@peachfront@toot.community
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

peachfront

@peachfront@toot.community

Senior parrots, birds, birding, rock swaps, crystals & stone-cutting. Sometimes I write funny dialogue for the birds in your photographs. I read books, & I vote!

Formerly known as Peachfront on Twitter & Instagram, & Amethyst Qu on Medium.

Haven't owned peachfront.com domain in years but you may find my old trip reports at peachfront.diaryland.com.

Pro Tip: Diaryland does not have any www's.

#birds #crystals #photography #fedi22 #books #writing #selfpublishing #birding #nature

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

peachfront, to climate
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

something is wrong with the air. woke up to extremely heavy white fog & this ain't any "water vapor," it smells like gas & smoke of some kind

i don't see any fires on the FIRE map but... something's wrong

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Thread via Joyce Vance: 🧵 1/…

Some folks have expressed concerns abt “light” sentences in plea deals for & . He pled to felony, but like Powell, he spends no time in prison & will have his record expunged after he completes probation under GA's 1st time offender law.

Keep your eyes on prize here. Goal is to hold folks accountable & to keep flipping lower level defendants against ones who are higher up the food chain to reach the most culpable

peachfront,
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

@jackiegardina @GottaLaff

Interesting his lawyer would admit it but it never occurred to me that any of them believed in the Big Lie, seems like if they had, they would've taken an entirely different approach since they'd be coming from a position of strength & truth rather than totally making things up

aren't we pretty sure even TFG knows he's lying?

i guess Powell could've convinced me she was delusional enough to believe it or Rudy could claim he was drunk enough to believe it but ?

axbom, to random
@axbom@axbom.me avatar

Here's what happens when machine learning needs vast amounts of data to build statistical models for responses. Historical, debunked data makes it into the models and is preferred by the model output. There is much more outdated, harmful information published than there is updated, correct information. Hence statistically more viable.

"In some cases, they appeared to reinforce long-held false beliefs about biological differences between Black and white people that experts have spent years trying to eradicate from medical institutions."

In this regard the tools don't take us to the future, but to the past.

No, you should never use language models for health advice. But there are many people arguing for exactly this to happen. I also believe these types of harmful biases make it into more machine learning applications than language models specifically.

In libraries across the world using the Dewey Decimal System (138 countries), LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) topics have throughout the 20th century variously been assigned to categories such as Abnormal Psychology, Perversion, Derangement, as a Social Problem and even as Medical Disorders.

Of course many of these historical biases are part of the source material used to make today's "intelligent" machines - bringing with them the risk of eradicating decades of progress.

It's important to understand how large language models work if you are going to use them. The way they have been released into the world means there are many people (including powerful decision-makers) with faulty expectations and a poor understanding of what they are using.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-023-00939-z

peachfront,
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

@axbom

makes sense, there are more ways to be wrong than to be right

sigh...

luckytran, to random
@luckytran@med-mastodon.com avatar

Pfizer says it will price Covid treatment Paxlovid at nearly $1,400 for a five-day course, which researchers estimate only costs Pfizer $13 to produce.

That's a 10,000%+ markup. Shameful.

Estimated cost-based generic prices for nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) Prepared by Melissa J Barber and Dzintars Gotham 12 January 2023 Assuming current API market prices: Cost of production 150mg nirmatrelvir tablet: $0.63 100mg ritonavir tablet: $0.08 5 day treatment course - 2x150mg nirmatrelvir + 1x100mg ritonavir twice daily for 5 days: $13.38

peachfront,
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

@luckytran

FFS nationalize these drug companies & put the CEOs in prison

one pharma bro in federal prison is NOT enough

GottaLaff, (edited ) to Georgia
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Welp. 🔥🔥🔥

Added: and BOOM! (How'd I forget those?)

Via Anna Bower:

NEWS: Kenneth , alleged architect of the “fake electors” plot, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors in County, , per source familiar with the arrangement.

