Mastodawn

For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.

~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.

This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.

vergil iliescu Mar 8

John Quiggin Mar 8

For a long time, I've taken the view that the #Greens should act, informally, as a leftwing coalition partner for #Labor, pushing for stronger and more progressive policies. But that's no longer tenable. The Greens need to fight Labor rather than giving critical support. #auspol

vergil iliescu Mar 8

Paco Hope Mar 8

OMG. Can you imagine publishing Machine Code for Beginners today??

Usborne 1980s Computer Books

vergil iliescu Feb 28

Andy Clarke Feb 28

Fuck Israel. Fuck Trump.

vergil iliescu Feb 27

John Quiggin Feb 27

Greens win big in UK by-election. Third place result terrible for Labour, and second-place not good for (far-right) Reform. Vote increased by 13pp of which 7 came from Tories, only 6 from Labour and others. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cp8rjk02r0jt #UKpol

New Green MP says 'we can win anywhere' as Starmer vows to 'keep fighting' after by-election loss

Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, wins the Gorton and Denton by-election, with Reform coming in second and Labour in third.

BBC News

vergil iliescu Feb 23

Show thread

Prof. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 21

What we argued in Stochastic Parrots, however, was that you can get those benefits of the transformer architecture without ammassing datasets too large to collect with care (meaning consentfully, intentionally, and with the ability to document what's in the data).
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vergil iliescu Feb 15

John Quiggin Feb 15

Tony Abbott (Catholic, born in England) believes in an Anglo-Celtic, Judaeo-Christian Australia (love those hyphens!). Sadly for Tony, the Census disagrees. Only about 50 per cent of Australians cite Anglo-Celtic ancestry* and only about 40 per cent claim Christian or Jewish religious belief.

vergil iliescu Feb 10

John Quiggin Feb 10

#Musk has cancelled #Mars and Bezos has announced a pause of "at least two years" (read "forever") on Shepard space tourism. ISS going too. So, we're giving up on humans in Low Earth Orbit & planets. We did the moon 50 years ago - no good reason to go back. Humans belong on Earth and nowhere else.

vergil iliescu Feb 5

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/04/nx-s1-5696428/american-dream-denied-a-frenchmans-ice-nightmare

vergil iliescu Jan 28

Robert Reich Jan 27

Location	Sydney, Australia
Website	https://greybeard.com.au/
Politcal Philosophy	Cruelty is the worst thing we can do