Flutterby™!: Topic : California Culture

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Entry: 2025-05-01 00:12:13.722507+02 I'm sorry, Dave by Dan Lyke comments 0

Wow, the meme is in the air: Æ. @aesthr@wandering.shop

It is the year 2025 and “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” would actually be a pretty certain indicator that you’re talking to a human because an LLM would instead tell you that a bay is a body of water and therefore doesn’t have doors, although sometimes a pod of dolphins could be in it.

[ related topics: California Culture Marketing Archival ]

Entry: 2025-04-28 20:24:19.197434+02 Aldrich Ames by Dan Lyke comments 0

BBC: How Aldrich Ames became the US's most damaging double agent.

So far. I have suspicions about the history that'll be written about this era.

[ related topics: Sociology Monty Python California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-04-27 20:30:01.828205+02 North Bay Python enjoying by Dan Lyke comments 0

North Bay Python, enjoying @glyph@mastodon.social's comparison of Python to excavators, and making Python smaller and simplar, and running over a good half of the reason why I've felt like every time I started a project in Python I've regretted not using C++ (the other half involves compile-time type checking).

#NBPy

[ related topics: Monty Python California Culture Sports Python ]

Entry: 2025-04-27 18:10:02.066971+02 "Glandweed" by Dan Lyke comments 0

"Glandweed", huh? Pretty among the lupines, though, along the road over the hill at Ries Ranch, where North Bay Python is held. #NBPy

[ related topics: Photography Monty Python California Culture Python ]

Entry: 2025-04-26 23:35:02.759803+02 North Bay Python by Dan Lyke comments 0

North Bay Python: Maddy Muscari talking about ethics washing in AI, "real ethics is praxis, it's loud, it's messy, it's people first". So far this feels in-line with my belief that we need to be framing AI primarily in adversarial terms. #NBPy

Entry: 2025-04-26 20:15:02.641458+02 North Bay Python by Dan Lyke comments 0

North Bay Python: Watching @amethyst@n7.gg shoehorn Perl idioms into Python with decorators is making me wish we had more fun languages that thought better about performance while balancing what with safety. #NBPy

Entry: 2025-04-26 19:55:02.99415+02 I care about what happens to people by Dan Lyke comments 0

"I care about what happens to people when computers happen to them." —Adrianna Tan @skinnylatte@hachyderm.io at North Bay Python #NBPy

[ related topics: Monty Python California Culture Python ]

Entry: 2025-04-26 19:55:02.724888+02 At North Bay Python listening to by Dan Lyke comments 0

At North Bay Python listening to @skinnylatte@hachyderm.io talk about Fintech to fin tech, and the comparison of the current Silicon Valley environment to the the sardine over-fishing of the Monterey Bay gives me hope. #NBPy

Entry: 2025-04-26 18:55:02.846192+02 Ended up driving the 3 miles to North by Dan Lyke comments 0

Ended up driving the 3 miles to North Bay Python this morning because of logistics, but wasn't sure where to park so walking over the hill, and glad to get the morning with lupine. #NBPy

[ related topics: Photography Monty Python California Culture Python ]

Entry: 2025-04-15 22:30:02.782887+02 While I'm noting things for posterity by Dan Lyke comments 0

While I'm noting things for posterity, Charlene and I had coffee this morning with Dan Zack, talking about Fresno's transformation and urban planning generally. https://zackurban.com/

[ related topics: California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-04-15 22:20:02.750896+02 High speed rail is coming to the by Dan Lyke comments 2

High speed rail is coming to the Central Valley...

[ related topics: Photography California Culture Trains ]

Entry: 2025-04-15 21:10:03.64693+02 My earlier whine about how California by Dan Lyke comments 0

My earlier whine about how California needs an order of magnitude more charging stations didn't take into account municipal vehicles blocking chargers.

[ related topics: Photography California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-04-14 21:25:03.325561+02 Hanging out in Fresno with Charlene's by Dan Lyke comments 0

Hanging out in Fresno with Charlene's developmentally disabled brother, and the ways that he says things that we're never sure if it's perceptive or nonsense, and the way when we ask for clarifying information he says "yeah" and then comes out with a non sequitur reminds me of LLM output.

Entry: 2025-04-13 23:25:02.779896+02 Three weeks ago by Dan Lyke comments 0

Three weeks ago, California announced that it has more electric charging stations than gas station nozzles. So if one in three of those work, half of those are compatible with your car, and you can work out payment for 2/3 of the remainder, we've only got an order of magnitude left to go.

Entry: 2025-04-10 17:40:06.905423+02 Perception vs Reality on AI by Dan Lyke comments 0

AI coding mandates are driving developers to the brink

Almost half of C-suite executives said in a recent survey that AI adoption is “tearing their company apart” as a rift emerges between leadership and the employees adopting such tools.

