The Art Of Not Asking Why

With Memorial Day around the corner, work should be slow enough to allow me to explore ComfyUI. This is a good time to visit image creation in AI if you’re curious about Stable Diffusion. No big tech involved, just a cup of coffee and a bunch of hungry brain cells.

After three weeks of using Kagi, it’s growing on me. It took a while to figure out how: I’m searching the web directly more than I used to.

With DDG, searching would be one of the tabs. I’d often open other tabs automatically, like a dictionary tab, Reddit and Wikipedia. With Kagi, I’m not doing that because there is no need.

Another big difference is how they use AI in Kagi. Here’s a picture to illustrate:

The search ends with a question mark, which is how I ask for AI to show. No question mark, no AI. Simple. That idea of initial consent like that before shoving AI in your face (looking at you, Microsoft!) already makes all the difference.

Then, the AI lists the sources it uses, and not only that, it offers links to those. A quick scan tells me if something in the sources doesn’t make sense (for example, if I search for something debatable and Twit-Ex shows up as a source). To me, that’s a responsible use of AI.

Kagi’s shortcuts and bangs also grow on me slowly. If I want to go to the website instead of searching about that website, all I need to do is start the search with an exclamation point, like “!twitter”. If I want to read a full-length Wikipedia article about something, I can type in “!w twitter”. Image results are also better than those of DDG, especially with the filters.

I keep discovering value in Kagi, and even though it feels a bit on the expensive side to me, for now it’s worth it.

Helicopter overhead from 6 in the morning, waking me up after 4.5 hours of sleeping, I was watching this YouTube video closed in my room to avoid the potent weed smell from the stairwell flooding my kitchen. Guy got points:

youtu.be/lKBfFOLFC…

You know, I think Recall might be an excellent tool to get more people to take their privacy seriously.

I don’t think I could come up with a better argument than recall in a hundred years.

I think going back to Google Photos is a good idea.

My Synology is slowly running out of space, and one of the things that take a lot of space are the photos and video - most are from my phones, but I also store the RAW files from the camera. Things add up quickly over the years, and I’m almost at 50GB of storage between all of these. Since the Synology is also used for backups for two computers and a storage of movies and shows, I’m already at 80% capacity.

But there are other reasons for choosing Google Photos.

My photos in Google’s storage date back to over 10 years ago. There’s a big gap starting around 2019, when I stopped using it in favor of the Synology. Going back to now is familiar and easy. I’ve been paying for extra space I’m already paying for two years since Google Drive is the only place my father (who lives in Israel) is comfortable using to exchange files and videos with me. That’s how we keep in touch; we send a recording to each other every couple of weeks.

My father is not the only one who uses Google Photos. In fact, this is one of the only apps (or only app?) my family, friends, and I all share in common (to compare, my communications are split between Signal, WhatsApp, and iOS Messages). It’s easy and quick to share photos through Google because everyone has an account there. My less techy family members get easily lost on social platforms, let alone an aging Synology service that requires a separate user name and password. I always resort to sending them photos through WhatsApp. Sure, I could try to play around with OwnCloud or similar, but it will be left unused as they will refuse to use it and take more resources from the already full Synology.

Then there are also the nice features that come with the service: best photos and videos are selected automatically, shared albums on the fly, and, of course, the built-in search with facial recognition. Google Photos also comes with tools that help me delete photos and videos I don’t need, like screenshots or blurry images.

Many don’t like the idea of Google scanning their faces and feeding it to its AI and/or other entities, but these days, this is a moot point. Everyone is scanning photos. If not a service you already use, then local and federal governments, your workplace software, and more. There’s no way around that. Besides, most of my friends and family are on Instagram anyway, which is probably even worse. Meanwhile, I enjoy typing “Bridge in Italy” into Google Photos and getting exactly what I am looking for. Synology’s search (which also uses some AI implantation) is slow and inaccurate.

I understand that Google might close my account one day (they already did in the past), and my photos will be gone, so I’m saving what’s important to me elsewhere. In fact, Jack just mentioned how he prefers to print his photos and taught his daughter to do the same, and Patrick said that paper is a more relaible way of saving things. I agree, and I do have some of my favorite photos printed around me, but most of the photos in Google Photos are noise. It is not bad noise, just life noise, stuff from every day. The photos I want to save will still go to the Synology and to my blog, or my blog and then Synology (I back up my blog every month with photos included), so I think I’m doing OK in that department.

Everyone’s eyeing the next iPad or looking forward to WWDC 2024, but you should do yourself a favor: go get yourself a cheap new-old phone instead.

