samueljohnson

sjvn, 1 month ago to random

Now, it's a party!

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/you-can-now-buy-a-flame-throwing-robot-dog-for-under-10000/

fkamiah17, 1 month ago to random

🚨 Please read this 🚨

"What has been seen cannot be unseen and the world can now see exactly what European values really are. 200 days of Israel systematically wiping Gaza from the earth. 505 bombs a day. 21 an hour. Doctors executed, mass graves in hospitals, journalists murdered. And all the while with not just the silence but the active complicity of the European Union. The European Union who flew the flag of the oppressor from day one ...
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quentinsf, 1 month ago to random

A load of cobblers https://statusq.org/archives/2024/04/24/12023/

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ottocrat, 1 month ago to random

TIL that our coffee machine runs on Ubuntu

Close up of the error message: Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS maestro tty1 maestro login: Checking USB device mountpoint /media/ushe Checking USB device mountpoint /media/usb1 Checking USE device mountpoint /media/usb2 Checking USB device mountpoint /media/usb4 Checking USB device mountpoint /media/usb7 Checking USB device mountpoint /media/usb3 Checking USB device mountpoint /media/usbo Checking USB device mountpoint /media/usb5 No USB device detected No local directory /us/share/res/bin_update_at_next_boot detected Leaving update script

ottocrat, 1 month ago to random

Quandary: my Apple ID is linked to the UK, though I'm physically in the EU 50% of the time. I need to link my Apple ID to the EU in order to be able to install the #AltStore app store. But this could really mess up my (UK-based) family settings, not to mention existing subs, media purchases, etc. In short: fuck Brexit

BrideOfLinux, 1 month ago to random

I can't help but wonder if that's really true, or just what the Commerce Secretary wants us to believe is true: Raimondo Says Huawei’s Chip Breakthrough Is Years Behind US Tech https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/hardware/raimondo-says-huawei-s-chip-breakthrough-years-behind-us-tech

mastodonmigration, 1 month ago to random

If you were wondering, even a little bit, if the New York Times was going to "both sides" Trump's criminal election interference trial, here's the answer. 🤷

egeexyz, 1 month ago to random

I need more Linux, FOSS, and general tech bloggers in my feed. Link some for meee

kittylyst, 1 month ago to opensource

"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices." - I wonder what Adam Smith would have made of #opensource

mfeilner, 1 month ago to opensource German

Puuuh. @nextcloud can you elaborate on this, giving some more facts on your "ethical AI" ratings and implementation? I am really interested, but so far this seems like a lot of marketing vapor without content according to the comments. Any facts to clarify? I'm only following the comments on the blogpost - it seems NC has been advertising something that nobody else has developed so far...
#opensource #AI #ethicalAI #linux #vaporware

https://nextcloud.com/blog/nextcloud-ethical-ai-rating/

ian, 1 month ago to random

Over 30 European police forces have (yet again) attacked the increasing deployment of end-to-end encryption (such as on Meta’s three platforms WhatsApp, Messenger and soon Instagram.)

This is how powerful policy stakeholders (like law enforcement and big business) often win arguments. They never, ever give up, repeating the same arguments ad nauseam — over decades if necessary — regardless of any evidence which emerges 🫠

Even intelligence insiders have acknowledged that, contrary to scare stories about the spread of encrypted “dark spaces”, the widespread use of connected tech has made this century a ‘Golden Age of Sigint’ (signals intelligence/surveillance).

The law enforcement statement makes the same “binary choice” error they accuse others of. “Companies will not be able to respond effectively to a lawful authority.” To do what? “Nor will they be able to identify or report illegal activity on their platforms.” Wildly inaccurate. “As a result, we will simply not be able to keep the public safe.” 💩 This would be a lot more productive debate if police chiefs would acknowledge even the smallest amount of nuance, rather than shroud-waving.

What types of systems can be built which protect vulnerable people and privacy? Meta claims it is doing this; where are the independent evaluations of their and other companies’ claims? Shouldn’t the UK govt make use of the sterling research work it has funded by examining this question?

