Lunatech @Lunatech@qoto.org

I, too, was once a "lost young man" too.

* I grew up in a religious working class home
* My mother drilled into my head extremely toxic views on gender
* I was raised with the notion of a very "us vs. them" view of the world

You could say I was radicalized the moment I was born.

Want to know what de-radicalized me?

Talking to -- and spending time -- with people who aren't me.

Former President Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care at age 98, after undergoing treatment for liver cancer in 2015.

Whatever you may think of his presidency (and history is treating him more kindly than his contemporaries did) this is a truly good man, a mensch. In in my opinion he is a tzaddik, a righteous human in the biblical/moral meaning.

When his light is gone, it will be incumbent on us to work a little harder to keep the world lit.

@froomkin
I think that conditions of any settlement or judgement that Dominion accepts on this case should include a requirement that Fox must air a 10 minute segment every hour explaining that they lied about the election, why they did it, whose lies they were promoting and to admit that they are not a news station but a propaganda wing of the GOP. This should go on for a period of one year with an additional year tacked on for every time they fail to do so honestly and sincerely.

Florida couple unable to get abortion will see baby die after delivery | #Abortion | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/18/florida-abortion-law-couple-birth

The horrific cruelty of the US republican party.

When Carter ran for office, he was not my favorite. However, he has been such a beacon of humanity that I will miss him terribly when he’s gone. Few other humans have walked the walk the way he has.

It started as a joke in hacker circles, but turns out it might be no laughing matter: there's reason to believe that some of the unidentified flying objects flying over Canada and the US were nothing more threatening then amateur high-altitude balloons:

https://hackaday.com/2023/02/18/the-usaf-almost-declares-war-on-illinois-radio-amateurs/

Ahhh, long weekend.

Eventually, though, the fascists will have worked their way through everyone between you and them and then maybe the threat will be apparent?

You'll have a lot less allies by then, though, because the fascists will have killed and imprisoned the rest of us.

So, you know, by all means, take your sweet fucking time figuring it out.

Is there a good #OpenSource or federated alternative to #Discord? I feel like there should be one.

Controversial Book. Cartoon by Tom Gauld.

#Books #Reading #Writer

Kinda curious what inspired LifeHacker to publish a "How to Become the Pope" article that includes many gems, but this one is especially great:

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-become-the-pope-1850124789

Trump’s undermining of Zelenskyy on the infamous “do us a favor” call paved the way for Putin’s invasion. #velshi http://ow.ly/vQK850MWkfl

Ukraine’s perseverance and the world’s “extraordinary show of solidarity” was “not at all predicted a year ago,” says history Anne Applebaum. That being said, "this war will end when Russia has understood that it was a mistake... we aren't quite there." #velshi http://ow.ly/tpkW50MWkbo

So sad to hear that #mycroftai is shutting down operations. I really loved the idea of a voice assistant that was local only. Kinda also wondering what this means for the #HomeAssistant Year of the Voice. #FOSS #opensource #fossdev #payfossdevs

https://www.wonkette.com/glenn-youngkin-virginia-menstrual-data

Let’s start sending him our menstruation, ladies. Used tampons or cups are best, but sanitary napkins will work too. Just collect them in a box each month, and at the end of your cycle, seal and send directly to him.

I’m sure DeSantis would appreciate this as well.

Be suspicious of those who refer to themselves or others as apostle, elder, deacon, bishop, prophet, guru, master, lord, spiritually enlightened, spiritual teacher, holy, etc. Those claiming to have Divine connections or revelations are either deluded or charlatans. #Criticalthinking #atheist #nullifidian #exchristian #fake #charlatan #scam #ReligiousTrauma

Moderna Promises US Its COVID Vaccine Will Remain Free for All, Even the Uninsured https://science.slashdot.org/story/23/02/18/0636234/moderna-promises-us-its-covid-vaccine-will-remain-free-for-all-even-the-uninsured?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon

This Ted Chiang essay I’ve found in @pluralistic ‘s latest thread offers a brilliant way to look at LLMs - https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web

As a tangent, Ted’s story “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” should be required reading for debate around #AI and meaning.

The Chinese government's obsession with censorship is smothering the country's tech industry: "We need to teach machines not only how to speak, but also how not to speak"

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/business/china-chatgpt-microsoft-openai.html