mastodon - Link to source
It’s really hard to care about the security theatre we must endure at work when things like this are ok.
eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/repo…

Report: ICE Using Palantir Tool That Feeds On Medicaid Data

ICE is using a Palantir tool that uses Medicaid and other government data to stalk people for arrest. This is exactly the kind of data privacy abuse that EFF has been warning about.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
This entry was edited (1 day ago)

mastodon - Link to source

Here's some silliness with this Macintalk speak windo thing people have been playing with lately.

I tried to have it sing the Casio VL tone song without using an external wave form by constructing a new voice based on "good news", but apparently, I ran into a length limit, or something, so it kind of broke.
Reposting because I did a stupid thing and deleted it by accident.

\@jaybird110127


@Jayson Smith
in reply to Simon Jaeger

mastodon - Link to source

Borris

@simon I did it, and I'm still trying to figure that out.
In the voice file, you can specify notes. Number of notes in a sequence, and then pitch and duration for each note. What I totally don't understand, though, is that the values for pitch entirely change when the timing does. I basically just brute forced it by slapping in a bunch of numbers until I got what I wanted. LOL
@Simon Jaeger

mastodon - Link to source
#TechIsShitDispatch
I ordered two remanufactured toner cartridges for my #HP #printer. These are Staples-branded cartridges and the #Staples website claims they're compatible.
Today I tried to use them and the printer rejected them: bad chip.
It's bullshit that HP is still pulling this cartridge lock crap.
It's bullshit that Staples lied about the compatibility.
It's bullshit that because of these my printer is out of toner and the earliest I can get replacement cartridges is in three days.
😡😡😡😡
#hp #printer #techisshitdispatch #staples

mastodon - Link to source

I’ve documented a clean, native way to integrate FreeBSD 15 into a FreeIPA realm. No heavy dependencies, no Python shims, just pure Kerberos (GSSAPI) and nslcd.

We get full SSH SSO, automated home directories, and centralized sudo rules using standard BSD tools. Pure, stateless, and sane.

blog.hofstede.it/integrating-f…

#FreeBSD #FreeIPA #SysAdmin #Unix #Kerberos #LDAP

Integrating FreeBSD 15 with FreeIPA: Native Kerberos and LDAP Authentication | Larvitz Blog

A clean approach to integrating FreeBSD 15 into a FreeIPA realm using native components - Kerberos for authentication, LDAP for identity, and no local user management.
blog.hofstede.it
#freebsd #unix #sysadmin #freeipa #kerberos #ldap

mastodon - Link to source

“Winning the wrong game”

tante.cc/2026/01/25/winning-th…

> If “AI” is actually more expensive that paying actual people actual wages that’s still a good investment for capital because it is about breaking up the structures, networks and organizations that help workers organize and fight for labor standards and fairer wages.


Winning the wrong game

With studies upon studies showing that actual measurable productivity gains through “AI” (which these days basically means chatbots) are really hard to come by and that “workslop” (meaning the extra work created for the rest of the organization by on…
tante (Smashing Frames)

mastodon - Link to source

I remember explaining this exact use case to Very Serious People at multiple non-profits who had received literal millions of dollars to research privacy, and these Very Serious People assured me that could never happen.

I quit these places with joy because these folks were myopic assholes who allowed their privilege to exacerbate harms.

One of these fuckers told me "but I like the ads - they help me see what sneakers I should buy."

wired.com/story/ice-asks-compa…

This entry was edited (2 days ago)

threads - Link to source
Police Repeatedly Shoot Tim Cook After Mistaking iPhone For Gun theonion.com/police-repeatedly…
Police Repeatedly Shoot Tim Cook After Mistaking iPhone For Gun

Police Repeatedly Shoot Tim Cook After Mistaking iPhone For Gun

CUPERTINO, CA—Explaining that they took immediate action against what they perceived to be a threat, local police officers repeatedly shot Apple CEO Tim Cook after mistaking an iPhone he was holding for a gun, sources confirmed Thursday.
The Onion Staff (The Onion)

mastodon - Link to source

#AndroidAppRain at apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/?radd=1… – despite of the ongoing Google shenanigans – today brought you 17 updated and 1 added apps:

* Sidestep: intercepts social media URLs and redirects them to privacy-friendly alternative frontends while removing tracking parameters 🛡️

RB Status: 809 apps (62.3%)

Enjoy your #free #Android #apps with the #IzzyOnDroid repository – and thanks for standing with us! :awesome:


IzzyOnDroid F-Droid Repository

This is a repository of apps to be used with your F-Droid client. Applications in this repository are official binaries built by the original application developers, taken from their resp. repositories (mostly Github, GitLab, Codeberg).
IzzyOnDroid App Repo
#android #free #apps #AndroidAppRain #izzyondroid

mastodon - Link to source
Good thing almost no one actually USES it… @mason partychickens.net/@mason/11595…

Mason Loring Bliss (@mason@partychickens.net)

