@KimSJ@mastodon.social

Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

Here we go again… Today I tried to send a friend a recommendation for a Best Western hotel. Instead of a simple URL, I was offered a massive long reference including goodness knows what additional tracking and personal info. Worse, pasting it into Mail, iOS instantly hid all that detail behind a helpful snapshot of what the web address was pointing at. Being cantankerous, I pasted it via a text editor, allowing me to delete the crap, but how many others would have bothered? #Enshittification.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@brian_gettler@mas.to Perfect timing, as research suggests at least some employers are rejecting AI-literate STEM graduates with shallow thought processes, in favour of humanities graduates who are still being taught to think. https://tech.lgbt/@Natasha_Jay/116867584703986125

tech.lgbt

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@ktneely@infosec.exchange @peter@thepit.social Two things can be true at the same time. 😉 And actually, these are two sides of the same coin.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

Vote for the can, not the cant. (For those not familiar with that somewhat obscure use of the word ‘cant’, this from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/cant “1. insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.”)

dictionary.com

CANT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

CANT definition: insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety. See examples of cant used in a sentence.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Good to see that this petition is really taking off…
“Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership”
Have you signed yet?

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762640
#UKPolitics

Petitions - UK Parliament and UK Government

Petition: Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership

Hold a binding national referendum on whether the water industry should be returned to public ownership. Water is a basic human necessity; we believe our privatised system has failed, so the public should decide who owns and controls it.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@pmb00cs @ChrisMayLA6 As an I T professional with fifty years experience, I came here to say exactly that. It’s bizarre that faced with concrete evidence that the system has exactly “lost, stolen or tampered with” this woman’s digital status, they still say “there are no wider issues around the system”. I fear we are at the beginning or another Post Office Horizon scandal. #eVisa #UKPolitics #HomeOffice

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

Replying to

@ainmosni@social.ainmosni.eu @xs4me2@mastodon.social @leanderlindahl@mastodon.social @elena@aseachange.com @pallenberg@mastodon.social @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu Two things can be true at the same time. 😜

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

RE: https://tarte.nuage-libre.fr/c/technologie/p/290081/linternet-post-etasunien

I love that the French have translated enshittification into “merdification”. 😁

tarte.nuage-libre.fr

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@jawarajabbi @pluralistic Leveraging FOMO has always been the key skill of grifters. Never has that been more evident than with the rush to “AI” everything.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

let's stop UK being part of Trump's war...
Please sign, and publicise.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762994
#UKPolitics

Petitions - UK Parliament and UK Government

Petition: Hold an immediate parliamentary vote on US use of UK bases

We call on the Government to hold a parliamentary vote on the decision to grant the United States permission to use British military bases for strikes on Iranian missile sites.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@suriele@eldritch.cafe @Orb2069@mastodon.online @momo@social.linux.pizza Are you shill for an AI company? What other reason could you have to offer misinformation so authoritatively?

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

RE: @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us

Apparently we are in the denial stage of a carbon copy of the Post Office Horizon scandal:
“The Home Office said it had reviewed the case and been in touch with Tobay.
‘The issues raised have now been resolved and there are no wider issues around the system,’ it said.”

zirk.us

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@eniko Good code is like a bonsai. It takes love, care and time to create the perfect shape.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@ahltorp@mastodon.nu @ChrisMayLA6@mastodon.me.uk @EF@mastodon.bsd.cafe There should be a permanent ban on watering lawns by any means other than rainwater. Ideally a ban on mowing them too, perhaps?

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us Given that Brexit was won on lies and many now regret their support, and that Reform is also big on misleading statements, a cynic might conclude that Reform does best in areas where the voters are most gullible. I couldn’t possibly comment.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

RE: @Yehuda@turtleisland.social

So three quarters of the Fediverse regard alt-text as useful to them. A surprisingly high number.

turtleisland.social

Yehuda TurtleIsland.social: "Personally I think alt-text is valuable for every…" - Turtle Island Social

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

RE: @adamndsmith@mastodon.social

Tl;dr: Don’t trust the cloud as the only repository for your work or data!!!
Edit: apparently this story is fake. But the lesson behind it remains. Trusting everything to the cloud is risky. There are many other reasons you could lose access to your data.

mastodon.social

Adam Smith: "Incredible post. His sister is at university, her…" - Mastodon

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@otte_homan@theblower.au @suriele@eldritch.cafe @Orb2069@mastodon.online @momo@social.linux.pizza Yup. Whereas I have actually worked in data centres. Of course it is entirely possible to design a data centre without evaporative cooling, but… capitalism.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@Retreival9096 I currently use Proton for VPNs. I won’t be renewing. The one thing you need from a VPN is trustability. The one thing you don’t get from AI code is something you can 100% trust.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@adrianww @simon_brooke @bob @aral At the start of any project it is impossible to know what you don’t know. That’s why Waterfall always fails.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@ChrisMayLA6 @pmb00cs Definite echoes of ‘you’re the only one with this problem’

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@jtonline@mastodon.me.uk @TimWardCam@c.im It is undoubtedly true that a referendum on water ownership would be a massive waste of money and resources; just imagine the effort the private industry would put into the No campaign. Far better if the Government just did the right thing without such nonsense.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@StarkRG@myside-yourside.net @CheRosach@mastodonapp.uk Ah, but fossil fuel mines, processing and burning happen where poor people live, so that’s fine. Wind turbines spoil the view for rich people. 😜