While 75% of company leaders thought their AI rollout over the past 12 months has been successful, only 45% of employees said the same.

Via @jaredwhite@indieweb.social.

Entry: 2025-04-10 01:23:25.18819+02 Pushing back on Shen Yun by Dan Lyke comments 0

Good for her: Boston City Council was all set to honor a controversial Chinese dance troupe; then one councilor objected

Councilor Sharon Durkan (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Mission Hill) brought the process to a halt today when she objected to a motion by Councilor Erin Murphy (at large) to have the council issue a proclamation honoring Shen Yun Performing Arts, a troupe that is not based here but which does perform here.

[ related topics: California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-04-09 20:51:12.76523+02 fake drug tests by Dan Lyke comments 0

Quest Diagnostics drug tests in California prisons yielded false positives, affecting thousands of people

A data analysis by UnCommon Law suggests there could have been more than 5,000 false positives, which could include multiple tests for the same person. The figure is a rough estimate based on the total number of tests from April through July and assuming the positivity rate would’ve stayed consistent if the reagent hadn’t changed.

Entry: 2025-04-09 17:20:46.389017+02 India's recycled laptops by Dan Lyke comments 0

The Verge: The rise of ‘Frankenstein’ laptops in New Delhi’s repair markets — India’s repair culture gives new life to dead tech.

“We literally make them out of scrap! We also take in second-hand laptops and e-waste from countries like Dubai and China, fix them up, and sell them at half the price of a new one,” he explains.

Entry: 2025-04-06 20:45:03.441891+02 Had someone talking with me about by Dan Lyke comments 0

Had someone talking with me about calling a dance down in the South Bay in June ask for video of me square dance calling, so I propped up my phone behind me on Thursday Night at the Circle 'n Squares. Ain't much, but it's there. https://www.youtube.com/playli...tMVX2ASLE4owB26dBqyZqAe9vpdWjqEY

[ related topics: California Culture Video ]

Entry: 2025-03-28 00:25:13.087102+01 CA Penal Code Part 4 Title 5 by Dan Lyke comments 1

Jess Huang: How a well-intended California domestic violence law results in victims being arrested

Under the California Penal Code, officers must make an arrest in domestic violence cases when they determine probable cause. Enacted in 1986, this specific provision was meant to protect victims.

The problem? The law assumes officers are trained to identify the dominant aggressor, but research shows that training gaps and the code’s mandatory arrest provision often pressures them into rushed, surface-level decisions. Experts say this creates too much room for error.

[ related topics: Law Television California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-03-26 21:30:02.19225+01 Guerilla bus stop bench by Dan Lyke comments 0

Guerilla bus stop bench deployments...

https://www.sfgate.com/local/a...us-benches-bay-area-20234113.php

[ related topics: California Culture Public Transportation ]

Entry: 2025-03-26 00:05:02.353196+01 Coming up on 3 decades in Northern by Dan Lyke comments 0

Coming up on 3 decades in Northern California, "NLP" means "Neuro-linguistic programming", not "Natural Language Processing/Parsing".

[ related topics: Software Engineering California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-03-24 15:39:59.280479+01 23 and everybody by Dan Lyke comments 0

If you happened to have snitched on your family, now is a good time to try to undo some of the damage: California Attorney General Rob Bonta urgenly issues consumer alert for 23 And Me customers.

The California-based company has publicly reported that it is in financial distress and stated in securities filings that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Due to the trove of sensitive consumer data 23andMe has amassed, Attorney General Bonta reminds Californians of their right to direct the deletion of their genetic data under the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) and California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). Californians who want to invoke these rights can do so by going to 23andMe's website.

Valerie Aurora 🇺🇦 @vaurora@mstdn.social

If you are trying to delete your 23andMe data and get an obnoxious reply asking for ID, tell them no, that's what your password is for, and they will do it. And if they then send you an obnoxious reply saying they will delete everything except the stuff they are required to keep by law, check out this article by actual lawyer @AugustB

Law Office of August Bournique — Data, 23 and me

Edit: And, there it is: 23andMe Files for Bankruptcy, as CEO Anne Wojcicki Resigns

Entry: 2025-03-21 16:39:13.911508+01 Raw Ricci Wynne by Dan Lyke comments 0

I'm not sure I need to be noting every MAGAt busted for sex abuse, but it seems like we've got a cluster of 'em recently, and this asshole made his popularity through particularly heinous means to start with: MAGA Influencer And Fox News Guest "Raw" Ricci Wynne Indicted On Child Sex Abuse Charges

The influencer was already being investigated by San Francisco police at the time of his November arrest and was named a suspect in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old, according to The San Francisco Standard. Authorities say they found evidence on Wynne’s cellphones and at his luxury apartment that indicated he was facilitating a sex work operation that spanned multiple cities.

