Mike Stone

Husband, father, nerd.

Public Key

npub1l3ck4tnw7s928c8tk6kczewjhjmcd0lesf7jncs3zhd4wvxyj0sq02vnpa

NIP-05 Address

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0cut24eh0gz4rur4mdtvpvhfteduxhlucylffugg3tk6hxrzf8cqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsdanu4s

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1l3ck4tnw7s928c8tk6kczewjhjmcd0lesf7jncs3zhd4wvxyj0sq02vnpa

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-08-24 07:07:13 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…20nn Ya, that's a Mastodon thing, not specific to Fosstodon.
@nprofile…ctza

2026-08-24 04:49:21 GMT

My little brother and his family are in the "prepare" zone. Fingers crossed they get this under control here soon.
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/23/g-s1-139729/thousands-forced-to-evacuate-parts-of-reno-nevada-as-new-wildfire-rages

2026-08-18 21:22:24 GMT

I'd estimate that probably 97% of the times I open Excel are because the Excel icon is right next to my terminal icon in my dock, and my aim sucks when I'm in a hurry.

2026-08-15 22:47:05 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…m5je He was pretty funny. Every movie needs the grumpy old dude.

2026-08-15 22:38:48 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…sx6h @nprofile…k7ew To me, the counter offer means that they looked at the work you were doing and realized that it was worth more to them than they were paying. The fact that they didn't do that in the first place means they're perfectly happy to not pay you what you're worth. My company has outright said that they make no effort to keep up with economic inflation when it comes to raises and promotions, so if you've been around any length of time, you're probably making less than market value.

2026-08-15 07:35:40 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…m5je That thing was brutal. I remember being so excited for it at the time, but I don't think I could ever watch it again. Not even now.

2026-08-15 07:24:25 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew @nprofile…sx6h It really depends. I don't like to talk about it. Gives me the ick, which I guess is 5 decades of it being a taboo conversations. Still, even if I'm initially happy with where I'm at, if my company was to hire a kid 30 years my junior with virtually no experience for more money? I'm going to be pissed.

2026-08-14 21:12:23 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew It's interesting to me your experience is that only people with high salaries do this. I've only stumbled on this a couple times. Publishing or even talking about your salary IS pretty taboo here. Every time I've seen it it's been someone making next to nothing. I think people are looking at the shock value of it. The high school teacher who does Uber after hours because they can't afford to live on their salary. That kind of thing. Beyond a couple YouTubers, never big salaries.

2026-08-13 16:26:38 GMT

I'm not sure who needs to hear this, but when you clone a Jira ticket, update the damn due date. Please. With a cherry on top?

2026-08-13 16:11:39 GMT

I wonder just how much of my work day is devoted to dealing with security measures. I get that for some people, it's their whole job, but I'm not in NetSec or any other kind of security. I'm also not suggesting we get rid of security measures. Been there, done that. I just spend a whole ton of time with passwords and certs and keys of various varieties. It takes a not insignificant chunk of time out of my day.

2026-08-11 16:43:20 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…ypfx They just typed vivaldi.com into the address bar. Technically I suppose, it's a unified field, so it could be used for search, but it's the address field.
@nprofile…60xv

2026-08-11 15:49:06 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…ypfx I expect because it's part of the migration process. The video starts with Google in Chrome, and ends with Startpage in Vivaldi. Neither search engine actually gets used in the video though.
@nprofile…60xv

2026-08-09 22:38:19 GMT

A bit of unsolicited advice from a 50+ year old:
Lift with the legs, not the back. Really.

2026-08-01 07:35:17 GMT

We're definitely living in the stupidest timeline. 🤕
https://www.rawstory.com/pigeon-eggs/

2026-07-29 02:35:29 GMT

The part of writing I spend the most time on is probably staring at the blinking cursor with absolutely nothing on the screen, wondering what the heck I'm supposed to be writing about.

2026-07-27 08:03:02 GMT

#Musk: "We are 1,000% going to go bankrupt as a country and fail as a country, without AI and robots."
This is the shit that annoys me. We NEED AI and robots or we're doomed! Coincidentally, #Elon sells #AI and robots. I don't think AI is evil and should be avoided at all costs. I think it has its uses if handled properly, but I also think #ElonMusk is full of shit and just trying to add even more money to his coffers. He'll say what he thinks needs to be said to do it.
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/elon-musk-flags-america-1-113500554.html

2026-07-26 21:31:51 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…jk9l Yes, yes, and yes? Is there something particular that's not working for you?

