Erik Przekop @IAmErik@qoto.org
Parent, programmer, amateur astronomer and terrible guitar player.
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Here is my introduction post:
Instead of defining myself by saying “I am a…”, here’s a collection of hashtags that interest me (in no particular order). #meditation (specifically #twim right now) #cigars #bicycling #photography #computerscience #physics #guitar #music .
I live in #Michigan (in #LakeOrion, which is 35+ miles north of #Detroit), and spend a lot of time around #RogersCity (I’ll bet that’s the first time that hashtag has been used on Mastodon). My kids are really bright and sometimes struggle with #ADHD, so I’ll probably talk about that at times as well. I have spent more than 3 decades of my life as a #programmer, and now I get to be the old man who leads really smart people in solving big problems with small amounts of #software.
Joined Nov 2022
Erik Przekop
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This just went live: The John Scalzi Humble Bundle! Get a whole bunch of my books really cheap - and support the literacy charity First Book, which provides books and literary resources to kids in need. A perfect way to stock up on my eBooks. Please feel free to share around!
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/john-scalzis-interdependency-old-mans-war-and-more-tor-books
Erik Przekop
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That's a healthy workplace. "Buma has also been “shunned and attacked” by fellow agents, Horton said. He said that in recent weeks, someone put large plastic rats, three-to-four feet long, next to Buma’s #FBI cubicle". https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/fbi-raids-buma-whistleblower-giuliani/
Erik Przekop
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Erik Przekop
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Link Post: What rights have men lost because of feminism? https://tacit.livejournal.com/656432.html
Erik Przekop
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A good reminder of the bad he has done. #conman #charlatan #liar #thief #crook #Trump is a confidence man, charlatan and liar — so why is America so vulnerable? - Alternet.org https://www.alternet.org/amp/trump-lies-2666234011-2666234011
The Dale Earnhardt communist memes I keep seeing confused me. I figured there was some sort of hyperbole behind them, because there's no way a NASCAR driver could ever express such sentiments and build up a large fan base of traditionally-minded folks. I still don't completely understand it, but this clarifes that he never really had any association with left-wing ideologies, as I suspected. Too bad, really. It would be awesome to think that he was a closet socialist.
https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/04/dale-earnhardt-memes-intimidator-nascar-rabbit-holes.html
Erik Przekop
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I've written up a longish piece with my observations about last night's voting results in Ohio (where I live) and in general. Just in case you wonder what I think on the matter unrestricted by character counts:
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2023/11/08/lets-talk-about-last-night-in-ohio/
There has been some movement in the Generative AI space as it relates to developer productivity tools. In particular, GitHub Copilot is the subject of a class action lawsuit alleging copyright violations.
[This site](https://githubcopilotlitigation.com/) describes what is at issue in the case. [This page](https://githubcopilotinvestigation.com/?ref=fossa.com#) covers a lot of the "why" behind it.
Note that the FTC is getting involved, and [commented that it is seeing unfair competition in addition to copyright issues](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/11/InCommentSubmittedtoUSCopyrightOfficeFTCRaisesAIrelatedCompetitionandConsumerProtectionIssuesStressingThatItWillUseItsAuthoritytoProtectCompetitionandConsumersinAIMarkets) from big tech implementations of GenAI. Even more interesting is that they indicate that they will use their existing regulatory authority to reign it in.
Erik Przekop
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“The defendant stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes. No other president has engaged in conspiracy and obstruction to overturn valid election results and illegitimately retain power. The indictment squarely charges the defendant for this conduct, and the defendant’s constitutional and statutory challenges to it are meritless.”
Jack Smith mincing no words. https://mastodon.social/@GottaLaff/111365529385345791
If you're interested in cosmology, this is an excellent article about the expansion of the universe. It is probably the best explanation I've seen about dark energy. We still don't know what it is, but the key insight for me is that it's inherent to space itself. As more space is created by expansion, the total amount of dark energy will increase, even though the energy density of dark energy remains constant. That explains why expansion started increasing again about 6 billion years ago, which I always found confusing.
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/what-drives-expansion-universe/
Erik Przekop
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Once again, the Universe reveals how bizarre it can be. A binary star system called AC Her appears to have a planetary disk that orbits in a polar orbit around both stars. The two stars are located almost three astronomical units, while the planetary disk is inclined almost perpendicular to the stars. Although planets have been found on polar orbits before, and circumbinary planets have been found, this is the first time we've seen this combination.
Erik Przekop
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Fascinating both for what it says about dev & what it says about statistics:
A gamedev realized Linux users were just 5.8% of their sales, but represented 38% of bug reports.
Then they looked at those numbers closer, and realized. Linux users were not experiencing more bugs. Almost none of the Linux-user bugs were Linux-related. Linux users were simply *more likely to file bugs*.
Their conclusion: A linux port pays for itself bc it nerdsnipes ppl into giving u free QA
Erik Przekop
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‘The Onion’ Stands With Israel Because It Seems Like You Get In Less Trouble For That
https://www.theonion.com/the-onion-stands-with-israel-because-it-seems-like-yo-1850922505
Erik Przekop
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Erik Przekop
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A favorite author quote:
"Fuck every cause that ends in murder and children crying" – Iain Banks
Erik Przekop
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Some people would say I am quite mad for creating a gravy sandwich, but my dog, for one, thinks I'm a genius.
Erik Przekop
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@OkieSpaceQueen @TidalFlats #ChunderRoad #Astronomy
#Astrodon
This something that bears repeating, because not too many folks know this, especially getting into the hobby-
A good pair of binoculars costs about as much as a crappy beginner telescope.
Unlike a crappy beginner telescope, you can always use a good pair of binoculars (for astronomy, birding , whatever) no matter how much you get into astronomy, or how big a telescope you end up using. A good pair of binoculars allows you a wide field of view that you can't get with a big telescope.
A crappy beginner's telescope will always remain…a crappy beginner's telescope, and will turn you off from the hobby, and will do the same to the person you give it to- “I've just got it lying around”.
Yeah. It's lying around for a good reason. It sucks.
maybe with the silly season coming up I'll post some advice on good beginner's telescopes.
Parent, programmer, amateur astronomer and terrible guitar player.
----------------
Here is my introduction post:
Instead of defining myself by saying “I am a…”, here’s a collection of hashtags that interest me (in no particular order). #meditation (specifically #twim right now) #cigars #bicycling #photography #computerscience #physics #guitar #music .
I live in #Michigan (in #LakeOrion, which is 35+ miles north of #Detroit), and spend a lot of time around #RogersCity (I’ll bet that’s the first time that hashtag has been used on Mastodon). My kids are really bright and sometimes struggle with #ADHD, so I’ll probably talk about that at times as well. I have spent more than 3 decades of my life as a #programmer, and now I get to be the old man who leads really smart people in solving big problems with small amounts of #software.
Joined Nov 2022
