Software Developer in South Africa.
Which is like Africa, but more south.
I commit sins in Java, using Spring Boot and assorted sordid tech.
This is my fourth mastodon account.
I will try to keep this one nice. And clean. And...less weird.
![The image shows a social media post from the account "threads.net/[@]jsgriffin." The post is presented on a light yellow background with black text. The post begins with the text "Imagine your kid's school principal posts a tirade on social media, calling half the kids at school losers and idiots, making vague threats to parents he doesn't like, and needlessly harping on the previous principal's character, despite him not being around anymore. He also fires most of the teachers and completely changes the curriculum, and sends anyone who disagrees with him (about anything) to detention indefinitely. No one is safe. You would probably not want your kid to go to that school."](https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/114/546/718/060/305/167/original/45bba1f06f8b33a7.png)
The Naledi Cat-EYE, Olifants West Game Reserve, South Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZZst4BOpVI
Google is stuffing even more ads into its AI results https://www.theverge.com/news/671514/google-ai-mode-overviews-ads-expansion
Hey, all.
A few weeks ago, I posted about makeup as a blind human.
A friend of mine and I are talking about starting a whatsapp group for blind/VI women to talk about fashion, makeup, skin care, etc.
We're hoping to expand to other disabilities, age groups (teens) and gender identities as time goes on, depending on success.
Right now, if you'd like to join us, please let me know.
It goes without saying, but bares repeating: yes, trans women are women and are always, always welcome. <3
At 1 am, Republicans tried to sneak the Big Beautiful Bill through the Rules committee
Rep. Jim McGovern wasn’t having it
“You are literally taking food off kids' plates to buy Elon Musk another yacht...this is not policy: This is theft."
🔥🔥
A Company Reminder for Everyone to Talk Nicely About the Giant Plagiarism Machine
from McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
Trump to Press South Africa’s President to Pare Back Racial Equity Laws
In a White House meeting, the U.S. president is expected to point to alleged discrimination against white South Africans, a week after welcoming a group of them as refugees.
NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/us/politics/trump-ramaphosa-south-africa-visit.html
Archive: https://archive.ph/ptSlj
Oh, yeah, who remembers #Apartheid and years of actual discrimination.
All day every day people be tootin them thar PAYWALLED ARTICLES!
Be a good Fedizen and rip the article so we can all read it, kthxbai.
Fuckin’ paywalls. 😤
🏴☠️
@tayfonay I’m at 2040 and want the strength to do this, especially because at this point I know there are ethical ways to study a foreign language that are just as good or better. I need to get over the sunk cost fallacy (my year subscription runs through November) and just quit now. Good for you!
I have a 1703 day streak on Duolingo, where I have gone to battle with that stupid patronizing owl that I thought they retired but there it is, looking like it got run over after an all night bender. I started using it during the COVID lockdown and kept going because the streak got so high and my stupid little brain reward system got twitchy.
So its CEO is an AI hype bro who fired a bunch of people and says teachers are going to become irrelevant.
*deactivate account, delete app*
#BusinessTech #SouthAfrica : Here’s how much tax you will pay based on what you earn in South Africa https://businesstech.co.za/news/budget-speech/825025/heres-how-much-tax-you-will-pay-based-on-what-you-earn-in-south-africa/
#BusinessTech #SouthAfrica : A case for Africans investing in Africa, despite global uncertainty https://businesstech.co.za/news/industry-news/824828/a-case-for-africans-investing-in-africa-despite-global-uncertainty/
Global warming has accelerated.
That simple, straightforward statement — easily confirmed with an unbiased look at the data — draws strong reactions and even condemnation in corporate media from representatives of the mainstream scientific establishment.
Billionaire CEOs of major multinational corporations and the politicians they own are fully invested in the continuation of neoliberal capitalism, in forging ahead with Business As Usual.
They don’t want anything to upset that. So they will make sure that the news you see backs up their contention that everything is fine.
But everything is not fine.
🧵 1/4
#Science #Climate #ClimateChange #Capitalism #BusinessAsUsual
@bullivant man I 'm glad I nuked my acc there.
fuck e'm
FFS: What an absolute bellend: "Duolingo CEO says AI is a better teacher than humans—but schools will still exist ‘because you still need childcare’"
Were I still using that POS Duolingo, this would have made me stop.
https://fortune.com/2025/05/20/duolingo-ai-teacher-schools-childcare/
@halfbyte
I don't want a Google here. I want a continent-wide network of smaller things, built on open-standard protocols and formats, with a robust reputation system, which expands worldwide because it turns out to work so well for everybody (other than would-be billionaire overlords).
@halfbyte very rational take. I just try to use European alternatives to American services now, and I created a Mastodon account recently (a German social media).
People who moan about Europe not having a Google or Meta. Because of regulation and shit and because (of course) we in Europe don't like success.
It's always funny, because to me, the system is working. I don't want an unregulatable, too-big-to-fail hot mess of a company in Europe.
This may not be 100% intentional and I am not saying that EU regulations are without fault.
I just become increasingly suspicious of people who advocate for slashing them.