2026-07-25 18:28:23 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…7z5c Yes, thankfully it's usually pretty dry. We do have some humidity spikes, but they don't normally coincide with the really nasty heat. I'll attach the readings from the last couple days from my outdoor thermometer. I can't convert all the output to C though, sorry.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/982/024/286/106/825/original/9e866767767c4f76.png

2026-07-24 17:51:08 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…y02v So far, ish? It requires some hands on coddling. The automated tools don't do it at this point. I think when things normalize as far as temperature is concerned and we're not running the AC 24/7 it'll require less intervention. Also, we have to supplement the solar battery charging with grid right now. We force the batteries to charge with both solar and grid power to reach capacity before peak hours. Otherwise it's tapped out before evening peak hours. This is just an issue with AC.

2026-07-24 17:37:11 GMT

Today I got the first full month power bill since the solar went in. Our system pulls what it can from solar, saves extra to battery, and when the battery is empty pulls from the grid. Being this is Phoenix, in the summer, keeping the climate in our house livable is the primary power drain. It was 100F (38C) by 8:00 this morning. The silver lining of this weather is, it's sunny! Our power bill was ~$140 LESS this year than July last year. It's not 1 to 1 obviously, but I like it anyway.

2026-07-23 18:46:40 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew Heh, I've seriously considered updating my site so it has a landing page with general "About" page stuff on it, and a link to my RSS and not even bother putting posts on the page, just in the RSS feed. Of course, for me to do this I'd need to actually spend some time on my page and then I'd need to actually write something for it to matter, but I've thought about it! Really! Lots and lots of thinking about it.

2026-07-23 00:14:05 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…rj5h Oh, and not to be too much of a shill, but #Vivaldi in desktop mode works amazingly well this way. There's only a few things that separate the UI from the desktop version. It's not in the same league when it comes to customization, but it's slick to use.
@nprofile…7kqx

2026-07-23 00:12:57 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…rj5h The desktop stuff they're doing on the phone is pretty new I think. I suspect it's an effort to consolidate effort between their phones/tablets and their Googlebooks. The UI is strikingly similar. Quite a lot about it is still very "beta" feeling, and it can be frustrating to use if you have any other choice. They do have an official Terminal app though too, and that makes porting into your Linux systems the most seamless thing about the phone. Everything works like a desktop.
@nprofile…7kqx

2026-07-22 22:56:30 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…7kqx I have a thing called a Lapdock? It looks like a laptop, but there's no computer in it. You plug a SBC or phone into it via USB-C. The keyboard and touchpad are kinda garbage, but it also has standard USB ports that I just plug in normal keyboard/mouse hardware. Android has a "desktop" feature these days that puts it into a windowed mode. Works surprisingly well.

2026-07-22 20:45:12 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…4lqc Ahh, that sucks. I used to read his stuff all the time.

2026-07-22 18:34:36 GMT

My work laptop decided that it didn't like working so it stopped. I had a couple very frustrating hours spent on the phone with corporate tech support redoing things I'd already done, and now they're sending me a new computer. Until it shows up, I'm stuck literally working from my phone. My phone has access to a lot of corporate tools. Teams, Outook, Jira, GitHub, etc. The form factor just isn't particularly good to get stuff done. Android's desktop mode is surprisingly helpful. Who da thunk it?

2026-07-21 18:01:04 GMT

First day back to work after 10 days of vacation. I'm still not ready for this. I think I could have gone 2x or 3x as long and still been just as happy to be not working.

2026-07-17 17:37:41 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…rgc3 OK, but don't do it if you're tired. 😏

2026-07-17 17:01:29 GMT

I watched Backrooms last night. I've heard all sorts of good reviews, but I was just bored. Half the movie was just some rando wandering around an office space designed by a freshman architecture student on acid. The rest of it a sad alcoholic in therapy.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26657236/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_back

2026-07-13 01:20:41 GMT

My security cameras pick up a surprisingly large number of Waymos driving past my house when you consider I don't live in an area Waymo covers. I have confirmed they are driverless and don't seem to be carrying any passengers. It's like they're going for a drive.

