Mastodon Feed: Posts

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

RE: https://mastodon.social/@michaelshotter/115826123580795990

It's Science Fiction day?!

I know this is probably a "basic boy" pick, but no book blew my mind more than Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I remember thinking, you can write like that?? I didn't know much about writing then (I still don't lol), but I knew that Douglas Adams had to be breaking a whole bunch of rules. My first (and maybe only) book where my favorite character was the narrator.

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

Happy National Science Fiction Day, everybody!

In honor of the day, my favorite book by Isaac Asimov:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5930799-foundation

#specfic #scifi #book #books #bookrec #booksofmastodon #bookstodon #booktodon #reading #sciencefiction

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

A gentle suggestion that the correct response to any right-wing tool going on about Rama Duwaji's boots is "go fuck yourself," additionally that "go fuck yourself" is the correct response to any right-wing attempt at DARVO or distraction. It's easy and fun and all they deserve in 2026 and beyond.

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

Here's your reminder to use alt text. Be inclusive. Help make your toots accessible.

#alttext #accessibility #disabilityrights #disabledlivesmatter.

Boosted by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
bookstardust@bildung.social ("radioactivestardust") wrote:

Fedi,
Ich hab nen Vorschlag für euch:

Ihr nehm nehmt jetzt den Link für die Petition gegen das Trans* Melderegister und haut das in eure Whatsapp uns Signal Messenger.
Einfach alle.
Ich hab euch ein Share Pic gemacht. Ihr müsst nur noch den Link einfügen, es dauert eine Minute.

Wir brauchen noch mehr als 20k Unterschriften. Wir haben nicht mal 10k geschafft. Macht euch ein eigenes Share Pic, setzt es einfach als Link auf den Status, aber verteilt halt bitte den Link!

https://epetitionen.bundestag.de/petitionen/%5F2025/%5F07/%5F14/Petition%5F183950.nc.html

Boosted by ratatui_rs@fosstodon.org ("Ratatui"):
orhun@fosstodon.org ("Orhun Parmaksız 👾") wrote:

Working with biological sequences… in the terminal 🔥

🧪 **SeqTUI** — A terminal-based sequence data viewer & toolkit.

🧬 View, translate, convert to FASTA, extract SNPs & combine huge alignments.

🦀 Written in Rust & built with @ratatui_rs

⭐ GitHub: https://github.com/ranwez-search/SeqTUI

#rustlang #ratatui #tui #bioinformatics #terminal #cli #opensource

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

I can’t think of a better way to start my year than to read Kitchen Confidential again. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but Anthony Bourdain made me love being a writer. This book made me pay attention to how others wrote. What a great book :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen%5FConfidential

andreu@andreubotella.com ("Andreu Botella :verified_enby:") wrote:

Do I write the blog post I want to write, or do I get way too sidetracked trying to add footnotes/sidenotes to my blog?

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

Brynhildur Jenný útskýrir afhverju hún teiknaði myndasöguna Kötturinn og ég í gráu, með smá snert af lit #bók #myndasaga #bækur

Fáanleg í verslunum Pennans: https://www.penninn.is/is/book/kotturinn-og-eg

Brynhildur Jenný talks about why she drew the graphic novel The Cat and I in tinted gray-scale.

Attachments:

• video: A short video where the illustrator talks in a voiceover about why she used a specific kind of pencil.

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

The decor gives it away: this is a cheap brothel run by a blowzy washed-up pimp.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/01/02/the-scandals-keep-dribbling-out/

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Were ⁂🐧🌱☕"):
cstross@wandering.shop ("Charlie Stross") wrote:

Found elsenet: seems to sum up the zeitgeist nicely!

Gargron ("Eugen Rochko") wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmOtrCRrlDA

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

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-case-for-blogging-in-the-ruins/

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

I've lost count of the number of times just this week that I have accidentally clicked an "AI" button in a service or software, which means a bunch of services are counting me as a regular active "AI" user despite me being about as hardcore "no generative AI, nowhere" software guy as they come.

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

"Millions of people are using AI! It's the world's most popular technology. People clearly want it."

Tech companies have been using every dark pattern available, every business deal and agreement, every subsidy they could find to jazz up numbers, so none of these user numbers can actually be trusted

Anybody who trots out the "this is an incredibly popular tech used by millions, be careful about regulating its harms" is being a manipulative dick. They know it, so you should remember it too.

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

"Guest Gist: 2026, Our Already Rotting Future"

https://www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2026-our-already-rotting-future/

> The difference is I’ve not yet encountered a calculator which asks its users, every single time it is switched on: “how about 43 x 756 today?”, or “want to know the square root of 7,568?”. The idea would be preposterous, even if we could guarantee the numbers would be correct.

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

“Our frail thoughts. — Ethan Marcotte”

https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/our-frail-thoughts/

> I remain dismayed by what’s currently happening in tech, and at the same time I’m incredibly inspired by the people fighting for a better vision of it

Many of us are mourning the industry we thought we were part of, careers we thought we had, and the societies we believed we were building

Boosted by baldur@toot.cafe ("Baldur Bjarnason"):
xgranade@wandering.shop ("Cassandra is only carbon now") wrote:

RE: https://wandering.shop/@xgranade/115772870672213549

I could offer a similar "theorem" for replies to this toot:

• Bad-faith replies from AI boosters trying to pull a fast one.
• "Moderates" who believe at least some of the outlandish claims made by AI boosters, and who like to pretend that they are not also boosters.
• Reasonable people who are legitimately uninformed or confused by bullshit put out by AI boosters.
• Reasonable people angrily agreeing.

