Mastodawn

Becca Royal-Gordon

Hot take: The Artemis livestream is a damning indictment of modern computing devices. It seems like half the radio chatter is troubleshooting email delivery problems, confusing user interfaces, or devices not booting or connecting. Literal astronauts with years of training can’t make our stuff work.
https://tech.lgbt/@quephird/116353383035378497

Danie🏒🏒e is officially a PWHL fan (@[email protected])

OMFG… I just heard Mission Control tell Artemis II literally, “Everything but email is go” LOLSOBBING MY ASS OFF NOW

LGBTQIA+ and Tech

kaffando 15h ago

So, it IS rocket science.

@kaffando @beccadax
Boo! (great job)
Booo!!

Allan Chow 15h ago

@beccadax they should just write on a piece of paper and show it to thw live stream camera

@grumpasaurus @beccadax
Or pick up a guitar and sing:
"the Skype looks very different today"

https://aus.social/@nickzoic/116348646349086402

nick (@[email protected])

@[email protected] ground control to Major Tom Are you on mute? Are your speakers on? hey does anyone know how I share my screen now I think this thing upgraded since yesterday when Iast tried it. The Skype looks very different today ...

Aus.Social

@beccadax @projectgus switching back to Windows was a mistake. So is using Bluetooth

My heart sank when I learned they are running outlook.

Taking the most bloody cursed piece of software imaginable to the Moon.

What a time to be alive.

RossMadness 14h ago

@rl_dane @beccadax Outlook: a program that crashes if you sneeze, struggles to keep the offline library properly in sync on a decent connection, and they said "send it into space".

I can't think of anything closer to Hell than being stuck in space with Outlook.

@rossmadness @beccadax

Same. That's low-key a crime against humanity.

I'd rather send email with an actual Apollo [DSKY] than use Outlook in space. Or on earth. Or anywhere else.

Actually, if forced to use Outlook, I might just see what the cold vacuum of space has to offer instead 🤣

I hated Outlook and called it pretty much the worst software ever written all the way back in 2000.

I can't imagine what flaming nonsense it is today. XD

Apollo Guidance Computer - Wikipedia

goedelchen 6h ago

@rl_dane @rossmadness @beccadax You'd soften your opinion on MS Outlook once you had to use MS Teams...

@goedelchen @rossmadness @beccadax

lol I hope I never have to XD

Grumble 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇬🇱12h ago

@rossmadness @rl_dane @beccadax Using Lotus Notes.

Anywhere.

@grumble209 @rossmadness @beccadax

Brofam, I still remember the day I got laid off, realizing that I'd never have to use Notes again was a definite silverlining.

I'd use rather Notes every waking minute of the rest of my life rather than futz with Snoutlook.

Edit: typo, typing on a glass screen with half-century-old eyes. ;)

@rossmadness @rl_dane @beccadax could be worse

Could be Teams.

Lunar 🛸 ♾51m ago

@rossmadness @rl_dane @beccadax Being stuck in space with New Outlook?

@lunarloony @rossmadness @beccadax

INTEGRITY: Houston, we're having some problems with the RCS...
HOUSTON: We read that, Integrity, we're estimating you've got about a minute before you black out from the centripetal force.
INTEGRITY: We've got the stick all the way to the left, but she's still rolling to the right, and accelerating.
HOUSTON: Integrity, we're recommending you switch on the Copilot mode.
INTEGRITY: Copilot mode? This was not in our training!!
HOUSTON: It's in beta, but our engineers are recommending it, as it can respond to inputs faster than a human.
INTEGRITY: (Flips on Copilot switch)
COPILOT: It looks like you're trying to not die. Would you like some help with that?
INTEGRITY: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saxicola ✅ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇪🇺6h ago

@rl_dane @beccadax
Should be using alpine.

@saxicola @beccadax

or (neo)?mutt, or aerc, or heck, thunderbird!!!

Rupert Reynolds 6h ago

@rl_dane @beccadax I guess (hope) it's only there for personal messages such as "See you next week, sexy knees!" and to include the crew in the general run-of-the-mill admin such as meetings once they get back.

But that's a Hell of an attack surface to carry into space. I hope even its firewall is protected by a firewall...

Rupert Reynolds 6h ago

@rl_dane @beccadax I think we are seeing the #enshittification of space.

When I'm that far away from the whole support structure, I'd rather communicate via Telnet* than use Outleak.

*Oh. Actually I already do. When I'm away from my main computer, I Telnet to a CoSy server, type "mail to [email protected]" and wait for the "Subject:" prompt :-)

@RupertReynolds @beccadax

#meme #StarWars #AVIF

Rupert Reynolds 5h ago

@rl_dane @beccadax Apologies for being a bit obvious, but:

@RupertReynolds @beccadax

lol HAL any day. XD

Better yet, [[Holly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_(Red_Dwarf)] 🤣

Becca Royal-Gordon 6m ago

@rl_dane Maybe they were trying to take it to the Moon and leave it there, so Earth would be free.

Krypt3ia 15h ago

@beccadax deploy clippy

Texan_Reverend 10h ago

@krypt3ia @beccadax

It looks like you're trying to go to the moon...

Rupert Reynolds 5h ago

@krypt3ia @beccadax Clippy would never clone itself giving us 2 copies, both faulty.

Angela Scholder 8m ago

@krypt3ia @beccadax Clippy might think "Holy S***! I've missed something, what a load of crap is this?"

GT The Fae 15h ago

@beccadax It's like every computer but mine has been kinda sorta steadily breaking for the past like, three or four years.