2026-07-09 16:20:36 GMT

#Vivaldi just released version 8.1 today! This update isn't as flashy as the last one. The last one had some of the biggest UI updates in years and years, but this one is all about nailing things down and tightening up the code. No major visual or feature changes, just stability and bug swatting.
https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-on-desktop-8-1/

2026-07-08 20:58:45 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…m5je Isn't it always do more with less?

2026-07-08 19:49:34 GMT

I hate it when C suite executives use the word "intentional" like, "We need to be more intentional with our work."
Trust me dude, if I'm at work, it's intentional.

2026-07-08 03:18:44 GMT

I think this points to the importance of a marketing team. Now, this is StatCounter, so grain of salt in the actual figures, but it's got Linux sitting at 4.39% worldwide desktop market share. That's pretty solid. ChromeOS is way back with 1.21%. Here's the question though. When was the last time you went into any store that sells computers and saw a Linux computer, but NOT a ChromeOS system. I see ChromeOS all the time. No Linux. Marketing is important.
https://linuxiac.com/windows-drops-under-60-in-global-desktop-os-share-for-the-first-time-in-years/

2026-07-07 18:55:21 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…r7ya Good catch! I found a Reddit threat talking about a Discord chat about someone sister's boyfriend's roommate that said Third Reality designed the shell, but the internals are different. I haven't seen anything official from @nprofile…q4xk about it, so all the caution you normally assign such hearsay, but just looking at them it sounds plausible.

2026-07-07 03:38:26 GMT

Smaller than I expected. I've had it all of a couple minutes, but the speaker sounds good. Works almost instantly with #HomeAssistant. Initial wake word is Jarvis, which is fine. I generally prefer #Mycroft, but I believe that's configurable if you spend more than 10 minutes with the device.
#Pine64
#PineVoice
@nprofile…q4xk
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/876/591/749/430/918/original/5899b472a945b09a.jpg

2026-06-29 19:23:19 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…nj5n Ahh, OK. I read that wrong. I was giving the person I was talking to the benefit of the doubt. English is not their native language and they're not from the United States, so I try to assume up front that they're not intending to insult even when what they say is insulting. I could be wrong. Maybe they intended to call me an idiot. They wouldn't be the first. If so, pretty disingenuous when the problem we were working on was their fault and they were explaining why they screwed up.

2026-06-29 18:33:36 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…nj5n It's fine that you don't. Just keep it in mind when talking to Americans. They probably will. Unless it's your intent to insult them, it's a phrase I'd probably stay away from. If you intend to insult them, go for it.

2026-06-29 17:11:32 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…cyls And that's fair, but you're not going to get a receptive response if you insult them to their face. I imagine that's true in most of not all cultures.

2026-06-29 17:06:06 GMT

I don't know who needs to hear this, if anybody, but when you're talking to Americans using the phrase "Let me make this easy for you to understand" is EXTREMELY insulting. You might as well just start your sentence with "Hey moron". If that's your intent, OK. It's probably not a good idea to do it in person though. #FYI.

2026-06-24 19:29:15 GMT

I remember reading about this a while back and being excited about it. If you're already a #HomeAssistant user this seems like it would be a great addition. I'll probably pick one up to try, but going all in on these will probably require some easy way to use them as an alarm clock. That's really the only thing keeping me from just ditching the Google speakers I have. Does anybody already have one? If so, what are your thoughts?
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/pine64-pinevoice-riscv-smart-speaker-launch
@nprofile…k6eu

2026-06-23 21:00:32 GMT

The new solar panels on my roof went live today, just in time for 110F (43C).

2026-06-22 22:31:35 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…rj5h I looked at it a while back, but never got so far as paying for it so I don't think I got any of the fancy features. I keep testing AI summaries, but so far I haven't found any that don't cost half a years salary that keep things accurate. Unfortunately I'm not hugely trusting of human summarizers either, which is why I hit a bunch of sites with the same news to make sure I'm not just getting someone's perspective on things.
@nprofile…k7ew

2026-06-22 21:41:08 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew Ah, I spend an embarrassing amount of time each day just keeping up on the current events. I like to cover the same things from different sources to try to understand perspectives. A hypothetical AI (this doesn't exist) that could summarize news reliably and combine facts from multiple sources would be a huge time saver for me.

