@Techmeme@techhub.socialiPad Air (M4) review: powerful M4 chip, good multitasking with iPadOS 26, and robust hardware, but its screen could be better, no Face ID, and can get pricey (Nathan Ingraham/Engadget)
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ip
@simon_brooke@mastodon.scot"A Plaid Cymru victory in May would be “a pretty revolutionary change” for Wales, she said, but the party would first have to prove it could govern better than Labour: since devolution began in 1999, NHS and education standards in Wales have dropped below the other UK nations, and poverty has deepened."
So #Plaid_Cymru have a pretty low bar to climb, it would seem. Less incompe…
@raiders@darktundra.xyzRaiders Receive Clear Message Ahead of Looming QB Battle https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/clear-message-kirk-cousins-fernando-mendoza/
@tiotasram@kolektiva.socialIn the interests of starting a more productive dialogue than yesterday's main character was interested in, let's make a #brainstorm thread about design changes to ActivityPub and/or client UI that could actually help address drive-by (often racist) harassment on the fediverse.
Feel free to discuss pros/cons but don't feel an idea needs to be perfect to suggest it. Also since this is a brainstorm don't worry about complexity/implementation cost. If you have a great-but-hard-to-implement idea someone else may think of a way to simplify it.
Note that the underlying problem *is* a social one, do there won't be a technological fix! But tech changes can make social remedies easier/harder.
I've got some to start:
1. Have a "protected mode" that users can voluntarily turn on. Some servers might turn it on by default. In protected mode, users whose accounts are less than D days old and/or who have fewer than F followers can't reply to or DM you. F and D could have different values for same-sever vs. different-server accounts, and could be customized by each user. Obviously a dedicated harasser can get around this, but it ups the activation energy for block evasion and pile-ons a bit. Would be interesting to review moderation records to estimate how helpful this might or might not be. Could also have a setting to require "follows-from-my-server" although that might be too limiting on private servers. Restriction would be turned off for people you mention within that thread and could be set to unlimit anyone you've ever mentioned. Would this lock new users out of engagement entirely? If everyone had it on via a default, you'd have you post your own stuff until someone followed you (assuming F=1). One could add "R non-moderated replies" and/or "F favorites" options to soften things; those experiencing more harassment could set higher limits. When muting/blocking/reporting someone who replied to your post, protected mode could be suggested with settings that would have filtered the post you're reporting.
2. Enable some form of public moderation info to be displayed when both moderator and local server opt-in. Obviously each server would be able to ignore federated public tags. I'm imagining "banned from X server for R reason (optional link to evidence)" appearing on someone's profile & an icon on their PFP in each post viewed by someone on server Y *if* the mods of server X decide it's appropriate *and* server Y opts in to displaying such tags from server X specifically. Alliances of servers with similar moderation preferences could then have moderation action on one server result in clear warning propagation to others without the other mods needing to decide whether to also take action immediately. In some cases different moderation preferences would mean you wouldn't take action yourself but would keep the notice up for your users to consider. Obviously the "Scarlet Letter" vibe ain't great, but in some cases it's deserved, and when there's disagreement between servers about that, mods on server Y could either disable a specific tag or disable federation of mod tags from that server in general. Even better shared moderation tools are of course possible.
3. Different people/groups have different norms around boosting. Currently we only have a locked/public binary. Without any big protocol changes, adding a "prefers boosts/doesn't" setting which would warn in the UI before a viewer chooses to boost if the preference is "doesn't" could help. This could be set per-post, but could also have defaults and could have different values for same-server or not, or for particular servers. For example, I could say "default to prefer boosts from users on my server but not from users on other servers" or "default to prefer boosting on all servers except mastodon.social." Last option might be harder to implement I guess.
#ActivityPub #Meta #Harassment
@hacksilon@infosec.exchangeOh, another nice thing I just saw: iOS Live Activities are finally coming to #HomeAssistant!
Roadmap entry: https://github.com/OpenHomeFoundation/roadmap/issues/52 (pu…
@hex@kolektiva.socialOne more thought...
One of the more toxic elements of the whole "manosphere" thing relative to dating is the application of game theory to relationships. They've got people trying to "maximize their dating potential" or whatever, trying to find the "most attractive march" (which is it's own fucked up thing I'm not even going to dig in to). But that whole mindset is basically going to always leave you miserable.
Oh, you're single? You need a partner. Oh you have a partner? Could you get a "better" one?
It turns relationships into the endless pointless grind of capitalism. Fuck that. None of that shit makes sense. No matter how "well" you do in that game, you always feel like a loser. Everyone does. Fuck that game. Quit.
The constant desire makes you miserable and your misery makes you unlikable. When you let go of it, you leave room to experience what is instead of constantly imagining what could be.
You will always be able to imagine a better "could be" than what is now. By comparing your situation now to that "could be" you will always see your situation as bad because it's worse than your yardstick.
