Greg Hills

Sometime traveller, misanthropic hermit, cat person, and hubby. Living in Bunurong country, Australia.

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npub13tsdmqavknscce8satmyxx5k54wgwjnqh66u8dg7yedmnhzlmu9sx7tzju

NIP-05 Address

winterknell@mastodon-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsg4cxaswktfcvvvncw4ajrr2t22hy8ffstadwrk50zvkaem30a7zc5fdqmn

Author Public Key

npub13tsdmqavknscce8satmyxx5k54wgwjnqh66u8dg7yedmnhzlmu9sx7tzju

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Last Notes

2025-03-12 06:40:11

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@nprofile…07t5 I stand corrected!

2025-03-12 06:02:56

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@nprofile…07t5 The sepia tone is a nice touch for a 2024 photo. Though, I wonder if any of these engines would have had "Safety First" on them back when; likely to make the customers skittish about this newfangled technology stuff!

2025-03-10 11:53:40

Ah, yeah. All those, um, interlocutory sounds we make while conversing? They're, huh, kinda more important than I thought.
Interestingly, they are often squeezed out of transcripts. I wonder if too-perfect speech is the extra finger waiting to poke the gizzard of the coming generation of AI phone agents.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/03/huh-the-valuable-role-of-interjections/
#AI #conversation #language

2025-03-10 09:51:37

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@nprofile…pam3 "'There are people who, like the founder of the Internet Archive, want to push that envelope, and the media conglomerates want to push back in the other direction,' Seubert said."
Actually, given the direction of copyright over the last 30 years it's truer to say IA is resisting the conglomerates, who have been pushing the envelope.
Also, the claim that IA is stealing royalties from the artists is a bit too rich, given the revealed practices of the conglomerates towards artists.

2025-02-24 07:03:14

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@nprofile…07t5 This photo delivers a nice sense of the distance into which the pronghorn will run about two seconds after the picture is taken.

2025-02-16 03:22:51

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@nprofile…07t5 @nprofile…3cyv That was a wild ride. He stayed so cool under pressure!
I was a Sea Scout in my youth. We took the big boat out beyond the bar a couple of times, but I never dared take a kayak out that far, just paddled around on the river.

2025-01-17 22:02:58

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@nprofile…07t5
Such a feeling of transience and progression here - the lichen spreading across the crumbling rock, the plant in full bloom surrounded by smaller plants, one of which is just developing its own flower bud. And simultaneously, the sense that this has been here for centuries and will be here for centuries to come.
I really enjoyed this one. It's superb.

2025-01-13 00:51:26

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@nprofile…07t5 Oh yes, this. So. Many. Blurred. Or. Empty. Shots.
Whirling around to try capture some event seen from the corner of my eye. My crappy point-and-click camera: "Wait, just lemme focus that for you ... there y'go. Nice shot of empty for you."

2025-01-09 11:56:17

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@nprofile…07t5
He is gorgeous. And majestic.
Here in Oz they used woomeras to launch their spears, but I'm not sure how a marsupial lion as an opponent would compare with a large jaguar of comparable size. The marsupial lion went extinct about 40ky ago; people had been here since 60-65ky ago, so they coexisted over a long period.

2025-01-09 10:31:39

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@nprofile…07t5
Kitty found prey, stalked it, killed it, and ate it. *
Kitty MADE a bone! 🐆
ETA: Jaguars are awesome.
* Assuming kitty was not imprisoned and so prevented from these actions.

2025-01-07 23:11:29

Grasping, absurd conditions buried in unread EULA's a la Disney is not new. I never saw this incident from 20 years ago until now, but it rings true to today's EULA world.
https://web.archive.org/web/20050111021046/http://weblog.infoworld.com/foster/2005/01/07.html#a200
Comes with a bonus link to Ed Foster's GripeLog: https://web.archive.org/web/20050117010525/http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/section/Columns
h/t @nprofile…qz4x

2025-01-03 07:37:09

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@nprofile…07t5 First of all, it's a very good picture. The work you put in shows - or more to the point, doesn't show; it looks natural.
The only criticism I have is that it seems very earnest, which is a little at odds with the bright glow you cast on most things you post - things like Route 66, ants at the party, and the motocross Borg.
I'm *quite* curious to see the version with the monkey wrench!
That said, the only person you have to satisfy is you.

2024-12-30 23:45:27

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@nprofile…07t5 @nprofile…gtst
I stood by his grave in 2007. Most of his body is there. It was a poignant moment for me.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/744/363/773/013/602/original/1815e035960c3298.jpg

2024-12-28 23:37:32

Working through my 2011 Indonesia photos and I've reached Tuk Tuk, the beautiful pimple on the arse of Samosir island in Lake Danau on Sumatra.
One feature of the local architecture that fascinated me was its similarity with Māori motifs. The Polynesian migration passed along the the Indonesian islands around 1500-500 BC; it seems to me that this similarity is not coincidental. Did they bring it with them, or take it from here?
Some samples.
#Polynesia #Maori #Aotearoa #Indonesia #Sumatra
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/733/006/873/824/921/original/cec37a1b94ca6705.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/733/007/990/444/753/original/aed3c1bfc5b6ebfb.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/733/008/368/270/694/original/c1352b0c48bac9d5.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/733/008/700/333/260/original/661c6653c97765dc.jpg

2024-12-27 04:38:55

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@nprofile…07t5 "For the man inside the rubber sack it was land's end, the shore of the world."
A beautifully-composed picture.

