Steffen
@steffenrusten.bsky.social
The arc of history bends toward upzoning. Let's talk about music and urban development.
Politics. Music. Coffee. Erratic hot takes. Occasional sportsball (Arsenal, Phoenix, Stabæk).
Currently: working on Te Whare Hangahanga.
🚲🚄🚌🌇🏗️ 🇳🇴 + 🇳
Politics. Music. Coffee. Erratic hot takes. Occasional sportsball (Arsenal, Phoenix, Stabæk).
Currently: working on Te Whare Hangahanga.
🚲🚄🚌🌇🏗️ 🇳🇴 + 🇳
Stop glorifying ‘build to rent’. It’s just another asset class rebranded by corporate landlords.
July 19, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Stop glorifying ‘build to rent’. It’s just another asset class rebranded by corporate landlords.
Any streaming platforms banned AI-music yet? I'd like to give them my money.
July 3, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Any streaming platforms banned AI-music yet? I'd like to give them my money.
Reposted by Steffen
People like Smith and Starmer simply don’t belong in a Labour Party worthy of the name.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
BBC response to Bob Vylan’s IDF chants at Glastonbury ‘not good enough’, says minister
Jacqui Smith says live broadcast should have been pulled, but rapper stands by performance calling for ‘change in foreign policy’
www.theguardian.com
June 30, 2025 at 9:07 AM
People like Smith and Starmer simply don’t belong in a Labour Party worthy of the name.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
Moved from NZ to Australia in March.
Things that are worse:
- Internet speeds
- Chocolate milk
Things that are better? Everything else.
Things that are worse:
- Internet speeds
- Chocolate milk
Things that are better? Everything else.
June 28, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Moved from NZ to Australia in March.
Things that are worse:
- Internet speeds
- Chocolate milk
Things that are better? Everything else.
Things that are worse:
- Internet speeds
- Chocolate milk
Things that are better? Everything else.
I'm good with AI being used for 'simple' social copy, email copy, SEO blogs etc.
I say this as someone who has made a living off that stuff. I've experienced absolutely broken economics that marketing/comms agencies depend on.
Let AI reform that world, and leave the creative to humans.
I say this as someone who has made a living off that stuff. I've experienced absolutely broken economics that marketing/comms agencies depend on.
Let AI reform that world, and leave the creative to humans.
May 31, 2025 at 8:55 AM
I'm good with AI being used for 'simple' social copy, email copy, SEO blogs etc.
I say this as someone who has made a living off that stuff. I've experienced absolutely broken economics that marketing/comms agencies depend on.
Let AI reform that world, and leave the creative to humans.
I say this as someone who has made a living off that stuff. I've experienced absolutely broken economics that marketing/comms agencies depend on.
Let AI reform that world, and leave the creative to humans.
Reposted by Steffen
Received an email from our building manager to all the tenants in our building. A building built next to a major train line.
It advised people that management, in response to residents' concerns about train noise, had raised "formal complaints with Metro Trains and the Public Transport Ombudsman."
It advised people that management, in response to residents' concerns about train noise, had raised "formal complaints with Metro Trains and the Public Transport Ombudsman."
April 16, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Received an email from our building manager to all the tenants in our building. A building built next to a major train line.
It advised people that management, in response to residents' concerns about train noise, had raised "formal complaints with Metro Trains and the Public Transport Ombudsman."
It advised people that management, in response to residents' concerns about train noise, had raised "formal complaints with Metro Trains and the Public Transport Ombudsman."
Reposted by Steffen
A major cause of rising house prices has been increased demand from investors.
Our research shows restricting negative gearing to newly built housing and scrapping the capital gains tax discount would reduce speculation and allow more first home buyers to get into their own home.
Our research shows restricting negative gearing to newly built housing and scrapping the capital gains tax discount would reduce speculation and allow more first home buyers to get into their own home.
April 9, 2025 at 1:30 AM
A major cause of rising house prices has been increased demand from investors.
Our research shows restricting negative gearing to newly built housing and scrapping the capital gains tax discount would reduce speculation and allow more first home buyers to get into their own home.
Our research shows restricting negative gearing to newly built housing and scrapping the capital gains tax discount would reduce speculation and allow more first home buyers to get into their own home.
Absolutely my favourite April Fool's content this year ☕🌅
The Secrets Of My Daily Coffee Routine
YouTube video by James Hoffmann
www.youtube.com
April 1, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Absolutely my favourite April Fool's content this year ☕🌅
Reposted by Steffen
#Housing credit lotteries in #Brazil show that early access to homeownership significantly boosts #fertility rates. Subsidies and zoning changes could support young families and address demographic challenges.
B van Doornik, D Fazio, T Ramadorai, J Skrastiņš
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky
B van Doornik, D Fazio, T Ramadorai, J Skrastiņš
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky
March 17, 2025 at 9:09 AM
#Housing credit lotteries in #Brazil show that early access to homeownership significantly boosts #fertility rates. Subsidies and zoning changes could support young families and address demographic challenges.
