Amarok's recent activity
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Comment on What is the policy on discussing emulation in ~games? in ~tildes
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Comment on What is the policy on discussing emulation in ~games? in ~tildes
Amarok (edited )Link ParentWell, the simplest way to use it is probably like this... Learn to use Docker (which is fairly straightforward) Install the Docker version of Jackett Once it's running, open your web browser to...Well, the simplest way to use it is probably like this...
- Learn to use Docker (which is fairly straightforward)
- Install the Docker version of Jackett
- Once it's running, open your web browser to http://localhost:9117 to access the controls
- Enable/disable various trackers to your preferences, put credentials in for any private ones
- Install qBittorrent and follow the directions to integrate Jackett into qBittorrent
Now when you use the search feature inside of qBittorrent, it'll search every single tracker you configured in the Jackett control panel. Or, in other words, you never need to bother visiting torrent sites again, because that search will almost never fail to find what you are looking for even if you use only public trackers.
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Comment on What is the policy on discussing emulation in ~games? in ~tildes
Amarok Link ParentTildes has a code of conduct in the docs pages. Hyperlinks are not specifically mentioned, but that's because the policy is concerned with more fundamental things, I think. :) There are some legal...Tildes has a code of conduct in the docs pages. Hyperlinks are not specifically mentioned, but that's because the policy is concerned with more fundamental things, I think. :)
There are some legal restrictions that apply to anything hosted in Canada, and that includes Tildes. Since I'm not a lawyer or Canadian or in the mood for a lengthy search I just ran it by Grok3. Since Grok is also not a lawyer, or Canadian, or capable of a deep and lengthy internet search either, take this with a grain of salt. ;)
If I run a forum hosted in Alberta, Canada, what restrictions must I enforce on hyperlinks that users will post to my forum?
Grok3's Response
Running a forum hosted in Alberta, Canada, involves navigating a mix of federal and provincial laws that could affect how you handle user-posted hyperlinks. As of April 4, 2025, there are no specific laws in Alberta or Canada that directly restrict hyperlinks themselves in a blanket way on forums. However, the content those hyperlinks point to—and the context in which they’re posted—can trigger legal responsibilities under various frameworks. Below, I’ll outline the key considerations and restrictions you should enforce to stay compliant and minimize liability, based on current Canadian legal principles and emerging trends.
Key Legal Considerations for Hyperlinks on Your Forum
1. Defamation Law (Federal and Provincial Common Law)
- Restriction: Hyperlinks to defamatory content (e.g., false statements harming someone’s reputation) could expose you to liability if you’re seen as endorsing or actively facilitating the spread of that content.
- What to enforce: Monitor and remove hyperlinks that lead to defamatory material if you’re notified or if it’s blatantly obvious. Canada’s Supreme Court ruled in Crookes v. Newton (2011) that simply posting a hyperlink doesn’t make you liable for defamation unless you repeat or adopt the content as your own. However, if your forum explicitly encourages or contextualizes the link in a way that amplifies the defamation, you could be on the hook.
- Action: Set a policy requiring users to avoid posting links to content that defames individuals or entities, and act promptly on complaints.
2. Copyright Infringement (Copyright Act, Federal)
- Restriction: Links to pirated or copyrighted material (e.g., illegal streaming sites, torrent pages) could implicate your forum if you’re deemed to “authorize” infringement.
- What to enforce: Prohibit hyperlinks to sites hosting unauthorized copies of movies, music, software, etc. While linking itself isn’t infringement under Canadian law (Crookes again applies), knowingly hosting links to illegal content might attract scrutiny, especially if your forum profits from or encourages such activity.
- Action: Include a rule banning links to pirated content and remove them when identified. Consider a takedown process for copyright complaints under the Notice and Notice regime (Copyright Act, s. 41.25), which requires ISPs to forward infringement notices but doesn’t directly apply to forum operators—still, it’s a good practice to avoid being a conduit.
3. Hate Speech and Illegal Content (Criminal Code, Federal)
- Restriction: Hyperlinks to content promoting hate speech, terrorism, or other illegal activities (e.g., child exploitation material) are a serious no-go. Under s. 319 of the Criminal Code, public incitement of hatred is a crime, and s. 163.1 covers child pornography.
- What to enforce: Ban links to sites with hate speech (targeting protected groups like race, religion, or ethnicity), terrorist propaganda, or explicit illegal material. If you knowingly allow such links to persist, you could face criminal liability as a contributor or facilitator.
