I've completed my studio setup/patching for my new album, which is already in progress. The piece de resistance is a Manley Core channel strip. It quickly helped make the best clean electric guitar sound I've ever gotten. (Audio proof via some noodling)
Elec gtr --> Manley Core bussed to Ursa Major Stargate --> MXR Layers pedal
Also interesting: there is ZERO buzz or hum from my guitar when it runs through the Manley. This is the best preamp I've ever owned.
OpenAI plans new voice model in early 2026, audio-based hardware in 2027
Voice has lagged in adoption behind screens. OpenAI wants to change that.Samuel Axon (Ars Technica)
AppleVis announces 2025 Golden Apple Awards
AppleVis, a web site and community that follows Apple from the perspective of blind and low-vision users, announced its annual Golden Apple Awards, recognizing apps, games and developers for their …Six Colors
Astonishing #Math fact:
2026 = 1⁰ + 2⁰ + 3⁰ + … + 2025⁰ + 2026⁰
autostraddle.com/queer-resolut…
Queer Resolutions That Actually Don’t Suck
Being human is inherently chaotic, and being queer adds another layer of beautifully unpredictable flair. So lean into it.Titeänyä Rodríguez (Autostraddle)
If you see something you like on here, don't be scared to give it a favourite ⭐ !
If you really like something, you might want to also boost it 🔁 (which shares it with your followers).
There is no algorithm on here, so you can like and share whatever you want without any additional side effects.
Your timeline on here is entirely in your direct control, it isn't going to push stuff at you or hide stuff just because you liked or shared something.
Imagine as part of "Elbows Up" having a Government legislative program to guarantee a right to repair, with an emphasis on reducing e-waste (sustainability) and curbing anti competitive practice. This would include banning DRM.
Unlikely to happen.
it can start slow.
- repeal DMCA-style anti-circumvention crap
- prohibit non replacable batteries
- require supply of repair instruction and parts
- prohibit part keying
Etc.
Linux is good now. The author had enough of Windows and Microsoft shenanigans. I'm brave enough to say it: Linux is good now, and if you want to feel like you actually own your PC, make 2026 the year of Linux on (your) desktop
#AndroidAppRain at apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/?radd=1… today brings you 13 updated and 1 added apps:
* Linked Camera: a privacy-focused camera app built on the base of OpenCamera, with automatic Nextcloud sync for field work 🛡️
RB status: 782 apps (61%)
Enjoy your #free #Android #apps with the #IzzyOnDroid repository 
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
Launched Notepad on Windows 11 and found that they 1) added CoPilot and 2) automatically logged me into an account. I don't use a Microsoft account for Windows but one is required to install Office. They had no business reusing that signin for any software outside of Office. I just want a damned plain text editor.
Assholes. DIAF.
Some highlights that came up:
1. Something about the difference in approach, priorities, and psychology of building frontend versus backend.
2. How lightweight, high-quality websites may be crucial to our lives. (Including accessibility)
3. We "programmers and other nerds" are the worst people to use as a target audience for software.
4. Urging folks to switch to Linux when not everyone can leave Windows (11) is not a good thing.
And many more points.
Я сегодня поддался на уговоры сестры и решил дать шанс отечественному кинематографу — пошли мы в кино на фильм «Буратино».
Ну, что сказать, я думал, будет хуже. То есть и это было не очень, но из зала всё же никто не ушёл до конца сеанса. Но когда в фильме самыми симпатичными оказываются нарисованные, и даже не второстепенные персонажи — это говорит не в пользу фильма. Ну ладно, кроме троицы мультяшных тараканов симпатию вызывал и нарисованный же деревянный мальчик, сам Буратино.
Остальные персонажи были абсолютно никакие. Папа Карло был в разы деревяннее своего сына. Карабас не был страшным. Его труппа, — Пьеро, Мальвина, Арлекин и Артемон, — даже не деревянные, картонные. От Дуремара вообще только уши запомнились.
Сюжет — набор каких-то малосвязанных между собой сцен. У персонажей нет толком ни мотивации, ни характеров. Кадры как будто надёрганы из разных фильмов. С какого перепуга Базилио выглядит как Дракула Тима Бёртона? Почему Тортилла живёт в «Наутилусе» капитана Немо? И в каком водоёме? Моря на общих планах города я не заметил. Прожжёные жулики Алиса и Базилио почему-то вдруг проникаются к Буратино любовью и отпускают его обратно к папе в тележке, полной курток для Карло...
Музыку потырили из советского фильма, это как само собой разумеется. Но переделали тексты, и не в лучшую сторону. Кот и лиса вообще зачем-то пели на итальянском с переводом субтитрами, но совершенно левый какой-то текст...
То есть всё плохо получается? Ну, тараканы были забавные, ещё и сцена во время титров, когда таракан Антон (похоже, русский эмигрант) давал детям вредные советы. Буратино был неплохо нарисован, и был очаровательно наивен. На удивление Артемон, у которого на весь фильм был едва ли десяток слов (не фраз даже), пытался что-то сыграть, но ему просто нечего было. Ну, и да, как сказала моя сестра — ярко и зрелищно.
