Future Sprog

https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@futuresprog

electronically-mediated musings at the intersection of finance; I’m in Aotearoa NZ and mostly take photos of native plants, insects, and birds. #iNaturalist #Nature #birds #radio #NZpol (alas) #pf2050 #solar

Website: On the World-Wide Web (WWW)!
iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/stephen-ao
Pixelfed: https://pixelfed.nz/stephen-ao
Twitter (until 2022): Future Sprog (npub1kt8…pr64)

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Last Notes

2026-10-21 21:17:53 GMT

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I have since received news that it's worse. The problems existed for a while but the fixes are only for the two latest major versions.
Anyone who was still on 4 or 5 is not guaranteed to be able to upgrade which means big swathes of the web that still used those versions can no longer work reliably!
@npub1d93…cnl2 @npub1wvv…yqvy

2026-10-21 19:20:10 GMT

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I had recently done a CA change (two weeks ago) so I just mashed the “do it again” button and went to have dinner.
But that was because I had it prepared.
That PHP one is quite different.
@npub1wvv…yqvy @npub1d93…cnl2

2026-10-21 19:18:44 GMT

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There’s also the timing.
Between when the problem was published and when the fix was available was quite tight (as always) and we expect the time to when it starts being exploited is quite tight,
so that means *every* server needs to be updated RIGHT NOW (which was ~3am NZ time)
And those upgrades aren’t flawless.
So the option is just to turn it all off and leave it broken or do a lot of work on a tight deadline overnight
@npub1wvv…yqvy @npub1d93…cnl2

2026-10-20 23:49:51 GMT

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If people came to me for advice she wouldn't have started her ridiculous store in the first place but those are her decisions that she gets to live with the consequences of.
But on a more positive note, please point me to the turnkey open source alternative store.
@npub1d93…cnl2

2026-10-20 23:09:29 GMT

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Yep, that's exactly it. I was agreeing with your comments in the article.
I have no idea what /market/ prices are (since I am only charging cost of power + amortization of hardware) but I think I heard a friend was ditching Shopify because she couldn't afford $35/mo. What currency would that be?
If USD that would be $62 Kiwi.
@npub17fj…ctcs

2026-10-20 22:13:36 GMT

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Great comments, Bill.
H-ck, $900 could pay for a pretty good website and hosting for a small business.
Wouldn’t mind if all the orgs I host for paid me that monthly. I could retire immediately!
@npub17fj…ctcs

2026-10-13 22:49:28 GMT

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Heh, good old Manu Caddie!
@npub1wvv…yqvy

2026-10-13 20:15:19 GMT

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National: F**ing the basics!
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/117/435/432/010/484/235/original/664307817b4af6ee.png

2026-10-08 19:16:33 GMT

I worked at a bank and had spent many weeks working on upgrading software and servers because of Heartbleed. Towards the end of the financial year they put out word there was some budget left over for software we needed, does anyone have any requests?
I sent them the OpenSSL Support services page and said we should get that, since it was such an integral part of our connectivity.
He laughed and said no.
Anyhow, here’s a thing about un[der]paid critical software:
https://sheets.works/data-viz/holding-up-the-internet

2026-09-29 01:22:46 GMT

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Great examples with Thalidomide and leaded petrol.
There's a reason those were rushed out and forced onto the general public.
https://sdc.org.nz/notes/regulation
@npub1wvv…yqvy @npub1alj…fln8

2026-09-13 20:18:40 GMT

Emptied the compost bin and turned it all over before restacking it.
This thing fell out. Looks like a button mushroom, but fresh. Must have grown in the compost bin? We wouldn’t have thrown out an entire mushroom, just pieces, plus we haven’t had any for months.
Thoughts?
#gardening #compost
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/117/265/565/086/752/578/original/752b1b540766c8ef.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/117/265/565/087/029/196/original/cdf02d8f570d5efc.jpeg

2026-09-03 19:51:56 GMT

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Has he tried yelling “players! Players! Players! Players!” at them?
It worked for developers.
@npub1wvv…yqvy

