@not2b@sfba.social avatar

not2b

@not2b@sfba.social

(he/him) Aging tech nerd, living in Silicon Valley. I'm an avid hiker and geocacher.

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GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Pete McCloskey, a California congressman who raised a flag of rebellion against President Richard M. Nixon’s war policies in Vietnam with a spirited but futile race for the Republican presidential nomination in 1972, died on Wednesday at his home in Winters, Calif., west of Sacramento. He was 96.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/us/politics/pete-mccloskey-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff I am old enough to remember when there were Republicans who were to the left of most Southern Democrats (and when some Southern Democrats were segregationists and they hadn't become Republicans yet). Mac Mathias of Maryland was one of them that I remember.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

People on Mastodon: Assume EVERYTHING is AI, and have an extensive discussion about its dangers and possibilities under every post.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr Careful: Trump is now adopting the "everything is AI" defense to deny things he's on video saying or admitting to, at least in some of his posts. He even says it about unflattering photos. So "assume everything is AI" has its dangers.

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

#TrumpTrial #Trump #legal 🧵starts HERE.

REMEMBER: I can’t/won’t reply while live-posting. Please use NFL (Not For Laffy) so I can skip your reply, but NO hashtag on that. Thx.

1/…

Tyler McBrien::

Necheles rises to renew Trump's objection to Daniels testifying about any "sexual details," which she says has no relevance and is prejudicial.
By details, Merchan asks, more than just "we had sex"? Yes, Necheles says.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff NFL They'll ask for a mistrial but the judge is no pushover. If the prosecution went over the line in his opinion he would have stopped it. He sustained some defense objections. And while IANAL, I don't see why a mistrial makes sense: in a trial that is about disguised payments to cover up a sexual encounter, the prosecution had the audacity to provide evidence that there was a sexual encounter?

evacide, to random
@evacide@hachyderm.io avatar

I cannot overstate how dangerous to free speech and a healthy democracy it is to redefine all anti-Zionism and criticism of the state of Israel as antisemitism. You know who's loudly critical of Zionism and the Israeli govt? Jews. A lot of Jews.

https://forward.com/fast-forward/608308/gop-democrats-antisemitism-campus-israel/

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@evacide Not to mention that there are plenty of people who identify as Zionists who nevertheless are outraged at the Netanyahu government (some because of the war, others because of his corruption); there are huge marches protesting against him right now.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

It's strange to me when I see people get upset about people doing good deeds, and posting it online.

"They're just doing it for attention!"

Yeah, so what? I'd much rather see people doing nice things for attention, than the people who do mean pranks or wasting food. A good deed is still good, even if it's done for the wrong reasons.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr I only get annoyed when a company spends maybe $10k doing something good, and then spends a million in advertising bragging about that small contribution. Some of the Big Oil companies used to do that a lot. If things are proportionate I am fine with it.

wimpy, to random
@wimpy@fosstodon.org avatar

WAT!? 🤦‍♂️

https://news.itsfoss.com/mastodon-link-problem/

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@wimpy The replies to this are obnoxious. As @jwz has pointed out, this is a real problem, but lots of people are calling this person names, saying he should fix his site, to work around a wasteful Mastodon inefficiency. It's a bug and it needs to be fixed; we shouldn't be generating tens of thousands of requests to make the link preview. It could be generated once and the image could be shared, or it could be cached in some other way.

There is a workaround, sort of. When linking to someone's site, if an image is included in the post a link preview image won't be generated.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

"Do it!"
-Senator Palpatine, Naboo (R)

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@flexghost Here's my (not entirely unrealistic) fantasy of how this could play out:

Democrats offer to save Johnson if he makes some concessions, Johnson says no.

Motion to vacate is voted on. Johnson loses.

The GOP spends two weeks fighting, no speaker is chosen.

Two more GOP representatives resign in disgust, giving the Democrats a temporary majority. They ask for police protection after massive death threats.

Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker. Knowing that it's only temporary, until special elections restore the GOP majority, he gets some top Democratic priorities that have wide support enacted.

