Matt Cengia's Avatar

Matt Cengia

@mattcen.com

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί #Linux #SysAdmin, #FOSS advocate, #Scouts Victoria leader, #Bisexual, #Polyamorous, #Autistic, #ADHD geek. ΓΎey/ΓΎem/ΓΎeirs πŸ“» VK3MCN Co-founder of remotequeer.co with @saul.remotequeer.co Currently Seeking Work! ​

338
Followers
276
Following
365
Posts
02.09.2024
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Matt Cengia @mattcen.com

The edge of a citrus-coloured MacBook Neo, showing two USB-C ports with no labelling on the chassis. The image itself has two added labels highlighting one port as "USB 3 (USB-C)" and the other as "USB 2 (USB-C)"

The edge of a citrus-coloured MacBook Neo, showing two USB-C ports with no labelling on the chassis. The image itself has two added labels highlighting one port as "USB 3 (USB-C)" and the other as "USB 2 (USB-C)"

If you think of it as iPhone 16 Pro hardware with keyboard/trackpad etc, it makes sense that it might only have a single USB 3.2 Gen 2Γ—1 port on-board, but having 2 identical unlabelled adjacent ports isn't great UX.

06.03.2026 22:36 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
MacBook Neo - Tech Specs - Apple (AU) See all the technical specifications for the 13-inch MacBook Neo with A18 Pro chip.

Reading specs of the new MacBook Neo (www.apple.com/au/macbook-n... ). With an A18 Pro CPU (same as iPhone 16 Pro), it seems a great entry-level Mac if you don't need a lot of grunt, but want the flexibility of macOS over iOS/iPadOS. My main surprise is the USB 2.0 USB-C port. Recipe for confusion!

06.03.2026 22:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
SpatiaLite: View Ticket

TFW you find and squash a 14-year old bug: www.gaia-gis.it/fossil/libsp...

04.03.2026 12:11 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

There’s a total #LunarEclipse coming tomorrow evening and the east coast of Australia, NZ and the Pacific Islands are in a grand position for it!

Looks like we have a bit of cloud in Sydney but it may be patchy.

Best part of the show is between 10-11pm. Max eclipse at 10:33pm.

πŸ“Έ timeanddate

πŸ”­

01.03.2026 20:46 πŸ‘ 47 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Problem example, from https://stream.labr.online/federation/i7IVNUdDR

Problem example, from https://stream.labr.online/federation/i7IVNUdDR

@openvibe.social FYI I'm seeing this bug on v1.15.0, iOS 26.3/iPhone 16 where hashtags or mentions (or links?) are shown without white space separation.

01.03.2026 20:46 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The screenshot of the release notes reads:

A new version of TeX Live Utility is available!
TeX Live Utility 1.55 is now available-you have 1.54. Would you like to download it now?
Release Notes:
Changes Since 1.54
β€’ Fix bug 137, homepage link in Help Book.
β€’ First release in a long time, since I don't use TeX anymore and resent the very idea of paying Apple annually for the privilege of giving away free and open-source software. Also, I'm really lazy. Please accept my apologies for all the annoying issues you've encountered in this mission-critical software.
β€’ Updated mirror list, which was three years out of date.
β€’ Added missing legacy mirrors, which was even more out of date.
β€’ Added an alert on startup when user tries Homebrew's lobotomized MacTex, because those lunatics left timgr but removed its database.
Thanks for nothing, guys. Bug 142 and 144.
β€’ Use a custom user-agent to work around the Anubis bot trap on texlive.info. Can't wait to see what else breaks because of this, thanks to the profusion of degenerate Artificial Insemination fetishists scraping websites to feed their models.
β€’ Lists of countries in Repository/Continent are now sorted. No idea how you people let me get away with that one for the last fifteen years.

The screenshot of the release notes reads: A new version of TeX Live Utility is available! TeX Live Utility 1.55 is now available-you have 1.54. Would you like to download it now? Release Notes: Changes Since 1.54 β€’ Fix bug 137, homepage link in Help Book. β€’ First release in a long time, since I don't use TeX anymore and resent the very idea of paying Apple annually for the privilege of giving away free and open-source software. Also, I'm really lazy. Please accept my apologies for all the annoying issues you've encountered in this mission-critical software. β€’ Updated mirror list, which was three years out of date. β€’ Added missing legacy mirrors, which was even more out of date. β€’ Added an alert on startup when user tries Homebrew's lobotomized MacTex, because those lunatics left timgr but removed its database. Thanks for nothing, guys. Bug 142 and 144. β€’ Use a custom user-agent to work around the Anubis bot trap on texlive.info. Can't wait to see what else breaks because of this, thanks to the profusion of degenerate Artificial Insemination fetishists scraping websites to feed their models. β€’ Lists of countries in Repository/Continent are now sorted. No idea how you people let me get away with that one for the last fifteen years.

