1/x #mathsmonday #maths #math Over time I have saved many screenshots of #ai #aislop stuffing up #mathematics big time, and on occasion I've had cause to reshare them, and at times I have cursed that I can only attach 4 pics per post. Then I realised, what am I worried about - just post them […]

I'm a software developer with 40 years' professional experience, lucky enough to be considering early retirement. I love writing code and don't want to stop. I'm keen to give something back, and contribute to one or more open source projects. The questions are, to what shall I contribute, and […]

A quotation from **Adlai Stevenson** > There are men among us who use “patriotism” as a club for attacking other Americans. What can we say for the self-styled patriot who thinks that a Negro, a Jew, a Catholic, or a Japanese-American is less an American than he? That betrays the deepest […]

A quotation from **Mark Twain** > How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again! **Mark Twain** (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens] Dictation (1906-12-02), _The Autobiography of Mark Twain_ , Vol […] [Original post on friendica.world]

We could end homelessness tomorrow but the cruelty is built into the system https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/29/australia-tax-breaks-landlords-more-spending-than-social-housing-homelessness-rent-assistance-combined

A quotation from **George Orwell** > Fascism, at any rate the German version, is a form of capitalism that borrows from socialism just such features as will make it efficient for war purposes. > Internally, Germany has a good deal in common with a Socialist state. Ownership has never been […]

A quotation from **Arthur Conan Doyle** > “You don’t seem to give much thought to the matter in hand,” I said at last, interrupting Holmes’s musical disquisition. > “No data yet,” he answered. “It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgement.” […]

A quotation from **Ben Franklin** > Hear Reason, or she’ll make you feel her. **Benjamin Franklin** (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist _Poor Richard_ (1744 ed.) * * * More about this quote: wist.info/franklin-benjamin/15… #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd#quotation[…]

"IG is a drug." Documents that show Meta seemingly bragging that "teens can't switch off from Instagram even if they want to" may prove damning for the platform in a social media addiction trial that could cost them and YouTube — also a subject of the lawsuit — billions. Snapchat and TikTok were […]

A quotation from **Molly Ivins** > This has happened before in our history — in fact, it’s a pretty predictable reaction to fear. We get so rattled by some big Scary Thing — communism or crime or drugs or illegal aliens or terrorism — something that scares us so much, we think we can make […]

It's frustrating to see social media platforms keep popping up with nebulous claims to be better that are just policies, rather than fundamental features of the software (i.e., using open protocols like ActivityPub or even ATProto) I'm sure the people behind UpScrolled have the best of […]

Maybe we should stop calling these platforms "social media" if they're going to aggressively attack the social aspects that made their platforms work. https://mastodon.social/@verge/115967498909692370

"We propose and test the LLM Brain Rot Hypothesis: continual exposure to junk web text induces lasting cognitive decline in large language models (LLMs)." Sobering research by computer scientists at Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Purdue University […]

A quotation from **Lyman Beecher** > They are perfectly aware how little ground there can be to hope that men may be reasoned out of their errours, when in fact they were never reasoned into them, but adopted them from prejudice, passion, or policy. **Lyman Beecher** (1775-1863) American […]

A quotation from **Henry Commager** > The rich and respectable have always had their ways of making their discontent heard; the poor and unorganized must resort to protests and marches and demonstrations. **Henry Steele Commager** (1902-1998) American historian, writer, activist Essay […]

Are there any "case studies" of whole communities moving to the fediverse, similar to the Forkiverse? I'm thinking about writing a version of my article https://stefanbohacek.com/blog/fediverse-an-overview-for-government-agencies/ and aim it at community organizers. #fediverse #community

Radio DJ: "...and now we have a new entry with a bullet into the Top 40 this week - Me, Myself, AI, by Joan Amihallucinating" #ai #parody #satire #joke #joanarmatrading

A quotation from **Peter Ustinov** > I think that it’s an honorable thing to change your mind occasionally. I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness or lack of integrity. I believe men are united by their doubts and separated by their convictions. Therefore, it’s a very good thing to have doubts […]

A quotation from **John Scalzi** > My father deals with millionaires and billionaires on a daily basis, the sort of people who have egos just this side (and sometimes way over the edge) of sociopathy. The sort of person who thinks he’s the apex predator wading through a universe of sheep […]

A quotation from **Adlai Stevenson** > True patriotism, it seems to me, is based on tolerance and a large measure of humility. **Adlai Stevenson** (1900-1965) American diplomat, statesman Speech (1952-08-27), “The Nature of Patriotism,” American Legion Convention, Madison Square Garden, New […]

A quotation from **George Orwell** > Why is the goose-step not used in England? There are, heaven knows, plenty of army officers who would be only too glad to introduce some such thing. It is not used because the people in the street would laugh. Beyond a certain point, military display is only […]

A while back someone on here posted a wonderful little story/poem about #Mathematics that went something like: "Mathematics has two beautiful daughters named Physics and Chemistry. Both still live at home and and are devoted to their mother. A third daughter named Computer Science moved out […]