Hallerman: He will receive probation. More to come 1/…

peachfront,
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

@chuck @GottaLaff

no idea, i've been assuming his ego won't let him admit he's guilty of any crime

if he was a normal person, i'd say maybe his lawyers should be reaching out in hopes of a no-prison-time deal if he agrees to house arrest/no contact w/ the media

but i don't see him doing that or anybody around him even having the nerve to suggest it

Private
peachfront,
@peachfront@toot.community avatar

@plainreading @bookstodon

me too

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is literally the first Herzog film I ever saw (Every Man for Himself & God Against All was the subtitle (?) or alternate title for that film)

I've always thought it was a great title altho someone told me it's a German saying rather than something he just cooked up

Teri_Kanefield, to random

deleted_by_author

    •
    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @Oggie @Teri_Kanefield

    There's also the problem that some conspiracies are real-- the bribery of SC justices has been proven to my satisfaction in the case of Clarence Thomas, for instance

    To assume conspiracies don't exist is arrogance- it's the assumption that all bad people are stupid & incapable of planning together

    Since some conspiracies are real & all involve lies & secrets, then we can't be 100% correct in identifying which are real & which false- we will ALL make some mistakes

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @Teri_Kanefield @Oggie

    OK, gotcha... I wasn't thinking "conspiracy theory," just "conspiracy"

    I have a personal theory that it's OK to form "working" theories about the existence of a plan or conspiracy IF you are able to change your mind about what's happening as you gain better information

    However, if you have a tendency to not change your mind once it's made up, creating "working" theories is a bad idea because then confirmation bias slips in & theory hardens into belief

    heidilifeldman, to random
    @heidilifeldman@mastodon.social avatar

    I cannot really absorb that the Republican Party is all but certain to nominate a candidate for president who repeatedly shoots off his mouth about the Middle East while Biden and Blinken work ceaselessly to advance numerous important goals that are very difficult to serve simultaneously.

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @heidilifeldman

    Well, I believe it & wouldn't expect anything else

    You do realize that GOP evangelicals want war in the Middle East because they believe a final war there is necessary before the so-called End Times when Jesus returns?

    So of course they want the peace process disrupted...

    Evangelicals literally don't know they're evil & will tell you exactly who they are if you even pretend to listen...

    (Source, live in the South)

    RiversideBryan, to Florida
    @RiversideBryan@pixelfed.social avatar

    ⚠️ I stood still for what felt like hours (probably a minute or two), waiting for the Egret to turn its head.
    Finally did and the Ibis photo bombed ... look what my phone did to its beak! 😳🤪🤷‍♂️
    Is that due to motion? 🤔

    +

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @RiversideBryan

    yikes!!!

    peachfront, to photography
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    I'm not saying we're easily entertained around here but we saw the eclipse

    Likewise, to books
    @Likewise@beige.party avatar

    Another favorite book that works quite nicely for Creep-tober reads is We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. A large part of this is written in letters by Eva Khatchadourian to her ex-husband about their son Kevin. This story is a psychological powerhouse & is incredibly thought-provoking. It is also disturbing,(that’s the closest thing to a warning you’ll get from me) but life is often disturbing, so just read it.

    & maybe pair it with a very dark red wine that you will sip s l o w l y 🍷

    As a bonus, the movie of the same name is superb & Tilda Swinton as Eva, is impeccable.
    @bookstodon

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @Likewise @bookstodon

    Great book!!!!

    Private
    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @kimlockhartga @bookstodon

    What An Owl Knows-- guess it depends on how mysterious & spooky you think owls are 🦉

    z_everson, to USpolitics
    @z_everson@journa.host avatar

    House majority leader Steve Scalise's (R-La.) nearly 30-year government career has yielded him a net worth of about $350,000.

    by Matt Durot for @Forbes

    #USPolitics #Congress #Scalise

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2023/10/12/heres-how-much-gop-house-speaker-nominee-steve-scalise-is-worth/?sh=38249345672c

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @editor @z_everson @Forbes @noladon

    Yeah, I don't think Scalise is capable of "reflection," I've never seen any evidence that he's in possession of a brain...

