Mark
@maetl.bsky.social
Lecturer in Product Design at UCNZ. Tech industry dropout. Narrative systems and geoscience meddler. Old school web sectary. Frankenbike curator. Waste stream wrangler.
Pinned
Mark
@maetl.bsky.social
· Jun 25
I don’t want raytracing or photorealism, I want the lo-fi dwarfs in their fortress to be standing in grid cells backed by a fully simulated carbon cycle, atmospheric fluid flow, insolation, atmospheric chemistry, evapotranspiration, geological strata, ecological systems...
Reposted by Mark
Here’s the visualization he mentions, and more details: daily.jstor.org/florence-nig...
February 17, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Here’s the visualization he mentions, and more details: daily.jstor.org/florence-nig...
Reposted by Mark
Back in 2023, I noticed the refreshed Ursula K. Le Guin website no longer had this essay. I reached out to ask if it could be restored, and a few days later someone from the foundation sent over the URL to show it was back online :)
Ursula Le Guin wrote a response to this kind of nonsense years ago. Read it instead.
www.ursulakleguin.com/a-rant-about...
www.ursulakleguin.com/a-rant-about...
February 18, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Back in 2023, I noticed the refreshed Ursula K. Le Guin website no longer had this essay. I reached out to ask if it could be restored, and a few days later someone from the foundation sent over the URL to show it was back online :)
Reposted by Mark
A little piece in which Max and I show how Aotearoa is exercising its regressive political interests through science, research, and education policy.
February 17, 2026 at 11:46 PM
A little piece in which Max and I show how Aotearoa is exercising its regressive political interests through science, research, and education policy.
Reposted by Mark
RAM shortage so severe they're using sheep to break into Michael Hill stores
RAM shortage so severe they're rendering the New Zealand Prime Minister with no subsurface scattering
RAM shortage so severe that while there were still clear skies in Tasman, they’ve had to reduce the frame rate to Monday speeds on a Wednesday to cut down the rendering load on distant mountains
February 18, 2026 at 12:51 AM
RAM shortage so severe they're using sheep to break into Michael Hill stores
If we have to go back to 1970s era chip fab, 8 bit/16 bit architectures and many orders of magnitude smaller address spaces, I am ready. We don’t have to concede all computing to the winner takes all model of enforced AI centralisation and paying rent for every aspect of information in daily life.
February 17, 2026 at 11:05 PM
If we have to go back to 1970s era chip fab, 8 bit/16 bit architectures and many orders of magnitude smaller address spaces, I am ready. We don’t have to concede all computing to the winner takes all model of enforced AI centralisation and paying rent for every aspect of information in daily life.
Florence Nightingale’s visualisation of how soliders were dying more from insanitary conditions than from battles is the intro to every data visualisation class in the same way that Euler’s Königsberg bridge insight is the intro to every graph theory class.
If anyone asks you who won the Crimean War the answer is indisputably “cholera”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
A major cause of death in pretty much every pre-20th century war (especially siege based ones) was highly curable bacterial diseases ripping through people in close proximity to each other, as opposed to actual violence.
February 17, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Florence Nightingale’s visualisation of how soliders were dying more from insanitary conditions than from battles is the intro to every data visualisation class in the same way that Euler’s Königsberg bridge insight is the intro to every graph theory class.
NZ has not really come to terms with how far developed the disinfo networks were that led to riots and flames on the parliament grounds.
It's been brushed off as individual cookers without much serious introspection in public of the information ecosystem and funding conditions that led to it.
It's been brushed off as individual cookers without much serious introspection in public of the information ecosystem and funding conditions that led to it.
February 17, 2026 at 5:43 AM
NZ has not really come to terms with how far developed the disinfo networks were that led to riots and flames on the parliament grounds.
It's been brushed off as individual cookers without much serious introspection in public of the information ecosystem and funding conditions that led to it.
It's been brushed off as individual cookers without much serious introspection in public of the information ecosystem and funding conditions that led to it.
Idaho stop is exactly this. It's safety first.
btw if anyone wants to know why cyclists break the road rules (actual rules—not ones you made up in your head like "you must ride in the gutter" and "you must ride single-file")—it's to get out of the way of deranged and distracted motorists as quickly as possible
February 17, 2026 at 4:14 AM
Idaho stop is exactly this. It's safety first.
