Skip to main content



#Dnf this #Fanfiction. The opening chapter was enough to tell me that the Harry Potter mentioned in the summary holds very little relation to the Harry I might enjoy reading about.

After the war Harry Potter's world falls apart. Then he is offered a chance to try and make a better future for himself and his friends. Of course things are never simple.

[Let's Try Again by DayDreamer315]](archiveofourown.org/works/1446…)

in reply to Sean Randall

All the themes I like least: head of a billion houses, blocked from magic because of evil evil, love potion...
in reply to modulux

@modulux Trope or not, Manipulative Dumbledore is always an attention-catcher because truly, he's ugly enough inside for it to b believable. May not be the point behind this particular fic, but it rings true imo.
in reply to Andre Louis

Yeah, it's not my favourite, but some stories with a manipulative Dumbledor, evil or just ruthless, are well done. I just think the stories of making this absolutely overpowered lord of all the houses, shis diamonds, marries 50 girls type character is not something I'm into.
in reply to modulux

@modulux One of the better Dumbledore's I've read in recent times are in the fics by Wok Fried Rice. Really brilliant writing all around.
in reply to Andre Louis

@modulux He's good in those stories, and actually cares about his students.
in reply to Andre Louis

@FreakyFwoof @modulux I only read a taste of magic, but he didn't have much of a part in it as far as I recalled?
in reply to Sean Randall

Oh a taste of magic was very fun. He did play some role, though mostly as the headmaster figure rather than a political mastermind.
in reply to Sean Randall

@modulux I'd say he had a fair part to play, no? He got Harry away from his relatives, allowed him to have the club room etc, didn't try to stifle him, I mean yeah. I'd say he did quite a lot.
in reply to Andre Louis

@FreakyFwoof @modulux I guess I'm so used to him meddling in fanfic that to me, he just let Harry get on with things in this one. That's more rolling with what happens than directing in a positive way. But he's been written so many ways, I guess a light hand on the wheel might come across to me as not doing much.
in reply to Andre Louis

@FreakyFwoof @modulux I can't say if I wouldn't have grown to like it, it's a biggy.
But from the offset it's a very different story.



Hey #FRZ peeeps! (and everyone else)

There is a new spam wave that seems to be abusing weakly secured instances. The toots look like this:
[Some @ mentions]
[Picture with QR code]

If you see any of these, please report them as spam so we can block them at the source. I'm not sure if anyone here needs to hear this, but obvs do not follow the URLs in the QR codes, they are probably malicious.

#FRZ
in reply to szakib

Addendum for mods/admins:
In the last spam wave, we found that most of the spam comes from instances we have had zero, or negligible, contact with. If you check the details of the server in the Moderation/Federation menu and it shows that there are no followings to/from it, it is safe (and wise) to suspend the whole server, not only the reported user. (More new users are usually spawned as long as the server is unsecured.)

#moderation #spam #admin



what's the current state of being able to raad Kindle books in VDR? Any tools I should be aware of in particular?
in reply to Mikołaj Hołysz

@FreakyFwoof

Well, it used to be possible to download a book to the Kindle for PC and decrypt it using Calibre. But it's an ongoing race between Amazon and DRM plugin devs, and Amazon is currently in the lead.


in reply to daniel:// stenberg://

That's Wednesday. If you can schedule a downtime for your website for tomorrow evening, I can get ice cream in preparation for the release...


Spam from the account zdx1h15j3j at misskey.favskey.online.

And now just got one from m.n1l.dev.

Looks like a new wave of open-signup spam.

#Fediblock

This entry was edited (1 week ago)


Stuff like this is why I have always been saying that Android is great for those who either never go out and always have sighted family at hand, and those who can't afford anything else. This person knows their tech, and yet this still happens. procrastodon.net/@simon/113395…


Powered on my Galaxy S20 to test a website. Realized the test called for Chrome and I was still using Samsung Internet. Installed Chrome. Chrome caused Google's Talkback to stop repeatedly. Android eventually killed Talkback. Neither my Talkback shortcut nor my Prudence shortcut are working. I couldn't navigate the phone with a physical keyboard. There's no message on the screen about why the Talkback shortcut isn't working--it just isn't. My laptop's ADB key got removed or expired. So, I have a brick. Not an important brick, but still a brick. Or, I can call Aira and get them to painfully walk me through the process of finding the exact controls on screen while I enter my passcode (which I can actually do quite reliably), open settings, walk the lonely road to accessibility, find the thing I can't quite remember the name of because I'm using Google Talkback, turn it on and hope it doesn't crash again.
I can go back to Samsung Talkback, but it makes the phone feel half a decade slower. So I either need to tame Google's Talkback or give it to someone sighted, because I won't inflict this bullshit on anyone else.