Is your situation good for you? Is it serving you? It can be good and it can also be possible to make it better. When was the last time you just experience your life instead of trying to strategize your way into "something better."
Throw away the yardstick. Something something Buddha.
Edit: all this is of course aside from the whole objectification thing, which is it's own whole set of fucked up. But yeah... All that shit is real bad news.
@kurtsh@mastodon.socialWhat if vaccines could be made to protect against a family of viruses, like influenza or coronaviruses, rather than just individual members of them?
✅ Scientists are working on “everything vaccines”
https://www.economist.com/science-and-tech
@wraithe@mastodon.socialSo I was just watching a YouTube playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 by Nyxandchill and I’ve JUST realized what’s so galling about how bad the Male romanceable characters are:
Because JACKIE‽‽ he’s fucking awesome.
I have not YET see anyone play this game and not like Jackie. (RIP Choom)
And if they could write a character like Jackie, they could have written a better male character to be a possible romance. (Yes, yes, Takamura, it’s a crime he’s not) (1/2)
@ErikUden@mastodon.deThe complex part regarding our understanding of Rosa Park's history, is that several others, such as Claudette Colvin, had done her protest before Parks.
Irene Morgan had done it in 1944, but certain states simply ignored the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in her favor. There was a deliberate choice to make Rosa Parks the face of the campaign, since she could handle the heat better. It'd also be much harder to dig up any dirt about her: Rosa Parks was a well-respected woman in her 40s with…
@NFL@darktundra.xyzSeahawks CB Tyriq Woolen on taunting penalty vs. Rams: 'I’ve got to be better with that' https://www.nfl.com/news/seahawks-cb-tyriq-woolen-on-taunting-penalty-vs-rams-i-ve-got-to-be-better-with-that
@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.caVery proud and excited to vote in the NDP leadership race today!!
This is not the first time I've voted in a Federal leadership race... more on that later but first, my choices! I considered only voting for two people, but I ended up filling in all 5 choices.
#1: Tanille Johnston @…
#2: Avi Lewis @…
#3: Heather McPherson
#4: Tony McQuail
#5: Rob Ashton
Why?
You might ask why I would publicize my choices. I don’t expect others to of course. It is a privilege and a right in Canada to exercise your democratic choice freely and privately, but I also think there is value in knowing how others voted.
#1 why Tanille? #electoralReform and proportional representation myself, I didn't just want to pick my top two. I wanted to make a statement on each of these candidates an influence each one.
To be blunt, Heather is #3 because she is the middle-of-the-road candidate. She is an excellent representative as MP and has gathered the support of other MPs including my own, but while I would be OK with her leadership, I would see her as a continuation of the status quo, and that is not what the NDP needs as a party, nor is it what Canada needs as a country.
We desperately need a vigorous and clear alternative to the Centre-but-mostly-Right Liberals, and the MAGA-wannabe Conservatives. The only way to do that is to catch the attention of Canadians and inspire them. I am not sure that Heather has the ability to do that, and if we continue with the same leadership crew in the NDP, I am not confident that the policy choices will be strong enough to inspire and attract Canadians.
That is why Tanille and Avi are far better options.
#4 Why Tony:
Tony is the real deal. Honestly, I would have loved to rank him higher. He represents the true life blood of rural, socially progressive, environmentally aware, Canadians. You should go check out his platform. I am so glad that he was able to participate fully in the race and we need his voice in the NDP.
#5 Why not Rob?
I have been an active member in my Union for more than 10 years. Unionism is The Way. Rob is representing a division within the union movement that claims that working people can't have jobs if the environment is put first. This is a lie.
We need union leaders that look to the future and speak honestly to people. We need union leaders who are genuinely progressive, not ready to do the bidding of corporate masters to the benefit of a few.
Working people need honesty, and when an industry is on decline, a clear path to new, excellent, union, jobs!
#CanPoli #CdnPoli #Liberal #CPC #Canada #Democracy #NDP
@losttourist@social.chatty.monsterWell that was better than it could have been. Maybe we should be grateful Scott Mills got the boot and forced the BBC to give us at least one decent 1999 episode.
Have a great weekend poppers! #TOTP
@cowboys@darktundra.xyz2026 Draft: Top safety's potential injury could drop him to Cowboys https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2026/03/03/caleb-downs-knee-issue-cowboys-draft-combine/88960390007/
@khalidabuhakmeh@mastodon.socialDon't tell home builders, but their entire industry is about to be upended. Construction workers better start finding jobs at your local coffee shops.
I found this place that sells hammers and nails, so that anyone could build a house, and I mean ANYONE! No one is safe from disruption. The future is really scary right now.
@lapizistik@social.tchncs.deWe could stop burning and overheating the planet. We could end world hunger. We could provide better health care and education to all the people.
We just don't want to. We decided against.
