Mike Stone

Husband, father, nerd.

Public Key

npub1l3ck4tnw7s928c8tk6kczewjhjmcd0lesf7jncs3zhd4wvxyj0sq02vnpa

NIP-05 Address

mike@fosstodon-org.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0cut24eh0gz4rur4mdtvpvhfteduxhlucylffugg3tk6hxrzf8cqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsdanu4s

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1l3ck4tnw7s928c8tk6kczewjhjmcd0lesf7jncs3zhd4wvxyj0sq02vnpa

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Last Notes

2026-05-21 21:44:02 UTC

Side note, who do I have to bribe to get Tiledwords.com to add a PWA? My birthday is coming up. Pretty please with a cherry on top??

2026-05-20 17:33:16 UTC

I've been on-again off-again learning Python for a while now. Just some really basic process automation stuff. I think anybody who looked at my code would come to the conclusion that I'm still pretty garbage at it. I admit all this.
Still, the number one syntax error I make almost every frackin time is forgetting the stupid : after an if statement. Every stinkin time. I know, old dog new tricks. I get it. Just didn't think I was THAT old.

2026-05-19 15:54:47 UTC

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@nprofile…e074 I just think it's cool and validating that Microsoft SPECIFICALLY is making a Linux distro. I wouldn't use it, but how has this market shifted that the company that used to call Linux a cancer now has their own version?

2026-05-19 08:26:11 UTC

Ummm, what?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-releases-its-first-server-linux-distribution-azure-linux-4-0/
#AzureLinux #Microsoft

2026-05-13 23:01:08 UTC

My kids are going to be finishing school for the summer here in the next few weeks. Today I talked to each of them individually about their current grades heading into finals week. I played the Jaws shark theme in the background the whole time. I'm a bad person.

2026-05-07 20:23:13 UTC

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@nprofile…xlup Older. 👴

2026-05-06 17:09:18 UTC

I'm playing with some new features coming in the next version of #Vivaldi (they're in the snapshot). There's some really cool stuff coming up here soon. In the Windows and Tabs panel, you can now sort by "Related", and that lets your tree go multiple tiers deep, not just the 2 from before. Also features for new users like a layout picker (kinda reminds me of #ZorinOS with this) where you can pick a layout from Vivaldi, or create, save, and easily switch between your own.
https://vivaldi.com/blog/desktop/new-default-layouts-vivaldi-browser-snapshot-4028-3/

2026-05-03 03:31:36 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew Some back of the napkin says it's about $145 for 15 gallons, which is about $9.66 a gallon, which is massively expensive. Pretty much 2x more than it is where I live. My wife and I have been kicking around an EV, but if we were paying that much for gas we'd have one already. We're looking to put solar on our roof this summer, which is going to cost us a pretty penny. If we weren't doing that, we'd be buying an EV right now.

2026-04-26 07:51:41 UTC

I'm starting to hate April. I found out today one of my best friends from when I was a kid just lost his son. We've been friends for 40 years. There's nothing I can say or do to make anything he's going through better. This time last year my son lost one of his friends from school. I spent the majority of April dealing with a teen who was struggling with trauma no one his age should have to experience. I'll probably delete this post tomorrow after I've sobered up a little, but fuck this shit.

2026-04-21 18:14:17 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew I started late on the presentation and I just got to the 13 Pro announcement when they cut things off! 😭
The battery life claims on that thing are crazy. Hopefully I can catch up with the rest of their announcements here soon.

2026-04-20 17:39:27 UTC

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@nprofile…l9z3 Forgive my ignorance, but is ring based aging a uniform thing or is there a standardized sampling location? For example, are my arms younger than my legs or are the rings just smaller on smaller appendages? Would I have the same number of rings in my fingers as I do on my thighs? If the number of rings varies, is there a standardized sampling location for the sake of uniformity?

