Mastodon Feed: Posts

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:

How to write pro-Meta propaganda disguised as a think piece:

Step 1: offer an early concession that Meta is a bad company. But keep it vague!

2. Say it's too early to make any conclusions.

3. Then conclude that you're optimistic nonetheless.

4. Tell people to ignore all critical thinking and instead to "wait and see."

Bonus: make it personal. Identify a Meta employee with no decision making authority and state you think they have good intentions.

#Meta #Threads

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

agiletortoise ("Greg Pierce") wrote:

As someone with two kids currently on college campuses, the presence of protesters doesn't concern me nearly as much as the presence of law enforcement.

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

cmconseils ("Laura Manach :bongoCat:") wrote:

Ticketmaster be like:

Concert ticket: $50
Venue fee: $26.10
Access fee: $14.28
Paperless transaction fee: $7.23
Convenience fee: $17.24
Fee fee: 6.23
Fee Fi Fo Fum fee: $9.23
Because we can fee: $8.12
Another dollar won’t hurt fee: $1

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

Edmonds_Scanner@universeodon.com wrote:

There are wolves inside of you, fierce and wild.
There's also a sleepy chipmunk, an older badger that loves musical theatre, and one little hedgehog with a cheese hangover.

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

simon@simonwillison.net ("Simon Willison") wrote:

There's a mysterious new, undocumented model in the https://chat.lmsys.org/ arena chat tool called "gpt2-chatbot" - you can access it by selecting "Direct Chat" and then picking it from the big select menu there

It's providing responses that feel significantly more impressive than GPT-4, for both factual-knowledge lookup and logic puzzles. It's possible this is a stealth preview launch of something like GPT-4.5

Attachments:

• Screenshot of the https://chat.lmsys.org/ website - click on Direct Chat, then click on the dropdown menu for Choose any model to chat, then click gpt-chatbot (remote)

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

simon@simonwillison.net ("Simon Willison") wrote:

Blogged a few more notes here, including the system prompt https://simonwillison.net/2024/Apr/29/notes-on-gpt2-chatbot/

Gargron ("Eugen Rochko") wrote:

Was very lucky to catch these rays of sunlight during a very rainy week in Switzerland.

📷 Pentax 6x7
🎞️ Kodak Portra 400
🔭 Super Takumar 105mm/2.4
💃 Wife

#BelieveInFilm #MediumFormat #FilmPhotography #AnalogPhotography

Attachments:

• A woman with black hair dressed in a pink checkered pyjama sitting on the edge of the window, illuminated by bright beams of sunlight.

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:

New Note: FireChat was a tool for revolution. Then it disappeared.

https://fromjason.xyz/p/notebook/firechat-was-a-tool-for-revolution-then-it-disappeared/

#MeshNetwork #FireChat #decentralized

Reblogged by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):

briankrebs@infosec.exchange ("BrianKrebs") wrote:

Well this has been a long time coming: The FCC today levied fines totaling nearly $200 million against the four major carriers -- including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon -- for illegally sharing access to customers' location information without consent.

Some highlights: "The FCC's findings against AT&T, for example, show that AT&T sold customer location data directly or indirectly to at least 88 third-party entities. The FCC found Verizon sold access to customer location data (indirectly or directly) to 67 third-party entities. Location data for Sprint customers found its way to 86 third-party entities, and to 75 third-parties in the case of T-Mobile customers."

..."The fine amounts vary because they were calculated based in part on each day that the carriers continued sharing customer location data after being notified that doing so was illegal (the agency also considered the number of active third-party location data sharing agreements). The FCC notes that AT&T and Verizon took more than 320 days from the publication of the Times story to wind down their data sharing agreements; T-Mobile took 275 days; Sprint kept sharing customer location data for 386 days."

