THE LOW SPARK OF ...

 It's a dreary and cold day today with a strong chance of rain so I'm not expecting much news from the blogs.

Robert (or his AI friends) however, wrote a bleak post that's fitting with the weather or in keeping with ancient stoicism or early Christian martyrdom - that I guess continues his religious theme.

I'm not sure what Richard will be doing other than fiddling about with his old instruments. Maybe he'll go and get a haircut.

"I got a haircut today"

I cannot get emails on my ipad or my iPhone so will visit a Spark store today to try and get it sorted. The problem started last week when a message from Spark (received on this computer which is now the only way I can communicate) told me that they had switched over to 4G technology and older 3G and 2G compatible devices would no longer receive emails. As I pay a lot of money to Spark for my mobile (our broadband account is with One NZ) I want them to sort it out. The phone is near new so I don't know why that isn't operating properly but the iPad is old generation so no doubt I'll have to buy a new one - certainly before we go to Australia next month.

Sure Robert, I know that I should be able to receive emails on the ipad using Broadband but it isn't happening. I need Spark to explain themselves.

NO NEWS TODAY

 

I've been very busy doing other things.

You'll find the 'junk mail' in Richards various comments.

ENCORE

I received a message from SPARK my phone and email provider, telling me that I was unable to receive emails on my iPad because it was old technology and not 4G compliant.

SPARK has, like other providers moved from 3G technology to 4G and 5G whatever that means.

I've checked it out and sure enough my iPad that I bought 4 years ago is a 9th generation one. 4G + can only operate on a minimum of 10th generation so I'm stuffed.

My phone which I bought brand new last year is an iPhone 16 and apparently (for the moment) is compliant.

The laptop I use is an Apple Air 2020 model so no doubt the cartels that collude between hardware and connectivity will be junking this soon. At the moment I can get my emails on it but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm tired of this planned obsolescence in technology with 'improvements' that I don't use rendering the equipment I own to be out of date soon after I buy it.

I checked and there is no upgrade possible on the iPad to move from 2G and 3G capability to 4G and 5G. The helpful suggestion was to buy a new one!

I like my iPad and use it a lot when in bed, in the bath, in another room away from the study, when travelling or out and about. I can catch up with news, read the blogs, read e-books and of course access and read and send my emails. I much prefer using this than a phone as it's easier to read and to write on it. I'm going to have to buy a new one. I think the latest is generation 11 but Murphy's Law dictates that as soon as I buy one, the next day the new generation will roll over to 12.

The best deal on a new model, the basic one, is $879. I'll put my case to The Old Girl.

"HEY GIRLS, GATHER ROUND ...

... Listen to what I'm putting down
Hey baby, I'm your handyman"

My new Swanndri overalls arrived by post today.

I bought them in the on-line 50% off sale and boy, am I happy with them. They are made from quality material and to a good design - much better than the ones I used to have up north.

I modelled them for The Old Girl but she just laughed for some reason and asked why I bought them as I'm not a handyman. Cheek!

I think that I'll wear them to Richard's place on Saturday to make him and Robert jealous.

LET'S TRY THE QUIZ AGAIN

 That latest quiz went down like a lead balloon but I think, after reading the contributor comments, I understand the problem. It was too highbrow. What the readers want apparently is unoriginality, simplicity, easiness and the quiz questions to be in picture format - child's play if you will.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

See how you go. Good luck!

"THAT AIN'T WORKIN', THAT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT ..."

"... Get your money for nothin', get your chicks for free."

 The other boogers bloggers have accused me of fraud, corruption and obfuscation over my recent quiz who, not just coincidentally both failed to score even one correct answer.

"yes sad and ro (sic) be expected when the scoring method is corrupt. maybe the wine guy is off to the Philippines with the prize money."
Robert - 28 June 2026 

"Here's a good definition of bullshit.
"Any quiz by The Curmudgeon.""
Richard - 27 giugno 2026 

Should I be worried?

No, not really as it was a case of 'my quiz, my rules' but it has made me ponder about fraud and corruption and whether in New Zealand they have increased in recent times.

An internet search showed that, according to global watchdogs and national statistics, fraud and corruption have increased in recent years. This is largely driven by cybercrime, the rapid rise of AI-driven scams, and the growth of international financial crimes. 

 Fraud has become the fastest-growing and most prevalent type of crime in New Zealand. The New Zealand Ministry of Justice has reported on increases in annual deception and fraud offenses, with scams targeting both individuals and businesses.

We used to think that New Zealand was corruption free but our historically good reputation has now been undermined. In the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, New Zealand’s score has trended downwards, reflecting public concerns regarding a lack of transparency around political lobbying, political finance, and procurement.
Reports by the Serious Fraud Office and the Office of the Auditor-General highlight a rise in corruption associated with public sector contracting, bid-rigging, and immigration. The OECD Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook further notes that organized crime is increasingly using corruption to infiltrate legal economies. 

This is very disappointing but, I guess, is symptomatic of the decline in values as seen in most facets of life today. Lack of decency, respect, morals, care, concern for others etc. have declined in my lifetime. It's no surprise that the rise of social media usage, over-reliance on new technology and AI driven information feeds coincide with this decline. Sheesh!

"LITTLE PIGS, LITTLE PIGS ..."

 It's bloody freezing today and the weather has been wild for the last couple of days.

I'm sure that Richard and Shelley are glad that they didn't drive to Greytown where the weather is just as bad or worse I hear.

Shelley is unwell apparently and Richard has 'man flu'.

