Nat Torkington
@gnat.bsky.social
Beloved banjo player of the people. Co-owner and CTO of an apparel ERP company. In former lives: open source, Perl, O'Reilly Media, new technology. Bereavement is sadder and weirder than you can imagine.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Occasionally on my work laptop a black box pops up with the words "Windows Powershell", and I think "Yes, it probably does."
November 5, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Occasionally on my work laptop a black box pops up with the words "Windows Powershell", and I think "Yes, it probably does."
I feel like the response to the perception of 'virtue signalling' shouldn't be to double down on 'malice acting' in the form of budget cuts, rushed policy and legislation changes, and the Speaker's infinite cuntitude with Parliamentary rules -- all removing the explicit goal of fairness to Māori.
November 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I feel like the response to the perception of 'virtue signalling' shouldn't be to double down on 'malice acting' in the form of budget cuts, rushed policy and legislation changes, and the Speaker's infinite cuntitude with Parliamentary rules -- all removing the explicit goal of fairness to Māori.
Hope, caring, and community are acts of defiance and rebellion.
This is from Autocracy, Inc, about how modern autocratic propaganda works.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
November 3, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Hope, caring, and community are acts of defiance and rebellion.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
This is from Autocracy, Inc, about how modern autocratic propaganda works.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
November 2, 2025 at 12:04 PM
This is from Autocracy, Inc, about how modern autocratic propaganda works.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
le sigh on all fronts
Even when correctly spelled, the answer is "nothing".
Even when correctly spelled, the answer is "nothing".
November 3, 2025 at 5:25 AM
le sigh on all fronts
Even when correctly spelled, the answer is "nothing".
Even when correctly spelled, the answer is "nothing".
Handy tip
November 1, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Handy tip
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Folks, people who appreciated Siouxsie's work during the pandemic and/or who like free speech and academic freedom should help out here if they can. And that's all of us, one way or another, right?
www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...
www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...
Support Dr Siouxsie After She Supported Us! | PledgeMe
Support Dr Siouxsie to recover some of the money she spent fighting her legal case to protect employees experiencing online abuse
www.pledgeme.co.nz
November 1, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Folks, people who appreciated Siouxsie's work during the pandemic and/or who like free speech and academic freedom should help out here if they can. And that's all of us, one way or another, right?
www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...
www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...
Reposted by Nat Torkington
*clears throat* hentAI
“.. It’s not that erotica is bad per se, but .. there were clear warning signs of users’ intense emotional attachment to A.I. chatbots. .. We decided A.I.-powered erotica would have to wait.
“.. OpenAI now says the wait is over ..”
@nytopinion.nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/o...
“.. OpenAI now says the wait is over ..”
@nytopinion.nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/o...
October 29, 2025 at 1:09 AM
*clears throat* hentAI
Reposted by Nat Torkington
The chairs in the city council chamber look like very nervous muppets
October 27, 2025 at 9:55 PM
The chairs in the city council chamber look like very nervous muppets
Because nothing says “New York” like AI-generated poutine.
October 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Because nothing says “New York” like AI-generated poutine.
I am privileged to have fewer enemies than Audre Lorde, and at least one of the enemies is my own brain, and even still ... holy shit this is a great line with so much to unpack and course correct with.
October 20, 2025 at 1:55 AM
I am privileged to have fewer enemies than Audre Lorde, and at least one of the enemies is my own brain, and even still ... holy shit this is a great line with so much to unpack and course correct with.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
One of the better things I saw today was a frog holding a "give me ribbety, or give me death!" sign.
No kings but the king of frogs
October 19, 2025 at 12:39 AM
One of the better things I saw today was a frog holding a "give me ribbety, or give me death!" sign.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
In 2025 the Wellington Folk Fest (Wellyfest) guests will include Adam and Marika, Fiona Ross, We Mavericks, Klezmer Rebs, Rhys Crimmin, The Trenwiths, and Two if by Sea: Wellyfest shows no signs of slowing down or going anywhere any time soon... www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wel...
Wellyfest: the Wellington Folk Festival at 60 - Article | AudioCulture
Every Labour Weekend out Wainuiomata way, 40 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, among the 260 hectares of native bush and parkland known as the Brookfield Outdoor Education Cen...
www.audioculture.co.nz
October 19, 2025 at 12:49 AM
In 2025 the Wellington Folk Fest (Wellyfest) guests will include Adam and Marika, Fiona Ross, We Mavericks, Klezmer Rebs, Rhys Crimmin, The Trenwiths, and Two if by Sea: Wellyfest shows no signs of slowing down or going anywhere any time soon... www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wel...
