Tootfinder

Just finished "The Terraformers" by Annalee Newitz (@…). It was recommended as a "solarpunk" book, and I'm currently on a quest to find more speculative fiction as good as Le Guin or Butler, so I was eager to dig in. Having tagged the author (hi) I'll try to be polite here, but I'll admit I was disappointed.
Newitz clearly has a powerful imagination and there's lots of great stuff in the book, but it's not at all pushing boundaries in terms of imagining future societies. I think the message and intent was good in a lot of places, but off or self-contradictory in others. I absolutely adore the relatively small point made at the end about revolutions being complicated and not boiling down to heroes and battles, but despite the book's attempt to avoid that, I think it still falls into that pattern. Without too many spoilers, the way that some big problems are resolved near the end leans too much on a legal framework without questioning how it's enforced, and that resolution then means that a few heroic acts are enough to tip the balance, which undermines the point about messy histories.
The biggest contradiction of the book to my mind though is with a central theme. The book really explores a world in which "anyone of any species can be a person, as long as we just bioengineer them to be intelligent enough," and it tries to make a point about how engineering limited intelligences is cruel. At several points characters comment about how personhood shouldn't depend on intelligence. There's even a brief quote about how maybe rivers could be people... But... the point could have been "anyone can be a person, regardless of intelligence." This would have made for much more interesting philosophical territory to explore IMO (how do we then bound personhood; how do we reconcile predator/prey relations between persons, etc.). These are also questions that the indigenous traditions Newitz draws on (and consulted about, as mentioned in the acknowledgements) has interesting answers for, but we don't get to explore them through Newitz' world, and because the question of personhood regresses to the question of intelligence, it feels like the moral philosophy of the ERT folks isn't any better than the "InAss" they disparage.
It's not a bad book overall, even if it doesn't engage with the questions I'm hungry to see others engage with. Newitz' efforts to sketch out a more vibrant and diverse future are still monumental and inspiring in a lot of ways. I'm just still looking for something more. Ultimately, I think it lives up to the "solar" but not very much to the "punk."
#AmReading #ReadingNow #Bookstodon

Brock Bowers Could Make or Break the Raiders in 2026 https://www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi/las-vegas-brock-bowers-could-make-break-2026

LLMs just shouldn’t be involved with many things, I find for technical deep dive docs it’s actually pretty great when given style guidance and produce much better docs that I would.
I’ve been experimenting with this and in my configuration manager have a deep code map / guided walk through that helps orientate people to the code. It’s not perfect but way better than I could make it.
Have some SVG color scheme issues otherwise really like this.

What could be better than a gentle punt along the backs in #Cambridge? In a hail storm.

Perhaps the singer droned on too long. Perhaps it was a wretched performance. If so, this could not be helped — he never had proper training. Maybe someone else will sing it better in the future.

Have just started using Ente for secure, privacy focused photo back up and organisation.
So far I am actually pretty impressed. It's lightning fast and very easy to navigate - and I have tens of thousands of photos that it's definitely helping me to organise and search through easily. And share with non-Ente users too.
It's miles better than Flickr as a UI experience.
This is a test period before I decide if I migrate rest of family too.
However, I was under the impression the company was German/Dutch but it unfortunately appears to be US incorporated - even though the servers are supposed to be in NL, F and DE. It just makes me very suspicious that at some point the company will be sold off and the creeping enshittification will start again.
It is very frustrating. I could but am not very keen to self host. I have far too many other things going on in my life for that. But it does look like immich or memories for nextcloud is the only other good option. And this probably epitomises why most people just stick with (mostly US) big tech. It is so much easier and less effort than working out what the alternatives are.

