From the archives. Agricultural heritage museum 2021 at Mystery Creek near Hamilton
Not sure if this is open outside of Fieldays.
Photo: Ag Heritage Museum 2021
Photo: Karioitahi beach
Karioitahi beach approaching Sunset.
Photo: Hidden Lake of Waiuku Forest
Photo of one of four hidden lakes within the Southern end of Waiuku forest.
Matrix synapse Invalid Repository signatures
Received this perplexing rookie error while trying to undertake maintenance on one of my virtual servers.
An error occurred during the signature verification. The repository is not updated and the previous index files will be used. GPG error: https://packages.matrix.org/debian bullseye InRelease: The following signatures were invalid: EXPKEYSIG F473DD4473365DE1 matrix.org packages packages@matrix.org
Apparently apart from running the usual such as…
/usr/share/keyrings$ sudo wget -O /usr/share/keyrings/matrix-org-archive-keyring.gpg https://packages.matrix.org/debian/matrix-org-archive-keyring.gpg
…I needed to also hop into /etc/apt/sources.list and comment out the line…
deb https://matrix.org/packages/debian/ focal main
e.g From…
# deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security multiverse
deb https://matrix.org/packages/debian/ focal main
# deb-src https://matrix.org/packages/debian/ focal main
…To…
# deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security multiverse
# deb https://matrix.org/packages/debian/ focal main
# deb-src https://matrix.org/packages/debian/ focal main
After that, was able to upgrade my Matrix Synapse homeserver without error
Grid Lock Screenshot
Home time traffic on a Friday. Just as well I was working from home today. If I had to deal with this again on a regular basis. Would absolutely lose my freaking mind.
Auckland transport suggest that the Bus Driver Shortage afflicting the region will likely draw to a close in September. That long?
Unfortunately, it seems a few employers are still keen to force people back in the office at all costs while openly admitting that productivity while people were working from home was not actually a problem but simply to say it was “Sad” to walk into a sparse office – I struggle to see how this is a well throughout reason for lumping employees with such a heavy personal cost just to fill “bums on seats” in terms of personal time, commuting cost + stress along with mental health, and more importantly morale.
Photo: Luggage of the great migration
Luggage exhibit from the Maritime Museum at the Viaduct.
War of words where no one is a winner
The issue I have with the events that have transpired over the weekend is that the result was really a loss for both sides of the transgender discussion. Not only that, the impact has apparently spilled over to inflict at least some mild transient damage to New Zealand’s reputation.
Instead of reasoned debate, we ended up in totally unnecessary and counter-productive violence of both the physical and verbal kind. The issue here is instead of making the other side more likely to see and come to understand your point of view, the attacks like this just make the other party dig in, radicalize and double down entrenching a war that frankly does no one any use.
Photo: A walk through Waiuku Forest.
A walk and explore through the northern part of Waiuku Forest.
Photo: Auckland, City of Cones
Thought the cones in this scene may be a little excessive…
Moved from Google Keep to Joplin for note keeping
Have moved from Google Keep to Joplin.
Only draw back I can see is there is no Web based UI to the thing. Have to use the native platform specific Joplin apps.
Installed Joplin client on Ubuntu 22.04 using this command line.
wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/laurent22/joplin/dev/Joplin_install_and_update.sh | bashHowever, found that Joplin (after double clicking it’s short cut icon) refused to launch. So had to run these commands to lay down something called libfuse2
sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt install libfuse2…and then tried again, it launched after quite a few seconds.
Set up the path to my Joplin directory on my NextCloud installation.
https://[YOUR_SNAP_NEXTCLOUD_SERVER]/remote.php/webdav/JoplinAs for actually migrating your Google Keep Notes to Joplin, it’s a bit of a long winded process. Check here for some potential methods.
Photo of Sentinel Rock Walk Kaimai Ranges
An Individual Photo of the view at the top of Sentinel Rock in the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park.
The walk takes around 3 and half hours return. The Department of Conservation information page regarding Sentinel Rock Lookout walk can be found here.
Auckland Speed Limit Reductions – All stick but no carrot
TL;DR: Speeds limits are being reduced across the board. Driving is increasingly stressful as others will object to you following the speed limit. There are implications if you do receive an infringement. Driving is technically a privillege but alternative transport options for getting around Auckland remain disappointingly poor and impractical for many situations.
Noticed that Speed limits on some streets around the CBD have been further reduced. Now Wellington Street in Freemans Bay is down to a mere 30 km/h.
I can say that no cars whatsoever were doing 30 or even 40 km/h. In fact I had to pull over to allow a car to pass because they were right on my bumper while doing an already rule breaking 40km/h down Wellington Street. Walking back up Wellington street, I had observed basically every car were clearly ignoring the 30 km/h speed limit.
I’ve come to terms it’s only a matter of time that I’m going to end up with my first ever traffic infringement at this rate (basically not a matter of if, but when). Why? Because the agencies (including NZTA and Auckland Transport) by way of their “Vision zero” programme are dropping speed limits across the board and not just around the CBD. They’re also pledging to deploy more enforcement cameras everywhere and dropping enforcement tolerances and it only takes a momentarily lapse in judgement (e.g accelerating a touch too much in order to move safely into traffic or change lanes while looking over my shoulder to check a blind spot) right at an inopportune time and I will be done for.