Wynne pleaded not guilty to those charges, according to the</span> San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

On Tuesday, however, a federal grand jury indicted Wynne on two counts of producing child pornography, according to an indictment obtained by HuffPost.

Entry: 2025-03-14 22:32:25.078892+01 killing with impunity by Dan Lyke comments 0

Fixing this means huge social change: After crash kills Washington Middle School student, parents seek answers

Investigators said a 51-year-old woman failed to place her GMC Acadia in park and got out of the SUV, which rolled about 75 yards downhill and struck Arsema shortly before 12:30 p.m. Police have not publicly identified and did not arrest the woman, who two drug recognition experts determined was not impaired.</blockuote>

It's not like punishment changes things, it's a good bet that woman won't ever leave a car out of "park" again. But we have a culture that encourages casual automobile use in a way that every one of us could see making the same mistake.

On the other hand, dismissing this as "an accident" does nothing to change the culture so that we start taking responsibility for wielding deadly weapons in our neighborhoods.

Via, From.

Entry: 2025-03-12 16:39:10.992978+01 Maybe mechanical door latches are a good idea? by Dan Lyke comments 0

Testimony Reveals Doors Would Not Open on Cybertruck That Caught Fire in Piedmont, Killing Three

Roirdan said that when he approached the burning vehicle, and tried to open the doors, they would not open. He said he “pulled for a few seconds, but nothing budged at all.” He also said “I then tried the button on the windshield of [survivor Jordan Miller’s] door, then [victim Krysta Tsukahara’s] door.”

He said he then pounded the windows with his fists, which did not work, and then struck the windows with a thick tree branch around a dozen times until he was able to crack and dislodge a passenger-side window. That was how he was able to pull Jordan Miller out of the vehicle.

Subscriber only: East Bay Times: Witness who rescued teenager recounted details of fatal Piedmont Cybertruck crash to authorities

Via, which also links to this incident with one of the other models in which 4 people were killed:

Harper told CBC News and the Toronto Star that when he came upon the crash, there were others already gathered outside the vehicle who were pounding at the back passenger window as they couldn’t open the doors. He recalled to CBC News, "Then somebody was yelling, 'You got a bar? You got a bar? Somebody's in there.' "

Entry: 2025-03-11 18:31:06.548482+01 Katie Porter for California governor by Dan Lyke comments 0

Hell yeah, let's go: Katie Porter enters race for California governor

[ related topics: Politics Beer California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-03-10 03:25:04.848399+01 Bacon wrapped asparagus by Dan Lyke comments 0

Bacon wrapped asparagus, and avocado(!)

[ related topics: Photography California Culture Food - Bacon ]

Entry: 2025-03-05 17:44:15.148849+01 Gladiator fights at Juvenile detention facility by Dan Lyke comments 0

Thirty Probation Officers Accused of Facilitating Gladiator Fights At LA County Juvenile Detention Facility

According to AP, a grand jury indictment alleges that at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles County between July 2023 and December 2023, nearly 70 fights took place between 140 victims who were ages 12 to 18 years old, which officers allowed, and even encouraged, to happen.

LAist reports that the indictment includes 71 counts against the officers, most of which are for child abuse or child endangerment with aggravating factors, including the "vulnerability of the victims and the officer’s position of trust or confidence, which helped enable them to commit the offense."

[ related topics: Law Current Events Law Enforcement California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-03-03 20:30:49.255445+01 on pilot error by Dan Lyke comments 0

Two from AVWeb this morning:

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy say pilots whose errors result in incidents should have their certificates pulled.

And a follow-up, in which Russ Niles talks about how we deal with language and Transportation Secretaries without aviation experience One Strike And You’re Out?

And once again, I'm gonna solidly recommend Sidney Dekker's The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error, and point out that though we come from a culture that likes to view punishment as a mechanism for changing human behavior, that Flexjet Challenger 350 crew that did the runway incursion in front of the Southwest flight are probably now the least likely pilots to ever do that again...

Entry: 2025-02-26 16:41:09.159744+01 Opposing AB1178 by Dan Lyke comments 0

Dear Damon Connolly

I'm writing to oppose the recently introduced Assembly Bill 1178. California already has a problem with bad police officers being unaccountable to the public, moving from department to department. Making it even harder to figure out who the bad cops are, and keep our police departments accountable and upstanding, undermines law enforcement and belief in the justice system.

We need to be working to make law enforcement more transparent and more accountable, not less.

Entry: 2025-02-25 00:59:24.545606+01 Sky Daddy by Dan Lyke comments 0

Objectophilia is hitting the mainstream via Random House: ‘Sky Daddy’ Takes Airplane Fetishization to New Heights

I'm intrigued, though with cash flow being what it is, and culture being what it is, I think I'd rather get further ahead of the trend with Tinglers.

