@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

pyperkub

@pyperkub@mastodon.social

University Sysadmin, Science/Space geek, Fantasy/SF Fan, College Sports (especially Bruins!) fan. (addendum - while I loathe the authoritarian and sometimes fascistic politics growing, I may not follow back, as seeing too much fascist this/fascist that isn't good for my mental health!)

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

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Such moral cowards running New York University -- ordering student protestors to write phony apologies.

This is right out of the authoritarian playbook -- and it craps on every notion of freedom of expression.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/17/nyregion/nyu-protests-apology-letters.html

You don't have to agree with the protestors' politics. But you should damn well understand that America is in wave of McCarthyism right now.

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor I apologize to the Authoritarians for being opposed to authoritarianism.

randahl, to random
@randahl@mastodon.social avatar

When Russians invaded Ukraine, we did not stop them.
When Russians tortured Ukrainian soldiers, we did not stop them.
When Russians raped Ukrainian women, we did not stop them.
When all the values that we so proudly claim to hold were violated, we did not stop them.
Because conveniently, Ukraine is not a member of NATO. And that is the comfortable blanket we pull over our eyes to fall asleep and forget our human responsibility.
Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Australians…
Wake the fuck up.

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@randahl my first impression of this post is that it can be construed as an argument in favor of World War 3. I'm far more in favor of the current situation than such a dramatic escalation.

arstechnica, to random
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

Pedego Moto review: Fast and furious fun for $4,000

Pedego's newest e-bike is quality even if a little bit impractical.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/05/pedego-moto-review-fast-and-furious-fun-for-4000/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@arstechnica you really need to start listing the weight of these "bikes" in your reviews.

eff, to random
@eff@mastodon.social avatar

You share more personal data online than you realize, risking your privacy — and perhaps, your safety. EFF’s Hayley Tsukayama, @evacide, and @pluralistic join PBS'
NOVA for “Secrets in Your Data,” a look at how to thrive online without compromising personal privacy. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/secrets-in-your-data/

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@eff @evacide It premiered yesterday? oops.

jonny, to random
@jonny@neuromatch.social avatar

He added that if all the demands of the students were met, the University would have to sell $32 billion of its $175 billion portfolio.

https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/14/uc-regents-disclose-investments-in-weapons-manufacturers-amid-calls-to-divest

#UCLA #divestment

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@jonny Why Coca-Cola and Disney, I wonder.

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@jonny Hmm. While the Coca-Cola plant could be problematic, I'd want more information as to what the hiring practices are. Are Palestinians employed there? Or is it actually an apartheid-type setup?

thurrott, to random
@thurrott@twit.social avatar

Microsoft Fined $242 Million in Patent Infringement Case Loss https://www.thurrott.com/microsoft/302369/microsoft-fined-242-million-in-patent-infringement-case-loss?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@thurrott IPA Technologies sure sounds like a patent troll name.

hllizi, to random German
@hllizi@hespere.de avatar

Recently @pluralistic pointed out again how the "tragedy of the commons" was originally a lie invented to have a pretense to take things away from people.

It's particularly enfuriatingly ridiculous that - you can bet on it - the people who will sell you this argument are also those who will tell you to prevent the climate catastrophe by uploading fewer pictures and farting less.

But this is where the tradegy of the commons does apply, for real.

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@hllizi @pluralistic It may have started that way, but when I was taking undergrad econ courses in the late 80's (I was an International Econ major for awhile), I do remember it being taught at UCLA as inclusive of private companies and pollution abusing "the commons". I can't speak, of course, for the Chicago school Cory loathes ;)

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@hllizi @pluralistic Well, we know that answer. See Trump requesting a bribe from Big Oil this week, and this all too real story from Oklahoma... https://www.propublica.org/article/oklahoma-oil-cleanup

jonny, to random
@jonny@neuromatch.social avatar

's Palestine solidarity encampment just posted an update on their telegram - UCLA has declared it unlawful, and administration has reached out to start negotiations. Organizers have been holding occupy-style general meetings and plan to continue that to guide negotiations