The anti-cycleways talking points and spittle-flecked Facebook rants are putting cyclists at risk from aggressive car drivers. They get so angry and feel entitled to take revenge, cutting bike riders off at roundabouts, parking in bike lanes, close passing, yelling "get off the road". It's bullying.
February 17, 2026 at 3:49 AM
The anti-cycleways talking points and spittle-flecked Facebook rants are putting cyclists at risk from aggressive car drivers. They get so angry and feel entitled to take revenge, cutting bike riders off at roundabouts, parking in bike lanes, close passing, yelling "get off the road". It's bullying.
“You will never get good leaders in this country if that’s the way you treat women.”
As per usual, a loud and feral minority hijacking the conversation with misinformation.
Also seeing a disturbing & very familiar pattern of hostility toward Tamatha Paul. Our community must stand behind her. We can’t allow another Māori leader to be worn down and pushed out. #nzpol
Also seeing a disturbing & very familiar pattern of hostility toward Tamatha Paul. Our community must stand behind her. We can’t allow another Māori leader to be worn down and pushed out. #nzpol
“Rooted in racism” Hostility and disinformation overshadow Moa Point public meeting
More than 300 people packed into a public meeting on Monday night to demand answers over the ongoing Moa Point wastewater disaster.
www.teaonews.co.nz
February 17, 2026 at 12:52 AM
“You will never get good leaders in this country if that’s the way you treat women.”
Let's look at the verbs here:
Lift, complete, restore (maintenance-focused intervention)
Implement (constructive intervention)
Manage (nonspecific, vague)
Identify, "Take a predictable approach" (research-based, planning, requires creativity)
Prioritise, commit (decision making)
Hmmmm.
Lift, complete, restore (maintenance-focused intervention)
Implement (constructive intervention)
Manage (nonspecific, vague)
Identify, "Take a predictable approach" (research-based, planning, requires creativity)
Prioritise, commit (decision making)
Hmmmm.
They have 10 recommendations that span the gamut from "kind of already happening" to "massively controversial".
February 17, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Let's look at the verbs here:
Lift, complete, restore (maintenance-focused intervention)
Implement (constructive intervention)
Manage (nonspecific, vague)
Identify, "Take a predictable approach" (research-based, planning, requires creativity)
Prioritise, commit (decision making)
Hmmmm.
Lift, complete, restore (maintenance-focused intervention)
Implement (constructive intervention)
Manage (nonspecific, vague)
Identify, "Take a predictable approach" (research-based, planning, requires creativity)
Prioritise, commit (decision making)
Hmmmm.
Reposted by Mark
There is but one serious philosophical question, and that is "Whaddarya?"
there is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is whether to have a little snack
February 16, 2026 at 10:45 PM
There is but one serious philosophical question, and that is "Whaddarya?"
Reposted by Mark
we spent years setting up WorldCon 2020 then had to pivot to digital in a couple of months due to covid. It's still something that hurts a little – I'd really appreciate any support in bringing it back to the South Pacific so folks like me can actually attend in person, for once.
If you're in a position to vote on this, do the South Pacific a solid and vote for Brisbane.
The last time Worldcon was scheduled down here it was 2020 in Wellington and it didn't happen in person. Will have been 18 years by 2028 since we got an accessible in-person con. Put the World in Worldcon.
The last time Worldcon was scheduled down here it was 2020 in Wellington and it didn't happen in person. Will have been 18 years by 2028 since we got an accessible in-person con. Put the World in Worldcon.
2028 Worldcon Bids locusmag.com/2026/02...
February 16, 2026 at 10:24 PM
we spent years setting up WorldCon 2020 then had to pivot to digital in a couple of months due to covid. It's still something that hurts a little – I'd really appreciate any support in bringing it back to the South Pacific so folks like me can actually attend in person, for once.
Attempting to move stormwater around in pipes is necessary to support the human environment of sealed boxes and large surface planes, but at some point the source pipes need to converge at larger pipes and at some further point, need an outlet sink.
February 16, 2026 at 8:07 AM
Attempting to move stormwater around in pipes is necessary to support the human environment of sealed boxes and large surface planes, but at some point the source pipes need to converge at larger pipes and at some further point, need an outlet sink.
