Mystery of the day: What program did I run on my Linux desktop, way back on September 6th, that created the directory `/home/bill/logs` containing a single zero-length file `myeasylog.log`? Research tells me that this was probably generated by a C++ library (Easylogging++) -- which narrows […]

Do I want to run my own e-mail server for my family, on a VPS? Or would I be walking into a nightmare?

A stubborn Portulaca seed escaped from our flowerpot, and is attempting civic beautification at the end of our driveway.

> The fire brigade in the German city of Wiesbaden was called out four times on Saturday due to concerns over gas leaks, with the cause being the smell of the durian fruit. ... DW, 2025-10-05: Smell of exotic fruit keeps German fire department busy cc:news

Greetings, Bluesky folks! Welcome to Mastodon! Here are some tips to help you get started: 1. This is the Fediverse, and you don't have to use Mastodon. Try Hubzilla instead. Or GoToSocial. Or Akkoma, Smithereen, Friendica, or Sharkey. Or pretty much anything other than Mastodon. You will […]

So what I'm hearing about Bluesky's moderation policies in the past few weeks is: * Tolerate intolerant people who are right-wing. * Moderate intolerant people who are left-wing. But do your own research, because maybe it's just a few hotheads angry about waffles.

Cola dissolves anything.  Ars Technica wrote the following post Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:04:43 -0700 Woman hospitalized with pain and vomiting—diet soda cured her Doctor's dissolve mass in woman's stomach by getting her to chug soda […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

‘Blueskyism’, Political Violence, and Open Social Networks Under Authoritarianism on how the last weeks have shifted the threat model for open social networks: from fighting platform decay to the threat of authoritarianism […]

Windows 11 is malware. Dark patterns killed my wife’s Windows 11 installation  –  OSnews > Last night, my wife looks up from her computer, troubled. She tells me she can’t log into her computer running Windows 11, as every time she enters the PIN code to her account, the login screen throws […]

Remember that news story in late July about the Oklahoma school chief who was allegedly watching porn during a board meeting? Oklahoma County DA: No criminal charges for Walters over reports of nude images • Oklahoma Voice > ...A two-sentence news release from District Attorney Vicki Behenna […]

Entertaining but depressing website: AI Darwin Awards 2025 - Celebrating Spectacularly Bad AI Decisions > Honouring those who use artificial intelligence in spectacularly reckless ways. Submit nominations for the most catastrophically ill-advised AI deployments of 2025. Be advised that […]

I'm reconsidering how much I want to say in public posts about about any political topic. If you're using Fediverse software that doesn't support posting to a limited audience, drop me a note and I'll point you in the right direction. This article may be of interest, but I know there have been […]

A few days ago, Nepal banned 26 social networks, allegedly for failing to follow legal requirements. This triggered a lot of bad things. Mastodon was one of the banned services. What I haven't heard yet is: _What exactly did they ban, to ban Mastodon?_ This is obviously relevant to potential […]

AI detection software company tests Google AI Overviews, finds that about 10% of the sources were written by AI, 75% by humans, and the remaining 15% unclassifiable. Google says the company's AI detection software is broken. Google’s AI cites web pages written by AI, study says > […]

Like the Bible, but more exciting: Fantasy or faith? One company's AI-generated Bible content stirs controversy > ...The AI Bible is run by Pray.com, a for-profit company that claims to have "the world's #1 app for faith and prayer."... > > "The AI Bible is a way to really bring these stories […]

Two of the most awful sites on the Internet are suing to block Ofcom from enforcing the UK Online Safety Act in the US. This is important for anyone operating Internet services in the US. Good analysis by Mike Masnick, and includes the complete legal complaint filed on August 27th: When Trolls […]

One of the ways that LLM-authored code improves productivity is by merely SAYING it does things. It's way faster than the whole time-consuming process of actually doing things. This is real code someone sent to me for review.

