@DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

DavidPenington

@DavidPenington@mastodon.au

Sailor, father, database developer. I ride bicycles for transport.
Studied mathematics, physics & some meterology.
Wurundjeri country, Melbourne Australia
I talk quite a lot about Australian politics, Ukraine war, renewables/global warming. Some IT & military history.

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

Korny, to random
@Korny@hachyderm.io avatar

A few weeks ago I installed the Glendale aurora alerts app, and naturally it's now going a bit berserk.

Trouble is, I have no idea of any of the scales so it's hard to tell if these alerts are "pretty lights in the sky" or "day of the Triffids prelude" or "imminent apocalypse"...

DavidPenington,
@DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

@Korny Saw the Aurora Borealis from a coastal part in Werribee last night. Faint cloud like light low in the sky plys occasional patches of red higher up. So with some city light & through spectacles, very faint. Streaks mostly visible in peripheral vision.
Will head fully to the Bass Strait coast tonight if it looks promising.
Nice photos from Brunswick accumulate light to show colour that was not visible to the eye.

VikingChieftain, to random
@VikingChieftain@krigskunst.social avatar

deleted_by_author

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    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @VikingChieftain I was surprisedthe truck drove so far & lasted so long while burning. I guess rear transmission components are pretty robust against fire.

    alexkidman, to headphones
    @alexkidman@aus.social avatar

    New review time (text and video) as I pop the very affordable Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 ANC buds into my ears. They promise quality ANC for much, much less... but do they deliver?


    https://alexreviewstech.com/edifier-neobuds-pro-2-review-good-noise-cancelling-sub-par-battery-life/

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @alexkidman And why does your photo look like a Japanese high-tech porta potty?

    GottaLaff, to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    I'll live post what I can of the rest of the day's #TrumpTrial, but I'm utterly exhausted.

    We've packed up most of the house (moving May 26), which did me in, even though we've gone so slowly. But all the lifting, sorting, etc, takes it out of me regardless.

    We're still packing more today, plus a showing, so I'll be in and out.

    Thanks for understanding.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @GottaLaff The timing of your move seems good, both settling in over the summer and leaving the US before campaigning gets too extreme.
    Nicely judged.
    Thank you for being a superb information source here.

    GottaLaff, to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    “Speaker Mike Johnson told GOP lawmakers that he’ll try to pass four bills this week to send aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan — each in separate bills, according to two Republicans in the private Monday meeting.

    A fourth proposed bill would include a package of related measures, including a lend-lease deal for military aid, a ban on TikTok in the U.S. and provisions to sell off assets seized from Russian oligarchs.”

    https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/04/15/congress/johnsons-ukraine-israel-proposal-00152375

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @GottaLaff So

    1. Johnson will not let the bill for aid to Israel, Ukraine & Taiwan that has already passed the senate be voted on, instead his own new versions.
    2. Watch for the Ukraine bill to suddenly be delayed.
    3. Will these bills be acceptable to the senate? They will have rushed the drafting.
      Note: Johnson has no problem getting congress to approve the Senate's aid bill. His congress problem is avoiding the crazy wing of the Republicans deposing him.
    fulelo, to worldwithoutus
    @fulelo@journa.host avatar

    - : Tracking the world's biggest in
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-f4de435a-d215-4a7c-86e9-9b838701c993

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @fulelo Is this a Brexit effect? The standard unit of large Antarctic iceberg area is Luxembourg, not Greater London, which is ill defined and changes over time.
    From 2017-2020 Iceberg A-68 was 2.2 Luxembourgs area. A23a is 1.1 Luxembourgs, so it's currently the biggest but only half the size A-68 was.

    hanse_mina, to Russia
    @hanse_mina@mastodon.social avatar

    From 24.02.2022 to 06.04.2024 (Day 773), estimated losses suffered in .

    Highlights:
    +790 Personnel
    +24 Tanks
    +38 APVs
    +41 Artillery
    +3 MLRS
    +2 Anti-aircraft Systems
    +48 UAVs
    +70 Other Vehicles
    +5 Special Equipment

    Statistics: https://www.reddit.com/r/RussianLosses/comments/1bx3297/estimated_russian_losses_from_24022022_to/

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @hanse_mina That's enough equipment for a well stocked brigade.

