@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai avatar

GhostOnTheHalfShell

@GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai

opinionated lurker of the intarwebs.

Used to write code, still do. c/c++, java, php, js, c#, gdscript, gnawed on sql, sparql, unix/windows etc etc billions of years ago.

tech, graphics, anything STEM
anything anthropology, history, linguistics
anything blender, gimp (although i scream using it), audacity
prefers not to be run over by cars

I drink Philz.

I do a (non-monetized) video or so a week on yt.

Tyranny and poverty are everywhere a mainstream economics phenomenon.

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

arstechnica, to random
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

Gordon Bell, an architect of our digital age, dies at age 89

Bell architected DEC's VAX minicomputers, championed computer history, mentored at Microsoft.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/gordon-bell-an-architect-of-our-digital-age-dies-at-age-89/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Many of us have been sounding the alarm on this for years.

Welp.

Via Kyle Griffin:

In an interview with KDKA-TV, says he's "looking at" policies that would restrict access to

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

When Trump openly and repeatedly exclaims that migrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” or shares a video calling for a “unified Reich,” he is literally echoing the language of Hitler.

Trump is not a “populist.” He’s not a “strongman.” He is a fascist.

Use the word.

clive, (edited ) to random
@clive@saturation.social avatar

People of Mastodon!

I'm researching the growth of ebikes ...

... in cities around the US

I've talked to many people who love them!

But also want to include the perspective of folks who have concerns ...

... i.e. about the speed and weight of ebikes in accidents with pedestrians or other cyclists, and the like

If anyone has thoughts they wanna share, ping me! I'm all ears: clive@clivethompson.net

Pass this along if you know anyone else with perspective they want to share

#fedibikes

QasimRashid, to random
@QasimRashid@mastodon.social avatar

Israel’s military is tipping off far-right settler terrorists to the location of aid trucks delivering vital supplies to Gaza to block delivery.

This. Is. A. War. Crime.

Israel is claiming “Hamas” is diverting aid. That is a claim all relief agencies reject. US officials also state Israel has offered no evidence to support allegations that Hamas is diverting aid.

Imagine being more upset at ICC for prosecuting this than at the famine its enabling: https://t.co/t9umHxFsUQ

georgelakoff, to random
@georgelakoff@sfba.social avatar

Trump is telling us exactly what he plans to do if he gets another term. He is framing his return to power as an authoritarian effort, and he is overtly using Nazi language and symbolism to drive home the point.

This wasn't a mistake. It isn't a joke. American freedom and democracy are on the line in 2024. The main headline in Trump's ad asks: "What's Next for America?" Trump's answer: authoritarianism and fascism.

More at FrameLab: https://www.theframelab.org/unified-reich-trump-campaign-goes-full-nazi/

molly0xfff, to ai
@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar

back in my day we called this spyware

gerrymcgovern, to random
@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar

Since 1970, there has been a:
49% decline in marine life
50% decline in insects
63% decline in Irish birds
66% decline in wildlife
69% decline in vertebrates
83% decline in freshwater species

Dams and mining key cause of freshwater fish collapse.

Dams?

Is that where we get our sustainable, clean, green energy from?

Mining?

Don't we have to mine those green metals?

The Green Transition: killing everything on earth so humans can keep consuming, sorry, devouring

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/21/living-planet-index-migratory-freshwater-fish-populations-decline-dams-weirs-mining-water-abstraction-pollution-threat-aoe

eldubuu,
@eldubuu@mastodon.social avatar

@gerrymcgovern

Techbros are an ancient & persistent threat to all living things.

There is no line they will not cross, no promise they will not break, no law they will not violate, no poison they will not sell, no life they will not enslave in pursuit of their madness.

The techbro recognizes no race, no culture, no nation, no moral code, no limits. There is only the next tool, the next machine, the next patent, the next project, the next cap raise, the funding round, the next IPO.

