Ok, starting a new adventure - Magnificent!

"You are either with us or against us," says Bessant.

You know Scott, I think you made that decision for us when you started threatening to invade Greenland.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87n90eg0p2o

I had Covid and ‘flu shots in the autumn, but I’m now on my fourth virus of the winter. This is mainly because my granddaughter has started day care.

You can hear my RNZ Nine to Noon session from this morning here:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019048425/tech-spark-s-future-rogue-ai-aged-care-algorithms

If I was a National Party comms person, I'd stop the leader from talking to the media.
It's just one stupid thing after another.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361022356/it-very-difficult-cross-molesworth-st-luxon-says-we-check

Spark annual result tomorrow morning...

The share price has ticked up a few points since the start of the week which may or may not be indicative of anything.

Chris Hipkins said on the day that we first heard they were going to dump pay equity, that we would legislate to restore it.

Turns out it is a 16 Plus... not surprisingly I lost track of version numbers.

It's Monday lunchtime... has this week's National Party leadership spill started yet?

My iPhone 17 Plus is the pinnacle of personal technology. We live in a world where digital agents can discover new cures for formerly incurable illnesses, perform near miracles.

And yet, sometimes that "have you tried turning it off and on again" is the only way to fix a problem.

Who the fuck actually enjoys going on cruises? They're either prison ships or plague ships with no appealing or redeeming features at all.

Fibre competition not strong enough to deregulate: https://billbennett.co.nz/fibre-competition-deregulation/

As far as New Zealand politics is concerned, the collective term for a number of Chris's would be a "crisis".

You heard it here first:

https://elk.zone/mastodon.nz/@billbennett/117057994144923867

The beatings will continue until morale improves is a brave platform for an election campaign. But if the polls are right it seems to be working.

Is Christopher Luxon still prime minister?

Just checking.

New Zealand’s direct-to-cell revolution: https://billbennett.co.nz/nz-direct-to-cell-satellite-revolution-gartner/

Huge newsletter this morning. Suddenly there is a lot happening on the telecoms scene.

https://billbennett.co.nz/nz-direct-to-cell-satellite-revolution-gartner/

So, what if, say, National's potential partners decide not having the referendum is a non-negotiable part of forming a new coalition?

https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/08/06/luxon-will-call-referendum-on-mmp-if-returned-to-power/

Interesting to think that if you are my age and read classic science fiction* in the 1960s or 70s... maybe even the early 1980s, that we are now living in those times.

* I'm not a SF fan and haven't touched it for 40 years, but I read enough when I was a kid to know this is largely right.