I caught the A220-300 from Canberra to Melbourne then from Melbourne to Hobart – the flight from Canberra to Melbourne was late but thank goodness when the tickets were organised that there was a couple of hours gap between the two flights. I’m now at the hotel and.did pop out for something to eat for dinner but nothing was open – Google really needs to fix up the hours because to say a mall is open 24 hours would be to imply the shops in that mall are open 24 hours. I did head down to the McDonalds near by but by the time I got there I couldn’t be bothered because I wasn’t in the mood for something to eat. When I ge tup tomorrow I’ll head out for brunch and spend sometime checking out a few things and then later on tomorrow we’ve got a meet up with family friends for a light dinner and a few drinks.
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I woke up this morning by my nephew jumping on my bed to tell me about his interest in dinosaurs and what he has been doing at school. I got out of bed and had breakfast while the niece and nephew left for school. My brother had a day off from work so we headed down to the mall to pick up some compression shorts that I wear under my work out gear (the pair that I have at the moment are wearing out) and then we headed over to Costco to pick up a few more items and then have lunch. I grabbed a hot dog and some fries – on the fries I put some fresh onions over the top and then squired some tomato sauce because I like the taste of onions with tomato sauce on my fries.
I made a post over on Geekzone because I’m thinking about the Pixel 11 Pro XL when compared to the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max when compared to what Samsung has to offer – what is Oppo’s software support actually like vs what they promise. I am also looking at the larger picture of whether it is necessary to be ‘all in’ on having Android on the phone and Android for the watch or should I mix it up a bit – maybe get a Garmin watch with a 51mm screen on it? I like to keep my options open rather than being “well, I’m an Apple person so I’m only interested in Apple products”.
On a whim I decided to check for updates and Apple has released the 27.2.1 update to fix a few security issues and just to make things interesting I checked for Chrome updates. Google had release an update which updated Chrome from version 157.0.8103.39 to 157.0.8103.51 which fixed 9 security bugs (link). Normally these updates are released on Wednesday New Zealand/Australia time but given that on the notes there is the following statement, “Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2026-125350 exists in the wild”, it makes sense that Google want to get the update out there asap.
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Before jumping on the plane I bought a 7 day roaming add-on so I was covered in the eventuality of not being near a free WiFi service – it turned out it wasn’t needed but it is always good to be prepared. The plane ride to Sydney was pretty quick although the plane was packed – no empty seats so I it isn’t surprising that it is a fairly profitable route for the two major airlines. Once we arrived there was a bit of a wait because the Sydney airport was short staffed but we eventually got our bags, cleared customs then grabbed the next bus down to Canberra which was a three and a half hour ride with the bus being pretty comfortable.
Tomorrow I’m going to head down to Costco and maybe check out a few stores while I’m over here. I can see that JB HiFi has a special on the Pixel 11 Pro XL however I’m on the fence regarding it because if I am going to go ‘all in’ then I’ll go all in. The problem is that with the Pixel range is that many of the features aren’t compatible with Google Workspace accounts such as Google Health. When there are such limitations then at that point you may as well just go Samsung and not deal with the issues. In defence of Google I guess one could make the argument that the Pixel are more consumer products so things that are relevant to consumers may not be relevant for business customers (even though Google Workspace is the only option for those who have their own demain and want to use it for email – there isn’t a ‘consumer’ service akin to iCloud+ that allows one to add custom domain support to a consumer Google account).
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At the airport getting ready to catch the next flight out of Wellington to Australia. I had a good sleep last night and I made sure that everything was ready so the only thing I had to worry about was packing my laptop and leaving on time. I left around 20 minutes before the train arrived because I was pulling the luggage behind me I realised it would take longer than usual. I arrived at the train station and saw mum there – she had taken the earlier train and decided to wait for me so we could catch the train together. Once we arrived at the Wellington train station we caught the flyer bus out to the airport where I am at the moment enjoying a coffee and a scone before jumping on the flight.
