Thomas 🔭✨

Maker of nokotime.com • I killed Flash (with scriptaculous) • #astrophotography, #retrocomputing, #cats •
BLM. Ally. He/Him.

I've been on Mastodon since 2017, but recently migrated here.

GitHub: https://github.com/madrobby
Astrophotography: https://lightfrom.space/
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thomasfuchs.at

Public Key

npub1k54nmnfcvazr3qdmpt6h2nqukw6278cnmp6uyj20txs9yw3t70hshcu70r

NIP-05 Address

thomasfuchs_at_hachyderm.io@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqst22eae5uxw3pcsxas4at4fswt8d90rufasawzf984ngzj8g4l8mcprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wdmksetjv5hxxmmddlr7du

Publishing to

relay.noswhere.com

Author Public Key

npub1k54nmnfcvazr3qdmpt6h2nqukw6278cnmp6uyj20txs9yw3t70hshcu70r

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Last Notes

2024-08-15 19:16:20

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Probably they feel even worse.
JD Vance has somehow managed to be less popular than Sarah Palin.

2024-08-10 21:36:22

They played “My Heart Will Go On” at a Trump rally?
Did they not spend like 3 seconds to research in what context that song is used?
What’s next, the “Hurt” Johnny Cash cover?

2024-07-08 19:04:50

Really quite different schools of thought behind these two remotes.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/752/426/118/272/076/original/24c6f9b600003e54.jpeg

2024-07-08 00:51:08

Whether it’s “AIs will reach human levels of intelligence soon” or “Biden is too old”, it’s really amazing how easily masses of people are manipulated by weapons-grade bullshit.
It’s like people crave nothing more in their lives than to be victims of scammers.

2024-07-06 12:52:38

Making my morning coffee and my coffee machine crashed.
We live in a Philip K. Dick novel.

2024-07-05 02:13:42

Apollo program software engineer lead Margaret Hamilton standing next to a printout of bullshit opinion pieces from the New York Times
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/731/463/089/431/013/original/57d3727de30140ff.jpeg

2024-07-04 16:37:51

One of the things the colonists complained about in the Declaration of Independence is that the King paid judges
Can't make this shit up

2024-07-03 15:28:28

UK followers, please go vote even if it seems to be clear what will happen.
Predictions of landslide victories cause voter fatigue and can skew the result people actually want because many stay away from voting.
Show up in droves.

2024-07-03 03:33:50

It’s wild that Kodak had a mobile games console out in 1999 that can run DOOM and it actually plays well
(Not photoshopped, this is full-ass DOOM running on a Kodak DC290 digital camera. With sound.)
#doom #retrogaming
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/720/453/670/250/853/original/e38e7610d96cec90.jpeg

2024-07-02 19:05:04

Wanna feel old (Atari edition): USB was released closer in time to when SIO was released than to today

2024-07-01 15:24:06

Every time I post about LLMs being useless (because they can't think) people reply with "but it works for me".
No, it doesn't work for you. That's the point.
You can't know when it's lying or being subtly wrong, unless you do the work yourself to research if what it's saying is actually correct.
If you say "I always check" why use the LLM in the first place? Now it's double the work. (Of course no one actually does the checking, they only say they do.)

2024-07-01 02:05:38

Users: “Please don’t drown kittens”
Startup (nods): “We will review signal at T+7 if drowning kittens has negative engagement metrics velocity and prioritize actionating product pivots according to stakeholder asks.”

2024-06-30 02:54:22

As an immigrant to the US watching what’s playing out politically right now I can only deduce that Americans seem to be extremely horny for a catastrophe

2024-06-29 22:55:13

I remember reading about a way to restore/rejuvenate sticky "rubber" coatings on old gadgets (like 90s/early 2000s laptops and cameras)? Anyone have an idea?
(I'm specifically looking to rejuvenate, _not_ to remove the coating.)

2024-06-28 13:37:38

https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/694/516/339/371/160/original/0c0ea291fbc21fc1.jpeg

2024-06-28 04:18:36

Ah yes, all the people trying to decide if voting for a convicted rapist and felon who incited an insurrection and stole nuclear secrets is the sensible thing to do.
Maybe it’s something in the water?

2024-06-27 03:25:09

Is no one at Apple using fast user switching anymore? It's completely broken on my wife's M1 MacBook Pro with latest macOS.
Like I'm talking spinning beachball of death stops spinning for a while broken.

2024-06-27 03:13:24

It's funny how "sentient AI" is always like 18 months away since the 1950s

2024-06-26 01:02:54

This applies to every life situation, offline or online: "Your culture is the shittiest person you don't ban."
(via https://bsky.app/profile/holophrastic.bsky.social/post/3kvs3ghatm22f(

2024-06-25 18:04:38

MAME is 27 years old, that's way older than the machines MAME emulated when it got started

2024-06-25 17:00:08

It makes no sense how well DOOM runs on this camera from 1999 (Kodak DC265).
It actually plays surprisingly well too, the d-pad is responsive, shooting and opening doors is done with the zoom lever.
#retrocomputing #retrogaming #doom #digitalcamera
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/678/324/114/996/300/original/9f39ebfa9ac97ad9.mp4

2024-06-25 03:18:06

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Looking at you, Youtubers who research this stuff.
(This is a great video btw and you should watch it!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gCZZkBATSc

2024-06-25 03:16:41

If you find obscure software in the depths of the Wayback Machne, please upload them properly to archive.org as well to make it easier to find; just did wtih DOOMD (DOOM port for a bunch of digital cameras from the late 90s/early 2000s). https://archive.org/details/doomd_202406

2024-06-24 13:49:56

I still can’t get over that “HTML-first” is a thing now after shouting this into the abyss for the last 15 years.
My theory is that Big Tech came up with frameworks like React and “best practices” and whatnot and worked hard to open source and devrel’d them—to make it really hard for anyone to create competiting products by drowning developers in bullshit.

2024-06-22 13:54:32

GPT-5 will have high student debt and face a volatile job market with a high chance of getting exploited
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/660/609/023/993/833/original/5e9df101493358bb.jpeg

2024-06-22 03:17:18

Hi, if you want to “save children”, instead of performative bullshit how about you ban guns, make paid parental leave mandatory, have single-payer healthcare for everyone, provide free daycare and kindergarten, ban corporal punishment at schools, make higher education free and make food free at schools.

2024-06-21 02:29:23

These will be 30 years old next year
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/652/252/548/882/172/original/4a41750ea0b4f596.jpeg

2024-06-20 16:19:58

The Washington Post has an article out about “why you don’t need air conditioning” and first of all, fuck the Washington Post and secondly fuck the Washington Post. Thirdly, fuck the Washington Post.

2024-06-20 13:55:31

It's fascinating how people who are conservative politically also tend to like generative imagery (and confuse it with art).
It's as if they're obsessed with mediocrity and want midness at any cost.

2024-06-19 22:36:35

Whatever you think about spray painting Stonehenge: it did work to get climate change into the news

2024-06-18 04:22:42

Such surprise
Very shocker
Much unexpected
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-image-brand-backlash-1235040371/

2024-06-16 13:43:09

Wonder why this hasn't sold yet, the listing has been on eBay for years #retrocomputing #facepalm
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/626/587/568/827/110/original/ae26cc643338b732.png

2024-06-15 14:15:27

I'm feeling extremely 90's today
#retrogaming
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/621/048/469/548/484/original/ead9221bdf98b519.png
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/621/048/829/729/310/original/2f850d310e5f6c31.jpeg

2024-06-15 13:47:29

Reading the morning newspaper
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/620/945/062/480/711/original/fb0ec2f9154c898a.jpeg

2024-06-15 04:59:24

Don’t forget to…
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/618/868/621/450/022/original/a405cb4b5ef4bc20.jpeg

2024-06-14 22:14:07

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#retrogaming
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/617/274/923/143/367/original/b612c3398e6c66c4.jpeg

2024-06-14 21:22:08

🐒 🏝️ Finally, was looking for this for so long for a not completely overblown price! #retrogaming
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/617/070/531/807/880/original/fdbe0ed65ddc91e7.jpeg

2024-06-14 03:07:46

This weekend is VCF Southwest.
And VCF can go fuck themselves for, again, inviting David Murray (he runs a large #retrocomputing YouTube channel and he is a Sandy Hook-truther and gun fanatic) to speak.
And no, I'm not going to stop speaking out about this shit. Because enablers are just as bad as the perps.
(I will block you if you bothsides this shit in my replies.)

2024-06-13 16:09:55

Meanwhile...
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/610/176/651/563/354/original/c4c847a59ff2ce43.jpg

2024-06-12 01:45:57

RIP Lynn Conway, what a legend
https://news.engin.umich.edu/2024/06/the-legacy-of-lynn-conway-chip-design-pioneer-and-transgender-rights-advocate/

2024-06-10 16:45:35

Don’t stop at AI, make the Internet opt-in too
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/593/333/821/833/187/original/9d9c31a6f4283d16.jpeg

2024-06-10 15:49:35

My wishlist for WWDC:
- Admit defeat on the largely failed iPhone experiment and instead replace it with new Newton devices
- Announcement of a transition back to the PowerPC architecture
- New iPods

2024-06-10 03:31:04

If you’re a vaporwave musician and want some publicity, release your next song on Newton Flash Storage https://hachyderm.io/@thomasfuchs/112590194931282523

2024-06-09 21:06:57

Please mail and call your reps and ask for a ceasefire. This slaughter isn’t going to end without international pressure.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/09/like-the-horrors-of-judgment-day-palestinians-on-israels-hostage-rescue

2024-06-09 13:57:59

Me: "Eyewitness reports say Israel dressed as civilians and aid workers for the hostage rescue operation; which is a war crime under the Geneva convention article 37 (1) c. [and other sections]"
Them: "We need irrefutable proof! This is hear-say!"
Me: "Israel has a history of disguising soldiers as non-combatants, here's a video of some dressed up as doctors raiding a hospital with assault rifles earlier this year."
Them: "This makes no sense to me, therefore you must be wrong."

2024-06-08 17:52:28

Fantastic to see some people acknowledge that maybe AI is bullshit.
I’ll let you in on a secret: almost anything the tech industry comes up with is bullshit.

2024-06-07 02:05:55

Will be interesting to see if they let them land with the obviously defective capsule.
It would be Very Bad™ for Boeing and NASA if they decide to let them and something happens (obviously also bad for astronauts).
https://hachyderm.io/@thomasfuchs/112572855335942200

2024-06-06 04:21:02

So a while ago eBay introduced AI-generated descriptions, which works exactly as well as you’d expect: not at all.
The main effect has been that descriptions on eBay from private sellers are now largely useless as they don’t bother to write anything themselves but let AI write empty paragraphs of absolute midness that don’t tell you anything.

2024-06-02 17:03:55

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I have to give my dog LocalTalk every day

2024-06-01 03:47:48

Looking for the CD-ROM for the Veo Photo Traveler for Pocket PC, couldn’t find it online (but found a photo of the CD!)
These are drivers for a digital camera that’s attached to a Pocket PC CF card from 2002.
Anyone have this CD and can make an ISO or knows where to find it online?
(Please RT)
#retrocomputing #shittycamerachallenge
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/539/314/723/927/746/original/ffa610641f7c0be8.jpeg

2024-05-31 22:09:45

They are hoping that the flaws of LLMs will negate the flaws of their pagerank algorithm https://vmst.io/@jalefkowit/112537940416316139

2024-05-30 21:58:13

I… uhm…
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/532/277/773/933/023/original/72a49ce5f97250ca.jpeg

2024-05-28 04:46:42

I hate when that happens
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/516/897/039/710/174/original/41b24a231f4d5b84.jpeg

2024-05-27 04:22:11

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wait there’s people who acknowledge, apologize for and correct a bad thing they did instead of doubling down

2024-05-26 23:34:21

PSA: There’s images and videos of war atrocities going around.
Reminder that looking at these can seriously and permanently harm your mental health.
You’re not helping anyone by traumatizing yourself.

2024-05-26 17:14:48

Petition for Kissinger to die again, we could use good news

2024-05-26 13:59:09

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yes, and they never index anything you write on the internet and you never email anyone who's using gmail and you never use a browser that has google code in it and you never use websites that use google analytics or google fonts and you never [...]

