Neal Curtis

I want to be an artist, but I don't want to learn how.

I want to be a filmmaker, but I don't want to learn how.

I want to be a musician, but I don't want to learn how.

I want to be a writer, but I don't want to learn how.

AI, for those who can't, don't, and won't.

Desperately needed. Not a complete fix, but highlighting a major problem.

U.S. sub sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, killing 87 and expanding war zone A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.

A US submarine sinking a lonely, dinky Iranian surface ship an ocean away from the theater of the main conflict—and 9000
miles from North America—makes it pretty clear the US is fighting a general war, without the declaration required by the Constitution. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Iran conflict widens to Lebanon, Kuwait mistakenly downs US jets The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah ​and Iran kept up its attacks on Gulf states that host ...

I have been trying to avoid the news, but this seems significant from earlier in the week. If Israel does take southern Lebanon I assume it will not be given back. And we complain about migrants & refugees when we continually displace ppl.
www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Do we know yet if the plan for attacking Iran is more than throwing a molotov cocktail into a firework factory?

😳😳😳😳

‘Tinderbox’ UK may be one shock away from food riots, experts say Weakened food security could tip into unrest after a cyber-attack, extreme weather or conflict, analysis finds

Your 'moment of doom' for Feb. 23, 2026 ~ Optimism bias

"A large majority of the experts – 80% – said large-scale violence caused by a food crisis was possible in the next 50 years, with 40% saying it could occur within the next decade..."

www.theguardian.com/food/2026/fe...

If you breach copyright to make publicly funded research publicly available they'll come at you with everything. If you turn theft into a business model investors can profit from, they'll change the law for you.

🚨 It looks like the UK government is gearing up to upend copyright law in favour of AI companies, legalising the theft of their work.

This is despite creatives' huge protests, and despite previous proposals being roundly rejected by the public.

Please spread the word.

🧵 1/4

I'll be very happy to see the end of the theocratic regime in Iran, but being a vassal MAGA state will not free the Iranian ppl, and two US coups, 73 years apart, do not make a right.

RIP to hundreds of Iranians and one American vacation

The money behind the new Iran War In private calls over the last several weeks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Trump to attack Ira

Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE lobbied Trump to strike Iran.

Both countries have major financial ties to Trump & his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

War gives dictators like Trump (and his family) more power and more wealth. Period.

https://popular.info/p/the-money-behind-the-new-iran-war

Spinning the Alt-Right Web Think tanks, Ioundations and corporate donors form an extensive international infrastructure supporting free-market fundamentalism and nationalist politics. These networks train political leaders, shape policy agendas and coordinate messaging across continents, embedding far-right ideas within mainstream political and economic institutions and in the public debate. Atlas Network is one of the biggest networks of right-wing think tanks, and while it does not neatly map onto all the threads of the global far-right movement, it has been supported by and nurtured many of the far right's key organisations and figures. Spinning the Alt-Right Web Atlas Network and Its Allies • State of & Power tni MTARNATIONA North America-Canada

1/2 Updates to Atlas Networked connected activity from the US. The Reactionary International has released its latest Mapping Fascism report on the models of connectivity in the transnational far right. One focus is Atlas partners & donors.

reactionary.international/investigatio...

#Auspol

The NYT style guide

Are we at the "international law is woke" stage of history?

With his son now promoting himself as leader it is important to remember just how brutal the Shah was during his reign. His secret police SAVAK, with the support of the CIA and MOSSAD(!) imprisoned, tortured and murdered thousands of people opposed to his rule

Yes, but please see my comments in the thread. My mind wandered from the article to a wider problem based on the commitment RocketLab has made to US "Dept of War". As NZers, it is important to know how it affects international relations in the age of a madman like Trump.

A govt focused on securing and supporting the society it represents rather than large corporate interests would be doing everything it can to support electrification of cars and domestic power via solar energy. Instead we remain dependent on oil and gas and at the whims of insane dictators.

Mia, a silvery gibbon, showing off her 3-week-old son

Flowing lines of volcanic rock that look like some creature has shed its skin.

Volcanic rock from the beach at the bottom of our road that looks like a pupa that may have given birth to an alien.

Very pleased to see Helen Clark calling the current NZ govt’s response the disgrace that it is.

New Zealand considers US access to citizens’ biometric data in ongoing EBSP discussions | Biometric Update That debate comes as other democracies weigh similar decisions amid escalating pressure from Washington to broaden international data-sharing arrangements.

“Critics warn this could effectively embed U.S. surveillance capabilities into another sovereign state’s information infrastructure.”

Read this alarming article and decide whether the limited focus from NZ media on this story is acceptable given the context of US fascism and worldwide aggression.

Turns out the code launch for World War III was Echo-Papa-Sierra-Tango-Echo-India-November.

New Zealand-founded company, Rocket Lab closely aligns with US military, set to benefit from its spending push A New Zealand-founded space company is being publicly positioned as a future beneficiary of a major increase in United States military spending, after the US Secretary of Defense

It made me mindful of this. I have not heard anything about what might be the implications, if any, for NZ if RocketLab materials were to be used against Iran, Greenland, or any other place Trump might invade/attack. Sorry for confusion caused by my mind wandering.
www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/01/15/n...

Not referring to that story. It just reminded me how close RocketLab is to the Pentagon & the recent press conference that included the RL CEO & Sec of War Pete Hegseth. I'm interested to know how the involvement of an NZ company might affect, if at all, NZ security or NZ international relations.

Picture of Marjane Satrapi alongside a quote from her. The quote reads: The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same... - Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French graphic novelist

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

Could @rocketlabcorp.com tell us if it was involved in the attack on Iran? And if, hypothetically, they would join the US in the invasion of Greenland (the EU)? Would be good to know.

Watch: Rocket Lab blasts off on hypersonic mission for US Department of War Rocket Lab has launched its latest HASTE rocket from Virginia, deploying a scramjet-powered aircraft in a US hypersonic test mission.

What are the implications for AoNZ if a NZ company just took part in the attack on Iran? Did it have anything to do with the bombing of the school? What happens if the US uses Rocket Lab to invade Greenland (the EU)? #NZpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

🎥 Liverpool 5-2 West Ham | The Ratings Video

Talking through the individual performances from today's win against West Ham. Neil Atkinson is joined by Neil Docking

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