    GottaLaff, to legal
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    Via Klasfeld:

    Now that the court itself debunked 's claim that the judge's daughter posted a social media illustration of him behind bars, his attorneys tacitly acknowledge they never verified it was her account.

    The post was merely "attributed" to her, they write.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @darthstar @GottaLaff
    In this area, Trump's lawyers did exactly what they intended to do - making a dishonest accusation in a deniable way. That's also a standard Trump technique.

    raymondpert, to uk
    @raymondpert@mastodon.cloud avatar

    The government said Wednesday it will back legislation banning foreign state ownership of British and magazines, a move that could upend a planned takeover by a United Arab Emirates-led consortium of the .

    > The development comes after numerous lawmakers from across the political divide urged an explicit ban, rather than using a regulatory approach to ensure that publications don’t parrot views of state actors.
    https://apnews.com/article/telegraph-spectator-foreign-state-ownership-ban-859bfcb3afd849e3cf388cf1fab32f41

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @raymondpert The UK has to carefully ban only foreign staye owned organisations from buying UK newspapers, because they dare not ban the American Murdoch group despite its harmful effects.

    Teri_Kanefield, to random
    @Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social avatar

    I'd like to add a bit more to what I said about this week's blog post:

    https://mastodon.social/

    Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry

    It took me several years to understand what I was seeing.

    At first, I thought the problem was Twitter algorithms. I thought that was the explanation for why what I was calling rage-inducing simplifications spread like wildfire.

    1/

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @Teri_Kanefield Writing good books about law for 8th graders is a very valuable contribution to society. Good work.

    DavidPenington, to random
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    Excellent progress on broad-spectrum antivenom for snake bite neurotoxins. Far less side effects, need to stock fewer antivenoms. Very good & encouraging work. Article recognises the work's limitations, which is great! Snake hemotoxins is the next big target
    https://theconversation.com/were-a-step-closer-to-having-a-universal-antivenom-for-snake-bites-new-study-224664

    GottaLaff, to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    Today was Block Around the Clock Day.

    I was in no mood to tolerate fools.

    I should do this more often.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @GottaLaff The block button is a vital part of social media - to exclude the people whose contributions are a substantial net negative & improve the quality of the feed.

    Alice, to random
    @Alice@beige.party avatar

    I’m always surprised when I go into an old house and find a dumb waiter that's still working because I would have stopped working a long time ago if everyone called me that.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @Alice @Gogs
    My favourite bastard vending machine: Ravenous after a morning of touring on bicycles, we roll into a tiny French village & find a fresh bread vending machine! How French! No other source of food. Bastard machine wouldn't accept my Australian credit card, leaving me salivating & hungry.

    raymondpert, to Ukraine
    @raymondpert@mstdn.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

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    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @raymondpert "We are not at war with Russia," but Russia says, for internal consumption, that it is at war with all of NATO and all "The West".
    Russia is, in fact, at war with us. The 2022 energy crisis, engineered by Russia, is an example. We need to respond strongly.

    GottaLaff, to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    🤦🏻‍♀️ A trio of House GOP chairs fired off a subpoena to Attorney General Merrick Garland Tuesday requesting documents related to special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.

    https://trib.al/1VwLS1f

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @GottaLaff Republican House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordsn is right on one of his "two things": "there’s a double standard of justice in this country".
    Anything a democrat president or candidate does or is connected to is investigated repeatedly & pursued by the Republicans, as in this subpoena for Biden's interviews with the special investigator.
    Anything Trump does is minimalised, delayed & obfuscated. Eg. There was 1 investigation into Trump Russia collusion, no House impeachment. 1 NY fraud prosecution. Etc.

    raymondpert, to Israel
    @raymondpert@mstdn.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

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    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @raymondpert The 100+ hostages have been held for 5 months, with no Red Cross visit (agreed to by Hamas in November but they reneged), terrible conditions. The reported terms are 40 hostages, one per day over 6 more weeks & negotiate about later possible release of male soldier hostages. It's a terrible deal for the remaining 60 hostages & resolves nothing, but may be the best deal Israel can get.

    raymondpert, to Israel
    @raymondpert@mstdn.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

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    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @raymondpert I don't think Iran's PressTV outlet should be trusted or promoted.

