One of the founders of Google has a new Company 
Surprise, surprise it's involving AI. But it's not trying to help you in your digital life - instead it's designed to create physical products and send them for manufacturing. The goal is to make the products 'highly optimized' for efficient creation in the factory. It's a small team at the moment, with no web presence. 
 
ChatGPT can now code for you 
If you've got a Mac, the ChatGPT app now has the ability to connect to your developer tools, read existing code, and even make edits for you on "auto-apply" mode. There have been other tools that have offered this type of service, but it shows that ChatGPT wants to be the go-to app to get things done. This new “work with apps” feature effectively takes over control of an app for you, suggesting it could possibly start doing things for you across systems. 
 
Would you pay $240,000 a year for an AI agent? 
Reports suggest ChatGPT is looking to go 'Pro Max Plus'.. whatever the term would be.. for a highly specialized AI agent they say is designed to assist with PhD research.  
They're also looking at agents to replace “high-income knowledge workers” for $2,000 a month, and a software developer agent for $10,000 a month. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Secrets at Red Rocks - (Neon, Sky Open from March 9) Based on the award-winning novel by Rachael King, this family-friendly local drama tells the story of 12 year-old Jake, who discovers a sealskin in Wellington and unleashes mythical creatures and dangers.

Dope Girls - (TVNZ+) In London's murky underworld, a widowed single mother builds a nightclub and cocaine empire to support her family, soon becoming the most dangerous woman in a city shaken by war.

Protection - (TVNZ+) Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) stars in this British drama as a witness protection officer who must answers questions after a shooting at a safe house.

LISTEN ABOVE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preserving Time!

Pear Chutney is just divine and we can have a general chat about preserving, noting that this is the season for making sauces, chutneys and jams, as well as bottling and freezing fruit and veges too. 

Pear & Sultana Chutney

This is a great all round chutney that is just as perfect with cheese and crackers as it is on roasted meats or vegetables. 

Pear & Sultana Chutney

This is a great all round chutney that is just as perfect with cheese and crackers as it is on roasted meats or vegetables. 

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped finely

1kg chopped pears, not too ripe

2 apples, chopped

250g brown sugar

200g sultanas, feel free to go half n half currants/sultanas

300mls apple cider vinegar

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp all spice

1 tspsalt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Slowly bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat and let it happily simmer away for 1-1.5 hours until the onions and pears are truly softened. Mash or beat with an egg beater until it’s a little pulpy.

Heat 4-5 medium jars in a 150 C oven for 10 minutes to sterilise. Pour boiling water over the lids to sterilise.

Spoon the hot chutney into the hot jars. Run a knife around the inside of each filled jar to tease any air bubbles out. Wipe the rims clean and place the lids on tightly.  Wipe the jars clean and cool before storing in a cupboard for 3 weeks minimum.

This chutney will keep for at least 12 months.

LISTEN ABOVE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mickey 17 - (in cinemas) Starring Robert Pattinson. Directed by Bong Joon-ho of Parasite & Snowpiercer. A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

Spit- (in cinemas) David Wenham returns as John “Spit” Spitieri, the iconic crim of Australian cinema, in this sequel to Gettin' Square.

LISTEN ABOVE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Blues lost by one point to the Canberra Brumbies last night at Eden Park.

The match is the first time the Australian’s have beat the Blues at home since 2013.

Beauden Barrett left the pitch at half time with a hand injury.

Andrew Saville talks to Jack Tame about the Super Rugby match and the potential of America’s Cup returning to New Zealand.

LISTEN ABOVE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has consistently been in the news since he began his second term as US President.

This week he has clashed with Elon Musk, paused tariffs on Mexico and Canada, threatened new tariffs on Canada, and spoken on behalf of Putin for the war in Ukraine.

But what do Kiwi’s think of the President?

Kevin Milne says a quarter of New Zealanders would have voted for Trump.

LISTEN ABOVE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gas. 

I think of all the things I knew (in theory) about parenting a new-born but had to experience in person to fully appreciate, it is the myriad curiosities of a two-and-a-half-week-old’s digestive tract that have left me the most befuddled. 

I knew in theory that babies had to be burped. I knew in theory they often have problems and discomfort when digesting their latest feeds. I knew in theory that a baby with gas or an obstruction somewhere in his gut might even wake himself up. I guess I’m just shocked at the speed with which I’ve transformed into one of those parents totally obsessed with his baby son’s belches and bowels. 

It’s the pain, that does it. When something’s trapped somewhere deep, the way his little face scrunches up and contorts, how he writhes and twists and clenches every muscle in his body. Often I’m holding him and he’s holding me, his tiny little hand gripping my index finger as he clenches, his fingers white and his face a crimson red with the strain and effort. 

Before you ask, yes, I have tried various techniques for getting things moving at both ends. In fact, my social media feed these days seems to be nothing but baby osteopaths folding infants in half. There’s the classic baby-over the shoulder, pat on the back. There’s the stomach massage, the bicycle legs, and the deep squat.

There’s the baby over the forearm, neck-supported facing out, and the baby-over-the-forearm, neck-supported facing in. My personal favourite is the wiggle-waggle, where you lift him under his armpits with one hand, and take his weight under his butt with the other. You gently move your hands in different directions to bring a range of movement to his digestive track, in the hope you will be rewarded with a range of movements in return.

I knew we’d have disrupted sleep. I just never really accounted for the gas part of being up at night. His mum feeds him – not much I can do there – but the of course, one of us has to sit up imbed for a non-specific amount of time... just waiting. You can never be totally sure he’s been fully burped. There’s no finish line as it were. It’s a judgement call. And at 2.53am when your body is urging you to lie-down and go back to sleep (“Look at him, he seems fiiine”) – you know that if you pull the trigger too early, he’ll be waking himself up in twenty minutes, twisting and groaning in bed. 

When you think about it, it’s pretty crazy that new-borns go from relying on the placenta for all their nutrients to instantly switching on the full length of the complex human digestive tract. It’s not like they ease into it. Alas, as our son’s milk intake has increased, his digestive tract has not quite kept pace. Put simply, the outputs don’t always match the inputs. It’s perfectly normal, of course, and he’s far too young to be hurrying up with a tray of black coffee and prune juice, but sometimes his stomach feels hard to the touch. 

Cruelly, his preferred way of soothing his discomfort is to feed again, which then exacerbates the problem. At 19-days-old he’s not yet ready to listen to reason or comprehend the concept of a vicious cycle. 

I’m back in the office fulltime this week after a wonderful period at home. But I can tell you already that my texts with my wife are gonna’ take on a grimly digestive line of inquiry. The thing about parenting is that while your share in your child’s discomfort you also share in their almighty relief. Especially when someone else is on clean-up.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

It’s the day before her daughter’s wedding and things are not going well for Gail Baines. First thing, she loses her job – or quits, depending who you ask. Then her ex-husband Max turns up at her door expecting to stay for the festivities. He doesn’t even have a suit. Instead, he’s brought memories, a shared sense of humour – and a cat looking for a new home.

Just as Gail is wondering what’s next, their daughter Debbie discovers her groom has been keeping a secret…

The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

In The Plot, Jacob Finch Bonner was a washed up writer who stole the plot for a novel and then really hit the big time. Now in The Sequel, he's met an untimely death and his grieving widow Anna is picking up the royalty checks before writing a novel of her own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music Reviewer Estelle Clifford talks to Jack Tame about Kiwi duo Foley. 

The pair have released a brand new album 'THAT’S LIFE, BABY!', summing up their approach to life in a bright and punchy pop collection. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.