B van Doornik, D Fazio, T Ramadorai, J Skrastiņš
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky
B van Doornik, D Fazio, T Ramadorai, J Skrastiņš
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
#EconSky
Living rent free in their Spotify
March 8, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Living rent free in their Spotify
March 6, 2025 at 9:55 AM
2025 albums that I've been enjoying
March 3, 2025 at 12:36 AM
2025 albums that I've been enjoying
Hilarious being in a music discord server and being told that posting ‘political songs’ is a problem
March 2, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Hilarious being in a music discord server and being told that posting ‘political songs’ is a problem
Reposted by Steffen
this will alienate me from many people but i’m dead serious about massively increasing defence spending. not for flash kit per se, but for credible surveillance kit and deterrence suited to our capability and conditions (drones, a guerrilla force, etc etc etc)
February 27, 2025 at 8:57 AM
this will alienate me from many people but i’m dead serious about massively increasing defence spending. not for flash kit per se, but for credible surveillance kit and deterrence suited to our capability and conditions (drones, a guerrilla force, etc etc etc)
Those damn DEI asteroids
NASA announced on Monday that the odds that an asteroid would smash into Earth in 2032 have dropped to nearly zero.
Earth Safe From Asteroid 2024 YR4, NASA Says
The odds that the space rock, 2024 YR4, will smash into our planet in 2032 have dropped to nearly zero, leading astronomers to conclude that we are no longer in danger.
www.nytimes.com
February 25, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Those damn DEI asteroids
We live in a world where wannabe marketing influencers are espousing the value of 'error-led content' as a way for people to express their authenticity.
Be stupid so people know you're real.
Be stupid so people know you're real.
February 25, 2025 at 2:57 AM
We live in a world where wannabe marketing influencers are espousing the value of 'error-led content' as a way for people to express their authenticity.
Be stupid so people know you're real.
Be stupid so people know you're real.
One way flight booked. As they say, Everyone Must Go.
February 24, 2025 at 7:35 AM
One way flight booked. As they say, Everyone Must Go.
Doesn't do much on Bsky for a while. Comes back. Tells someone their take is bad. Gets blocked.
Never change, Bluesky.
Never change, Bluesky.
February 24, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Doesn't do much on Bsky for a while. Comes back. Tells someone their take is bad. Gets blocked.
Never change, Bluesky.
Never change, Bluesky.
The media using neutral pronouns for the person Bayly ‘laid hands on’ is not a conspiracy or cover up. These are small teams. The gender of the victim isn’t being disclosed because doing so could identify them.
Be smarter.
Be smarter.
February 24, 2025 at 6:17 AM
The media using neutral pronouns for the person Bayly ‘laid hands on’ is not a conspiracy or cover up. These are small teams. The gender of the victim isn’t being disclosed because doing so could identify them.
Be smarter.
Be smarter.
Some of this week's music
February 22, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Some of this week's music
Reposted by Steffen
Took the kids this summer to see some of our most fiercely protected conservation areas. Was magical.
February 18, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Took the kids this summer to see some of our most fiercely protected conservation areas. Was magical.
Adjusted for inflation, $40.9bn in Q4 of 2019 (pre-pandemic) would be $50.42bn. $37.7bn is 74.8% of that number.
Still want to describe it as "creeping back up"?
Still want to describe it as "creeping back up"?
"tourism was New Zealand’s largest export industry and delivered $40.9bn. The most recent figures show those numbers are creeping back up, with tourism bringing in $37.7bn in 2023."
Journalists continue to be economically illiterate. Adjusted for inflation that's far below pre-pandemic income.
Journalists continue to be economically illiterate. Adjusted for inflation that's far below pre-pandemic income.
February 17, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Adjusted for inflation, $40.9bn in Q4 of 2019 (pre-pandemic) would be $50.42bn. $37.7bn is 74.8% of that number.
Still want to describe it as "creeping back up"?
Still want to describe it as "creeping back up"?
"tourism was New Zealand’s largest export industry and delivered $40.9bn. The most recent figures show those numbers are creeping back up, with tourism bringing in $37.7bn in 2023."
Journalists continue to be economically illiterate. Adjusted for inflation that's far below pre-pandemic income.
Journalists continue to be economically illiterate. Adjusted for inflation that's far below pre-pandemic income.
February 17, 2025 at 4:45 AM
"tourism was New Zealand’s largest export industry and delivered $40.9bn. The most recent figures show those numbers are creeping back up, with tourism bringing in $37.7bn in 2023."
Journalists continue to be economically illiterate. Adjusted for inflation that's far below pre-pandemic income.
Journalists continue to be economically illiterate. Adjusted for inflation that's far below pre-pandemic income.
There's seemingly never been a better time to reject cloud services and store things locally. The future was promised, existed for a minute, and then became our enemy.
February 9, 2025 at 3:49 AM
There's seemingly never been a better time to reject cloud services and store things locally. The future was promised, existed for a minute, and then became our enemy.