New from 404 Media: landlords are demanding potential tenants hand over employer login credentials so a tool can verify their income. I was sent screenshot of the tool, Argyle, downloading much more data than necessary to approve the renter. Opt-out means no housing
https://www.404media.co/landlords-demand-tenants-workplace-logins-to-scrape-their-paystubs/
Found my grandad’s tape measure while at my parent’s place today. It’s a lot more work but an embossed bit of metal certainly looks more elegant than a printed label.
Back on my Flight Simulator bullshit. Turns out if you fail to remove one of the things labelled REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT your airspeed indicator doesn’t work. Also turns out if I don’t have the airspeed indicator to fixate on during landing and just have to look out the window and hope for the best I can pull off a silky smooth landing better than anything I’d usually do.
I discovered today my increasingly senile Mum has an ongoing grudge against one specific tree. While walking by the end of a road she pointed down it at a big oak and just said “I don’t like that tree”. No further information was forthcoming.
Talking to my brother he tells me she always points out how she doesn’t like that tree when passing. He has no idea either. I guess just fuck that one tree in particular.
Google: “Check the output of anything Gemini does carefully as it can make mistakes”
Also Google:
My 9 year old and his classmates have started using “that’s AI” to mean “I don’t believe you.”
Me: we’re having dinosaur meat for dinner
Kiddo: that’s AI
“Watch my pod on YouTube”: Sad endorsement of a company that wants to sell adverts.
“Get my cast in your feed”: Cool, cyberpunk as hell.
Thus ends my argument that if we’re going to shorten podcast it should be the “cast” bit we keep.
Today in companies being needy: Vision Express called me, than later sent me a text message, then sent me a message asking for my feedback on the experience. This was all to inform me that my order isn’t ready yet, they’ve got half the glasses I bought and I was told not to expect them before Friday.
I’ve got a day to myself tomorrow and haven’t done nearly enough exercise this weekend so a 16 mile walk up the Itchen Way to Winchester it is.
I think we should have an armistice on meaningless legal statements. Things like “subject to availability” on promotions for special offers on physical items (of course it’s subject to having any in stock) and “serving suggestion” or “contents may be hot” on things where that’s obvious. Just do away with them. Everyone knows already so it’s just noise placed there by lawyers to look busy.
All new housing developments should be built with a shop and a pub, and a playground that is actually useable, not just a miniature slide plonked on it's own to a fulfil planning regulation.
Just climbed the hardest thing I’ve ever got to the top of, then dismounted by dangling with a single hand from a hold a good 12’ above the ground before dropping myself down, like a god damn action hero. (Thankfully there is no video to disabuse me of the notion that this looked elegant, rather than being a desperate last ditch effort not to fall on my arse from 12’ up)
Finding a business model for an open source projects is really hard, but "pay us to remove the catgirl pictures if you want to look professional" is one of the coolest attempts I've seen so far:
https://anubis.techaro.lol/docs/admin/botstopper
20 episodes into my rewatch of TNG and Riker has remembered they can pop the saucer off for dodgy situations like Romulans showing up. They didn’t do it of course. Not sure they ever do between the pilot episode and Generations.
Googled “I’m always angry” because I couldn’t remember how the Bruce Banner line goes. From the results I think I may be on some sort of watch list for people with anger management issues.
This is oddly gripping. I had plans for this morning and they’ve all been usurped by Tram Curling.
https://gruene.social/users/jon/statuses/115196483411136708
Today’s cursed sentence: “This bundle includes the Super Mario Bros. Wonder game and Talking Flower Figure. Please note: Talking Flower does not talk.”
I've noticed that there havent been many (any?) Proud Boy, Patriot Front, or Oath Keeper demonstrations recently.
I've also noticed that ICE is using common Patriot Front tactics - like arriving in Penske Moving Trucks and a lack of professionalism in regards to pushing, provoking, and handling bystanders.
I think its obvious that the Trump regime has brought all of his brown shirts in under the fold and are providing them with training, weapons, resources, and pay.
Today’s irritating problem, my coffee grinder is making (unhealthy, mechanical) grinding noises when it runs. It’s almost impossible to usefully Google for grinding noises from a coffee grinder though.
“Hey, Siri, stop”
“Pause in the kitchen?”
Oh come on. There’s one place in the entire world any of my Apple devices are playing media right now. What else would I be asking for?
I hope everyone gets the accolades they deserve today!