Boosted by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
diemkay@hachyderm.io ("Andreea") wrote:

🧵 My sense of justice was triggered by #Palantir corporate gaslighting two Swiss investigative journalists on LinkedIn.

This is something most people won’t even see, but I was angry, so I looked while my kid was still asleep.

Here’s what it looks like when tech bros attack journalists while you and I have too much food over Christmas.

Two Swiss journalists spent a year filing 59 #FOIA requests to document Palantir’s 7-year campaign to sell surveillance software to Swiss authorities (army and health services in particular).

📄: https://www.republik.ch/2025/12/09/warum-palantir-zum-risiko-fuer-die-schweiz-wird

The Swiss army’s internal report concluded they couldn’t rule out US intelligence accessing data through Palantir systems, despite reassurances.

Their story hit The Guardian, and #UK MPs are now questioning £825M in Palantir contracts.

📄: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/22/mps-question-uk-palantir-contracts-security-concerns-investigation

The journalists were rejoicing on LinkedIn. It’s a big deal to have your story picked up by mainstream UK media, especially after a year of hard work.

This is where it gets ugly.

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

TIL:

https://youtu.be/dutpBSKj8JY?si=01OpWcFyCdKQq6C5

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Were ⁂🐧🌱☕"):
ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us ("Emeritus Prof Christopher May") wrote:

The politics of London's place in the UK is demonstration of how the right captures an issue & then retunes it to race.

Many of us who live outside London complain about how it capture resources, controls the UK to its own ends & promotes (entrenches) regional inequalities & powerlessness.

But, the Right has taken that negativity & made it about the racial make-up of London communities, misapplying a complaint about political economy into an attack on multiculturalism.

#London #politics

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Were ⁂🐧🌱☕"):
rufustheduck ("Rufus") wrote:

Its my first day on Mastodon, so I'm starting by introducing my cats.

This is Max. He's a black cat so photos are tricky - but here's one where he looks like he does in reality: the single most beautiful cat in the world (if you don't count all the other beautiful cats, which is all cats)

Boosted by taral ("JP Sugarbroad"):
MicroSFF@mastodon.art ("Micro SF/F by O. Westin") wrote:

"Can you open one of these?" the treasure hunter asked.

He showed the witch an egg shell, with an intricate pattern of silk thread knotted around it.

"Put that back!"

"There's something inside, it must be valuable. But when-"

"Someone locked their grief away. Break one, and it's yours."

"Oh..."

#TootFic #MicroFiction #SmallStories

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Were ⁂🐧🌱☕"):
dannotdaniel@hellions.cloud ("ɹ uɐp :antifascism:") wrote:

when you delete your LinkedIn, you level up on the fedi :fediverse:

Boosted by taral ("JP Sugarbroad"):
paulisci@mstdn.ca ("Paul Fairie") wrote:

🎆🎇WINNER🎇🎆
2025 HEADLINE OF THE YEAR

Boosted by taral ("JP Sugarbroad"):
augieray ("Augie Ray") wrote:

I don't normally ask for this, but if you are concerned about #COVID19, please share my latest post with others. I'd like it to reach folks who AREN'T already COVID-aware.

I’ve Read 3,000 Studies About COVID: Here’s What You’re Ignoring That Could (Still) Harm You or a Loved One

I share some simple conclusions, along with over 100 links to research. My goal is to urge more awareness and commonsense caution.

https://medium.com/@augieray%5F66704/ive-read-3-000-studies-about-covid-here-s-what-you-re-ignoring-that-could-still-harm-you-or-a-accafe0f7c66

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Were ⁂🐧🌱☕"):
alternativeto@mas.to ("AlternativeTo") wrote:

Shotcut 25.12 has been released, introducing support for 10- and 12-bit video effects, linear color processing outside GPU, a visual preset browser for the image/video from HTML generator, a more convenient filters menu, and more.
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/1/shotcut-25-12-adds-10-bit-video-cpu-pipeline-linear-color-processing-and-ui-upgrades/

Boosted by ChrisWere@toot.wales ("Chris Were ⁂🐧🌱☕"):
itsfoss ("It's FOSS") wrote:

Powerful open source apps that run right in your browser!

https://itsfoss.com/open-source-apps-from-web-browser/

#opensource

Boosted by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
anne@toot.cat ("Annie") wrote:

@MadAsAHatter @rufustheduck

Oh, and I just read a very thought provoking thread by @fromjason, talking about the inherent differences between mastodon and social media platforms. They articulate many things I think about a lot.

https://toot.cat/deck/@fromjason@mastodon.social/115806120188107609

Boosted by jwz:
ryanwatkins wrote:

Zohran Mamdani's first Executive Order as Mayor of NYC - revoking all executive orders by Eric Adams signed after Sept 26, 2024, the date of Adams indictment.

Plans to reissue ones determined to be necessary, but making a statement.

This is how you do it.

https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/01/executive-order-01