bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺

Software developer, entrepreneur, former government regulator, current government advisor, amateur scientist.  https://berthub.eu/

Website: https://berthub.eu/
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6317-0670
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bert-hubert-b05452/

Public Key

npub1579yezsv64rkghcezalde636kasdazzpnehtl99wt4g9d62ac0aqu5sp9g

NIP-05 Address

bert_hubert_at_fosstodon.org@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs20zjv3gxd23mytuv3wlkuagatwcx73pqeum4ljjh965zka9wu87s5jh5z4

Author Public Key

npub1579yezsv64rkghcezalde636kasdazzpnehtl99wt4g9d62ac0aqu5sp9g

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Last Notes

2024-08-19 16:00:00

Recently, a Dutch hacker found a vulnerability allowing him to shut down 4 million solar power installations. A handful of mostly non-European places manage perhaps 100 GW of solar power in the EU. Any mishap there, or heaven forbid, a compromise, could easily shut down so much power that the European electricity grid would collapse. Shockingly, we regulate these massive control panels as if they are online birthday calendars. And that must change. https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/the-gigantic-unregulated-power-plants-in-the-cloud/

2024-08-11 09:56:12

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yes.

2024-08-11 09:44:59

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it is a reasonable guess but something else might still happen. For example just not solving the winter problem and burning natural gas at that time.

2024-08-07 09:52:19

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yeah that one was great. Thanks!

2024-08-07 08:16:10

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biology is a continuing struggle where the biology people have a hard time coding, and the coding people know too little about biology, and everyone would like to solve this somehow.

2024-08-07 08:06:49

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as you might expect I have opinions. :-)

2024-08-06 21:14:35

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Ja das geht! Will give it a listen.

2024-08-06 19:48:28

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I'm all in favour of keeping existing plants operational! But I do worry we aren't very good (in the west) at building new plants.

2024-08-06 16:09:32

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also the cursed 48% - 52% again!

2024-08-06 15:00:48

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sent! And thanks. I hope to publish the piece on Friday.

2024-08-06 07:32:21

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they've been tagged already, but no response so far. I'd love to have their input though!

2024-08-05 22:21:54

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will give it a listen thanks. Are you sure there are links to two different episodes? The url is different but the text seems the same?

2024-08-05 22:09:03

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I go over this in the upcoming posts, where I make similar observations, but I also note that we're on pretty thin ice also for carbon-free energy in winter. But in the end it does not look promising for nuclear.

2024-08-05 22:00:27

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I have read up on pebble-bed reactors, but I'm not seeing these as game changers so far. People have been at them for a while and it is not obvious this will be a very different experience. https://www.ans.org/news/article-6241/china-pebblebed-reactor-passes-meltdown-test/

2024-08-05 21:28:56

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it'll go live tomorrow I think, but I was hoping to get some input from real nuclear fans. Not yet.

2024-08-05 21:12:24

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in the french version, the notice is not there! Or at least, I can't find it. Super weird.

2024-08-05 17:30:22

From the French nuclear regulator. Do you want cookies? Pick between Yes and Always: https://www.french-nuclear-safety.fr/asn-informs/news-releases/epr-reactor-information-letter-n-25
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/910/596/092/219/689/original/f7f2a363cfbcfdde.jpeg

2024-08-05 16:43:32

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do you have a link for these EDF developments? Last I read was that they were (finally) making progress. Thanks!

2024-08-05 16:33:39

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they will fuck up everything else first.

2024-08-05 16:32:08

Any fans of nuclear energy that want to read a draft of my upcoming blog post that predicts a disappointing future for nuclear? If there is good nuclear news I'm not aware of, I'd love to hear it! Email bert@hubertnet.nl or try DM here or BertHubert.72 on Signal.

2024-08-05 10:54:06

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a lot will change but bicycles are so much part of being Dutch that even our extreme right wing people won’t touch that. Different from Germany. Extreme right wing is of course still terrible.

2024-08-04 14:21:12

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strong Torment Nexus vibes here people 🙂

2024-08-04 12:56:43

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stop please

2024-08-04 11:40:20

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no, nothing working. My upcoming post on nuclear power in 2024 is mostly not positive.

