Rahm Emanuel steers a course between 'monopolists' and 'Marxists'
He is now exploring a campaign for the presidency, an effort that seems designed to challenge some orthodoxies of that same party.
Archived at web.archive.org/web/2026012213…
Rahm Emanuel steers a course between 'monopolists' and 'Marxists'
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with longtime Democrat Rahm Emanuel about politics in the Trump era.NPR
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that Lemmy should potentially duplicate this feature?
On Reddit, subreddit moderators can comment as regular users by default, and only show the green MOD badge when they intentionally “distinguish” a comment as an official moderation response.
It got me thinking about Lemmy.
On Lemmy, mod comments are often immediately identifiable, even when the mod is just participating casually in a discussion rather than speaking in an official capacity. That can sometimes unintentionally shift the tone of a thread or discourage open conversation.
Do you think Lemmy should consider:
A clearer opt-in distinction system for mod comments
The ability for mods to participate by default as regular users unless explicitly marking a comment as “mod voice”
Or is the current transparency model preferable for federated communities?
Curious how other instance admins, mods, and users feel about this — especially from a trust, power-balance, and community-health perspective.
Is this something Lemmy should copy from Reddit, or is it intentionally different for good reason?
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Egypt and Saudi Arabia pressure Libya’s Haftar to stop UAE supplies to Sudan’s RSF
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have stepped up pressure on Khalifa Haftar over the eastern Libya commander’s role in facilitating Emirati military support to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), warning that continued assistance could trigger a serious shift in Cairo’s relationship with him.
The pressure forms part of a broader Egyptian-Saudi effort to block flows of arms, fuel and fighters to the RSF, curb the UAE influence across the region and prevent further destabilisation along the sensitive Egypt–Libya–Sudan border triangle.
Earlier this month, Saddam Haftar, Khalifa’s son and deputy commander-in-chief of his Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), visited Cairo and met Egyptian Defence Minister Abdel Meguid Saker and other senior military and security officials.
Egyptian and Libyan media portrayed the meeting as focused on military cooperation, but the full purpose of the visit was not publicly disclosed.
How Do Developers Ensure Profitability in P2E Games?
Play To Earn Game Development Company | P2E Game Development
As a leading Play to earn game development company, GamesDapp offers top-notch P2E game development services on any blockchain network to launch P2E gaming platformsGamesDapp - Game Development Company
UK: Report into Maccabi Tel Aviv police ban failed to include local Muslim voices
The head of a British policing watchdog tasked with investigating the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Israeli football club’s match against Aston Villa failed to include any voices from Birmingham’s Muslim community in his preliminary report.
The report by Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, led to the UK Home Secretary Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood saying that she had “no confidence” in Craig Guildford, the chief constable of West Midlands Police (WMP), prompting Guildford’s immediate retirement.
Those interviewed by Cooke include the charge d’affaires from the Israeli embassy in London, a representative of the Jewish Representative Council for Birmingham and West Midlands, and Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism.
However, Cooke did not include any voices from Muslim community groups or mosque leaders. Muslims make up approximately 30 percent of Birmingham’s population and almost 10 percent of the wider West Midlands region, according to census data.
UK: Report into Maccabi Tel Aviv police ban failed to include local Muslim voices
The head of a British policing watchdog tasked with investigating the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Israeli football club’s match against Aston Villa failed to include any voices from Birmingham’s Muslim community in his p…Areeb Ullah (Middle East Eye)
UK court ruling a threat to jurors who acquit pro-Palestine activists on moral grounds
It relates to a criminal case against five women charged with criminal damage for breaking the windows of JP Morgan Bank’s European head office at Victoria Embankment over its fossil fuel investments.
During the trial, which began in February 2024 at Inner London Crown Court, protesters held signs reminding jurors that they have an “absolute right” to acquit a defendant on conscience.
Judge Silas Reid instructed the jury to disregard the placards, saying they were “misstating the law".
He then told them that it is a “criminal offence for a juror to do anything from which it can be concluded that a decision will be made on anything other than the evidence in the case”.
The women were handed suspended sentences, but launched an appeal on the basis that Judge Reid had wrongly directed the jury that it would be a criminal offence for them to acquit the defendants according to conscience.
They argued that in telling jurors this, he was pressuring them to return a guilty verdict. They said this made their convictions “unsafe”.
The campaign group Defend Our Juries (DOJ) said the ruling is the latest in a slew of efforts by the government to crack down on a growing trend of juries acquitting members of social movements – including pro-Palestine and climate activists – according to conscience.
How the UK government is trying tackle juries who may acquit pro-Palestine activists on moral grounds
A UK Court of Appeal ruling is the latest in a series of measures that lawyers warn shows authorities are trying to stop juries from acquitting on conscience.Katherine Hearst (Middle East Eye)
The obligation to obbey the ~~Copyright of others~~ anything is only for the riff-raff.
