potpie

Unless you think “from scratch” sounds nice.

Aww hell yeah that looks nice. Can’t wait to try it out.

I love getting years of good service from old computers, but I do want to add something: old laptop means old battery, and if they’re not producing the same form factor anymore, then even a replacement battery will probably be old stock that’s been degrading for years. Unfortunately I don’t know what company’s models have the best longevity here in terms of battery form factor.

Okay so, it’s common for people to talk about distant stars as appearing one way because the light takes (mi|bi)illions of years to get to us, and that makes perfect sense to me… But when they go on to say that, for instance, Betelgeuse has already gone supernova but we won’t see it until the light gets to us…

According to the principle of the relativity of simultaneity, since the speed of light is the speed of causality, wouldn’t it be a bit more accurate (though definitely more confusing to the public) to say that the stars actually are as we observe them, but that the star is far enough away that traveling to it, even instantly, would basically require significant time travel forward? I guess it would just be a different way to talk about “the present” in relativistic terms, which is only difficult because our languages never evolved to handle the concept.

What you think?

Pay billions for a userbase, then drive away the ones that aren’t Nazis or bots.

And Chaucer split infinitives, but I was always told it was “wrong” in gradeschool. That’s the problem with pedantry: language is a fascinatingly complex and beautiful set of patterns. Boiling it down to rules is at best a handy style guide for formal writing, but at worst it gets weaponed as a way to discriminate against people who use lower prestige dialects.

I’ve got 3 main computers because I’m a tech hoarder. Ubuntu MATE, Linux Mint, and Pop!_OS with XFCE. I’ve also got a little craptop for distro hopping, currently it’s got Debian 12. My work provided a Windows laptop but I only have to bring it to meetings.

Get paid.

Where I work just switching into a TTY would be enough to keep anyone out.

Even worse, just making money isn’t enough: you also have to become a fucking global monopoly.

That is by far the most likely scenario. Hell it’s already happening with the AI we do have. Teslas driving into walls, facial recognition mistaking an innocent person for a criminal (mentioned in the article).

Doomsday science fiction is fun to toy with but it usually involves a lot of hand waving.

I’ve been getting into primitive technology lately. It all started when I looked at my back yard and thought hey, if we call it red clay, then I should be able to make it into pottery. I take dirt from my yard, levigate it, add grog and wedge, hand-build pots, and fire them in my fire pit. Been making sharpening stones from river rocks. Crafting replicas of Roman machines. That sort of thing.

Have you ever gotten GNU/Hurd running on hardware?

…by failing they mean “isn’t making money for rich people”.

That’s exactly it. Mastodon won’t live or die by how well it can compete with Birdsite. After making the switch I see that it’s all I wanted from microblogging as a practice.

RIP

Not… So… Fast… We shall counter with our ad blocker blocker blocker blockers!

That’s a really good point. Use the AI to bridge gaps and for short segments. Probably a good way to get around some writer’s block.

That’s a really good point. Use the AI to bridge gaps and for short segments. Probably a good way to get around some writer’s block.

My guess is: adventurous readers who are intrigued by a small snippet, then figure it out on page 2 after they’ve bought it already.

Me at 11pm: why on earth would I watch a long video deep diving into obsolete incandescent headlights?

Me at 7am: hey did you know that headlights used to be so standard you could just drop in a generic replacement and…