@Salvo@aus.social
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

Salvo

@Salvo@aus.social

Currently into #camping, #Jimny and #4WD.
Going though a bit of a mid-life crisis :).

Also find me https://aussie.zone/u/Salvo

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timrichards, to movies
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Just saw 'Dumb Money' at Cinema Nova. Good viewing, has a David vs Goliath vibe with a lot of social media memes thrown in.

Can't help thinking it's a very American movie though; I can't imagine young people here caring that much about share trading. But maybe I'm wrong?

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards my former apprentice invested in shares and bitcoin and all the other money making schemes accessible to someone who doesn’t have a full drivers licence.
Im pretty sure he would have been a Gig Economy driver as well, if he could.
He also had a side hustle as a copy-editor which he eventually outsourced, first to India, then to ChatGTP.

He was a weird one.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Maybe superhero movie fatigue is real. I like comic books but not often the movies based on them, increasingly pedestrian and derivative.

The Marvels: Brie Larson film opens disastrously at box office https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/what-went-wrong-as-the-marvels-opened-disastrously-in-cinemas-20231113-p5ejlk.html

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards I have a feeling that it is more about superhero TV Show fatigue.
WandaVision had great production quality but very few viewers made it through the surrealism to Monica’s character development.
Ms.Marvel was niche due to how immersive it was into the culture and was underfunded.

Add to that the Little Boys who hated Captain Marvel because the main character was not male and you have a whole lot of Marvel Fans who aren’t fans of the Marvels.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I knew this article would be coming along...

Optus died for a day, but I never felt more alive https://www.smh.com.au/national/optus-died-for-a-day-but-i-felt-never-felt-more-alive-20231110-p5ej7i.html

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards if “Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy” remade a new version of “Television;” I’m sure it would be about Smartphones.

lauren, to random
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org avatar

I remember back when Steve Jobs made a big deal about claiming that nobody really wanted to use styluses with device screens. Amusing now that various styluses (or styli if you insist on that nomenclature) are now a major much desired feature.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards @lauren
Palm Graffiti was a great way to interact with a digital device, but I had perfect block lettering before I had my Palm Zire71.

I have never had neat handwriting since…

lauren, to random
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org avatar

The deterioration of major website quality seems more obvious with every passing day. Unresponsive sites, looping sites where you can't reach needed links, long and often endless spinners on the UI due to backend issues, unreadable low contrast fonts, images overlapping text -- the list is virtually endless.

And then there's the horrific account management and account recovery systems, lockouts, inane and worthless chatbots replacing customer service. And on ... and on ... and on ...

Yes, and it's all doing nothing but getting worse, and driving users angrier every day.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@lauren @weaselx86
“Doing it on the cheap” is one phrase for it.
“Doing it to extract the largest possible return from customer exploitation” is another.

All these “glitches” in online stores are designed to railroad customers into making a purchase, in hopes of making the website usable.
All the “layout errors” in news websites are designed to keep the reader either on the page as long as possible to they can shoehorn in more ads, or trick the reader into accidentally clicking on a an ad.

All these circular menus on customer support websites are designed to prevent the customer from actually getting any support, while making the customer think that the only reason they can’t get support is because they themselves are not smart enough to navigate, and therefore not deserving of support.

lauren, to Youtube
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org avatar

I still can't find any related valid arguments from pretty much anyone who insists that they have a right to watch without ads and without paying for Premium. I see a lot of irrelevant Google Hate being tossed around but in the end it all mostly just looks like selfish entitlement.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@lauren @timrichards
I think there is the combined Google Hate of them clamping down on Ad Blockers at the same time as YouTube ads getting progressively worse and increasing YouTube Premium rates at the same time.

Nobody wants Ads. An Advertising company allowing consumers to pay to avoid ads is also them admitting that their ads are garbage.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@lauren
I think you are right, and I am biased against anyone trying to manipulate me (and my spending habits).
This is probably why I find Facebook such a Hellsite and prefer my social interactions via Mastodon and Lemmy.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Am I the only one that regards efforts to craft "new" songs from the Beatles and ABBA etc as tacky? You can't go back.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards in the far future real AIs will go Skynet on our arses for calling the statistical correlation engines we have at the moment “AI”.