I’m still very much ruminating over the recent election and there is plenty of frustration by the online left that they had expected a change in government even though it was very much unlikely. If there are three points that the left can take away from this election it would be this:
a) There needs to be better coordination with other parties on the left regarding strategic voting because until such point that rank choice voting is introduced for electorates. For example, Mount Roskill would have been an easy win for Labour had the votes not been split between Labour, Greens and TOP.
b) On a side note to there, there are 399,999 special votes to be counted (link) and given how close quite a few of the electorate seats are, it may result in the right wing majority disappearing (I’m not trying to seed any hopium but it is important to acknowledge how close the election is).
c) The right wing have two of their three years with Donald Trump in the White House and a lot of crazy stuff can happen – whether the right wing like it or not they will be blamed for everything going wrong, the results aren’t being delivered then the excuse of “but, but, it we’re dealing with the mess left over from Labour” isn’t going to cut the mustard.
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Well, I woke up today and felt a little under the weather – rather than pushing it I decided to have a day off so that when I fly out on Monday I’ll be all recovered and ready for my holiday. I headed down to the supermarket to pick up some fish and salad for dinner because I needed some fresh air and the dinner being light weight rather than something heavy. Tonight I’m going to get my bag all ready because I’ll be catching the train into town and then from the train station I’m going to catch the bus out to the airport. We’re going to get in their early because it’ll give us enough time to check in, sit down and relax before having to jump on the plane. Before jumped in bed tonight I took some photos of my place for my brother and his partner to see (the photo of the new archgola I’ll need to take tomorrow when there is daylight) along with packing my bags so that all I’ll need to do is have a shower, get changed and leave by around midday to catch the train. Oh, and I made sure that the passport is in my laptop back which I have on my coffee table next to my main luggage.
Regarding the recent election in New Zealand, there are still another 400,000 special votes that need to be counted. If the National Party is smart or at least their leadership is, then given how close the election result has been then I hope that National realise that they could be a two term government if they don’t start producing results in the second term. If I was in the National Party I’d be sitting down with NZ First and ACT for some serious discussions about policy – yes, they have what they promised during the campaign but they need to do a whole lot more such as hiring every nurse and doctor that graduates rather than the atrociously small 54 nurses during their time in power.
One thing to keep in mind is that in around a years time we’ll start to see speculation about who will the Democratic and Republican candidates for their respective primaries – will Trump be an influencial force by the end? how much of a gap between the Republican candidates and the Trump administration will be made? will we see a complete repudiation of MAGA and Trump or will we see a modified version beign rebranded as something else. New Zealand is a small country and as such depends on trade – the trade war may end, the war between the United States/Israel and Iran may draw to a close and we may even see a resolution to the Russia and Ukraine war. If all that happens in the next couple of years then it’ll make the economic recovery a whole lot easier.
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I finished work tonight at 10:00 pm but I decided not to go for a walk because I really didn’t want to deal with the fireworks that people let off at this time of the year. Personally I’d love to see the idea of restrictions on when one can buy fireworks and when one can let off those fireworks to avoid idiots letting off fireworks at random times during the week for no other reason that they’re bored. I’m relaxing at home on my laptop, catching up with some news and chatting with a friend I met many years ago on an online forum – the forum has gone but we’ve kept in touch via Microsoft Teams (formally Skype and before that Microsoft Messenger – yes, going back that far). At the moment it is currently raining and over the next few days it’ll be raining a bit more but the temperature hasn’t dropped too much so I’ve left my windows slightly open so I can get some fresh air when I go to bed at night.
Upon reflection regarding the United States election I think that maybe the downfall of MAGA has to do with a larger downfall of populist movements – when you policy platform is based on vibes rather than viability then at some point people wake up and realise it was never going to happen. I wonder whether the start of the downfall can be traced back to Poland voting for a change – away from the reactionary politics that had engulfed the country then Hungary rejected Viktor Orban, then in Italy we saw the Trump style populism of Giorgia Meloni changing direction. Then over to the UK where both the Greens and Reform have crashed at burned – it is easy to make a whole lot of noise and promises but it is another thing to actually get into power and deliver (not to mention these parties descending into infighting thus sending a clear message to the public that these aren’t serious people). The Reform candidates took over local city councils and let’s put it this way – if you cannot get the rubbish picked up and make sure the water pipes are well maintained then there is little hope that you have what it takes to run a country of around 70 million.
