Bonum Certa Men Certa

Gemini Links 01/08/2023: Gitea on Void and Unleashing Your Inner Mapper (OSM)



  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal/Opinions

      • My Bread Is Getting Yummier

        I've been making bread for a long time now. Since I currently don't have a real oven (only a small electric mini-oven and an electric pizza oven), my options are pretty limited. I have a breadmaker I use largely to mix and knead the dough. I then either make a round loaf for the oven or some kind of rolls, flatbread or pizza for the pizza oven.

        Lately I've been concentrating on bread that can be used for sandwiches (tomato mostly). That means that the dough has to rise enough to passably fit stuff. Since I am not equipped to keep a running yeast culture I use instant yeast which tends to go fast and collapse. So I've been experimenting with various ways of slowing things down so the bread can rise and remain firm enough. Lowering the moisture helps currently 290mL water for 500g flour. This results in a heavy lump of dough which keeps its shape as it rises. Punching it down a couple of times and letting it rise slowly for the final time in a moist environment helps. I put it right into the little oven with a wet paper towel draped along the door to keep the air moist.

      • whale fall 3

        a little late this week but who cares :)

        [...]

        i found this artist this week, and his work is so dreamy. earthy tones aren't the colors i usually associate with surrealism, and they work beautifully. the background is so delicately colored too.

    • Technology and Free Software

      • Manual intervention required when updating Gitea to v1.20.0 on Void

        My local Gitea instance runs on a Raspberry Pi 4 running Void Linux. I'm quite happy with Void itself. It's been totally rock solid and reliable since I got all of the kinks worked out about a week after the initial install. Gitea, however, has been a bit of a PITA on a few occasions prior to moving to Void, and the latest package upgrade I ran managed to break a few things. It's all back up and running now, but not without some frustration.

        After some troubleshooting, I found an obsolete setting in the config file, which once removed at least allowed the daemon to start.

      • Unleash Your Inner Mapper (OSM)

        OpenSteetMap is a community made map of the entire world. It's not just a map of roads, although it does have roads, paths, and other types of thoroughfares, but it has lots of other attributes including businesses, hiking trails, land usage, solar panels, bridges, bins, water fountains, camping grounds, and much much more. If it exists physically there's probably some combination of tags it can be described with on OSM.

        One of the great things about OSM is that since it's made entirely by the community, everyone gets to pick what kinds of things there are interested in mapping, which can make OSM far better than commercial maps. Many people have probably used OSM through the OSM website, OSMAnd or another similar app, but if not directly, indirectly through social networks, government maps or other apps which use OSM data like mapy.cz.

      • I just LOVE my day job... [Ed: Anonymous Microsoft pushers in Gemini]

        It got to the point where the leads calling me up every day to ask, "Why are you still having trouble with this? You've been on the project three months." Never mind that I'm the only team member in my time zone, nothing is documented unless *I* document it myself, and I can't get help because everybody else is busy with their shit.

      • First Impressions of the Beepy Pocket Computer

        The Beepy, formerly known as the Beepberry, is a little pocket-size computer handheld with the distinguishing features being the 1-bit monochrome (non-backlit) Sharp Memory LCD and the Blackberry thumb keyboard. The other key feature to this device is that it accepts a Pi Zero form factor computer board of your choice. A few other nice details are the physical power switch, one user-programmable button on the right side and quite a few GPIO pins broken out around the display. Here is what it looks like. Isn't it neat?

      • How to Errors Good

        My view of errors is built upon my view of encapsulation in general. A program is built from components, each having clearly defined concerns and boundaries, with each depending on other components. Each component defines an interface of methods which can be used by "upstream" components to interact with it. These interfaces are opaque, meaning they expose the bare-minimum information which is required to be useful to the caller. If the caller doesn't need to know something, the interface doesn't provide it, either in the types it uses, the documentation it provides, or the actual functionality it exposes. Whether an interface takes the form of a network API or a language-specific abstract interface is irrelevant to this discussion.

