Write more, about anything, on a personal website, not social media

2 January 2026

I will often find a blog post on Hacker News that really resonates. And when I go to check the rest of the site there’s three other posts. And I think: I wish you’d write more! When I find someone whose writing I really connect with, I like to read everything they have written, or at least a tractable subset of their most interesting posts.

I’m the same.

There are probably quite a few people writing, or posting publicly, but much of that content ends up on social media, rather than a personal website or blog. Let’s do more to encourage independent online publishing on personal websites and blogs.

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blogs, self publishing, social media

Melbourne Ashes fourth test pitch judged unsatisfactory by ICC

1 January 2026

Test matches in cricket are generally meant to last the best part of five days. Fans of the game expect to see individual batters clock up scores of one-hundred plus runs. Maybe two-hundred plus, if they get on a roll. Brian Lara, a West Indies cricketer, once made four-hundred runs in a test match.

Last week, during the fourth test of the Ashes Series, not one batter from either the Australian or English teams managed to notch more than fifty runs. Twenty wickets fell on the first day of this match. That means both teams were bowled out on the same day.

This sort of thing happens — it’s a funny old game after all — but it is not something anyone expects of the top, first class, teams of any cricketing nation.

Last Tuesday the International Cricket Council (ICC) rated the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as “unsatisfactory”, which is the second lowest rating a cricket pitch can receive.

This was on account of the one-centimetre long grass on the pitch, which seemed to suit bowlers more than batters, and explains the regularity with which wickets tumbled. Usually, the grass on test pitches is shorter, but on occasions has exceeded one centimetre.

While the length of the grass contributed to the low scoring game, commentators also said the quality of batting left much to be desired. England went on to win the truncated two day test match, their first victory in nearly fifteen years on Australian soil.

The fifth, and final, Ashes test commences in Sydney on Sunday 4 January 2026.

While Australia has already retained the Ashes, with a three to one lead in the five game series, I’m hoping England win in Sydney. That would make the score line three to two, and look, at least on paper, that this summer’s test series had been some sort of contest.

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Australia, cricket, England, sport

Otroverts have websites called disassociated, are like Albert Einstein

1 January 2026

Rami Kaminski, a New York based psychiatrist, has identified a new personality type, the otrovert:

An Otrovert is someone who feels like an eternal outsider in groups, even when they are friendly and socially capable. Media descriptions of “otroverts” commonly emphasize emotional independence from groups, original thinking, low interest in joining or in adopting group rituals, and a tendency to seek depth in a small number of relationships rather than broad group belonging.

This seems all very familiar.

Albert Einstein, for one, is cited as an example of an otrovert, although up until now he’d been more considered an introvert. Otrovert seems more like a sub-classification of an introvert though, and I dare say more could forthcoming, as one introvert is not a cookie-cutter version of another.

The same, no doubt, would go for extroverts as well.

The COVID, AI, triggered cultural vibe shift we did not see coming

30 December 2025

Sydney based Australian journalist and speech writer Brigid Delaney, writing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC):

Arriving, a friend asked me how I was. I was OK, I replied, but still disorientated from my time on X. “I don’t know what’s real anymore,” I said. It was dawning on me that this feeling of not knowing reality was — for me — the vibe shift. AI had polluted my clarity, in part because it was so uncanny and real that it was very easy to be tricked.

The COVID lock-downs were the beginning, but the arrival of AI in 2022, and even the election of American President Donald Trump in 2024, have accelerated the vibe shift Delaney writes of.

I’m certainly aware of changes in the way people interact with each other, even if those are relatively subtle. I hear of people adopting hermit-like lifestyles, enveloping themselves in AI fostered domains, with AI companions, but don’t see, or hear, much about it in the circles I move. Most people seem to socialise face-to-face with family and friends as usual. Or at least create that impression.

Delaney’s article is contemplative reading, whatever your thoughts on any sort of vibe shift might be.

Are you a ‘small i’ indie web, or ‘capital I’ IndieWeb, publisher?

30 December 2025

Chris Shaw, writing at uncountable thoughts:

The IndieWeb is, as far as I can tell, a community of people who advocate certain digital principles and support each other in working towards those. The most famous principle is Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. There are a variety of initiatives such as the monthly blog carnival (which I have hosted in the past) and online/in-person meetups.

The indie web, on the other hand, is a (very) much larger universe of websites run by individuals who wish to express their independent creativity.

You can, as I am, be an indie web publisher, without being an IndieWeb publisher.