CW #⚠️ : #USPol #USPolitics #COVID19 #vaccine #WashingtonState#USPolitics#COVID19#vaccine#⚠️me US states are fed up with RFK Jr blocking COVID vaccination, and are issuing their own guidance. > ...The new Standing Order allows most residents to go directly to a Washington pharmacy or clinic and receive the COVID-19 […]

CW #⚠️ : #USPol #USPolitics #firearms #2ndAmendment#USPolitics#firearms#⚠️nintentional courtroom humor: If an illegal immigrant has a firearm, is he protected by the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms? Trump's Justice Dept is caught in the middle -- and, unsurprisingly, they're arguing that illegal […]

Coming soon: Microsoft calls it auto-save to the cloud, which might sound convenient for Word users. Just be aware of what's in it for them -- feeding their "AI" database, among other things -- and think about potential consequences […]

#Sciop hit a Petabyte (actually a Pebibyte but nobody knows that word) of total proven capacity a week or two ago. That's all the seeders * the size of the things they are seeding. All volunteers, zero dollars in funding, piggybacking off existing resources […] [Original post on neuromatch.social]

For those of you still using #Facebook and its app, you might want to read this article: Meta might be secretly scanning your phone's camera roll - how to check and turn it off > Some Facebook users have noticed new settings that let Meta analyze and retain your phone's photos. Yes, you read […]

Well, that didn't last long. I guess it's hard to stay in a medical science position in the US government if you believe in medical science.  Ars Technica wrote the following post Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:26:05 -0700 Report: CDC director being ousted just […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

Thank you Google, may I have another? A new layer of security for certified Android devices > ...Starting next year, Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed by users on certified Android devices. This creates crucial accountability […]

Seems like pretty reasonable pricing to me!

Oh wow, Google is really sneaky with their AI Mode button on the new tab page in Chrome. Here's a very unintuitive way to disable it. 1. Open chrome://flags/ in your browser. 2. Look for "ntp-compose-entrypoint". 3. Switch to "disabled". 4. Restart your browser. #chrome #googlechrome #ai #aimode

Certified git imbecile here. If I have forked a repository, how do I keep it in sync with the original? I have found two simple explanations that disagree with each other: How to Update or Sync a Forked Repository ... uses `git merge upstream/main` Synchronizing Your Fork with the Original […]

Power button and DVD button are 5 cm apart. But don't worry -- the settings on your Linux system will intercept a short power button press, and just pop up a requester so you can choose whether to suspend, hibernate, restart, shut down, or cancel. And if you're fast enough starting VLC to […]

A bit of NASA research on Ceres (the dwarf planet formerly classed as the largest asteroid): NASA: Ceres May Have Had Long-Standing Energy to Fuel Habitability - NASA > New NASA research has found that Ceres may have had a lasting source of chemical energy: the right types of molecules needed […]

For my Bluesky-using friends -- but also for anyone who uses or operates any social networking service, because this is happening to other services and in other places: Our Response to Mississippi’s Age Assurance Law - Bluesky > ...Mississippi’s HB1126 requires platforms to implement age […]

I'm unclear on whether I'm supposed to hate this because it's Donald Trump socialism, or like it because it's Bernie Sanders fascism. Wait, did I get those backwards? Intel and Trump Administration Reach Historic Agreement to Accelerate American Technology and Manufacturing Leadership > U.S […]

CW #⚠️ : #USPol #USPolitics #DSA #OnlineSafetyAct I'll just note that I hate 4chan and the Trump administration. However, it's just possible they will jointly put a stop to the attempts by foreign governments to apply their regulations internationally to […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

If you've always wanted an AI to fill in your spreadsheet cells for you... COPILOT function in Excel > The COPILOT function allows users to leverage artificial intelligence by providing a prompt and references from the grid to generate responses based on an AI language model.

