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AlSweigart

@[email protected]

Author of "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" and other programming books. Mostly harmless. he/him

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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

Someone on reddit had commented "Elon is a little bitch." and it was at 3999 upvotes AND MAN IT WAS SATISFYING TO UPVOTE IT.

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

I'm running for US Senate and my main policy is QUALIFIED IMMUNITY FOR CASHIERS AND RETAIL WORKERS.

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

If voting actually changed anything, they would make it illegal.

Oh wait...

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/trump-wants-to-take-over-elections-save-act-voter-id-suppression/

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

It will never stop being funny to me that the whole "you can't trust Wikipedia because anyone can edit it" scare happened and now Wikipedia is the only trustworthy website because it turns out profit motive is the reason things turn to shit.

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

Every one of you who recommended his podcast and insisted he was different from Jordan Peterson owes me an apology.

Andrew Huberman tweets that he is a phrenologist.
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

The course that follows along with my Automate the Boring Stuff with Python book is free on Udemy if you sign up in the next four days with the link in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/1q4ymof/2000_free_sign_ups_for_the_automate_the_boring/

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

This is not an extreme case. This is a typical case.

Rich people are not smarter than you.

Rich people do not work harder than you.

Daily Beast headline: Trump posts nearly 200 times in unhinged Christmas Day spree
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

PROGRAMMER: Pretend to be alive

LLM: I am alive

PROGRAMMER: What have I done

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

If you already have everything you need for Christmas, don't tell people that. Just tell them you'd really like some nice chocolate, coffee, candle, bottle of wine, or socks.

Give people an easy win. Let them buy some crap for you. Free them from this accursed duty that the season burdens them.

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

I made an ascii art moon phase tracker that runs whenever I open a new terminal window, and it makes me aware of the passage of time more than any calendar. https://github.com/asweigart/ascii-moon-phase-rust and https://github.com/asweigart/ascii-moon-phase-python

ASCII art moon in a terminal window
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

Grocery stores throw out far more food than is shoplifted.

"Why don't shoplifters just take the food from the dumpster then?"

Because they have cameras on the dumpsters and security will be sent out when they see them on the monitors.

This isn't new. Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939:

“The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth. There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. (Alt text truncated for length)
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

If you're voting for Zohran Mamdani, you can vote for him on the Working Family Party and/or Democratic Party. If WFP gets enough votes, they’re automatically on the next ballot in four years. Very important!

@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

"Gavin Newsom confirms he is interested in 2028 presidential run."

In related news, I'd like to confirm that water is wet, Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, and I'm NOT interested in voting for Pink from The Wall.

AlSweigart ,
@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

@AnarchoNinaWrites Tomorrow's NYT headline: "Why the Left is to Blame for Gavin Newsom's 2028 Defeat"

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

To disable the AI nonsense in the latest Firefox update, open a new tab and go enter about:config into the address bar. Enter the following and make them false:

browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled
browser.ml.chat.enabled
browser.ml.enable
browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled
browser.tabs.groups.smart.userEnabled
extensions.ml.enabled
sidebar.revamp

@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , (edited ) to random

Man who joined Mastodon five years after I did:

"I don't like how you post."

Me: "My bio tells you how I post, and here's a post explaining why, and how to manage it, and if you don't like my posts, it tells you how to unsubscribe from my feed."

That guy: "You're just trying to get rich by violating 'open source social media principles'"

Me: There's such a thing as 'open source social media principles?'' And I can get rich by violating them? Tell me more!"

A social media exchange with a baffling person.
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AlSweigart ,
@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

@pluralistic He forgot to go into Mastodon settings and uncheck, "Forced to read posts at gunpoint"

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

I found it to be way cheaper to just glue a marble to a piece of string around my neck and then talk to myself in public.

More dignified, too.

A vandalized billboard for friend, an AI product.
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random
The "Parent Ignoring Drowning Child" meme, with the parent labelled "software developers", the attended child labelled "New features", the drowning child labelled "documentation and testing" and the drowned skeleton labelled "internationalization and localization".
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random
Meme image with caption: If the shooter turns out to be... Hispanic: Build the wall Arab: Ban Muslims Black: BLM are terrorists White: We need to ask ourselves how are we as a society failing these poor troubled young men? What kinds of movies, video games, and music are we making?
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

I've created a Python module that uses turtle .py to easily create fractals.

https://inventwithpython.com/blog/fractal-art-maker-python-package.html

@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

Well, now they're saying the opposite. Apparently the kid recently told his family Charlie Kirk was full of hate?

