Notices by Tinker ☀️ (tinker@infosec.exchange)

I overheard one of the ladies who brought in her therapy dog speak to a young boy who was nervous about reading.

She said, "Ohh, Skye here doesn't care if you read in English or Spanish or are a good reader or nervous about reading. He can't understand you. He's a dog. But he loooooves to be read to. Loves hearing your voice. You just read whatever you like as well as you're able to and Skye will listen to you intently and lovingly."

And now I'm crying.

#library #libraries #reading #solarPunk #mutualAid

Several of our local parks have free bike repair stations.

They include a bike stand, tire pump, and multiple various tools for repairing and tuning your bicycle!

#rightToRepair #solarPunk

At the local library where they're having a "Read to Dogs" event.

Kids will come in and read outloud to dogs. It's a way to learn reading and pronunciation and public speaking. Parents will bring in very young children and read to both the kids and the dogs. The dogs love the attention. Local towns folks volunteer and bring their very calm and trained dogs in to be read to and give attention to children. The librarians facilitate through scheduling and handing kids coming in and out.

It's a relaxing day at the library.

#library #librarians #solarPunk #mutualAid

Tip for folks outside the US that want to hire folks within the US....

...when discussing compensation don't lead with the wages/salary.

In the US, almost all of our compensation is salary based.

Our health insurance (NOT healthcare. Insurance), often requires us to:
- Pay out of our wage into insurance just to get it
- Pay out of pocket (insurance does not apply) until we reach a deductible
- Pay high "co-pays" out of pocket even when insurance covers some of the medical care
- Pay for our own prescription medications
- Pay astronomically for any emergency care

Our "retirement" (HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!) is just us investing in the stockmarket and requires that we take money out of our salary to buy stocks (if we're lucky, our employer "matches" a contribution up to like 2% or whatever - but you don't get that unless you pay first).

We often don't even get paid time off! Some of us are lucky and get a week PTO and some sick days off per year. But that's in we're lucky. I personally don't get any paid time off. I can take days, sure, but I don't get paid for them. I can take a sick day off, but I don't get paid for it. Holidays are bitter sweet.... yay Christmas, but I better save up for that forced time off without pay.

So for us in the US, the wage / salary is quite literally everything.

If you have social programs like healthcare, retirement, maternity/paternity leave, holidays, even sick leave... attach a monetary equivalency number to it and LEAD WITH IT.

I just had a friend who got an amazing offer to move to and work in the Netherlands and his absolute initial disappointment at seeing a "very high salary" at less than half what he makes now just gut punched him.

It took him a bit to realize that he got all these other things that he normally pays for out of pocket individually.... and the add-up was phenomenal and paid SO MUCH MORE than his current total compensation.

#brainDrain #fediHire

@Rainer_Rehak @MarkHoltom - Here are the rules to various editions to Landlord And Prosperity, including images of the various board editions: https://landlordsgame.info/index.html

Here is a "Print and Play" of Brer Fox an' Brer Rabbit: The Win-Win game (a UK version of the Monopoly / Landlord / Prosperity game: https://socialcredit.schooljotter2.com/resources/social-art/monopoly

There are other Print and Plays out there. (Here is a list of many many different print and play games: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1120/print-and-play )

Basically, we don't have the lament that this game was not commercially produced; we can print the games for free on our own cardstock and enjoy them now.

(We can even streamline and tweak the rules and cards and board and pieces and make modern versions that we share and share alike)

There are various communities out there that discuss and do this, here is one such: https://www.reddit.com/r/printandplay/

#solarPunk #boardGames #printAndPlay

@troed - No idea. But I hate to break it to you, management and policy is actual infosec. Tech folks who wield the tools do so at the behest and direction of the decision makers.

Looks like Corporate #infosec has made it's choice.

#RSAC is filled with talks embracing AI and making it "secure".

And they invited and encouraged the Trump regime to spread its disinformation - fully sanctioned and encouraged by the conference leadership(and by conference attendees who laughed at the regime's jokes and lies and issued no challenges or stands during the talk).

With the ostracization of #ChrisKrebs by industry and the full embrace of Kristi Noem as a speaker, this was the moment that infosec made its bed.

Y'all lie in it now.

This is damning.

Kevin Collier, journalist from NBC News states:

"I will say [Kristi Noem] has come out swinging, insisting her vision of CISA will improve [DHS] and falsely describing its previous work as being substantially devoted to policing misinfo.

The crowd has been relatively into it. Tepidly bit on her laugh lines. No boos, no heckling. This is a corporate crowd, not Def Con, but I would have not been surprised to have seen some disruption."

