@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

Steveg58

@Steveg58@aus.social

Retired Configuration Manager, Game Player, Fountain Pen collector, Garden Railway afficionado.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

BBC_News_Labs, to generativeAI
@BBC_News_Labs@social.bbc avatar

It can be difficult to search the register where MPs list the gifts they receive.

A #JournalismAI fellowship collaboration between editorial and technology teams at the BBC and The Times is trying to fix this with #GenerativeAI.

https://www.journalismai.info/blog/mp-interests-tracker-utilising-genai-for-uncovering-insights-in-the-uk-register-of-financial-interest

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@BBC_News_Labs
Given the track record of Generative AI it is hard to see how that could possibly go wrong.

gregeganSF, to random
@gregeganSF@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Have they fixed the bugs in Spotlight so that it will actually find all the files that contain a word you’re searching for?

Probably not, but at least the search bar has been made more rounded, so not finding the file you were looking for will be more aesthetically pleasing.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@gregeganSF
Don't forget that the bar will be shorter so you will have less room to confuse Spotlight with excessive search terms.

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, to auscovid19
@DenisCOVIDinfoguy@aus.social avatar

These Are The Best Masks To Protect You From Anti-Maskers.

There is ample evidence that N95 masks are better than surgical masks. Fitted N95s filter 95% of the viral particles, but even a loose-fitting N95 can filter 57% to 86% of the particles. KN95 or KF 94 masks also offer high protection and can be improved with a simple strap to help them fit more securely. Elastomeric half-mask respirators are equally effective to N95s and are reusable.

Surgical masks (aka “baggy blues”) are too loose fitting and only filter 47%–50% of particles. If you need to wear a surgical mask, you can make it much more protective with a mask brace to help it fit more tightly.

#COVID19 #Masks 😷 @auscovid19

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2023/09/30/these-are-the-best-masks-to-protect-you-from-anti-maskers/?sh=534bc38810d4

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@DenisCOVIDinfoguy @auscovid19
What really, really, annoyed me was the hospital that tried to insist that I ditch my KN95 mask in favour of one of their blue surgical masks. I had to escalate and eventually, and very reluctantly they provided me with a N95 mask as replacement. But because I wanted to visit a friend multiple times and out of office hours we eventually hammered out a ritual where, when I arrived, I would unbag an new KN95 mask and put it on and then put on one of their blue surgical masks over the top.

robb, (edited ) to random
@robb@social.lol avatar

My mum would spend hours ironing clothes when I was a kid. I dont think I’ve ever seen an ironing board at any of my friends houses. A whole generation just said “fuck ironing” and we did. Good work everyone.

You know what we haven’t got rid of yet? Childhood cancer. Donate to St Jude today: https://rknight.me/stjude

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@robb
Well a very big part of that is the improvement is clothing / fabric technologies ... clothes just don't come out of the washing massively wrinkled like they once did. Also many work places do not require the formal dress they once did. And don't forget that Dry cleaning is cheaper and more accessible than it once used to be.

pixiecata, to fountainpens
@pixiecata@apobangpo.space avatar

Current trend in Fountain Pen Network-Philippines: show us your anime figures with your fountain pens!

#FountainPen #FountainPens

An anime figure with a fountain pen.
An anime figure with a fountain pen.
An anime figure with a fountain pen.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@pixiecata
Hee, hee, hee!

futurebird, to math
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

I don't understand how lace is made, but looking at the and pins and patterns ... listen buddy I know math when I see it. This is A Thing. Obviously.

Right away I want to know: Can I encode information in lace?

How much of an expert must one be to make your own patterns?

What about the creation of surfaces?

is more accessible, and people have been exploring math with knitting forever.

But what possibilities does lace offer?

