Comment Wallet, keys, phone, Glock* (Score 1) 139
*RKBA not valid in California...
which is why I retired in Tucson.
which is why I retired in Tucson.
Comment hope I'm wrong (Score 0) 23
I have a bad feeling about this one.
Comment I use a mail client and IMAP... (Score 1) 46
Hoping to escape this for as long as possible.
Comment Before they try to fix this (Score 2) 25
They'd better read all of Asimov's fiction.
(I have, and he never imagined building a robot without the Second Law).
(I have, and he never imagined building a robot without the Second Law).
Comment Facebook has ads? Huh. (Score 5, Informative) 54
I avoid both Facebook ads and their algorithm by going to this link:
https://www.facebook.com/?filt...
This displays only friends and accounts I follow, in reverse chronological order.
To completely avoid ads, I report every "sponsored" link as sexually inappropriate... triggering a human review each time
After I do this about half a dozen times, FB stops inserting ads in my reverse chron feed for several months.
When I see another "Sponsored" item, I just start reporting them again..
https://www.facebook.com/?filt...
This displays only friends and accounts I follow, in reverse chronological order.
To completely avoid ads, I report every "sponsored" link as sexually inappropriate... triggering a human review each time
After I do this about half a dozen times, FB stops inserting ads in my reverse chron feed for several months.
When I see another "Sponsored" item, I just start reporting them again..
Submission + - US Researcher Proposes Detonating Massive Nuclear Bomb Under Ocean To Save Earth (ndtv.com) 1
fjo3 writes: The study claimed that every year, 36 gigatons of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere every year. Using a nuclear explosion yield of 81 gigatons, scientists can sequester 30 years' worth of carbon dioxide emissions, the study claimed. The explosion would be well over a thousand times bigger than the 50-megaton 'Tsar Bomba' test, conducted in 1961 by the Soviet Union in 1961.
Submission + - DOJ Arrests U.S. Citizens and Chinese Nationals for Exporting AI Tech to China (pjmedia.com)
schwit1 writes: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a statement that it has arrested two U.S. citizens and two Chinese nationals and charged them with conspiracy to illegally export to China advanced NVIDIA microchips called Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). GPUs are used in a wide range of critical artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
The two American citizens who were arrested are Hon Ning Ho, also known as “Mathew Ho,” a Tampa resident who was born in Hong Kong, and Brian Curtis Raymond from Huntsville, Alabama. The two Chinese nationals arrested by the DOJ are Cham Li, also known as “Tony Li,” a resident of San Leandro, California, and Jing Chen, also known as “Harry Chen,” a 45-year-old who was living in Tampa under an F-1 nonimmigrant student visa.
All four were arrested and appeared in courtrooms in their respective jurisdictions on Nov. 19.
“The indictment unsealed yesterday alleges a deliberate and deceptive effort to transship controlled NVIDIA GPUs to China by falsifying paperwork, creating fake contracts, and misleading U.S. authorities,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division is committed to disrupting these kinds of black markets of sensitive U.S. technologies and holding accountable those who participate in this illicit trade.”
The charges the defendants face include multiple counts of conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA); ECRA violations; smuggling; conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Each defendant faces a possible 20-year prison sentence for each ECRA violation, 10 years per smuggling count, and 20 years per money laundering count. Given the number of counts they face, it’s possible they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The defendants will be tried in federal court in Florida.
Earlier this year, a report from the Financial Times revealed that at least $1 billion worth of Nvidia’s chips were shipped to China after the Trump administration began to intensify the restrictions on microchips to China.
The two American citizens who were arrested are Hon Ning Ho, also known as “Mathew Ho,” a Tampa resident who was born in Hong Kong, and Brian Curtis Raymond from Huntsville, Alabama. The two Chinese nationals arrested by the DOJ are Cham Li, also known as “Tony Li,” a resident of San Leandro, California, and Jing Chen, also known as “Harry Chen,” a 45-year-old who was living in Tampa under an F-1 nonimmigrant student visa.