If you are a person anywhere on the autism spectrum, you may experience "Justice Sensitivity" and if you're like me, you may find it difficult to understand how so many people don't and how this could possibly be the norm.

#autismSpectrum #JusticeSensitivity

verywellmind.com/what-to-know-…

in reply to Winter blue tardis🇧🇬🇭🇺

@tardis I haven't experienced that so much, but sometimes when I am mentally tired or sleep deprived, certainly. I suspect I'm sort of just barely on the spectrum though, and my experiences are not representative of the vast sea of possibilities with neurodivergence.

The upside, of course, is being able to focus on incredibly complex, difficult problems that scare other people away. We're wired up differently, not wrongly.

in reply to Nicklas Johnson 🏳️‍🌈

Yep. I think I might be experiencing the same, but also all day long, like you experience it when you're low on energy or tired.


Powered on my Galaxy S20 to test a website. Realized the test called for Chrome and I was still using Samsung Internet. Installed Chrome. Chrome caused Google's Talkback to stop repeatedly. Android eventually killed Talkback. Neither my Talkback shortcut nor my Prudence shortcut are working. I couldn't navigate the phone with a physical keyboard. There's no message on the screen about why the Talkback shortcut isn't working--it just isn't. My laptop's ADB key got removed or expired. So, I have a brick. Not an important brick, but still a brick. Or, I can call Aira and get them to painfully walk me through the process of finding the exact controls on screen while I enter my passcode (which I can actually do quite reliably), open settings, walk the lonely road to accessibility, find the thing I can't quite remember the name of because I'm using Google Talkback, turn it on and hope it doesn't crash again.
I can go back to Samsung Talkback, but it makes the phone feel half a decade slower. So I either need to tame Google's Talkback or give it to someone sighted, because I won't inflict this bullshit on anyone else.
in reply to aaron

@fireborn @dhamlinmusic I didn't think this could work. I thought the Talkbacks would clash somehow. If you try and do it the other way round (installing Google's while Samsung's is already installed) it doesn't work, so you have to uninstall Samsung's using ADB before you install Google's. At least that's how I remember it. I know I couldn't just install Google's and then start it. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't install at all.
in reply to Simon Jaeger (Procrastodon)

@dhamlinmusic correct. You uninstall Samsung’s Talkback and then install Google’s. Then you can reinstall Samsung’s


There should be a section of IMDB that explains exactly what happened at the end of a film, for all us thickos who don't get complicated or open endings. "What exactly happened?" category would be very welcome.
in reply to Anon Opin

@MS26 tvtropes does that, actually. νot just the ending, but the entire plot.


Este sábado se cumplieron 30 años del cocido en el que se plantó la idea del movimiento cultural gallego conocido como bravú.

Así que para mi #MusicMonday de este lunes haré un especial dedicado a la música con la que los gallegos crecimos en nuestra infancia y adolesciencia durante los 90.

Empezando, cómo no podía ser de otra forma, con la Oda ó futbolín de Os diplomáticos de Monte-Alto: youtu.be/G_2s-RFtEv4

#NowPlaying #bravú

This entry was edited (1 week ago)


Via Andrew Weissmann:

Let's please remember that the Republican presidential nominee is set to be SENTENCED for 34 felonies on November 26.

That he is a major party nominee is not normal. The rule of law matters.
Vote accordingly.



I asked where people who encounter problems voting (e.g. right wing intimidation) can get help. Commenters responded with great suggestions:

mastodon.social/deck/@dangillm…

Many thanks to you all!



I recently found a new podcast. The audio production is quite good, but there's one thing driving me absolutely nuts. The cast make heavy use of modern cell phones. For some reason, the sound designer uses a dial tone, the rapid beeping when a landline receiver is left off the hook, and the sound of the called phone's ringing stretched out far too long. All for cell phones. There's also the triple beep of a cell call ending, so they know cell phones. It's maddening.
in reply to Mikołaj Hołysz

@miki I've noticed it before in shows and movies. The wrong message send/receive sounds, playing iPhone sounds when the characters are obviously not using iOS, and of course, the classic hearing a dial tone on a landline when the other party hangs up. I just figured an audio drama would do better, since audio is the only way to communicate with the audience.
in reply to Alex Hall

the whole "hearing a dial tone after hangup" thing is more complicated than it seems. As far as I remember, there were some exchanges in the US which actually worked this way, particularly in the Hollywood area, hence why many producers believed that such behavior was the case for everyone.
in reply to Mikołaj Hołysz

