Nē? – Action Button – Life hacks galore
...and other recs this week!
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
The first episode of our new te ao Māori podcast Nē? is out now! If you haven’t given it a listen yet it’s a good one – the team talked about their their different paths to te reo Māori and some of the recent conversation around who should have access to it, and crack-up content creator and kaiako reo Jordyn Rapana aka Jordyn with a Why popped in for a kōrero. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast provider. (A tip: if you’re not having any luck searching “Nē” on your app of choice, try searching “The Spinoff” instead!)
This week’s new podcasts
It’s time to get intimate with our boobs on this week’s episode of Breast Assured [Apple | Spotify]. Last week we talked about changes we need to be aware of – now it’s time to learn how to perform self-checks.
On The Fold [Apple | Spotify] this week, Duncan Greive talks to Coffee News NZ director Rudy Kokx about how the ubiquitous publication gets made.
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey explores how a central bank digital currency would work.
And as always The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] takes a trawl through the week’s Real News, with a recap of the Celebrity Treasure Island finale to come later this week.
Subscribe and listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Also... vote now for your favourite podcast in the Listener’s Choice category at the NZ Podcast Awards! Nominations close on Friday!
Extremely Online: The evolution of the internet
From connecting via dial-up to send an email, to social networking, to the oncoming metaverse – the web has changed a lot in the last 25 years. The Shit You Should Care About team takes a look in this week’s episode of Extremely Online.
Action Button
Sam says: “Tim Rogers has been making very in-depth, intense and deeply weird video game reviews-slash-essays for years now, but his work over the last year on his Action Button channel is especially worth checking out. His longform videos include a three-hour review of the Final Fantasy 7 remake, a six-hour review of legendary dating sim Tokimeki Memorial and his latest, most notorious video, a 10-hour, multi-episode review of 2020's biggest flop, Cyberpunk. Dive in (and don’t worry, you’ll get used to the voice).”
Geography games
Shanti says: “Yes this is nerdy, but it's also social – my twin sister and I are currently competing on our knowledge of African capitals. Learning where countries and cities are has made me feel more informed, and gives lots of context to things which happen overseas, which is good for the days when New Zealand feels very far away from the rest of the world. Lizard Point is my go to for a browser-based game, even though the interface feels like it's from 2011; World Geography Game is an app with lots of levelling up and lives for that true gamification, as well as a very involved Facebook group that is a good laugh. I kind of hate that I am a person who finds this fun, but it's good for the geography round of the pub quiz.”
A burger hack
Chris says: “Late one night, unable to sleep, I stumbled upon Alvin Zhou's Alvin Zhou’s meditative cooking videos, and learnt that you can make your very own super-easy Big Mac sauce just by adding equal parts tomato sauce, mustard (I use Al Brown's one) and aioli. It instantly makes your burgers [chef’s kiss]. If you eat too many of them and can't sleep, I also recommend watching Zhou's relaxing 100-hour lasagne or 100-hour Tirimasu clips. You'll be sleeping sweet foodie dreams in no time.”
A lockdown shopping hack
Bel says: “Remember living? I do. And I only know this after visiting my local Asian supermarket – aka the unsung hero of lockdown – on Sunday. Step inside and suddenly you are in Hong Kong, you are weighing up the difference of bok choy in Bangkok, you are the host of Getaway in a linen trouser suit in the sweaty streets of Vietnam, where everything is foreign, no one knows who you are, and anything is still possible.”
A breakfast/lunch/dinner hack
Alyssa says: “Nothing beats properly done, freshly steamed rice. It’s been the best comfort in times of homesickness – just pop a soft boiled egg or cold soft tofu on it with some soy sauce and sesame oil for warm fuzzies of the heart.” [And if you are lucky enough to own a rice cooker, why not use it to make a whole meal ie this claypot chicken rice or Miso Claypot Chicken (No Claypot)]
A working from home hack
Amber says: “If, like me, you’ve been working from bed for the last 100 years (or however long Auckland has been in lockdown), you’re probably starting to experience unbearable hip pain. After desperately googling “DIY hip pain treatment” I discovered you can use a tennis ball to release your hip flexors and honestly, the technique has been a godsend. It is a real thing recommended by health professionals but since I am not one of them, my recommendation is not working from bed.”
A readjusting to normal life hack
Jane says: “After finally summoning the courage to get my first level three takeaway coffee, I recommend remembering and then practicing how to order and pay for something in person to save yourself the complete humiliation I suffered today.”
A time hack
Harkanwal says: “If you’re curious how much time you spend on every single app on your computer, RescueTime is like a grown up version of the Screen Time app on your phone. It’s useful for setting goals and has a focus time feature that blocks distractions for set periods, and it’s especially interesting to look back over a whole year.”
OK, that’ll do it for this week. Please reply to get in touch and share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋
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