2026-06-22 18:45:31 GMT

I was reading this article about instances and ATProto.
https://overreacted.io/there-are-no-instances-in-atproto/
I was hoping to get some good information about how Bluesky and other services using ATProto worked. Instead, it lead with "I know RSS is still being used somewhere (podcasts?!) but its heyday is arguably behind." This kinda lost me. I use RSS all the damn time. Arguably more than the actual web. I've legitimately considered removing the front end of my site and just doing RSS. Am I the only one? Is RSS over?

2026-06-22 18:08:59 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew Depends on what I'm reading. Especially news. So many of these news sites want their authors to just wax philosophical for 1000 words when I just want the facts so I can get on with my life. I rarely use an AI in even those cases, I just skim and try to dig out what's pertinent, but I can absolutely see where an ACCURATE summary would save me some time.

2026-06-22 16:11:05 GMT

Ignoring the "Apple" angle on this, Jonny Evans asks a very valid question. While he paints Apple as some kind of revolutionary, there have been other local services for almost as long as this AI wave has been a thing, and these local services are getting more and more capable. Improving local hardware makes it inevitable that the machine on your desk will be able to handle any AI task an average person could throw at it, and soon too. What happens to these massive datacenters then?

2026-06-18 19:51:19 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…es8v You just need to know someone on the instance. Anybody can get you one. I'll drop you one in a DM!

2026-06-17 17:52:28 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…3c9l I'd suggest following some hashtags you're interested in and not just individual accounts. By following the hashtag, you're any new posts using it will show up in your home feed, whether you follow those people or not. People sometimes leave and sometimes they just have other stuff to do, so your Home feed can vary greatly in its activity. Following subjects instead of people makes things a little bit more dynamic.

2026-06-16 21:05:49 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…84ng I obviously need to do some more research on this. I didn't think Relays chatted with each other and I didn't realize that PDSs could use more than one relay. Maybe I'll look at setting one of these up just so I can know what I'm talking about in the future.

2026-06-16 16:45:27 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…84ng So, Eurosky would be entirely isolated from Bluesky unless some 3rd party middleware were to step in, so they'd get no advantage from the existing user base. It's also concerning in that not all components of Bluesky are open source, like their DM manager and their video processing. Eurosky is inherently disadvantaged compared to Bluesky. Honestly, I'd much rather see them throw some resources at Mastodon. If there are features they're missing, they can fork.
@nprofile…ynd9

2026-06-15 15:42:56 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…ynd9 I had to lookup to see what that was. Honestly, I tried Bluesky and it just bored me. I probably still have an account, but I haven't checked it since probably a week after I created it. I see the motivation to do it, but if it interfaces with Bluesky the data won't be protected. If it doesn't you're not going to have a userbase to work from. Neither option sounds particularly attractive to me. YMMV.

2026-06-13 22:35:51 GMT

I'm not sure who turned me on to @nprofile…42mr's blog. I think it was @nprofile…k7ew, but I could be wrong on that. Regardless, I really liked this post of hers, especially with the world today as context. I highly suggest giving it a read. I'd like to think she writes the way I would. You know, if I was smarter and actually a good writer.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/be-thou-not-pilled/

2026-06-11 19:02:46 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…0qac It is, but it's based in the UK I believe, which is still more faithful to the point of EU Digital Sovereignty than still using Microsoft technology just a little less and with a different logo. I guess since they went Qwant instead of Mojeek people in the EU disagree with me.

2026-06-11 17:20:12 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…0qac Well, it says they went live last year based on technologies that have been redesigned since 2023. I'm not really sure what that means. If I was looking for independence from the United States I'd probably have gone with Mojeek. As I said before, I'm far from an expert on these matters. It just seems weird for a Digital Sovereignty movement trying to escape USian tech to migrate to a service that's still 50% Microsoft with a European veneer. I don't know if there's a better choice.

2026-06-11 16:49:18 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…0qac Yea, but they started that in 2023 didn't they? According to Wikipedia their results are still 50% Microsoft if we're being generous, and their ad revenue is almost entirely dependent on Microsoft. Is Wikipedia out of date or are they still that reliant on American tech?

2026-06-11 16:26:14 GMT

I've been spending some time researching the EU's Digital Sovereignty movement lately because it seems like a real opportunity for Open Source software to get a foothold in some markets where it's traditionally faced challenges. I'm not from the EU, and I'm far from an expert on these matters. One of the recent decisions that's confused the holy hell out of me is the choice of Qwant for search. Nothing against #Qwant, but they're HEAVILY dependent on Microsoft last I checked. Not true anymore?

