Tired of software tracking you, and using your content to feed AI services? Switch to free and open source software – like #LibreOffice, which is backed by a non-profit (@tdforg) and has zero interest in your data: blog.documentfoundation.org/bl… #foss #OpenSource #privacy

Accidentally stumbled upon the AI company that was scraping the fediverse. Site design is criminal, keep scrolling and you'll see it in the timeline it draws

socialgist.ai/about

This entry was edited (6 months ago)
in reply to Craig Hockenberry

Back when Apple first revealed Aqua, there was a quote from an executive at a paper company. I haven't been able to find it in years, but it said something to the effect of, “we spend tons of R&D money trying to make paper as opaque as possible, and here Apple is spending CPU cycles deliberately making things translucent.”

That's been on my mind ever since, as UIs have gone through Aqua, Aero, iOS 7, etc.

Looks like Arweave is adopting #LMDB now? github.com/permaweb/HyperBEAM/…

It's amusing to me to see them adopting this code now, since they were the first project to adopt #RandomX. Early to adopt my recent work, late to adopt my early work. Also interesting to see that they use #Erlang - I first tried to develop an erlang wrapper for LMDB years ago to use in #riak, but all of that was abandoned.

This entry was edited (6 months ago)

Years ago, I suspected the new dishwasher detergent tablets and pods being heavily pushed were a ripoff. I put a tablet in a Ziploc bag and crushed it with a hammer, then measured the resultant powder: about 2 tablespoons (30 mL). That struck me as grossly excessive, in line with the "always fill all detergent cups to maximum for best results" instrux on detergent powder boxes (and then liquid/gel bottles).

So I bought a box of regular ol' normal ol' boring ol' dishwasher powder and started experimenting. 1 tablespoon (15 mL): dishes completely clean. 2 teaspoons (10 mL): dishes completely clean. Mind, I scrape off loose leavings, but almost no dishes get rinsed before they go in the dishwasher.

The math quickly showed that yup, the pods and powders are a complete scam. So for years now, we've had this what you see here under the sink, with a teaspoon measure in.

The dishes consistently get perfectly clean, but I've never liked that dishwasher-detergent smell they have after. It occurred to me the other night I'd stopped the experiment without inceeding 2 teaspoons, so I tried 1 teaspoon (5 mL — probably more like 6ish; I don't level off the teaspoon, just scoop-shake-dispense).

Result: dishes perfectly clean. They couldn't possibly be any cleaner, so all the marketing babble about the pods unlocking whole new levels of Ultra Platinum Extreme Clean are bulk wrap. And the dishes now come out smelling of…nothing.

I'm not gonna retire on the savings, but every bit helps. There's a whole lot less waste this way, in money and detergent and packaging and production. The powder comes in a recyclable-for-real paperboard box rather than a recyclable-nudge-wink-lol plastic tub.

As I've done this much schtick, I might's well make a complete job of it: Consumer Reports' latest test of dishwasher detergent doesn't include powders, they say, because most people buy pods and tablets. That's antithetical to CR's nominal mission; decades ago they'd've done my same math and experiments and recommended avoiding the scam and buying the powders they found to work well.

I'll need to edit that yellow label.

#HomeEconomy
#capitalism

#AudioMo When I decided to go watch our local actors in training perform a short stage play called "Vamptopia" I certainly didn't expect this quite impressive variation of "Part of your world" from the Little Mermaid to happen. I'm pretty happy to have witnessed it, and luckily for you, I've had my trusty stealth recording kit with me. Although the intro is in German, no worries, the actual song starts at 00:51.

Today I invited a couple friends to the #NoKings protest this Saturday, and they were more open to it than I thought. (Not my most political friends.) Turning out lots of folks who don't usually protest would be amazing. I hope Saturday is the day many people wake up and realize the resisting this administration is not fringe, it's what most Americans want.

If you're in the USA, I hope you'll join us!
nokings.org/

#USpol #NoKingsDay #resist

Trump deployed forces against American citizens to chill dissent, spark confrontation, and create an excuse to seize even more power. We won’t back down, but we need to be prepared to handle encounters with law enforcement and de-escalate tense situations.
Attend tomorrow’s “Know Your Rights” training with the ACLU to help keep No Kings protests safe and non-violent: act.aclu.org/a/2025-kyr-traini…

También disponible en Español: act.aclu.org/a/taller-para-con…

My least favorite work interactions are with customers’ 3rd party “rockstar” consultants. I never know how to respond to certain sorts of queries. Ones where I could answer the question as asked but it really implies a deeper misunderstanding. I feel like I want to write him a treatise on VPNs: what they are and how they work. And Cc his boss (who shares his surname…) to communicate the depth of the problem.

I’m letting my boss handle it. He’s the networking guy anyway…

#Sysadminnery

Google Tightens Android Sideloading—At What Cost to Digital Freedom?

Google has begun blocking sideloaded Android apps in Singapore, citing security concerns over apps requesting sensitive permissions like SMS and accessibility services.

Read more at Purism: puri.sm/posts/google-restricts…

We're starting to roll out a new screen curtain feature to black out the display when using Narrator - thanks, as always, for folks that have shared feedback about this 😊

blogs.windows.com/windows-insi… #WindowsInsiders #Windows11 #Accessibility

You can restrict the audience of your posts on Mastodon using post visibility settings. You can set each post's visibility separately if you want, and you can also choose a default visibility.

There are four or five different visibility settings which let you control who can see your posts and how easily they can be discovered.

Instructions on how to set Mastodon's post visibilities (and lots of questions answered about this feature) at:

➡️ fedi.tips/who-can-see-my-posts…

#FediTips #Mastodon

What's been lost...
Entomologists from Krefeld, Germany, collected flying insects for two weeks in August 1994 (left) and—at the same site, with an identical trap— in August 2016 (right). Similar data from 63 German protected areas overall gave a shocking result: a 76 percent drop in insect biomass between 1989 and 2016.
It has worsened significantly in the past 9 years.
Photographed at Entomological Society of Krefeld
This entry was edited (6 months ago)

We are working on the #NextGeneration of our #opensource #WiFi #router - #Turris #OmniaNG. And it is going to be released #soon. Want to be among the first ones to know more? Join our #newsletter! mailing-turris.nic.cz/?p=subsc…

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My friends Critter, Oscar and Talon from The Kuloran Players have produced a truly beautiful sounding audio rendition of the literal formation of the world of #Kirandur. In tradition, it was released 2 weeks early over at our #patreon, but these weeks have passed, and you can listen to the full 18 minutes now! It also happened to be during #AudioMo. What a treat! Anyway, links:
First, the promised audio: audiopub.site/listen/7398e304-…
If you don't know what this is all about, take a read through our website to learn more: kpguild.games
If you liked what you heard, or what you read, enough to wish you could support us, you can do that through our Patreon and gain some cool benefits as you do: patreon.com/KPGuild
Enjoy listening!
#blind #audiogame

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