@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

CuriousMatter

@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social

Picture Alt Text: Illustration of the account holder's current residence, from a quite zoomed out perspective. Specifically, the inner rim of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. Please leave a calling card if you are in the neighborhood.

I'm not that interesting. I like science, and 🐱🐱. I make computers go beep-boop. Not here to find love. No plans to be an "influencer". I'll be surprised if I ever have more than 100 followers.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

eff, to random
@eff@mastodon.social avatar

If your car was built in the last decade or so, it's probably collecting and potentially sharing all sorts of data about you. Here’s how to figure out what that might include. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/how-figure-out-what-your-car-knows-about-you-and-opt-out-sharing-when-you-can

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@eff What I'm looking for is a guide to how to turn it off, and what else will stop working, because the cellular antenna might get damaged "accidentally" on my next car.

CuriousMatter, to llm
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

Wow, that's weird. Really seems like we're shooting in the dark with these LLMs.

https://qz.com/ai-chatbots-math-study-star-trek-1851301719

eff, to random
@eff@mastodon.social avatar

Cars can collect and share an abundance of data with insurance companies, advertisers, and others. It can seem impossible to figure out what your car is sharing, but it is possible with a little effort (and a lot of patience). Here’s how. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/how-figure-out-what-your-car-knows-about-you-and-opt-out-sharing-when-you-can

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@eff What I'm curious about is how this information is communicated. Is it via 4G/LTE data network? And what is the consequence if it can't connect to that network? Like, if I go out of coverage, what stops working? It would be terrible if the antenna became disconnected (if it is external), damaged, or accidentally shielded. As long as I only lost crap I never wanted in the first place, though, I suspect I would decline to repair such damage.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Trump supporters are circulating AI generated images of Trump in attempt to court African American voters

Imagine the image prompt

“I’ve written many best selling books! I have the best words, priding myself on my ability to write. The Lame Stream Media likes to pour over my prompts looking for a mistake. I capitalize certain words only for emphasis, not b/c they should be capitalized! Oh. And black people”

Trump being real in a fake AI photo of him with young black men and even though this is computer generated he still looks like he doesn’t want to be there

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@Nicovel0 @flexghost "Who has two thumbs (on the same hand) and plans to end democracy? This guy!"

axbom, to random
@axbom@axbom.me avatar

The electricity and water use required by data centres is becoming cause for concern. Iowa and Ireland are calling for moratoriums on new development projects. Microsoft’s global water consumption grew 34% from 2021 to 2022. And estimates say that around 80% of content in data centres could be stuff we never use again, stored by default to consume energy in perpetuity for no purpose at all.

Generative video: Hold my beer.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@jbiserkov @axbom @strypey Could they cool the water by burying long loops of pipes, like a ground source heat pump? Essentially radiating it back into the ground? My suspicion is "yes, but at greater expense than wasting water they can get cheaply." So many businesses seem to exist only by shifting the costs of externalities onto the public.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

No news | No Trump | No politics

Take a break:

It's a feels thread!

1/

Man and soon to be fiancé opening Pokemon cards (captions saying it's her favorite hobby) where she finds a cars saying will you marry me. She says yes and I'm not crying you are

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@flexghost +1 for the alt text. I was thinking exactly that.

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Just asked Google Bard for advice on what book to assign for a journalism course, and naturally it recommended a book that doesn't exist...

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor You'll know which students actually read it, then!

mcnees, to random
@mcnees@mastodon.social avatar

You’ll never guess what’s behind all these high prices. (You absolutely will guess.)

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/19/us-inflation-caused-by-corporate-profits

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@mcnees Wait a minute! I have it on unimpeachable authority that it's Joe Biden's fault. The evidence is on Hunter's laptop...
Next thing you'll tell me is that bacon prices didn't go up 5x.
/s

ZachWeinersmith, to random
@ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social avatar

What are your last three book purchases and are you ashamed?

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@ZachWeinersmith Starter Villain by John Scalzi; The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz; Living Memory by David Walton. Of the three, I have only just started The Terraformers. I cannot ever remember regretting a book purchase, even the ones I haven't found time to read. I'll get to them.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

It’s time to rid our republic of the Sith.

Imagine being accused of a computer related crime and this is who will make a decision over your life

Or write the legislation over internet freedom

Or run the country

Or make decisions about gender affirming care

Enough. We need age and term limits in all levels of government.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@flexghost @mhanson101 How about this mental acuity test becomes mandatory every year, and we do away with lifetime appointments? That way, if the judge is still sharp (as confirmed by stellar acuity tests), they can be reappointed (at the political peril of the appointing and confirming politicians). Or how about we create a recall procedure? Then the citizens can organize to toss a judge that is still stuck in the last millennium. There are some young judges that need recalling, too.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Fuck Texas.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@flexghost I now think Texas is filled with corrupt partisan politicians that don't care about justice, and don't have the best interests of Texans in mind.

Full disclosure: I also thought that before. But I think it now, too.

scalzi, to random
@scalzi@mastodon.social avatar

"Absolutely rub my belly, this is totally not a trap."