2026-06-07 00:10:05 GMT

I've been using alternatives to Office for years. I started with Star Office in the late 90s or early 2000s. I stuck with it when it became OpenOffice, but moved to LibreOffice when Oracle got their claws into it. I've pretty much stayed with LibreOffice. The recent push for digital sovereignty from the EU has done a lot to move technology in a direction I like. I'm interested in Office EU. I was surprised it was built on Open, not Libre though. It does look nice. Anyone have experience with it?

2026-05-29 20:05:00 GMT

It seems my phone number was part of a batch sold to spammers recently. Usually I'm pretty clear as far as spam calls/texts, but I've been getting text after text after text this morning. My "favorites" are from the random numbers asking, "Hey, what are you doing this weekend?". I'm sure those probably get a lot of responses.

2026-05-26 15:34:02 GMT

I've been watching CNET review the "Trump Phone". It's been pretty amusing. One thing that does kinda annoy me, and I've seen this other places, is that I don't think the phone was intended to have 11 stripes. Because the white was just made the same color as the rest of the phone and the red was made whatever color that is, you can't tell when the flag ends. I think the "TRUMP MOBILE" is the 13th stripe, the 12th being invisible. Stupid design, but....
https://www.cnet.com/news-live/t1-trump-mobile-phone-review/

2026-05-24 05:27:44 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew There's times you want to use light mode? Weird. 😉

2026-05-23 23:55:33 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…kdrk It's been my primary for so long I don't even remember when I started using it or why. This last version really made things pretty, and it's so customizable you can do almost anything you want with the UI. I'd definitely consider it if I were you.

2026-05-23 23:51:46 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…kdrk Yup, it's awesome.

2026-05-21 17:46:23 GMT

Ads are pretty much everywhere these days, but some of the worst ads have to be on phones. Maybe it's something advertising people have figured out about me specifically, but why is every ad for a game where a person playing the game is SO BAD at the game they can't possibly exist in the real world? If you can't line up three blocks of the same color in less than a minute, surely you'd have been eaten by wolves by now, right?

2026-05-20 18:01:52 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…3yyh Yea, that makes sense. I have VSCode installed, but I almost never use it. I don't even remember if I ever set it up for Python. 99% of the time I'm in my terminal writing my code in vim. It highlights the syntax for me, but doesn't seem to point out when I'm being stupid with my if statements.

2026-05-20 17:33:16 GMT

I've been on-again off-again learning Python for a while now. Just some really basic process automation stuff. I think anybody who looked at my code would come to the conclusion that I'm still pretty garbage at it. I admit all this.
Still, the number one syntax error I make almost every frackin time is forgetting the stupid : after an if statement. Every stinkin time. I know, old dog new tricks. I get it. Just didn't think I was THAT old.

2026-05-19 20:06:59 GMT

Oooof, I watched #GoogleIO today. Wall to wall AI. Other than announcing their fugly spectacles, which powered by AI so still really just AI. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I think even the crowd was bored with it all. I lost track of the built in "pause for applause" moments in their presentation that awkwardly didn't get any applause.

2026-05-19 15:54:47 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…e074 I just think it's cool and validating that Microsoft SPECIFICALLY is making a Linux distro. I wouldn't use it, but how has this market shifted that the company that used to call Linux a cancer now has their own version?

2026-05-19 08:26:11 GMT

Ummm, what?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-releases-its-first-server-linux-distribution-azure-linux-4-0/
#AzureLinux #Microsoft

2026-05-15 18:09:27 GMT

Oooo, @nprofile…60xv has released a #Vivaldi 8 release candidate. It's getting exciting now! Not too much longer before the 8.0 release!

2026-05-13 23:01:08 GMT

My kids are going to be finishing school for the summer here in the next few weeks. Today I talked to each of them individually about their current grades heading into finals week. I played the Jaws shark theme in the background the whole time. I'm a bad person.

2026-05-08 18:06:51 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew Looks up to me? I'm just looking at the front page though.