@miki That's neat. I didn't know that. I'll be slightly more forgiving, at least for older movies.
in reply to Mikołaj Hołysz

@miki Oh wow! I always thought they just did it for efffect. I never new a phone exchange actually did that. In my experience, you get the dial tone but about 30 seconds later. Nothing more startling then waking up to that beap beap afterwards when you've fallen asleep on the phone.
in reply to Mikołaj Hołysz

@miki I don't think anyone got it immediately but in some exchanges you would get a dial tone after some number of seconds after they hung up.


zastanawiałam się, czy wrzucać dodatkowo u siebie, jako osobnego toota, skoro już krąży po sieci, temat kontrowersyjny, a ja cierpię na chroniczny niedobór doby ;)

ale w sumie mogę zapuścić linka i dodatkowo otagować:

Czy polska szkoła musi być uzależniona od Big Techów?
techspresso.cafe/2024/10/28/cz…

#edukacja #szkoła #wychowanie #dzieci #nauczyciele #rodzicielstwo #eSzkola #cyfryzacja #edziennik #microsoft #komercjalizacja #bigtech

in reply to didleth 🇵🇱 🌈 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ⚡

@avolha Z czasów licealnych / pandemicznych, to Polskie szkoły były tak niedofinansowane, że w praktyce kończyły uzależnione od Discorda, bo to było jedyne darmowe i sensowne na tą skalę rozwiązanie. to był dopiero prywatnościowy problem, zwłaszcza przy domyślnych ustawieniach i udostępnianiu kadrze informacji, kto, w co i kiedy gra.


So proud to announce this 😁😁😁 - today, journalists from three media organizations – Follow the Money, EUobserver and Investigate Europe – are launching a new newsletter to expose the lack of transparency within the European Union.

We call it the Secrecy Tracker. Why we are doing this now?

The European Commission tends to treat transparency like a decoration – nice to look at, but not for actual use.

Under President von der Leyen, things have gotten worse.



Buenos días. Por aquí de día de asuntos propios. Asuntando.


"Okta has revealed that its system had a vulnerability that allowed people to log into an account without having to provide the correct password. Okta bypassed password authentication if the account had a username that had 52 or more characters. Further, its system had to detect a "stored cache key" of a previous successful authentication, which means the account's owner had to have previous history of logging in using that browser"
engadget.com/apps/okta-vulnera…

#security #idiots



Tak už je to tady, zase škrábat okna 😏
in reply to Schmaker

Já teď nic vůbec nestíhal, ani běh. Dorazil jsem večer a měl toho vždy dost, ale nevzdávám to :-))
This entry was edited (1 week ago)


Could daylight saving time ever be permanent? Where it stands in the states
"...We've had daylight saving time for longer than eight months at a time before, and it wasn't a big hit.
From February 1942 until September 1945, the U.S. took on what became known as "War Time," when Congress voted to make daylight saving time year-round during the war in an effort to conserve fuel. " "...Sunrises that could be as late as 9:30 a.m. "
usatoday.com/story/news/nation…
This entry was edited (1 week ago)


Hacked TP-Link routers at center of massive botnet used to attack Azure customers
"...Microsoft has exposed a complex network of compromised devices that Chinese hackers are using to launch highly evasive password spray attacks against Microsoft Azure customers. "
techspot.com/news/105414-tp-li…


Believe It Or Not, The Best Cola Brand We've Tasted Isn't Coke Or Pepsi
"...The winner of the showdown was actually RC Cola, or Royal Crown Cola.
RC Cola is one of the oldest soda brands still on the market, and was first started back in 1905. " thedailymeal.com/1697791/best-…
This entry was edited (1 week ago)
in reply to Tamas G

@DevilsChild1978 you know? we haven't had RC colla in a very long time. smile. I keep forgetting about it.


The surprisingly deep reason why teens are calling everyone “chat.” "...The term, originally used in contexts like “chat, this real?” to “chat, am I cooked?” stems from the world of Twitch and Discord, as streamers ask their audience for clarification, support, and answers where viewers can communicate with the streamer through text. But now, it’s become adopted as IRL slang, used in any context, for any reason" slate.com/technology/2024/11/c…


United States government mulling a potential merger between Intel and AMD notebookcheck.net/United-State…


I had no idea that North Carolina allows spouses to share a voting booth. Both must consent to that, but of course an abused (or otherwise scared or intimidated) spouse isn't going to complain.

ncnewsline.com/2024/10/25/alam…

h/t @MissGayle @Burnt_Veggies @cafechatnoir
#uspol #voting #NorthCarolina



As OpenAI and Meta introduce LLM-driven searchbots, I'd like to once again remind people that neither LLMs nor chatbots are good technology for information access.

