ML2 @mathlover@social.cleverlibre.org

Some folks here ask/plead/demand that others add a picture and bio to their profiles before they can expect a #FollowBack.

While a bio is useful to determine whether an account is an actual person or a 'bot, a picture should not be required.

Why?

Because there are blind people on #Mastodon who don't *see* the need for a profile picture. And some have been here a LOT longer than us newbies.

And there are others who are shy, indecisive or just making a statement. We should also allow for that.

A previously undocumented data wiper named CryWiper is masquerading as ransomware, extorting victims to pay for a decrypter, but in reality, it just destroys data beyond recovery.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-crywiper-malware-wipes-data-in-attack-against-russian-org/

The two parties are divided by deep differences in values & goals. They are not surface differences that can be swept away by sufficient charisma. Unbelievable that people still think this way in 2022.

The people who write these "post-partisan" dream journals, when they get to actual positions or policy, describe ... a standard, run-of-the-mill moderate Democrat. Always, always, always.

@RoboPack The action we've taken against scalping is to sell only kits, for the most part, not lone boards. People get annoyed with us for that but then they also get annoyed at scalpers so, rock and a hard place.

You're right, we have chosen to send stock to companies which would have to lay people off if they don't get boards, rather than send them to be bought by hobbyists because we thought losing your job is more important than making a cute thing for your house.

Damned if we do...

When posting stats about the number of people (not “users”) joining the fediverse (not “Mastodon”), please also post about the number of instances.

If 400,000,000 people join BigTech.social tomorrow, that’s not a win. That’s how you recreate Twitter.

So let’s focus on what matters. Sure it‘s great that the fediverse is becoming more popular but the character of that popularity matters. How it scales matters. Avoiding corporate capture matters.

#BigTech #fediverse #scale #focus

My twitter followers are jumping ship. My engagement is dropping rapidly. They changed the algorithm to force feed me right wing accounts. And white supremacy, Islamophobia, & antisemitism on Twitter are being defended as valid points of view.

By contrast this Mastodon community is igniting robust dialogue, respectful disagreement, and offers little comfort to racists and bigots.

This is what Twitter could’ve been, and I’m really hopeful this is what Mastodon continues to be. Thank you all.❤️✊🏽

Content scanning software checks images and words for markers, or digital fingerprints, on social media and private messaging. When there’s a match, the AI will remove or report it. This includes false positives made by algorithms that can’t account for context.

#OnlineSafetyBill #BlockTheBill #privacy #freedomofexpression

A lot of Mastodon instance admins are either getting their first hosting bill or getting a very increased bill from extreme growth and usage. Some may be experiencing bill shock.

Please make sure your paying/supporting them!

Twitter was free because you were the product. Mastodon doesn't work this way.

Many instances list a patreon or donation links on their about page.

@manlius @DanielMGessel fwiw I'm on the largest instance right now because I don't have time to set up my own instance, but I plan to migrate to a self-managed one in the coming months

i just got suspended from twitter for replying “fuck off and die” to kanye west's tweet with an image of the hakenkreuz embedded in the star of david. his tweet and the image are still there, and his account is not suspended.

i guess i could have chosen worse way to get my twitter account closed.

Rust is a conspiracy to turn imperative programmers into pure-functional programmers by making mutable variables such a pain in the ass that Haskell seems reasonable by comparison

Why we can't have nice things: so long Medium

I'm a nerd. I like to read about science and technology. I also like to participate - write content, answer questions, etc.

When Medium first appeared, I was excited to see a new format for content creators to directly share their work. I even paid for a subscription. But it has gone the way of Quora: click-baity titles with a ton of bad content. It's unfortunate, because some Medium content is still good, but it is too hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Goodbye Medium.

As an aside, i think the same thing happened to Quora. When Quora first came out, i was quite active there: one of the top contributors in neuroscience. But now it is pretty terrible. The questions are repetitive and trite and the answers are often pure opinion.

Hive Social turns off servers: "The issues we reported allow any attacker to access all data, including private posts, private messages, shared media and even deleted direct messages"

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/12/hive-social-turns-off-servers-after-researchers-warn-hackers-can-access-all-data/

SICK AND DERANGED: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is now retaliating against the doctor who provided care to the 10-year-old rape victim who traveled from Ohio to Indiana to receive abortion care: https://youtu.be/x0lfoCM23gg

Google owner Alphabet Inc. could be on the hook for an estimated $4.7 billion due to questionable "warnings" when people use other app stores or services to download apps.

Quite frankly -- good! These warning are bullsh*t! https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/google-customers-win-class-action-status-in-lawsuit-over-app-store-prices/

Today’s crypto collapse update. In this episode, we cover:

* BlockFi is deceased. It’s an ex-parrot.
* SBF will absolutely not shut up.
* Did we tell you so in August about the crypto miners? We believe we did!
* Binance is totally fine, buying smaller exchanges and building a bailout fund.
* Tether is totally fine, lending tethers to exchanges again. It’s fine!

https://amycastor.com/2022/12/01/crypto-collapse-blockfi-even-deader-crypto-miners-going-broke-sam-will-not-shut-up-binance-and-tether-are-fine/

Kanye West just posted a photo of a swastika inside of the Star of David on Twitter. This is abhorrent and dangerous. Shame on anyone who has enabled and supported him on his crusade against the Jewish people. We refuse to be silent in the face of this deplorable anti-Semitism. Never again.

@amyhoy I completely agree with the sentiment, and absolutely hate crypto but you have to admit StableDiffusion (and predecessor DallE) are kinda mind blowing and seem to be getting better at an alarming rate. I think what’s different is it has the potential to destroy artists instead of increase flow of knowledge (like the utopia of internet I imagined in the 90s)

Counting goats is not the soporiferous activity that counting sheep is (supposed to be). Is exhausting trying to find the buggers up trees, mountains, and hiding in yoga studios.