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81stcolumn.bsky.social
81st Column
@81stcolumn.bsky.social
260 followers 290 following 1.1K posts
Autistic educator who still loves teaching after 30 years, #sportsci #Welshman domiciled in #Aotearoa - The 81st column was a means by which IBM VDU's could display all characters in full - it wasn't accessible to programmers.. Yes it's me... #MDANT
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81stcolumn.bsky.social
Let rain fall from concrete coloured skies....... 🎵🎵🎵

#Photography #Aotearoa
16:9, Colour, Landscape: Close-up of a rain-covered window at the front on the top deck of a double decker bus. The glass shows scattered beads of water and smeared trails where drops have run, creating a textured, semi-opaque filter. A dense line of cars fills multiple lanes of the #Auckland harbour bridge going north. Headlights and red taillights pepper the horizon created by the bridge distorted by the rain. Reflections from the lights shimmer on the wet road surface and on the underside of nearby vehicles. Above, a dark, overcast sky marks the closing light. This is supposed to be the great kiwi summer, I feel sorry for the folk how came here on their holidays expecting settled weather. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #Aotearoa #UrbanPhotography
January 19, 2026 at 7:30 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Last #one home from K Road.

#Photography #Aotearoa #One #BlueSkyArtshow
Golden Ratio, Colour, Landscape: This #night shot shows a pedestrian path featuring a series of vertical glass panels illuminated from within, transitioning from purple and blue through green and yellow to pink. The panels are actually part of a bus stop. The coloured lights cast vivid reflections, creating a glowing, immersive effect. Streetlights and low-rise buildings are visible beyond the bus stop, while a single figure walks away into the background. Taken along what Aucklanders know as K Road a shortening of Karangahape, the proper Te Reo name now gifted is in fact Karanga-a-Hape. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #Aotearoa #UrbanPhotography #One #BlueSkyArtshow
January 18, 2026 at 10:30 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Clock, Queen street, #Auckland near the harbour end. Not quite #one because the the clock appears to be broken .

#Photography #Aotearoa #BlueSkyArtshow
4:23, #Monochrome, Portrait: High-contrast #BlackAndWhite photograph focused on a large, ornate clock mounted on a building facade showing approximately 12:55; a seagull perches on a nearby streetlight above the clock, creating contrast between the bird and the structured urban architecture made up of tall buildings with detailed stonework and grid-like windows. As you can see it’s nearly #One, I wish the bird was a little further to the right, but I’ll take what I’m given. Shot taken along Queen street, Auckland near the harbour end. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #aotearoa #UrbanPhotography #One #BlueSkyArtshow
January 17, 2026 at 7:01 AM
Reposted by 81st Column
dunklewolke.bsky.social
The "enshittification" driven by the toxic academic culture of "publish or perish". With publishers getting ↗️ profits -alike the music & movie industry- at the expense of degradation in scholars integrity ↘️: clear trend! Why are we doing this damage to #science? How to revert it? 🧪⚛️🎢 #AcademicSky
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
Academic publishing now shows the same decline that has hit social media and online marketplaces.
theconversation.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:40 PM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
On our way home from the excellent Pop to Present exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery when the bus was involved in a bit of a shunt. No one hurt thankfully.
Elevated view through a rain-speckled window of a wet multi-lane road where a silver car with heavy rear-end damage sits behind a red car with front-end damage after a collision; concrete barrier and grassy verge line the left side; no people visible.
January 15, 2026 at 5:49 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Orchids on our deck.

#Photography #Aotearoa #Flowers
16:9, Colour, Landscape: A single orchid stem holds six open white blossoms and two buds. Strong directional light from the left emphasises the delicate petal texture and creates high contrast with the deep black background. Each flower has a subtle pale yellow centre, soft, out-of-focus red flowers in the upper-left add contrast and a sense of depth. Shot on our back deck I really only pushed the black point to really dark to create the contrast. M’Dear and 17 like this so I guess it must be okay. I don’t do flowers and tend to shoot them almost as an exercise in lighting and angles. I guess I’m quietly admitting I don’t really know what I am doing. #Nikon #nz #Photography #Aotearoa #Flowers
January 14, 2026 at 2:58 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
QOTD: What car do you want most, but know it would be an absolutely miserable experience to own?

