About
Reading
Recipes
Archives
Posts
Posts from 2021
2021-01-01 : 🐶 Photo post:
The consummate NYE guest, and the cat who was very unhappy to see him back again after a six month absence 😾 2021-01-03 : 🎮 Micro post:
Considering I’m notoriously bad at platformers and I died on the tutorial like 10 times, I feel proud that on my … 2021-01-03 : 📚 Book review:
The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed (★★★½)2021-01-04 : 🖥 Micro post:
Found out that The StoryGraph has undergone a revamp (and officially launched) and got a lot of new useful features! I … 2021-01-04 : 🐱 Photo post:
Here’s one of Viv’s and my friends in the neighbourhood. His name is Timmka and he often waits in his front … 2021-01-05 : 🐱 Photo post:
This accursed cat decided to stay out very late last night – something she never really does. We went out calling and … 2021-01-05 : 🐱 Photo post:
Trying to avoid a repeat of last night’s antics, I brought Gidget in at 7:30 seeing as I knew where she was then. … 2021-01-06 : 🎮 Micro post:
Yesterday I discovered this amazing free(mium) browser game, AI Dungeon. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a … 2021-01-07 : 📰 Stray Thoughts on the Storming of the US Capitol :
It seemed like it would be remiss of me to post today without mentioning the day’s biggest news: the storming of … 2021-01-08 : 🗒 Micro post:
When people say they’re “useless until I’ve had my morning coffee”, they’re referring to … 2021-01-08 : 🖥 Experimenting with Gemini :
Gemini is a relatively new internet protocol, aiming to offer a much lighter-weight, text-oriented experience than the … 2021-01-09 : 👩🏻 Photo post:
Since Melbourne’s first lockdown I’ve been growing out my hair (not just because hairdressers were closed, I’d also been … 2021-01-10 : 🖥 Tracking My Reading :
One of my major hobbies is reading. I was a fanatical reader as a kid, and while I’ve definitely gone through … 2021-01-11 : 🏏 Micro post:
Interesting article here by Usman Khawaja on the hostility of Australian cricket to aspiring players from immigrant … 2021-01-11 : 💬 Micro post:
A linguistic pet peeve of mine: people saying “all X are not Y” when what they mean is “not all X are … 2021-01-11 : 📚 Book review:
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang (★★★)2021-01-12 : 🐱 Micro post:
So, Gidget loves hot weather. Give her a heatwave and she has the time of her life, snoozing outside in temperatures of … 2021-01-13 : 🐱 On Gidget Not Wanting to See Guests :
Gidget is an indoor-outdoor cat, but we (try to) keep her in between dusk and dawn (which is even the local bylaw, … 2021-01-14 : 🐶 Photo post:
I realised I’ve been slacking on the photo posts lately, so here’s Gizmo a couple of weekends ago. It was … 2021-01-14 : 🖥 Owning My Content :
One of the reasons I started this blog is that I’d come across the concept of the IndieWeb and really liked it. I … 2021-01-14 : 📚 Book review:
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (★★★★)2021-01-16 : 🐶 Photo post:
We paid a visit to this little guy (and his humans) yesterday. Although he was excited when we got there, he later … 2021-01-16 : 💻 Site update:
It’s actually ridiculous how much time I’ve put into this, but after posting the other day about wanting to … 2021-01-17 : 🗒 Micro post:
For anyone curious about COL in different cities – I found this neat tool that compares it in selected cities around the … 2021-01-18 : 🐶 Photo post:
The dog beach was the place to be yesterday! Beautiful weather, and many many dogs. Gizmo certainly enjoyed himself 🐶 2021-01-19 : 🏏 Micro post:
Sometimes I almost wonder why they even have reviews of LBW decisions… the bar to overturn a decision is ludicrously … 2021-01-19 : 🐱 Photo post:
Gidget likes to shepherd us humans off to bed when it gets to 10 or 11, then watches us like a hawk to make sure we go … 2021-01-20 : 📚 Book review:
Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly (★★★★)2021-01-20 : 📛 Political Labels on the Left :
If I ever asked you to describe your politics, the exact word you’d label those politics with is a lot less … 2021-01-21 : 🍺 Photo post:
It was a warm day today, so Viv and I took a late afternoon walk to our local beach.