Walk into a Best Buy or any carrier store, and you can probably find an Android phone for under $300 with a pay-as-you-use plan. This phone doesn’t need to be flashy or capable. It just needs to run the latest Android version. While at it, try to buy it in cash if you can. Don’t give away your credit card.

Then, at home, use your brand new number to register a new Google account, complete with a Google Voice number and a Gmail address.

You’re going to use it for all those pesty apps that you check once a month because you have to, not because you want to. Use it for dating apps, which are an increasing privacy nightmare, or as a remote control for YouTube and Netflix. Use it to add temporary contacts, like the laundry machine repair guy or that favorite restaurant you have to call because they mess up your order on Grubhub. Oh, and while at it, use it for Grubhub too.

Put this phone away in an accessible drawer and put it in a bulky and obnoxious case so you can find it in the dark and not get tempted to carry it with you. Only use it at home, and use it on a guest WiFi if you can set one up. Save up your minutes.

This phone is going to become your junk stuff phone. This is the phone you can turn off because besides calls in Mandarin about some Chase account you’ve never heard about and your laundry technician butt-calling you from another job, no one will ever call you there.

After a couple of months with this spam honeypot, you’d wonder how you lived without one before.

I’m four days too late for this. You gave up your right to Discord to court if you, rather you know it or not:

Discord wants to void your right to sue them in court — but you can opt out of the practice

Based on what’s now laid out in the TOS, any disputes between a user and Discord will be handled privately, in meetings with the company. If those meetings fail, the dispute goes to arbitration. This process is private, which means the public has no way to review the evidence or results, it’s expensive, and there’s no guaranteed right to an appeal process. Whatever the arbiter decides, is the end of it. The process almost objectively privileges companies, which have a lot of power and resources, over individuals.

Yesterday I attended my second Micro Camp. If you don’t know what Micro Camp is, I forgive you. Actually, in its own way, that’s a good thing. It’s like a small get-together with a couple of friends and neighbors you know in your backyard for a little BBQ, not a big block party kind of thing. There are too many block parties on the web already.

Compared to last year’s camp, this year’s camp was smaller and quieter but still contained the same unique energy that makes me feel it really is one of those special places on the web: “a virtual gathering of the Micro.blog community to share knowledge and make new connections,” as the official description goes.

If I zoom out and look at my blogging journey, I can see that Micro.blog took my blogging to the next stage. I’m not saying “better” because it’s not about that. Better conveys quality and an improvement on the previous form, and while I believe that’s true in general, I feel it’s more about being in another stage in life, having a different perspective, and looking at things a bit differently. In order to see things differently, I needed to try different things, and this is where Micro.blog excels.

When I wanted to take more photos, Micro.blog was there with its photos plugins and community photo challenges. When I was toying around with the idea of recording what I do on the blog, Micro.blog offered podcasting. When I recently wanted to re-design my blog and customize its parts, Mico.blog introduced me to Matt Langford and his Tiny Theme. And yet, I’m not done. The camp introduced me to new things I hadn’t considered before, which are now cooking in my head.

The reason Micro.blog is so good at developing and adjusting is because it puts people at its core. The technology is there, yes, and as a whole, it’s pretty unique (though it’s built on well-known tools), but it’s that backyard BBQ that makes it truly yours, a place you really like and care about.

And that’s also what worries me about Micro.blog.

I’ve long learned that anything good on the web grows out of its goodness. Small companies are eaten, good ideas are stolen, and people you trust are bought or step down. I know this is inevitable, and I know this is coming; it’s only a matter of time. Micro.blog is strong and (as far as I know) does not face any financial hardships or any other immediate problems, but the clock’s ticking.

The best insurance Micro.blog offers is its exporting features. It’s easy to export your stuff out of Micro.blog and save everything, whether for yourself or in order to go somewhere else. This doesn’t replace Micro.blog, but at least I know my stuff will move with me whenever and wherever I go to a new home when the time comes. The knowledge I gained from the community will aid me in building that new home when I need to.

Still, there’s something missing. While Micro.blog has its community guidelines in place, it does not have a clear direction. Given the nature of this unique place, it makes sense: this is not the place for a mission statement or some goal, for the same reasons that make it good at what it is. But when you go on a journey, it’s good to have a map, and when you feel safe and secure, it’s a good time to start thinking of the what-ifs. I’m just sayin', you know? I worry because you tend to worry about things you care about.

It’s always nice to stumble upon a unique refreshing perspective, but it’s even better to find it when you don’t know you’ve been looking for it.