2024-08-04 11:33:02

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:-)
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/903/531/584/284/936/original/56e725beca130fa7.png

2024-08-04 11:16:02

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I'm afraid you took me a little bit too seriously :-) Feast your translator on https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/het-gaat-om-de-kerncentrales/ for some thoughts on nuclear power plants.

2024-08-04 08:40:07

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that clinched it for me!

2024-08-03 23:07:54

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I hear the permitting is also somewhat laborious!

2024-08-03 22:19:37

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I mean, it does appear to cost 14 billion euros, but so pretty.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/900/411/927/877/983/original/519ce95473b70ba3.png

2024-08-03 22:08:09

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14 billion euros is the going rate I understand! And that gets you one.

2024-08-03 22:05:02

Writing a piece on nuclear power in 2024. Ran into this *brochure* for the EPR1200 nuclear reactor from #Framatome & EDF. And I have to say, I do feel the urge to buy one now. https://czech-republic.edf.com/sites/czech_republic/files/2024-03/EPR1200%20brochure_0.pdf
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/900/351/251/927/626/original/4c9a336540fd556b.png

2024-08-03 13:42:01

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well that sucks. Hopefully one day you’ll get more time for yourself!

2024-08-03 12:09:27

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I'm aware. At the time of writing this was still considered a possibility, and I hope I did not overstate the case. Will adjust.

2024-08-03 11:48:45

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druk druk druk! :-)

2024-08-03 11:13:36

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Thanks for this clarification. Earlier I wrote a big piece in climate change and grew somewhat dismayed with how even many climate scientists have been swept up in all kinds of narratives. Which is all not helpful in this climate emergency. https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/on-climate-change-and-management/

2024-08-03 11:03:00

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I despair when I think about how much better we could understand things with more data. So much guessing about such an important subject. From https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/co2-global-warming-sensitivity/
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/897/750/728/908/495/original/52ce950bc13d03c4.png

2024-08-03 11:00:37

Sage advice on what to read from the Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/685a4f4d-2826-494e-a8ab-e561801fb7b3 - let me know if you need an (individual) gift link.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/897/738/638/382/554/original/23b918e41b7495b7.png

2024-08-03 09:48:49

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epistemic trespasser here, trying to make sense of your insights. If I parse this correctly it would appear that the people publishing on AMOC collapse are overstating their case in your opinion? For example this very recent preprint https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.11738 ? This got a lot of media attention here but perhaps without justification.

2024-08-02 19:36:52

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just for fun, install @npub15tg…jvwg and see what it does. Not sure if it is this JSON capable. But usually duckdb is so fast you wonder if it is faking it.

2024-08-02 13:11:10

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these are not serious numbers, but you do see them repeated a lot. Once oft mentioned source is a 2018 IPCC analysis. From what I read, a modern solar panel has earned back its production energy after 3 years, which would make it carbon negative from that point on, as it emits no CO2 during use.

2024-08-02 12:37:05

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all depends on the analysts. Key thing is that it is trivial to convert your SQLite to CSV if people want to use it. But it is easier and safer to write SQLite.

2024-08-02 12:22:41

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deploying parquet is still a major hassle here. Data has to *come* from somewhere too and parquet is not great as a conduit that way.

2024-08-02 12:01:43

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doing almost everything with sqlite in strict mode now, and very very happy with that choice. Worked out really well.

2024-08-02 11:10:13

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but also compare this overview (which includes csv): https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/big-data-storage/

2024-08-02 09:07:11

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I can recommend this book on Solar power, money, energy storage, grids, it is broader than the title suggests: https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article/92/5/399/3283232/Solar-Power-Finance-Without-the-Jargon-by-Jenny

2024-08-01 18:38:18

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well that’s the other thing, although relevant to lots of people solving this would not save the world. Lots of other stuff you can learn about that could. Like perhaps Carbonic anhydrase an understudied enzyme that could help prevent excess CO2 from entering the atmosphere or even removing it from there.

2024-08-01 18:31:48

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there really is nothing to gain from joining this discussion. All outcomes are bad for some groups and everyone gets mad at you no matter how useful your insights.

2024-08-01 14:05:32

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so this was one thing that got me into @npub10ny…582h ‘s LMDB. Sometimes you need more certainty on performance than a full relational database can give you since it comes up with “strategies” to answer your questions. And sometimes those strategies suddenly go from brilliant to stupid. And you’ll get no warning.

