Jenny Nicholls
@jenster.bsky.social
Absent-minded twit. NZ Listener book reviewer, book designs, former art director/columnist at Metro/N&S. She/her
After taking jeans off the line I recommend checking the inside legs for winged wētā
This place needs some Innocuous Discourse pronto. Quote this with a take that’s not political or aggressive
January 6, 2026 at 7:09 AM
After taking jeans off the line I recommend checking the inside legs for winged wētā
Waiheke has no Kiwibank and the others hate opening
January 5, 2026 at 3:35 AM
Waiheke has no Kiwibank and the others hate opening
A great piece by Ethan Zuckerman (social media expert and Massachusetts prof) about AI by way of Gramsci and Te Hiku Media, a nonprofit Māori radio station run by Peter-Lucas Jones and Keoni Mahelona #AI #NZpol
Gramsci's Nightmare: AI, Platform Power and the Automation of Cultural Hegemony - Ethan Zuckerman
Large language models lock values into place, making it hard to challenge the cultural hegemony of a particular form of western culture
ethanzuckerman.com
January 4, 2026 at 12:31 AM
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to jump out of a helicopter to kidnap a head of state and his wife so some oil ceos can make a lot of money. we’ll be watching from a resort in florida that still serves wedge salad and checking how many retweets we get. good luck soldier
January 3, 2026 at 10:57 PM
this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to jump out of a helicopter to kidnap a head of state and his wife so some oil ceos can make a lot of money. we’ll be watching from a resort in florida that still serves wedge salad and checking how many retweets we get. good luck soldier
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
So fmr Honduran President Hernandez voluntarily surrendered, and was duly extradited, tried and convicted for drug trafficking, and Trump pardoned him 6w ago.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
January 3, 2026 at 12:44 PM
So fmr Honduran President Hernandez voluntarily surrendered, and was duly extradited, tried and convicted for drug trafficking, and Trump pardoned him 6w ago.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
We're like a week away from Trump getting mad at the cognitive tests and ordering every giraffe in the U.S. summarily executed
What does it mean when your doctors keep insisting you redo the cognitive exam
January 2, 2026 at 3:43 PM
We're like a week away from Trump getting mad at the cognitive tests and ordering every giraffe in the U.S. summarily executed
When I worked for Metro I sent the mag’s collection of Trace Hodgson cartoons to the Nat Lib with the ed’s + Trace’s permission, after the destruction of archives by ACP suits. I just checked to see if they are online - and one of them is an illustrated note to me! Cor! This is oddly satisfying
December 31, 2025 at 9:06 PM
When I worked for Metro I sent the mag’s collection of Trace Hodgson cartoons to the Nat Lib with the ed’s + Trace’s permission, after the destruction of archives by ACP suits. I just checked to see if they are online - and one of them is an illustrated note to me! Cor! This is oddly satisfying
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Kia ora e te whānau, can we give this a massive push for the the rest of the year.
His wife lost her life due to unnecessary health cuts & this is a chance to give her memory meaning
www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin...
petitions.parliament.nz/cc316e5b-e05...
His wife lost her life due to unnecessary health cuts & this is a chance to give her memory meaning
www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin...
petitions.parliament.nz/cc316e5b-e05...
December 30, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Kia ora e te whānau, can we give this a massive push for the the rest of the year.
His wife lost her life due to unnecessary health cuts & this is a chance to give her memory meaning
www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin...
petitions.parliament.nz/cc316e5b-e05...
His wife lost her life due to unnecessary health cuts & this is a chance to give her memory meaning
www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin...
petitions.parliament.nz/cc316e5b-e05...
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Trump's DOJ was monitoring all the movements of the Miami Herald reporter who was covering the Epstein case.
December 28, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Trump's DOJ was monitoring all the movements of the Miami Herald reporter who was covering the Epstein case.