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RRF Caserta Notizie. VII Edizione Premio Melagrana al Teatro Don Bosco di Caserta 20 gennaio 2026
Hind Rajab group urges Greece to arrest 'Israeli' Defense Minister
The Brussels-based human rights organization Hind Rajab announced Wednesday that it filed a formal complaint with Greek authorities calling for the arrest and investigation of 'Israeli' Defense Minister Yisrael Katz over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.
Katz has been visiting Athens since Monday on an official trip scheduled to end Thursday. The complaint was submitted to the Greek Supreme Court prosecutor, urging urgent legal action due to the short duration of Katz’s stay.
Hind Rajab asserts that Katz’s policies and conduct amount to acts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention and Article 6 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The complaint emphasizes that Greece’s jurisdiction and legal obligations are activated while Katz is present on Greek soil.
I'm tired of LLM bullshitting. So I fixed it.
Hello!
As a handsome local AI enjoyer™ you’ve probably noticed one of the big flaws with LLMs:
It lies. Confidently. ALL THE TIME.
(Technically, it “bullshits” - link.springer.com/article/10.1…
I’m autistic and extremely allergic to vibes-based tooling, so … I built a thing. Maybe it’s useful to you too.
The thing: llama-conductor
llama-conductor is a router that sits between your frontend (OWUI / SillyTavern / LibreChat / etc) and your backend (llama.cpp + llama-swap, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint). Local-first (because fuck big AI), but it should talk to anything OpenAI-compatible if you point it there (note: experimental so YMMV).
Not a model, not a UI, not magic voodoo.
A glass-box that makes the stack behave like a deterministic system, instead of a drunk telling a story about the fish that got away.
TL;DR: “In God we trust. All others must bring data.”
Three examples:
1) KB mechanics that don’t suck (1990s engineering: markdown, JSON, checksums)
You keep “knowledge” as dumb folders on disk. Drop docs (.txt, .md, .pdf) in them. Then:
>>attach <kb>— attaches a KB folder>>summ new— generatesSUMM_*.mdfiles with SHA-256 provenance baked in- `>> moves the original to a sub-folder
Now, when you ask something like:
“yo, what did the Commodore C64 retail for in 1982?”
…it answers from the attached KBs only. If the fact isn’t there, it tells you - explicitly - instead of winging it. Eg:
The provided facts state the Commodore 64 launched at $595 and was reduced to $250, but do not specify a 1982 retail price. The Amiga’s pricing and timeline are also not detailed in the given facts.Missing information includes the exact 1982 retail price for Commodore’s product line and which specific model(s) were sold then. The answer assumes the C64 is the intended product but cannot confirm this from the facts.
Confidence: medium | Source: Mixed
No vibes. No “well probably…”. Just: here’s what’s in your docs, here’s what’s missing, don't GIGO yourself into stupid.
And when you’re happy with your summaries, you can:
>>move to vault— promote those SUMMs into Qdrant for the heavy mode.
2) Mentats: proof-or-refusal mode (Vault-only)
Mentats is the “deep think” pipeline against your curated sources. It’s enforced isolation:
- no chat history
- no filesystem KBs
- no Vodka
- Vault-only grounding (Qdrant)
It runs triple-pass (thinker → critic → thinker). It’s slow on purpose. You can audit it. And if the Vault has nothing relevant? It refuses and tells you to go pound sand:
FINAL_ANSWER:
The provided facts do not contain information about the Acorn computer or its 1995 sale price.
Sources: Vault
FACTS_USED: NONE
[ZARDOZ HATH SPOKEN]Also yes, it writes a mentats_debug.log, because of course it does. Go look at it any time you want.
The flow is basically: Attach KBs → SUMM → Move to Vault → Mentats. No mystery meat. No “trust me bro, embeddings.”
3) Vodka: deterministic memory on a potato budget
Local LLMs have two classic problems: goldfish memory + context bloat that murders your VRAM.
Vodka fixes both without extra model compute. (Yes, I used the power of JSON files to hack the planet instead of buying more VRAM from NVIDIA).
!!stores facts verbatim (JSON on disk)??recalls them verbatim (TTL + touch limits so memory doesn’t become landfill)- CTC (Cut The Crap) hard-caps context (last N messages + char cap) so you don’t get VRAM spikes after 400 messages
So instead of:
“Remember my server is 203.0.113.42” → “Got it!” → [100 msgs later] → “127.0.0.1 🥰”
you get:
!! my server is 203.0.113.42
?? server ip→ 203.0.113.42 (with TTL/touch metadata)
And because context stays bounded: stable KV cache, stable speed, your potato PC stops crying.
There’s more (a lot more) in the README, but I’ve already over-autism’ed this post.
TL;DR:
If you want your local LLM to shut up when it doesn’t know and show receipts when it does, come poke it:
- Primary (Codeberg): codeberg.org/BobbyLLM/llama-co…
- Mirror (GitHub): github.com/BobbyLLM/llama-cond…
PS: Sorry about the AI slop image. I can't draw for shit.
