@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

ralfmaximus

@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social

49% Evil Is Not Half Bad

Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Multi-fandom nerd but lots of Star Trek.
Multiple careers, but centered around software & technology & public healthcare especially EH.

I write sometimes, mostly science fictiony things.

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

jasonkoebler, to random
@jasonkoebler@mastodon.social avatar

Scoop: I obtained the contract Samsung requires independent shops to sign to buy phone repair parts from them.

It requires:

  • "Daily" dumps of customer data
  • The "immediate destruction" of any phones a shop comes across that has third-party parts

https://www.404media.co/samsung-requires-independent-repair-shops-to-share-customer-data-snitch-on-people-who-use-aftermarket-parts-leaked-contract-shows/

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@nightdream @00Aaron @jasonkoebler

Me: Here, please fix my phone

Authorized Repair Guy: downloads all my contacts, emails, SMS, photos

Authorized Repair Guy: drops my phone into an industrial shredder

Authorized Repair Guy: That'll be $199

mentallyalex, to random
@mentallyalex@beige.party avatar

Cybertrucks are vulnerable to rusting in the rain, correct?

A flatbed was stranded on the side of the road as it was raining on it and the cybertruck it carried.

I'm curious what this means. If the truck rusts, did the owner strike it lucky by being able to hold the tow truck liable? IS the truck liable?

I imagine the situation is a bad to worse, typically people do not have flatbeds towing their healthy vehicles.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@mentallyalex

US commercial tow trucks are required to carry liability insurance (up to $750K I think) should they be deemed liable for damages inflicted during a tow.

One could argue the Cybertruck should have been covered with a tarp (same as if a convertible was towed with the top down, or windows rolled down in the rain) so making a claim should be pretty straightforward. Assuming the cybertruck melted or whatever.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@mentallyalex

Oh I thoroughly agree. ANY vehicle should endure being outside without damage, especially something marketed as a rugged truck.

Having said that, tow truck operators do try to protect the vehicles they tow via a collection of straps & tarps if required. Flatbed drivers especially. That's just part of the job.

KNOWING that a cybertruck needs special treatment? That's iffy. I mean anybody can claim damages for anything, but whether or not they're successful? Who knows.

_L1vY_, to random
@_L1vY_@mstdn.social avatar

Will current Windows desktops be forcing us to "upgrade" to the screenshot surveillance nightmare? Or is it only new machines?

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@_L1vY_ @Nonya_Bidniss

Y'all, you can probably keep using Windows 10 for the foreseeable future. While Microsoft End-Of-Lifes it in 2025, all that means is that Windows Update will stop rebooting your PC against your will every two or three weeks.

So long as you keep a malware program installed (I like Malware Bytes Premium) and avoid opening phishing emails, you'll be fine.

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Wait. You’re telling me a bigoted antivaxxer who only goes on right wing media and is supported by thought leaders like Joe Rogan and Rob Schneider isn’t taking Dem votes away?

Ya don’t say…

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@zalasur @flexghost

That. But also a common delusion among MAGA types, that there is a faction of Democrats who fundamentally agree with MAGA beliefs but due to Trump Derangement Syndrome won't vote for the guy. So by offering a Trump-like candidate named Kennedy they'd sweep the election!

This is what living in a bubble gets you.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

MEANWHILE, at , via Ryan Reilly:

Supreme Court Trump immunity arguments underway.

"There can be no presidency as we know it" without presidential immunity, Trump lawyer John Sauer argues. 🤦🏻‍♀️

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff NFL

> turning the Oval Office into the seat of criminal activity in this country

Not even a hypothetical. This actually happened.

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Trump's lawyer arguing for additional proceedings in the lower court, and Gorsuch apparently liking the idea.

This case is all and only about delaying the Jan. 6 trial until after the election.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@msbellows

Called Bork "a very important person" before citing him too.

erictopol, to random
@erictopol@mstdn.social avatar

This isn't good, folks.
I'm not worried about H5N1 transmission to humans (yet) but the USDA pathetic lack of transparency, how long it took for the genomes to be released, lack of testing asymptomatic cattle......
All detracts from "confidence"

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@Extra_Special_Carbon @erictopol

Heat kills virus. Properly cook that steak and it'll be fine. 158F / 70C

ralfmaximus, to random
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

It's only day 2 of the trial and I am so very tired of Pecker jokes.

anathema_device, to random
@anathema_device@bne.social avatar

Evangelicals with ties to "The Family" met Mike Johnson and Zelenskyy ahead of Ukraine vote | Salon.com

If you see evangelical House Republicans softening their opposition to military aid for Ukraine, don’t assume it’s divine intervention.

While most mainstream news hasn’t picked up on it, religious media outlets have started to notice how Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging a war on that most sacred of right-wing cows: Religious freedom.

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/19/evangelicals-with-ties-to-the-family-met-mike-johnson-and-zelenskyy-ahead-of-ukraine-vote_partner/

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@anathema_device

If I read this right (and it's dense): this is an "enemy of my enemy" situation, in that House evangelicals are mad at Putin for persecuting Christians. And that is why Johnson is backing Ukraine aid (for now).

But long term, it's bad for LGBTQ+ interests in Ukraine because evangelicals are rabidly anti-LGBTQ+

But for now, there has to be an existing Ukraine for that to be a later concern.

Am I close?

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Digby:

It's where the crime took place. Bragg is the Manhattan DA. And Alina is a very stable genius.