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@mentallyalex @scalzi NARRATOR: It was, in fact, a trap.

rodhilton, to random
@rodhilton@mastodon.social avatar

How it started how it's going

Donald Trump’s Georgia Trial on RICO Charges to Livestream on YouTube, Judge Rules While cameras are barred from the former president's other criminal cases, the video site that once banned Trump will welcome him back for court proceedings

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@rodhilton That's the only way I will ever watch that man on TV: Sworn in, and under threat of perjury.

nixCraft, to linux
@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar

Patch submitted to the kernel by a four-year-old girl🤠

This patch fixes typos. Four year old girl submitted it with help from her Aunt.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@nixCraft I wish some of the devs on my team would comment their changes this well. Instead I see "<filename> updated." Yes, clearly that file was updated. But tell me which parts are happier now!

skyfaller, (edited ) to headphone
@skyfaller@jawns.club avatar

What's the best smartphone with a jack?

Other criteria:

  • Long support period for security updates
  • Easy to repair
  • Open source software, firmware and hardware would be ideal

But I will give up phones before I give up my 3.5 mm headphone jack, that's a hard line for me.

EDIT: I'm requiring security updates into 2027, since Samsung offers that on two models I'm considering. That should help narrow the field.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@skyfaller I had a Google Nexus phone a few years back, and they honored the warranty a week AFTER the end date, for which I was extremely grateful. Best of luck!

georgetakei, to random

Justice Elena Kagan must be rolling her eyes so hard right now. She once told her friends not to send her free bagels and lox because she'd have to report the gift.

Meanwhile, Clarence Thomas is a one-man pay-to-play shop for billionaires with private jets and luxury vacas.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@georgetakei Well, they were undoubtedly really, really good bagels.

crooksandliars, to random
@crooksandliars@crooklyn.social avatar

Fox dictates that every segment MUST have a Hunter Biden connection?

https://crooksandliars.com/2023/08/jesse-watters-show-flips-out-over-biden?utm_source=social&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_content=77974

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@crooksandliars I couldn't even get to the Hunter Biden part of the clip. Somehow, this guy turns replacing lead water pipes - pipes that we know are ancient, outdated time bombs, poisoning American citizens now, or when the acidity level changes, or when otherwise disturbed - replacing those pipes is somehow a plot to entice more "illegals" to come to the U.S.... someone should check the pipes at this guy's house. It appears that something has affected his mental processes in a negative way.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

You should be angry at how easy it is to buy a Supreme Court Justice

You should be angrier at how cheap it is:

$267,230

Meet Clarence Thomas’ RV.

A Prevost Le Mirage XL Marathon paid for by Anthony Welters—A man who made his fortune preventing you from getting health care.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@Melpomene @flexghost that's probably enough for a few Senators. Probably have some left over to get a representative.

MissingThePt, to random
@MissingThePt@mastodon.social avatar

Breaking: All current Mar-a-Lago employees required to train their replacements to ensure continuity when they are indicted.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@MissingThePt They're hoping they'll avoid having untrained help that doesn't know how to delete the surveillance video next time.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Biden is up against a twice impeached adjudicated sex offender under indictment for espionage and a Florida man who has good things to say about slavery

…and it’s close.

What’s that tell you about america?

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@flexghost @jaycee I was traveling through SC recently, & went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast & people watching. GMA had some piece on about 45's growing indictment, & two different people opined about the story. One: They should just leave that poor man alone. Two: I don't care about Hunter Biden or Trump, all I want to know is how much taxpayer money has been wasted on these investigations. Also Two, "all presidents have done it" (taken classified material from the WH). 🤯 I believe it.

rodhilton, to random
@rodhilton@mastodon.social avatar

I hate to admit how sad this makes me because I know that Elon and his taint sniffers get off on that sort of thing but damn, this sucks https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-says-twitter-change-logo-adieu-all-birds-2023-07-23/

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@rodhilton What exactly did he buy? The brand name that he's changing, the advertisers he's driven away, the users he's alienated, the workers he's fired or driven away (the institutional knowledge they took with them when they left), or the code base he disparages as inefficient and broken?

Why not start just from scratch if you don't want any of those things that actually made the company valuable?

I guess the real treasure was the Nazi friends he made along the way?

bigzaphod, to random
@bigzaphod@mastodon.social avatar

Boost if you're old enough to remember ZMODEM.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@philpem @bigzaphod No love for Punter?
GOOGOOGOOBADGOOGOOGOO...

rodhilton, to random
@rodhilton@mastodon.social avatar

Why is the right so insistent on making Hunter Biden look so fucking awesome?

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@rodhilton Nice try! You can make him look as cool as you want, I'm still not voting for him.

realTuckFrumper, to random
@realTuckFrumper@mastodon.social avatar

My Kevin Can’t Endorse Trump Because If He Does He’s Finished https://politizoom.com/my-kevin-cant-endorse-trump-because-if-he-does-hes-finished/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@realTuckFrumper "McCarthy can do the arithmetic as well as anybody else." Are we sure? It didn't seem like he knew how to count votes during the House Speaker election. My faith in humanity will grow a little the moment the voters in CA's 20th relieve him of the burden of (mis-)representing them.

shoq, to random
@shoq@mastodon.social avatar

So listen: I don't love talking about my health in public, but I think I have an important message for anyone who has EVER smoked cigarettes. Unknown to almost everyone, the #2 cause of bladder cancer in men and women, after genetics, is prior smoking. Urologists should be warning everyone that has ever smoked to get a regular cystoscopy, (not painful). In that critical early stage, these cancers can ONLY been seen by visual inspection. That's it.

CuriousMatter,
@CuriousMatter@mastodon.social avatar

@shoq Indeed. My dad smoked from when he was a teenager in the the mid-40s until he passed away of metastisized bladder cancer in 2000. When I asked my doctor if I should be concerned about developing it, he said that since I have never been a smoker, my chances of developing bladder cancer are very, very low.

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