On our way home, we ducked into a … 2021-01-23 : 🍃 Photo post:
Today Viv and I drove out to the Dandenong Ranges on Wurundjeri land to do the Eastern Sherbrooke Forest Walk. We went a … 2021-01-25 : 🇦🇺 Micro post:
Tomorrow (26 January) is a public holiday in Australia, marking the day white colonists arrived at what’s now … 2021-01-26 : 🐱 Photo post:
When the cool change came through yesterday, my heat-loving cat was not impressed. She was immediately demanding that I … 2021-01-28 : 💬 Dabbling in Language-Learning :
In recent times, I’ve been tossing up whether I should try to learn some basic German. The thing that’s … 2021-01-29 : 🐱 Photo post:
Fun fact: while Gidget loves arid heat, she ALSO loves heavy rain. She likes to sit under cover and just watch it fall. … 2021-01-29 : 📰 Micro post:
Here’s an important article on how the Left must get ready to deal with deplatforming by Big Tech. It’s all … 2021-01-29 : 🎮 Micro post:
So here’s a neat online game: The Royal Game of Ur is a FOSS implementation of a game first played in the ancient … 2021-01-30 : 📚 Micro post:
A couple of days ago I read Vylar Kaftan’s short story, The Weight of the Sunrise (read it for free on the … 2021-01-31 : 🍱 Photo post:
Just sharing a photo of the chicken tacos I made the other night, cos they came out very photogenic 😅 (and delicious! 😋) … 2021-02-01 : 🍃 Photo post:
I’m not sure how I’ll do, but I thought it’d be fun to participate in Micro.blog’s Feb 2021 … 2021-02-01 : 🐱 Photo post:
A neighbour’s cat, Ben, came to the front window to ask whether Gidget was home. I had to tell him she … 2021-02-02 : ☕️ Photo post:
Day 2 of the photoblogging challenge! Today’s prompt is morning beverage. Last year I bought these neat insulated … 2021-02-02 : 💻 Improving Load Times by Fixing My Images :
As I mentioned in my post about Gemini, mine is a lightweight website for the most part; it’s built with a static … 2021-02-03 : 🐱 Photo post:
Day 3 of Micro.blog’s photoblogging challenge! Today’s prompt is comfort. For this, I thought I’d … 2021-02-03 : 📰 Online Anonymity is a Right, Not a Privilege :
Here’s a great TechDirt article on the importance of online anonymity. As it points out, the only people claiming … 2021-02-04 : 👩🏻 Photo post:
Day 4’s prompt is layers, which I found a tricky one 🤔 Melburnians are known for our prodigious wearing of layers … 2021-02-05 : 🐱 Photo post:
Day 5 of the photoblogging challenge has the easiest prompt… pets! 🤣 For this one, have an old photo of my cat Gidget … 2021-02-05 : 💬 Mental Models of Languages :
So as we know, children acquire their native language by being exposed to lots and lots of input in that language, … 2021-02-06 : 👩🏻 Photo post:
For today’s photoblogging challenge, the day 6 prompt is sport. Viv and I go for different AFL teams, and nearly … 2021-02-06 : 📚 Micro post:
It’s been so long since I’ve actually read a whole book at this point, I think because I started one I’m not really … 2021-02-07 : 🍱 Photo post:
As I’ve mentioned before I no longer eat mammal meat, which is mostly easy peasy but just occasionally I get the … 2021-02-08 : 💻 My first blog entry on Hugo :
Hello world! For a little while now I’ve been working on adding a blog to my Hugo-generated static site, and I … 2021-02-08 : 🏝 Photo post:
It’s day 8 of Micro.blog’s photoblogging challenge, which means today’s prompt is hope. My hope is … 2021-02-09 : 🐶 Photo post:
For day 9 of Micro.blog’s photoblogging challenge, the prompt is muddy. It’s not currently a muddy time of … 2021-02-09 : 💻 Site update:
It’s been a busy day of barely doing anything but website work, but I’m making good progress getting the … 2021-02-10 : 🐱 Photo post:
Oh, to have the energy of a kitten who’s just realised she’s made a terrible mistake 😂 For today, I thought … 2021-02-11 : 📚 Micro post:
Next month it’s my dad’s birthday, and given his strong interest in mathematics and the fact he’s been … 2021-02-11 : 📰 Micro post:
So Melbourne had like two local Covid-19 transmissions yesterday meaning that obviously South Australia felt obliged to … 2021-02-11 : 🖥 Photo post:
Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time peering at this machine, setting my blog up how I want it. MacBook Airs … 2021-02-12 : 👩🏻 Photo post:
My face when I saw that today’s #mbfeb challenge prompt is sporg… 2021-02-12 : 📰 Micro post:
