💥 Cardboard Wars from 20th Century Box is FANtastic 💥 https://youtu.be/ulVscDewRPI?si=aoYZTrm3TrPy5BUx
It's #starwars #fanart worth your time. So glad I waited to watch with family on the big TV. We haven't laughed this hard together in years.
Remote
matt wilkie
@maphew@vmst.io
A hewer of maps, sometimes. A wannabe coding snake charmer, occasionally. Geo mattricks, behind the scenes. Attending to the curious infinite distraction machine, mostly. Breathing sensing thinking feeling, always; until not.
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Joined July 12, 2024
self-ish:
work-ish:
Help tell Bambu Labs and any other corporation that changing terms of service after purchase will not be tolerated
https://youtu.be/qLLVn6XT7v0?si=CeUH5sY-WurzR3pQ
#3dprint #opensource #diy #righttorepair
The Rhubarb Compendium, Dan Eisenreich's 30-year labour of love (1994–2024), with hundreds of recipes, growing guides, varieties, history and folklore, It went dark when rhubarbinfo.com lapsed and became a casino redirect.
I rebuilt 221 pages from #internetarchive snapshots, every entry linking back to its original URL and Wayback timestamp. Content stays under its original CC BY-SA 3.0 US license.
🥬 https://maphew.github.io/rhubarb/
🛠️ https://github.com/maphew/rhubarb
Thank you @internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org and Claude Opus 4.7 for the grunt work.
Well produced walk through of how Apple and other big tech lock up #righttorepair
https://youtu.be/NG-lLt5X3Rs?si=vY4Lt6BgYkbX4Imr
Pairs well with
https://youtu.be/iZxbaCNIwg8?si=tsYgvueF3VPJ1ccH
Q&A at the end is worthwhile, several leads to fruitful exploration. Let's go #canada
History always happens fast, and always has. It's just that when we teach it we skip over all the events and technologies we don't care about in this moment. The digital revolution is happening with the same cadence as print did 550 years ago. Ada Palmer, at ~1hr https://youtu.be/PAIhVfGbREA?si=xXX1dUYtO4krVBv3
This woman is the best #history teacher I never had, bar none. Until now. For 2 hours she says something every minute or two that straightens my spine with insight.
Replying to
@Phangurl@vmst.io not laugh out loud the funniest ever, but The God Must Be Crazy is one of my feel good and has humour faves
Greek and Roman statues were not just painted and adorned, but also perfumed, and clothed in textiles and jewellery
https://greekreporter.com/2026/02/15/greek-statues-paint-dress-perfume/
Speaks to a very different experience of and relationship to rock and stone people than I have had. To this date anyway.
Replying to
@spiralganglion@merveilles.town I love this. So simple conceptually, and direct. Thanks for the idea and demo.
I've encountered #canadaland podcast a few months ago. I keep coming back to listen to more, and eventually became a subscriber. So they're worth banging on about, at least a little. Check 'em out #canada! you might appreciate also
https://www.labs.canadaland.com/share
Replying to
@Amgine@mamot.fr yeah rsync is right up there in the permanent tool kit! For unattended scheduled work it's the bomb. This scenario ☝️ is for a one-time download from a vendor, so the GUI pick and choose of files was a plus, and I'm pretty sure there's no rsync daemon on their server (not that I asked tho).
Replying to
Fwiw, I'm not anti OpenAI. I use Codex frequently. I just don't think it's good for tools that are fundamental to the python ecosystem to become partisan.
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell
https://simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/the-world-factbook/
"...
> One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset.
There's not even a hint as to why they decided to stop maintaining this publication, which has been their most useful public-facing initiative since 1971 and a cornerstone of the public internet since 1997."
#handmade software expo, June 6 in #vancouver BC.
https://handmade.network/blog/p/9113-announcing_the_handmade_network_expo%2521#30635
I'd love to go! hmmm, the wheels are turning, that's only 2400 km after all
Replying to on mastodon.social
@mcc@mastodon.social oof. Good grief, "monetize your posts". Enshittification indeed. Sigh.
Replying to
"There was a temporary problem delivering your message to info@competitionbureau.gc.ca. Gmail will retry for 45 more hours. You'll be notified if the delivery fails permanently."
@fdroidorg@floss.social @marcprux@mastodon.social
Huh. Maybe the data structure underlying my next project should be #quipu. A 600 year track record that's open to hand implementation, literally, might be considered a solid enough basis, yes? https://indiandefencereview.com/thought-was-just-knots-scientists-say-inca-invented-worlds-first-computer-system/
Replying to on floss.social
@fdroidorg@floss.social @marcprux@mastodon.social
To: info@competitionbureau.gc.ca
I'm writing to register my deep concern with Google's intention to block users from installing software WE choose on devices we own from sources WE choose to trust.
https://developer.android.com/developer-verification
I'm fine with custom software installs being blocked by default, the security concerns are very real. I'm NOT fine with it being blocked entirely unless the developer registers with Google. There are all number of perfectly valid ways that can go wrong or simply not be practical. Bottom line: it's not their business, it's mine.
