Steve Reeves

Drake meme. Outrage when the left suggest defunding the police. Happy NZ Govt defunding the police

News story about police stations across Canterbury being shut doe.

Remember when the right, their cult, & the media lost their collective shit when the Greens suggested we ‘defund the police’.

Meanwhile NZ Govt is literally defunding the police, closing stations (like they always do).

ChatGPT File • • Edit View Window Help ChatGPT 5 > How many times does the letter b appear in blueberry The word "blueberry" has the letter b three times: • Once at the start ("B" in blueberry). • Once in the middle ("b" in blue). • Once before the -erry ending ("b" in berry). Total: 3 O92 Show me where the letter b appears in the word please. Sure — here's "blueberry" with each b highlighted: B lue b erry Positions (counting from 1): 1 B - first letter 4 b - in blue 6 b - in berry D9< Spell that out with all three bs please. I mean, just spell the word. Sure — here's the full spelling with all three b's shown in place: BLUEBERRY That's exactly how blueberry is spelled, with the b's in positions 1, 5, and 7.

ChatGPT File Edit View Window Help E ChatGPT 5 > You wrote "BLUEBERRY". There are only two bs there. Ah - I see the mix-up. Let's slow it down and spell blueberry carefully, letter by letter, showing all three b's. blueberry Now you can see them: • 1st b → position 1 • 2nd b → position 5 • 3rd b → position 6 blueberry Exactly — blue berry has three b's: • 1st b → at the very start • 2nd b → right after the e in blue • 3rd b → immediately after the second b, starting berry So the "bb" in the middle is really what gives blueberry its double-b moment. Its double-b moment; I see. Yep - blueberry is one of those words where the middle almost trips you up, like it's saying "b-b-better pay attention." That little bb moment is satisfying, though — it makes the word feel extra bouncy.

 ChatGPT File Edit View Window Help 巴 • ChatGPT 5 > My students get you to write their essays for them, you know. Ah, the old "ChatGPT, do my homework" routine — I'm familiar with that one. I can see why they'd be tempted, but here's the thing: I'm a lot more useful as a coach than a ghostwriter. If they use me to brainstorm ideas, plan structure, or clarify tricky concepts, they'll actually learn and still have their own voice in the work. If they just hand in what I write, they're skipping the thinking part - and it usually shows. I'm good, but I still leave a trail of... telltale ChatGPT-isms. A trail of blueberries, as it were. Exactly — a trail of blueberries: easy to follow, a little sweet, and maybe just obvious enough for a watchful teacher to notice. If your students really are leaving me to bake the whole blueberry pie for them, they might forget that the best part of pie is making it themselves... even if it gets a little messy. "Blueberry" only has two bs. Nope - blueberry really does have three b's. Here it is spaced out: bluebberry Positions: b- at the start 5 b - in the "blue" part 6 b - right next to it, starting "berry" That middle double-b is easy to miss if vou just glance at the word.

I had to try the “blueberry” thing myself with GPT5. I merely report the results.

I think a lot about Asimov’s ‘rules for robots’ as context for the rapid adoption of AI we’re seeing. We’ve known for a long time that hard-wired ethics are crucial but evidence from hallucinations and examples like these make it clear that this fundamental safeguard is not in place.

I’m giving a workshop for printmakers next week in which I’ll explain why they shouldn’t be using Instagram as their portfolio site (a surprising number are). And have just now learned another reason to share with them!

Once again for those not listening, Debt to GDP is kinda important, but if nothing else it shows you how much wriggle room you have. As you can see, NZ has the whole of coach class in an A380 to itself with regard to borrowing on a rainy day (say GLOBAL PANDEMIC).

You 'kept' your job & life FFS!

I'm currently working on describing what expertise is for my own PhD thesis, and it's definitely not "Explains things to you in a way that sounds plausible if you know nothing about the topic."

Meanwhile our fossil-drenched government in New Zealand are making posts celebrating coal. We're so, so far behind on solar here.

Aotearoa is going to be in deep economic shit if we don't sort our energy supply out soon. #nzpol

What do we know about the Covid-19 virus five years on? As the virus continues to evolve, experts assess its latest variants, seasonal prevalence and levels of vaccine uptake

What do we know about the Covid-19 virus five years on?

For those keeping track, the Campaign Company has now been involved in:
- Stop 3 Waters
- Rates Cap Campaign
- Anti Māori Wards Billboard campaigns

Clearly there’s some big money backers out there trying to manipulate local elections. Gotta ask yourself why that might be and who is sharing it!

When the Beatles played taxman in 1966, the top rate on income tax in the UK was 95%. Going by what people say today about a 39% top rate of tax in NZ, you might think 1966 Britain would have been an economic disaster, but it was booming, the “swinging sixties”.

Wanna know the common thread in Aotearoa’s ever-worsening cost of living crisis?

