Liam Pomfret

Consumer privacy researcher, Australian Privacy Foundation Board Member.
That Bulbagarden guy.
He/Him

Location: Formerly Brisbane 🇦🇺
Twitter: twitter.com/liampomfret
Marketing Academics on Mastodon: https://lpomfret.github.io/Mastodon-Marketing/

Last Notes

2026-04-08 19:24:36 UTC

Extremely disappointed with this news out of Japan. Japanese #privacy laws were always quite robust. These changes for the sake of AI companies are going to wreck things badly. https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/08/japan_privacy_law_changes_ai/

2026-03-21 15:58:14 UTC

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This is the specific error I get on attempting to update.
error: importing RPMs: package mullvad-vpn-2026.1-1.x86_64 cannot be verified and repo mullvad-stable is GPG enabled: /var/cache/rpm-ostree/repomd/mullvad-stable-43-x86_64/packages/MullvadVPN-2026.1_x86_64.rpm could not be verified.
/var/cache/rpm-ostree/repomd/mullvad-stable-43-x86_64/packages/MullvadVPN-2026.1_x86_64.rpm: DIGEST: SIGNATURE: NOT OK

2026-03-21 15:50:13 UTC

Now this is a bit concerning. Attempted to download the latest version of the @npub1xh7…v9hj client for Linux from the Fedora repository, but it fails its signature check.

2025-05-03 10:44:14 UTC

I think the one thing we can all be sure about after tonight’s ABC #ausvotes coverage is that McGrath Isn’t getting invited back next time. #auspol

2025-05-03 10:30:09 UTC

Not even 8:30pm and it’s already been called. He-who-must-not-be-elected has been defeated. But let’s not kid ourselves. This result happened not because of an amazing campaign, but because people saw the insanity the tangerine Palpatine was causing in the US, and said “not here”. #auspol #ausvotes

2025-03-05 23:31:43 UTC

If #TCAlfred is moving towards us more slowly, does this mean:
1. It will have more time to intensify before it hits?
2. It will likely linger longer over coastal areas, meaning floods will be more likely and worse?

2025-03-04 09:37:11 UTC

For anyone with solar panels in the area impacted by #CycloneAlfred, just a quick reminder that you need to switch your system off now that we’re under official cyclone warning. You shouldn’t switch it back on after the cyclone until someone qualified has had a look and confirmed everything is okay.

2025-03-02 11:48:39 UTC

First time preparing for a cyclone. Lots of things we need to buy:
- Heavy duty tape and plastic sheets, in case windows break
- New battery powered radio, lantern, and torches, and batteries for all
- New power bank
- Camp stove and gas bottles
- Bottled water
- New first aid kit
Anything else?

2025-02-27 23:17:16 UTC

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Assuming Cyclone Alfred doesn’t hit us, I should be free most of next week.

2025-02-27 01:17:16 UTC

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A Universal Blue image (based on Fedora Atomic)
https://universal-blue.org
I personally use Bazzite, and I'd recommend that for gamers and people doing video editing. For people needing only a browser and productivity, I'd probably suggest Aurora.

2025-02-26 22:10:57 UTC

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As it is, I wouldn’t even be recommending Ubuntu to new Linux users anymore. It’s that exact problem I was getting at. Too many things you need to do to get it set up for basic tasks, as opposed to everything you need being pre-installed and pre-configured for you.

2025-02-26 12:28:11 UTC

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While I don’t disagree an average user friendly district should have samba just working out of the box, I suspect even basic file sharing is already going beyond what the average user is used to doing on their home computer. If they need to transfer files between computers, they’re either using some kind of subscription cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox, or they just use USB thumbdrives.

2025-02-26 11:39:55 UTC

Sometimes, I almost feel like a fake Linux user, simply because I like doing cool things *with* my computer as opposed to spending lots of time doing cool things *to* my computer.
But then, that’s the kind of person Linux has to satisfy if it will ever go truly mass market with average consumers.

2024-12-24 13:01:30 UTC

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For more than a decade.

2024-10-25 22:56:32 UTC

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I’d love to know why they decided to include Nodo Hana (Cure Yell) there on the back. I mean, sure, her catchphrase printed there (which roughly translates as“[I] can do anything, [I] can become anything”) seems appropriate, but why are you even putting a character from a children’s anime series on this in the first place?

2024-09-26 03:33:16 UTC

It frustrates me when people start bringing up housing supply as a reason to not remove negative gearing. It's just bullshit.
If an investor doesn't feel they're making enough money from a no-longer negatively geared property, they'll sell. It'll be purchased by either:
1. Another investor, who's fine with how much they'll make.
2. An owner-occupier.
The first keeps housing supply stable. The second reduces housing demand by the same amount (or more!) as the supply reduction.
#auspol