2026-08-16 19:38:31 GMT

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We joined the local Crop Swap, not because we’re amazing gardeners. Far from it.
We dug out some extra self-seeded fruit plants and took those along. Folks there were very welcoming, and they’re also happy to share their surplus fruit and veges and their own seedlings, which you can take home and grow.
Worth giving it a go. You can even take baking if that’s your thing.
Someone has just messaged me with details of some self-seeded plants I have been looking for.
@npub1san…jgxu #CropSwap

2026-07-31 02:50:05 GMT

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Heck yeah. I get about a 10% bump in production when I wash the pollen off my panels in late spring.
I see a lot of people in my town have left their panels and let them get dirty to the point where they have actual lichen growing on them.
Have you any thoughts on harsher, longer acting cleaners that would take a few months to remove those? eg, locally we have "30 Seconds" which contains <10% Benzalkonium Chloride, <1% Didecyldimethyl Ammonium Chloride, and some amines.
@npub1f39…mhn9 #solar

2026-07-05 22:48:48 GMT

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The dead wife storyline is pretty well traversed territory in other films. I think it was essentially an excuse for Keanu Reeves to get all his stunt men friends into a movie together, and it worked successfully.
@npub1d93…cnl2

2026-06-08 22:42:43 GMT

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Having in camera recognition is absolutely mad and for Yet Another reason it’s a bad idea, have a look at well known criminal* and recidivist Paul Rudd in this clip on how to break so many laws:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=71V-jQVbsh8
* not a criminal
@npub107s…9flh

2026-05-22 03:57:27 GMT

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"AI" in intentionally vague.
Yes, there are some good parts to AI, but there are also huge harms that come with it, and because the term "AI" is so vague then it's difficult to argue against.
We can certainly agree that ChatGPT isn't offering anything of value.
@npub14n6…x793

2026-03-15 07:02:56 GMT

Found an amazing example of a #Clathrus chrysomycelinus (a type of stink horn and cage fungus) in the bush today.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/343040663
#Mycology #Funguy
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/116/231/901/795/515/183/original/2ff59680c1dd7c85.jpeg

2026-02-16 06:50:26 GMT

I’ve got a peculiar thing happening in my lawn. A couple of circles and dying grass have appeared. Around the circumference where the dead grass meets the healthy there is some slime, or fungus, or slime mould.
Any ideas what’s going on and how to fix it?
I can see gigantic tiger slugs on the camera gobbling the grass near here at night but not this specific patch. #gardening
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/116/078/968/609/504/514/original/847d07c274d37ee2.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/116/078/968/529/973/071/original/2a07491643fede6f.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/116/078/998/500/255/555/original/9a672b95b05a4b47.jpeg

2026-02-14 08:20:15 GMT

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I did some larger analysis of the weights of EVs popular in Aotearoa vs non-EVs and the conclusion might surprise you!
Dataset included, and #Rstats code if you want to take a crack at improving the analysis:
https://sdc.org.nz/notes/heavy-ev

2026-01-06 04:18:08 GMT

The where now, excuse me Star Trek Voyager?
#StarTrek
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/115/846/221/895/917/326/original/fc03cee62790ba30.jpg

2026-01-05 05:56:28 GMT

I have once again heard that “EVs are worse because they’re heavier” and I wonder if that’s true.
Ford Focus - 1980kg
Nissan Leaf (2020) - 1594kg
VW Golf 2.0L (2020) - 1418kg
You can download Year, Make, Model, Drivetrain, Curb Weight from autopadre.com ‘s database and slap it into R for some sort of analysis.

2025-12-10 20:02:49 GMT

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This sounded like the Black Mirror episode with Miley Cyrus but after rereading the plot there are only vague similarities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel%2C_Jack_and_Ashley_Too
How old is this movie? Nicole Kidman Stepford Wives or original Stepford Wives?
@npub14n6…x793

2025-11-27 03:59:21 GMT

Death rates soar among farmed oysters around Seto Inland Sea [Japan]
An official said the prevailing theory is that “oysters simultaneously exposed to high water temperatures and high salinity environments have suffered physiological disorders.”
The death rate this year has reached 60 to 90 percent in central and eastern areas of Hiroshima Prefecture, according to information gathered by the fisheries ministry on Nov. 14.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16170397

