Bonum Certa Men Certa

Gemini Links 31/05/2023: Bayes Filter and Programming Wordle



  • Personal

    • Cranes and rain 🏗️☔

      In Monaco the marshalls are pretty good at getting crashed cars off the track despite the lack of space. Cranes lift wreckage out of the way to be collected later. This year in practice and qualifying we had some clear views of the underneath of a couple of cars, a part that designers would prefer kept secret. Here's a web site with a couple of good photos.

    • Actually going places

      Had a shockingly busy weekend as I actually went places where there were people.

      I had to wear my kf94 the whole time: on public transit, in the open air market because it was crowded, inside the theatre, &c. but community transmission is low enough at the moment that wearing the mask the whole time pretty much means that it was safe.

      So what all did we do?

      Well on friday I actually saw coworkers in person, grabbing food while spread out at an outdoor table and kvetching about internal politics of [college we work for]. Since I almost never talk to any of these people outside the context of a structured meeting, it was nice to feel like I'm recognized as being a person outside what I do for them as the coordinator on this project.

  • Technical

    • My online experience would have been so much less without cURL

      Me too, but with emphasis on his having created a tool I couldn't have lived online nearly so happily without. I'm not at all interested in opinions on Gemini's technical details.

      [...]

      I've found plenty of wonderful writing in Gemini spaces, and rather enjoy that the people writing so often tend to be command line types. I also rather enjoy how aggregation volume such as seen at Antenna these days gives me the sense of something new starting.

    • Bayes Filter

      I'm enjoying just having one class to worry about right now. Gives me more time to focus and digest.

      I just finished a project in which I had to implement a Bayes filter in a virtual robot. I won't delve into the math here, as exciting as that would be, but the gist is that it's a way to estimate unknowns using knowns and probability.

      The robot has a map of the world but doesn't know its location in the world. By following movement commands and detecting walls with its sensors, it can start to get an idea for its location. The fun part is that sometimes it'll randomly ignore movement commands and go a different direction, and its sensor readings are only correct most of the time.

    • Davinci Resolve

      I'm still doing my YouTube experiment [1], but it's slightly paused as I spend time learning Davinci Resolve. Davinci Resolve is a completely free video editing tool for Apple Macs. I've spent the past week watching videos of Davinci Resolve techniques.

    • Programming

      • Programming Wordle

        Inspired by Ravi's program (see my last phlog), I decided to give programming Wordle a try. To make it "more fun", I'm coding in Swift on my Mac. The version I'm writing is just for the command line, but if I get comfortable with Swift, I may just try to implement it as a GUI.


* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.



Recent Techrights' Posts

The Media Talks a Lot About XBox Layoffs, a Closer Look at the Data Shows Microsoft 'Bloodbath'
'Bloodbath' is the term insiders use
Obscene Contradiction in Microsoft's Layoffs Tally ("Official" Numbers Do Not Add Up)
Notice how they treat "LinkedIn" as separate
Confirmed: Microsoft Layoffs Come in Two Waves, Just Like Last Summer
To us, what stands out is the admission from Microsoft that there are two (or more) waves
 