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
December 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Oh sorry, one more
I would not ever take the output of any software translation as accurate. Even excluding hallucinations (and that's a big exclude), what you're not getting from it is context dependent meanings (like homophones, idioms, slang, etc). Fastest way to accidentally insult someone
I would not ever take the output of any software translation as accurate. Even excluding hallucinations (and that's a big exclude), what you're not getting from it is context dependent meanings (like homophones, idioms, slang, etc). Fastest way to accidentally insult someone
December 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Oh sorry, one more
I would not ever take the output of any software translation as accurate. Even excluding hallucinations (and that's a big exclude), what you're not getting from it is context dependent meanings (like homophones, idioms, slang, etc). Fastest way to accidentally insult someone
I would not ever take the output of any software translation as accurate. Even excluding hallucinations (and that's a big exclude), what you're not getting from it is context dependent meanings (like homophones, idioms, slang, etc). Fastest way to accidentally insult someone
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
There should be a constitutional mechanism for removing a president. Not impeachment, something that actually works, maybe like a catapult
December 17, 2025 at 3:08 AM
There should be a constitutional mechanism for removing a president. Not impeachment, something that actually works, maybe like a catapult
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
So the hotline’s 12 month budget was $400k. If we generously assume it spent only $200k given it operated for half of that time, that’s still $1000 per road cone removed. Nutty waste of money from the Coalition. 🤦♂️
December 16, 2025 at 11:54 PM
So the hotline’s 12 month budget was $400k. If we generously assume it spent only $200k given it operated for half of that time, that’s still $1000 per road cone removed. Nutty waste of money from the Coalition. 🤦♂️
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
The life of fossil fuels is being pushed out in the United States--thanks to Trump and oil executives like Hamm. Yes, part of it is AI demand for more electricity. But it is also industry execs like Hamm who gave millions to get Trump back to the White House and now are cashing in on that win.
December 15, 2025 at 1:31 AM
The life of fossil fuels is being pushed out in the United States--thanks to Trump and oil executives like Hamm. Yes, part of it is AI demand for more electricity. But it is also industry execs like Hamm who gave millions to get Trump back to the White House and now are cashing in on that win.
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Self-published authors are unfortunately very rapidly becoming my most-blocked demographic on here due entirely to the rampant use of hideous AI generated book covers
Just in case it wasn't clear: If I click on your profile and see that you've used AI to make something, you get blocked.
April 7, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Self-published authors are unfortunately very rapidly becoming my most-blocked demographic on here due entirely to the rampant use of hideous AI generated book covers
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Australian news reporting that the hero bystander here is named Ahmed al Ahmed. Muslim, father of two.
December 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Australian news reporting that the hero bystander here is named Ahmed al Ahmed. Muslim, father of two.
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
“I am so bored by AI. One of the things I love about the theatre is AI can’t do it.”
Ethan Hawke is a dude 👌🏻
Ethan Hawke is a dude 👌🏻
December 9, 2025 at 8:36 PM
“I am so bored by AI. One of the things I love about the theatre is AI can’t do it.”
Ethan Hawke is a dude 👌🏻
Ethan Hawke is a dude 👌🏻
I want to be Helvetica but I think I’m Courier
Fonts hanging out
YouTube video by Elle Cordova
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:53 AM
I want to be Helvetica but I think I’m Courier
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
New Taxpayers Union/Curia poll out:
Labour - 31.6 (-1.7)
National - 30.0 (-0.2)
Greens - 10.8 (+1.6)
Act - 8.9 (+0.3)
NZFirst - 8.3 (-1.0)
TPM - 3.1 (-0.2)
Centre right 61 seats to 59 Centre left
Notable for Greens up, not sinking as in 1News poll
Labour - 31.6 (-1.7)
National - 30.0 (-0.2)
Greens - 10.8 (+1.6)
Act - 8.9 (+0.3)
NZFirst - 8.3 (-1.0)
TPM - 3.1 (-0.2)
Centre right 61 seats to 59 Centre left
Notable for Greens up, not sinking as in 1News poll
December 10, 2025 at 12:39 AM
New Taxpayers Union/Curia poll out:
Labour - 31.6 (-1.7)
National - 30.0 (-0.2)
Greens - 10.8 (+1.6)
Act - 8.9 (+0.3)
NZFirst - 8.3 (-1.0)
TPM - 3.1 (-0.2)
Centre right 61 seats to 59 Centre left
Notable for Greens up, not sinking as in 1News poll
Labour - 31.6 (-1.7)
National - 30.0 (-0.2)
Greens - 10.8 (+1.6)
Act - 8.9 (+0.3)
NZFirst - 8.3 (-1.0)
TPM - 3.1 (-0.2)
Centre right 61 seats to 59 Centre left
Notable for Greens up, not sinking as in 1News poll
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
A study on 1.7 million people in Hong Kong shows superior hybrid immunity to Covid in people who got vaccinated before infection vs. people who got infected first. "Our findings are a direct rebuttal to arguments for natural immunity," the authors write. doi.org/10.1016/j.va...
