docpop

docpop, 1 month ago to random

I'm sick of justifying ethical behavior in terms of profit. We use phrases like "adding alt-text brings more customers to your site" or "protected bike lanes increase revenue for local businesses."

You should add alt-text descriptions to images because it helps people.

We need to build bike lanes because it makes cities safer and more accessible.

Reduce carbon emissions because it's the right thing to do! Discussing these things in purely economic terms misses the point.

docpop, 4 months ago to random

Don't make me tap the sticker.

docpop, 8 months ago to random

Saw this wild scene go down today and I wanted to share it with y’all. I was hanging out on 29th street when this self-driving car came to a stop in a nearby lane. I’m not sure if it was stuck or waiting for a pickup, but it sure was absolutely blocking traffic. After five minutes, a cyclist came by and yelled at the car to move. When it didn’t, he pulled out this “No Techno Fascists” sticker and slapped it on the window.

A self driving car blocking westbound traffic on 29th St. It’s a two lane road, so the cars behind the Waymo have to wait for the oncoming traffic to go away before they can pass it safely.

docpop, 23 days ago to Starwars

I'm heading to Alamo Drafthouse in SF tonight to take part in a 21 hour marathon viewing of #StarWars movies. That's Star Wars 1 through 9, with live performances of the 501st Legion, and some bits of trivia and games. Rogue One and Solo will not be included.

I haven't watched episodes 1-3 since they were in theaters and I'm curious if I'll like them any better now than I did then.
https://drafthouse.com/sf/show/star-wars-marathon?cinemaId=0801&sessionId=59461

docpop, 8 months ago to ai

I've been seeing a lot of ads for a children's clothing company called CCMOM. The ads show bright clothes adorned with beautiful appliqué designs and amazing details. All under $30, but something felt off about the items.

After digging around CCMOM's site, I found that the vast majority of their product photos are AI generated.

If the featured products are AI generated, then this must be a scam, right?

Yes. But not in the way you might expect. #AI #AIScam

A listing on CCMOM that shows a sunflowers appliqué jacket. It is mostly yellow and features several large sunflower petals on it. It looks very well made and realistic. The price on the site is $24.99
A beautiful children's dress that has appliqué flowers and plants at the bottom, then a grassy field, then the top part is the sky themed with clouds and buildings. It looks real, but extremely ornate. The price on the site is $21.99.

docpop, 9 months ago to random

Have you ever noticed that most self-driving cars don't have any passengers?

"Deadheading" is an industry term for keeping driverless cars in constant motion, even when they have neither a passenger nor a destination. Waymo & Cruise rely on deadheading to avoid paying for parking.

Why pay the city for public parking when you can store your car on the road for free (as long as it's moving)?

Since I've started keeping track, I've noticed that over 90% of the self-driving cars I see are empty...

Traffic at a busy intersection in San Francisco (Cesar Chavez and Guerrero). Most of the cars in the video are traditional cars with drivers, but three driverless Cruise cars pass by the camera. None of these driverless cars have passengers. At the stoplight, they all drive in different directions. It is not clear if they are driving to pick someone up, or just driving to avoid parking.

docpop, 8 months ago to random

If you are a Chrome user, you've probably been been opted-in to Google's enhanced tracking system without any warning.

Chrome's newest update pretends to provide users "Enhanced ad privacy", but actually enrolls Chrome users into a new trackings system.

To disable Google's "advanced" ad tracking, go to Settings>Privacy and Security>Ad Privacy and disable all three options there (Ad Topics, Site-suggested Ads, and Ad Measurement).

A user showing how to opt out of this new Google Chrome tracking. They go to Settings > Privacy >Ad privacy and disable all three options shown.

docpop, 9 months ago to random

POV: When Worldcoin starts advertising their dystopian bullshit in your neighborhood.

A row of stickers that were printed in a thermal home printer. One says “there is no use for blockchain that can’t be solved cheaper, better, and more reliably with existing tech”. The others have similar messages.
A sticker placed over the QR code on the Worldcoin flyer. The sticker says “Trade offer. Worldcoin receives: your most sensitive data and the ability to track your activities online and IRL. You receive: Fake money”
image/jpeg

docpop, 25 days ago to random

Who is your favorite celebrity in the fediverse? They don't need to have a large number of followers, or even a Mastodon account, but I'd like to hear about some famous (or semi-famous) folks who are actively participating in federated social media.

docpop, 21 days ago to bluesky

Jack Dorsey referred to Twitter, the privately owned company that blocked links to competing social media platforms like Mastodon, as "freedom technology". What a clown.

He also deleted his account on Bluesky announced he's no longer on Bluesky's board of directors. Jack's involvement was one of the reasons I was never excited about #Bluesky, TBH.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/05/jack-dorsey-says-hes-no-longer-on-the-bluesky-board/?guccounter=butts #JackDorsey

docpop, 5 months ago to random

Valencia Street's new bike lane isn't the cause of the economic downturn affecting businesses all over San Francisco?! What a shock!
https://missionlocal.org/2023/12/data-fails-to-back-claims-of-valencia-bike-lane-kneecapping-business/

docpop, 1 month ago to random

There's been a lot of negativity directed at bicyclists in our community lately, so I stepped out of my comfort-zone today and did the following things:

1. handed out stickers to 20 random cyclists I met on Valencia St.
2. briefly thanked each of them for being part of the community and had short conversations with a few.
3. met owners of some of the newer shops on Valencia Street and asked their opinions.
4. talked with UPS delivery drivers about how the protected mobility lanes affect them.

