Marsden
@marsdennz.bsky.social
He/Him, Webdev from Ōtautahi, Aotearoa (Christchurch, New Zealand). Interested in #SocialIssues, #BoardGaming and #TabletopRoleplaying.
Pinned
Marsden
@marsdennz.bsky.social
· Apr 5
Achievement unlocked - sat on by a meerkat.
And some other critters from today.
#meerkat #wallaby #koala #marmoset #self #ParadiseCountry #GoldCoastAustralia
And some other critters from today.
#meerkat #wallaby #koala #marmoset #self #ParadiseCountry #GoldCoastAustralia
Reposted by Marsden
Just remembered one of the most fun things I've ever done, and one of the high points of living in the internet age - when the Melodicka Bros got their Patreon supporters to provide backing vocals for a cyberpunk Africa cover
God I love living in an age where that sentence makes sense
God I love living in an age where that sentence makes sense
Toto - AFRICA but it's CYBERPUNK/SYNTHWAVE/SPACE ROCK feat. @RudyAyoub & our Patrons
YouTube video by Melodicka Bros
youtu.be
January 6, 2026 at 8:20 AM
Just remembered one of the most fun things I've ever done, and one of the high points of living in the internet age - when the Melodicka Bros got their Patreon supporters to provide backing vocals for a cyberpunk Africa cover
God I love living in an age where that sentence makes sense
God I love living in an age where that sentence makes sense
Reposted by Marsden
If one password got you the records for 120000 users, the password is not your problem.
January 6, 2026 at 6:55 AM
If one password got you the records for 120000 users, the password is not your problem.
Reposted by Marsden
Pretty textbook on how not to do crisis communication for this type of attack. So here’s a little thread on what to do instead. 🧵
If you don’t know, I’m Hadyn Green, Principal Communications advisor at @first.org and my job is to go around the world teaching people how to do to cybersecurity comms
If you don’t know, I’m Hadyn Green, Principal Communications advisor at @first.org and my job is to go around the world teaching people how to do to cybersecurity comms
Manage My Health CEO: 'Trust us even though we've dropped the ball'
The chief executive of beleaguered patient portal says he is open to standing down if required.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 6, 2026 at 6:15 AM
Pretty textbook on how not to do crisis communication for this type of attack. So here’s a little thread on what to do instead. 🧵
If you don’t know, I’m Hadyn Green, Principal Communications advisor at @first.org and my job is to go around the world teaching people how to do to cybersecurity comms
If you don’t know, I’m Hadyn Green, Principal Communications advisor at @first.org and my job is to go around the world teaching people how to do to cybersecurity comms
Reposted by Marsden
Our big look at why clickbait articles on accessibility at airports are ill-informed or wrong and, frankly, often tinged with racism.
The air industry has a duty to call this out, and admit it contributes to the perception by creating airport environments hostile to even minor mobility issues.
The air industry has a duty to call this out, and admit it contributes to the perception by creating airport environments hostile to even minor mobility issues.
This 2,500-word feature article — and all our writing on disability and accessibility in air travel — is open to all for free on @theupfront.media.
An enormous thank you to our subscribers for funding our work.
theupfront.media/disabled-pas...
An enormous thank you to our subscribers for funding our work.
theupfront.media/disabled-pas...
Disabled passengers, airport wheelchairs and the pernicious myth of “Jetway Jesus”
Clickbait hacks aside, perpetuating inaccuracies about disabled passengers and wheelchair users is wrong — and counterproductive for aviation
theupfront.media
January 5, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Our big look at why clickbait articles on accessibility at airports are ill-informed or wrong and, frankly, often tinged with racism.
The air industry has a duty to call this out, and admit it contributes to the perception by creating airport environments hostile to even minor mobility issues.
The air industry has a duty to call this out, and admit it contributes to the perception by creating airport environments hostile to even minor mobility issues.
Reposted by Marsden
This is not a chess move: it's a checkers move. They literally jumped Venezuela's leader and captured him. Quit trying to pretend that it's some kind of masterful geopolitical stratagem.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...
Donald Trump's 'bold' oil grab in South America appears to be a major chess move
Analysis: In seizing control of Venezuela's oil fields, the United States has just taken ownership of the world's largest oil reserve.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 6, 2026 at 12:06 AM
This is not a chess move: it's a checkers move. They literally jumped Venezuela's leader and captured him. Quit trying to pretend that it's some kind of masterful geopolitical stratagem.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/5...
"Being physically able to walk a 5k should not be a prerequisite to be able to travel by air.