Trump said "make America great again." Trump then attacked the major universities of America, he cut their funding, and now: "Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip": https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/harvard-global-ranking-chinese-universities-trump-cuts.html […]

Anybody got recommendations for an Australian eSIM for a tourist? F-i-L is going out there next week, and I'm somehow expected to Just Know™ which to get. #askfedi #australia

A quotation from **Cicero** > Do you think that what I say each day on such a variety of topics could come to me if I did not cultivate my mind with learning, or that my mind could bear such a strain if I did not relax it by this same learning? > Indeed I confess that I have devoted myself to […]

My doctor's office has a new sign up notifying patients that they use AI transcribing medical records This is a very bad idea I'm going to try sending them a letter asking for an AI opt-out and pointing to the lack of privacy protections And then I'm probably going to have to start looking […]

"We may use AI to ensure quality and accuracy" No you don't! You use it to squeeze more out of each employee so you don't have to pay people! Quality and accuracy are not characteristics one should associate with current LLM technology!

On March 2, we are going to try something different. Something in addition to the regular twice/year FediForum un-conference (so don't worry). We will run an un-**workshop**, on a topic that many in the community have told us is very pressing for them: How do we grow the Open Social Web? When […]

A quotation from **Bertrand Russell** > It is better to do nothing than to do harm. Half the useful work in the world consists of combating the harmful work. **Bertrand Russell** (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher _Conquest of Happiness_ , Part 2, ch. 16 “Effort and […]

A quotation NOT from **Ben Franklin** > War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself. **Benjamin Franklin** (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist (Spurious) * * * More about this counterfeit quote […]

A quotation from **Thomas Fuller** > A Fault, once denied, is twice committed. **Thomas Fuller** (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer _Gnomologia: Adages and Proverbs_ (compiler), # 93 (1732) * * * More about this quote: wist.info/fuller-thomas-1654/8… #quote #quotes […]

New phishing scam pretending to be from an official Mastodon account. Mastodon does not send out verification requests like this. So don't click the link if you receive a message like this, just report it as spam.

#programming #projectmanagement #developers #deadlines

A quotation from **Ambrose Bierce** > INCORPORATION, _n._ The act of uniting several persons into one fiction called a corporation, in order that they may be no longer responsible for its actions. A, B and C are a corporation. A robs, B steals and C (it is necessary that there be one gentleman […]

A quotation from **Aldous Huxley** > All propaganda directed against an opposing group has but one aim: to substitute diabolical abstractions for concrete persons. The propagandist’s purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human. By robbing them of […]

A quotation from **Mark Twain** > Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. **Mark Twain** (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens] (Attributed) * * * More about […]

A quotation from **Orwell** > One cannot see the modern world as it is unless one recognises the overwhelming strength of patriotism, national loyalty. In certain circumstances it can break down, at certain levels of civilisation it does not exist, but as a _positive_ force there is nothing to […]

A quotation from **Eisenhower** > Never let yourself be persuaded that any one Great Man, any one leader, is necessary to the salvation of America. When America consists of one _leader_ and 143,000,000 _followers_ , it will no longer be America. Truly […] [Original post on friendica.world]

Folks, you're not going to believe me when I say this, but Benchmark.NET dropped the dot. It's BenchmarkDotNet now…. How the... what the.... whos the.. but.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! It's happening! #dotnet

RE: https://mastodon.social/@dansup/115899323371675728 OMG OMG OMG is happening, thanks @dansup !

A quotation from **Abraham Lincoln** > Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring that _“all men are created equal.”_ We now practically read it “all men are created equal, _except negroes.”_ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read […]

A quotation from **Hannah Arendt** > The aim of totalitarian education has never been to instill convictions but to destroy the capacity to form any. **Hannah Arendt** (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist _The Origins of Totalitarianism_ , Part 3, ch. 13 “Ideology and […]

Leopards eating faces party, but for brain-eating torment nexus vendors.

A quotation from **Alexis de Tocqueville** > As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in? > > _[À mesure qu’on creuse plus avant […]

Dear #askfedi, #jobhunt edition, is there a Fedi Fiver clone, preferably for #linux admins? I need to cach some odd jobs, as my situation might be dire for the next month.

Personally I'm amazed people stayed on X after the Nazi salute, but whatever. The best time to leave Twitter was years ago, the second-best time is now. --- To anybody still using X: sexual abuse content is the final straw, it’s time to leave - Marie Le Conte […]

A quotation from **Henry Commager** > Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. **Henry Steele Commager** (1902-1998) American historian, writer, activist Essay (1961-04-30), “We Have Changed — and Must,” _The New York Times Magazine_ * * * More […]

A quotation from **Montesquieu** > It is clear that the monarch who, through bad counsel or negligence, ceases to see that the laws are executed can easily repair the damage: he has only to get a new counsellor, or correct his own negligence. But when, in a popular government, the laws have […]

What time (in your timezone) do you usually have dinner at? #askfedi

A quotation from **Wendell Berry** > Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy. **Wendell Berry** (b. 1934) American farmer, educator, poet, conservationist Essay (1988), “Economy […]