Okay, here's a long shot for the #Fedi hive mind. If you are in the intersection of "#musician or musician-adjacent in the 1980s" and "keyboard / #synthesizer aficionado", this one is for you.

In the mid- to late-80s, I used to spend a lot of time in music / #instrument stores (not selling CDs, selling guitars and amps and drums and whatnot). Synthesizer tech was advancing rapidly at this point, with digital starting to overtake analog by leaps and bounds.

At some point, one of the stores got a new #keyboard model in. I can't swear to it, but I think it was either a #Roland or a #Korg. This one had a floppy drive built in, on the side of the #synth. And they had a demo on a floppy disk that was incredible at the time.

It wasn't an official #demo disk. It was a normal consumer floppy, presumably copied far and wide. Hand-Sharpied on it was the name/title "Amin Phone". It was a musical, bright and upbeat piece, rock/pop, maybe 30s long, and included digital samples of a person's voice.

The entire thing was a ridiculous #answering machine outgoing #message. I think there was even a sampled voice at the end taken from someone leaving a message, commenting on it being over-the-top or something.

"Amin phone" is unsearchable on the 'net. Everyone has a phone, and there are millions of people named Amin or el-Amin.

Anyone else remember this? Anyone actually able to point to a recording of it?

#KeyboardDemo #SynthDemo #AminPhone #Amin #AnsweringMachine #FloppyDisk

As the old joke goes,

Every day, a man goes to a newsstand. He checks the front page of the paper, grunts in disappointment, and leaves.

Eventually, the newsagent says, "man, what are you looking for?"

"An obituary."

"Sir, they don't print those on the front page."

"The one I'm waiting for, they will."

Komplett fail 🤦‍♀️

German implementation of #eIDAS will require an Apple/Google account to function (opencode.de)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47644406

RE: https://mastodon.social/@fschaap/116317397018822940

Goed dat ze het hardop zeggen, want dit is inderdaad het overheidsbeleid over big tech. "Accepteren".

The #DigitalCommons European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (#EDIC) is taking shape with more countries joining, a newly appointed Director, and its first projects — including a pilot for a European #SovereignTechFund.

Congratulations to Laurent Rojey on his appointment as Director of the DC EDIC. His appointment was unanimously approved by the General Assembly of the founding Member States.

1/4

Trying to pull everything together. And with even some optimistic undertones.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/magazine/iran-war-energy-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WVA.Wpha.cVHpK_itlk9x&smid=url-share