Chris Burgess

@chris.bur.gs

276 Followers 381 Following

Ōtepoti, Aotearoa. Tech for good, for people, for orgs. Less tech, and slower too. Popping balls through hoops, open source, learning guitar, making prints, building with wood. Web: https://chris.bur.gs/

the sky and clouds and Moon and Venus are looking very amazing

$A CT scan of my hand, scrolled so you can see the layers of the hand pass by, including some frames showing a fractured scaphoid$

Screenshot of Google News, RNZ article about Mediaworks (in 2020) asking staff to take a 15% pay cut or face redundancies.

Caption: "how a shop front could look with one of the AI generated images"

A store window depicting delicious baked goods. But it's an AI sticker, and now you want to smash it.

AI image use floated to prompt Caversham spruce-up

(Photo of man holding nasty AI art cover-ups for store windows)

Caversham Community Group leader Tony Culling with some AI-generated images that could make empty shops in Caversham look open and busy. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY

Sticking pictures of people in busy shops, on the windows of empty shops in Caversham’s main street, may be the answer to changing the fortunes of the ‘‘rundown, dilapidated, neglected and embarrassing’’ area.

Screenshot of Newsroom article, title says "Book of the week: Once were warriors", photo is of NZ Army SAS, review is of a different book "Keep Calm We Are Coming"

a microsft UI where there are five layers of sidebarz

azure service > storage centre > storage account > wtf123 > more stuff > idk

A rare white kāhu kōrako with one wing raised, spotted in the Waitaki Valley last week. PHOTO: PETER LANGLANDS/WILD CAPTURE

screenshot of text in JSON

» ajv@6.12.6: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://aithub.con/
» ansi-regex@5.0.1: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» ansi-regex@6.0.1: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» ansi-styles@4.3.0: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» ansi-styles@5.2.0: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» ansi-styles@6.2.1: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» any-promise@0. 1.0: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» any-promise@1.3.0: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» anymatch@3. 1.3: { licenses: "ISC", repository: “https://github.con/
» arg@5.0.2: { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» argparse@1.0.10 { licenses: "MIT", repository: “https://github.con/
» argparse@2.0.1: { licenses: "Python-2.0", repository: "https://gith

A chart of temperatures samples from Meshcore repeaters around Dunedin, with wildly different and intermittent measurements reported, including one location that's suspiciously warmer than all the rest

Online headline: a Ukrainian crew said it's Italian tank gun hit a house that was 120 football fields away

A photo of p87 of Roadway to the Rushes by Eileen Foote

Figure 2 is of steamboats offshore, the sun is reflected in the ocean near the shore, making a false horizon which the boats appear to be floating above

Figure 3 shows the shore and hills behind it, with the photographer probably placed at the top of the face behind the shore

Dark skies just before dawn, spotlit beneath the clouds in bright oranges and reds revealing curvy cloudy shapes

Screenshot of a Slack notification dialog, which reads:

# New ways to stay caught up in Activity

Never miss an important message
Everything that you care about will appear right here, including direct messages, reminders and posts from channels.

Scan with ease in dense mode
Toggle between dense and detailed layouts to review in bulk or dive into the specifics.

Save custom views
Got a particular project that spans a few conversations? Set and save your filters for easy reference every time.

JSON export via Mealie application of a recipe for Skillet Chicken Thighs With Broccoli and Orzo from the NYT

Various details and properties of a structured representation of a recipe are visible.

photo of The Plan Ōtepoti gig guide

it says due to budget cuts it is cancelled
Oh no

several concrete garden ornaments, including gnomes, a cat, a cherub, and a face on some kind of shaft

Paulie Gualtieri from the Sopranos sitting at a table.
Text over the image says "HOW BIZARRE, HOW BIZARRE".

A yellow sign on the curved roof of a bus from the 1900s probably. People are smiling.

Text reads

Happiness is a spaced out bus
Please move to the rear

Screenshot of TradeMe email in mobile client.

The visible subject is "We're singing goodbye to Success".

(The actual email subject is "We're singing goodbye to Success Fees".)

Illustration style image of audio deck being operated by hands with long pink fingernails.

There are lit buttons, knobs, regular sliders, and sliders with top and bottom slider controls, which may or may not be real.

