friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

So there's this guy, a musical performer. In 2024, he ran for president on the "Weed Shall Overcome" ticket. This guy got harassed and jailed by police who subsequently stole his money and belongings. He wrote and released a song mocking them, so they sued him for harassment. He won that case, became famous, and is now running for President again.

"Even though the man might kick me when I was down, my integrity tells me not to do the same."

youtube.com/watch?v=KwVEac7Xwi…

Afroman on Becoming the 2028 Libertarian Presidential Nominee

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
ReasonTV (YouTube)

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friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

I've been trying not to be alarming, this last year, because I keep hoping anyone will listen, but by next year, between Google and Apple scanning your private stuff, the ongoing proliferation of cameras at every corner hooked up to AI face and plate trackers (We already have dozens in my city), more and more retail corporations refusing cash payments so they can track and squeeze us just a little more, AI companies destroying everything, and a government that no longer follows any laws, I have real, unexaggerated fears about becoming a literal dictatorship just before the economy collapses and destroys us.

But hey, at least some states will let you smoke weed as you fight off the raiders...

in reply to Blaise

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Unus Nemo

@Blaise

I am still working up my article on why so-called Age-Verification is about ending privacy on the Internet not about protecting children. If allowed to move at its current trajectory then even the Fediverse may become a part of the Internet Archive due to the fact that there is noway all us Independent Instances can afford to comply with UK, Brazil and New York, New York's Age verification requirements. The California and Colorado model does not effect us yet, but after they get legislation in place it is very easy for them to amend it to their own devices.

@Blaise
This entry was edited (1 day ago)

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Gee. A company which stands to make billions from the resulting military contracts (and P.S. run by two foreigners) wants to tell us how to run our fucking country? FUCK. YOU. RIGHT. IN. THE. FACE.

newsweek.com/us-draft-update-m…

US draft update: Major tech company urges universal national service

The company has won major Pentagon contracts, including work on Project Maven, an AI‑driven targeting and surveillance program.
Hollie Silverman (Newsweek)
in reply to Blaise

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Unus Nemo

@Blaise

Wow, this guy is lost in a surreal world of ideology. The idea that because we have had no World Wars for a nearly a century means we have lived in peace? So was I on a picnic in Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan? It did not seem real peaceful from my perspective. He neglects to mention the World Wars were not an issue until countries had the resources and technology to launch aggression at that level either, perhaps in his view that was not significant as he make a living selling technology for war. I have to admit that I did agree with some of his ideologies. Though overwhelming ignorance of human psychological development is prevalent throughout his tirade.

The fact that he subscribes to the idea that atomic weapons are a deterrent is a tell. In ancient days when a king saw a crossbow shoot a bolt through plate mail armor he proclaimed that this weapon was so devastating that it would surely end all wars. The same was stated at the demonstration of the atomic bomb. The problem with this ideology is that weapons are not designed to prevent war, they are designed to facilitate war. No weapon will ever bring about peace.

@Blaise
This entry was edited (1 day ago)
in reply to Blaise

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Unus Nemo

@Blaise

I forgot to mention that he also makes a huge error when associate our military as a volunteer service. No it is not, it is a career choice. When you put all the propaganda aside it is a job or a career that attracts its employees. When I enlisted if they had described my duties and then said "Oh, and it is a volunteer position, so you will not be paid". I would not have enlisted. The metrics most people use when choosing a military career is not serving their country it is the benefits. The same metrics we would use when applying for any job or career.

@Blaise
This entry was edited (15 hours ago)

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source
California's new Snitch-OS age verification law requires that all children be identified as such to literally any app or website that requests it. It also ensures that these requests will be provided with detailed age-cohort information about each child. It can't possibly work the way they want, but here's what it does do: California wants us to paint a corporate marketing and crime victim target on every child's back on line.

