Mike Riversdale

If I was one of the "fathers of the Internet" then I'd want a cool as 70s SciFi name like " Vint Cerf " as well. But I didn't, he did, and he has the name. InternetNZ , an organisation that "manages .nz domains on behalf of all New Zealanders and works to build a better online Aotearoa" held  An evening with Vint Cerf, Jefferson Bailey, Dr Rachael Ka'ai-Mahuta, and Wendy Seltzer event back in November 2018 at which Vint Cerf, VINT CERF!! was a speaker. I no longer feel embarrassed to ask for a selfie* from anyone, people are just people. And this is VINT CERF, he invented the Internet and therefore my whole career, well THE tool that my career is built upon. btw: Vint Cerf created the Internet, he DID NOT create the Web. The World Wide Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee, who did not create the Internet. * Whilst I will bowl up to anyone and ask for a selfie I will also graciously go away when told, "No, not now". I will also not ask

I've had this Peanuts cartoon with me for years and years and years. It's navigated its way off PCs, into the cloud, into photo albums, and like 3 other graphic files will be with me forever. Why this one? Her response is the best, and I still use it when someone just has to make a damn call!

The inaugural (and only) WellyTech Awards Finale (WTAF) had 3D printed trophys to give out, how cool were we. I know that one of the awards was broken on the night, within minutes of it being accepted, ha ha ha. See all #WellyTech 2018 photos

Whilst cocktails have been around since the mid-1880s (probably) I've always associate them with flappers from the American 1920s, or a touch of Noel Coward upper-snootiness of the 1930s. A Brief Compendium of Vintage Cocktail Recipe Books is a tantalising display of those wild and wonderful times that only really existed for a select wealthy few and those that went to the movies. Don't just look lovingly at the covers, beneath each is a "Browse inside this book here" link ... get your flapper gear on, pop on the penguin suit, and Charleston the evening away with a Naughty Nellie in your hand. Browse inside this book here.

I've never heard of this but there it is in glorious technicolour so I assume it is real. Anyone go on a KiwiWalk, and/or know what happened to this initiative?

Golden spring sunset, lovely eh.

Graffiti is getting very specific and probably even helpful. ✅ Monobrow ✅ Moustache ✅ Appropriate speech bubble

A mates dog I looked after in late 2018 was such a cutey, and this photo is wicked.

There were many shows that helped me through the trials of 2020 and the old shows that Time Team put up on YouTube was very much amongst them. Time Team (v1) finished in 2014 after a massively successful 20 years on UK TV. They then popped up their official YouTube channel and started uploading old episodes every week - was such a warm and duvet moment to snuggle in and watch the latest release, especially those with Mick and Phil. I was obviously not the only one doing this as quite quickly the creator of Time Team started popping in talking about how they were thinking of reviving the show. And then there was a Patreon page . And then there were announcements of targets being met. And then it was all on. Old faces signed back up, new faces were introduced, and suddenly Time Team is back! They are digging and if you're a Patreon person you get to see it live, vote on where to put a trench, and much more. I'm not a Patreon peron so imagine my surprise to see the following po

 Strong wind pushing the rain up and out of the Wellington Stadium during a weekend Phoenix game.

Show off.

As I wander through life I often see one lost shoe, a scarf wrapped around a bin, or a glove up a tree. Who loses one shoe?

If the English language, the words therein, and the stories behind them are your thing then Something Rhymes with Purple is for you. Mind you if you're into name dropping, some slightly 'naughty' comments, and a voice that oozes syrup then this is also the podcast for you. Susie Dent , the queen of Dictionary Corner in both Countdown (legit version), and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (dodgy funny version), is a delight to listen to. Of course she knows the history and origins of all the words but she also has a lovely calm and clear way about her. And she knows where all the best swear words come from. Gyles Brandreth is quite the force and there's no-one he doesn't know or at least have a story about. I love his curiosity and how he asks, "Where did that come from?" for every word, even the ones that are "boring" / "everyday" before they whizz on by. I'd be very happy to say I use the 3 words of the week from Susie. I don

For many years I would tell the kids that this was where the pirates would come and stay when they were waiting for their ship to be made for further ventures. After a while they started to believe me. Isn't that so cute and gorgeous, to believe in actual pirates that no doubt looked like Disney pirates. They obviously thought about, had a chat with their mates, and decided I was full of shit as it didn't last long.