European police have gathered evidence from tens of thousands of encrypted mobile phones (using EncroChat) which has led to thousands of prosecutions (with important human rights and evidential quality questions raised.) What lessons can we learn from that?

The distinguished and sadly recently deceased Prof. Ross Anderson published two powerful analyses of these issues in the last 18 months alone. And in February, the European Court of Human Rights determined:

Weakening encryption by creating backdoors would apparently make it technically possible to perform routine, general and indiscriminate surveillance of personal electronic communications. Backdoors may also be exploited by criminal networks and would seriously compromise the security of all users’ electronic communications. The Court takes note of the dangers of restricting encryption described by many experts in the field. (par 77)

Societies would be much better off — rights respected, criminals investigated and vulnerable people protected — if the policing and intelligence organisations pushing this agenda would learn a little from their almost 50 years of failing to get end-to-end encryption banned 🫠

https://www.ianbrown.tech/2024/04/22/1852/

davidallengreen, 1 month ago to random

Rwanda

The Prime Minister must have bullish internal government legal advice saying that all appeals can be easily dealt with within 10-12 weeks, including to court of appeal and supreme court.

Or perhaps he does not.

AnnemarieBridy, 1 month ago to random

The number of references in this article to “free access to information” is an extreme exercise in question begging. The purpose of the statute is to compel payment for previously free links to news. The novel statutory mandate to pay for links is what’s impeding free access.

California wants Big Tech to pay for news. Google is fighting back. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/21/google-blocks-california-news/

mwichary, 1 month ago to random

What would you consider as the most recognizable bitmap fonts in tech history?

I’m imagining stuff like:

• the arcade/Atari font
• Chicago (Mac, then iPod)
• VCR/video equipment fonts
• Minecraft font
• IBM PC fonts (MDA, VGA, stuff like that)
• perhaps System font from Windows 3.x
• Commodore 64, just because of the sheer popularity of the machine

What am I missing?

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mwichary, 1 month ago to random

“Of course I like to read nontechnical books, although I read very slowly. Here are some that I heartily recommend.”—Don Knuth

😳

https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/retd.html

Teri_Kanefield, 1 month ago to random

Hi, Fediverse Peeps,

I have my weekend blog post ready.

https://terikanefield.com/trumps-first-criminal-trial-theories-of-the-case/

Because my sanity requires a bit of a break from social media, my thoughts are all going into my weekend blog posts.

The comments are off, but please feel free to let me know here if I made an error. I don't hire a proofreader (duh, right?)

(If you get the error message wait a minute and try again. If you have an idea for how to fix it other than using a cache plug in, which didn't work, let me know.)

samueljohnson, 1 month ago to random

Tory Britain in two stories

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/18/kemi-badenoch-uk-wealth-not-from-white-privilege-colonialism

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/20/tory-mp-from-slave-owning-family-set-to-gain-3m-from-sale-of-former-plantation

blog, 1 month ago to random

Toilet Review! Better Bathrooms Smart Toilet Seat
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2024/04/toilet-review-better-bathrooms-_27403/

I want to make one thing very clear. Despite my propensity for IoT gadgetry, I did not connect my toilet to the Internet!

It's 2024. Why are you still scraping your arsehole with paper like some kind of 20th century throwback? A decade ago, I got a cheap bidet attachment. It wasn't great. The water was cold, the fittings leaked, and the plastic was creaky.

For our recent bathroom renovation, I decided that I wanted to get a proper Japanese style toilet with integrated bidet and all the technology I could find.

That didn't quite pan out. You can pay literally thousands of pounds for a "smart" toilet. And if you want the seat separately, that can cost several hundred quid as well. As much as I value my posterior, I didn't fancy paying through it!

But, with diligent research, I found one for £300 - that included the toilet, cistern, and smart seat.

It has blinkenlights!

What it does

Oh! A whole bunch! It offers rear and front wash - with an adjustable angle. It warms the water to your preferred temperature. While it is washing, it can oscillate and massage. And the whole thing can be controlled by a couple of built-in buttons, or a relatively simple remote control.

