tehstu

bontchev , 4 days ago to random

"Be 'ambitious' on climate, scientists urge parties":

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy00vdj588xo

Ah, what scientists? Lessee, according to the article,

"The letter has been signed by 408 members of the UK's climate science community - some of the most distinguished of the country's academics."

O'Rly? Let's look at the letter itself, shall we?

https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Open_letter_to_Party_Leaders_June_2024.pdf

Who has signed it? Just a few examples:

• Associate Professor of Accounting (wait, that's an academic title?!)
• Archeologist
• Geographer
• Chemist
• Professor of Politics
• Professor of Moral Philosophy
• etc., I give up

The usual suspects, I see. All of them - distinguished experts in climatology. Oh, well, at least Gandalf and the bee keeper didn't sign this time...

alice , 10 days ago to random

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parismarx , 10 days ago to random

Germany’s AfD is so extreme it was kicked out of the far-right grouping in the European Parliament last month, but Elon Musk thinks their policies “don’t sound extremist.” That’s because he’s also a fascist.

#tech #elonmusk #politics

jerry , 11 days ago to random

So much Wi-Fi enabled smart shit in this world. Why can’t I have a condensate pump that tells me when the drain line is clogged or running slower than normal?

pluralistic , 14 days ago to random

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Surveillance pricing; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/05/your-price-named/

#Pluralistic

1/

The produce section of a grocery store, with Kroger's signage. It is animated. The image fades to a version in which all the hand-lettered price signs are replaced with code waterfalls as seen in the credit-sequences of the Wachowskis' 'Matrix' movies. The image fades again and the huge, menacing eye of HAL9000 from Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' appears in the center aisle, and all the prices have doubled. The image fades again and the doubled prices are replaced with the code waterfall again. The image then loops. Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

futurebird , 15 days ago (edited 15 days ago) to random

I’m crying on the bus (again) because some middle school kids decided that for their “design challenge” they’d envision an emergency food delivery drone that could fly high enough and fast enough that no one could shoot it down. And no one asked why someone would want to shoot down a food delivery drone— or why you couldn’t just drive a truck.

luckytran , 16 days ago to random

This article is misleading and emboldens pandemic deniers and minimizers.

It's incorrect to say there was no science to support distancing rules.

The science absolutely shows us that increasing physical distance is associated with decreasing risk.

The nuance that is dangerously not conveyed here is that while distancing helps, 6-feet alone often isn't enough because COVID is airborne, so we need layered measures like masks and clean air too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/06/02/six-foot-rule-covid-no-science/

jerry , 19 days ago to random

FYI, being offended by someone ordering Lockheed Martin socks or saying they would like them work at Lockheed Martin should be addressed by blocking the person, not with a report.

Thank you for attending my speech.

alice , 21 days ago (edited 21 days ago) to random

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rbreich , 22 days ago to random

Trump insists on calling Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg "Soros backed" (posting the phrase at least 3x in the last 24 hours).

George Soros did not endorse or contribute to Bragg. By falsely connecting them, Trump is playing into a range of baseless antisemitic conspiracy theories.

futurebird , 30 days ago to random

E-bikes are very cool and I'm glad they are getting popular.

However.

There is a big difference between a crash at 12mph and one at 20mph.

Your ebike can give you injuries normally only found in motorcycle accidents. And there isn't enough advice on what constitutes sufficient maintenance for ebikes.

If you don't get balding tires fixed on a regular bike you could fall off and bruise or break a leg.

At ebike speeds that same fall will shatter your leg in dozens of pieces.