More here: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/04/fcc-fines-major-u-s-wireless-carriers-for-selling-customer-location-data/

Attachments:

• An illustration (not AI-generated) showing human icons scattered across a globe illuminated in bright green. (remote)

pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:

Fascism is a boot on your face, forever and ever.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/04/29/those-darned-talking-boots/

Attachments:

• A conversation with the boot on your face. Relax, this is harm reduction. The other boot has a gun. (remote)

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

TonyStark@progressivecafe.social ("Tony the Mechanic") wrote:

Media wants to tell you one thing. Election results and reality point to something else.

If you have the time and ability, please continue donating to and volunteering for Democrats running for 2024.

Democrats in Trump Districts Are Outraising Republicans in Biden Districts:
https://time.com/6969222/democrats-republicans-fundraising-crossover-districts/

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io ("mekka okereke :verified:") wrote:

Again for people (racists), complaining about falling birth rates:

The birth rate for women over 40 is not falling. The birth rate for women over 30 is not falling.

What's happening, is girls 15 to 17 are having fewer babies. Kids are having fewer kids.

Also, this is an interesting way of saying that "Teen pregnancy is down, due to sex education and contraception."

In 1991 25% of 15 year olds gave birth before they turned 21. That's bad. Now it's 6%. That's better.

https://npr.org/2023/01/08/1147737247/teen-pregnancy-rates-have-declined-significantly

Attachments:

• Chart showing that women who have their first birth at age 35 40 and 45 overtime. Women whose first birth was at age 35 and 40, show sharp increases since 1960. (remote)

Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):

nixCraft ("nixCraft 🐧") wrote:

Cheyenne Super Computer: An SGI ICE XA Cluster, the Cheyenne supercomputer features 145,152 Intel Xeon processor cores in 4,032 dual-socket nodes (36 cores/node) and 313 TB of total memory.

Attachments:

• Cheyenne Super Computer picture from government site

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

our society just needs more firearms, amirite?

“Multiple law officers shot at Galway Drive in east Charlotte | Charlotte Observer”

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article288117775.html

Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):

thenexusofprivacy@infosec.exchange ("The Nexus of Privacy") wrote:

Fork it! It's time for a Mastodon hard fork

https://privacy.thenexus.today/mastodon-hard-fork-2

A Mastodon hard fork that focuses on safety, community, accessibility, and working well with others has a great opportunity to improve safety in the fediverse, the dynamics of the Mastodon ecosystem, and fediverse software development in general. #ForkIt!

Potentially interested in getting involved? See the polls in the replies!

Contents

Part 1

• A missing fork in the landscape* Okay, but why a hard fork?* There's a big elephant in the federated room (and I don't mean Mastodon)* An opportunity for broad participation and a cultural reset

Part 2

• Safety is an especially good area to focus on* There are also a lot of other areas for improvement

Part 3

• It's not as easy as it sounds ...* But it's not like it defies the laws of physics!* What about funding?* Make sure most of the funding goes to Black, Indigenous, Muslim, trans, queer, and disabled people

Part 4

• It's not an either-or situation* A lot of open questions - and a lot of potential upside* Stay tuned!

There's a lot to discuss here, so this is a looong post. If there are some sections that interest you more than others feel free to skip around.

https://privacy.thenexus.today/mastodon-hard-fork-2

@fediversenews

#ForkIt

Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):

kottke ("kottke.org") wrote:

“I blame Facebook for January 6.” Aaron Sorkin is writing a sequel to The Social Network. “There’s supposed to be a constant tension at Facebook between growth and integrity. There isn’t. It’s just growth.” https://variety.com/2024/film/news/aaron-sorkin-social-network-2-sequel-january-6-facebook-1235983390/

Reblogged by pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑"):

fasterandworse@hci.social ("Stephen Farrugia") wrote:

Medium and Linkedin proving this to be overwhelmingly true

Attachments:

• Tweet: "Stephen Farrugia @fasterandworse The AI aesthetic will become subconsciously associated with low-effort junk." (remote)

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

the history of the relation of Jordan as a state
since creation in 1948
and it’s relationship with the Palestinians & the PLO
since they went into exile in 1949 & then 1967
is fraught with
armed as well as demographic conflict
between the Jordanian gov and the Palestinians

the Jordanian regime’s entanglements with the Eastern Bedouins
are fascinating
in light of other entanglements by the Western Bedouins with Israel

https://www.britannica.com/place/Jordan/Jordan-under-King-Hussein

pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:

How long can American education continue to limp along without the necessary support?

