Remote
Pete Orrall
@peteorrall@mastodon.bsd.cafe
mastodon 4.7.3#Human being #actuallyautistic #nerd #electronicmusician and #opensource supporter, #debian and #freebsd enthusiast.
Posts are related to #science #tech and #electronicmusic #production.
275 Followers
607 Following
50 Posts
Joined May 02, 2025
Pronouns:
Pete/Pete
Backup account:
Website:
Soundcloud:
soundcloud.com/peteorrall
Replying to
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe Just looking at the installation instructions it's clear #Mastodon was designed for #Linux.
I want to say I am surprised but unfortunately I am not.
Replying to
@ChampersBE@mastodon-belgium.be I will clarify.
Yes, I am aware that the #Linux kernel and other distros have been using #AI for some time now and in various capacities.
The backlash #Debian is receiving is because it isn't just another distribution. It's one of the oldest, it has a long standing reputation for rock solid stability, among many other strong selling points.
Given the significant and ethical problems surrounding AI, many feel this is a step backwards for the project.
Frankly, Debian has warts and other cultural problems that I would *much* rather see corrected before any AI use is even remotely considered.
As part of de-Googling last year, I moved from Google Maps to OSMAnd+.
Oh man.
OSMAnd+ is less of a Google Maps replacement and more of a full-on mobile #GIS tool that also happens to do (offline) navigation, #GPX recording/exporting, and a seemingly endless amount of configuration. As the name suggests, it uses #OpenStreetMap.
I am genuinely impressed.
It does have a couple quirks. The #navigation and #route planning sections could be more intuitive. But those aside, OSMAnd+ has become my default mapping/navigation app.
As an #actuallyautistic #human I often listen to the same song on repeat....for long periods of time. I find it really helps regulate my nervous system.
Today at work I listened to this gem all day. From 0700 to 1600. Predictable, pleasant, and oddly soothing. I was super productive.
Who else does this and what's your go-to music?
#neurodiversity #autism #musichttps://youtu.be/wpOVCONb8N0?is=6j0RZPKJuBLbrt3_
oompa loompa 1 hour loop
The #future of #Microsoft #Windows is downright terrifying. If their previous OS releases haven't motivated you to switch to #Linux or some kind of #BSD, then after watching this video I think you will be.
#opensource #RunBSD #OwnYourData #selfhost #NoAI #tech #privacy #spy #surveillance #masssurveillance
Replying to
@rl_dane@polymaths.social I have had probably close to 10 #cats across my lifetime on this planet. My first cat as an adult was Scout, a big black polydactyl #cat, who used to belong to my landlord. He was my wife's gateway cat.
After he passed, we adopted two year and a half old bonded brother #kittens, Mario and Luigi. It was a real learning experience for my wife. They would routinely jump from the floor to the top of the fridge and steal *our* food mid-bite. 🤣
Cats are such fun and wonderful animals.
Replying to
@oxy@social.bsdlab.au @pertho@mastodon.bsd.cafe
Oh, that sounds so much better!
...and far less traumatic.
The #Artemis II crew is reporting problems with #Microsoft #Outlook after leaving #earth.
From the article:
"I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working."
https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/02/artemis_astronauts_microsoft_outlook_broken/
#hilarious #funny #humor #software #space #artemis2 #tech #technews #news
Replying to
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
You preferring a CRM written by an LLM speaks volumes. Whoa!
@patpro@social.patpro.net
#TIL if you are going to drink a dark roast ice coffee, don't eat deli roast beef with spicy mustard and mayo immediately before it. The taste is incredibly #funky and #jarring.
#coffee #darkroast
Replying to
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe What I love about #Mastodon is the #community. The #spam #scammers and #malicious actors are far and few between. There isn't an incentive to look elsewhere.
Of course, that also speaks *volumes* about instance owners and administrators. 😀
Replying to
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe Just curious was the initial request for an audit? I ask because I've dealt with the same request from auditors in the past. Providing command line output of tens of directories and files across *multiple* servers was not enough, nor were screenshots of the terminals with the output. They wanted screenshots of the terminal window with the Windows system tray to include the time and date.
That was a lot of tedious work.
Replying to
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe Ooooh! Definitely an interesting topic. Looking forward to watching the recording.
Replying to
@ChristineMalec @iampytest1#AI to improve #accessibility and supporting those with #disabilities is unquestionably one of the few valid use cases that can and will directly and meaningfully improve people's lives. Yet, it's being used for chatbots and weird pictures and videos.
Make it make sense.
#tech #technology #disability #support
Replying to
@KolokokoBird Highly recommended.
#googlemaps excels at streetview. But so far I haven't seen anything that comes close to the level of customization that #OSMAnd offers, like different preferences for vehicle, bike, walking, and boat.
Also, OSMAnd offers offline navigation - perfect for repurposing that old #smartphone.
Replying to
Replying to
@stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe Vibe coding. Great. Exactly more of what the world needs.
They don't know what they don't know and that is by several orders of magnitude more than what they do know.
Ugh.
Happy #Friday everyone!
Here's your face-palming dose of #ai #news. According to #TheRegister, security researchers recently tricked #appleintelligence into #swearing at #users.
Researchers executed a crafty prompt injection bypass Apple's filters. Their attack had a staggering 76% success rate.
From the article:
"While the researchers only tricked Apple Intelligence into cursing at users, this same technique could be abused to manipulate any data that's accessible to apps and services using the model."
Let that sink in.
Excellent reporting by El Reg.
https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/09/security_researchers_tricked_apple_intelligence/
#technews #security #artificialintelligence #research #apple #vulnerability #tech #omg #facepalm
Replying to
@nixCraft@mastodon.social
"AI is more expensive than paying human workers"
But wasn't this obvious?
