Notices by Professor_Stevens (professor_stevens@mastodon.gamedev.place)

@mmiasma

Whenever I look at a policy question of that magnitude, I look for existing institutions that are advocating for the consumer. No need for you to fight a battle like this on your own. This will ultimately be a political question, answered with regulatory language.

Alas, since the big corps can pay lobbyists, the big corps actually draft a lot of that language themselves. To counter that, you need to be part of something just as big.

Don't start a fight. Join one.

@mmiasma

Don't know if you two are acquainted, but our Mastodon peer @aral clearly knows a lot about this kind of stuff.

@aral

So how does one interpret this little glyph at the lower-right of a Microsoft web page?

@aral

Think of them as your most reliable advisors.

When I served in local government, we had public input sessions twice each month. Whenever a contentious issue was pending, the Republicans would always turn out in fairly large numbers to express their opinion. Quite honestly, I admired them for it. The Democrats never came, but Republicans are more motivated.

Anyway, the Republicans were always wrong. So, whatever they asked for, I just voted the other way.

Worked every time.

@aral @sonny

Cool.

Now, I realize FOSS is all someone's passion project, so I don't want to be a pest. But I was kind of stunned to see that GNOME only supports two zoom sizes, 100% and 200% (which might as well be labeled "much too small" and "way too big").

A workaround is to use the "large type" setting in Accessibility. But people are telling me I can get more zoom levels if I turn on some "experimental" flag.

Seriously? Zooming is experimental for GNOME in 2024?

@aral This worth anything? This is on my Asus with a touchscreen.

@aral

I'm using GNOME on a Manjaro install I did over the weekend. Can you tell me how to reproduce the bug? I'll let you know what happens on my setup.

@aral

Sweet.

Which distro did you choose?

@aral

Huh. You're right. It sure does. But what's the point of using the digit "6" here? Is it a play on words? Does "six geek" mean anything? Is "six" supposed to be homonymic with "sex?" Or "sicks," maybe?

I think there's more to this.

I feel dumb. Usually, these geek-shirt jokes are pretty obvious. I'm sure this one will be too.

As soon as someone here explains it to me.

@aral

Awesome! I like it partly because it does seem pretty solid, with all the basics working most reliably. But another reason is that it doesn't try to do everything. It does stick to the basics, which keeps the (re)learning curve reasonably flat.

@aral

Please let us know how that works out for you.

@aral

I haven't used it on Linux, but I love OBS and it is available for Linux.

@aral

Every time I am made aware of the differences between options for rail travel in Europe and in the US, I want to start sobbing. Even that tiny video clip looks so... _civilized_. (Amtrak cars do have trash slots, but only at the ends.)

BTW, I am not judging. But I would seek stimulation and sustenance by sucking on my own sweat before I'd give those jerks my money. But not judging. Just saying. Nope. Not judging at all.

@aral

Lovely. If life is long enough, I'll drop in someday and buy us a couple of espressos.

@aral

I have always been frustrated by the lack of consensus on how to emphasize flat text.

Is it:

I am NOT gonna take it anymore?

or

I am *not* gonna take it anymore?

or

I am _not_ gonna take it anymore?

Caps kinda work in the example above, because I'm shouting.

They not so good when you're just being emphatic, as in:

Crossing by covered wagon took six months. Today, we can fly across in six HOURS.

What do you use?

@jwcph @aral

I no longer care if Israel's slaughter of innocent people is on purpose or by accident. Even if it is all accidental, it all looks the same as if it were on purpose.

If it is on purpose, Netanyahu and his commanders are criminals, and must be stopped.

If it is by accident, Netanyahu and his commanders are incompetent, and must be stopped.

Either way, they must be stopped.

Writing to my federal officials today: no more aid to Israel.

@otfrom @baldur

Serious question here: What is "Web 2.0?"

@aral @selzero

Yeah, same. Funny how anyone whose first contact with you includes some version of, "you probably don't want to follow me" turns out to be the one piece of good advice they ever have for you.

@aral

May I have permission to keep a copy of this and use it on similar pricks myself?