Mastodon Feed: Posts

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

Someone knows how to do Hallowe'en right.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/26/put-to-shame/

slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:

Look, I've given RSC a hard time — for at least 3 years it featured viral client-side dependency ambush, it generally makes code harder to factor and reason about, and doesn't add anything useful to the toolbox except to make RPCs slower — but JFC, this takes the bloody cake:

https://marma.dev/articles/2025/when-perfect-code-fails

jwz wrote:

I had a great idea for December Cyberdelia, which was to do a screening of the Star Wars Holiday Special, the whole thing, commercials and all, because even people who have "seen" it probably haven't made it to the end, and definitely not while drunk in a nightclub. But then someone wisely pointed out:
...
https://jwz.org/b/ykw9

Gargron ("Eugen Rochko") wrote:

I added some of my more recent photos to my portfolio, in case you missed them when I shared them on here. Best viewed on a large screen.

https://eugenrochko.com/

Boosted by jwz:
ansuz@social.cryptography.dog ("ansuz / ऐरन") wrote:

I was just looking at my webserver logs while sipping coffee (as one does) and I noticed that one of my websites was receiving requests for a js file which I had prototyped but never actually deployed.

The script tag is present in the page, but it's commented out. I investigated, and it seems that scrapers see that tag and are trying to grab it even though it's completely non-functional. I guess they just want every bit of code they can find to help train an LLM.

This seems like a promising pattern for catching scrapers that pretend to be normal browsers.

Boosted by isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:"):
altomare@oldbytes.space ("Altomare") wrote:

Some neat info about 70s hard drive contaminants.

From the DEC RK05 disk drive maintenance manual (DEC-00-HRK05-C-D)

#retrocomputing #dec

Boosted by jwz:
jplebreton ("JP") wrote:

the way so many outlets write about "AI" is so incredibly irresponsible. they'll take a story about a study that showed a majority of people in a field say it's making everything worse with no upside and then still spin it like "this is controversial! but it's here to stay. it's already happened. and the c-suite loves it" like you clowns writing this drivel are class traitors, think for a second about what you are doing here and ask if you're really going to be spared for acting like their pet.

Boosted by jwz:
cliffle@hachyderm.io wrote:

Many Unix tar programs leak uninitialized data into unused portions of the file. This is not unusual for C programs (unfortunately). The leaked data is usually just repetition of earlier files, so it wasn't obviously useful for anything.

Until I noticed that optimizations to tar programs tended to change _which_ earlier data was leaked.

Turns out, you can use this behavior to fingerprint the tar implementation pretty precisely in some cases.

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam :prami:"):
jon@henshaw.social ("Jon Henshaw") wrote:

New LEGO set just dropped

Boosted by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
Nickiquote@mstdn.social wrote:

Sometimes people just want to be able to complain about Windows or iOS without being told about Linux.

Maybe it’s a work computer and it’s not their choice. Maybe they’re not a computer toucher and do not have confidence touching computers. Maybe they were perfectly happy using these OSs before some stupid new feature was introduced. Maybe they’re tired or stressed or have no time.

If the obvious reply to the post is “use Linux”, as a rule, do not post that. You are not adding anything.

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

Capitalism doesn't make products anymore, just tracking devices with the indicator light taped over, and the hero's journey plot printed on its packaging. 

#AI #Google #Meta

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

daKid and hubby are headed back to Toronto after a short but sweet visit with us this weekend. I miss her, and I must remember we will see each other a lot more now than when they were living in Nashville.

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
abraxas3d@mastodon.radio ("Abraxas3d W5NYV") wrote:

Here’s a figure from an upcoming article about optimizing Synchronization Words in radio signals.

Another solid contribution to open source digital radio from your friends at @OpenResearchIns 🙂

Article will discuss Barker codes, concatenated Barker codes, maximum length sequences and truncations, Zadoff-Chu sequences, metrics of sync words, and how we chose the sync words for Opulent Voice. See the draft article in ORI's next newsletter.

Sign up at https://www.openresearch.institute/newsletter-subscription/

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

When was the last time a piece of tech actually changed your life?

