Sidney Wong
@sidneygjwong.bsky.social
黃吉贊 (he/any) | Queer Cantonese 🏳️🌈 researcher working on responsible computational social science using language data. Te Pūnaha Matatini / Fulbright Scholar (US 24/25), Aotearoa NZ.
Just finished packing ahead of my flight at the crack of dawn to Meanjin (Brisbane) via Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). Over the next week I'll be competing in the Bingham Cup with the NZ Falcons 🏉🦅 Ao/NZ's gay and inclusive rugby team. Wish me luck as we do our best to bring home some silverware!
Could someone please explain a 'mince and cheese' haircut?
“Ngāi Tahu has unveiled a plan to reorganise the South Island's council boundaries, replacing the 24 councils within its rohe with five bigger ones aligned to major river catchments.” #nzpol
Ngāi Tahu unveils South Island council boundary plan
Ngāi Tahu has unveiled a plan to reorganise the South Island's council boundaries, replacing the 24 councils within its rohe with five bigger ones aligned to major river catchments.
rnz.co.nz
Okay, it appears my Blue sky is beginning to resemble my old Twitter. Hooray!
Who else is refreshing their social media feeds for the news right now? #kikorangi
Unexpected update from OSF this morning that you'll no longer be able to create new projects or components from Nov 16
I'm being quite deliberate with my phrasing of techno-orientalism here. Let's not kid ourselves here that there isn't a perception 'Asians' are perceived as interchangeable, replaceable, and disposable robots in the AI race
Sidney Wong@sidneygjwong.bsky.social · 2w agoLinkedIn was fun while it lasted Anyone jumping on the 'Zhang et al.' meme should just stfu The Roman (Latin) alphabet does a terrible job communicating the nuance of Chinese clan names Let's not mask techno-orientalism with a quippy AI generated meme
LinkedIn was fun while it lasted Anyone jumping on the 'Zhang et al.' meme should just stfu The Roman (Latin) alphabet does a terrible job communicating the nuance of Chinese clan names Let's not mask techno-orientalism with a quippy AI generated meme
If we learnt anything from the subscription business model then look no further than the enshittification of Netflix. We need to consider the risks of dependence and ecosystem lock in
RNZ News Feeds@rnzrss.bsky.social · 2w agoCompanies must adapt to rising AI costs, tech commentator says
With club rugby season coming to an end, we also farewell the perm mullet that has comforted me and kept me warm on and off the field. Who knows what the next season may bring. Good bye for now.
In today's episode of "I didn't realise this was New Zealand English" is 'pash'. Also used in Australian English, it means 'to kiss' formed by conversion from the clipping of 'passionate' Who knew how useful my better half would be for linguistics research www.oed.com/dictionary/p...
pash, v.² meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
pash, v.² meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com
It's been a wee while since I've last promoted this. Let me know if you'd like me to add you to the starter pack!
Sidney Wong@sidneygjwong.bsky.social · 2y agoThe Asia-Pacific Linguists Community starter pack brings together perspectives from linguists, language researchers, and language enthusiasts with a connection to the Asia-Pacific Region go.bsky.app/AMrs7bo
Unintended collab with @drdeanknight.bsky.social. I mean every word. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
New Zealand legislation recognising English an official language ridiculed as ‘pathetic’
Passing of bill technically gives English same status as Māori and sign language but, with it already spoken by 95% of country, critics call it ‘a pointless exercise’
theguardian.com
Won't be surprised if Stats NZ gets further defunded in the next budget (or through some legislation passed under urgency) for not cooking up the figures some people were hoping for www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/05/n...
NZ's unemployment rate hits 11-year high in June quarter
"Around 8000 more people were experiencing long-term unemployment in the June 2026 quarter than in the same quarter in 2025," according to Stats NZ.
1news.co.nz
Sidney Wong@sidneygjwong.bsky.social · 2w agoUnsurprising that the unemployment rate has hit the highest in nearly 11 years (5.6%). I reject the tall tale that 'young people are lazy' considering how hard it is to be offered full-time employment - I won't use 'find' as there are heaps of jobs being advertised, but there's also more competition
If you're wondering why I haven't been super active on here in community spaces it's not because I don't care, it's because I've had to prioritise meeting the basic needs of my whānau
Sidney Wong@sidneygjwong.bsky.social · 2w agoOne thing I haven't talked about was how difficult it was to move back to NZ after my year in the NZ. The other half came back three months early to find work (May 2025) and was only offered part-time work after six months
Unsurprising that the unemployment rate has hit the highest in nearly 11 years (5.6%). I reject the tall tale that 'young people are lazy' considering how hard it is to be offered full-time employment - I won't use 'find' as there are heaps of jobs being advertised, but there's also more competition
One year anniversary since I've been back home after spending a year in the US. It's all been a bit of a blur: finding our feet, finishing the PhD, and starting my new role. Definitely need to take some time unpacking the time I spent there.
If you've spent enough time on the road on the West Coast, Otago, and Southland there's plenty of spooky looking spots. I'm sure there'll be one or two people on here who's got a story to share ...
Seia Tanabe@seiatanabe.bsky.social · 3w agoSeeking haunted tales from New Zealand! I'm interviewing for a ghost story book coming next year. The South Island is currently wrapped in too much silence—I need your spooky stories. Looking for 1-2 contributors. Got a scary experience? Let’s talk.
It's been a few years in the making, but we're finally at the stage where we're ready to deposit the oral history recordings and transcripts of our Cantonese elders at the national library! www.mch.govt.nz/news/oral-hi...
Oral history funding supports 14 projects to record community experiences | Manatū Taonga | Ministry for Culture & Heritage
Ngā Kōrero Tuku Iho, Piki Ake! Kake Ake! New Zealand Oral History grants (the grants) support community-led oral history projects that reflect diverse identities and perspectives in Aotearoa New Zeala...
mch.govt.nz
Seriousness aside, one of the most upsetting things is that we've now lost our my primary example in explaining the difference between de jure and de facto official languages. But also the conservative virtue signalling that motivated the introduction of this legislation from a minority party.
Words as old* as me: bootylicious chai latte cybercitizen digital divide friend zone metrosexual MP3 neurotypical social media webcam www.merriam-webster.com/time-travele...
Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster: Words from 1994
See which words were first recorded in 1994. Or search for other words by the year when they were first used.
merriam-webster.com
Let's not forget the same Member of Parliament (MP), also the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who told one of the few Asian-origin MPs to "go back to where you've come from", also used the 'Asian Invasion' as part of their election campaign 30-years ago.
In the most LinkedIn-like manner, I'm pleased to announce that we've managed to maintain a three week streak first place at our weekly pub quiz 🏆
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill, the National Library's partnering with Blackout Poetry Aotearoa to run a blackout poetry competition inspired by original newspaper articles from the Homosexual Law Reform era. natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/m... Entries close 21 August.
It's only fair that I posted this LinkedIn like post that we came first at the pub quiz this week (two for two, baby) 🥳
