Geek Stuff category archive
Think First, Click Later 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alison Escalante explores why persons fall for fake news and misinformation on “social” media. She focuses on (mis)information about COVID-19, but I believe her conclusions can be generalized to larger topics.
The study she discusses suggests that much of the bilge is broadcast because the persons “sharing” it just don’t think before they click. Here’s a bit:
Facebook Frolics 0
Farron discusse the corporations who have “paused” their advertising on “social” media.
And, in yet more frolics . . . .
Geeking Out 0
I find this to be a Bryce background.
Full disclosure:
I’ve been to Bryce Canyon. It is well worth the trip.
The computer is running Ubuntu MATE with the Fluxbox window manager using the BlueNight theme.
Great Moments In Zoom 0
You can’t make this stuff up. (And you wouldn’t want to.)
Full Disclosure:
I’ve attended two Zoom meetings.
Both were private, by invitation only, and neither was Zoombombed. And, I must say, Zoom seemed to work quite nicely on my Android devices.
I think part of the security problems Zoom had was because, four months ago, hardly anyone had heard of Zoom. Then all of a sudden everyone was trying to use it. And, per security maven Bruce Schneier, Zoom is making progress on the security front.
Geeking out 0
Ubuntu MATE with the Fluxbox window manager on a Zareason Mediabox. The wallpaper is from my collection.
“Smart Home” Indeed 0
El Reg reports on the con (more at the link).
The fridge in question required a GE RPWFE refrigerator water filter. It has an RFID chip, which the fridge uses to verify the authenticity of the part. The RPWFE filter costs much more than unapproved filters: about $50 compared to $13.
Aside:
The “smart home” trade off is a simple one.
You no longer have to walk across the room to turn on the lights. In return, big data strips you nekkid.
Going Viral on the Disinformation Superhighway 0
After examining what percentage of tweets about the coronavirus contain misinformation and downright falsehoods (hint: far too much), Phil Reed, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, moves on to examine why others pick them up and spread them. His answer will not bolster your faith in humans as rational creatures (but, these days, what does?). Here’s the nub; follow the link for the evidence and citations (emphasis added):
Snow White and the Seven Roombas 0
This article may make you grumpy, but don’t sneezy at it, because it makes a singularity point.
Geeking Out 0
Mageia v. 7 with the Fluxbox window manager, the GKrellM system monitor, QMMP, and Xclock. Claws-mail and Firefox are shaded in a tabbed window.
Meta: Rescheduling 0
I’ve removed a post that I mistakenly posted earlier today because it was out of sequence (hard as it may be to believe, sometimes a little planning–not much, but some–goes into this thing). It will reappear later in sequence.
Geeking Out 0
Mageia v. 7 with the QMMP media player with the Chinese Beauty skin playing music that swings, Claws-Mail and Firefox tabbed and shaded, Konsole (also shaded), GKrellM, and xclock. The Fluxbox window manager is using the sunlense theme.
The background is from my collection.
