Learning another language - ★★★★★
Learning another language - ★★★★★
Finally. We’ve been consistently ripped off for years by the banks and their transaction fees.
The birds I normally see out of my window are seagulls. There’s lots of other birds around - tui, blackbirds, chaffinches, piwakawaka (fantails) - but seagulls are always there. But just now, for the first time, I saw a karearea, casually stalking the tree canopy. Incredible.
Seriously, read the instructions. And then re-read them. And a bit after you’ve started, re-re-read them. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
You’re supposed to wear a mask on public transport here in Aotearoa. About half of people seem to bother. I’m a rule abider and as an added bonus, it’s freezing cold today so my wool mask is keeping me toasty.
Today I learned: don’t break the back glass on an iPhone because that panel is not replaceable.
3 days without internet at home. Chorus, the company that maintains the fibre optic network, appear to be absolutely useless. 3 days. It’ll be four, because we’re almost at the end of business hours now. And as tomorrow is Friday I guess we won’t have internet until next week.
A crypto-currency where the “proof of work” is sucking CO₂ out of the atmosphere.
We have no internet because the optical network termination unit (the bit that the fibre optic plugs into your house) decided to burn out and die. It’s been 24 hours so far. No broadband and no TV make Yorrike go something something.
I kinda smashed it today. Turns out you still have to pedal eBikes.
If I learnt one things ebiking around today it’s that I need to get some cameras on my helmet because drivers be crazy.
I’ve pre-ordered an Apple TV. Now I wait.
Just to be perfectly clear, I’m staying up until midnight tomorrow so I can order a new Apple TV.
I love how my TV complains it can’t access the internet. And I’m like, yeah, I know. I don’t want you to call home every 5 minutes. You get one hour every month to download updates. I’m treating you like a internet-obsessed teenager.
We literally couldn’t justify buying an electric car. We’ll be looking for a newish car in the next few months buy holy hell electric cars are expensive. I wanted our last car to be our final petrol car, but alas. It’ll be petrol. Even PHEVs are too expensive!
Today’s instance of a French word that sounds way cooler than the English word: moth - papillon de la nuit, butterfly of the night
eBike update. Now I’ve been riding for a week or so:
It’s great being able to see the South Island / Te Waipounamu in a certain morning light where you can see the colours of the hills and mountains rather than it being one crinkly silhouette.
Without a doubt, and symbolic of an end of a dark period of form over function, this is what I found most exciting about today’s Apple announcements. And there’s one button in particular.
New 24” iMacs and the new iPads Pro are pretty reasonably priced. Air tags are rip offs.
Apple TV is thrice the price of a Chromecast with Google TV but probably worth it. Especially if it lasts 4–8 years and both need to be plugged into the wall. Plus that remote!
Guess I’ll be buying a new Apple TV. I was going to get a Chromcast with Google TV, but since they both need to be plugged I to the wall, may as well get the better one with a better looking remote. But sweet Cthulhu, they’re expensive.
From riding an eBike around Wellington for a few days:
Took delivery of my eBike today! It’s a Benno Boost that’ll push me to 45 km/h. Got home from town in about twice the time it’d take by car, but with bird song and while getting exercise! Motorists: you’re welcome.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is horribly dull and boring. After the brilliant magnificence of Wandavision, I was expecting something a bit more engaging. But no, it’s just people shooting each other.
Currently sitting in a pub watching people taking a pub quiz I wrote. I am a professional pub quiz writer. Yes, I’m surprised it’s a job too.