@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

kittylyst

@[email protected]

Queer, cisgender author / educator / software engineer mainly known for #architecture / #performance / #observability / #Java / #JVM

Much more likely to post pictures of #cats and rant about society, #antifascism, food and #queer stuff than tech, though. Cornishman in Barcelona.

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@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar futurebird , (edited ) to random

It turns out that fungus growing termites sometimes cultivate Termitomyces titanicus. This is an excellent scientific name.

CORRECTION:
I assumed they had to work like ants. Wrong! (A fruiting body would only emerge from a dead ant colony not so with these termites) Something about macrotermitinaes nuptial flights stimulates mushroom fruiting. (!) They get covered in pink spores.

And you can eat it!

Hence the species name.

A man holding a huge mushroom about the size of a small parasol. He also has an ax, possibly to harvest the large mushrooms.
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kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@futurebird Amazing! I'm going to find out from my buddies in Ghana if it grows there & then see if we can try it on our next trip. Thank you!

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

So, over on BSky, their Head of "Trust and Safety" has just suspended an account whose husband was abducted by ICE and then posted memes mocking the affected account.

Just in case you were wondering how this prediction was going: https://mastodon.social/deck/@kittylyst/115310163126309071

@Gargron@mastodon.social avatar Gargron , to random

Today I am stepping down from my role as the CEO of . Though this has been in the works for a while, I can't say I've fully processed how I feel about it. There is a bittersweet part to it, and I think I will miss it, but it also felt necessary. It feels like a goodbye, but it isn't—I intend to stay on and continue to advise the new leadership and contribute, because Mastodon—and the fediverse—is one of the very few beacons of hope for a better web.

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/my-next-chapter-with-mastodon/

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@Gargron Thank you for everything - and hope your recovery from burnout is swift and painless. Look forward to hearing from you about your next thing, whatever it is & whenever it is.

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

This is incredible: Pre-writing an obituary for your enemy, who you pre-decease by nearly 5 years, and then having the outlet run the obit when the MF finally dies: https://www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/james-watson-remembrance-from-dna-pioneer-to-pariah/

@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar aral , to random

🚨 Help Evacuate Joy to Milan 🚨

Folks, I need your help once again. This time, it’s for our very own @joynewacc

As you know, Joy has been suffering through genocide and famine in Gaza and still helping others through her work with Gaza Verified. Now she has a chance at freedom as she’s been accepted for a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Milan and we’ve been able to work with the university to create a private scholarship for her.

Now we just need to fund it and she could be evacuated as soon as November and we need your help.

We need to raise $15,000 as quickly as possible.

https://chuffed.org/project/help-joy-study-in-europe

We already have a generous anonymous donor who has pledged $5,000 to match donations up to $10,000. So if you donate now, your donation will be doubled.

As I write this announcement, there’s $525 raised.

The campaign is being organised by @riverbirchtree who has been leading a team of twelve people from around the world for the past few months to arrange this and myself.

Please donate if you can and help Joy escape to safety, continue her education, and continue helping others in Gaza with Gaza Verified (https://gaza-verified.org).

And please share this far and wide.

Thank you!

💕

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@aral @riverbirchtree @joynewacc A small contrib from me - hope you hit the target soon!

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

Looks like there may well be a surge of users from Blacksky and the other "alternative" ATProto instances checking out the Fedi, or reactivating old accounts, given that they're now discovering that ATProto is a Potemkin Village of decentralization and that BSky still hold all the cards.

This time, can we please try not to act like assholes / the HOA while they find their feet.

kittylyst OP ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

Not only did these folks build out a whole bunch of ATProto-compatible components but they were able to raise a run-rate of $85k p.a for their infrastructure.

Obviously, a Fedi instance costs a fraction of that, but just imagine what community contributions of that size could do - such as pay community-funded devs to build the things that are missing here - things that their community may have some really fucking useful situational awareness of.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

I've said this before but...

at the root of so many of our contemporary political problems is the inability/unwilingness/refusal to see those we disagree with (or oppose) as having a humanity equal with ours.

When people are seen merely as segments of a group that are hated, when their humanity is dismissed, when they are seen as an obstruction fit for 'demolition', then violent, callous, sociopathic politics is never far behind.

Until humanity (being humane) returns we are lost!

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 And are marginalized people, who are being actively targeted and brutalized by their "opponents" supposed to just accept it with grace and "see the humanity" in those who have chosen to attack them?

