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lou

@lou@entropyservice.com

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dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Democrats ask America's most corrupt Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, if he would be kind enough, pretty please, to explain more about his corruption...

He is, of course, not explaining anything -- and daring anyone to do something about it.

https://newrepublic.com/article/181627/clarence-thomas-rv-loan-democrats-letter

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor We should roll back the clock to colonial times, which would make his marriage totally criminal.

arstechnica , to Random stuff
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

Judge mulls sanctions over Google’s “shocking” destruction of internal chats

Punishing Google for being the best would be “unprecedented,” lawyer argued.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/judge-mulls-sanctions-over-googles-shocking-destruction-of-internal-chats/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@arstechnica We need another slap on the wrist with a slightly damp handkerchief now!

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Pepsi replaced its 32oz Gatorade bottle with a 28oz for the same price.

Nabisco shrank the family size box of Wheat Thins by 12%.

General Mills shrank the family size box of Cocoa Puffs by 6%.

Frito-Lay shrank the size of a bag of Doritos by 5%.

Shrinkflation is everywhere.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich I try to avoid products with weird weight/volume measurements, like 11 3/8 oz, as they clearly represent cheating by presenting a package that appears to be of a standard size but is actually smaller. Coffee if particularly bad. I don't mind the occasional one that looks funny till you see that it is a reasonable 'round number' in metric. Trader Joes' "pound plus" chocolate bars are actually 500 grams.

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Oops. An NYPD officer accidentally discharged their gun during the removal of protesters from Columbia’s Hamilton Hall. Fortunately no one was hit. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/03/nyregion/nypd-columbia-shooting-hamilton.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pE0.v6lm.u1Vvy-U6J88X&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze So, you have been willing to pay the premium to get flashlights without the attached guns? Next will you say you have a TV set that does not connect to the internet?

briankrebs , to Random stuff
@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar

Well this has been a long time coming: The FCC today levied fines totaling nearly $200 million against the four major carriers -- including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon -- for illegally sharing access to customers' location information without consent.

Some highlights: "The FCC's findings against AT&T, for example, show that AT&T sold customer location data directly or indirectly to at least 88 third-party entities. The FCC found Verizon sold access to customer location data (indirectly or directly) to 67 third-party entities. Location data for Sprint customers found its way to 86 third-party entities, and to 75 third-parties in the case of T-Mobile customers."

..."The fine amounts vary because they were calculated based in part on each day that the carriers continued sharing customer location data after being notified that doing so was illegal (the agency also considered the number of active third-party location data sharing agreements). The FCC notes that AT&T and Verizon took more than 320 days from the publication of the Times story to wind down their data sharing agreements; T-Mobile took 275 days; Sprint kept sharing customer location data for 386 days."

More here: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/04/fcc-fines-major-u-s-wireless-carriers-for-selling-customer-location-data/

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@briankrebs Unfortunately the size of the 'fines' are an order of magnitude too small to create any need for change.

arstechnica , to Random stuff
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

US Department of Homeland Security names AI Safety and Security Board members

CEO-heavy board to tackle elusive AI safety concept and apply it to US infrastructure.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/04/us-department-of-homeland-security-names-ai-safety-and-security-board-members/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@arstechnica 'CEO-heavy board' equals 'nothing substantive will be done'

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Had student project presentations in class today. Easily the most fun day of the semester (for me, at least).

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze Can you share (at least) the titles?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze ACK. But, keeping all the fun to yourself.

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

I can't believe I even have to say this, but it is not normal that the Supreme Court is taking its sweet time to decide if the president can incite an insurrection to overturn an election and maintain power. This should have been decided already. The answer is no!

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich The people who purchased the Supreme Court want their money's worth.

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Ginni Thomas was directly involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Yet Clarence Thomas didn't recuse himself from arguments today in a case about the January 6 insurrection.