The issue as well with infringements is that even if it’s only $30 low level speeding fine without demerits from a speed camera, apparently this still goes on your record somewhere for 5 years and apparently in many cases, you are supposed to declare this to insurance and needs to be declared in other areas as well (applying for a fire arms license, etc) so pays to avoid getting them where practical.
While I’ve continue for decades to express a strong desire to see alternative, more environmentally friendly and safer travel options opened up particularly in car dependent areas such as East Tamaki Industrial, the anti-car and climate activists have been exerting an increasing influence on Government policy and various government to make driving purposely more difficult and attempting to strong arm the motoring public out of their cars before we even have available working and viable alternative transport options that are able to realisitically cater to people’s day to day and household transportation needs in this city.
With the likes of Auckland Transport playing hard ball over Bus lane infringements and being inflexible even to those who have an otherwise squeaky clean driving record, the state will lose the goodwill of the public. Day to day life is already stressful for families as it is and the state to start ramping up the enforcement, widening the net, and pinging people over an increasing array of infractions while being out to disrupt people’s livelihoods is only going to accelerate the erosion of public goodwill and respect particularly if we continue to find excuses not to run the trains.
While I see we are building seperated cycle ways slowly (which admittedly, I’m generally infavour of should they go where people need to go and can be implemented in a cost effective fashion), however until we begin to see viable transport options able to meet Aucklanders’ day to day transportation needs emerge, I will as an individual ratepayer be vigorously and assertively pushing back at attempts by the more ardent climate activists who unrealistically demand we stop driving our cars immediately.
Raumaga Falls, Whangarei Photo
Picture of an urban waterfall, in Raumaga, Whangarei. Beware of the roaming / unrestrained Pitbull.
Installing Audacity without (Ubuntu) Snap packages and Error -9985
TL;DR Answer was found here. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1426476/ubuntu-22-04-audacity-does-not-show-up-in-pulseaudio-recording-tab
sudo apt install audacity -yAdmittedly, the process of trying to lay down and run Audacity initially gave me a bit of grief.
Wanted to install Audacity on my freshly laid down copy of Ubuntu 22.04 and all the references I could find of Audacity was to either install using “Snap” or “Flatpak”. Was apprehensive about Snap versions of any software and recall having grief with Audacity Snap before on my older machine giving me vague errors (e.g error -9985) about being unable to save or being unable to listen to a particular recording device. “Going Transport” –> “Rescan Audio Devices” did absolutely squat.
Even went back into Ubuntu Store and enabled all permissions on Audacity with again, nil effect. Appears nothing has changed (at the time of writing this post) two years on. As a Ubuntu user, I don’t have an overall very good impression of Snap at all having had issues with other Snap packages including with Flameshot (a screenshot tool) being unable to save to the Picture directory.
Traditional Hangi Photo
Traditional Hangi at Christmas.
Desire to Travel is in a lull
Admittedly, my desire to travel anywhere is in a definite lull at the moment. I’m anticipating it will come back at some point, but I ain’t going to try and force it back. May be accommodation and general travel costs is impacting this a bit.
Might do some day or short overnight trips somewhere these Holidays depending on availability of accommodation / tent sites and depending on how I feel. Again, I’m not going to force it. Will spend my holidays how I see fit.
Average Picture of The Tron
An average picture of “The Tron” (Hamilton, New Zealand)
Warning regarding “3M Command” type hanging hooks
Please be aware the use of M3 Command or similar picture hooks can still cause damage to walls when one attempts to take them off. Had a case where a tenant (who has otherwise been excellent) while vacating a property tried to remove one of the hooks and ended up taking some paint with it. The property manager got their nominated handy man in to address it but saw in the property owner’s transaction statement I received later in the month that the cost of repair came to almost $300 (from looking at a copy of the Tradie’s invoice). Whether the charge is reasonable or not, I wouldn’t know as I’m not a tradie.
I now learn that other property owners on various private forums have suggested to their tenants to avoid the use of 3M Command type hooks as they can ultimately cause more damage than regular Picture Hanging hooks if they aren’t removed “correctly” which by itself seems rather subjective.
If you do a search for reviews regarding 3M Command hooks, it appears there’s a few repeating anecdotes suggesting that they may not be all they are cracked up to be so if you do choose to still use them for hanging stuff around the house (be it for your own home or a rental), do so with due care and awareness that the risk of damage is still present.
Fieldays 2022
Average Pic of Fieldays 2022…
A relatively quiet affair. Continue reading “Fieldays 2022”
Yes, admittedly, I’m still running around in that 2006 Toyota Wagon.
Admittedly, I did remark I would get rid of my car about 5 years ago. But have yet to do so.
To be honest, I just can’t be bugged with replacing it. While the paintwork is now well and truly fading and I get ribbed for it being the worst car at my workplace, the thing still reliably runs.
Have driven better cars in recent years mainly as rentals, and while I will admit they’re nice to drive, I don’t get enough elation to run out and get a newer car.