Mike Agg @countingquoll@social.cleverlibre.org

Easter Island is located in Polynesia, between East Island and Eastest Island

"Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland" is an absolutely astonishing piece of documentary making. Even if for whatever reason you have no interest in Ireland, you should watch it for the way in which each individual tells their story, laying bare everything. The bravery in telling these things… their vulnerability. Not comfortable viewing but extraordinarily moving television. Haunting because it tells us that civil was can be created anywhere. Thank you BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ff7cg0

English has two different terms for words that come into English from other languages. A 'calque' is translated from the source language. (E.g., flea market, beer garden, paper tiger) A 'loanword' is ported in its original form. (E.g., cafe, bazaar, kindergarten) Perhaps ironically, the word 'calque' is a loanword, while 'loanword' is a calque (from Ger. 'lehnwort').

This older comic is going around. Animals with misleading names! A gentle attempt to poke fun at English common names.

“The largest percentage of Twitter Blue subscribers are people whose identity as howlingly obvious marks seems to have supplanted virtually everything else about them. They are drawn to Elon for the same reason that moths crisp themselves on lightbulbs.”

Where Twitter is at. Very good. https://defector.com/burning-down-the-house

Meeting fellow dog-walkers is a sureally friendly affair when you think about it

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"I see you also have a distorted wolf on a string"

"I do indeed"

"Carrying a bag of their sh*t around, eh?"

"You know it!"

This is an outstanding reply to, and analysis of that Pamela Paul column in the New York Times that began this way:

"A paper that says science should be impartial was rejected by major journals. You can’t make this up."

Dave Karpf, an academic, takes it apart. He also testifies as a particiant in the peer review system. Worth your time.

https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/pamela-paul-cancel-culture-grifters?utm_medium=ios

#nytimes #journalism #peerreview #science

♫ I am a language model of a modern major general ♫

While out mountain biking, my back mudguard came off!

I carried on rear guardless.

A scientist grows up

Moin 😀👋

https://myjetpack.tumblr.com/post/714028676481777664/

The worst thing that ever happened in software engineering was when Kirk asked Scotty how long something would take and Scotty said thirty minutes and Kirk said you’ve got five and Scotty got it done in five and impressionable children watched this and grew up to become managers.

Fairphone does what tech giants refuse to do | Android Central

https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/fairphone-does-what-tech-giants-refuse-to-do

John Mastodon’s rocket wouldn’t have exploded. Just sayin’.

Once again, I'm reminded of how much the billionaire space race has absolutely destroyed my love of rockets.

10 years ago, I definitely would have been paying close attention to the current giant SpaceX launch. But because I know it's going to be used to launch hundreds of unregulated, unsafe, polluting, for-profit Starlink satellites at once, I just can't look.

Instead of being excited and awestruck by a new gigantic rocket launch, it just makes me want to puke.

The only two viewpoints on generative AI that get any play among tech punditry are:

1. AI is a lever that helps people do better
2. AI is effective automation that will replace people, or be a threat to them.

The third viewpoint, that AI tools are kind of shit and, if used in their current form at scale by corporations and governments, will “enshittify” large portions of our society, doesn’t seem to register with them at all.

*to the tune of Shout by Tears For Fears*

Cat
cat
Little potat
He wants to know where the treats are at
Come one
He's meowing at you
Come on