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SmartmanApps

@[email protected]

#dotNet #dotNetMaui with #cSharp UI
Maths/Computer Science teacher/tutor
Facts aren't "arbitrary"
searchable

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@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
SmartmanApps ,
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@h4ckernews
It was never a proof anyway, anymore than had Cantor written 1+1=3 and claimed it "proved" that 1+1=3 🙄 https://dotnet.social/@SmartmanApps/115642725878742794

@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched India as a central player in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem, saying the country aims to build technology at home while deploying it worldwide.

@AssociatedPress reports: https://flip.it/bsZS9x

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@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

A question few of us saw coming, say, 20 years ago: Is AI conscious? Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei was asked this during a recent interview, and his answer may or may not be more insightful than it would have been in 2006. Read more from @Futurism :

https://flip.it/VVMkKt

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@TechDesk @Futurism
"Anthropic CEO Says Company No Longer Sure Whether Claude Is Conscious" - ironically this appears in my feed not long after a post showing AI saying it's faster and healthier to walk to the car wash than to drive your car there, and ending with "do you have everything you need for the car wash, or should I make a check-list?". 😂

"Amodei called it a “really hard” question to answer" - no it isn't! 😂 As always, the answer is still no, dude is just trying to drum up business

@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
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@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
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@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

Windows PCs have a secret "last resort" emergency restart button. PC World tells us how to find it:

https://flip.it/HtB2Uk

SmartmanApps ,
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@TechDesk
That's what the reset button is for - not sure why you wouldn't just do that if it's that desperate...

@remixtures@tldr.nettime.org avatar remixtures , to random

I honestly don't know how people can be so judgmental about a technology. AI is just a tool that can be sometimes be very helpful if you trust the users' critical thinking skills and the ability to smell bullshit. Most of the problems associated with AI are just a consequence of shitty business models and a mediocre mode of production (Capitalism)

"Judging by what I see in the comments on the posts about Firefox’s potential AI feature integrations, the apparent path that critics are recommending as an alternative browser is “I’ll yell at you until you stop using ChatGPT”. Consider this post my official notice: that strategy hasn’t worked. And it is not going to work. The only thing that will work is to offer a better alternative to these users. That will involve defining what an acceptably “good” alternative AI looks like, and then building and shipping it to these users, and convincing them to use it. I’m hoping such an effort succeeds. But I can guarantee that scolding people and trying to convince them that they’re not finding utility in the current platforms, or trying to make them feel guilty about the fact that they are finding utility in the current platforms, will not work.

And none of this is exculpatory for my friends at Mozilla. As I’ve said to the good people there, and will share again here, I don’t think the framing of the way this feature has been presented has done either the Firefox team or the community any favors. These big, emotional blow-ups are demoralizing, and take away time and energy and attention that could be better spent getting people excited and motivated to grow for the future."

https://www.anildash.com/2025/11/14/wanting-not-to-want-ai/

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@remixtures
"Just give people the “shut off all AI features” button. It’s a tiny percentage of people who want it" - no it isn't, hence the plethora of articles about "How to turn of AI in (tool)". Just this morning there was one in my feed about how to turn it off in gmail (the articles are needed because the option - when the option exists at all - is hidden away so as not to be easily findable).

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@remixtures @golgaloth
"why not disable browsers' ability to process JavaScript code? " - some people do exactly that in order to stop ads appearing.

SmartmanApps ,
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@remixtures
And where's the number of visitors to the NoChatGPT website to compare that number to? Oh yeah, there isn't one, thus you can't claim it's a "tiny percentage" without numbers to calculate the percentage (which there aren't).

What we CAN compare that number to, say the 700,000,000 weekly active users, is the world population of more than 10 times that number, so in a given week, less than 1 in 10 people use ChatGPT, at all. If you want to talk tiny percentage...

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@remixtures
"Only a percentage of all human beings use the Internet" - more than 2/3rds actually

SmartmanApps ,
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@remixtures
"but if the growth rate continues" - I see you've already abandoned your "tiny percentage" argument then, and switched to "in the future, if these trends continue, it will be a tiny percentage, maybe".

"must have hundreds of millions of users only in China" - which is STILL only 1 or 2 in 10. 🙄

SmartmanApps ,
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@remixtures
"the truth is that the fact that ChatGPT has become the 5th most visited Web site in the world" - which ISN'T a statistic, but a total, as I have been pointing out to you the whole time. Don't try to gaslight a statistician

"is extremely significant" - no it isn't. "Significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and ChatGPT fails miserably on that count

"in terms of user adoption, it represents" - less than 1 in 10 people, as I already said

@internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org avatar internetarchive , to random

Long before rainbows, there were longing musical laments in Oz.
🎧 Check out this 1913 recording from the stage musical “THE TIK-TOK MAN OF OZ” — a charming slice of early Oz history.