But from the layout of terminals to underprovisioning of processing capacity at checkin, bag drop, security and boarding ... airports demand a needlessly high level of ability to stand, walk, and wait."
But from the layout of terminals to underprovisioning of processing capacity at checkin, bag drop, security and boarding ... airports demand a needlessly high level of ability to stand, walk, and wait."
One of the principles that @garius.bsky.social and I stand by at @theupfront.media is that our writing on air travel accessibility and disability — including this 2,500-word feature — should be free to read.
Please share away, and subscribe to The Up Front to fund independent aviation journalism.
Please share away, and subscribe to The Up Front to fund independent aviation journalism.
We're back — and our first feature of the year is a meticulous dissection of "Jetway Jesus", the "airport wheelchair miracle", and the people who perpetuate this insidious and persistent myth.
theupfront.media/disabled-pas...
theupfront.media/disabled-pas...
January 6, 2026 at 2:28 AM
"Being physically able to walk a 5k should not be a prerequisite to be able to travel by air.
But from the layout of terminals to underprovisioning of processing capacity at checkin, bag drop, security and boarding ... airports demand a needlessly high level of ability to stand, walk, and wait."
But from the layout of terminals to underprovisioning of processing capacity at checkin, bag drop, security and boarding ... airports demand a needlessly high level of ability to stand, walk, and wait."
Reposted by Marsden
Part of the issue is that data is inherently viewed as an asset rather than nuclear waste
Ideally, companies would view data as something they only want the bare minimum of in order to function before discarding it as soon as they can
Knowing my birthday to send me an email is unnecessary
Ideally, companies would view data as something they only want the bare minimum of in order to function before discarding it as soon as they can
Knowing my birthday to send me an email is unnecessary
Why, oh why, do there seem to be so many data breaches in NZ ?
“The Privacy Act doesn’t provide sufficient incentives for many organisations to understand or meet even the most basic privacy requirements.” (Michael Webster, Privacy Commissioner, 1 Dec 2025 www.privacy.org.nz/tuhono-conne... )
Why, oh why, do there seem to be so many data breaches in NZ ?
“The Privacy Act doesn’t provide sufficient incentives for many organisations to understand or meet even the most basic privacy requirements.” (Michael Webster, Privacy Commissioner, 1 Dec 2025 www.privacy.org.nz/tuhono-conne... )
www.privacy.org.nz
January 5, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Part of the issue is that data is inherently viewed as an asset rather than nuclear waste
Ideally, companies would view data as something they only want the bare minimum of in order to function before discarding it as soon as they can
Knowing my birthday to send me an email is unnecessary
Ideally, companies would view data as something they only want the bare minimum of in order to function before discarding it as soon as they can
Knowing my birthday to send me an email is unnecessary
Reposted by Marsden
I think the AI angle of this is obscurant. It doesn’t matter that grok is “an AI” whatever you take that to mean. Suppose X hired a team of guys to photoshop the clothes off of women and children whenever anyone asks. That’s functionally identical what happening here. It’s not complicated.
A functional country would shut Grok down permanently. Like, immediately. Right now. Last week. Whatever. Just flip the switch. Obviously.
January 4, 2026 at 11:25 PM
I think the AI angle of this is obscurant. It doesn’t matter that grok is “an AI” whatever you take that to mean. Suppose X hired a team of guys to photoshop the clothes off of women and children whenever anyone asks. That’s functionally identical what happening here. It’s not complicated.
Reposted by Marsden
i feel like i've been hearing "new zealand needs to pivot to an information economy" for as long as i've been able to understand what that means. that sentiment is probably old enough to drink by now yet we're still turning our rivers to piss for money we use to pay other countries to do our IT
January 4, 2026 at 12:23 PM
i feel like i've been hearing "new zealand needs to pivot to an information economy" for as long as i've been able to understand what that means. that sentiment is probably old enough to drink by now yet we're still turning our rivers to piss for money we use to pay other countries to do our IT
Reposted by Marsden
MMH update with comment from me. Key points:
* this type of crew goes after low hanging fruits - which means this vulnerable is going to be something basic, well-known, and preventable
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
* this type of crew goes after low hanging fruits - which means this vulnerable is going to be something basic, well-known, and preventable
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
ManageMyHealth breach: Patients at risk of identity theft, extortion - experts
The hackers say they will leak more than 400,000 files if a ransom isn't paid, in what an expert says is "the worst data breach that I recall seeing in New Zealand".
www.rnz.co.nz
January 4, 2026 at 8:21 PM
MMH update with comment from me. Key points:
* this type of crew goes after low hanging fruits - which means this vulnerable is going to be something basic, well-known, and preventable
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
* this type of crew goes after low hanging fruits - which means this vulnerable is going to be something basic, well-known, and preventable
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by Marsden
Got a reality check from my Venezuelan cousin and took down a lot of what I posted. Right now, a lot of Venezuelans want a moment to celebrate even if the means were fucked and the future isn’t necessarily good. It’s been so bad there for so long.
