What we can tell future generations and why many of my generation can probably relate

still vividly remember when I was 21 and began my Ph.D. degree at the Victoria Uni. of Manc. (before the UMIST merger).

The Web was just over a decade old back then. There was a lot of stuff people could not find on the Web. Spamfarms did exist, search engines certainly worked, but no slop was taken seriously (yes, it could be produced even back then, maybe it would be called “chaff” rather than “AI”).

Nobody would take slop seriously back then. There was no justification for the costs, either.

I remember looking through old archives of mine looking for things I can scan and upload. I wanted to add material to my personal site. To a certain extent I did. Some was already digitalised.

Now, in 2026, the Web is a junkyard. There’s little need to add anything to it unless it’s unique and of real value.

New stuff can barely be considered discoverable, unless it’s outsourced to some social control media and the user “mines” (wastes time on) ‘friends’.

The Web has generally been devalued not because of “bad people” who joined it. Bad companies are filling it with trash and erecting walled gardens.

RIP, Web.

Crossposted from Techrights

Fake security is already breaking systems running GNU/Linux

ore complexity means more problems. Newer code means more bugs (e.g. Rust rewrites).

Fake security means catastrophe for no actual gain/s.

As noted by several sites [1, 2], linking to a bug report, kneeling to Microsoft came at a high cost:

TPM? Who asked for TPM in Linux? GAFAM? But who am I to even mention the principal culprits? I have degrees in computing, not in genetics.

What a sh–show.

‘ve noticed something quaint about Whiskey Pete and the circus that mans the Pentagon and uses 9/11 (after 25 years) to double down on self harm and global disdain/hatred for the US.

When or if Iran does real damage to US army assets, the US first tries to hide (cover up) or deny anything happened. Failing that, it belittles the impact, e.g. saying no casualties. Israel does the same thing.

If media with credibility and data shows decent evidence, US media will try to say it’s made in North Korea or imported from elsewhere (or attack the media for “helping Iran”).

If disproven, it’ll blame “Russia” for giving help (like location/information from satellites). Now it blames “China”.

Never blame the man who stated this war? Never blame a dumb war that clogged up oil and gas traffic, resulting in direct financial hurt to everyone on this planet?

If a president needs to commit some more crimes (like bribing voters) to distract from military and financial shambles, maybe it’s time to impeach him already.

All-in-one

s an argumentative and relatively opinionated person who loves to write a lot and who prefers to write very often, proofreading and sometimes ghost-reading – alas, never ghost-writing – is routine and mostly dull (but nonetheless necessary).

This year I experiment with a new approach of proofreading from the text editor while I feed the birds from jars^* (if not fed from jars, there’s growing risk that seeds on the ground will attract large flocks and cause chaos). Sometimes I feed one, sometimes two from the same jar (couples mostly), and today I held two jars to feed two birds that were not a couple and would likely fight one another using their beaks and wings. When Bot and Bot’s Friend (partner) eat from the same jar we call it “double room”, inspired by the double rooms in spas and treatments where the couple is in the same large room (“Double Room” or “Twin Room” – the latter also refers to room arrangements in hotels). Feeding two birds, a couple, with one hand can save time. At one point I discovered that with sufficient distancing I can also feed Sweepy and Bot’s Friend from the same jar. If they get aggressive, I will stop. They’ve learned from experience to cooperate and get along or lose the access to seeds.

Sweepy and Edwin are still being trained for ‘table manners’.

_____

^* This post was checked while feeding Sweepy.

ManCity is still at the top of the league

he league is back (after some European football) and Manchester City’s buying spree is drawing attention.

Arsenal will go top tonight, then the derby (tomorrow) will be a big test for Enzo and Team.

There’s a good chance ManCity won’t win anything this year, but it’s off to a good start.

Bewildering Manchester, rewilding the place

HE end of August marked the opening of a new coffee shop and then there was some heavy lifting in the area opposite it. About 20 men were working hard to plant trees and other plants.

Given the awful, outdated industrial nature of that area before the heavy investment in it, seeing the planting of trees there is really nice.

Oh, speaking of men gardening, we saw a very large truck driven by a lady, which is rare. Yes, bus drivers are female sometimes (more and more over time), with the same for trams, but seldom does one see a construction site with a female doing the truck’s manoeuvring, so it’s a refreshing sight, a welcomed change. They push social boundaries.

I’ve noticed that there’s a “Calico Coffee” in Mayfield Park, Manchester, which isn’t new, but I cannot (yet) find the name of the new one at the old train station (now Depot).

They know the face!

HE other day or about a week ago in Mayfield we tested the birds to see if they can recognise us and distinguish us (from the crowds passing by). Some birds did. When they see us – and they do in fact know the faces – they know food has arrived. No mnemonic like clapping necessary anymore.

One bird then follows the other. A flock forms.

Birds are smart.