Screenshot text: And I am in a complete agreement with Lenin (or rather Turgenev) that the worst vice is to be more than 55 years old!

a screenshot of CLI displaying a blurry digital scoreboard

shell command at top says `timg src/screams/GNpYT-oyBxI/frame_0060.png`
(sorry, it actually says streams, that was a wee joke)

then there's a scoreboard with zeros for each time first quarter and total, and a clock with 08:00 on it, and some team names that might blurrily be "Big Bgf" vs "Feets" (it's not)

A Red Admiral butterfly rests on long grass stalks

A half wheelbarrow of garden weeds with a pair of dirt found sunglasses on top

A hand drawn sign advertising "Free Rage Chicken"

A Dunedin bus stop near Archives NZ on George Street. There is a 3d scanning targte sticker applied, number 407.

Thanks to the person who stepped out of frame!

A Maramataka Māori calendar hanging on a wall, open to Kohtātea 2026. The picture suggests a golden ball woven in flax and is titled "Hahana ano i te ra".

A lily leaf obstructs view of the calendar in the lower right of the frame.

A discarded pamphlet blown against a fence, lying in the grass. It reads "one or two efficient bulbs could save you the cost of this grocery shop".

A large bubble floating with a fence in the background. Reflected in the bubble is an umbrella and house (and possibly the photographer, IDK).

A tiny canine from a Labrador puppy in the palm of my hand

A re-usable KeepCup coffee cup, slowly degrading from sunlight and weather, sits amidst dead leaf matter. There's not much sign of life except some moss growing near the top side of the frame. The cup is not being re-used, not by humans anyway. It looks disposed of, but it'll last much longer than a paper cup.

A robot device is making a bed. It combines industrial and medical aesthetic with a giant rolling base with multiple fans, an emergency stop button, and a single robot arm. Out of frame, it is doing a shit job of making a bed by pulling the duvet up over untidy sheets.

Maramataka Māori 2026 Toitū te Tiriti calendar, unwrapped

Photo of newspaper ad for Hitachi fridge, which is open to reveal supernaturally/artificially lit food arrayed in neat boxes; the effect is suggestive of a multi-monitor display setup (and Quadrophenia mirrors?) with too many displays.
The price is NZD$3499.

A group of citizens are beset by concerned councilors with earnest expressions of concern and relateableness

A triumph herald from the front, similar shape to the one the aliens have lifted.

A hammock and gate in a suburban section. There's muhlenbeckia growing along the gate, and a little carved figurine I made on the gatepost. The grass beyond the gate is longish. At the bottom of the drive is my busted little Toyota.

A screenshot of an auction wishlist. The hip flask isn't for me. There's fountain pens, an 80s tape deck (with cassette in it!) which looks ready to transform into a giant robot, audio miscellania, crafty paper, a backpack, photo albums with cool covers, a map of dunedin, a giant metal filing cabinet.

Chris eats a piece of chocolate, which Skipper wants to sniff. Then Chris shoots about 75% on a basketball hoop, sped up.

Air NZ app screenshot. The trip title says "trip to Christchurch". The trip is to Wellington for two days, transiting through Christchurch on the return leg.

Ten clocks, all with different timezones, and with various random offsets because none of them are very accurate clocks

T-shirt print of RONNIE RAYGUN AND THE DESTROYERS, Reagan's face on a comic plane shooting cannons, it's possible the artist had only NZAF Skyhawks to refer to.

A pot is positioned in a dish rack so we see inside it. The pot looks clean. What we can't see is how called with burned rhubarb it was last night. In front of the pot is a steel grapefruit spoon which was used to decarbonize (?) the surface.

DCC chief calls Ong to meeting

New Dunedin councillor Benedict Ong has made people feel "uncomfortable", prompting the council’s chief executive to invite him to a meeting to discuss ways to ensure a safe and professional work environment.

One returning councillor has also blocked his calls.

An email from Dunedin City Council chief executive Sandy Graham to Mr Ong said the meeting was intended to be about supporting him in his role and ensuring there was a safe and professional workplace environment for everyone.

She told the Otago Daily Times there were no code of conduct proceedings in play.

Mr Ong forwarded to the ODT the email he had been sent by Ms Graham.

In it, she also congratulated him on his election, acknowledging the energy and commitment he had brought to the role already.

As chief executive, it was important for her to ensure the workplace was safe, respectful and inclusive, she said.

"I’ve received feedback from several people who have felt uncomfortable in recent interactions with you," she told Mr Ong.

