Joanna Holman

@joannamuses on twitter. Thoughts on books, Eurovision, Melbourne happenings, music and culture with bonus architecture and cute animal pictures.

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joannaholman_at_aus.social@mostr.pub

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bostr.lecturify.net

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Last Notes

2024-09-17 08:25:46

Back in the good old days of 1912 when cars weren’t ginormous, auto-polo used to be a thing https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/auto-polo/

2024-09-10 09:02:01

An abomination which might be a sign of the end of times has manifested
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/113/112/440/790/014/941/original/011912b9e04068a8.jpg

2024-09-09 09:30:35

Today I learned that because of geopolitical tensions over border disputes, it's not possible to get a direct commercial flight from India to Mainland China https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuWAdYl5icY

2024-08-31 02:11:20

It’s amazing how many restaurants and cafes play the free version of Spotify with ads. I know there’s often tight profit margin in hospitality but $13 a month seems like a low cost to not look really tacky

2024-08-25 22:56:45

We have too many case studies in toxic masculinity, delighted to see such a nice example of healthy masculinity
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/113/025/123/993/127/396/original/57afe202fb4e342c.jpeg

2024-08-23 22:50:14

It’s striking how many tech and business folk are forever going on about being agile and innovative and other words that mean being on the cutting edge of change but seem to have a core belief that they have a God given right for market demands to stay the same as when they entered business (X suing companies who decided to stop advertising, business groups demanding people work from the office more again….)

2024-08-20 10:31:03

#melbourne people, if the cost of groceries is taking a toll you really need to check out Cheaper Buy Miles. All this food cost me only $26 total. Didn’t get any today but they often have good deals on yoghurt and cheese. The selection is variable and stuff there is often approaching the best by date (that’s why it’s super cheap) but I’ve never had any trouble with the quality there
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/993/870/825/545/126/original/dc8175cc382e9d84.jpg

2024-08-19 08:37:24

It sucks that accept cookies has come to mean consent to invasive tracking. Offline I really like accepting cookies. Cookies are tasty 🍪🍪🍪

2024-08-18 23:19:30

It’s weird that Cassowaries don’t figure more promenantly in Australia’s pop culture and international reputation. We just kinda ignore the fact that we have surviving dinosaurs wandering around some parts of the country
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/985/577/782/750/744/original/4dcd4bcd7ef12b35.jpeg

2024-08-18 11:47:18

An audiobook store I use now offers 6 hour long audiobooks written by ChatGPT , narrated by a virtual voice. I guess its good they've got some truth in advertising because that is a profoundly unappealing prospect

2024-08-14 23:31:55

A future where the self driving cars get together outside apartment blocks and honk at each other in the middle of the night wasn’t quite what I imagined
https://futurism.com/the-byte/robotaxis-gather-honk-all-night

2024-08-03 23:56:48

Getting the essential info on the train today
#melbourne
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/900/791/362/759/218/original/e3f7304d90c78380.jpg

2024-08-02 13:07:35

An obscure cool fact I recently learned is that the Australian tectonic plate moves faster than the other tectonic plates, at a rate of around 6.9 cm a year north. It's fast enough that GPS mapping data needs updating every couple of decades.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Plate#Speed

2024-07-30 01:13:09

The content thieves on instagram are too lazy to even write good ChatGPT prompts or remove irrelevant bits of output text. Can’t wait for this AI fad to be over
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/872/776/202/996/852/original/bd1ad9862c97ec94.png

2024-07-28 08:03:30

Cookie options on websites should be yes or no, not yes or go to a complicated and confusing manage options page

2024-07-27 08:20:27

Living in a big city gets so much better if you’re willing to be curious enough to divert from your planned routes. Walked past an ugly multi-story carpark and wondered if it might have a good view from the top. Turns out it did!
#melbourne #photography
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/857/465/635/660/423/original/c9f81aa3320b64c0.jpeg

