@trechnex@social.trechnex.com
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

trechnex

@trechnex@social.trechnex.com

Hello! I'm English, in my early thirties, and write online docs for a living.

I usually post about UK politics, tech industry news, and video games that I'm currently playing. I'm also gay, so LGBTQ+ rights are important to me.

First joined fedi in 2017. I used to write for Linux Format magazine & created the defunct "Glimpse" fork of the GNU Image Manipulation Program.

This is a personal non-work account, and I do use swear words. All views are my own. He/him/his. 🏳️‍🌈🌹

#nobot #noindex

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

MadeyeTheCarnaptious, to random
@MadeyeTheCarnaptious@mastodon.scot avatar

"RAF shot down Iranian drones heading for Israel, Sunak confirms."

So the RAF is now in combat defending ISRAEL against Iran, which is responding to Israel destroying Iran's consulate in Damascus.

This is what the Tories and "Labour" define as the "defence of the realm".

Any questions?

#IranConsulateAttack #IsraelWarCrimes #StopArmsSalesToIsrael

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@fkamiah17 @MadeyeTheCarnaptious technically no. Requiring a vote before action not related to self-defence is a convention that started with David Cameron, who had to climb down after losing a vote about creating a no-fly zone over Syria during the Arab spring.

Before that the government just declared war with privy council powers, briefed the opposition, then made a statement in parliament.

That’s how Tony Blair managed to declare war on Iraq despite massive opposition at the time.

baldur, to random
@baldur@toot.cafe avatar

“Back up everything: corps don’t care about your data but you should”

This. Back up your stuff. https://www.stuff.tv/features/back-up-everything-because-apple-yahoo-pocket-and-others-dont-care-about-your-data-and-photos-but-you-should/

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@baldur I’d go one further and suggest making hard copies of photos, music, and video that it would hurt to lose.

All it takes is one bad sync or transfer to a new machine without you noticing and that file is gone forever.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What is a little white lie you were told as a child, that you believed for too long?

I was way too old when I figured out a human couldn't actually get sucked down a drain or flushed down a toliet. I used to cling to my little brothers, and pull them out of the bath any time my Mum would pull to plug.

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@RickiTarr I was told to never show my thumbs to a horse, because they might think they're carrots and try to eat them.

In fairness, that was a good one. 😂

trechnex, to random
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

Sadly, this isn't the first time that far-right or evangelical christian groups from the US have tried to influence UK government policy. 😠

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/06/extreme-us-anti-abortion-group-ramps-up-lobbying-in-westminster

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

...and here's the reason why they were doing it: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/08/mps-propose-decriminalising-abortion-up-to-24-weeks-england-wales-stella-creasy

In summary, abortion is currently illegal in England & Wales unless the pregnancy is less than 24 weeks and two doctors agree that it should proceed. In practice, GPs normally wave it through unless there's a really compelling medical reason not to.

Two proposals are going to a free vote in parliament. One fully decriminalises abortions up to 24 weeks, and the other removes the criminal offence entirely.

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@mina I'm not particularly clued up on this, but from what I understand there are certain medical tests that can't be performed to check the viability of a foetus until ~20 weeks.

So theoretically if the limit was smaller than that would mean more stillbirths and medical complications for the mother.

Apparently the limit used to be 28 weeks, but it was reduced in the early '90s.

HunkThunderzone, to random
@HunkThunderzone@beige.party avatar

For those who want to say "it's just flipping burgers" here's your reality check.
This isn't casual family barbeque "flipping burgers" where you can drink and socialize.

You are in a 120+ degree kitchen, on your feet, for hours. Everything around you makes noises you have to pay attention to. You are surrounded by things that can burn or maim you if you're not careful enough.
And you have to do everything as fast, efficiently, and in compliance with health codes and local laws.
It stinks, and so do you, and everything you're wearing.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/california-minimum-wage-law-necessary-rcna145877

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@RickiTarr @HunkThunderzone as a teenager going through sixth form college I worked as a janitor in the mornings and a waiter in the evenings, and it's quite an eye-opening experience to see how differently people treat you when you're wearing the uniform for those roles.

I had hoped that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns had taught people that "unskilled labour" is a lie, because those underpaid people are providing a vital service for everyone. But sadly it seems the lesson didn't stick.

didgebaba, to random
@didgebaba@c.im avatar

“Last year, I had a life-changing experience at 90 years old. I went to space, after decades of playing an iconic science-fiction character who was exploring the universe. I thought I would experience a deep connection with the immensity around us, a deep call for endless exploration.
"I was absolutely wrong. The strongest feeling, that dominated everything else by far, was the deepest grief that I had ever experienced.
"I understood, in the clearest possible way, that we were living on a tiny oasis of life, surrounded by an immensity of death. I didn’t see infinite possibilities of worlds to explore, adventures to have, or living creatures to connect with. I saw the deepest darkness I could have ever imagined, contrasting so starkly with the welcoming warmth of our nurturing home planet.
"This was an immensely powerful awakening for me. It filled me with sadness. I realized that we had spent decades, if not centuries, being obsessed with looking away, with looking outside. I did my share in popularizing the idea that space was the final frontier. But I had to get to space to understand that Earth is and will stay our only home. And that we have been ravaging it, relentlessly, making it uninhabitable."
-- William Shatner, actor

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@didgebaba and then a bunch of rich people that have been doing the ravaging cut him off when he tried to give a speech and sprayed him with champagne, because for them it was just an amusement ride.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

I talk to people from the UK pretty regularly, I watch a lot of BBC programming, I read a lot of books by authors from the UK, but sometimes they will suddenly use a word I've never heard in my life, and I'm beginning to think they are pranking us, and every other person from the UK is in on the joke, and just validates whatever the other person says!