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Political parties must shift immediately and dramatically to the left to avoid alienating these frustrated and abandoned young women. Am I doing this right?
Our recent poll found that women 28 and younger skew substantially more left than the national average. Nearly 80 percent of Gen Z women want abortion to be legal and seven in 10 want gender-affirming care to be accessible for trans adults.
Gen Z women are the most liberal group in the country
On issues like abortion and gender-affirming care, women 28 and younger skew substantially more left than the national average.
19thnews.org
October 18, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Political parties must shift immediately and dramatically to the left to avoid alienating these frustrated and abandoned young women. Am I doing this right?
@keithng.bsky.social www.rnz.co.nz/news/chinese... Our national ordeal gets worse day by day ....
Auckland’s yum cha restaurants running out of steam
Crippled by Covid-19 debt and a stagnant economy, established Chinese eateries serving authentic Cantonese dim sum are now facing increasing competition.
www.rnz.co.nz
October 13, 2025 at 9:56 PM
@keithng.bsky.social www.rnz.co.nz/news/chinese... Our national ordeal gets worse day by day ....
This is the same as blindboy’s take on “solemnity”. Frog is a situationist puncturing of the solemnity of the military. Brilliance.
In case you missed it, the whole interview is great and here’s the solemnity clip:
youtube.com/shorts/58V91...
In case you missed it, the whole interview is great and here’s the solemnity clip:
youtube.com/shorts/58V91...
October 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
This is the same as blindboy’s take on “solemnity”. Frog is a situationist puncturing of the solemnity of the military. Brilliance.
In case you missed it, the whole interview is great and here’s the solemnity clip:
youtube.com/shorts/58V91...
In case you missed it, the whole interview is great and here’s the solemnity clip:
youtube.com/shorts/58V91...
OMG our band’s single “Heart of Stone” is in the Air New Zealand runway playlist! open.spotify.com/playlist/0aS...
Thanks, Air New Zealand!
Thanks, Air New Zealand!
Spotify – Web Player
open.spotify.com
October 11, 2025 at 12:34 AM
OMG our band’s single “Heart of Stone” is in the Air New Zealand runway playlist! open.spotify.com/playlist/0aS...
Thanks, Air New Zealand!
Thanks, Air New Zealand!
New music video just dropped! www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKfM...
We had so much fun in the hall making this. Can't wait to share the album with you and tour it next year!
We had so much fun in the hall making this. Can't wait to share the album with you and tour it next year!
You, Me, Everybody - The Rest of Us - [Official Music Video]
YouTube video by You, Me, Everybody Band
www.youtube.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:17 PM
New music video just dropped! www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKfM...
We had so much fun in the hall making this. Can't wait to share the album with you and tour it next year!
We had so much fun in the hall making this. Can't wait to share the album with you and tour it next year!
"One step forward, two steps back."
You guys get steps forward?!
You guys get steps forward?!
October 9, 2025 at 6:23 AM
"One step forward, two steps back."
You guys get steps forward?!
You guys get steps forward?!
Reposted by Nat Torkington
When your custom character appears in a cut scene
October 6, 2025 at 5:06 PM
When your custom character appears in a cut scene
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Work will never love you back. Consistently make regular time for your physical and mental health and your relationships.
Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?
October 6, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Work will never love you back. Consistently make regular time for your physical and mental health and your relationships.
Lest folks think I'm randomly retweeting chaotic swears, this is an allusion to the puerile yet legendary British comic Viz. It was used in several places but Rude Boy (literally, that's the entirety of the premise for this recurring character) probably gave it the heaviest workout.
October 6, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Lest folks think I'm randomly retweeting chaotic swears, this is an allusion to the puerile yet legendary British comic Viz. It was used in several places but Rude Boy (literally, that's the entirety of the premise for this recurring character) probably gave it the heaviest workout.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Piss up a rope, fuckstick
To shut down rude behavior instantly, try a simple yet powerful five-word response.
Use this 5-word phrase when someone is rude to you—it's like 'holding up a mirror,' says public speaking expert
When we encounter a rude person, our first instinct might be to fire back with a snarky comment. But that's not the right move, says public speaking expert John Bowe. Here's the perfect response to instantly shut down rude behavior.
cnb.cx
October 6, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Piss up a rope, fuckstick
Reposted by Nat Torkington
"…and Magda Goebbels made a great strudel.”
September 13, 2025 at 3:27 PM
"…and Magda Goebbels made a great strudel.”