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mke

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mke ,

And it’s also damming for private messaging on mastodon.

I once read vague complaints about it being a rushed implementation. While I won’t trust those without evidence, I for sure wouldn’t trust mastodon with my PMs. At least, not until how this was allowed to happen is figured out and fixed if necessary.

P.S. I’m still not sure I believe in PMs in the fediverse. If I need to share something and care about keeping it private, I’d rather move the conversation elsewhere.

mke ,

You’re right, regarding Mastodon. I won’t edit my other comment, though, both to preserve the original chain of thought and because that brings up another discussion.

To quote the EFF:

We feel that the intended usage of the feature will not determine people’s expectation of privacy while using it.

Offering people a feature with preexisting expectations, similar to other things that fulfill those expectations, then telling people “We know it looks like a duck but don’t expect it to quack!”

…It begs the question: was the feature really a good idea?

mke , (edited )

Would you be happier if they ignored the demands and possibly got Firefox banned in Russia? Because if so, it’s not that we disagree over our views of the Russian government. Probably neither do Mozilla.

We have different priorities. I want the average Russian to be easily able to use Firefox, even if it takes more work to load some extensions. From where I’m sitting, you seem to want to cut off your nose to spite your face.

I’m genuinely curious why.

mke , (edited )

I stand corrected, I see your argument about the comparative difficulty and effect of banning a browser vs an extension. The discoverability of the extension alone is a big point.

Not sure I agree with how you seemingly downplay the damage banning the browser could cause and fail to consider consider other ways people could organize to distribute extensions (even as you mention various ways to get Firefox, I’m a bit confused on this one). Others have already talked about this in the thread, so I won’t repeat it here.

With all that said, it appears we were both fools. Mozilla has returned the extensions already. It was neither about protecting Firefox in Russia, nor a case of “Fuck Mozilla.”

Lynn Conway, leading computer scientist and transgender pioneer, dies at 85 (www.latimes.com)

I have mixed feelings on the pronoun use, but having read some of her autobiographical writing I don’t think she would have taken much issue with it. This piece is more focused on her work in computer engineering, so I felt it was appropriate to post here.

mke ,

If you’re serious, please elaborate on your points. I genuinely don’t understand.

Going by Wikipedia here,

She was a huge part

Please define huge part. She was a “key architect” in the starting years of a project that fell short of its goals.

her entire work has to be viewed through that lens

Why? It was, relatively speaking, an almost small part of her career. She didn’t stay until the end of the project. You even admit that her contributions to the field were many and meaningful.

is every explicit way connected to modern conflicts where military misuses AI to murder children

This feels like such a huge leap, that I don’t even know where to begin tackling it. Is Tim Berners Lee in every explicit way connected to the modern privacy hellscape that is the modern internet?

Make no mistake, if she really did want to help develop artificial intelligence for the military’s sake, fuck her. I can respect someone’s achievements while also thinking they’re trash as a person.

But I don’t think that’s the case here, and I’m lost as to what point, exactly, you’re trying to make.

mke ,

I won’t know if any of the linked resources are any good until I have time to look them over, but if nothing else I appreciate you taking the time to answer.

Re: whitewashing, fair point. I’d already read about the issue, but maybe I still need to rethink how I look at computing history.

mke ,

Wrong Conway.

mke , (edited )

It seems less anti-theft and more “data protection in case of theft.”

I’m not sure that’s a fair assessment (after all, what should a proper anti-theft measure even look like, then?), but that’s the best way I can describe it. From what I can tell, it’s more tech that attempts to lock the screen when it believes your phone isn’t safe.

More data protection is always nice, provided it works. Was AI the best way to do it? No idea. Don’t know if it’ll help with the actual theft any, since I believe the stolen phones are usually factory reset and then resold all over. User data was never the main appeal.

It’s mildly funny that this will be tested in Brazil. Something that is a bit fitting, a bit sad, yet I can’t help snorting at.

mke ,

That’s unnecessarily dismissive. Unfortunately, even the best extensions have their downsides. Some used a browser that suited their preferences better instead, which is a shame for both Firefox and the user, in my opinion.