PPS: A human with ASD wrote this using Notepad++. If it the formatting is weird, now you know why.
llama-conductor
Route workflows, not models. Glass-box, not black-box. Squash LLM nonsense.Codeberg.org
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This sounds really interesting, I'm looking forward to reading the comments here in detail and looking at the project, might even end up incorporating it into my own!
I'm working on something that addresses the same problem in a different way, the problem of constraining or delineating the specifically non-deterministic behavior one wants to involve in a complex workflow. Your approach is interesting and has a lot of conceptual overlap with mine, regarding things like strictly defining compliance criteria and rejecting noncompliant outputs, and chaining discrete steps into a packaged kind of "super step" that integrates non-deterministic substeps into a somewhat more deterministic output, etc.
How involved was it to build it to comply with the OpenAI API format? I haven't looked into that myself but may.
Holy shit I'm glad to be on the autistic side of the internet.
Thank you for proving that fucking JSON text files are all you need and not "just a couple billion more parameters bro"
Awesome work, all the kudos.
AMD China and Micro Center Confirm Ryzen 7 9850X3D Launch on January 28
AMD China and Micro Center have confirmed that the upcoming gaming CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, will launch on January 28. Previous rumors had suggested this launch date, and now Micro Center has confirmed it. On AMD China's JD storefront, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is already listed with a preorder option, requiring an 80 Yuan deposit, although the final price has not been disclosed. This 8-core/16-thread processor is powered by the "Zen 5" microarchitecture, enhanced with 3D V-Cache technology, and offers a speed increase over the current 9800X3D. The chip has a base frequency of 4.70 GHz and a maximum boost frequency of 5.60 GHz. Some samples have even been seen running at a 5.75 GHz boost frequency, indicating that enthusiasts might achieve even higher frequencies under regular home conditions. Our late 2024 review crowned the Ryzen 7 9800X3D as the world's best gaming processor. However, we need to determine how much of a difference the extra 400 MHz out-of-the-box overclock will make in gaming tests so we can draw more conclusions. Until third-party reviews arrive, we will have to wait.
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Japan announces $6 billion in support for Ukraine
Japan will allocate $6 billion to Ukraine for humanitarian and technical support in 2026, according to a statement by Verkhovna Rada Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratyuk on Facebook.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/newsukraine.…
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Alien fan builds a better Raspberry Pi cyberdeck — The MU/TH/UR of all homages to a classic movie series
In space, no one can hear you scream how good this cyberdeck is!
Liza Minnelli uses AI to release first new music in 13 years
Singing legend heralds ‘new tools in service of expression’, on compilation that also features an Art Garfunkel song using AI-generated piano backing
Nascita del self-hosting
Cronache di un admin nel Fediverso, 2021 → oggi
Sono nel Fediverso dal 2021.
All’inizio era tutto strano e nuovo, io ero spaesato, tipo esploratore senza bussola in una galassia piena di avatar e federazione.
Sono arrivato nella più grande istanza italiana, lì ho fatto gavetta sul serio, osservavo, studiavo, capivo come ci si muove, mi è servito tantissimo, era un corso accelerato di “vita federata”.
Poi, per una serie di inconvenienti di salute, ho mollato tutto, per poi rientrare in altre due istanze e trovare gestioni diverse, stili diversi, regole diverse, insomma, stesso universo e pianeti completamente differenti.
Tutto bello, a un certo punto ho fatto la scelta inevitabile, farmi la mia istanza, con le mie regole, parlando comunque con tutti, perché il punto non è chiudersi, è federarsi bene.
Nel 2024 nasce snowfan.masto.host, alcuni amici mi seguono, anche lì gavetta da admin, moderazione, manutenzione, ordine nel caos.
Col tempo però mi è iniziato a stare stretto un dettaglio, la parte tecnica era gestita da masto.host, aggiornamenti, backup, variazioni. Per carità, sono bravissimi, ma è come noleggiare un’auto, va benissimo, la guidi, è comoda, però non è tua.
E allora arriva il salto, novembre 2025, nasce snowfan.it.
Questa volta è tutto mio, gestione tecnica mia, non su un semplice VPS ma su una macchina dedicata, un VDS, cioè, non più passeggero, io sono il meccanico, il pilota e quello che tiene l’estintore vicino.
Non è stato facile all’inizio, però avevo molto tempo libero, giocoforza, ho imparato tanto.
Ora gestisco 3 server, 2 VPS e 1 VDS, sopra ci girano Mastodon, Pixelfed, Matrix, SNAC2 e searXNG.
Non mi interessa ingrandirmi, anzi, per me il vero Fediverso è la decentralizzazione più capillare possibile, una miriade di istanze, piccole o medie, non dominabili da un singolo.
Detto questo, eccomi qui, grazie a tutti gli abitanti del Fediverso.