Adam_Cadmon1, to random
@Adam_Cadmon1@mastodon.online avatar

Last boost: As a Black man, I dont have to go back that far: 150 years ago it was illegal for me to read and I do that everyday.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@Adam_Cadmon1 In the town I grew up in (in Maryland, inside the Beltway) it was illegal to sell a house to a Black person. It was written in every title deed, the original developer of the town set it up that way and made all buyers agree to those terms. Those clauses were binding until 1968, when the Fair Housing Act invalidated them. Clauses like that were common and not just in the South.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@Adam_Cadmon1 @zdl He is half German, half Chinese, living in China, not a native speaker. I am sure he means well.

lauren, to random
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org avatar

Personally, I don't believe that the outcome of ANY of the Trump trials would significantly alter the 2024 voting calculus, even if he were convicted in all of them. It's mostly all just talk for pollsters.

Even people who claim that convictions "might" change their votes away from Trump would, when push comes to shove, most likely then claim they were waiting for all appeals to be exhausted, which of course would take years.

Expecting the trials to have any significant impact is just a fantasy.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@lauren In a very close election, if it changes the minds of 2% that could flip the result from Trump to Biden. People are looking at the wrong numbers. Most people's votes are already set and won't change. But what matters is people on the edge.

mondoweiss, to Palestine
@mondoweiss@social.mondoweiss.net avatar

For months World Central Kitchen leadership censored material coming out of its Gaza operation and refused to honor staff concerns about our work there. They are finally taking a stand after personnel were killed but it is much too late.

https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/i-resigned-from-the-world-central-kitchen-because-it-refused-to-tell-the-truth-about-the-israeli-genocide-in-gaza/


@palestine @israel

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@mondoweiss @palestine @israel I still support them (financially) because they are feeding people. They made the judgment back then that not criticizing Israel would let them continue to feed people, and they found out the hard way that they were wrong about that. After that they were open and direct about what happened. But their hearts are in the right place all along and they are trying to do good.

18+ Frances_Larina, to random
@Frances_Larina@sfba.social avatar

Gee, it's almost like...well, like they don't really care about consistency so long as they get the outcome they prefer.

"Two years ago, conservatives relied on a strict interpretation of the Constitution’s text and original meaning to overturn the federal right to abortion. But on Thursday, as they debated whether Trump can be prosecuted for his bid to subvert the 2020 election, they seemed content to engage in a free-form balancing exercise where they weighed competing interests and practical consequences.

“The legal approach they seemed to be gravitating toward has no basis in the Constitution, in precedent, or logic,” said Michael Waldman, president and CEO of New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice. “It sure ain’t originalism.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/27/supreme-court-trump-immunity-00154744

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@Frances_Larina Yeah, that is why people who say that if they give Trump vast power they will give Biden vast power are wrong. This crowd will happily rule that Democratic presidents are weak and powerless, but Republican presidents, even ex presidents, are all powerful. The model is the Iranian Council of Guardians. Iran has elections, but all the power is held by old men in black robes with lifetime appointments.

mcc, to random
@mcc@mastodon.social avatar

Exactly what affine transformation is the raw function

(x,y) = (x+y, x-y)

Equivalent to? Like if I wanted to express that transformation in terms of translations and rotations.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@mcc It is a 2 by 2 matrix. You can express that matrix as a combination of a translation, a scaling, and a rotation.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Andrew Weissmann said this last night. These are creative, and hopefully potentially effective, options:

options in addition to fine/jail:

  • put a monitor over his use of social media posts
  • hold sentence on a contempt finding until after trial over
  • advise Trump that his contempt of gag order can be considered at sentencing upon conviction.

All can be used by Judge Merchan.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff The difficulty is that if penalties don't kick in until after the trial, he can continue to use jury intimidation and witness intimidation to assure a hung jury. I think consequences need to kick in sooner. First fine him. It it persists, and is really blatant, he can spend one of his Wednesday breaks in jail.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@GottaLaff Yes, but he said the other consequences beyond fines could wait until after the trial and I don't think it can wait, at least not if Trump keeps attacking witnesses and the jury.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

I love when the public bathroom toliet is in a fully enclosed little room, so no one can look at my feet or peak through the cracks. Stay away you bathroom voyeurs!