Learn more about Oz in the public domain at our blog ⤵️
https://blog.archive.org/2025/11/17/the-wonderful-public-domain-of-oz/

video/mp4

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@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , (edited ) to random

Today its three years since I joined Mastodon.

I just love it here; great conversations & civility of interactions (the occasional flaming & bad temperedness are nothing like as frequent as elsewhere).

I now have over 7.1K followers putting my at 1,045th most followed account on Mastodon:

I want to thank you all for reading & engaging with my posts, indulging my frequent typos (and pointing them out so I can correct them) & all the great conversations I have had & will have.

Screen shot from Mastodon Most Followed showing me at 1,045 with 7,118 followers
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@ChrisMayLA6
"Today its three years since I joined Mastodon" - me too! 🙂 I never forget the date, because it's Kim Wilde's birthday 😂

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

It's my fediversary! Three years ago today I said goodbye to several hundred thousand followers at the nazi bar and joined this community. No regrets! Thanks for making me want to stick around :)

SmartmanApps ,
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@briankrebs
Not far behind you. The 18th of November for me.

@dansup@mastodon.social avatar dansup , to random

Hey !

I'm building a Sound Library for Loops, my video project, to let users add free audio to their videos.

I'm already looking into integrations with and Bandwagon.

What other sources for free, libre, or public domain (CC-BY, CC0, etc.) music and sound effects should I check out?

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@PCMag@mastodon.social avatar PCMag , to random

Elon Musk’s Wikipedia killer is slated to arrive in the next two weeks.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/elon-musk-grokipedia-arrives-later-this-month

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@A11yAwareness@disabled.social avatar A11yAwareness , to random

Hyperlink text should make sense when read out of context. Screen reader users can navigate from link to link, and can listen to links in a list. When navigating this way, only the link is read. So "click here" or "read more" won't make sense.

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@A11yAwareness
It never did, given students are taught not to do that - the link should say what's in the link, "Big cats of Africa" or whatever it is. That has always been the correct way to do it.

@xoofx@mastodon.social avatar xoofx , to random

Tried to register on CSDb yesterday to maybe ask some coding questions... but failed miserably with my near-zero C64 pedigree 😁

Even if I ever release a demo, I won't retry. Communities too often drift into orthodoxy & "us vs them" vibes. Totally fine if some enjoy that - I don't. ☺️

This is an automatic message from the C64 Scene Database (CSDb) registration system. We are sorry to inform you that we have decided NOT to accept your request to register an account at CSDb. We cannot see why you would need an account here. Please re-read the registration page; if you then still think that you need an account, you may try again to register with more information on what you want to do with it. Regards CSDb Moderator Team -- The C64 Scene Database (CSDb)
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SmartmanApps ,
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@xoofx
Try Lemmy instead, stay in the Fediverse

SmartmanApps ,
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@xoofx
For programming I've sometimes got an answer on Lemmy, sometimes on Mastodon - there is some overlap, but certainly not 100%. Twitter refugees vs. Reddit refugees for starters.

SmartmanApps ,
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@xoofx
P..S. Lemmy is Fedi too (but I know what you mean). The thing about Fedi is.. it's ALL Fedi 😀

SmartmanApps ,
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@xoofx
Yeah, I started https://programming.dev/c/dotnetmaui to try and reassemble some of the collective mind that got splintered all over the place when Microsoft decided to shutdown the official Xamarin forum. It's not a complete replacement - no sub-forums for example - but close enough, and can't be shutdown by anybody. I love that I can have comments from there appear in my Mastodon feed - just use the Lemmy interface for better threading (and up/downvotes), hence the meme I made

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services avatar FediTips , (edited ) to random

If you follow a Ghost site from Mastodon etc, it isn't just a one-way feed.

Ghost sites are actually on the Fediverse and they can interact with Mastodon etc accounts, they can favourite, boost and reply.

You can see Ghost site @sam replying to @FediFollows here: https://social.growyourown.services/@FediFollows/115293813549700275

This is two-directional, Fediverse-compatible websites can seamlessly talk with people on Fediverse-compatible social networks. This is how the open web is supposed to work.