- Action: Actively moderate for these links and remove them immediately. Report egregious cases (e.g., child exploitation) to law enforcement like the RCMP.
4. Privacy Laws (PIPA, Alberta; PIPEDA, Federal)
- Restriction: Links that expose personal information without consent could violate Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) or the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), depending on your forum’s scope. For example, a link to a doxxing site or leaked data dump.
- What to enforce: Disallow links that lead to private personal data (e.g., addresses, SINs, medical records) unless the poster has clear consent or it’s publicly available by law. PIPA applies to private organizations in Alberta, and if your forum collects user data, you’re responsible for safeguarding it.
- Action: Remove such links if flagged, and warn users against posting them. Alberta’s new Protection of Privacy Act (Bill 33, passed late 2024, effective spring 2025) strengthens public-sector privacy but doesn’t directly govern private forums—still, it signals a broader privacy focus that could influence future rulings.
5. Misinformation and Consumer Protection (Competition Act, Federal)
- Restriction: Links to scams, fraudulent schemes, or misleading content (e.g., fake health cures) could draw regulatory attention under the Competition Act for deceptive marketing practices, even if you’re not the source.
- What to enforce: Discourage links to obvious scams or disinformation hubs. While I can’t judge misinformation’s truth (per my guidelines), you might face pressure if your forum becomes a vector for harmful fraud.
- Action: Add a rule against linking to fraudulent or deceptive sites, and take down links if they’re reported as scams.
6. Emerging Online Regulation (Bill C-63, Federal, if passed)
- Restriction: The Online Harms Act (Bill C-63), tabled in 2024, aims to regulate online platforms for harmful content like hate speech, terrorist content, and non-consensual intimate images. If it passes by 2025, forums could face stricter duties to remove linked content within 24 hours of a report.
- What to enforce: Prepare for potential proactive monitoring of links to “harmful content” categories (still TBD but likely aligned with Criminal Code offenses). Alberta’s government often resists federal overreach, but this law would apply nationwide.
- Action: Stay updated on C-63’s status and build a quick-response system for link removal if it becomes law.
Practical Enforcement Steps
- Terms of Service (ToS): Draft a clear ToS banning hyperlinks to illegal, defamatory, infringing, or harmful content. State that you reserve the right to remove posts at your discretion (private platform, your rules).
- Moderation: Use human moderators or AI filters to catch problematic links early. Respond to user reports swiftly.
- User Warnings: Notify users who post restricted links and suspend repeat offenders.
- Location Context: Since you’re in Alberta, hosting is likely subject to Canadian jurisdiction, but if users link to foreign sites, enforcement gets trickier—focus on what you can control (your platform).
Alberta-Specific Notes
Alberta’s legal landscape doesn’t currently impose unique hyperlink restrictions beyond federal laws. However, the province’s pushback against federal policies (e.g., via the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act) might complicate future online regulations if tensions escalate. For now, align with federal standards and keep an eye on provincial privacy updates like the Protection of Privacy Act rollout in spring 2025.
Final Thoughts
You’re not legally required to police every hyperlink preemptively, but you must act if you’re aware of illegal or harmful content. Canadian law leans on notice-and-takedown rather than proactive censorship, but staying ahead with clear rules and moderation keeps you safe. If you’re unsure about a specific case, consult a lawyer familiar with Alberta’s digital legal space—laws evolve fast, especially with online platforms in the spotlight.
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Comment on What is the policy on discussing emulation in ~games? in ~tildes
Amarok Link ParentIndeed. All one ever needs to link to in any discussions of piracy is Jackett. Why link to a pirate site when you can link to an open source program that searches the entire torrent-sphere from...Indeed. All one ever needs to link to in any discussions of piracy is Jackett. Why link to a pirate site when you can link to an open source program that searches the entire torrent-sphere from inside one's torrent client of choice?