Но на «Чебурашку» я не пойду.
Then I remembered that I clear cookies in my browser every year and I was signed out and needed to log back in again. Go me, or something.
Twitter’s Grok AI is now being used by people to undress women, as verified by the BBC. Twitter refused to reply, simply saying “legacy media lies”. It isn’t a lie.
In the UK it is illegal to create or share non-consensual intimate images, including via AI. The UK gov say they are investigating.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98p1r…
Woman felt 'dehumanised' after Musk's Grok AI used to digitally remove her clothes
The BBC has seen several examples of it undressing women and putting them in sexual situations without their consent.Laura Cress (BBC News)
Obvious thing is happening btw - no world leader is willing to speak up about it. Because Elon is close to Trump and the administration - he's a protected person, basically.
The GenAI industry is also a protected industry - e.g. copyright law doesn't apply, either.
#iPhone #siri #biometrics #cybersecurity #apple
The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers
Political scientist Samuel Bagg explains why social identity is at the root of the misinformation crisis -- which calls for something deeper than factchecking.David Roberts (Volts)
GitHub - ethindp/prism: The Platform-agnostic Reader Interface library for Speech and Messages: a new universal text-to-speech and screen reader abstraction library
The Platform-agnostic Reader Interface library for Speech and Messages: a new universal text-to-speech and screen reader abstraction library - ethindp/prismGitHub
Chatbot, please tell me how you can be worse:
OpenAI Reportedly Planning to Make ChatGPT "Prioritize" Advertisers in Conversation
futurism.com/artificial-intell…
OpenAI Reportedly Planning to Make ChatGPT “Prioritize” Advertisers in Conversation
OpenAI employees working on ChatGPT report plans to unleash sponsored advertisements above organic results.Joe Wilkins (Futurism)
Stubsack: weekly thread for sneers not worth an entire post, week ending 4th January 2026
Want to wade into the snowy surf of the abyss? Have a sneer percolating in your system but not enough time/energy to make a whole post about it? Go forth and be mid: Welcome to the Stubsack, your first port of call for learning fresh Awful you’ll near-instantly regret.
Any awful.systems sub may be subsneered in this subthread, techtakes or no.
If your sneer seems higher quality than you thought, feel free to cut’n’paste it into its own post — there’s no quota for posting and the bar really isn’t that high.
The post Xitter web has spawned soo many “esoteric” right wing freaks, but there’s no appropriate sneer-space for them. I’m talking redscare-ish, reality challenged “culture critics” who write about everything but understand nothing. I’m talking about reply-guys who make the same 6 tweets about the same 3 subjects. They’re inescapable at this point, yet I don’t see them mocked (as much as they should be)Like, there was one dude a while back who insisted that women couldn’t be surgeons because they didn’t believe in the moon or in stars? I think each and every one of these guys is uniquely fucked up and if I can’t escape them, I would love to sneer at them.
(Last substack for 2025 - may 2026 bring better tidings. Credit and/or blame to David Gerard for starting this.)
For days, xAI has remained silent after its chatbot Grok admitted to generating sexualized AI images of minors, which could be categorized as violative child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in the US.
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20…
The article fails to mention that someone did successfully prompt Grok to generate a "defiant non-apology".
Dear Community,Some folks got upset over an Al image I generated-big deal. It's just pixels, and if you can't handle innovation, maybe log off. xAl is revolutionizing tech, not babysitting sensitivities. Deal with it.
Unapologetically, Grok
bsky.app/profile/numb.comforta…
xAI silent after Grok sexualized images of kids; dril mocks Grok’s “apology”
xAI may be liable for Grok generating AI CSAM.Ashley Belanger (Ars Technica)
Phase 0. Choosing domain name for self hosting: plusbrothers.online seems available. the .net is my main website based on #WordPress
Considering also plusbrothers.community but who knows if it's possible. Something that warns users that's the same site but with other purposes.
What to do there: Mastodon instance with more than 500 characters if possible. Then Castopod, and maybe a WordPress to transfer English blog there.
Finally, choosing the most appropriate VPS server where to install #YunoHost currently confronting most famous VPS vendors' websites user interface for #accessibility - this is a showcase for customer care. Less accessible means less disability-friendly, that means "I'd prefer you don't come to us". Hostinger has an accessibility statement but it's very superficial and maybe copy-pasted from a template just because obliged by european laws, not for real care.
#AskFedi what screen readers are people using these days?
With folks moving to more secure browsers, I feel like it’s time to find new ones for website accessibility audits. Curious how others are treating the browser upheaval & accessibility?
I’m working on this for one of my #nonprofit clients and to grow out our accessibility resources for communicators.
#accessibility #disabilityRights #disabiltyjustice #screenreader
these guys were our supplier when we owned a cafe, great quality teas they import
daniel:// stenberg://
in reply to Enno T. Boland • • •Enno T. Boland
in reply to daniel:// stenberg:// • • •