this is an experimental quote-share from my #Friendica #newsbots #Circle, whose default Permissions disallow anyone outside this Circle being able to see or access it. i have now done a one-off flip of the Permissions, just for this individual post, to Public, so...

Hello? (Hello, hello, hello)
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone home?
Come on (Come on, come on), now
I hear you're feeling down
Well, I can ease your pain
And get you on your feet again
Relax (Relax, relax, relax)
I'll need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?

♲ Unofficial SBS News Bot - 2025-12-11 20:24:04 GMT

Time magazine names 'Architects of AI' as Person of the Year. Here's who's pictured sbs.com.au/news/article/time-m… #World

Employee of a client calls me, absolutely furious. She has just arrived at the office and her laptop will not connect to the wifi. Clearly this network is broken. I suggest a couple of tests, like checking whether the network shows up (it does not) and trying a cable connection (nothing happens). So I timidly suggest checking whether there is actually power in the office, since there is construction going on. Boom. No power. She then asks me where the switch is to turn it back on. I have no idea, of course. Their electrical system is not exactly my responsibility. She snaps at me, asks why they even pay me, and hangs up with enough force that I can almost feel it.

I grin, although slightly annoyed. Luckily the people who work with her are nothing like that.

Half an hour later she calls again, apologizing deeply for how she treated me. She tells me she had a very rough night and even shares the details. Nearly thirty minutes on the phone, venting. Out of respect I will not retell anything, but she really should have stayed home today. She deserved it. She just did not want to tell her managers because she feared they would think she only wanted a longer weekend after yesterday’s holiday.

But her managers are not fools, and they immediately sent her home to rest and take care of her loved ones.

Too often honest people like her pay the price for those who act sly or arrogant. It is not fair, but the smart ones can tell the difference. Not always, but quite often.

#Life #World #IT #Support #ITSupport #LifeSupport

#XMPP Community

User & developers are spread #world-wide in the XMPP community!
This is a call to show where you are! 🌍🌎🌏

Post a photo with the XMPP #logo and a nice view of your location 📷
Add city name and country, too.

#jabber #chat #rtc #standards #decentralization #federation #messaging

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I was not planning to say much about this, because I have nothing to say that anyone else hasn't said already. Trump seems in many ways disastrous and dangerous, and the potential loss of US power and influence or the fact he may not be able to carry out his complete programme do not make up for much of the damage he is likely to cause.

However, I read this survey that shows that, out of many countries in the world, Europeans are the only people to be consistently against Trump. Now, I don't know about you, but when the world says one thing and Europe says another, I get worried; because historically Europe has been terrible for the rest of the world.

Does that mean I'm changing my mind on this? No, people can be wrong. It does however make me pause.

Survey: ecfr.eu/publication/alone-in-a…

#Trump #politics #world #Europe #InternationalRelations

Alone in a Trumpian world: The EU and global public opinion after the US elections

Citizens of global powers are upbeat about a second Trump presidency – but this is by no means universal, particularly among traditional US allies.

^{Martin Tenev (European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR))}

Das wohl größte #Roots#Folk#World#Music#Festival#Europas in #Rudolstadt#Thüringen#Osten#WeltOffen scheint im #FediVerse so gut wie nicht stattzufinden...

rudolstadt-festival.de/
#RF24#TFF24#RudolstadtFestival

🗺️ 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘔𝘢𝘱 3𝘋 🧊

demo.f4map.com

Zoom in to street level to see the 3D features.

#map #maps #OpenStreetMap #3D #topography #world #WorldMap #cities #landscape #environment #data #tools #OpenSource #FOSS

#XMPP Community

In today's XMPP #Vision & Strategic #Workshop we had folks present from 🇦🇹 🇧🇷 🇨🇦 🇫🇮 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇺🇸
Let us know where else the XMPP community is present?

#jabber #chat #rtc #standards #interoperability #world
#federation #decentralization #OpenSource

This lighthouse is SO UNIQUE! It's called Þrídrangar, which means "three rock pillars". It is located 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometres) off the southwest coast of Iceland, in the archipelago of Vestmannaeyjar, often described as the most isolated lighthouse in the world. The lighthouse was built there in 1939.

It's such a INCREDIBLE location for a lighthouse, perched on a rock in Iceland's wild surf. Originally constructed and accessible only by scaling the rock on which it is situated, it is now accessible by helicopter since the construction of a helipad.

#photography #photo #photos #landscape #lighthouse #engineering #amazing #travel #world #wonders