Koen Hufkens, PhD

Founder of BlueGreen Labs | addressing #climatechange through data driven methods in #ecology #remotesensing #phenology #foodsecurity

#rstats developer | #academic omnivore | move fast and fix things | personal account | #politics, #science & #foss software | he / him

There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
- Leonard Cohen

Public Key

npub1vcuwztxf0h2pvspa0m59xpa72g3ejvvqwm4a9t8t5xj0pjk74dgs8vgcu3

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koen_hufkens@mastodon-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsxvw8p9nyhm4qkgq7ha6znq7l9yguexxq8d67j4n46rf8set02k5gpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqgkwaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8qunfd4skctnwv46qtudzfh

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relay.nostr.band

relay.primal.net

Author Public Key

npub1vcuwztxf0h2pvspa0m59xpa72g3ejvvqwm4a9t8t5xj0pjk74dgs8vgcu3

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Last Notes

2025-04-07 18:31:34

Golden nugget from @nprofile…qz4x 's Attack Surface.
"A mere exchange of fluids would have been less consequential. We hadn't been practicing safe hex"
Oh my... keeps me wondering if this came about as either a shower "aha" moment or a dad joke.
#infosec #scifi #bookstodon

2025-04-02 09:44:06

Research will move elsewhere but will never fully recover I fear. There is a cost to churn.
https://www.wired.com/story/doctor-breakthrough-parkinsons-research-nih-purge/

2025-04-01 09:03:42

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@nprofile…h94j I think other factors are at play, such as distance to schools / family support etc. In the US school rankings dominate.

2025-04-01 09:02:18

"Historically, all engineering practices have tried to shift all those concerns left – to the earlier stages of development when they’re cheap to address. Yet with vibe coding, they’re shifted very far to the right – when addressing them is expensive." -- Sergey Tselovalnikov
Think before you do, not do before you think. If you are working solely in the latter framework you are pushing prototypes to production.
https://serce.me/posts/2025-31-03-there-is-no-vibe-engineering
#AI #LLM #DevOps #engineering

2025-04-01 08:48:20

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@nprofile…h94j Depends on the country I think. School selection is often poorly informed I think.

2025-04-01 08:42:37

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@nprofile…h94j Exactly. And not all that time is well invested. Probably in part why there is a mentoring deficit.

2025-04-01 08:38:20

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@nprofile…h94j My experience is that you can do lots with little in the natural sciences, too. It only requires the right people (skill set) and mindset.
I feel that much of this mindset is lost, in part because of the big grant dynamic you describe. People are conditioned to think this way. Obviously you can do more with more money.

2025-03-29 08:30:42

"Usefulness is only a byproduct of privacy invasion."
On the "The candid naivety of geeks" by @nprofile…89hy
https://ploum.net/2025-03-28-geeks-naivety.html
#tech #technology #IoT #privacy #surveillancecapitalism

2025-03-28 12:58:13

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@nprofile…args There is also a GHIBLI memecoin riding the wave. "insult to life" is on the mark.
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/03/27/studio-ghilbi-memecoins-raffle-on-ethereum-solana-as-openai-s-4o-unleashes-new-trend

2025-03-25 20:09:49

The age of authorized rinse cycles, personal gripes by @nprofile…827z @nprofile…qz4x
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/i-wont-connect-my-dishwasher-your-stupid-cloud
#enshitification #IoT

2025-03-17 13:42:09

Reading both Richard Evans "Hitler's people" on the complicity of people (and systems) during the Holocaust and @nprofile…qz4x "Attack surface" scifi techno-thriller touching on contemporary late-stage surveillance capitalism spans two sides of one hell of shit sandwich.

2025-03-16 18:04:49

Good take by @nprofile…eznj on the future of open focusing on consent rather than copyright. Litigation has always been a poor call when trying to defend anything open, however measures to safeguard anything open from being sucked dry are needed.
https://www.citationneeded.news/free-and-open-access-in-the-age-of-generative-ai/
#opendata #openscience #opensource

2025-03-13 11:31:38

So, we can traumatize people in Kenya to do content moderation, but we want to give an AI the option to skip unpleasant tasks. Gotcha. And companies are people too, oh wait.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/03/anthropics-ceo-wonders-if-future-ai-should-have-option-to-quit-unpleasant-tasks/
#humanrights #ai #dystopia

2025-03-12 21:43:02

If someone needs to backup all USDA SNOTEL data (as climate adjacent) and therefore "reasons", here is gist using my {snotelr} #rstats package.
https://gist.github.com/khufkens/b13b28068ddfd8a20d130abe2c95d49a
#USDA #opendata #openscience #climatedata

2025-03-12 21:31:00

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@nprofile…sa3n Be as it may, fighting with one arm tied on their back hardly seems an optimal strategy (regardless of the "team" being intact).

2025-03-12 21:20:23

DOGE working as expected.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/doges-extremely-severe-ftc-cuts-prompt-request-to-delay-amazon-trial/

2025-03-10 11:19:08

With the disappearance of US green card holder Mahmoud Khalil we finally passed the threshold of the current administration flaunting due process in a very dangerous way - limiting first amendment rights (freedom of speech).

2025-03-06 16:23:12

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@nprofile…zkr2 @nprofile…4kmp Yep. The younger generations doing the socials don't know their earlier internet culture and memes anymore.

2025-02-27 19:27:28

"I would estimate that writing the initial code for a feature is about 25% of the total work involved for that feature. The rest is maintenance..."
"... some developers seem perfectly capable of writing a large amount of complex code, but appear to have little appreciation for maintenance considerations."
Excellent blog post on the true cost of software maintenance.
https://www.construct.net/en/blogs/ashleys-blog-2/reality-long-term-software-1892
#FOSS #opensource #maintenance

2025-02-22 17:40:10

On algorithmic complacency... and context collapse.
"I am seeing mounting evidence that an increasing number of people are so used to algorithmically-generated feeds that they no longer care to have a self-directed experience that they are in control of."
"... it feels like large swaths of people have forgotten to exercise their own agency."
by @nprofile…cvyl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJpZjg8GuA
#socialmedia #psychology #culture #context

2025-02-21 09:35:43

Does anyone know what happened with Zooniverse [citizen/community science platform]? They are reported down for two days now.
#zooniverse #citsci

2025-02-20 21:23:55

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@nprofile…qz4x His closing statement cuts deep and along the same line as the excerpt above.
"One final thing -- I've been very disturbed about this for years, but I think it's particularly important for this audience.
Please, please, stop referring to yourselves as "consumers." OK?"
2/

2025-02-20 21:21:41

I'm reading a pile of @nprofile…qz4x novels and this rings so true with respect to US and global politics.
"What he wanted, though, was to be a citizen. A citizen of The Magic—which wasn’t a Magic Kingdom, since kingdoms didn’t have citizens, they had subjects." - from Makers by Cory Doctorow
which links to a TED talk, from the time they could be edgy, by James Howard Kunstler on urbanism.
https://www.ted.com/talks/james_howard_kunstler_the_ghastly_tragedy_of_the_suburbs
1/

2025-02-19 18:24:13

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@nprofile…qz4x Nicely put. I also have this feeling when comparing a live session with a studio album. The former often is better by a margin, because of this visceral in the moment feeling that even translates to a permanent medium. It is the difference between an studio album being good, while the live session recordings can be hair raising.

2025-02-16 10:51:31

Open source maintainers face an increasing burden and burnout issues. This is unsustainable. At BlueGreen Labs we use the simple rule that, unless it is a bug, requests for immediate changes to our open source contributions merit a service contract.
One does not have the right to claim time for what amounts to be a you problem (and this includes reviewing pull requests). Maintaining open source is about maintaining these boundaries.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/16/open_source_maintainers_state_of_open/
#opensource #FOSS #burnout

2025-02-14 12:48:24

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@nprofile…eu3n @nprofile…js0s Adding to this the increasing poisoning of the well. This will work out just fine.

2025-02-14 08:27:25

Always wondered about this, and PFAS for that matter.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/13/us-wildfire-suppressants-toxic-study
#wildfire #suppressant

2025-02-13 16:54:59

`Are PhDs losing their lustre? Why fewer students are enrolling in doctoral degrees`
In many countries a PhD ends you with: poor pay, poor mentoring, poor work-life balance, no noticeable edge on others in the job market in the end (and about >200K in lost income - see poor pay).
Personally I don't (fully) regret my research career, but I made sure to have fun on the way. Many are not in this privileged position.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00425-4
@nprofile…xjc6
#AcademicChatter #academia

2025-02-13 11:09:41

Remember Microsoft's 2016 Tay chat bot turning into a Nazi? We're there again.
“ChatGPT’s Political Views Are Shifting Right, a New Analysis Finds” -- from @nprofile…js0s
Causes are unknown, i.e. intentional or not, but the writing is on the wall. Suggested causes are:
"... adjustments OpenAI has made to its moderation filters for political topics ..."
"... the political viewpoints ... changing to reflect those favored by their user bases."
https://gizmodo.com/chatgpts-political-views-are-shifting-right-a-new-analysis-finds-2000562328
#AI #LLM

2025-02-12 12:30:05

Codeberg.org is under attack by right wing trolls over diversity, equity and inclusion. This is what you get when you enable the goons. They will spoil public resources.
This is a good illustration of Popper's paradox on why one should not tolerate intolerance.
https://blog.codeberg.org/we-stay-strong-against-hate-and-hatred.html
#opensource #DEI #facsism

2025-02-11 09:32:40

Currently in python dependency hell, pray for me.
#python

2025-02-10 12:03:11

New release of the {ecmwfr} R package to query the Copernicus ECMWF data store. Most prominently fixes a dynamic file renaming issue as the API returns variable formats, depending on the requested data.
https://github.com/bluegreen-labs/ecmwfr
#rstats #climatedata #opendata #package

2025-01-21 21:03:48

Instagram blocked searches for #democrats ... "Meta blamed an unspecified “issue”"
We all know what the issue is, and it ain't free speech.
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-blocked-searches-for-democrats-and-other-political-hashtags-195612128.html

2025-01-18 16:59:25

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@nprofile…92y4 @nprofile…qz4x God damn people read them for inspiration, not as a warning, it seems.

2025-01-17 21:10:26

Never comply in advance. Monetary policy is also climate policy in today's world.
https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-climate-change-36590521e1c4e75261bc732d7655f4d1

2025-01-11 21:43:44

"Some customers will happily accept a lettuce that's a little gross and liztruss if it means a discount." @nprofile…qz4x takedown of public choice theory and surveillance pricing on anything from lettuce to nurse's wages.
Also, liztruss lettuce, oh my...
https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/11/socialism-for-the-wealthy/#rugged-individualism-for-the-poor
#surveillance #surveillancecapitalism #advertising #wagetheft #

2025-01-11 11:54:12

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@nprofile…sqmt LOL, ook nog eens persoonlijke gegevens te grabbel.
"Op termijn zullen inwoners ervoor kunnen kiezen om via TamTam persoonlijke meldingen te krijgen, bijvoorbeeld wanneer hun Kids-ID bijna vervalt of hun rijbewijs klaarligt om af te halen."
Vraag me af of this GDPR en EU DSA veilig is.

2025-01-10 21:59:25

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@nprofile…qz4x @nprofile…x3af I meant as: the story line has been explored. And indeed, well written and researched. Lived near Zurich when I read it and some Swiss references were on the nose.

2025-01-10 21:32:04

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@nprofile…x3af @nprofile…qz4x Different author, that's in "The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson.

2025-01-10 10:17:53

Pretty sure that in the coming days you will see a lot of pieces stating that the 1.5C is not a hard limit after which things fall apart. Indeed, but what this does mean is a moral failure on behalf of the ruling class to do anything about this, fast.
It also means that it will be harder and harder to keep things in check, structurally and financially. The cost will be yours (as shown with the #LAfire), not for the policy laggards.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/10/world-temperature-in-2024-exceeded-15c-for-first-time
#climatecrisis #climatechange

2025-01-08 15:01:47

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@nprofile…x220 @nprofile…xjc6 This isn't even technical issue. This is a political one. This is punching down, not up. But if anything, this is what academics excel at I often feel.

2025-01-08 14:54:59

FFS work toward fixing the damn publishing system, rather than picking on pirating site created to address this issue.
But hey, the authors got one for their record, bumping that h-index.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/01/science-paper-piracy-site-sci-hub-shares-lots-of-retracted-papers/
@nprofile…xjc6
#publishing #AcademicChatter #academia #publishorperish

2025-01-08 09:25:48

Pitched a session on building your own lab with open and small tech to the Open Science Retreat 2025 by @nprofile…4aqg. Will keep you posted on where this goes.
🚨 I'm also looking for co-conveners should you have some experience on this particular topic.
Sessions are still needed, so think about how you could actively contribute if you are interested in all things open science.
https://events.digital-research.academy/event/47/
#openscience #opensource

2025-01-07 09:22:57

I knew about the editors of Journal of Human Evolution resigning (there are many reasons to do so). What I didn't know was that Elsevier used LLM edits AFTER the acceptance of a work by the editors, and unknown to them and the authors.
https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/01/05/elsevier-rewrites-academic-papers-with-ai-without-telling-editors-or-authors/
#AcademicChatter #publishing #LLM #AI #AIisdoinggreat

2025-01-02 19:12:15

If you don't kill whales (and disrupt their demography), they get old(er). Seems rather logical, but also a rather important thing to study through tagging of animals.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq3086
#whales #whaling #biodiversity

2024-12-27 20:59:39

There is something very liminal about this place where people fear a theoretical AI apocalypse while collectively ignoring a very real and ongoing climate crisis.
#climatechange #climatecrisis #AI

2024-12-21 12:07:20

Michael Moore makes SICKO free to watch after the UnitedHealthcare murder.
"The anger is 1000% justified. It is long overdue for the media to cover it. It is not new. It has been boiling. And I’m not going to tamp it down or ask people to shut up. I want to pour gasoline on that anger.
Because this anger is not about the killing of a CEO. If everyone who was angry was ready to kill the CEOs, the CEOs would already be dead."
https://www.michaelmoore.com/p/a-manifesto-against-for-profit-health

2024-12-20 12:56:58

Cancer research for the kids, NAY
Tax cuts for the rich, YAY
Thanks to Elon Musk
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/gop-cuts-child-cancer-research-funding-bill-musk-1235212295/

2024-12-19 11:26:10

The most profitable patient is one with a chronic (highly functioning) illness, not a cured one.
When I lived in the US I was always amazed by the amount of ads for painkillers and other fixes. I came to the understanding that healthcare for many was not about curing people, but about making people able to work. I've never seen so many people with chronic illnesses poorly addressed as in the US.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/goldman-asks-is-curing-patients-a-sustainable-business-model.html
#healthcare #business #LateStageCapitalism

2024-12-16 16:09:32

These days, whenever you buy something with "smart" features you are being watched. These goods are so cheap because these "smart" electronics providers are silently large data brokers.
When it is free, or laughably cheap, you are the product. This was always the case, but now more than ever. So yes, your air fryer with that funky app is listening in.
https://gizmodo.com/merry-christmas-your-new-air-fryer-is-spying-on-you-2000539195
#privacy #electronics #IoT

2024-12-16 10:30:22

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@nprofile…q54u My take on this has always been that the process is used as a filter, more than anything. Only certain institutes or consultancy companies can stomach this, so this will greatly reduce the number of potential applicants.
You see the same for tenders, where you have to make at least as much revenue to apply for a grant of the same size - so incremental growth within the system isn't possible.

2024-12-14 09:13:56

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@nprofile…mc8d It can't be completed without providing a picture ID and social security number, which it phones home. If you change anything they will send a representative with a warrant, who will look for the toy and destroy it demonstratively by stomping on it in front of your kid. That'll teach'em - little f-ckers.

2024-12-13 18:12:33

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@nprofile…hujc @nprofile…2zck @nprofile…2sha That's f-ing rough. That's a rug pull I would be far less polite about.

2024-12-13 09:35:06

Rather myopically, NZ cuts all funding to the humanities. I would argue that the challenges in our immediate future are not technological (we have the tech) but mostly social (value) based.
From the article: “The idea that somehow the economy doesn’t involve people seems to me a very strange one, ..”
The focus on the idea that a techno-fix (for the economy) would be right around the corner is exactly what got us here.
https://www.science.org/content/article/amid-cuts-basic-research-new-zealand-scraps-all-support-social-sciences
#science #funding #policy #governance #technology

2024-12-12 11:00:59

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@nprofile…gw7s @nprofile…j5l0 One can change the vocabulary. Change filing cabinet for wardrobe.

2024-12-11 15:05:03

Scathing piece on Benevolent Dictators For Life (BDFL) by @nprofile…qz4x and how they go off the rails. I can't but think about academia. Getting tenure, defacto, is gunning for being a BDFL.
If a PI finds themself "... beset by people demanding that you confront your privilege, perhaps what's changed isn't those people, but rather the amount of privilege you have."
You can easily find yourself on the wrong side of history.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/10/bdfl/
#academia #AcademicChatter
@nprofile…xjc6

2024-12-11 14:31:31

Two thoughts on the flood of slop bug reports to FOSS, both are not good.
1. People are using AI to pad their CV with "contributions" to open source projects.
The alternative is equally bad.
2. Slop generates pressure on developers, to be leveraged maliciously (think xz).
I see no other reasons why people would all of the sudden take interest in contributing, where there was none.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/10/ai_slop_bug_reports/
#FOSS #opensource #devops #security

2024-12-11 11:18:06

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@nprofile…f4e5 That's a fantastic build.

2024-12-10 13:10:05

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@nprofile…xm42 @nprofile…tef3
Have people in management positions take management courses (FFS)!
* telling people what to do is not leadership (carrots not whips)
* focus on the process, not the result
* manage proactive, not reactive
* manage down, not up
* value your technical staff above all else (they stick around the longest and have an outsized influence on how things are run)
* avoid a scarcity mindset
https://khufkens.com/posts/creative-poverty-scarcity-mindset-academia/

2024-12-09 21:51:08

Finished the "The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation " by @nprofile…qz4x. Necessary reading in this day and age, for a few reasons:
1. It introduces the concept of universal computing devices really well
2. and in this context how (internet) technology underpins societal and justice movements, stifled by software copyright "wrappers"
In the context of the former it also shows were we are headed IMO.
1/
#privacy #copyright #software #opensource #enshitification #technology

2024-12-09 09:52:53

Interesting interview on Slashdot with Bruce Perens regarding Post-Open on finding alternatives on how to get paid as an open source developer.
https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/12/09/0344229/slashdots-interview-with-bruce-perens-how-he-hopes-to-help-post-open-developers-get-paid
#FOSS #opensource #softwaredevelopment #PostOpen

2024-12-05 13:44:27

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@nprofile…06sh Everybody knows capitalist bow to fascists until they fall out of their hotel window.

2024-12-05 09:50:38

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@nprofile…kvnh Wasn't there a comic making the argument for taxing 100% of all money made over a billion, while sending a greeting card reading "yeah, you made it!".

2024-12-05 08:54:53

This situation isn't that much different from what most post-docs experience in academic R&D IMO.
- highly trained individuals
- neither staff nor student
- pay under industry level
- fixed term contracts
- little growth prospect but lottery tickets and politics
- requirement to move without support
- department shenanigans
Insult to injury here is the fact that many get suckered into sub-contracting as self-employed.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/esa-workers-face-a-maze-of-non-compete-clauses-and-service-contracts/
@nprofile…xjc6
#AcademicChatter #UnionStrong

2024-12-04 12:54:55

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@nprofile…qz4x Many of these problems originate from shifting failure modes from a focus on weak-link problems to strong-link problems, to increase profit.
Weak-linked problems are defined by their worst performance, while strong-linked problems are defined by their best performance. Problems don't reside strictly in either category, but when dealing with infrastructure (which isn't an easily replaced discretionary purchase) the focus should not deviate too far from a weak-link assumption.

2024-12-04 12:43:13

When I read about these things I always think about some of the writing of @nprofile…qz4x on graceful failure modes. A product (system) is not defined by its success but by how good or poorly it fails. I've been teaching students that not considering (poor) failure modes is a huge liability.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/12/nightmare-zipcar-outage-is-a-warning-against-complete-app-dependency/
#failure #scalability #devops #management #governance

2024-12-04 12:43:13

2024-12-03 10:16:36

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@nprofile…06sh Is dit GDPR compliant?

2024-11-30 09:57:48

I'm rich. I've tons of working "vintage" digital cameras.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/11/vintage-digicams-arent-just-a-fad-theyre-an-artistic-statement/
#photography #vintage

2024-11-25 11:21:00

Brutal takedown by @nprofile…qz4x of the prepper mindset that has infected many.
The world has a collective action problem, and this for many issues (large and small). We've been individualized to the core, and this is indeed reductive. Societies of people are more than the sum of their parts. This historical truth of solidarity is consistently denied and leveraged by the select few for their personal gain.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/24/mall-ninja-prophecy/#mano-a-mano
#LateStageCapitalism #solidarity #Union

2024-11-21 13:37:22

"By tricking you into thinking of yourself as a "consumer" who benefits from low prices, they get you to stop thinking of yourself as a worker who suffers from low wages."
The last election was lost to consumers, not citizens. @nprofile…qz4x calls to unionize for a general (heck, global) strike in 2028. We desperately need one to break the backs of big tech/business robber barons. We probably needed it yesterday.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/11/rip-jane-mcalevey/#organize
#UnionStrong #citizenship #unions #workerrights #equality

2024-11-19 16:20:11

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@nprofile…9nyw @nprofile…xnx9 Really nice one.

2024-11-19 15:58:27

🚨 🥳 🎉 FreeCAD 1.0 is now formally released!!! I've been putting of some 3D modelling projects for this big release.
https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/releases/tag/1.0.0
#CAD # design #3dprinting #3dmodelling #FOSS #opensource

2024-11-17 20:46:30

#SilentSunday
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/500/249/277/366/142/original/f3b84812d3712672.jpeg

2024-11-17 19:48:03

Notes on starter packs: what I like about Mastodon (and previously on Twitter to some extent). I like the community building as an active process. That is, discovering people by reading hashtags and interacting with them (or hoping to learn from them). This is an active process, which runs counter to the parasocial influencer stuff you get elsewhere. In this context, people are free to follow, but not free to expect interactions with me if they are not constructive.
#mastodon #socialmedia

2024-11-16 08:36:48

No intention, YET!
https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/15/unlike-x-bluesky-says-it-wont-train-ai-on-your-posts/
#LLM #AI #bluesky

2024-11-15 17:58:47

Anyone notice regression in the quality of google translate? I'm doing some English to German translations as it is not my strong point, got too little German. But, even I noticed that the translations seem off. Or better, the language has become way less formal in comparison with last year or so.
#translation #google #german #ML #LLM

2024-11-13 19:33:29

New word of the day: Inspiration Porn
The slop you see on LinkedIn, Facebook etc, peddling fake tech or wild improbable tech ideas for clicks.
#InspirationPorn #inspiration #clickbait #facebook #linkedin

2024-11-12 07:49:50

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@npub143y…3g53 Most thought leaders are just bad at citing sources. That's why they like #LLM so much.

2024-10-19 11:21:29

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@npub1u2h…z4d7 If this proportionally reduces energy expended this would be true, but this rarely is the case.
One such cases where it does work is the speed up, and proportional decline in energy use, using physics informed ML/AI in numerical weather prediction. But this only works because model training <<<< frequently running models at scale.

2024-10-19 09:20:41

I often think that most technological innovation makes things merely faster, not necessarily better.
#innovation #technology

2024-10-16 20:09:49

"When given partial info, most people felt confident they knew all they needed to."
People DON'T do their own research. They think they did.
"The good news? When given the full picture, most people are willing to change their opinions."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/10/people-think-they-already-know-everything-they-need-to-make-decisions/
#doyourownresearch #psychology #opinion #research #science

2024-10-13 10:10:58

🙋‍♂️ Plant ecologist here. The "installation" is called a TREE. FFS. If an area lacks vegetation, MAKE SPACE FOR VEGETATION. How many of these "technofixes" do we need to iterate through to realize that we scrubbed our urban environment of so much green space it has become a sterile and dead space. You don't need an architect, you need an arborist.
https://english.elpais.com/climate/2024-10-13/architects-create-low-cost-climate-shelter-at-harvard-cities-have-to-become-greener.html
#sustainability #greentransition #greenwashing #UrbanLandscape

2024-10-13 08:53:13

This notion by Douglas Adams sounds catchy, but this has less to do with technophobia or old age than it has to do with Luddism in it's positive sense.
With age you (should) grow an understanding of the political and social capacity of technology, which might outshine either the bling factor or easy money gig. The fact that things turn alright is to be debated, as time just marches on and their is not double blind trial.
#DouglasAdams #Technology #progress
https://douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/299/257/701/148/453/original/a03ef2763a33de8c.png