2026-04-19 22:08:23 UTC

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@nprofile…nqt9 That was my impression too. I think Fosstodon is making the right decision here, but they're not exactly breaking new ground. I've been surprised by some of the reactions though.

2026-04-19 22:03:21 UTC

I saw this comment earlier today regarding Fosstodon's announcement of defederation from mastodon.cloud.
"I'll move, but I don't see much evidence that this is really necessary. I'm doubtful that many/any instances are going to follow you."
I don't want this to be a post about the person who made the comment, so I'm not linking.
I am curious, how many instances have taken action against mastodon.cloud? Limits or blocks? I know Fosstodon isn't the first, and probably won't be the last.

2026-04-19 05:21:27 UTC

"Premium" is quite the stretch. In all honesty, it's pretty bad. I really just bought it for the can anyway...
#QuittinTime
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/429/679/570/071/236/original/7eaebd7db1762efa.jpg

2026-04-19 00:07:32 UTC

Looks I have about 28 people who follow me that currently live on mastodon.cloud. The moderators and admins of Fosstodon have decided they're going to defederate from this instance because it's unmoderated. The admin(s) have been inactive for ~3 years and the software is out of date. Because it's got open registration and no moderation, it's being used by less scrupulous individuals for spam and other not to be mentioned material. If at all possible, please move to a maintained server. Please.

2026-04-18 00:14:24 UTC

I was doing a quick task to close out my day and mindlessly typed "ls -al" at some point. There in my work directory was a directory I'd created in 2017 just called "Sarah". The directory was empty, so rmdir. Now, I've got this song stuck my head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ScTb6_KHg

2026-04-17 16:53:41 UTC

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@nprofile…sx6h This reminds me of the computer labs when I was back in college. They had Windows 95, and all you had to do to "sign in" was hit the Cancel button on the login prompt.

2026-04-17 16:44:22 UTC

I don't understand how this is supposed to work, even in theory. In my house, everybody has their own computer so I guess age verification could sorta work (again, in theory), but I also don't think my home is typical when it comes to computer ownership. I haven't confirmed this, but I would imagine that most homes only have one or two computers in them. Soooo, if that's true, what would stop my kids from using my verification? Individual profiles? That won't happen.
https://www.osnews.com/story/144803/nationwide-bill-to-put-age-verification-in-operating-systems-introduced-in-the-us/

2026-04-17 16:09:43 UTC

Finally Friday. I'm going to spend my day hiding in a hole somewhere and hoping no one remembers I exist until at least 5pm. Wish me luck!

2026-04-14 15:44:24 UTC

Breakfast this morning:
1 egg mixed with Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
4 slices of Black Forest ham, deli style.
1 slice of American cheese.
Throw all of it between two barely toasted slices of bread and heat to melt the cheese. Add just a little black pepper to top it off and eat with 4 cups of coffee because mornings absolutely suck.

2026-04-09 22:39:18 UTC

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@nprofile…u2k3 Yea, i've been kinda eyeing that too. I haven't implemented anything because my current hardware fits my needs for the time being. When that changes I'll do my best to con my wife into letting me do it.

2026-04-09 19:38:05 UTC

This sounds enticing...
#Framework

2026-04-08 22:03:57 UTC

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@nprofile…5ld3 I took the picture on my phone, and I used the Android Photos app to "blur" it. It did some AI weirdness on it, but the photo is real, promise.

2026-04-08 21:59:51 UTC

Saw this on the road recently. This being Phoenix, Waymo isn't an unusual sight, but I've never seen this kind before.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/371/319/155/852/815/original/3b5cbc9dd02e7e9b.jpg

2026-04-07 17:18:13 UTC

Anybody who's seen more than one post by me probably knows I'm a #Vivaldi fanatic. Because of that, it was really refreshing to see this article by @nprofile…0xrw. It's pretty crazy to me just how many cool and interesting features @nprofile…60xv offers that even I don't use or even know about. Vivaldi can be used in so many unique ways. I won't lie, to get to some of the more useful stuff, there's a learning curve, but Vivaldi comes with sensible defaults to get you started too.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/4148888/8-advanced-ways-vivaldi-boosts-your-productivity.html

2026-04-06 16:46:50 UTC

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@nprofile…c3ey Oh yea, they're super fast to demand their money, but not the speediest when it comes to actually paying it out. That's assuming they accept that they even need to, which is a pretty big assumption in today's day and age.
@nprofile…k7ew

2026-04-03 05:05:30 UTC

I've been on the phone for 12 hours, 25 minutes, and 33 seconds as of typing this. These kinds of days suck.

