to do with the awesome soundtrack.

2025-10-29 06:20:22 GMT

- reply

This is your chance, Australian Broadcasting Corporation!
Joint-production time!
#ABC #BBC #DoctorWho

2025-10-16 12:22:38 GMT

I know a lot of you might be dreading Friday…
… but Pippin Cat is visiting the vet, so y’all should quit your whinging in comparison.

2025-10-09 07:01:18 GMT

I have fairly strong pacifist inclinations.
So given a choice between:
1. Punch Nazis
2. Dance in front of them in an inflatable dinosaur costumes to ridicule them.
… I gotta say I’m more of an option 2. guy.
#uspol

2025-10-05 05:25:46 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…d2rl Have you been to Canberra yet? Surely there’s an applicable infosec conference in Canberra.

2025-10-04 12:35:37 GMT

Seriously tho, what happens at 2 am tomorrow morning stays there.

2025-08-24 06:02:04 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…d2rl I’m an AI sceptic because I only attended two classes in 3rd year Uni, then spent all day drinking at Wollongong Uni Bar before the exam and still got a High Distinction.
I feel that if that strategy works, there’s something suspect at the heart of the discipline.

2025-08-24 03:00:44 GMT

#catsofmastodon Pippin Cat is living his Sunday to 101%.
“But that’s impossible!? You can’t live life more than 100%!”
Go check the photo again…
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/081/493/780/348/197/original/8128fc59642544b2.jpg

2025-08-22 07:30:18 GMT

I’m not sure what’s happening here.
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/115/071/242/533/308/071/original/d43806d73033008a.jpg

2025-08-09 09:52:17 GMT

The cat’s gone to bed now because he has an early morning ahead of him tomorrow waking me up at 4:00 AM or some rubbish.

2025-08-09 04:37:09 GMT

My personal meat bag is still fighting off external invaders.
I’m gonna put on some music and see if that helps.

2025-08-05 07:15:50 GMT

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
"But why" questioned Frodo, "does everything have to be so incredibly stupid?"

2025-08-03 11:48:51 GMT

I’m pretty sure the cat thinks certain rooms in the house are haunted.
But then again, he thinks my belief in UFOs are unfounded.

2025-07-29 05:50:55 GMT

If you are unsure, you could always try asking the cat who sits on a post.
#CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/934/948/478/048/654/original/02165a9b3dcbc002.jpg

2025-07-10 11:51:28 GMT

Danger 5 Season 1 trailer
https://youtu.be/NhHxiAb7g0g
#Danger5

2025-07-04 09:46:03 GMT

Whoa ho ho!
Friday quality time with the cat!
(my hands are bleeding)

2025-07-01 07:10:56 GMT

Hi, I'm Gravy!
But you can call me the Gravy Chick 😎 I'm a proud Gravy girl from Gravytown (29 y/o) 🇨🇦 I'm currently taking the pre-health sciences program at Gravy Brown College hoping to get into the medical field someday!
#Gravy

2025-06-24 12:22:55 GMT

Eldest Kid is playing Star Wars Battlefront II.
Me - “You had better be playing a Gungan!”
EK - “What?”
Me - “I said, you had better be playing a Gungan!”
EK - “What?”
Me - “A Gungan!”
EK - “What?!?”
Me - “You know… a Gungan!”
EK - “What are you talking about?!”
Me - “A Gungan! Like Jar Jar Binks!”
Ek - “Oh… I don’t know Star Wars species!!!”
#StarWars

2025-06-21 11:53:04 GMT

Me - “Murderbot is one of those shows that has these big cliffhangers at the end of the episode.”
Youngest child - “Well, those are the shows where you have to binge watch all the episodes.”
Me - “But they didn’t release all the episodes.”
Youngest child - “Uuuugh.”
Me - “Uuuugh.”
#Murderbot

2025-06-15 11:50:48 GMT

Even my misanthropic heart was stirred by the #NoKings protest images.
Good on everyone who turned up. I hope you can wrest back your society from the authoritarians.
#USPol

2025-06-09 07:25:50 GMT

Pro tip:
Always have two bottles of tomato sauce in the cupboard.

2025-06-05 11:44:16 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…y54t My weird discovery is some popular brands of S&V chips have milk in them.

