xty - Network

By appropriating the sparkle symbol to represent AI-powered features, tech companies want you to think AI is magic ✨. Critics and skeptics...

By appropriating the sparkle symbol to represent AI-powered features, tech companies want you to think AI is magic ✨. Critics and skeptics alike should push back against this trend and embrace alternative imagery. Here are two ideas I have in mind:
1. 🖐️ with six digits – a nod to AI’s almost comical inability to render human hands correctly
2. 🔴 – the iconic red eye of HAL 9000, the unhinged AI supercomputer from "2001: A Space Odyssey"

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/how-the-sparkles-emoji-became-the-symbol-of-our-ai-future-e7786eef

#reclaimthesparkles

I wouldn't go so far as to call it "pure incompetence", but this blunder does remind us that, unsettling as it may be, we are...

I wouldn't go so far as to call it "pure incompetence", but this blunder does remind us that, unsettling as it may be, we are all mortal, and mental decline is an inevitable part of life.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/25/linux_6_14_day_late/

Concerns have been raised in the past (https://github.com/flathub/flathub/issues/5733) but were dismissed as a non-goal. Confidence in...

Concerns have been raised in the past (https://github.com/flathub/flathub/issues/5733) but were dismissed as a non-goal. Confidence in software security is badly needed, especially given the limitations of the Flatpak (@FlatpakApps) sandboxing mechanism.

To me, the weakest link in the Flathub (@flathub) distribution model has been the lack of information on the reproducibility of any package....

To me, the weakest link in the Flathub (@flathub) distribution model has been the lack of information on the reproducibility of any package. Essentially, it's impossible to know whether any app distributed on Flathub is completely free of binary blobs; as a result, it wouldn’t be hard for malicious code to sneak in.

Matthew Miller (@mattdm), the outgoing Fedora Project (@fedora) Leader explains the value of Fedora Flatpaks.https://youtu.be/oKP1hgdFJKo

Matthew Miller (@mattdm), the outgoing Fedora Project (@fedora) Leader explains the value of Fedora Flatpaks.

https://youtu.be/oKP1hgdFJKo

Meanwhile, establishing facts through RAG has always been a disaster, and I suspect it will remain that way in the foreseeable future. In...

Meanwhile, establishing facts through RAG has always been a disaster, and I suspect it will remain that way in the foreseeable future. In this post-truth age, facts are hard to come by, yet it’s unfortunate that there is very little AI can do to help.

Despite the many epic fails, the fact that AI seems to understand humour sends chills down my spine. 🔴PS: I didn't tell ChatGPT my...

Despite the many epic fails, the fact that AI seems to understand humour sends chills down my spine. 🔴

PS: I didn't tell ChatGPT my name was Dave.

https://chatgpt.com/share/67a61bbc-5b08-8013-a115-e748d458fa29

As a non-native speaker, my English is far from impeccable – being an orangutan, my mother tongue consists solely of ooks and eeks. That...

As a non-native speaker, my English is far from impeccable – being an orangutan, my mother tongue consists solely of ooks and eeks. That said, you don't have to be perfect to be a perfectionist, just as police are hardly saints. 🤪

I don’t know why, but when I saw the phrase “English police”, the first thing that came to mind was captious pedants obsessed with...

I don’t know why, but when I saw the phrase “English police”, the first thing that came to mind was captious pedants obsessed with language rules, going out of their way to catch and correct “abusers” (think policing). Admittedly, I’m somewhat guilty of this myself. 😅

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/13/were-coming-for-you-english-police-chief-tells-domestic-abusers

This year, I've probably learned more from @wikipedia than from any other source.The giving season isn't over – now is the perfect...

This year, I've probably learned more from @wikipedia than from any other source.

The giving season isn't over – now is the perfect time to give back. 🤗

https://donate.wikimedia.org