2026-03-26 19:50:24 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew You and I are on opposite tracks. I'm near sighted, so I need my glasses for seeing far away. When I was younger, I just left them on all the time as it was no big deal to read with them. As I've gotten older though, I can't read with my glasses on anymore. My eyes can't adjust to the focus, so I've been taking them off more and more. I've turned into a stereotype of the old man wandering around wondering where he put his glasses down.

2026-03-25 23:21:42 UTC

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@nprofile…sx6h Well, it's my go-to as far as mobile browsers are concerned, but it's more limited than it is on the desktop. I've been toying with the "Desktop" mode for Android (the OS), and Vivaldi works fantastically there. It's a great mobile browser, but still a mobile browser.
@nprofile…60xv

2026-03-25 23:17:50 UTC

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@nprofile…sx6h @nprofile…60xv Since it was first released.

2026-03-25 20:54:56 UTC

I love the latest version of @nprofile…60xv. The Auto-hide UI is great to be able to move stuff out of my way. I love the Follower tab, especially for use with Mastodon where I can scroll down my timeline and click links without worrying about losing my place. The only aggravation I currently have is also with Mastodon ironically. I use the Advanced UI, and have 13 columns. Because of that, I have to horizontal scroll. If I hide my UI, the Status bar pops up and blocks that scroll bar.
#Vivaldi

2026-03-23 00:31:07 UTC

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@nprofile…5ld3 @nprofile…f83y One of the Fosstodon admins hooked me up with some new stickers and a couple buttons. That was what was in the envelope.

2026-03-21 23:14:04 UTC

There was a package waiting for me when I got home today!
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/269/695/481/083/526/original/f3d393636bfb997c.jpg

2026-03-19 19:01:05 UTC

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@nprofile…sfpk Bacon Mac-n-cheese in a bread cone.

2026-03-19 18:23:11 UTC

This feels like it might be purely American..
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/257/224/947/505/876/original/c3a255c1540e7d19.jpg

2026-03-12 20:03:42 UTC

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@nprofile…n58x Maybe I'll finally write up a blog post with my list. I can't just do an export because I've been pretty lazy about keeping things curated. I don't want to dump out a bunch of old garbage that doesn't work anymore.

2026-03-11 16:24:33 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew Fairly certain this has a lot more to do with the monitor in question than the eyes of the individual. I tried it on my work laptop this morning too, and did SIGNIFICANTLY worse than on my phone last night. My gaming PC got this score.

2026-03-11 16:22:03 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew Tried it again on my laptop this morning..
What's My JND? 0.0022
Can you beat it? https://www.keithcirkel.co.uk/whats-my-jnd/?r=AN0gKP___3Gc

2026-03-10 15:57:27 UTC

Ooof, it's a "sweeten your coffee with Monster Energy" kind of morning. ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

2026-03-10 15:36:45 UTC

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@nprofile…nj5n That would be super handy to have. I don't know of anything like that right now though. I might just have to spend some time trying to find that today.

2026-03-10 05:32:00 UTC

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@nprofile…l57z True, though I could easily see how the Home and Local feeds could get out of control. Where I would really like to see an RSS feed is for Lists. I think that would be useful.