I wonder what the notice taped on the boatshed door says, "Warning! This boatshed has been deemed as FANTABULOSA in accordance with local BONA SHEDS Act 1982 sections 1 through to 8 covering Naff Entrances and Cod Exits."

Painted nails are cool as fuck and anyone who's sense of masculinity is challenged by colour on keratin is likely to struggle being a friend of mine. Read the 2018 Twitter thread that inspired me to get my nails painted:  Sam is my middle child & he’s a terror. A “boy’s boy” as so many (not me) would say. He’s rough and tumble, he’s loud, he’s always dirty, loves trucks, plays sports and knee drops me from the couch. But he also loves a lot of “girl” things. — Get the shot. Wear the mask. (@DaddyFiles) October 23, 2018

We all need a guiding light. It still amazes me ever so slightly how close one can get to the capitals international airport.

Shooting way into the distance are the possibilities of the future. From here the road may seem fixed, straight, and predetermined - it's not, it never is no matter how far ahead you think you can see. So, enjoy this part of the journey and be aware and slightly prepared for the road the change.

Oil collage of Newtown signs.

Auto generated by Google Photos back then and works for me now, nice one machines in concrete buildings. 

It's hard letting go of a dream. I have wept openly at the loss of a home that would echo with he sounds of my daughter's laughter, her mates running around, Jack on one of his regular visits as he strums his guitar on the sunny deck. None of this happened, it was probably never going to. It's hard letting go of a dream.

I have one more sleep in the Breaker Bay 'mansion' and then we're up and away from Miramar Peninsula for good. "Where are you going to live Mike?", great question that deserves an answer forthwith.

I really tried hard to edit this photo, maybe a crop (one almost worked), perhaps a little lightening up, maybe enhance the shadows, but nope, it's just grand as it is.   Here it is, in the raw, a very rare daily photo indeed.

A bloody early morning to get the train back to Wellington means a sunrise over the tracks.

A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind. A gnarled, old, gorgeous tree in Auckland.

You know, buildings, for stuff, general buildings. (or, "General Buildings, Sir!")

Back during the first AoNZ 2020 lockdown Paul Brislen, comms person and NZ Twitter personality, answered a question that a lot were asking. His answer goes a long way to also answering why I ask seemingly simple questions in meetings, especially when asking the the definition of an acronym that I know already As is the nature of Twitter Pauls answer was a thread over 12 tweets, I've pulled them all together. "Why do journalists ask stupid questions?" by @paulbrislen, Apr 8 2020 There's a bit of misunderstanding out there about why journalists ask stupid questions - I think stemming from the press conferences and seeing the sausage get made. I'd like to address that if I may. Sometimes journalists ask stupid questions because they're stupid. This is usually not the case but can happen. Usually they ask stupid questions to get the ANSWER to the stupid question on tape or film or on record. This is important. They need to get it on the record because it often do

Toddler quite happily walks into the VERY SAFE glass floor high up in the observation floor of Auckland's Sky Tower.  Mum, not so happy 😁

The final Panic! At The Disco image for the blog but the whole lot are in a photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9MAn7MvyT4dxyMjw7

Girls/Girls/Boys , a song by Panic! At The Disco is one of the many that attracted the LGBT community to Brendon Urie. During the gig he makes sure that it is a safe space, celebrates all areas of love, and whilst it's not overt it's enough to know that self identification is a kick ass thing. Thanks Brendon, you recently made a difference to someone I love dearly.

I'm sure there will be more over the next few days as the Auckland 2018 Panic! At The Disco gig was gorgeous to look at and so I naturally took a million and one photos.

The build-up to a good gig is what happens before, be that hanging out in the pub, arriving via a roadtrip, buying the dodgy pirated t-shirts, and of course, queuing to get in. Enjoy the wait, and feel the excitement building ...

The title says it all.