Notices by Nelson (skyfaller@jawns.club)

I'll be attending this Philly Mastodon Migration Party a week from Wednesday to represent Jawns.club and invite people to join our server (among other options). There will be several activities to help people socialize while learning the basics of the fediverse.

This post may only reach people already on fedi, but if you have friends who are not here yet, this could be a fun way to get them on board, so please spread the word.

https://www.phillyethics.org/event-details/zuck-off

#Philly #Philadelphia #JoinMastodon

@apteryx @janneke Seems this Hurd release also introduces slop coded by Claude: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2026-02/msg00133.html

Hard to celebrate.

@ytvwld @cwebber Yes, this is what I was looking for but I couldn't find the reference, looks like slop is infecting Guix projects already. It's probably not too late to change course if Guix can find its spine, but given how many previously respected projects have fallen already I'm not optimistic.

@cwebber Will GNU Guix be able to keep LLMs out of Shepherd and Hurd? I'm also worried about the Linux kernel potentially slopifying.

@ajroach42 At least Valve is advancing the state of the art in Linux gaming.

Google has been helping with ICE death squads and concentration camps, and genocide in Gaza / Palestine, and what do we get out of it? Slop. An imminent threat to independent apps on Android. When is that last time Google did something good and cool? Answer doesn't count if they've already killed it off and sent it to the Google graveyard.

If you must work with a corporation with no conscience, the choice is clear.

@gemlog It seems Carney is correctly diagnosing some problems, like the collapse of the USA-based world order, and communicating them effectively (at least it's compelling to some people). Sadly he is offering completely bogus solutions that will only continue the march of fascism, because he is a neoliberal fucking banker.

https://friendhole.social/@beandreams/115934574289734921
https://kolektiva.social/@danmcquillan/115963347349606624
https://kolektiva.social/@idzie/115933991487232495

@gemlog
1. I'm not particularly handy
2. I don't think you understand how many weird things I'm interested in. I do not have sufficient lifespan remaining to learn to DIY every weird thing that I want

@gemlog @acm_redfox ok here's the relevant list for North America I guess, I've been to this page before but forgot: https://sundials.org/index.php/dial-links/sundial-artisans

I fear many of these makers are out of my price range, but I'll explore

@gemlog @acm_redfox Hmm, seems like a cool list of sundial artisans in the UK, now are there any in North America? I'm not opposed to ordering from the UK or the Netherlands, I just prefer to support locals and minimize shipping when possible. (And now, avoid any tariff fuckery.)

And thank you for that article on "Choosing a sundial", it seems to suggest that any mass-produced sundials are going to target some random latitude and will likely not be accurate at my location.

Hey folks, I want an outdoor sundial to decorate my garden, can anyone recommend a good source? I want something that is built to last and looks it, no 3D-printed plastic please. Local #Philly maker would be nice if they exist.

I already ordered this interesting prism sundial for indoors, but production has apparently been delayed by unusually cold temps and excessive snow, interfering with the maker's workshop. I'm hopeful that it will eventually arrive: https://www.artisanindustrials.com/spectramain.html

#sundials

@acm_redfox My understanding is that horizontal sundials must be customized for your latitude, so for used sundials I think I would either need one produced for the same latitude, or I would need to modify it?

It is currently impossible to bike on Forbidden Drive or the Lincoln Drive trail without a bike specifically designed for this purpose. I saw one guy with enormous tires making some headway, but everyone else with a normal bike gave up and turned around. I walked most of the way with walk assist.

The #snow was just too deep and squishy, it was like #biking on a sand dune. The paved #trails should be plowed at least, one guy said they used to plow one lane of Forbidden Drive in the 90s and 00s.

But don't be a liar
Don't say that "everything's working"
When everything's broken

#Philly, did you know that ICE killed one of our neighbors recently? Parady La was a Cambodian refugee living in Upper Darby, where he was detained on Jan 6. ICE apparently denied him medical care and water. He was found unresponsive in his cell, and taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City, where he was declared brain dead on Jan 8. He was 46 years old.

https://nextshark.com/cambodian-refugee-dies-ice-custody-philadelphia
https://whyy.org/articles/parady-la-upper-day-ice-custody-death/

Not sure how I missed this when it happened.

#Philadelphia #AbolishICE

@mcneely @vees PaWx is a somewhat active hashtag, but I filtered it out because it seems to be mostly bots (not to diss our friends who make useful automation)

Has anyone tried making a PAPR or HEPA stroller? A few people have mentioned the concept but the only source I've found is this one paper: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2430680/v1

I'd love practical tips. Right now I can't go into stores with my baby because she can't mask, having the ability to wheel her inside would greatly expand what I can do while caring for my child. Also useful during wildfire smoke.

#CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne #strollers #PAPR #HEPA #AirFiltration #babies #pollution #smoke

@conservancy @bkuhn @karen @outreachy Where should copyleft for software go after/beyond the AGPL? Are there nasty practices that the AGPL didn't anticipate, that a new license could address?

LLMs and generative AI come to mind. Do copyleft licenses have a place in dealing with the abusive practices of LLMs, or are software licenses the wrong tool?

#SFC

Can anyone recommend resources for learning to use an abacus? Physical media preferred, but websites are also ok. English language please.

I have a Chinese-style (suanpan) and two Japanese-style (soroban) abacuses. I'm especially interested in advanced techniques that you would need if you were replacing your calculator with an abacus.

Are there other abacus types useful for specific calculations?

I find the Lee Kai-chen Abacus fascinating: http://totton.idirect.com/abacus/Lee/

#abacuses #suanpan #soroban

My neighbor passed away recently, and the last thing he sent me was this article, saying:

Nelson,
Just like you said, Leave the Leaves.
Say hi to the baby.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/realestate/leaving-leaves-yard.html?unlocked_article_code=1._E8.Jf3w.7lDs8ILxs_JA&smid=url-share

I don't normally share the New York Times, but this one is special to me.

One thing I learned from the article is that leaves are useful to wildlife all year round, there's no time of year where you can destroy or remove them without hurting creatures living in them.

#LeaveTheLeaves #leaves #lawncare #fallenLeaves

I'm half-Chinese; specifically, my mom is from Hong Kong. Obviously, my child has this heritage as well. I'd like her to have some connection to Hong Kong and its culture. Do you have any recommendations?

For numerous reasons it is hard to spend time with my mom and ask her directly; my Chinese family doesn't live nearby. Off the top of my head the main practices I can hand down are food, like miso soup and wontons, and utensils, like chopsticks and ceramic soup spoons.

#HongKong #Chinese