Mastodon
Istanza italiana aperta agli Amici che ne fanno richiesta. -ATTENZIONE- istanza NO-Threads/BlueSkyMastodon hosted on snowfan.it
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La patente a crediti per imprese e lavoratori autonomi
Dal 1º ottobre 2024 è obbligatoria la patente a punti o a crediti per imprese e lavoratori autonomi che operano nei cantieri mobili o temporanei. Sono previste esclusioni per alcuni soggetti.
Chi deve possedere la patente:
* Tutte le imprese e i lavoratori autonomi che svolgono attività lavorativa nei cantieri temporanei o mobili.
Secondo me l'ennesimo balzello ai danni dei lavoratori autonomi e delle piccole imprese. Infatti:
Non sono obbligati:
* Chi effettua solo forniture di materiali o servizi.
* Chi svolge prestazioni di natura intellettuale (es. progettazione, consulenza, ingegneri, geometri ...).
* Le imprese in possesso di attestazione di qualificazione SOA in classifica pari o superiore alla III (cioè le imprese di una certa dimensione, con un certo fatturato).
E questa è bella. Secondo me una plateale discriminazione. Perché? Un fornitore di materiale non può fornire materiale scadente o difettoso che può essere causa di un cedimento strutturale per aver trascurato il controllo di qualità?
Un ingegnere non può sbagliare un calcolo strutturale e provocare il crollo di una costruzione? E chi è lui per essere esentato?
Le piccole imprese e gli artigiani sempre più vessati dalla politica. Gli altri no. Che vergogna! Da queste leggi, secondo me, emerge tutto il degrado della politica e dei legislatori ai quali affidiamo l'amministrazione del paese.
RRF Notizie del 22 01 26. Trump Groenlandia Dazi. L'ONU a pagamento. Sicilia a pezzi dopo il tifone. Sport
Sick of posts telling you enshittification happened to another thing? !deshittification@thebrainbin.org
Stopped poking my head in communities like !technology@lemmy.world because the frequent bad news posts, followed by rightfully upset comments, was depressing and stressful. And it just felt worse that there was so much outrage, but usually not a comment telling you alternative options or small actions you could take to try to resist the enshittification—rage with no productive outlet besides complaints online. So I'm popping my head back in here because I feel it would be useful to post somewhere that tries to give you those things and has a rule against posting bad news with no action we can take to maybe claw back value for ourselves: !deshittification@thebrainbin.org
If you must talk about enshittification, please include how someone could reverse it; otherwise, post it elsewhere
Overall sidebar:
State of affairs for technology seem bad? But what is being done to change it? And what could be done by you so it changes at least for yourself?A community to talk about the reversal of enshittification, be it news, actions that could be done, etc.
A person that sees no solution has no reason to keep going.
Hope others here are heartened by it as I was.
Full disclosure: I don't mod this community or otherwise have power in it. I just post sometimes.
Prigionieri del nostro destino: la solitudine nell’era post-pandemica di Lorenzo Zucchi
Indice dei contenuti
Toggle
- La Solitudine come Tema Centrale
- La Ferita della Pandemia sui Più Giovani
- Un Ritorno alla Natura
- Un Romanzo di Profondità Psicologica
Titolo: prigionieri del nostro destino
Autore: Lorenzo Zucchi
data di pubblicazione: 25 maggio 2025
casa editrice: Edizioni Underground
numero pagine: 206 pagine
Mauro vive una vita ordinaria a Sesto San Giovanni: una famiglia apparentemente unita, un lavoro da tecnico di elettrodomestici, e un’ossessione per i gialli e i social notturni. Quando il lockdown ferma il mondo, Mauro continua a muoversi tra case e cortili, ma la sua mente deraglia. Il confine tra realtà e fantasia si assottiglia, tra desideri repressi e incontri ambigui con tre giovani donne: Emily, Flora e Christelle ― le sue “Tre Grazie”. Nel silenzio irreale di una città spenta, Mauro perde contatto con tutto, anche con sé stesso. Il ritorno del “cronista dell’invisibile”, con un romanzo nero e psicologico che unisce ironia, malinconia e suspense, per raccontare la solitudine urbana, il desiderio che consuma, e la sottile linea tra ciò che siamo e ciò che potremmo diventare.
Prigionieri del nostro destino: la solitudine nell’era post-pandemica di Lorenzo Zucchi
Prigionieri del nostro destino di Lorenzo Zucchi è un romanzo che esplora le cicatrici lasciate dalla pandemia, immergendoci in una Milano silenziosa e abbandonata, dove l’aria di paura, disagio e solitudine si fa palpabile. Zucchi ci racconta come gli anni della pandemia abbiano cambiato non solo il volto delle città, ma anche le dinamiche familiari e i rapporti interpersonali. Un viaggio emotivo che ci porta a riflettere sul vero significato della solitudine e dell’isolamento, temi tanto universali quanto devastanti.
La Solitudine come Tema Centrale
Nel romanzo, i protagonisti sono Antonella, Mauro, i loro figli e Costantin, un amico di Mauro che funge da supporto durante il difficile periodo della pandemia. La solitudine è il filo conduttore che lega le loro storie. Mauro si perde nel suo lavoro monotono, che diventa un rifugio dal caos esterno ma anche dalla sua vita familiare. Si lascia catturare da sogni giovanili e illusioni, mentre la sua famiglia si allontana sempre più. Antonella, dal canto suo, cerca una fuga, ma la sua ricerca di un sogno nuovo non riesce a colmare il vuoto che sente dentro.
La pandemia ha amplificato questa solitudine, ma la verità è che, per molti, essa era già presente. Non sono solo le pareti delle case a separare le persone, ma anche muri invisibili, spesso creati dai ritmi frenetici della vita quotidiana. In questo contesto, la solitudine non è più solo un’esperienza personale, ma un’emozione collettiva, condivisa da tutti, anche dai più piccoli.
La Ferita della Pandemia sui Più Giovani
Un tema particolarmente forte nel libro riguarda gli effetti devastanti della pandemia sui bambini. La privazione dei contatti sociali, la chiusura delle scuole e il distacco da amici e familiari ha avuto un impatto diretto sul loro sviluppo psicologico e relazionale. Zucchi esplora con delicatezza questo aspetto, mostrando come la pandemia abbia messo in crisi la crescita dei più giovani, non solo sul piano educativo, ma anche su quello emotivo. La solitudine, in un periodo in cui l’interazione sociale è stata drasticamente limitata, ha inflitto cicatrici che potrebbero non rimarginarsi facilmente.
Un Ritorno alla Natura
L’autore mi ha raccontato che Prigionieri del nostro destino è nato proprio durante quegli anni di isolamento forzato. Quello che la pandemia ha reso evidente è stata la necessità di rallentare e riscoprire ciò che davvero conta, come il contatto con la natura. Forse, un aspetto positivo di questa triste parentesi è stato il ritorno alla semplicità e alla bellezza dei piccoli gesti quotidiani, come camminare scalzi sull’erba. Zucchi, che cammina spesso a piedi nudi, racconta come questo semplice atto sia stato per lui una fonte di ispirazione, un modo per riconnettersi a una parte più selvaggia e primitiva di sé. Un messaggio potente: dobbiamo avere il coraggio di scoprire la nostra parte selvaggia e di tornare alle radici di ciò che siamo.
Un Romanzo di Profondità Psicologica
Prigionieri del nostro destino non è solo un romanzo sulla pandemia, ma una riflessione profonda sulla solitudine, sull’importanza dei legami umani e sull’impatto che l’isolamento può avere sulla nostra psiche. La scrittura di Zucchi, densa di emozioni e riflessioni, non si ferma alle prime parole, ma va oltre, spingendo il lettore a confrontarsi con il proprio vissuto e con le proprie paure. È un libro che invita a riflettere sulla nostra condizione esistenziale e ci fa capire quanto sia fondamentale non solo vivere accanto agli altri, ma anche vivere con gli altri, creando connessioni autentiche.
Se c’è qualcosa che possiamo imparare da questo romanzo, è che la solitudine, sebbene amplificata dal Covid, è una condizione che molti di noi portano dentro. La pandemia non ha inventato la solitudine, ma l’ha resa più visibile, più tangibile. Prigionieri del nostro destino ci invita a non rimanere prigionieri di questa solitudine, ma a cercare sempre il contatto, il dialogo, l’amore. Perché solo così possiamo davvero essere liberi.
Solitudine nel romanzo Prigionieri del nostro destino
Scopri come la pandemia ha influito sulla vita di Antonella, Mauro e Constantin in un racconto profondo che racconta Milano nella pandemia.Gloria Donati (Magozine.it)
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Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China’s climate strategy
Explainer: Why gas plays a minimal role in China’s climate strategy - Carbon Brief
While gas could play a role in decarbonising some aspects of China’s energy demand, multiple factors would need to changeCarbon Brief Staff (Carbon Brief)
X is also launching Bluesky-like starter packs
X is also launching Bluesky-like starter packs
X is rolling out a new feature called “Starterpacks” to all users in the coming weeks, the company’s head of product has announced.Mariella Moon (Engadget)
Dell i7 Laptop Price Guide – Refurbished Dell i7 Laptops from Eazypc
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Anthropic releases new AI Constitution for Claude
Claude's new constitution
A new approach to a foundational document that expresses and shapes who Claude iswww.anthropic.com
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Ripping Blu-Rays
Ahoy everybody.
Lately I was thinking about buying Blu-Rays to actually own the media that I enjoy watching. I need some recommendations for player/ripper hardware so I can both backup make a backup and also share what I'll get with you guys.
Let me know of something good and preferably cheap that I can get in the EU. Thanks, guys 😀
MakeMKV for ripping it. You can either buy it or use it free by going to the forums and getting the monthly reg key.
If you then want to reencode, Handbrake. I've given up on reencoding my personal collection and bought a couple of large hard drives. But to make sharing easier, might want to reencode to x265 or AV1 to manage the file size.
Also might want to consider a libre drive. It is a Blu-ray/UHD drive that has custom firmware which region unlocks it and helps the ripping process. You can find reputable sellers in the MakeMKV forums.
Recommendations for federated CMS alternatives to Wordpress?
Crossposted from kbin.earth/m/fediverse@lemmy.z…
Crossposting to get more input (on the actual issues)
Fedi folks, I turn to you for advice with a bit of a problem. I co-admin an ActivityPub-enabled Wordpress site with 15+ years worth of blog posts and a couple of long podcast series. When WP announced their "vision" to become a CMS for "AI", the collective admin reaction was to get the hell off that boat before it turned to algorithmic shit.[NB — I realise this isn't an anti-"AI" community, but that part is only the starting premise of our situation here. I'm not getting into discussions with slop herders in the comments]
We're a loose network of nerds discussing the speculative genres, including sci-fi. We've seen this movie, we know how it's going to play out. Trouble is, we're not coders. We can assemble the proverbial IKEA flatpak kit and give it a lick of CSS paint, but we can't be trusted to build furniture we'd want to sit in ourselves.
The crunch points for alternatives are
- the ability to migrate an old, multi-user WP site without breaking too many canonical URLs and feeds,
- needing a somewhat familiar backend for most of the non-techie contributors to even post stuff, and
- the federation bit, which is why I post this to !fediverse first. I am aware that setting up an essentially new fedi instance at the same address as a previous one is disencouraged. I'll be glad to hear how or if this can be avoided while preserving profile and post URLs...
So last month I mined the Mastodon hive mind for existing alternatives to WP with fediverse capabilities, and got a selection of qualified responses. I nixed WriteFreely and Plume early on, because while they are perfectly good, federated blog software, my impression is they lean toward a text focused minimalist layout that would be hard to deviate from, where our current site has a bit more pizzazz.
Going through the alternatives listed below, maybe that's a superficial reason to throw some good options out with the bath water. Either way, I'm presenting you with the most frequent, feasible, and/or interesting offers. I've done some surface research and weighed pros and cons for our use case, but I hope there are people out there who can add their experience to the eventual decision:
ClassicPress
This should be a shoo-in, right? It's basically Wordpress with some newer parts torn out (specifically the Gutenberg block editor), but most of the core architecture remains. Including many, many plug-ins. Plus, they're said to have sworn off any "AI" nonsense. Migration would be relatively easy, and with a little bit of luck nobody would even know the difference.Except apparently compatibility with the WP-activityPub plugin broke. So that's out of the window.
Ghost
A lot of recommendations for Ghost! I believe it was originally another Wordpress fork, but was completely rewritten early on? Either way, a few things turn me off Ghost as an potential alternative:
- The insistent "we help you monetize your content" vibe on the project website. That's a personal quibble; our site is just entirely non-commercial for the sake of everybody's well-being. I'm told all of that stuff can be turned off in individual installs, though.
- Ghost's ActivityPub implementation is reportedly not making great progress despite enthusiastic early announcements? If that's not a deal breaker,
- the fact that the Ghost devs are relying on agentic LLMs to code the application is. Just nope.
Backdrop CMS/Drupal
From what I'm told, Drupal is a step up the CMS learning curve from Wordpress, but since they're projects that have coexisted for a long time, there are established and tried migration methods from one to the other.I'm not exactly on top of Drupal's ActivityPub implementation, though. But even if that's in a workable shape, Drupal is trying to pitch itself as "the best AI-powered Open Source CMS in the world". Which, to me, is like saying you only put the sharpest razor blades available in kids' Hallowe'en candy.
One user involved in the Backdrop CMS fork from Drupal 7 made convincing arguments for that over later Drupal versions, so here's hoping they drank the right (ie., federated, not algorithmic) Kool Aid.
Hubzilla
Now, this may be the most exciting but also most challenging alternative. Hubzilla is a fairly advanced, and in some ways mold-breaking Fediverse application. From the same developer who made Friendica and (streams), and, if I understand correctly, based on the same core principles.In contrast to Wordpress and Drupal, Hubzilla declares itself "a CMS which doesn't use LLM / AI". Can't say I don't appreciate that signalling! And of course the whole package revolves around federation. But wait.
The CMS part may be technically correct, but as far as I can tell making Hubzilla present as a plain blog or website requires some advanced stylesheet finagling — and the application only comes with one official, microblog-esque theme. I haven't found any open projects trying to bridge that visual gap, but will appreciate your tips about them if they exist.
For Hubzilla to be a feasible alternative here, we will also need to be able to migrate existing posts, media, users and comments from Wordpress. Preferably in a way that doesn't mess up permalinks too badly. A quick glance at Hubzilla urls indicate that the entire architecture is very different. I assume concepts like "channels" substitute "authors"(?) but I don't know where we are with WP terms like taxonomies.
So there's a challenge, and I'm hoping others have tried (and hopefully succeeded in) that particular migration... or at least have advice to offer.