Mozilla recognizes this and is finally taking action to integrate highly requested features into Firefox. Many “who really care” are glad for this, because it is a good thing.

mke ,

Don’t feel too jelly though, the actual profile manager has been in need of some care for a while, now…

…and it’s apparently getting it soon! No way they’ll hide the button after they polish it up, right? Happy times to come for all, I hope :⁠^⁠)

mke , (edited )

That’s a weird way to look at the projects, in my opinion (“if only X had Y, it would kill Z…”).

Helix and Neovim have different approaches to editing, configuration, etc. They don’t need to be competing for users. Neovim can exist for the people who want an editor with Neovim’s ideas, same for Helix, and that’s just fine.

mke , (edited )

Had a sound issue: output device options only listed “Dummy Output” and nothing was listed for input devices. I eventually got my headset to be recognized again, but sadly couldn’t tell you what did it, since I tried so many things and I lack proper understanding of the Linux sound scene.

Just in case it’s useful to someone, here’s a collection of ideas I found while working through the issue:

  • Make sure wireplumber service is enabled and running OK
  • Plug in an HDMI device and reboot (some people said this permanently fixed a similar issue)
  • Backup, then delete $XDG_STATE_HOME/wireplumber and reboot
  • Check if you have installed the packages:
    • kernel-modules
    • alsa-sof-firmware

Note, however, that I really don’t understand what some of these do. You should be very wary of taking suggestions from people who don’t know what they’re talking about… unless you’re desperate enough and want your sound back, perhaps.

…Also, here’s a gentle reminder to test your sound device with other equipment and try different ports/adapters, if available. Wasn’t my case, but sometimes stuff simply breaks at inopportune times.

mke ,

Yeah, that’s funny.

I considered opening an issue, having assumed that this was a bug and in such cases the bot might as well not comment at all, but apparently part of its intended purpose is saving people from having to open articles.

Not sure how I feel about that, to be honest.

mke , (edited )

It’s always interesting to see random activities highlight how different people’s lives can be. As of the time I’m posting this, half of the comments mention a dishwasher.

I’ve never been in a house with a dishwasher, and literally just realized I couldn’t tell you if I’ve ever seen one, outside of a screen. To my perception, they’re like a magical tool that supposedly exists… somewhere. Maybe.

That’s not a complaint, and not really noteworthy. I’m pretty sure most of humanity doesn’t have one, after all. I just think it’s funny when you stumble into another bubble, inside your bubble.

I know that I, too, enjoy things that don’t seem real to someone else. Even being able to read this post is a privilege. Now, that’s funny.

mke , (edited )

There’s quite a bit to unpack in this article, even if some of it is only mentioned.

It’s a saddening read. There are issues with Fediverse culture and surrounding technical discussion at wide, but also with interactions between law and new technologies like ActivityPub—and that’s on top of the law, on it’s own, already doing a horrible job way too often, in my opinion. None of this is news, but it always hurts a little to be reminded so.

I’ve been thinking about trying to get into mastodon, to form my own opinion on several topics it intersects with. I’m a little uncomfortable with how popular it is compared to other fediverse software, considering how poorly they seem to integrate. I hoped some time on mastodon would dispell this feeling, or at least give me insights I could work with. To be honest, every day it gets a little harder to justify that idea.

But that’s just a personal thing. Maybe I’m simply not fit for micro-blogging. Really, I don’t care which software is the most popular, I literally just wish they’d integrate better. Despite my misgivings, I’m grateful for the positive impact mastodon has made in the social/tech circles, changing how many people see social media and their relationship with it.

The us-versus-them mentality is unreal. The only valid them, to me, is proprietary closed platforms. We should strive for more decentralized networks that shift control over user experience back to its users, because we need and deserve safer, healthier social networks. This is not it. I can only hope culture will improve, because I’m not sure how you’d tackle a problem on this scale.

And if mastodon can’t fix itself? Screw it, and keep an eye on what comes next.

It’s not a competition, we’re in a team effort to build a part of the internet that can resist enshittification inevitable in closed platforms; so long as the platform is open, I’ll keep my mind open as well. If my lemmy instance decides to migrate to Sublinks, that’s fine. Worst case, I’ll migrate elsewhere. Assuming Bluesky turns out OK as a company, even atproto taking the lead over ActivityPub might be fine. Hell, some of the original AP creators are still experimenting with new ideas.

I fully agree with the point that too many people act like the fediverse, or their specific brand of it, is more open-minded and kinder than what they’re trying to replace. I hope it’s possible to make that true, one day.

P.S. Sorry, brevity is the soul of wit, and I’m an idiot. This ended up as an outlet for issues that have been frustrating me for a while.

mke ,

While I agree with you, I just want to mention that not necessarily all fediverse users have a formed opinion (at least at first) about open platforms, sharing content with other websites, and so on.

Some people just suffered from platforms like ex-Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. enshittifying, heard that other victims were trying to build something better, and (generously, might I add) decided to give it a chance.

That doesn’t excuse any horrible behavior they might’ve engaged in. But remember that just because someone is surprised and reacts negatively at how their content is handled on the fediverse, that doesn’t mean they were in the wrong to join.

Folks can jump into things without fully understanding them, and sometimes it’s nice to, circumstances allowing, take that as an opportunity to inform, rather than question “Why are you even here?”

mke ,

Php also graced us with Unexpected T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM

mke ,

Respectfully, the dead need not care about loss of non-renewable resources.

mke ,

I will attempt an oddly serious answer, unlike my previous comment, since I feel this deserves one.

Sort of, and technically correct. Both the suicidal and the oil baron have no reason to care what happens after they’re dead. But I don’t know if that’s relevant here.

Powerful people ruining the world do so because of incentives and… because they can. The only thing that will stop them and those that come after is meaningful societal change. Convincing people to participate in bringing about this change is important too, make no mistake, but it’s because of what they can achieve united. It’s voting, protesting, and building a world where the powerful can’t screw over the world and everyone in it.

Hoping a change in culture alone will save the world is useless, because the rich and powerful will not follow that new culture. There’s no trickle-up morals, and telling suicidal people they should be mindful of how they die (if serious) is barking up the wrong tree. It won’t stop the oil baron from continuing to pollute more than everyone in this thread combined, nor will it make a meaningful difference even should the person follow your advice, because it’s a drop in the bucket—and maybe the last one they’ll ever make.

Trying to put it shortly, my point is that mentality is only the start. The world is broken (e.g. climate change is a thing), not just because of mentality, but because those high above do all in their power to stay there and shape the world in ways that suit them. Changing people’s mentality is good, but is “use hydrogen instead of helium” really the last thing a suicidal person should have to hear from you?

Of course, this is a meme community in the end, so apologies if this comment was unnecessary because no one is seriously saying that. But anyone who thinks so should also be able to read my previous comment in its intended humor as well.

mke ,

I think they’re just keeping up the banter. As in, humourously acting like they don’t get your point just to keep the joke going (“So what if you’re a girl? That’s clearly you rn, just replace them with a short girl. Or are you saying girls cannot study the blade?”). Supporting that idea is the fact that “Study the blade” is a relatively well known internet meme at this point.

But I’m just an unrelated individual inserting myself into a random conversation with little reason, trying to interpret another person’s comment on a shitposting community.

mke ,

I know very little about this topic, do not take this as fact. One possible reason is licensing issues. It’s a mess. Not an unsolvable one, but one that pirates usually don’t have to deal with.

mke ,

My bad, I misunderstood your previous comment as saying you could only watch in your native language.

Searching a bit, I found an old blogpost explaining how to filter Netflix content so it only showed stuff available in English. So I assume it isn’t (or at least wasn’t) that they only show content dubbed in your language.

However, from my understanding, dubbing is quite popular. Especially so in Germany, or so say my 10 minutes of superficial research into the topic.

Netflix may simply noticed that dubbed was the more popular option by a significant margin and accordingly decided to invest a lot into making shows available with dubs, or not “waste” money making them available at all.

mke ,

I completely understand. Though I rarely watch it nowadays, I’m much the same. Sometimes I’ll make an exception when I hear the dubbed version is worth it.

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