lynxy's recent activity
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Comment on I built ProxChat - what is it? in ~tech
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Comment on Private German rocket will try to make history on March 25: Watch it live in ~space
lynxy LinkUnfortunately, after waiting for a boat to exit the range, they performed a last-second scrub, likely due to a safety test failure. I'm not sure that they've yet stated what was not within...Unfortunately, after waiting for a boat to exit the range, they performed a last-second scrub, likely due to a safety test failure. I'm not sure that they've yet stated what was not within parameters, or when the next potential launch window is, but up-to-date information can be found here.
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Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 24/3/26 in ~hobbies
lynxy Link ParentI'd love to compare your holy basil to my basil, if at all possible. I have been told that it's likely a holy basil, but I cannot be sure! The flowers look similar but the leaf doesn't look dark...I'd love to compare your holy basil to my basil, if at all possible. I have been told that it's likely a holy basil, but I cannot be sure! The flowers look similar but the leaf doesn't look dark enough. If it is, though, I can definitely see it making enough heads for tea. Ours have been pushing out flowers whenever, and often.
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Comment on Tildes Gardening Group: Week 24/3/26 in ~hobbies
lynxy LinkWe don't have a garden, but we have a balcony and a few sun-facing windowsills, and I'm experimenting a little with germinating a number of plants. My partner wanted something green, but also...We don't have a garden, but we have a balcony and a few sun-facing windowsills, and I'm experimenting a little with germinating a number of plants. My partner wanted something green, but also doesn't seem particularly interested in caring for the green things, so I seem to be doing a lot of it.
We bought some plants last year for the planters on the balcony- basil, rosemary, mint, lemonbalm, parsley, a curry plant, lavender, and later on, an oregano. In hind-sight, inserting the oregano between the lemonbalm and the mint was a cruel thing to do, and I'm not entirely sure the lemonbalm survived unscathed either. Just before Christmas I pulled that planter apart, and it was 90% mint root- and the mint had barely any leaf to show for it. It has now been quarantined, and I hope to encourage it to actually grow something above-ground, as well as below.
I'm glad I took some basil cuttings and a rosemary, too, because at some point, a couple of months in, the rosemary kicked it, and over winter the basil also went. The latter was described as "winter hardy", but perhaps it wasn't hardy enough. There's a lot that I'm still getting the hang of, including getting a feel for how much water each plant actually wants! All of the cuttings survived and are doing quite well, and now that it is getting warmer (highs of 19C) I've cleaned up the planters that are outside again and have replaced the dead basil branches with one of the cuttings. The rosemary cutting spent half a year doing nothing at all, but has suddenly exploded and I'm so glad.
As for new plants, I've managed to germinate far too many tomato plants of two different varieties, and it looks like every seedling will be viable. I have plans for two of each variety, but I have no idea what to do with the rest! The chives germinated well, too, and they're now in a pot with sufficient room, and have been in there for a few days without keeling over so I'm pretty confident that they'll thrive. I hear chives are fragile seedlings, but hard to kill as adults. The strawberries, however, never did anything. I believe I got them too wet when I stratified them, so I've bought a second pack and I'm trying again while we're still in the right time of year to do so. I also collected some of the seeds from the lavender last year (which is looking a bit rough now, but it'll recover), and I had an almost 80% germination rate after three weeks of stratification (which seems unusually high, from what I have read), but nearly all of them almost immediately collapsed. I'm guessing I'm running things a bit too wet again. As long as I have two or three viable plants, I'm not too disappointed, I guess. I am definitely running out of windowsill space. When I can put the tomatoes outside on the balcony with the wooden trellis things will be more comfortable.
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Comment on Android to debut "advanced flow" for sideloading unverified applications in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentNon-mainstream devices? The mobile ecosystem is a duopoly. The choice is Google (Android), or Apple (IOS). There are a couple of tiny Linux mobile alternatives, but as devices get more and more...Non-mainstream devices? The mobile ecosystem is a duopoly. The choice is Google (Android), or Apple (IOS). There are a couple of tiny Linux mobile alternatives, but as devices get more and more locked down, so does the ability to switch to something less controlling- and even if you manage to, on a device which can be bootloader-unlocked (your choices are dwindling), etc, you'll be entirely unable to perform many actions, such as mobile banking (some banks provide only a mobile interface, such as Revolut).
Not to mention the false "security" justifications which Grumble has already outlined. If anybody thinks that an inability to sideload apps easily is going to fix the malware problem, then they need to look into the issues that the Play Store has with malicious apps. The walls of the walled garden are raised a brick higher, and they must be destroyed before the mortar has set.
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Comment on Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton's CEO asked ChatGPT how to void $250 million contract, ignores lawyers, loses in court in ~games
lynxy Link ParentI feel this with all of my being, and I haven't even been on this earth that long, in the grand scheme of things. If I could find it in myself to (or excise that part of me that couldn't), I'm...I feel this with all of my being, and I haven't even been on this earth that long, in the grand scheme of things.
If I could find it in myself to (or excise that part of me that couldn't), I'm sure I could scam my way to relative comfort.