2026-03-10 05:00:18 UTC

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@nprofile…f9wr They're kind of hidden away, but each profile has one for posts and everything including replies:
https://mastodon.social/@gdinwiddie.rss
https://mastodon.social/@gdinwiddie/with_replies.rss
You can also follow hashtags the same way. For example:
https://mastodon.social/tags/mastodon.rss

2026-03-09 23:45:15 UTC

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@nprofile…sx6h My thoughts exactly.

2026-03-09 23:42:47 UTC

Ran across this article on Hacker News. It's got a few months under its belt, but it surprised me #Mastodon didn't warrant a mention. I'm a huge fan of #RSS, and get most of my news that way, but it's also a Mastodon feature. I don't always "follow" Mastodon accounts from Mastodon. Sometimes I follow them through RSS. Every Mastodon profile has at least 2 RSS feeds, and they can make following some profiles incredibly handy. Social media and RSS isn't mutually exclusive.
https://www.smartlab.at/rss-revival-life-after-social-media/

2026-03-09 23:23:52 UTC

I expect we're about to really see things hit the fan over there after this.
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/blueskys-ceo-is-stepping-down-after-nearly-5-years-201900960.html?src=rss

2026-03-09 20:39:45 UTC

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Apparently the controllers we bought for them at some point are "Unauthorized" by Microsoft. They work perfectly fine if they're not signed in to their Xbox account, but the stop when they sign in.
That's some next level bullshit right there.
2/2

2026-03-09 20:38:36 UTC

My kids are home from school this week, and they're taking advantage of their copious leisure time. They thought they'd break out the Xbox they haven't touched in over a year.
When they first started playing the had been logged out of their account (my wife's account) because they were idle for so long. My wife was busy with work, so they played as "guests" for a while. When she had the time, she came down stairs and signed them in. Immediately the controllers stopped working. 1/?

2026-03-09 16:43:13 UTC

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@nprofile…q5tc I like where your head is at, but probably not the healthiest thing to be drinking at 9:30 in the morning. 😉

2026-03-09 15:58:15 UTC

I just want to state for the record that Mondays still suck.

2026-03-09 06:22:15 UTC

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@nprofile…cmyy Thank you!

2026-03-09 05:27:40 UTC

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@nprofile…f83y Thanks. Happy to be done

2026-03-09 02:03:07 UTC

If you're ever in the mood to be either depressed or really, REALLY angry about something...
https://bezoscalculator.com
USA-centric, but gets the point across.

2026-03-08 21:31:19 UTC

And the final grade is in. Passed. Now I've got a couple weeks off before my next class. Maybe I'll break out my Steam Deck again.

2026-03-08 05:37:20 UTC

Of course, I'm trying to enjoy a frosty beverage after finishing my class and work calls me for a couple of down APIs. I don't even recognize them.
*sigh*

2026-03-08 01:54:34 UTC

Well, that's done. Almost 2 hours. Brain hurts, but it's done. I think it might be beer:30.

2026-03-08 01:33:16 UTC

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@nprofile…m5je Thanks Matt

2026-03-08 01:32:52 UTC

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@nprofile…sx6h Thanks.

2026-03-07 21:32:52 UTC

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@nprofile…uuu5 @nprofile…7nn3 Are you guys selling those? I tried to check the Buy Stickers link on https://hub.fosstodon.org/support/, but it's broken.

2026-03-07 21:30:47 UTC

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@nprofile…6fhq Thanks! I appreciate the confidence!

2026-03-07 21:03:24 UTC

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@nprofile…qd3y Thanks!

2026-03-07 20:59:24 UTC

Happy Saturday everybody. I've got a final exam to finish by midnight. Super nervous.

2026-03-05 19:12:48 UTC

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@nprofile…2ch3 That's our new Secretary of Homeland Security there.

2026-03-04 22:24:54 UTC

Every time I read one of these articles, like pretty much everybody, I wonder how they plan to enforce it. Reminds me of an old joke.
Q: How do you fit an elephant into a Safeway bag?
A: You take the S out of Safe and the F out of Way.

