wiredfire

@wiredfire@mas.to

Hello!
I’m here to talk about nonsense, #retrogaming , #tech , and chew gum. And I’m all out of gum.

Potential occasional perplexed posts about #uk #politics also 🤫

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

jon, to windows
@jon@vivaldi.net avatar

Congress in the US has banned Copilot for security reasons. I would take it further. Really the way Windows is coded now, it is a significant security problem. The idea that it is unclear whether you are using local data or online data is unacceptable.

This includes:

  • Login. Login should be local. You are not logging into a service. You are logging into a computer. The service should be separate from the computer.

  • Copilot. Clearly another case where you may not realize that you are sharing data by asking a question.

  • OneDrive. Another case where local data is backed up in the cloud, without active actions by you as a user. Backup is great, but you should have to explicitly enable it and there should be a warning that your data may be scanned.

  • Windows. In reality even Windows is now a problem given the login issue and any tracking that is happening.

Online cloud services can be great, but one should never be forced into online services or lured into them. Any computer should work fine without having to use OS online services, except basic services, like updates and the like.

#Windows #Linux #Microsoft

https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-congress-bans-staff-use-microsofts-ai-copilot-axios-reports-2024-03-29/

wiredfire,

@jon with each new piece of nonsense from MS I’m increasingly pleased to have moved to Linux Mint. Still using OneDrive though for my sins.. nothing else comes close for value and fitting my needs :-/

stux, to random
@stux@mstdn.social avatar

It's time to address the elephant in the room, or actually Threads

As many of you may know Threads went live in Europe and with that they started testing federation with the Fediverse

At this point there is a choice to make

  1. Block Threads on instance level, that will take away the choice for each person

  2. Do not block and let people block if they want to(1 search and 2 clicks)

After much consideration and talks I think we need to go with option 2 and let people decide for themselves

wiredfire,

@Bluedepth @stux looks like I’m heading back to one of his most esteemed instances 😉

I’m big on an open and free web and crying foul when a big player actually adopts open and free standards doesn’t sit right with me.

Sure Threads might end up doing some bad noise that would earn an instance level block as any other instance would but let’s wait for them to do that & welcome their users, actual people.

verge, to random
@verge@mastodon.social avatar

Microsoft starts testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/12/24128640/microsoft-windows-11-start-menu-ads-app-recommendations

wiredfire,

@Natsura @verge @Hawaii

Linux Mint.

Very familiar for Windows users, very good hardware compatibility, very user friendly.

wiredfire,

@Mrfunkedude @verge if anything like my experience you’ll lose basically nothing. I expected to make some trade-offs but they never appeared. I just ended up with a laptop than run a lot better & let me just do what I wanted / needed to without much hassle.

wiredfire, (edited ) to random

Why aren’t more people talking about @omnivore as a read it later service?

It’s free, open source, works more reliably than Pocket or Instapaper, zero limitations like Matter - all entirely free even if you use their server. Self-hosting totally an option too.

It’s frankly brilliant.

https://omnivore.app

wiredfire, to random

Best thing about the Twitter rate limit debacle is that it’s stopped my feed here being folk getting militant about Meta’s ActivityPub plans 😅

wiredfire, to random

Guys.. when you post something that’s public it’s just that: public. There’s no magical effect preventing meta, or anyone else, seeing & using it.

That also includes any information publicly showing in your profile.

If that information remaining actually private is part of your threat profile then Threads federating isn’t suddenly changing anything.

wiredfire, (edited ) to random

When shifting instance what approach do you take with your post history on the server you're leaving?

wiredfire, to random

On killing off the full HS2 plan, Sunak pledges to "reinvest every penny" saved in rail, roads and buses in the North, the Midlands and across the country.

Don't fall for it.

HS2 is already billions of pounds over-budget.

There is not a single penny "saved".

He is deceiving us. Again. He takes us for fools.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-67001483

wiredfire, to random

Pornhub should totally make their URL resolve to a page with an easy to understand guide to no-log VPNs when accessed from these states.

They should do the same in Britain if the moronic money-sick bellends in the UK government pass their Online “Safety” Bill.

https://gizmodo.com/pornhub-cuts-off-access-in-mississippi-and-virginia-1850602485

wiredfire, (edited ) to random

Have discovered Finamp. An iOS app that connects to a JellyFin media server and plays music, which the official JellyFin app can do of course but Finamp lets you save music offline too.

