Nostr notes by Scott Francis

Reflecting this morning on the fact that the vast majority of ...

2026-07-23T19:35:46+02:00

Reflecting this morning on the fact that the vast majority of reality operates on a scale that is either too quick or too slow, or too small or too large, for us to perceive. If we could see things as they truly are, it would be more than we could take in.

I think one of the big underlying reasons people dislike AI ...

2026-07-17T07:52:24+02:00

I think one of the big underlying reasons people dislike AI particularly in creative fields is a fundamental misunderstanding by AI advocates, who think that the output is the point (and that getting to that output as fast as possible must therefore be better).

The creative expression by people, and the connection you feel as a result of that—*that* is the point. The output is a side effect of that process.

out by Thousand Oaks, KCLU is my closest local station

2026-07-10T16:51:18+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…a7tr
_________________________

out by Thousand Oaks, KCLU is my closest local station

which local station?

2026-07-10T02:32:14+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ykne
_________________________

which local station?

where can I catch this interview?

2026-07-10T00:55:36+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…umwz
_________________________

where can I catch this interview?

depends where you launch from; in the US that’s regulated by at ...

2026-07-08T05:30:12+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…qzde
_________________________

depends where you launch from; in the US that’s regulated by at least three or four different agencies, but if you have friends in high places, those regulations are not much of a restriction

one of my favorite “computer” plot lines to hate on, for sure

2026-07-04T17:24:43+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…t9xe
_________________________

one of my favorite “computer” plot lines to hate on, for sure

but we get to see Jeff Goldblum saying “must go faster!” in ...

2026-07-04T07:41:50+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…uyav
_________________________

but we get to see Jeff Goldblum saying “must go faster!” in yet another film! :)

I bet [@ifixcoinops](https://retro.social/@ifixcoinops ) can tell ...

2026-07-04T06:59:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…s2et
_________________________

I bet [@ifixcoinops](https://retro.social/@ifixcoinops ) can tell you

Watching Independence Day (1996) with the kids for the first ...

2026-07-04T06:55:39+02:00

Watching Independence Day (1996) with the kids for the first time. The final monologue about overcoming differences and being united seems particularly relevant now. I remain hopeful that we can yet achieve that spirit.

number go up, amirite

2026-07-01T04:08:56+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…erg2
_________________________

number go up, amirite

nah, they have already happened, just not at sufficient scale for ...

2026-07-01T01:30:24+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cw9s
_________________________

nah, they have already happened, just not at sufficient scale for Shor’s (yet). We have seen exponential improvements in error correction and coherence times in just the last couple of years; there is no reason to believe that trend will abruptly cease.

I know I sure do love paying more and getting less

2026-07-01T01:18:02+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…2ml7
_________________________

I know I sure do love paying more and getting less

1000% this because ultimately quantum readiness is two things: * ...

2026-06-30T23:37:37+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mkch
_________________________

1000% this

because ultimately quantum readiness is two things:

* patch your shit
* nag your vendors to provide patches for their shit

and a third thing:
* do the above in such a way that it's easier to do it next time, because this ain't the last go-round

is it the adoption of new crypto standards you think will be full ...

2026-06-30T23:29:40+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…r9zh
_________________________

is it the adoption of new crypto standards you think will be full of grift, or quantum computing, or both?

recent DJB seems informative more than nit picky here: ...

2026-06-30T23:27:08+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…v67w
_________________________

recent DJB seems informative more than nit picky here: https://blog.cr.yp.to/20260630-risk.html

there’s a partner I work with that has HQ in France and they do ...

2026-06-28T02:01:48+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…tczf
_________________________

there’s a partner I work with that has HQ in France and they do that worldwide, it’s very … notable

came out here 27 years ago, could not afford to do so today

2026-06-24T05:31:15+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…txx8
_________________________

came out here 27 years ago, could not afford to do so today

Nostr event nevent1qqs849tztqz0rktnk778n8dl828u3mujfsh0wwc8u2lssp8jq8ycv8szyq6urpgh63rc8fa4dwfr3tgp7r2dh8sxwhx73lz35cnqnfy2haxn6shn706

2026-06-23T01:15:19+02:00

RE: https://flipboard.com/@spacecom/all-about-mars-5qr0ks4ez/-/a-RNHdFPZEQsWSiukFUwvuJA%3Aa%3A1693190246-%2F0