How is this not a scandal of epic proportions?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich Thomas will never recuse himself. Never. Forget it.

mattblaze , to Photography
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

House of the Temple, Washington, DC, 2023.

All the pixels, involving absolutely no human sacrifice rituals, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/53288608886

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze I think the failure to include human sacrifice rituals exposes a serious moral defect on your part.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze We have one of these temples in Oakland, by the way.

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

If this country was truly “pro-life,” we would have Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, gun reform, universal child care, and a living wage.

The right-wing agenda isn’t about “life.”

It’s about control.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich The right-wing agenda also embraces christianity's death cult nature.

mattblaze , (edited ) to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Quick photo of today's solar eclipse over DFW airport

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze Are you sure the Mastodonians will give you permission?

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

When will Americans start crediting Biden with a great economy? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/when-will-americans-start-crediting?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich When? When FOX news says so, but not before.

dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

With the help of sleazy "investment firms" whose job is to help rich people hide their money, rich tax evaders laugh at the IRS -- and the rest of us.

Read this leak-fueled report from @icij https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2024/04/how-investment-firms-shield-the-ultra-wealthy-from-the-irs/

The estate tax rate should be 100% after -- let's be wildly generous to heirs who've never lifted a finger to earn their parents' money -- the first , say, $10 million.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor @icij You should be willing to give a little spread to California residences.

dangillmor , (edited ) to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Colorado Republican Party gathering kicks out journalist who had the temerity to report honestly about the increasingly extremist politicians' extremism. https://coloradosun.com/2024/04/06/colorado-republican-party-kicks-out-colorado-sun-reporter/

Journalists will be outraged, of course.

But not outraged enough to become activists on behalf of the democracy -- under escalating Republican attack -- that provides the underpinning for freedom of the press.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor As long as the Oligarchy control the media and as long as publishing requires money, reporters continually choose between feeding their families and the ethics of their profession.

Green_Footballs , to Random stuff
@Green_Footballs@mastodon.social avatar

If I seem pissed off that Meta is unfairly blocking my site on their entire network and deleting any posts that linked to my site in the last 20 fucking years and dishonestly telling people their links were deleted because I’m spreading malware, it’s because I FUCKING AM PISSED OFF

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@Green_Footballs Unless you have copies of all your posts, you have fallen into the trap of expecting others, whose interests are NOT yours, to guard your work. This is painfully true when you did not pay for the facilities you used. Disk drives are cheap. Always maintain full copies of anything you care about on YOUR OWN property.

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

I'm not likely to stop using Mastodon, but I'm seriously considering limiting it to photos and professional announcements. Posting personal stuff, opinions, and engaging in general discussion has become extremely unrewarding for me here.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze Do there exist any healthy places any more?

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Today I've been scolded on Mastodon by different strangers for:

  • Failing to apologize for, or justify my use of, Twitter/X (I don't actually use Twitter/X).

  • Lacking sufficient propriety in expressing my refusal to justify my use of Twitter/X, which I don't use.

  • Posting insufficiently interesting things because I was too busy exceeding the bounds of propriety when I refused to justify my use of Twitter/X, which I don't use.

I think people need to adjust their expectations of my feed.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze You are really weird. Do you think this is a 'free country' or something?

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

I will have to find a way to live with your disapproval, random stranger.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze I think a small glass of warm milk at bedtime might help.

dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

The editor of Ohio's most essential news organization felt compelled to tell readers that the paper's "north star" in the Trump era is truth, period.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/03/our-trump-reporting-upsets-some-readers-but-there-arent-two-sides-to-facts-letter-from-the-editor.html

What's demoralizing is that almost no other top editors in the business are willing to say this so plainly -- to make clear that their organizations will refuse to give any ink, much less equal ink, to the relentless liars who are poisoning our public discourse.

