Mastodawn

jbaggs

@jbaggs@infosec.exchange

235 Followers

172 Following

82 Posts

I've been in and out of information security professionally, but somehow always have related projects. Mainly working with zeek and network level detection at the moment. SDR, cycling, and climbing enthusiast.

I boost a lot. Topics range far and wide from security and "the cybers" and may include politics, food, humor, science, law, nature, art, and other sundry unsavories. I occasionally post my own projects and thoughts.

Pronouns	he / him
Github	https://github.com/jbaggs
Age	Somewhere between Bianchi green and Soekris green

Emily Velasco 8m ago

ok, so i have been doing some thinking.

A couple people on here were bothered that my ebike doesn't have a rear brake (too bad!), but it did make me think about how i would do a rear brake.

Mechanical isnt a good option because of how the bike is designed and the motor controller doesn't allow for regenerative braking.

Now, a friend of mine has a big CNC lathe that has a heating element from an electric stove for resistive braking. I didn't realize that was a thing until I saw the stove coil sitting there in a box behind the lathe.

It got me thinking, could resistive braking be used to slow an ebike?

I decided to try a little test using a scooter motor, a button, and a high-wattage resistor.

It works! At least it does at this scale. I have no idea what kind of hardware it would take to slow down an ebike with a person riding on it, but it was cool to see the concept in action.

NetBlocks 3h ago

⚠️ Confirmed: Live network data show a major disruption to internet connectivity in #Iran, corroborating widespread user reports of issues reaching the global internet; the incident comes just weeks after authorities shut down telecoms during the war with Israel 📉

Annalee Newitz 🍜3h ago

Hey San Francisco Bay friends! What are you doing next month, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, 8/3? Join me for the launch of my new book, Automatic Noodle, hosted by Noe Valley Books! I'll be in conversation with AI researcher @alex. It's FREE! RSVP now! https://noevalleybooks.com/event/2025-08-03/automatic-noodle-event-annalee-newitz #sfba #sf #books

'Automatic Noodle' Event With Annalee Newitz

Noe Valley Books

@skinnylatte There are piano certificates? (Sorry, I'm a drummer. I know nothing about such things.)

Wendy Nather 4h ago

Captions please

@emma @rmd1023 @charliejane

That shirt is fire.

Nanoraptor 23h ago

The world’s population is suddenly replaced by vat-grown clones of you.

What happens next?

Kevin Rothrock 9h ago

Asset management company BlackRock Inc. halts search for institutional investors to back multibillion-dollar Ukraine recovery fund due to a lack of interest amid increased uncertainty over Ukraine’s future in wake of Trump's reelection, reports Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-05/blackrock-halted-ukraine-fund-talks-after-trump-s-election-win

Kevin Beaumont 9h ago

2 and a bit days in and Ingram Micro still haven’t admitted what is happening, instead saying “Maintenance”

They’re both a large MSP and MSSP who sell anti-ransomware services.

#threatintel #ransomware

Ada Palmer 9h ago

Ireland shuts last coal plant, becomes Europe’s 15th coal-free nation
Following wind’s rise to 37% of generation last year, the 915MW Moneypoint plant has just been switched off, ending four decades of Irish coal-fired electricity. The station will serve only as an emergency backup until 2029, underscoring how rapid renewables growth and grid reforms are wiping coal from one of Europe’s last hold-outs. PV Magazine https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/20/ireland-coal-free-ends-coal-power-generation-moneypoint/?ref=fixthenews.com
#ShareGoodNewsToo

Ireland shuts last coal plant, becomes 15th coal-free country in Europe

Moneypoint in County Clare, Ireland, joins the ranks of other European nations exiting coal by shutting off power generation at its sole remaining coal plant. Industry observers say Ireland’s increased renewable energy generation in recent years, particularly in wind, has contributed to this milestone. Moneypoint now functions as a backup oil burner under emergency instruction, but it is no longer active in the wholesale electricity market.

pv magazine International

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PastaThief Jan 17, 2023

Boost if you're old enough to know why I have one of these on my computer desk.

Dan Q Jan 17, 2023

@PastaThief sometimes 720k just isn't enough!

@PastaThief oooof. Never saw any uned but I can guess :)

Master of Crevettes Jun 28

@temptoetiam @PastaThief (I have one for binders, and my dad used to own the specific one used for horse races betting cards)

@MaitreCrevettes @PastaThief I suspect it was used here to punch holes in punchcards computer programs, but I might be wrong.

Bernd Herd Jun 28

@temptoetiam @MaitreCrevettes @PastaThief Maybe you had a single-sided 5 1/4" floppy drive and you punched a second hole in your floppies to be able to use the backside by placing them rotated in your floppy drive.

I did that in 1982 or so.

Single sided, 34 tracks, single density were about 80 KByte capacity per side. I still have that drive in my cellar.

Master of Crevettes Jun 28

@temptoetiam @PastaThief obviously.

(Note that some knitting machine also ran on punch cards, so you can find such items in knitting tools on Etsy I guess, though they are probably different because you punch in the middle of the card, not only on the sides like this one or the "pince à tiercé")

Master of Crevettes Jun 28

@temptoetiam @PastaThief ohlalalala 😍

https://www.reddit.com/r/specializedtools/s/W6FBBYtjQW

PastaThief 6d ago

@MaitreCrevettes @temptoetiam I actually used them mostly with floppy disks, although you could use them with punch cards, yes. :) A friend of mine actually operated a Jacquard Loom for demonstrations at the local at the local science centre for a time! (I don't know if she's still doing that.)

