Mastodon Feed: Posts

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

have you ever heard of digital enhancement?

oh god, we're up for some serious technobollocks, aren't we?

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻 ✍️ 🥐 🇵🇷") wrote:

When I was a child I was so attracted to Atreyu from The Never Ending Story that I remember thinking I was gay.

It wasn't until much later as an adult that I realized that kid just looked like a girl to me lmao.

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

This is what shooting up hate does to you.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/08/28/if-only-we-could-get-rid-of-all-the-anti-immigrationists-so-easily/

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

Every programming language explained in 16 minutes

gosh, that must be nearly a microsecond per programming language

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

the next person to say AI haters are too extreme will be given a dorset naga suppository

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your weary 'net denizen"):
aiNeander@mastodon.art ("April Neander") wrote:

Latest #mending project. I tried #sashiko #embroidery for this one and loved the process and result. So excited that I'm wearing the pants today!
#solarpunk

isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:") wrote:

I remade the sauce, by the way...

isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:") wrote:

I'm pretty consistent at making hollandaise, but this time I was doing several things at once, and it just didn't come together. And apparently I was looking so upset that my wife specifically asked what went wrong with it and then sat through an entire lecture on emulsion based sauces, which she wouldn't normally be interested in.

I guess I need to learn to hide my frustration better :-) Although this time I was also a little sick and feeling shitty, so that might have contributed.

#cooking

chris@fedi.freebooters.uk ("Chris Were") wrote:

People following me on the Fedi or in the Discord probably already know that I’ve recently been getting into making shorts again. Today I want to share what I’ve learnt and where I’m going with it all.

What are shorts? They’re known by different names across platforms, but they’re short, (usually) vertical videos. They’re designed mostly for viewing on phones and can be found on a number of platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok (and Facebook et al), Loops.video (the Fediverse one), and probably Snapchat. Different platforms have different stipulations for what constitutes a short, but the style is the same across platforms. They’re also usually shown in quick succession, with the playlist decided by the algorithm™, with the user swiping through videos whenever they want to see a new one.

I try and use most social media platforms I make content for, so I know first-hand how addictive shorts are. Different platforms have different levels of insidiousness, and whilst I haven’t tried all of the shorts platforms, here’s a quick league table from best to worst, based simply on how toxic each platform is.

Loops: Whilst it has all the usual shortcomings of Fedi video platforms, ie a shortage of content, it’s by far the least addictive and has the least toxic rage-baiting content of all the platforms. In fact, many of the videos on Loops are just neat little home videos, and I find that so much more human than the clout-chasing platforms like Insta and TikTok.

YouTube: YouTube has an advantage in that it already knows what kind of videos I like to watch and can adjust its shorts playlist accordingly. It also shows me a lot of shorts from channels I’m already subscribed to, which I like. It’s still somewhat easy to get lost in the scrolling, although some of that might just be the nature of the media format.

Instagram: I’ve been enjoying Instagram Reels somewhat. There are a lot of interesting hobby and craft videos, but also a fair amount of AI slop, which really does just feel yucky. Say what you want about the legitimate uses of AI, generating artistic media just isn’t one of them. It’s just people using LLMs to churn out algorithm-appealing content to farm viewers and subscribers for no sensible reason I can fathom. Periodically, it’ll also try and push right-wing talking points on me in a way that makes me feel really uncomfortable.

TikTok: TikTok can fuck right off. By far the most disgusting and insidious platform I’ve used. Whilst it offers up more variety of content than the rest, it isn’t shy about throwing rage-baiting videos, AI slop, masculinity-obsessed influencers, right-wing nut-jobs, and just videos degrading and looking down on people at me. I really think TikTok is just a cancer at this stage.

I enjoy making shorts. I like getting a podcast of something I’ve been working on with friends and taking out neat little segments. People who know me IRL also enjoy them, since they’re usually uninterested in listening to a 2–3 hour podcast of me talking shite with Drew. Shorts allow them to engage with what I’m making in a more accessible way. Here’s how I’ve found making content for each platform.

Loops: I was surprised that my videos were doing quite well in terms of reach on Loops. The only real issue with Loops is that it’s yet another Fedi account for people to follow, when I could just as easily upload videos to my usual Fedi account and still get them out there.

YouTube: It seems to me that YouTube really wants to push the shorts format. It makes sense, as so many people are watching videos on their phones. Despite how few people I know IRL who scroll YouTube Shorts, videos I upload there seem to get pretty good views, at least for the first day or so after posting. The channels make it so that shorts can be a neat addition to content you’re already making for YouTube, and can be used as a form of outreach to new viewers.

Instagram: The AI is awkward with Insta, but nevertheless, I managed to make it work. Views are definitely highest on Instagram, and there are a decent number of comments from viewers too, which is something I really like.

TikTok: For some reason, anything I uploaded to TikTok stayed at 0 views. I hate TikTok so much that I didn’t really care to remedy this, but it seems I was shadowbanned for reasons I can’t fathom. Honestly, making content for TikTok just feels like fuelling people’s brainrot.

Overall, I don’t hate making shorts, but I do hate Instagram, TikTok, and, to a lesser extent, YouTube. How I continue making content for these platforms will be determined by how much I want to sell my soul for a little extra reach. One video about House of the Dragon reached over 100,000 views, and I can’t deny that feels good. But then what? In the old days, when you got that many views for a video, it used to mean something. Now it just feels so much more disposable.

Right now, I love creating podcasts with my friends Drew, Hamish, Max, and Jenny. And I have the itch to do even more. It’s nice to just sit down with people, chat, and share that with the world, even if only a few people end up listening. It feels cosier than a one-minute clip only glanced at by a hundred thousand people.