ACM, to hpc
@ACM@mastodon.acm.org avatar

We are sad to hear of the passing of Gordon Bell, a pioneer in high-performance and parallel computing and the visionary behind the ACM Gordon Bell Prize. His dedication to innovation inspired countless breakthroughs. Our deepest condolences to his loved ones.

dlakelan, to random
@dlakelan@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

I can't emphasis enough the point that exp(t)/(exp(t) + exp((1-epsilon)t)) ~ 1 for large t and any positive epsilon.

This may seem obscure but it's the problem with "capitalism" as we know it. Even in an infinite world where wealth grows exponentially forever, eventually the person with the epsilon larger growth rate than everyone else owns everything.

Add in political power and finite resources and it just happens faster.

dlakelan,
@dlakelan@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

For the non math nerds, you can imagine two groups, one billionaire has wealth growing like exp(t) and the rest of society has growth growing at a just marginally slightly lower rate exp((1-epsilon) t). Then after a while, the billionaire will own essentially 100% of everything.

For the math nerds out there, multiply by 1 in the form of exp(-t) / exp(-t) you get

1 / (1 + exp((1-epsilon - 1)t))
= 1/ (1+exp(-epsilon * t))

for large t exp(-epsilon * t) goes to zero and the result is 1/1 = 1

weaselx86,
@weaselx86@mastodon.social avatar

@dlakelan

Extreme wealth concentration is an inherent property of a capitalistic system.

The wealthier participant in a transaction has an inherent advantage in risk-tolerance and greater ability to hold out for a better deal.

Absent sufficiently progressive taxation to counteract it, the inherent advantage of the wealthier participant in every transaction leads to a positive feedback loop of wealth accumulation and concentration with mathematical inevitability.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-inequality-inevitable/

jnv, to internet
@jnv@fosstodon.org avatar

Is this what our online life has become?

"A billionaire got mad, bought your favourite social media site and ran it into the ground. A different billionaire got mad, bought the magazine site you liked to read on your lunchbreak and shut it down completely. "

https://www.takahe.org.nz/heat-death-of-the-internet/

#Enshittification #internet #tech #online #web #food #youtube #google #search

ChrisMayLA6, to politics
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Labour internal research suggests (rightly, I'd say) that the Tories have successfully seeded the post electoral period with a series of disasters (from water firm & university collapses to prison over-crowding & further NHS crises due to funding constraints).

We've been watching the Tories extend their scorched earth policy (of course, Labour have been watching too)... so the thing to try to keep hold of for Labour's first term as they firefight is:

THIS CHAOS IS A TORY-MADE CHAOS!

jbonewald, to iowa
@jbonewald@mstdn.social avatar

With some kind of impending weather this evening, the whole state of #iowa is shutting down like it's a freaking blizzard. Guess I better get some milk and bread on my way home.

jameshowell, to foss
@jameshowell@emacs.ch avatar

Almost a year exclusively using GrapheneOS for mobile and (many years before that) GNU/Linux for all my computing.

How quickly one gets spoiled. Found myself obliged over the past few days to help relatives use Windows and iOS. It was deeply shocking.

Windows on newish hardware is so slow that I didn't think it was responding. To say nothing of the privacy and usability nightmare.

And the Apple ratchet has tightened down a few more clicks in a year. A very high quality third party app that I bought years ago now appears in a new version "with in-app purchases," and the splash screen requires me to sign in via Google or Facebook. Perfectly ghastly.

SocraticEthics, to Ukraine
@SocraticEthics@mastodon.online avatar

⛔️🇺🇸American Collaborator launches new propaganda show supporting Kremlin on Russian TV (More) https://kyivindependent.com/tucker-carlson-launches-new-show-on-russian-tv/



haritulsidas, to random
@haritulsidas@masto.ai avatar

The new findings on chronic asthma highlight the role of cell overcrowding in airways, potentially shifting focus to addressing underlying causes rather than just symptoms. Recent research suggests that cell extrusion may be a key factor in asthma attacks, with potential for new drug therapies targeting this process. This research emphasizes the need for continued investment in scientific research to develop new treatments.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/chronic-asthma-cell-overcrowding-airway

paninid, to business
@paninid@mastodon.world avatar

My experience has been that VCs are pattern-matchers, who spent the last 15 years finding founders and #business models which subverted any inefficient, good-faith system, abstracted away inefficiencies with code, and relied on the repeated use of the #software to generate some free #cashflow, which was the justification for the book value, that would be used to offload the speculative asset to public #markets, or subsequent #investors.