It feels like the very rules we are brought up with are hopelessly naive. When most theft in the world is wage theft, and very rarely has consequences, what is caring for things like shoplifting worth?
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Comment on Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton's CEO asked ChatGPT how to void $250 million contract, ignores lawyers, loses in court in ~games
lynxy (edited )Link ParentIs it the unimaginable wealth that ruins the ability to exhibit basic human decency, or does it (on the whole) require a lack of basic human decency to make unimaginable wealth?Is it the unimaginable wealth that ruins the ability to exhibit basic human decency, or does it (on the whole) require a lack of basic human decency to make unimaginable wealth?
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentI've not looked into contact syncing before- my current solution is to keep contacts in a vcf file which is synced between all of my devices by Syncthing, as most of my daily data is. But I've now...I've not looked into contact syncing before- my current solution is to keep contacts in a vcf file which is synced between all of my devices by Syncthing, as most of my daily data is.
But I've now looked into DAVx^5 & Radicale, and I'm very temped to set this up for myself! Thanks for bringing my attention to the tool! It's especially neat that they handle the more modern v3+v4 features which even Google with the stock contacts app seem to struggle with.
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Comment on Google has a secret reference desk. Here's how to use it. (Lots of search tips) in ~tech
lynxy LinkThese are features which many alternate search indexes have incorporated after Google did, but in the last few years of using Google I found that a number of them worked on-and-off. Google doesn't...These are features which many alternate search indexes have incorporated after Google did, but in the last few years of using Google I found that a number of them worked on-and-off. Google doesn't want their search to work perfectly. Searching once, and clicking the first result, doesn't get them as much money (page views, ad views) as scrolling multiple pages or re-working a search term. Features such as verbatim, quotes, site-specific searches aren't as reliable as they used to be.
And so I've now used Kagi for a year or more, instead. At least I know that with Kagi, I'm not the product. I pay money for it. Yes, I've heard mutterings about Kagi leadership's own problematic behaviour, but compared to Google?
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Comment on Parseword - a delightfully complex word game from Wordle’s creator in ~games
lynxy LinkThis is a clean little game- and a lot of fun to figure out. It feels like cryptic crossword! The ability to tap around and experiment helps you learn the different functions, which is one of the...This is a clean little game- and a lot of fun to figure out. It feels like cryptic crossword! The ability to tap around and experiment helps you learn the different functions, which is one of the reasons I never much got into cryptics. I might keep an eye on this.
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentThere is no "suddenly"- the links I provided earlier had a distinct focus on security. Yes, I suppose I pulled back from critiquing code "quality / maintainability" because you reasonably pointed...There is no "suddenly"- the links I provided earlier had a distinct focus on security. Yes, I suppose I pulled back from critiquing code "quality / maintainability" because you reasonably pointed out that often large corporate software falls behind on those fronts out of necessity. My experience, in fact, somewhat supports your point.
Except where it comes to security. At the point where the customer can be significantly negatively impacted by your poor implementations, a line should be drawn- and you're wrong when you state only that "you could hack posts on a social network for freaking AI agents". People are genuinely linking (and subsequently leaking the API keys for) other online accounts to this tool. Other aspects of their digital lives. And even worse, when it comes to OpenClaw, they're allowing these tools to run rampant on their own filesystems, or their email accounts, or their finances. It is that serious.
And you can talk about how much money a piece of software has made all you wish. It only serves to prove that you have missed the original point I was making. That these substandard tools are making this money is what frustrates me. But I suppose I'm just being condescending by hoping for a modicum of societal integrity?
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentThe Tracker L1 is a fun little device, though when we were playing with them as we traveled they weren't quite as.. reliable as one would hope. I do wonder if MeshCore would have worked better...The Tracker L1 is a fun little device, though when we were playing with them as we traveled they weren't quite as.. reliable as one would hope. I do wonder if MeshCore would have worked better than Meshtastic? The other issue is that when the device doesn't have a GPS fix it eats the battery at speed, haha.
As for IRC- I briefly ran an Ergo server, and it is light-weight and very clean! I recommend it, if you want to try it out.
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
lynxy (edited )Link ParentYou regularly ship software which is susceptible to prompt injections, or fails to protect critical endpoints, or provides API (edit: sp.) keys over un-authenticated channels? You often forget to...You regularly ship software which is susceptible to prompt injections, or fails to protect critical endpoints, or provides API (edit: sp.) keys over un-authenticated channels? You often forget to secure your databases, leaving them world-accessible?
Shipping code which has low-maintainability, or code which "works well enough", might be excusable (though a disappointing reality), but shipping code that fails to pass the simplest of cybersecurity audits is inexcusable.
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentThe concept is well-outlined in this article which was posted to Tildes mid-February, though it appears to have been removed at some point since. But basically, it's the sort of person who ships...The concept is well-outlined in this article which was posted to Tildes mid-February, though it appears to have been removed at some point since.
But basically, it's the sort of person who ships product-after-product, hoping to make it big. The sort of person who doesn't question if something is possible, they just promise to make it happen anyway (Tesla self driving, perhaps?). The sort of person who does not necessarily have the competence to fulfill the promises they make, so outsources the work (either to another country, or to an LLM).
