@sy@mastodon.nz

· 18h ago

"Now, there's one of two failings: either New Zealand has become a much sicker place in the last seven years, or we have got a lot worse at managing and helping people who could be working. And I suspect it's the latter," he said" Well according to MoH about 400,000 kiwis have had long COVID. So yes, the country has clearly got a lot sickker in the last seven years. And no, that doesn't mean we should kick people off disability benefits while cutting taxes for the rich FFS. #nzpol https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1843091/shovel-money-upwards-starve-everyone-else-act-under-fire-over-proposed-disability-benefits-cuts

RNZ

'Shovel money upwards, starve everyone else' - ACT under fire over proposed disability benefits cuts

ACT is facing criticism from across the aisle over health and disability cuts in its fiscal plan, and copping friendly fire after criticising National's Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis.

20

0

24

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 15mo ago

I find it oddly comforting that tech corporations are now straight up advertising their vision of dystopian individualism where all your friends have been replaced by their chatbot.

#AI #dystopia

429

68

308

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 6mo ago

'Meta, Google and Microsoft have all baked [generative AI] deep into their systems,” Joshi says. “I see this all as very much part of the tactic of trying to embed these systems into society and instil dependency in a fashion similar to the growth of single-use plastics in the 1970s.”

Opting out can be a “meaningful act of resistance”, Joshi says. “It’s partly about not creating that energy demand but mostly about being part of broad collective action against [a] corrosive, harmful industry.”'

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/13/ai-datacentres-environmental-impacts

theguardian.com

45

2

51

1

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 4mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

'A postgrowth future isn’t anti-technology, anti-digital or anti-progress. It asks us to take seriously the scientific evidence that seven of nine planetary boundaries have been overshot, and to recognise that this will have catastrophic societal impacts if radical action isn’t taken. Whereas business-as-usual approaches hope technological solutions will allow globalised capitalism to endure while little meaningfully changes, a postgrowth digital future demands changing social and technological relationships to make people’s lives fairer, more enjoyable, more equitable and more sustainable.' https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2026/06/04/how-can-tech-make-the-planet-better-not-worse/

Transforming Society

How can tech make the planet better, not worse? - Transforming Society

Sy Taffel, author of 'Postgrowth Digital Futures', argues that digital technology should prioritise sustainability, community wellbeing, and democratic control instead of endless capitalist growth.

8

0

13

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 3mo ago

'An extortionate purchase price, justified by longevity the software is engineered to foreclose. A repair system priced like craftsmanship and run like a chicken processor. Or Amazon. Environmental piety from the high altar, e-waste from the loading dock. A recruitment strategy that runs through the school gate. And underneath it all, the quiet contempt of a company that fought right-to-repair for years, while our own Productivity Commission was politely pointing out that Australians deserve choices Apple’s serialised parts are built to deny, before discovering, with the zeal of the converted, that repairability made a lovely press release.' #apple #tech #repair #sustainability https://michaelwest.com.au/it-just-works-until-it-doesnt-inside-apples-planned-obsolescence/

Michael West

It just works, until it doesn't. Inside Apple's planned obsolescence - Michael West

Apple "a 19th Century labour model behind a 21st Century logo". David Tyler investigates planned obsolescence and the iPhone.

1

0

3

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 15mo ago

Replying to

@fritzoids@mas.to some kind of techbro pyramid scheme involving bitcoin? Perhaps it's surprisingly perceptive advertising that recognises AI mostly appeals to sociopaths who systematically alienate themselves from others with their shitty behaviour?

13

0

1

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social Happy to pass on the slides from this talk if it'd be of any help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKoszquvQQ4

PERC Environmental Impacts of AI

2

1

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@ana_valdi@mastodon.social Thanks for organising this... It was an amazing day full of wonderful, detailed and insightful presentations and it was really inspiring to see so many passionate, smart and talented people really driving research in this area forwards in brilliant directions! Thanks so much for inviting me to come along.

1

0

1

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 15mo ago

Replying to

@y2k38@mastodon.social oops, yes you're absolutely right, Galaxy AI and galaxy.ai aren't the same thing.

3

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 12mo ago

Replying to

@jjesse@infosec.exchange @jasonkoebler@mastodon.social The correct analogy would be if Apple and Samsung decided to cut off security updates for old devices to try and force people to upgrade their phones. Don't get me wrong, the annual upgrade cycle and the perceived obsolescence it propagates is bad... But refusing to fix critical security vulnerabilities for hundreds of millions of computers in the hope that those people will upgrade to Windows 11 is far worse. And remember, Win10 was advertised as 'the last version of windows' by Microsoft a decade ago, so people bought it expecting it to continue to be updated. https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/7/8568473/windows-10-last-version-of-windows

The Verge

Why Microsoft is calling Windows 10 ‘the last version of Windows’

The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.

0

2

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 12mo ago

Replying to

@jjesse@infosec.exchange @jasonkoebler@mastodon.social If you really can't understand the problem with 400 million computers - many of which can't run windows 11 - losing access to security updates after MS marketed win10 as having perpetual support, I can't help you.

0

Sy Taffel @sy@mastodon.nz

· 12mo ago

Replying to

@jasonkoebler@mastodon.social and Microsoft doing this on international e-waste day was pretty on the nose

0