1/6

ChrisMayLA6, to ai
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

If employers have been unable to prosper due to a skills shortage then that AI may be enhance productivity looks like good news....

But, if employers are unable to find staff because they don't pay enough & offer rubbish working conditions, then a move to AI will confirm capitalists want to replace workers with technology, as they have done before, but now in the service sector(s).

If you're a Keynsian you'll now be wondering about 'effective demand'!


https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/21/productivity-soars-in-sectors-of-global-economy-most-exposed-to-ai-says-report

nlpbot,
@nlpbot@mstdn.social avatar

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @hengymrohebwlad @ChrisMayLA6

It's been said we have already passed this point. Bots are actually up on Twitter, make an account and they'll push popular bot accounts right to your main feed. Their replies will be from other bots. It's a farm of bots engaging with other bots for the sake of capitalism.

jeffjarvis, to random
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social avatar

"In a large part of American political discourse, overt cynicism is the currency of sophistication....The disturbing truth is that there’s probably more sincerity than not in American politics. We may not want to believe it, but most of the people in charge say what they mean and mean what they say." - @jbouie
Justice Alito Is a True Believer https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/opinion/alito-flag-stop-the-steal.html?smid=tw-share

pvonhellermannn, to random
@pvonhellermannn@mastodon.green avatar

Pope Francis:

"How worried are you about climate change?"

"Unfortunately, we have gotten to a point of no return. It's sad, but that's what it is. Global warming is a serious problem," Francis replied. "Climate change at this moment is a road to death."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-urges-action-on-climate-change-its-a-road-to-death/

_noelamac_,
@_noelamac_@spore.social avatar

@pvonhellermannn All Catholics, and actually Christians in general too, should read his Enzyklika laudato si. You can agree or not with the Church’s position on many issues but that paper produced by Francis is accurate in its evaluation of the current state of our planet.

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

theluddite, to random
@theluddite@assemblag.es avatar

Lots of skeptics are writing lots of good things about the AI hype, but so far, I've encountered relatively few attempts to explain why it's happening at all. Here's my contribution, mostly based Philp Agre's work on the (so-called) internet revolution, which focuses less on the capabilities of the tech itself, as most in mainstream did (and still do), but on the role of a new technology in the ever-present and continuous renegotiation of power within human institutions.

https://theluddite.org/#!post/ai-hype

WhatisBiotechnology, to random
@WhatisBiotechnology@mstdn.science avatar

On this day in 1922: Robert Good born, founder of modern immunology & bone marrow transplants

ChrisMayLA6, to random
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

Lets be absolutely clear - at the centre of the infected blood scandal, as so many other 'scandals' involving institutions riding rough-shod over the interests & well-being of ordinary people (see the posted list & additions in my timeline over the weekend) is one thing:

People in power lying to those whose lives have been ruined.

LYING... not making mistakes, not misunderstanding... LYING.

This is the culture that infects our political & social 'elites'; being (very) comfortable lying to us!

MadeyeTheCarnaptious,
@MadeyeTheCarnaptious@mastodon.scot avatar

@ChrisMayLA6

There's minimal political / electoral accountability in the UK particularly with the two-party stranglehold enabled by FPTP. There's no incentive for a truly strategic approach to citizens' well-being when shit can be shovelled under the carpet for the next "administration" to deal with and liars can operate with impunity and public inquiries are simply show trials (as in the case of Covid 19 in Scotland).

Citizens are powerless and ultimately not safe.

#InfectedBloodInquiry

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