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Zandy

@iskandarv

software developer, science fiction fan, Quaker, somewhat distracted by family life, he/him Perth, living on Whadjuk country, Australia Mastodon @iskandarv@mastodon.star-one.org.uk

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11.10.2023
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Latest posts by Zandy @iskandarv

It's important to have your crab rave ready.

10.03.2026 06:26 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

i'm looking to talk to any australian pokemon fans for a piece i'm writing for guardian aus, especially anyone with memories of the first wave of Pokemania in Australia.

hmu!

10.03.2026 05:51 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

When this man is your president that sends a very clear message to people in other countries.

10.03.2026 02:01 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
An Edward Gorey drawing showing a morose looking black bird on a branch. He (and this feels very much like a he) is pointing downwards with one scraggly wing, and looking straight ahead with debt-filled eyes. His beak is long and sharp, like winter on the Great Plains. He is pointing with his right wing, but this means he is pointing to your left. Your wicked, sinister side. This is no accident. The Bird makes no such mistakes. But he is talking, and the text tells us that he is saying, "Beware of this and that."  

Honestly, you feel his message in your bones.

An Edward Gorey drawing showing a morose looking black bird on a branch. He (and this feels very much like a he) is pointing downwards with one scraggly wing, and looking straight ahead with debt-filled eyes. His beak is long and sharp, like winter on the Great Plains. He is pointing with his right wing, but this means he is pointing to your left. Your wicked, sinister side. This is no accident. The Bird makes no such mistakes. But he is talking, and the text tells us that he is saying, "Beware of this and that." Honestly, you feel his message in your bones.

Some days I just feel like this Edward Gorey bird gets it.

09.03.2026 23:42 πŸ‘ 723 πŸ” 201 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 10
Preview
This isn't funny - West Country Voices Politically speaking, I am an uncomfortable hybrid, something between an ostrich and an idiot savant. I don’t watch the news for daily, hourly tidbits of frustration and terror. I don’t know each inci...

"People who are allowed to hurt others go on hurting them until others more determined, more insistent, put a stop to it. Abuses of power need boundaries, and as the US hasn’t managed to stop itself, the rest of the world needs to step up . . ."
westcountryvoices.co.uk/this-isnt-fu...

09.03.2026 22:36 πŸ‘ 263 πŸ” 60 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 2
Preview
Andrew O’Hagan Β· Stay Classy: Mummy’s Favourite The late queen can be held responsible for much, but nobody could accuse her of seeming to enjoy her role. For the...

Stay Classy www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

09.03.2026 23:33 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Mid-century modern airport lounge in central Newfoundland gets heritage designation The sprawling international lounge inside the Gander Airport in central Newfoundland has been officially recognized as a heritage structure.
09.03.2026 23:17 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2

Also in Australia. For normal petrol, it's ~30

09.03.2026 13:28 πŸ‘ 34 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
A magpie

A magpie

I am processing my fears by playing the magpie game
aftermath.site/australian-mag...

09.03.2026 13:00 πŸ‘ 39 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Coin used as Leeds bus fare was 2,000‑year‑old currency The coin was handed down to Peter Edwards from his grandfather in the 1950s.

This is the sort of thing a cashless society robs us of, the opportunity to try to get away with paying the bus fare in Carthaginian currency www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

09.03.2026 12:52 πŸ‘ 1964 πŸ” 569 πŸ’¬ 24 πŸ“Œ 35

I’m watching the Canada vs Norway Curling match from the Paralympics. A curling match with the USA team is happening at the same time - gosh their fans are noisy and obnoxious.

09.03.2026 14:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

ok this is at least very funny

09.03.2026 02:26 πŸ‘ 611 πŸ” 112 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 0

anyone who has been on social media for the last 15 years has ptsd for this exact thing when the charts start to buck and the smart weirdos start to flail and vaguely gesture like this

09.03.2026 02:48 πŸ‘ 1038 πŸ” 155 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 6
Video thumbnail

holy shit

09.03.2026 01:20 πŸ‘ 13846 πŸ” 3018 πŸ’¬ 231 πŸ“Œ 592

love how we killed the old, frail anti-nuke ayatollah just to have him replaced with his young, healthy son who wants nukes and who just had his father, mother, wife, and child murdered on the same day by his mortal enemy. surely this will bring peace to the region

09.03.2026 02:01 πŸ‘ 18987 πŸ” 4757 πŸ’¬ 226 πŸ“Œ 140
2021 Remaster "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Steve Winwood
2021 Remaster "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Steve Winwood YouTube video by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

No rehearsals, show up and take everyone to school, leave
youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c?...

