Ian Betteridge

Journalist, anecdontalist. I work for the company. But don't let that fool you, I'm really an okay guy. There is no future in England's dreaming.

Public Key

npub1erap4682zshw95w6hnc0f2t0920uklhjasrruy72wrrmxnas7mcs8udqkm

NIP-05 Address

ianb_at_mastodon.well.com@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsv37s6ar4pgthz68dteu8549hj487t0mewcp37z098p3anf7c0dugpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qfrs5uq

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

Author Public Key

npub1erap4682zshw95w6hnc0f2t0920uklhjasrruy72wrrmxnas7mcs8udqkm

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Last Notes

2024-08-19 11:48:06

Hey maybe I should check out what Twitter is doing with open source these days I mean Musk promised to... oh.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/988/520/997/157/362/original/76a5d7de5eff5cbe.png
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/988/521/435/646/421/original/e1a2f98739a32319.png

2024-08-15 18:01:22

I've been talking for quite a while about the existential threat to publishers represented by Google's move into AI, and this is one of the reasons why: no publisher can actually opt out of having their data scraped, which, as Joe Raggazzo says, represents a choice: "You drop out and you die immediately, or you partner with them and you probably just die slowly"
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-15/google-s-search-dominance-leaves-sites-little-choice-on-ai-scraping

2024-08-11 18:43:33

If you want a glimpse into the minds of the sexist old men who still take up far too much space in the IT industry, you could just read the comments on this article. Or if you would rather not make yourself angry, don't.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/09/core_python_developer_suspended_coc/?td=rt-3a

2024-08-11 17:23:50

Richard Dawkins is a lying bigot.
https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/richard-dawkins-lied-about-the-algerian

2024-08-11 07:45:44

Pro-tip for Twitter leavers on whatever platform you end up on (including this one): be quick on the block. For example, I tend to block single-issue accounts fast - accounts that only post on one topic, over and over, usually at people they aren't following.

2024-08-05 20:52:06

I am speed-reading through the second half of the Google search defaults judgement and boy, it's damning.
Related unintended consequence: Mozilla may well be toast.

2024-08-04 14:47:44

I just don’t know how we’ve ended up in this situation
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/904/297/790/406/084/original/03f72beac304b11a.jpeg

2024-08-04 13:27:42

What a surprise, Linehan is backing the fash
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/903/983/055/156/252/original/4dea0e0c58bdd77b.jpeg

2024-08-04 13:18:55

Hey remember when the Tories reviewed the Prevent strategy against radicalisation and decided the far right wasn’t that much of a threat?
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2022/05/17/prevent-programme-too-focused-on-right-wing-extremism--report/

2024-08-03 07:20:27

I paid for a month of Twitter subscription as I'm writing a piece on the current state of Twitter and wanted to have a poke around. Cancelled the recurring sub of course (and once I'm done I think I'll just delete the account). But the great thing about it is as payment is done through Stripe it's (1) very easy to cancel, and (2) you get to put in a reason for cancellation.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/896/876/489/005/887/original/cd8c5892c20d4ed5.png

2024-08-01 18:46:15

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@npub1ccz…7l0l Oh lord I hadn't head "mango Mussolini" before. That's brilliant.

2024-08-01 15:38:14

Ha ha ha. Ha
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/887/509/468/121/088/original/f3101d970c01b923.png

2024-07-30 06:01:29

Pete Souza was not kicked off Twitter for posting a picture of Trump’s ear.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-A3yZiObH6/?igsh=MXVieGEybzhpdDczaw==

2024-07-28 17:04:11

Can anyone think of any circumstance where consolidating companies and removing competition lead to better service and more investment over the long term? Because I can't. Let's hope Labour don't fall for this guff.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/28/vodafone-says-labour-must-let-it-merge-with-three-uk-to-deliver-nationwide-5g

2024-07-28 11:34:01

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@npub16u7…uend That's... what? How? I AM BAMBOOZLE

2024-07-28 10:01:10

I don't know who originally made this, but they are a genius.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/863/534/575/008/628/original/a5e4305951cc5523.jpeg

2024-07-27 15:10:25

Whoever originally made this, you are a genius.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/859/086/788/101/428/original/a8fac415319e5072.jpeg

2024-07-27 13:51:15

Will Dario Amodei be facing 35 years in prison for this illegal scraping of data, as Aaron Swartz did when he scraped JSTOR?
https://www.ft.com/content/07611b74-3d69-4579-9089-f2fc2af61baa

2024-07-25 16:40:20

So let me get this straight… Musk wants to milk $5bn from the publicly traded company that he owns less than 20% of into a private company he owns 80% of? https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-24/musk-asks-x-followers-if-tesla-should-sink-5-billion-into-xai

2024-07-24 09:29:52

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@npub16u7…uend Wait, Iceland can be in the EEA and not adopt all EU rules? Someone needs to tell the Brexiters that... :)

2024-07-21 20:50:40

Hey, all of you. Especially *you* there, lurking at the back. I just wanted to say every single one of you is remarkable, and wonderful, and worthy of respect and love. No caveats. No buts.