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Comment on LocalSend: a free, open-source, cross-platform app to share files to nearby devices in ~tech
Amarok LinkLooks handy for quick file sharing with friends... in fact I think it'll do well at our D&D game when I need to pump maps or books or character sheets around the table. I've been using X-Plore for...Looks handy for quick file sharing with friends... in fact I think it'll do well at our D&D game when I need to pump maps or books or character sheets around the table. I've been using X-Plore for a long time, but it's more of a midnight commander / sysadmin tool. Handy when you want to use nothing but your own phone to pump data between two remote servers via any conceivable protocol, but it's nowhere near as simple as LocalSend for popping files to nearby devices. It's also become mildly enshittified over the years, more's the pity. Thanks for sharing this tool, I'll get some mileage out of it I'm sure. :)
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Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk
Amarok LinkYiannis Chryssomallis, fulfilling a lifelong dream at The Acropolis in Greece, September 25th, 1993.Everything great that has ever happened to humanity since the beginning has begun as a single thought in someone's mind... and if any one of us is capable of such a great thought, then all of us have the same capacity, because we're all the same.
Yiannis Chryssomallis, fulfilling a lifelong dream at The Acropolis in Greece, September 25th, 1993.
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Comment on Is dark energy getting weaker? Fresh data bolster shock finding. in ~science
Amarok Link ParentI think quantifying the time dilation will probably clear up a lot of confusion. It's hard to pin down dark energy when time dilation is muddling every value we measure that comes from...I think quantifying the time dilation will probably clear up a lot of confusion. It's hard to pin down dark energy when time dilation is muddling every value we measure that comes from sufficiently far away. If we collect enough standard candle data perhaps we can finally account for the tidi, get it out of the measurements, and get a clear, accurate look at pure expansion data. Then we can put L-CDM into a death match with its contemporaries and see who wins.
Look on the bright side - heat death is postponed greatly, if not indefinitely. That's more time to work on the problem! :)
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Comment on Testing comment notifications for filtered posts in ~test
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Comment on Testing comment notifications for filtered posts in ~test
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Comment on 'Consider Phlebas' series set at Amazon from Charles Yu and Chloé Zhao in ~tv
Amarok Link ParentI hope you're right. A fun optimistic scifi romp would be a massive hit when most of their competition is some flavor of boring or dystopian.I hope you're right. A fun optimistic scifi romp would be a massive hit when most of their competition is some flavor of boring or dystopian.
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Comment on 'Consider Phlebas' series set at Amazon from Charles Yu and Chloé Zhao in ~tv
Amarok LinkShould I be excited or overcome with dread? Banks is on a very short list of peak science fiction writers - the source material is as good as it gets. This is a post-scarcity society that makes...Should I be excited or overcome with dread?
Banks is on a very short list of peak science fiction writers - the source material is as good as it gets. This is a post-scarcity society that makes Star Trek look quaint and Star Wars look unimaginative. It's ten million dollars per episode do it any kind of justice at all. I'd say it's about as close to a realistic, optimistic vision of a future with super-intelligent AI as anyone has ever written. Summed up simply, it's space hippies with guns and if done well it will sell as much popcorn as a theater can stock. The source material is of unimpeachable quality.
Looking at Charles Yu he does have writing and story credits for most of the first season of Westworld, which was excellent. Not much experience, but at least one solid gold star to his name there. Pity they didn't keep him around for the following seasons. Chloe Zhao has a lot more experience, however she produced nothing even close to that level of quality. The Eternals was a tepid waste of film if I'm being generous.
So, what's the over/under on this show going 180' off from the plot of the book within two episodes? That would be where I stop watching. If they can manage to nail it down, great, I'm here for all ten seasons.
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Comment on I'm alarmed by the apparent lack of an actual deep state in ~society
Amarok LinkIf it exists at all, it lies within the Pentagon, Department of Defense, and a number of military playgrounds way out west where gargantuan industrial facilities bearing names like Lockheed lurk...If it exists at all, it lies within the Pentagon, Department of Defense, and a number of military playgrounds way out west where gargantuan industrial facilities bearing names like Lockheed lurk among the volcano fields and bomb test craters. So far, Trump has not taken his audit into these areas, he's blustering his way up to them. He's hitting soft targets like the IRS that will make him popular and put democrats in the uncomfortable position of having to defend the IRS to the public. When he starts auditing the Pentagon things might get interesting.
I think what's really going on here is pretty straightforward. Trump's strategy is 'cut everything and see who screams'. Anything that was fraud or covert or just moronic (like most of it so far) won't have anyone coming forward to fight to get that money reinstated. The corruption can't make a protest without outing itself and its participants, so it gets cut... and probably investigated later on by the DOJ and FBI.
As for the rest, he's forcing any spending agencies to justify their funding legally with the courts through a judge who reviews and upholds or denies Congress' mandate to spend it. Same with all the employee terminations - prove it's illegal and you can come back to work, meanwhile we audit. It's a total dick move, but if you want to audit the entire fed in under two years, it's a practical way to get that done. Meanwhile DOGE runs the numbers, makes the reports, and upgrades everything it rampages through from the late 1950s mindset to modern methodology.