BE CAREFUL

jerry , 1 month ago to random

Apparently flipper zeros can destroy cell phones? https://komonews.com/amp/news/nation-world/student-using-hacking-device-wreaks-havoc-at-utah-high-school-grand-county-moab-flipper-zero-handheld-device-disrupting-school-operations-search-warrant-student-disciplined

jerry , 1 month ago to random

I’ve informed my wife that I’ll be going all in on unemployment. I’m buying an old Firebird to put up on blocks in the driveway and working to develop a taste for natty light.

alice , 1 month ago (edited 2 days ago) to random

I threw all my nsfw OC stuff in a gallery so it's more convenient for y'all 😉

One catch—if you click the link, then you're socially obligated to reply here with the most adorable picture you can find :blobcatpuffyblush:

To ensure plausible deniability for others, please post cute pics even if you didn't click the link :neocat_boop_happy:

Wow :sparkles_trans: so much plausible deniability!

Update 2024-06-17 added:

• landscape

https://drive.proton.me/urls/5T95R4XMK4#SocOvsNTlNb1

Tips are super-cool :floofHeart:
https://buymeacoffee.com/alice.watson

#NSFW #OC #Trans #NonbinaryPride #Photography

vampiress , 1 month ago to random

Things I've been playing on my Switch, and vague thoughts on them:

Breath of the Wild: it's a hell of a change from western open world RPGs. In good ways, and ways that frustate me a bit. I suspect the latter will pass though.

Tunic: annoyingly hard, but interesting.

Lego City Undercover: It was $10. I had to. Played it briefly on a friend's Wii U back in the day over drinks. Still funny, still fun.

vampiress , 1 month ago to random

So, starting this week... things will be a bit different.

For reasons that I'll talk more about later in the week, I now have time to work on my own projects, along with [redacted].

For my first task, well…

alice , 1 month ago to random

So...I have a tall cupboard.

In this cupboard, on the top shelf is a huge bag of steel-cut oatmeal.

This morning I tried to access said oatmeal.

The bag split.

Now my whole kitchen has oatmeal.

My pockets have oatmeal.

My hair has oatmeal.

My cats have oatmeal.

Everything is oatmeal...

There is no god.

#Oatmeal #FML

jerry , 1 month ago to random

Fedi-friends: if you get value from the fediverse, please consider donating to support your instance. Most instances are completely volunteer run and funded via donations. Some instances charge a fee to have an account, and that model likely works well. I, and many others, believe that it’s important for people who may not be able to afford it to have a social connection.

If you are able to, and not already doing so, I ask you to please consider supporting your instance. I am extremely fortunate to have generous members, however not instances are so fortunate, so here I am, asking on their behalf.

I appreciate all of you and hope you have a great week.

vampiress , 1 month ago to random

The use of "credits" as a name for space opera currency has always irrationally bugged me. Just the idea that everyone is living off actual honest to god bank credit sounds horribly dystopian, whether or not that's the point.

BUCKAZOIDS. SPACE BUCKS. Now that's how you name a space opera currency.

Gold Pressed Latinum Strips can stay too.

vampiress , 1 month ago to random

Truly, we live in the Worst Timeline. https://www.slashfilm.com/1568414/the-nice-guys-2-not-happening-ryan-gosling-blames-angry-birds-movie/

luckytran , 1 month ago to random

when a picture says a thousand words

alice , 1 month ago to random

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alice , 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

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alice , 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

For anyone who was wondering about the "Democracy Dies Behind Paywalls" story from The Atlantic...

Open in Firefox's reader mode, then refresh the page. Poof, democracy is saved.

And in case you don't have Firefox, here's a link to the text as a proof of concept:

https://drive.proton.me/urls/QFWMV1WN34#8kqjYgsxvEol

I'm sure this is intended behavior and not a bug, because it would be a weird PR nightmare to title a story like this and then put it behind a paywall on the internet. Like...it would just be asking for people to share the irony in viral posts. So, again, this Firefox thing must be like a hidden Konami code for fans of the site or something.