Bonus: Bonfire
I'm putting this on the table because I expect somebody is going to suggest it in the comments. Like Hubzilla, Bonfire looks really interesting as a Swiss army knife for the Fediverse: You want to make a blog? Take these modules. A community forum? Try these other ones. It's federated first, and it seems to make good headway toward its goals.But there is no official CMS flavour is still in development; we have no idea about migration possibilities, and honestly? The more mature Hubzilla will be a challenge, I'm fairly certain this is a step further out of our comfort zone. This is totally an "us" problem, not a Bonfire one.
So, thoughts? Specifically practical advice on Hubzilla and/or/versus Backdrop, which I think are the most realistic avenues right now. But there may be alternatives I just didn't see even though they're right in front of me.
I'm ready to have my mind changed on WriteFreely, or to hear about something completely new to me. Mostly though, I'm hoping for replies that consider the massive history of posts and comments that we look to import into the next generation of our site.
Thanks in advance!
So, given WP is willing to sell all its users down the river for some quick "AI" buzz, what fedi-enabled alternatives exist for human-centric websites? therepository.email/wordpress-…I know of write.as, plume. They're too ascetic to match the brief. ClassicPress could be an option, provided the WP-ActivityPub add-on works with that.
#wordpress #ActivityPub #CMS #noAI #fediverse
cc @davidgerard
Retail stores still selling the same overpriced junk since at least 2019 and even pretending it's on sale
(Price is in € EUR)
For context, six months ago I bought a renewed Thinkpad X395 for exactly this price and I got: An actually decent CPU and not something as powerful as a Wii, 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB of actual M.2 SSD, a really nice 1080p Touchscreen, really nice build quality with metal and a nice backlit keyboard.
Heck, even when I bought a cheap laptop in May 2020 it was much better than this and it even was brand new for the same price.
I know this CPU very well, for this price you are getting something that has trouble playing a Youtube video in 1080p at 60 FPS and can't even run the latest version of Minecraft at above 10 FPS.
Now imagine this combined with Windows 11 and only 4 GB of RAM...
No, this is not because of the current hardware crysis, this is pure greed.
But hey, 1 year of Microslop 365 is included!
Don't buy consumer laptops, especially not ones that are this cheap. Buy used business laptops; Dell Latitude, Lenovo ThinkPad, even used HP EliteBooks are better are better value than most stuff you get under 1000€ new.
Even a dual-core Haswell CPU is gonna be better than a Celeron. Plus you'll be able to upgrade storage and RAM.
Intel Core i7-4600M Benchmark
Performance and price comparison graphs for Intel Core i7-4600M @ 2.90GHzwww.cpubenchmark.net
So what happened with Venezuela?
cross-posted from: lemmygrad.ml/post/10455030
Is it still sovereign?What about the Maduros?
Who is in charge there and are they kowtowing to the United States, doing a bit of both (their own thing and pacifying the United States), or are they resolutely against USA influence?
Are there still air strikes?
Apps helping boycott US goods gain popularity in Denmark
UdenUSA is currently the fourth most downloaded app in Denmark on the App Store, the American ChatGPT is in fifth place
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alternativeto.net/lists/42568/…
European Alternatives
We help you find European alternatives for digital service and products, like cloud services and SaaS products.European Alternatives
Apps helping boycott US goods gain popularity in Denmark
Apps helping boycott US goods gain popularity in Denmark
UdenUSA is currently the fourth most downloaded app in Denmark on the App Store, the American ChatGPT is in fifth placeTASS
Apps helping boycott US goods gain popularity in Denmark
UdenUSA is currently the fourth most downloaded app in Denmark on the App Store, the American ChatGPT is in fifth place
LibreFind: l’app Android che trova alternative FOSS alle applicazioni proprietarie
LibreFind nasce con un obiettivo molto chiaro: aiutare gli utenti Android a individuare rapidamente quali applicazioni installate non sono libere e quali alternative open source possono sostituirle.
L’app analizza il dispositivo, confronta i pacchetti con un database ospitato su Firebase Firestore e restituisce un elenco ordinato di software proprietario insieme a suggerimenti FOSS pertinenti. L’idea è semplice ma potente, perché permette di avere una panoramica immediata del livello di libertà del proprio telefono e di intervenire con scelte più consapevoli.
...
GitHub - jksalcedo/librefind: Find FOSS alternatives to Proprietary Android Apps
Find FOSS alternatives to Proprietary Android Apps - jksalcedo/librefindGitHub
What's your go to simple desktop photo editor (a la snapseed)?
Yes, I know snapseed is a mobile app, but that's the kind of simplicity I'm looking for. Pre-made filters, an auto-fix button, adjustment sliders, etc.
I have image toolbox on mobile and even that's a bit over the top with option (and I still haven't found sliders for brightness, contrast, saturation, shadows etc in that maze).
Linux or Windows programs are fine, I run both.
