kbal

joined 1 year ago
[–] kbal@fedia.io 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And then there's Lemmy, where you can always count on some helpful stranger who's completely missed the point chiming in to tell you why you're wrong.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 3 points 1 day ago (4 children)

That's not how it was as of yesterday when I signed up just to see what all the fuss was about. (I don't think I'll be participating.)

[–] kbal@fedia.io 14 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Bluesky: You are immediately and automatically welcomed into the warm embrace of an algorithm that entices you into a parasocial relationship with the synthetic community it has created.

Mastodon: If you're lucky you'll stumble across a warm welcome for new users explaining how posts are called toots here, likes are called florps, and our version of Grok is called Garfiald.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 9 points 1 week ago

It's the culture of an instance that makes the difference, not which software it runs, but there is often a correlation. Misskey tends to get more people who appreciate cute emoji and comfy vibes.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I thought maybe it was just my imagination that it's been really slow since Wednesday, but you can see it clearly on the charts at the bottom of the page there.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Maximum rationalisation mode: Maybe Conservatives will now be so confident that they've already won the next election that those of them who are just feigning the hate for trans people, gays, immigrants, refugees, socialists, liberals, opponents of fascism, and whatever other scapegoats they can find in order to win popular support will feel that they can safely tone it down a little and just coast to victory without needing to stir up even more fear and anger.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 3 points 1 week ago

We need to overcome those obstacles, otherwise we'll get so soft and stupid and distracted by nonsense that we willingly opt for fascism.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 2 points 1 week ago

Get yourself a good nicotine vape rig. The kind that has a big tank so it'll last all day and you can use whichever flavoured vape liquid you like best. Switch to that 100% of the time, right away, no exceptions. Don't worry about how to quit vaping until you've gone without smoking for at least a few months.

It'll be hard, but not nearly as bad as it is if you try to quit both smoking and nicotine at the same time.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Nonsense. Everyone knows that atomic power was given by the mighty hand of God.

[–] kbal@fedia.io -1 points 1 week ago

Freedom of expression is very important, so I propose a compromise. Display as much advertising and other propaganda as you like, but no actual burning of fossil fuels is allowed anywhere within city limits. Temporary exceptions to be made for fire trucks, construction equipment, and essential freight deliveries so long as it can be show that there is no current alternative and there's a credible plan to create one within five years.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 3 points 1 week ago

the large amounts of energy they use make them the c

... ountry's largest source of greenhouse gases. Not the c-word I was expecting.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 44 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Having apps that do what users want but try to hide it from reviewers really highlights the absurdity of letting Apple decide what software you're allowed to run.

16
So You've Become a Russian Asset (www.bugeyedandshameless.com)
 

The TL/DR is this: The allegation that David Pugliese is a Russian asset has floated around Ottawa for about a decade — often with various degrees of evidence behind it. It was in recent years that these documents, which appear to be real and which were furnished by Kyiv, were sent to Canadian intelligence agencies and were seriously investigated. While Pugliese has proved himself to be a willing customer for Russian disinformation, and while I believe he hasn’t appropriately disclosed his relationship with the Russian embassy, the idea that he is a paid agent of the Russian government is probably false.

But recent Kremlin influence operations have blurred the lines between asset and useful idiot. They invite us to, as I said repeatedly during my statement at committee, get serious.

 

As opposed to Bill C-63, which pushes [age verification bullshit] far into the future and behind closed doors through an opaque regulatory process, our new Conservative legislation will directly legislate [age verification bullshit] that online operators must adhere to.

 

If you routinely start #steam in offline mode and it suddenly stopped working in the past few days (first time I ever saw such a thing), you may be able to fix it by temporarily taking it out of offline mode as described on github.

 

Today is the 97th anniversary of the executions of Sacco and Vanzetti.

 

First time since March 2023!

 

Squardle is the best one. There's something of a learning curve. It looks intimidating at first. Once you get the hang of it though, it's just right.

It's given me a few minutes of word game entertainment every morning for the past year. I may not know much, but I know all the five-letter words now.

 

Under the slogan ‘Think of the children’, the European Commission tried to introduce total surveillance of all EU citizens. When the scandal was revealed, it turned out that American tech companies and security services had been involved in the bill, generally known as ‘Chat Control’ – and that the whole thing had been directed by completely different interests. Now comes the next attempt.

 

This legislative triad would grant the government sweeping new powers to censor and censure, undermining privacy rights.

 

The bill, which is the brainchild of Senator Julie Miville-Duchêne, was supported by the Conservatives, Bloc and NDP with a smattering of votes from backbench Liberal MPs (the cabinet voted against, signalling it is not supported by the government). The bill raises significant concerns with the prospect of government-backed censorship, mandated age verification to use search engines or social media, and a framework for court-ordered website blocking

This bill passed second reading in the House of Commons. It is a serious threat. The age verification lobby is making its push, trying to bring this arrant nonsense to Canada before we and the rest of the world realise how little good and how much harm it can do.

 

I agree with Pierre Poilievre: The next election should be about the carbon tax.

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