@mcpinson@mas.to cover
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

mcpinson

@[email protected]

🚴☕🌎🖖🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸 (he/him)
Tech support by day, t̶w̶e̶e̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ tooting by night.
Wait… that sounds wrong.

I'm automatically attracted to cat pics- I just start faving them. It's like a magnet. Just fave. I don't even wait. And when you're on Mastodon, they let you do it. You can do anything.

USPolitics; CarFreeLife; Biking; SF&F

Avatar: the rebel alliance logo from Star Wars
Banner: my photo of a flower spike of a deep orange orchid that I once owned

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

In defiance of a federal judge’s order to revive the Voice of America, Kari Lake hammers another nail in the coffin. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/trump-voice-of-america-overseas-offices.html?unlocked_article_code=1.508.CLvg.MoTv6CKMg3ao&smid=nytcore-ios-share

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@w7voa
"Contempt of court!
mallet bangs
"Bailiff, please give Ms. Lake a tour of our nearest holding cell, and leave her there."

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

Trump Mobile has posted conflicting photos of its phone and scrubbed mention of its “Made in the USA” promise. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-mobile-phone-customers-left-waiting-months-delay-rcna245035

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@w7voa
Russian spyware comes pre-installed, I assume?

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

"We agree on a lot more than I thought," responds President Trump, after his meeting with NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani, adding he'd be "very, very comfortable" living in the city with its Democratic Socialist leader.

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@w7voa
Trump always agrees with the last person he spoke with. Right up until the next person he speaks with.

Is this dementia, or just a weak person who has no principles of his own?

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

Chatting with a friend about Cloudflare's intermittent outages today, they brought up an interesting point: How many organizations have started relying on Cloudflare to do basic security blocking and tackling stuff, like stopping SQL injection attacks at the edge? Maybe your devs were lazy at blocking this stuff in the past b/c CF was the control layer to compensate for that.

You might say well okay but if CF is down, so are the sites relying on them, and that's true. But a lot of organizations will switch CF off during these times to keep their sites and services reachable and running. And my friend's point was that for those organizations, they might want to take a closer look at the traffic they received during this eight-hour outage window or whatever, and I think that's sound advice.

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@briankrebs
This is why you don't use FAT32 on your servers

@maxleibman@beige.party avatar maxleibman , to random

[good post goes here]

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@kyonshi @maxleibman [incensed reply that completely misses the humor]

blocked

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@lacroixboi @lobsterofrevenge @surdfish @Scmbradley @maxleibman
[post whining about being unable to boost* because of lack of alt-text on photo]

*boost never happens even after alt-text is added

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random
mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@georgetakei
Trump fumbles again

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

The FBI’s director says the bureau has thwarted a "potential terrorist attack," arresting multiple suspects in Michigan. https://www.wxyz.com/news/fbi-stops-potential-terrorist-attack-arrests-multiple-suspects-in-michigan-kash-patel-says

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@w7voa
Patel: "[literally anything]"
Me: "[citation needed]"

@404mediaco@mastodon.social avatar 404mediaco , to random

A university in Milwaukee is stuck with ICE as its tenant after the agency refused to leave a building the university intended to renovate. Now, the building is being used as an office for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, who lead Trumps deportations.

🔗 https://www.404media.co/ice-is-using-a-university-building-as-a-deportation-office-and-the-university-says-it-cant-do-anything-about-it/

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@404mediaco
They should do an East Wing on it.

Send in the backhoes whether ICE has moved out or not. As long as no one is inside, flatten it.

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

So the Smart Chicken people apparently think I'm dumb and won't notice that there are now just three bone-in chicken thighs in each package, down from four and costing even more.

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@briankrebs
So, where are they getting all the three-legged chickens?

Chernobyl?

No, it has to be Three Mile Island.

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

What if Trump's new ballroom is just an excuse to build a bigger, deeper, stronger bunker underneath so he can hide from the angry mobs?

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-george-floyd-politics-a2326518da6b25b4509bef1ec85f5d7f

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@briankrebs
On a totally unrelated topic, I've just re-read Edgar Allen Poe's classic short story 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰 and I encourage everyone to take a moment

@ProPublica@newsie.social avatar ProPublica , to random

The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.

https://www.propublica.org/article/idaho-vaccine-bill-medical-freedom-act-maha?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@ProPublica
Let me see if I got this.

Now, in Idaho, only the vaccinated kids can be sent home from school during an outbreak?

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

NYT - President Trump says he has commuted the sentence of former Representative George Santos, the disgraced Republican fabulist from New York who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for financial fraud. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/us/politics/trump-george-santos-sentence-commute.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uE8.VHTY.wJK4YSoECsCY&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@w7voa
Trump seems to me to believe that financial crimes are not crimes at all -- it's just business.

Also, if you don't get caught, it's not illegal.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random
mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@w7voa
"Secretly"

Another "OpSec is good" moment from Kegseth?

