Last update: 31/01/2025
About me
Zak's the name. I like the outdoors - running's my jam - trails and hills are my fav. I can keep a trot all day, more if I'm on a mish. I like to garden too, grow my own food, save a few bob. I do a bit of mountain biking, skiing and paragliding when time, money and nerves permit.
I grew up in Australia, but now reside in the Queenstown Lakes District in New Zealand. Traded the beaches for the mountains. I'm much more at home here. Recently became a NZ citizen and passport holder.
My career has predominantly been in geographic information systems (GIS), surveying, and asset management. I've recently (late 2024) made a significant career shift into installation and upgrades of integrated home smart systems - audio, visual, security, heating/cooling, access etc.
I like computery things too. Data vis, web building, coding, systematic trading, PKM, linux, de-googling, FOSS, permacomputing. I'm not great at any of them, but they're interesting and I enjoy learning about them.
About the site
I'm fairly new to this web building thing. This is a bit of a testing ground while I learn the ropes. At the moment I am using the zola static site generator and the neocities CLI utility to publish to Neocities. I am simultaneously learning about Linux and the command line on my old laptop, so most of this is built from there.
Quick-posts
2025-02-19 21:31
I sometimes just search a word in my browser (Firefox) when I'm unsure of spelling, which usually results in the meaning of the word I was actually tr…
2025-02-16 16:27
I survived.
2025-02-14 21:07
Overnighter starting tomorrow. map
Day One
Dump bikes at Aspiring Hut --> Cascade Saddle --> Dart Track --> Snowy Creek --> Lochnager (Cam…
2025-02-01 19:29
In fact I'm going to go in blind and read all the books his art is on. If the stories capture the atmosphere of his art, I'm sure to enjoy.
2025-01-27 21:14
New site today. Another pretty average view. The house itself is amazing. Reminds me of a bunker you'd find in a James Bond movie.
More...
Blog
Cascade Saddle, Lochnager, Shotover Saddle overnighter
2025-02-17 20:46
Distance: 59.6 kilometers
Elevation: 4666 meters
Moving Time: 19:35:38
Elapsed Time: 29:46:51
Plus 5km bike out/in at start/end each way.
An a…
More...
Discovering via social media without being on social media
2025-02-13 20:57
TLDR: I created a script that converts fediverse starter packs into OPML files to import into your RSS reader - A way to discover via social media wit…
More...
Eldrig Peak, Mt Burns loop
2025-02-06 19:00
Distance: 39.62 kilometers
Elevation: 2479 meters
Moving Time: 9:34:41
Elapsed Time: 10:11:49
With a public holiday (Waitangi Day), and a mate…
More...
🗓️ Weeknote 2025-W05
2025-02-02 17:38
Some random front-of-mind pieces from my week.
🏃 Ran 42.2km / 3,063m profile - Enjoyed some off-piste routes this week kind of just picking my own lin…
More...
Why I blog and stuff
2025-02-01 23:18
Brandon has tagged me to answer a few questions around blogging. I'm going to be as honest as possible. Get your sick bag ready for the cringefest.
Wh…
More...
More...