Sometime in the last ten-fifteen years, Silicon Valley stopped making products we want, and instead, will manufacture endless versions of the same tracking device.

It is easier, and perhaps more profitable, to make surveillance tech with a good story and a large marketing budget, than it is to make actually useful things.

#BigTech #Google #Meta

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Werewolf ⁂🐧🌱☕ 🎃💀🕸🐺"):
chris@video.thepolarbear.co.uk ("Chris Were but on PeerTube") wrote:

My Newsboat + Lynx browser setup

https://video.thepolarbear.co.uk/w/gQ9pCFCgmcihC67rnMMhUz

Boosted by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
interfluidity@zirk.us ("Steve Randy Waldman") wrote:

building a giant golden ballroom while cutting SNAP has very Marie Antoinette vibes.

jscalzi@threads.net ("John Scalzi") wrote:

Nice try, Threads, but I'm not going to look at the "For You" feed no matter how often you try to default me back to it, "Following" is my happy place here

jscalzi@threads.net ("John Scalzi") wrote:

The least surprising bit of news in a very long time

RE: https://www.threads.com/@hollywoodreporter/post/DQR7N0eEh57

Boosted by jscalzi@threads.net ("John Scalzi"):
jococruise@threads.net ("JoCo Cruise") wrote:

Our next JoCo Cruise 2026 featured guest is Amal El-Mohtar, an award-winning writer of poetry, criticism and short fiction. She won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards for her short story “Seasons of Glass and Iron” and again for her novella This Is How You Lose the Time War, written with Max Gladstone, which also won the BSFA and Aurora awards & became a New York Times bestseller. Learn more about her here: https://monkeylink.co/389f21

baldur@toot.cafe ("Baldur Bjarnason") wrote:

Leftover pic from this week

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

Half-assing our halloween decorating.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/10/26/halloween-decorating-done/

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
Nonilex@masto.ai wrote:

Under #Trump, Federal #Workplace Anti-Discrimination Agency Engaged in…Workplace #Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (#EEOC) was established by the 1964 #CivilRights Act to enforce anti-discrimination laws in workplaces across the country. But under Trump, the federal agency tasked with helping workers who experienced hostile work environments became a hostile work environment itself, acc/to one judge’s recent ruling.

#law #LaborLaw #LGBTQ
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/under-trump-eeoc-discriminated-against-trans-man-marc-seawright/

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
blogdiva ("your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦") wrote:

today’s #yaddaYadda is a memepost from the #incElCamino #wankpanzer bar, with an unusual Sunday cathechism:

BE UNGOVERNABLE, like Sugar

🎶 fuck you, i won’t do what you tell me 🎶

#anarchy #antifa #memes #horses

source:
https://thecanadian.social/@MostlyHarmless/115441061058947649

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

Herr Trump and Company should read this and consider how wannabe kings are treated by Americans

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
ElleGray@mstdn.social ("elle") wrote:

science

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

'Before Trump’s inauguration, community-based organizations, non-profits and local and state governments were eligible to apply for the grant. Now, only city, county and tribal governments are allowed. And the stated goal of the program has been changed from “comprehensive, community-based prevention” to “supports law enforcement efforts to reduce violent crime and improve police-community relations”.' https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/26/gun-violence-prevention-non-profit-grants-disqualified

Boosted by kornel ("Kornel"):
oglaf@socel.net ("Oglaf") wrote:

https://www.oglaf.com/capitalvices/

baldur@toot.cafe ("Baldur Bjarnason") wrote:

Why is “do not update software while in the middle of a project” a lesson I never learn?

Boosted by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
GrantMeStrength@hachyderm.io ("Grant Me Strength") wrote:

If you tax the wealthy they’ll leave.

We tax them. They leave.

Every country taxes them. They leave.

Now they live in international waters on giant boats. They hate it. The food is awful. They get norovirus a lot.

The world carries on, considerably better off.

Boosted by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
crk5@layer8.space ("crkⓋ") wrote:

I'm surprised to learn this week that French and British museums consider theft wrong