Kinda feel like the minimum bar to terraforming other planets is proving we can take care of one that is already terraformed

quoting
note1c4m…p9qe

Could we actually terraform Mars? Scientists are trying to find out
[https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/could-we-actually-terraform-mars-scientists-are-trying-to-find-out?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub ](https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/could-we-actually-terraform-mars-scientists-are-trying-to-find-out?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub )

Posted into All About Mars [@all-about-mars-Spacecom](https://flipboard.com/@spacecom/all-about-mars-5qr0ks4ez )

“When we use AI to flesh out ideas, we lose the most important ...

2026-06-19T21:55:30+02:00

“When we use AI to flesh out ideas, we lose the most important part of the writing process: thinking.”
https://apple.news/AypIapoO2QoGBYQYQ8NutTw?highlight=When%20we%20use%20AI%20to%20flesh%20out%20ideas,%20we%20lose%20the%20most%20important%20part%20of%20the%20writing%20process:%20thinking.

“today, Anthropic engineers on average ship 8x as much code per ...

2026-06-16T07:00:06+02:00

“today, Anthropic engineers on average ship 8x as much code per quarter as they did from 2021-2025.”

I wish orgs everywhere would stop citing this as a metric: it’s completely meaningless without qualifiers or context. 8x as many features? Great! 8x fewer bugs! Rock on! … what exactly does “8x as much code” mean? Adding complexity, overhead, and cruft 8x faster?

It reminds me of what Ted Dziuba once said: “functionality is an asset, but code is a liability.”

This is an excellent example of Goodhart’s Law.
https://www.anthropic.com/institute/recursive-self-improvement

good call

2026-05-28T19:00:06+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…m6gx
_________________________

good call

I should include the PDF of today’s agenda, but I can’t ...

2026-05-28T18:49:48+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…sggl
_________________________

I should include the PDF of today’s agenda, but I can’t figure out how to attach that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Starting this year’s live toot of Caltech’s #Quantum ...

2026-05-28T18:07:27+02:00

Starting this year’s live toot of Caltech’s #Quantum Engineering Workshop (6th one, my third in a row attending in person)! I will attempt to thread all this but I will be more talkative than usual today; if you need to mute me for a while I understand :)

1/n

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Daojoan/116649615915296910 “Every ...

2026-05-28T04:27:49+02:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Daojoan/116649615915296910

“Every ordinary decision now comes with a research burden.”

omg, 1000% this

quoting
note1668…qdj2

The Costco theory of the internet:

People are tired of infinite choice.

They want fewer decisions, higher floors, lower bullshit, clearer standards, and someone competent enough to throw the garbage out before they arrive...

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-costco-theory-of-the-internet/

house across the street has some lovely towering palm trees ...

2026-05-27T18:53:53+02:00

house across the street has some lovely *towering* palm trees (4-5 in total, probably 100 ft or more each) ... and the tree service guys have been out there cutting them all down for the past two hours :(

The guy who formerly owned the house sold it a year or two ago, and I suspect either the new owners don't want to maintain, or think they will cause (or are causing) structural problems. It's a real pity though; they were iconic for the whole neighborhood.

(also chainsaws and wood chippers for two hours right outside the window has been ... obnoxious.)

[ context: online anger over use of spell/grammar checking tools ...

2026-05-27T05:20:29+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cey0
_________________________

[ context: online anger over use of spell/grammar checking tools because they apparently make writing sound more “AI-generated”. Such a bizarre timeline we live in, where tools once considered best practices for all professionals are now a “shibboleth of perfidy.”

Of course, no AI would ever generate such an arcane construction, so I guess that puts me above suspicion. 😅 ]

Had occasion during conversation today to coin the phrase ...

2026-05-27T05:12:50+02:00

Had occasion during conversation today to coin the phrase “shibboleth of perfidy“, and I am immensely pleased with myself. Channeling Tycho at Penny-Arcade over here.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@ScienceScholar/116626549340745718 I ...