2026-02-28 04:08:32 UTC

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@nprofile…qlh2 Yea, it's pretty easy to sign up. Just go here:
https://www.google.com/android/beta
It's currently in its second beta version, so things are pretty solid.

2026-02-28 03:57:51 UTC

I'm testing #Android17 in desktop mode. Here's my #Vivaldi browser with #Fosstodon open.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/146/242/295/716/994/original/72c64c5575a830bf.png

2026-02-27 20:54:52 UTC

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@nprofile…e06a It seems like the answer is going to have to be "kinda"? When I updated my Firefox installation, I checked the settings and the AI "Enhancements" were turned off. That didn't remove the AI stuff from menus. Right clicking on a tab still gives you the option to ask whatever AI you have in your drop down in the settings questions about the page. Similarly, the "Ask ChatGPT" is still an option in the right click menu on any page. So, you can turn it off, but not remove it.
@nprofile…k7ew

2026-02-27 15:40:04 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew Wait, what?? I'm looking at that UI, and do you seriously lose translations if you decide to turn off AI? Has the caffeine just not kicked in this morning??

2026-02-27 03:20:21 UTC

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@nprofile…sx6h I remember seeing those. They were one of the computers my parents refused to get for me.
@nprofile…tel3

2026-02-27 02:51:37 UTC

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@nprofile…tel3 A Dell 486SX/33 tower. My parents thought that computers were a passing fad, and would never buy me one. They were profoundly disappointed that I would waste so much money when I saved up and bought one myself. You could just feel the disappointment and frustration oozing from their pores for weeks afterwards.

2026-02-25 20:38:24 UTC

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@nprofile…k92j I sent you a DM.

2026-02-25 20:35:31 UTC

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@nprofile…a833 I DMed you.

2026-02-25 16:22:57 UTC

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@nprofile…hh4j You're gonna need a bigger boat.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/116/132/186/307/236/429/original/78ce4c3755924fc8.jpg

2026-02-25 00:20:06 UTC

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@nprofile…v3xj No. I've got 16K, but my account is 6 years older. Still, you're only posting about 2x what I do, and I didn't post that often. At least I don't think I do. No one has told me to shut up because I talk too much. Other reasons, but not that one.

2026-02-25 00:16:50 UTC

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@nprofile…8v32 Welcome aboard!

2026-02-23 16:44:54 UTC

I ran across this article from CNET cautioning me, "Don't Buy a Refurbished or Used Windows 10 Computer". I have it a quick glance and found that it has no interesting advice for me. Basically, their argument is if it's Windows 10, it probably won't run Windows 11. But, what if I don't want to run Windows 11? Or 10 for that matter. These "old" and unupgradable Windows PCs are perfect for Linux, which somehow does even warrant a mention in the article.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/dont-buy-a-refurbished-or-used-windows-10-computer/

2026-02-21 22:01:12 UTC

It's a red letter day for the college course I'm taking! Out of the potential 810 points, I now have 507, with 300 still up for grabs! So, I'm passing the class with a D if I don't earn a single point in the next 2 weeks. This is the point where my stress levels start to go down a little bit. I'm going to pass. Two more weeks to go and we can put this one in the books.

2026-02-21 04:48:08 UTC

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@nprofile…u2k3 That's the plan!

2026-02-21 01:34:19 UTC

It's Friday!
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=yXhyE2hxtUs

2026-02-19 19:38:47 UTC

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@nprofile…ydww Here's the thing, the author says "I decided to try for myself." "...to identify the kind of issues you, dear reader, are likely to run into..."
The trouble is the author made no effort to attempt this on hardware the typical user would have. Obviously it's important to consider the type of hardware in use. That's true of every OS. But most people don't use a Surface. The issues installing Linux on a system tailor made for Windows are NOT what the reader is likely to run into.

