Kathryn
@shermarama.bsky.social
Design engineer, drummer, general maker of stuff. Keen on finding good solutions to complex problems. She/her. Hamiltron 🇳🇿innit.
Students on very fast bicycles! Or actually a fully-faired trike, and probably setting an NZ human-powered speed record, at nearly 83 kph. Not a very high one, by world standards, but they're aiming for 100... www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
Stuff
www.stuff.co.nz
November 14, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Students on very fast bicycles! Or actually a fully-faired trike, and probably setting an NZ human-powered speed record, at nearly 83 kph. Not a very high one, by world standards, but they're aiming for 100... www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
She runs an event management company. The story even mentions that it was her job skills that prompted her to jump in and help manage a difficult crowd situation. Her job is not 'mum'. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Devon mum steps in to help control crowds at Corfu Airport
Faye Williams says she was given a tannoy at the departure desk in Corfu.
www.bbc.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:16 PM
She runs an event management company. The story even mentions that it was her job skills that prompted her to jump in and help manage a difficult crowd situation. Her job is not 'mum'. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Someone somewhere is making a joke about the Overton window and given the cricket/politics content I'm suspecting it's Andy Zaltzman.
November 1, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Someone somewhere is making a joke about the Overton window and given the cricket/politics content I'm suspecting it's Andy Zaltzman.
Another spooky story for Halloween: I'm likely to do a larger share of the housework even though I'm the main breadwinner, because of being a woman in a heterosexual couple! So I get paid less for the paid work I do, and also do more unpaid work!
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
BBC Radio 4 - More or Less: Behind the Stats, Is your housework split sexist?
Corinne Low explains the economics of women, men and housework
www.bbc.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Another spooky story for Halloween: I'm likely to do a larger share of the housework even though I'm the main breadwinner, because of being a woman in a heterosexual couple! So I get paid less for the paid work I do, and also do more unpaid work!
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
Here's my spooky story for Halloween: I'm less likely to get work as a manager, and also likely to get paid substantially less for it if I do! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Female bosses earn less than men at every age
At the start of their careers, men and women earn almost the same. But by the time women reach their 30s their earnings flatten, while men's climb.
www.abc.net.au
October 31, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Here's my spooky story for Halloween: I'm less likely to get work as a manager, and also likely to get paid substantially less for it if I do! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Regularly getting told off for not doing things 'right', but it turns out that just means 'not operating on the same fundamental misunderstanding'.
October 24, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Regularly getting told off for not doing things 'right', but it turns out that just means 'not operating on the same fundamental misunderstanding'.
This! Women doing engineering isn't new, and women don't have to be pioneers to do it. Exceptional, as in the exception that proves the rule? Yeah, nah, as they say.
Dr Frances Heywood #metallurgist Proudly part of history of women in metal trades in 1947 rebuffed query about #engineering being new for women by quoting 469 female blacksmiths & 322 smelters in 1840 census. @wes1919.bsky.social president 1948 d. #OTD 18 Sep 1994 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances...
September 19, 2025 at 8:04 AM
This! Women doing engineering isn't new, and women don't have to be pioneers to do it. Exceptional, as in the exception that proves the rule? Yeah, nah, as they say.
Reposted by Kathryn
Luxon himself handed me the Prime Minister's science prize last year. Let me say this in plain English: he's an idiot for running a govt who budgeted more for AI than for the Marsden fund. any journo reading this can quote me on it #nzpol
September 18, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Luxon himself handed me the Prime Minister's science prize last year. Let me say this in plain English: he's an idiot for running a govt who budgeted more for AI than for the Marsden fund. any journo reading this can quote me on it #nzpol
Knitting for democracy!
September 5, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Knitting for democracy!
"It highlights the issue, though, that a bad idea communicated in a compelling way is still a bad idea." (In which a New Zealand mayoral candidate helps illustrate the difference between design and a thing that looks 'design-y'.)
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-...
AI can make anyone an architect – and that’s not a good thing
A Hastings mayoral candidate proposed a solution to a quake-prone library using AI illustration. An actual architect responds.
thespinoff.co.nz
September 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM
"It highlights the issue, though, that a bad idea communicated in a compelling way is still a bad idea." (In which a New Zealand mayoral candidate helps illustrate the difference between design and a thing that looks 'design-y'.)
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-...
thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-...
Aaaaah! This sort of thing gives me both delight that R&D resources are being made visible and shareable, and FOMO that I'm not getting to use any of them. Anyway, you wanna science-y machine in NZ? www.kitmap.govt.nz
Home | Kitmap
Kitmap showcases a wide range of advanced Scientific infrastructure and resources available for R&D and innovation in New Zealand.
www.kitmap.govt.nz
August 28, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Aaaaah! This sort of thing gives me both delight that R&D resources are being made visible and shareable, and FOMO that I'm not getting to use any of them. Anyway, you wanna science-y machine in NZ? www.kitmap.govt.nz
Fresh from the department of 'surely we can do systems better than this?' because there's a lot of ways to do names.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
'It's messed up': Immigrants struggle with names that don't fit the system
Some migrants are changing names that do not fit standard Anglo-Saxon conventions, in order to avoid identity verification woes.
www.abc.net.au
August 27, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Fresh from the department of 'surely we can do systems better than this?' because there's a lot of ways to do names.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
Reposted by Kathryn
Three waters has become a financial disaster for some councils. I spoke to a five-term mayor who says it has wrecked his council and the current reforms appear to be failing www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607...