2025-11-08 21:50:58 GMT

Things that don’t compost #73
Triangle tea bags
And this is one of the expensive brands!
#gardening
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/115/516/282/715/390/702/original/9936f2999ca5bca7.jpeg

2025-11-04 21:15:41 GMT

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Yikes! What a nightmare.
How old is the tent? I assumed a non-rigid surface like a tent would be able to withstand hail better than a brittle surface.
@npub107x…cmpx

2025-11-04 17:49:13 GMT

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Oh no!
I take it those rips developed during the hailstorm?
@npub107x…cmpx

2025-10-28 22:40:11 GMT

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https://mastodon.social/@JulianOliver/115414094249149065
@npub1m0e…mqsy @npub1kx3…fjxn

2025-10-13 17:17:53 GMT

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I had a similar interaction but from the other side: a tool I wrote was used by thousands of students and it had one of those “agree to terms and conditions” boxes that every student had ticked.
They hadn’t read the terms and conditions because they were only three paragraphs long and the second paragraph offered a free bakery item of your choice if you contacted me. It included my office details and phone number.
One student ever contacted me. One!!!
@npub1z87…cpwp @npub1l0m…geaf

2025-09-20 20:51:10 GMT

For such a car-centric, car-dependent, car-bound, car-worshipping country,
have the anti-fascism freedom fighters in the US managed to figure out how to block a road or a driveway?
Oh no my bus has suffered a mechanical fault right in front of this ICE convoy.
Sorry mate, gotta dig up this driveway to replace the pipes. Can’t let you through here.
Whoops this wheeled dumpster rolled into your paddy wagon these things happen the sign clearly says “no responsibility for damages” #USpol

2025-09-05 19:48:45 GMT

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That is a good parkour tune!
Was that from Yamakasi? Sounds like it!
@npub1trg…v6kh

2025-06-09 19:24:01 GMT

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Which brand is that? Button cells are usually treated with an embittering agent so they taste nasty and get spat out.
In the interests of science I tasted one and my tongue did not go blue. (Panasonic)
@npub1l0m…geaf

2025-03-22 03:04:50 GMT

NZ steam engines, Class “Q”, built at the Baldwin works in 1901.
One of a set of Sanitarium collectible cards.
#trains
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/114/203/860/138/221/074/original/6552d62fc5f6b087.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/114/203/860/139/200/963/original/1a933d4c328473b1.jpeg

2025-01-23 19:09:01 GMT

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I remember a time some decade or more ago when it was announced that the Googlebot was going to interact with those form drop downs being used on websites for navigation. A *bot* was going to POST to a <form> to see if it could find more links??? Outrageous! The scandal! The horror!
This was resolved by not allowing Googlebot to breach norms and for web designers to stop using <form> drop downs for navigation because that was a silly idea.
:omya_office365:
[@bert_hubert](https://fosstodon.org/@bert_hubert )

2025-01-17 01:05:43 GMT

Is there a known thing for #Phormium flaxes to just decide to be half their normal height?
My wharariki has been doing that for the past 2 months and some other people in town have also complained that their special harakeke has done the same.
#gardening

2024-12-05 22:27:14 GMT

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Looks good!
Ducks are mostly convinced.
@npub14n6…x793 #ducks
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/602/564/497/518/301/original/45aaae11574a2054.jpeg

2024-11-28 23:24:41 GMT

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Oh damn! You’re good.
I’ve attached 3 photos of the weedy disastrous remains of my garden with its native ground cover.
Sceleranthus biflorus (kohukohu) completely overgrown. I had to weed it to get this.
Cheeky Leptinella … um … calcarea which has gone against the flow and is colonising the nearby lawn instead of the reverse.
And I think either Selliera radicans (remuremu) or Samolus repens (māakoako) in the same spot as I planted it years ago, but could also be a baby daisy.
@npub1tfz…c6sg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/563/131/583/687/972/original/adc76bc7bcf7910c.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/563/131/578/322/664/original/7816af6d972d62b0.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/563/131/583/349/865/original/317296f7e44d3956.jpeg

