Chris Wiegman @chris@mastodon.chriswiegman.com

It is possible to be fascinated by technology, including AI, voice recognition, etc and still horrified by the companies currently manning the gates by which people can access that technology.

#introduction

Hello from yet another new instance as I look for a personal place I can archive my content.

I'm a software engineer working on WordPress with an emphasis on #privacy, #ethics, #OpenSource and the #openweb.

Historically I've been a pilot, musician, teacher and about 1,000 other things.

If any of this interests you, let's chat!

As the mad king denies the pandemic, this Stanford study helps show just how much he's contributed to it with an estimated 30,000 cases and 700 deaths due to 18 of his rallies. https://sebotero.github.io/papers/COVIDrallies_10_30_2000.pdf

Sad to see Sean Connery died. So many memorable roles

While I still see a zero chance of the mad king leaving the White House I do find it interesting that, at this point in 2016 fivethrirtyeight was showing Clinton's chances of winning dropping quickly yet, this year, it's showing Biden's chances of winning actually growing.

Next week could be very interesting indeed.

For the bargain price of $9.99/month you can push literally all your data through Google's services. https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/29/21541032/google-one-vpn-cloud-storage-subscription

I'm glad to see more people calling attention to this issue with Apple but I'm not sure what good it will do. It was the largest single reason I moved to System76 2 years ago (after 4 bad keyboards on my 2016 MBP) and I don't see moving back.

"Activists" are quick to trash Google because it affects them. Yet this type of damage did hurt people I know who can't afford replacement. This is just as evil as anything Google has done.

It is criminal.

https://twitter.com/dhh/status/1321862187913224201?s=20

Today marks 2 weeks since I started my Twitter break and, for the most part, I think it has really helped

It might be a bit more troublesome to assemble all the Linux software you need from the right sources but it has been far easier to script software setup on my Linux laptops than on my Macs.

So the response to potential monopoly issues with your competitor is to... firm up your own monopoly? https://www.ft.com/content/fd311801-e863-41fe-82cf-3d98c4c47e26

What I do wish is that there could be a viable alternative as far as the completeness of the ecosystem. Google is, frankly, close (and arguable has much better services) but the issues that come along with putting my data in Google just aren't worth it to me.

Today I have a mash of tools that really work, at least so far. I worry if it will all work when I start traveling again but that's a bridge I can cross when I get there.

My final straw was when I needed the 4th keyboard replacement on my top-of-the-line 15" 2016 MBP in 2 years. That was beyond unacceptable. Add in things like a useless touchbar and bugs galore such as losing synced notes, reminders and more and I don't regret leaving apple

I stumbled on this this morning and it describes, almost to the letter, my own experience with Apple and why I left its ecosystem.

TL;DR: They don't build 'em like they used to (though they still charge as if they do).

https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-i-may-dump-apple-in-2020-and-why-you-should-consider-it-too/