skua

skua, 9 days ago to random

1/2
How to evaluate opinions?

Below is one approach. (It is decontextualised and so not a fair example of the aufhor's position.
But still it is worth looking at IMO.

"Anyone who is excessively optimsitic or excessively pessimistic about AI is someone who hasn't engaged with AI critically."

Let's consider this appraich by replacing "AI" first with "government under Stalin", then "clean water and sanitation", and finally "a second term for DJT".

...

skua, 22 days ago to Windows11

Currently resetting/reinstalling #Windows11.

#MicrosoftThreatening me with,

"Good things coming your way."

Chilling feeling with this coming from a company with #Microsoft's record.

skua, 2 months ago to random

Hey, look what I found.

Wondering if Kerry Stokes was looking at or already had this investment back when John Howard re-jigged the Australian aged care system into something that could produce serious profits for private operators who could stomach mistreating the elderly?

And if Kerry conferred with Ol' Brown-nose Johny about the details of the second rate system that Johny set upon the frail aged?

https://www.crikey.com.au/2020/07/30/will-seven-ever-address-kerry-stokes-coronavirus-debacle/

skua, 3 months ago to repair

#Repair

1/?

Thought a U-bend seal was why there was water dripping onto the undersink shelf.

But no, it was a disintergrated sink waste seal #SinkWasteSeal.

And no the local plumbing suppliers no longer stock them. Maybe in the UK but not Australia.

Bought a roll of nitrile rubber sheet.

skua, 3 months ago to Israel

Anyone know the death and injury toll of the rockets that #Hamas has fired into #Israel since #October7?

I ask as that toll seems to be used as a major justification for the slaughter of +15,000 civilians, so I'm wondering just how it compares to +15,000 deaths and thousands of wounded caused by the violence of the #IsraeliDefenseForce.

skua, 3 months ago to internet

Hard words for Democrats from Marcy Wheeler, lead writer at Emptywheel.

Add this to certainty that Democrats are being #RageFarmed on #SocialMedia and consider what real world actions available to you might help save American democracy?

https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/02/05/stop-treating-rule-of-law-like-a-magical-sparkle-pony-and-get-busy/

skua, 3 months ago to random

#Covid has been politicised. Leading to some weird stuff.

Been to some "big box" large warehouse-style stores - hardware and whitegoods/appliances.

They appear to have high airflow going on with their ventliation/air conditioning systems.

#CrypticIAQ measures to fulfill #WorkHealthAndSafety legal obligations?

Possible Secret Indoor Air Quality Improvements - an absurdist element in a #StrugatskyBrothers critique of #SovietRussia?

(I can imagine high air flow being misused too.)

#IAQ

skua, 4 months ago to random

Here is #TimDunlop writing about the Australian ethos that may yet lie under all the hype, celebrity and bullshit that our TVs tell us is so very important.

Or maybe it doesn't.

https://tdunlop.substack.com/p/australians-all

skua, 4 months ago to random

Thread: 1/√-1
I'm a bit askew after work.
Wanting to write and "all over the place", discombobulated to use that ? Scientologist-prefered word that seems to have very recently got a new life.

A good time for a story of the #HypotheticalAssociation.

This'll take months - you'll want to keep an eye on the investment/pay-off ratio and watch you don't get stranded in a billabong (ox-bow lake) as the waters rise and fall.

skua, 4 months ago to random

@melissabeartrix
Hi Melissa, have you got any ideas about where I can go with this?

https://mastodon.social/@skua/111735514919680555

skua, 4 months ago to climate

Responding to #ClimateChange

Been wondering how to respond to climate change locally and as a human who is affected by it.

I'm listening for a practice or activity that could confirm to other locals that they're part of a group who support robust action to prevent large human-activity-caused climate change.

Looking for something that will help in the tiniest discernable way to shift me, and maybe others, away from #FeelingOverwhelmed by climate change.

What you got universe?

skua, 5 months ago to abc

🧵 1/4

The #ABC has stopped #Coronacast - last episode was on Tuesday 7 November 2023.

No explanation was given for the sudden end.
Link below

At timestamp 12:00 #TeganTaylor asks #NormanSwan: "What is your kinda main take-away from the pandemic?"

#RadioNational #Covid #CleanAir #MaskUp #IndoorAirQuality #Aerosols #ItsAirborne

skua, 5 months ago to random

Boss is putting a #UVC #UltraVioletSterilisingLamp unit into the air conditioner at work!

Price is AUD $1250 fitted.

This sort of thing is AIUI absent from #AgedCare facilities, doctor's waiting rooms, classrooms, government department and corporate offices.
Looks clear that it was absolutely necessary with the annual influenza before 2020.

