Mastodon Feed: Posts

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:

Has anyone coined a colloquial term for #Bluesky's flavor of decentralization? #ActivityPub is often associated with the “federation" flavor, but that term doesn't feel applicable to Bsky/ #ATProtocol

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

With a few exceptions (mostly towers atop downtown switching offices in populated areas), no one was trying to make any of this utilitarian communications infrastructure *beautiful*. It was form strictly following function, built to be reliable and rugged.

But there was, I think, quite a bit of beauty to find in it. I wonder if we'll look at our current neighborhood cellular towers, now often regarded as a visual blight, the same way decades after they're (inevitably) also gone.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

The San Jose Oak Hill Tower is unique in a number of ways. This particular concrete brutalist design appears not to have been used anywhere else; it seems to have been site-specific. It sits atop an underground switching center (that was partly used for a military contract), which explains the relatively hardened design.

Today the underground switch is still there, owned by AT&T, but the tower space is leased to land mobile and cellular providers. The old horn antennas at top are disconnected.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

For much of the 20th century, the backbone of the AT&T "Long Lines" long distance telephone network consisted primarily of terrestrial microwave links (rather than copper or fiber cables). Towers with distinctive KS-15676 "horn" antennas could be seen on hilltops and atop switching center buildings across the US; they were simply part of the American landscape.

Most of the relay towers were simple steel structures. This brutalist concrete platform in San Jose was, I believe, of a unique design.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

Captured with the Rodenstock 50mm/4.0 HR Digaron-W lens (@ f/4.5) on a Cambo WRS-1600 camera (with about 15mm of vertical shift to preserve the geometry), the Phase One IQ4-150 back (@ ISO 50) in dual exposure mode (which preserves a couple stops of additional dynamic range into the shadows).

The tower's shape is irregular; it tapers slightly.

The wide angle and panoramic orientation give a bit of context, alone on a hill (which is being rapidly encroached by adjacent residential development).

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

AT&T Long Lines "Oak Hill" Tower, San Jose, CA, 2021.

All the pixels, none of the microwave energy, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/51261791084/

#photography

xor@tech.intersects.art ("Parker Higgins") wrote:

More info at parkerhiggins.net. And my email address is parker@ that domain!

xor@tech.intersects.art ("Parker Higgins") wrote:

My work experience is in three main areas and I love finding cool intersections. Lots of policy + communications (EFF and Freedom of the Press Foundation); technical writing, DevRel, programming (including web dev); and making puzzles and games

xor@tech.intersects.art ("Parker Higgins") wrote:

I am nearing the end of my Recurse Center batch and starting to look for work! If you know of something short- or long-term that might be a good fit, please be in touch. More details in the next post

Boosted by taral ("JP Sugarbroad"):
david_chisnall@infosec.exchange ("David Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)") wrote:

A lot of companies seem to misunderstand the role of pay in hiring and retaining smart people. In my first year at Microsoft Research I listened to a (normally sensible) member of the lab’s leadership team explain that the bonus structure was there to incentivise good research. I looked around the room and wondered who had ever thought ‘well, I was going to do some mediocre research, but for 20% more money this year I will do something world leading!’ My guess: no one.

If you want to hire the best people, you are looking for the people who, if money didn’t matter, would do the job for free because they believe it’s important and care about the outcome. You don’t pay them well to persuade them to work. You pay them well so that they can afford to work on the things that they think are important. If smart people don’t think the things you’re doing are important then you should consider why you’re doing them.

This is especially true for executive compensation. The best CEOs are ones that care about the company’s products and want everyone to use them, not the ones that want to make the most money. This is especially true for non profits where your pool should start with people who care a lot about the organisation’s mission. Paying more (above a certain level) won’t find more of those people it will simply dilute the pool with people who are there for the money, not the mission.

EDIT: A lot of people seem to be misunderstanding this and think this is an argument to pay people badly. It absolutely isn't. If you pay people badly, they will spend a lot if time thinking about money. Your job as a manager is to remove problems. Money removes a lot of problems. But a lot of problems cannot be removed by applying money. If someone competent is being told to do nonsense work that they know will cause problems in the long run, no amount of money will make them motivated. The problems that can be solved with money are the easy ones.

Gargron ("Eugen Rochko") wrote:

As some of you may have already noticed, in the latest #Mastodon update, we've reworked the layout of the web app for smaller screen sizes. It should be easier to navigate and more pleasant to the eye. Let me know what you think!

Boosted by mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze"):
mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

@MaierAmsden @Star12Mt @evan @finner As has been explained several times here, by different people, RLAs aren’t yet routinely done on in all but a handful of states. That’s not great, but there’s been significant progress in that direction (as well as in decommissioning inherently insecure DRE machines).

If (like me) you’re unhappy with the pace of the progress, I suggest lobbying and working with your state and local election officials.

pzmyers@freethought.online ("pzmyers 🕷") wrote:

Bostonians had the right idea 200 years ago. Down with tea! Ban the vile substance used by charlatans to foretell the future!