2026-05-08 15:36:23 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…f83y Oh god yea. That was so annoying because the keyboard would still work in the mouse port but the mouse wouldn't work in the keyboard port (I think that was the order, might be the other way). I can't remember how many calls I got back then that one peripheral was working but not the other because they'd swapped ports.
@nprofile…xlup

2026-05-07 20:23:13 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…xlup Older. 👴

2026-05-07 18:48:37 GMT

I'm not sure how anybody thinks this is going to work. It seems to imply a massive misunderstanding of what VPNs are and how they work. I mean, I can stand up a Pi at my brother's house in Nevada and there's no way any service is going to be able to detect that. Even if I'm using VPN service like Proton, the sites I'm going to can't tell for certain where I'm coming from. Honestly, this is just a beat my head against my desk level of stupid.

2026-05-06 23:49:08 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…sx6h Trust? I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say I trust them. I do use my phone for work stuff too, which requires I use a vanilla, Google provided version of Android. If I did something like Lineage, they'd issue me a second phone and then I'd have to carry around two Android phones. As far as running Betas are concerned, I have a Pixel phone, so you can be sure they've tested on this exact hardware. I expect these Betas are really for other hardware, so I just get new features early.

2026-05-06 23:35:22 GMT

Oh, interesting...
#Android
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/530/250/260/962/488/original/344cdbfb8877ddc4.jpg

2026-05-06 17:09:18 GMT

I'm playing with some new features coming in the next version of #Vivaldi (they're in the snapshot). There's some really cool stuff coming up here soon. In the Windows and Tabs panel, you can now sort by "Related", and that lets your tree go multiple tiers deep, not just the 2 from before. Also features for new users like a layout picker (kinda reminds me of #ZorinOS with this) where you can pick a layout from Vivaldi, or create, save, and easily switch between your own.
https://vivaldi.com/blog/desktop/new-default-layouts-vivaldi-browser-snapshot-4028-3/

2026-05-03 03:31:36 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew Some back of the napkin says it's about $145 for 15 gallons, which is about $9.66 a gallon, which is massively expensive. Pretty much 2x more than it is where I live. My wife and I have been kicking around an EV, but if we were paying that much for gas we'd have one already. We're looking to put solar on our roof this summer, which is going to cost us a pretty penny. If we weren't doing that, we'd be buying an EV right now.

2026-04-26 07:51:41 GMT

I'm starting to hate April. I found out today one of my best friends from when I was a kid just lost his son. We've been friends for 40 years. There's nothing I can say or do to make anything he's going through better. This time last year my son lost one of his friends from school. I spent the majority of April dealing with a teen who was struggling with trauma no one his age should have to experience. I'll probably delete this post tomorrow after I've sobered up a little, but fuck this shit.

2026-04-23 16:17:31 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…cej3 Unfortunately yes. The .art instance is remarkably quick on the trigger when it comes to instance blocks, and Fosstodon has been in their crosshairs multiple times over the years. They've blocked us, and unblocked and then reblocked again multiple times. It makes access to people on their site extremely unreliable. I wouldn't count on the ability to follow anybody on their instance any time soon.

2026-04-21 18:14:17 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…k7ew I started late on the presentation and I just got to the 13 Pro announcement when they cut things off! 😭
The battery life claims on that thing are crazy. Hopefully I can catch up with the rest of their announcements here soon.

2026-04-20 17:39:27 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…l9z3 Forgive my ignorance, but is ring based aging a uniform thing or is there a standardized sampling location? For example, are my arms younger than my legs or are the rings just smaller on smaller appendages? Would I have the same number of rings in my fingers as I do on my thighs? If the number of rings varies, is there a standardized sampling location for the sake of uniformity?

2026-04-19 22:08:23 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…nqt9 That was my impression too. I think Fosstodon is making the right decision here, but they're not exactly breaking new ground. I've been surprised by some of the reactions though.

2026-04-19 22:03:21 GMT

I saw this comment earlier today regarding Fosstodon's announcement of defederation from mastodon.cloud.
"I'll move, but I don't see much evidence that this is really necessary. I'm doubtful that many/any instances are going to follow you."
I don't want this to be a post about the person who made the comment, so I'm not linking.
I am curious, how many instances have taken action against mastodon.cloud? Limits or blocks? I know Fosstodon isn't the first, and probably won't be the last.