Redirecting
doi.org
December 6, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A study on 1.7 million people in Hong Kong shows superior hybrid immunity to Covid in people who got vaccinated before infection vs. people who got infected first. "Our findings are a direct rebuttal to arguments for natural immunity," the authors write. doi.org/10.1016/j.va...
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Here's the reality this example illustrates:
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
December 5, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Here's the reality this example illustrates:
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
It's not even just about people blindly trusting what ChatGPT tells them. LLMs are poisoning the entire information ecosystem. You can't even necessarily trust that the citations in a published paper are real (or a search engine's descriptions of them).
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Seymour: let's not make "assumptions" that a serious food safety incident is the responsibility of a company with a record of food safety incidents so bad that officials strongly warned against contracting it. Maybe it was the person who reported it! What a prick. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchu...
Seymour labels principal at centre of mouldy school lunches a media 'frequent flyer'
The principal has hit back saying the food is delivered daily and leftovers removed.
www.nzherald.co.nz
December 1, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Seymour: let's not make "assumptions" that a serious food safety incident is the responsibility of a company with a record of food safety incidents so bad that officials strongly warned against contracting it. Maybe it was the person who reported it! What a prick. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchu...
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Auckland Uni has responded to my OIA request re consultancy spending in 2024-2025
$600k to PWC and $500k to Nous Group for "strategic design, organisational change, transformation
services" etc
This is roughly what our whole faculty of science spent on internally funded postdocs in the same years
$600k to PWC and $500k to Nous Group for "strategic design, organisational change, transformation
services" etc
This is roughly what our whole faculty of science spent on internally funded postdocs in the same years
What consulting companies is Auckland Uni working with and how much are the companies being paid? - a Official Information Act request to University of Auckland
Could you please provide a list of contracts the University entered into, in 2024 and 2025, with external consulting firms; the topic of the work undertaken (e.g., strategic planning); and the total c...
fyi.org.nz
December 2, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Auckland Uni has responded to my OIA request re consultancy spending in 2024-2025
$600k to PWC and $500k to Nous Group for "strategic design, organisational change, transformation
services" etc
This is roughly what our whole faculty of science spent on internally funded postdocs in the same years
$600k to PWC and $500k to Nous Group for "strategic design, organisational change, transformation
services" etc
This is roughly what our whole faculty of science spent on internally funded postdocs in the same years
Reposted by Jenny Nicholls
Human architects would assume that the main foyer would need to be adjacent to an entrance, not just a cluster of bathrooms; this limits their creativity.
December 1, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Human architects would assume that the main foyer would need to be adjacent to an entrance, not just a cluster of bathrooms; this limits their creativity.
Well worth a read for anyone interested in the nature of Wikipedia, and how Grokipedia is actually quaintly old-fashioned
Friend and colleague Ryan McGrady has an excellent piece in Tech Policy Press on Grokipedia. Rather than excoriating the new project for Elon worship (true, but hardly interesting), he looks into how Grokipedia redefines sources for encyclopedic knowledge: www.techpolicy.press/with-grokipe...
With Grokipedia, Top-Down Control of Knowledge Is New Again | TechPolicy.Press
Ryan McGrady asks, who is Grokipedia for, other than its owner?
techpolicy.press
December 1, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Well worth a read for anyone interested in the nature of Wikipedia, and how Grokipedia is actually quaintly old-fashioned