    Susan_Larson_TN, to Women
    @Susan_Larson_TN@mastodon.online avatar

    is trying to into keeping him in

    introduced a to him. He's to their .

    https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/10/george-santos-is-trying-to-blackmail-republicans-into-keeping-him-in-congress/

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @Susan_Larson_TN

    break out the 🍿 & let the GOP infighting begin!

    peachfront, to macrophotography
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    Macrophotography is heck

    GottaLaff, to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    Yet she's good with sexual abuser & "Hitler Did a Lot of Good Things” Defendant Trump and GymJordan who helped cover up sexual abuse & "deflected" when asked to disavow a tweet shouting out Ye who praised Hitler? https://ca.movies.yahoo.com/jim-jordan-tells-awkward-lie-234314184.html

    Via Daily Beast's Sam Brodey:

    👉🏼 today: "I personally cannot, in good conscience, vote for someone who attended a white supremacy conference and compared himself to David Duke"👈

    Mace running in 2020: campaigns with Steve Scalise and touts his endorsement

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @GottaLaff

    it's very dispiriting, among other things because I travel fairly often (or did before covid) & I constantly got accosted by foreigners who really believe we could just vote these guys out & be heard... they have no idea how powerful voter suppression is or how long gerrymandering has been going on... I'm like, we DO vote, of course we vote, but it's more to have it on record that not everyone stands for this **** than any reasonable belief that we'll get representation

    sigh

    dannotdaniel, to random
    @dannotdaniel@mastodon.social avatar
    • whispers *

    "owning gold bars" does not a James Bond super villain make... even if you have them stashed around your secret hollowed-out volcano lair... provided you have receipts... (which would probably prevent them from being seized, Senator)

    SO. If you ever buy any actual gold bars & run for public office:

    ✔️ keep the receipts
    ✔️ keep copies of the receipts
    ✔️ keep off-site copies of the copies

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @dannotdaniel forfeiture law is modeled on maritime law, not constitutional rights (property doesn't enjoy rights, for obvious reasons) & just being able to prove something is yours doesn't mean you get all of it (or any of it, in some cases) back from the months to years long process

    You do not have to be convicted of ANY crime to forfeit your property if some LE wants to grab it

    (My advice is don't buy gold bars but cash is unavoidable in some businesses so must be used w/ respect) 2/2

    Private
    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @DarkMatterZine @bookstodon

    I do prefer a little ribbon or tassel but I often just use a hole punch to add my own, they don't seem to be standard & not having this is not a deal breaker

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @DarkMatterZine @bookstodon

    that's an excellent idea

    flattliner, to random

    A brief moment of seriousness.

    WTF has happened to US life expectancy? Don’t blame Covid ‘cause it looks like things started heading South at the turn of the century. Bear in mind that this is in a country that spends more per capita on healthcare than everybody else…

    peachfront, (edited )
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @nilsskirnir @Oggie @hannu_ikonen @flattliner

    People born before WW2 lived when health care was still cheap & then they had Medicare-- preventative treatments aren't safely available to the rest of us anymore

    Hubby was billed $90K+ for a stent when insurance tried to deny coverage, whereas both of my parents (on Medicare) had bypass surgery covered w/out problems (& both lived ~ 2 decades longer afterward, while hubby's treatment is constantly challenged by his insurer)

    Private
    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @Rhube @KitMuse @bookstodon

    I'm the one who put maybe... I haven't found it to be a problem when traveling with birders (& the lighting doesn't need to be bright between buildings either, that just attracts bugs) but then I started to wonder if it's a bunch of writers drinking & getting a little crazy instead of birders who just go to bed early hoping to get up before dawn... it might be different

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @KitMuse @Rhube @bookstodon

    Then I think it could work but I always viewed waking up in the night in such situations as an opportunity to check the night sky away from city lights

    Private
    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @brendan @bookstodon

    You have many of my favorites already, I added the Marge Piercy books (Woman on the Edge of Time and He, She, and It... bought them long ago so I guess they will be tougher to find...

    heidilifeldman, to random
    @heidilifeldman@mastodon.social avatar

    One more big thought for now: there are large parts of the U.S. where I now feel menaced - not just disliked or treated as unusual - because of my views, my way of life, and my innate characteristics. By menaced, I mean physically imperiled, not just a feeling of being different or standing out. I think more of us Americans feel that way in more places throughout the country. This is the situation that is untenable. 1/2

    peachfront,
    @peachfront@toot.community avatar

    @heidilifeldman

    Being menaced for existing is how all non-rich women in the US have ALWAYS lived---menaced & often in physical danger for daring to walk outside the confines of our own homes

    Sounds good to say something is "untenable" but the elite will never give you equality & safety for asking nicely

    They don't care that we don't terrorize them, they've enjoyed too much success terrorizing us, THEY already feel safe & it hasn't made them any more inclined to respect us as equal beings

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