@brain@toot.monster
@brain@toot.monster avatar

brain

@brain@toot.monster

Tinkerer and accidental #IT professional with a degree in ancient #history. #Collector of #art, physical media, and ephemera. Almost constantly listening to #music. Owner of #cats. #Learning something new, and trying to be a tiny bit better, every day.

Profile picture: A brain (as if viewed from the top) made to look like a face, wearing glasses, with the hint of a nose and a mouth but no eyes.

Header picture: An abstract, geometric, grayscale cityscape.

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

ai6yr, to random

BBC: Crew trapped on Baltimore ship, seven weeks after bridge collapse... "The crew, made up of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan national, has been unable to disembark because of visa restrictions, a lack of required shore passes and parallel ongoing investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FBI. " https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-69011124

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@ai6yr @vmstan Unfortunately not an uncommon thing. The 99% Invisible podcast did an excellent episode on this topic.

"In some cases, seafarers (thatโ€™s the industry term for cargo ship workers) have been stuck on these abandoned vessels without enough supplies for months, or even years. There are about 50 of these situations on the International Transport Workers Federationโ€™s official database, but a lot of cases go unreported so the real number is probably higher."

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/abandoned-ships/

samhainnight, to climate
@samhainnight@mstdn.social avatar

Seeing lovely pictures of the Aurora from places like Ohio tonight. Wonderful as they are, the Aurora Borealis being seen at lower latitudes is a sign of Climate Change and should be concerning.

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@samhainnight @pvonhellermannn @climatechange I am not a science teacher, astronomer, climate scientist, or meteorologist, but I don't think climate change has an impact on the aurora. As I understand it, the aurora occurs in the thermosphere (near the edge of the atmosphere) while greenhouse gasses are trapped in much lower layers (mostly the troposphere). Plus it's solar activity that has the biggest impact on aurora intensity.

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@pvonhellermannn @samhainnight @climatechange Perlan seems like a legitimate source and I'm sure they know far more about this than I do. So, perhaps there is some kind of impact? Though they don't say in what way. I wish they went into more detail. I'm suspicious of the other source. The URL was registered in January and the two author profile images seem to be AI generated. (Look closely at the hands on the second one.) The text also has an AI generated feel to it (at least to me).

A profile image of a man sitting in a cafe, wearing a blue collard shirt. He has his hands knitted together in front of him, but the finger alignment and number is odd, and his thumb is bent at a strange angle, suggesting it may be an AI generated image.

brain, to retrocomputing
@brain@toot.monster avatar

I'm not a stamp collector, but I stumbled on a forum thread about tech-themed stamps... and they're pretty great.

Full thread: https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=73815

Description from the forum post: This DDR 1983 Leipzig Spring Fair stamp depicts Robotron microcomputer, an East German single-board computer primarily intended for private use and educational institutions.
This is a 1997 stamp from Guernsey that cost 63p. The main image is a collage that includes images of a floppy disk, a CD, a desktop computer with a mouse, keyboard, and monitor. The monitor has the word "internet" on the display.
Description from the forum post: This 1984 Sweden Integrated Circuit stamp shows a DIP (dual in-line package) and a PCB (printed circuit board).

brain, to random
@brain@toot.monster avatar

Love the growing between the pavers on our back patio.

brain, to history
@brain@toot.monster avatar

"Direct dating of Neolithic canoes from La Marmotta reveals them to be the oldest in the Mediterranean, offering invaluable insights into Neolithic navigation. This study reveals the amazing technological sophistication of early agricultural and pastoral communities, highlighting their woodworking skills and the construction of complex vessels."

https://phys.org/news/2024-03-neolithic-boats-excavated-mediterranean-reveal.html

brain, to Meme
@brain@toot.monster avatar

To all politicians: I will happily pay higher taxes if you give me better/more trains and buses.

brain, to USpolitics
@brain@toot.monster avatar

I feel like the "What should the State of the Union look like?" conversation settled on "Fucking bring it." with a healthy dose of "Let Joe be Joe." mixed in... and I'm here for it.

ErickaSimone, to random
@ErickaSimone@mastodon.social avatar

Make sure you keep your physical copies of the albums you love people. Because it will get ugly.

