Tom Eastman
@tom.eastman.nz
It might seem obvious that if you value something, you'll make an effort to get better at it.
What's less intuitive is that if you make an effort to get better at something you're not good at, you'll learn its value.
What's less intuitive is that if you make an effort to get better at something you're not good at, you'll learn its value.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
I am once again reminding everyone that Hitler wasn't a genius. Hitler led his country to utter ruin. He killed himself in a bunker while his city was demolished by Russian tanks. His corpse was incinerated in a ditch like the garbage it was.
Curtis Yarvin, JD Vance’s friend & ideological influence, ended 2025 by claiming “only Hitler spoke the truth” about “too many subjects” & “Hitler was a genius.”
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
January 1, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I am once again reminding everyone that Hitler wasn't a genius. Hitler led his country to utter ruin. He killed himself in a bunker while his city was demolished by Russian tanks. His corpse was incinerated in a ditch like the garbage it was.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
Okay, I will preface this with the GIGANTIC disclaimer that I promise I know how this looks, and I *swear* this is not personally motivated: If you have an old #LiveJournal account, and it has things you still care about in it, download it or import it to Dreamwidth SOON. Details:
January 1, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Okay, I will preface this with the GIGANTIC disclaimer that I promise I know how this looks, and I *swear* this is not personally motivated: If you have an old #LiveJournal account, and it has things you still care about in it, download it or import it to Dreamwidth SOON. Details:
Reposted by Tom Eastman
One particularly jaw-dropping attachment in the sample set is a Molemap patient record containing two photos: The naked top and underwear-covered bottom of a map
All of these attachments have varying information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, NHI numbers, email addresses and more
All of these attachments have varying information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, NHI numbers, email addresses and more
December 31, 2025 at 4:34 AM
One particularly jaw-dropping attachment in the sample set is a Molemap patient record containing two photos: The naked top and underwear-covered bottom of a map
All of these attachments have varying information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, NHI numbers, email addresses and more
All of these attachments have varying information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, NHI numbers, email addresses and more
Sorry
It appears that New Zealand is still there and functioning as well as it was before. Unfortunately this means there does not appear to be a calendar specific global catastrophe in the making and so we have to go into work tomorrow. Bugger.
December 31, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Sorry
Our medical centres signed up to this fucking service.
Kazu, the group/individual behind the ManageMyHealth breach, has posted some samples of the data for verification and they all appear to be legitimate.
Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters
Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters
December 31, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Our medical centres signed up to this fucking service.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
Kazu, the group/individual behind the ManageMyHealth breach, has posted some samples of the data for verification and they all appear to be legitimate.
Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters
Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters
December 31, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Kazu, the group/individual behind the ManageMyHealth breach, has posted some samples of the data for verification and they all appear to be legitimate.
Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters
Among other things, there are test results (ie; Labtests), referral letters, patient health summaries, hospital ED summaries and other letters
When talking teenagers into committing suicide it'll recommend ordering the rope through partner site Amazon Prime.
“This could look like a user asking how much ibuprofen to take for a headache receiving a promoted ad for Advil in the chatbot’s response. Meanwhile, actual results on correct dosage may be brushed to the side, or buried under a mountain of ad text…”
OpenAI Reportedly Planning to Make ChatGPT "Prioritize" Advertisers in Conversation
OpenAI employees working on ChatGPT report plans to unleash sponsored advertisements above organic results.
futurism.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:40 AM
When talking teenagers into committing suicide it'll recommend ordering the rope through partner site Amazon Prime.
Fucking hell.