      • Internet/Gemini

        • How to use Fediverse local timelines

          It's my second year on Fediverse. I got to know the key concepts. I've tried several clients. I am used to its pros and cons. I had been thinking that there aren't anything that could surprise me. Then I started to use a client which supports several servers (don't be confused with several accounts which are also supported).

          [Toot! for Mastodon] is a mobile client which looks a bit too colorful for a serious user. But it has two functionalities that are dedicated to this client and I haven't spotted in other ones.

          The first is pinning a hashtag (don't be confused with hashtag following added in the latest Mastodon specs) which is good for users who don't want to pollute their home timeline with random users' posts. A pinned hashtag is accessible from a special menu, without being visible on the home timeline.

        • Zines

          I've spent the last few days traipsing back and forth through Gemspace and Gopherspace looking at what's available. It's a pretty mixed bag, as is to be expected. Many people started their phlog or gemlog then abandoned it quickly, many more kept theirs running for years and I'm just visiting a monument to that moment in time. It's in equal parts fascinating and saddening, partly because I arrived too late and partly because these things were written (presumably) with no other goal than to share something. This can be contrasted with the modern WWW, on which even simple blogs are often laden with trackers and ads as a way to monetize content.


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



Recent Techrights' Posts

The Register MS Has Just Published Slop Spam for NVIDIA and HP, It Says "AI" 43 Times
As usual, The Register MS ought to be ashamed of itself for participating in it
The Slop Debt (Trillions of Dollars, Money That Does Not Exist) is Causing the Collapse of GAFAM et al
This slop hype will end up like "metaverse", except "metaverse" never ended up justifying trillions of dollars in "investment"
Social Control Media is the Opposite of Information
That says a lot about social control media
Lack of Empathy Rampant in the Sector
Sociopaths are sociopaths. They cannot help themselves
Before the "Big Tech" (That Almost Everybody is Forced to Use) Was Controlled by Men Who Hate Women
Such rejection and even hatred of women qualifies/enshrines oneself as an "incel"- a dangerous and violent online cult
Enshittification More Than a Century Ago
Is enshittification more than a century old?
GNU in 1991 (35 Years Ago): Compiler and Lots More Ready, Linux Now Becoming 'Vibe Heap' (Slop Replaces Real Code)
Without curbs in place, many Linux developers will flee
SLAPP Censorship - Part 147 Out of 200: The SLAPP Series is 'Slow' Because Timing Matters
It is important to stress that after this series is finished there will be many more series, with some of them showing raw evidence of what we've been illuminating and telling
 
