just_a_salmon's recent activity
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Comment on Legal survey finds that US police are granted immunity at a high rate in use of force cases in ~news
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Legal survey finds that US police are granted immunity at a high rate in use of force cases
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Comment on Leaving Amazon - Tim Bray (former VP) on whistleblowers, climate strikes, sexism, and racism at Amazon in ~tech
just_a_salmon Link ParentI believe he means that the fired people are in the mentioned categories.I believe he means that the fired people are in the mentioned categories.
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Comment on ICANN board withholds consent for a change of control of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) | The ICANN board withholds consent to transfer .org to Ethos Capital in ~tech
just_a_salmon LinkI’m glad the CA AG knocked some sense into them. I’m still worried, though, because it was a weird deal to begin with, and I wonder what on earth motivated it.I’m glad the CA AG knocked some sense into them. I’m still worried, though, because it was a weird deal to begin with, and I wonder what on earth motivated it.
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Comment on We are all niqabis now: Coronavirus masks reveal hypocrisy of face covering bans in ~life
just_a_salmon Link Parent1000 words is not a lot. @imperialismus is halfway there with their reply.1000 words is not a lot. @imperialismus is halfway there with their reply.
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Comment on What are your favorite CLI tools/applications? in ~comp
just_a_salmon LinkMy development workflow is git + tmux + vim + ctags + ranger. The only thing really lacking is namespace and object property autocomplete (ie type “std::cout.f”, hit ctrl-n, and select “flush”...My development workflow is git + tmux + vim + ctags + ranger. The only thing really lacking is namespace and object property autocomplete (ie type “std::cout.f”, hit ctrl-n, and select “flush” from the list).
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Comment on What are some games in which movement itself is a joy? in ~games
just_a_salmon Link ParentMan, I miss Titan skating in D1. That was something they should have kept in.Man, I miss Titan skating in D1. That was something they should have kept in.
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Comment on Modern Classics Summarized: Stranger In A Strange Land in ~books
just_a_salmon Link ParentI guess when we think “eww, this work is a product of its time,” we need to go beyond using the work as a vehicle for comparing social norms (esp. if the comparison boils down to “people back then...I guess when we think “eww, this work is a product of its time,” we need to go beyond using the work as a vehicle for comparing social norms (esp. if the comparison boils down to “people back then were messed up“), and remember to consider the work in the context of its period and the work’s effect on the period.
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Comment on US health weather map (flu symptoms) in ~health
just_a_salmon LinkIt would be interesting to see what the number of connected medical devices per capita per county is, and to compare that to these maps. In any case, it looks like there are cases building in the...It would be interesting to see what the number of connected medical devices per capita per county is, and to compare that to these maps.
In any case, it looks like there are cases building in the south, and Florida is straight fucked.
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Comment on Writing your first pluggable authentication module in ~comp
just_a_salmon LinkThanks for posting this, it’s something I’ll need to know for work pretty soon.Thanks for posting this, it’s something I’ll need to know for work pretty soon.
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Comment on Daily coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - March 18 in ~health.coronavirus
just_a_salmon Link ParentI did the same thing a month or two ago. Before that, whenever I tried to cook dry beans, I failed. The trick is to not use old beans.I did the same thing a month or two ago. Before that, whenever I tried to cook dry beans, I failed. The trick is to not use old beans.
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Comment on EARN IT letter to my representative in ~misc
just_a_salmon Link ParentNow that I’ve written that, I’m starting to think that this might not be the case. But if backdoors aren’t explicitly excluded, it may end up being enforced that way. I’ll make a discussion topic...Again, this all hinges on successfully arguing that EARN IT unavoidably means encryption backdoors.
Now that I’ve written that, I’m starting to think that this might not be the case. But if backdoors aren’t explicitly excluded, it may end up being enforced that way. I’ll make a discussion topic in the morning.
Now if only the damn Wasatch Fault Line would let me sleep.
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Comment on EARN IT letter to my representative in ~misc
just_a_salmon LinkI think you’re too focused on the technical and legal issues from a subject matter expert’s point of view, and not the human impact. It would be better to focus more on how the bill makes the...I think you’re too focused on the technical and legal issues from a subject matter expert’s point of view, and not the human impact. It would be better to focus more on how the bill makes the average American significantly less safe— some examples are breaking into online banking sessions, getting blackmail material or sensitive financial information from cloud storage services, or the risk to the personal data of members of the intelligence community with how foreign intelligence services will capitalize— and how the unintended consequences of the bill defeat (almost) every single one of its goals.*
If you’re talking to an older person, you might also have to explain how many services previously managed via mail are now done online, and how easy it is to detect mail theft compared to how hard it is to realize that someone has downloaded weakly encrypted data that they can now not only crack at their leisure, but also crack it in a reasonable time frame.
The dark web angle is good, but you need to assume that your congresscritter thinks that the Internet is a series of tubes. Instead of explicitly invoking the dark web, you could explain just how easy it is to set up a messaging service or forum on a server without a DNS record (analogous to an unlisted phone number) and just not tell the government that it exists. I’d also recommend explaining that if the law passes, the only people using the good encryption would be criminals and how the government would be just as incapable of breaking it then as they are now. If your congresscritter is a republican, a “only bad guys would have guns” analogy would be useful, it’s just that now only the bad guys’ encrypted data is uncrackable due to their general desire to not be caught, and wasn’t the whole point to make bad guys’ encrypted data crackable?
Another problem is proliferation. Good encryption is everywhere, available in textbooks (and not just new textbooks), and has been taught to almost every computer science student that manages to get a half-decent education. This is another argument that a gun analogy would fit.
Again, this all hinges on successfully arguing that EARN IT unavoidably means encryption backdoors.