A view from a parklet along Valencia Street on a nice day. 5 cyclist pedal by in the protected mobility lane and 3 cars go bar in the car lane. In the foreground there are stickers that say "Protected Bike Lanes Save Lives" and "Open Valencia Street to the people, not cars". There are handwritten notes on the backs of the stickers.

docpop, 1 year ago to random

The city installed barriers on Capp St as a drastic step to deter sex workers. The concrete barriers are being upgraded to steel bollards today. The same sort of bollards we've been needing to protect pedestrians on Slow Streets or along bike lanes. Why is Capp St the only place that gets to have safe streets?

I've written 4 emails in the past 4 years to Supervisor Ronen asking for slow streets barriers & protected bike lanes, but never got a single reply. #SanFrancisco #ZeroVision

The new bollards in front of the older concrete barriers on Capp St.
Another view of the steel bollards on Capp St. There are 8 of them spread out across the street near the crosswalk.

docpop, 17 days ago to random

Okay, but when will Apple apologize for removing the 3.5mm headphone jack?

docpop, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

I used to make my own "I Voted" stickers until 2020, when San Francisco's vote-by-mail option finally started adding stickers with mail-in ballots. I still kind of like my old design, though. https://docpop.org/2018/11/diy-i-voted-by-mail-stickers/

docpop, 11 months ago to random

I had a great time interviewing @csilverman about #notesArt, his daily art project where he creates incredible drawings using the iOS Notes app on an old iPhone.

We dived into his technical process, the ways he continuously finds fresh ideas, and how limitations can help spawn creativity. We also talked deeply about our thoughts on sharing artwork on Mastodon and other social networks. Watch the interview here and please share it with friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzgnks_WuPk #interview #MastoArt #iOS

docpop, 3 months ago to random

TIL that "-dale" is an old English word for a peaceful valley. I have worked in Rosedale, Ridgedale, and Brookdale Center malls in Minneapolis and never thought about what the names meant. I guess the Placedale name is sort of a Minnesota thing too.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/why-are-so-many-malls-in-minnesota-called-blank-dale/#:~:text=Fisher%20says%20%22%2Ddale%22%20is,location%20and%20existing%20city%20names.

docpop, 3 months ago (edited 3 months ago) to random

8am on a Wednesday and I’m out here counting bikes and cars and seeing which group runs red lights more. So far, three northbound cars have run this red, while only one cyclist has. I’m assuming those numbers will shift. Oh wait, make that six cars. This truck ran it while I was typing that last sentence (and two more ran it on a previous cycle).

docpop, 19 days ago (edited 19 days ago) to random

Jay-Z's "My First Song" is in 3/4, right?

Jay's flow is in triplets, but when I try to count the beat I feel a 4/4 sometimes and a 3/4 others.

I don't know much about music theory and time signatures, so help me understand this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=colv2Wy2q7E

docpop, 3 months ago to random

I filmed the intersection at 23rd and Valencia for fifty minutes on a Wednesday morning. It's more dangerous than you can imagine. https://youtu.be/s1XSS4Y0dDk

Drivers running red lights or driving into bike lanes are common occurrences all along #ValenciaStreet. We need physical changes to our streets to make them safe for everyone.

I support the BetterValencia.com plan. Add curbside protected bike lanes and take steps to pedestrianize Valencia Street.

docpop, 3 months ago to graffiti

Jazzy street art spotted on 19th and Capp. #SFGraffiti #Graffiti #StreetArt

docpop, 3 months ago to SanFrancisco

I went for a short walk on #BernalHeights today and bumped into Amos Goldbaum, a local muralist whose distinct line art can be seen all over #SanFrancisco. I'm going to grab my microphone, then come back up the hill for a quick interview with him. Anything you'd like me to ask Amos about his work? Check out his site here: https://www.amosgoldbaum.com/

A closer look at a finished mural by Amos. The art is on a large concrete wall. The background is a dark grey, the art is a light blue. The art is painted in a consistent line width with no shading or fills. It shows buildings and landmarks in San Francisco and on Bernal Hill.
A photo of Sutro Tower that was taken from the same spot where Amos's mural is now. The photo shows the view that you would see if you turned around from the concrete wall and looked out at San Francisco on a beautiful day.

docpop, 3 months ago to random

Another big accident on San Jose Ave (at Duncan). A car hit the lightpost in the center of the road so hard that the lights fell off the top. I’m just trying to get some groceries without getting crushed at a crosswalk. It’s wild out here.

docpop, 2 months ago to visibleMending

The neckline is ripping apart on this t-shirt and I’d like to repair it with a neat looking visible mend. Does anyone have a suggestion for a simple, but fun #VisibleMending technique I could use? I don’t know any crosstitch techniques, but I do have some cool embroidery thread and needle on hand. https://www.reddit.com/r/Visiblemending/

docpop, 3 months ago to random

Happy #BandCampFriday, y'all! I'm always excited to see so many rad indie musicians releasing new albums. Any favorite new releases on #Bandcamp that I should take a listen to?