Uraael

Uraael, 10 months ago to random

Is it just me or is anyone else extraordinarily sick and tired of living in a world psycopathically hostile to the people living in it?

What would it feel like to live in a world where people and compassion come first? What would that look like? How would you feel to wake each day in a world where sane choices are made for good, articulate, well researched reasons, where people are educated and uplifted by society to become their best, most secure, most empathetic selves.

There are so many dark forces prowling this world ruining the whole show for everyone. We are increasingly living in the world that darkness wants.

It's long past time they were shown the light.

Uraael, 9 months ago to random

Obsidian is one of my precious software Finds of the last year. As a fan of Markdown it's just amazing and has revolutionised my note-taking. That, plus there are dozens of wider features I haven't even touched on yet! ​:celsilvercrystalheart:​ Heartily recommended.

#Obsidian #Software #Linux #Windows #Mac

RE: https://mas.to/users/alternativeto/statuses/110788297096044655

Uraael, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to linux

Thinking about my Linux installation, Garuda Linux. It's great, I mean really really good, but it's run by the type of Linux Elitists that look down on users like me and I don't feel particularly welcome or keen to become part of that community*. So I'm considering a hop to a new Distro.

I'm used to Arch distros now (RIP Antergos) and I really appreciate Rolling Releases so the first candidate that springs to mind is Manjaro Linux. It even has an unnofficial Gamer Edition "spin" (fork).

What's more, I could use Manjaro to obliterate that Windows partition that still exists on my SSD, preserving all the data in my Garuda Home directory and simply copy it over between the dual Linuxes. Then I delete Garuda and expand Manjaro across the whole 2TB SSD.

Two birds, one stone? 😃 Am suspicious, solutions are rarely this neat...🤔☺️

*Like the Fedi, the political attitudes of certain groups (Distros/Instances) tends to be something you find out after you've joined up. Distrowatch needs a checkbox for Linux Elitism 😁

#Linux #Garuda #Manjaro #Elitism #Gamer #FuckYouForeverWindows #SuspiciouslyNeatSolutions

Uraael, 2 days ago (edited 2 days ago) to linux

Given the importance placed on CLI usage by many in the Linux community it's weird that a terminal isn't open by default on many Distros. Today I remembered that while on Antergos a few years ago I'd installed a terminal that you could call simply by pressing a hotkey.

Enter Yakuake ("Yah-quake")

Yakuake smoothly drops down from the top of your screen in response to the hotkey (the default is F12) and voila!: a ready to use terminal! Add it to Autostart and it'll run whenever you run a session of Linux, forever saving you having to load Konsole (or whatever) every time you want to use it.

And as I'm running KDE the fact it uses Konsole tech means it has that familiar look and feel, but shows Session tabbing by default foregrounding the ability to run separate terminal sessions and putting it within easy reach of GUI users and a mouse-click.

What Terminals do you folks run with?

#Linux #Terminal #Yakuake #KDE #Konsole #LinuxIsAwesome

Uraael, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to random

Quick, Americans are sleeping! Post something you love about the country you live in!

The Forth Rail Bridge!

From Wikipedia:

The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, 9 miles (14 kilometres) west of central Edinburgh. Completed in 1890, it is considered a symbol of Scotland (having been voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder in 2016), and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. It is sometimes referred to as the Forth Rail Bridge (to distinguish it from the adjacent Forth Road Bridge), although this has never been its official name.

Construction of the bridge began in 1882 and it was opened on 4 March 1890 by the Duke of Rothesay, the future Edward VII. The bridge carries the Edinburgh–Aberdeen line across the Forth between the villages of South Queensferry and North Queensferry and has a total length of 8,094 feet (2,467 m). When it opened it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world, until 1919 when the Quebec Bridge in Canada was completed. It continues to be the world's second-longest single cantilever span, with a span of 1,709 feet (521 m).

NB: I can't speak for all Scots here (says who?) but I've never called it "The Forth Bridge". To me it has always been the "Forth RAIL Bridge", no doubt a reaction to the "Forth ROAD Bridge" sitting next to it.

The fact that the areas' third and newest bridge isn't called a Forth anything Bridge but instead is the "Queensferry Crossing" makes my thematic heart sad.

Fun Fact: before the application of rust-proof paint the Forth Rail Bridge used to be in a constant state of being painted, the engineers working along from end to end and starting over due to the fact corrosion would be eating through the paint at the starting point by the time they finished at the other. Sisyphus would have said "Sod this, I'm off".

Attribution: The photo I've shamelessly used and abused is by an incredibly talented lady called Marie Gardiner. @mariegardiner.