Triumph GT6 MkII with original specs (not as below). Where do I begin? The rust? The electrics? The PITA carbs? The tricky handling? And if the chassis rails have not been treated properly ugh. But.....
A picture of a blue Triumph GT6 Mk2, with twin rear pipes and cast alloy wheels. Appears to be a US restomod.
January 13, 2026 at 12:37 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Downtown lights on #Auckland waterfront.

#Photography #Aotearoa #Vibrant #BlueSkyArtshow
16:9, Colour, Landscape: Shot at #night this long‑exposure photo captures the old Victorian fence that separated the port from the rest of #Auckland. The flow is from left to right with a vanishing perspective at the mid-point right. On the left an illuminated green train icon and the sign reading "Downtown." In the foreground a row of ornate red lamp posts with glowing lanterns lines a red metal fence; #vibrant blue light trails from passing scooters streak horizontally across the scene, with paved, highlighted foreground and distant urban lights in the background. This was shot at the end of new years day after picking the location for a while. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #aotearoa #UrbanPhotography #Vibrant #BlueSkyArtshow
January 11, 2026 at 2:59 PM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Slightly diminish a band:

Rex

youtu.be/atmNLbycafM?...
January 11, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by 81st Column
jameslittlewood.bsky.social
It's a great cause. Bruce was charged $50 fine for wearing Climate Emergency T shirt. All proceed go to that, to environmental causes and to the victims of violent crime. Bruce is a great artist who's been doing this stuff bloody brilliantly for bloody years.
Bruce Mahalski's hand drawn $50 note artwork
January 7, 2026 at 3:51 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
17 has been working hard staining decks today (bless him). Comes in a bit hungry.

Me: Do you fancy a beef sandwich?

17: Oooohh yeah, I'll make it........

Me: Do you want some lettuce?

17: NO!
Picture of beef sandwich, which may be more beef than sandwich
January 7, 2026 at 3:41 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
See a bridge, post a bridge

#Photography #Aotearoa
3:2, Colour, Portrait: #Night photograph of a pedestrian #bridge spanning calm water; two tall, angled central beams glow blue and are joined by cables, walkway lights run along the sides, and the bridge and lights create a mirror reflection on the water with distant buildings and boats visible behind it. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #aotearoa #UrbanPhotography #BlueSkyArtshow
January 4, 2026 at 3:34 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Introduce myself with what almost killed you...

Likewise....

Hi I'm pneumonia, I struck as my host was about sing Verdi's Requiem in New College Chapel. He collapsed outside the chapel and we fought for almost a month my host won.... just.

Honourable mention: Garden swing and reinforced glass.
buzzandhum.bsky.social pöst-scött @buzzandhum.bsky.social · 21d
Introduce myself with what almost killed you...

Fuck, where do I start. Car crashes? Asthma attacks? Drug overdoses? Smashing my head open on 1970s playground equipment?

I think "playing silly buggers on a tractor-trailer piled with hay as it crossed a train-track on a gravel road" might be it.
ninjakitty.bsky.social NinjaKitty 忍者キティ🥷🐈‍⬛ @ninjakitty.bsky.social · 21d
Introduce yourself with what almost killed you.

Hi, I’m Giving Birth.
January 2, 2026 at 4:43 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
<overheardinsupermarket>

Dude we should totally do something crazy tonight like drive over the harbour bridge at midnight setting fireworks off out of the sunroof.....

Yeah.....

<sprainseyebrow>

Advisory: Avoid harbour bridge at midnight.
December 31, 2025 at 4:11 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
16:9, Landscape, Colour: A shot of a commissioned Māori Artwork outside an entrance to a hotel in #Auckland by Lyonel Grant, Ngāti Te Takinga, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Te Arawa. The piece is titled Tamaki Herenga waka - Tāmaki, the mooring place of canoes, Tamaki loosely translates as a place loved/connected with many, which is fitting for the city of Auckland. The shot itself is in two parts: On the right is the artwork itself ellipsoid 7m long and 1.5m at its widest point it is a wood carving rich in textures and highlights centred around a Māori motif in the middle. The perspective used gives it the dynamic of rushing to the right surrounded by light in a shaded space. On the left we see some glass where the artwork is reflected twice with a diminishing perspective going left. This part of the composition while incidental is symbolic, as Māori inhabit a world that is more metaphysically connected than my own, being constantly grounded in Whakapapa (Ancestral understanding). My mate Robb who teaches me about these things is fond of saying he walks backwards into the future, which in this context lends a very different perspective/dynamic interpretation to this shot. Hence, I’d argue this is a bit more than another shot for social media. I’m envious of those who can perceive a world so rich in meaning, while saddened by the constant struggle to preserve and create space for this way of being. A bit of me wants to say fuck you Hobson’s pledge and the boat you came on. #Nikon #nz #Night #Urban
December 29, 2025 at 7:10 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Karanga-a-Hape station entrance, nearly open.....

