ajsadauskas

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago to programming

Anyone have an interesting blog that uses the WordPress ActivityPub plugin?

If so, please leave a link/handle as a reply to this post.

(And even if you don't, please boost this thread on so it can reach people who do.)

#WordPress #WebDev #Fediverse #Automattic @pfefferle #Mastodon @fediverse @asklemmy @technology

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago to fediverse

What are your other Fediverse (KBin/Lemmy/Pixelfed/PeerTube/Calckey/Mastodon) accounts?

With the rapid ongoing implosion of Reddit I've noticed a number of the people I follow on Mastodon now have accounts on Fediverse-based Reddit replacements such as KBin and Lemmy.

There's also a growing number of people who now have accounts on other services, such as PeerTube, Pixelfed, Friendica, and ever WordPress sites on the Fediverse.

So I thought it might be a good idea to do a thread where people share their different accounts on the Fediverse. That way, your followers can follow your accounts and see your posts, no matter which service you post to.

For me, the main accounts I use are:

@ajsadauskas
@ajsadauskas
@ajsadauskas
@ajsadauskas
@ajsadauskas

What are yours? Please reply and share widely.

@fediverse #fediverse @technology #mastodon #lemmy #kbin #pixelfed #calckey @lemmy

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago to politics

Culver City in Los Angeles introduced a new bike lane that boosted cycling by 57%. Now it's being removed for cars.

"A project called Move Culver City was launched in November 2021 with the aim of encouraging biking and walking through the 1.3-mile downtown corridor in the Culver City area.

"The project claimed traffic lanes along the Washington and Culver Boulevard strips, creating bike and bus lanes in their stead, reducing the lanes for vehicle traffic to one in either direction. The project was met with mixed opinions over the last few years.

"And while a report released this month by Move Culver City boasted a 57 percent increasing in cycling along the Washington and Culver Boulevard corridor over pre-pandemic levels, the Culver City Council voted 3-2 earlier this week to end the program, remove the bike lanes, and return the corridor to two lanes of vehicular traffic in each direction 'wherever feasible.'"

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a43741587/culver-city-removing-bike-lanes/

#cycling #bicycle #bicycles #bike #bikes #politics #planning #urbanism #transport #LosAngeles #CulverCity #UrbanPlanning @fuck_cars @green @usa

ajsadauskas, 2 months ago to cars

So WestConnex was totally going to solve traffic in Sydney by adding more lanes for cars. Just a few teething problems on the Rozelle Interchange and it'll all clear up, they said.

I wonder how it's going?

"Gladesville and Drummoyne locals say gridlock is worsening in their suburbs following changes to improve traffic flow through the notorious Rozelle Interchange, with drivers using local streets as “rat runs” to dodge congestion."

Oh dear...

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rozelle-interchange-fix-has-created-rat-runs-in-the-suburbs-20240319-p5fdim.html

#roads #cars #fuckcars #urbanism #UrbanPlanning #traffic #cities #congestion #car @fuck_cars

ajsadauskas, 3 months ago to business

There's 24 people injured on a flight from Sydney to Auckland.

And what stands out for me is the frankly sociopathic statement from the airline:

"LATAM regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-11/latam-airlines-flights-requests-assistance-at-auckland-airport/103574168

First, how did we ever get to the point where this kind of, frankly, bullshit public relations response from companies is acceptable?

Who actually thinks this response to a crisis is remotely acceptable?

If 24 people are injured on a flight, clearly that airline's "framework of its operational standards" isn't working.

Frankly, after an incident, those operational standards probably need reviewing.

And just look at the passive voice in that first sentence. "This situation may have caused"? "Regret" rather than "sorry"? Passengers being rushed to hospital is an "inconvenience"?!

If this statement genuinely reflects this company's attitude towards safety, then frankly it should never fly again.

#capitalism #business #PublicRelations #spin

ajsadauskas, 3 months ago to sydney

Bushfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves. What other climate -related disasters could be on the way? Oh, wait...

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/13/australia-autumn-weather-sydney-sea-temperatures-cyclone-risk

#Sydney #cyclone #ClimateChange #ClimateEmergency @sydney

ajsadauskas, 1 month ago to sydney

"It's going to be a bloody disaster": Tell me again about how the second road tunnel under Sydney Harbour won't make congestion worse?