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@enantiomer @RickiTarr I used to go to Germany a lot for work back in the 90s, and that kind of toilet was common. I was told that some people want to inspect their poop to make sure it is healthy, but have no idea whether that is the reason. It certainly makes the room stink more.

dgar, to random
@dgar@aus.social avatar

I had the slowest, rudest and nastiest cashier today.

I’m done using the self checkout.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@maddad @Red_Shirt_Dude @Mary625 @dgar I never use self checkouts, even if I have to wait in line. I am rooting for them to go away, and it seems some stores are giving up on them.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Have you ever met someone who lies all the time, but doesn't seem to realize they are lying?

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr My mother would make up stories sometimes. She made up a whopper at my wedding, that I would cheer on my younger brothers at their swim meets, and say "you're not drowning, you're winning!" Some of my friends said "That's Joe!" because something like that wouldn't have been totally out of character for me, but it was completely made up, I was never at any of their swim meets. She was a kind woman, but she liked a good story.

goldstein, to random
@goldstein@mstdn.social avatar

This is the ultimate. My TV is no longer supported by Netflix. They actually expect me to buy a new TV to see their crummy service! Canceling today.

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@lauren @goldstein We use an older Chromecast device with a dumb TV. If your allegedly smart TV has an HDMI input you could go that route, and it is cheap.

ianRobinson, to random
@ianRobinson@mastodon.social avatar

Happy days. I can remember renting this on VHS. Its fab. Fun fact. The video rental shop was the building that’s now Cafe Nosh in Dundonald.

Sony Pictures Classics to Re-Release 4K Version of Run Lola Run
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sony-pictures-classics-re-release-run-lola-run-25th-anniversary-1235877479/

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@ianRobinson Loved that movie, saw it in the theater when it first came out and bought the DVD. At the time (1990s), my work took me to Germany several times a year and I remember seeing ads saying "Lola rennt nicht mehr", explaining that Lola now had a bus pass.

garius, to random
@garius@mastodon.me.uk avatar

Think this is maybe the most feels short story I've ever written.

Came about because I was watching an old Cosmos episode and started thinking about light speed, and how that might affect the last letter a person could send in war.

Should probably add a trigger warning for dads, prior to reading.

https://johnbull.beehiiv.com/p/message

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@garius I'm a dad with a daughter, I cried. Thanks.

mcc, to random
@mcc@mastodon.social avatar

Looking into how to set up a bluesky server.

Noticed this bit here, in the documentation. That's an interesting way to spell "cannot"

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@mcc
Developer: well, it works on my machine.

Manager: well, how can we just ship your whole machine?

Docker: we can do that for you.

w7voa, to random
@w7voa@journa.host avatar

Meta’s AI chatbot informs a parents' group that it has a disabled child who is both gifted and challenged academically and attends a NYC public school. https://www.404media.co/facebooks-ai-told-parents-group-it-has-a-disabled-child/

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@w7voa Chatbots don't know anything other than what words come after what other words in certain contexts. It shouldn't be surprising that in the context of a parents' support group it would talk like a parent with children that need support. It is just copying language.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

"Chain migration" is the BEST kind of immigration. You want people who move to you country to have a local network and support. You want new immigrants to bring their family, and the economic activity they generate and the value they add to communities to be in YOUR country.

I can't believe we let them use it like a slur. It's good and do it more.

What? They brought their elderly parents? That's good for US and for them (the new American we want to be successful and happy.) RIGHT?

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@Npars01 @futurebird It means that they are OK with chain migration for white European immigrants.

w7voa, to random
@w7voa@journa.host avatar

Accounts pushing disinfo/misinfo about Iran vs. Israel appear to be crowding out the few credible sources remaining on Twitter/X. As @jsrailton puts it: "Twitter is awash with a flood tide of falsehoods tonight. Some is the work of people trying to farm revenue. And some is disinformation seeking to seed specific false perceptions."

not2b,
@not2b@sfba.social avatar

@w7voa @jsrailton If this will finally cure journalists of thinking that they have to be on X because that is where the breaking news is, fine with me.

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