Trump-Greenland Deal Reportedly Includes U.S. ‘Sovereignty Over Small Pockets’ of Territory
This is mine, that is yours, that's yours too but only if there's nothing valuable there. If there is, that's mine too.
You mean America owns it?
NO ME!!!
Trump-Greenland Deal Reportedly Includes U.S. ‘Sovereignty Over Small Pockets’ of Territory
The NATO statement came amid new reporting from the New York Times that deal may include the U.S. being given “sovereignty over small pockets” of land in Greenland.Alex Griffing (Mediaite)
Millions of people imperiled through sign-in links sent by SMS
Millions of people imperiled through sign-in links sent by SMS
Even well-known services with millions of users are exposing sensitive data.Dan Goodin (Ars Technica)
RRF Caserta PC Facile. Migliorare la visione dei caratteri a monitor con Clear Type
Apps for boycotting American products surge to the top of the Danish App Store
European consumers are fighting back against the U.S. following Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland, a Danish territory. As a result, two mobile apps that offer a way to determine if products are made in America, then suggest local alternatives, have surged to the top of the Danish App Store in recent days.
The boost in downloads comes as Danish consumers have been organizing a grassroots boycott of American-made products, which also included canceling their U.S. vacations and ditching their subscriptions to U.S.-based streaming services, like Netflix.
Across both iOS and Android, two apps, NonUSA and Made O’Meter, have entered the top 10 this month, according to new data from market intelligence provider Appfigures.
Apps for boycotting American products surge to the top of the Danish App Store | TechCrunch
Two origin ID apps, NonUSA and Made O'Meter, are seeing downloads surge as Europeans boycott US-made goods.Sarah Perez (TechCrunch)
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Minnesota rising
Friday could be a seminal moment in this new civil rights movement.Minnesota unions, religious groups, and ordinary citizens are planning a massive statewide strike and economic boycott.
The Ice Out of Minnesota website declares:
It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in MN, accountability for federal agents who have caused loss of life and abuse to Minnesota residents and call for Congress to immediately intervene.Friday, January 23rd will be a statewide day of non-violent moral action, reflection: no work, no school, no shopping — only community, conscience, and collective action.
There will be a unified, statewide pause in daily economic activity. Instead, Minnesotans will spend time with family, neighbors, and their community to show Minnesota’s moral heart and collective economic power. This means:
- No work (except emergency services)
- No school
- No shopping or consumer spendingThere will be a peaceful march and rally in downtown Minneapolis at 2:00pm.
The weather forecast is brutal, with below-zero temperatures expected all day Friday along with windchill temperature descending into the 30s below zero.
Minnesota rising
A massive statewide strike and economic boycott is set for FridayDan Froomkin (Heads Up News)
CEO of Palantir Says AI Means You'll Have to Work With Your Hands Like a Peasant
CEO of Palantir Says AI Means You’ll Have to Work With Your Hands Like a Peasant
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Alex Karp said the majority of humanity will be working in manufacturing and vocational jobs.Joe Wilkins (Futurism)
100_kg_90_de_belin likes this.
Does shooting billionaires count as manual labor?
Does providing for those who shoot billionaires count?
NZ Treasury: "The likely effect would therefore be to increase house prices"
I stumbled across a 2020 OIA request to NZ Treasury where someone asked:
what analysis Treasury has done on the KiwiSaver First Home scheme affecting house prices, and how much taxpayer money gets transferred into the housing stock
Treasury released a few internal docs and they basically say that increasing caps would lead to higher house prices and that subsidies for renters/buyers tend to be captured by landlords/sellers instead of improving affordability long-term.
The advice was apparently ignored.
Cuban Detainee in El Paso ICE Facility Died by Homicide, Autopsy Shows
The report from the county medical examiner said the detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, was asphyxiated and restrained by law enforcement. Federal officials described his death as a suicide.
A Cuban immigrant’s death in an El Paso detention center this month was ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday by the county medical examiner’s office.
The detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, became unresponsive while he was physically restrained by law enforcement on Jan. 3 at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility called Camp East Montana, the report said. Emergency medical workers tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The autopsy listed the cause of death as “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.” The report also described injuries Mr. Lunas Campos had sustained to his head and neck, including burst blood vessels in the front and side of the neck, as well as on his eyelids.
New York Times - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
LEFT-CENTER BIAS These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes) to favor liberal cau…Media Bias Fact Check
The New World Situation: The decline of U.S. imperialism and the centrality of the class struggle
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/2174…
The writer is the First Secretary of Workers World Party. In assessing the new world situation, we should start here in the U.S. At this moment, the epicenter of the struggle is Minneapolis. What’s happening there poses a fundamental question that is germane to the changing world situation, the global . . .
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The New World Situation: The decline of U.S. imperialism and the centrality of the class struggle
The writer is the First Secretary of Workers World Party. In assessing the new world situation, we should start here in the U.S. At this moment, the epicenter of the struggle is Minneapolis.Workers World
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Crashdoom (GitHub)