Because of profit, some laziness and the claim that others have not “earned it” and it would be unfair to make the world a better place for everyone.
@callunavulgaris@mastodon.scotWoohoo! I love this film but my one, fairly large, gripe, is that I can't stand Brenda, and for all the unlikely and outrageous things I was prepared to accept, I could never believe that he would be attracted to her. *I* would obviously have been a much better choice and had the advantage of being called Heather 😄
#Highlander
@cdarwin@c.imApple's iOS 27 update will prioritize cleaning up the operating system's internals, with engineers making changes that could result in better battery life, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
iOS 27 Mock Quick
The effort is said to be similar to what Apple did with its Snow Leopard Mac update years ago, and will involve removing old code, rewriting existing features, and subtly upgrading apps to improve their performance.
The result should hopefully be a "…
@aardrian@toot.cafeThe 2025 Web Almanac mistook me.
I did *not* say LLMs provide better image descriptions. I cited SeeingAI and Be My Eyes as tools for undescribed IRL uses.
I said LLM-generated captions could be better than craptions. I mentioned abstracts / reading-level changes, which could be summaries?
But “better” image descriptions is right out.
@mgorny@social.treehouse.systemsSometimes I feel that I could have my introduction much better. So I'll leave another piece here, and maybe one day I'll be able to find it again and use somewhere…
I'm a radical. I believe that every human has a right to dignity in life. Yes, even these people who allegedly "are too lazy to work".
I believe that everyone deserves safety, that nobody should be cold or starve, that everybody should be able to use a toilet or wash themselves, have access to healthcare and public transportation.
I think that restricting access to drinking water and toilets is a crime against humanity. The latter is also plain stupid, because it only leads to people using other places as toilets.
I'm so tired of the postsoviet labor cult (a kind of Polish thing). Seeing labor as a value in itself. Everyone must work, and it doesn't matter whether the work is actually beneficial, or outright harmful.
And last of all, I can't tolerate smokers. There is no excuse to harm yourself and everyone around you, just to satisfy your stupid addiction. And I'm also talking of all the random people who breathe all the toxins because smokers think they deserve to smoke everywhere, all the time.
@sean@scoat.esReminder that the historic Artemis II (human fly-by of the moon) mission launch is scheduled ~7.5h from now (at 18:24 EDT, which I think is UTC-4). Always subject to changes and could even scrub (this is the first opening of the launch window).
Looks like it's on, as of right now.
I'll probably watch Everyday Astronaut's coverage which is usually pretty good for these things:
@cellfourteen@social.petertoushkov.euNothing says an overvalued Nvidia better than a random ad for a $5000 nothingburger prebuilt PC. Do you know how much fresh air that kind of money could buy you? Unlimited supplies. These bozos are on their way to make reading books fun again. Hell, at some point you would even be able to afford a cheap Chinese TV set to see them properly tarred and feathered.
@rberger@hachyderm.ioAlso want to say how wonderful #StarTrek #StarFleetAcademy is to again be transported to a society that is doing its best to make things better. To be based on science, facts, community, communication, trust and empathy.
And its set in San Francisco, just wish I could teleport up there right now…
@mlawton@mstdn.socialWatching emotionally and not analytically, but it seemed like a tactical shift to their shape out of possession around 25’ in put #LFC into a better shape to clog passing lanes and disrupt Newcastle. Particularly in the midfield. It could also be that Simon Hooper stopped calling ridiculous “fouls” and let the game play. 🤷♂️
Ekitike has obviously been brilliant. Their player ratings aren’t spec…
@thomastraynor@social.linux.pizzaTransit system isn't reliable. Work space is limited and not enough parking...
Home office is better equipped.
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/public-servants-offices-opinion
@mikeymikey@hachyderm.ioI know that following a hashtag is part of the Mastodon protocol itself, but since I'm in @… the majority of the time - it feels like it would be cool to:
- Offer a "follow for a week" / month option
- "We'll ask you when time's up"
mechanism (maybe the ask part is configurable? maybe the client could also just handle it when next it runs?)
I hit this time and time again for moment in time events where during the thick of it, I'm invested and interested - conferences, world news, etc - but after which there's no more signal in the hashtag and it's just detritus putting load on a server somewhere.
Ideally this is something that should be in the protocol itself, but it feels like similar to quote replies that @… could bring a better user experience in advance of adoption of something like that
@nohillside@smnn.chApple might be in a better position than others to launch this successfully because it can build it on an established base (all iPhones out there). Still don‘t see the use cases though. And don‘t even mention privacy issues 🙄
Apple Developing AI Wearable Pin - https://apple.slashdot.org/s…
@pre@boing.worldWent out canvassing with the Green Party in ward next door.
The candidates seem nice and meeting other green members is nice, but the actual process of going around knocking on people's doors isn't really a great deal of fun for me.