Attn @[email protected] - you might like this one! The top story is ~10x the floor area of the bottom story. But don't worry, those posts are probably strong enough. Also, the house and garage are both hexagonal […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

It's not nomadic identity, but it's progress... Bridging identity with account links > One of the most common questions we get here is, “can you help me connect all my different accounts?” You’re on Bluesky, and Instagram, and Mastodon, you make a video series on YouTube, you have a blog […]

I have never owned any cryptocurrency. I don't trust anything in that so-called industry. But I was thinking, maybe if I just needed a small amount for purchases of services, I might look into Monero. I have now looked far enough. Monero network turmoil as Qubic claims hashrate dominance > […]

Antimicrobial products recalled due to microbial contamination. DermaRite Industries Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of DermaKleen, Dermasarra, Kleenfoam, and Perigiene Products Due to Burkholderia cepacia Contamination > DermaRite Industries, LLC is voluntarily recalling individual lots […]

Very interesting article. Go past the "We used AI" bit, because they seem to understand the limitations.  Ars Technica wrote the following post Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:33:17 -0700 Study: Social media probably can’t be fixed "The [structural] mechanism […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

Star leaky app of the week: StarDict > A discussion on the oss-security mailing list on OpenWall highlights an interesting feature of an apparently innocuous dictionary app that's included in Debian: StarDict, a Gtk app that looks up text and displays the definition in a tooltip. The alarm was […]

This is a fun channel to follow, if you enjoy photos of unusual homes for sale...  Weird Estate wrote the following post Sun, 10 Aug 2025 19:48:26 -0700 This is just your average imitation Elizabethan style manor house and then there's... that […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

New scam is surfacing on Bluesky, which means it will arrive here soon. It works by telling you they have information about someone impersonating you, but for thin bogus reasons, you need to contact them on Discord. This is a scam. #feditips #fediadim #mastoadmin #scam

If you really can't avoid using #Windows11 😿 you can set it up without linking it to a Microsoft account. Here's how: How to set up Windows 11 with a local account > hands on: They want you to use a Microsoft account, but we'll show you how to get around it

Yesterday, I learned that if you try to find medieval streaming music, almost all the results will be some sort of medieval-goth-metal-folk-pop-rap-rock that is younger than the fish in my aquarium and more annoying than algae. If anyone is interested, here is the real thing: Ancient FM: Music […]

CW #⚠️ : #Trump#⚠️can't do percentages. Trump, Sunday 2025-08-03: > “You know, we’ve cut drug prices by 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, 1,500%. I don’t mean 50%, I mean 14 — 1,500%.” > ... > “So we’ll be dropping drug prices. It will start over the next two to three months by 1,200, 1,300 and even 1,400% […]

CW #⚠️ : #USPol #USPolitics #DemocraticParty#USPolitics#⚠️lood-sucking parasites etc. Summary: A network of organizations, all linked to a central fundraising agency called "Mothership Strategies", is raising a ton of money through spammy donation requests, and using very little of that money for […]

CW #⚠️ : #Trump #Epstein#Trump#⚠️nd all that mess Once I bought some frozen eels for dinner, and I had to skin them first. Eels are the slimiest creatures. Nearly impossible to get a grip on them -- the eels and your hands are covered in goo. I remember using knives and scissors and pliers. Obviously […]

Desktop #Firefox has a zillion settings in `about:config`, but this interface is disabled in the #Android version. To turn it on: Go to `chrome://geckoview/content/config.xhtml` Use the search to find `general.aboutConfig.enable` Toggle it to **True**. `about:config` will now show […]

Beware: some Fediverse posts asking for Palestine aid donations are fake.  Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm: wrote the following post Sun, 27 Jul 2025 12:08:06 -0700 ⚠️ SCAM WARNING ⚠️ We’re getting blasted by a bot-driven barrage of accounts requesting […] [Original post on forum.statler.ws]

Teppic turned 15 years old this month, so he needs a lot of rest between his naps. (5 minutes later, he was wide awake because I tore open a bag of loose-leaf tea and he was certain it was cat treats.) #caturday

I love people who can hack past artificial obstacles. Radio geeks say you can still get 'lost' DoD hurricane data > ...In June, the US Department of Defense (DoD) decided to remove access to data collected by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) instrument for the Defense […]