January 4, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Got a reality check from my Venezuelan cousin and took down a lot of what I posted. Right now, a lot of Venezuelans want a moment to celebrate even if the means were fucked and the future isn’t necessarily good. It’s been so bad there for so long.
Reposted by Marsden
Sanho is a former military historian and an expert on South American narcopolitics. He knows what he's talking about here.
I’ve been working full time to stop this war since last summer and the one scenario I feared the most is materializing — Trump is making a play for Venezuela’s oil. I’m not saying an insurgency will definitely form, but Trump’s ploy creates the perfect storm for an absolutely disastrous occupation.🧵
Trump: "We're going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country. And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so."
January 3, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Sanho is a former military historian and an expert on South American narcopolitics. He knows what he's talking about here.
Reposted by Marsden
People are going to try and lure you into debates about whether Maduro was a good guy or not and the thing is, it doesn’t matter for the purposes of discussing whether violent kidnappings and extrajudicial murders by the US government are ok. No, they aren’t! End of convo.
January 3, 2026 at 2:01 PM
People are going to try and lure you into debates about whether Maduro was a good guy or not and the thing is, it doesn’t matter for the purposes of discussing whether violent kidnappings and extrajudicial murders by the US government are ok. No, they aren’t! End of convo.
Reposted by Marsden
One of the most profound things I’ve heard recently was that the advantages of solar and wind power is that you don’t invade other countries for their wind or their sunlight…
January 3, 2026 at 8:25 PM
One of the most profound things I’ve heard recently was that the advantages of solar and wind power is that you don’t invade other countries for their wind or their sunlight…
Reposted by Marsden
we have not "apprehended" the president of venezuela. we have invaded a foreign country and kidnapped its leader. what the fuck are we doing here, i am going to lose my mind
January 3, 2026 at 9:34 AM
we have not "apprehended" the president of venezuela. we have invaded a foreign country and kidnapped its leader. what the fuck are we doing here, i am going to lose my mind
Reposted by Marsden
Reposted by Marsden
RNZ's subtle watering down of the latest MMH release is fascinating
"one module [...] within the app was compromised" became "just one part of the app [...] had been accessed"
"We know that 6-7% of [...] users have been affected" became "It believed 6 and 7 percent [...] may have been impacted."
"one module [...] within the app was compromised" became "just one part of the app [...] had been accessed"
"We know that 6-7% of [...] users have been affected" became "It believed 6 and 7 percent [...] may have been impacted."
January 3, 2026 at 3:55 AM
RNZ's subtle watering down of the latest MMH release is fascinating
"one module [...] within the app was compromised" became "just one part of the app [...] had been accessed"
"We know that 6-7% of [...] users have been affected" became "It believed 6 and 7 percent [...] may have been impacted."
"one module [...] within the app was compromised" became "just one part of the app [...] had been accessed"
"We know that 6-7% of [...] users have been affected" became "It believed 6 and 7 percent [...] may have been impacted."
Reposted by Marsden
Aside from identity theft, what could attackers do? Let's ask:
-How could medical and contact info be used against a 16-year-old girl?
-What services could be denied based on these records?
-How would hate groups use this information if it became public?
-What is the risk to DV and abuse survivors?
-How could medical and contact info be used against a 16-year-old girl?
-What services could be denied based on these records?
-How would hate groups use this information if it became public?
-What is the risk to DV and abuse survivors?
It's Simeon Brown's job to downplay concern with non-sequiturs like "no clinical impact".
It's the media's job to highlight why that's completely beside the point, not hoist in into the headline.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
It's the media's job to highlight why that's completely beside the point, not hoist in into the headline.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
ManageMyHealth data breach concerning, but no clinical impact - Health Minister
Simeon Brown says government agencies are working with ManageMyHealth to fully understand the scope of the breach and to protect the privacy of patients.
www.rnz.co.nz
January 2, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Aside from identity theft, what could attackers do? Let's ask:
-How could medical and contact info be used against a 16-year-old girl?
-What services could be denied based on these records?
-How would hate groups use this information if it became public?
-What is the risk to DV and abuse survivors?
-How could medical and contact info be used against a 16-year-old girl?
-What services could be denied based on these records?
-How would hate groups use this information if it became public?
