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I was chatting with a friend who went to Bronx Science, as I did, and we were talking about Isaac Asimov, and I said I thought he went to Science too. So I fired up ChatGPT and asked if Asimov went to Science, and it said yes.
Then I asked where he went to high school and it said Bronx Science. But by then I was pretty sure he didn't, so I went to Google and meta.ai, and neither knew where he went to high school. So I asked on Twitter, Mastodon, Blue Sky and Threads. Not sure why I even care! Oh well. 😄
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I hate Apple’s control of app distribution, but while they’re at it why not ban useless release notes like “bug fixes and improvements” or “we improve the app every week”. If devs don’t know how to document what’s new, feel free to scroll through the M.b release notes history going back 7 years.
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For folks using Micro.blog Premium with the AI setting enabled, you may start to notice some new generated data for photos, as in this screenshot. I’ll blog more about this in the coming weeks when it’s fully enabled. The goal is better photo search and accessibility.
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Coffee this morning at WhichCraft. I have the whole place to myself for now. ☕️
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Swift has been inescapable over the last year. With the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” her latest (very long) album, some seem to finally be feeling fatigued.
I’m enjoying the album. But I think we are spoiled. For her next album, Taylor Swift should go back to basics: 10 tracks, no music videos, no special editions, vinyl only. After abundance, we need a reset.
Tue, 23 Apr 2024
I'm pretty much set on going back on my meds and am going to get an appointment with the GP to discuss it. I think I need them to settle me again.
# As is always the case, I get really excited for the next upcoming expansion of World of Warcraft. This time is no exception with the three expac 'Worldsoul Saga' due to start later this year.
I've written about my excitement in advance of the last couple of expansions only to get bored when playing it. Okay, everyone admits that Shadowlands was bad, and Blizzard themselves say they made mistakes with Dragonflight, so it's not all down to me.
There are so many threads that can come together in the next story arc that it is genuinely exciting and interesting. A lot of lore points should hopefully be resolved that have been strung out over many thousands of years. The potential is staggering.
The problem is, however, that I need to get back to the point where I can continue my journey in the world of Azeroth. I started a new character a while ago but didn't make it to max level before getting bored. I need to get past that. So, we reset a laptop and WoW is being reinstalled.
Last time, I was just intent on levelling as quickly as I could, rushing through quests without reading the story. Skipping from one are to another with no real consideration for what I was doing. That was a mistake. I've likely got at least until September before the next expansion drops so, this time, I'm going to take my time. I'm going to read all the quest text, watch the videos, and absorb the story to reimmerse myself in the game.
I'm also going to be playing a different race/class combo which will force me to pay attention to what I'm doing.
WoW will be 20 years old later this year and has been such a big part of my life — it seems strange saying that of a video game. I started playing at some point in 2006, before the launch of The Burning Crusade in Jan 2007, and even when I've taken a break I've still kept an eye on things and watched the 'Race for World First' events and Mythic Dungeon competitions.
There is a lot I'm not familiar with in the current expansion (Dragonflight) so I need that immersion to fully appreciate the story and how everything is being set up for the future. I've been watching lore videos on YouTube and generally trying to whet my appetite for all things WoW. Knowing that Blizzard recognises their recent mistakes gives me hope that at least some of them will not be repeated and the in-game experience will improve. Also, the laptop I'm going to be using is better than the one I last installed WoW on so I'll be able to play on higher settings.
I Cheerfully Refuse
“So what do you think should happen to (him)? … If not jail then what?” “I don’t know. Long life, I guess. How about a clear mind? Work he enjoys, someone to laugh with, couple of happy kids. That would do, don’t you think?” It was the same list she wanted for herself.
— Leif Enger, I Cheerfully Refuse: A Novel (Grove Press, April 2, 2024)
Notes:
- Recommended. (vs. Highly Recommended). I would read anything that Leif Enger wrote. If you are new to his work, start with Peace Like a River.
- Books Reviews of “I Cheerfully Refuse”:
- 1) The Michigan Daily: “‘I Cheerfully Refuse’ to recommend this novel”
- 2) Wall Street Journal: “‘I Cheerfully Refuse’ Review: Great Lakes Odyssey. Leif Enger delivers a postapocalyptic novel set along the Canadian-American border.”
Heb je wel een eigen site nodig?
“Webbing” the IndieWeb – Tracy Durnell:
Is requiring a website to participate something the IndieWeb community prioritizes enough to disregard the needs of most Internet users (i.e. non-posters)? Can we better support IndieWeb readers who don’t have — and don’t want — their own websites? Frankly, can the IndieWeb “succeed” if having a website is a mandate?
Tracy slaat de spijker op de kop met haar observatie over het indieweb. Is het een noodzaak om een eigen site te hebben om een onafhankelijk web succesvol te maken? Moet je een eigen domein hebben om er deel van uit te maken? Volgende week ben ik te gast bij de Podcast over Social Media van Kirsten Jassies, waar we onder andere deze onderwerpen behandelen. Ik ben doorgaans van mening dat iedereen in Nederland bij ontvangst van een BSN nummer, eveneens de vrijheid krijgt om een eigen domein te registreren. Gratis, voor de rest van je leven. Met de complimenten van een overheid die de noodzaak snapt van digitale vaardigheden. Met een eigen domein kun je al redelijk snel een eigen site maken, je eigen plek online. Al is het maar een “dit ben ik” pagina, met basis informatie voor anderen om je te bereiken.
Maar is een eigen site eigenlijk wel een noodzaak om een mensgericht alternatief voor het “corporate web” te laten slagen? Zoals Tracy verder gaat, is het niet al een stap om kleine interacties mogelijk te maken voor lezers? Natuurlijk zijn er reacties, maar het kan nog eenvoudiger. Waar Tracy een hartje in de header plaatst om je waardering uit te spreken voor een post, bij mij kan dat met een duimpje, onderaan elk artikel. Dit is een onderdeel van de Tinylytics app, waarmee ik anonieme statistieken zie van deze site.
Net als in de hoogtijdagen van het bloggen, zal niet iedereen actief zijn met een eigen site. Maar we kunnen het lezen, beleven, verbinden en reageren op elkaars site wel zo aantrekkelijk mogelijk maken. Zodat we een volwaardige plek vormen met elkaar naast sociale platformen.
