Rud @rmerriam@qoto.org

Fred Brooks, architect of the IBM/360 and its OS, author of The Mythical Man Month, and advocate for the 8-bit byte (enabling lower case letters!), passed away today.

Few in computing have influenced so many.

Sad news from UNC Chapel Hill Computer Science — Fred P. Brooks, the founder and long-time chair of the department (and a major influence on my professional outlook) passed away a few hours ago.

@hearthborn @KuJoe Local timeline is there just not very discoverable. It's called "Community", found under the search section

I Would Recommend "NALA" | Frontend Of APT Package Manager | Parallel Download, History, Etc.. 🚀

https://youtu.be/oroSkR4Nn_w?t=141

Discussions: https://discu.eu/q/https://youtu.be/oroSkR4Nn_w?t=141

#linux #ubuntu #unix

If you see this toot (yeah this one right here), can you boost it for me? It will help my new server federate with the wider Mastodon network. 🚀 🙏

There is a suggestion that young people in particular may not be inclined to post in case they say something stupid. As someone who has long retired there is nothing that I miss more than interacting with young people. I am many others would really benefit from your contributions. I have said many stupid things in my career, and it often led to better understanding on my part.

Guide to Content Warnings

On qoto, the only toots that require a content warning (CW) are:

- Spoilers
- NSFW (Not Safe For Work) – this is up for interpretation, but I assume refers to tits and dicks
- Using a derogatory epithet or racially charged language in a toot that itself is not racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise hateful speech (such as quoting a passage from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for critical purposes)*

Other reasons someone may want to use CW’s here on qoto:

- Strobe effects (to avoid triggering an epileptic seizure in people who are susceptible)
- Violence, accidents, rape, suicide, self-harm, death, etc., including to non-human animals (PTSD, etc.)
- Food (pics of food can prompt people with metabolic syndrome, eating disorders, which are relatively common)
- Pics of drugs (may trigger use by people who are addicted)
- Very long posts (so uninterested readers don’t have to scroll through them)

It’s better if the CW description is more specific (without itself containing CW-eligible content). Instead of just “Spoiler”, say “Spoiler – The Wizard of Oz”. Also, it’s generally a good idea to repeat the CW description within the toot itself at the top of the toot for those who may have the auto-open feature enabled.

What doesn’t need a CW:

- swear words
- content that might hurt someone’s feelings
- unpopular opinions
- political content
- pictures of animals (that are alive and well)
- content from those with autism or who are otherwise neuro-atypical
- using the CW as a title or heading for your toot or trying to place actually content into the CW description is irritating for others

Overuse of the CW feature ultimately undermines it’s usefulness because it forces people to have to click on each toot or just enable the auto-open feature. However, someone with a condition like epilepsy or PTSD, the auto-open feature is not really an option so CW overuse effectively forces people with disabilities to click each toot while everyone else can just enable the auto-open feature, which doesn’t seem fair.

Other Mastodon instances have varying rules and views on CW use.

Note: I’m not an admin or moderator here, this is just my opinion. I don’t always adhere to these guidelines and you can do what you want.

- - - -

* This epithet restriction isn’t listed in the rules, but it was adopted as a compromise in response to some specific events. Of course hate-based speech such as sexist, racist, homophobic or anti-trans speech will not be tolerated. (Note: I personally block anyone who uses epithets in any context because the intent is often ambiguous and you can communicate the same info without explicitly using the epithet.)

Does anyone know how to limit the items on your timeline to a specific language? I tried doing this under settings (see attached) but it does not appear to be working. I'd prefer to only get post that I can read :)

#introduction
This should be my last introduction toot! I mentioned my professional focus (#neuroimaging #neuroscience signal analysis) in my last toot. Now, for my other non-research engagements...

I am a #maker who uses tools like #programming #arduino #msp430 #raspberrypi #electronics and #3dprinting to prototype fun projects. I have my own fleet of 3d printers and support equipment.

As a signal processing engineer, I'm also very interested in #sdr (software-defined radio). I'm working on two pet projects right now employing SDR and my maker tools for backyard #radio #astronomy and satellite signal reception. While not entirely novel end-goals, the work is very engaging and rewarding! I hope to package the results for science outreach in #steam in the near future.

Everyone should expect neuroimaging research toots from me as well as updates on my projects and resources for #STEM and #STEAM engagement in the classroom. I hope to contribute to #edutoot by sharing my demos, resources, and projects for bringing innovative thinking, science, and engineering into the classroom.

I love #biking and outdoor activities. I'm a novice in #photograpy (microscope as well as DSLR) and am looking for hints and suggestions for my entry into #astrophotography . Any advice? Let me know! I have a strong love of #fish and #aquariums, so expect my gushing about fish on occasion. I also have a pet parakeet, so expect some bird antics along the way! It can't all be work and seriousness, after all!