Replying to
@drdelle @phlogiston @KolokokoBird @aimee
Yes, I use OSMAnd+ for the unlimited downloads. Perfect for downloading a plethora of maps.
I will check out #HEREweGO.
I record my trail runs and hikes with #Strava on my phone (a Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G). For the most part, it works but there are issues. First, Strava hogs the battery. Second, sometimes doesn't always #record accurately or at all, which is disappointing to see after any kind of distance.
For a few years now I've been contemplating buying a #GPS #watch. I don't care too much for metrics like sleep, lap times, or the vast array of sports. I need:
1.) Year-round durability
2.) Excellent battery life
3.) *Accurate* GPS recording for trail running and hiking under canopy
4.) Ability to use with gloves
5.) $400 for a watch is too expensive
6.) Question on #maps: From what I've seen #Garmin overlays on Google Maps, which does not display the trail system I use. but appear on #OpenStreetMap and Strava (which uses OSM).
I don't know what maps #Suunto uses but this is a grey area because Garmin sells maps but I can't confirm whether the trails I run on are available. Also, I don't know how relevant this is if I am both exporting #GPX files and sync'ing to Strava.
The sheer volume of options available are overwhelming and prices can reach stratospheric levels quickly. Garmin has way too many overlapping models all with a barrage of features I will likely never need. Suunto looks great, has fewer bells and whistles, the build #quality looks outstanding, but some people have told me their GPS #recording isn't as accurate. I don't know anything about #Coros. My wife tells me to "just get a Garmin and call it a day."
Can anyone recommend a particular model? Are there reasons why I should buy a Garmin or Suunto? Or Coros?
Your input is greatly appreciated.
This #ThinkPad so far has been great. #OS and #firmware #updates are regularly available. Performance is snappy and smooth and it handled my long uptimes just fine.
Except I do have one peculiar issue when scrolling down on a webpage the action becomes stuck. ALL webpages just scroll on their own to the very bottom of the page. No key presses, combinations, or even the ESC key fixes or interrupts this. Clicking on a menu item like File causes the selected options to cycle infinitely. The *only* fix is to reboot the laptop.
I've never seen this on any other distro or laptop.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Replying to
So I just went outside. Oh man. I don't think I will be snowshoeing tonight. Instead it will be spent shoveling and snow blowing. The sheer mass of snow sitting in front of my garage right now clearly outweighs the Berlin Wall. By several orders of magnitude.
Today I did my first trail run with my new #Suunto Race S. No problems and it synced with #Strava just fine. The amount of #metrics and #data it collects is impressive.
However, you know what is NOT impressive? The #app wants to run in the background 24x7 and just #sucks the #battery in record time. 😡
My #phone's battery doesn't hold a charge well and it is over 4,000mAh. What should be lasting several days with mostly idling requires charging just a lil over 24 hours. Suunto's battery-hungry app takes it down to 16 hours or less.
What exactly is this app doing to consume energy at an unhinged rate?
🤔
Replying to
@Platano_Isla
Just getting caught up here and seeing all the replies.
Basically what I need is recording/exporting the GPX file and Strava sync later. Based on other replies, it seems my questions about maps were answered. After doing a Mariana Trench level deep dive researching these devices, I ended up buying the Suunto Race S tonight. It was on sale $50 off.
Replying to
@josephcox While obviously concerning, my first thought is if someone needs to securely communicate then perhaps a smartphone with an OS you can't fully control isn't the best tool.
Signal may have great encryption but if the host OS has known vulnerabilities or design flaws that allow for this, then what's the point?
I am certainly open to suggestions and discussion for better solutions.
Replying to
@mudala Unfortunately, this is how federal government IT works. The systems in place for tech procurement exist not for innovation, excellent engineering, or technical correctness but institutionalized risk-aversion and a "who do we sue" mentality thru COTS (commercial off the shelf software) via the GSA Schedule and long term contracts.
The GSA Schedule is effectively the federal marketplace for software (and other things). Vendors are pre-vetted and need to pass stringent requirements.
Effectively, if vendors are not on the list then they don't exist. This leads to technically inferior systems, slow adoption, and fear-driven decision making.
Replying to
@hagarashi8@social.linux.pizza @bazkie@beige.party
Well isn't that a fatalist argument. The reality is we were ALL new once. Sure, more people (especially new users) may be using LLMs to learn Linux but that doesn't mean that ALL new people use LLMs to learn Linux.
Early experiences do shape our experience with systems and new users can learn better habits. Experienced users began by making mistakes and learning how to fix them and learning from them.
Replying to
@davidho@mastodon.world $100M isn't enough.
They could have done *so* much more years ago but chose not to.
Replying to
@yrabbit So far it's only happened twice. Seems it's the down arrow or Page Down. They are right next to each other and sometimes (read: usually) hit one and not the other.
However, based on the behavior I experienced in application menus, it looks like it was the down arrow.
Replying to
@yrabbit It's a brand new laptop - maybe a month old. The 4th gen P16s was released sometime last year.
Hence why I am so perplexed by this.
Replying to
@KolokokoBird I stand corrected. It's been a while since I used Google Maps (thankfully). 🤣
I think OSMAnd works well for urban navigation. I live in a densely populated city with zero intelligent street layout or urban planning. I haven't had any problems.
Replying to
@justdude
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
ThinkPad P16s 4th gen
AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 12 cores
96GB RAM
Replying to
@KolokokoBird The only #navigation app that gives live updates on speed traps, accidents, etc. is #Waze and that is owned by #google.
Unfortunately.
Replying to