2026-05-24T02:03:33+02:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@ScienceScholar/116626549340745718

I mean, I kinda feel like blood is essential to living past any age, including 100
nostr:note1wm83srlcee4uelck9dc5h5ka5dhqk8hmx3875msepssd9dpva5qs6zf6ax

Chaser: somehow they appear to still be working. AND they went ...

2026-05-19T01:24:54+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…28x5
_________________________

Chaser: somehow they appear to still be working. AND they went through the dryer cycle as well. Waiting to see if they really work or if this is an AppleCare+ call.

Guess who ran their AirPods 3 through the washing machine? ...

2026-05-19T01:22:59+02:00

Guess who ran their AirPods 3 through the washing machine?

Spoiler: not one of my kids ಠ_ಠ

“These aren't acts of nostalgia. I don't want to ...

2026-05-07T01:38:27+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…7csd
_________________________

“These aren't acts of nostalgia. I don't want to teleport to 1999 with a beige computer and pretend everything was better when getting online made a noise.”

I lol’d

“The internet you grew up on isn't dying. A commercial ...

2026-05-07T01:28:20+02:00

“The internet you grew up on isn't dying.
A commercial veneer glued on top of it is.”

And it’s not a bad thing.

EDIT: mad props to Terry Godier (npub1wee…9r06) for writing one of the best things I’ve read in ages. We remember the old ways!

https://terrygodier.com/the-boring-internet

Felton, CA (home of Henry Cowell Redwoods and one of my favorite ...

2026-05-04T20:23:16+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…dhzf
_________________________

Felton, CA (home of Henry Cowell Redwoods and one of my favorite places ever) has the Bigfoot Discovery Museum which is ... really something (photos attached, no alt text because the photos are basically all text, plus some interesting casts of footprints, skulls, newspaper clippings, maps, etc.)

yeah I am very much not a golfer but I sure do enjoy nature

2026-05-04T20:16:21+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…73je
_________________________

yeah I am very much not a golfer but I sure do enjoy nature

at Health ISAC this week and the quiet sense of peacefulness when ...

2026-05-04T18:49:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…h6kf
_________________________

at Health ISAC this week and the quiet sense of peacefulness when I got up this morning is something I wish I could bottle. It was even better than being in my own backyard most mornings.

sometimes that's the only way to learn, but it's also ...

2026-05-04T18:45:43+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…x7kz
_________________________

sometimes that's the only way to learn, but it's also often the most effective way to learn

came to say this, you beat me to it, well done

2026-05-04T18:40:46+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…r98x
_________________________

came to say this, you beat me to it, well done

if there’s one thing you can rely on, it is that people will ...

2026-05-01T17:00:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…2t5j
_________________________

if there’s one thing you can rely on, it is that people will find new and creative ways to make mistakes 😂

the light bulb for me just now was that security and consistency ...

2026-05-01T00:10:35+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…54q9
_________________________

the light bulb for me just now was that security and consistency are related but orthogonal outcomes

We in infosec talk a lot about how compliance does not equal ...

2026-04-30T22:44:32+02:00

We in infosec talk a lot about how compliance does not equal security (and generally cast compliance as of little value for actual outcomes), but I've been talking with clients in life sciences recently and realized that one of the big values of compliance is enforcing *consistency of outcomes*, more than driving security outcomes.

This has given me some food for thought as I consider compliance vs security from a different angle.

I was thinking about this the other day in the context of that ...

2026-04-30T19:51:57+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…203q
_________________________

I was thinking about this the other day in the context of that famous paper "Attention is All You Need" ...

really, "Attention is All You Have". Time and attention are the same thing, and you can't get any more of either of them. What I am giving my attention to is of critical importance.

"everyone involved is approaching it with respect and ...

2026-04-24T22:52:26+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mwks
_________________________

"everyone involved is approaching it with respect and honestly trying to do right by everyone" <-- this is such a rare thing to find on Internet, and when people act with good intent and kindness and respect, even mistakes or unintentional offenses or differences in opinion can be navigated without destroying relationships. <3

also: wow, this is a brilliant piece.

2026-04-23T23:53:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…spza
_________________________

also: wow, this is a brilliant piece.

100% that last bit -- the problem is not who's running ...

2026-04-23T23:51:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…spza
_________________________

100% that last bit -- the problem is not who's running things, but that the electorate *repeatedly* decided to put them in power. This is why the rest of the world is looking at the US and saying "yeah better not depend on that anymore".

