@tml@urbanists.social avatar

tml

@tml@urbanists.social

Software engineer, retired. Loves trains. Anti-fascist. Atheist. Feminist. Disillusioned by the open source "community".

My toots are licensed as CC BY-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ . In other words, feel free to index them. Magic words: searchable.

If you want to follow me you must have some sane information in your description. And some own toots that show you are real person. If you seem to be a bot, I will block you right away.

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

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

I dislike Elon Musk and I understand the problems caused to astronomy by a large number of low earth orbit satellites. But still, please people, before you share this story about “Starlink precipitation” that is doing the rounds, be a bit critical. I am not at all sure that such a term is actually used in the astronomical community. My guess is that it’s just this one guy that came up with it for lols in a post.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Is it so that if you tap “cash and balance” on an ATM they will charge you extra for the balance inquiry? I am very distrusting about that company and always choose “other” and then just “cash withdrawal”.

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

@partim Because they are everywhere. Like very close to restaurants that for some reason (easier tax avoidance?) don’t take cards.

tml, to porto
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

The public transport ticket machines in have a better UX than the ones in .

In Porto they asked whether you have a Portuguese tax number or not, and they used the weird word “title” instead of the simple to understand word “ticket”. Also, here you can with one payment buy several travel cards with the same tickets loaded onto each card.

But sure, ideal is London-style contactless payment system with daily fee capping . Instead of a separate travel card for each city you visit.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

I wished Слава Україні! to some people, hope they were Russian.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Lisbon Airbnb confirmed, a bit nerve wracking, why did we leave it to the last minute…

tml, to random Finnish
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Mmm, olen liberaali. Hyväksyn näitä laskiaispulliksi. Vaikkei edes ole laskiainen.

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

(The DeepL automatic translation to English is completely wrong. This is a joke about Shrove Tuesday buns, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semla.)

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

There is a train connection from Lisbon to Badajoz (border station in Spain) that arrives at 17:26. Guess when the train to Madrid leaves Badajoz? Four minutes earlier of course. Because reasons. Would be reasonable to expect state owned railway companies in neighbouring countries to coordinate their timetables, right?

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Sure, there are similar issues even between saner countries like France and Germany. But in those cases trains tend to run more frequently. This 17:22 train from Badajoz to Madrid is the last of the day.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

I love that some of Spain’s main railway stations have been given names honouring Spanish female authors, journalists, philosophers etc. Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Gardens, Madrid-Chamartin-Clara Campoamor, Málaga-Maria Zambrano. Are there more? Better than mythical figures (saints).

But still. From a usability POV such complex names are horrible. Parts of the name can be left out or abbreviated. Could easily confuse an unaware traveler, especially a foreigner.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

The feeling when you are already completely full in a tapas bar and can’t recall whether you ordered anything more and are afraid they will bring you one more dish.

I am used to Finnish tapas bars where three tapas per person is the norm. Here two is definitely enough.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar
tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

First Santiago pilgrimage walker spotted. As almost expected based on Taras Grescoe’s book, he looked more looking for casual romantic encounters in hostels for peregrinos than for spiritual uplifting.

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

After a hot walk, not one but two glasses of ice cold Coke zero, please. One for each hand.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Might this perhaps be good news? Or it is just marketing BS?

Ah now I notice it was May 12 last year…

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

And without any noise, cursing workers, or sledgehammer application (compare to bogie change Poland/Ukraine etc) this train changed from 1435 to 1668 mm gauge on the fly. First time for me. Now in Galicia.

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

If you buy tickets to the Alcazar in Córdoba on the net, it asks you for names, passport numbers, telephone numbers and other shit, tedious to enter. If you just walk up to the ticket office, you get your ticket, and pay. Because Internet and Security!!!

danjac, to random
@danjac@masto.ai avatar

Now that Jack Dorsey has left the board of Bluesky he will have more time for his other job, Archbishop to Catherine the Great

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

@danjac I think the technical term is Patriarch?

tml, to random
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Out for a few cocktails. Luckily had a look at what Google Maps lists, as there is a classy cocktail bar in the neighbouring block that we had passed multiple times but not noticed. Called 1862 Dry Bar. Don’t know the significance of 1862.

image/jpeg

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

The next bar has a non-alcoholic cocktail named Hilma af Klint! (Love the abstractness and avantgardism of her art, hate the esoteric supernatural shit.) I went for the alcohol-containing Abduction one, though.

image/jpeg

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

Which is served in a suitable container, with a light and smoke show. Colour me impressed.

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar
foone, to random
@foone@digipres.club avatar

It's kinda depressing how tumblr is imploding now and I'm seeing half my follow list go "man, after seeing both twitter and tumblr do this, it's really showing how it's a bad idea for a social media network to be run by a company who can make arbitrary changes without user consent.

anyway, here's my bsky: ..."

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

@foone How is “user consent” implemented in the Fediverse, or more specifically Mastodon? Anyone can run their own server and modify the code as they like (simple matter of programming) and block any other server they like?

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

@root @foone So a “user” is someone who knows programming and wants to run their own servers etc? I see.

tml,
@tml@urbanists.social avatar

@root @foone And still such a user can resist arbitrary changes decided by whoever implements the fediverse software they’re running? (Or, alternatively, stay in some old version that in some years will be a security liability.)

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • anitta
  • kavyap
  • DreamBathrooms
  • everett
  • magazineikmin
  • InstantRegret
  • ngwrru68w68
  • Youngstown
  • Durango
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • GTA5RPClips
  • modclub
  • PowerRangers
  • provamag3
  • thenastyranch
  • khanakhh
  • osvaldo12
  • ethstaker
  • vwfavf
  • mdbf
  • tester
  • tacticalgear
  • Leos
  • cisconetworking
  • cubers
  • normalnudes
  • megavids
  • All magazines