AccordionBruce 7h ago

@GT @beccadax
It’s a constant debate whether to update and get added “security” or to do it and lose critical functionality

@beccadax Yeah, we live in a two-tier world, where flight software and other mission-critical components show that we know how to make systems reliable, but for the great majority of human-facing software we just...don't.

CM Harrington 13h ago

@beccadax @lisamelton @quephird I mean, they sacked all the old folks who knew how to actually build shit.

Patrick Loftus 🖖

@beccadax I always assumed opening Windows in space would kill your coworkers. 🤷

sleepy62🍁🛠️ 🖥️ 🔬 🌞13h ago

Ha! I was listening for a bit today and had the exact same impression. A bunch of manuals and shit had gone off line and they were trying to scrounge whatever local copies they could find.

victorvonvortex 12h ago

So it's easier to fix a space toilet than MS Outlook?

@beccadax we went from 4K getting us to the moon to this

Grumble 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇬🇱12h ago

@beccadax You realize this was all built by the lowest bidder, right?

Graham C 12h ago

@beccadax that's why this is the test run. The next launch will have someone from IT on board

a2800276 8h ago

@adamantichrist @beccadax ...to fix the printer used to print their mails.

@beccadax @Trilobyter do you have any info about this that you can share?

Trilobyter 11h ago

@Lizette603_23 @beccadax not much, I didn’t have anything to do with the portable computing devices, they’re important for crew planning, schedules, email, etc, but they’re not critical for Orion vehicle function or safety. They connect to WiFi & network connections which have to tie in to the Orion uplink/downlink radio comms. From what I’ve heard that is part of what’s causing their PCD issues, it’s not the same as the earth-based internet the off-the-shelf devices & software are made for.

Trilobyter 11h ago

@Lizette603_23 @beccadax that said I’m curious why they didn’t uncover these issues before flight, but it may be the case that they tested the PCDs with the internal Orion network but not with the full path of the Deep Space Network radio comms - because you can only use the DSN when you are beyond low earth orbit (DSN uses the huge radio dish antenna ground stations) - or a good enough ground emulation of the DSN. There’s often unanticipated subtleties that get you no matter how much you test.

Becca Royal-Gordon 10h ago

@Trilobyter @Lizette603_23 I’m just kind of amazed that email of all things is failing. The email protocols predate constant high-bandwidth connections to a homogeneous Internet; it’s almost impressive that modern email software somehow fails to function in the kind of environment the protocols were designed for.

Matt Palmer 10h ago

@beccadax if it's outlook talking to exchange, it is almost certainly not using SMTP/IMAP/etc.

@beccadax @Trilobyter
https://www.fastcompany.com/91519302/byd-nail-test-why-this-54-billion-innovation-is-terrifying-western-auto-executives they needed this kind of approach maybe lol

The Nail Test: Why this $54 billion innovation is terrifying Western auto executives

The practice of reproducing failure on purpose until the physics revealed itself became the bedrock of BYD’s entire operation.

Fast Company

@Trilobyter @beccadax thanks for weighing in

@beccadax
I mean, the original Apollo computer also had problems

Becca Royal-Gordon 11h ago

@sabik The avionics and guidance systems and so on are all doing just fine. It’s the mass market products that are falling on their faces.

(And the Apollo Guidance Computer did remarkably well even when it had to cope with out-of-spec hardware, as it did on Apollo 11.)

Chris Palmer 11h ago

@beccadax extremely correct take

John Carlsen 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇪🇺9h ago

I sure hope the next mission replaces these problematic Microsoft products.

How about FOSS, Linux, etc.?

Becca Royal-Gordon 7h ago

@johnlogic I don’t think that would address the problems. Linux isn’t exactly known for its sterling usability or seamless interoperability with proprietary peripherals.

Samantaz Fox 6h ago

@beccadax @johnlogic You'd be surprised how many devices run on Linux-derived systems and use open source technologies, while still being proprietary.

The problem is that vendors keeps their drivers closed source, not the lack of interoperability.

JWcph, Radicalized By Decency 8h ago

@beccadax Also, like somebody else said, why in the name of Dr. Seuss' unmentionables would NASA allow as much as a single scrap of proprietary corporate software aboard a goddamn spaceship!?

I just don't see the an Apollo 13-style successful wrangling of an unforeseen technical space problem when Wiseman is on the horn with Microsoft tech support because an Outlook bug bricked all the onboard computers...

Becca Royal-Gordon 7h ago

@jwcph It’s not like Boeing builds open source rockets.

JWcph, Radicalized By Decency 6h ago

@beccadax No, but if you're NASA you can absolutely demand that it runs your own software.

Alexander Janßen 7h ago

@beccadax NASA should fire everyone and hire Curious Marc instead. He'll rip out all that new-fangled hardware and replace it with refurbished, but fully working vintage hardware with a proven flight record.

@beccadax yeah the entire thing is a rushed PR stunt

Jules 🍺7h ago

@beccadax well they are using MS crapware so what did they expect 😃

quangobaud 6h ago

🤔 They should try some AI.
What's the worst that could happen?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

https://kolektiva.social/@miguelpergamon/116273616720259536

quangobaud (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 video #TheWanderingEarth2 #TheITCrowd Look! Up in the cabling! Is it a birb? Is it a mainframe? This looks a job for Richard Ayoade!

kolektiva.social

Rupert Reynolds 6h ago

@beccadax Yeah. I've been shouting at the small screen for years (I'm very olde) that "progress is when things get better for people! This is a parody of it!"

(edit:tryping error)