2025-06-04 23:28:27 GMT

LBT
I have spoken about this before, but a big psychological aspect of Mastodon was that boosting toots was about promoting the original author VS quote-tooting which is about promoting *your* take on the original author.
I found it frustrating initially, but then rewarding to just let go and have the original boosted toot speak for itself.
QTs have always been possible (this toot using the LBT=“Last Boosted Toot” convention is an example of it). But has required a little bit extra effort to realise, compared to how it played out on Twitter.
I feel the particular general culture of Mastodon will survive this change, but I also think it won’t be the secret sauce that rockets Mastodon into global popularity (as several journalists in 2023 suggested it would).
#Mastodon

2025-06-01 04:07:20 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon I suspect Sunday Pippin is attempting to look into people’s souls, and determine if they are worthy or not.
Chill out Pippin! It’s a Sunday. Let people relax.
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/606/125/612/237/507/original/6beb6850d57f4f70.jpg

2025-05-17 10:27:46 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…jpfa Have you considered that R2 unit instead?
;)

2025-05-17 09:33:56 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…jpfa Hopefully you can fix it. Does this unit have a bad motivator?

2025-05-05 06:24:24 GMT

Me: I am back from surgery. I am sore. I am tired. I shall lay on the couch and watch TV.
Pippin: …
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/453/787/211/979/287/original/edf22fbaca693bf5.jpg

2025-05-04 09:49:49 GMT

Take that James McGrath! I wrote a sternly worded feedback comment to the ABC about you being a dingleberry!
#AusVotes #AusPol

2025-05-03 10:54:55 GMT

Serious comment…
This is the wildest Australian election I’ve ever witnessed.
#AusPol #AusVotes

2025-05-03 10:53:24 GMT

James McGrath may not be able to verbally explain why the LNP lost.
But his behaviour is a fairly good explanation of why the LNP lost.
#AusPol #AusVotes

2025-05-03 06:51:46 GMT

In all seriousness, my favourite moment on election night is when the representative from the losing party (on the TV coverage) spends 60 seconds or so actually telling the truth about what went wrong.
#AusPol #AusVotes

2025-04-30 12:15:09 GMT

“How good is preferential voting…”
F’ing A!
#Auspol

2025-04-27 07:21:04 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…eyyt And... I think it's reasonable to say that the "lock-in" is the primary objective of the AWS and Azure business models.

2025-04-21 12:09:10 GMT

Today has been a low key day for me.
Not sure why, maybe the big come down from the big shenanigans yesterday.
Anyway, I think tomorrow will be higher energy. I’m gonna start a riot or something.
(Maybe a little riot… or a metaphorical riot.)

2025-04-19 04:05:04 GMT

If you are in the market for a cat scratching post, I can recommend one like this.
Even 4 years after I bought it, it’s still completely intact. It looks so good, as if it’s … barely been used.
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/362/634/864/008/130/original/73162d03d1e23e07.jpg

2025-04-19 02:18:37 GMT

All this talk of elections reminds me we have in the house a book for kids about Australia's voting system.
(Illustrated by @nprofile…j5jt )
I love the pull quotes on the back.
#AusPol
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/362/211/818/686/479/original/9564ca8e9b19ac79.jpeg
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/362/213/250/033/268/original/827e2d435385dcbf.jpeg

2025-04-11 06:04:46 GMT

There’s only 4 working days next week in Australia.
And there’s only 3 working days the week after.
So if I extrapolate that out, in about a month, work is just over for everyone.

2025-04-09 10:06:54 GMT

“Forget Snoop Doggy Dogg, forget old Ice T“
:gregthestopsign:

2025-03-26 12:08:09 GMT

I’m starting to wonder how effective the cat will be as a sidekick if I ever have to battle a top tier villain.
I mean, this matters right?

2025-03-22 07:07:13 GMT

Hi, I’m Tom! But you can call me the Fediverse Person :D
I’m a proud Australian guy from Canberra (48 y/o)
I’m currently modelling river systems at a not-for-profit based at the University Of Canberra, hoping to <do maybe something else> someday!
You can add me on Mastodon:
https://theblower.au/@troberts
Join my Heavy Metal Mastodon here: https://metalhead.club/@tomroberts
Join me in the mosh pit here: https://www.thebaso.com.au
#introduction

2025-03-12 07:45:14 GMT

The thing about boycotting US products and services is that buying less stuff that one doesn’t actually need is a pretty good idea in general.
#USPol #AusPol

2025-03-10 06:33:22 GMT

Turnbull was a pretty terrible Prime Minister, but good on him for pissing off Trump.
#AusPol #Trump

2025-03-09 06:20:00 GMT

I wish rubbing my face against nearby walls and table legs brought as much joy to me as it does to the cat.

