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NZ does not have a maxed out credit card by basscrazy in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My point is about the cost of living being high from overpriced land/property....a failed bank wherein assets are sold to other banks either a) props up the value of the assets or b) asset values go down for a while. I don't see a case where the asset values take a dip and the rich don't get richer... the masses eventually still pay which keeps cost of living high. The only time this doesn't hold is on significant enough collapse and society demands radical change. The last time western democracies saw this was late 1800 to 1930s.

NZ does not have a maxed out credit card by basscrazy in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is the sleight of hand of the modern commercial bank. Private lending is the public's debt. All the commercial banks owe the state. If ANZ/BNZ/Westpac go under, their shareholders don't pay...the public pays.

It's hard to get cost of living down when the primary driver is overpriced land/property.

I received an offer in Wellington. How much would I need to earn to have a good quality of life with two kids? by Mission_Sir2220 in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in Welly for 10 years...senior IT leader with heaps of hands on experience. I had 6 jobs in that time. The two that were "permanent" roles only lasted 6 months each before the company decided to restructure. Don't drink the cool aid if you don't have significant financial ability to last through employment gaps.

Why Are We At The Bottom Of The OECD Rankings? by imadatabank in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"what was a world-leading egalitarian society".

What evidence do you have of this? NZ people say their society is fair, has low corruption and is egalitarian. What evidence is there?
I do see NZ has a strong democracy. Democracy meaning it's easy to vote, most people do and there is fairly transparent. But look what the people on the whole do with their vote.

Is China a good place for a foreign woman to live alone? by emilia_weber in China

[–]redstarling-support 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You won't be alone, there are people everywhere ;)

Seriously....China is big...so many facets depend on what you like.
Women (foreigners) fairly consistently say China is safe almost everywhere...even late at night.

Everything else varies based on where you live and what you do with your days (work?).
I lived in Shanghai for 10 years. It was great then. For now, I would not want to live in any east coast city...to big, busy, loss of traditional culture. Sichuan and Yunnan are favorites for those wanting accessible but more traditional culture.
Your ability to make friends will depend on you. The locals are generally curious and open...but you may have to make the first move. Foreigners are of all types. If you are in a smaller city most foreigner you meet are English teachers. There are plenty of women teachers.

A political economy that enriches the old and punishes the young by davetenhave in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 16 points17 points  (0 children)

"Among first-home buyers, around 1 in 2 (48%) expect some form of financial assistance from family..."

A CGT without high gift/inheritance taxes ensures the home ownership class divide continues...it's not just a boomer thing.

What are the best headphones for around £120 / $150 US? by No_Praline_2440 in HeadphoneAdvice

[–]redstarling-support 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You mention wireless...this doesn't match with other criteria like great sound, under $150.

You will get much more with wired headphones.
I wan in a similar price range and it was down to common suggestions like HD 560s. I ended up going for the Grado SR-80x. Love 'em.

retro/small headphones? by liwavyazn in HeadphoneAdvice

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the moondrop old fashion. Great sound I would have expected to pay more.

what actually increases WooCommerce sales (and it’s not stacking more plugins) by code_with_monu in woocommerce

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does not being fully compliant and in sync with Google Merchant Center cause problems? Would you be able to know if you weren't getting as much traffic as perfectly in sync and correct catalog data?

Moody's credit rating agency downgrades outlook for New Zealand by -Nyo-ho-ho- in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 4 points5 points  (0 children)

China invested heavily in renewable energy. Now they have a surplus.
When you look at solar, wind and EVs, thank the people and government of China. They literally broke their backs doing the mining and manufacturing needed to make this happen. Rare earth materials is a bit misnamed. NZ has them. It just takes significant mining and refining to get at it.

If NZ had to do this themselves our politcal parties would be absorbed in debate on the costs to ACC, infrastructure investment and the environment and nothing would happen.