2024-11-28 07:17:47 GMT

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That house also had some interesting looking plants popping up in their garden but I didn’t want to snap a few photos for iNaturalist lest someone call the Police.
I saw one garden that was absolutely fantastic and it’s given me some ideas for mine. I’ll need to go get my book of native ground covers to find the names. I’ve got some of them in my garden but Couch grass has smothered it, sadly, and I need to rip it all out and try again.
@npub1tfz…c6sg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/559/369/863/151/404/original/37adc1cf1adcd702.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/559/370/012/517/569/original/456b8bcc4fdfe6e9.jpeg

2024-11-28 06:49:41 GMT

Went on a walk through the fancy part of town. Amazing crisp lawns and verges like golf courses. Concrete paths and mowing strips, immaculately trimmed. You could putt from one end of the street to the other.
And then that one house that did not play and the lawn was almost entirely prickle grass (Sellanoa).

2024-11-19 02:51:58 GMT

Great work by the Aotearoa Mastodon crew today. Keeping us up to date with the hīkoi and the latest news. Good coverage and I didn’t notice any muppets being contrary for the sake of it.

2024-11-18 19:53:44 GMT

Respect and congratulations to all those on the hīkoi today to Parliament, unhappy about the anti-Tiriti nonsense.
‘They dishonour all our ancestors’
by Herewini Ammunson
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/they-dishonour-all-our-ancestors/
:tinoflag: 🇳🇿
#ToituTeTiriti #NZpol

2024-11-09 23:12:02 GMT

Repurposed one of those cheap* wire rack clothes drying racks that had broken and turned it into a fixed clothes drying rack on a bare piece of wall in the brig†.
Rather than throwing it away because it had become lopsided I removed the broken side, cut down the legs to fit the space above the drier machine, and used pipe clamps to attach it. The height was largely dictated by the nogs.
* somehow the hollow tube racks are 3x the wire rack price
† we renamed the laundry room to “the Brig”
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/455/492/913/321/915/original/4207ad8a55d929f9.jpeg
https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/system/media_attachments/files/113/455/492/979/811/600/original/6945bacba4fb907c.jpeg

2024-10-21 04:26:27 GMT

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How do you do that?
I’m familiar with
a | pv | b
But are you saying you can attach to an existing process?
I have used the offset to determine how far into a file a reader has seeked on a given file descriptor and thus calculated the current throughput and how much remains. If there’s an easier way I’d like to learn!
@npub1g5m…sff3 @npub1y6d…d9nx

2024-10-21 00:23:19 GMT

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There are a lot of fun things in the proc filesystem. That’s a good one.
One I quite like is extracting the environment variables for a running process.
tr '\0' '\n' < /proc/PID/environ
You can search that for API keys and secrets. It is limited to only your own processes but still fun.
I used this recently to figure out why a long running processes was sending logs to the wrong place. Someone had slid another export into its startup script!
@npub1y6d…d9nx #Linux #tech

2024-10-01 06:29:40 GMT

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From my understanding of Commodities (i read a book a decade ago) there may be other deposits that are equally pure but at the moment it is not commercially viable. If the NC mine puts the price up a long way it will worthwhile and turn a profit to bulldoze a road out to a deposit in another country and start mining.
Commodities companies are always building too many mines, tanking the price, mothballing it, price rockets, oh no.
Same situation for “rare earths”. Not rare at all
@npub1y6d…d9nx

2024-09-30 07:59:15 GMT

Calls for bird-terrorising cats to be contained to owner's property
> There are calls for cute and cuddly serial killers terrorising native wildlife - cats - to be restricted to their owner's property.
> Tasman District Council is considering a new bylaw that would mean all domestic cats have to be desexed, microchipped and on a national register by the time they are six-months-old.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/529459/calls-for-bird-terrorising-cats-to-be-contained-to-owner-s-property

2024-09-29 01:25:49 GMT

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Do you know any teenagers who could walk it home for you?
@npub14n6…x793

2024-09-29 00:17:21 GMT

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See if it’s one that has a deposit when returned to a depot. I’d ask before taking one of those.
Otherwise, good to go.
Hotly contested commodity around here. Took me years before I found one.
@npub14n6…x793

2024-09-03 05:40:00 GMT

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And how many countries are in the G10?
@npub1y6d…d9nx