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/kevincollier.bsky.social/post/3lny67kekqc26

#infosec #RSAC

Microsoft Authenticator needs me to validate with Authenticator in order to log in with Authenticator to use it to authenticate another app with Authenticator.

Here is the app telling me to open itself to validate itself with itself.

#infosec #iHateComputers

Looking to replace Duolingo?

Your library might provide you free access to Language Learning Apps.

No, not CDs or cassette tapes (when was the last time you were at the library? ).

Actual apps. That you download onto your phone.

My library provides me access to TWO language learning apps that compete directly with Duolingo. Mango Language App and Transparent Language App.

What apps does your library provide?

#duolingo #library #solarPunk

@GossiTheDog - Hows the leveling system? I loooooved Oblivion, but the leveling just hurt.

@GossiTheDog - The company CHOSE the name "Palantir". The Lord of the Rings artifact that means "watch over from afar". The communication device that was backdoored and surveilled by the Dark Lord. The device that facilitated evil to threaten the land.

They CHOSE... that name. Willingly.

Oh shit. Gonna build a lettuce wall.

Can't stop. Won't stop.

Design Goals
- Low effort / passive / automated (After initial build, only requires 30 mins of work a week to maintain)
- "Inexpensive" (measured in how quickly it pays for itself compared to shopping at grocery store)
- Small footprint for indoor spaces (uses vertical space as opposed to horizontal space)
- ADHD friendly (you dont have to keep monitoring it. Set and forget)
- Provides entire personal need of leafy greens in continuous fashion
- Provides excess of personal needs in order to continuously share freely with neighbors

(Follow this thread in the coming months to watch the buildout. I'll post design theory and application along. It'll be vendor/brand agnostic. And I'll post up methods to tailor it to your space.)

(Photo below of prototype. It works! Time to scale it.)

#solarPunk #indoorGardening #verticalFarming #hydroponics #kratky #kratkyMethod #vegetableGardening #gardening #postScarcity #foodSecurity

Urban Infrastructure in Barcelona, Spain.

Video credit: beteve.cat

#solarPunk #transit #publicTransit #publicTransportation #trains

I figured out why they're hung up on autism and why its their next thing. Autists dont like hierarchy and authority. So they'll target the autists to get rid of the folks most likely to stand against them.

Look up Dr. Asperger.

#fascism #maga

Introducing the Tinker WriterDeck OS!

Convert any laptop and most chromebooks into a writer deck: A device designed solely for writing.

No distractions.
No internet.
No apps. No games. No social media.

Just writing.

The Tinker WriterDeck is very light weight and specifically seeks to lower the barrier of entry to creating writer decks. It converts older, reused, refurbished, or inexpensive laptops into a dedicated writing machine.

A digital typewriter.

The Tinker WriterDeck sits on top of a "headless" Debian Linux image and boots directly into a console based text editor.

We're using the Tilde Text Editor because it is a simple text editor, has an intuitive User Interface, and allows for customized color schemes for light and dark modes.

Operating System download and instructions on how to convert your laptop into a dedicated writer deck for free are found here: https://tinker.sh

See below for an example of the writer deck in light mode and dark mode.

If anyone has any questions or needs any help setting your laptop up, let me know here!

#solarPunk #linux #writerDeck #bookstodon #writing #writingCommunity #author #libraries

In light of the historic speech from Sen Cory Booker, who all is going to their local Hands Off 2025 protest this Saturday?

Find your protest here: https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/

More info on the protest: https://handsoff2025.com/about

#HandsOff #HandsOff2025 #protest #CoryBooker

Everyone is making fun of the US govt for using Signal and leaking classified info...

...no one is making fun of the "investigative journalist" blowing his cover, dropping his source of info, and kissing ass to the US govt by telling them about the leak.

This reminds me of the hackers (who obviously came from a penetration testing background) that hacked the DOGE website back in February just putting "Your security sucks" as if that was an "own".

FUCKERS!!!! STOP HELPING THE FASCIST US GOVERNMENT WITH THEIR SECURITY!!!

Quick aside while I burn my day doing this.

I know how to do this...
...but all of that knowledge goes obsolete every four months.

But I know how to approach and learn this...
...but search engines SUCK now (an AI... literally, you have no idea what you're talking about).

Also, the Acer Aspire One netbook (DOES ANYONE REMEMBER NETBOOKS?!?!?! FUCK YOU CHROMEBOOKS!!!!) was the best piece of hardware ever made.

Ever.

Ever ever.

Okay, back to this. On my fifth iteration...

(apparently usbmount is no longer part of ubuntu packages)

Not a typewriter, my ass.

You ARE a typewriter, whether you like it or not... Just you wait....