All four were arrested and appeared in courtrooms in their respective jurisdictions on Nov. 19.
“The indictment unsealed yesterday alleges a deliberate and deceptive effort to transship controlled NVIDIA GPUs to China by falsifying paperwork, creating fake contracts, and misleading U.S. authorities,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division is committed to disrupting these kinds of black markets of sensitive U.S. technologies and holding accountable those who participate in this illicit trade.”
The charges the defendants face include multiple counts of conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA); ECRA violations; smuggling; conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. Each defendant faces a possible 20-year prison sentence for each ECRA violation, 10 years per smuggling count, and 20 years per money laundering count. Given the number of counts they face, it’s possible they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The defendants will be tried in federal court in Florida.
Earlier this year, a report from the Financial Times revealed that at least $1 billion worth of Nvidia’s chips were shipped to China after the Trump administration began to intensify the restrictions on microchips to China.
Comment I don't see ads on Facebook (Score 2) 24
Two things help me avoid the algorithm and sponsored posts on Facebook:
1. I look at only my feed by adding ?filter=all&sk=h_chr at the end of Facebook's URL
2. On the rare occasions (twice a year) that FB starts sneaking in "Sponsored" ads, I report every one as sexually inappropriate.
1. I look at only my feed by adding ?filter=all&sk=h_chr at the end of Facebook's URL
2. On the rare occasions (twice a year) that FB starts sneaking in "Sponsored" ads, I report every one as sexually inappropriate.
Submission + - SPAM: Proof Trump Rigged 2024 Election 3
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: DID TRUMP LOSE? Proof Trump Rigged 2024 Election w/ Greg Palast [spam URL stripped]... and video [spam URL stripped]?...
Submission + - Fifteen Years Later, Citizens United Defined the 2024 Election (brennancenter.org)
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: The influence of wealthy donors and dark money was unprecedented. Much of it would have been illegal before the Supreme Court swept away long-established campaign finance rules. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court’s controversial 2010 decision that swept away more than a century’s worth of campaign finance safeguards, turns 15 this month. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called it the worst ruling of her time on the Court. Overwhelming majorities of Americans have consistently expressed disapproval of the ruling, with at least 22 states and hundreds of cities voting to support a constitutional amendment to overturn it. Citizens United reshaped political campaigns in profound ways, giving corporations and billionaire-funded super PACs a central role in U.S. elections and making untraceable dark money a major force in politics. And yet it may only be now, in the aftermath of the 2024 election, that we can begin to understand the full impact of the decision.
Comment Re:Could he be retried for one of the hit attempts (Score 1) 339
I agree that Trump is once again guilty of treason.
Submission + - Anti-Trump Searches Appear Hidden on TikTok (ibtimes.com)
AmiMoJo writes: Searches for anti-Trump content are now appearing hidden on TikTok for many users after the app came back online in the U.S. TikTok users have taken to Twitter to share that when they search for topics negatively related to President Donald Trump, a message pops up saying "No results found" and that the phrases may violate the app's guidelines. One user said that when they tried to search "Donald Trump rigged election" on a U.S. account, they were met with blocked results. Meanwhile, the same phrase searched from a U.K. account prompted results. Another user shared video of them switching between a U.S. and U.K. VPN to back up the user's viral claims, which has since amassed more than 187,000 likes.
Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht Pardoned (bbc.com) 339
Slashdot readers jkister and databasecowgirl share the news of President Donald Trump issuing a pardon to Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht. An anonymous reader shares a report from the BBC: US President Donald Trump says he has signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who operated Silk Road, the dark web marketplace where illegal drugs were sold. Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 in New York in a narcotics and money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he had called Ulbricht's mother to inform her that he had granted a pardon to her son. Silk Road, which was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht, sold illegal drugs using Bitcoin, as well as hacking equipment and stolen passports.