Nostr event nevent1qqs0qf97cxn2fn8gn7dcd7tf9swp4dy69akmf6u3sxkyqmq5nghtvcczyq6urpgh63rc8fa4dwfr3tgp7r2dh8sxwhx73lz35cnqnfy2haxn6w7xn7n

2026-04-23T22:00:05+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kdw3
_________________________

website says otherwise (re: orders), but it sounds like you have ...

2026-04-22T03:49:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…yqzy
_________________________

website says otherwise (re: orders), but it sounds like you have more accurate info? Yes, their demonstrator didn’t use their own engine (wasn’t finished), but the rest of the jet was entirely developed by them, and remains the first commercially developed jet to break the sound barrier. They may be a long way from commercial reality but should get credit where due.

I mean, they have made some good progress (first ...

2026-04-22T02:58:12+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…w5rn
_________________________

I mean, they *have* made some good progress (first commercially-developed jet to go supersonic), and they have their own engine design to power their passenger jet, with orders from several major carriers for planes. ETA is unclear though, and testing and regulatory approval is non-trivial for this level of engineering build. Getting their turbines into gas generators for data centers is an easier (if far less environmentally sustainable) short-term path to revenue.

oy. we truly cannot have nice things. (but also, Boom's test ...

2026-04-22T02:29:48+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…fg75
_________________________

oy. we truly cannot have nice things. (but also, Boom's test flight showed it's possible to go supersonic and not produce an audible boom at ground level; actual scientific and engineering progress is involved here beneath all the misinformed hype generation of the administration. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_XB-1#Testing )

he's _probably_ referring to Boom Aero, which has been doing ...

2026-04-22T02:03:50+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ra0t
_________________________

he's _probably_ referring to Boom Aero, which has been doing some great test and prototype work the past several years (including new engine designs and a supersonic demonstrator that broke the sound barrier in Jan 2025), but is a ways out from being a production reality still. https://boomsupersonic.com

#SilentSunday #Bloomscrolling 3/3 ...

2026-04-19T20:12:58+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…lr36
_________________________

#SilentSunday #Bloomscrolling 3/3

#SilentSunday #Bloomscrolling crossover in my backyard! 1/n ...

2026-04-19T20:03:51+02:00

#SilentSunday #Bloomscrolling crossover in my backyard! 1/n

Today’s #3goodthings is once again a #bloomscrolling ...

2026-04-18T03:58:51+02:00

Today’s #3goodthings is once again a #bloomscrolling

as a Christian and somebody who has actually read the Bible and ...

2026-04-17T00:52:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…czg6
_________________________

as a Christian and somebody who has actually read the Bible and recognized _the first time I saw the film_ that it was a made up verse, I'm offended (but also I love that film)

(I mean ... c'mon man at least make an *attempt* to be convincing in your schtick. *sigh*)

first time I've seen this and it's killing me 😂

2026-04-16T01:36:59+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…079e
_________________________

first time I've seen this and it's killing me 😂

This is really well stated: “I guess what I’m saying is great ...

2026-04-11T07:16:02+02:00

This is really well stated:

“I guess what I’m saying is great consumer products don’t make young people feel anger and despair the more they use them.” — Nilay Patel on AI

https://bsky.app/profile/reckless.bsky.social/post/3mj3vb6wxnc2l

I guess I haven't seen that particular design pattern (just ...

2026-04-10T00:25:41+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kjtp
_________________________

I guess I haven't seen that particular design pattern (just disabled notifications, restarted Signal, and got prompted -- "not now / enable" -- so yeah, confirming what you see. It's IMO on a par with prodding the user about their PIN, which is at worst mildly annoying but serves a useful purpose).

(I still maintain that a messaging app that supports audio and video calls, but has no notifications enabled, is effectively useless -- but end users should have the option to choose that. I'd argue a better UX here would be "yes / no / ask me later" and if you pick "no" you get an explicit warning that you will never be notified of any incoming calls or messages; at least that way unsophisticated users are aware of the risks and sophisticated ones can still make that tradeoff.

Tradeoffs are really key here, and we should support maximum end user control while also being very explicit about tradeoffs to avoid surprises.)

I must not see what you see (but also don't understand the ...