Today I learned about UCEPROTECTL3, and it's deeply exciting. It feels like a protection racket. If you pay this place that maintains it, they'll take your IP address off of it. The trick is that I covers entire ISPs.
Mastodon
@Mason Loring Bliss
in reply to Alexis Bushnell

iceshrimp.net - Link to source

🇨🇦Samuel Proulx🇨🇦

Okay, I don't have links to hand, but I'm a licensed ham radio opperator, and this is the kind of theory we learn. The danger from a microwave comes if it is failing to keep the actual waves inside. Microwaves are designed with an enclosure that blocks most of the energy from them. However, you might notice that when you run your microwave, your wifi and cell signal degrades. This is because your wifi/cell and a microwave use similar frequencies. But your wifi just uses a millionth or billionth of the power. So when those waves start leaking out of your microwave, they can drown out the wifi completely. The danger comes from just how much energy is leaking. You can stick a wifi antenna directly in your mouth for hours while it transmits, and nothing bad will happen to you. But if it was putting out the same power of a microwave, you would be cooked. In general, the test I use is this: place your cell phone inside the microwave, and close the door. DO NOT! TURN ON THE MICROWAVE OBVIOUSLY! Now, with the door completely closed, try to call your cell phone from another phone. If it rings while inside the microwave, I'd worry a bit. If it doesn't, I wouldn't. This works because your cell tower is transmitting at low power, and is far away from you. So if your phone can talk to the tower from inside the microwave, it means it's probably leaking more energy than you would really like.

mastodon - Link to source
Accessibility-focused Mastodon question.
I’m currently using the Enafore web client and generally like it. I’ve been seeing some chatter about FastSM, and I’m curious how it compares in real use.
Has anyone here used Enafore and then switched to FastSM? If so, how is it with a screen reader, and what feels different or better (or worse)?
I don’t have much energy for trial-and-error right now, so firsthand experiences would be especially helpful.
#Mastodon #Accessibility #ScreenReaders #BlindTech @mastoblind @main
#Accessibility #Mastodon #screenreaders #blindtech @Blind Main @Group 4 Blind & VI people

mastodon - Link to source
I encourage those wanting to tweak a language to carefully read through the giant Readme on GitHub, which explains all of these settings in careful methodical detail. At some point I'm going to have to reorganize it a bit, but lots of headings. And reading for linguistic nerds, wooh-hooh?
github.com/tgeczy/NVSpeechPlay…

GitHub - tgeczy/NVSpeechPlayer: A Klatt-based speech synthesis engine written in c++

A Klatt-based speech synthesis engine written in c++ - tgeczy/NVSpeechPlayer
GitHub

Zach Bennoui reshared this.

mastodon - Link to source
Well well, another NVSpeech Player update, finally I can say, out of the V13 days.
Again, more settings to customize for language owners!
1) liquidDynamics
Adds real movement inside liquids/glides instead of treating them as static blobs. You can dial in:
• /l/ lateral onglide (a small “tongue tip” gesture)
• American /r/ with an F3 dip (less “flat r”)
• /w/ transitions with a proper start locus (more natural “w”)
2) lengthContrast
For languages where length matters (HU/FI/JP/IT, etc.):
• short vowel ceiling + long vowel floor (so long/short stays distinct at speed)
• geminates get closure lengthening (tt/kk actually feel doubled)
• optional compensatory vowel shortening before geminates
3) positionalAllophones
Systematic “position rules” without hand-writing a million exceptions:
• stop aspiration scaling by context (word-initial stressed vs intervocalic vs final)
• /l/ darkness by position (clear [l] vs dark [ɫ])
• optional glottal reinforcement for final stops
All are pack-configurable in settings: and default off unless enabled.
eurpod.com/synths/nvSpeechPlay…
This entry was edited (1 day ago)

Zach Bennoui reshared this.

flipboard - Link to source

Met Office issues warnings for heavy rain and flooding across parts of the UK
https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/25/met-office-issues-warnings-heavy-rain-flooding-across-parts-uk-26514856/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into News (UK Edition) @news-uk-edition-FlipboardUK


Met Office issues warnings for heavy rain across parts of the UK

Yellow warnings for heavy rain and flooding are in place from Monday and Tuesday across the UK.
Rory McKeown (Metro)
@News (UK Edition)

mastodon - Link to source
Like most of my mastodonian friends, or acquaintences, call yourselves what you will, i have recently tryed Fast SM. For a mastodon - Bluesky cliant that has just come out on the market it's pretty good. i've yet to discover a jaws with Leasy Key map in the list of Key Maps, but maybe that will be added down the road perhaps. having difficulties signing in to BlueSky with it, but i think it's more BlueSky than Fast SM. will deffenately follow developments with interest. excellent work. :)

mastodon - Link to source

RE: ravenation.club/@etherdiver/11…

So far today, I'm watching my football team struggle in the playoffs, learning a new synth, and doing laundry. All feel a lot better than endlessly looking for/at bad news!

Ether Diver (@etherdiver@ravenation.club)

I say this as a reminder to myself as much as anyone, but you probably did enough doomscrolling yesterday. Try to spend less of your day inflicting massive psychic damage on yourself.
Ether Diver (Mastodon)
in reply to Zach Bennoui

mastodon - Link to source

theblindgamer50

@ZBennoui you actually can do that, with a python script that I had Gemini create that allows you to edit the binary macintalk voice files.
I've been doing all of this windows macintalk/wintalker experimentation stuff for awhile: it started with 2 python scripts, 1 that would allow you to edit the binary voice description files that are used with OSX and IOS10, and another one that allows you to convert and embed markers into wave files, the (PCMWave) files that are located in some of the macintalk voice folders.
But recently, I got claude code and was like, hey what else can I do with this old codebase? and, the macintalk speak window was created! speaking of that, I’m going to push an update soon that allows you to read from text files with an -f argument, and also wavs now write silently and save at 22,050 HZ: before I release that though I am going to try to add 2 missing original macintalk voices that were not in the original wintalker codebase, albert and bahh.
I also need to find a better way to do markers, might have the original PCMWave marker script have a thing that can save to .mkr or something, or just thro claude code a hex dump of one of the PCMWave files that has the markers in it and just add support for those, that sounds like a better option: what do you guys think I should go with?
@Zach Bennoui
⇧