Bill Bennett

I like to think that my 45 years of reporting on technology and business has left me sceptical rather than cynical but the behaviour of some tech companies is such that sometimes readers might be better served by the latter approach.

See my New Zealand telecommunications and tech news website at https://billbennett.co.nz

Micro.blog: https://billbennett.micro.blog/mastodon/
Website: https://billbennett.co.nz
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SoundCloud page: https://soundcloud.com/spiteful-horses

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Last Notes

2026-09-02 00:39:08 GMT

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It costs a lot, around NZ$500 a year, but that includes hosting, mailing out the weekly newsletter and, if I ever need it, the ability to charge subscription fees. I basically have to do nothing other than focus on the editorial.
By the time all the inescapbable add ons are included, it works out slightly less than using WordPress and a third party mailing service.

2026-09-01 08:03:20 GMT

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I'm pleased with it. Any gripes are so minor that I can't even remember them right now. I've gone for the fully hosted service, which ain't cheap, but needs zero maintenance.

2026-08-28 23:24:18 GMT

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I use it for my site and newsletter. https://billbennett.co.nz

2026-08-24 05:25:26 GMT

I’ve said this before and will say it again. If you think social media is so toxic that it damages 16-year-olds then it damages everyone. You don’t magically become immune on your 17th birthday. Either ban it for everyone or not at all.

2026-08-04 10:18:39 GMT

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The ice fear is mild

2026-08-04 08:15:36 GMT

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I absolutely have to tell you that I know exactly who Utarg is... and that Doomdark says hello.

2026-07-11 08:16:43 GMT

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Reminds me of the surface of a Toblerone.

2026-04-23 07:46:12 GMT

This is not my area of expertise, but I can read and I can do arithmetic, from what I read and the numbers I see, it's clear to me that supplies of oil products are almost certainly going to run out unless the Iran war wraps up now. It strikes me that our government is in denial.

2025-10-11 23:17:31 GMT

Have I got this right? We can't afford to fund the health system but we can build a Death Star.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/575634/nz-defence-strategy-explores-space-weapons-export-potential

2025-10-05 05:07:05 GMT

I'm starting to wonder if this government is deliberately trying to lose the next election:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/575025/jobseeker-parents-earning-more-than-65k-must-support-18-19yo-children

2025-09-18 00:16:19 GMT

Looking at the council and local board candidates booklet and I swear some of those innocuous looking manifestos hide nut jobs...
I checked one out and found she is anti vax presumably there are more. Is there a local election spot the nut job directory anywhere?

2025-08-27 20:20:51 GMT

You say that like it is a bad thing:
“Red tape, high costs and tough rules have cruise companies turning their backs on New Zealand, and our cruise industry on the brink of sinking.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedetail/571268/mayday-call-for-new-zealand-s-sinking-cruise-industry

2025-08-11 07:30:08 GMT

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He sure did. :)
That doesn't necessarily mean the research I refer to is rubbish... but it may not be original work.

2025-08-11 07:14:03 GMT

When Words betray you. From 15 years ago on my site.
https://billbennett.co.nz/words-betray/

2025-08-07 04:20:27 GMT

When the Beatles played Taxman in 1966, the top rate on income tax in the UK was 95%. Going by what people say today about a 39% top rate of tax in NZ, you might think 1966 Britain would have been an economic disaster, but it was booming, the “swinging sixties”.

2025-06-09 23:16:40 GMT

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Yes..l that squares with my experience… I’ve lived on the Shore since 2004 and only saw forked lightning once (and that was in the city) before two, possibly three, years ago. I have seen sheet lightning.

2025-06-09 20:40:45 GMT

I’ve lived in Auckland for 20 years and I doubt we saw more than a single bolt of lightning in the first 15 of those years. Was that always the case and we just went through a multi year relaxed phase or are we witnessing dramatic climate change?

2025-06-07 04:14:21 GMT

I’m a volunteer for the Kaipatiki repair cafe on the North Shore. Today, we, collectively, fixed 75 items that might otherwise head to the landfill. Half the time the necessary fixes are trivial. It’s worth checking to see if there’s one near you.

2024-12-23 00:30:37 GMT

I love to fix broken things. My daughter gave me her stick vacuum. Turns out the problem is the battery, found a replacement battery, but it costs more to buy the replacement and pay for shipping than the price of a new vacuum. This is why landfills are full.

2024-12-08 22:39:29 GMT

The thing about New Zealand is that you are only ever one Lotto jackpot away from being financially set-up for life.

2024-11-26 06:29:48 GMT

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We stopped using teabags about 5 years ago and switched back to leaf tea. It actually tastes better, but it can be hard to find in supermarkets, it tends to empty off the shelves faster than boxes of teabags.

2024-11-22 20:19:11 GMT

Would the telecommunications sector fare better if there was another extreme weather event like Cyclone Gabrielle? The Download Weekly put the questions to TCF CEO Paul Brislen.
https://billbennett.co.nz/cyclone-preparedness/

2024-11-13 06:37:34 GMT

Have a dislike of App Store apps that don't list a price then once you've downloaded they reveal the subscription to actually use the software costs an arm and a leg

2024-11-07 07:03:24 GMT

Food for thought:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/25/business/iceland-shorter-working-week-economy/index.html

2024-11-05 21:55:21 GMT

Annoyed that my personal data is among the material the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department gave to Facebook. Doubly so because I haven’t used Facebook in more than 12 years.

2024-11-05 05:23:18 GMT

A "coffee like drink" is a brave idea.
https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/markets/company-hopes-to-create-coffee-alternative-from-native-plant/

2024-11-04 18:25:44 GMT

WordPress - some context.
https://billbennett.co.nz/i-didnt-leave-wordpress/

2024-10-22 19:18:42 GMT

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It probably is... but there are some who put social media at the top of their priorities.

2024-10-22 04:41:57 GMT

It’s easy to tell when I have a full work load: my social media output drops almost to zero.

2024-10-14 22:21:36 GMT

Not happy that an electric kettle purchased online during the first Covid lockdown had to be replaced. I'd expect ten years from it but the rubbish wasn't even remotely repairable... and my secret superpower is fixing dead appliances.

2024-09-23 01:14:39 GMT

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I don't even know what commit, dev and prod refer to.... presumably something to do with software?
Even so, this seems a perfect metaphor for the gap between any kind of planning and execution

2024-09-07 23:28:41 GMT

Is this a film about Donald Trump?
“An Indiana family discovers strange, demonic occurrences that convince them and their community that the house is a portal to hell.”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4196566/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4196566/

2024-09-05 07:39:23 GMT

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I didn't even consider that they might dispise or resent their children. That's just weird.
But even so, the point stands: The idea of merrily sending other people's offspring off to war while yours stay at home is despicable.

2024-09-05 06:45:29 GMT

It should be a universal law that any politician voting for a war has to be willing for their children to serve in the front line. Anything else is rank hypocrisy.

2024-09-02 08:07:41 GMT

You say that like it's a bad thing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/01/musk-twitter-investors-underwater/

2024-05-28 03:54:19 GMT

Back from the dentist. Three weeks ago I had Covid, which kicked off tooth pain, now I need two extractions and a root canal. Will cost a fortune. Dentist tells me major tooth problems caused by Covid are commonplace.

2024-05-06 04:17:51 GMT

One thing I would love all marketing people to understand: My phone does not need any more apps... especially when what you app does could be handled by a web site.