plutonic's recent activity
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Comment on At long last, InfoWars is ours - The Onion in ~news
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentReally loved 'The Waves', been a few years now though. I've also read 'Orlando', 'A Room Of One's Own', and 'To The Lighthouse' but I think The Waves is my favourite.Really loved 'The Waves', been a few years now though. I've also read 'Orlando', 'A Room Of One's Own', and 'To The Lighthouse' but I think The Waves is my favourite.
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Comment on Which Linux distro do you use, and why? in ~tech
plutonic LinkMint. It just works, no bullshit. I run a very lean desktop setup, mainly just a browser/video/music player, no gaming. I come from a Windows world, but always on the NT side of things...Mint. It just works, no bullshit. I run a very lean desktop setup, mainly just a browser/video/music player, no gaming. I come from a Windows world, but always on the NT side of things (NT-2000-7-Mint) I ran windows 7 until way past the bitter end. At that point it was either go to Linux or Windows 10 and I just couldn't do it. Linux Mint it was. I don't want to have to mess around with stuff, I just want it to work and Mint for 3 years now has done that.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
plutonic Link ParentI hear you, I don't know what I would do either if it was my country. What can one do on an individual level? Not much to be honest. We all have our own personal problems and issues to deal with...I hear you, I don't know what I would do either if it was my country. What can one do on an individual level? Not much to be honest. We all have our own personal problems and issues to deal with on a day to day basis, people are over-worked, over-stressed and tired. I'm more disappointed that the Democrats appear to be complicit in all this instead of trying to raise and organize all hell.
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Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
plutonic Link ParentInstead: CRICKETS. I haven't heard about a single protester in front of the Whitehouse today after the President openly threatened genocide against another nation. Talk about a defeated and broken...Instead: CRICKETS.
I haven't heard about a single protester in front of the Whitehouse today after the President openly threatened genocide against another nation. Talk about a defeated and broken people. A very sad moment in history for the American people. -
Comment on Donald Trump posted on Truth Social this morning that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" as his threatened attacks on Iranian infrastructure loom ahead of deadline in ~society
plutonic LinkWhat is it going to take for Americans to finally say enough is enough? How can there not be 1 million people in protest in front of the Whitehouse today? Where are the national strikes? Why are...What is it going to take for Americans to finally say enough is enough? How can there not be 1 million people in protest in front of the Whitehouse today? Where are the national strikes? Why are the American people just sitting by and letting this happen, are the American people already defeated? I don't want to hear about your lame 'No Kings' protests, you have an insane, fascist, mentally unstable President and the action is to shrug and hold up some signs to get social media likes? What the hell is going on?
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Comment on Google releases Gemma 4 in ~comp
plutonic Link ParentThis tendency of the models to constantly add this kind of bullshit fluff is so bizarre, if it was a real person saying things like that they would be completely insufferable.(the biggest problem I've had with prompting is trying to block the tendency of models to say fluff like "raising questions about", or "make deep discoveries", which I don't want them to do, or even worse to summarise moods "after a feverishly pitched battle, the exhausted group..." - I want a simple digest of who did what to whom)
This tendency of the models to constantly add this kind of bullshit fluff is so bizarre, if it was a real person saying things like that they would be completely insufferable.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link Parent'The Dead' is the best short story I have ever read. I love it deeply, such a masterpiece. I don't think I've read anything else from Dubliners, I should do that. I read 'Portrait of the Artist'...'The Dead' is the best short story I have ever read. I love it deeply, such a masterpiece. I don't think I've read anything else from Dubliners, I should do that. I read 'Portrait of the Artist' many years ago and got through it. Not sure I was able to understand all of it, but that goes for a lot of difficult works that need multiple readings to really absorb.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentSound and the Fury is great. Difficult. I agree completely that the challenge is part of the appeal. I find Faulkner especially rewarding in that regard because while it is hard, even very hard...Sound and the Fury is great. Difficult. I agree completely that the challenge is part of the appeal. I find Faulkner especially rewarding in that regard because while it is hard, even very hard you can put in the work and actually get rewarded for it. Some of the other modernists like... James Joyce, which it appears you have read Ulysses I just can't do. It seems the amount of work I would have to put into it is just not worth the questionable reward I would get from it. Not saying that Ulysses isn't a rewarding book for those willing to put in the effort, or be willing to accept it at face value, but for me that is where the line is crossed. I really like the writing of Woolf for that reason, it's stream of consciousness yet you can follow it with a little extra effort and it's just beautiful, it's not page and pages of near incomprehensible word salad.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic LinkFinished Graham Greene's Brighton Rock Published 1938. Strange occurrence with this book, previously I finished James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice which is an early Noir book, the...Finished Graham Greene's Brighton Rock Published 1938. Strange occurrence with this book, previously I finished James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice which is an early Noir book, the first I've ever read. Then I chose 'Brighton Rock' and it turns out it's another Noir book. So my first 2 Noir books in a row without trying to do that. Anyways, the book wasn't great and maybe the weakest Graham Greene book I've read. There are better titles to chose if you want to read Greene. 6/10
Finished Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane Published 2013. I actually did enjoy this in the end, it's decently well written with some imagination put into it. I little trope-ish for my liking, does every YA book have to feature a kid who discovers something mysterious or secret and have parents that just don't understand and/or are unreliable? But I guess that is a big chunk of YA fiction and it isn't written for me. I enjoyed how Gaiman played with the idea of memory and how memories can be different depending on who is doing the remembering and how memories can change over time. 6/10.