2024-05-26 13:29:15

“Just don’t use Google!” Is like saying “just don’t inhale the pollution from cars”

2024-05-26 02:33:38

Wonder how long it will take for “to google something” to disappear from the language…
…or maybe it will take up a meaning of “utterly destroying a useful thing for sheer greed”.

2024-05-25 17:16:27

Just sayin’ it’s nice to see one of the big AI players saying out loud what I’ve been saying: generative AI is fundamentally broken and cannot be fixed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://futurism.com/the-byte/ceo-google-ai-hallucinations

2024-05-23 13:41:52

1980s: Personal computers! So you don't have to use a mainframe! Independence!
2000s: Web services! So you're dependent on a handful of mainframes! Annoying if one is offline, but you can still get stuff done.
2020s: AI! So you're dependent on a single mainframe that serves everyone world-wide! Too bad if it goes down.

2024-05-23 02:42:39

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120 294 533 585 1600 2600

2024-05-22 16:14:28

USA! USA! USA!
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/485/627/651/203/908/original/09ba4330d522ec42.jpeg

2024-05-22 14:23:21

tag yourself
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/485/182/727/198/034/original/abfc341624bc85ca.jpg

2024-05-22 03:07:06

Can we turn the tech industry off and on again

2024-05-21 00:07:37

OpenAI just outright stole Scarlett Johansson’s voice.
Microsoft is a major investor in theft.
If you work there, you enable this.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/476/163/482/157/221/original/6be76de237ba531c.jpeg

2024-05-19 18:56:03

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wondering what AC doesn’t have a thermostat (usually for self-protection so coils don’t freeze)

2024-05-19 17:52:38

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https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/469/026/644/261/349/original/054cace104d33b29.jpeg

2024-05-19 17:13:51

Rien Ne Peut Battre Mon
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/468/874/142/316/251/original/cdadcf2a4855b676.jpeg

2024-05-19 03:59:07

The AI hype sometimes reminds me of 1970s foods.
People actually thought dishes like “Avocado Jelly Waldorf with Mayonnaise” were decent and a good idea.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/465/749/146/436/870/original/ff7ee6821e71d069.jpeg

2024-05-18 03:11:21

Wonder how hard it would be to train a LLM to generate plausible sounding answers for Stack Overflow questions but using any of the code will generate the Never Gonna Give You Up lyrics

2024-05-18 01:42:44

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They’re doubling down on victim blaming.
Seriously, bend over backwards and stick your head up your ass until you disppear.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/459/550/575/379/169/original/da7f8c8720274798.jpeg

2024-05-17 00:18:14

Still can’t believe I can make images like this from my driveway
(125h LHaRGB combination)
#astrophotography
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/453/555/974/276/386/original/ea5673d75598827f.jpeg

2024-05-15 20:16:07

Gonna go on a Mastodon sabbatical because I'm getting dogpiled on.
Someone even stalked me by email.
Stalked me. To let me know I'm "abusive".
Fuck that.

2024-05-15 01:59:44

If you’re working at Microsoft or Google—why?
They’re ruining the web. They’re raping privacy. They’re fucking over small businesses. They’re squeezing their customers. They’re profiteering from police brutality, wars and genocide.
Why are you working there?

2024-05-15 01:03:34

Some photons that I recently trapped on my driveway
Galaxies in Markarian's Chain
#astrophotography
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/442/409/792/238/922/original/9f8c477ce8e0b58f.jpg

2024-05-14 16:55:16

Looks like the Handspring Visor had various expansion modules, like memory, a modem, a camera, a cellular phone and… floss. #retrocomputing
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/440/489/218/429/342/original/b163c5e3cef0dbd8.jpeg
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/440/489/582/037/564/original/8f0a4d91769b5a29.jpeg

2024-05-14 01:31:57

It needs to be illegal yesterday for healthcare companies to use any 3rd-party cookies or trackers whatsoever.
If they want error tracking and analytics they can have on-prem stuff and pay an IT department for.
https://mastodon.world/@davidpwhelan/112435701549798680

2024-05-14 00:36:39

Wire gauge Cookie scoop sizes
🤝
Incomprehensible

2024-05-13 17:00:44

#bloomscrolling
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/434/848/745/729/597/original/4b1a4c7341604d15.jpeg