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@RickiTarr I once had to explain to an American colleague what I meant by "squeaky bum time" when I used it without thinking on a Zoom call, because they felt I was being very inappropriate with that turn of phrase. 😂

danyork, to random
@danyork@mastodon.social avatar

Anyone else who uses WhatsApp finding themselves added to a bunch of cryptocurrency investment groups lately?

Pretty much every day I'm hitting "Exit and Report" on another one.

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@danyork fwiw you can change who can add you to groups in the privacy settings.

aral, to random
@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar

Caught myself dreaming about filling the dishwasher.

🤦‍♂️

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@aral I’m amused by the idea of your brain deciding, “right, you’ve had enough fun dreams for one night. It’s time for you to do some imaginary chores!“ 😂

trechnex, to random
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

It seems that Raspberry Pi is demonstrating once again that, if you create a “commercial arm” for a charitable foundation, it’ll eventually become a publicly-traded company with a charitable arm for PR purposes.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/raspberry-pi-is-preparing-for-an-ipo-in-london-for-likely-more-than-500m/

trechnex, to random
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

I've been amused by the "well, duh" jokes I've seen on social media about international shipping rediscovering that wind power can cut their carbon emissions.

The key difference is that sails made out of the same material as wind turbine blades don't require complicated rigging and have a higher tolerance for poor weather.

So my reaction is "actually, this is very cool." 🙂

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68543677

patrickhadfield, to random
@patrickhadfield@mastodon.scot avatar

The idea that parliament would even consider a bill which didn't comply with UK and international law shows how low the government has sunk.

"In all, peers backed five changes to the bill on Monday night, including ensuring it complied with the rule of law and that parliament cannot declare Rwanda to be safe until the treaty with its promised safeguards is fully implemented."

Lords pass five amendments to Rwanda bill in heavy defeat for Rishi Sunak
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/04/lords-pass-five-amendments-to-rwanda-bill-in-heavy-defeat-for-rishi-sunak?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@cstross @patrickhadfield @quixoticgeek the bit that gets me is Rishi Sunak claiming it’s “the will of the people” when he has never fought a general election, the Tories are polling at record lows, and it wasn’t in their manifesto in the last general election.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Something I've noticed a lot lately, is that especially Boomer women, but honestly, women in general, don't seem to ask for what they want or need in a direct way. I notice this a lot with my Mom and her friends. Instead of just asking for what they need directly they tell a story, to ask in a roundabout way. For instance, my Mom needed help this morning, and Instead of just saying, "Hey, I dropped my remote, can you pick it up for me?" She tells a one minute story about what happened, no ask, and eventually I get the point, and then suggest that I come pick it up. Or if one of her friends wants to do something like have a birthday party for a friend, they don't say "We should have a party!" They say, It's Sarah's Birthday coming up, you know she likes surprises, what does everyone think we should do?"

I often wonder if this is why older people think younger women are rude and demanding, because younger people often just ask for what they want and need in a more direct way. But also it's probably just straight up sexism, because men are supposed to make decisions, and women are supposed to make suggestions.

What do you all think? Is this just me? Have you experienced something similar?

trechnex,
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

@RickiTarr I think that bringing up two boys who were very loud and didn't respond to subtlety taught my mother to be direct.

Even in adulthood, if she wants something from me then her request, and whether or not she considers it to be optional, are crystal clear. 😂

trechnex, to random
@trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

So, according to some former Twitter engineers, the future is SEO-optimised AI listicles and hallucinated news curated by another AI.

I personally like to imagine a future where tech bros actually read books and newspapers in their spare time, because then they'd understand why nobody wants to read automatically generated bullshit.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/26/former-twitter-engineers-are-building-particle-an-ai-powered-news-reader/

GossiTheDog, to random
@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    trechnex,
    @trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

    @GossiTheDog it's so much worse when you notice "golf coach" in her user handle. 🤦🏻‍♂️

    trechnex, to random
    @trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

    • If you're angry at Mozilla for their ill-advised commercial experiments, try the ESR version of Firefox.

    • If you're angry at Mozilla for making bad privacy choices, try LibreWolf.

    • If you're still angry at Mozilla for deprecating plug-ins & RSS support, try Pale Moon.

    • If you're angry at Mozilla because Bryan Lunduke said mean things about them, then as someone whose previous project was torn apart after one of his videos called it a "woke fork", I kindly invite you to go fuck yourself.

    eniko, to random
    @eniko@peoplemaking.games avatar

    only assholes drive SUVs

    trechnex,
    @trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

    @eniko accurate. It's always SUV drivers that take liberties with junctions and lane changes, then insist that it's everyone else's fault. 😂

    Anyone buying a new car in Europe is screwed, because they now mostly sell SUVs and Mini-SUVs so that there's more space for EV batteries.

    isagalaev, to random
    @isagalaev@mastodon.social avatar

    Here's a perfect example of what's wrong with Ubuntu's crusade to move software into snaps: if you install from snapstore, you don't have an easy practical way to install G'MIC into it (a plugin that basically makes GIMP still worthy of running). Why not? Because, as the maintainer of the snap says1 there's no way he's going to be the arbiter of what to include. [cont…]

    trechnex,
    @trechnex@social.trechnex.com avatar

    @popey @isagalaev fwiw regardless of how it's packaged, you can see where you need to copy plug-ins and extra assets in the program itself by going to Edit > Preferences > Folders.

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