Big Journalism needs to find its spine, pronto.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor Finding spine means, perhaps, reduction in income. That is against their religion. The cyberfeudal overlords will not allow it.

dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

It's completely predictable that right-wingers wish for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment, which bars more than two presidential terms for one person.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-2028/

This has virtually zero chance of happening. There is no way it would get 2/3 support in both chambers of Congress, never mind 3/4 of state legislatures.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor Remember the GOP put it in because of FDR.

eff , to Random stuff
@eff@mastodon.social avatar

Israel has deployed face recognition tech for mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza, the NY Times reports. Hear our new interview with @kashhill on how this tech’s rapid evolution may have outpaced ethics and regulations, & where we might go from here. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/podcast-episode-about-face-recognition

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@eff @kashhill "Outpaced ethics"? GOP: Ethics are tools of the weak.

briankrebs , to Random stuff
@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar

Here's the update I just added to yesterday's story. Thanks to @GossiTheDog for the alias tip:

Apple seems requires a phone number to be on file for your account, but after you’ve set up the account it doesn’t have to be a mobile phone number. KrebsOnSecurity’s testing shows Apple will accept a VOIP number (like Google Voice). So, changing your account phone number to a VOIP number that isn’t widely known would be one mitigation here.

Also, it appears Apple’s password reset system will accept and respect email aliases. Adding a “+” character after the username portion of your email address — followed by a notation specific to the site you’re signing up at — lets you create an infinite number of unique email addresses tied to the same account.

For instance, if I were signing up at example.com, I might give my email address as krebsonsecurity+example@gmail.com. Then, I simply go back to my inbox and create a corresponding folder called “Example,” along with a new filter that sends any email addressed to that alias to the Example folder. In this case, however, perhaps a less obvious alias than “+apple” would be advisable.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/03/recent-mfa-bombing-attacks-targeting-apple-users/

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2022/08/the-security-pros-and-cons-of-using-email-aliases/

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@briankrebs @GossiTheDog Some entities will test/check the number and reject it as not being a true mobile number (it happened to me yesterday when I tried to use a Google Voice number - not for Apple but for something else).

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Remarkably many experts on container ship piloting out there on social media right now.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze Are these experts also the ones who are election experts or just photography experts?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze As usual, the crucial technical term is "just" ...

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze You'd think that was in Piloting 101.

dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Asshole actor is aggrieved because -- he claims -- an airline said "Find another way to get where you're going" after he objected to sitting next to someone who was wearing a mask.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna144887

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor But he is certainly a White Male Christian, so that rules, no?

scalzi , to Random stuff
@scalzi@mastodon.social avatar

Today was the first day that I have encountered this painting by Wayne Thiebaud, and I have to say that it makes me deeply uncomfortable

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@scalzi Yikes!!!

mattblaze , to Photography
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (and Neighbors), NYC, 2017.

Luxurious, if somewhat ostentatious, pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/32609074081

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze That's an amazing vantage point. How much work did you have to do to find it?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze Chance favors the prepared mind.

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Readjusting my benefit-of-the-doubt calculator for this site, which makes me sad to have to do.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze Lack of context. Which site is THIS site?

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Had dinner with a group of highly accomplished people in a field I know little about who mostly talked shop. That sounds like poor etiquette, but I love listening to experts talk shop, especially when they tolerate my occasional dumb questions.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze @robpike @darryl_ramm Exactly!

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Ginni Thomas was directly involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Her consulting firm also stands to gain if Trump is re-elected.

Yet Clarence Thomas hasn't recused himself from Trump's presidential immunity case.

How is this not a scandal of epic proportions?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich Can you say "GOP"?

mattblaze , to Photography
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Wind Turbines, Near Tracy, CA, 2010.