@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

Can you please suggest a name for my Wi-Fi network that sounds like an aggressive passive-aggressive warning to my neighbors?

mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@nixCraft
FBIUnit2753

@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

the economy is so cooked that the proposed solution is “what if we just… stopped looking at it”

Financial Times breaking news post with headline: ‘Donald Trump calls on US companies to ditch quarterly reporting.’ Background shows a Wall Street street sign in front of a blurred American flag.
ALT
mcpinson ,
@mcpinson@mas.to avatar

@Daojoan
At least Mango Mussolini is consistent.

His only solution for bad news is to not look at it. "If you stop testing, there won't be any cases [of covid]."

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

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

    •
    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @stib @pluralistic
    You're welcome to use mine. I keep a spare for just such an occasion.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    FT - The US has informed countries in Europe that it is stepping back from joint efforts to combat disinformation from countries such as Russia, China and Iran. https://www.ft.com/content/d31b56e3-aca9-4ee7-af5a-abec74830455

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Liars have no problem with liars

    @nocontexttrek@mastodon.social avatar nocontexttrek , to random

    #🥦

    Star Trek The Next Generation scene. Excited to tell you all we're in a conference room for today's screenshot. Always fun to be in the conference room. We're close in on Barclay🥦 and Riker. Riker is sitting in a chair, and Barclay is standing but leaning down next to him, arm behind Riker on the chair. Barclay is looking forward with the intensity and body posture of a man surfing on a once in a lifetime wave that's 300 ft high. Riker, sitting next to him, looks closing time drunk and his hand is making a half cocked thumbs up sign. Closed caption reads, "Memory loss, fatigue, headaches..."
    ALT
    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @nocontexttrek
    So, how often did Mr. Frakes show up for taping completely blotto?

    @briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , (edited ) to random

    Copying an archive.is link of this OregonLive.com story because it probably deserves more attention and is behind a paywall:

    "A former University of Oregon undergraduate who says he discovered a significant security flaw in the college’s computer network and twice reported it to university officials faced a disciplinary hearing as a result."

    "Physics major Owen Mitchem said he was able to inadvertently access confidential information, including the Social Security numbers of more than 3,500 public university employees around the state, last fall, including of the university’s president and its football coach, the highest-paid public employee in the state. He says the breach should have been a wake-up call for the university to tighten its online security."

    "But according to an email the university provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive in response to a public records request, the university’s associate dean of students, Dianne Tanjuaquio, concluded that Mitchem’s actions violated the school’s policies on “acceptable use of computing resources.” She required him to write a 750-word essay reflecting on the situation; if not completed, he could face a suspension of his student account, preventing him from registering for classes or changing his course schedule."

    "Mitchem says he was just searching in Microsoft Teams for some budget figures for the physics club he ran when he stumbled across a spectrum of university financial documents, visible via files on SharePoint, a Microsoft tool that can be integrated with Teams. They seemed harmless at first glance, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive, but not something his student email permissions should have allowed him to view."

    "Mitchem alerted a physics department grants technician and assumed the wide access would be quickly corrected. He later found out that the technician hadn’t alerted the university’s information department, meaning that unbeknownst to him, the IT department remained unaware of the security lapse, Mitchem said via email."

    https://archive.is/rG2KG

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @briankrebs
    No good deed goes unpunished

    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar mcpinson , to random

    A tweet from John Fugelsang: If you're fighting for the next unstable 20something mass shooter to have easy access to AR-15s, bc "personal freedom" means more to you than the bodies of dead American children, then maybe the problem is *your* mental illness.
    ALT
    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    DC Mayor Bowser "better get her act straight or she won't be mayor very long. Because we'll take it over -- we're the federal government,” President Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office.

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Donnie on the prow of the Titanic: "I'm the king of the world!"

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    US Marshals Service announces a $500 reward "for tips that lead to an arrest in Washington, DC.”

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Oh, dear.

    They really don't know how this internet thing works, do they?

    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar mcpinson , to random

    When the courts are too slow, and congress is complicit, "emergencies" are whatever Donald wants
    https://www.tumblr.com/saywhat-politics/791780591028813824?source=share

    Black and white text on alternating backgrounds reads "If you allow the govt to break the law because of an emergency, they will always create an emergency to break the law."
    ALT
    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    “I’ve ended six wars and I thought this would be easiest one,” says President Trump in the Oval Office with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy.

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    He's counting the Bowling Green Massacre as a war unto itself, right?

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    oops, i said “fuck” in the newsletter again

    Two emails, with subject lines “Message Blocked” and (all caps) “[Message blocked due to policy]”
    ALT
    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar
    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    “The paving of the Rose Garden is well underway.” - Dispatch/photo from today’s White House radio pool reporter, Tamara Keith of NPR

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Trump's environmental policies are encapsulated in one image that can be summed up by four words: "Make it go away."

    @georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

    This stinks to high heaven.

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @georgetakei
    $16mil "settlement."

    Yeah, right.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Kyiv Independent - Russia launched what seems to be its largest missile and drone attack against multiple Ukrainian cities overnight with the far-western city of Lutsk coming under the heaviest attack of the war. https://kyivindependent.com/7-9-attack-draft-06-2025/

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Do you hear this, Donald?

    That's Putin laughing at you.