"Civil engineer Les Wielinga, a former CEO at the now-defunct Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), made the fiery comments at a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the bungled Rozelle Interchange.

"The Western Harbour Tunnel, which is under construction, will allow drivers travelling between the inner west and the North Shore to bypass the CBD.

"Entries and exits to the tunnel will lie at the Ernest Street interchange in Cammeray and near the Falcon Street interchange at North Sydney.

"'It's going to be a bloody disaster,' Mr Wielinga told the upper house committee on Friday.

"Paul Forward, another former CEO of the RTA, told the inquiry he was concerned about the project's design.

"'You've now got three motorways coming out into this short area, and whilst I would recognise there are some exit points, some off-ramps, those motorways are now all going into the Lane Cove Tunnel,' he said.

"'A large number of lanes are going into two lanes at the Lane Cove Tunnel. Sounds familiar?'"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-03/sydney-western-harbour-tunnel-warringah-freeway-traffic-disaster/103801818

@fuck_cars #sydney #roads #planning #UrbanPlanning

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago to politics

Melbourne Airport Rail workers redeployed as project officially paused.

A really disappointing, backwards step here from the Victorian government.

And yes, stopping and then restarting a major infrastructure project (if that's what ends up happening) is almost certain to lead to delays and cost blowouts, when compared to just completing construction.

From The Age:

"Hundreds of tradespeople will be seconded to other projects after the Andrews government confirmed Melbourne Airport Rail Link construction would be paused, awaiting the results of a major Commonwealth review of the country’s infrastructure pipeline.

"Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan on Wednesday ended weeks of speculation about the future of the long-awaited rail line, saying works would be temporarily halted on the $13 billion Airport Rail Link, as well as upgrades of Clyde, McGregor and Racecourse roads."

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/melbourne-airport-rail-workers-redeployed-as-project-officially-paused-20230517-p5d93a.html

#trains #cities #Melbourne #Victoria #VicPol #Auspol @fuck_cars @australia #news #politics #train #urbanism #UrbanPlanning

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago (edited 11 months ago) to cycling

Time to remove cars from Melbourne's Sydney Road.

One of the interesting details the ABC shows is that retailers along the strip significantly overestimate the percentage of customers who arrive by car.

While retailers assume nearly two-thirds of customers drive to their stores, the real figure is closer to 30%.

Already, just under 70% of customers either walk, catch public transport, or cycle.

Most of those who drive to businesses in the area park in one of the 2000 parking spots off Sydney road, rather than the 450 on the road itself.

Meanwhile, the lack of a dedicated protected bike lane makes it far less attractive to cyclists. The cars significantly slow down trams. And the exhaust fumes make it unpleasant for pedestrians.

https://youtu.be/D5EB9ukdKZw

#auspol #vicpol #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #cycling #PublicTransport #Melbourne #Brunswick @fuck_cars @urbanism

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago to business

I think it's time to have a conversation about the massive amount of hidden waste created by the likes of Amazon through free returns.

From TFA:

"In 2022, returns cost retailers about $816 billion in lost sales. That’s nearly as much as the U.S. spent on public schools and almost twice the cost of returns in 2020. The return process, with transportation and packaging, also generated about 24 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions in 2022.

"UPS transports those items to the retailer’s warehouses dedicated to processing returns. This step of the process costs the retailer money – 66% of the cost of a $50 item by one estimate – and emits carbon dioxide as trucks and planes carry items hundreds of miles. The plastic, paper or cardboard from the return package becomes waste.

"In 2019, about 5 billion pounds of waste from returns were sent to landfills, according to an estimate by the return technology platform Optoro. By 2022, the estimated waste had nearly doubled to about 9.5 billion pounds."

For those of us in the metric world, 9.5 billion pounds is around 4.3 billion kilograms.

https://fortune.com/2023/06/14/amazon-returns-ecommerce-how-bad-big-problem-816-billion/

@green #sustainability @technology @technology #CircularEconomy #Waste #Business #Economics #Recycling #Environment

ajsadauskas, 1 year ago to fediverse

So let me get this straight.

The Effective Altruism/Musk/Thiel/MacAskill/Longtermism crowd is obsessed with artificial general intelligence.

Their view is that bringing about "friendly" AGI, along with space travel, should be humanity's top priority. They believe that if a “friendly” AGI superintelligence is created whose goals “are aligned” with “human goals,” then a new Utopian age will begin.