GrimmReality, to random
@GrimmReality@beige.party avatar

I am already a white male so for , if I just carry a bible and quote Ayn Rand, I can go as the legit scariest fucking thing in America.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@GrimmReality @timrichards
I had a kid turn up at the door last night without a costume, I asked him “who are you supposed to be”.
The little turd asked the same question back to me, I replied “a 40-something unloved single man who is probably not ever going to be loved for the rest of my life”.

I think it was probably the scariest costume the poor kid had ever seen!

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Well that sounds legit.

(I seriously wonder about the intelligence of these scammers.)

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards these are procedurally generated, which gives me faith that “AI” is not really that smart and Skynet is not likely to happen soon.

The fact that there are people who fall for these scams makes me wish that Skynet does happen soon.

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

One of the fundamental problems with the system is that the one-way fare of $5 is too high for short trips. If you're taking a tram ride that ends one stop beyond the free zone, are you going to touch on to go that one stop?

Why Melbourne’s public transport system doesn’t need ticket cops

cc @danielbowen https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/tap-off-why-melbourne-s-public-transport-system-doesn-t-need-ticket-cops-20231025-p5eevl.html

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards @danielbowen
You do the honest thing and walk that extra stop.

That is why Huntingdale station has such a huge carpark, it was in Zone 1 (and Zone 2) so people would drive to Huntingdale and catch a train. If the got on at Clayton, they would have had to pay Zone 1,2

jon, to random
@jon@gruene.social avatar

Once in a while someone says to me “are you on Instagram” and I reply yes, but I am seldom there.

And then log in.

And am repulsed by it all over again.

My feed is so full of ads and irrelevant stuff the algorithm promotes, and pretty much no interesting content from people I follow.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@jon this is also why I have no social life.

There are so many of my friends and other people with similar interests who are exclusively on FB or IG.

I jump on to see what everyone is doing and can’t actually see what anyone is doing because I am bombarded with irrelevant ads.

geordie, to random
@geordie@aus.social avatar

Me: “Time to close the second drawer in the kitchen.”

A balloon whisk: “fucking absolutely not”

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@geordie
Praise be to Anoia.
https://wiki.lspace.org/Anoia

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Boring, it's only parallel parking. Come to Melbourne and try the hook turn, baby!

The majority of drivers are anxious about this manoeuvre, survey finds https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/anxiety-about-parking-survey-australia/

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards this is why I reckon we need Reverse Angle Parking by default.

A) it is easier (and safer) than parallel parking.
B) it is easier (and safer) to drive out of than forward angle parking.
C) is is safer for passengers (and the driver) to alight from the vehicle.
D) it is safer to load the boot/cargo area from the footpath.
E) it is safer for cyclists, no opening doors into cycle lanes, traffic is forcibly slowed by parking vehicles, vehicles exiting a parking space can see oncoming traffic (including bikes), no overhanging trays of trucks, utes and other LCVs into the bike lane.

The only downsides of reverse angle parking are;

  1. higher expectation of driver competence. (That said, if you aren’t competent enough to reverse into a reverse-angle car park, you are probably not competent enough to reverse out of a forward angle car park)
  2. takes up more transverse space of the roadway, which could be used for bike lanes, foot paths or additional car lanes.
  3. LCVs and other vehicles with long overhangs will now impinge on the footpath, which is not ideal for pedestrians with limited mobility.
timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

What's the story behind the 6000 people in my spam folder claiming to be SEO experts? Are they actually after SEO business, or are they just garden-variety scammers?

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards Somehow they are able to get past all the Spam filters in place, even though they use the same email addresses and their spiel is in exactly the same format.

If anything they are Spamfilter Etymological Obfuscation experts.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards obviously your Spam filter is better than Microsoft’s.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I wonder why trackpants are almost always grey?

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards they are actually white but due to the two types of people who wear tracksuit pants, they turn grey very quickly.

Tutanota, (edited ) to random
@Tutanota@mastodon.social avatar

It's !

Time to remind everyone that a backdoor "for the good guys only" is simply not possible.