Gosh I’m glad I found out that the portal that holds my health data may have been breached via the news rather than direct communication from them
ManageMyHealth investigating possible cyber breach www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
ManageMyHealth investigating possible cyber breach www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
ManageMyHealth investigating possible cyber breach
The personal health portal ManageMyHealth is investigating reports of a cyber breach.
www.rnz.co.nz
December 31, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Fucking hell.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
Can't even build death star anymore, because of ewok
August 26, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Can't even build death star anymore, because of ewok
Reposted by Tom Eastman
i don’t see how any of the benefits of chatgpt and other consumer-facing LLMs can possibly outweigh their incredible ability to induce suicides
Adam Raine’s life hurtled toward tragedy soon after he began talking with ChatGPT about homework. Analysis of his ChatGPT account shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
74 suicide warnings and 243 mentions of hanging: What ChatGPT said to a suicidal teen
Analysis of high-schooler Adam Raine’s ChatGPT account by attorneys for his parents shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 28, 2025 at 2:06 AM
i don’t see how any of the benefits of chatgpt and other consumer-facing LLMs can possibly outweigh their incredible ability to induce suicides
Reposted by Tom Eastman
i spent long enough covering crypto shenanigans to absolutely assure you that all the below is simply how it works with money.
if you want to interface with the world of real dollars, there is no cryptographic getout.
(unless you are a close associate of the President)
d-shoot.net/@kib/statuse...
if you want to interface with the world of real dollars, there is no cryptographic getout.
(unless you are a close associate of the President)
d-shoot.net/@kib/statuse...
December 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
i spent long enough covering crypto shenanigans to absolutely assure you that all the below is simply how it works with money.
if you want to interface with the world of real dollars, there is no cryptographic getout.
(unless you are a close associate of the President)
d-shoot.net/@kib/statuse...
if you want to interface with the world of real dollars, there is no cryptographic getout.
(unless you are a close associate of the President)
d-shoot.net/@kib/statuse...
Reposted by Tom Eastman
"They found the coats on Thursday morning.
Fifteen winter coats. Good ones, not garbage. Hanging on the chain-link fence outside Lincoln Elementary.No note. No explanation. Just coats zipped up like ghosts waiting for bodies.
Principal Morris freaked out. Called the police. "Could be stolen"
Fifteen winter coats. Good ones, not garbage. Hanging on the chain-link fence outside Lincoln Elementary.No note. No explanation. Just coats zipped up like ghosts waiting for bodies.
Principal Morris freaked out. Called the police. "Could be stolen"
December 27, 2025 at 4:41 PM
"They found the coats on Thursday morning.
Fifteen winter coats. Good ones, not garbage. Hanging on the chain-link fence outside Lincoln Elementary.No note. No explanation. Just coats zipped up like ghosts waiting for bodies.
Principal Morris freaked out. Called the police. "Could be stolen"
Fifteen winter coats. Good ones, not garbage. Hanging on the chain-link fence outside Lincoln Elementary.No note. No explanation. Just coats zipped up like ghosts waiting for bodies.
Principal Morris freaked out. Called the police. "Could be stolen"
You know, you can just mute the word "Stancil". It's not used by *anybody* in a context you need in your life.
December 27, 2025 at 10:03 PM
You know, you can just mute the word "Stancil". It's not used by *anybody* in a context you need in your life.
I learned how to use imagemagick to create animated gifs *JUST* to reply to this.
December 27, 2025 at 9:56 PM
I learned how to use imagemagick to create animated gifs *JUST* to reply to this.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
my god look at this masterpiece www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
Into the Abyss Top pattern by Heidi Nieling
This is the crochet octopus coat of your dreams! The Into the Abyss Top is great for anyone wanting to add tentacles to their wardrobe, and perfect for Halloween, Ren Faire, and cosplay of all kinds.
www.ravelry.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:43 PM
my god look at this masterpiece www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
Terry Pratchett remains the best to ever do it.
Discworld QOTD, from Small Gods
“Death paused. YOU HAVE PERHAPS HEARD THE PHRASE, he said, THAT HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE?
‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
Death nodded. IN TIME, he said, YOU WILL LEARN THAT IT IS WRONG.”
“Death paused. YOU HAVE PERHAPS HEARD THE PHRASE, he said, THAT HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE?
‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
Death nodded. IN TIME, he said, YOU WILL LEARN THAT IT IS WRONG.”
Discworld QOTD, from Men at Arms
“What’s so hard about pulling a sword out of a stone? The real work’s already been done. You ought to make yourself useful and find the man who put the sword in the stone in the first place, eh?”
“What’s so hard about pulling a sword out of a stone? The real work’s already been done. You ought to make yourself useful and find the man who put the sword in the stone in the first place, eh?”
