Paul Brownjohn @Paulos_the_fog@qoto.org
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Side note I missed this week:
MTG's case to reclaim her salary she lost due to mask mandate fines ($100k) was rejected by the Supreme Court. This is a final decision. It is getting expensive to be a loudmouthed fascist imbecile.
Does anyone have one of those fundraising thermometers to keep track of the money-where-your-mouth-is crowd?
Excellent that's made my Sunday!
I find myself saying "fuck you, Microsoft" pretty regularly and for a wide variety of reasons. Twice in the past few years, a Microsoft 'Update' has turned one of more machines into very expensive paperweights.
But don't you understand - it doesn't matter what the punters think or if it upsets them - IT'S JUST ABOUT PROFITS PROFITS PROFITS!!!
Rusia dreams about power, territory and former glories but lacks the military strength to do it whilst America dreams of nothing but profits but has moved the means to make them to China!
Paul Brownjohn
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Many companies now ask if you wish to opt out of things like mailing lists for Mother's Day. Sadly Microsoft doesn't give a damn and just imposed it on the search bar today - mostly so they could direct to to buy "great Mother's Day gift ideas".
Fuck you, MS, many of us find that day very difficuly to deal with, a reminder of the worst loss in our lives, so to hell with you shoving it right on my screen like that.
Paul Brownjohn
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Stop sending me your novels or texts written by an AI.
I definitely don't want to read or be exposed to AI output. I don't want to AI-poison my imagination with the most statistical tropes, and a big mix of story data that might be plagiarism from I don't know what source. Furthermore, I think that feeding my imagination with human-made imaginary is a better diet to train my own ideas.
(I thought it was obvious, but apparently it's not. I'm writing this to pin to my profile.)
Paul Brownjohn
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Has anyone out there in Mastodon land ever bought a van and then later converted it for full wheelchair accessibility? If so, would you please share details?
I'm disabled but ambulatory enough to transfer. We're looking for something with a hoist for now and then be able to put a ramp in later.
Please boost for reach.
#disability #wheelchair #accessibility #wheelchairVan
#accessibilityConversion #vanConversion
Paul Brownjohn
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✔️
Via Julia Claire:
Putting a baby in a freezer would kill it, but freezing embryos keeps them alive. That's why an embryo isn't a baby. Hope that helps if you're very stupid <3
@garyackerman
Not to mention taking daily backups stored off network so that if attacked by ransomeware, you can stick a middle finger up to them and restore a backup.
I think there is still quite a lot of ill feeling in Labour party as in the past they used to "own" the Scottish vote then along came Scottish nationalism and pissed on their fire.
Paul Brownjohn
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The US landing on the moon, Russia and the US on the cusp of war; the 1960s are a wild time to be alive.
Paul Brownjohn
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If democracy for Scotland now has so little value in Westminster following Speaker Hoyle and Labour leader Starmer's shabby deal that pushed the SNP out of their own debate, is it time we brought this UK to an end? I cannot see the point in electing Scottish MPs to go to Westminster where they are not respected.
#ScottishIndependence
If Texas went, so probably would California. Being the biggest wealth generator in the US, that would REALLY hurt!
Paul Brownjohn
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Paul Brownjohn
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Android Users Should Delete These Malware Apps ASAP
https://lifehacker.com/tech/delete-these-android-malware-apps-asap
Paul Brownjohn
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🇳🇱
Keep in mind #QOTO will need quite a few hours to handle the backlog from downtime. Tomorrow we are going to split out the workers so they can begin using the scaling. So tomorrow this should be fixed. For the next 24 hours expect things to be a bit slow and uploading pictures probably wont work until we fix that.
This may come as a huge surprise to foul, venal capitalist bosses in the USA whose instinct is to hate unions and to wring the last drop of blood out of every worker, but good labour relations and workers who can pay the bills and still afford to eat actually improves productivity. Germany has always had that which is why German manufacturing industry has outperformed US industry for decades.
The level of touch that is acceptable and/or usual varies an awful lot from country to country and also from generation to generation.
When I was working in French speaking Belgium, I worked in an open plan office with perhaps 30 people in it. On arriving in the morning, it was obligatory for politeness sake to go round the room and give the women a kiss on each cheek and shake hands with all the men. The same applied when I worked in France. however, the number of kisses varies in France - in Orléans and that region generally, the tradition is four kisses whereas in eastern France and in Belgium, it is two.
That was not the case at all when I worked in Flemish speaking Belgium nor when I worked in the Netherlands. There it's no kisses and no handshakes!
When I returned to the UK after living in France for several years, people were slightly repulsed by the my touchy-feely ways and I had to revert to full British physical coldness to make myself socially acceptable again!
Paul Brownjohn
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Microsoft: I swear have no knowledge about you besides what you tell me.
Microsoft: I insist I have no knowledge of your location.
Microsoft: The weather in Parkville, Maryland where you are is sunny and 35 degrees.
Paul Brownjohn
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@ChrisMayLA6
As you wish. Will repost until no longer needed
#ItsTheNHSOrTories
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