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@jonny Gee, the counterprotests are being paid? https://dailybruin.com/2024/04/27/counter-protests-of-ucla-encampment-raise-over-50000-on-gofundme

SFRuminations, to scifi
@SFRuminations@wandering.shop avatar

Larry Niven (1938-) was born on this day. Bibliography: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?42

L, Rick Sternbach, 1975; R, Dean Ellis, 1970

image/jpeg

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@SFRuminations Some of my favorite yarns from the 70's and 80's!

pyperkub,
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

@SFRuminations Sorry to hear it - I still have flashbacks to some of his short stories like The Hole Man and The Fourth Profession, as well as Lucifer's Hammer, Ringworld, The Legacy of Heorot and Footfall, where I'll just contemplate some of the ideas.

pyperkub, to cycling
@pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

Got in a nice bike ride before going to @pluralistic 's Book reading/signing at in Marin yesterday. An excellent day! (thanks Cory!)

image/jpeg

grivettcarnac, to Canada
@grivettcarnac@mstdn.social avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @grivettcarnac one subsidy I hate is the obfuscated one of data privacy, and car manufacturers' nightmares. Is Canada any better than the US at curtailing this? https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/privacy-nightmare-on-wheels-every-car-brand-reviewed-by-mozilla-including-ford-volkswagen-and-toyota-flunks-privacy-test/

    design_law, to random
    @design_law@mastodon.social avatar

    It's the weekend! What are we reading, watching, or listening to for fun or distraction?

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @design_law Finishing up Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future Novel/ wonkiness.

    anirvan, to random
    @anirvan@mastodon.social avatar

    "Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) claimed that even passive [speeding] notifications would be a dangerous distraction for speeding drivers who 'really need to be paying attention.'"

    https://cal.streetsblog.org/2024/04/24/bill-to-require-speed-control-in-vehicles-goes-soft

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @anirvan It is a STUPID bill written by someone who lives in a city and completely ignores rural and suburban realities and wants to impose the nanny state everywhere. Weiner is an idiot.

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @anirvan Not really. Ask yourself "why" there are more speeding deaths in rural areas, and you'll find that there can be a need (call it real or perceived) to speed to get somewhere on time. I'd wager that the speeding deaths to speeder ratio in cities is far higher than in rural areas.

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @anirvan And IMHO, one needs to address the "why?" question before doing something like this.

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @anirvan That's the billion dollar question, but I'd put both poverty and infrastructure near the top of the causes list.

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @anirvan yeah, but none of those impair functionality, and are unobtrusive. I'm fine with that.

    StillIRise1963, to random
    @StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

    I think we can now stop saying “google it” when looking for info. No one will find it there.

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @StillIRise1963 This still applies:

    donni, to random
    @donni@mastodon.social avatar

    Maybe you’re the main character in a boring novel where very little happens

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @donni how very kafkaesque :)

    donni, to random
    @donni@mastodon.social avatar

    Got too high once and called a bunch of people in the phone book just to make sure they were doing OK

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @donni 🤣 🤣 🤣

    arstechnica, to random
    @arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

    Google merges the Android, Chrome, and hardware divisions

    Google says the new “Platform and Devices” team will let it move faster.

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/google-merges-the-android-chrome-and-hardware-divisions/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @arstechnica In other words, we need to make sure our #surveillance and #enshittification are standardized across Alphabet/Google!

    acdha, to random
    @acdha@code4lib.social avatar

    “If Uri wanted to start a discussion about journalism at NPR, he succeeded, though maybe not in the way he intended. His colleagues have had a rich dialogue about his mistakes. The errors do make NPR look bad, because it’s embarrassing that an NPR journalist would make so many.”
    https://steveinskeep.substack.com/p/how-my-npr-colleague-failed-at-viewpoint

    pyperkub,
    @pyperkub@mastodon.social avatar

    @acdha I'd have more (any?) sympathy if he had come up with anything which wasn't 100% RW Froth designed to churn the waters and nothing more. As is, he needs to listen to the Cleveland Plain Dealer: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/03/our-trump-reporting-upsets-some-readers-but-there-arent-two-sides-to-facts-letter-from-the-editor.html

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