Screenshot of some posts within a thread viewed from in Mastodon. There is a caption "This reply is coming from a Ghost-powered site which is on the Fediverse". One post is highlighted and is from a Ghost-powered site @sam@bl.ag and says "Thank you for sharing BLAG on your feed and your site. I'm excited to see what the Ghost-Fediverse integration goes in the months/years ahead." A reply below this post is from the FediFollows Mastodon account and says "Happy to share, you are running a lovely site! And indeed about the integration! This is amazing to be reading a reply from a Ghost site directly within Mastodon."
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@FediTips @sam @FediFollows
Wordpress sites which have had the feature implemented can work that way too. @mapache implemented it on many blogs

@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
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@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , (edited ) to random

Our modern life in a cartoon....

Cartoon: four scientists are working with a computer, while one says: 'The program has detected a signal sent from another galaxy, but we need to upgrade to a paid version before we can reply'... the screen offer s a range of paid upgrades. Tom Gauld, New Scientist
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@dm319@fosstodon.org avatar dm319 , to Calculator Community

A calculator you would approve of @SmartmanApps ! This might be one of my favourite algebraic , but then I was always a fan of Sharps. calculators@midwest.social icon Calculator Community

Sharp EL-W506T calculator next to a grumpy lump.
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@dm319 calculators@midwest.social icon Calculator Community
The UI looks way better than the Casio I ended up getting! What model number is that? I can't quite make it out. Would be interesting to see if it's available here

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SmartmanApps ,
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@dm319 calculators@midwest.social icon Calculator Community
Oh ok. Didn't notice that difference

@Gargron@mastodon.social avatar Gargron , (edited ) to random

Good morning! If you’re on mastodon.social (or another server running nightly builds) you can begin quoting posts in your posts (quooting?) starting today. Remember, you control whether you can be quoted, and can always retract your post from a specific quote. And you can quote me on that!

SmartmanApps ,
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@Gargron
Quost. I'll have news on quost this morning, thanks

@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

Social media users have turned to chatbots for updates on the murder of U.S. right-wing activist Charlie Kirk — and have found contradictory and inaccurate responses. A day after 31-year-old Kirk's death, the X account of Perplexity said that he was still alive. The X account of Grok said that the widely circulated video of Kirk being shot was a "meme edit" with effects added "for comedic effect." Grok also claimed that a Toronto-based man was the shooter. AFP takes a look at how this tide of misinformation is muddying the waters of an ongoing crime investigation and further undermining facts in a volatile political landscape characterized by lack of trust.

https://flip.it/iEgmjX

SmartmanApps ,
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@TechDesk
"and have found contradictory and inaccurate responses" - in other news, fire burns and standing in the rain makes you wet

@internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org avatar internetarchive , to random

A vital record of Black life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is now online.

⭐ The Mississippi Star, digitized by Hancock County Library System Community Webs, preserves local voices, culture, & civil rights stories.

Accessible to everyone, these issues now live on the web we built. 🌐

Learn more on our blog ⤵️
https://blog.archive.org/2025/09/03/local-voices-lasting-impact-digitizing-a-community-magazine-in-hancock-county-mississippi/

Cover of the Mississippi Star, September 1999 issue, which included a tribute to Dr. Gilbert Mason.
Excerpt from Page 16 of the Mississippi Star, September 1998, Vol. 3 No. 1, featuring a photo of three persons. Caption reads "Mrs. Mrs. Ellie Jewel Dahmer (center), widow of community and civil rights leader, with Vernon Dahmer Jr. and Betty Dahmer."
Photo of Maurice Singleton, Jr., publisher of the Mississippi Star, in 1996 and 2025.

Photo of Maurice Singleton, Jr., publisher of the Mississippi Star, in 1996 and 2025.
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@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
SmartmanApps ,
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@h4ckernews
And yet, paradoxically, LLM's don't understand Maths 😂

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , to random

217 days into the presidency of the man who promised to lower the price of groceries on day one, beef prices now soar to an all-time high.

But of course, MAGA can go vegetarian right now and support their brilliant president. 🥕🥑🥬🥒🍅🥗

https://www.newsweek.com/beef-prices-all-time-high-tariffs-2112771

Headline: Beef prices soar to all-time high.
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@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

AI industry groups are urging an appeals court to block what they say is the largest copyright class action ever certified, warning that it could “financially ruin” the entire industry. @ArsTechnica has more:

https://flip.it/M4jCch

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@TechDesk @ArsTechnica
"warning that it could “financially ruin” the entire industry" - should've thought about that when your business plan depended on theft 😂

@codinghorror@infosec.exchange avatar codinghorror , to random

Look, Cory, I love you man, but have you considered blogging? 🤔

Long thread/1 through Long thread/♾️ as individual mastodon posts
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@zersiax @codinghorror
Yeah same. The other annoying thing is when people put the same hashtags in every single post in the thread, instead of just the first/last post, to the degree that I made a meme for it when people do that

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@molly0xfff
Because people who follow that hashtag are going to see every post in the long thread, instead of just the first (or last) one (which they can click on to see it all if desired).