"I want to be clear that I do not believe this has been intentional on your part, but I do believe we need to talk openly about how we can support you in your role while ensuring a safe and professional environment for all.

"I believe we can work together constructively to ensure you feel confident in your role and that others feel safe and respected in their interactions with you."

Mr Ong told the ODT he was unsure if a meeting would be beneficial as he remained focused on preparing to serve the community.

Responding to questions from the ODT, Ms Graham said in an email the invitation to a meeting came after feedback from several people about recent interactions with Mr Ong.

"The aim of the meeting, which is yet to occur, is to have a constructive discussion about the way forward."

Full article at https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dcc/dcc-chief-calls-ong-meeting (subscription link)

group of celebrating airport executives pose in front of a picture of a dilapidated airplane which appears to be in a forest

The Xtra homepage from 1996; a rendered digital world, with various buildings to explore the 1996 internet.

a fairly solid wooden box cased set of 8 IBM Selectric typewriter type ball heads, typefaces include COURIER, ORATOR, SCRIPT, LETTER GOTHIC, SYMBOL, CAPTAIN, COURGETTE ... maybe I made some up

Screenshot

Uploading artifacts for successful job 58:34
Uploading artifacts...
junit.xml: found 1 matching artifact files and directories
WARNING: upload_artifacts_on_success could not run to completion because the timeout was exceeded. For more control over job and script timeouts see: https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/runners/configure_runners/#set-script-and-after_script-timeouts
ERROR: Job failed: execution took longer than 1h0m0s seconds

A poster. Two happy shoppers make a heart with their hands, elated. The sign says SHOPPING ELSEWHERE IS POINTLESS

Inspector Gadget search result screenshot says that Inspector Gadget is out to solve "the mystery rooting in America"

A bus sign, from Wellington in the 90s I think. There are smiling people. The sign says "happiness is a spaced out bus, please move to the rear". Everyone smiles.

clouds lit from below at sunrise, light blue skies, golden tones, peach underbelly

At the horizon, Te Pahuri o te Rangipohika / Signal Hill

In the foreground, three power poles in an urban street not yet lit by the sun

A poster, black and white printed

A scary comic vampire fangs and fingers at a man in suit and tie reclining on the ground.

The text says
VOTE RUTHVEN &
DRAIN THE RICH
VAMPIRE FOR MAYOR

A trampoline rolls around in a neighboring yard on a windy day

Dunedin "radical action faction" poster with environmental message amongst other posters in the central city

Candidates featured are James Cockle (ORC), Jen Olsen (DCC), Ruthven Allimrac (Vampire, DCC)

Google search result screenshot. Query asks for the date of God Friday 2025 and is answered with the date for 2026.

A second search suggestion proposes the question, What dates are Good Friday and Easter Monday 2025, then answers with Thursday, 25 December 2025 (not Easter).

Peter Wyngarde as Jason King

Screenshot of text, which reads -

A Dunedin City Council candidate has been called "completely out of touch" after suggesting striking McDonald’s workers could easily be automated out of their jobs.

Future Dunedin candidate Bex Twemlow made the comments on Facebook after five Central Dunedin McDonald’s workers downed tools and protested outside the restaurant on Wednesday, calling for a living wage after the company’s latest pay offer was rejected.

"You all realise they [McDonald’s owners] could easily completely automate the restaurants and not employ hundreds of people, paying them a wage which then is spent in our economy?" Mrs Twemlow said.

"Honestly, I do wonder why good people bother."

Unite Union Dunedin organiser Andrew Tait said Mrs Twemlow’s comments dismissed hundreds of McDonald’s workers and depicted them as not contributing to the community in other ways.

"It’s completely out of touch with ordinary people," he said.

If Mrs Twemlow was trying to win votes ahead of October’s local body election, she was going about it in "completely the wrong way".

Mr Tait said while stores already featured automation, which the union expected to continue, workers still deserved to be paid a living wage.

The strike was not specifically against local owners but part of nationwide bargaining with a co-operative of McDonald’s and its franchisees, including local franchisee owners Justin and Eterei Stonelake.

Union members recognised the Stonelakes’ stores, which include Central Dunedin, were well run and some staff were paid above contract rates but the latest pay offer from the co-operative was below the rate of inflation — "an effective pay cut", Mr Tait said.