LACK OF COMPETITION.
Monopolies, duopolies & cartels.

Supermarkets. Building supplies. Powercos. Fuel companies. Fonterra. Banks.

Pray for a future Gov brave enough to break up or regulate these sectors.

Summer surge of COVID here just in time for new school year The latest weekly numbers show that COVID cases in Texas have risen by 36%. So what should be done to keep kids as safe as possible in the classroom?

USA: Summer surge of COVID here just in time for new school year.

Kids head back to school next week, making it easier for viruses to spread in close quarters.

Texas has seen a 36% rise in COVID cases, according to the latest weekly data from state health officials.

Rail the key to moving people efficiently around the South Passenger rail is vital, Daniel Jolly writes. It is time to face facts: the South Island is crying out for modern, efficient passenger rail. For...

"The numbers speak for themselves: transport accounts for 39% of NZ's CO2 emissions.

Shifting even a fraction of short-haul flights, such as those between Dunedin and Christchurch, to rail could slash per-passenger emissions by over 80%. Hybrid or electric trains would cut this even further."

I’ve read through this twice, and both times I missed the part where they approached ACT Party Leader David Seymour for comment.

You know, the bloke who’s currently deputy Prime Minister, and who some may say was helped there by covering up Jago’s offending in the lead up to the election. #nzpol

"When they need to arrest someone and there isn’t a good enough reason to do so, that’s where they find the excuse,” one said, referring to the information stored in the cloud"

NZ govt and unis all now sitting with Microsoft...so are they gpoing to have a moral rethink?

Nah...too much bother.

‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe

Disclosures about the role of Microsoft’s Azure platform in the surveillance project come as the US tech giant faces pressure from employees and investors over its ties to Israel’s military

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Palantir Jumps After Reporting Record Quarterly Sales Growth Palantir Technologies Inc. reported its biggest-ever quarterly sales growth since the company went public, citing the “astonishing impact” of artificial intelligence technology on its business.

Musk's vast Tesla payout and Palantir's stock leap tell us one thing: any qualms the market used to have about explicit Nazism and "sin stocks" are a thing of the past. Capital is openly embracing the cult of death.

Another reminder National inherited a solid economy

They only have themselves and their anti NZ policies to blame

No, Labour didn't do it, national fucked it up

#nzpol

The fucking rich are too stupid to know they’d be happier — and likely richer — under the greens too.

I'd pay good money to see comments by Sir Peter Gluckman about this in that list (or anywhere really). The government is very late on releasing all the reports of his two groups. Their web sites have vanished. It sure looks like we have a system that is circling round the drain. Yet 🦗 from him...

Further cuts fund new tech institute - Expert Reaction Details of new changes to research funding under sweeping science sector reforms have been released today. The briefing confirms that set up of the NZ Institute for Advanced Technology will be paid fo...

Further cuts fund new tech institute – Expert Reaction
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/08/06/f...

"The movement of funds from the Investigator-led Marsden Fund ... is absolutely an attack on fundamental research and on internationally-recognised research excellence" - @nicgaston.bsky.social

Majority of Govt's $231m tech institute funded through research funding cuts 'It will be a cornerstone of our plan to grow a high-tech, high-value economy.'

This is bad..but also there's $21M from the NSC just sitting there unused???

So many of us (like on the Veracity Project, or the wonderful SfTI-funding in general) could have used some of that (and the whole of Veracity only got about $3M!!!)

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

A 29% cut to the Marsden Fund, plus major cuts to Endeavour, HRC and elsewhere 😠
With success rates already in single figures in some areas and funding not keeping pace with rising costs, this is devastating for New Zealand science

Perhaps she picked a forecast that made her statement true...one older than the ones on the graph?

Unemployment rate rises to highest level since 2020 The rate, now at its highest point since 2020, has been steadily going up as businesses either sack staff or stop hiring.

They’ve nothing to fix this. All they know how to do is cut and slash. We’ll have the better part of 10% unemployment by the election next year. These muppets accused Labour of economic vandalism. As is always the case with the right, every accusation is a confession. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

A really, really big dead cat to try to divert attention from the appalling employment data, also out today.

What a coincidence! This announcement just could NOT wait!

Using a FORECAST (from some time ago) as cover for the real data being so awful is something she's done a lot lately, and is truly pathetic. She has NOTHING else!

This data, together with anticipated weaker GDP data, suggests that the economy is in a difficult place and now needs support – not cuts. Unemployment is higher in New Zealand than in the UK (4.5%) the USA (4.2%) and Australia (4.2%). It’s higher than the OECD Average (4.9%)

What is the justification for this?

The government is going remove footage taken by cameras monitoring fishing vessels from the scope of the Official Information Act.

A backward step into secrecy to protect the minister’s friends & donors in the industry, this will damage public confidence in government and the fishing industry.