2024-08-01 11:26:05

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the balancing market is tiny btw (mostly <100MW here) so any businesss case there is limited. I’m afraid you are operating somewhat outside your expertise. Also look up how many cycles such a battery can do.

2024-08-01 11:18:27

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do a smell test. Do you even use that much power in 5 years? Would you get All of that back as income?

2024-08-01 11:16:38

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that’s because it is likely not true, so perhaps that’s why.

2024-08-01 09:42:58

I fancy I know a bit about renewables and nuclear, but I recently had to drop a whole blog post since it turns out I didn't quite know enough. Instead I found the subject covered in this podcast episode with [@solar_chase](https://mastodon.green/@solar_chase ) and Michael Liebreich (of the famous hydrogen ladder), which covers lots of ground, including the "winter problem" that we have technical solutions for, but don't know how to turn into a market: https://www.cleaningup.live/the-solar-revolution-past-present-and-future-ep173-jenny-chase/

2024-08-01 09:39:50

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Thanks for this, very useful also in its asides on the industry. I also appreciated the bits at the end where we basically have to craft an often loss making industry to get the carbon results we need. And that we have no idea how that'll work.

2024-07-31 13:01:17

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I do find that there is benefit from having some evidence that you had been aware of the impeding crisis. Not in an “I told you so” way but more like a way of building trust in your assessment. But it is a tricky balance. I wrote some words on the fragility of IT systems just before crowdstrike. This is working out well for me now.

2024-07-30 19:25:04

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Here, have a spider from Nootdorp. Just now.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/877/075/364/893/850/original/adc90276928428bf.jpeg

2024-07-30 18:31:01

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and on earnings day too. Makes you wonder.

2024-07-30 15:39:29

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the upcoming EU #NIS2 includes ways of removing specific staff from boards and even excluding them from certain industries henceforth if they mess up repeatedly. Might focus the mind somewhat.

2024-07-30 07:50:55

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thanks, very helpful. It might be a bit iffy indeed if all your winter power comes from two hydrogen caverns.

2024-07-30 06:59:42

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So I'm a bit curious, and perhaps you can help - if you were to attempt to procure a nuclear power plant today, it will arrive by 2038 or so. By that time, wouldn't nuclear power lose out comprehensively commercially & as a hassle as a carbon free "all weather all season" electricity source when compared to burning green hydrogen for electricity?

2024-07-30 06:39:55

I'm skeptical of most proposed hydrogen uses. But there are places where it works really well or is even irreplaceable. According to the fine people over at BloombergNEF (like [@solar_chase](https://mastodon.green/@solar_chase )) green hydrogen will be cheaper than 'grey' hydrogen already in some places in 2030: https://about.bnef.com/blog/green-hydrogen-to-undercut-gray-sibling-by-end-of-decade/
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/874/060/707/484/234/original/7ae0a3d8360d20b2.png

2024-07-29 20:17:00

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Linus might know btw, could be worth asking.

2024-07-29 19:32:49

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or transmeta perhaps. I don’t know of any talks but I do recall there having been some kind of post mortem.

2024-07-29 13:45:35

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ik heb sinds vrijdag hier diverse media over gesproken, niemand ging verder dan "premier" en "torentje". De documenten die op denhaag.raadsinformatie.nl zijn te vinden bevatten echt nuttige dingen. Het gaat me niet om de kop.

2024-07-29 10:42:03

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had the same some time ago when I needed to figure out stuff for the tire pressure. Had never noticed that sticker.

2024-07-29 10:36:39

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if you know the dutch license plate, and the car still can be found there, https://ovi.rdw.nl/ might tell you where the "chassis number" is. This is not quite what you are asking, but perhaps it provides a hint. https://ovi.rdw.nl
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/869/335/764/448/966/original/e6e4bd86c7cb3871.png

2024-07-29 09:31:05

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sorry to hear that Michael! :-) But, having a slightly weird name is a great filter to check if someone is paying attention. Call me Burt or Hubert and I know you are playing it by ear.

2024-07-29 07:21:55

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one day we’ll add “phased” to that and perhaps “with methylation data”.

2024-07-28 21:25:32

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many of these prices are coming down rapidly though.

2024-07-28 19:59:54

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perhaps they are also exaggerating a bit. Would not be the first time an energy startup does so.