Statistically significant pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/4491948497

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze @gsuberland "what are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?" (Groucho Marx)

rbreich , to Random stuff
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

There’s something odd about Trump’s inability to post an appeal bond in his NY civil fraud case. All those buildings and clubs could serve as collateral against a loan to pay the bond…unless they are already pledged as collateral on other loans. Is it all a house of cards?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@rbreich Trump's finances are likely a house of Monopoly money.

eff , to Random stuff
@eff@mastodon.social avatar

“Americans shouldn’t have to trade in their privacy rights just because they want to research their ancestry or learn about their traits and potential medical risks," EFF’s Jennifer Lynch told al.com. https://www.al.com/news/2024/03/alabama-lawmakers-look-to-protect-dna-sent-to-genealogy-sites.html

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@eff Why is there such a thing as a "data broker" anyway?

dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

San Francisco voters passed a law that will turn the city into a surveillance capital, and removed most accountability for abuses by police and others in government.

"Progressive" -- yeah right.

https://missionlocal.org/2024/03/sf-watchdogs-react-prop-e-police-oversight/

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor Reasons to stay away from San Francisco.

arstechnica , to Random stuff
@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar

Smartphone with 28,000 mAh battery promises week of usage, 94 days of standby

The only downside: It's the size of three iPhones stacked on top of each other.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/smartphone-with-28000-mah-battery-promises-week-of-usage-94-days-of-standby/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@arstechnica How about a removable battery instead? Those used to work fine till all the glue to keep you from swapping them.

dangillmor , to Random stuff
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

As Josh Marshall observes, re the Russian op against the Bidens:

"The story here is how the U.S. again got bamboozled by transparent foreign manipulation and how the U.S. political press bought into it pretty much whole hog."

Our political press isn't terrible solely because it cares more about horse races than one party's attacks on democracy. It's dangerous, in its willful incompetence. We're in some trouble, and there's no sign that most journalists care -- at all.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/can-dc-reporters-overcome-their-trumper-shock-training/sharetoken/KGBJRFFolANQ?utm_source=brevo&utm_campaign=Backchannel%20wsurvey%20267&utm_medium=email

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@dangillmor Who owns the media. baby?

lauren , to Random stuff
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org avatar

More on AT&T nationwide mobile outage

Various media services are confused about this. Some are reporting 70,000 people out -- it's actually apparently the entire nationwide network, but that number of people have apparently complained officially so far on support forums I'm told. There are some reports that other mobile carriers are out, these are not true -- ONLY AT&T is out.

911 continues to tell people to use LANDLINES!

Dear California CPUC, do you understand now the risks that AT&T is trying to force down our throats by ending landlines?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze @SteveBellovin @20002ist @QRSS_Test @lauren @noplasticshower Destroy a son's faith in his father's greed, will you?

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Fully half of my professional career has been refuting terrible ideas put forward by people and policymakers who are freaked out by encryption.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze And the other half is explaining US elections...

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Not to be too smug about it, but I'm feeling pretty good about my decision not to buy a 737-MAX.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze And I was all set for a free ride. Pshaw. [PS Too bad the the Mastodonians have refused to allow quoting of a toot, so the replies have no meaning or context.]

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Who will be the last person to infringe the (original) Mickey Mouse copyright before it expires next week?

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze There's always someone who Just Cannot Wait!

mattblaze , to Random stuff
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

In the spirit of Christmas, yesterday I didn't block a couple of Mastodon scolds who don't approve of the way I use this site. Instead, I waited until today to block them.

Happy holidays.

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze @RealJournalism Extra credit if you mute as well as block?

ProPublica , to Non Political Twitter
@ProPublica@newsie.social avatar

Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Sparked Fears He Would Resign

Interviews and newly unearthed documents reveal that , facing financial strain, privately pushed for a higher salary and to allow justices to take speaking fees.

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-money-complaints-sparked-resignation-fears-scotus?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@ProPublica Did Thomas' wife bankrupt them by giving too much money to the Jan 6 attempt to overthrow the government by force and violence?

mattblaze , to Photography
@mattblaze@federate.social avatar

Gramercy Park, NYC, 2020.

Very exclusive pixels at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/49594943761

lou ,
@lou@entropyservice.com avatar

@mattblaze The access to the hotel?

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