IBM's Fedora Plans to Integrate Slop Into "Fedora Workstation as a Default Feature."
IBM does not care whether the community wants this or not
Extremism in the Free Software World is Mostly a Myth
Only the firm belief that justice applies to all will produce a just society
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 06, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, July 06, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Kernelized Secure Operating System (KSOS) and "Exploiting Thoughtcrime in LLMs"
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 130 Out of 200: Jealousy, Envy, Hubris
This site is primarily about Free software
Gemini Links 06/07/2026: Still Mostly Dry, GoToSocial, and More
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Effective Dispute Resolution… But Not For EPO Staff
Slovenia fielded one of the few Administrative Council delegations which managed to maintain its own independent line against the tyrannical EPOnian "Sun King"
Community Sites Need Genuine Collaboration and True Autonomy
People who want to communicate, federate and organise for effective change need to evolve
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Covers Quibble, Free Software for Secure Communications, in the FSF Summer Bulletin
The Georgia Tech folks are bringing Free software education and contributions to one of the better known Computer Science hubs in the US
Microsoft Layoffs Include Windows, Bing, Slop (CoPilot etc.) and There Will More More Rounds (or Waves) to Come
"43% of Xbox laid off"
Preserving Comments About the Real IBM Before They Get Deleted
IBM in the 1980s is not what it is right now
Cybershow on "Escaping Prisons For Your Mind"
"THE CYBER SHOW: Stealing technofascism's boots, and stomping on its own face with them."
Links 06/07/2026: At Least 20% Staff Reduction in XBox (Microsoft), Taiwan Sees Uptick in Chinese Aggression/Provocation, Senator Rodante Marcoleta Arrested
Links for the day
In Praise of the UK's Stance on Free Speech (but Some Reservations)
At the moment there is a healthy discussion going on with the objective of disrupting attacks on British press
Exposing Corruption at the European Patent Office (EPO), a Call for More Whistleblowers
We predict that, provided enough whistleblowers speak out, António "the unready" won't even finish his current term
Leaving Our Pets for Several Days
This week our pets will be worried that "mommy and daddy" are away
Dating Trees and Dating 'Apps'
several high-profile stories in the news about scandals in "dating apps"
DW Documentary About Julian Assange Turns 2
It was released just days after Assange had turned 53 and about two weeks after he had left the UK
Independent Media is the Only Form of Legitimate Media
Independent media is, indeed, what we need to demand more of
The Story of the European Patent Office (EPO) Wagging the Dog (EU)
The aim of the series is to properly inform the world - not just Europeans - how Europe's second-largest institution is run [...] How did a corporate hub of monopolies become so detached from the Rule of Law?
GNU/Linux Up to New High in Libya, Windows Down to All-Time Low
GNU/Linux touches 5% there, based on statCounter
Links 06/07/2026: Artists Reject Slop (or Even de Facto Bribes to Market/Endorse Slop)
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 129 Out of 200: Iranian Tactics
Hunger for revenge compels people to do overzealous, irrational things
Quiet Week
Many in the US are still enjoying an extended weekend
The Media Needs to Speak of Slop as a Climate Issue Like It Did With Bitcoin
But the slop industry keeps paying the media to play along with the hype
IBM's Fall
IBM's fate is closely connected to that of the Free software movement because of the salaries
Social Dialogue at the European Patent Office (EPO) is Dead, the Strikes and Work Stoppage-Like Actions Carry on
What next for the EPO?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 05, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 05, 2026
Links 05/07/2026: Shadows of the Upper Peninsula and 2026 Old Computer Challenge
Links for the day
Not Everything Should be Electric
technology has become detrimental to society
Gemini Links 05/07/2026: Eye of the Beholder and Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alhena 5.6.5
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Market Share is Already High
GNU/Linux has fast become and is still becoming mainstream in recent years
The 9-Step IBM Algorithm: Gaming Wall Street While Shedding Off Staff and Bribing the Mainstream Media to Play Along
Any time IBM preaches manners (e.g. CoC) to the community remember that IBM works closely with and flatters the dictator
XBox is Practically 'Dead Man Walking' at This Point
writings on the wall
They Could Never Kill the Ideas of Richard Stallman (RMS), But They Are Still Trying
Killing an idea is harder than killing a person and killing a person is illegal
Only Germany Objected to Salary Adjustment (Reduction) Procedure of "Team Campinos"
"flash report on the Administrative Council of 30 June and 1 July 2026"
A "Never Slop" Policy in Quibble
"every change in the repository must be made by a human"
Series on GNU/Linux in Japan
This series can last a week or longer
75% of All the Patents Last Year Were Software
The corporate media has more or less ceased to discuss this matter
At Microsoft "the Morale of Developers is at an All-time Low"
Numerous reports today say that after at least 5 studios got marked for shutdown (mothballing) by Microsoft there are rumours about Obsidian as well
Links 05/07/2026: Data Breaches, Heat Waves, and Weinstein Rape Conviction Upheld
Links for the day
Confidentiality at Risk With Slop 'Coding'
People who continue to cheer for slop aren't just misguided fanbis and fangurls
False Narratives of Slop "Efficiency" as Debt Climbs
false stories about slop
July 8 as "D-Day" for Microsoft, Mass Layoffs Planned
Microsoft's grip on the market has slipped for a long time
GNU/Linux Leaps to 6% in Thailand
Can we expect 10% by year's end?
SLAPP Censorship - Part 128 Out of 200: Making Laws Work for Britain, Not Oversensitive Americans Looking for 'Revenge' by Lawfare
The SLAPPs are intended to protect corporations (employers like Microsoft)
EC Looking for Input on Digital Networks Act Until Next Month
New initiative
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 04, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, July 04, 2026
Gemini Links 05/07/2026: Ragebaited and Removing Lines in Emacs
Links for the day
Links 05/07/2026: "Tesla Slams Into Crowded Cafe" and "ChatGPT [Turned] Into a Sociopath"
Links for the day