2024-07-21 18:48:26

Tempted to hot take on what happens now? Read this first. All of it.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/20/biden-democratic-convention-nominee-rules-00169821

2024-07-21 07:57:26

Expect this line to be swallowed up as “proof" by the usual suspects that closed platforms are good and government regulation is bad.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/microsoft-tech-outage-role-crowdstrike-50917b90?st=pkas1bzrhcoj0os&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/823/411/875/982/666/original/e10eded537c66ef3.png

2024-07-21 07:54:27

The scary bit of this is that CrowdStrike only affected 1% of all Windows PCs, and yet had such an impact. What would a real cyberattack look like – one that, say, took out 5% of PCs?
https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/07/20/helping-our-customers-through-the-crowdstrike-outage/

2024-07-20 11:38:04

The current New Yorker cover is pretty much on the nose
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/818/617/150/535/200/original/865c0a41c7b8cd1c.png

2024-07-19 15:28:50

Ha ha ha no
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/813/862/395/695/200/original/b13322d4fcc37274.jpeg

2024-07-19 14:05:18

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@npub1nfl…7t3d TBF this is not Windows fault. The exact same thing could have happened with CrowdStrike Falcon deployed on Linux (and from what I'm told, this three weeks ago also affected the Linux version).

2024-07-19 13:57:28

Wait, this was THREE WEEKS AGO?
https://www.thestack.technology/crowdstrike-bug-maxes-out-100-of-cpu-requires-windows-reboots/

2024-07-19 11:40:26

Great thread (as always) from Joan. One of the most obvious flaws in this generation of Rich Tech Guys is their hopeless overconfidence in their own knowledge and ability, and absolute reluctance to admit that they know nothing much about anything other than term sheets and multipliers. Plus of course, they *never* have to think macro simply because their aim isn't to create longterm successful businesses – it's to sell out at a good multiplier asap. https://mastodon.social/@Daojoan/112812829826680674

2024-07-19 10:50:39

No idea who made this, but whoever it was – I salute you
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/812/768/384/899/508/original/8a7b4a1de1d07a97.jpeg

2024-07-19 10:49:07

Can you imagine if the code which bricked all those PCs turns out to have been generated by GitHub Copilot or another LLM coding tool?

2024-07-19 10:11:52

Joe is an early contender for the "Understatement of the Year" award
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/812/615/834/583/298/original/e97de8e8122e25f2.png

2024-07-19 09:22:33

Siri, show me what happens when you let billionaires own social media platforms. https://www.threads.net/@gtconway3dg/post/C9lI3wkJqNA

2024-07-19 08:58:57

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@npub1q0f…rdcz I’m not too deep into Catstodon at this point.

2024-07-19 08:49:33

Summary of how social media is performing over the CrowdStrike BSOD:
Bluesky: Crickets, because not enough people are on
Mastodon: Deep tech analysis from people currently doing front line support
Twitter: Fake screenshots from Crytpobros
Threads: Three day old content
Facebook: Look at my cat!

2024-07-19 08:27:19

Twitter – predictably – is full of obviously fake images of BSOD’s purporting to be from various companies/places, and of course poorly trained journalists are lapping them up and claiming they’re real. These ones have made it into the Guardian Live Blog.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/812/204/954/666/271/original/dfa3ed622e816a87.png

2024-07-17 20:25:17

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@npub1qw5…037m We're now at the part where Roger Moore is in a jacuzzi and his hairpiece slightly moving with the steam .

2024-07-17 20:15:03

My post about "View to a Kill" appears to be the most controversial thing I have said for some time.

2024-07-17 18:26:21

Yep.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/803/235/823/184/062/original/aa09478a245a9ec6.jpeg

2024-07-17 17:08:22

Weirdly, people are following my Threads account from the fediverse. I mean, I don't mind – that's why I turned support on – but the only thing I post there that I don't post here is replies to other Threads accounts.

