kunagi7

I started to get 503 errors at 19:36 UTC in my monitoring instance. Opened github.com and looks down to me.

Thanks, I spent the whole day reading this awesome blog, thank you so much for posting it!

I loved the articles about their daily life at the Pole, it feels surreal to see an almost regular building with kitchens, showers and other amenities on the South Pole.

That was funny, the "Igor is only powered by Ethernet" phrase made me laugh way too much.

Also, I did not know about Hacker Typer, I will keep it around :).

I use several sites like ArtStation, Pixiv and aggregators to download new wallpapers for my devices.

This used to be an entertaining experience to see all the kinds of beautiful art people used to create... But as you said it is getting filled by AI crap. I noticed the same thing with Pixiv, even if I opt-out from AI art, new results from several popular tags are filled with badly tagged AI images.

Now the experience feels tiresome, in some categories I waste too much time filtering between real and AI art. I started to search things produced before 2022-2023 to avoid AI.

This "art" should be uploaded to its own subdomain and never get mixed up with real art.

I can use it with a VPN but only if I have an already logged-in session.

Without a logged-in session, I can only see error messages which change randomly. Most of them seem to be either an IP range blocking page or an image with "You broke reddit" message on it.

Even if they have a "real" picture or a credible description that is not good enough. Instead of using an anime character a malicious actor could use an image generator [0], they could generate a few images, obtain something credible to most folks, and use that to get a few fake identities going. Sadly, trusting people to be the real thing and not a fake identity on the Internet is difficult now and it will get worse.

[0] https://thispersondoesnotexist.com

Seems like AWS did contribute to Redis and has implemented quite a few features [1] and have been partners for quite a while [2]. This could not have any effect for AWS but for other cloud providers instead.

[1] https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/opensource/how-to-become-a-redi...

[2] https://redis.com/press/strategic-collaboration-agreement-wi...

I will keep this script around. Half of the article became "bullshit" and that shows to which kind of public is this information directed to.

I am also lucky, I got a Suica in 2017 and I used it ever since in every trip to Japan! It seems to last quite a while.

Maybe I should get an electronic Suica on my iPhone just in case though.

After looking around Nagoya's Manaca websites [0] they don't seem to talk about any suspension of card distribution. JR West ICOCA also seems like is business as usual [1].

Still, it is quite surprising to see an early 00s piece of technology which does not use really advanced chips to have production shortages.

[0] https://www.kotsu.city.nagoya.jp/jp/pc/topics/index.html?cat...

[1] https://www.jr-odekake.net/icoca/

The clocks' problem is also replicated at the European side of the Atlantic. The current situation is terrible but opinions differ between locking the clock at standard time or daylight savings time. The EU tried to step in both 2019 and 2021 but the whole situation is quite stuck [0].

I prefer standard time since in winter using DST would mean dark skies until 9 am. But most people here seem to enjoy how in summer the sun doesn't set until 10 pm. So, whoever touches this topic will end up getting burned by either side and no one dares to change it or suggest it (for now). So the terrible status quo continues.

[0] https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/10/28/when-will-the-...

To fully control the Black Sea Russia needs control over Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia (in that order). 3 of them are NATO members [0] and the other two are already under western influence. Try to mess with any of them and the III World War will be ignited.

Moldova is almost useless (for that purpose) unless its used to invade Western Ukraine and Romania. They control an impressive 0 meters of Black Sea coast and a whopping 500 meters of Danube's left bank.

The Black Sea is already controlled by Turkey (and NATO). Thank the Montreux convention [1] for that. Turkey's fleet is several times bigger (compared to Russian's presence on the Black Sea) and unlike Russian's they can move freely and expand its capabilities faster. Russia can't even effectively block grain ships parting from Odessa.

Moldova is under Kremlin's radar since its independence thanks to the breakaway territory of Transnistria. The region is a hot mess thanks to USSR policies of changing borders of its republics at whim without caring about the local population. The consequences of USSR's fall did a huge damage to Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. Some regions have already recovered like the Baltic states or Poland. Transnistria, like Crimea or Ukraine used to be part of the Russian Empire since they conquered both of them to the Ottoman Empire and the Tatars. Its population was and is a mixture of Ukrainians, Moldovans and Russians. Ukraine and Crimea have their fair share of history compared to Transnistria though. And obviously, there's not an easy solution to this problem.

[0] https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/nato_countries.htm [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreux_Convention_Regarding_...

Sadly it's not something that has an easy answer.

Trying to switch systems peacefully without losing total control of a country is not an easy feat.

Even countries that managed to do that like Germany's unification, Portugal (Carnation Revolution), Greece (military junta fall) or Spain ended up with regrets and damage that takes generations to cure.