...
For sale: One 150 year old Bechstein grand piano:$15
History Hunter: Priceless Klondike artifact saved from the auction block | #Yukon News
https://yukon-news.com/2026/02/07/history-hunter-priceless-klondike-artifact-saved-from-the-auction-block/
We can't save everything, or there's soon no place for living. Neither should we let all our past crumble to fragments unchallenged. It's difficult, maintaining a balance. Still, I'm glad this piece has been rescued, again, and hopefully will fill a hall with music anew too.
#DIY replacing a broken LED element
https://youtube.com/shorts/wI2Ng0IvPzA?si=rrvZhUBIdXG_HA4a
"start wondering what a world without apps might look like, things get interesting. For most of the history of computing, software organised data. But when AI begins dissolving those walls, the natural alternative appears: data organising software.
Right now I cannot process the data locked inside my apps in any way other than what the owners of those apps permit. We’re so used to this that it barely even occurs to us that things could be different.
But imagine something [else]"
-- https://frest.substack.com/p/apps-are-dead-they-just-dont-know
Replying to
Oh my American friends, I am so sorry to see this happening to you, from you.
And worried for the ripples we shall also surely experience. None of us are truly isolate.
Replying to on mastodon.social
@mistersql@mastodon.social thanks for the pointers. I tend to avoid .venv and try for self contained PEP723 scripts as long as possible. In part because the extra step of activating before getting started is annoying to me. Probably I could profit by learning to give up that prejudice and follow what uncounted thousands of other py devs have found useful!
Digitalize grandpa's (or yours!) old film camera
https://www.yankodesign.com/2026/04/12/your-dusty-film-camera-can-shoot-26mp-digital-no-modifications-needed/amp/
Replying to on fosstodon.org
@talkpython@fosstodon.org @mkennedy@fosstodon.org fast-api deploy looks so awesome!
and fills me with longing pain
cause we're not allowed to use cloud
(for the things I need it for today)
still, there's hope
a good idea seen and executed
often leads to copying
eventually
Secret to being healthy? Get dirty
(results in as few as 28 days) https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/finland-replaced-artificial-playground-surfaces-with-natural-elements-like-mud-and-soil--and-the-results-surprised-even-researchers-184318556.html
Replying to on fedifreu.de
@DaBo@fedifreu.de @pluralistic@mamot.fr yeah, that's in the neighbourhood of what I'm imagining. I use Antennapod . I'll look for pods who take advantage of chapter images
YouTube Music offers this list of "quick picks" on homescreen today:
She Bangs Like a Fairy on Acid
Be Gay, Do Drugs, Hail Satan
Smoke Weed Eat Pussy
Personal Pornstar
Fuck What They Think
Strung Like a Horse
Blowjobs In the Rain
I Fucked Yr Mom
Everybody Wants To Be Famous
Fuck Being a Princess
Feed the Machine
What makes it think I'd want *anything* to do with these shitty quick picks? The slop goes on for 3 screens at least. I'm out.
Yesterday I picked something to start with and let it autoplay for a few hours while I lay in bed wishing for a time machine to skip to the end of this chest cold. Mistake.
#enshittification
https://12gramsofcarbon.com/p/what-if-ai-alignment-is-a-skill-not
"Two centuries of institutional design experience should not be ignored because the substrate is silicon rather than citizens."
I can't judge if their work is valid but I loudly applaud the thinking. Yes! more valuing of our ancestors' hard-won knowledge.
An excellent telling of the Steam Ship Columbia disaster on the Yukon River in 1906 featuring well executed dark humour conjoined with education and above average context setting: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yukon-riverboat-disaster-of-1906-episode-101--69500298 (37 min)
The name drop at the end was a complete surprise (my bro) as I stumbled across the episode searching "podcast" and #Yukon
I got pinged to verify myself in a Claude #discord channel. Is this legit or phishing? Did I join a Claude server? I dunno, maybe. There are so many I've checked out for a moment or three and then forgotten or didn't get around to removing yet. I hate that 'is this a #secop compromise?' is now a daily.
Hah! Great slides! I've only listened to @pluralistic@mamot.fr speeches so far. Didn't know what I was missing
https://youtu.be/39jsstmmUUs?si=JWtQwFknbTCla_ct
(Newly refreshed wish, a podcast app mode that shows visuals. Note: distinct from video. More like those record / cassette tape + story books from prior century: when you hear the beep, turn the page)
Energy fish. Use multiple small tethered floating turbines instead of a dam. Work with the water instead of against it. They even account for ice. Sounds promising. Hey #yukon look at this:
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/germany-is-already-testing-a-power-plant-on-the-rhine-equipped-with-124-invisible-turbines-that-continues-to-operate-even-after-sunset-and-when-the-wind-dies-down/31289/
The rust port ultraworkers/claw-code repo on github is locked and can no longer be forked (101k forks already exist). However commit 0de48c69ea7eb1d35b37e98353740e320ffa50b6 in anthropics/claude-code/, their own repo, has the leaked typescript code. It came from PR #42063, which is now closed with unmerged commits. There are at least 3 other still open PR adding the source code.