2024-07-16 12:11:16

The dumbest timeline
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/796/098/614/931/485/original/f56ae103524761c2.jpeg

2024-07-12 16:48:03

What do we think Musk can fail at next?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-07-12/musk-s-x-falls-short-on-promises-of-new-video-shows

2024-07-12 16:44:40

What's the odds that this will recommend quite a large number of Amazon-brand products?
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/12/amazon-ai-chatbot-rufus-is-now-live-for-all-u-s-customers/?guccounter=1

2024-07-03 21:26:27

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@npub1c0m…xqjl Relatable.

2024-07-01 18:27:22

Book of the day: Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here

2024-06-30 12:23:48

It seems strange to say “I wish I could have my time again” when I haven’t finished having my time yet.

2024-06-30 11:22:32

Jesus. The EPA discovered that Apple was:
- illegally treating hazardous waste
- illegally transporting hazardous waste
- illegally dumping hazardous waste into the ambient air outside the facility (into the apartment windows)
- leaving stockpiles of chemicals unattended on weekends
Thread here: https://bsky.app/profile/ashleygjovik.bsky.social/post/3kvpour3mba2u

2024-06-24 14:25:57

This is great - a look at the Apple PenLite, the pen-based Mac that lost out to Newton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc-QRgpUIqU&t=417s

2024-06-23 10:40:12

This is just absolute madness. https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/workforce/more-than-80-of-gp-locums-cannot-find-work-bma-survey-finds/

2024-06-21 19:05:35

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Also worth noting: Apple had already said Apple Intelligence was US English only till next year. Which makes this whole thing even more of an obvious attempt to fight its case in the court of public opinion, rather than the actual courts.

2024-06-21 18:09:03

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I absolutely guarantee that people are going to swallow this "well you can't make Apple Intelligence work thanks to the DMA!!" line without actually asking any questions about what it violates, because "well Apple said it and they don't lie evah"

2024-06-21 18:01:03

So, Apple, which bits of the DMA does Apple Intelligence violate? Because unless you can actually tell us - which case we clearly have a bit of a problem with some of the claims you've made about how it works - or you're talking bullshit, and just trying to get some leverage with the EU. Which is it Tim?
https://www.ft.com/content/360751cb-7a22-48e0-9b00-6a30ff41dcfe

2024-06-21 17:35:22

I suppose one good thing about the coverage of Farage in this election is he gets to basically show that he's a traitor.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/21/russia-was-provoked-into-ukraine-war-claims-nigel-farage

2024-06-11 16:36:33

Musk really is stupid.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/10/elon-musk-threatens-to-ban-apple-devices-from-his-companies-over-apples-chatgpt-integrations/

2024-06-09 14:27:59

This is your occasional reminder that the biggest creators and spreaders of lies, misinformation, and general bullshit remains human beings, not LLMs.

2024-06-08 10:18:16

Hey Mastodonians, just wanted to say you're all good and I hope you have a lovely day.

2024-06-08 09:50:32

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@npub1hpc…hjn3 Loukas, I am stealing that joke :)

2024-06-08 09:45:43

Ah, I see the Tories are promising to reverse the ULEZ expansion that formed a key part of Sadiq Khan's election platform. An election he won with an 11% lead over his ULEZ-opposing Tory rival. Good to see they believe in local people having their say.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/07/tories-pledge-to-reverse-ulez-expansion-and-limit-20mph-roads-in-wales

2024-06-08 09:35:07

I think this is about my fourth round of AI hype to varying levels, dating back to when I was doing a PhD on the implications of Kant's philosophy of mind for artificial intelligence. I find it *hilarious* that we have invented another term – AGI – simply so hypesters can use "AI" for odd bits of machine learning that they know will never actually amount to genuine intelligence.

2024-06-08 09:19:36

Not content with turning on Ian Dunt for the hideous crime of criticising her mate Kemi Badenoch, the Queen of the Transphobes has decided she gets to define who is and is not a lesbian. And guess what, if you're a lesbian who supports trans rights, you're not a "real" one.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/06/jk-rowling-called-homophobic-for-blaming-trans-support-on-women-who-snog-other-women/

2024-06-07 14:59:02

No.
https://mastodon.well.com/system/media_attachments/files/112/575/925/077/260/062/original/90a47f0f8e368aab.jpeg

2024-06-07 14:06:32

I have to say that it's quite fun seeing Adobe, who have been "customer hostile" for quite some time, finally being taught they are no longer going to get the benefit of the doubt from people who have had enough of big tech.
https://9to5mac.com/2024/06/07/adobe-terms-clarified/