You could end with statements from encryption experts on how backdoors ultimately wreck any confidence in the encryption, and how math does not bow to the dictates of legislation.
One nitpick:
it will actively harm encryption
This phrase isn’t helpful. I can’t quite put the words together to explain why, but it needs to go.
* the one goal it succeeds in achieving is making it easier to find illicit data hosted on third-party services. But of course, this will just drive criminals to become technically savvy enough to use good encryption, which as stated above, is very easy to get ahold of.
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Comment on Call for volunteers: Techies against COVID-19 in ~comp
just_a_salmon LinkI guess I’ll put my name in. I’m a software engineer, roughly five years experience. My experience is mostly writing distributed stuff for ad-hoc networks, relational databases (MySQL and SQLite),...I guess I’ll put my name in. I’m a software engineer, roughly five years experience. My experience is mostly writing distributed stuff for ad-hoc networks, relational databases (MySQL and SQLite), Linux system administration, and general scripting. I’ve done a little bit of REST API work as well.
I definitely want more concrete goals though; the vagueness is off-putting.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
just_a_salmon Link ParentI just realized you weren’t asking if the export feature exists.It’s been a while since I’ve used it, but iirc, there is an export item in the file menu.I just realized you weren’t asking if the export feature exists.
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Comment on What do you like/dislike about where you live? in ~talk
just_a_salmon LinkWhat are the best quality-of-life features of your city/state/province/country of residence? I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. The absolute best thing about living here is that I have so much hiking...What are the best quality-of-life features of your city/state/province/country of residence?
I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. The absolute best thing about living here is that I have so much hiking and snowshoeing within half an hour from my apartment. Ski resorts are also within an hour’s drive.
If you want to reduce driving, there are semi-decent (for the US, anyway) commuter trains that go between Provo (~45 miles/72km south) and Ogden (~40 miles/65km north), and light rail that connects Sandy, West Valley City, the University of Utah, downtown SLC, and the airport. Transit busses exist, but I don’t really use them enough to comment.
As for the state in general, the national parks in the southern half are amazing and absolutely worth visiting.
What natural features do you appreciate most?
The Wasatch Mountains (which the city is built right up against), and the Uintah mountains just beyond them. There’s a hike along a ridge just north of I-80 that I love.
We get enough snow in the valley for it to feel like winter, but it’s not so often or so much that it gets annoying. The summers are hot, usually between 90-100F (32-37C) with a couple weeks peaking below 105F (40C), but it’s in a desert so humidity isn’t a problem.
Don’t bother with either the Great Salt Lake or Utah Lake. Or reservoirs. I think Bear Lake is the only natural body of water that isn’t disgusting agricultural runoff.
Is it getting better/worse?
Overall, better; but I don’t know how I would begin qualifying that.
What do you dislike?
Without going into too much detail because I will rant if I let myself:
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Bad smog, especially during inversions in the winter, and when we don’t get weather in the summer. Turns out that air gets trapped easily in our valley.
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The usual issues with living in a conservative US state while not being rabidly conservative. SLC is an oasis, though.
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Living in a theocracy run by the almost-cult you used to attend is annoying. “Theocracy” is hyperbole, but “almost-cult” isn’t.
Where, if anywhere, would you rather be?
I’m trying to figure that out, as I don’t want to stay much longer. I’d like to go back to Washington (Oregon is also acceptable) because I never thought I’d miss rain and even mild humidity so much. I’d also consider Denver. I think Minneapolis is about as far east as I’d go in the US. I’d give working in northern Europe a few years If I knew how to go about making it happen. Really, I could find a software job most places; I’m just a bit too anxious about it to get the ball rolling, and I don’t want to leave my coworkers in the lurch.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
just_a_salmon LinkI’ve been playing Empyrion: Galactic Survival. It’s in early access, but very playable. It’s Space Minecraft plus resource management, a tech tree, NPC factions, optional multiplayer, and the...I’ve been playing Empyrion: Galactic Survival. It’s in early access, but very playable. It’s Space Minecraft plus resource management, a tech tree, NPC factions, optional multiplayer, and the occasional abandoned space-demon-occupied structure. Resources are, generally speaking, food, fuel, or construction materials. There isn’t any real story yet, it’s just survival and running missions for the factions. There are a few corners of the game where the way things work isn’t obvious, so I’d recommend watching a few YouTube videos when you hit a dead end. The tutorial mission is a good starting point.
(@Douglas while your first priority in building bases and capital vessels is generally defense, there are a lot of items to make a base or vehicle cozy.)
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Comment on Don’t try to sanitize input. Escape output in ~comp
just_a_salmon LinkI’m not a web programmer at all, and I just woke up, so I could be missing something, but does HTML escaping not exist? Literally all you have to do is replace a handful of characters with their...I’m not a web programmer at all, and I just woke up, so I could be missing something, but does HTML escaping not exist? Literally all you have to do is replace a handful of characters with their &#xx equivalents and you’re good. I don’t think encoding matters here, as most things don’t interpret look-alikes.
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Comment on How could we regulate biased/lying media outlets and aggregators without encroaching on good ones? in ~talk
just_a_salmon Link ParentFinland is actually implementing this (PDF), also here.Finland is actually implementing this (PDF), also here.
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Comment on What git commands do you use frequently that you think more people should use? in ~comp
just_a_salmon Link Parentczechout :Dczechout
:D
Qualified immunity is a fifty year old US legal test to determine if an instance of police use of force is excessive. Its application in the last twenty years has increasingly trended to protecting police.
While the results aren’t surprising, I find this article interesting because it puts hard numbers to the trend of excessive police use of force, and explains the legal doctrine behind police immunity.
On a more metatextual level, is anyone familiar with Reuters’ social coverage? I’m only vaguely familiar with their economic coverage, and I’m curious if this is a new direction for them.