#AmericansAreSleeping #Scotland #🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #ForthRailBridge

Uraael, 11 months ago to random

This isn't an issue that bothers me particularly (It does look annoying but I can ignore it)...

...but it does raise a question about something that does concern me, particularly as a *Key user. How do screen readers cope with MFM? Are they reading out the entire code piece by piece? 😮

Anyone?

#Calckey #MisskeyFlavouredMarkdown #MFM #ScreenReaders

RE: https://tweesecake.social/users/KaraLG84/statuses/110567130579325132

Uraael, 1 year ago (edited 1 year ago) to random

Uraael and Maria The Martian
cordially
Invite You
to Recognise Them
as Calckey's First
Power Couple

❤️

TL:DR-
@Uraael and
@MariaTheMartian
like each other very much. You may celebrate now. 😍

RE: https://calckey.social/notes/9eyhh9e5z8

Uraael, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to fediverse

Couldn't agree more.

The Fediverse should be a place where people are free to bring and be their best Selves. A refreshing oasis in a busy and stressful world. A place to relax, recharge and discuss whatever is on your mind. A port of call – home away from home – for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers.

Humans and aliens, wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand lines of spinning code . . . all alone in the night.

Social Media can be a dangerous place, but The Fediverse is our last best hope for peace.

This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5....waitaminute

#Fediverse #Calckey #CalckeyShouldBeRenamedBabylon
#ThenTootsCanBeCalledBabbles #Babylon5 #LastBestHopeForVictory

RE: https://calckey.social/notes/9f7ekzmczu

Uraael, 10 months ago to uk

Reading about Orkney looking for better governance reminds me of the uncomfortable pill that Scottish Independence activists have had to swallow; that the democratic shortfall we feel from Westminster is what THEY feel from Westminster AND Holyrood, and should Scotland gain her Independence we'd face calls to leave by the people sat right next to some of our most important oil fields and fishing grounds, and how would we feel about them using our own arguments against us?

A No supporter once tried to gotcha me with this but as Independence itself has never been my highest wish (I'd prefer complete political restructuring of the UK; Independence was merely the best option actually on the table at the time). I responded quite happily that I would let them go if that's how they truly felt. It would be shattering and seismic to lose them to the likes of Norway but if it was for the best then, like all big change, we should meet it with courageous hearts and open minds.

It doesn't sound like this current wish will result in anything but my god if anyone can understand the desire to escape the hell the UK has become it is their - for now - Fellow Scots.

#Orkney #ScottishIndependence #UK #Politics

Uraael, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to privacy

With the Kolektiva.Social Security Alert ringing around the Fediverse [TL;DR - An unencrypted backup of their Instance database is in the hands of the FBI after a Raid], now is a stupendously good time to talk about Privacy and your software choices in regards to it.

Before we start: Do not assume you are safe and private on the Fediverse. Keep any incriminating conversation to properly secure channels. DMs here, like on Twitter et al, are NOT encrypted.

A great starting point is the website Privacytools.io. There, you'll find categorised lists of recommended software, vetted by an active community. It's NOT perfect. I'd argue a few of their choices (Disclaimer: I'm fundamentally argumentative by default. Hi, Mum! ​:blobcat_wave:​) and could make a few suggestions they've not covered, e.g. InviZible Pro for Android mobiles (NB: get it from F-Droid, Not Giggle Play). But generally it's in the right ballpark on most things.

Pro-tip: navigate to software links via your chosen search engine (it will recommend a few of those too) - Ublock Origin and other good ad-blockers will complain about their referrer links.

Some personal software choices:

• Vivaldi / Librewolf (Browser)
• Vivaldi.net (Email)
• Linux (OS, any distro)
• Signal (instant Messaging)
• Mega / Internxt Drive / Nextcloud (Cloud storage)
• Bitwarden (Password Manager)
• Syncthing (File sync)
• Neo Store (Client for the F-Droid app store on Android)

My Privacy-focused Browser Extension choices:

• UBlock Origin
• Disconnect
• Privacy Badger
• Decentraleyes
• ClearURLs
• Canvas Fingerprint Defender

Feel free to recommend your own choices in comments. Or disagree with/question mine! One thing I will never tell you is that I have everything right. You might know better. ​:blobcat_wink:​

#Privacy #FBI #Software

Uraael, 1 month ago to linux

I've had a very enjoyable conversation this morning about Linux, and specifically Linux Gaming. From my perspective this is now absolutely on par with the Windows gaming experience but of course that opinion isn't universal.

