Simon @spoltier@qoto.org

OpenAI unveiled its video generation model Sora two weeks ago. The technical report emphatically suggests that video generation models like Sora are world simulators. Are they? What does that even mean? I'm taking a deep dive into these questions in a new blog post (link below).

PyCon Namibia is starting to announce speakers 🤩
If you can make it, you should give a try.

I'm happy as a DSF Board Member to support the event 💚

Cc @PyConNA

#django

CHALLENGE: Stop mistaking normal human aging for generational shifts

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Impossible

From @arstechnica: https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/112015436380149850

I teach using mob programming. But the pandemic forced us all to be remote. Here's what I tried, how it worked, and what I changed going forward. https://qualitycoding.org/remote-mob-programming/

you ever think about relationships in terms of control theory?

let's say your process variable is how desired you are. you put the setpoint to "somewhat". if the value of the process variable is consistently stuck at 0 and you have an integrator in the feedback loop, it amplifies the error essentially unbounded, commanding you to do more and more extreme things until you get to "as extreme as allowed by your principles", or, if you're already suicidal, just "as extreme as you can imagine"

#notesArt #mastoArt #art #illustration

Dear developers: Please stop using random valid domains in your examples or documentation, there are dedicated domain names and IP ranges for that.

For domain names for example use: example.com

Reference: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6761#section-6.5

For IP address ranges for example use: 203.0.113.0/24
or
2001:DB8::/32

Reference: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5737#section-3 [IPv4] or https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3849#section-4 [IPv6]

Thanks!
The infrastructure people.

it's so bizarre to me that Remington, a manufacturer of typewriters to me, is much more well known in the US as a manufacturer of small arms https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IVt8g5FhKGY

Surveillance capitalism made in Switzerland by #Invenda:

“The scandal started when a student using the alias SquidKid47 posted an image on Reddit showing a campus vending machine error message, "Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognitionApp.exe," displayed after the machine failed to launch a facial recognition application that nobody expected to be part of the process of using a vending machine.”

Are any Swiss journalists making inquiries into this?

@arstechnica article: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/02/vending-machine-error-reveals-secret-face-image-database-of-college-students/

As an American (who speaks one language, and poorly) I realize these are big rocks in a thin glass house, but as we end our Europe trip I’m reflecting on how different languages sound to my ear.

German: vaguely threatening, no matter how kind the speaker

(British) English: some regrettable decision is being made

French: so smooth it convinces you a fried ham sandwich is classy

Dutch: a muppet pretending to speak German

I'd like to give a conference talk about what infosec can learn about risk from outdoor recreation — kayaking, backcountry skiing, climbing, mountaineering, etc.

A focus in these communities is “safety culture": finding ways to pursue inherently dangerous activities more safely. Lots of it translates to infosec!

If you think this would be a good fit for your con, reach out! I'm not looking for special treatment, happy to put a proposal into a CFP, just not sure who might be interested.

An absolutely bonkers assault on encryption is happening right now in Nevada.

This week, the state AG moved for a temporary restraining order to stop Meta from rolling out default E2EE on Messenger for under-18 Nevadans. The state's brief characterizes E2EE apps as a tool for child predators. It argues that Meta's claims about E2EE protecting privacy & security are deceptive, so E2EE is a CONSUMER PROTECTION VIOLATION. Oh, and half the brief is redacted.

Brief is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qq9ZkJaLHEsEiMg2rSd2hqI1SPSQb0Y8/view?usp=sharing

@arclight @0xabad1dea
Do note that R doesn't really version its dependencies; whatever code your software runs today isn't necessarily what it runs tomorrow.

And more importantly, any given version of R doesn't keep its packages. Installing the exact same version of R in a year will likely be largely broken.

@b0rk All of the above, really. My impression is that merge tools are good for going through many conflicts in a file that can be resolved by picking “left” or “right”; if it requires more than that, I have to edit the text anyway.

@b0rk i voted for "edit the file by hand" but in reality I sort of edit by hand, but also often rely on the merge conflict tooling from vscode (which does feel like editing the file by hand). being able to click a button saying "keep this group" is really nice. i like that it's a thin layer on top of the regular text file

Okay. I guess I'm gonna make this account a little more annoying. I'm gonna spend a little time each week exploring my mastodon experience and talking about how to make it better.

I say "annoying" because I'd rather be interesting than just useful. And I think this kind of content is the opposite. Potentially useful but overall not the most interesting. (It's okay if you disagree. We don't have to talk about it)
https://social.polotek.net/@polotek/111966798276024291

It’s getting a little bit crowded
#SavageGarden #carnivorousplants #bloomscrolling