PastaThief 6d ago

@temptoetiam @MaitreCrevettes There are those who used them for that; I used them for making 5.25" floppies double-sided. :)

Master of Crevettes 6d ago

@PastaThief @temptoetiam trust us both to read all the comments to your post. We both live in *that* corner of the fediverse, and Abie has a thing for finding the best oddities.

Ken Butler Jun 28

@MaitreCrevettes @temptoetiam @PastaThief betting shops used to have floors "carpeted" with losing betting slips. I suppose that's all on phones these days.

Kevin P. Fleming Jun 28

@PastaThief PROTIP: These don't work on SSDs.

Hdunagan Jun 28

@kevin @PastaThief Best post of the week.

@kevin @PastaThief Underrated comment of the day.

Jim Flanagan 1d ago

@kevin @PastaThief you have to squeeze real hard

Hdunagan Jun 28

@PastaThief I know what it is, but I keep three three-version on MY computer desk.

@PastaThief i was never fan of GCR. For MFM drives (of shugart flavor) you could not operate without the index pulse.
So we opened the sleeves, removed the media and drilled that 2nd index hole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_coded_recording

Group coded recording - Wikipedia

zipkid - Breaker of Systems Jun 28

@PastaThief Like the little wad of paper to push in the hole in the side of the cassette tape :-)

Michael Weiss Jun 28

@zipkid @PastaThief I just used Scotch tape over the hole

Cegorach Jun 28

@PastaThief why you have one on your desk, now?

I have no idea... you like to feel old?

PastaThief 6d ago

@dat I mean, I still have two working 80s-era computers on my desk (an Apple IIe and an Atari 130XE).

Chad McCullough Jun 28

@PastaThief Ha! I know exactly why you have one of these on your computer desk.

Jon Quass Jun 28

@PastaThief
Classic debugger 😂

Jean-Francois Mezei Jun 28

@PastaThief the holes in punched cards or paper tape were rectangular , not round. Thinking this was perhaps used to destroy floppy disks ? (Prior to the 3.5 inch ones).

Olivier Aubert Jun 28

@jfmezei @PastaThief not destroy: double their capacity

Jean-Francois Mezei Jun 28

@olivier_aubert @PastaThief ok remember now. Turn single sided to double sided. One if the corners, right?

PastaThief 6d ago

@jfmezei @olivier_aubert On the side a bit beneath the corner, but yes. :)

Chris Bohn Jun 28

@olivier_aubert @jfmezei @PastaThief If you have poor aim, destroy

Ian Turton 6d ago

@jfmezei @PastaThief paper tape used round holes

Ross of Ottawa Jun 28

@PastaThief in case of impromptu weddings.

UkeleleEric Jun 28

@PastaThief Although it wasn't strictly necessary (punch on ticket machine), I have used one of these in the past.

Darren K. Hobbs

@PastaThief Old enough, but I was fancy. I had the one made for the task.

PastaThief 6d ago

@dkh NICE!

quadrivial 💛🇺🇦🇨🇦🇲🇽Jun 28

@PastaThief takes me back to about 1984...

Hdunagan 1d ago

@quadrivial @PastaThief Snd I keep thinking 1984 was only a few years ago.

René Dario Jun 28

@PastaThief I do not know why.

considerate Jun 28

@PastaThief you'll face consequences for stealing artifacts from museums! 😅

James Donohoe Jun 28

My floppy of choice back in the day...when I could afford them.

PastaThief 6d ago

@JamesMDonohoe Elephant was nice, although I was a bit of a Dysan afficianado.

James Donohoe 6d ago

@PastaThief Yepper - Dysan also a fantastic choice.

Murphestophelese MurphMeister Jun 28

@PastaThief I recall punching holes in the case with one of these, in my old computers, to reduce weight, and therefore increase speed.

ZenHeathen Jun 28

Audrey Winter Jun 28

@ZenHeathen @PastaThief "So do (I) you!"

Gemma ⭐️🔰🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🎐Jun 28

@PastaThief kinky!

Athena L.M.Jun 28

@PastaThief I am not old enough, but it's for making 5.25in diskettes double-sided, right?

PastaThief 6d ago

rk: it’s hyphen-minus actually Jun 28

You can make the flip side usable or, if you’re bad enough at it, both sides unusable.

Shriram Krishnamurthi Jun 28

@rk I see all the references to 5.25" floppies, which I knew well, but I have never used a punch with one. What does it do with a floppy?
@PastaThief

rk: it’s hyphen-minus actually Jun 28

@shriramk @PastaThief

http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/F/flippy.html

You could use a hole punch to make another write notch on the other side of a single-sided floppy, doubling your disk space (though at the time most drives could only read one side at a time).

Some disks were also shipped without a write notch at all, so that you couldn’t replace whatever was on them; a hole punch gave you a free reusable floppy!

flippy

@rk I used to own a square hole punch that had a spacer that aligned the floppy to the exact position for the hole. I was a hit at the BBS parties, let me tell ya.

@shriramk @PastaThief

rk: it’s hyphen-minus actually Jun 28

@4raylee @shriramk @PastaThief

Don’t forget to take some Tylenol for your back.

PastaThief 6d ago

@4raylee @rk @shriramk Those were SWEET.