Mostly nobody home, or else maybe peering through the spy-hole feeling intimidated by me I guess? Hard to tell.
Spoke to mostly Labour voters who claim not to be sure what they'll do next time. Couple of folks already Green.
Nobody around here is gonna vote Conservative or Liberal or Reform of course. "Your Party" not likely to get it together in time to even stand. It's a race to see how many Green and Independent opposition councilors can be elected to avoid a Labour full house. 47 Lab to 3 Green seats last time. Less than 200 votes in it in that seat. Probably will do better this time, maybe even win the seat. At least make some of the safe Labour seats a bit less safe.
Most exciting part was when the flat over the road went on fire and we had to call the fire brigade and a triplet of fire engines and couple of cop cars turned up to deal with it. Started with smelling smoke and wondering if that flat was on fire, by the time the fire fighters turned up remarkably quickly (someone else already called I imagine) there were flames licking at the windows.
An exploding e-scooter battery someone was saying, but dunno how they knew.
Nice to share a drink in the pub with the green crew after, but dunno that this canvassing lark is for me. I felt like either a spare part, or just backup muscle probably intimidating people into not opening the doors.
Probably I'd enjoy it more if I could get into an argument but apparently that's rare and the advice is to disengage anyway.
#green #london #greenPartyEW
@mgorny@social.treehouse.systemsIt's better not to let me ponder on things too much, because I reach worrying conclusions. Like the one that my social life recently could be summarized as attending a funeral in December.
@cowboys@darktundra.xyzThe NFL playoffs could not have gone better for the Cowboys https://insidethestar.com/the-nfl-playoffs-could-not-have-gone-better-for-the-cowboys
@shriramk@mastodon.socialReally nice piece by Simon Hughes explaining how the IPL auction was created not just to be attention-getting (they really could have chosen a better name; the Bristol comment is on-the-nose) but to overcome a key weakness in "salary cap" methods.
https://cricverse.substack.com/p/money
@ErikUden@mastodon.deThe suicide pod now has a built in AI to check any user's wellbeing to see if they're fit to commit suicide. That has to be the easiest peace of software to ever exist, because if anyone trusts an artificial intelligence with their own life, they're certainly not mentally fit and need help.
On a more serious note: the assisted suicide debate is an important one, where I clearly position myself on the side of it's legalization. However, I could only truly support it with a better health…
@mgorny@social.treehouse.systems
@mapto@qoto.orgFirst came artists. They made art. You could've liked it or not, but it had an impact of some sort, felt or not.
Then came designers. They had to make good works. They studied what good means and tried to master it. They didn't always succeed but they got better with practice and rarely produced real embarrassments.
Finally came engines and models. They just produced content. It had to be coming out daily. Few bothered to read it, let alone assess or judge it.
@pre@boing.worldYep, as expected, out of wallpaper before even attempted the doors at all. Gonna be next weekend before I can do much more really.
It is.... Not great. Wallpapering curved surfaces is tricky and I have no idea what I'm doing.
Might re-try some large chunks of what is done once there's spare to re-try with.
Will need cualk on all the joins which will be as time-consuming as the self-adhesive wallpaper in the first place.
Most of the remaining things could use the walls being finished first ideally. Maybe I could do the carpet tomorrow. If I accept the black instead of the red.
Might be better to have things dark in there so you can't see so well how terrible much of the wallpaper is.
#diy #vanLife
@tiotasram@kolektiva.socialIf people could give the infinite second chances they give to AI chatbots (which are artificially constrained NOT to learn from their mistakes) to humans with mental illnesses instead, and take the unearned paranoia they direct toward those humans towards the chatbots instead (which actually are monolithic such that behavior observed in one is likely to be found in all) the world would be a better place.
To those of you already treating chatbots as pariahs, good job with at least half of this formula.
#AI #LLMs
@raiders@darktundra.xyzRaiders Get Brutally Honest Take Amid Fernando Mendoza Speculation https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/las-vegas-raiders/brutally-honest-take-fernando-mendoza-speculation/
@shriramk@mastodon.social"Airbus prevailed because it was the least European version of a European industrial strategy project ever."
https://worksinprogress.co/issue/how-airbus-took-off/
@wraithe@mastodon.socialSo against my better judgment, I actually responded to this. For a moment, I thought it might actually not be a lead into a scam, but the second I saw that “can you forgive me“ I’m like yah, 80% this is a scam lead in.
@sitenews@social.bitsnbytes.devWhile chatting the other night, it came up "send me the logo for Warlock and I'll update the registry"
That got me thinking, we didn't actually have a logo yet... We were just using the font-awesome icon as a placeholder! So after doing some work to get Invoke running so I could put my AMD 7900XTX to good use, we came up with this!
Since the platform is called Warlock, what better than a Warlock's hat?
Oh yeah, and we have preliminary support for ins…