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/06/16/im-sorry-were-going-to-have-to-ban-tea-now/

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
Mopsi@photog.social wrote:

@pluralistic A band like this, also playing bella ciao made me finally pick up an instrument at 36! I'm learning the flute now and I want to play antifascist songs at protests with a band one day 😀

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
gvwilson ("Greg Wilson") wrote:

@mhoye Don't know who said it first, but if there _are_ future historians, they'll say that our decision to treat economics, ecology, and ethics as separate disciplines was a strategic error.

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
JuliusGoat ("A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆") wrote:

In the linked essay, I mention Nancy Mace's standard TERF question, asked most recently to Tim Walz: "What is a woman?"

My answer is simple. A woman is not a *what.* A woman is a *who.*

I want to expand a bit from the essay on why I think this matters.

https://www.the-reframe.com/shows-of-weakness/

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
wellingtonrock ("Denis Buckley") wrote:

'Although the tide may be turning, MAGA isn’t simply going to roll over and slink away. On the contrary, the administration’s power grabs will become even more aggressive and desperate, with growing efforts to intimidate, prosecute and even physically harm political opponents, as well as widespread efforts to suppress dissent with force.'

https://open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/trumps-parade-flopped-no-kings-day?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=android&r=diqr

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
ayoub@spore.social ("Elia Ayoub (he/him)") wrote:

Malaysian activists are trying to gather a 1,000 ships from around the world to sail to Gaza in unison to break the Israeli blockade

This comes after Israel illegally stopped the Madleen at sea and Egypt continues to stop the land convoy to Gaza

https://www.newarab.com/news/malaysian-groups-plan-1000-ship-flotilla-break-gaza-siege

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
stux@mstdn.social ("stux⚡") wrote:

Someone shared this gem recently but I can't find it nor recall who anymore(feel free to mention so i can edit)

Very strong!

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
davidrevoy@framapiaf.org ("David Revoy") wrote:

Here is the four-step process behind the cover picture for Peertube's crowdfunding campaign, which ends in a few hours. I'm really happy that the 'Livestream from your mobile' goal was reached!

:pt_happy: The campaign: https://support.joinpeertube.org/en/

📦 Artwork source: https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/artworks/framasoft.html

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
tante@tldr.nettime.org wrote:

New study on the effects of LLM use (in this case on essay writing):

https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872

Quote:

"LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning."

The interesting thing is: People who used search engines (to find sources etc) did not show similar issues. This is an important antidote against the belief that LLM-based tools are just like search engines. Which they are not. They are massively degrading their users' mental abilities and development. Which is why these systems have absolutely no place even _near_ any school or university.

https://hails.org/@hailey/114691651497761523

Boosted by pluralistic@mamot.fr ("Cory Doctorow"):
davidgerard@circumstances.run ("David Gerard") wrote:

the problem with LLMs

https://bsky.app/profile/craigshackleton.com/post/3lrnweyuz2c2c

pzmyers@freethought.online ("pzmyers 🕷") wrote:

Anti-trans legislation is the thin edge of the wedge. You're next.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/06/16/are-you-unmarried-are-you-a-democrat/

pzmyers@freethought.online ("pzmyers 🕷") wrote:

Creep.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/06/16/creep-2/

Boosted by kornel ("Kornel"):
volpeon@icy.wyvern.rip ("Volpeon :wvrnFlight:") wrote:

Attachments:

• video: Two large fluffy dogs pulling on the opposite ends of a toy. They pull in sync, making it kinda look like they're doing it to the rhythm of the music that was added to the video.

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
w3c@w3c.social ("World Wide Web Consortium") wrote:

W3C tech in the news: "Support for W3C Digital Credentials API, digital identity passports part of iOS 26" by Joel R. McConvey

"...iOS 26 will support TSA approved digital passports and augmented boarding passes with integrated terminal maps, and that henceforth, iOS releases will support the W3C Digital Credentials API to request mDocs from Safari and WebKit.

Standards make mobile documents interoperable, privacy preserving"
https://www.biometricupdate.com/202506/support-for-w3c-digital-credentials-api-digital-identity-passports-part-of-ios-26

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
indivisibleteam ("Indivisible ❌👑") wrote:

We need to ensure that the incredible organizing and inspiring courage of yesterday’s #NoKings protests continue to spread. On tomorrow’s mass call, we’ll discuss how we do that with concrete action steps to overcome authoritarianism. Please join us: https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/798722/?utm%5Fsource=indivisible

pzmyers@freethought.online ("pzmyers 🕷") wrote:

The manhunt is over.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/06/16/they-caught-him/

Boosted by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
anatudor ("Ana Tudor 🐯") wrote:

I have a new article out https://frontendmasters.com/blog/grainy-gradients/

It's about a better technique to create grainy gradients, without the big problem that layering a noise layer brings: altering the original gradient palette (to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the approach used).

#CSS #SVG #filter #svgFilter #grainy #code #coding #web #dev #webdev #webDevelopment

jwz wrote:

null. slash null.

Lately I am getting a bunch of 404s that are a real url but with "/null" on the end, and this just makes me so, so sad. I deserve a better class of attacker.
https://jwz.org/b/ykpc