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@pixxl@mastodon.social @MiaMarkTwo@syzito.xyz I disagree. Removing the "recording" LED is a step forward: creeps could disable the LED giving the impression they were not recording when they were. Now at least everyone will assume the glasses are recording all the time. Better still would be a green LED permanently on, drawing attention to the fact that these are smart glasses. If regulators were on the ball, that's what they would mandate.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@n1vux@mastodon.radio @vampiress@eigenmagic.net A friend of mine once observed that you know you’re on the right coding track when you discover that decisions you have made to fix one challenge have also solved issues you hadn’t even thought of at the time. LLMs are a million miles from having such instincts yet, if they ever will. #LLMs #AI

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@drahardja @nicolaottomano Thank you for taking the time to explain that. It’s fascinating, and clearly an improvement on what is happening in most regions. But, the concept of a “trusted issuer” is, er, ‘interesting’ in the context of a less-than-trustworthy world. And there are still many attack surfaces, not least of which is a child borrowing or cloning an adult’s certificate.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

I’ve just spent a happy few hours responding to the UK consultation on Digital IDs. You have until Tuesday lunchtime to share in the fun!

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-public-services-work-for-you-with-your-digital-identity/making-public-services-work-for-you-with-your-digital-identity

gov.uk

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@baoigheallain@mastodon.ie @baz@mastodon.scot I spent some time this morning exploring how feasible it it to run MacOS apps on Linux. At the moment the main option seems to be to load MacOS into a virtual machine. Which has suspect legality. It’s time Europe changed the rules to make doing that totally legal! And also to make engineering Mac clones legal too.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@brianbilston@mastodon.online The world is _lessed

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@tom_geraghty Now read this again while thinking about how kings (a.k.a CEOs) are trying to shoehorn AI into everything.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@Gustodon @Quasit Biden had four years to straighten the country, and couldn’t even put Trump back in his box. Far too many Democrats also have their hands in the cookie jar. Which is why Bernie Sanders never had a chance.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us Shades of Farage’s ‘Leave means Leave” march, I think. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/march-to-leave-brexit-nigel-farage-leave-means-leave-no-deal-eu-a8831551.html

independent.co.uk

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@SusiArnott @ChrisMayLA6 Whatever you think of Pohl’s story, “The Midas Plague” seems an entirely apt description of the late stage capitalism we are currently suffering. Its greed will destroy everything, just as King Midas’s did. #enshittification

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@CelloMomOnCars Even donkeys have a spine!

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

RE: @ketan@climatejustice.social

Don’t be evil… be _really_ fugging evil!

climatejustice.social

Ketan Joshi: ""Asked by Axios last week at an energy conference…" - Climate Justice Social

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@nicolaottomano @drahardja How does that work? In particular, how does it avoid creating a database of immutable biometric data ripe for hackers to target?

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@dec23k Thank you. Post updated to include that info.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@regendans@todon.eu Not just a moral stance, good investment strategy too. Palantir is going to suffer a lot of financial setbacks in the next few years.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@straphanger@urbanists.social Presumably such a no-cars/trucks bridge is much cheaper, because the loads are predictable and much lower. You’re never going to get nose-to-tail traffic jams of trams!

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@SheamusPatt You think that spotting porn is the only reason they might lock you out?

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@BBC@c.im Let’s see the full results of the Government consultation on banning under-16s from Social Media. Even with the biased questions, I simply do not believe that the ‘vast majority’ support the ban. #SocialMedia #AgeVerification

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@MrLee This graphic leaves me with many questions. Isn’t it a bit disingenuous to lump beef and lamb together? They typically use rather different terrains, some of which may have no other viable use. Or am I wrong? The graphic leaves me no way of knowing. Also “golf courses” are not necessarily all fairways. Some have mature trees. I fear the full picture is a lot more nuanced than this simple graphic pretends.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 1mo ago

Replying to

@RandamuMaki@mstdn.social @autonomysolidarity@todon.eu Not really fascist, something worse… completely amoral! Meta would kill Nazis just as readily as they promote self harm to teenagers, if it made them money.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

@SheamusPatt Doesn’t help if they turn your service off!

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@TimWardCam@c.im Good point well made. But would any modern Government dare to nationalise the water industry without a referendum as political cover?

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@mgeist@mas.to I wish I could like this a thousand times! Current government action (driven almost entirely by lobbying from the big social media players) is not ‘fixing’ the Internet, it is destroying it. Ironically, it will probably break the Internet too for the very companies which are lobbying for age-gating. Big tech is not very clever at looking after its own long-term best interests.

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@davidho@mastodon.world Congratulations (or should that be commiserations?)

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social One hope that if this petition gets debated, a lot of MPs will make that point.🙂

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 5mo ago

Replying to

@HakeemG@mastodon.social @u0421793@toot.pikopublish.ing @baldur@toot.cafe Not yet!

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Kim Spence-Jones 🇬🇧😷 @KimSJ@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@DemocracyMattersALot@mstdn.social Somewhat misleading to use red and blue to signify something unrelated to voting! Let’s see a better representation of the correlation!

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