Just to add some icing on the cake – the ecosystem that allowed the likes of Trump and MAGA to gain political sway over ‘the youths’ with Joe Rogan’s and the ‘Rogansphere’ are now finding their credibility is heading down the toilet as Rogan moved from being ‘the everyman’s man’ to being part of the MAGA ecosystem (even though he goes out of his way to deny that). Then there is the Tate brothers and their court case where they admitted that they their whole lifestyle was ‘fake it till you make it’ (link) and Russell Brand has been found guilty (link). The bro culture has been shown up for being as vacuous and hollow that all of us on the left have been saying for years and young men (based on the exit polls in the midterms) have swung back to the left. Now the MAGA ecosystem are breaking apart thus demonstrating that their proximity to MAGA had little to nothing to do with some sort of conviction based politics but rather going where the dollars and the crowd is. That doesn’t even touch on Trump suing the BBC and Trump’s DOJ is trying to block Jack Smith from providing testimony (link).
I agree with Kamala Harris that the Democratic Party shouldn’t waste their time trying to impeach Trump (link) because unless you’ve got the numbers to get it through the upper house then the whole exercise is pointless and will provide a way to rally his supporters around him at a time he is losing support (this is the reason I opposed the Democratic Party doing it back in his first term – investigate, release the information and have a media strategy to ensure the findings are made known to the voting public). Should they have investigations? yes. Should the Democratic Party have a media strategy to ensure that the findings that are uncovered by these investigations are spread through every news outlet and social media? yes once again. One thing to keep in mind, the information uncovered may not result in the federal DOJ doing anything but there is nothing stopping individual states from doing their own investigation by using the findings from the congressional investigations as a starting point. Keep in mind, presidential pardons do not extend down to the state level so even if Trump issues a pardon there is no protection from prosecution at the state level – “karma may take its time to deliver but it never gets the wrong address”.
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I’ve been following the blue wave in the United States and I have to admit I am feeling really good that maybe a corner has been turned – that the United States hit ‘peak MAGA’ and once they got there they realised it wasn’t what they wanted. I have to admit I an a conspiratorial when it comes to the Republican establishment – did they sit back and allow this to happen because they realised that the only way for MAG to be dealt with once and for all it required them to allow MAGA to crash and burn spectacularly? the big question is what comes after it – will we see a return of compassionate conservatism minus the neo-conservative elements? given the impact that the United States has on the world it may serve as a moment where MAGA like reactionary parties also start to see their support waver particularly in those countries where they had power but it ended badly.
I’ve had a look online about the Pixel 11 Pro XL and the Google Watch because unfortunately I cannot buy it in New Zealand but I could buy it in Hobart or possibly Canberra when I’m there. The benefit of buying it from JB HiFi is that I can still get assistance in New Zealand because there are JB HiFi stores operating in New Zealand. I was originally looking at a Samsung phone but I’d much prefer the pure Android experience. When I’m over there I can have a look at then make the decision by having some first hand experience. With all that being said, Samsung does have the benefit of everything integrating into the SmartThings ecosystem and at the moment for some reason my Arlo security camera set up in Apple Home isn’t working – I can view the stream but when I click on it on the Home app it gives an error message. I’m going to do a clean install and set everything up again and hopefully that should fix it up.
I logged into Webkit website and Apple has released the Safari Technology Preview 256 however the first beta of Safari 27.3 wasn’t made available but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. I’ve give Safari Technology Preview 256 a try but it is a bit buggy that should be expected since it is on the bleeding edge but I gave it a try none the less – there are some definite improvements although the website issue with YouShop hasn’t bee fixed (I don’t think it will be since it is mostly NZ Post doing a lousy job coding their website). When it comes to the the web extensions support and the new features being added, I have a feeling it’ll require the developers to opt into the functionality.
I’ve installed the UniFi OS 5.1.35 today which updates the software on my UniFi Dream Router to address a security vulnerability found on the kernel. UniFi OS 6.0.17 for the Dream Routers has been made available to the release candidate channel so it’ll be interesting what changes are in store. The reason why I say that is because the UniFi 6.x series also involves upgrading the Debian distribution that underpins the system so we may even see a new kernel as part of that upgrade although that is doubtful since UniFi OS (from what I understand) relies on a heavily customised Linux kernel build.