Apparently all signs are pointing to a lockdown being about to be declared because we had 13 new Covid-19 cases in the … 2021-02-12 : 🐱 Photo post:
My neighbour’s cat, Gracie, has made herself a lovely bed out of a flowerpot 😸 2021-02-12 : 📰 Victoria Back in Lockdown :
After 13 new Covid cases in the last week, all associated with a specific hotel and a family quarantined there (the … 2021-02-13 : 📰 A (Largely Political) Linkpost :
In the near future, I’d like to have templates in place on my blog, so I can post proper bookmarks (and replies … 2021-02-13 : 💬 Replied to:
“My war on doomscrolling” by Toby Kurien 2021-02-13 : 🍱 Photo post:
Tonight I decided to make gnocchi with chicken sausages in a butternut squash sauce 😋 If you’re interested in … 2021-02-14 : 🖥 Micro post:
Opened up Firefox today and it’s reset my entire profile 😒 Can’t wait to reinstall all my extensions, reset … 2021-02-14 : ❤️ Liked:
“Sex-Positivity Means Unlearning Shame” by Tim Smith 2021-02-14 : 💻 Site update:
So I think I’ve now got interactions set up and displaying properly!
I’m relying on webmention.app to … 2021-02-14 : 🐱 Photo post:
Gidget says, “Mum… tell those mice to have some compassion and come out to be eaten!” 😼 #mbfeb 2021-02-14 : ❤️ Liked:
“Obi looking extra cute during his Saturday afternoon nap” by Tim Smith 2021-02-14 : ❤️ Liked:
“Do Adults Really Not Remember School Sucked?” by Ian Welsh 2021-02-14 : 📚 Book review:
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (★★★★★)2021-02-14 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Fury at ‘do not resuscitate’ notices given to Covid patients with learning disabilities” 2021-02-15 : 🐝 Photo post:
This week in “Yikes!"… we have a wasp infestation affecting our flat 😳 A few days ago (just before the … 2021-02-15 : ❤️ Liked:
“Senator Jordon Steele-John shares his personal story of growing up disabled in Australia” 2021-02-15 : 🐱 Photo post:
Today I have another photo from when Gidget was a kitten. She’s always found comfort hiding behind the couch, and … 2021-02-16 : 🐝 Micro post:
After quite a process, the wasps should be about to meet their doom – the wasp control people have said they’ll be … 2021-02-16 : 🖥 You Already Don't Need Google Search :
Even though a compromise seems to be emerging, Australian media is still abuzz with the possibility (or threat) that … 2021-02-16 : 💷 Micro post:
Random fact: the reason an Australian dollar has long been worth approx. half a British pound is decimalisation. In both … 2021-02-16 : 💬 Replied to:
“Let's Imagine a Better World” by Tim Smith 2021-02-16 : 🐱 Photo post:
Ever the erudite cat, this one was transfixed by the quoll documentary that was on the other night. At least, I’m … 2021-02-17 : 🍃 Photo post:
Today Victoria is still in lockdown, although the good news is that’ll end at midnight tonight, on schedule. … 2021-02-17 : ❤️ Liked:
“Massive Texas gas failure during climate extremes gets blamed on wind power” by Ketan Joshi 2021-02-17 : 📚 Micro post:
Yesterday I started reading N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, and apparently I had such an expression on my face … 2021-02-17 : 🍱 Photo post:
Inspired by this blog post yesterday, I had a go of my own making cheese buldak (aka Korean fire chicken). I believe the … 2021-02-18 : 📰 Micro post:
Wow, they’ve gone and done it. While Google has tried to reach a compromise with commercial news outlets, Facebook … 2021-02-18 : 📰 On the AusGov vs Google/FB Stoush :
So, the House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring Google and Facebook to pay money to certain media outlets … 2021-02-18 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“The Government Just Got Rid Of The Family Court With The Help Of One Nation & Crossbenchers” 2021-02-18 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“A new online safety bill could allow censorship of anyone who engages with sexual content on the internet” by Zahra Zsuzsanna Stardust 2021-02-18 : 📷 Photo post:
For day 18 of Micro.blog’s photoblogging challenge, the prompt is “at home”. A recent development from … 2021-02-19 : 📚 Book review:
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (★★★★★)2021-02-19 : 🍃 Photo post:
A few years ago, my grandma came and helped me plant some things in the flowerbed at the front of my flat. Some of them … 2021-02-19 : 🐱 Photo post:
So it’s 28°C outside and this cat is begging me to turn the heater on… 🤨 2021-02-20 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Judas and the Black Messiah Actually Does Fred Hampton Justice” 2021-02-20 : 🏏 Micro post:
🏏 The ABC has published an article wondering if the death of test cricket is nigh. Honestly, I would’ve thought … 2021-02-20 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Former Collingwood player Leon Davis: 'We don't want our kids to have to go through the bullshit'” by Amy McQuire 2021-02-20 : 📷 Photo post:
After a few hot days (and nights) in a row, the cool change came earlier than expected this afternoon, resulting in … 2021-02-21 : ❤️ Liked:
“42 admissions” by Ben Werdmüller 2021-02-21 : 🖥 How I Integrated Webmentions Into My Hugo Static Site :
Since I moved my blog over to Hugo, I’ve been wanting to do a little series of posts about various aspects of my … 2021-02-21 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Griddy customers face $5,000 electric bills for 5 freezing days in Texas” 2021-02-21 : 🍱 Photo post:
Why does food look more appealing when it’s colourful? Is it some kind of evolutionary adaption because in nature, … 2021-02-22 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“It’s the anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination.…” by Hari Kunzru 2021-02-22 : 🐱 Photo post:
🐈 For today’s #mbfeb challenge post, I thought I’d share another photo of Gidget during the spell of hot … 2021-02-22 : ❤️ Liked:
“Life Happens: Towards Community Support For Prioritizing Life Events And Mutual Care, Starting With The #IndieWeb” by Tantek Çelik 2021-02-22 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Teachers and Their Unions Are Demanding Truly Safe Schools Reopening — Not “Ignoring Science”” 2021-02-22 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Workers Should Take Back Control of Their Pension Funds” 2021-02-22 : 🐶 Photo post:
Yesterday we got to bring Gizmo to the beach for the first time in a few weeks! Gizmo was loving it, charging around … 2021-02-23 : 🍌 Photo post:
Today’s #mbfeb prompt is banana, so I’m sharing my favourite way to eat banana: mashed into baked oatmeal! … 2021-02-24 : 📰 Micro post:
For anyone out there who was following the saga: the Australian government has indeed backed down in its stoush with … 2021-02-24 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“The Fake Debate Over a Minimum Wage” 2021-02-24 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Queensland's Public Trustee accused of profiting off people who lack capacity to manage own affairs” 2021-02-24 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Britain’s Government Has Decided No One Should Police the Police” 2021-02-24 : 🐱 Photo post:
Gidget’s now five and a half, but the tidying I did yesterday uncovered a purple hair tie that she used to play … 2021-02-24 : 🖨 Micro post:
One thing I did not expect when Viv and I went to pick up our new printer from Officeworks was the guy working at … 2021-02-24 : ❤️ Liked:
“WhatsApp and the domestication of users” by Rohan Kumar 2021-02-25 : ❤️ Liked:
“Ask a policy expert: why is it so hard to get on the disability support pension?” 2021-02-25 : 💬 Micro post:
My honest opinion that I absolutely will not stand by if challenged by someone with coercive power over me is that … 2021-02-25 : ❤️ Liked:
“Economics professor Ross Garnaut says Australia voluntarily keeps hundreds of thousands unemployed” 2021-02-25 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“‘Destruction by a thousand cuts’: the relentless threat mining poses to the Pilbara cultural landscape” 2021-02-25 : ⭐️ Bookmarked:
“Sky News Australia is tapping into the global conspiracy set – and it’s paying off” 2021-02-25 : 🖥 Photo post:
Today’s #mbfeb prompt is “code”, so I took a photo of where I do my coding 😜 It doesn’t seem to … 2021-02-25 : 📚 Book review:
Break the Dark by Cheryl Lawson (★★)
Jessica Smith is a left-wing feminist who loves animals, books, gaming, and cooking; she’s also very interested in linguistics, history, technology and society.
Jessica Smith is a left-wing feminist who loves animals, books, gaming, and cooking; she’s also very interested in linguistics, history, technology and society.