2026-04-19 05:21:27 GMT

"Premium" is quite the stretch. In all honesty, it's pretty bad. I really just bought it for the can anyway...
#QuittinTime
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/429/679/570/071/236/original/7eaebd7db1762efa.jpg

2026-04-19 00:07:32 GMT

Looks I have about 28 people who follow me that currently live on mastodon.cloud. The moderators and admins of Fosstodon have decided they're going to defederate from this instance because it's unmoderated. The admin(s) have been inactive for ~3 years and the software is out of date. Because it's got open registration and no moderation, it's being used by less scrupulous individuals for spam and other not to be mentioned material. If at all possible, please move to a maintained server. Please.

2026-04-18 00:14:24 GMT

I was doing a quick task to close out my day and mindlessly typed "ls -al" at some point. There in my work directory was a directory I'd created in 2017 just called "Sarah". The directory was empty, so rmdir. Now, I've got this song stuck my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ScTb6_KHg

2026-04-17 16:53:41 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…sx6h This reminds me of the computer labs when I was back in college. They had Windows 95, and all you had to do to "sign in" was hit the Cancel button on the login prompt.

2026-04-17 16:44:22 GMT

I don't understand how this is supposed to work, even in theory. In my house, everybody has their own computer so I guess age verification could sorta work (again, in theory), but I also don't think my home is typical when it comes to computer ownership. I haven't confirmed this, but I would imagine that most homes only have one or two computers in them. Soooo, if that's true, what would stop my kids from using my verification? Individual profiles? That won't happen.
https://www.osnews.com/story/144803/nationwide-bill-to-put-age-verification-in-operating-systems-introduced-in-the-us/

2026-04-17 16:09:43 GMT

Finally Friday. I'm going to spend my day hiding in a hole somewhere and hoping no one remembers I exist until at least 5pm. Wish me luck!

2026-04-16 19:37:40 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…6nce Yep, it's the only watch I could find that had 20 bar water resistance, would work well in temperatures up to 140 degrees F, and can absolutely take a punch. The temperature range is important here in Phoenix since it's pretty common to have days of 115 plus. 140 will cover all the bases I have. It'll survive monsoon season where one minute is dry and scorching and the next pouring down bucket after bucket of rain, and it won't bat an eye at the random dust storms we get.

2026-04-15 22:42:27 GMT

I've had a smartwatch now for years and years. I started with a Pebble, and I've gone through so many I've lost count. Pixel watches, FitBits, PineTime, even a Watchy. None of them met my needs for functionality, just the right amount of notifications, and above all, battery life. Recently, I bought a new watch and it fits my needs perfectly. I wish I'd have pulled the trigger on one earlier.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/411/129/757/550/743/original/613fdf4a397fb2be.jpg

2026-04-14 20:39:41 GMT

Um, if there's a human alive that can be replaced by AI without anyone noticing, it's probably him.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/910990/meta-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-ai-clone
#Zuckerberg #Meta #MetaAI

2026-04-14 15:44:24 GMT

Breakfast this morning:
1 egg mixed with Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
4 slices of Black Forest ham, deli style.
1 slice of American cheese.
Throw all of it between two barely toasted slices of bread and heat to melt the cheese. Add just a little black pepper to top it off and eat with 4 cups of coffee because mornings absolutely suck.

2026-04-09 22:39:18 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…u2k3 Yea, i've been kinda eyeing that too. I haven't implemented anything because my current hardware fits my needs for the time being. When that changes I'll do my best to con my wife into letting me do it.

2026-04-09 21:14:15 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…7vf2 I was a pretty big Twitter user back in the early to mid teens, but primarily migrated to Google+ there for a while. I moved to mastodon.rocks in either late 2016 or early 2017. I can't remember. I created this account almost 9 years ago and have never looked back.
Thankfully my brief foray back on Twitter didn't require dealing with any ideological bias since I was just looking at a particular profile and then I ran away as fast as I could. I really should have used Xcancel.

2026-04-09 20:06:11 GMT

- reply

@nprofile…7vf2 I deleted all my accounts from there a couple years back. For a while I left them as a placeholder that just had a pointer to my Mastodon profile, but I didn't even like having that there after a while. I actively try to avoid it now. I did end up looking at an individuals profile not that long ago though, and even that was stupid. I forgot just how much I hate the non-chronological timelines. I just scrolled and post order looked almost random.

2026-04-09 19:38:05 GMT

This sounds enticing...
#Framework

2026-04-09 17:06:27 GMT

I'm super happy to see this. It'll be a great day when #ElonMusk is the only active account on #Twitter and he spends his days screaming into the void and no one answers back.