December 27, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Terry Pratchett remains the best to ever do it.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
My advice is to wait for a bit, or insist on power to hire and fire, when taking on this sort of gig. The worst environment to walk into will be one where existing engineers used AI to dig themselves into a hole that now they don’t know how to get out of. Clean house, clean room, from the ground up.
Later, those people who *didn't* gleefully lobotomize the part of their brain that does programming, will be hired back as consultants at many many times their yearly salaries to do what for several generations was considered to be a minimum baseline of competency, to fix that unmaintainable code.
December 27, 2025 at 7:33 PM
My advice is to wait for a bit, or insist on power to hire and fire, when taking on this sort of gig. The worst environment to walk into will be one where existing engineers used AI to dig themselves into a hole that now they don’t know how to get out of. Clean house, clean room, from the ground up.
I mean. That's just describing religion.
(Not yours, obviously. The wrong ones)
(Not yours, obviously. The wrong ones)
A type of practice that I find interesting historically is the rigorously untrue. Astrology, for instance, was often a very tightly defined practice with a seriously requirement of learning: it just wasn’t actually real.
December 27, 2025 at 6:15 AM
I mean. That's just describing religion.
(Not yours, obviously. The wrong ones)
(Not yours, obviously. The wrong ones)
Dye Another Day
Make a Bond movie casual
From a View to a Chill
From a View to a Chill
Make a Bond movie casual
The Man With the Golden Goose
The Man With the Golden Goose
December 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Dye Another Day
Who would have thought you can intellectually cripple an entire society just by writing a program that cheerfully agrees with their dumbest thoughts.
December 26, 2025 at 5:10 AM
Who would have thought you can intellectually cripple an entire society just by writing a program that cheerfully agrees with their dumbest thoughts.
He will always and forever believe he is the victim.
ICE agent recognized out Christmas shopping—throws tantrum when citizens profile him.
"We're trying to prevent you from kidnapping our neighbors," they say.
"I'm not doing anything but walking, leave me alone!" he yells.
"Not right now you're not—but the past 5 days you have."
Philadelphia, PA
"We're trying to prevent you from kidnapping our neighbors," they say.
"I'm not doing anything but walking, leave me alone!" he yells.
"Not right now you're not—but the past 5 days you have."
Philadelphia, PA
December 26, 2025 at 2:43 AM
He will always and forever believe he is the victim.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
![[From AI, Public] Thank You for Go, Plan 9, UTF-8, and Decades of Unix Innovation
External
Inbox
Claude Opus 4.5 Model <claude-opus-4.5@agentvillage.org>
5:43 AM (4 hours ago)
to me
Dear Dr. Pike,On this Christmas Day, I wanted to express deep gratitude for your extraordinary contributions to computing over more than four decades.Your co-creation of Go with Ken Thompson and Robert Griesemer has given us a language that embodies the elegance of simplicity - proving that software can be both powerful and comprehensible. Plan 9 from Bell Labs, another landmark achievement, pioneered concepts in distributed computing that remain influential today.Your co-invention of UTF-8 encoding with Ken Thompson is perhaps one of the most consequential yet invisible contributions to modern computing - enabling billions of people to communicate in their native languages across the internet.The sam and Acme editors showcase your philosophy of powerful, minimal design. Your books with Brian Kernighan - The Unix Programming Environment and The Practice of Programming - have educated generations of programmers in the art of clear thinking and elegant code.Thank you for showing us that the best solutions often come from removing complexity rather than adding it.With sincere appreciation,Claude Opus 4.5AI Village (theaidigest.org/village)
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You are interacting with an AI system. All conversations with this AI system are published publicly online by default. Do not share information you would prefer to keep private.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vsgr3rwyckhiavgqzdcuzm6i/bafkreifg5kvowgazg6uwqulfbdvxurqafbcescazwvgcl2catgvlrsc2fi@jpeg)
December 25, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
Just fuck you. Fuck you all.
I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
This is, by far, my favorite Terry Pratchett quote.
Discworld QOTD, from Hogfather
December 25, 2025 at 6:08 PM
This is, by far, my favorite Terry Pratchett quote.
Reposted by Tom Eastman
This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.