@mozilla, thanks for helping save democracy (and making such useful products) 💕

#Democracy #Paywall #IronyIsDead

dansup , 2 months ago to random

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w7voa , 2 months ago to random

Israel requests the UN Security Council convene immediately to condemn Iran's unprecedented attack.

tehstu , 2 months ago to random

Just caught the April 1 episode of The Daily Show. Jon Stewart interviewed Lina Khan, FTC chair.

Watch it if you can, really interesting.

vampiress , 2 months ago to random

It's been a while BUT... I got a few more big box games! Though, 'big' is subjective here. The first and most exciting one I've wanted for a while - the original 688 Attack Sub, which is one of those 1980s style 'mid sized' boxes. Slight, and a bit smaller than what'd become the boxed size standard later.

I love the design - a 'classified' document containing orders.

#RetroGaming

The back cover, advertising: “THE TARGET THINKS. THE TARGET FEELS. THE TARGET WANTS YOU DEAD.” and "This is the simulation that resets the standards in color, realism and 3D graphics: that puts you in command of a top secret billion dollar Los Angeles class U.S. attack sub: that pits you and your crew against deadly fleets of submerged, surface and airborne targets around the globe, that unfolds the dangers of espionage, evasion and destruction.”
The box has one of my favourite things - a fold-out front cover. But unlike other boxes where that’s for additional marketing material selling you on buying the game, in this case it actually opens up the box - so you can extract the manual and floppy disks without fully unpacking the box (which I have nonetheless done here).

alice , 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

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nocontexttrek , 2 months ago to random

#startrek

image/jpeg
image/jpeg

pluralistic , 2 months ago to random

Here's a fun AI story: a security researcher noticed that large companies' AI-authored source-code repeatedly referenced a nonexistent library (an AI "hallucination"), so he created a (defanged) malicious library with that name and uploaded it, and thousands of developers automatically downloaded and incorporated it as they compiled the code:

https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/28/ai_bots_hallucinate_software_packages/

1/

vampiress , 2 months ago to random

Today, I venture into truly the most puzzling and difficult-to-escape dungeons: an Ikea store.

Pray for me.

pluralistic , 3 months ago to random

Hard to overstate how enshittified and botshitted Google Maps has become. Went looking for my local locksmith on Gmaps. Maps shows 20+ fake locksmith referral scam outlets and doesn't even register the real locksmith, despite it being fully visible in Street View.

Instead, a red pin on the shop identifies it as a fake locksmith scammer. The real locksmith - which has been there SINCE 1942 (!!) and is a verified merchant - doesn't even show up.

Google Maps, showing the storefront for Golden State Lock as an empty building.

tehstu , 3 months ago to random

Humble Bundle just emailed me this. A huge collection of @pluralistic ebooks for just $18!

Don't forget to customize the percentage sliders, Humble don't send nearly as much to charity/author by default these days.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/cory-doctorow-novel-collection-tor-books-books

vampiress , 3 months ago to random

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breadandcircuses , 3 months ago to random

A few days ago, we focused on the fraudulent scheme of plastic recycling. It does not work, it never has worked, and it never will.

The oil industry, which produces millions of tons of plastics every year and makes HUGE profits from it, has known all along that recycling doesn't do any good — yet they continue promoting the idea.

So should we just quit? That's the question asked by a new article at Salon.

"Plastic experts say recycling is a scam. Should we even do it anymore?"

---

Erica Cirino, communications manager at the Plastic Pollution Coalition, says, "Plastic recycling rates vary widely from region to region around the world. In the U.S., plastic recycling rates are currently below 6 percent."

Yet even those numbers are deceptive, Cirino warned, as they incorrectly imply that at least the plastic which does get 'recycled' is handled in ways that help the environment.

"Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter where or how you set out your plastic for recycling collection, whether at the end of your driveway, at your local recycling center, or in a municipal recycling bin: Most plastic items collected as recycling are not actually recycled," Cirino explained. "Surprisingly, plastic is not designed to be recycled — despite industries and governments telling the public that we should recycle plastic."