    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    KCBS TV - A visibly angry L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on Monday blasted the Trump administration's continued immigration enforcement push throughout the city as ICE confirmed a "large-scale" operation near downtown. https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/federal-immigration-enforcement-officers-sweep-through-macarthur-park-mayor-bass-makes-brief-appearance/

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    The IRS raided a playground?

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    "If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day." - Elon Musk

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    You want to split the Republican vote?

    Don't threaten me with a good time.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    President Trump says if he hadn't ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles the city "would be burning down."

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa

    To hear him tell it, Angelinos should be thanking him for saving them from... [checks notes] a sunny day.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    NBC News - The White House is looking for a new chief of staff and several senior advisers to support Defense Secretary Hegseth after a series of missteps that have shaken confidence in his leadership, but it has so far found no suitable takers. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/white-house-struggles-find-qualified-people-willing-work-pete-hegseth-rcna211602

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Might as well headline the job lisitngs with "Scapegoats Wanted."

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Daily Beast - The White House says it wants ABC News to hold accountable its senior national correspondent for calling, on social media, President Trump “a world-class hater.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-melts-down-at-trump-interviewer-terry-moran-over-stephen-miller-takedown/

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Give him a bonus.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    “The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers,” says the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. “That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    "Orders for these purposes shall be issued through the Governors of these states..."

    If Gavin Newsom says "Stand down," then they must.

    At no time is the failed President in charge of the troops.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    President Trump accuses China of totally violating a trade agreement with the US, adding: “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar
    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    “I am having a Press Conference tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office. This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way.” - President Trump on social media

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Sounds like they're planning to imbed him in the cement of a new bridge abutment.

    @arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

    RFK Jr. cancels millions in funding for pandemic bird flu vaccine
    HHS said it pulled funding for testing because the shots are "under-tested."
    https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/05/rfk-jr-cancels-millions-in-funding-for-pandemic-bird-flu-vaccine/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @arstechnica
    Cancel testing because it's untested.
    Riiiiiight.

    @stux@mstdn.social avatar stux , to random

    Something a lot more cities around the planet should do:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqGxqxePihE

    By @notjustbikes

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar
    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Moody’s downgrades US credit rating. https://ratings.moodys.com/ratings-news/443154

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    So much winning.

    Are you, as I am, getting so tired of all the winning?

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    FBI Director Kash Patel anounces the bureau “is leaving the Hoover building because this building is unsafe for our workforce” and 1,500 people will be moved to field offices around the country. https://x.com/SundayFutures/status/1923352405795623150

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    The FBI building's deterioration has been documented since 2001, with chunks of cement falling off.

    Somehow, there's never been any money to fund a replacement.

    But yeah, let's spend $45 Mil on a parade for Trump.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Coinbase, the world’s biggest Bitcoin custodian, confirms its systems were breached and customer data, including drivers licenses and passport images, has been stolen. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1679788/000167978825000094/coin-20250514.htm?7194ef805fa2d04b0f7e8c9521f97343

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    Explains the text message I got Tuesday:

    A withdrawal request on your Coinbase account requires your confirmation. If you did NOT request this, contact us immediately at +1 581-xxx-xxxx

    I haven't had money in that account for years.

    @mcc@mastodon.social avatar mcc , to random

    Ah… the decentralized social network that goes down completely when one centralized server goes down, is down again

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar
    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    The Marines raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi is usually linked to VJ Day (Victory over Japan - Aug. 15, 1945), not VE Day (Victory in Europe - May 8, 1945).

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    He really can't care less about any distinctions between specific groups of losers and suckers.

    @TechDesk@flipboard.social avatar TechDesk , to random

    TikTok says it's working to restore its services in the U.S. after Trump's promise to delay a ban.

    https://flip.it/eArQ69

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @TechDesk
    Trump:
    (A) isn't president yet; and
    (B) can't veto a law that has already been passed.

    The most he could do (until Congress repeals the law) is delay enforcement while Bytedance finds a buyer independent of the Chinese government.

    If he's refusing to uphold the rule of law already, he cannot swear to the presidential oath of office tomorrow.

    @kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

    To safeguard a liberal platform from the threats posed by anti-Kevin elements, I hereby declare emergency martial Mastodon.

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @kevinrothrock
    Are these elements in the room with us now, Kevin?

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

    People who use screen readers, do you prefer hashtags to all be at the end of a post, or do you prefer hashtags to be mixed in with the main text?

    (This is a poll for sight impaired people only, please do not vote if you are sighted. I only included the third option because so many people vote without reading posts properly, and I didn't want sighted people skewing the results.)

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @kentpitman @FediTips I was thinking of this. If I were writing a reader app, I would have it recognize hashtags and handle them differently than plain text.

    The last thing I'd want is to hear the word 'hashtag' for every one of them.

    You could have a very short tone or sound effect (maybe a mouse click), or change in pitch, or present them at the end with the user prompted as to whether they want to hear tags listed at all.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Questioned by Rachel Scott at NABJ, former President Trump responds by saying she's hostile and rude.

    mcpinson ,
    @mcpinson@mas.to avatar

    @w7voa
    JD Vance: blink blink