"The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me," Trump said in his post online on Tuesday evening. "He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!" Ulbricht was found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. During his trial, prosecutors said Ulbricht's website, hosted on the hidden "dark web", sold more than $200 million worth of drugs anonymously.
"The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me," Trump said in his post online on Tuesday evening. "He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!" Ulbricht was found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. During his trial, prosecutors said Ulbricht's website, hosted on the hidden "dark web", sold more than $200 million worth of drugs anonymously.
Submission + - Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder (nypost.com)
databasecowgirl writes: President Trump announced Tuesday night that he had granted a âoefull and unconditionalâ pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the notorious dark web site Silk Road.
Submission + - Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy (404media.co)
An anonymous reader writes: If it wasn’t already obvious, the last 72 hours have made it crystal clear that it is urgent to build and mainstream alternative, decentralized social media platforms that are resistant to government censorship and control, are not owned by oligarchs and dominated by their algorithms, and in which users own their follower list and can port it elsewhere easily and without restriction. [...] Mastodon’s ActivityPub and Bluesky’s AT.Protocol have provided the base technology layer to make this possible, and have laid important groundwork over the last few years to decorporatize and decentralize the social internet.
The problem with decentralized social media platforms thus far is that their user base is minuscule compared to platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, meaning the cultural and political influence has lagged behind them. You also cannot directly monetize an audience on Bluesky or Mastodon—which, to be clear, is a feature, not a bug—but also means that the value proposition for an influencer who makes money through the TikTok creator program or a small business that makes money selling chewing gum on TikTok shop or a clothes brand that has figured out how to arbitrage Instagram ads to sell flannel shirts is not exactly clear. I am not advocating for decentralized social media to implement ads and creator payment programs. I’m just saying that many TikTok influencers were directing their collective hundreds of millions of fans to follow them to Instagram or YouTube, not a decentralized alternative.
This doesn’t mean that the fediverse or that a decentralized Instagram or TikTok competitor that runs on the AT.Protocol is doomed. But there is a lot of work to do. There is development work that needs to be done (and is being done) to make decentralized protocols easier to join and use and more interoperable with each other. And there is a massive education and recruitment challenge required to get the masses to not just try out decentralized platforms but to earnestly use them. Bluesky’s growing user base and rise as a legitimately impressive platform that one can post to without feeling like it’s going into the void is a massive step forward, and proof that it is possible to build thriving alternative platforms. The fact that Meta recently blocked links to a decentralized Instagram alternative shows that big tech sees these platforms, potentially, as a real threat.
The problem with decentralized social media platforms thus far is that their user base is minuscule compared to platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, meaning the cultural and political influence has lagged behind them. You also cannot directly monetize an audience on Bluesky or Mastodon—which, to be clear, is a feature, not a bug—but also means that the value proposition for an influencer who makes money through the TikTok creator program or a small business that makes money selling chewing gum on TikTok shop or a clothes brand that has figured out how to arbitrage Instagram ads to sell flannel shirts is not exactly clear. I am not advocating for decentralized social media to implement ads and creator payment programs. I’m just saying that many TikTok influencers were directing their collective hundreds of millions of fans to follow them to Instagram or YouTube, not a decentralized alternative.
This doesn’t mean that the fediverse or that a decentralized Instagram or TikTok competitor that runs on the AT.Protocol is doomed. But there is a lot of work to do. There is development work that needs to be done (and is being done) to make decentralized protocols easier to join and use and more interoperable with each other. And there is a massive education and recruitment challenge required to get the masses to not just try out decentralized platforms but to earnestly use them. Bluesky’s growing user base and rise as a legitimately impressive platform that one can post to without feeling like it’s going into the void is a massive step forward, and proof that it is possible to build thriving alternative platforms. The fact that Meta recently blocked links to a decentralized Instagram alternative shows that big tech sees these platforms, potentially, as a real threat.
