Josias @josias@theres.life

Proprietary software tends to manipulate. I notice this whenever I am forced to enter that world. The user is controlled to the purposes of the entity behind the program.

This needs to end. We need complete control over our own computing. Otherwise we surrender the right to have any say in our interactions with the digital world.

Unfortunately, many people don't mind being controlled, as long as they are convinced it somehow serves their goals, or they are ignorant of the oppression.

When they are told of the problems, most don't want to believe it, so don't.

Critical thinking and self-discipline are vital to avoid being pushed around by those set out to control you for their own interests.

There's a problem with a website I'm on. So I think: "I'll just wait. The sysadmin will fix it soon. They know exactly what they are doing. This is just a temporary inconvenience."

Until I remember I'm that sysadmin.

Many arguments from opposing sides are very thought-provoking once you get past trying to refute it at all costs.

I never wanted There's Life to be a political or even religious instance. But rather a place where we discuss God, His teachings, and how they apply to our lives. In the end, what else matters?

We (as humans) often look to affirm various ideas we hold, reasonably justified or not, with nonsensical arguments and bad logic.

When we see something that doesn't look quite right, yet validates our beliefs, we all too often accept it, ignoring reason. We want validation. We want to be understood and to have others share our convictions.

We do this repeatedly, and we gradually become more ignorant about opposing views. We call other people fools and yet our own arguments are just as foolish.

We are never right. We never completely understand our world, our lives, or other people. We are always learning. Don't hinder that.

Never put convictions over sound logic or beliefs over pursuing truth.

Is it unwise to invent new words for the name of a new company, website, or project?

I have a habit of coming up with names by manipulating Greek words until I get something unique.

#AskFedi

Sorry, this is a popular misquote of C.S. Lewis. I just realized that.

Here's the context of the quote. He was actually *disagreeing* with the point.

> Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing, not a misery, it must be for the only Beloved who will never pass away.Of course this is excellent sense. Don't put your goods in a leaky vessel. Don't spend too much on a house you may be turned out of. And there is no man alive who responds more naturally than I to such canny maxims. I am a safety-first creature. Of all arguments against love none makes so strong an appeal to my nature as "Careful! This might lead you to suffering". To my nature, my temperament, yes. Not to my conscience. When I respond to that appeal I seem to myself to be a thousand miles away from Christ. If I am sure of anything I am sure that His teaching was never meant to confirm my congenital preference for safe investments and limited liabilities.

https://www.samizdat.qc.ca/cosmos/philo/PDFs/4Loves_CSL.pdf

"Don't let your happiness depend on something you may lose."

C.S. Lewis

#quote

Good evening or #tzag! How are you all doing today?

I am now using a Lenovo Thinkpad T400 (2008) as my daily driver.

Vaccine passports worry me. Not because I'm afraid to get vaccinated or against the idea, but because of the implications for privacy and bodily autonomy.

I won't say much more because my explanation won't do this position justice, but the EFF has written some explanations with some very real examples of how they can and will go wrong.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/04/no-digital-vaccine-bouncers

#vaccine

We don't know about each other unless we interact. So feel free to reply, favorite, and boost . 🙂

Mastodon is changing "toots" back to "posts".

https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon/pull/16080

“Violence never really deals with the basic evil of the situation. Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesn’t murder murder. Violence may murder the liar, but it doesn’t murder lie; it doesn’t establish truth. Violence may even murder the dishonest man, but it doesn’t murder dishonesty. Violence may go to the point of murdering the hater, but it doesn’t murder hate. It may increase hate. It is always a descending spiral leading nowhere. This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn’t solve any problems.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

#quotes #MLK #nonviolence

Interesting observation: @jesus now has 12 followers.

@life @josias @masterofthetiger @joerebelloharley @GenesiX @zudn @ChiaChatter @rose_myrtle @beholder @devinprater @jonathanccast @Aslanmane

We will be reading and discussing John chapter 6 in about one hour. 19h UTC, or 12h PST.

Anyone is welcome to participate, as always.

Simply click this link to attend:
https://meet.jit.si/FediverseBibleStudy

#FediverseBibleStudy

Tomorrow at 19h UTC, as with every other Saturday, we will be studying the Bible. This week we will be reading and discussing John chapter 6.

Anyone will be able to join.

I will post another reminder an hour before it starts.

It will take place on Jitsi at:
https://meet.jit.si/FediverseBibleStudy

The problem: I turn up sound to play something that is quiet, and then have to turn it down for something loud (like music). If I forget, I end up with it blaring extremely loudly.

The Zig programming language is pretty cool. It aims to be simpler, faster, and safer than C.

https://ziglang.org

It's metaprogramming with `comptime` is amazing.

Fellow programmers, check it out.

#zig #programming

Is there a program for Linux that warns you when your headphones are too loud before playing audio?

I'm going to ruin my ears if I accidentally blare music again.

#AskFediverse #AskFedi