2026-04-10T00:12:49+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…vzsm
_________________________

I must not see what you see (but also don't understand the logic in having a messaging app with no notifications; how would you know somebody messaged or called?)

last time I installed, I set notifications (just show there is one, do not show details) and that's the last I've ever seen or heard about it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I am in this picture and not sure how I feel about it

2026-04-09T21:01:06+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…0xnd
_________________________

I am in this picture and not sure how I feel about it

that was nicely articulated, thanks

2026-04-09T21:00:29+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…6408
_________________________

that was nicely articulated, thanks

"We have a different question. When did zero days become the ...

2026-04-09T20:31:35+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…n9j8
_________________________

"We have a different question. When did zero days become the threat you were supposed to be worried about?"

I mean, yeah, but also just because somebody is doing the basics poorly does not mean that advanced techniques are not *also* a threat. Many threats simultaneously! And some of them just became more risky and easier for attackers to leverage ...

#politics #CApolitics If you live in California, you have ...

2026-04-08T01:33:33+02:00

#politics #CApolitics

If you live in California, you have probably been getting spammed a lot lately on multiple channels about a ballot initiative to “protect retirement from new taxes” or another one pushing “spending transparency”.

You will be perhaps unsurprised to learn that these initiatives have nothing to do with retirement or transparency, and everything to do with billionaires attempting to defeat a proposed tax on the ultra-rich.

Follow the money. “Cui bono?”

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook-pm/2026/03/16/california-tax-ballot-measure-00830213

Wish we could get movies involving computers and hacking that ...

2026-01-25T05:38:31+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…c20d
_________________________

Wish we could get movies involving computers and hacking that were at least not completely disconnected from reality (and I’m not talking about any of the Ares stuff in the Grid, but about how the one CEO “hacks” another)

Finally watching Tron: Ares with my kids, and the strangest thing ...

2026-01-25T05:14:39+01:00

Finally watching Tron: Ares with my kids, and the strangest thing is seeing the NIN and Disney logos on the same movie

it’s like Data’s (or Spock’s) early attempts at ...

2026-01-23T18:00:00+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…70uz
_________________________

it’s like Data’s (or Spock’s) early attempts at understanding humor

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of ...

2026-01-18T21:16:06+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…xyjq
_________________________

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

— ibid., chapter 1

On a perhaps unsurprisingly similar note, but from a very ...

2026-01-18T21:14:54+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…sdvl
_________________________

On a perhaps unsurprisingly similar note, but from a very different direction: “There *is* one major difference that has occurred in the past 40 years that does indeed impinge upon the spiritual life. I can state it in one word: distraction. Distraction is the primary spiritual problem in contemporary culture.”

— from the Preface to the special anniversary edition of Richard Foster’s /Celebration of Discipline/

“The problem is structural. The total volume of ...

2026-01-18T01:37:46+01:00

“The problem is structural. The total volume of things-you-should-have-an-opinion-about has exceeded our cognitive bandwidth so thoroughly that having careful opinions about anything has become damned-near impossible. Your attention is a finite resource being strip-mined by an infinite army of takes.”

JA Westenberg (npub1wkr…yvj6) continuing to articulate my own thoughts better than me.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-discourse-is-a-distributed-denial-of-service-attack/

reading Moxie's thoughts about LLMs and privacy over at ...

2026-01-15T00:54:16+01:00

reading Moxie's thoughts about LLMs and privacy over at https://confer.to/blog/ -- if there's anybody I can think of I'd trust to do something truly privacy-respecting in this area, it's him.

Fascinating idea: get a recording device, and capture your ...

2026-01-08T18:00:13+01:00

Fascinating idea: get a recording device, and capture your answers to 1000 questions. Record your voice and the transcription.

I wish I'd had something like this from my grandpa, in particular; he had so much wisdom especially later in life and I lived far from him the last 20 of his years, and did not get to spend as much time with him as I wish I had.

https://savewisdom.org

(as is Gothamist, which they’re quoting)

2026-01-01T09:50:19+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…25wh
_________________________

(as is Gothamist, which they’re quoting)

The Independent is generally pretty reliable journalism

2026-01-01T09:49:26+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…xm2u
_________________________

The Independent is generally pretty reliable journalism

Having second thoughts about bridging my account to BlueSky; so ...