2024-05-13 14:43:45

It's so frustrating that so many people in tech just take of all of these things that come from tech giants and think they're "ideas" that should be "tested for their merits".
My child, these tech giants only want one thing, and it's disgusting: shareholder value.
They don't care about you. They don't care about the Internet. They don't care about the community. They don't even care about technology.
https://hachyderm.io/@thomasfuchs/112434287233948038

2024-05-13 14:29:13

Really fantastic work to give in to COVID deniers and antivaxxers, with absolutely no long term consequences
(If you don't know, H5N1 has ~50% fatality rate.)
(via https://bsky.app/profile/octocryptid.bsky.social/post/3kseq2usc4c2b)
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/434/248/949/136/427/original/9fb30fb5feb82222.jpg

2024-05-12 18:29:04

Thought oh no someone dropped a pig trough on the road accidentally but then realized I just saw my first CyberTruck in the wild

2024-05-12 14:04:20

Happy Mothra's Day!
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/428/485/853/467/832/original/46419d363113c544.png

2024-05-11 19:00:53

As a European I can assure you that #Eurovision is for many Europeans the most political thing they do all year.
It’s a proxy for many a historical rivalry and friendship between countries; and also always reflects current events.
The claim it’s “apolitical” is laughable.
The implosion they’re experiencing is their own fault.

2024-05-11 04:38:14

Just typical southwestern US desert things like Auroras
#astrophotography #aurora #desert
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/420/601/652/130/263/original/902605c1e59f26c7.jpeg
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/420/603/025/894/128/original/157a8187ed4e5426.jpeg
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/420/604/407/467/821/original/261cb800c33786cf.jpeg

2024-05-11 01:57:09

Petition to rename Internet “cookies” into “ticks”

2024-05-11 00:35:51

For whoever needs to hear this (Mother’s Day is approaching): you don’t owe your parents any deference.
If you have a good relationship with them, that’s ok.
If you don’t, that’s also ok.
Take care of yourself.
❤️

2024-05-10 16:26:27

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lots of those around here, many small businesses get them because you literally can’t buy a small pickup truck anymore plus AZ weather makes cars last long

2024-05-10 04:07:12

Go die in a fire, Stack Overflow
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/414/820/094/116/075/original/70002d9c0220b36e.jpeg

2024-05-09 21:34:56

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🍿

2024-05-09 18:01:03

Low-key thinking the Crush! ad for the iPad Pro is revenge for people not giving a fuck about the Vision Pro

2024-05-09 14:49:43

Gonna enjoy a bananum for breakfast
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/411/684/373/262/093/original/84cc19b892250656.jpeg

2024-05-09 01:30:55

“In a year from now, AI will be sentient”
Yeah no
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/408/543/302/655/207/original/c5e617b9bb6eeb27.jpeg

2024-05-08 21:44:58

Fuck you, Stack Overflow https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/stack-overflow-bans-users-en-masse-for-rebelling-against-openai-partnership-users-banned-for-deleting-answers-to-prevent-them-being-used-to-train-chatgpt

2024-05-08 01:37:29

It would be terrible and unethical if anyone automated an LLM that feeds deliberately wrong answers back to sites that steal user content and sell it to AI companies, so they choke on it.
No one should ever do this. It would be very wrong.

2024-05-06 16:49:40

via https://www.patreon.com/Lubchansky
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/395/169/092/101/228/original/b07fadd4945f5530.jpeg

2024-05-06 14:41:51

Israel is now bombing Rafah.
With weapons that our reps decided to buy with your taxpayer money to give to American "defense" contractors who profiteer from it.
Just as an example, Raytheon's stock price increased 50% since October 2023.
It's really worth to set babies on fire for that sweet, sweet shareholder value!

2024-05-06 04:38:59

“I have invented a random number generator that companies put into everything. Banks might use it to generate your account balance. Doctors might use it to choose prescription strengths. My random number generator is inevitable. Society will have to navigate it.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwerner/2024/05/03/sam-altman-answers-the-burning-questions-about-ai-bias-privacy-etc/?n=@&sh=4272773d565d

2024-05-05 20:22:13

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I think she means people who hide behind the retro stuff and completely ignore the world today (and thus enable bad things)