2024-07-28 19:55:43

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this being the US they'll still power the train with diesel though ;-)

2024-07-28 18:47:51

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it is the kind of mindfuck that makes me happy to pay for my Economist subscription.

2024-07-28 18:44:51

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no just cheap batteries it appears.

2024-07-28 18:26:35

“Never underestimate the bandwidth of a truck full of tape” coming for your power grid.
https://www.economist.com/interactive/essay/2024/06/20/solar-power-is-going-to-be-huge
from The Economist
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/865/514/098/405/372/original/24a652a52ff187ac.jpeg

2024-07-28 13:06:02

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thank you Tomáš for spreading the word!

2024-07-27 11:29:50

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als je weer bij ze weg gaat spammen ze je nog flink door daarna dat ze je zo missen. Hoefde van mij ook niet.

2024-07-26 13:26:51

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assuming that this is a Large file.

2024-07-26 13:19:54

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try running many parallel sha1sums on the server, it could be that it is suffering from bad memory, and you might get different sha1s over time.

2024-07-26 13:00:12

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I'd be a horrible autocrat ;-) Explaining things well is far easier to do, and I hope it helps somewhat.

2024-07-26 11:44:13

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mostly the German government it appears.

2024-07-26 11:11:18

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it also mentions 200 million euros further on. The 1 million is only the direct EU part.

2024-07-26 10:53:35

Now that the post has been up for most of a day, I'm happy to report that many people who worked with/for Gaia-X have chimed in to confirm my sad summary of & recommendation for this mostly paper project. Thank you for your feedback! https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/gaia-x-is-an-expensive-distraction/

2024-07-26 09:25:43

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don't get me wrong, this is still very cool! Possibly related, there are fun theories on life surviving on digesting hot rocks, https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1701266114

2024-07-26 06:48:52

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I suspect the word “huge” here is probably worth delving into a bit more. From other articles I got the impression they detections where initially not that strong.

2024-07-25 14:49:29

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specifically the kubernetes / docker stuff didn't work. I tried the normal support channel and I only got bullshit answers.

2024-07-25 14:48:05

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it doesn't work is why. I and other people have tried. The support is also useless. So I can't list them as 'cloud providers'.

2024-07-25 14:14:59

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except then paid by german industry ;-) But otherwise indeed a bit like that.

2024-07-25 14:05:49

This was no fun to write, but over the past years, I've come to the conclusion that Gaia-X is not ever going to deliver a working European cloud, not even indirectly. But worse, its very existence, expense and prominence form a distraction that is holding us all back. It is time to abandon Gaia-X.
https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/gaia-x-is-an-expensive-distraction/

2024-07-24 21:54:32

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I thought I’d seen it all but this is marvelous :-)

2024-07-24 09:19:38

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I'm emailing you something today, would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

2024-07-24 09:17:38

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I am told it might be because of this: https://snoopfootball.com/

2024-07-23 07:39:05

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er gaat precies niets gebeuren denk ik. druk druk druk.

2024-07-23 07:31:55

Dutch military intelligence & security agency #MIVD is supposed to notify people it inadvertently targeted for interception. Such a notification has to be sent 5 years after the fact. Turns out MIVD simply has not been doing this, even after having been warned years ago. https://www.ctivd.nl/actueel/nieuws/2024/07/22/index

2024-07-23 05:33:55

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cable doesn't fit!

2024-07-22 20:05:17

Using a 128GB computer to charge my toothbrush. The future is weird.

2024-07-22 10:01:16

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- hi Niklas, do you have some metadata on these amazing pictures? Which channels are combined (and how), which satellite etc? Thanks!

2024-07-21 18:32:22

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a Dutch newspaper had apparently renamed a heading yesterday already. Encircled “Biden drops out”
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/825/908/170/790/542/original/c0ab435bcba73c89.jpeg

2024-07-21 16:40:32

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thank you!

2024-07-21 16:19:31

People, earlier today I saw a picture of a guy on a ladder with a keyboard attempting to remove the bad #crowdstrike update from a ceiling mounted display. But I can't find that photo anymore, does anyone recognize this? Thanks!

2024-07-21 10:18:01

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you never get a backlog this way. Not saying it is good but to people minding numbers it is great.

2024-07-20 23:06:08

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mastodon mvp!