22.02.2026 19:41 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2

Working on a q&a lecture for a class today: The story of robots is always a story about slavery. The story of LLMs labeled as AI is a story about class, and which humans pay the cost, including the physical toll on their bodies/minds, and the lack of water and electricity, so data centers can exist.

05.03.2026 15:10 πŸ‘ 935 πŸ” 271 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
How Elon Musk’s Sci-Fi Hyperloop Failed Before his misadventures in government efficiency, Musk promised to revolutionize commuting with a subway that would speed passengers between DC and Baltimore in a matter of minutes. The project was a...

A year long investigation into the Hyperloop found …

β€œThe truth was far simpler, far dumber, and far more prescient: Musk and his lieutenants truly had no idea what they were doing.”

washingtonian.com/2026/02/12/h...

07.03.2026 16:24 πŸ‘ 1468 πŸ” 550 πŸ’¬ 73 πŸ“Œ 122

Not seen: A farmer with a boat and a bag of grain scrumpling up his plans and throwing them away in a tearful fit of defeated pique

07.03.2026 16:31 πŸ‘ 360 πŸ” 91 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0

More fun facts about the green bit.

1. It contains one of only two sealed roads connecting Western Australia to the rest of the country.
2. One 90 mile stretch of that road is entirely straight.
3. It's where the Skylab space station crashed.
4. The time zone covers about 200 people.

07.03.2026 20:56 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
U.S. May Have Committed War Crime In Sinking Of Iranian Ship The Geneva Conventions say nations have a duty to β€œtake all possible measures” to help rescue victims of shipwrecks. A U.S. submarine left that to Sri Lanka.

β€œβ€¦by ignoring the spirit if not the letter of the Geneva Conventions, the U.S.* is endangering the lives of service members in this and subsequent conflicts.”

*and Australia

07.03.2026 03:28 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 1

i tell you what i keep being surprised when research on something like "who invented mayonnaise?" is an insane and complicated multicountry Saga but like of course it is

07.03.2026 03:16 πŸ‘ 387 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 19 πŸ“Œ 2
'They threatened to take us to Birmingham' - Fog diverts flight from Norwich Airport. 

Picture shows a Ryanair aircraft.

'They threatened to take us to Birmingham' - Fog diverts flight from Norwich Airport. Picture shows a Ryanair aircraft.

Have these people not suffered enough?

06.03.2026 19:18 πŸ‘ 150 πŸ” 18 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 1

Thank you for sharing that. I hope the new rules do make a difference. My late wife’s cancer could have been diagnosed a lot earlier if there had been a clear path to go beyond her GP’s β€œYou’re depressed, that’s why your energy levels are low, here have some antidepressants!”

07.03.2026 00:20 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Today I want to talk about Jess’ Rule and Martha’s Rule, two new initiatives across NHS England that I think are really important and you should know about.
Tl;dr: if your symptoms are not improving or getting worse, at home or in hospital, you have the right and Drs the responsibility to review.

06.03.2026 16:39 πŸ‘ 340 πŸ” 133 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 14

If Dolly were to give a press conference and announce she has a surprise, and then tear off her human skin to reveal herself as Trogdora the Burninator, about half of Bluesky (Yr Hmbl Crrspd't included) would immediately swear fealty to her and join whatever crusade she was leading.

06.03.2026 20:13 πŸ‘ 606 πŸ” 98 πŸ’¬ 20 πŸ“Œ 9

i kinda think we should let them cook. america can't be the world's police if they run outta guns

06.03.2026 20:30 πŸ‘ 167 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 0

Baudrillard: totally exonerated, no wrong doing

06.03.2026 13:39 πŸ‘ 1173 πŸ” 154 πŸ’¬ 18 πŸ“Œ 4
Preview
Albanese’s policy on Iran makes us complicit in the collapse of international rules The Albanese government has stood by as the foundations of the international order were destroyed

Here’s me in the Guardian today.

The Aukus submarine pact has dragged Australia into the Trump administration’s illegal war on Iran in all but name. This was all entirely forseeable.

06.03.2026 21:53 πŸ‘ 76 πŸ” 37 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 5
A brown penguin chick of some kind. It looks very much like a man in a suit. It is bedraggled and miserable

A brown penguin chick of some kind. It looks very much like a man in a suit. It is bedraggled and miserable

Made it to Friday but at what cost

06.03.2026 03:24 πŸ‘ 6687 πŸ” 1309 πŸ’¬ 58 πŸ“Œ 93