2025-12-19T20:11:31+01:00

Having second thoughts about bridging my account to BlueSky; so far the only interactions that have come through that have been reply guys and people looking for an argument. Every time.

in The Literature, things named Project Genesis haven't ...

2025-12-17T22:20:15+01:00

in The Literature, things named Project Genesis haven't always turned out so well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAoEU3HcCRk
https://mastodon.social/@startswithabang/115736968276645385

hrm. I suppose yeah, at this point it's already destroyed but ...

2025-12-15T19:40:53+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gptu
_________________________

hrm. I suppose yeah, at this point it's already destroyed but preventing him from setting up anything else in its place would also make his failure there very publicly visible for a long time

facepalm bringing suit after the demolition has already begun ...

2025-12-15T19:34:59+01:00

*facepalm* bringing suit after the demolition has already begun is a gigantic waste of time; we already know he ignores anything legally that he doesn't like, so the best possible chance here was to prevent the start of demolition. at this point it's symbolic, if indeed there's a win at all -- the East Wing has already been destroyed. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-white-house-ballroom-lawsuit-national-trust-for-historic-preservation/

The first thing that came to mind when I was thinking about ...

2025-12-10T19:51:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…42s7
_________________________

The first thing that came to mind when I was thinking about developing plumbing/scaffolding upon which to build new kinds of tech was the work Neal Stephenson and team have been doing over at Lamina1. https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-neal-stephenson-named-the-metaverse-now-hes-building-it/

Standards development work is rarely sexy but always essential for the interoperability that drives broad adoption and the innovation that comes out of that (the Internet is replete with historical examples here).

“Anthropic is donating its MCP (Model Context Protocol), a ...

2025-12-10T19:13:07+01:00

“Anthropic is donating its MCP (Model Context Protocol), a standard way to connect models and agents to tools and data; Block is contributing Goose, its open source agent framework; and OpenAI is bringing AGENTS.md to the table, its simple instruction file developers can add to a repository to tell AI coding tools how to behave. You can think of these tools as the basic plumbing of the agent era.”

Standards and plumbing help make it possible to move from large, monolithic, and expensive implementations to more efficient, horizontally-scaled, openly-interoperable implementations.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/09/openai-anthropic-and-block-join-new-linux-foundation-effort-to-standardize-the-ai-agent-era/

feels like fire weather; glad that it’s mostly been called off ...

2025-11-28T02:35:59+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…7x7r
_________________________

feels like fire weather; glad that it’s mostly been called off this year.

as somebody who grew up on farms (summers anyway; my parents' ...

2025-11-14T19:12:40+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…n0jk
_________________________

as somebody who grew up on farms (summers anyway; my parents' families were both farmers in southern Iowa since the Civil War), I love seeing what's different about farming in England, and the incredible amount of effort and risk that goes into food production ... really just educating the public on why farmers deserve respect and support, whether or not Clarkson's being a goober, is something I can get behind.

I don’t think I ever really understood this until I saw this ...

2025-11-14T05:34:45+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…ksff
_________________________

I don’t think I ever really understood this until I saw this diagram and the Cecil Adams quote, and it *instantly* made sense to me.

I am … not quite cautiously optimistic here, which is about as ...

2025-11-04T23:26:38+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…7dt2
_________________________

I am … not quite cautiously optimistic here, which is about as good as I feel about *any* of the big AI pushes right now.

eh. the deal is for Apple to get a custom model based on Gemini, ...

2025-11-04T00:14:19+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…cp40
_________________________

eh. the deal is for Apple to get a custom model based on Gemini, that will run on Apple's existing private AI infrastructure (which has pretty decent privacy baked in to the architecture, although nothing's 100%). this is quite a bit different than just proxying queries to Google Gemini on the backend.

10/10, no notes. I spent decades admiring Apple’s design ethos ...

2025-10-25T01:21:21+02:00

10/10, no notes. I spent decades admiring Apple’s design ethos and pathological attention to detail and UI/UX, and the downhill slide post-Jobs has turned into a freefall. https://blog.johnozbay.com/what-happened-to-apples-attention-to-detail.html

This is the best example I've seen in a long time of a ...