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in reply to Blaise

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Unus Nemo

@Blaise

This is intended to get a foot in the door. First they say all distributors of Operating Systems must provide an Age Signal. Just like at first only the rich had to pay income tax. It is much easier to amend legislation after you have something in place. Now, everyone pays Income tax. Eventually an Age Signal will not be enough to protect the children. So they will require more proof of Identification to verify age. Along with MS/Windows using a TPM2 to create an absolutely unique identification that can be verified for all MS/Windows users. Which will make TPM2 common place, so other OSes can as well. They are trying to remove any ability at all to maintain your privacy on the internet.

Typically privacy is not my biggest concern when I get on an international network. Except when it comes to dealing with financial institutions. Though this crosses a line that alarms even me. I have even started building my own Gnu/Linux OSes for my machines as after Jan 2027 I will likely not be able to use Fedora anymore.

@Blaise
This entry was edited (5 days ago)

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

"The Republican mayor declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon, allowing her to mobilize whatever city resources are needed to continue paying Flock for use of its technology .... Mantello has characterized Flock opposition as anti-police."

How can you tell your mayor is a small-town yokel? She thinks that 2% of her entire city electorate showing up to protest something (not just to vote, but physically showing up out in the street) is "a small but highly vocal group [...] much of it rooted in intimidation tactics and misinformation"

timesunion.com/news/article/tr…

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friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

After hours of shopping, I've discovered that in Upstate New York, it now costs at least $130 per hour to rent a cheap/small/low quality boat, with a 3 hour minimum. Before the pandemic killed the idea of affording weekends away, I could rent the same boat for for less than $60 per hour, with 2-hour minimums. Looking more broadly, I see this same level of discrepancy with furniture, groceries, cars, housing, etc...

So if everything costs 116% more seven years later, my naive mathing says this means we've experienced a greater than 17% annual average price increase on just living for six straight years. How is this not the BIGGEST news story?

in reply to Blaise

mastodon - Link to source

picofarad

something about the "116% more" bugs me, because it sounds like something that was $10 now costs $11.60, when what you are *actually* claiming is that what cost $10 now costs $21.60 (roughly).

I hate to pour gas on this fire, but i noticed around 2021 that, compared to 2013, everything had nearly doubled in price; electricity, gasoline, insurance premiums, a pound of beef at the store, a gallon of milk.

But because 2010s were "so cheap" compared to now, we didn't really notice?!

in reply to picofarad

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Unus Nemo

@picofarad @Blaise

picofarad wrote:

something about the "116% more" bugs me, because it sounds like something that was $10 now costs $11.60, when what you are actually claiming is that what cost $10 now costs $21.60 (roughly).

I am not sure how you concluded that 116% more than $10 is 11.60? Please show your math 😉

  1. Calculate the increase: 116% of 10.00 = 1.16 times 10 = 11.60
  2. Add the increase to the original number: 10.00 + 11.60 = 21.60

Did I miss something or did you miss a step?

@picofarad @Blaise

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

After four long months of side-hustle, dozens of "chats", and hundreds of AI-assisted iterative prompt refinement passes, I have successfully created an AI agent which will ingest technical product documentation and become a product-oracle, giving detailed answers and correcting/clarifying unclear or incorrect assumptions in the questions. It it accurate. It is thorough. It is the first truly useful thing I have gotten out of LLM AI technology. It is a work of art.

And one time out of 7, it STILL makes up its answer whole-cloth!

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source
Me: How do I delete a custom agent from my AI service account?
Agent: Which agent do you want to delete?
Me: That doesn't matter, just tell me how to delete one.
Agent: It's not necessary to delete custom agents from your account. You can store an unlimited number.
Me: Seriously, I want to clean up. Tell me how to delete a custom agent from my AI service account!
Agent: I don't think you can do that.
Me: ..... 0.o

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friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Back Online!

Hey folks, the vagaries of distributed server systems tanked me once again!

My Friendica account, which I use to manage all my federated social media accounts, was on a server that crashed with unrecoverable backups last week. This is technically a new account with the same name, content, and photo, but it's still me, I promise!

Anyway, follow me. Let me follow you. Help me rebuild my online life once again!

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