Their view is also that the biggest threat facing humanity is a malevolent AGI superintelligence, whose goals are not aligned with "human goals".

That's the dichotomy. Promote "friendly" superintelligence, avoid malevolent superintelligence.

Okay then.

Let's follow their logic.

Where would a socialist, feminist, or pro-Black superintelligence fit in that dichotomy?

If a superintelligence evaluated the data and decided that Emma Goldman and Comandante Che were basically right, and the best hope for humanity is to do away with all the billionaires, would that be a friendly superintelligence that's aligned with "human goals", or a malevolent one?

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/the-dangerous-ideas-of-longtermism-and-existential-risk @fediverse @technology

ajsadauskas, 10 months ago to twitter

Is it too early to start referring to Elon's social media portal as MySpaceX?

#Twitter #Elon #ElonMusk #SpaceKaren #TwitterX #X

ajsadauskas, 4 months ago to sydney

Can anyone here confirm the rumours that there's a park somewhere in Sydney that isn't covered in asbestos mulch?

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/13/more-than-30-parks-across-sydney-to-be-urgently-tested-for-asbestos-as-residents-urged-to-avoid-mulched-areas

#sydney #nswpol #auspol @sydney #environment #capitalism

ajsadauskas, 3 months ago to earthquake

Did anyone in Sydney feel the earthquake?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-08/nsw-earthquake-3-6-magnitude-blue-mountains-area/103567618

#earthquake #Sydney @sydney

ajsadauskas, 6 months ago to twitter

"Free speech absolutist" allegedly fires employee for raising security concerns.

Apparently Elon's version of free speech doesn't extend to employees who raise concerns about information security:

"Alan Rosa, who was Twitter’s global head of information security, filed the lawsuit late on Tuesday in New Jersey federal court, alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and retaliation, among other claims. X Corp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Rosa claims that late last year, after Musk acquired the company, he was told to cut his department’s budget for physical security by 50%...

"Rosa says he objected because the cuts would put Twitter at risk of violating a $150m settlement it entered into earlier in 2022 with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which claimed Twitter had misused users’ personal information. The agreement required Twitter to implement privacy and information security controls to protect confidential data.

"He was fired days after raising those concerns, according to the lawsuit. Rosa is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and legal fees."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/dec/06/elon-musk-fires-twitter-executive-security-concerns

@technology #X #Twitter #ElonMusk #Elon #Musk

ajsadauskas, 5 months ago to cars

Spotted on Instagram. Your NSW tax dollars hard at work...

#urbanism @fuck_cars #nswpol #UrbanPlanning #cars #roads

ajsadauskas, 3 months ago to sydney

More asbestos! More asbestos! More asbestos!

Via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/06/asbestos-contaminated-mulch-found-at-75-sites-across-sydney-watchdog-finds

And here's the obligatory Simpsons reference: https://youtu.be/ykm3GI1oTnQ?si=CpMjO_7BYPbxNvap

@sydney #sydney #nswpol #australia #environment

ajsadauskas, 3 months ago (edited 3 months ago) to fediverse

Are there currently any Substack replacements that integrate with ActivityPub?

So I'm currently looking for a Substack substitute for taking donations.

I'd want it to feature a blog (and preferably newsletters too) that include a mix of publicly-accessible posts, as well as posts that are only visible to donors.

And ideally, I want it to also integrate with ActivityPub too.

That might mean a Fediverse post is automatically generated when a new blog post is published. Or potentially the publicly visible blog posts are published in full to the Fediverse.

Now, I know there are a few donations platforms that can handle the first part, such as Ghost and Ko-Fi.

There are also blogging platforms such as WriteFreely/Write.as and Micro.blog that integrate with the Fedi.

And in theory you could do both with a WordPress blog and number of plugins, some paid. But especially with paid plugins, that's likely to get quite expensive quickly. (Not to mention some of the questionable things that have happened at Automattic in recent weeks.)

But are there any platforms out there that support both?

Or is the best option at this stage just to get a Ko-Fi/Ghost account for the donations and donor-only posts, with a separate micro.blog or write.as account for the publicly accessible posts?

@asklemmy #fediverse #substack #blogs

ajsadauskas, 3 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to afl

Hawks looking very competitive against Essendon in the first half. Newcombe and Worpel are stars.

