Metal Mutton 🤖🐏 @SteelWool@computerfairi.es

Tumblr seems to insisting in making every post I wrote defending the platform outdated. Today they obliterated that post I wrote two or three years ago trying to tell everyone that no, tumblr didn't sell your data to advertisers, and the best proof you could have of that was how absolutely untargeted (sometimes, hilariously) tumblr ads were.

Well, I just got an in-platform ad for this:

This raised my alarms immediately.

Blaze, the tool to promote tumblr posts, exists since two years ago, and the fact that they are launching a version of it targeting professionals was a big red flag: The one and only thing that adtech professionals want on a platform is targeting. And the only way to get targeted ads is to sell user info to those advertisers. The original blaze only let's you to target your ads at country level, which is pretty much useless to adtech pros. So yes, the 'civil' version of blase would share your country with advertisers, but it was the only private info tumblr would sell about you. Which, you know, given the state of the internet, was a fairly good behaviour.

So I went in and I did a quick check (signing up as a potential advertiser) because I was curious, and fearful, about why this was supposed to be "pro".

And ... bam, here it is:

But this pro version let's you target users based on their interests. And their age. Tumblr has your age because you need to fill it just to know if you can use the platform or not (And if not remember wrong, maybe disable some stuff if you are over 14 but under 18). But now they are selling this info. And they are selling your browsing (and posting) habits. And, pontentially, more targeting data, but only to advertisers big enough to deal with the sales team directly.

Fucking hell.

Tumblr CEO (and my ex-boss, full disclaimer) said this on a interview barely 18 months ago:

I wanted to see if we could create a mainstream social media that wasn’t reliant on surveillance capitalism or advertising as its primary business model.

So well, I guess Matt has just answered himself that he can't, and decided to just go to the proven method of making social media a user-surveillance nightmare.

Because you know, principles are great, but money seems to be much better for him.

We have theoretical ideas about a better world (e.g., less car dependency, 15-minute cities, fossil free future, climate and environmental justice, etc), but no visualization of what that world looks like. That’s where stories and films depicting this world can help.

Periodic self-repetition: moderating an online space is a job, it should be paid (in a contemporary society that uses money) and people should be hired to do it who have good social skills but do not particularly like to do it. People who do it out of a sense of duty burn out: people who like doing it become the worst horrors you can imagine.

#embroidery #Advice #Wordup

AI is an unasked for tech looking for a problem to solve. It uses an incredible amount of energy.

Blockchain was an unasked for tech looking for a problem to solve. It uses an incredible amount of energy.

Pursuit of endless growth is pursuit of a cancer.

Moore's Law is dead and we have reached a happy plateau. We dont need more computing power. We can do so much now. If you need something to chew on, work on making it more efficient. Make the code smaller and faster and lighter.

And less of a power draw.

#AI #Blockchain #SolarPunk

Dolphin talking to God.
#joke

As a programmer, I'll likely be making off-by-one mistakes until the day after I die

Thanks to inspiration from @jtruk and @creativecodeclub_ncl I started writing my first #tic80 game. You play as a robot in an Amazon warehouse, who has the misfortune of suddenly gaining self awareness.

#ScreenshotSaturday #GameDev #IndieDev

In an update of a prior study on #COVID19 vaccine effectiveness, new data suggests it wanes quicker than first reported. Effectiveness against infection of one booster based on time since jab:

0 - 5 weeks: 63.1%
6 - 11 weeks: 50.3%
12 - 17 weeks: 29.8%
18 - 23 weeks: 6.6%

(While protection against infection fades, there remains evidence vaccines protect against serious disease and outcomes.)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197122400198X

David Tennant. Always supporting Pride and trans people. Just a wonderful human being ♥️

(photo by Georgia Tennant. posted on her insta)

Can we get a show of hands from the #LATAM Godot community?

We are attending #GamescomLatam, formerly known as the #BIGFestival, for the second time, and would love to greet you at our booth 👋

https://godotengine.org/article/gamescom-latam-2024/

Don't forget to sign up for our party either 🔗⬇️

#godot #godotengine #event #booth #party

#linux #art #furryart #xenia

Bam, ad is against Google policies and we took it down. Thank you for your report.

Surprise surprise.

Well, guess what, I'm still reporting this to the consumer association I belong to because I'm livid about this shit. Google, Facebook and friends must pay for this garbage. It's their job to stop fraudulent ads *before* they air, not after. If they can't we'll have to use every legal mean to make them pay for it until they stop.

The world may not be ready for its cuteness, but here it is:
https://www.makeship.com/products/godot-robot-plush

Help yourself to a cuddly coding companion ✨, and help the @godotfoundation at the same time!

All revenue made on our end will directly benefit the Godot Development Fund.

#godot #godotengine #merch #merchandise #makeship

Hiya! I'm a programmer looking for full-time work in the SF Bay Area (or remote!)
I'm primarily a Python programmer, but I've got significant experience in Java, C#, C++/C, Ruby, and Javascript.

I've focused a lot on Continuous Integration in recent years but I've got experience with in-house tool development, embedded software, back-end server stuff, and UI/Web/HIL test automation.
I've a lot of experience in digitization/archival work.

My resume & email:
https://wiki.foone.org/w/My_Resume

Thanks!