2024-10-11 09:11:53

Being sucked into writing a Horizon grant I missed the release of FreeCAD 1.0. Late to the party but still spreading the love.
#CAD #opensource #FLOSS #3dprinting
https://www.hackster.io/news/freecad-1-0-release-candidate-is-here-over-20-years-after-the-project-s-first-release-e8efb86891d6

2024-10-11 08:58:58

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@npub1cw4…7e5q De intentie is duidelijk dat Musk proporioneel gaat bijdrage aan de weginfrastructuur *sarcasm*

2024-10-07 12:27:13

Some observations of using LLMs for text based tasks.
1. it mostly fails, at first
2. if it finally works, through "prompt engineering", you sound like a micro-managing prick
You got to wonder how LLM use will impact real world social interactions.
#AI #LLM

2024-10-05 17:03:00

Without comment
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/04/hurricane-helene-humanitarian-crisis-climate-disaster

2024-10-05 12:15:54

When you look at Altman or Musk their "genius" is not in inventing technology, but leveraging it through piles of cash gained through inheritance, political connections or sly snake oils sales pitches. There is skill involved, genius no, but mind you ultimately the capital is doing all the work.
"... breakthrough successes, they all pretty much revolve around connecting early start-ups with piles of investor cash, not any particular technical innovation."
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/10/sam-altman-mythmaking/680152/

2024-10-02 11:10:32

Remember people, you are expected to work until flood water reaches the factory gates. You are then excused* and free to die on your way home.
[* in rapid voice: excused time falls outside the responsibility of company insurance and other claims. Limited liability is in effect within company premises. No payouts shall be made until guilt is attributed.]
https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-tennessee-f7c4a460de588df7a4d5bc9efa756ecb

2024-10-01 14:06:14

Academia has a collective action problem.
"Instead, they all hold one another hostage, through a wicked collective action problem that holds back science, starves their institutions of funding, and puts their colleagues at risk of imprisonment."
Glad this was covered by @npub1hyk…3p33
#academia #publishing #publishorperish #copyright
@npub1t7d…h3ud @npub1lj2…dfde
https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/16/the-public-sphere/#not-the-elsevier

2024-09-27 10:47:08

I've been tracking my time in detail lately. So, fixing a small bug, validation, and CRAN submission = 2 - 3 hours (effective no breaks). Anything more complex, and you lose entire days.
#OSS #FLOSS #rstats #opensource

2024-09-20 09:05:33

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@npub1yhj…3h3t It is such a weird space. Few genuine conversations go on over there.

2024-09-03 14:07:14

People with enough money can just ignore the law, and then beg for forgiveness. People without money are never afforded the same forgiveness.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-copyrighted-material-parliament

2024-08-31 15:45:31

Just to explain: Elon Musk confuses freedom of reach, with freedom of speech.
People are entitled to their opinions, i.e. free speech. But, they are not entitled to broadcasting that opinion to millions when this incites violence or specifically is directed to disturb democratic processes.

2024-08-31 11:04:33

The AI singularity will not be robots marching down your street, but your health failing by being denied your benefits by some "prompt engineering" mistake.
https://gizmodo.com/judge-rules-400-million-algorithmic-system-illegally-denied-thousands-of-peoples-medicaid-benefits-2000492529

2024-08-30 12:43:51

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@npub1k6h…0wx7 Thanks for this. Good to have real world examples of this transition. Batch processing helps. Also, InstantPot for beans and the like (put it on, walk away, life changing).

2024-08-17 17:40:08

You might want to reconsider your use of Anaconda / Conda. Updated terms of service are unclear about what is and isn't allowed under their free tier, with potential of contamination of "off limits" packages due to dependency resolution (using environment files).
#python #anaconda #conda #OSS
https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/08/anaconda_puts_the_squeeze_on

2024-07-11 06:53:18

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@npub1u2h…z4d7 aided and abetted by the same newspaper...

2024-05-31 08:18:22

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@npub1zva…e2q5 The guy is justifying class justice because he feels that "fraud by rich people" is a "political" motivation. What a tool.

2024-05-08 13:03:21

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@npub1q4m…3d6g Mokka pot, Caffe presse? Breekt bijna niet.