That there are no #IndoorAirQuality regulations now at the end of 2023 is ... concerning? a betrayal? a gauge on corporate power?

#Covid #IAQ #CleanAir

skua, 5 months ago to audiophile

Used to think the #AuthenticReproduction approach of the #Audiophile was the way to go.

Then I read what had been done to the audio data to get it onto the medium. Sheeeeesh - now think whatever sounds good to you is good.

Even (pre-microphone) performance sound is heavily modified by the different psycho-accoustic processing of each listener at that time.

But if cryogenically treated 99.999% silver speaker cables with prime numbers of strands sound good to you and is carbon nuetral then OK.

skua, 6 months ago to random

I may have been muted/blocked by some supporters of Israel's killings in Gaza as I've expressed a view that the mass killings of noncombatants is a war crime and an atrocity.

Turn about to that is that I'm not attending demonstrations that mix "Ceasefire now" with, "Free Palestine".

I want the killing of children stopped. "Free Palestine" right now obstructs that IMO.

#CeaseFireNow #IsraelRightToExist

skua, 6 months ago to australia

#Supermarkets #SelfServeCheckouts #Coles #Australia #ConsumerBehaviour

Supermarket shopping.
Got the goods to the selfserve checkout. 🤔

Scanned the big bag of toilet paper.
On to the theft-prevention scales.
Wasn't going to be enough room for the rest of the grocercies, so moved the bag off the scales.
Oh no, "Return the item to the scales".🐒
Return, wait, try removal again.
Oh no, "Return the item to the scales".
Carefully unpack my bags of groceries onto scanner and shelf and walk out.

skua, 6 months ago to random

Anyone know how to filter out (only) images/attachments posted by an account I Follow?

(I'm AI-generated-image adverse. And would like to keep reading the text they post.)
#MastodonHelp

skua, 7 months ago to climate

This was posted very recently here.
But I can not find the OP. 🙁

Looks very much like #ClimateChange in action.

So maybe #NoCoffee, #NoPolarBears, #NoShiraz, and #CoastalInundation

#Viking and #StoneAge artifacts though.

All very interesting but not a #FairSwap.
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0gl9tq4/melting-glaciers-reveal-viking-pass-hidden-for-centuries

skua, 7 months ago to auspol

#AusPol #Australia #NBN

My #NationalBroadbandNetwork has been down for about 90 minutes.

No sign of any ETA of repair.

#LiberalAus #MalcolmTurnbull decided this trash internet was the level of garbage that Australians deserve.

#ThanksMal that was good of you.

Using scarce mobile data currently.
Other Mastodon tasks on hold till broadband returns.

skua, 8 months ago to random

It is #RiddleTime

"I am found far away from others like me.
Who, or what, am I?"

Your answer might be the best yet.
Please share it.

This #Riddle is part of one of the oldest riddles in English.
It is from a 10 century manuscript, #TheExeterBook. Other riddles in it are about spears, slaves, flood, sex and nature. The riddles of #Frodo and #Gollum would fit in with these riddles.

So have at it.
https://www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk/learning-collections/explore-the-collections/the-exeter-book/

skua, 8 months ago to medievalhistory

Any #Plague #BlackDeath #Historians #Scholars in the house?

Know of any towns, cities or countries where they pretended it wasn't happening?

(I've got a distant relative who thinks #Covid is all fake.)

#MedievalHistory #ThePlague #History #EuropeanHistory #MindOverMatter #ThePowerOfPositiveThinking

skua, 8 months ago to TeslaMotors

1/2
There is a #TheAtlantic article up, saying that #Musk pulled #Ukraine's sat-nav for a planned attack on Russian sips because he feared WWIII would break out.

The basis for this affirmative claim by The Atlantic?

A Musk comm to his biographer stating his concern.

Problem is that anyone wanting to create some grounds for some defence against doing something like switching off the sat-nav in a secret deal with #Russia would do something like that.

Looks like #ReputationLaundering to me.

skua, 8 months ago to random

@HistoPol
You look like a busy person.
Doing important work.

No need to Follow Back.

skua, 8 months ago to random

The New Taboo

You must not acknowledge that Covid-19 is a serious disease that is currently killing and injuring many people. Don't tell, don't ask, don't mask.

#Taboo #Covid #CovidMores #CovidNorms #TheEmperorHasNoClothes #MaskAnyway

skua, 8 months ago to BurningMan

Looking at a lot of the posts about #BurningMan.

Many seem to be #RageFarming.

Maybe #Rage is debilitating when engaged in about issues like a huge number of campers getting rained in?

Maybe we need folk clear headed rather than enraged about things like muddy campers?

You'll be much easier to manipulate and mislead when you are enraged. Trump will like that. You'll miss l subtle communications. Bannon likes that.