There's a "is anyone even reading this" sort of honesty you get in the software update release notes from a project that's been around for a long time.

26.02.2026 20:44 πŸ‘ 1338 πŸ” 330 πŸ’¬ 19 πŸ“Œ 16

TIL that despite being _the same person_, it appears I cannot be logged into the ATO as both an individual, and the director of a business. I'm not surprised, just disappointed.

25.02.2026 21:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

When everyone talked about quitting tech and becoming farmers that was not what we meant

19.02.2026 21:30 πŸ‘ 387 πŸ” 84 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
iCal calendar downloads Add iCal downloads to your Apple or Android calendar. Includes public holidays, school holidays and parliamentary sitting dates.

> An error occurred accessing your remote calendar Victorian public holiday dates: 404 Not Found

www.vic.gov.au/ical lists iCal URLs which keep changing! The current one is www.vic.gov.au/sites/defaul...

Just get a better CMS and use a consistent URL; you can do it, Vic Gov, I believe in you! 🀦🏻

15.02.2026 03:25 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Was totally worth it for the final 3 seconds.

13.02.2026 22:31 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I mean, honestly: If you're not angry, are you even paying attention?

13.02.2026 22:26 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad

10.02.2026 20:18 πŸ‘ 31326 πŸ” 13771 πŸ’¬ 972 πŸ“Œ 1689

> the best way to make any bit of [documentation] out of date is to write it down

A brilliantly succinct statement!

10.02.2026 21:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Spoiler: Even the short-term ephemeral productivity gains turn out to just be a) people taking on tasks they have no business doing (like managers coding), b) people working longer hours because they're having fun dicking around and c) people trying to do 800 tasks at once.

10.02.2026 17:30 πŸ‘ 36 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Grocery store sign of bagel that reads: pick your own. Part of the sign is obscured to look like it reads: fuck your own

Grocery store sign of bagel that reads: pick your own. Part of the sign is obscured to look like it reads: fuck your own

Relax, bread department

06.02.2026 01:16 πŸ‘ 4607 πŸ” 1026 πŸ’¬ 67 πŸ“Œ 58

being this genuinely delighted by little childrens dumb antics is such a huge green flag

06.02.2026 07:49 πŸ‘ 286 πŸ” 34 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 0
Ranger approaching a royal albatross, who is giving the camera a quizzical look

Ranger approaching a royal albatross, who is giving the camera a quizzical look

Ranger laughing, interacting with the albatross.

Ranger laughing, interacting with the albatross.

Ranger holding up the egg in a bag to weigh it, albatross looking on.

Ranger holding up the egg in a bag to weigh it, albatross looking on.

Ranger with three younger birds who have eyes only for one another.

Ranger with three younger birds who have eyes only for one another.

And wonderful to see the staff at the albatross center taking such good care of them. Here, egg-weighing time. Which gives you a sense of scale for these massive, beautiful birds.

06.02.2026 09:55 πŸ‘ 525 πŸ” 84 πŸ’¬ 18 πŸ“Œ 10

honestly baffling to see newsletter writers move to patreon of all platforms β€” it doesn’t allow people to own their relationships with their subscribers, so it’s almost impossible to move anywhere later!

i can only assume patreon must have paid them upfront to make it worthwhile.

03.02.2026 04:27 πŸ‘ 47 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
A display at a train station showing the 8:20 City Loop train is 14 minutes away. Current time: 8:26

A display at a train station showing the 8:20 City Loop train is 14 minutes away. Current time: 8:26

I love this for me. #Melbourne

02.02.2026 21:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Washington Post Raid Is a Frightening Reminder: Turn Off Your Phone’s Biometrics Now The search warrant to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home shows how authorities can open your phone without your consent.

Courts should treat biometric locks as equivalent to password protection, EFF’s Andrew Crocker told @TheIntercept.com. β€œYour constitutional right against self-incrimination should not be dependent on technical convenience or lack thereof.”
theintercept.com/2026/01/30/...

31.01.2026 20:56 πŸ‘ 207 πŸ” 90 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 9
A smiling white masculine person wearing a blue scout uniform with a red and green scarf. In the background is a courtyard full of other people in scout uniforms.

A smiling white masculine person wearing a blue scout uniform with a red and green scarf. In the background is a courtyard full of other people in scout uniforms.