I know a lot of people have strong thoughts on big tech and media, and I would certainly be interested in listening to what you all have to say, so please get in touch via email or the Fedi, details are on my homepage.

chris@fedi.freebooters.uk ("Chris Were") wrote:

A particularly rambly video about making short-form content. Exclusive to #PeerTube of course.

https://video.thepolarbear.co.uk/w/mFtrgaPrTRHPt2MrVPdsY4

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your weary 'net denizen"):
zzclaybourne@wandering.shop ("Zig Claybourne") wrote:

Human history shouldn't need to be an endless loop of overthrowing assholes.

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your weary 'net denizen"):
jk ("josef") wrote:

in the last 5ish years i've seen a pivot from "Terrorism is the reason we need people with automatic rifles at airports and cameras everywhere spying on you" to "Terrorism is a word that means doing anything for political reasons other than voting. in a democracy, you vote. politics is voting. everything else, like protesting or direct action or even publishing the wrong thing, is Terrorism. you must only vote, that is all that is allowed"

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻 ✍️ 🥐 🇵🇷") wrote:

The Never Ending Story is a masterpiece

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

my secret sauce is cheese sauce.

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

incidentally, several financial institutions think of perl as their secret sauce.

amazing how two sets of people can have totally different views.

for example the set of people who think a "secret sauce" ought to be secret.

but i guess we're doing that one all over again.

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

oh christ, i see the current line going around is "AI didn't create slop".

i mean yeah, but it kinda did though. this is a whole new level of phoning it in.

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

apropos of nothing, perl was very popular during the dot com boom.

you ever wonder why you don't hear about it now? it's because it was very popular during the dot com boom.

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻 ✍️ 🥐 🇵🇷") wrote:

Bought a pair of Nothing Headphones for my bday. Should be here soon. Exciting.

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

Why I decided to stop using AI coding tools

You read the output?

glyph ("Glyph") wrote:

apropos of unfortunate discourse yesterday: is there *any* current podcast where senior programmers with vaguely professional politics talk about programming and doing interesting things with software? am I the only person who is an audience for this?

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
redshiftdrift@universeodon.com ("Louis A. M. 🇨🇦") wrote:

"Chapman’s Ice Cream pledges no price increase as Ontario company shifts away from U.S. suppliers"

Their ice cream and frozen yogurt is good, I support them 100%.

#Canada #Suppliers

🔗 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/chapman-s-ice-cream-ontario-shifting-from-u-s-suppliers-9.7322487

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
samlitzinger@journa.host ("Sam Litzinger") wrote:

The “stable genius” screws up everything he touches…

“Trump seeks vast, potentially costly U.S. stake in Venezuelan oil industry A deal, which may come together early next month, would be contentious and could cost billions.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/08/28/trump-seeks-vast-potentially-costly-us-stake-venezuelan-oil-industry/

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
jd@ottawa.place ("jd 🔆") wrote:

Call and response.
#science

Boosted by glyph ("Glyph"):
treyhunner ("Trey Hunner 🐍") wrote:

Does your team want to improve the way you write your Python code?

Book a call!

I may or may not be able to help, but I'm always open to chat.

https://truthful.technology/

Boosted by cwebber@social.coop ("Christine Lemmer-Webber"):
nova@lunar.place ("Nova :neocat_floof_cute:") wrote:

​:blobcatpnd_longlong_a:​​:blobcatpnd_longlong_c:​

Boosted by cwebber@social.coop ("Christine Lemmer-Webber"):
funkvolk ("Iris Volk") wrote:

Tag war gut 😌

Boosted by cwebber@social.coop ("Christine Lemmer-Webber"):
ellesaurus@toot.lgbt ("Elle 💗") wrote:

Opened the Wikipedia page for Trademark and found this under the Usage section.

#Wikipedia #Bisexual

dysfun@treehouse.systems ("gaytabase") wrote:

this afternoon i have been messing about with the dreaded 'orm-like thing' problem. i figured with dependent types, we shouldn't have such a problem.

of course they bring other problems

Boosted by cwebber@social.coop ("Christine Lemmer-Webber"):
puppygirlhornypost2@transfem.social ("Amber :neodog_box:") wrote:

@mnl@hachyderm.io @cwebber@social.coop If I were to take the post literally, I would interpret it as a reminder that when creating and deploying software (and software protocols) that you should take into consideration the potential problems that you may be introducing. Taking a step back and looking at the problem over again to make sure that you've accounted for everything that you can reasonably (I realize that nonobvious side effects are nonobvious for a reason). Not deploying when you are uncertain is the safest bet, but there are less extreme interpretations.

If we look at the comparison to sex that Christine has cleverly done, it's more or less implied that there are better ways to go about it. For instance, you can wear condoms during intercourse. While it is not a 100% guarantee that you will be free of sexually transmitted diseases and/or infections (or, hell even the risk of pregnancy) it is still a far more reasonable approach if you must have sex than to not have it at all. Perhaps then, the post is an exercise to the reader, requiring us to find options that, while not perfect, allow the harm to be minimized while engaging in computational exercises.

While this one certainly reads as a shitpost or a "joke" I do not see it less important than the phrase "A networked computer is insecure by definition" which also encourages the reader to consider what level of security they find acceptable. Obviously, putting our computers in concrete bunkers underground where they cannot be physically accessed is not a reasonable plan for most people. Perhaps the people who are engaging in this post and sharing it around would like to remind others about this and the fact that we do not need to follow the big tech paradigm of "move fast and break things" to accomplish our goals.

cwebber@social.coop ("Christine Lemmer-Webber") wrote:

Gonna make a knockoff cat and mouse cartoon called Tim and Gary