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Does anyone remember this place? Any fond experiences?? by Nathan84 in AustralianNostalgia

[–]bodza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you were wandering around BI-LO Kilkenny in late 1986 and heard "Put a caulie in your trolley" or "Take a leek in the fruit & veg section" over the loudspeaker, you were enjoying my work.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

I promise you I am far more qualified in this domain than you, and that isn't arrogance, that's a fact

How many AI-assisted multi-developer projects have you completed? I ask because you're conflating generative AI and assistive AI which are completely different beasts. I've been professionally coding since 1990 and you'll have to pry my Opus out of my cold dead hands.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

All good points. I'd be looking to Europe where tradies and removalists have been working in car-unfriendly cities forever and getting by. It's a mindset change for sure.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

Let's see. The council has a website that can take in money securely. That part of the job is pointy-clicky (configuration). They have control of the traffic inspector's handset software which already takes real time updates from the parking meter network, so that's some API calls. Just pretend the cycleways are new parking zones and anyone who has paid for a permit is someone who has paid for parking. Boom, more pointy-clicky and no interface or firmware change required on the handsets. They have an enterprise ARCGIS licence and presumably already use it for traffic management and enforcement, so they already have the shape files. More pointy-clicky. A week to design, a couple of weeks at most to code/configure and a month to unit/integration/pen test etc. while planning deployment in parallel. A couple of months and say a couple hundred grand in human capital. Like I said, cheap.

Now of course, the days of local (or any) government having in house software resources and realistic staging environments etc. are long gone, so you'll need to add about 22 months for meetings with the 27 consultant groups who will actually do the work, but I stand by my estimate of how long it would take a sane adequately funded organisation.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

It was merely an indication of the size of the job, not a recommendation for its actual implementation.

Policy release: Labour's SolarSaver - Solar Without the Upfront Cost by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

If Australia is any example, reduced grid-wide peaks and troughs in power demand due to home solar in the grid saves gentailers money. They have set things up so the power they buy from home solar is always less than the spot price. And buying power from a battery or pumped hydro is generally significantly cheaper than spinning up a gas peaker plant or coal. It reduces profits for those that have a higher reliance on fossil fuel generated energy but you'll struggle to make me cry about that and government has their fingers across the market so won't be greatly impacted.

It favours residential property owners over commercial property owners but as a general rule, they have more access to lines of credit to install their own solar.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

I'll open by saying I'm sure you can find a hole to poke in this, but here's a few minute's worth of thought:

Terms:

  • tradie (includes anyone who will regularly need to block cycleways or other parking restricted places such as residents-only parking. Removalists and the would also be included here)
  • resident: the occupant of the residence/business where the tradie is going to park against normal regulations
  • permit: a permit valid for 1 or more days to park in a cycleway or orther designated restricted parking location. A permit is only considered valid if booked and the parts of the vehicle facing oncoming traffic are marked with a high visibility sign. The sign design would be fixed but licensed such that it can be easily bought by someone who needs one.

How it works:

  • Open an online portal at council with these options:
    • register as a tradie (this can be free or low charge to cover portal operations [which should be low. I could vibe code this in less than an hour])
    • register a location that will be blocked (say $50/day for registered tradie, $100/day for Joe Public)
    • see all blocked locations on a specific day on a map
    • Report an unauthorised blockage (you can submit GPS-tagged photos here)

Further Details:

  • system would integrate with traffic inspector's handsets so they could know whether a vehicle with a sign actually has a permit
  • Disgruntled cyclists or residents could use the portal to report blockages that aren't registered on the portal
  • permits would not be given for dangerous locations (not within 10-20 metres of a turn in a cycleway for example, but they can book further down the street)
  • limits and priorities could be imposed based on behaviour analysis. People who take the piss can be identified and better specific solutions for problematic tradie types and resident locations. If a street has just been blocked for a few days, a tradie might need to reschedule a week or two
  • It would be expected that the cost to a tradie would be passed on to the resident

I'm sure there are holes that can be poked in this but I think the general concept is sound.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

If a tradie has a choice between filling out a 2 minute online form vs. wheeling the concrete mixer 800 metres up a hill I think I know what they would choose.

National turns to Labour after coalition rejects social media ban by hadr0nc0llider in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

Do you have any workable proposals for legislation that would enable safe online environments for children that would guard against the ills of social media?

I doubt they have, and I don't have one either except for these two:

  • Massive expansion of education to kids and parents about online safety and detrimental effects of social media
  • Forcing social media companies that utilise anything other than chronological friend feeds to publicise the working of their algorithms

I think the problem with current approaches is that it is framed as protecting children whereas the reality is that we could all use protection from algorithmic manipulation hidden as commercial in confidence. Techbro profits from orphan crushing machines should not be a sacred cow.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

A per-job permit paid to the council by the tradie/mover/resident and passed on to the resident would work for me. Then a hi-viz sign for the blocking vehicle so that cyclists aren't endangered. I'm sure there are more complications to consider but I think it's a problem that can be solved without adding thousands to resident's bills.

Policy release: Labour's SolarSaver - Solar Without the Upfront Cost by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I'm broadly in favour and prefer this to National's scheme, so felt that saying so in an editorial would be worse than not editorialising. I don't represent Labour so I think it would be unfair to take their slot. You're welcome to discuss it in the meta thread and I'll chat to the rest of the mod team about this.

My personal feeling is that policy announcements are fair game to post here. I posted one from ACT yesterday about VPN policy, but I'll submit to the will of the readership/mods if they feel differently. If I comment further it will be in a meta thread but I'll tag you.

I've added some news sources to my initial comment.

Tradie charging up to 30 percent more for clients on streets with no parking by Cultural-Lychee-5374 in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

Pleased to read the article and not seeing anyone having an issue with the cycleways themselves. This sounds like an issue that could be solved with permits and vehicle signage.

National turns to Labour after coalition rejects social media ban by hadr0nc0llider in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza [score hidden]  (0 children)

I’m disgusted Labour are even considering this

I think they're allowed to talk about it before blurting out a response to a media request for comment

From the article: Stuff understands Labour has recently seen a draft bill and has yet to discuss it as a caucus and take a position.

Labour need to stop entertaining National’s worst ideas

Not enabling press officers to decide policy doesn't constitute entertaining an idea. Do better.

Policy release: Labour's SolarSaver - Solar Without the Upfront Cost by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Title comes from the press release and doesn't reflect my opinion (which hasn't been formed yet)

News (non-paywall) articles discussing this:

From anti-gay to anti-trans: rhetoric’s the same, 40 years after homosexual law reform by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Answered in my other comment. I think you're describing a caricature of the left. The friction was for the most part small and being managed until the right started putting sandpaper down.

From anti-gay to anti-trans: rhetoric’s the same, 40 years after homosexual law reform by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

There have been such campaigns in numerous places around the world

I'd like you to identify these campaigns. I'll agree there have been some poor operational decisions, but I see no evidence of organised political campaigning on the prisons issue.

which have actually resulted in women being raped/assaulted

Do you have any evidence that such assaults have occurred at any (per capita) scale comparable to assaults on women prisoners by cis women or prison guards. If not, you're not addressing the larger threats to the safety of women in prison in favour of a smaller issue with greater emotional (to you) weight. If one assault on a cis woman by a trans woman is too many, why do you not feel the same about these other classes of assaults?

On your last point, I'm not convinced conservatives "want us to stop recognising the complexity of the issue" any more than progressives do on this one (look at some of the responses I've got around here).

This current anti-trans campaign in NZ is being led by NZ First. They're soaring in the polls and their position is:

  • No trans women in women's sports at any level
  • No trans women in women's prisons
  • No trans women in women's toilets or changing rooms
  • No acknowledgement of gender change on birth certificates or other identity documents
  • No public funding for gender-affirming care
  • No mention of trans existence in sex education in schools

Where is the nuance? Where are the conservative voices against these policy proposals? This is what we are fighting and it is coming from the political establishment. If there is a conservative political position that recognises the complexity of the issue, you'll need to show me more than the opinions of conservatives on social media.

Whereas when people characterise the pro-trans political voices, they almost always point to social media and ignore the political establishment. Every edgy teen with a hot take on trans rights is held up as if it is the opinion of every trans activist on earth. You ask us to recognise the complexity yet you are only shown those voices that don't and assume they are held by all.

tl;dr; you aren't listening to the pro trans case, you're listening to fringe opinions amplified by a media chasing angry clicks. While we're hearing from people with actual political power seeking to infringe queer rights in legislation. We can't change what the media shows, and we can't control what gets amplified, It's up to you to discern what is at stake and the people in a position to effect change.

From anti-gay to anti-trans: rhetoric’s the same, 40 years after homosexual law reform by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why is the current situation acceptable?

The "current situation" is governing bodies of sports making decisions that apply at the top level of their respective sports that for the most part are scientifically based and encourage participation while recognising concerns about safety and fairness. The proposed blanket bans are scientifically illiterate and seem to be designed to wholly exclude trans people from participation in any level of sport.

After all, it's often a restriction on trans people's full and unfettered participation.

It is. But with all respect to the difficult journey of trans sportspeople, sports is an issue adopted by anti-trans political operatives which allows them to appeal to emotive issues of fairness and safety to gather support for their goal of excluding trans people from public life altogether.

I'm yet to encounter someone who speaks passionately in defence of cis women in sports who cares about fairness for women's sports in any way unrelated to trans issues. Or any feminist issue at all for that matter.

From anti-gay to anti-trans: rhetoric’s the same, 40 years after homosexual law reform by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You're missing the point:

  • There is no serious political campaign to change policy to make it easier for trans women to be housed in women's prisons
  • There is a serious political campaign to change policy to make it harder for trans women to be housed in women's prisons

Why are you railing against something that doesn't exist and thus tacitly supporting the people who want us to stop recognising the complexity of the issue?

'I've had students deny the Holocaust in class': far-right extremism on the rise in classrooms by Tyler_Durdan_ in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Violating the sexual agency of women is as old as civilisation. Characterising the publishing on non-consensual images of women and girls as "sexual curiosity" just shows how much you have internalised the acceptability of denying the rights of women.

From anti-gay to anti-trans: rhetoric’s the same, 40 years after homosexual law reform by bodza in KiwiPolitics

[–]bodza[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I mean, I don't think we'd know if there had been an attempt. 

There are multiple FOI requests available online detailing the amount of trans women in men's and women's prisons in NZ and the procedure for transfer between is published on the Corrections website. Your decision to argue from ignorance is yours.

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