If the shadow state exists and it decides it wants Trump off the board, Air Force One will crash on takeoff due to an unspecified engine failure. That's their usual method these days, assassins are too messy and unreliable, while aircraft have such a terrible safety record. :p
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Comment on Have you altered the way you write to avoid being perceived as AI? in ~tech
Amarok LinkNope. I ignore people who whinge about it because they can't tell the difference - if they aren't that bright, ignoring them saves me time since I don't have to bother replying. I've been accused...Nope. I ignore people who whinge about it because they can't tell the difference - if they aren't that bright, ignoring them saves me time since I don't have to bother replying. I've been accused of being an AI many times, and I take it as a compliment instead. Reading a book a day for decades does make you better at written communication.
Consider this. AI has finally made it viable to create the internet's longest debated, most desired, and yet still conspicuously missing technology: the stupid-filter. The ability to detect rampant stupidity in written language. Attempts have been made in the past with bayesian tools, but they don't work very well. Large language models, on the other hand, are capable of doing this.
If you think the people whinging about everyone more articulate than they are is bad now, just wait until any comment that isn't at a minimum 10th grade level of English is instantly removed or automatically fact-checked, cited, and sourced the moment it gets posted. They'll never get a word in edgewise again. The average commenter can forget about being taken seriously by anyone outside of 4chan.
I don't have a problem with that, since most people providing 'expert' commentary aren't experts, they are just stroking their ego. Good news for brain work, bad news for bullshit, terrible news for trolls, spammers, and shills. It will happen just because nobody likes moderating comments and nobody has the time for it. Everyone will outsource it to LLMs as their electricity cost comes down. ;)
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Comment on What is the purpose of government? in ~society
Amarok Link ParentThe most frustrating part of the problem is that even if one were to incarnate a perfect social contract, it won't survive fifty years of contact with reality. Things fall apart, people change,...The most frustrating part of the problem is that even if one were to incarnate a perfect social contract, it won't survive fifty years of contact with reality. Things fall apart, people change, tastes change, new things come along every day. Combine that with the challenges of scope creep, nepotism, laziness, the hard challenge of scaling past Dunbar's number, and just plain chaos mixed in by chance. Entropy is a harsh mistress.
This isn't a problem that can ever be 'solved', it can only be managed with variable degrees of success... at least until we get to something more akin to post-scarcity, if that's possible. Somehow we default to be in 'everything is always falling apart' mode and success happens 'exactly as everything comes together for the next step' so we can jump to the next rock.
That only works until we run out of rocks to stand on. Hard to learn to fly when you're always trying not to slip off and fall in the river.
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Comment on What is the purpose of government? in ~society
Amarok LinkStep above the politics and look at it from a meta perspective. It's pretty simple - it's supposed to embody and support the 'social contract' of society. The patterns of behavior that the group...Step above the politics and look at it from a meta perspective. It's pretty simple - it's supposed to embody and support the 'social contract' of society. The patterns of behavior that the group chooses to live by. Everything else is more a discussion of 'which patterns', 'how to achieve them', and 'how to pay for it all'. That's where the arguments begin.
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Comment on Is this a coup? in ~society
Amarok Link ParentNo worries, I'm an old hat at talking politics so I don't offend. You are right, it's almost entirely propaganda. Repeat it until it sticks. I'm disappointed that trick always works. The truth of...No worries, I'm an old hat at talking politics so I don't offend. You are right, it's almost entirely propaganda. Repeat it until it sticks. I'm disappointed that trick always works. The truth of the mandate he has is that around 7% of people who usually vote blue voted red this time. Not independents who always swing around, I mean 7% of hardcore democrats voted for him this time. That is pretty unusual, but it has more to do with the DNC trying to cover up Biden's health and anoint Harris by fiat than anything to do with Trump. One does not skip the primary in America if one expects to win, period.
So Trump's smallish mandate does not come from anything that he himself did. It comes from blue rage, and just plain angry Americans who don't care about policy as much as they care about shaking up the fed to punish them. They sent Trump in like a vengeful nuke to break the government so all the people working in government get to feel their pain and suffer. Mission accomplished and then some. If nothing improves, next time they will send someone even worse than Trump and they will send him in with a bigger mandate. They don't care which color the party is, they want results.