2024-07-27 04:57:49

I haven’t watched the #olympics opening ceremony yet so I can’t make a call but fascinated that the media is split between it being visionary genius and the worst event that’s ever been staged

2024-07-27 04:13:37

Today in weird #melbourne trivia I learned: Government House has a small collection of shovels used by members of the royal family
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/856/501/116/569/621/original/015bdcb4e6fcefd3.jpg

2024-07-25 02:39:15

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@npub1q9m…zgdu yeah there’s definitely something very peculiar about all of it

2024-07-22 12:41:17

I wish there were news services willing to commit to treating victims of tragedies with dignity and stick to it. That several people died in a terrible accident is newsworthy, but no-one needs to see footage of their last moments or comments from a still in shock survivor

2024-07-21 00:17:50

Fascinated by how many #Melbourne masculine types dress like it’s snow trip on top, beach trip on bottom in winter. I’m desperately looking forward to shorts weather but wearing them early won’t help

2024-07-20 10:29:45

Today in stop the world I want to get off, people who want to look impressive on Strava but don’t have time to go running are paying others to go running while logged into their account
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-strava-jockey-trend-viral-running-4472421

2024-07-18 00:33:57

Why is it that fast food ordering apps force me to update them to continue using them so much more often than apps with serious security risks like banking apps?

2024-07-15 10:02:59

Someone better be working on a movie adaption of James Colley's The Next Big Thing, a RomCom novel about two small town teens' quest to save their town by continuing the Australian tradition of building big thing giant sculptures. It's delightful, funny and the best kind of absurd
https://www.panterapress.com.au/product/the-next-big-thing/
#books #bookstodon

2024-07-14 11:37:49

Today I learned North Korea (technically) has multiple active political parties https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_North_Korea

2024-07-04 23:16:53

I’m not sure there’s much of a market for $10 cat hats purchased from vending machines but I’m glad the option exists
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/730/762/835/367/614/original/2021121d28486aa9.jpg

2024-07-04 03:15:46

Amazon wins contract to store 'top secret' Australian military intelligence. What could possibly go wrong? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-04/amazon-contract-top-secret-australian-military-intelligence/104057196

2024-07-01 04:06:23

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@npub1q9m…zgdu if you are speaking to a customer service chat that you think is actually chatGPT or similar, putting that phrase and asking something ridiculous will throw it off track if it is

2024-06-26 05:04:26

One Photographer’s Quest to Document McDonald’s in More Than 50 Countries
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/gary-he-mcatlas-mcdonalds

2024-06-22 10:05:15

Today I learned that Playdoh was originally invented to be a wallpaper cleaner https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play-Doh

2024-06-17 08:17:08

It just seems wild to me that my male friends just go for long walks and runs at any hour of night. They don't even think about their safety in the way that almost every woman I know does

2024-06-16 04:48:29

#Melbourne book lovers: the Book Grocer store at Spencer St factory outlets now has 50% off their already cheap prices. Lots of $6 books!

2024-06-11 22:49:05

Why is my windows menu telling me it’s international falafel day and offering me recipes? No one asked for this feature

2024-06-10 09:03:55

Here's my semi-regular reminder of/introduction to the amazing resource that is the OAPEN library. It's tens of thousands of academic books on pretty much every humanities and social science topic imaginable offered for free by their publishers.
https://library.oapen.org/
#books #bookstodon

2024-06-08 12:08:49

Night light
#melbourne #photography
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/580/917/133/903/756/original/eefc3029c689d24b.jpeg

2024-06-03 22:54:27

Microsoft’s plans to integrate AI and let you search everything you’ve ever done on your computer are awfully audacious given a lot of the time searching for an email in outlook doesn’t work that well

2024-06-02 08:20:20

For those of you in Australia who are a fan of Grilld’s excellent chips, there’s currently a deal in their app where $10 gets you a chips and dip every day for 6 weeks
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/546/040/297/026/341/original/621d0545e80bd9c9.png