Surely this is media council complaint territory, or has our society wholly given up on numeracy in an era of asymmetric rhetorical machines being weaponised?
Love poll stories where the max sampling error is 3.1% yet the story is very excited about the shifts that are mainly within the margin of error.
February 16, 2026 at 6:47 AM
Surely this is media council complaint territory, or has our society wholly given up on numeracy in an era of asymmetric rhetorical machines being weaponised?
Forgot to post this last night. First puncture in about 3–4000km (not exactly sure, I’m not an obsessive GPS recorder). End of a remarkably good run, definitely the longest I’ve gone without a flat.
February 15, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Forgot to post this last night. First puncture in about 3–4000km (not exactly sure, I’m not an obsessive GPS recorder). End of a remarkably good run, definitely the longest I’ve gone without a flat.
Reposted by Mark
So here's a thing. Us local government workers, as well as our day jobs, are your civil defence emergency ops centre staff. When are we going to start resourcing this properly??
February 15, 2026 at 7:40 AM
So here's a thing. Us local government workers, as well as our day jobs, are your civil defence emergency ops centre staff. When are we going to start resourcing this properly??
The three waters are floodwater, fecal contaminated water and nitrate contaminated water—
So, we've a boil-water notice in Christchurch. Sewerage being blown inland from the South Wellington coastline, and deadly floods in the King Country?
These must be the three waters they warned us about.
These must be the three waters they warned us about.
February 15, 2026 at 8:00 AM
The three waters are floodwater, fecal contaminated water and nitrate contaminated water—
I'm curious about whether that new Toyota game framework everyone is shitposting about actually addresses this, or punts it forward. Seems the big need now is around the tool support, workflow and editing capabilities for ECS, rather than just having ECS as a framework.
yeah DOTS/ECS is legit fast, nice job; all the management/authoring is a mess but whatever I guess.
February 13, 2026 at 4:06 AM
I'm curious about whether that new Toyota game framework everyone is shitposting about actually addresses this, or punts it forward. Seems the big need now is around the tool support, workflow and editing capabilities for ECS, rather than just having ECS as a framework.
@carlbergstrom.com Thanks for your great talk today and for your intriguing response to my question on network literacy/graph theory and how it might augment media literacy education. Wanted to add, it's not just a theoretical concern for us: theconversation.com/nzs-draft-sc...
NZ’s draft science curriculum favours rote learning over critical thinking
Critical thinking is an essential skill students should be encouraged to develop as part of their science learning. NZ’s draft science curriculum fails the test.
theconversation.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:56 AM
@carlbergstrom.com Thanks for your great talk today and for your intriguing response to my question on network literacy/graph theory and how it might augment media literacy education. Wanted to add, it's not just a theoretical concern for us: theconversation.com/nzs-draft-sc...
Reposted by Mark
Found this little guy today. The first whistling free frog I've ever seen.
February 12, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Found this little guy today. The first whistling free frog I've ever seen.
Reposted by Mark
The recession will be experienced primarily as a series of faux-optimistic, desperation-laden LinkedIn posts until you're the one hitting the post button.
February 12, 2026 at 7:28 AM
The recession will be experienced primarily as a series of faux-optimistic, desperation-laden LinkedIn posts until you're the one hitting the post button.
Reposted by Mark
Holy shit, they called FFMPEG by its government name!
I didn't expect the Jeffrey Epstein story to contain assistant editor workflow gore but lmao
February 12, 2026 at 6:05 AM
Holy shit, they called FFMPEG by its government name!
I lost a bunch of remixable teaching resources with the Glitch shutdown. I’ve been wondering what I could do to salvage them. This looks like a project with a lot of potential.
Last year's shutdown of @glitch.com was a huge blow to my pedagogy. Glitch was ideal for creative coding classes and workshops. I looked around for alternatives. But there was nothing that was open, decentralized, and not at the mercy of VCs or Big Tech.
So I built my own. Here's Glitchlet.
So I built my own. Here's Glitchlet.
February 12, 2026 at 6:32 AM
I lost a bunch of remixable teaching resources with the Glitch shutdown. I’ve been wondering what I could do to salvage them. This looks like a project with a lot of potential.