Geek Stuff category archive
Geeking Out 0
Updating a Virtual Box virtual machine of Mint Cinnamon on Mageia v. 8 with the Fluxbox window manager.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
I recently listened to a podcast in which one of my favorite podcasters spent five minutes discussing a comment that podcaster made on Twitter. The complaint was that the person to whom the comment was directed (and which the podcaster admitted had been a mistake) had responded with a screenshot of the comment, rather than with a “quote tweet.” The podcaster’s point was that said podcaster could have responded to a “quote tweet” by admitting the response was wrong and apologizing for it, but could not respond to the screenshot. (My reaction was relief and self-congratulation that I never became a twit on Twitter.)
That such an inconsequential incident, such a tempest in a twitpot, could assume such significance, if only for a short time, is, frankly, distressing, which leads me to recommend Dr. Charles Johnson’s post at Psychology Today Blogs, in which he takes a look at how our metastasized “social” media has monopolized our attention and distorted our discourse, and at what we can do about it. Here’s a bit of what he has to day:
Nagware 0
I have a (properly licensed and registered) VirtualBox VM of Windows 8.
When I start Windows 8, I am greeted by multiple pop-up windows enticing me to upgrade to this or that paid version of something or other in which I have no interest.
This does not happen in my Linux world.
Windows is a kludge.
Geeking Out 0
Magiea v. 8 with the Fluxbox window manager. The right-click menu (I loves me the right-click menu) is open, Xclock is in the upper right, and GKrellM in the lower right. The wallpaper is from my collection.
Deviltry 0
A Rutgers professor searches for the origin of the legend of the Jersey Devil. A nugget:
“The Jersey Devil is evil,” he said. “He’s known for slitting the throats of babies in their cribs. This is not a cartoon — it’s a monster.”
Follow the link. It’s a fascinating tale.
Computer Illiteracy . . . 0
. . . is a thing in the Missouri Governor’s mansion.
Facebook Frolics 0
Writing for the EFF, Katherine Trendacosta argues that Facebook, like Crabby Appleton, is rotten to the core. A nugget:
Ms. Haugen told Congress that she thinks Facebook should be reformed, not broken up. But Facebook’s broken system is fueled by a growth-at-any-cost model. The number of Facebook users and the increasing depth of the data it gathers about them is its biggest selling point. In other words, Facebook’s badness is inextricably tied to its bigness.
Facebook Frolics 0
Through the glasses, darkly . . . .
Afterthought:
The surveillance state is real, fueled, not by the government, but by private greed shilling for sales and by pathetic individuals shouting into their “smart” phones, “Look at me, me, me, me! I’m an influencer!”
Geeking Out 0
Listening to The Bishop’s Secret by Fergus Hume using QMMP on Ubuntu MATE under the Plasma Desktop. The wallpaper is from my collection.
Aside:
The Bishop’s Secret is a darn good listen. As a mystery, it is so-so. As a comedy of manners, it is superb.
Proctoring Gamble 0
I have seen numerous references to schools and colleges monitoring of student behavior during these times of remote teaching via Zoom and similar applications.
Like Google and Facebook, they watch what students are doing on their computers to make sure they are behaving the way the educational institution thinks they should behave or, indeed, have the unmitigated gall to take a bathroom break or get a Coke (Above the Law has some particularly egregious examples from bar exams).
At Psychology Today Blogs, Phil Reed takes a look at the larger issue machine learning and includes some strong thoughts on micromanaged digital monitoring. Here’s a bit:
Geeking Out 0
Updating a VirtualBox virtual machine of Linux Mint MATE using the command line (the command line is always faster, if you know the commands) on Mageia v. 8 under the Fluxbox window manager. The Mint wallpaper is from Mint. The Mageia wallpaper is from my collection.
Geeking Out 0
I do likes me my pretty pictures.
Mageia v. 8 with Fluxbox. GKrellM and Xclock are to the right. Thunderbird and Firefox are shaded in a tabbed window. The wallpaper is from my collecction.
And, no, you can’t shade or tab applications if you use Windows.
