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@jessienab@wetdry.world's #mastoplush at Fediverse Night at @foulab@chaos.social!
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Austin Huang ❤️
@austin@mstdn.party
mastodon 4.6.9#Software engineer at #Google + #FOSS contributor + #mastoadmin, from Shanghai to Montreal to #Seattle. I quibble on #SliceOfLife, #tech, and #policies. Account speaks English and 简体中文.
Own posts licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Notification preferred. Keep contexts intact. Actions are not endorsements.
#fedi22
Previously at @austin@mstdn.ca, @a@mastodon.nz and @austin@ieji.de
2174 Followers
197 Following
26 Posts
Joined April 16, 2023
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Since I'd be leaving #Montreal in a few weeks I thought I'd have some #poutine before going to somewhere without that authentic Quebecois #food. So, got the Poutine St-Henri (large), plus a milkshake, at Green Spot. In hindsight I might've eaten too much for a simple lunch... But it was pretty good nevertheless.
Went to @foulab@chaos.social watching a friend tinkering with their devices... I was not (nor am I generally) prepared to do anything hands-on in a #hackerspace so I decided to take a few shots of their little #retrocomputing museum.
Out of curiosity, and since not so many people tried to use #kagi to #translate *from* #LinkedIn speak to English, I decided to test it on an actual LinkedIn post on my feed (happens to be one using "AI" to replace interns): https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7438083732978425856/ . As is the case with nondeterministic LLMs, running on the same text gives me different output each time, which makes it critically unsuitable for translation, but there is irony in feeding that pro-AI crap back at them using the "AI" they love most.
The administrators of #MstdnParty #MstdnPlus propose to appoint @gcvsa@mstdn.plus as #moderator on mstdn.plus. If you have any concerns about this individual or this decision, please reach out to me or to @jonah@mastodon.neat.computer by 11:59pm AoE Sunday, January 18. Thank you for your attention!
#MstdnParty #MstdnPlus users: due to recent developments, and after reinterpreting policies, the instances have temporarily limited threads.net. Local users are welcome to provide feedback, publicly or privately, under this post until January 19, after which the final decision will be made based on feedback. Please read the announcement for more details. Thank you for your continued support!
The administrators of #MstdnParty #MstdnPlus propose to appoint
- @fuegon@mstdn.party
- @jnye@mstdn.plus
- @leafuw@mstdn.party
as #moderator's on their respective instances. If you have any concerns about these individuals or this decision, please reach out to me or to @jonah@mastodon.neat.computer by 11:59pm AoE Sunday, August 10. Thank you for your attention!
Replying to on bark.lgbt
@nycki@bark.lgbt It should be said that, at least on Element, changing your account's display name or avatar seems to override all custom nicknames and avatars for rooms... I don't know if it's the case on Cinny but it is something to be aware of. Other than that, yeah, it's the best alternative out there... (See also https://joinmatrix.org.)
#MstdnParty and #MstdnPlus wants new #moderators! If you would like to help this instance to prosper and further its mission of facilitating public discourse, please see how to apply at https://mpp.bus-hit.me/moderator/. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me as well!
(FYI: you do have to be a current user on either instance.)
Replying to
I do want to address a few more things. I strongly prefer automated tooling over conditional registrations. I believe many (including me!) would stress out on any application-like questionnaire, even if it's just one question. This is also a general instance and it's difficult to evaluate people's responses other than blindly approving them.
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@HardlyWorgen@mstdn.party Yes, however the point of this consultation is also for people who do interact with them (there are around 100 accounts that follow Threads accounts, and at least some are active, but none responded yet)...
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I'd also like to object to the framing of general instances (and their administrators) by certain other instance administrators and people who report spam. Many know that Mastodon lacks moderation tooling, but it's not entirely missing: webhooks and admin APIs do exist. It is important to work towards moderation tooling - be it advocating for changes in Mastodon or building tools around it - instead of pointing fingers at fellow administrators.
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@tenkoman@sueden.social @ErikUden@mastodon.de Maybe Cloud is different, because I've seen people claiming to be working for them saying on Reddit that there are internal guides that instruct them to never disclose the reason?
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@EllenJS@mstdn.plus No Threads posts will be shown in local/federated/hashtag timelines, but any Threads post authored or boosted by people you follow will still be shown on your home timeline. You can still search for and follow Threads users, but a click-through warning will be shown on their profile page. Threads users can still follow you, but you will need to manually approve them (even if your account is not locked). Also see https://docs.joinmastodon.org/admin/moderation/#limit-user
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@mattblaze@federate.social As a matter of fact, the Port Authority is supposedly quite concerned about, y'know, terrorist threats, so their regulations actually forbid photography (without explicit permission) for most of their properties (including the entire PATH system)! Dubious legality aside, it's not like it has really stopped anyone from doing so, but apparently they do occasionally harass photographers for it. Also here's a PATH relief on one of their ventilation towers: https://mstdn.party/@austin/113571790959976928
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@lily@java.duke.social What's the first thing in your apps drawer (left of your downloads? folder on the dock)? Also I can see Activate behind it :)
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@jfr_1980@mastodon.social Instead of adopting a whole other protocol, it's more ideal for ActivityPub to implement some existing encryption method; there is already work in place, like https://wedistribute.org/2026/02/fediverse-e2ee-coming/ .
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@mattmaison@mastodon.world The BASIC code shown on the in-game computer screen, when entered in a Commodore 64, generates a batman sprite that "flies" across the screen. @cabel@social.panic.com This is why alt text is essential.
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@Traivor@mstdn.party @EllenJS@mstdn.plus I think it might not affect hashtags that you followed on the home timeline, it only affects when you look up a hashtag. Not too sure though (I don't follow hashtags).
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@gcvsa@mstdn.plus The discussion is limited to Threads. I have no plans to block Bluesky, noting that Bridgy Fed is already opt-in. I do monitor moderation resources and already block bad-acting instances. Though, aside, I do think that many fediverse users are misinformed about "algorithms:" automated personalization isn't fundamentally bad (something Mastodon is poor at), and I'd argue that instance dynamics already serve purposes similar to "algorithms" on conventional platforms.
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@ilookloud@retro.pizza @ErikUden@mastodon.de I am, and I also know others who are, but those are free accounts (not PAYG). Seems like they mass terminated free accounts on or around January 22.
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@kingrat@sfba.social @Andres4NY@social.ridetrans.it @danielhep@social.ridetrans.it Well, if you pass through it without a ticket then it'll also close, so I don't see a difference in concern. Also, in Japan (and some other Asian countries), the gates are closed by default if it is one-way (entry-only or exit-only). Note that the gates are placed at both ends, not at the centre, of the passage, which I think is to allow passengers to step into the gate first (to prevent bottleneck?), and closing a two-way gate would disadvantage the other side.
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@danielhep@social.ridetrans.it I think the mindset is just different. Whereas in NA transit authorities are submissive to government actions, in Japan private transit companies actively create ways to profit by improving customer experience beyond just moving people around. Their initial motive for e-wallets, for example, is to allow using the same card for shops and vending machines in stations. As acceptance expands, this allows them to charge transaction fees, creating another profit stream.