A thread, with links:

Chirag Shah and I wrote about this in two academic papers:
2022: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3498366…
2024: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3649468

We also have an op-ed from Dec 2022:
iai.tv/articles/all-knowing-ma…

>>



I was wondering why the frisbee was getting bigger, then it hit me.

in reply to David Goldfield

I love how the first sign mentioned on the site is pop up adds, then I have to go past an add to keep reading.


Christmas Music Starts Early Across The Country radioinsight.com/headlines/285…

in reply to David Goldfield

Hi. Do you have an email list you post a lot of these tidbits. Sometimes I don't feel social media, but I'd like to see these things.
in reply to Eden Linnea

@EdenLinnea Hi, and thanks for asking. Many of the items that I post to Mastodon covering blindness technology get distributed to my Tech-VI announcement list. There are some items that I post to Mastodon which don't get posted to Tech-VI, as some of them are out of scope for that list.
To subscribe via email, send email to
tech-vi+subscribe@groups.io
The main page, which contains an RSS feed and a message archive, is available at
www.groups.io/g/tech-vi




Hi all, it's me, An Old. Quick election reminders:

- If you are in line before the polls officially close, STAY IN LINE. You are entitled to cast your vote.
- DO NOT TRUST calls/texts/posts/TikToks from now until Weds. Deepfakes will be rampant.

Classic scams:
"your voting location has moved"
"your group votes on Weds" <- old Jim Crow shit
"have your payment ready" <- poll taxes are illegal

Vote! No later than Tuesday, even by mail! Demand a provisional ballot if anything goes wrong!
#USPol



Ooh, wish I had the unlock code for this one, but it was my free article for the week.
Polish Radio Station Uses A.I. to Interview Dead Nobel Laureate nytimes.com/2024/11/03/world/e…
in reply to Tamas G

I wonder sometimes if it’s an AI-produced story. I just can’t find, for the best of me, the actual audio samples. I did find the original interview though, I mean in text! It’s funny, not funny.


I appreciate living in a place where a ten year old comes to your door for Halloween dressed as Google AI and if you consent, recites the recipe for gasoline spaghetti.


The people have spoken, I'll try my best to ruin everything!


listen, I've had my moments, but at least I've never mansplained Margaret Atwood's book to Margaret Atwood


People who wear glasses are disabled, BTW. We need disability aids to function as an active part of society. If you wear glasses, you are disabled; your disability is just one that happens to be highly (if not totally) accommodated. It is generally considered reasonable to insist that you need your glasses and cannot cope well without them, and glasses are readily available and prescriptions for them not heavily gated. Touching or taking them without your permission is considered rude and cruel.
in reply to Xauri'EL Zwaan

This is by far the most popular social media post I have ever written lol. To be clear, as a person who wears glasses myself, I am well aware that financial cost is a major barrier to many people having glasses. These things tend to lie on a spectrum. The main point is how normalized glasses are, how wearing them rarely even excites comment. People who wear glasses aren't "brave" or "inspirational". To most, we're just treated as normal people living our lives


More and more as I try to untie myself from giant social networks, I find myself wishing that Fediverse software like Mastodon wasn't so seemingly allergic to algorithms. I don't think it should be algorithm driven, but if I'm new and I want to get a feed full of content that does have engagement, I think that should be possible. If I want to follow people who my friends follow, I shouldn't have to just look through all their followers lists. I don't know how you strike a balance and avoid excluding people, but it sometimes feels like we're too far in the other direction. I don't want to have to give people an entire checklist of ways to find people and content once they join, because then those people will be more resistant to joining. There has to be a happier medium between mindless algorithm-assisted scrolling and what we have now. And yes, I did post this with the expectation that people will tell me I'm wrong and I welcome that.
in reply to Simon Jaeger (Procrastodon)

I think the “explore” tab does some of that, but I think I know what you mean. Some twitterness would be nice, I mean, the good old Twitterness, not the Elon one.
in reply to victor tsaran

@vick21 You're right about the explore tab. There are some interesting functions in there that I could probably spend more time using.