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Today was a relaxing day to be off from work – enjoying the new archgola out the back on the patio with the sunlight flooding. Before I went to bed last night I got a tandoori chicken out of the freezer to defrost for dinner and I had that with a salad for dinner – mum came over for dinner because she was working close where I live so it made sense to grab dinner (we were going to head out to a restaurant but I had already gotten the chicken out so I didn’t want to refreeze it because I wasn’t going to cook it up on Thursday).
I opened up Chrome and checked for updates and Google released an update which bumped the version from 156.0.8078.80 to 157.0.8103.39 and with that update there were 213 security bugs fixed up (link). Out of the 213 security bugs corrected there were 7 critical updates and a whole lot of bugs that were rated high. Ubiquiti has made available a release candidate for UniFi OS 5.1.35 which addresses a security bug in the Linux kernel relating to the TCP/IP stack. In the early access channel there is the UniFi OS 6.0.17 which fixes the same bug found in UniFi OS 5.1.35 as well as a an improvement and a generic bug fix – given the short list of bugs corrected, maybe we’re getting close to seeing UniFi OS 6.x making its way to the release candidate channel soon. UniFi Access Point & Wireless Bridge 8.8.14 was released to the release candidate channel – looks pretty close to maybe a release soon.
Apple has released the beta of the 27.3 update and what came to my attention was the Safari 27.3 beta release notes (link) which includes a huge number of not only bug fixes but features that have been added. The biggest addition has been the following:
- Added support for the offscreen API. (184269255)
It was only just a few weeks ago that the preliminary support had been added in the Technology Preview so I had assumed it would be many months away from appearing the mainstream release of Safari. I’ve been trying to download and install the Safari 27.3 beta however at the moment they’ve only got the Safari 27.2 beta so many they’ll make it available when the public beta of 27.3 is released. I don’t see it fixing the issues that I have with Safari but I’m trying to be optimistic that maybe I’ll be proven wrong one of these days and all my cyniciism will be put to rest. It’ll be interesting to see whether Release Notes for Safari Technology Preview 256 includes those changes – hopefully that’ll be released in the next few days.
I’ve been following the midterms in the United States and I have to admit I was sceptical about there being a ‘blue wave’ or a ‘blue tsunami’ given that in the past the polls have been wrong. The big surprise wasn’t just the Democratic Party winning control of congress but also winning control of the senate with a ‘Fetterman proof’ majority in the senate just in case Senator Fetterman decided to leave the Democratic Party. I also think the big success is also the number of senate seats won in states that hadn’t voted Democratic for decades, not only Democratic governors but also other important offices such as attorney general. What I do hope is that the new Democratic attorney general in Texas not only investigates Paxton but he also goes after Elon Musk and many others – trace down every lead and leave no stone unturned.
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A long day at work is finally over and I’ve been now back at home for a couple of hours and getting ready to get to sleep. I enjoyed catching up with work mates but I really do prefer having the comfort of home in a quiet environment where I can focus on work without the many distractions. Lunch was very tasty – chicken burger from Burger Fuel has a grilled chicken breast although I think it could do with some spiciness in the form of sriracha sauce or possible some jalapenos. I avoided the chips because by the time they got to the office they were no longer fresh – one of the reasons why a lot of the truckies would only pick up burgers on their way through to Auckland when I worked at a fastfood chain.
Once I got home I got a tandoori chicken out of the freezer so that it can defrost overnight and on Wednesday I’m going to head down to the supermarket to pickup some coleslaw for dinner to go with the chicken. While I was at work mum came around to check on the Archgola – it has be all put up and it is looking great although there is some stuff I want to do regarding the patio. At the moment the patio is in pretty rough shape so what I’m looking at doing is installing some slat decking tiles to make it look a little nicer. There is still more work I want to do with the backyard and with the good weather I can take advantage of that to make it look a lot nicer – maybe a few planter boxes would be a good start.