A stage with a big slide that says: "LOA
CONFERENCE
2026
Welcome
we start at 9am" in the corner is a photo timestamp: 9:23AM. There's a rover standing at the pedestal to the side.

A stage with a big slide that says: "LOA CONFERENCE 2026 Welcome we start at 9am" in the corner is a photo timestamp: 9:23AM. There's a rover standing at the pedestal to the side.

At the #ScoutsVictoria Leader of Adults conference in Williamstown today! As usual, we're operating on Scout Time! πŸ˜‚

30.01.2026 22:35 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I often misjudge my volume and speak too loudly. I appreciate people gently pointing this out. Today on the bus while I chatted to another passenger, someone from the back of the bus crouched *uncomfortably* close to my face to say their wife had a headache.
Mixed feelings about that experience.

30.01.2026 22:26 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
How to Work in Travel Media: A Four-Week Live Masterclass <p>Love travel and telling global stories that matter? Don’t miss this live virtual masterclass taught by a seasoned travel journalist this February.</p><p>You’ll get <strong>10 years of industry knowledge</strong> distilled into <strong>actionable steps </strong>to turbocharge your work and walk away with a clear understanding of how it works, where you fit, and how you can start today.</p><p><strong>Yulia Denisyuk</strong> is the creator of <a href="https://www.goingplacesmedia.com/" rel="noreferrer"><strong>Going Places</strong></a>, which features "global stories of hope through a decolonial lens." We think <strong>Going Places</strong> shares a lot of values with <strong>Remote Queer</strong>, which is why we're excited to feature this announcement directly from Yulia:</p><h2 id="learn-how-to-work-in-travel-media-feb-728-2026">Learn How To Work In Travel Media: Feb 7 - 28, 2026</h2><p>Join us for a live virtual masterclass where you'll learn actionable steps to kickstart your career in the travel industry. We’ll demystify travel media in sessions like <strong>pitching to travel editors, working with tourism boards, and the economics of travel.</strong></p><p>We'll meet on Zoom <strong>every Saturday in February at 1 pm EST (U.S.)</strong>.</p><p>This masterclass is for anyone who loves storytelling and wants travel to become a larger part of their professional lives.</p><p>Learn fromΒ <a href="https://www.yulia-denisyuk.com/">Yulia Denisyuk</a>, a seasoned journalist who has worked with tourism boards from Sierra Leone to Hong Kong, published work in top global outlets like National Geographic, The NYT, and many more, and taught numerous travel media classes to emerging storytellers.</p><p><strong>Yulia's students have been published in outlets like TIME, Nat Geo, Conde Nast Traveler, and more.Β </strong></p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.yulia-denisyuk.com/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Yulia Denisyuk</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Portfolio site for travel journalist, photographer, and writer Yulia Denisyuk</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/icon/favicon-1769659694210.ico" alt="" /><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Yulia Denisyuk</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/thumbnail/IMG_3982-1769659694628.PNG" alt="" /></div></a></figure><p><strong>Our agenda:</strong></p><p><strong>February 7 at 1 pm EST</strong>: Working with tourism boards and PR agencies (how to get press trip invites)</p><p><strong>February 14 at 1 pm EST</strong>: Working with travel publishers (how to navigate the media landscape)</p><p><strong>February 21 at 1 pm EST</strong>: Foundations of pitching (how to get editors to tell you 'yes')</p><p><strong>February 28 at 1 pm EST</strong>: The economics of travel media (how much can you earn?)</p><p>Class Pass ticket holders also get<strong>Β a portfolio review + their own publishing roadmap</strong>Β withΒ actionable next steps on entering the industry.</p><p>All attendees get the masterclass recording.</p><div class="kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-grey kg-cta-minimal "> <div class="kg-cta-content"> <div class="kg-cta-content-inner"> <div class="kg-cta-text"> <p><span style="white-space:pre-wrap">Get a </span><b><strong style="white-space:pre-wrap">$147Β class pass</strong></b><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> to attend all four sessions or choose a </span><b><strong style="white-space:pre-wrap">$55Β single-ticket option</strong></b><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> for a session of your choice.</span></p> </div> <a href="https://book.goingplacesmedia.com/travel-media-masterclass-2026/" class="kg-cta-button " style="background-color:#000000;color:#ffffff"> Register now </a> </div> </div> </div><hr /><h2 id="why-going-places">Why <em>Going Places</em>?</h2><p>In the face of consolidation and homogenization of travel media, <strong>Going Places</strong> is a reader-supported publication that isn't afraid to question prevailing narratives around how and why we travel.</p><p>You'll find thoughtful articles like this profile of <strong>Karen Oosterhoff, </strong>a queer tattoo artist based in Brighton, U.K.:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.goingplacesmedia.com/meet-the-artist-tattooing-for-palestine/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">Meet the Artist Tattooing for Palestine</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">And get your own solidarity tattoo.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/icon/GP-favicon-1769633369817.png" alt="" /><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Going Places</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Yulia Denisyuk</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/thumbnail/Going-Places-5-Questions-With-Headers-1-1769633370205.png" alt="" /></div></a></figure><p>Or this podcast interview with <strong>Imani Bashir</strong>, an American abroad who's written about the complexity of life as a Black digital nomad:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.goingplacesmedia.com/imanibashir/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">What Is Intersectional Travel?</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">A Black Muslim journalist reflects on becoming a global citizen.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/icon/GP-favicon-1769633493913.png" alt="" /><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Going Places</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Yulia Denisyuk</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/thumbnail/RReEcd34cPt_Rn_Ls_7U04ouHWhW3VdtB7zmK36gPVs-1769633494162.jpeg" alt="" /></div></a></figure><p><strong>Going Places</strong> also highlights freelance opportunities, like this call for pitches from <strong>Intrepid Travel</strong>, a company I've traveled with several times:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www.goingplacesmedia.com/a-call-for-pitches-from-intrepid-travel/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">A Call for Pitches From Intrepid Travel</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">PLUS: meet me in NY this week.</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/icon/GP-favicon-1769635297178.png" alt="" /><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Going Places</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Yulia Denisyuk</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a50abba8132a77191791390c3eb19fe7/thumbnail/DSC06593-1769635297336.jpg" alt="" /></div></a></figure><p>We think you'll learn a lot from Yulia's approach to work and travel. So <a href="https://book.goingplacesmedia.com/travel-media-masterclass-2026/" rel="noreferrer">join the masterclass</a> and get ready to grow your career in the travel industry today.</p><p>As always, thanks for reading!</p><p>Saul &amp; the RQ Team</p>