What is the theory of lace?

tatted lace spheres, the threads are starched, these delicate baubles have been used as Christmas ornaments.
More lace ribbons, a simple pattern that contains periodic distortions to the regular grid.
An excerpt from Mathematics Magazine Vol. 91, No. 4 (October 2018), pp. 307-309 Shows I'm hardly the first person to muse about this. Need to get my hands on the rest of this article, obviously. Q: When did it first occur to you that there might be some interesting math behind the lace-making process? VI: It really started when I discovered bobbin lace in my mid-20s. Bobbin lace is complicated, but very logical. It is kind of like doing a Sudoku puzzle. Here, the puzzle is to figure out what threads to braid together and in what order, to find a successful path through the pattern. Q: What does success mean in this context? Does it mean producing a piece that’s aesthetically pleasing or something else? VI: Unlike a pattern for knitting or crochet, a bobbin lace pattern is not expressed as a linear sequence of written steps. A bobbin lace pattern is typically a diagram. There are many possible ways different threads can come together and most of those are not successful, meaning you could end up with too many threads in one area and not Math. Mag. 91 (2018) 307-309. doi : 10. 1080/0025570X . 2018. 1503465 © Mathematical Association of America MSC: Primary 01A70 Allison Henrich (MR Author ID: 900050) Color versionsof one ormore of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/umma.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@futurebird
The theory of #BobbinLace is cross threads and twist pairs of threads. The pins are there to give the part you are working on structure and because of that you can make the piece conform to any 3d shape with a suitable supporting structure.
You can make simple patterns after very little experience but you do need to be aware of how your bobbins will move and that you can't just easily introduce and remove bobbins at random points in the pattern. You need to consider how the threads enter the pattern and how they leave.
Anything with patterns can be used to encode information ... no surprise there.

drewdevault, to random
@drewdevault@fosstodon.org avatar

Why is it okay to exclude the far right from your communities while welcoming the far left?

Well, to summarize it as succinctly as possible, the far left basically wants to rebuild the economic system and the far right wants to kill all of the Jews.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@drewdevault
Well far enough left and they also want to kill the intellectuals and bourgeois middle classes so they are pretty indistinguishable. You are thinking about the moderate socialists rather than the Marxists.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@drewdevault
That would be the greens, moderate or progressive socialists.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@drewdevault
moderate as not-extreme ... that's why I also offered progressive. Not the right wing hangers on that try and claim that title.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@drewdevault
WTF?

futurebird, (edited ) to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

A question for other cat owners:

When your cat sends you an invoice do they normally let you know in advance that they were planning on charging for the "service"? (in this case "helping to keep laundry in place by lying on it, 3 hours")

I always try to pay on time but these new bills are blindsiding me! And I don't even know if this one needed to be done, my pants are covered in hair...

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@futurebird
WE are waiving the charge occasioned by the supply of hair this time because you are a regular customer.

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

Am in a hotel room in Hamburg. It is 11am, and the government is testing the emergency alert system and never mind the mobile phones going apeshit, those air raid sirens are giving me the cold shudders and a bad 1980s flashback ...!

(It's a scheduled test announced last week, there'll be another—an all clear—in 45 minutes.)

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@cstross
DOn't forget to always check the skies for red party balloons before panicking.

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

This fountain pen costs more than my Macbook Pro (new). And it can't even run Scrivener!

Friends don't let friends buy pens. Friends buy real writing tools, not fancy jewellery that leaks ink.

Steveg58,
@Steveg58@aus.social avatar

@cstross
SIGH Real fountain pens are not "fancy jewellery" and you can get laptops and many other everyday objects in that category as well.
Also real fountain pens do not EVER leak ink.
Real fountain pens are more effective than ballpoints and far more pleasant to use. Also, barring damage, they will last for a very long time.

rivetgeek, to AWS
@rivetgeek@dice.camp avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @rivetgeek
    Sure you could send messages. Will they notice them though?

    sortius, to Ukraine
    @sortius@mstdn.social avatar

    Seeing a bit more talk about #Ukraine getting Leopard 1's, and how the west are short changing Ukraine.

    The Leopard 1A5, which is what Ukraine are being given by multiple nations, is a capable MBT. Unlike the Abrams, it's fast and light. The combat doctrines of the vehicles are completely different.

    The Leopards Ukraine are getting will have APFSDS and thermal sights, which is far better than can be said for the Russians rocking T-54's and half finished T-90's

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @lilstevie @sortius
    The Australian Armour & Artillery Museum has just started restoring a Panhard EBR their videos are on their YouTube channel.

    annaleen, (edited ) to random
    @annaleen@wandering.shop avatar

    Saturday night DnD dinner choice?