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/04/29/a-professors-cri-de-coeur/

Attachments:

• One shredded tire (remote)

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

"Jordan’s government, caught between its majority-Palestinian population and its close cooperation with Israel and the United States, has arrested at least 1,500 people since early October, according to Amnesty International."

Jordan remembers the PLO’s 1970 attempted coup, resulting in thousands of Palestinians killed or expelled & the PLO being driven out of Jordan. demographics are overwhelmingly powerful, sometimes; witness poor Lebanon.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/world/middleeast/gaza-arab-protests-crackdown.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare&sgrp=c-cb

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

these governments fear anything which they do not control

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/world/middleeast/gaza-arab-protests-crackdown.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:

Learn to shun stark dichotomies. Don't be like conservatives.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/04/29/rich-people-hate-rainbows-and-grey-areas/

Attachments:

• Objective vs Subjective Quantitative vs Qualitative Provable with numbers vs not probable True vs Fake Hey, folks! The above dichotomy? It is crazy dumb! Yet tons of rich people worship it. It is not true! (remote)

collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth") wrote:

The question of whether CSS is a programming language serves only one purpose: to demote those who write it.

There is no confusion that needs to be clarified, and no other purpose to the debate beyond the most trivial kind of pedantry.

The debate itself is an act of gatekeeping, whether intentional or not. Its only meaningful effect is to elevate some work over other work, despite their essentially identical nature.

The only meaningful function of the question is segregation. #css

Reblogged by collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth"):

DJDarren@mendeddrum.org wrote:

According to this article, they shred literal tons of devices, regardless of whether they’re serviceable. Just yoink the battery and shred the rest.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-18/apple-iphone-recycling-program-has-secrets?embedded-checkout=true

Reblogged by collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth"):

DJDarren@mendeddrum.org wrote:

It’s just been pointed out to me that the reason Apple runs a trade-in programme for older devices is so they can reduce the size of the used market, and has fuck all to do with recycling.

That’s blown my tiny mind.

Reblogged by kornel ("Kornel"):

ariadne@treehouse.systems ("Ariadne Conill 🐰") wrote:

now this is not the content i was expecting from futurism dot com

Attachments:

• Iranian authorities say AI could help issue fatwas faster than ever before (remote)

Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):

mdhughes@appdot.net ("Digital Mark λ ☕️ 🕹 Z?") wrote:

♫ Little One say good morning
Little One hug the trees
Little One fight the power
But not before you drink your tea This world wasn't built for dreamers But don't let that get you down Don't lose your imagination
Little One stand your ground ♫
https://childrenofthecpu.bandcamp.com/album/back-to-b-a-s-i-c
#music #retrocomputing

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

"Taking this case on its own terms as a business records case offers a different and arguably more convincing way to defend its legitimacy… Mr. Trump was a businessman for many years in New York long before he was president. If others would be prosecuted for this conduct and no man is above the law, then he should be, too."

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/opinion/trump-bragg-manhattan-case.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare&sgrp=c-cb

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

"Michael Dorf, a law professor at Cornell, said that “the apparent lack of self-awareness on the part of some of the conservative justices was startling.” He noted that “Justice Alito worried about a hypothetical future president attempting to hold onto power in response to the risk of prosecution, while paying no attention to the actual former president who held onto power and now seeks to escape prosecution.”"

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-immunity-election.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare&sgrp=c-cb

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

"…when I gave Yohana a spin, I found that I did not want to do the things she [sic] can manage, and that she cannot manage the things I want to do. She made me start to believe that the busywork I might delegate to a machine is actually more human, and valuable, than I realized."

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/arts/artificial-intelligence-assistants-parents.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=highlightShare&sgrp=c-cb