To be fair, the text is article is quoting could be a whole lot worse. It’s money to “support research activities to develop educational curricula, instructional material, teacher professional development, and evaluation methods.”
Developing materials is a •lot• better than having politicians just shoving a curricular mandate down educators’ throats — though “evaluation methods” likely means it’s heading that way, developing a test that teachers have to to teach to.
3/

If they're not doing the Xmas special then I wonder if anyone will address The Bad Wolf Doctor at all?
Could be that the Billie Piper Doctor never happens. Just completely ignore those final few seconds where her face appears after the regeneration?
Would have been better not to have those few seconds of film in the final show if they'd known it'd be a total reboot next up. Just end with the regeneration energy and no clues for next season's Doctor Who?
Probably wouldn't want to open the new rebooted show with a regeneration scene. Focus on new companion till she meets new Doctor.
I think it needs a special to join the edges really. Hopefully whoever wins the tender will want to do a short Bad Wolf Doctor episode as a prequel to the new seasons.
Hopefully in October 2027? A long wait indeed without that xmas episode. Already been more than a year.
I should cancel my BBC license and give the money to Big Finish until the new show is in place maybe.

- Formal code of doctrine and discipline
This is just "what your objectives are." It can be as simple as ULC's "Do That Which is Right" or it can be much more complicated. You would figure that out with your group.
Personally, I would choose something like, "make life as easy as possible for caretakers." I've talked about this in the past. If you focus on care taking then you are feminist by default, you help everyone *at least once*, almost everyone twice, and most people 3 or 4 times:
- Children with supported caretakers do better
- Elderly people with supported caretakers will have a better quality of life
- Parents always need help and will do better when they have it, and the more kids the more support they need
But hey, I'm not here to tell you what to do. You can figure your own things out. (Technically, that last sentence could also be a legitimate formal code or doctrine, so we can move on.)

Being willing to go off-script is so powerful in transforming everyday social annoyances. So many of them are the low-energy state of it could be better, but someone would have to put energy in. And it's exhausting to always be the person who does. But spending that little bit of energy can yield such nice outcomes and that leaves us all with a little more cope instead of less.

The 2026 NFL Draft is over -- but the 2027 class might be even better: 32 future stars to know

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2027-nfl-draft-prospects-32-futu…

I couldn't care less about a bunch of rich people in Brooklyn, I just read the article for the delicious drama. However, about halfway through the article, I started to see so many #FreeSoftware parallels.
1) Volunteers spend countless unpaid hours creating/maintaining something to better their community.
2) For-profit business packages it up as part of their offering.

Reiten could not be better suited to Gotham
#Nwsl #GothamFC

You know those Gourmet anime where the judges explode in a cloud of particles while shouting « so much umami » ? I always found this a bit upsetting because well, there is such a thing as too much umami. Drinking dashi is just as pleasant as drinking salted water, or sugary water, you get the drill.
Tonight I tried something that is right there, between « OMFG » and « That’s too much ». Will try again trying to balance it a bit better.
It’s already a 5/5 but I think it could be e…

“Percy Jackson toxic fandom decides to challenge ‘Rick and Morty’ toxic fandom for shitty behavior” is not something I expected to see.
It’s a great show too, the young actors are doing a great job and deserve better than this kind of bullshit.

Percy Jackson Star Walker Scobell is Skipping Prom Due to Death Threats Aimed at 'Every Teenage Girl Who Could Remotely Be Associated With Me' - IGN
Percy Jackson TV series star Walker Scobell will skip his high school prom due to death threats aimed at "every teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me."

hmm i have an umbrella with twice as many spokes as usual
i could rebrand it as a “microtonal” umbrella
i suppose it would be better if it had 14 (instead of 16) spokes and polka dots (instead of plain black)

"Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burnham urged"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #FossilFuels #Energy

Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burham urged
British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled better

There are three big takeaways that I think still apply.
First, recognize that people want change and are looking for candidates who will upend a political and economic system that they see as broken and corrupt.
Second, be willing to build the broadest coalition possible and work hard to persuade people who may disagree with you on some issues that we Democrats hold pretty sacred.
Finally, run on a message of hope and unity. The American people are better than our politi…

Opinion | Dan Pfeiffer Thinks Two Democrats Could Upend American Politics
Why 2026 might tell us a lot about 2028.