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @annaleen
    You could have used dumplings to bribe your way past hostile groups. Or the Nepalese Curry could be used for flame damage. The Pizza only works if there are vampires. Onion rings can sort of be used as shuriken ,,,

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @TDCN @Showroom7561
    Two examples from Australian states:
    https://www.police.vic.gov.au/hoon-laws
    https://www.police.wa.gov.au/Traffic/Cameras/Speed/Hoon-driving
    Just a few days ago the news carries pictures of a vintage Holden muscle car being crushed because the owner had been driving at 250 Kph in a 110 Kph zone.

    rivetgeek, to random
    @rivetgeek@dice.camp avatar

    Somebody save me from the people trying to argue that #BitD has a combat system.

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @rivetgeek
    Of course it does. But like any proper role playing system (and I choose my words carefully there) resolving combat is completely subsumed in the mechanism for doing anything else.

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @rivetgeek I don't get your viewpoint. BitD has specific rules that cover combat effects. It has moves that enable combat. How is this not a combat system? I've already said it doesn't have a dedicated combat subsystem so that is not a point. D&D is not the only trad game out there ... all you are saying is that, unlike D&D, BitD is a game that brings things other than combat front and centre. Could you even play BitD without combat? No, I don't think you can, which is one of the things that makes it less desirable as a RPG in my view.

    DocCarms, (edited ) to random
    @DocCarms@mstdn.social avatar

    I hate you TWSBI 😍
    #FountainPen

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @DocCarms
    That's a nice looking one.

    MostlyHarmless, to random
    @MostlyHarmless@thecanadian.social avatar
    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @futurebird @MostlyHarmless
    While you are probably correct about "really use" my experience is that for 95% of business spreadsheets that meme is exactly correct. Spreadsheets may use more complex functions that the author has copied from elsewhere but understanding of whether that function is appropriate or correctly used is notably lacking. Usually one or two people in the organisation will be "Excel Gurus" and do all the "really use" parts for everyone else.

    endocrine_witch, to random

    Meet my Hello Kitty platinum preppy #fountainpen. It has a blue nib and the cutest blue Hello Kitty on top of the ink cartridge visible through the transparent barrel.

    Shiny blue Hello Kitty visible at the top of the transparent barrel of an uncapped platinum preppy fountain pen on top of an open Muji notebook.

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @faizalr @endocrine_witch
    There are still countries where they use fountain pens to teach writing and they start using them a lot younger than 13. I started about 9 or 10 with pens from the bus company's left luggage auction (we were not rich). Something like a Preppy would have been wonderful.

    nyrath, to traveller
    @nyrath@spacey.space avatar

    Traveller: Society in Decline or Post Apocalyptic?

    http://twilightgm.blogspot.com/2023/08/traveller-society-in-decline-or-post.html

    #Traveller #travellerrpg

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @nyrath
    I've always thought that traveller computer "programs" did not look or behave like programs as I knew them. My current idea is that each "program" is a trained AI, inefficient and consuming vast computing resources. No-one knows how to program the hardware any more.

    MeanwhileinCanada, to random
    @MeanwhileinCanada@ohai.social avatar
    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @MeanwhileinCanada
    Except the Robins which will all run around pretending to be cars.

    hollie, to random
    @hollie@social.coop avatar

    I just found this Sailor Fude DE Mannen in a bin of old supplies. I was trying to remember why I wasn't into it, then I tried cleaning it. Am I right that you can't separate the nib from the grip? I was pulling hard. I didn't get my multi-tool, I feared the ridges on the pliers would damage the feed.

    Cleaned it as best as I could, added carbon black ink, it worked for a bit, I left it for half an hour, now it's clogged. Is this generally considered a good pen?

    #FountainPen #UrbanSketching

    Steveg58,
    @Steveg58@aus.social avatar

    @paradoxmo
    This is an Australian source but most Sailor dealers should carry it. Price is AUD it should be cheaper in USD.
    https://www.bunbougu.com.au/products/sailor-fountain-pen-maintenance-kit

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