You probably wouldn't expect to find a bowling alley in an abandoned lace factory, but life is full of surprises. https://www.abandonedamerica.us/scranton-lace-factory

Here's the thing. When a browser, an app, or a website encourages you to turn on an awesome feature, it's almost always because a lawyer who understands the feature said "whoa, we're gonna be in real trouble if we don't have consent".

In other words,

Even by Amazon standards, this is extraordinarily sleazy: from Mar 28, each Amazon Echo device will cease processing audio on-device and instead upload all the audio it captures to Amazon's cloud for processing, even if you have previously opted out of cloud-based processing:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/03/15/altering-the-deal/#telescreen

1/

happy new year

#unix_surrealism #technomage #fossangel #comic

Holiday Gifts: Phones/PDAs/Messaging
PC Mag - December 2005
https://books.google.com/books?id=E1ko_k8AztMC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA132#v=twopage&q&f=false

Linux for Playstation 2 Kit (2002)

they're migrating for winter...

How Decentralized Is Bluesky Really? https://dustycloud.org/blog/how-decentralized-is-bluesky/

A technical deep-dive, since people have been asking me for my thoughts. I'll expand a bit on some of the key points here in a thread. 🧵

#otd in 1971 Bell Labs released the first #Unix Programmer's Manual.

Download the free PDF here: http://bit.ly/2JH7hlS

Via @mit_csail

#ComputingHistory & #RetroComputing picks of the day:

➡️ @obsoletemediauk - Museum of Obsolete Media e.g. floppy disks, tapes, punchcards etc

➡️ @bitsavers - Online archive of computing history

➡️ @gamesthatwerent - Archive of unreleased computer & video games

➡️ @3rz - Vintage computing centre in Freiburg, Germany

➡️ @bloopmuseum - Electronic entertainment museum

➡️ @timbl - Inventor of World Wide Web

➡️ @chrismessina - Inventor of social media hashtag, co-creator of ActivityStrea.ms

🧵 1/10

Wow, Dijkstra's handwriting is not AT ALL how I imagined it.
https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/ewd10xx/EWD1094.PDF

#bloomscrolling

A follow-up on Firefox pushing a "labs" feature that gives you a sidebar to talk to an AI chatbot.
https://mastodon.social/@mcc/113098293672475886

On Saturday I filed a bug on Firefox requesting that Firefox either offer a compiler flag / build channel for removing the AI chatbot feature, or move the AI chatbot to a plugin which users could choose to uninstall. Because I wish to avoid brigading, I am not going to link this bug.

I got an *illuminating* (and discouraging) reaction from a Mozilla dev I'd like to share.

Internet picks “werewolf clawing off its own shirt” as new Michigan “I Voted” sticker

"It was just so hot in that voting booth!"

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2024/09/internet-picks-werewolf-clawing-off-its-own-shirt-as-new-michigan-i-voted-sticker/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Who knew that it's possible to boot straight into UEFI setup by just running "systemctl reboot --firmware-setup"? 🤯

It makes all those times I was mashing F12, as soon as the computer started booting, utterly pointless — especially after getting Linux installed.

Well, at least I know about it now.

#Linux #SysAdmin #Hardware

TACTICAL BREACH WIZARDS IS OUT!
Sorry for yelling but it took ages to make

Turn-based tactics game about Navy Seers and Traffic Warlocks from the devs of Gunpoint and Heat Signature

Grab it now for a discount and a lil extra gift! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/Tactical_Breach_Wizards/

Boosts much appreciated!

DNA Lounge Update, Wherein today is Zero Cool Day
https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2024/08/10.html

Cartoon Network Website Shuts Down, Warner Bros. Discovery Kicks Visitors Over to Max
https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/cartoon-network-shuts-down-warner-bros-discovery-max-signup-1236101422/

What can I say? I love abandoned power plants, and this will always be one of my favorites. For as big as this place is - and it's huge! - the original plan was to build another identical one right next to it. Hard to imagine! Take a look inside on Abandoned America: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/richmond-power-station