    GottaLaff, to journalism
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    “Does U.S. want a "well-meaning elderly man," or one who means ill? Would rather have a POTUS who briefly confused Egypt for Mexico, or one who'd start a war on the border?

    On the slow train wreck of democracy - it doesn't have to be this way.”

    If @willbunch wrote it, you should read it.© & I 🧵 it. 1/…

    https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/biden-memory-trump-supreme-court-20240211.html

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @GottaLaff Biden did not think "for a split sec that Egypt was Mexico". He misnamed a country with a border issue - pulling the wrong name out of a choice of two. People do this all the time. I do it quite often. Word memory is associative. Especially noticeable when there is an extra person in your life - the closest matching person gets mis-named a lot.

    Alice, (edited ) to random
    @Alice@beige.party avatar

    I don't kiss on the first date because I've never been on a date because the idea terrifies me, but I do have a tendency to make out with all of my friends.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @Alice @SailorDisco
    When my (now) wife & I told our friends we had started going out, they said, "We thought you already were"

    PieterPeach, to random
    @PieterPeach@mastodon.social avatar

    Somebody is good at this game, and it’s not me.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @PieterPeach Good thing you're not a surgeon?
    Half a century ago, the day before my father's back was to be operated on, the surgeon "put a chisel through his hand". Teenage me was glad a different surgeon operated on dad.
    I now know you are more likely to make nasty mistakes on the amateur things

    GossiTheDog, to random
    @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social avatar

    Two days ago, mass exploitation of Cisco AnyConnect CVE-2020-3580 began, per @greynoise data. It’s another Positive Technologies vuln. SAML auth requests.

    77 IP addresses are hammering the internet now. https://viz.greynoise.io/query?gnql=tags%3A%22Cisco%20ASA%20XSS%20Attempt%22

    This isn’t to be confused with the other 2020 AnyConnect CVE being used by Akira ransomware group.

    There are now three Cisco ASA vulns being used by Akira and Lockbit.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @GossiTheDog Does this AnyConnect vulnerability have any association with the CitrixBleed Netscaler vulnerability?

    PieterPeach, to random
    @PieterPeach@mastodon.social avatar

    Asking symptomatic patients to wear masks in general practice is a great and sustainable path forward. Hopefully this behaviour sticks.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @PieterPeach Shouldn't we be providing them with back of head strap N95 masks, not suggesting the far less effective surgical masks?

    simon_brooke, to random
    @simon_brooke@mastodon.scot avatar

    OK, suppose we reformed the relationship between central and local government in the UK by switching the proceeds of one major tax from central government to local government, which should it be? Switching income tax (£250bn) would obviously benefit richer areas at the expense of poorer. My hunch is that switching VAT (£162bn) would be a better idea.

    Comments?
    @RichardJMurphy
    @thecommongreen

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @simon_brooke @RichardJMurphy @thecommongreen
    Per capita is basically the only formula that doesn't get messedup by politicians or entrench poverty.

    fulelo, to Israel
    @fulelo@journa.host avatar

    #BBCNews - #Israel - #Gaza war: #Hamas says deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri killed in blast in #Lebanon capital #Beirut
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67859135

    Al-Arouri is said to have been among four people killed in an explosion at Hamas's office in Dahiyeh, one of the Lebanese capital's southern suburbs

    Al-Arouri was the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau and known to be deeply involved in its military affairs

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @fulelo I don't think the US can get supplies to the shore of Gaza safely. Uncontroled crowds of hungry people plus armed Hamas militants keen to take Americans hostage make it very dangerous.
    Air dropping medical supplies to hospitals might also not work for US aircraft. Jordanian aircraft might be safe.

    DavidPenington,
    @DavidPenington@mastodon.au avatar

    @fulelo As I suggested: British aid air-dropped "on a Jordanian Air Force plane"
    I'm glad they got supplies to to the Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza

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