Notices by Kyle Rankin (kyle@mastodon.kylerank.in)

For parents with kids who are putting out leprechaun traps today: a 3d printed leprechaun hat takes less than 30 mins to print, and is a great thing to leave in their trap after you take the bait.

#3dprinting #stpatricksday

I agree with this idea of training the next generation of white collar tech workers with apprenticeships like the trades.

What made me most effective in my career wasn't learned in my CS classes, but instead in on-the-job training under more experienced mentors.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/27/tech_career_paths_apprenticeships_needed/

@vmbrasseur Ya I don’t get the motivation either but maybe it will surface in the coming days? I do see they are doing a fundraiser and maybe this is to get the org some attention in light of SFC’s recent win?

The best explanation I can come up with is: “donate to us instead because of our defensive governance.”

@joshbressers I don't want to risk removing a donation to EFF so I would suggest doing that regardless, but outside of that, I really like the Quikflip hoodie. It's pretty handy being able to turn your hoodie into a quick backpack: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PJ7GYQW/

@paoloredaelli @alcinnz My guess is that it was a cost consideration, but I don't have any inside knowledge.

@paoloredaelli @alcinnz I could see even a single port being enough for a home WiFi router uplinked to a proper switch. With two ports (and one supporting 2.5Gb) it could also serve as a general purpose router with one port connected to uplink and the other a switch, if you did happen to have other wired hosts at home.

Software Freedom Conservancy is partnering with OpenWRT (and Banana Pi) to create a wireless router (OpenWRT One) that is focused on right to repair and software freedom.

I’m interested to see this how this new proactive approach to free-software-backed hardware by SFC pans out compared to FSF’s more passive RYF program.

https://sfconservancy.org/news/2024/nov/29/openwrt-one-wireless-router-now-ships-black-friday/

#FOSS #RightToRepair

Weaving finds me everywhere I go. In this case the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan where there is a reproduction of da Vinci’s automatic loom design, and the ultimate automatic loom: the punch card-controlled Jacquard. #weaving

Burnout in the FOSS community is real, and I'm glad that it's something that is being talked about more in blogs and conferences. There is a different flavor of burnout and emotional toll when you are sacrificing for a cause you believe in (especially in FOSS where people are often working for free or at below market rate). Working for a cause you believe in brings the highest highs when things are going well, but the lowest lows when they go badly.

#FOSS #burnout

The Linux desktop is a house owned by an amateur DIY home improvement person. Floor boards squeak, the back door doesn't latch unless you close it a certain way, you have to jiggle the toilet lever, and there's tape on a light switch controlling an outlet that needs constant power.

The homeowner doesn't fix these things, because they know to jiggle the lever, how to close the door. Working around these flaws has become second nature so they don't even realize they are doing it.

1/2

I really want to like a laptop like this because I love the small form factor. However, after my experience with a GPD pocket laptop, I learned just how critical keyboard layout is with small laptops. This is something the Toshiba Libretto got right.

In this (and the GPD pocket) case, it's the ;' and \ keys. You don't realize how much you use those keys until they are in a completely different location.

https://3.14.by/en/read/RISC-V-Sipeed-Lichee-Console-4A-Alibaba-T-Head-TH1520-review

I'm really enjoying the "Dummy 13" 3D printed model. The sheer number of options, poses and accessories makes this a really fun print, and makes for some really expressive models.

https://www.printables.com/model/593185-dummy-13-printable-jointed-figure-beta-files

#3dprinting

Marie Kondo, but for jankiness: removing things from your life that spark jank.

Rite Aid was just banned by the FTC from using facial recognition software because of how they abused it (and their customers). I'm hopeful that this will create a precedent that gets applied beyond retail.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/20/rite-aid-facial-recognition/

#privacy

@golemwire Heddles are the vertical metal bars the yarn threads through. It is a lot like threading a bunch of large needles. Depending on which harness the heddle is inside, when you press food pedals called "treadles" the yarn is lifted and sits above the perpendicular "weft" yarn you pass under it. The yarn that sits above vs. below defines patterns and colors in the fabric.

I tend to underestimate just how much longer it takes to thread the heddles when I have a wide, dense project. In this case I'm maxxing out my ~40" wide loom with a 12 ends per inch warp. I've now threaded 240 heddles, which means I'm halfway through.

#weaving

Just rewatched the classsic animated Frosty the Snowman, and I find myself empathizing with the magician who had his hat stolen and just wants it back, not the snowman who stole the hat and takes a child with him as a stowaway on a $3000 train ride to the North Pole.

@golemwire Thanks for getting the book! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

How's your day going? I'm outside having a ball (joint replacement).

#cars #ShadeTreeMechanic

Done! It took longer than I expected, but I did it all without the benefit of power tools. In the pictures you can see the failed ball joint and the new one I replaced it with. I used the Jeep to drive back to the auto parts store to return the tools I rented to make sure everything is in order.