Danny Palmer

This cat just stood on what turns out to be a poorly placed power button on top of my PC, turning the machine off... and deleting a whole bunch of interview quotes I'd spent the last two hours transcribing in the process.

No, I don't know why I hadn't clicked save in that time either.

Regularly backup your data, kids!

Oct 7 at 3:00pmWeb
Show threadBee O'Problem Oct 7
@dannyjpalmer beware Advanced Persistent Cats too I guess
Show threadsludgefossilOct 7
@dannyjpalmer your cat warmer was running too hot
Show threadKatrien M MichielsOct 7
@dannyjpalmer that's bad. Mine logged my working hours last week. I didn't notice she'd checked me back in after dinner. I had to explain the extra late night shift the next day...
Show threadCraig StewartOct 7
@dannyjpalmer I remember when MS Word would auto save to a hidden shadow file every few minutes. It doesn't do that anymore, and autosave only works if you save your document to OneDrive. Which is an _improvement_.
Show threadMark DownOct 7
@dannyjpalmer catastrophic hardware error.
Show threadWolfieOct 7
@dannyjpalmer Ah man just like the old G4 Cube Macs!
Show threadJonathan BeverleyOct 7

@dannyjpalmer that sucks, my cat used to do that too.

If it's likely to be a repeat occurrence, lots of notetaking tools have autosave/recovery options. Mine does, and I've never lost text data because of it.

Show threadDanny PalmerOct 7
@sagefault It's my own fault. I tend to use Libre Office to initially draft and transcribe things before backing it up elsewhere. But yeah, maybe need to look at something with an autosave. Although what Google Docs would do with that data is another question entirely... especially when in some cases I'm dealing with embargoes and the like. 😅
Show threadHellaOct 7

@dannyjpalmer @sagefault

Beautiful cat!

#LibreOffice has an auto save option:
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-GB/text/shared/guide/doc_autosave.html

Since I know cats: It might be a good idea to somehow protect that button from your cat ... it probably won't be the last time, if it got interesting reactions.

Saving Documents Automatically

Show threadMiles Offit... 🇨🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦Oct 7
@dannyjpalmer You should thank That Cat with an extra treat for teaching you a valuable lesson, and allowing you to grow.
Show threadwall-eOct 7
@dannyjpalmer CatDoS strikes again
Show threadMichael CookOct 7

@dannyjpalmer People made so much fun for putting the power button on the underside of the latest Mac Mini.

Maybe the designer just owns cats.

Show threadAndrew PontiousOct 7

@dannyjpalmer @catsalad And make your cats back up.

Back *waaaay* the fuck up.

Show threadThomas SturmOct 7
@dannyjpalmer @catsalad Such a good helper. 😅
Show threadVessOnSecurityOct 7
@dannyjpalmer You should interview the cat instead.
Show threadarcadus (they/them)Oct 7

@dannyjpalmer forgive me if you aren’t looking for advice but if you want, you can make the power button do nothing while the machine is turned on.

In settings: Power Options > Choose what the power button does > Nothing

If the machine is off, the power button will turn it on, but then the button will be ignored while on.

Show threadlp0 on fire Oct 7

@arcadus @dannyjpalmer, which desktop environment is that for?

The one setting which I specifically hate is instant-off. Fortunately, there are usually BIOS/UEFI settings for that.

Show threadarcadus (they/them)Oct 7
@lp0_on_fire @dannyjpalmer Windows
Show threadBitslingers-R-UsOct 7
@dannyjpalmer If your threat model doesn't include cats, it should.

My kitty has discovered countless "features" and bugs in my laptop's handling of unexpected inputs, some of which I haven't yet been able to reproduce.