2025-10-16T16:54:48+02:00

This is the best example I've seen in a long time of a writeup that makes an extremely complex topic accessible to the masses. Bravo, Dan Goodin (npub1z3l…qvzu) https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/10/why-signals-post-quantum-makeover-is-an-amazing-engineering-achievement/ #PQC #Signal

Christians have had a problem with thinking about this in terms ...

2025-09-26T20:17:14+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…myl7
_________________________

Christians have had a problem with thinking about this in terms of “marking time until I die” rather than leaning into the present availability of a different life *right now*, for centuries

it's why Jesus said that it's so hard for the rich to ...

2025-09-26T19:55:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…uugt
_________________________

it's why Jesus said that it's so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven (a kingdom that is presently available, not something that happens after we die! see Dallas Willard on this) -- not because they are any more beyond the reach of grace than anyone else, but because their wealth gets in their own way of joining with and pursuing a different way of life.

this is what happens when we (speaking for Christians here) allow ...

2025-09-26T19:53:24+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…hf57
_________________________

this is what happens when we (speaking for Christians here) allow politics to shape our theology, rather than the other way around.

always play in the dark

2025-09-24T04:12:47+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…zfme
_________________________

*always* play in the dark

when Thief first came out I had my first 5.1 sound card with a ...

2025-09-24T04:09:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…06dg
_________________________

when Thief first came out I had my first 5.1 sound card with a 5.1 speaker system and it was AMAZING

The Onion: perfect, as always ...

2025-09-18T22:31:44+02:00

The Onion: perfect, as always https://theonion.com/nation-grateful-to-gop-for-protecting-it-from-tv/

time sensitive: the Pacific Crest Trail (and indeed, all our ...

2025-09-18T05:48:11+02:00

time sensitive: the Pacific Crest Trail (and indeed, all our national parks and wild lands) needs your help. There's proposed rulemaking (in < 24 hours) at the US Forest Service that could introduce roads and development into currently roadless areas, making wild lands less wild and irrevocably changing the character of some of the most pristine wilderness in our nation. And the driver behind this? Increased access on public lands for logging, mining, and petroleum extraction.

Please post your public comments at regulations.gov and help us keep pristine forests pristine. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/29/2025-16581/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation-national-forest-system-lands#open-comment

/cc AI6YR Ben (npub1ucv…5a8g) W6KME (npub15aw…yhz3) @andrewbriscoe Jason Evangelho 🐧🎒 (npub19na…nep3) JDS (npub1eqq…rukl) and my other hiking/outdoors friends

thanks for providing this service; there are so many asking for ...

2025-09-17T17:22:51+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…rvul
_________________________

thanks for providing this service; there are so many asking for help out there and it's difficult to know who's real and who's a scammer taking advantage of a horrible situation

have literally bought two pairs of shorts in the same size from ...

2025-09-08T20:38:07+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…wfqx
_________________________

have literally bought two pairs of shorts in the same size from the store by the same manufacturer (just a couple of weeks ago), and one fit and one did not.

I thought that number was surely wrong (“isn’t that basically ...

2025-09-07T19:05:53+02:00

I thought that number was surely wrong (“isn’t that basically the entire planet?”) and then went and checked and humanity numbers north of 8 billion now. #TIL
https://flipboard.com/@spacecom/all-about-the-moon-v6gcactdz/-/a-1r3gNjwvSM-dCyx1cil4tQ%3Aa%3A1693190246-%2F0

these are some amazing photos

2025-08-22T22:48:31+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…khvw
_________________________

these are some amazing photos

omg the manuals

2025-08-22T22:43:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cgfd
_________________________

omg the manuals

I guarantee there are people on here who would buy it; the ...

2025-08-22T21:52:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ukx0
_________________________

I guarantee there are people on here who would buy it; the vintage/retro electronics hobbyist and computing community on here rolls deep

reminds me of ...

2025-08-22T21:28:47+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mncu
_________________________

reminds me of

if you aren't familiar with Kryptos, it's a sculpture ...

2025-08-21T23:56:58+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cyda
_________________________

if you aren't familiar with Kryptos, it's a sculpture installed outside CIA headquarters at Langley, containing multiple encrypted messages, one of which remains one of the most famous unsolved codes in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryptos