< Notes...

This person took a few photos on a blizzard in New York, and they look like something out of a game. I like them very much!

Redirect links from Twitter (now known as a bloody hellhole) to Xcancel, you know, for “the rest of us”.

javascript:void(location.href='https://www.xcancel.com'+location.pathname);

Create a bookmarklet with the above, and use it while on the tweet you are wanting to share, then share the new link.

I finally decided to cut off Substack and Medium posts from Hacker News, as they don’t provide a way to filter the posts I see. I use uBlock, so it all boiled down to a filter.

news.ycombinator.com##tr.athing:has(span.sitestr:has-text(/substack\.com|medium\.com/))
news.ycombinator.com##tr.athing:has(span.sitestr:has-text(/substack\.com|medium\.com/)) + tr
news.ycombinator.com##tr.athing:has(span.sitestr:has-text(/substack\.com|medium\.com/)) + tr + tr.spacer

With those three lines under “My filters” all entries with those two domains in it simply do not show, as if they never existed. Now, there is no escape from those who use them with a custom domain. 😩

The expression “this isn’t an airport, no need to announce your departure” is used quite often, when people—often in rage—quits an online platform, telling everyone they are doing so. Yet, today I read the justification for doing so from someone leaving Nextdoor (a neighbourhood Facebook look alike):

For me, sharing my departure is simply about transparency and awareness. Platforms constantly analyze user activity, engagement patterns, and retention. If participation quietly stops, it becomes just another data point. When people openly express why they disengage, it provides something far more useful than silence.

I think that makes perfect sense, don’t you think?

Halloy has come a long way since I first saw it posted on Hacker News. It does looks really good, and it is quite customisable. Hard to beat a web based one, but still.

I feel I need to fully get out of social media—and I only lurk on ActivityPub (commonly known as “Mastodon”) these days. The things I see make me go research to check if they are real, then that deep shame sinks in.

What kind of sorcery is this? Whether it will survive a washing or not is irrelevant. The skill level is of 100.

➝ Via brettezeleliquide.

“Be sure to bring up politics at Thanksgiving dinner. It’s going to save you money on Christmas gifts.”

Often the Fediverse brings small wisdom nuggets with a touch of humour. This one sure is funny. I don’t know if I have the heart to follow through on it, as I wouldn’t want the death of an elder in my conscience.

“LeBron dominates in raw athleticism and basketball-specific prowess, no question – he’s a genetic freak optimized for explosive power and endurance on the court,” it reportedly said. “But Elon edges out in holistic fitness: sustaining 80-100 hour weeks across SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink demands relentless physical and mental grit that outlasts seasonal peaks.”

Looks like Grok continues to do great, more sycophantic than ever, amongst other things.

“Based on replacement costs, Eugen’s time and effort, and the fair market value of the Mastodon brand, its associated properties, and the social network, we settled on a one-time compensation of €1M.”

Eugen Rochko is stepping down as Mastodon’s CEO, staying “in an advisory role” with Mastodon’s team. €1M ain’t much, but I figure he enjoyed what he did.

Our current government doesn't care about SNAP benefits
https://federate.social/@mattblaze →

“Honestly, I think it’s worse than indifference. I think they care quite a bit - about maximizing the suffering of those they view as mere parasitic drains on wealth that rightfully belongs to them. Witness the warnings to merchants to not provide discounts to people not getting their benefits - something that would help people and cost the government nothing.”

Today, after an unfriendly IRC exchange, @prologic deleted all mentions of twtxt.net, the Yarn.social repository (or made it hidden), and shutdown Twtxt.net—yes, it is unreachable. I am hoping that this was a decision taken emotionally in haste, and that the site and service will eventually come back online. 🤞🏻

When I grow up, or in my second life if I get unlucky to reincarnate as a human (aiming to be a bird, though, but I digress), I want to be like Ariel.

“Best recent change I’ve done to improve my health: starting the work week on Tuesday and ending it on Thursday.”

➝ Via @ariel.

My most used, and only, filters on the Fediverse are “#wordle” and “wordle”. They work great. I cannot begin to describe how much I dislike those silly “bragging” squares people post, over and over. Ugh!

Yeah, Bluesky isn’t decentralised, it just wants you to believe it is. It is an illusion.

“Bluesky claims to want decentralization and composable moderation, but they still enjoy abusing the power of arbitrary banishment.”

Even though Haagen-Dazs reduced their 1 pint (16oz) to 14oz in 2009—yes, 16 years ago—there is an ongoing mention of it on social media as if it just happened. Taking things like this from social media as face value, as recent “news”, and without further research, is truly bad.

While keeping my account active, I got rid of the Threads application on my mobile device, as a first step. Really tired to fine tunning notifications and still getting them, seemingly randomly, for things, or people I don’t know. Next step is to delete the account—which will also close my dormant Instagram.

I am going to disconnect from the Fediverse next. I figure that will make me an online anti-social, no? It is the last social media in which I participate mostly as a lurker, with some ocassional posts, and replies. Yet, I have found my very few interactions to be often missunderstood. Again, it could be a me problem, so better take it out.

This one was too good to pass up. Found in the Fediverse.

I need to start my own “blogroll” page, so that I can write down the blogs I come across and like, to later re-visit. That’s something which search engines can’t help me, and it bothers me to no end trying finding that blog once again, and fail.

If you use Phanpy as your Fediverse client, I am sure you will agree with me that Catch-up is one of its best features. I love everything about that client, though.

One can find quite a few interesting websites listed at this Blogroll, this Blogroll, and this Blogroll. I am still missing one, but can’t find it. Just a note to have the URLs handy, as I have “lost” them more than once.

Using Google Maps for casual journaling is a neat idea, and I have to say, I wouldn’t know where to start. Maybe it is time to reach out to Claud, exchange hellos, catch up a bit, and ask her!

This might be quite unpopular, but I truly dislike Wordle. The reason isn’t rooted on any psychological issue, it is much, much more simple: people share their Wordle result(s)—I figure they feel good about themselves—and for me it is only uneven, unaligned, wasteful noise. I don’t even want to show you an example, but I am sure you know what I am talking about.

I have been more active on the Fediverse lately, mostly as a consumer, but occasionally replying to posts. If you are on the Fediverse (also known as Mastodon), feel free to reach out (@david@weaknotes.com)!

First time replying to a MastoPrompt (a request for everyone, anyone, to offer a small poem about a certain word). The word was “alone”. My entry:

Assuming forgotten I felt despair,
sat there, alone, among empty chairs.
My child showed up, his smile all wide,
His ask “Talk to me, papa!” broke the divide.
Alone no more.

I have never brought Phanpy (a delightfully opinionated, minimalistic, Mastodon client) to Notes before, so here it goes its first appearance. It is lovely. The way it does threading is really good, and the “Catch-up” feature is marvelous.

If you use Mastodon, or a Mastodon API compatible server, give Phanpy a try. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I am on the Fediverse (@david@collantes.social, and @david@weaknotes.com; warning, Google results links) mostly as a consumer. That is, I read and, occasionally, reply. I post once in a Blue Moon.

What brings me to write this note is that it bugs me, to no end, the abuse of “content warning” I see around. It is a reason for me not to follow (or mute) the OP. I want to read/see, unabridged. Content warnings are very useful; abusing them isn’t.

Oh boy, some people sure are something. Yet, this could be just the preamble of what’s to come, maybe.

Before phoning the number, Gaudreau did a search in Facebook Messenger to find out whether it was legitimate.

The answer he got in Messenger from the “Meta AI” artificial intelligence search tool was that the phone number he found, 1-844-457-0520, was “indeed a legitimate Facebook support number.”

Kottke, to whom website I browse every once and them, have long monetised from it, using supporters, and advertisements. Until fairly recently it didn’t have comments, but now it does. Want to drop one? Subscribe. Ha! I would pay not to see them. Ironic, eh?

This is something to which the government has no business. It’s a parent’s decision/concern.

“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that bans children aged under 14 from social media platforms and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental consent, a measure supporters say will protect them from online risks to their mental health.”

Good luck enforcing it!

I wonder if bots are somehow “clicking” the hearts on notes. I am having a hard time accepting humans are actually doing it. Call me an unbeliever.

Why providing contact ways, if there will not be a reply? It seems a trend. “Contact me”, “Get in touch”, but when one does… silence. Siloed. People are siloed.

The old… err more mature I get, the less interest I have for social media. I kid you not. Kim, on the other hand… she consumes (doesn’t create) it all the time.

I was having a weird issue in which blue heart next to the timestamp would appear off place, and quickly jump into place on page load/refresh. Took the problem over IRC (Libera.Chat) #css channel and, sure enough, hassoon and DPA found the issue, and provided a solution, in no time.

Suffice it to say, very, very grateful.

The mishaps of X triggered the spawn of new services like Threads, Bluesky. It also exacerbated the adoption of the Fediverse (often simply called Mastodon). Now there is Pebble, but this one has a problem of it’s own. To sign up you need to connect with X/Twitter, “to confirm you’re a good fit for Pebble”. Oh dear god!

Not long ago I wrote about leaving LinkedIn for good. Truth be told, I created yet another account (so much for that “final time”, right?), because work based relations with LinkedIn, and the training they offer through it. I was, pretty much, forced to it, being part of work. That doesn’t make me despise it less.

After just a few months, I am now starting to receive UCE through it. Am I an arse if I just simply send those to junk?

Upgraded my Mastodon instance to 4.1.4. Forever grateful to the “Update Notifications” bot which remind us all running the software to upgrade/update as needed. I would probably be in troubles without it.

Though I knew about it, Phanpy has re-ignated my engagement on Mastodon. Three things I love about it: it is light, and easy to host, it is beautiful, and it is super usable (the look of the threads it creates had me at hello). Totally love it!

I might have said this before, but it is worth repeating. I can’t stand LinkedIn. It is intrusive, used for spaming and solicitation. The few times I have been in it, because I have received notifications, I have encountered presumptous people that I don’t know, using the platform as a second Facebook (which I detest). Sadly, work nagged about not being on LinkedIn, so I am.

I don’t want to come across as a ranting person, but I think I need a rant icon.