I apparently did enough to convince the chap I was talking to to give it a try, prompting me to have an immediate crisis of confidence that someone was actually listening to me on the internet and omg what if I've over-sold it?!? 🤣 I run a Gaming Distro: it's entirely possible I've lucked into this experience with my choice to run it because of things the distro maintainers have set up for me.

But I have faith in Proton. Proton / a.k.a Steam Play is a genuine Miracle for Linux.

When Valve launched Proton in [stresses memory] 2018? 17? it suddenly and gloriously catapulted Linux from an awkward, arcane and painful third place in terms of Personal Computer platform game compatibility all the way up to parity with Windows. ProtonDB now lists 20'000+ previously Windows-only games that at least one person has reported works for them on Linux (Many other games could work that just don't have reports yet). ProtonDb, a volunteer-run website, is also fabulous as it grades compatibility. Platinum for Works out of the Box, Gold for Works with Tweaks/Tinkering, Silver for works but with larger issues, Bronze for Doesn't work.

The Steam Deck (which runs on Steam OS, a Linux distribution) couldn't have launched without proton. The Deck is also having a hugely positive effect on Linux Gaming.

You want proof of how good the situation is? Here's a WINDOWS-FOCUSED website extolling Proton's virtues.

Top Tip: if default Proton doesn't work you have two options in Steam: the Experimental version, basically the upstream beta, or there's the 'Glorious Eggroll' [GE] version, created by a single person, that includes fixes for some games that Valve haven't officially included.

If yon chap has anything near the wonderful time I've had playing games from my Steam and GOG libraries on Linux this last year, I'm sure he'll be fine and I'll have avoided a reputation for being all mouth and no trousers. 🙂

#Linux #Proton #Gaming #Valve #GloriousEggroll

Uraael, 2 months ago to random

So the big question becomes: where do blogs move to after Wordpress?

RE: https://octodon.social/users/jalefkowit/statuses/112005522820467704

Uraael, 1 year ago to music

Mystic Crock

Carbon Based Lifeforms

Sundial Aeon

Solar Fields

Dreamstate Logic

Aes Dana

If any or all of these words take your mind to far off hyperspace realms we should definitely be friends

😌

Please enjoy this mathematical energy vibration from another dimension: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9jvRgkvWqo

NB: This post is best viewed from an MFM-enabled Fediverse platform, e.g Calckey
#Musoc #Music

Uraael, 11 months ago to Babylon5

#Babylon5 #TheRoadHome

Uraael, 7 months ago to Software

Feels like a great time to recommend Newpipe for Android.

https://newpipe.net/#download

Youtube without the hassle of adverts. Extended Privacy. Useful extra features like background playback, and more.

Find it on the FDroid app store.

#Software #Android #YouTube #Adblock #Newpipe #FDroid

Uraael, 11 months ago to random

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER and it's only 10am. I am so loved and so lucky. ​:blobcat_love:​

Uraael, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to genealogy

Genealogy Update!

So obviously I can't name names but I want to list some of the amazing things that have happened since I started building my family tree, what, four days ago?

I have:

• Successfully deduced and named my Paternal Grandfather
• Found details of his life and work, putting flesh on the bones (sadly he passed in the 70s)
• Found and named my Maternal Grandmother, who died when my mother was three (these two are HUGE. They've been mysteries all my life)
• Successfully located my maternal great grandfather, being able to pass that information to my mother who never knew it
• Discovered some of my relatives were born under different names than they should have been, some due to drunken fuckwittery from the men in my family, one due to an over-eager Registrar.
• Fleshed out the lives and identities of many family members from before I was born
• Managed to link some of these newly discovered relatives into someone else's work (or possibly many someone else's work) in a tree that dates back to 1000ad .
• Found out I have two more potential Trees to link up to from other areas of the family.

I can't express how much fun I'm having with this right now. And god bless the internet, without which this would have been the painstaking work of actual lifetimes.

#Genealogy

Uraael, 1 month ago to StarTrek

Hey, Star Trek fans.

All good things come to an end. But can we possibly face that without the whining and stamping of feet?

It's totally fine to want more of a thing you enjoy but my god learn to face a cancellation with some dignity, yeah? Personally, I'm gutted Discovery is ending. But I'm not out there bitching about Paramount over it because you know what? It's just a TV show, a horrendously expensive one being made in a much more complicated entertainment landscape than in previous decades. They've always had the right to stop making it, for whatever reason, whether you agree with that or not. It's possible to respond to loss without displays of aggression towards decision makers or armchair Company Leadership. You don't have to boot-lick. Just let's thank whatever you hold dear that we even got your favourite show at all. Or any show. We love the creatives but without the money men creatives wouldn't have achieved any of this.