2025-03-06 12:59:10 GMT

Highly likely I’m watching Monkey Man again in the next week.
Best film I’ve seen since Hundreds Of Beavers.
#MonkeyMan

2025-02-22 09:30:33 GMT

I went to all the effort to exactly lay out in legal terms what the individual responsibilities in a shared household are, and then later I find myself thinking…
“It’s like the cat wasn’t paying attention to any of this”.

2025-02-21 05:03:09 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon Cat with assorted feet.
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/040/120/296/516/352/original/6ded1eabea2b5291.jpg

2025-02-15 06:48:12 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon #Caturday Pippin is worn out after a big Saturday of being a cat.
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/114/006/555/317/000/503/original/03c66be6c82b68b8.jpg

2025-02-14 13:37:01 GMT

If you can imagine that I live somewhere in Europe, then me posting at this hour is entirely normal.

2025-02-07 09:11:20 GMT

In the infinite multiverse, there's a timeline where America has a compulsory, preferential voting system.
Surely.... surely!... it turned out better than this timeline.
#uspol

2025-01-19 19:20:24 GMT

FWIW I did suggest to youngest child that they could try Mastodon instead, but apparently “It’s for nerds.”
#TikTok

2025-01-19 03:18:01 GMT

Youngest reckons TikTok is shutting down at 4:00 PM AEDST.
I don’t know whether this true or not youngest thinks it’s wild times.
#TikTok

2025-01-13 22:07:23 GMT

#CatsOfMastodon Pippin Cat is starting off Tuesday with a good ol’ roll about in the sun.
https://static.theblower.au/media_attachments/files/113/823/310/043/612/441/original/791b6aef08f5d632.jpg

2025-01-13 05:13:00 GMT

AI is not the problem.
Humans who are convinced AI is the solution.... well that's the problem.
#AI

2025-01-11 09:17:57 GMT

A cover of the AC/DC track ‘Thunderstruck’ by artist 2CELLOS.
This is a very well done video clip IMO.
#ACDC #2CELLOS
https://youtu.be/uT3SBzmDxGk

2025-01-11 07:16:02 GMT

Occasionally I give Pippin cat responsibility to run the house.
It’s great!
Sure it’s true that absolutely nothing gets done… but I get a big old break, and can rest easy knowing that none of this mess is my fault.

2025-01-09 05:13:22 GMT

I deleted my account.
I wasn't using it, and I think I've drunk too much of the Fediverse Kool-Aid at this point.

2024-12-26 07:55:49 GMT

Apparently my noise cancelling headphones also block out cat meows.
I'm not sure what I should do with this great and terrifyingly powerful new ability of mine....

2024-12-11 07:44:14 GMT

One of the things that immediately hooked me on Mastodon is it makes sense from a cost viability perspective.
Your server lives or dies by having enough people chip in to cover costs.
What I see in Bluesky, and what a little bit drives me crazy, is the sheer sense of entitlement that some users expect.
So... A platform where one can post their silly memes and hot takes, but also give nothing back in return...?
Yeah, ok.. see how that works out in the medium to long term.
#Bluesky #Mastodon

2024-12-05 12:08:47 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…h4hy It’s worth trying the first episode or two. I think it gets to the heart of the characters better than the live action movies.

2024-12-05 10:39:02 GMT

I made a deal with eldest child that I’d watch all of Arcane if he watched X-Men 97.
So that’s what I’ve been up to, binge watching Arcane. (3 episodes left)
#Arcane

2024-11-24 12:36:49 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…y54t :(

2024-11-22 07:20:07 GMT

I guess what makes me really mad, is the idea that a bunch of Labor ministers are sitting in an office somewhere going:
"I don't know what went wrong?"
#auspol

2024-11-20 07:48:36 GMT

Bluesky users - “This is so different from Twitter!”
Mastodon users - “BlueSky is too much like Twitter.”
#Twitter #BlueSky #Mastodon #X

2024-11-18 08:28:57 GMT

I just looked up Moomins.
Do people in Australia know what Moomins are? Or am I alone in not knowing about this at all?
#Moomins

2024-11-18 05:02:46 GMT

Theirs a running discussion on Bluesky... "But what if this turns into a left leaning echo chamber?"
Meanwhile on Mastodon ... "Please check our server rules and the list of 200 instances we've blocked beforee joining"
(Also, like there was any real discussion on Twitter. The polarised views just gave everyone an excuse to try and bignote themselves by dunking on anyone they disagreed with)
#Bluesky #Mastodon