Habba: We’re seeing a painful selection because we’re in the state of New York which is definitely by design. There is no question that Bragg bringing this in New York… these venues are selected exactly for this reason

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@TerpieCat @GottaLaff NFL

Habba knows exactly what she's saying. She knows she's lying. Her audience is the MAGA base which is why it sounds utterly batshit.

aeva, to random
@aeva@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar

you ever think about how "copy" and "paste" don't have dedicated keys on most keyboards

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@JoshJers @aeva

Copilot is great! Press the Copilot key, then type "insert text from clipboard" or "copy highlighted text to clipboard" and watch Copilot delete your file!

maddad, to random
@maddad@mastodon.world avatar

OMG... what a waste.😡

Bezos' Bunker? Amazon Founder Buys Third Indian Creek Mansion for $90 Million

This is Bezos' third purchase on the island, which has become a haven for the rich and famous, including Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, NFL legend Tom Brady, and investor Carl Icahn.

People are literally dying of starvation and genocide around the world, and this is what the rich sobs do...😡 😡 😡

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/jeff-bezos-buys-miami-mansion-his-third-indian-creek-home-19444583

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@maddad

In case you were wondering what it looked like, here's Indian Creek.

ralfmaximus, to random
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

Experiment: who is awake now?

GayDeceiver, to random
@GayDeceiver@mstdn.social avatar

This sales engineer will say anything to sell the product. Anything. Any-thing.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@GayDeceiver

What's the difference between a used car salesman and a software salesman?

The used car salesman knows they're lying.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Four years ago today, the CDC advised all Americans to wear masks in public to avoid spreading covid.

Trump immediately announced he would refuse to wear one, needlessly turning masking into a divisive partisan issue and contributing to countless avoidable deaths.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich

According to reputable sources, because it smudged his makeup. Not even kidding.

nafnlaus, to Tennessee Icelandic
@nafnlaus@fosstodon.org avatar

Republicans, spurred on by advocates, pass a bill that, on the face of it, appears to unintentionally ban all emissions ("injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals into the air affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight")

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68716894

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@nafnlaus

Carbon dioxide is a "chemical". Technically, this bans human respiration.

mekkaokereke, to random
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io avatar

Honest question for white people that don't consider themselves racist:

White nationalists have been vocal about their attacks on DEI. These are literally the same people that talk about Charlottesville, Jan 6th, and ethnic cleansing.

They've laid out exactly how they plan to destroy DEI.

  1. Make false claims that DEI is about giving unqualified Black people an unfair advantage

  2. Work with racist politicians to use this as a pretext to make all DEI programs illegal.

1/n

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@_L1vY_ @MylesRyden @mekkaokereke

^^This. Anti-DEI is racist. Full stop.

I thought it was obvious? Every time I see somebody rant about DEI as a problem I think, "wow that person REALLY wants to use the n-word".

ralfmaximus, to random
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

Holy shit. I was just notified via automated Bugzilla email that a Thunderbird bug I reported over 13 years ago has just been fixed.

GottaLaff, to tesla
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Would-be buyers snub company as 's reputation dips

“The ranks of would-be Tesla buyers in the United States are shrinking, according to a survey by market intelligence firm Caliber, which attributed the drop in part to CEO Elon Musk's polarizing persona.”
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/would-be-tesla-buyers-snub-company-musks-reputation-dips-2024-04-01/

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@petealexharris @GottaLaff

I feel like the incident where he solicited sex from an employee by offering to buy her a horse then paid her $250,000 to keep it quiet needs more circulation.

https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-paid-250000-to-a-flight-attendant-who-accused-elon-musk-of-sexual-misconduct-2022-5

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Thank you Pres. :

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - The Biden administration has restored threatened species protections dropped during Donald 's presidency.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff

I love this. But also, SO MUCH of Biden's first term has been undoing the damage wrought by the previous admin.

I feel like we're still cleaning up from Hurricane Trump that hit in 2016.

obtener, to random
@obtener@mastodon.world avatar

is not the place for homeless individuals.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@obtener

> Jail is not the place for homeless individuals

Depends on your perspective. If you want an army of cheap/slave labor, then...

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️A New York appeals court agreed to slash the amount of the bond Donald must post to cover a $454 million civil fraud verdict to just $175 million -Bloomberg

granting him 10 days to pay a reduced bond

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@timo21 @Wileymiller @GottaLaff

> The case is still on track though.

^^This. Also, $175 million is not a trivial amount, especially for a guy who had trouble coughing up $92 million last month.

Note too that it's the BOND that was slashed, not the $454 million (now $500+ with interest) penalty, and that the appeals court denied other requests like dismissal of court appointed monitor.

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@tiamat271 @jimbush @timo21 @Wileymiller @GottaLaff @mhkohne

Securing a bond is a GOOD thing actually, so far as New York sees things. If he gets bonded for $175 million that money is guaranteed, whereas if they are forced to seize & liquidate assets then everything depends on sales price, and if there are willing buyers. And he's lied about the value of his assets for years -- that's the whole reason he owes $454 million. Nobody REALLY knows what his stuff is worth.

wdlindsy, to random
@wdlindsy@toad.social avatar

"NBC stands for Now Boosting the Coup."

~ Mark Jacob

#NBC #RonnaMcDaniel #Jan6 #insurrection #coup #MediaFail
/1

https://www.stopthepresses.news/p/nbc-stands-for-now-boosting-the-coup

ralfmaximus,
@ralfmaximus@mastodon.social avatar

@RiaResists @wdlindsy

That was definitely the thinking in mid/late 2023 when NBC negotiated their deal with her. NBC probably expected the Dominion lawsuit to destroy Fox and were planning a safe landing zone for the expected disenfranchised viewers... viewers that never came.

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