“I, for my own part, cannot think that these latter days of weak experiment, fragmentary theory, and mutual discord are indeed man's culminating time!”

~ H. G. Wells,”The Time Machine”

This law is using the boogyman of 3d printed guns.... which notably still need bullets and barrels, so... maybe regulate those actual GUN parts instead??

The issue is that this law in plain english says you are no longer the owner of your device. You don't get to choose what firmware to run, only the govt approved ones.

It's so broadly written that it appears to apply to ALL CNC machines.

At the end of the day this is end of right to repair in WA if this passes.

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2321&Year=2025

#PNW

This piece makes the interesting case that accountants can be a first line of defense against cyber threats.

Research reveals a surprising line of defence against cyber attacks: accountants
https://theconversation.com/research-reveals-a-surprising-line-of-defence-against-cyber-attacks-accountants-272428

#PSA: it’s “free REIN,” not “free reign”

You are not a monarch

Thank you for your attention &c.

@megatronicthronbanks @slothrop ME TOO

RE: https://mastodon.social/@lyresdictionary/115915044427254559

You’re calling my phone a what now?

Hey @scalzi @cstross I’m thinking I could use a Hugo. What are the chances? Pre-owned is fine

I have an op-ed in the NYT today about the Grok scandal, sharing my research from last year finding that legal risk hinders AI companies from making their models safer against CSAM - an echo of the years where white-hat hackers were chilled from good-faith research. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/opinion/grok-digital-undressing.html

It's always lovely to have the doubters get their asses academically kicked when it comes to Ada Lovelace's actual mathematical capabilities, but at the same time, I am so, so, so tired. Just so very tired. From an open access 2017 Historia Mathematica article debunking the idea that Lovelace was not a competent mathematician.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0315086017300319?via%3Dihub

"But I don't understand," protested the social media manager, "how do I upload all of my contacts?"

"You don't," said John.

"But without my contacts, how will you growth hack?" they asked, visibly agitated.

"We won't," said John.

The social media manager grew desperate: "You don't seem to care about scale at all! How can I possibly exceed my organic reach in this environment?!"

"You can't," said John.

Welcome... to Fedi Vale.

European Alternatives https://european-alternatives.eu/

We help you find European alternatives for digital service and products, like cloud services and SaaS products.

Many happy returns to everyone who has, for security purposes, given 1st January as their birthday when registering for online services.

PLEASE SHARE: Folks, I need *public domain* or *purchasable stock imagery* photos of especially older women holding signs in protests that essentially say "I can't believe I still have to protest this shit". They *cannot* be CC-licensed - they either have to be public domain or licensed for royalty-based purchase since they'll be in an e-book.

This is an excellent example from Shutterstock: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/older-woman-holding-sign-that-believe-1632293194

And here's another good example from Alamy: https://www.alamy.com/womens-rights-equal-pay-for-women-rally-trafalgar-square-london-england-image62186118.html

What I really, really want is an image I can be sure is from 1912 but if you have any favorite images, show me?

If you can afford it, please consider giving a tax deductible donation to the @eff in the next three days. I just did. And please boost to increase the numbers of people who see this.

https://supporters.eff.org/donate/year-end-challenge--MM

@WikimediaIE @deviantollam !!!

Thank you by the way to everyone who always inquires how Kara is doing. She and I managed to successfully get a video call working on TruLinks today. A little Christmas miracle. 🎄💚

Reminder that you can always send her a letter and it's always appreciated...

Kara Sternquist
Register Number 44404061
FMC Carswell
Federal Medical Center
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, TX 76127

Handwritten or typed is okay, but always use plain white paper. (Fancy cards or thick paper stock can be considered a security risk.) Photos are allowed, too. But print them on regular photo paper and of a standard size and don't show anything risque or criminal. (Photos can delay someone's mail, but mail is always unpredictable on the inside.)

If you include your email address she can reply that way, too, via CorrLinks. (Be sure to check your spam and junk folder regularly because prison messages can wind up there... especially the first ones in a new thread.)

Happy holidays to you and to all of your loved ones. May you hold them close if you are able to. 🎄🎁

Reminder to everyone visiting family this holiday...

LG calls it "TrueMotion"

Sony refers to it as "MotionFlow"

Samsung uses the term "Auto Motion Plus"

You're welcome. 📺

#MerryXmas

If I may, folks, if you’re trying to figure out remote control settings on your folks’ TVs, consider uploading a pic to your fave LLM to ask. Just worked like a charm for me.

The holidays persist, but so do we.