David Eccles 🌻🇵🇸7x🩹🛡️

This is my very first post on Bluesky. As we reflect on the Royal Commission's final report on the COVID-19 response, let's not forget how we pulled together in uncertain times, and collectively saved each other. Let's not forget how much some individuals sacrificed for our collective wellbeing.

TOP is being funded by a far, far right white supremacist.

WE WOULD HAVE A CENTURY PROOFED PORT AT PICTON AND WELLINGTON BY NOW. TODAY. RIGHT NOW. TWO BIG ASS RAIL FERRIES PURPOSE BUILT FOR THE COOK STRAIT SWELLS. NOW. HIGH QUALITY QUAKE PROOFED PORTS FOR OUR SHAKY ISLES. BUT NO. NO. WE DON'T GET "MINIMUM VIABLE" UNTIL TWENTY TWENTY FUCKING NINE!

AAAAAGH they're still going to have to replace the entire Picton Portside because it was munted and that's what iRex was doing, they're still going to have to build temporary buildings while they do that and that's what iRex was doing, they're going to need mor shit at Wellington and that's what iRe

The govt is making a big deal about giving temporary humanitarian visas to a small number of female Iranian ⚽️ players.

At the same time, the XBENCH is trying to block the govt passing legislation to enable it to suspend the temporary visas to 🇦🇺 already held by 7000+ Iranians outside this country.

Fascinating how the titans of industry we have in power screaming New Zealand first have made it impossible for small businesses to run, or only profit be selling everything and anything offshore but hey they know business

‘My lovely distraction’: live stream of kākāpō – world’s fattest parrot – and her chicks captivates New Zealand More than 100,000 people have tuned in to watch a kākāpō – a rare flightless bird – sleeping, tidying her nest and fighting off intruders

On an island in New Zealand’s remote southern fjords, one of the world’s strangest and rarest parrots – the kākāpō – is caring for her tiny chick as fans from across the globe watch on.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Increasingly of the opinion that the correct answer to the Trolley Problem is "fuck you, why are you so fixated on finding reasons to justify killing people?"

Sure, LLMs are useful for:

1. Fraud
2. Plagiarism
3. Cognitive off-loading

Which of those use-cases are you promoting?

I so wish a helpful press secretary or official had thought to describe ferries as "floating roads"

They'd have been waved through without a second thought

I’ve seen a lot of people say Bluesky needs more of this culture—fandom and pop culture—and I totally agree. I think there is space for a distinctly Bluesky version of this culture (which will of course be treated like the rest of Bluesky but who cares it would be ours)

The great forgetting that NZers enjoyed months of domestic travel, holidays, economic stability while large areas of the world were dealing with hospitals collapsing, deaths, lockdowns and restrictions.

And its not just about losing jobs. Its about decreasing our capacity to feed ourselves here. As much as I enjoy doing a bit of freezing and canning at home, I am under no illusion that 1) it is sufficient for our own home, and 2) it could scale so that every doing it would be enough.
#supplychain

They don't need more of a voice. The loud voice of a vanishingly small minority is part of the reason why Aotearoa crashed on the landing of the vaccine programme, rather than having the population sufficiently protected before Omicron arrived.

Every single video she makes about lead on this popular brand of “premium” glass baby bottle gets swarmed with paid bots (from the company) commenting “it’s not a big deal”…

dead internet theory but for lead poisoning is not something I had on my 2026 bingo card

Last call for these 2 different #PhD positions in #nanopore tech:
🗓️ apply by March 15 to join our team at the nano-dynamics group at @unibas.ch Switzerland.
Follow the guidelines online: schmid.chemie.unibas.ch/en/join-us-1/

Does any cis woman really think attacks on trans rights *benefit* her?

My guess is it's motivated by straightforward bias plus self-hatred and sublimated rage around being a woman and gender conformity... They have this idea that being a woman is supposed to be hard / no one is supposed to enjoy it

I think Witch King by @marthawells.com is the best fantasy book I’ve read in about a decade. So good I bought Demon Queen before I got to the halfway point. The flip in story between past and present gives the narrative this fun dual energy feel

Cyclists frustrated by drivers illegally parking on Auckland's cycle lanes "It's forcing people riding bikes, expecting the protection of a cycleway, to be forced out into the traffic."

Source: Cyclists frustrated by drivers illegally parking on Auckland's cycle lanes www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Auckland Transport’s head of compliance saying it would take time for Aucklanders to recognise cycling “as a real form of transport”.

Auckland is new to cycling, eh?? I think the early 20th century would like a word. @nzdodo.bsky.social

2024 Video Of JD Vance Warning About Kamala Harris Sending Young Americans 'To Fight In Stupid Wars' Resurfaces

This you, JD? 👀

The idea that opposing and rolling back trans rights is good for cis women and girls is ludicrous on every level and absolutely enraging when applied in legislation and policy that obviously limits and rolls backs rights for ALL women and girls

estrogen is magic 🩷

now go out and count how many operations are using a Deere combine from 1985 and extensive forms of prayer

This is the true story of 21st century automation advancements. The mass job-destroying technologies all stabilized decades ago and promises of more of them generally just derive from investor storytime.

Kids can take tablets, so why are we still giving liquid medicines? Liquid medicines are often messy, expensive and hard to give so why do they remain the default?

Time to start giving your kids their medication as tablets instead of liquids? Link to academic paper in article. By @oohgpwales.bsky.social

theconversation.com/kids-can-tak...

Women in Advertising Are Closing Every Gap They Can. The Pay Gap Persists Anyway A new study finds women in advertising earn up to 8% less than men even after controlling for every known variable, pointing to managerial gatekeeping, workplace social dynamics and a culture of opaci...

Study (N=900) finds women in advertising earn 5% less than men; mothers: 8% less. When women asked mgrs about pay, they’d say they would look into it but nothing would happen. Men were more likely to receive answers about pay, even when the outcome was negative. www.adweek.com/agencies/wom...

Vaccines save lives.

That’s it. That’s the post.

Lockdown, vaccine decisions 'considered and appropriate' – Royal Commission

The Covid-19 Royal Commission has broadly backed the decisions taken during the pandemic, while identifying areas for improvement.

Chart comparing excess mortality across various countries during the covid pandemic (2020-2023). US and UK were the worst. Sweden, Australia, Taiwan, and Korea were middle of the pack. NZ was the clear winner by a huge margin.

Fundamentally this is the only chart that really matters when comparing covid responses across countries.

By the most important measure, NZ had the best performance in the world. It did so well that fewer people died than expected!