Love travel and telling global stories that matter? Don’t miss this live virtual masterclass taught by a seasoned travel journalist this February.

You’ll get 10 years of industry knowledge distilled into actionable steps to turbocharge your work and walk away […]

[Original post on remotequeer.co]

30.01.2026 14:04 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Our January newsletter is out! πŸŽ‰ New location, open Calls for Proposals, and all the updates you need. πŸ‘€

πŸ‘‰οΈ Link in the first comment.

28.01.2026 11:52 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Big big thank you to Vercel supporting DDD Melbourne again in 2026.
Make sure you say hello to the fine folks, they're great supporters of the tech community, and we appreciate them and love their work. πŸ‘

πŸ‘‰ 🎟️ Make sure to get your tickets for DDD Melbourne: www.dddmelbourne.com/tickets

29.01.2026 05:07 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) | Yarn Spinner Early 2025, ACMI, the Australian museum of screen culture, put out a call for comissions for Game Worlds. They wanted to commission microgames from Australian developers, and the brief was deliberatel...

Every word of this article is a delight. There are some great anecdotes about working for real tip lines.

yarnspinner.dev/blog/hint-li...

26.01.2026 17:57 πŸ‘ 44 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Australia’s heatwaves are getting deadlier – and renters are paying the price | Maiy Azize Some are trapped in a vicious cycle: rising rents, rising energy bills and falling standards. But this is not inevitable

"Across the country, renters are living in properties with no insulation, poor sealing, broken or inadequate fans or no cooling options at all. Others technically have air conditioning, but they are in such extreme rental stress they can’t afford to turn it on."

27.01.2026 05:55 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
A photo of a poster from Health New Zealand that states all in one headline the text with no punctuation "Download advice on feeding newborns to teens". Clearly meaning "Download Advice on feeding. For young people in your care. From Newborns, to teens" but design got in the way and now it looks like suggesting youth cannibalism.

A photo of a poster from Health New Zealand that states all in one headline the text with no punctuation "Download advice on feeding newborns to teens". Clearly meaning "Download Advice on feeding. For young people in your care. From Newborns, to teens" but design got in the way and now it looks like suggesting youth cannibalism.

Teenagers *are* known for ravenous appetites

but surely there are other ways.

26.01.2026 19:38 πŸ‘ 164 πŸ” 49 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 7

> Fastmail […] their COO Bek Fraser

OMG I literally crossed paths with Bek last week at a conference and meant to get another mutual ex-Fastmailer to introduce me!

26.01.2026 07:33 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0