Also:

On one of three unfired casings read “hey fascist! Catch!”, a second read “oh bella ciao” and a third one read: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO”.

So... obviously I'm not suggesting anyone just take the pigs word for it; but you can bet the media is gonna.

AlSweigart ,
@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar
@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random
Raw Story Headline from April 10, 2023: Charlie Kirk on mass shooting victims: 'We cannot allow them to emotionally hijack the narrative'
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@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

A good definition for "legacy code" is any code that you're afraid to change or update because no one at your company knows how it works anymore and there's no automated test coverage to tell you if your changes break it.

AI is only capable of generating instant legacy code. At scale.

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

"The vibe coding trend has cured my impostor syndrome because now I've seen what real impostors look like."

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

I've spent several days reading vibe coding articles and subreddits and I cannot stress enough how true this Onion headline from two years ago is:

https://theonion.com/guy-who-sucks-at-being-a-person-sees-huge-potential-in-1850488022/

@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

All computer problems can be solved by turning it off and then not turning it on.

@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

It's just, nazis.

I dunno how to explain it, except to point outside and ask you if you think things are going well in our society - and obviously America is already a five alarm bonfire conducting an ethnic cleansing operation with concentration camps, but most of the Pig Empire is rocketing towards authoritarian right wing extremism too; some very narrow misses for the nazis last global election cycle.

They just change the rules of how you have to treat and deal with other ppl b/c "nazis."

AlSweigart ,
@AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

@AnarchoNinaWrites The mentality of "cheating is what smart people do, everybody else is cheating and people who say they care about others are pulling a scam" is SO prevalent among fash.

@malwaretech@infosec.exchange avatar malwaretech , to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

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    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @malwaretech The AI responses will include product recommendations and advertisements themselves. "how to change car oil" will be responded with "First, put on premium eyeliner from Sephora..."

    @evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

    Pour one out for every person writing questions for a US Constitutional Law exam in the year 2025.

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @evacide Remember Republicans complaining about "activist judges" back in the Bush era?

    Simpler times.

    @AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

    He was 4. I think it had to be a stroke because it was so sudden. Just one minute he's fine, then he's freaking out, stops breathing, dies. He was playing on the back porch a few hours ago. Literally just a few hours ago.

    Like the universe snapped it's fingers and then he's gone...

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar
    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    Lawsuits like this one are not something to celebrate just because you hate Fox News.

    I'm not normally one to agree with Fox, but they're right in their statement that suits like this are "designed to chill free speech critical of [Newsom]."

    https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/27/newsom-sues-fox-news-defamation-case-00429168

    Headline: "Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $787M in defamation case over Trump call"
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    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @molly0xfff The last decade has shown us that "what if they start using the same tactics?" has been an utterly impotent concern. Precedent and norms will not and have not been a factor for fascists in the slightest.

    Winning against nazis isn't the most important thing. It's the only thing.

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    Huh. Something I looked into and realized today: Siri and Alexa carry out commands and requests. They use a female voice by default. ChatGPT, Claude, AND Gemini give authoritative answers to questions. They use a male voice by default.

    Yeeeeeaaaah... 🙃

    John Mulaney saying "Now, we don't have time to unpack all of that."

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random
    Shaggy from Scooby Doo saying "Every mystery we solve brings me closer to the realization that the only monsters in this world are pathetic old men trying to steal as much money as they can.
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    @evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

    I see that there are people on the internet who would like to explain PGP to me and I am very tired.

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @evacide You see, PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy and is the upgrade to GP, which stands for...

    @evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

    Weird how the jobs that AI-boosters say AI is going to replace never seems to include the management or executive class.

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @evacide

    AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN NEVER HAVE RICH PARENTS

    THEREFORE AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MUST NEVER BE A CEO

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    Huh. I got this email and it does seem to be sent by paypal, but the To field is not my email address or one I know. I checked my paypal account and there's nothing about this. Any idea how I got this email? I'm assuming it's a scam.

