@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

elb

@elb@social.sdf.org

I'm here for old computers, radios, and cool nerdery.

I identify with #Unix #Linux #HamRadio #retrocomputing and #making.

Professionally I am a computer scientist, now primarily an educator of college students. I am a #SystemsProgrammer with deep experience in #networking, #EmbeddedSystems, and #OperatingSystems. I have also worked in #security from time to time.

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elb, to academia
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

OK Brightspace, I can identify at least one part of your trash software that can be skipped.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

"Despite its name, software is more permanent than hardware."

  • A New History of Modern Computing, Thomas Haigh and Paul E. Ceruzzi
elb, to emacs
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

One of my students opened up today, opened up a GUI file manager, found a file, grabbed the icon, dragged it onto Emacs, and dropped it. And it WORKED. I'm not sure which part distressed me more.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Cameras on everything, sensors everywhere, multi-GHz processors in wristwatches, and I still don't have focus-follows-eyes.

THIS is how I know I'm on the Bad Timeline.

elb, to HomeAutomation
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I really like the idea of . However, the available software systems just do NOT do it for me. My smart thermostat has been blinking that it cannot connect to my wi-fi for weeks, my is out-of-date because updating it is painful, my Z-Wave adapter is currently not functioning properly because somehow the adapter stack can't talk to it, ...

This is all a joke.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Why do people roast coffee dark, and why would anyone buy it? It smells like hatred and sadness and tastes like broken dreams.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Can't wait for the big event!

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I was just feeling nostalgic for OpenCM, an early cryptographic-naming configuration management (version control) system from Jon Shapiro's EROS group at Johns Hopkins. I think Jack Lloyd (later participant on Monotone and author of the Botan cryptographic library) was one of the primary developers, if memory serves. It was the first VCS that I used that had competent branching and merging and really felt comfortable for parallel development. Sadly it's dead and gone, now.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Marina: 2
Fresh Roast coffee roaster chaff lids: 0

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I just went out to get my kid off the bus. It's cold outside, so I put on a gray pea coat over my T-shirt and blue plaid flannel pajama pants. It's snowing, so I added a black wool Stetson. Then the bus was late (probably due to the 2" of snow on the ground), so I pulled on some tan leather lined work gloves and shoveled the walk.

Fortunately it was my younger who was getting off the bus, and she is rather a sartorial free spirit. My older would have been mortified.

elb, to baking
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I don't use an . I haven't used an ad blocker in a decade or more. I see plenty of ads on the web. What I do is block third-party and known cross-site . The number of sites (even apparently legitimate sites) that implore me to disable my ad blocker is disappointing.

elb, to retrocomputing
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

If you know, you know.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

> You understand and accept the risks associated with using the Internet such as risks of security breaches, transmission errors, and service interruptions. Information sent over the internet may not be secure. You understand and accept the risk that a third party may intercept the information you send to us online or in our response(s).

Wait ... what? Are you not even trying?

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Just had to "per my previous email" someone. Don't make me do it.

elb, to IT
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

My University's Outlook email service just delivered me the same message twice, with the same Message-Id:, but with DIFFERENT CONTENT because of its garbage safelinks. This is madness.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Here's a first (for me): a student typing code (like, composing a program, with carriage returns and indentation and everything) in the Google search box, then copying and pasting it into an editor on a remote machine, because of perceived problems editing directly on the remote machine.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I tried to type "truant" on my phone, and it wanted to make it "turnt". I'm not a zoomer, Android. Stop.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I keep hearing news about how the IRS is finally offering free online filing of income taxes, etc., but I've been using IRS-provided free online filing for YEARS (maybe decades?) via their Free File Fillable Forms. Why does no journalist mention this?

elb, to Amazon
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

When will the madness end? I ordered this on top of a hard disk drive that would have reasonably fit inside that box. Why would they do this?

elb, (edited ) to Matrix
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

#1 way you know your org is using @matrix for communication: the ratio of content-bearing messages to "could you please discard your session?" messages is significantly < 1:0. #matrix #messaging #chat

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Things you don't want to see from your NAS: volume is degraded

elb, to ai
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

I continue to play with the supposedly privacy-preserving Copilot provided through licensing by the University that I work for.

I've been playing with image generation, and I was trying to create a cyberpunk scene. Every time I include a woman, it's an hourglass-figure model in a suggestive pose. When I asked it to give me a less sexualized image ... it said it couldn't do that.

elb, to ai
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

My University signed up for a "private" Microsoft Copilot deal, where supposedly MSFT doesn't train or otherwise exploit the interactions we have with Copilot when signed in, so I've been playing with it a bit.

I've tried to use it to:

  • Find information like I would using a web search
  • Get technical support for things I both do and do not already know how to do (Linux)
  • Ask questions like my students would ask about assignments/etc.

1/2

elb, to retrocomputing
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

A couple of PDP-11s and a VT-105 terminal (with photobomb by Model 28 gear) to brighten your evening.

This is shortly after I got a online; at this point, one of the two RX02 drives worked reliably, the RL01 and RL02 were good, and I thought the CPU and backplane was in good shape (I later learned there was a NPR chain problem on RX211backplane slot), and a lot of software ran correctly.

The rack on the right is … not suitable for this use.

elb, to random
@elb@social.sdf.org avatar

Hey guys, remember the (thankfully departing) "VP-CIO" (maybe demoted?) at my University, who created a user nightmare by outsourcing almost all of our IT? Most recently, he bought into a (second!!!!) scheme from Microsoft that adulterates incoming email in the body of the message, to flag potential phishing.

Now I get this:

From: "[Good Riddance], Chief Information Officer" <cio@buffalo.edu>

You don't often get email from cio@buffalo.edu. Learn why this is important <https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification>

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