Nick @internic@qoto.org
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Theoretical physicist by training (PhD in quantum open systems/quantum information), University lecturer for a bit, and currently paying the bills as an engineer working in optical communication (implementation) and quantum communication (concepts), though still pursuing a little science on the side. I'm interested in physics and math, of course, but I enjoy learning about really any area of science, philosophy, and many other academic areas as well. My biggest other interest is hiking and generally being out in nature.
Joined Nov 2022
@noortjevee It looks like you joined in the last few months. Back when I joined in one of the biggest influxes from Twitter happened in 2022, I saw a lot more hostile interactions than I see now (though I still see it on certain topics). Also consider that the hostility you encounter is partially a function of who you are (or appear to be), so you or I may never see the hostility that some others encounter.
As far as the "ugly" complaint, I guess that's just subjective. Perhaps if people were more aware of the different apps for Mastodon they would understand that they actually have a lot of choice in how the interface looks.
@FantasticalEconomics
Nick
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The Internet Archive donation page, with its subscription and various payment options, is back and functioning. If you wanted to help but avoid Paypal, this is the time.
Nick
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@dpiponi @BartoszMilewski I assume part of the difficulty is that plenty of corporations at this point have a supply chain involving software that is maintained by hobbyists.
@noortjevee Based on what I've seen, Mastodon seems to have a bad reputation in many places now, seemingly as a result of the experiences that many people had coming to Mastodon from Twitter in 2022. The principle complaints seem to be: 1. it's difficult to join and use; 2. it's unattractive; 3. it's unwelcoming or hostile, and 4. it has harassment problems (especially racism).
@FantasticalEconomics I'll be curious to see if we get that much of an influx. I would expect most people leaving X now to go to either Bluesky or Threads, since those places are bigger, and Mastodon seems to have a bit of a bad rep in other places at this point.
...which is not to detract from your point as far as anyone who does show up.
Nick
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This is fucked up, Suunto. I have years of diving data in this app, which I now can’t access without giving up the privacy of my health & location data. This is coerced consent & it’s bullshit.
I will be replacing my dive computer immediately & will never recommend a Suunto product again.
Nick
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A malicious #Python package named 'fabrice' has been present in the Python Package Index (#PyPI) since 2021, stealing Amazon Web Services credentials from unsuspecting developers. #CyberSecurity #infosec
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/malicious-pypi-package-with-37-000-downloads-steals-aws-keys/
Nick
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It's also possible to think "maybe our comparisons shouldn't always be to sites that have a ~65/35 gender usage bias* hot damn" but that will never be a thing people listen to idk
*x/twitter has a male engagement dominance problem that matches REDDIT, that's wild
Nick
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The U.S. healthcare system is increasingly dependent on immigrant physicians (especially in rural and underserved areas) but it’s becoming harder for aspiring doctors to qualify to work and settle in the U.S.
https://theconversation.com/america-is-increasingly-dependent-on-foreign-doctors-but-their-path-to-immigration-is-getting-harder-229980
#health #immigration
Nick
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21% of the total US population voted for Trump - not really more than when he lost in 2020. But fewer people voted against him this time, so our crappy system put him in charge.
We can't expect he'll surround himself with people who will restrain him. The Senate and probably the House will be controlled by people under his thumb. The Supreme Court, three of whose members he appointed, has already announced he'll have wide powers to act without being legally liable. He's lining up a cabinet full of billionaires.
My worries are not for my family. We planned ahead and are ready to move to Scotland. My worries are for the US, Ukraine, democracy worldwide, and the biosphere.
We need to organize to resist Trump's bad ideas and criminality. Unfortunately I am not good at politics. So, just a couple of thoughts:
The Democratic Party needs to figure out what it's doing wrong. Many Americans are desperate. 50% live paycheck to paycheck all the time. 25% have negative net worth: they owe more than they own. If Democrats don't take this seriously, people will keep voting for demagogues.
I wish there were a serious constituency for constitutional change: abolishing the electoral college, introducing ranked choice voting, banning campaign contributions and other forms of pay-to-play politics, etc. I don't see how these changes have a chance in the current environment. How can we improve the overall framework when politics devolves to a culture war, a battle between two dominant parties, a plutocracy - or actually all of the above? How could a new party devoted to true reform gain power? Time for me to study more history.
@davidpwhelan @rubinjoni @timbray This option is mostly used when searching for something related to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
Nick
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TIL that in Mastodon search, you can use has:image, has:video and has:audio.
Nick
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Nick
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As it had gone from the internet, I've posted The Beasts Who Fought For Fairyland Until the Very End--And Further Still, a story I wrote 8 years ago to help explain the 2016 election to children.
It's not really just for children.
It's up for free on both my Patreon & Substack. Folks have reached out to say it helped them then. I hope it helps now. It's heartbreaking that it needed no updating.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/115615893
https://catvalente.substack.com/p/the-beasts-who-fought-for-fairyland
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Been away for a while but maybe gonna try to give mastodon a fair shake again. So uh... here's some recent illustration work as an ice re-breaker....
Nick
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FDA proposes ditching common decongestant for being completely useless
Last year, FDA advisors unanimously voted that oral phenylephrine is ineffective.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2024/11/fda-proposes-ditching-common-decongestant-for-being-completely-useless/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social
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Where are you finding hope today? Today, my class discussed public goods with network effects — goods that don't exclude people and that benefit everyone as more people access them. One of those things is education.
When my mother was born in the 1940s, around 70% of Americans over 25 didn't have a high school education. Now over 90% have finished high school.
That's an extraordinary expansion in human capability in a very short time period.
https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/time-series/demo/cps-historical-time-series.html
Nick
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sharp uptick in death threats today so just a lil reminder to maybe consider your words when interacting w your fave progressives, lol
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Theoretical physicist by training (PhD in quantum open systems/quantum information), University lecturer for a bit, and currently paying the bills as an engineer working in optical communication (implementation) and quantum communication (concepts), though still pursuing a little science on the side. I'm interested in physics and math, of course, but I enjoy learning about really any area of science, philosophy, and many other academic areas as well. My biggest other interest is hiking and generally being out in nature.
Joined Nov 2022