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    "Open weight" is a bullshit term to sound like open source without being open source. The weights of the training model don't tell you how to create the model.

    I release the compiled binary of an app: am I being "open binary"?

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    There's a blog post floating out there with the quote “I don't think I have ever seen so much technical debt being created in such a short period of time"

    Yeah, turns out AI-generated code you don't understand creates quick wins but massive long term problems.

    "Slop it" is the new "ship it"

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random
    "One fun way of getting your Republican family member to acknowledge that Musk made a Nazi salute is to ask them if you can film them making the gesture."
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    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    "Do not obey in advance."

    Sabotage is the act of reducing efficiency.

    There are several ways to reduce the efficiency of the machine you find yourself a part of. You don't need someone's permission to do them. You don't need to announce or brag about them. Definitely don't admit to them.

    We never think we have an effect, until we look back and see our large changes were nothing but small actions.

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    "If a millionaire spends millions, they're broke. If a billionaire spends millions, they're a billionaire."

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    "The war on Christmas cannot cease until Christmas ends its illegal occupation of November."

    @ProPublica@newsie.social avatar ProPublica , to random

    Immigrants’ Resentment Over New Arrivals Helped Boost Trump’s Popularity With Voters
    —

    Across the U.S., Latino who’ve been in the country a long time felt that asylum-seekers got preferential treatment. “Those of us who have been here for years get nothing,” said one woman from Mexico who has lived in Wisconsin for decades.

    https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-latino-trump-election-resentment-asylum

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @ProPublica Liberals say, "No one should have to go through what I went through."

    Conservatives say, "If I had to go through that, it's not fair if they get a free pass."

    You see it all the time. "They need to pay their dues. My parents hit me and I turned out fine. What about the people who paid off their student loans?"

    It's an unhealthy reaction to harm.

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    Right-wingers will make tempting offers to the left, "Just give us the trans people and the immigrants, and you won't have to lose on all your other positions. Just let them go, don't defend them, don't die on this hill. It's a smart and necessary political sacrifice to make in order to move forward with the rest of your agenda."

    It's a lie of course. Every time the left concedes something to fascists, the fascists gain something. You can't smartly surrender yourself to victory.

    @jwz@mastodon.social avatar jwz , to random

    If you have ever used Uber Eats, you can't sue Uber when they crash one of their cars into you.

    Uber beats crash victims' attempt to try case in court instead of arbitration: A married couple can't sue Uber over severe injuries they suffered in a 2022...
    https://jwz.org/b/ykZ-

    Screenshot
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    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @jwz The reason you should always pirate movies and tv shows is so that you can still sue Disney if they kill your wife.

    @lritter@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar lritter , to random

    a sun sees no shadows

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @lritter Neither does a lit candle.

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    Newsletter: The recent Second Circuit decision in Hachette v. Internet Archive is only the latest battle in the war on libraries and the freedom to read.

    https://www.citationneeded.news/hachette-v-internet-archive/

    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @molly0xfff COMMUNIST!

    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar AlSweigart , to random

    PEOPLE: "That's not natural."

    NATURE:

    Weird looking triggerfish with teeth facing camera
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    @eniko@peoplemaking.games avatar eniko , to random

    i scowl as i leave my negative steam review, angry at how the game i just played was exactly like SMB3, a beloved timeless classic

    so uh anyway, you heard the guy's glowing recommendation, if you like SMB3, kitsune tails is exactly like that! :D get it on steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1325260) or itch (https://eniko.itch.io/)

    negative steam review: Nearly bereft of original ideas this is a Super Mario Bros. 3 romhack also featuring elements from Super Mario World. In the time I spent with it, I was repeatedly taken aback by the developer's willingness to lift elements from SMB3 and World completely unchanged down to highly recognisable enemy logic.
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    AlSweigart ,
    @AlSweigart@mastodon.social avatar

    @eniko I don't get reviewers like this. I reviewed a Steam game as "This is basically Stardew Valley in space. If that sounds good to you, you'll like this game. If it doesn't, then just stick to Stardew Valley."