Started into Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Published 1940. Heard a lot about this book, the plot summary definitely sounds like my kind of thing and it's one of those books you can tell is going to great within the first 30 pages. Looking forward to getting deeper into this one. I'm hoping for long monologues of these lonely, lost people pouring their hearts out to this deaf mute 'listener'.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentFaulkner is a real challenge. If you don't want to go in the deep end right away I would recommend 'Light in August' as it is much more straight forward and still great. 'As I Lay Dying' is...Faulkner is a real challenge. If you don't want to go in the deep end right away I would recommend 'Light in August' as it is much more straight forward and still great. 'As I Lay Dying' is probably the hardest book I've ever successfully completed. What worked for me was reading each chapter myself, seeing what I could understand and follow which was usually very little. Then I read a detailed summary of that chapter off Wikipedia and then went back and re-read that same chapter over again. After reading the summaries it's much easier to follow the story and really appreciate how much work Faulkner put into his writing. This way you really get to see his genius instead of constantly trying to figure out what is going on.
I love James Baldwin, both 'Giovanni's Room' and 'Another Country' are masterpieces. I've also read 'Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone' and 'Go Tell It On The Mountain' both of which are also great.
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Comment on Avi Lewis’s pledge to make proportional representation the (Canadian, federal) NDP’s one demand says he is serious about PR in ~society
plutonic LinkHis anti-oil & gas stance, pro-immigration, and pro-identity politics messaging is going to have a really hard time gaining traction in Canada in 2026. I really don't think that ideology lines up...His anti-oil & gas stance, pro-immigration, and pro-identity politics messaging is going to have a really hard time gaining traction in Canada in 2026. I really don't think that ideology lines up with what the majority of Canadians want right now. I'm not saying his ideology is right or wrong, I'm saying right now that kind of messaging is going to be a tough sell.
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Comment on Vaping likely to cause lung and oral cancer, Australian researchers find in new review of evidence in ~health
plutonic Link ParentI'm another person who successfully used vaping as a way of quitting nicotine completely. Reduced my consumption of cigarettes slowly until I was smoking ~5/day, then switched to vaping and then...I'm another person who successfully used vaping as a way of quitting nicotine completely. Reduced my consumption of cigarettes slowly until I was smoking ~5/day, then switched to vaping and then slowly reduced the strength of the juice until I was on something very low. Dropped my vape on the ground one day and broke it, decided right then and there I was done and I've never used nicotine since.
So glad to be rid of that garbage habit. Though I still miss smoking, not vaping so much. There are times when a smoke is the perfect thing, I miss those moments but I will never go back. The hardest part was the ritual of the last smoke/vape of the day right before I went to bed.
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Comment on GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating systems — group says it will never require personal information in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentI fear that once the age restrictions are in people like the awful folks behind Project 2025 will push to make all LGBT+ content "adult".I fear that once the age restrictions are in people like the awful folks behind Project 2025 will push to make all LGBT+ content "adult".
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Comment on GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating systems — group says it will never require personal information in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentThis is one of the better workable solutions, instead of requiring adults to prove their age through draconian tracking and identification methods (Nothing sounds more 1984 to me than having to...This is one of the better workable solutions, instead of requiring adults to prove their age through draconian tracking and identification methods (Nothing sounds more 1984 to me than having to show my face to my phone where either a cryptic AI or another human verifies my age/identity) we provide parents with controls to be able to switch their child's device into a 'child mode' or something similar. The problem again as you mention becomes how do you enforce companies to abide by these flags? Either you setup a Great Firewall to block services that will not comply (like services that operate out of other countries without these laws) or the whole thing is a joke.
