szescstopni @szescstopni@social.cleverlibre.org

Polish grammar is easy-peasy.

Talking to a friend who’s in the hospital and had a sign on their door requesting masking, for their safety. Most staff only wore paper masks, if that. (Doctors were worst at masking at all.)

Yesterday friend had a bit of a sore throat, and was immediately COVID tested and now the door sign is “heightened COVID risk” and everyone is wearing N95s on entering.

They’ve decided to have a sore throat until discharge, since apparently the only way to be protected is to pose a risk to the staff.

Happy Stanislav Petrov day to those who celebrate. 🫡

Today is Stanislav Petrov Day. It's a day when I take some time to reflect on the importance of questioning technology. Because that is what Stanislav Petrov did when he averted nuclear war on September 26 in 1983.

"We can't wait anymore."
"7 minutes until the first warhead is in the observation zone."
"We won't have time to retaliate. You have to make a decision!"
"You see it?"
"Could be."
"No. That's not heat from a missile."
"Damn!"
"Let's keep looking."
"THE COMPUTER CAN'T BE WRONG!"
"I don't understand it."
"Damn it! They have to confirm this damn attack."
"All thirty levels of security levels confirms the attack!"
"Infrared devices verify heat from all five launched missiles!"
"What are we going to do?"

Stanislav Petrov: "Nothing. I don't trust the computer. We'll wait."

This dialogue is from a re-enactment in the documentary The Man Who Saved the World.

Last year I wrote about three learnings I take away from his story.

1. Embrace multiple perspectives.
Petrov was educated as an engineer rather than a military man. He knew the unpredictability of machine output.

2. Look for multiple confirmation points.
To confirm our beliefs we should expect many different variables to line up and tell us the same story. If one or more variables are saying something different, we need to pursue those anomalies to understand why. If the idea of a faulty system lines up with all other variables, that makes it more likely.

3. Reward exposure of faulty systems.
If we keep praising our tools for their excellence and efficiency it's hard to later accept their defects. When shortcomings are found, this needs to be communicated just as clearly and widely as successes.  Maintaining an illusion of perfect, neutral and flawless systems will keep people from questioning the systems when the systems need to be questioned.

https://axbom.com/lessons-from-stanislav-petrov/

#zasežerou #brno ❤️

Ah et y'en a encore un qui m'a fait ce coup aujourd'hui 🤦‍♀️

Living on the east coast of the USA as a news junkie I’m used to being on the leading edge of the goingson of the country. Being in Europe right now 6 hours ahead it is more like what I imagine many Europeans wake up to every day: “So what did the Yanks fuck up yesterday while I slept?” It’s kind of nice to get it as one giant slug of crap in the morning and then enjoying the rest of the day instead of watching it like a slow motion car wreck that you can’t stop staring at.

#thicktrunktuesday

With the Trudi Warner case in the spotlight, it's worth backing up and looking at how we got here, and why Trudi Warner did what she did.
The English jury system has led to many climate protestors being acquitted, so the government, aided by certain judges like Silas Reid, are going to great lengths to try to stop juries from exercising their basic democratic rights. It's creeping fascism.

#TrudiWarner
#ClimateAction

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/insulate-britain-activist-show-trials-prison-climate-protests/

Yesterday, over 250 protestors stood outside courts in the U.K. doing the same thing for which Trudi Warner is facing 2 years in prison. Holding up a sign.

"Jurors have a right to aquitt a defendant according to their conscience."

If you can't get to a court in the U.K. to stand with Trudi Warner, you can sign this petition.
"Please charge me" in solidarity with Trudi Warner.

#TrudiWarner
#ClimateAction

https://www.change.org/p/please-charge-me-in-solidarity-with-trudi-warner

Testowanie to skomplikowany proces, wymagający od osoby czy instytucji testującej dużej wiedzy, wnikliwej znajomości tematu, świadomości wystepowania fałszywych pozytywów i fałszywych negatywów. Kiedy policja stosuje testy, których dystrybutor wyraźnie wskazuje bardzo wyśrubowane warunki ich przeprowadzania, sytuacja robi sie niebezpieczna. Jeżeli miałxś jakies doświadczenia z szarlatanami oferującymi cudowne leki na twoją chorobę, to mogłxś usłyszeć, że olej z węża nie zadziałał na twojego raka, bo użyłxś trzy krople, a nie dwie i osiem dziesiątych tak jak w instrukcji, i zrobiłxś to nie punktualnie o północy astronomicznej, tylko o północy zegarkowej. A wąż, z którego brałxś krople, nie był idelanie czarny, #000000, tylko lekko #010702. A poza tym trzeba było podać w CMYKu, a nie RGB.

Idea prostych testów jest strasznie kusząca. Cyk, i załatwione. Nie ważne, czy słusznie, czy nie. Soczewica koło miele młyn.

For me, right to to repair isn't just about ewaste, and preventing corporate gouging.

It's about mental health. Being able to fix your gadgets is therapeutic. Empowering. Good for the soul.

In a world full of complex technology it's easy to feel small and helpless. And maybe I'm too much of an idealist, but I think that if everyone could experience the joy of fixing or modifying a gadget now and then we'd all be a little more open minded, a little more daring. A little harder to push around.

Found my new thing

This is the second time I’ve found an anole lizard - maybe it’s the same lizard - on the #hummingbird feeder. It has to jump a foot (30 cm) or so across from the wall to get over to it. I thought maybe it’s going after insects that are attracted by the feeder’s sugary liquid, but it looks like it’s licking around the feeder itself. Do lizards have a sweet tooth? 🤔

#PhotoMonday #lizards #BackyardWildlife #photography

This is possibly the funniest social insect study of all time. To keep them from eating all the food, female wasps stuff male wasps head-first into empty cells and threaten to sting them if they try to escape.

#Wasps

https://www.nature.com/articles/38931

Goodbye, Arya… you were the cuddliest cat in the world. 😞