2024-06-01 08:06:53

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@npub1xr8…3q0g based on how adorable that look is I’m guessing the quest is often successful

2024-05-31 05:52:25

If you use Spotify, never click on the pop up recommendations or items on the front page with sponsored small print. Artists are paying for those, resulting in them seeing less of their already too small royalties. Go search for the track if you see something in a popup that sounds interesting. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/13/23872199/spotify-showcase-sponsored-recommendations-home-feed-artists

2024-05-29 08:20:26

Tables and chairs of Melbourne
#photography #melbourne
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/523/375/525/288/279/original/8d09049d7273a01a.jpeg
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/523/380/660/563/498/original/0ecc4979a8287187.jpeg
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https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/112/523/381/760/014/093/original/112860a0dccb946d.jpeg

2024-05-29 02:00:20

There should be international regulations about how many countries a band has to be performing in before they’re allowed to call it a world tour. US, Canada and the UK shouldn’t count as a world tour

2024-05-26 02:34:37

Social media platforms spent years selling people on the idea that being a content creator could be a financially and emotionally rewarding life choice. Some people put the work into creating the kind of quality content people genuinely want to watch. Now most social media platforms won't show that quality content to the followers who've actively requested to see it, instead filling their followers feeds with AI rubbish, irrelevant algorithm selected posts and engagement bait. Content creators should be rioting

2024-05-22 07:50:54

#melbourne book lovers: I spotted two very exciting looking things this weekend:
Readings is having a warehouse sale at their north Melbourne warehouse on Saturday https://www.readings.com.au/news/famous-readings-warehouse-sale
The Art Book Fair Stallholder Fair is happening at NGV Friday through to Sunday https://artbookfair.melbourne/events/stallholder-fair/

2024-05-21 09:58:36

I’ve recently made a career switch into the nature conservation field. Although I’ll primarily be working on the legal side of things, I’m so interested to learn about the science. If you’ve got books, podcasts or mastodon accounts you recommend on Australian wildlife, plants and ecology I’d be so interested to hear about them.

2024-05-17 13:25:30

Today in dystopia: companies that help students cheat by writing their essays for them posting ads proclaiming their essays are AI free....
Using AI might have helped them, there were several grammar mistakes in their ad.

2024-05-10 06:12:24

So weird hearing people still using the phrase “avoid it like the plague” when we’ve conclusively established most people aren’t that committed to avoiding plagues

2024-05-10 04:59:05

Even as someone who loves to learn and has pretty broad curiosity I’m so tired of computers these telling me about random things all the time. My Facebook feed feels like it’s run by a 5 year old parroting their favourite random dubiously sourced facts. Went to search for a document on my work computer and the search menu is telling me about an obscure Japanese cooking ingredient for no reason. Let me be curious of my own volition like you used to, computers!

2024-05-07 10:11:23

Today I learned airconditioning buildings by pumping cold water out of really deep lakes is a thing some places do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Lake_Water_Cooling_System

2024-04-10 06:39:51

Just got reminded of this rather bizarre ad for the opening of Melbourne Central shopping centre in 1991.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzeqSDvNNm0
#melbourne

2024-03-20 12:27:17

I admire that someone made a site in 18 different languages telling people that the first message of a chat conversation should include the thing you're making contact about, not just typing hello, waiting for the recipient to respond then making the recipient wait for you to type. I wholeheartedly agree.
https://nohello.net/en/

2024-02-12 08:56:11

This Valentine’s Day (and always), please don’t tell the single people in your life that there’s someone out there for them or they’ll find the right one eventually or anything that assumes partnership is inevitable. Good people with reasonable expectations still often aren’t able to find the right match and pretending otherwise sets people up for disappointment and bad life planning.

2023-10-03 09:07:51

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@npub1q9m…zgdu If you don't think it needs an ambulance but would like to double check with someone medical, nurse on call is an option https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/nurse-on-call

2023-08-30 12:56:18

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@npub19z9…u5j0 The concept of Community Cats and this one in particular are delightful