I mean, I know Star Trek fans are particularly sensitive about cancellation given the fabled letter-writing campaigns of yore, etc, but I'm starting to wonder if Paramount really knew what they were inviting upon themselves cancelling multiple Trek shows within the space of a year or two. I'm starting to worry about you folks.

My advice: celebrate what you love and hold dear what it achieved. And yeah, possibly admit to yourself that the "good old days" of 22 episode seasons times 7 consecutive years was an exceptional thing for such expensive shows, and that other deserving shows suffered a lot, lot less; some commentary I've seen on this score has started to feel more than a little Entitled. Lower Decks across four great years turned Star Trek on its head in a way no-one could ever have predicted, injecting fresh, anarchic energy into an exceedingly stale template. It gave us brilliant characters, a FABULOUS crossover, shocks, laughs and much more. Here's to Boimler, Tendy, Mariner and Rutherford and the rest of the Cerritos crew having a spectacular final (for now....?) season.

TL:DR Chill, yeah?

#StarTrek #Cancellations

Uraael, 14 days ago (edited 13 days ago) to random

Head swimming with X-Men 97 thoughts.

Next week, when the last episode of the season airs I think I'm going to have to splurge tens of thousands of words on how incredible and wonderful and impossible this show has been. It's not just the greatest piece of X-media since the comics, it's one of the best shows I've watched in many years, with only Andor coming close in recent memory.

My family, who have not watched this yet, are simply not prepared for it. I defnitely wasn't: it hit me "like a hay-bailer with a jet engine attached" (lol @ rare writing mis-step). It is on another level over and above its forebear. Its timing could not have been better, and that's as much by fate as by design.

But sadly I think we've had our 'Endgame' moment in that this experience will be almost impossible to duplicate. Many of the shocks and surprises we've seen worked (I'll speak for myself here) because they were so unexpected. While the original series played loose with the source comic timeline (With Dark Phoenix in season 4 there should have been many events before we saw The Phalanx Covenant in season 5, for instance), this new series has gone berserk with it, to tremendous effect. It actually led me to ponder if Time itself was being manipulated by someone in-universe but there's been little evidence so far, though Bishop's disappearance being kept visible suggests this might be a simmering plot point for season 2....

Or perhaps it'll completely surprise me again. I'd be delighted to be wrong.

#XMen97

Uraael, 1 year ago to random

I'm sorry, everyone. Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 is up for Sale. Please speak to Galbraith to register your interest in owning one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Uraael, 11 months ago to random

Folks, need some help.

How does everyone store contact information? The full enchilada - birthdays, addresses, emails/chat services. any other info about friends, family, the people you love?

Am looking for something accessible on mobile and phone. text doc on a file-share service? Or perhaps a really nice bit of software for it? (Web. Linux and/or Android for preference)

#CrowdSourcedWisdom #Organisation #Contacts #PIM

Uraael, 1 month ago to random

I am begging people who post about contentious figures like Trump or Musk to consider their fellow users and at least use their actual names in the body of their text. A Hashtag, even. Your clever-funny nickname or oblique reference defeats our carefully curated word Mute lists.

Personally I don't get why people who dislike other people or services would constantly obsess over them still when ignoring them actually harms them far more but it's frustrating how often my timelines have images and links to article about these people still show up.

Uraael, 13 days ago to Morrowind

Morrowind is a genuine treasure. One of the high achievements of human creativity. If it were a painting it'd be in a public Gallery.

I'll be talking about this soon as I'm into my first proper playthrough in a few years. But here's a great primer on exactly what makes this unique creation so very special.

https://www.denofgeek.com/games/why-morrowind-is-still-the-best-fantasy-world-in-gaming/

#Morrowind #PCGaming #ElderScrolls

Uraael, 1 month ago to FediPact

Letting a paedophile babysit your children makes about as much sense as letting Meta federate with the Fediverse. Oh, they're charming and seem sincere? That's makes it all better, then. Sorry I fretted.

Meta are provably Evil, a place where evils of all degrees throng like flies around shit. If Gargron et al won't reconsider or even adhere to their own guidelines about problematic servers, then their servers should also be cast out to live among the Truth.socials, because they're effectively saying they don't give a steaming pile about what the Fediverse stands for or the users therein.

#Fedipact #FediBlock #Meta

RE: https://mastodon.ar.al/users/aral/statuses/112168710600332531

Uraael, 50 minutes ago to random

What the heck has happened to Search this morning? Both Startpage and Ecosia faling to return any results for simple phrases. Startpage can't "find any results" for fellow Search engine, Qwant? And neither engine could find any results for "daemon"???