By demanding encryption backdoors, politicians are not asking us to choose between security and privacy. They are asking us to choose no security. 👇

https://tutanota.com/blog/posts/why-a-backdoor-is-a-security-risk

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@Tutanota I am pretty sure that Rupe, Zuck and Elon are the “Etc.”

mastodonmigration, (edited ) to random
@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online avatar

Just so proud of Mastodon today.

These times are very challenging. Rather than descend into an abyss of fake news and stident acrimony, somehow Mastodon seems to be largely maintaining a civil tone and self regulating misinformation.

It is pretty amazing to see an open social media community functioning this well given the meltdown across other platforms.

Let's continue to demand accuracy and civility while we debate these seminal issues. Let Mastodon be the beacon in the darkness.

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@mastodonmigration Fake news needs to be generated, either by a corporation, algorithm or special-interest-group.

Fortunately, only real people (and a few private bots) (and a handful or progressive news outlets) are on Mastodon. so we only see real news and resl commentary.

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Hmm but it can't only be in the CBD - we need a lot more medium-rise residential right through Melbourne.

Housing Melbourne: Double the number of city high rises to meet population boom, says Infrastructure Victoria

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/double-the-high-rises-why-density-should-be-melbourne-s-destiny-20231017-p5ed0z.html

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards I think we need to push infrastructure first.

The recent B1M video that just came out pointed out that we already have more Skyscrapers that two other big cities that I have forgotten about combined!

perkinsy, to melbourne
@perkinsy@aus.social avatar

I live in inner and have just been visited by a door-to-door worker from 60Shades asking to install energy saving shower heads and door seals for free. Apparently they go door-to-door because people don't pick up unknown spam calls any more. The worker is getting paid virtually nix commission for each call but bonus if he installs something.

  1. I hate spam calls
  2. I am suspicious of unsolicited door-to-door sales putting pressure on you to make a decision immediately - a tactic that makes you vulnerable to bad decisions.
  3. I don't like companies employing workers to do this rotten job, especially if they are not paid well. They are going to be vulnerable to abuse.

I had a short chat and politely declined the service. This looks like it is being done through a Victorian government scheme via private companies.

What are your thoughts on this scenario and door-to-door sales generally?

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@perkinsy when we built our current house, we aimed for 10 stars. If the builder (and site supervisor and contractors) had fulfilled their obligations, we would have had. 10 star, zero energy house.

There is nothing that these leaches are offering that we don’t already have.

These companies are leaching off their salesman, labourers, the government and us (as householders and as taxpayers) and should be given a sharp rebuttal at all times.

timrichards, to coffee
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

That thing when you order a long black and they bring a little jug of milk on the side. What TF did you not understand about the word "black"?

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards I ordered an Americano the other day and they gave me a Short Black and a jug of hot water on the side.

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

A challenge for local radio...

With podcasting and Spotify dominating, can community radio survive?

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/can-melbourne-s-beloved-community-radio-stations-survive-the-era-of-spotify-20231009-p5eaxs.html

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards honestly, the only time I listen to Peebs or RRR is when I get in the car and CarPlay doesn’t work.

Suzuki’s crappy factory-installed Car Radio is what is keeping Community Radio alive to me.

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Unusually coloured car captured as I walked down the narrow end of Bank Place toward Collins Street the other day.

What is that colour, anyway? Mauve? Fuchsia?

Salvo, (edited )
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards all burgundy Prelude’s eventually faded to this colour
J/K

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Always found it curious that in the UK people stand on the right on escalators. Surely in a left-side-driving country it's more intuitive to stand on the left, pass on the right? (As we do here, and apparently also in Japan.)

The escalator riddle: would we all move faster and more safely if we stopped walking on them? https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/oct/04/escalator-riddle-would-we-move-faster-more-safely-if-we-stopped-walking

Salvo,
@Salvo@aus.social avatar

@timrichards What engineers expect and what users expect are usually two different realities.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalator_etiquette

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-Walk-left-stand-right-rule-wears-out-10870252.php

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2017/03/23/head_of_d_c_metro_says_escalators_can_t_handle_being_walked_on.html

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