Te Karanga a Hape - The Call of Hape. Named after Hape, who is fabled to have come here on a whai (stingray) named Kaiwhare. From: artspace-aotearoa.nz/te-reo-gloss...

#Photography #Aotearoa #OpenHouse #BlueSkyArtShow
3:2, #Monochrome, Portrait: A #BlackandWhite shot of a decorative wall above the entry to a new underground rail station. As I understand it this is a concrete moulding, the pattern is made up of relatively small chevrons, laid on top of this are two large sculptural Māori motifs. At the bottom of the wall is white signage reading Karanga-a-Hape with a white train icon to the left. The composition emphasizes bold shapes and contrast rather than fine detail. Lit at night a contrast pattern falls across the wall from top left to bottom right. The station isn’t open yet, so I’ll be back for more. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #aotearoa #UrbanPhotography #OpenHouse #BlueSkyArtshow
December 19, 2025 at 10:35 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
I'm quite sure that in Aotearoa taxing wealth is seen as "Aspirational thinking"..........
scribeguy.bsky.social Michael Hawthorne @scribeguy.bsky.social · Dec 15
"For the first time, a majority of Americans believe billionaires are a threat to democracy. A remarkable 71 percent believe there should be a wealth tax. A majority believe there should be a cap on how much wealth a person can accumulate."
Opinion | The Billionaires Have Gone Full Louis XV
www.nytimes.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:13 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
What I post from
Picture of Sinclair ZX80
December 14, 2025 at 1:43 PM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Name your fav Nicolas Cage film
Image of the movie poster for Mandy, Starring Nicolas Cage
December 14, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Reposted by 81st Column
hey.paris
posted about my Apple ID woes, please share widely?

hey.paris/posts/appleid/
December 13, 2025 at 4:59 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Is it summer holidays yet?

#Photography #Aotearoa
16:9, Colour, Landscape: Shot at the start of golden hour we see two colourful cubby storage units sit side by side against a cream-coloured wall, we can see one set of cubbies completely and one is cropped to a single column of on the left of the shot. The left unit has a red frame with green and dark blue cubbies; the right unit has a yellow frame with red and dark blue cubbies. Blue clothing items rest casually on top of both units. In the right set of cubbies on the top second row is a red cubby that contain a single, red child’s gumboot. A strong directional light casts a dramatic cross-shaped shadow on the wall behind them, adding geometric tension and visual depth. Are the Summer holidays here yet? This is the second time I’ve tried to capture this image with what I see as the correct light. I drive past these twice a week when I saw the light I stopped the car with 17 in it and spent 10mins getting the composition right. Thirty plus frames later this is the one I love. To my view there is nothing to add here. As usual this isn't an insta shot. #Nikon #nz #Auckland #aotearoa #UrbanPhotography #Kikorangi
December 11, 2025 at 2:59 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Teenagers are fascinating.

Gilbert & Sullivan came up in conversation.

17: "What's that?"
Me: Opera but more fun
17: Play it to me

<Puts on Pirates of Penzance>

17: I love it!

Me:........
December 8, 2025 at 9:56 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Apropos of nothing in particular. I can't get past the fact that this is over 40 years old. Where did the time go?

youtu.be/vI3JuIjqBBY?...
Long Hot Summer (Single Version)
YouTube video by The Style Council - Topic
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 4:18 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.

Pretentious yadayada, but honestly this had a profound impact on me from the first time I saw it.
December 8, 2025 at 3:52 AM
81stcolumn.bsky.social
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?

From the ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard.
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
brislen.nz Paul Brislen @brislen.nz · Dec 7
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?

Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors
A thousand windows and a thousand doors….

Also:

I do not dream of Sussex Downs,
Of quaint old England’s quaint old towns…
nuclearanthro.bsky.social 🇵🇸Martin “Doomsday” Pfeiffer🖖🏳️‍🌈 @nuclearanthro.bsky.social · Dec 7
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?

Dylan Thomas, Do mot go gentle into that good night (most of it) & part of Delmore Schwart’s “Calmly we Walk Through this April’s Day”
December 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM