Achilleas gioypi @gioypi@qoto.org

@freemo So... they claim they make water...

@freemo Please, tell me you are joking... 😂

@Phaedrus True. On the other hand, when AMD uses part of Intel's architecture some vulnerabilities affect everyone. Spectre is still a thing for Intel, AMD and ARM...

@Phaedrus No real way, I agree. I am not sure that this is something that couldn't happen to every hardware developer, though. For sure, along with Meltdown and Spectre it's a lot.

My other concern is how such vulnerabilities affect society. Not using an Intel CPU yourself doesn't mean that your data are immune, 😓 think public services, private companies, servers...

@Phaedrus This is serious! Intel admits that the mitigation microcode will affect performance. Also, not all CPUs are patched yet and the vulnerability was known since 2018.

I include a couple of links for future readers.
Affected Intel CPUs: https://software.intel.com/security-software-guidance/insights/processors-affected-special-register-buffer-data-sampling
Paper from the University of Amsterdam: https://download.vusec.net/papers/crosstalk_sp21.pdf

It is quite suspicious how the laws passed the Parliament during lockdown, in a rush really, hidden among more than 100 articles that cover many different environmental issues.
But most importantly, there is no standard regulation on how to vote during a pandemic, not all members of Parliament voted.

Outside the police station:

Outside the Ministry: the banner reads "Mr Hatzidakis, natural wealth or oil?"

Kostis Hatzidakis is the current Minister for the Environment and Energy.

You may not hear about it, but #Greece is in a pivotal period regarding sea health, #tourism and #climatejustice .
During the lockdown, a set of anti-environmental laws passed, allowing fossil-fuel companies to start harmful research activities throughout the country, both on land and seas. Yes, there is probably natural gas in Greece, so why not drill everywhere?

The laws were promoted as a "modernization of environmental regulations" and cover many different subjects, here's the juice:
1. You can start searching for fossil fuels by announcing it to two state bodies, no permission needed,
2. Natura 2000 regions are practically no longer protected from drilling and other activities,
3. Local authorities no longer have a voice on how their lands will be utilized,
4. If you want to invest in wind parks, you are encouraged to build anything larger than 150MW (the law is not very clear about this one).

#Greenpeace and #WWF are working together to stop this. Today 4 Greenpeace activists were arrested for protesting peacefully outside the Ministry of the Environment and Energy.

#climatechange

@design_RG That's a shame. Driver problems with laptops can be frustrating.

@design_RG True, it is risky to run 7 after the end of support. Still, I believe that advanced users that remain careful can avoid most dangers.
I am surprised you liked 10 since the Beta testing, it was quite unreliable at first. The first updates could introduce all kinds of problems. Of course, they've come a long way, so if they suit you, why not?! IMO privacy concerns beat the performance gain, but I do recognize there is one.

@design_RG Useful tool, but I would not recommend going to 10 if you have 7. Less control, less privacy, unpredictable updates.
Probably worth it for users that are stuck in Windows 8 laptops, though.

You could think that after #Zoom was criticized for the lack of #encryption and finally acquired KeyBase, it would include some form of encrypted calls...

Well, free users are not getting any.
As the CEO puts it, they "want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose".

But, of course, the most popular software is usually far from the best available option.

https://alternativeto.net/news/2020/6/zoom-s-ceo-states-that-free-calls-will-not-be-encrypted-so-they-can-share-with-law-enforcement/

@Lwasserman I agree. Climate justice is an underrated issue.

Please, note that these are not police officers! They are employees of a private company.

From their website: "The National Eviction Team (formerly known as UK Evict) are protestor and traveller removal experts. Our people are fully trained and have specialist equipment, meaning that we go into any situation to get the job done."

A private security company, National Eviction Team (NET), has been hired by HS2 Ltd to patrol the public byways bordering the HS2 construction sites and evict protesters from public lands in UK.

NET employees have frequently used violence and intimidation tactics against the peaceful protesters, and local police have turned a blind eye.

One protester was placed in a choke hold until he blacked out. Another bled profusely after being repeatedly hit across the head. Another had their life endangered when a NET employee tried to evict them from a tree without the use of a safety harness.

In addition to the violence, both NET and HS2 Ltd employees have repeatedly ignored the Covid-19 safety guidelines on social distancing and protective masks.

@freemo Oh yes, I know that 😶

@freemo Having minimum exposure to the policies of American parties, I wouldn't have guessed.