Gemini Links 12/08/2026: Losing a Child, "The OpenWeb Needs Diversity", and Gmail Woes
Links for the day
Voluntary' Layoffs and 'Proper' Layoffs at IBM This Year
When will IBM management confess that 15% of staff is already marked for potential removal?
Links 12/08/2026: Trouble in Proprietary Chaffbot Company 'Open' 'AI' and Slop "Investors Are Suddenly Quaking in Their Boots"
Links for the day
Daniel Pocock in National News in Australia the Day of the Election
"Posted 20m ago" (Thursday in Australia), it's timed nicely to help illuminate Pocock and give him last-minute exposure
Simpler Means More Reliable
The simple old way of local storage and local backups is still the best
Clownflare and statCounter See GNU/Linux at ~8% in Norway
Norway has long championed GNU/Linux compared to the rest of Europe
Clacton manifesto: Reform UK hacking, leaks, raw sewage & 8GB Swiss Archive
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
statCounter Today: ChromeOS + GNU/Linux Measured at 10.98% Globally (Desktops and Laptops)
Clownflare does not quite refute this
The Register MS Has Just Published Fake Article About Replacing Linux With Proprietary Google System, "Sponsored by ASUS."
All of those things are proprietary GAFAMware
Links 12/08/2026: "X’s Advertising Business Continues to Tank", "Stop Feeding the Billionaires"
Links for the day
In Defence of Hoarding CDs, More So When Digital Restrictions (DRM) Come to More 'Content' and Even Offline/Physical Media Won't Work When Some Remote Server Says "No" (or Goes Offline)
made to serve and entertain owners, not to allow companies like Sony and Microsoft subjugate owners
Clownflare: In Finland, Birthplace of Linux Kernel, GNU/Linux Now Bigger Than Apple's MacOS
It's not just in Finland where we see such trends
More Mass Layoffs Due to Monumental Debt Excused as "Investment" (in Slop)
They're maxing up the private debt and their country is already insolvent
METRO Interviews Daniel Pocock a Day Before Election
The article is behind a wall that blocks people who block ads
Company-Wide 'Reorg' ('Redundancies') at IBM, Mark October 1st 2026 in the Calendar
Is Oct 1 the new Apr 1?
Even ZDNet Accepts That "Market Share" of GNU/Linux May Have Doubled on Desktops and Laptops
GNU/Linux is definitely growing, and quite quickly in fact
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Microsoft Layoffs and Shutdowns Continue This August, Morale Low, Employees Set Up Giant Inflatable Rat to Protest Against CEO
nothing demonstrates their anger better than what they did to the CEO
Gemini Links 12/08/2026: Sophomore Slump, Mandatory Phone Addiction, and Vintage Web Game Gallery
Links for the day
Summer Layoffs and 'Redundancies' (Cost-Cutting) at Microsoft and IBM
IBM is merely buying its revenue - an unsustainable strategy that aims to hide the company's rapid decline
Links 11/08/2026: Tensions South of China and Stingy "YouTube Doubles the Eligibility Requirements" (to Get Paid)
Links for the day
The Independent (UK) Today: "Independent candidate Daniel Pocock is concerned about media issues."
Let's see what results say around Friday
Gemini Links 11/08/2026: Stargate, Stargazer, Air-gapped Environments, and SystemVerilog Simulator
Links for the day
The Slop ('Linux') Foundation Celebrates 35 'Linux' Years a Week After GNU/Linux Turns 43
they'll keep on trying to change history
Keumars Afifi-Sabet Produces Useful, Informative Coverage Regarding Privacy
And it's good for Richard Stallman
Confirmed: Microsoft Layoffs in August 2026, Entire Operations Shut Down Too
Microsoft is just bleeding
Paying With Cash in 2026
Cash isn't going away. Not any time soon.
Blocking Tor Is Not a Solution, It's Paranoia
Tor is not a crime
Oligarchs and Their Footsoldiers Are Most Enthusiastically Loud About the Things They're Attacking
Like "Microsoft loves Linux"
FOSSY (SFC) Platforming GAFAM, Sells Endorsement
Houston, we have a problem here
Not Allowing Misogyny and Misogynists to Run the World
We stand with (and for) equality, justice, and freedom
"SPONSORED EXPLAINER" at The Register MS is Just More SPAM "Sponsored by HPE."
This is a great example of crap 'journalism'
IBM Won't Hire (or Hardly Hire) This Year
IBM is bluffing with buzzwords while shrinking out of existence and reducing salaries
SLAPP Censorship - Part 146 Out of 200: An Industry of Plagiarism, 'Normalised'
they pursue personal enrichment by stealing from Free software developers
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 10, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, August 10, 2026
