John Small
@smalltorquer.bsky.social
Open-minded economist, koro to 4 mokopuna, promoting prosperity for Aotearoa and the mana of all who live here. Posts are personal views. Shares are not endorsements.
I only now realized that when I searched for the cover image of White Flight earlier, it pulled up this image drawn from one of the blurbs for the book. The words are from the amazing southern historian Dan Carter. But the image is of the amazing New Zealand rugby star Dan Carter.
Love is... messages to your partner that start with: updog?
There should be more news on Australia's plans to require Data Centres to be nett generators (and the degree of renewables) later this month, for legislation next year. NZ seems to have no such planning, opting for more of a US "let it hit the current grid" model. thenextweb.com/news/austral...
Australia’s world-first data centre rules hit their first snag: the power isn’t there yet
Australia has told its data centres to put more power into the grid than they pull out, an obligation no other country has tried to write into law. The demand is barely a fortnight old, and it has alr...
thenextweb.com
Outstanding! By contrast, typical seed treatments in agriculture here are pesticides.
SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19)@covid19disease.bsky.social · 4d ago🚨 After 40 years of research, Brazilian scientist Dr. Mariangela Hungria wins the World Food Prize for pioneering a $2 nitrogen-fixing bacteria treatment that replaces costly fertilizers, saves farmers $25 billion annually, and cuts 230 million tons of CO₂ emissions.
The Commerce Commission warns businesses remain strictly responsible for illegal price-fixing outcomes produced by automated algorithms.
How AI could accidentally engage businesses in cartels
newsroom.co.nz
The CBD is like my backyard and we have been suffering so long, so so long that I am suspending my Auckland City of Fails cynicism and going full Auckland Cultural Nationalist. I cannot wait for these stations to open, they look so BEAUTIFUL, the public DESERVES NICE THINGS
That last bit is general advice, to be followed every day as you wake up.
Neo liberals scoff at industry policy while other countries win big by leaning into the obvious mega trends.
John Small@smalltorquer.bsky.social · 2w agoFurther evidence that China is way ahead on EVs... www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/7...
Hey @ericcrampton.bsky.social have you got any updated thoughts on prediction markets in light of recent experience in the US?
Agree and would add that economic effects should also be given more attention. Lots of NZ's international trade gains value from our GE free status.
Mandy Hager@mandyh.bsky.social · 2w ago"What is missing from the current debate is the creation of a place where ethical, cultural and societal questions can be examined openly and independently."
lmao archive.ph/hx9HK for those of you who don't want to pay the nytimes
They Called Sam Neill ‘Skux.’ (It Was a Compliment.)
The New Zealand slang word, dating back to the 1990s, was pulled back into circulation in tributes to the actor, who died on Tuesday.
nytimes.com
This summer, we kept the lights on all night, every night, at five soccer fields across New York City. This was the scene at Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend, Brooklyn Tuesday night.
landscaper: are you sure this retaining wall is square with the house? builder: yea mate I did a 3-4-5, it's square. bang on landscaper: huh but how do you know without a laser and level builder, covered in mud from digging holes: uh, because of Pythagoras
While doing my PhD I joked about a limit theorem: if you keep learning more & more about less & less, you'll end up knowing absolutely everything about nothing at all.
The Daily Tism@thedailytism.com · 3w agoKit McGodden, 25, wrote an 80,000 word introduction, at which point they realised that they had accidentally written a whole thesis as the prelude to their thesis.
Investment in the renewable energy ecosystem seems like the safest bet for all kiwis at this point.... www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...
The return of rising oil prices risks killing off the emerging positive vibes
Analysis - For a brief few weeks in the wake of the ceasefire in the Middle East, it felt as though New Zealand's economy might finally be catching a break.
rnz.co.nz
PSA: the Sam Neill / John Clark classic Death in Brunswick is streaming on Prime.
Mine too. Its getting better all the time & the CRL will magnify the goodness.
Tze Ming Mok 莫志明@tzemingdynasty.bsky.social · 3w agoMy neighbourhood, never heard of them
Sam Neill on tackling depression and imposter syndrome when you’re between jobs.
Vale Sam Neill, New Zealand's top movie scientist and by all accounts a lovely man. Genuinely bereft - he was one of the best of us.
Never forget that time Sam Neill gave a quote about murder that was so beautifully kabonkers, we all assumed it was a Clickhole bit initially
My VAR joke was going well until everyone started focusing on the errors
NERV IRB Coordinator@professormusgrave.bsky.social · 4w agoWhat does football have to do with vector auto regression
Not for home gardens BTW. They need much more balanced biological activity. This sucker is for commercial soils that need a serious fungi boost (which is most of AoNZ).
John Small@smalltorquer.bsky.social · 4w agoThis Johnson-Su Bio-Reactor was a highlight of the organic farmers' field trip today.
This Johnson-Su Bio-Reactor was a highlight of the organic farmers' field trip today.