2026-02-19 18:19:38 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew That's about the same time my kids got their phones. They all occasionally ride the bus to or from school, and that's the age they move to what's called Middle School here. Grades 6, 7, and 8th. That's also when teachers become a little more hands off. Before that, teachers escort the kids to their buses and the driver won't let them off without parent pickup when the weather is hazardous. Knowing they can run around on their own when they're 6th graders inspired us to get them phones.

2026-02-17 07:33:38 UTC

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@nprofile…js8f What kind of phone do you have?

2026-02-15 01:41:47 UTC

I actually gave this a try today. My wife has a USB-C port replicator she uses for her computer, and I just unplugged her laptop from it and plugged in my phone. That easy.
It was surprisingly usable. I didn't get too far into the nitty-gritty, but #Vivaldi opened up in what looked like a Desktop mode. The app drawer worked, and I fired up Google Docs no problem to type on a bigger screen.
I only took 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes implied this could replace ChromeOS.
https://www.androidpolice.com/i-tried-android-desktop-mode/

2026-02-14 11:01:15 UTC

:tony_sigh:
I "love" the fact that I'm awake at 4am Saturday morning right before my daughter's birthday party troubleshooting a work issue. Tomorrow (today?) is going to be great. :masto_rage:

2026-02-12 08:17:13 UTC

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@nprofile…ynd9 Mornings are for coffee drinking and copious swearing. That or sleeping. The best mornings are slept through. Definitely not for running.

2026-02-12 03:47:34 UTC

Did everybody see that the Fosstodon hub has gotten all spiffy and cool looking now?
https://hub.fosstodon.org

2026-02-09 16:46:16 UTC

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@nprofile…cmyy It's really a solid distro. My cousin recommended it to me a number of years ago, and it has a really nice blend of common sense defaults and customizability. I pay for the Pro version mostly to support the devs, but they also give you more automatic configurations. It's not anything you couldn't do on your own, but I like it. Throwing $50 feels like the least I can do considering all the hard work that's gone into it.

2026-02-09 15:28:01 UTC

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@nprofile…cmyy I run Zorin on almost everything that has a desktop, though I do have a Manjaro box around here somewhere. I don't use that one too much. Server stuff I have in the house is vanilla Ubuntu.

2026-02-09 03:24:15 UTC

Nice game Seahawks. That 4th quarter was worth the price of admission.

2026-02-09 02:16:57 UTC

Is it too much to ask for a first down?

2026-02-09 01:10:25 UTC

That's the half. Not much of an offensive game.

2026-02-09 00:16:37 UTC

That's the first quarter. 3-0 Seahawks.
#Superbowl

2026-02-09 00:05:44 UTC

#Linux spotted in a #SuperbowlLX commercial! It was for OpenAI, but still!

2026-02-08 23:26:38 UTC

Happy Superbowl LX to those who celebrate.
🏈

2026-02-08 08:28:07 UTC

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@nprofile…k7ew I'll keep a watch, but I don't use that email for financial stuff. If that's their goal, they're probably going to be disappointed.

2026-02-08 06:48:32 UTC

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@nprofile…nqt9 Soooooo, not something going away overnight then.

2026-02-08 06:47:53 UTC

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@nprofile…dvmy Yep, that looks like it. Yay.

2026-02-08 05:53:56 UTC

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@nprofile…043v Yea, I run my mail through Proton. SPF and DKIM is covered.

2026-02-08 05:11:39 UTC

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@nprofile…ynd9 No clue. I was just having that conversation with my wife. You know, regular spam I understand. I get their motivation. This stuff, it's like what @nprofile…v3xj said.

2026-02-08 05:10:15 UTC

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@nprofile…9e7p Yea, pretty much. One of them is super nice and sends a follow-up to tell me that they're not spamming me, someone is spamming them with my email address and they're just sending automated responses.

2026-02-08 04:33:19 UTC

Oh, wonderful. Someone is spoofing my email address to file a ton of support tickets with various companies. I'm getting spammed by the automated "Thank you for your inquiry" messages.
:masto_rage: