hesgen @hesgen@social.cleverlibre.org

Russia has added Boris Akunin, a prominent contemporary Russian writer, to its list of “terrorists and extremists” and opened a criminal case against him. Sources say this is the start of a new wave of persecution against “unfavorable” cultural figures.
https://t.co/ZuFTN5pEsw

Seeing complaints from some of my medical colleagues about having to pay extra tax in Scotland. Personally, I am more than happy to pay my share if it goes on Scottish issues like child poverty, free prescriptions, free university tuition etc. It’s always pluses and minuses and I have enough for a reasonable lifestyle, I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes to wear, a car for transport. I don’t need any extra.

Today’s poem is called ‘Monetization’.

Apparently, when asked "what you'd bring to the table" in a work meeting, "wine" is not the answer they are looking for.

In 2019 I thought this was the most radical policy we'd never get away with suggesting as part of our Common Home Plan.

Now, the UK is being dragging by the EU into implementing it.

Everything in politics seems impossible until the moment it becomes inevitable.

#Climate #Border #Tax

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-government-implement-carbon-levy-by-2027-2023-12-18

Trump: I will be dictator.
Media: Trump says he wants to be a dictator, but he's not really serious.
Trump: I want to be dictator and destroy the news media I don't control.
Media: There goes Trump again, ha ha.
Trump: I can't wait to put you in prison.
Media: Wowzer! Haley is ahead of DeSantis.

“The signal is repeating! We’ve got the whole thing.”

“How many bits?”

“Almost 500k. 454,957 bits”

“I got a hunch, factorize that number”

“Bingo, seven fifty seven times six oh one. Think it could be a rectangular bitmap?”.

“It’s what we used to do back before those assholes let Arecibo fall down. Try bm2png.pl in my bin dir.”

“That worked. Holy shit I know that image. It’s the Pioneer plaque. That diagram from Pioneer 11 of human figures, and a map to Earth.”

“What, thats impossible, it’s only been, what, 70 odd years. That probe would still be in our own Kuiper Belt.”

“Outside it, actually, it’d be about one sixty AU out. They lost contact in the mid 90s. Still basically in our backyard but.”

“It’s too soon! If someone’s found it now, that would mean. Shit. They’re. Already. Here. Inside the Solar system.”

“And all they’ve got to say, is ‘Hi, we liked ur meme’.?”

“Maybe not, can you bring up an image of the original plaque? Are the images identical?”

“I’ll do a layer subtraction. Hey, there /is/ a difference. In the map of the planets. They’ve omitted Pluto from their copy.”

“Fucking hell. Little green reply guys.”

#Tootfic #MicroFiction

“we’ve learned that a single AI generated image uses as much electricity as charging a cell phone”

And that is why I do not consider AI Art, Art. It takes far more from the world than it gives us. You are hastening the destruction of this already dying planet.

You can @ me but I simply do not care

https://cyberneticforests.substack.com/p/what-i-learned-about-ai-in-2023

The Fianna Fáil local cllr who was on RTÉ this week stoking fascist nonsense before this hotel was burnt down in Rosscahill can be reached on cllrseamuswalsh@gmail.com if anyone wants to tell him what a fascist embarrassment he is. #Ireland #Galway #IrishPolitics #mastodaoine