Wireless remote. Control your smart toilet using the handy integrated control buttons, or the wireless magnetic remote. The remote also comes with a convenient holder that attaches to a wall. Self-cleaning hose. This intelligent toilet is incredibly hygienic. It automatically cleans itself before use or every 72 hours when not in use to eliminate bacteria. Set your ideal hose position to one of five angles. The hose is concealed within the toilet seat when not in use. The white nightlight automatically turns on when low light is detected. This means you’ll find it easier to fall asleep after a night-time trip to the loo. Enjoy a hygienic cleaning experience choose from a front, rear or front and rear wash. The built-in sensor ensures wash and dry functions will only occur while you're seated. In a power cut, this toilet will function like a regular toilet. Choose between five water temperature settings (31-39°C). Then, select one of five spray wash modes to find your preferred level. Enjoy maximum hygiene and easy installation with a quick release seat. This design is quick and easy to remove and to aid easy cleaning of the seat and toilet itself.

There's also a little hatch for putting in some limescale remover, and a drain hole if you need to empty the bidet's tank - so should be pretty good for maintenance.

The remote has a magnetic holster which can be stuck to a nearby surface.

Oh, and there's a handy night-light.

A dark room. An ethereal glowing light emanates from the bowl of a toilet. Possibly leading sailors to their doom.

What it

At this price, there are limits to the technology. The seat isn't heated. The toilet lid doesn't automatically open or close. It doesn't play a little tune while you're going about your business. There's no air-dryer to remove excess water from your botty. No UV light sterilisation. The flush is manual - although it is dual control. It won't spray perfume into the water after a particularly troublesome dump.

Although there's a remote, the number of buttons build in to the seat are limited - front, back, and stop.

And, crucially, there's no Internet or Bluetooth connectivity.

Look, I know you think I'm stupid. But I would have like to control it from my phone. I'm going to be taking it in there with me anyway, so why can't I open an app to load my water temperature preferences?

The tech

The remote control operates at 2460MHz - which should keep it safe from naughty reprobates who have a Flipper Zero. But I doubt it offers any significant protection against a determined hacker. If you have multiple loos, is possible to set the remote to a different ID to prevent accidental interference.

The main protection seems to be the buttock detection software. Using a small camera presence sensor, the bidet refuses to operate until you have wedged yourself on the throne.

The pump and heater aren't overly powerful, so I'm not too worried about a hacker blasting a jet of boiling hot water up where the sun don't shine.

Downsides

There are a few minor annoyances. The pump is a little on the noisy side. It is quieter than a flush, but the whirring is noticeable.

The plumbing is somewhat complicated. Our bathroom fitter said it wasn't the neatest design to fit. The water hose juts out a little from the side, as does the power cable. They then wrap behind the unit.

It does feel a little narrower than other loos I've used. But it is plenty big enough for me.

Verdict

I can't find anything online about the "Purificare" brand. I suspect this is a white-label product; there seem to be several similar variants around. So I've no idea how reliable they are.

I wasn't expecting miracles for £300 - but I'm pretty impressed! As a toilet, it does the job. It is solid and the flush is powerful enough for my vegetarian diet.

The bidet is delightful. I mean that sincerely! Having a pulsing jet of moderately warm water, washing away the shameful filth of your pitiful human body, is a sensory delight. My tush has never been cleaner and my toilet-paper bills are much reduced.

If, like me, you spend more time on the bog than is strictly necessary, this is a reasonably priced accessory and will make even the most urgent visit to the smallest room a relaxing and pleasant experience.

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2024/04/toilet-review-better-bathrooms-_27403/

#gadget #review #toilet

jon, 1 month ago to random

Broke the bike trailer coupler yesterday

It’s a German trailer - Croozer. And I’m in France currently. The only stockist of just this part I can find is in Freiburg 🇩🇪 and their online shop won’t send to 🇫🇷

That 🇪🇺 Single Market, eh?

So I’m going to try my luck with a Chinese generic one from Amazon instead 😡