I wish I could get her a job doing QA.
Show threadDanny PalmerOct 7
@AnachronistJohn Standing on my desk between me and my keyboard/monitor while I was trying to focus on a Final Fantasy XIV raid is another recent 'test' here.
Show threadMx. Eddie ROct 7
@dannyjpalmer
Top facing buttons always make me sad. That right there was invented by a person neither loved nor hated by a cat.
Show threadChris Mackay 🇨🇦Oct 7
@dannyjpalmer @lisamelton I have a strategically placed clipboard sitting on top of my air filter for this reason. Dunno why, but #RipleyAndJonesy LOVE getting on top of it and changing its speed and/or on–off status. 🤦‍♂️
Show threadProperDaveOct 7
@dannyjpalmer
Whoever thought putting unshielded power/reset buttons and usb ports atop cases clearly never had cats in their lives. I've had to fashion a molly guard from a bit of leftover packaging plastic from an sd card over my case's buttons to stop my cats doing just this.
Show threadGuillotine Jones, FlâneurOct 7
@dannyjpalmer
Power-button cat iz pressing buttons.
Show threadacmOct 7
@dannyjpalmer wait, isn't this 2025? don't word processors auto-backup every eleventy minutes? 😳 (I'm not sure my kid even knows about backups, despite my efforts!)
Show threadDanny PalmerOct 8
@acm_redfox I tend to use an open source, offline application for writing (makes it easier to focus) - which doesn't have this, it turns out! 😆
Show threadacmOct 8
@dannyjpalmer doh!
Show threadacmOct 7
@dannyjpalmer also, cute cat. little fuker!
Show threadDanny Boling ☮️Oct 7

@dannyjpalmer

Been there. Done that. Hated it too.

Show threadLukeOct 7
@dannyjpalmer for a cat the attack surface is infinite
Show threadHenk LangeveldOct 7

@dannyjpalmer

I have decorated the top of my PC with some whiteboard magnets.
They effectively screen the power button from the cats' butts and paws.

Also, the power button should only invoke the sleep function.

Show threadJagoffOct 7
@dannyjpalmer if only you had Microsoft recall lol
Show threadSarah SammisOct 7
@dannyjpalmer this is why my user name and web site are Puss Reboots.
Show threadJustin MacleodOct 7
@dannyjpalmer I really struggle to save things until I've finished them, which means I lose hours of time in destroyed projects. I'm sorry it happened.
Show threadBig Pawed BearOct 7
@dannyjpalmer" oh mayyyyayaayiaiaiaiaiaouw!" oof. you poor bugger. yes, makes me remember my power button is on the top of my tower. strange to put it there.
Show threadVivianOct 7
@dannyjpalmer I was cat sitting a cat at some point and I swear it figured out how to turn my PC off just to get attention
Show threadKim Possible Oct 7
@dannyjpalmer oh that is frustrating.
Show threadDanny PalmerOct 8
@kimlockhartga At least when I did my redo, I knew which bits I didn't need to include!
Show threadtokenwizardOct 7
@dannyjpalmer I been there... had a similar case. I printed a "flap" that I inserted into one of the USB ports near the power button that would cover it and prevent these types of things.
Show threadKnightmareOct 7
@dannyjpalmer you could also make it so you power button puts your PC to sleep.
Show threadconsiderateOct 7
@dannyjpalmer script kitty attack!
Show threadFolksVeloOct 7
@dannyjpalmer the cat knew what It was doing
Show threadAaron TurnerOct 7
@dannyjpalmer
Show threadLenOct 8
@dannyjpalmer my computer's the same. Such a stupid design!
Show threadFoxOct 8

@dannyjpalmer

Oh no D:
This is why my otherhalf has made a lid over the power button because our little gremlin did the same thing. No data loss though.

Show threadFoxOct 8

@dannyjpalmer

And it might depend on the cat whether a lid works xD

Show threadDanny PalmerOct 8
@fox Sneaky little bugger. 😁
Show threadKnightmareOct 8
@dannyjpalmer you should do both though. Always backup, 1-2-3, Local backup (NAS/USB Drive), Online, Offsite.
Show threadcomparegravelOct 8
@dannyjpalmer I learned to disable power and sleep buttons in options. Kids on lap: what's this shining button for? Tap, tap, tap.... Afterwards, when they learned that it "does nothing" they stopped "using it" 😁. But I learned that it is enough that the button is only for power on/wake up.
Show threadARGVMI~1.PIFOct 9

@dannyjpalmer

I was a kid in the '90s.

The longer I go without mashing Ctrl+S, the more anxious I get.

Mostly because of BSODs and power failures, though, not cat butts. Computers in my day had the power button on the side, where it was safe from cats.

Show threadDanny PalmerOct 9
@argv_minus_one My previous desktop PC case had a big red button on the front, making it cat proof. Alas, this seemingly wasn't considered with this one!
Show threadARGVMI~1.PIFOct 9

@dannyjpalmer

A computer case with a big red button of doom to turn it on/off? Where do I sign?!?