A mayor confronts the ‘ungodly’ price of three waters reform
The political battle over three waters is over, but the financial wreckage is just beginning.
www.thepress.co.nz
August 22, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Three waters has become a financial disaster for some councils. I spoke to a five-term mayor who says it has wrecked his council and the current reforms appear to be failing www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607...
I've only ever read about these, but apparently some parts of North America put hi-vis flags by pedestrian crossings, which you're expected to carry as you walk to help cars not run you over. It boggles my mind that someone made these exist.
The perfect placement of The Ask sticker - directly on top of crossing flag instructions🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
📸 Rich Jones
📸 Rich Jones
August 22, 2025 at 7:06 PM
I've only ever read about these, but apparently some parts of North America put hi-vis flags by pedestrian crossings, which you're expected to carry as you walk to help cars not run you over. It boggles my mind that someone made these exist.
Reposted by Kathryn
We need everyone back in the office because we want the serendipitous magic that only happens when you let humans get creative together and also we're replacing all of you with an AI machine that can only do things that it's seen done before
August 22, 2025 at 2:55 AM
We need everyone back in the office because we want the serendipitous magic that only happens when you let humans get creative together and also we're replacing all of you with an AI machine that can only do things that it's seen done before
Of course ASME, the very old-school US engineers who regulate pressure vessels, use Roman numerals to name their codebook documents. How else can you guarantee it's not possible to sort them into numerical order by their numbers?
August 15, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Of course ASME, the very old-school US engineers who regulate pressure vessels, use Roman numerals to name their codebook documents. How else can you guarantee it's not possible to sort them into numerical order by their numbers?
"I don't know why AI should make me anxious - I'm a Buddhist. But we don't have a monopoly on not knowing what's reality and what's an illusion."
August 10, 2025 at 8:21 AM
"I don't know why AI should make me anxious - I'm a Buddhist. But we don't have a monopoly on not knowing what's reality and what's an illusion."
Stop scrolling and post 2 characters who bring you joy and happiness
August 6, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Stop scrolling and post 2 characters who bring you joy and happiness
The HouseFresh article gets into some usefully specific numbers, first about Google pretending AI Overview provides facts when it doesn't, and then how they're reducing traffic to actual websites through this pretence. Honestly odd that they're trashing their value this way.
Watch David's video about how bad the AI overview is and read HouseFresh expose on it too.
August 5, 2025 at 12:33 AM
The HouseFresh article gets into some usefully specific numbers, first about Google pretending AI Overview provides facts when it doesn't, and then how they're reducing traffic to actual websites through this pretence. Honestly odd that they're trashing their value this way.
Reposted by Kathryn
still thinking about the Montana knife maker who said you don't have to worry about tariffs if you buy american. and then three months later, he realized he imports swedish steel and german equipment. and even MiUSA equipment costs $100k more now because of tariffs
August 4, 2025 at 1:13 AM
still thinking about the Montana knife maker who said you don't have to worry about tariffs if you buy american. and then three months later, he realized he imports swedish steel and german equipment. and even MiUSA equipment costs $100k more now because of tariffs
Reposted by Kathryn
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
July 27, 2025 at 9:01 PM
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
Reposted by Kathryn
The headline looks like 'haha, maybe you'll care about climate change if it affects sport!' but the detailed reality of the report is quite disturbing. Through both heat and pollution, it's getting hard to live (including play) in some places.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...
Alarming climate data shows 'existential threat' facing cricket
Cricket greats speak out after a new report warns increasing temperatures are making it harder to play the sport at all levels.
www.abc.net.au
July 22, 2025 at 12:30 AM
The headline looks like 'haha, maybe you'll care about climate change if it affects sport!' but the detailed reality of the report is quite disturbing. Through both heat and pollution, it's getting hard to live (including play) in some places.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...
"Why can't we have more of the skilled people, and less of the racist machines second-guessing them in high-stress situations?" (Said by someone who works at the hospital, and regularly sees nurses struggling with a voice-activated radio system that Can't Handle Accents.)
July 20, 2025 at 1:30 AM
"Why can't we have more of the skilled people, and less of the racist machines second-guessing them in high-stress situations?" (Said by someone who works at the hospital, and regularly sees nurses struggling with a voice-activated radio system that Can't Handle Accents.)
Waikato River, 14.6m height at the Hamilton traffic bridge river level sensor: the boat ramp is closed, on account of basically every bit of path now being river access.
www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/...
www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/...
July 12, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Waikato River, 14.6m height at the Hamilton traffic bridge river level sensor: the boat ramp is closed, on account of basically every bit of path now being river access.
www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/...
www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/...