Lou Katz @lou@entropyservice.com

oh, good, SPD is planning to expand their license plate reader program and contract out the data storage to Axon, who can be subpoena'd by states which have passed anti-trans laws.

you can let the city council know what you think about this decision: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/tell-seattle-not-rush-license-plate-scanners-our-streets-without-protections

You open up a Commodore 64, and the box says "welcome to the world of friendly computing."

You turn on a modern PC, and it immediately threatens your data unless you agree to save your data to *their* cloud service.

That right there is why we talk about vintage computers. Folks need to be reminded of what's possible.

#Commodore64 #VintageComputing

I still can't upload large images to Flickr.

So I opened a support ticket this morning. I got a reply from a human in 15 minutes acknowledging that others have reported similar problems and promising to keep me updated. At no point was I asked to restart my browser, reboot my computer, or turn anything off and on again, nor did they try to gaslight me by claiming no one else has complained. They just acknowledged the problem and promised to fix it.

Remarkable enough to be notable these days.

Everyone makes a big deal about the people who designed and built Voyager 1 because it was supposed to last 4 years and it’s lasted for 47, but all that means is they spent money on reliability that could have been returned to shareholders in a stock buyback.

How did we not recognize “Don’t Be Evil” as the gun on the mantelpiece in Act I?

And speaking of things I've done that infuriated people, nothing prepared me for the absolutely unhinged fury this paper, published in the IEEE Security and Privacy journal, unleashed in the US locksmithing community. They don't, it turns out, appreciate it when irresponsible outsiders like me infringe on their turf or reveal weaknesses in their products.

https://www.mattblaze.org/papers/mk.pdf

SUNDAY SILLY

#AureFreePress

We're watching the largest and most dangerous 'cult' in American history https://www.alternet.org/alternet-exclusives/trump-cult-dangerous/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

'Bring your felon to work day': Dems slam Trump-D.C. visit as GOP enjoys 'mandatory fun' https://www.alternet.org/bring-your-felon-to-work-day-dems-slam-trump-d-c-visit-as-gop-enjoys-mandatory-fun/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

The PL/I programming language has many keywords, but none are actually reserved words, so you can have variables named IF, THEN and ELSE, and write statements like:

IF IF = THEN THEN THEN := ELSE; ELSE ELSE := IF;

I've long wondered about how to write a scanner and parser for it.
1/
#ProgrammingLanguage design

@kaydenpat #altText4you
I don't mind having to pay taxes when the poor can't.

What upsets me is having to pay taxes when the rich won't.

As dissent and protest get increasingly criminalized, it's vital for protesters and dissenters to protect themselves -- to the degree possible -- from surveillance.

The @eff offers a useful guide.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/surveillance-defense-campus-protests

Note: You should read this even if you aren't a protester, because the right wing (and sadly some misguided folks on the left) are increasingly willing to trample freedom of expression.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

There is no sign of #SarsCoV2 mutation rate slowing down.

The march upwards in Immune Escape & ACE2 binding strength continues.

There is no sign #SARS2 is running out of evolutionary space.

🧵@TRyanGregory
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1801997622376354200.html

#SARS2 #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver #ForeverCovid

Israeli forces have destroyed all the water wells in northern Gaza.

The lack of water is making the near-famine conditions across the Strip worse, and most children and adults there don’t have access to clean drinking water.

"If water is life, then it's denial is certain slow death."

Video shows children drinking water from puddles & collecting seawater.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ALG-rlI4lM

@palestine
#Gaza
#water

@joesteel More seriously, every time I see touch-based car controls I say “no.” I want physical buttons and dials that exist in meatspace and my hand get used to using them.

I was driving a Ford Mach-E as a rental a few weeks ago. Mostly actually loved it! But the huge central A/V + HVAC control panel was very easy to press and screw things up that were not safely recoverable on a highway.

Senate Republicans blocked legislation establishing a binding code of ethics and stricter recusal requirements for Supreme Court justices.

A day later we learned that Clarence Thomas received even more free vacations from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.

You can't make this stuff up.

Trump floated eliminating the federal income tax and replacing it with tariffs on imports.

This would lead to huge price hikes, which would hurt everyone but the wealthy.

Think the cost of living is high now? Just wait and see what happens if Trump gets another term.

Running against the Supreme Court has the added benefit now of also playing well in a swing state on their bump stock decision.

#Nevada #guns #election #scotus #SupremeCourt