5.1k Capsules Known to Lupa, Gemini Protocol Crawler
If no limits (e.g. 10k max per capsule) were imposed on crawling, there would likely be millions of pages in the database
Gemini Links 11/08/2026: Waking Up Earlier, Whining About LLMs as Destructive Plagiarism
Links for the day
Links 11/08/2026: "The Enemy Is the Platform" and 'Vibe' 'Coding' Shown to be Little But Plagiarism
Links for the day
IBM's Age Discrimination Leads Workers to Contemplate Suicide While the CEO Becomes Billionaire for Lying to the Press and Faking Performance (Fraudulent Accounting)
IBM avoids issuing WARM notices
If Your Software Project Welcomes Bots, Then All You'll Have Left at the End Is Bots (Same for Sites Which Permit LLM Slop; They End up as Slopfarms and No Human Wants to Contribute Anymore)
A "slippery slop."
Clownflare Affirms Disturbing Trend of Web Monoculture (Which Extents to Clownflare Itself)
Clownflare itself is another layer of the same problem
The Open Web Is Not Coming Back
the open Web going out of control
Tell Me Something I Don't Know
Those who have a stake in the secrecy would do anything to maintain secrecy
Gemini Links 10/08/2026: Recollections and Washing Machine That Only Last a Few Years
Links for the day
Claims of Mass Layoffs at IBM (in Finance)
IBM tries hard to maintain an illusion of normality - to the point of viciously censoring critics and whistleblowers.
The Slop Bubble (Pyramid Scheme) is Becoming Bigger and Everyone Should be Terrified (Its Implosion Will Cause More Damage)
there's no plan for a turnaround
Microsoft and Apple Lose Ground to GNU/Linux in the United States
This contributes a lot to the international curve
Escaping Ads
When users do not want ads, then no ads should show up, period
For Second Year in a Row Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Loses Money (Over $3,000,000 Lost in 2 Years), Bradley M Kuhn Steps Down as Treasurer
lost almost $600,000 last year
Microsoft/GAFAM Operating at a Loss
Microsoft has financial problems
Nigel Farage crisis: Taylor Swift & Jeffrey Epstein both shunned cryptocurrency bosses
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
statCounter Now Sees GNU/Linux "Market Share Worldwide" at 9.21%, Soon 10%
If this data is more or less accurate, it's time for panic at Microsoft
Rumours of Impending Mass Layoffs in IBM's Yorktown Office, Impacting the LLM (Slop) Staff
Bubbles never last forever, hence their name
Links 10/08/2026: "Long COVID Linked to Lasting Damage in The Brain's Dopamine System", Microsoft’s Weather App Uses Over 1,000 Megabytes of RAM
Links for the day
Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Does Not Support Women, It Imitates Authentic Organisations, Embraces Misogynists, Then Projects
They try to monetise for personal gain at the expense of unpaid volunteers
When You're Evil and You're Publicly Attacking Something, That Something Will Become More Popular
when an oppressor becomes openly oppressive and does anything to squash/censor critics, the outcome will typically be detrimental to the oppressor
Links 10/08/2026: "Against Oligarch" and "The Invisible Women"
Links for the day
Social Control Media Deathwatch: After Nearly a Million Posts Sent EchoFeed Shuts Down
EchoFeed is hardly unique
When the LLM Chatbots Industry (Trillions in the Red) Quits Paying the Media for FOMO
fear of missing out, or FOMO for short
Microsoft Killing Morale
branding the process “inhumane” and “demoralizing”
Google's "AI Overview" as Proprietary Censorship Engine and Gatekeeper
People do not choose to use this, Google is just shoving that in people's faces, encouraging laziness and misinformation
SLAPP Censorship - Part 145 Out of 200: They Tried Hard to Hide the Fact Their Client Had Been Sued, Twice Even
A month ago Brett Wilson LLP tried to take my wife "to the side" (in effect isolated) to make her an offer
statCounter: GNU/Linux Up to 8.95% Globally
So the estimates are being "corrected" upwards, not downwards
Explaining How Someone Attempted to Cancel RMS This Year (and Failed)
The process itself involved debunking some falsehoods
Microsoft's "XBOX Ranks Last", IBM is Headed for Extinction
If Microsoft cannot dominate its own "home turf", what prospects are there elsewhere?
DebConf6 fight denied by Google artificial intelligence
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 09, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, August 09, 2026
Gemini Links 10/08/2026: A Mild Monday, Sleepy Saturday, OUYA, and Moving to GNU/Linux
Links for the day