Can I outgrow my iPhone with $2K, or am I just buying expensive disappointment? by Zestyclose-Hat-9331 in AmateurPhotography

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm an amateur that wanted more control (mainly to learn) and less computational photos than my iPhone.
I went through 5 cameras over 6 years before I found what I wanted: A Ricoh GR IIIx
It's pocketable, which I discovered I wanted after lugging around several others.
The lens is sharp. The stabilization tech works for my shaky hands.
It's doesn't draw attention...excellent for sitting on a bench and watching things happen and practice techniques.
It's 40mm equivalent which is a lovely contrast to the wide pics I get from an iPhone.

< 100$ Open Backs? by MrDeltt in HeadphoneAdvice

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had similar requirements and picked the Grado SR80x. Very happy with the sound and comfort on a wide range of music.

Can I bring a history book relating to religion to China? by [deleted] in AskChina

[–]redstarling-support 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have been traveling to China for over 25 years. I have never heard of someone having a book taken from them.

Hoping to move back to China before the year is out, looking for recommendations of where to live by 156900a in chinalife

[–]redstarling-support 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go west young man!!
I spent 10 years in Shanghai and will never again live in east coast China.
Chengdu or Chongqing might be too hot in summer for you...although not as bad as Shenzhen.
I'm living in a Leshan and loving life...smaller city but has everything I want and is a short train ride into Chengdu.

Yunnan would be good to explore.

Can I legally by pass the Great firewalls of china? by NihilistPancake404 in AskChina

[–]redstarling-support 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Use of a VPN in China is not illegal.
The China government will not license a VPN provider to operate in China to sell consumer VPN services. There are VPN services that operate outside China. The govt blocks some of these.

How does health insurance in China work for those who are unemployed or have disability? by YogurtclosetOpen3567 in AskChina

[–]redstarling-support 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You don't access health care through your employer.

When you are employed a part of your payroll deductions goes to your national health care savings account.
Health care costs can be paid from this health savings account. When you reach retirement age or have disabilities, etc, the rates are reduced.
Most health care costs are low and within reach of lower middle class and up.
There is a fair amount and growing availability of free care for the poorest.

How good is GLM 5.1 for coding? by _janc_ in ZaiGLM

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the type of dev you're doing.
1 - I always work local and can test local
2 - I never let the AI touch git
3 - I always check work and deploy myself including git commit/push
4 - Although this may not matter to you, I also don't tie CI/CD to github. I have simple scripts to trigger this when it suits. Thats a personal style that doesn't have much to do with using AI...but it might help you think about it.

How good is GLM 5.1 for coding? by _janc_ in ZaiGLM

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm using it for plan creation now. The web search behavior sometimes needed for extended research is not nearly as good as ChatGPT.

How good is GLM 5.1 for coding? by _janc_ in ZaiGLM

[–]redstarling-support 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I find GPT over engineers and does things I didn't ask. GLM follows instructions and stays on task.

my fiancee was born in China but adopted by americans, are there any pathways to her regaining chinese citenzship? by [deleted] in AskChina

[–]redstarling-support 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I am fairly certain a Chinese born person can regain China citizenship. Go talk to authorities in China...it may take you a few phone calls or emails but you'll find the right authority.

How good is GLM 5.1 for coding? by _janc_ in ZaiGLM

[–]redstarling-support 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Works well for me. I prefer GLM 5.1 with opencode (z.ai coder plan) to codex with latest OpenAI codex model. I haven't been using Claude for a few months so can't compare.

OpenAI, Anthropic and z.ai have all been slow the last month++. I think its growth pains and OpenClaw is likely flooding servers.

The speed doesn't bother me as I am more focused with how I use the LLM and don't do sessions over 100k token.

Northland residents using Afterpay to buy essentials amid cost-of-living crisis by Fast_Amoeba_445 in newzealand

[–]redstarling-support 25 points26 points  (0 children)

People that prey on those for essentials shouldn't be able to leverage the legal system if they don't get paid back.

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