And the "crazy nineties" happened shortly after USSR's collapse. Hyperinflation, high levels of poverty, poor law enforcement, gang wars and high unemployment where things the average exsoviet citizen had to face in his daily life for years.

In some countries this was solved with external intervention (like adhesion to the EU) but others ended up being post-soviet dictatorships. In my humble opinion, we wouldn't have seen this many wars unfold in Eastern Europe if both Yugoslavia's and USSR's collapse had been better organized and supervised. Citizens of countries under oppressive regimes must fight against them... But avoid at all costs a power vacuum to appear.

Different continent (Europe) but something similar happens with my provider (Orange).

3G works perfectly to make phone calls (since VoLTE is a bit of a disaster here, most phones don't work with it) but for data is pretty much hit or miss. Some antennas seem to provide Internet and in others even ping (to 8.8.8.8 or 4.2.2.2) doesn't work.

Well, they can just stuff a 5G NB-IoT modem inside of newer TVs, using eSIMs received by OTA (either WiFi or a previous valid eSIM).

As long as the manufacturer foots the eSIM bill (and it's profitable) they can serve ads.

Sorry, I forgot about WW2! I referred to Afghanistan since it was the last big War the soviets fought before their country fell.

First of all, RIP Gorbachev.

The Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 26, 1991 [0]. Russia is not the USSR, and it's almost impossible it will never be anything remotely close.

Most of the former USSR industrial capabilities where either abandoned, razed or looted.

Russia's modern industry (including military) depends heavily on European (now sanctioned and obtained via third countries) and Chinese imports. This means that most of their industrial machinery, oil/gas extraction sector, automotive industry, chips... is now strained. They've almost stopped producing cars.

Russia is mostly burning the gigantic former USSR reserves until they dry out. And Ukraine is way bigger than Abkhazia, Ossetia or Transnistria so it has the largest burn rate since Afghanistan.

Just look up at their modern attempts of modernization. The T-14 Armata was expected to have over 100 of them built before 2020 [1] but only a few experimental units can be seen in the wild. Even the Iskander is a USSR design.

The "humiliation" is happening on both sides every day as we speak. No one will either "win" or "lose" the Russia-Ukraine war. It's just an endless attrition warfare [2] were both sides consume their huge military storage (Ukraine using a mix of exUSSR and NATO material and Russia using exUSSR material).

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Unio...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-14_Armata

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attrition_warfare

I still run an old tablet with 5.1, and a phone with 7.1. I've seen 10 year old iPads running on the wild, albeit for basic tasks.

Still, this situation makes me quite sad. Why I can't easily update my phone OS like I do with my Linux desktops and servers? Things like the /e/ foundation or Lineage OS are great but still have a lot of limitations. Mostly due to closed source drivers that mobile phone makers use.

Even if both of them have hundreds or thousands of CVEs there is nothing I can do since security fixes won't be backported. I use AOSP with the minimal applications required for their "job", that means, mostly F-Droid applications and no gapps/vendor apps.

Until their batteries die, I will keep them around. I won't throw away a perfectly working device.

Most mobile applications still target Android 7 and work perfectly. My phone has a good camera, battery still lasts 3 days, Internet browsing is fast enough and WiFi, LTE/4G reception work great too. Still, watching the mayhem Android 12 and beyond (Material You) has become, maybe my next phone will be an iOS device.

Well, most extensions seem to work great already. But that requires using either Nightly Firefox (and some hacks) or using a fork (like Iceraven) that loads a different extension list.

So, it's easier to switch to browsers like Kiwi Browser (privacy concerns aside so be cautious!) if you want a better extension support experience. Bromite and Vivaldi also have great built-in adblockers but sadly no full extension support.

So, I dropped Firefox on all my devices and moved to Vivaldi + Kiwi Browser and that works like a charm.

It was down for me too but it now works. The website feels fast again but GIT operations still are a bit slower than usual.

Looks like both Core and Android versions were abandoned back in 2016. Oddly enough, the web version was abandoned in 2018. Still, all versions seem to be React based.

The iPad did indeed win.

But there is healthy competition from brands like Samsung (I have a Tab A [1] and it works ok-ish), Xiaomi (Mi Pads), Huawei, Kindle Fire...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_series#Sams...

Big demonstrations attract all the... Let's call them "different thinking people" around them. Even if demonstrations were done in closed spaces with proper access control some of them would enter anyway.

Communists, Nazis, Confederates, "professional" looters, anarchists, weird conspiracies like the birds are drones, the earth/Finland/New Zealand don't exist, the list could go on for hours... Grab a photo at the correct time and bang, you have successfully "destroyed" or defaced a movement.