Despite doing more damage than a rabid Tasmanian devil let loose at the start of the world championship domino tournament, Trump is fulfilling campaign promises. He's used his tariffs to bully Mexico and Canada into border security action, just like he said he would. They aren't paying for a wall, but they are paying into the border now. He is saving billions from being wasted through the audits. He's reducing the budget and cutting redundant employees. He just secured a half trillion dollar mineral deal in Ukraine. It's week three. Care to guess what week fifty looks like at this pace? I don't. :P
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Comment on Is this a coup? in ~society
Amarok Link ParentFor sure. With his mandate, no way the Republicans impeach him, and I don't think it is possible without their votes. Their constituents would riot and they'd lose re-election. Repealing expanded...For sure. With his mandate, no way the Republicans impeach him, and I don't think it is possible without their votes. Their constituents would riot and they'd lose re-election. Repealing expanded powers, however, is something very near and dear to the hearts of every Republican, and would be a far easier sell than impeachment.
They might wait to do it, though, for strategic reasons - at least until after the 2026 mid-terms or until after Trump has already done most of what they want him to do. I suppose it depends on how much the other Republicans hate him - and a lot of them do even if they are paying lip service right now. Frankly I think everyone is still shell shocked that any president has the capacity to do something like this in... three weeks total time. Absolutely no one is used to a government that moves this fast in America. It only ever happens when one party wins a blowout and gets a majority in the house and the senate, allowing them to ignore the other party completely. Trump didn't get that, thank god. He's just pretending that he did.
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Comment on Is this a coup? in ~society
Amarok Link ParentHmm, it does look like it changed in 2020, I wasn't aware of that myself. After digging into it, looks like some provisions were renewed and some expired, but I'm no expert on the nitty gritty of...Hmm, it does look like it changed in 2020, I wasn't aware of that myself. After digging into it, looks like some provisions were renewed and some expired, but I'm no expert on the nitty gritty of it. I just know that expanded executive order power comes directly from it, and Trump is certainly still using those powers.
That'd mean it's not a simple 'repeal' of the original, instead you'd have to hunt down and deal with the separate parts still in effect, or have congress pass something that overrides it. Either way though, ball is in Congress' court on this one. They can reign him in.
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Comment on Is this a coup? in ~society
Amarok Link ParentOh, no argument from me there. In fact, all of your points are fair, but they won't stop this from happening. My point is that this audit is about fifty years overdue and I'm glad that at least...but there's no way that an audit of wasteful spending is worth the damage that is being caused.
Oh, no argument from me there. In fact, all of your points are fair, but they won't stop this from happening. My point is that this audit is about fifty years overdue and I'm glad that at least one good thing is coming out of this mess - cuts to pointless spending. Americans have already seen enough negligence reported so that audits like this are going to be back on the agenda in politics again for a long, long time.
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Comment on Is this a coup? in ~society
Amarok Link ParentI honestly chuckled at that one. :) I would agree that the Patriot Act has been... a wash at best, and frankly just a very very very bad idea all around. We all knew it, but there was no holding...I honestly chuckled at that one. :) I would agree that the Patriot Act has been... a wash at best, and frankly just a very very very bad idea all around. We all knew it, but there was no holding back that knee-jerk reaction to being attacked. Hey, at least Bernie was smart enough to vote no on it from day one. The democrats do have their own populist in house, not that they'd ever have the balls to use him. He could have crushed Trump, and so could Tulsi or Yang (who had 10% of Trump's base loving him) for that matter. The DNC needs to up their game big time or face collapse and be replaced by something a lot less... geriatric in nature.
We don't get a third party. Instead, we get one party reforming and collapsing and refactoring (which the Republicans have done now) and they crush it until the other party goes through the same process and comes back swinging. Better start your engines for 2028 right now and get out in front of it, guys. We need you back in there asap.
The main advantage of using their Docker container is that it updates without the user needing to do anything. Torrent sites have a high turnover, new ones coming in, old ones changing interfaces or moving URLs or being shut down. Using the container means you can ignore all of that fluff and let the Jackett developers handle it for you.
There's little point in running something like this natively imo. If I install it locally, then it has to share mysql with anything else using mysql on my system, and its ports/services are attack vectors. It doesn't need to be running all the time, just when I need to do a search. I just spin up the docker container, use it, then shut it back down. Lazy is the main selling point of Docker. ;)