2024-12-21 10:46:10

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@nprofile…pam3 I'd have more confidence in this if Israel wasn't so busy trying to make sure he has nothing to stop them with.

2024-12-19 21:35:25

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@nprofile…07t5 I have appreciated every one of your pics I've seen so far, even hazy ones with star trails. ☄️ 🔭

2024-12-10 05:43:38

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@nprofile…fv4z I realise it's not your fault, but there's serious irony at the bottom of that 2017 blog post and it is, unfortunately, pertinent to how the US found itself in its current invidious position.
"[advertisement] At Stack Overflow, we help developers learn, share, and grow. Whether you’re looking for your next dream job or looking to build out your team, we've got your back."

2024-12-10 00:29:17

I appreciate Mastodon's translation features. I am a monoglot anglophone with just a smattering of this or that picked up over many years. On my own I'd probably not follow many people who post other than English, but with translation for many languages just a click away, I have been emboldened to follow people posting in e.g. Spanish, German and French. I puzzle out what I can, and if I need clarification, it's instantly on hand.
There is however an occasional fail ...
#Mastodon #Translation
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/625/684/575/108/495/original/7c600453babc53e7.jpg

2024-12-08 00:27:34

Cool, cool, I'm finally caught up here. Looks nice outside. Time to water the garden.
BBK later, but I'll leave you with a few pics.
1, 2. coffee prices. For most of the last 2 years, the coffee we buy was on special at $19 and occasionally less. In November the specials came off and they went back to the 2022 price of $31. Sticker shock!
3. Gluttonburgers, with a hungry #cat studiedly not looking at them.
4. Dining out at Il Matto
#Sunday #Gardening #Inflation #Coffee #Food #Cats
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/614/280/399/033/405/original/fe08a6ec13c18682.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/614/285/428/408/575/original/d740e5963325097d.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/614/295/587/323/617/original/0ea5a1f764bd97fe.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/614/308/699/985/159/original/427afcd56435be1e.jpg

2024-11-28 02:24:51

Oh Kay then
Woolworths: the coffee we regularly get: was $19/kg, suddenly $31 (the permanent special came off).
Coles: the coffee we regularly get: was $19/kg, suddenly $31 (the permanent special came off).
And not just our preferred "cheap" brand. All the long-term #coffee specials came off in the past few days.
I foresee a lot of #tea in our future.
#ColesWorth #Coles #Woolworths #Australia

2024-11-13 08:04:46

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@npub1au2…2mr6 This is industrial action I could get behind!

2024-11-08 23:45:28

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@npub17hj…7a0r Thanks for the map location! 🙂
I could see lots of light in several directions, but the way that the shadows fell across the house suggested there were leafy trees around the bay window. Leaves near the ground could block the view.
Of course, the Adams Family might prefer a dim glade to a wide panorama.
Awesome collection of wooden motor homes in the yard.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/449/985/613/651/100/original/774d488b75570f59.png

2024-11-08 22:47:48

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@npub17hj…7a0r The bay window is *chef's kiss*. The light is broken; does it have a view?

2024-10-31 22:22:22

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@npub17hj…7a0r Fine-looking owl, and a nicely contrasted photo. Jumps right out at you.

2024-10-29 07:58:53

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@npub15zu…s7lx "his heart, pickled in a jar of alcohol, is encased in a church in Warsaw"
Impressive. They built a church around it?

2024-10-16 07:58:39

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@npub1au2…2mr6 If they left out the "Windows 11" bit they might get more bites.
"We can help you find a new PC. Complete this short quiz to find the perfect PC for your needs."

2024-10-14 09:18:20

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@npub1au2…2mr6 He's onto us, guys, ditch the spray cans and meet up under the clocks. We'll try again later - without our phones so Google can't track us.
I - damn, I posted it to his account! Where's the delete button?

2024-10-09 09:02:01

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@npub15zu…s7lx Mmm, Fruit Gums ...

2024-10-09 07:07:05

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@npub15zu…s7lx Holly moholey.
"The main cause of the massive death and destruction in both the Nakkhu and Rosi valleys last week was because the rivers were forced to flow through narrow channels, and the debris-filled waters swept into the populated floodplains."

2024-09-24 10:04:26

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@npub1e7e…sycm @npub1hyk…3p33 The "punishment" for the cops was impressive. They got written up, and there will be no actual consequence for them at all unless somewhere down the track they get on the wrong side of the cop equivalent of a C-suit, whereupon that yellow card will be pulled out, turned red, and and will see them trundled off the field.
And I'm willing to bet the victim's DNA is still in the system. It's *data*. Sysadmins never delete data, they just flag it as "deleted".