Lynn seems to have caught the 'man flu' I had and has been snuggling in bed all today. I ventured out this morning to get provisions and some Lemsip and Robitussin for her. The Thorndon pharmacy was closed so I had to walk to the Chemist Warehouse in Lambton Quay but didn't mind the walk as I'd dressed in 3 layers for it. One of the advantages of living in a close-to-the-city suburb is being able to easily walk to shops and services.

Yesterday, in the middle of  a major gale I had to do some emergency repairs to the rear fence which was threatening to collapse under the strong winds. I cobbled together some materials and nailed some bracing to the fence. This hopefully will hold until a repairman fixes the fence next week. I had to don waterproof overtrousers, my Muck boots and a 'souwester' raincoat to do this in. One thing that I miss about our house up north is the amount of spare timber and bits and pieces of building materials I had stored in the basement. These came in handy for emergency repairs. The downside of living in a tidy townhouse is the absence of these. I used some bits of wood that the handyman who is doing some work for us left awaiting finishing his chores next week. He'll have to buy some more timber now. Funny enough, when he was about to affix a bit of outdoor artwork to that very same fence he alerted me to the fact that it might fall down in a storm and has strengthening it on his list of things to do.

This is to go on the fence once it's repaired

Stay warm, stay safe and I hope that your houses don't blow down.

"BOO TO HIS QUIZES" *

* FROM WHO ELSE BUT ROBERT

Do you remember The Great Quiz Controversy Fiasco of 2023?

The quiz series had to be abandoned for a while see: HERE

One of Richard's alter ego got a bit snippy as did Richard.

After a while things settled down and The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ reintroduced the quizzes along with conundrums, riddles and other stimulating brain teasers.

I'm sad to report though that the latest of these little delectables has fallen on deaf ears - 'pearls before swine' if you will and has gone unappreciated.

See here the peevish responses from a couple of contributors who each only managed to get 0 out of 5 answers correct.

It's sad really but only to be expected.

Just to hand is news that Richard has gone out and created a new quiz of his own.

"Good luck with that" I say.

A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES

Robert must have joined forces with Richard's Bass Bag Confederacy as both he and Richard both scored zero on the latest The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ quiz.

For those interested here are the official answers to the questions - none of which were answered correctly or to the satisfaction of the adjudicator (me). Please see the competition rules* and know that there will be no discussion on these or the results. Thank you.

Question one:
What do these people have in common?
Franz Schubert
Richard Prowse
Carl Orff

Answer: They are all ex school teachers.

Question two:
What do these people have in common?
Trent Horn
Robert Prowse
Sister Mary Fruitloop

Answer: They all promulgate crazy Catholic beliefs.

Question three:
What do these people have in common?
The Curmudgeon
Chiara Ferragni
Joanna Goddard

Answer: They all have been acknowledged for their blogging.

Question four:
What do these things have in common
Eternity
Elephants
The end of space

Answer: They all have the letter 'e' in common:

Eternity starts with an 'e'; elephants has two 'e's; The end of space ends with an 'e'.

Question five:
What do these places have in common?
Wainuiomata
Moera
Thorndon

Answer: Nothing.







* Competition Rules

1. Application. These general competition rules (“General Competition Rules”) apply to competitions (each, a "Competition") operated by The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ at the applicable The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ blog (the “Blog") on which the Competition appears, unless there are specific competition rules for a particular Competition, in which case those specific competition rules will apply. By entering a Competition, entrants agree to be legally bound by these General Competition Rules, and will be deemed to have read and understood these General Competition Rules.

2. Eligibility. Unless otherwise stated, to enter a Competition and to be eligible to win, entrant must be a legal resident in the province or territory in which the Blog is located. Each entrant must be over the age of majority in his/her/its province or territory of residence. Employees of The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ, its agents, parent, affiliated or related companies, subsidiaries, divisions, prize sponsors, promotional and advertising agencies or employees of any other entity involved in the development, production, administration, or fulfilment of the applicable Competition (and any person domiciled with any such employee) are ineligible to enter. A winner of a previous The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ. contest within the thirty (30) days preceding the winner selection date for this Competition (including persons designated by such winners to take ownership of prizes and persons domiciled with a winner) may be disqualified. A winner who claims a Prize during the Competition Period is not eligible to enter again.

"HELP ME SPARKY"

I remember, when I was a kid, the Children's Holiday Programme was broadcast on the National Programme. The programme had daily sessions featuring stories, music, and question-and-answer games to keep kids entertained during school breaks. 

These were very good especially on rainy days with stories like Little Toot, Diana and The Golden Apples, Maxi The Taxi Driver, Flick the Little Fire Engine, Sparky etc keeping us enthralled and the quizzes engendered fierce competition between me and my siblings.

As the weather has packed up and no doubt the bloggers are indoors sheltering from the cold and rain, I thought that a little quiz game might come in handy.

As you are all out of practice since the last quiz I ran was back in February 2025 I've decided to keep this one short and limited to five questions only - easy ones.

Here goes.

Question one:

What do these people have in common?

1. Franz Schubert
2. Richard Prowse
3. Carl Orff

Question two:

What do these people have in common?

1. Trent Horn
2. Robert Prowse
3. Sister Mary Fruitloop

Question three:

What do these people have in common?

1. The Curmudgeon
2. Chiara Ferragni
3. Joanna Goddard

Question four:

What do these things have in common?

1. Eternity
2. Elephants
3. The end of space

Question five:

What do these places have in common?

1. Wainuiomata
2. Moera
3. Thorndon

Send in your answers and I promise that if you are successful your name will be published.

Good luck!