I listen to @atpfm on Overcast. In the latest episode they talk about water detectors. I don’t Google the products. I don’t click any links in the show notes.
And later that same day Meta serves me up this ad on Instagram. (I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it, but it’s hard to be 100% positive.)
Imagine how good the world could be if ad algorithm developers put their enormous brains into a problem like curing cancer.
@atpfm It’s such a shame you guys don’t live in a capitalist country where companies compete, driving down prices. I just checked here (UK). A 5G 10GB hotspot plan would cost me about £3.45 for a month ($4.62). It’s a rolling contract so I can just pay, have it for 30 days and cancel.
Oh that includes sales taxes too.
@siracusa I was listening to a Podcast about cosmic rays and they were talking about how these rays have probably flipped bits in computer, “just” by colliding with them. I thought you might be interested in it, as maybe another possible reason for bit-rot, which comes up on @atpfm regularly.
What happens when the universe throws a random curveball at one of the most precise communities on Earth? Cosmic rays high energy particles from deep space are invisible, unpredictable, and capable of interfering with electronics in ways gamers never expect. Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens explore a surprising story from the speed running community, where split-second timings and frame-perfect precision collide with the chaos of the cosmos. How did a tiny particle from a distant supernova end up altering a world record attempt? And why does this single event highlight the hidden role of chance, physics, and electronics in competitive gaming? From the science of cosmic rays to their real world impact on gaming hardware, this episode uncovers the strange intersection of the cosmos, human skill, and digital records, revealing how even the universe can play a part in our most meticulously measured achievements. Join Professor Hannah Fry and YouTube educator Michael Stevens as they uncover the strange, revealing…
@caseyliss The thing that astounds me about iPhone XX is just how long iPhone has been a thing. We all know personal computing started in 1995, as introduced by the Rolling Stones. (Sorry @siracusa). Just 12 years later the age of the PC, including laptops, was over and iPhone started.
And now it’s 20 years later. Almost twice as long as the “computer” age. 20 years is basically a century in IT years. It’s Fortran and COBOL years.
@atpfm I can tell that you’re looking for a definitive answer to languages in Scotland. 🙈
Before the Irish invaded, circa 5th century, Scotland (although it wasn’t a country back then) spoke a language not unlike modern Welsh (spoken in Wales) and it’s from this language that “Edinburgh” comes from.
Edinburgh comes from “Din Eidyn”, which means “hillfort of Eidyn”. Fort becomes burgh (as in Pittsburgh).
Edinburgh Castle has been a fort for over 1500 years!
