AI for the good of NZ birds

How artificial intelligence may help NZ birds | RNZ News:

A study to identify individual kākā using AI has received a funding boost of $1 million, one of a number of research projects using artificial intelligence "for good". …

The project began with photographs taken in nesting boxes at Zealandia, perfectly set up to allow snapshots of the birds heads in profile while they fed.

They were now achieving 90 to 95 percent accuracy with this method, Lensen said, but in a surprise twist, the AI was using posture rather than beaks, which the team had initially thought would be easiest, to tell birds apart.

The next step would be to scale up the complexity and test the AI's ability to identify birds against a background of trees, rather than the inside of a feeding box.

A good review of a movie I really enjoyed — Review: Thelma | RNZ News:

Thelma succeeds because it didn't realise it was meant to be a cosy, old folks feel-good movie. It thought it was a Mission Impossible action film. So why not be both?

Urgh, that was a shock. I needed to add a column of fractions, like this:

  • 1/4
  • 1/4
  • 1/10
  • 1/10
  • 1/25
  • 1/25
  • 1/25

I quickly realised I had not the faintest idea how to do it! Thank goodness for spreadsheets.

An online calculator then converted the sum to a decimal. Hooray!

Bit of a rare double rainbow to the southwest just after dawn this morning. 🌈

Double rainbow to the south across green rolling paddocks.

Reading a Sister Agnes book is like luxuriating in a hot bath. I highlighted several sections in Shadow of Death (Sister Agnes Mysteries Book 6) by Alison Joseph because they delighted me. 📚

Book cover: Shadow of Death.
A portion of text that reads: From what we can gather he’s in complete denial and is waiting for the Lord to rescue him.’ ‘Just as well the Lord has sense, then.’ Shirley smiled at her. ‘With any luck, we can rely on him to keep Malcolm behind bars for some time to come.’

Cow relaxing in the rain.

Cow lying in a paddock in the rain. Its face is turned to the camera.

Sparrows in the rain. 🐦

Sparrows in the rain shelter below an overhanging piece of plywood.

An amazing 9 minute video about train graphs — a ruler, paper and a pencil could prevent train crashes. How did this simple chart keep trains from crashing?:

Ibry displayed a chart that could show simultaneously the locations of all the trains between Paris and Le Havre in a twenty-four-hour period … the horizontal axis denoted the passing of time … down the vertical axis, each station was marked out along the route to Le Havre.

A hand is poised above a ruler on a piece of paper with lines drawn on it.

The other day we visited the Silky Otter movie theatre in Palmerston North. It was excellent and we'd go again.

Slide on screen before the movie: Welcome to Silky Otter Cinemas, settle in and get cosy.

There were two movie trailers, no ghastly ads. The seats were comfy leather recliners with a proper tray and a tiny light over the tray. Staff were friendly. Oh, and free parking.

Another good read in a series I enjoy: The Man Who Kept Secrets (The Shee McQueen Mystery Thriller Series Book 8)by Amy Vansant. 📚

When former patients start dying in strangely symbolic ways, Dr. Skinner hires Shee McQueen and her band of freelance mercenaries to solve their troubles before the hospital loses its coveted reputation.

Book cover: The Man Who Kept Secrets.

It was a very unusual visitor to Waikawa Beach. My friend Stephen Betts found this injured bird on the beach and took it to Wellington Zoo for care. 🐦

Sad looking mid-size brown bird on the beach.
Mid-size brown bird on lawn.

Photos by Stephen Betts and used with permission.

The zoo updated:

the albatross is bright this morning and currently stable. It is indeed a light mantled sooty albatross.

Toroa pango | Light Mantled Sooty Albatross.

In the last several decades I acquired more T-shirts than I ever needed. Most have been well-worn. Some were downgraded from 'good' or 'house' to 'garden' wear. Many are yellowed, saggy, faded, or have holes.

Today, as part of my ongoing spring-clean, many will now find a home as 'mulch' for plants.

A pile of old clothes.

The central city part of Palmerston North is full of pleasant surprises. Coleman Mall had blossom trees and some quirky bollards.

Blossom trees on Coleman Mall.
Colourfully painted bollards on Coleman Mall.

I ate a delicious chicken sandwich at Cafe Jacko in Palmerston North (Facebook link):

Chicken Sammie* $19 - Grilled chicken on sourdough w greens topped with brie and cranberry sauce w fries.

Unfortunately the green tea I ordered was one of the worst I've ever had: thoroughly stewed and bitter.

Plate with Chicken, brie, fries, aioli.

We really enjoyed Thelma (links to PDF) 🎥 :

Inspired by a real-life experience of Margolin’s own grandmother, THELMA puts a clever spin on movies like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency.

It was funny, sad, and featured real old people. The lead actor is 94.

Thelma 2024 film poster.

It was a pleasant enough day that Deb and I went for a little bike ride round the village. 8.5 km.

Dropped a small gift off to the neighbour who had given us lots of firewood from his felled pine trees earlier in the year.

Chatted briefly with a local who has two gorgeous white Great Danes. Each dog weighs more than I do. 🐶 😆

I've very much enjoyed D. L. Keur's other series so was interested to try Night Trouble (The King & Midnight K-9 Mysteries Book 1). I'll definitely be reading more. The odd editorial quirk / typo but a really good read with great characters and an interesting plot. 📚

Book cover: Night Trouble.

Huh, I'm reading a fiction book set in Arizona where they mention a curfew for young people. I just searched to see if that was part of the fiction, but no, it's a real thing! Amazing. Curfew Laws by State - NYRA:

We have created a list of over 400 towns, cities, counties, and states where it is illegal for young people to be outside of their homes at certain times of the day.

A show I really enjoy — Brokenwood - the international hit with a Kiwi accent | RNZ News 📺 :

But in amongst the [TV] industry's slow crumble, is a beacon of hope - The Brokenwood Mysteries, which premiered on Prime TV 10 years ago before moving to TV1, and is now screened in 150 countries. Filming for season 11 is now underway.

So glad there's another season on its way.

I finished Marsh Madness by Jana DeLeon, the latest in a long series of Miss Fortune books. 📚

when a group of friends decide to meet up at a B and B ahead of their ten-year reunion, old grudges resurface, and one of them ends up dead.

It was enjoyable enough but the "Gertie mishaps" gags are a bit tired now. I think the shine is gone.

Book cover: Marsh Madness.