Many personal websites and blogs pre-date the IndieWeb movement, sometimes by well over a decade, but align with some IndieWeb principles. I am definitely in that category, and henceforth shall refer to myself as a ‘small i’ indie web publisher.

Some Australian cafes adopt automatic tipping as costs keep rising

24 December 2025

In a land were people (still) do not generally expect to pay a tip at food and beverage venues, a practice called automatic tipping is sure to be poorly received. Industry workers are reasonably well paid in Australia (or are meant to be), so customers see little need to offer tips.

This is not the case for all dining workers across the world though.

But some local food and beverage venues, struggling with escalating costs, have begun adding a gratuity of up to ten-percent to what they charge customers, a practice called automatic tipping.

Although it may not be popular, some industry observers predict the practice will become more common, in response to rising overheads. While automatic tipping is legal in Australia, food and beverage operators must be upfront about the charge, and allow customers to opt out of paying.

At a cafe I go to regularly, a large cappuccino costs five-dollars-and-fifty-cents (Australian). An automatic tip of ten-percent would see the cost rise to six-dollars-and-five-cents. I appreciate local food and beverage operators are struggling, but I’d rather meet them half-way.

Perhaps increase the price of a coffee by five-percent, maybe a tad more, taking the price to five-dollars-and-eighty-cents. Round off the price to nearest twenty-cents so people paying cash (to avoid card surcharges) don’t end up with a pocket too full of loose change.

I think most customers, certainly regulars, would continue to support their favourite coffee shop.

A reasonable price increase, and not just for coffee of course, seems far less underhand than levying an automatic tip, would avoid potential confrontations, and bring the much needed revenue boost food and beverage venues are looking for.

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Australia, coffee, economics, trends

Hollywood creative group seeks responsible use of AI in filmmaking

24 December 2025

Actors, filmmakers, writers, and show runners, are among Hollywood creative professionals who have formed an industry group called the Creators Coalition on AI (CCAI), says Chris Gardner, writing for The Hollywood Reporter:

CCAI’s rallying cry states that the group is not against AI use in Hollywood — “this is not a full rejection of AI” — but rather a hope that all involved can commit to “responsible, human-centered innovation.” Per CCAI: “We believe humanity is creative enough to design a system that allows for the tech and creative industries to coordinate, collaborate and flourish but that will not happen by default. We must unite and push back against the current path and demand all parties come together to build a better system.”

The CCAI is not opposed to AI as such, but, long story short, wants to ensure the technologies are deployed in a “responsible” manner.

Jarrod Grech paints mural of Ahmed Al Ahmed, who disarmed a Bondi Beach shooter

24 December 2025

Melbourne based Australian artist Jarrod Grech, has painted a mural (Instagram link) of Ahmed Al Ahmed, who heroically wrenched a rifle out of the hands of one of the shooters during the terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community, at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, on Sunday 14 December 2025.

Ahmed was one of several unarmed and fearless civilians who confronted the shooters. Boris Gurman, wife Sofia, and Reuven Morrison, also tried to stop the shooters, but were tragically killed doing so. Hopefully their acts of bravery are never forgotten.

Firefox will give users the option to disable AI features

22 December 2025

From a post on the Firefox for Web Developers Mastodon account:

Something that hasn’t been made clear: Firefox will have an option to completely disable all AI features. We’ve been calling it the AI kill switch internally. I’m sure it’ll ship with a less murderous name, but that’s how seriously and absolutely we’re taking this.

There’s no escaping AI, and that may not always be a bad thing, but it seems inevitable that web browsers of the future will eventually be like Altas, the ChatGPT/OpenAI browser. I don’t however like the idea of taking an existing browser, and fitting it out with AI functionality, as Mozilla intends to do.

As I wrote about two months ago, if Mozilla wants to release an AI browser, it should be separate from the existing Firefox browser. If people want to use an AI-powered version of Firefox, fine, they can do so. But if people don’t want that, it shouldn’t be foisted upon them. That’s probably thinking that’s a tad too simplistic however. The AI “kill switch” it will have to be.

Users may have to pay to post links on Facebook pages. Time to get a website

22 December 2025

Ivan Mehta, writing for TechCrunch:

Over the last week, several users have spotted Meta’s test, which impacts link posting. Social media strategist Matt Navarra noted that users part of the test can only post two links unless they pay for a Meta Verified subscription, which starts from $14.99 per month.

The proposed regime will apply to those who use professional mode on the social network.

Like many website owners, I can post as many links as I want to here, without the need to pay a cent to Meta, or be “verified” by them.

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