Seems like most people aren't used to huge protests like we used to have in western countries. Real protests (for things like worker's rights, preventing wrongful laws from passing) were quite common 20 years ago at least in Western Europe. I guess after only one generation makes people forget about them.

Things like demonstrations at every big city, roads closed with barricades, public transport frequency reductions, even shops, offices and factories halting for a day or two.

Ottawa is well under control (for now). The Ottawa or Canadian governments can evacuate the city whenever they want. They have three ways, negotiation, accepting what the movement wants or repression (which would hit Canada's reputation quite badly).

As an outsider this movement looks mostly peaceful and legit. Sometimes you have to endure some protests to get an idea/movement through. I respect them and hope their voice is heard. Canadian truckers are fighting for Canadians rights and freedoms.

Still, violent rioters are everywhere. Sadly, in Europe we're already used to them. Any excuse is valid for them to destroy public property. Some of them are "professionals" and travel to any protest in Europe just to vandalize and destroy. Some of them get detained and identified.

Even if GoFundMe don't want to support this campaign they should refund all the unpaid donations back to the respecting patrons quickly with an apology.

In Europe several countries are already removing all restrictions and allowing people to live like it's 2019 again (Denmark[1], Finland [2], UK[3]...). Even in my southern European country are slowly removing them.

COVID-19 is evolving from a pandemic to an endemic disease. Stop pretending that countries will be able to remove all traces of it. We'll have to live with it from now and on.

Things like vaccination passes have been proven useless against the latest variants (Delta, Omicron). Vaccinated and non-vaccinated spread the virus the same. And also both groups get sick of Omicron (even if this variant is "milder" I don't recommend going through it).

Outdoor masking makes no sense since transmission at open spaces is really low. Only indoors or in dense crowds (concerts, really busy streets) masks make sense and work. But... Only the FFP3 or FFP2/KN95 [4] have a good protection (cloth, surgical masks have only a little effect). And that protection is limited in time.

Oddly enough, countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand instead of removing all measures seem to double down on them.

[1] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/denmark-eases-c...

[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/finnish-government-remo...

[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-johnson-drops-covid-1...

[4] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/q-a-what-...

No ñ no fun!

P.S: There's a Japanese one, good luck! https://aseruneko.github.io/WORDLEja/

As someone who uses a graphics tablet (Wacom) I'm glad Xorg is somehow actively developed again or I would just switch to Mac/Windows.

I tried Wayland for around four years (GNOME, sway, KDE), almost daily. I have a multiple monitor setup. I always had to switch back to Xorg for several reasons, like:

- iBus CJK support was horrible. Languages like English, Russian or Spanish don't need that but Japanese/Chinese needs it. Things like the suggestions window was completely broken (misplaced and disappeared randomly). I used several tricks to work around it but it was quite uncomfortable.

- Wine refusing to work half of the time (even with the Virtual Desktop)

- VSync not working with games (making my GPU go 100%)

- Applications crashing for no apparent reason.

- XWayland crashing completely... Even the whole compositor would crash randomly making me lose all my work.

- But the worst thing was the drawing tablet. It was completely broken. Things like pen sensibility (quite important to get details right), screen locking (it's useless to draw with less than half of the tablet!) and top buttons.

I used Wayland since it was really smooth with an old Intel GPU. The Xorg experience was quite unstable (I couldn't find the right compositor configuration). One day I was quite fed up, got a new rig with an AMD GPU and removed Wayland completely. Compared with Wayland, even with its quirks, Xorg just works.

Well, it's not exactly a great idea but you can replace init with Emacs and it will boot [1]. You have basic utilities like a shell, file manager and with plugins you can run a music player...

[1] http://www.informatimago.com/linux/emacs-on-user-mode-linux....

It used to be like that, every television outlet had their own political views and openly criticized the opposing ones.

However, when the pandemic started the government spent over 15 million euros directly in private televisions [1], and gave over 100 million euros in institutional advertisements to radio outlets, newspapers and the aforementioned private televisions [2], supposedly to avoid their economic collapse. Also some regions did the same with regional or local outlets.

So, it's not like they're at their service... But why should the media in Spain criticize the hand that feeds them?

[0] Note, sources are in Spanish (and both sources got institutional advertisements!):

[1] https://www.lavanguardia.com/television/20200331/48219498329...

[2] https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/medios/20200407/moncloa-a...

Exactly. It's still a victory but its value is nil. It's like removing Bayern Munich or PSG from the Champions League and being happy that Benfica or Villareal get to the finals.