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Comment on GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating systems — group says it will never require personal information in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentI'm speaking to the much bigger picture of the barrage of age verification laws popping up around the world. Age restrictions on social media, porn, app stores. Bans on VPN's are being discussed....I'm speaking to the much bigger picture of the barrage of age verification laws popping up around the world. Age restrictions on social media, porn, app stores. Bans on VPN's are being discussed. Countries will have to put up their own versions of The Great Firewall to block sites that will not comply. Free and Open Source software is fundamentally incompatible with these policies, being made by large groups of volunteers and not monolithic companies. Secure Boot and hardware being locked to software in the name of security. It feels like its closing in on all sides, all over the world. We will probably be more successful if we resist every step of the way.
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Comment on GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating systems — group says it will never require personal information in ~tech
plutonic LinkHopefully this will start happening more and more, we need the old school Hacker mentality here. Stand up in the face of oppression and refuse to comply, make work arounds, force the issue. The...Hopefully this will start happening more and more, we need the old school Hacker mentality here. Stand up in the face of oppression and refuse to comply, make work arounds, force the issue. The this the final battle for online freedoms and it is imperative for the future of a free humanity that we must win. Online anonymity is essential for freedoms of all kinds, we must have a place where people can speak their minds without oversight. I cannot stress how important this is.
Open source software is in a unique position to give the middle finger to the law, our corporate overlords will never help us. Hopefully things can be stopped before we have to look towards a new underground pirate internet. I for one will never comply with online ID or age verification, I will stop using services that require it, no matter how important to my life. I will switch to full time TOR usage if that is what needs to happen to remain anonymous. If the Dark Net needs to become the main internet, then so be it.
I will not comply.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic Link ParentI remember reading this when it first came out and really enjoying it, it was the first thing by Sacks that I ever read.Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks.
I remember reading this when it first came out and really enjoying it, it was the first thing by Sacks that I ever read.
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Comment on Our commitment to Windows quality in ~tech
plutonic Link ParentI agree, very concerning. I am very against any sort of ID/Age verification laws and they are my line in the sand, I will not comply. If it is just a checkbox 'Are you over 18' I'm going to have...I agree, very concerning. I am very against any sort of ID/Age verification laws and they are my line in the sand, I will not comply. If it is just a checkbox 'Are you over 18' I'm going to have to really think about it, Mint has been working really well for me, perfect no bullshit operating system for my uses. I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough with Linux to roll my own, it's going to have to be some sort of 'Just works' distro for me to use it. These are troubling times for personal online privacy.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
plutonic LinkFinished The Wings of the Dove by Henry James Published 1902. A real challenge but a real reward in the end. The last 100 pages are literary magic. James has a way of just keeping you from knowing...Finished The Wings of the Dove by Henry James Published 1902. A real challenge but a real reward in the end. The last 100 pages are literary magic. James has a way of just keeping you from knowing everything that is going on, there is always something he doesn't quite show or explain. Probably the deepest character development I've come across, almost no plot in 500 pages. 9/10 Among the most difficult books I've ever read and finished.
Finished Friedrich Engels' The Condition of the Working Class in England 1844 Published in 1845. Checked off the list? I think this sort of thing is better digested in novelized form. But a book like this served and serves a function as a systematic look at just how bad things were and how far we have come. It is a really thorough look into the whole plight of the working class during that time, you get it all here.
Started into Graham Greene's Brighton Rock Published 1938. I have read a number of Greene books and generally enjoy them. I picked this one because it is featured in Harold Bloom's The Western Canon which is something I'm slowly working through. Life-long project kind of thing.
As an Audiobook I've started Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane Published 2013. The most modern novel I've ever read! My partner is a big fan of Gaiman's work. Yes, I'm fully aware of his recent issues, but I'm a firm believer in separating the art from the artist. As someone who reads a lot of older books, if I started purity testing those writers there wouldn't be much left to read. This is definitely not something I would normally read, but for my partner's sake and it's only 5ish hours, what the hell. I have a feeling I will probably enjoy it. I pirated the audiobook to ensure I provide no monetary gain to Mr. Gaiman.
In between all this I read James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice Published 1934. A noir classic! Before becoming better known through film there were noir books, and this is supposed to be one of the best. Not totally for me, but it was enjoyable and really short. 100 pages short. Very light and entertaining, I recommend it as a fun read. Grittiness, Murder, Intrigue, Suspense.
Our Dumb Century is a masterpiece.
MAN WALKS ON FUCKING MOON