2024-09-24 09:11:11

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@npub1e7e…sycm @npub1hyk…3p33
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Grar
Calculated to get your teeth grinding.
ICII (In case It's Important) - I'm on the victim's side.
The sheer degree of bureaucratic bull-fluffery he experienced was grar-inducing for me.

2024-09-24 08:58:14

Yikes.
h/t @npub1hyk…3p33 - this turned up in his "15 years ago" TDIH:
https://gizmonaut.net/bits/suspect.html
It's a long read. First entry 2005, last entry 2016.
TL;DR: Dumb cops messed with an autistic person. If he had not been autistic he probably wouldn't have pinged their radar. 11 years of grar ensues.
#police #london

2024-09-15 08:25:09

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@npub1au2…2mr6 They were clearly reading the message on the side of the tram. "DON'T CUT IN FRONT OF ... can't quite make out the last wo--"

2024-09-15 07:56:59

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@npub1au2…2mr6 Hi-vis vests? Evidence shows drivers don't even see a 40-TONNE TRAM RIGHT NEXT TO THEM!

2024-09-11 23:04:01

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@npub1su4…a0dw I guess we've found that XKCD project being thanklessly maintained in Nebraska that supports the internet. Only it's in Nevada, and it's worse than we ever imagined.

2024-09-07 00:28:41

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@npub1au2…2mr6 Shouldn't even take AI. I thought modern phones were supposed to detect phone orientation and store it in a bespoke field in the image metadata. Or do video files not have that field?

2024-09-02 23:51:35

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@npub1q2t…jr8a And therefore we conclude thatp.8nbrkewidjxqnbquThe greatest cat In the world being swatted off the keyboard

2024-08-25 09:48:52

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@npub17hj…7a0r YUM! 😋

2024-08-25 08:58:19

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@npub17hj…7a0r Pix or it's not happening!

2024-07-30 11:06:42

From 2004, h/t @npub1hyk…3p33 for his latest
Those were friendlier times ... ?
JibJab.com "This Land!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Q-sRdV7SY
#uspol #bush #kerry

2024-07-19 12:27:35

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@npub1au2…2mr6 It's always awesome to track down an old location from memory or a photo and find it's still recognisable.
I've so far never got north of Townsville, so I've been taking notes on your Cairns sightseeing.

2024-06-27 14:00:50

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@npub15zu…s7lx
Actual NASA link:
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/new-hubble-webb-pillars-of-creation-visualization/#h-video-pillars-of-creation-visualization

2024-06-08 10:43:22

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@npub1au2…2mr6 "Computer, ENHANCE!"

2024-05-22 05:21:25

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@npub1au2…2mr6 That is literally an accident waiting to happen.

2024-05-18 05:20:23

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@npub17hj…7a0r You just need to hitch it up to a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor.

2024-04-06 22:28:52

Stryya. Finally, Australian wiildlife that's not trying to kill you.
#australia #northernterritory #wildlife
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-07/-northern-marsupial-mole-kakarratul-sighted-/103662744

2024-03-20 00:44:27

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@npub1xr5…70ms Let me get this straight - this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfcqCdGqjWQ contains the blurred-out view of the hopefully soon-to-be-ex Tassie Premier? I wouldn't want to inadvertently Streisand the wrong video.
#auspol #tasmania #election

2024-01-30 16:05:36

@npub1hyk…3p33
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle/
It's 3 AM here; I should be asleep. Instead I'm trying one thing then another to get my Google Play Books Library back.
I don't buy many DRM books; I prefer to *own* my books. The Cory Doctorow books I bought at Craphound? Safe on my hard drive! Google's DRM'd Schrodinger's books? Simultaneously there and not there.
I've screamed into the void that is Google's feedback line. The reply? Silence.
#enshittification #google #drm
https://mastodon.social/@winterknell/111845011426603628

2023-12-08 21:53:28

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@npub16vj…cs4z "What's a chimney?"

2023-12-08 21:31:13

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@npub1ept…jcl3 I now own 22 Scalzi works AND the money went to a worthy charity.
My Saturday is complete.

2023-10-13 23:45:03

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@npub1hyk…3p33 Wayback link to the Permalink for that classic XKCD:
https://web.archive.org/web/20081014233010/https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/steal_this_comic.png
Words to live by.

2023-09-12 10:45:48

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@npub1hyk…3p33 I'd like to say I've now read it cover to cover, but as you know, that is literally impossible with the ebook. I have, however read every page.
It's a daunting manifesto. We're currently fighting just to be able to change our phone batteries! (My first mobile phone had replaceable batteries.)
I like the Interoperator's Defense. We've seen how anti-SLAPP short-circuits SLAPP suits and Section 230 short-circuits other nonsense. Too far out? I don't think so.
Starve them out!

2023-08-21 22:56:09

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@npub15dz…6wus Oh, I feel that on this rainy Melbourne Tuesday

2023-07-16 13:58:58

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@npub15dz…6wus Suddenly "salad days" acquires a whole new meaning, and it's adorable.