Will Raiders WR Tre Tucker be elite fantasy flex option in 2026? https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/raiders/2026/06/23/raiders-wr-tre-tucker-could-be-elite-fantasy-flex-option-in-2026/…

Scientists uncover surprising health benefits of watermelon #plantbased

Scientists uncover surprising health benefits of watermelon
Studies suggest watermelon could be a hidden powerhouse for better health. Researchers found that people who eat watermelon tend to have higher-quality diets packed with more vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants — while consuming less added sugar and saturated fat. Another study showed watermelon juice may help protect blood vessel function and support heart health.

Last year I bought stateofourunion.com and I've been experimenting with making political news digestible. For the inaugural issue of "State of Our Union", I summarized 40 articles down to a 5-minute read. Also added pictures. Here's a sample of what's in the newsletter. #nokings (Could AI have done a better job for this art? Maybe. But then I wouldn’t be learning AND I’m…

So, Cheato wants to convert Alcatraz, an island in the San Francisco Bay, back to a operational Federal prison.
If you've ever been to Alcatraz you know how stupid an idea that is.
But I have a better idea - there is an island just east of West Palm Beach, Florida. It is an island, like Alcatraz, and it has some buildings that could easily be converted (or bulldozed) into prisons. For instance there's one called Mar the Lago.

Are you in tech and outraged about generative AI? Is it being forced down your throat at work?
Here's a nice vindictive way to get a little revenge if you want:
1. Find a project that contains slop code.
2. Optionally, identify specific files or functions that are LLM-generated. I guarantee you that on average, this code has not been adequately tested/inspected, even/especially if it contains LLM-generated test cases.
3. Make up a reason the code could be flawed, bonus points if it's subtle or hard to test. Don't put effort into this or try to actually find a flaw. Just make something up at random.
4. Report your made-up defect as a bug.
That's it. If anyone ever questions you on the incorrect report, just say "oh I used an LLM and it said there was a bug so I reported it." (Don't actually use an LLM, that would be feeding the bubble.)
Note that you are showing the creator of the code the exact same amount of disrespect that they've shown you by publishing slopcode in the first place. I'd bet odds are 50:50 or better that if a human actually follows up on the report, even though they'll find out that the bug report is wrong, they'll find and fix some other subtle flaw in the LLM-generated code, so this is actually helpful in a way.
For step 3, try to get creative. Like "logic in decideUVParameters can cause state to be inconsistent in some cases." If asked for a steps to reproduce, either make one up if it's easy to do so, or say "I forgot how I triggered this." Surely they can ask an LLM to figure out conditions that would trigger the bug ;).
#AI #LLMs #GenAI

Renewable hydrogen could be a game-changer for industries that can't easily go electric.
UC Irvine researchers mapped out where it delivers the biggest wins: steelmaking, ocean shipping, and heavy trucking. The payoff? Cleaner air, better health, and real climate progress.
The challenge is cost and scale, but this framework helps decision-makers invest where it matters most.

I have a problem with the House of Commons floor crossers, as I think most people do.
But I havent been able to come up with a more palatable alternative or at least a different scenario.
The biggest problem, for me, is the act of poaching. The trickle of MPs.
It gives the impression, falsely or not, that these people needed just a little more time, a little more convincing, a little more... ? to eventually turn on their constituent's choice of party.
What would be more pallatable? How about a group? Rather than a trickle.
People tallk, it is naïve to think it isn't known between individuals who may be thinking of leaving or switching parties.
So if there is more than one with that thought I think it would be better for our democracy if those MPs banded together and made their concerns known privately in their caucus first, then if nothing changes, they communicate to others including the public, and make it clear this is something that could happen en masse.
Then at least it takes away the transactional nature of it and frames it more as a democratic choice, informed by whatever situation is happening and done for the benefit of constituents and Canadians.
How does this change get made? Unfortunately that's the hard part. It would be hard or maybe inappropriate to "legislate".
It would need to be an expectation, a habit, a "norm".
It could happen. Though today, politicians following "norms" seems to be a little out of vogue.
#canPoli #cdnpoli #canada #democracy #houseofcommons
https://halifax.citynews.ca/video/2026/04/13/floor-crossing-raises-questions-on-canadian-voting-stability/