Agency is important- nothing would get done without it- but the technology sector seems to value agency over competency.
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
lynxy Link ParentI happen to value quality over novelty, and these LLM-regurgitated chunks of unmaintainable code are consistently poor quality. I could write an essay, but if you struggle to see why anybody who...I happen to value quality over novelty, and these LLM-regurgitated chunks of unmaintainable code are consistently poor quality.
I could write an essay, but if you struggle to see why anybody who has worked in the software industry at any point could be upset by current industry trends, that likely says a lot about you. Personally, I could not imagine shipping such a flawed product- and I definitely would not accept money for it. Why are you so defensive about this?
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Comment on Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents in ~tech
lynxy LinkAnd another high agency idiot receives millions of dollars (probably), and validation, as a sacrifice to the hype machine.And another high agency idiot receives millions of dollars (probably), and validation, as a sacrifice to the hype machine.
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Comment on What are people using instead of VS Code? in ~comp
lynxy LinkPrevious discussion can be found here. For what it's worth, I settled on Zed. It fits my needs, runs native, and is only a little unstable. I hope the stability improves as it matures.Previous discussion can be found here.
For what it's worth, I settled on Zed. It fits my needs, runs native, and is only a little unstable. I hope the stability improves as it matures.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy Link ParentIf I manage to reach a satisfactory point, I will definitely try to remember to post some pictures! If it works out, I should probably document the process, release the print files, etc. Blender...If I manage to reach a satisfactory point, I will definitely try to remember to post some pictures! If it works out, I should probably document the process, release the print files, etc. Blender is certainly a bit of a challenge for this sort of modelling, I think, but it should be capable enough- we will see ;)
I appreciate the interest so very much.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
lynxy LinkGoing to straight-up out myself as a furry, or at least "furry-adjacent", with this one, but my current project (in-between lamenting quite how many of the available units in my masters programme...Going to straight-up out myself as a furry, or at least "furry-adjacent", with this one, but my current project (in-between lamenting quite how many of the available units in my masters programme are AI-oriented this year) involves ongoing research on designing and building a protogen head. For anyone that has no idea what this is, think Daft Punk helmet. Translucent visor, LED matrix displays, except a bit more.. furry.
The thing is- most everyone who builds a protogen head works off of one of the few existing "kits", which means that they mostly look the same. Even makers who build these things to sell generally use these same kits.
And these kits have some.. questionable design decisions. The primary issue I wish to solve is one of comfort. Most of the popular models for head designs seem to revolve around a 3D printed "bucket", which is supposed to be filled with padding. This feels like both a waste of plastic, but also a potential issue for ventilation & cooling. I'm also not convinced that what is essentially a DIY helmet is going to be particularly comfortable over long periods.
The idea that I am currently testing is to hijack the billions of dollars that the technology sector has invested into research into comfortably mounting heavy things to faces- VR. If I can mate a spare Valve Index face gasket to some form of third-party headstrap, perhaps one with an integrated battery for both counterweight, and power for the LED matrixes (matrices?), I can solve multiple problems in one fell swoop. Additionally, with the use of the Valve Index gasket, which is attached using four magnets on struts, I will be able to pull out the face padding and wash it when needed.
I've performed two test prints- the first, blocky and easy to print, but ugly as sin. The second is a more organic shape, and it seems to work as I hoped! Without the rest of the protogen head, the whole contraption is a little back-heavy, but this is perfect as it gives me plenty of weight to play with. Onto this inner frame I should be able to mount additional hardware- cameras for eye & mouth tracking, pillars to which I can attach the protogen mask and visor holder itself, potentially even some form of video passthrough rig if I can find an old VR headset to cannibalise. If I can design the whole thing to be modular, I can iterate on each part of the project individually, and hopefully overcome my perfectionism-induced procrastination problems.
I am struggling quite a lot with toplogy, if I am honest. I'm using Blender, because learning a CAD program is not something I want to do right now, and it's also probably a little bit of a personal philosophy thing. I'm still not convinced by any of the open CAD solutions, and I refuse to learn any tool that isn't open. I'm relatively technically proficient with blender, but organic modelling and complex topology handling still somewhat escapes me.
Anyway, there don't seem to be many spaces to talk about this specific project online, except one Telegram group which isn't very active, and when I created a Telegram account recently it was banned within half an hour despite me not even doing anything (no, not even messaging a user or joining a group- just instantly banned for no given reason).
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Comment on Sony pulls back from PlayStation games on PC in ~games
lynxy Link ParentExisting computers won't just pop out of existence? The potential market of people who play on PC remains huge, and it's not like consoles don't use RAM. They will jump in price just as all other...Existing computers won't just pop out of existence? The potential market of people who play on PC remains huge, and it's not like consoles don't use RAM. They will jump in price just as all other hardware does.
I'm not sure about a web app, but I know that the old Nintendo DS systems used to have a similar idea called "Pictochat" which worked on a proximity basis!