Any/all of these forks and PR claim to the have Claude's code. There's no guarantee they're a) authentic, b) untampered with.
As I write there is only 1 google result for 0de48c69ea7eb1d35b37e98353740e3
Reminds of DeCSS on it's Day 1. ;-)
Todays Score: 30 pts for FreeFileSync vs WinSCP 3 pts.
Estimated time to transfer ~1TB over sftp? 16 hrs vs 5-7 days.
I'm a bit sad, since I quite like WinSCP and have used it for years, but also happy, because I also like FreeFileSync, and have paid for it several times over the years even though it's free.
I'll keep using them both indefinitely, they do different things with some overlap. You should use them too, but do test which for when!
https://freefilesync.org/
https://winscp.net/
Replying to
@fdroidorg@floss.social @marcprux@mastodon.social
...
Canada needs to declare that within Canada our devices are sovereign, and that if Google goes ahead with the announced policy Canadian citizens are released from consequences of breaking the artificial restrictions -- meaning there will be no legal repercussions for bypassing the restrictions.
Sincerely,
Matt Wilkie
Whitehorse, Yukon
Dutch scientists left a hamster wheel outside. Then, all the animals started playing with it
https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/wild-mice-hamster-wheel-study-play/
"Over a span of three years, the team recorded over 200,000 [wild] animal visits [mice, frogs, rats, shrews, & slugs] and analyzed more than 12,000 video clips of animals interacting with the wheels. Some individuals showed remarkably consistent behavior—one mouse ran for an astonishing 18 minutes!"
we made a thing: zist - zip/unzip zstd compressed files like gzip https://github.com/maphew/zist
why? because i reached for one, and couldn't find one all the places i looked*
is it any good? i dunno
does it work? yes, for me
will it still be a thing next month, year? shrug. for me, likely. for you? tell me
Save this to your permanent reference library: https://ngrok.com/blog/quantization
It's about how large language models store and use numbers, which for the bits I understand is amazing, but what really caught my attention is how different number types are converted to binary. I finally get it!
Found by way of @simon@fedi.simonwillison.net , https://simonwillison.net/2026/Mar/26/quantization-from-the-ground-up/
Replying to
(there's a fix for that, called gathering together some local homies running our own. Maybe there's a *playbook* for that... and if not, make one.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81StJaRCGjw
Wow! I didn't know a man could sing that cleanly in such a high register. I kept wondering if it was lip synch -- until watching some of "what is a countertenor' in the description.
Abigail Disney is one of the most thoughtful and human voices I've heard. Her view into what is wealth, how it changes a person and our society is profound. I did not expect to encounter these deep insights here. I'm happy to add her to my #heros.
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas/clip/16211440-the-billionaire-age-pt-2-or-heiress-abigail
fleets - a term for fediverse utterance
it'll never catch on, but in this moment i like it
toots: cute, but doesn't roll off my tongue in a smooth way (fwiw the fart association doesn't bother me at all). i just can't get used to it
posts: nah, that's for long stuff. result of pondering, thinking, editing
comments: yeah sort of, but is about adding to a stream or thread that's ongoing, directly attached.
so yeah, as of today, I fleet. everyone will be confused and think me weird (true) and incoherent (also true), but that's fine. i know!
Goal: control my vacuum with my PlayStation controller
Outcome: actually mistakenly control 6700 vacuums across the planet
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/user-accidentally-gains-control-of-over-6-700-robot-vacuums-while-tinkering-with-their-own-device-to-enable-control-with-a-playstation-controller-security-flaw-reveals-floor-plans-and-live-video-feeds
It's fun to be playing and exploring at or near the front of the wave, but don't buy the "learn now, at top speed, or be left behind!" meme trying to incite your FOMO.
The folks who didn't wake up to desktop publishing until it was mainstream have done fine. Ditto for blogging and digital photography. New people are discovering, becoming adept at, and making a living with these tools everyday even though these domains are multi-decade now. It'll be the same with AI.
* now that i've announced mine, a real one will show up. that's still a win
Changed all my desktop themes from dark to light today because everything started to blend together and I was fighting too hard to distinguish one window from another; text-I-want-to-read blurring into the background.
If past experience is anything to go by, in 2 or 3 weeks I'll be switching from light to dark -- for exactly the same reason.
Curious thing, perception.