Entry: 2025-02-24 22:48:15.061465+01 Half of Santa Rosa is missing by Dan Lyke comments 0

Saw a meme recently about how US cities weren't built for the car, they were destroyed for the car. And I often think "but California was mostly built up post WWII", and then there are reminders, like this, that even cities like Santa Rosa were destroyed for the car.

Might make a fun afternoon to map out the parking lots and 1 story bank buildings in Petaluma that sit on the sites of once grander multi-story buildings.

SR YIMBY: Half of Santa Rosa is missing.

Entry: 2025-02-20 21:54:10.080367+01 Trump & California water by Dan Lyke comments 0

CBS puts the gentlest spin on idiocy wasting California water reserves: Why the water Trump ordered released in California won't help Los Angeles firefighting

Mr. Trump had claimed that California withheld water supplies that could have made a difference in fighting the flames. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials disputed those claims.

Now, the water released from dams at Lake Kaweah and Lake Success is rushing into a dry lakebed in the Central Valley, where experts say it can't flow to Southern California and will likely go to waste.

Entry: 2025-02-15 01:07:11.892631+01 DOGE news OTD by Dan Lyke comments 0

In San Francisco, Men claiming to be DOGE enter City Hall and demand records on wasteful spending, fraud

“City Hall Building Management has received multiple reports of individuals entering public and private specs in City Hall through unlocked doors, while [filming] their interactions,” the manager wrote. “The individuals told occupants they are from the Department of Government Accountability and that they want to insert flash drives to download evidence of corruption. They did not present a judicial warrant, and therefore, had no authority to access computers or non public spaces.”

Elon Musk’s DOGE Posts Classified Data On Its New Website (Same content on Huffington Post)

But an easy search shows that DOGE’s database provides details on the National Reconnaissance Office, the federal agency that designs, builds and maintains U.S. intelligence satellites. Not only are NRO’s budgets and head counts classified, but the prospect of Musk’s tech team meddling in sensitive personnel information is setting off alarms for some in the intelligence community.

It's here, currently claiming 1,097 Headcount and a $165.9M total wages.

Interestingly, the About NRO page at Intelligence Careers dot gov says:

We're a hybrid organization of 3,000 personnel from the Intelligence Community, members of the armed services and Department of Defense civilian personnel.

Entry: 2025-02-08 01:35:03.635646+01 I don't know what the legal impediments by Dan Lyke comments 2

I don't know what the legal impediments are to municipalities buying out the PG&E lines and running their own electrical grid, I know Healdsburg has done it since before PG&E, but seems like something all California cities, including Petaluma, should consider.

https://kevin.burke.dev/kevin/norcal-cities-new-utility/

[ related topics: Invention and Design Law California Culture Sports ]

Entry: 2025-01-30 16:51:15.263402+01 California investigating OpenAI by Dan Lyke comments 0

Cal Matters: California is investigating OpenAI’s conversion to a for-profit company

In a letter sent to the ChatGPT maker Dec. 6, deputy attorney general Christopher Lamerdin cited clauses in OpenAI’s articles of incorporation under which “OpenAI’s assets are irrevocably dedicated to its charitable purpose,” as Lamerdin put it, as well as the office’s “responsibility to protect assets held in charitable trust.” In addition to asking about asset transfers, it sought information on OpenAI’s restructuring plan and the value of its assets.

[ related topics: Law California Culture Economics ]

Entry: 2025-01-30 05:54:53.966894+01 California AG warns AI companies by Dan Lyke comments 0

Attorney General Rob Bonta rocks: California’s AG Tells AI Companies Practically Everything They’re Doing Might Be Illegal

On January 13th, California AG Rob Bonta issued two legal advisories that illustrate all of the myriad areas where the AI industry could be getting itself into trouble. “The AGO encourages the responsible use of AI in ways that are safe, ethical, and consistent with human dignity,” the advisory says. “For AI systems to achieve their positive potential without doing harm, they must be developed and used ethically and legally,” it continues, before dovetailing into the many ways in which AI companies could, potentially, be breaking the law.

Entry: 2025-01-23 05:33:29.025205+01 Fake daylighting in San Francisco by Dan Lyke comments 0

Oooh, I hadn't thought about using the new California curb daylighting law to sneak in excess red curbs while corners are getting cleared...

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf...king-law-fake-curbs-20050123.php

[ related topics: Invention and Design Bay Area California Culture ]

Entry: 2025-01-20 17:43:33.468896+01 California abandoning diesel phase-out by Dan Lyke comments 0

Fuck. California abandons diesel truck ban and 3 other clean-air rules before Trump is sworn in

California drops zero-emission truck rules after inaction by Biden's EPA

We had such hopes.

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