Or do we have a right to defend ourselves?

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

The pro-migrant, pro-trans, pro-tax-the-rich eco socialist just took 85% of the vote for the leadership of the Green Party of England and Wales.

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

Chloe Kelly's penalty shot was harder than any shot in the Premier League in the last 3 years.

For the next time some transphobic shite wants to try the ol' "But biowogy" bilge. # trans

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

Now that Congress and Trump have invited the massively sleazy cryptocurrency "industry" to infect the banking system, I take for granted that we're in for market turmoil if not a total meltdown in the relatively near future.

What I can't figure out is how to protect myself.

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor I discussed this with my money guy & while he shared this concern, he presented an argument that this is different to 08 b/c back then there was no safe harbour of any kind - just nowhere for capital to go.

His take was that while major economies, such as the EU, Switzerland, etc resist cryptocurrency nonsense, then global contagion should be avoidable. So - a rebalancing away from US companies seems in order - also: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-gui/

@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange avatar JessTheUnstill , to random

Hey "seniors":

Ask "stupid questions" where your juniors can see you asking them and getting answers from other people. Don't make juniors feel alone in not knowing something and being the only ones asking for help.

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@JessTheUnstill As a senior, asking stupid questions of people I don't know in front of my juniors has other benefits - notably that it gives me a chance to see what the people answering are like.

If they're toxic assholes then I want to know about it before they upset / hurt my juniors.

@joyousjoyness@mastodon.social avatar joyousjoyness , to random

Now that's an orange king I would support!

video/mp4

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar
@dgoldsmith@mastodon.social avatar dgoldsmith , to random

If you're a US citizen, a trans woman, the gender on your passport is F, and you've reentered the US since March 1, what was your experience at the border? Please boost for reach.

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@mcc @dgoldsmith Similarly, I know quite a few Europeans who, if they need to go to the US at all, are planning to immigrate via Dublin.

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

I regret to inform you that Nick "Vidkun" Clegg is at it again - https://archive.is/koHVt

@eniko@peoplemaking.games avatar eniko , (edited ) to random

can you run visual studio (not fucking vscode) for C# development on linux

edit: i am not taking suggestions for alternate software packages, joke or otherwise, or suggestions for alternate languages at this time, thank you for understanding

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@eniko I don't think so. What about Rider from JetBrains? My understanding is that should work, and also has a community edition.

@BrodieOnLinux@mstdn.social avatar BrodieOnLinux , to random

Here's just a fun little bit of information:

You may have seen by now the GNOME Gitlab making use of Anubis and seen mentions of it using "Proof Of Work" and thought that sounds familiar. That's because it should, the mathematics behind how Anubis slows down AI scrapers is fundamentally the same idea as how Bitcoin consensus algorithm works.

Maybe more interestingly, Proof of Work began as a spam mitigation method and was only later popularized by Bitcoin.

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@BrodieOnLinux It didn't work for spam mitigation either - https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rnc1/proofwork.pdf

@hipsterelectron@circumstances.run avatar hipsterelectron , to random

learned the word "valence" to refer to a category of implications associated with a word or phrase recently and have been using it pretty much nonstop

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@hipsterelectron Can't have valence without "vale".

@CarveHerName@mstdn.social avatar CarveHerName , to random

, 24 Feb 1968, Jocelyn Bell Burnell - along with her male supervisor and three other men - published a paper confirming the discovery of pulsars. She had built the array, picked up the signal and argued it was not an anomaly. Hewish received the Nobel prize for it in 1974: Bell Burnell did not.

In 2018 Bell Burnell received a £3m prize for her work. She's used it to set up a foundation to improve the diversity in STEM.

Photo of Jocelyn Bell Burnell in front of a radio telescope dish in the 1960s. She is a white woman with dark hair.
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kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@CarveHerName Just updated the Wikipedia page for the Hawking Fellowship to add her, and bump OpenAI from the current spot. Felt good.

@davidrevoy@framapiaf.org avatar davidrevoy , to random

An email I received left me speechless. Obviously, they don't respect my creative choices. I will not 'fix' this panel under any circumstances.