From: @rustoleumlove
https://mastodon.online/@rustoleumlove/112022585311250876

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@ErickaSimone @rustoleumlove

CDs have long been my format of choice. Vinyl is great, but I can rip CDs and roll my own Spotify replacement using PikaPods.com + Navidrome. I get to support artists directly while also getting the convenience of streaming (desktop/mobile with several apps to choose from/etc.). My monthly bill on PikaPods is less than a Spotify subscription and no super-advanced tech skills required. (I donโ€™t work for them, just a fan of the service.)

brain, to history
@brain@toot.monster avatar

Probably a long shot, but are there any / with experience digitizing curved stereoview cards from the 18 and 1900s? Searching online, the choices seem to be: press them down hard on a flatbed scanner (risking damage) or use a high quality camera, the right lighting, and proper angles to take photos of them. The scanner I have is considerably better than the cameras I have access to, but Iโ€™m hesitant to risk damaging them.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What is the most ridiculous question or complaint that you've had from a Customer/Client?

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@RickiTarr The question wasnโ€™t really ridiculous, but the action after it was. I worked at a game store in the PS2 era. A woman asked if she could see a game disc (they were behind the counter). I showed it to her. She snatched it out of my hand, licked the underside of it, and then rubbed it all over the front of her shirt. After checking it again she said โ€œIโ€™ll take it!โ€ I said: โ€œGood, because Iโ€™m not taking it back.โ€

design_law, to writing
@design_law@mastodon.social avatar

Friends, help me out with some wordsmithing?

I want to describe a situation where one side in a fight is put at an extreme disadvantage before the fight even begins.

How would you describe the act of putting one side at a severe disadvantage? The state of the disadvantaged party thereafter?

I don't want to use "handicap" or "handicapped." What are some good alternatives?

#Writing #AmWriting #LawFedi

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@design_law Maybe encumbered? Burdened and hindered could also be good, but may not sound appropriate depending on what youโ€™re writing.

brain,
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@design_law Or, if they are at such a disadvantage that they may as well not fight: โ€˜all but incapacitatedโ€™ or โ€˜in a barely viable position.โ€™

mcnees, to random
@mcnees@mastodon.social avatar

Look I love Halloween, but my neighbor had this up with three days of summer left.

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@mcnees Thatโ€™s my kind of neighbor. ๐Ÿ’€๐ŸŽƒ

flexghost, to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

What are republicans melting down over this time?

Biden didnโ€™t:

Withhold aid to Ukraine for dirt on opponents
Kill hundreds of thousands with disinfo on Covid
Sell our nations secrets to the highest bidder
Throw paper towels at victims of a disaster
Withhold ventilators
Try to overthrow our democracy
Sexually assault anyone
Misuse campaign funds
Get charged 91 times

He pet a dog.

video/mp4

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@flexghost

This reminds me of the meltdowns when Obama:

  • Wore a tan suit.
  • Saluted with a coffee cup in his hand.
  • Used Grey Poupon mustard.
  • Used a selfie stick.
BlackAzizAnansi, to random
@BlackAzizAnansi@mas.to avatar

Can we get an app that will allow people to see what picket lines are active near where they live and sign up to picket with workers?

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@BlackAzizAnansi I like this idea. While we're at it, can we also get a crowdfunding service that specializes in supplementing workers incomes while they strike? I like the idea of redirecting the money I was going to spend at Amazon/Starbucks/Netflix/Whatever to the people who should have been receiving it in the first place.

brain, to hamradio
@brain@toot.monster avatar

When I was a kid I inherited a receiver from my grandfather. I couldn't wait to listen in on conversations. But... I remember my Dad saying:

"Do you know what ham radio operators talk about when they actually find someone to talk to? Ham radio."

He was right. The few conversations I ever heard were all about the equipment each operator was using, pros and cons of each setup, sometimes devolving into arguments...

So anyway... kinda feels like ham radio these days.

rodhilton, to random
@rodhilton@mastodon.social avatar

Oh holy fuck even once you're rate limited it's only read.

So I can actually post a tweet right now, but then I can't read it.

brain,
@brain@toot.monster avatar

@rodhilton Canโ€™t confirm myself, but Iโ€™m hearing that Tweetdeck users are avoiding rate limiting altogether.

brain, to politics
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mildly trolling and as Twitter Spaces shits the bed.

brain, to random
@brain@toot.monster avatar

My feed this morning is heavily populated by these three categories. ๐Ÿ˜‚

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • โ€ข
  • JUstTest
  • kavyap
  • DreamBathrooms
  • thenastyranch
  • magazineikmin
  • tacticalgear
  • cubers
  • Youngstown
  • mdbf
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • osvaldo12
  • ngwrru68w68
  • GTA5RPClips
  • provamag3
  • InstantRegret
  • everett
  • Durango
  • cisconetworking
  • khanakhh
  • ethstaker
  • tester
  • anitta
  • Leos
  • normalnudes
  • modclub
  • megavids
  • lostlight
  • All magazines
    •