Instead the plastics that people think get 'recycled' are often instead shipped from the Global North to the Global South, with waste haulers often dumping and openly burning plastic without regard to environmental laws, Cirino explained. People who live near the sites where these things happen face a lifetime of health risks, to say nothing of living in a degraded environment.

Indeed, a compelling question arises from the fact that the crusade to recycle plastic is more corporate propaganda than true Earth-saving measure: Should we recycle plastic at all?

"No," Cirino told Salon. "Even if plastic recycling rates were higher, recycling alone could never come close to solving the serious and wide-ranging health, justice, socio-economic, and environmental crises caused by industries’ continued plastic production and plastic pollution, which go hand in hand." Cirino argued that, given how plastic production has grown exponentially and its pollution problems have likewise worsened, emphasizing recycling over meaningful solutions is at best irresponsible.

"It’s clear recycling is not enough to solve the plastic pollution crisis," Cirino concluded. "The fossil fuel industry, governments, and corporations really need to turn off the plastic tap. Ultimately, our world must decide what it values: money or life."

---

FULL ARTICLE -- https://www.salon.com/2024/02/23/plastic-experts-say-recycling-is-a-scam-should-we-even-do-it-anymore/

#Science #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Pollution

GottaLaff , 3 months ago (edited 3 months ago) to random

⚠️ Via @atrupar:

the loud part is getting louder

Republican Accountability:

Jack Posobiec at CPAC: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on Jan. 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it.”

UPDATE, VIDEO:

https://indieweb.social/@stephenjbell/111977391928939182

breadandcircuses , 3 months ago (edited 3 months ago) to random

HEADLINE: "Oil Industry Deceived Public on Plastics Recycling for More Than 50 Years"

Is anyone surprised by this? Of course they lied. That's what capitalists do. They ALWAYS put profits ahead of truthfulness, ahead of human rights, ahead of a healthy biosphere.

Here's more...

---

The plastics industry has ‘sold’ plastic recycling to the American public to sell plastic, according to a report by the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), a nonprofit organization that advocates for legal action to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable.

Petrochemical companies and the plastics industry have known of the technical and economic limitations that make plastics unrecyclable for more than half a century, and “have failed to overcome them,” the report states. “Despite this knowledge, the plastics industry has continued to increase plastic production, while carrying out a well-coordinated campaign to deceive consumers, policymakers, and regulators about plastic recycling.”

“This evidence shows that many of the same fossil fuel companies that knew and lied for decades about how their products cause climate change have also known and lied to the public about plastic recycling,” Richard Wiles, CCI’s president, said in a press release. “The oil industry’s lies are at the heart of the two most catastrophic pollution crises in human history.”

Plastics manufacturers and industry groups, including some of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, have spent more than 50 years funding and pushing plastics recycling in order to stave off regulatory action – all while knowing that only a small fraction of plastic waste could ever be recycled.

---

FULL STORY -- https://www.desmog.com/2024/02/15/recycling-plastic-center-for-climate-integrity-report-fraud/
REPORT SOURCE -- https://climateintegrity.org/plastics-fraud

#Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Capitalism #Greenwashing

parismarx , 4 months ago to random

Xbox is losing the console war to Playstation, so it planned to blow up that paradigm by moving everything to subscription services.

But its plan to release an initial four exclusive games on other consoles is an admission the Game Pass strategy failed. Now it’s pivoting to keep Microsoft happy.

https://disconnect.blog/microsofts-xbox-dilemma/

#xbox #microsoft #gaming #playstation

tzimmer_history , 4 months ago to random

A deliberate campaign to create a permission structure to support rightwing extremism for people who don’t want to think of themselves as supporting rightwing extremism - combined with the eternal mainstream media quest to demonstrate “neutrality” and “balance.”

The result is a bizarre monstrosity.

vampiress , 4 months ago to random

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vampiress , 4 months ago to random

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vampiress , 5 months ago to random

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