"people can mute hashtags" - news to me. You would only need to do that for an account you follow, and if an account you follow is posting lots of long threads then you would just unfollow them to begin with (as a couple of us here have already said we did), and follow the hashtags you do want to see. 🙂

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@molly0xfff
I just use the actual words for that. i.e. the hashtag without the hash

@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

The Google link economy is dying and it's not coming back.

@mathewi says the search giant doesn't really have a choice: "AI is eating into the publishing and search industries whether Google likes it or not, and if it doesn't provide answers to the questions people search for, whether through AI or some other means, then ChatGPT or Claude or Perplexity or some Chinese AI agent will do it."

https://flip.it/jyyrVf

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@TechDesk @mathewi
"then ChatGPT or Claude or Perplexity or some Chinese AI agent will do it" - but their answers are often wrong, so Google can continue to point to correct information links, and thus have a point of difference to them, or be just as bad as them with no point of difference

@h4ckernews@mastodon.social avatar h4ckernews Bot , to random
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@h4ckernews
Mine too

@EmilyMoranBarwick@mastodon.social avatar EmilyMoranBarwick , to ActuallyAutistic group

I'm on the verge of taking a terrifying step (well, terrifying for me).

I think I'm moving Mastodon instances. (Though kinda considering having 2 accounts🤷🏻‍♀️)

✨ Would LOVE to hear anyone's experience w/migrating (or choosing to keep 2 separate accounts)

In classic fashion, change terrifies me.

In classic Emily fashion, I'm angsty about losing my post history & the migration logistics.

✨My new (still nekkid) account: https://mastodon.social/@EmilyMoranBarwick

actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group

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@EmilyMoranBarwick actuallyautistic@a.gup.pe icon ActuallyAutistic group

@phocks can tell you all about having multiple accounts (and migrating too) - he could use a 7-step group actually. 😂

@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

Anthropic wins a major fair use victory for AI — but it’s still in trouble for stealing books.

@theverge reports: "Judge William Alsup determined that Anthropic training its AI models on purchased copies of books is fair use."

https://flip.it/NrxKYQ

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@TechDesk @theverge
"training its AI models on purchased copies of books is fair use" - wow. That's dodgy as. That's like saying it's ok for me to rip-off someone else's song as long as I bought their record.

@Endof10@floss.social avatar Endof10 , (edited ) to random

Want to start a Repair Café in your area?

You can!

Repair Café International enables local groups around the world to start their own:

https://www.repaircafe.org/en/join/start-your-own/

@RepairCafeInternational supports to prevent !

Templates for announcement posters, flyers, donations information, stickers, etc. from Repair Cafe International.
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@TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

Nick Clegg, the former UK deputy prime minister and former Meta executive, claimed a push for artist consent would “basically kill” the AI industry. Via @theverge. https://flip.it/ZBvShi

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@xoofx@mastodon.social avatar xoofx , to random

Wild how some in tech treat AI like gospel while others dismiss it as total trash. Does using binary code has to lead to binary thinking? 🤔 Our relationship with tech is messy, nuanced, never all‑or‑nothing. 🤡

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@xoofx
Maths is either right or wrong, and AI gets Maths wrong... a lot!

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@xoofx@mastodon.social avatar xoofx , to random

I've been building in the past week a lightweight C# + C wrapper around Skia, including text rendering, in particular SkParagraph (It's used by flutter), and it's pretty nice actually! It handles text shaping over multiple lines + decorations + fg/bg colors (for selection) + hit testing methods. The rendering performance looks ok. I have also made a simpler text shaping for 1 line - that takes half the time of SkParagraph and 10x less memory. And one without shaping at all, 10x faster. 🔤 🚀

Rendering a multi lines paragraph with Skia, ClearType antialiasing.
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@xoofx
Be careful when using multiple lines! 😂

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

I get that this is headlinese, but an “is” (“is asked”) would go a long way here Protos

Protos headline: Elon Musk asked to ‘jerk off’ the president during disastrous livestream
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@FediFollows@social.growyourown.services avatar FediFollows , to random

Special shoutout to the repair site iFixit who are now on the Fediverse, you can follow them at:

➡️ @iFixit

They provide repair forums and free repair guides for phones, computers, consoles, kitchen equipment, tools, medical devices, cars etc. They also review and tear down new gadgets to see how repairable they are.

Repairing your existing stuff is much, much better for the environment than buying replacements.

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@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

meanwhile in Australia 😂

A black, spider-like router with six legs and red lights is mounted on a white wall near a power outlet. A round, white security camera is mounted higher on the same wall to the right.
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