Great clean interface, works fast and works well! Happy days 😁 Now to see about setting something up as an always-on JellyFin server 🤔

Oh and like JellyFin, Finamp is open source 😁
https://github.com/jmshrv/finamp

wiredfire, to random

Anyone else feeling the preachy, dramatic, tone around here picking up..? Think it’s time to prune the following list 🤔

wiredfire, to random

All I want is Spotify but with the UI of Apple Music. It wouldn't even need to be as clean, just less messy than it currently is.

I can't jump for now though due to a family member being on the family plan that would struggle to hop to Apple Music (we tried before and their Apple ID just didn't work for some reason and Apple couldn't fix it)

wiredfire,

Think we’re going to hop to Apple Music anyway. It’s just so much less terrible to actually use. As a bonus it seems to have lots of DJ mixes specifically categorised, something I've been wanting from Spotify for a long while.

I'm not sure I've got headphones that take much advantage of spacial audio or lossless though 🤔

I expect @Sobtanian will know if non-apple headphones do anything with Spacial

wiredfire,

@Sobtanian intriguing! May have to consider that next time I have spare cash (lol.. 😂😅)

s31bz, to linux
@s31bz@fosstodon.org avatar

What is a fun machine you got running on in the past?
Feel free to repost this to see what answers we get!

wiredfire,

@s31bz I had Linux breathe new life into a 1st generation Chromebook.

Sobtanian, to random
@Sobtanian@mstdn.games avatar

Blow me, kobo have announced colour e-readers, finally.

BUT! I tried one from a different company earlier this year and it sucked. So I’m not sure how this will be different.

BUT! I love kobo and their devices are amazing so maybe this will be different.

wiredfire,

@hk @Sobtanian another vote for Kobo from me. Was on a Kindle Oasis but moved to a Libra 2. Less of a premium feel to the shell but absolutely every other aspect is much better for me. It’s just a pleasure to read from

wiredfire,

@Sobtanian @hk you were quite persuasive 😁

Sobtanian, to random
@Sobtanian@mstdn.games avatar

So, I’ve gone crazy and booked a short (less than 24 hours!) visit to Bratislava, less then 24 hours after I return from Baghdad, only because a certain Jean-Michel Jarre announced a free, open air city concert called Bridge From the Future, and this may very well be his last one.

wiredfire,

@Sobtanian I enjoy you just casually have a friend hanging around with Jarre 😁 Sounds like you’ll have the best possible place to see it 😃

wiredfire,

@Sobtanian the crowds are going to be huge! What a spectacle - hope you have an awesome time!

wiredfire,

@Sobtanian that’s cool. Also means I can now regard myself as two “handshakes” away from Jarre haha 😎

mjf_pro, to random
@mjf_pro@hachyderm.io avatar

If this gets released our next home PCs will be Macintoshes. https://mastodon.social/@verge/112259904395780233

wiredfire,

@mjf_pro I hopped off to Linux a while back due to to the nonsense of Windows 11. I’ve lost nothing. I can do everything I did on Windows, the laptop runs faster , doesn’t freeze all the time.

I can also now, when I need to, “upgrade’ to used slightly older hardware that Linux will make run as well , or better than, a brand new machine running Windows.

thomas, (edited ) to random
@thomas@metalhead.club avatar

Now that the first official, federated connection from a Fediverse account to a single (!) Meta threads.net account has been made, the Threads topic is boiling up again.

Many of us Fediverse citizens see this as an opportunity for the Fediverse to gain in importance.

At least as many are sceptical about whether we should be exchanging data with Threads at all.

As an instance admin, I'm worried about making a decision that could alienate users on both sides. 😓 🧵

wiredfire,

@mjf_pro @thomas @binarytango
In waging war against Meta many are forgetting the People.

Threads’ users are almost certainly not as knowledgable about social media challenges, both technical and ethical. I dare say many don’t care. A great way to help them care is to welcome them in with open arms and show them a better way.

This is an unprecedented opportunity.

Jeff, to random

“AI” is just bitcoin in the sense it burns cycles on computers with little benefit but lots of hype. It also is dumbing down business.

http://sourcinginnovation.com/wordpress/2024/03/01/open-gen-ai-isnt-just-dumbing-your-business-its-killing-the-planet/

wiredfire,

@Jeff it might be a waste but the article makes the claim that it’s “killing the planet” which is a very different argument.

wiredfire, to random

If you stay longer than you should when camping you would be loitering within tent.

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