-What is the risk to DV and abuse survivors?
Reposted by Marsden
Something we have to remember, and it sucks, but it's still a factor, is that it's not just the right. Metiria Turei was driven out of politics 9 years ago not just for admitting historic welfare fraud - to illustrate the failures of the system - but because even people on "her side" turned on her
“our Mamdani” would also get immediately stochastic terrorism’d out of politics, very likely egged on by leaders of the current coalition parties, and have it framed as a personal failure so maybe we should fix that issue before looking for a figurehead we can slot in
Watch nz politics fall over themselves trying to “find our Mamdani” but not fix the way we treat wahine and takatāpui Māori in politics 👀
January 2, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Something we have to remember, and it sucks, but it's still a factor, is that it's not just the right. Metiria Turei was driven out of politics 9 years ago not just for admitting historic welfare fraud - to illustrate the failures of the system - but because even people on "her side" turned on her
Reposted by Marsden
Let's be really really clear: "no evidence" doesn't mean jack shit.
The dirty secret is it's easier to protect a system than it is to log all access to a system. They couldn't protect the system. I'll bet real money they wouldn't even have good enough logging to KNOW what was accessed.
The dirty secret is it's easier to protect a system than it is to log all access to a system. They couldn't protect the system. I'll bet real money they wouldn't even have good enough logging to KNOW what was accessed.
January 2, 2026 at 4:21 AM
Let's be really really clear: "no evidence" doesn't mean jack shit.
The dirty secret is it's easier to protect a system than it is to log all access to a system. They couldn't protect the system. I'll bet real money they wouldn't even have good enough logging to KNOW what was accessed.
The dirty secret is it's easier to protect a system than it is to log all access to a system. They couldn't protect the system. I'll bet real money they wouldn't even have good enough logging to KNOW what was accessed.
Reposted by Marsden
re: ManageMyHealth breach
This is important. A lot of people are going to be saying "meh, it's only my vaccination records, what are they going to do with those?", and the answer is: use it trick you into thinking they're someone you trust.
This is important. A lot of people are going to be saying "meh, it's only my vaccination records, what are they going to do with those?", and the answer is: use it trick you into thinking they're someone you trust.
Mostly it will be used to scam more effectively rather than direct blackmail.
E.g. Using personal information to more easily convince people they're their bank or some other organisation they have a relationship with.
E.g. Using personal information to more easily convince people they're their bank or some other organisation they have a relationship with.
December 31, 2025 at 11:23 PM
re: ManageMyHealth breach
This is important. A lot of people are going to be saying "meh, it's only my vaccination records, what are they going to do with those?", and the answer is: use it trick you into thinking they're someone you trust.
This is important. A lot of people are going to be saying "meh, it's only my vaccination records, what are they going to do with those?", and the answer is: use it trick you into thinking they're someone you trust.
Reposted by Marsden
Here, at time of writing (first minutes of 2026) is what I understand to be the case about the Manage My Health data breach. I am writing this out as a what I know and why (and don't know) as of now to help anyone trying to explain this to others.
This is a data breach with stolen patient data.
This is a data breach with stolen patient data.
December 31, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Here, at time of writing (first minutes of 2026) is what I understand to be the case about the Manage My Health data breach. I am writing this out as a what I know and why (and don't know) as of now to help anyone trying to explain this to others.
This is a data breach with stolen patient data.
This is a data breach with stolen patient data.
Reposted by Marsden
Just wanted to say thanks again
December 31, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Just wanted to say thanks again
Reposted by Marsden
When Rebecca Solnit asks you to turn a thread into an essay, you fucking do it. jessica.substack.com/p/cbs-news-f...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
December 30, 2025 at 9:48 PM
When Rebecca Solnit asks you to turn a thread into an essay, you fucking do it. jessica.substack.com/p/cbs-news-f...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
"Using data from the IUCN, CSIRO, and Elsevier, this graphic by Made Visual Daily breaks down what actually makes up these particles and where they come from."
#Microplastics #Pollution #DataVis
www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/where-do-...
#Microplastics #Pollution #DataVis
www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/where-do-...
Visualized: Where Do Microplastics Come From Anyway?
Discover the top sources of microplastics in the environment, from textiles to tires, in this data-driven visual breakdown.
www.visualcapitalist.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:52 PM
"Using data from the IUCN, CSIRO, and Elsevier, this graphic by Made Visual Daily breaks down what actually makes up these particles and where they come from."
#Microplastics #Pollution #DataVis
www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/where-do-...
#Microplastics #Pollution #DataVis
www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/where-do-...