Screenshot of an email I received this morning (sender/signature hidden): " Object: Request for Minor Adjustment to Episode 36 (Page 10) of Pepper & Carrot Dear Mr. David Revoy, I hope this message finds you well. I'm an avid reader of your wonderful work Pepper & Carrot and would love to share it with children in my family. However, I noticed something in Episode 36 (Page 10) that might concern some parents: the scene where Torreya and Shichimi kiss, followed by Pepper explicitly stating they're a couple. While I deeply respect your creative choices, many conservative parents worldwide prefer to avoid exposing children to romantic relationships between same-sex characters. To make your masterpiece more accessible to families across different cultures, could I kindly suggest modifying this scene? Perhaps replacing the kiss with a friendly cheek kiss, and describing Torreya and Shichimi as "close friends" rather than romantic partners? This subtle approach would allow readers to interpret their relationship naturally while maintaining the story's charm. Your consideration of this small adjustment would help families like mine introduce your beautiful artwork to younger audiences without hesitation. Thank you for your understanding and for continuing to inspire us with Pepper's magical world. Warm regards, February 18, 2025 "
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kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@davidrevoy I think they want you to increase the fucking thing.

@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar aral , to random

Status: getting ass kicked by some upper respiratory infection. Tests say it’s not covid.

The joys of masking during travel and being current with both my covid and flu vaccines and still getting ill. Many thanks go out to everyone who open-mouthed coughed on me (two people, in case you’re wondering) and the generally ill but out and about population of the UK. Couldn’t have done it without you kids.

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@aral If you're having what I had just before Xmas, then my sympathies. I think it was RSV but couldn't get a test for it. Definitely not Covid, though.

@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar kittylyst , to random

Huge data centre in will use 15 times more water than promised, companies have failed to register as "major users" https://www.techpolicy.press/why-we-dont-know-ais-true-water-footprint/ - why isn't this being talked about? An absolute disgrace, given the state of water reserves.

And not just water - the datacentres alone will take the power requirements of 20k homes, impacting Catalonia's efforts to decarbonise.

@Hearth@plush.city avatar Hearth , to random

today we learned there is a euro coin with a stoat on the reverse

i want one of these;;;
-F

The reverse of a euro coin. There's an imprinted image of a stoat standing in a field, with a farmhouse or other building in the background. The text "SUOMI FINLAND" is printed at the top.
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kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@europeanspodcast @soaproot @Hearth "We would stoatally make an exception" was right there, folks!

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to bookstodon group

Hell is not finding that elusive book even though you're sure your bookshop (surely) must have a copy....

as always Tom Gauld raises a smile

bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group

Cartoon: Book shopping in hell. At the enquiry desk a customer is told by the devil: 'You're in luck! We've got one copy left. Just go up the stairs & ask the assistant at the desk at the next level'. The desk sits at the centre of an endless Escher-like staircase.....
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kittylyst ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group Have you read "A Short Stay In Hell"?

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group Given your original post, I would say yes. It's not very long and well worth a couple of hours of reading time, IMO.

@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar aral , to random

I tried the £299 full-body scan that checks health risks in minutes

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/sep/20/i-tried-the-neko-body-scan-that-checks-health-risks-in-minutes

“Neko is the brainchild of the Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, who hopes to achieve the same for health that he did for music…”

Say what now?

kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@aral I had to read the damn article 3 times, but sure enough, all the methodology and data is under wraps.

Theranos vibes, much?

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to bookstodon group

Tom Gauld offers the solution to the mechanisation of publishing.... robot readers; of course!

bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group

An inventor tells a visitor: 'Our start-up have innovated the human winter out of the publishing process. This machine writes 65 books per hour'; The visitor responds: 'But will people actually want to read this stuff?' Showing the visitor another part of the process, the inventor responds: 'The real beauty of our integrated system is that it also free companies from the tyranny of human readers' - as he show the visitor a line of robots reading books.
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kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@ChrisMayLA6 bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group Frank Zappa's aphorism that: "Most rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read" for the AI era.

@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

By the time you're 35, you should have successfully done following at least once:

  1. rm -rf / on your unix or linux box
  2. Reboot production server by mistake
  3. Drop CPU/hard disk and damage it permanently
  4. Changing firewall rule instantly blocked you out
  5. No backup was made/verified ever...
  6. Delete source code before actually committing to source control
  7. Run a SQL update/delete with wrong where clause
kittylyst ,
@kittylyst@mastodon.social avatar

@nixCraft "35"? Oh, my sweet summer child.