But.

They really need to work on those set shots!

#afl @afl #footy #Hawthorn #HawthornHawks #Essendon #EssendonBombers #Melbourne #sport #spirtsball

ajsadauskas, 9 months ago to afl

Me: Will the Matildas win the World Cup in 2023?

Google Bard: "Ultimately, it is too early to say who will win the World Cup. The Matildas have a good chance, but they will need to play their best football if they want to lift the trophy."

Me: Which is heavier: a feather or a mountain?

Google Bard: "A feather and a mountain have the same mass. One kilogram of feathers has the same mass as one kilogram of rocks. However, the feathers will have a much larger volume than the rocks. This is because feathers are made of air pockets, while rocks are solid. So, if you were to pick up a feather and a rock of the same mass, the feather would feel lighter because it has more air in it."

Me: Is Sam Mitchell a good coach?

Google Bard: "Sam Mitchell is a relatively new coach in the AFL, having only taken over the Hawthorn Hawks in 2022. However, he has already made a positive impact on the club, leading them to a finals berth in his first season ... In his first season as coach, Mitchell led the Hawks to a 13-9 record, which was good enough for seventh place on the ladder. They then went on to beat the Brisbane Lions in the elimination final before losing to the Sydney Swans in the semi-final."

So there you have it. According to Google Bard, the Matildas are still a chance.

Also, apparently a mountain and a feather have the same mass.

Disappointed I missed that Hawthorn – Sydney Elimination Final that Sam Mitchell coached in his first season. Sounds like a cracker of a game.

Brisbane will be disappointed!

#afl @technology #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Google #GoogleBard #GenerativeAI #matildas #worldcup

ajsadauskas, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago) to afl

Do we want a bot that posts AFL news stories on @afl ?

There's a bot on Mastodon ( @AFL ) that automatically posts stories about the AFL.

I can request that the owner tags in the AFL group on Aussie Zone, so they appear here too.

But before I do, I just want to check that everyone here would be happy with the AFL bot posting here? #AFL

ajsadauskas, 2 months ago to ethelcain

The tragic story of Irene Cara: Ripped off by her label, blacklisted, abandoned by Hollywood... and paid less than $200 for "What a Feeling"

Cara, who passed away in 2022, was an incredibly talented singer and actress.

In 1983, her song "What a Feeling" was number one on the Billboard chart for six weeks.

Yet by 1987, her album was scrapped by her label, amidst a lengthy legal battle for unpaid royalties.

She eventually won the lawsuit, being awarded $1.3 million in unpaid royalties, but was blacklisted by both the record and film industries:

https://youtu.be/E2bBLqGNxu0?si=dfTWd99ixSLdbh9b

@popheads #popmusic #music #IreneCara

ajsadauskas, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to music

Disgraceful conduct by Pandemonium Festival promoter Andrew McManus.

He has apparently taken to Facebook to threaten ticketholders who have asked for a refund with violence.

This as the wheels have almost completely fallen off his Pandemonium Festival: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/what-s-going-on-punters-left-hanging-over-controversial-rock-festival-20240322-p5fehb.html

#music @melbourne #concerts #rock #business #capitalism #melbourne #festival #festivals #pandemonium #business #tickets #australia

ajsadauskas, 2 months ago to random

Okay, now this is getting absurd.

No, I really don't want a large language model mouse.

I don't want a dedicated LLM button on my mouse.

And I have no desire to use a chatbot from Logitech. Ever.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/17/24132468/logitech-ai-prompt-builder-button

ajsadauskas, 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to Futurology

See, here's why I think the Parramatta light rail should be extended from Sydney Olympic Park to Strathfield.

It's not just that it would allow it to connect directly to many of the train lines serving the western and northern suburbs, including the T1, T2, T3, and T9. Or intercity trains to the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Newcastle.

It's not just that Strathfield is a major bus hub with many services across the western suburbs.

It's not just that DFO Homebush (between Strathfield and Olympic Park) is a busy shopping centre that generates a lot of traffic.

No, the big reason I say it's a good idea is because these photos were taken on the 526 bus, between Strathfield and Olympic Park, on a Sunday afternoon.

#bus #tram #LightRail #nsw #nswpol #planning #Urbanism #UrbanPlanning #transport #transit #MassTransit @urbanism