Thanks, @patrickrhone for this talk. This is inspiring and also good timing. And thank you @jean for posting the link in chat today!

Micro Camp: Patrick Rhone youtube.com

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Great stuff from Cory Doctorow, as always:

Pluralistic: Even if you think AI search could be good, it won’t be good (15 May 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

I’ve been using Kagi, and I like it so far. The more I use it, the more there are things I like. If Kagi builds its excellent search results mostly from Google’s index (because Google is the biggest search index), it means Google can make its search results as good as they used to be, or even better:

Why wouldn’t Google just make its search results better? Rather than building a LLM for the sole purpose of sorting through the garbage Google is either paid or tricked into serving up, why not just stop serving up garbage? We know that’s possible, because other search engines serve really good results by paying for access to Google’s back-end and then filtering the results

…but they won’t:

Making search worse is good for Google. Reducing search quality increases the number of queries, and thus ads, that each user must make to find their answers

and:

If Google can make things worse for searchers without losing their business, it can make more money for itself.

I am not opposed to AI-generated search. I’m opposed to the big tech that runs it. Microsoft’s Copilot sucks (which is maybe why they force it down your throat by default if you use Edge or Bing), and I’m pretty sure Google’s AI search will be the same.

That’s because I’m guessing if you’re a regular reader, you’re probably reading my blog on your favorite RSS reader (speaking of that, did you know I have dedicated RSS feeds for each category? Check out the Archive & Search page to find out how to get those), which is fine of course.

Still, the Newsletter is yet another nice feature that comes with my MB blog. Comes to your inbox every Saturday morning. So, if you’re not an RSS geek or just want to hear from me once a week, check it out. If you register, keep in mind that Gmail (and most other email providers) will put it in your spam folder by default. Make sure you check this folder first after you register, this is where you’ll find your confirmation email.

To register, check toward the bottom of the About page.

As I was reflecting on the weekend and Infected Mushroom concert I went to in my journal, it occurred to me that I would never go without Nyx.

I’m an introverted person who doesn’t go to concerts or almost any “gatherings” of a social nature. It’s not a bad thing or a good thing; it’s just me. It was Nyx who pushed me (though gently) and got the tickets. It was Nyx who had experience with these kinds of events (she insisted on earplugs, for example, which I’m thankful for) and allowed me to “bridge” the lack of experience I felt I had, even if it wasn’t a real thing. And it was Nyx who allowed me to “borrow” her friends, a group of supporting individuals who kept an eye out for me and understood my weird behavior patterns.

The whole thing reminded me of my trip to Italy, which was NK’s idea. They said “let’s go to Italy!” and I didn’t think of it much at the time so I said yes. It was NK’s knowledge and motivation (they travel way more often than I do) that got me going two years ago. A trip? Abroad? Me? Nah. But if NK wants to go, I’d do it for them. OK, and a little bit for me. Actually, it was a wonderful experience for me, too. It just takes time to realize. Italy was amazing, and I’m happy I went. I’m grateful.

Our friends are our enablers. They allow us to extend ourselves and reach out to what we could never (or think we could never) reach out alone. We’re all just thinking about the world in our own little boxes, without outside perspective, until someone comes along with their box of shiny new things to share.

“Link In Bio” is a slow knife - Anil Dash

If Instagram users could post links willy-nilly, they might even be able to connect directly to their users, getting their email addresses or finding other ways to communicate with them. Links represent a threat to closed systems.

This is one of the things I can’t stand about Instagram. I’m forced to use its “stories” and “reels” to link back to my website. It’s not because I want traffic; my content is naturally text and images in post form.

I never got used to Instagram. it’s one of the major social networks I can’t keep up with.

Finally, a good reason I was up all night: Infected Mushroom live from Webster Hall in NYC.

It was a lot of fun with good people to share it with. Events like this that last through the night and into the next day make me feel hopeful about the world. Just a mass of people having a good time.

I haven’t heard of Frank Snepp before, and I should have.

‘Does the CIA Still Do That?’ | naked capitalism

Set assassination aside for the moment. Does the CIA work to influence domestic media, as it did during the Vietnam era? If so, what are its goals? Does it run other domestic operations?

The article includes a recording of an interview with Frank Snepp. Fascinating stuff. The CIA did influence and mislead the media during Vietnam, and it leaves us with the conclusion that it probably still does.

We know the CIA influences the media. We know the NSA has the ability to spy on us and has done just that. We know UFOs are real. We know secret government experiments on its own population are real. I’m not sure if being “crazy” is really all that crazy.

Movies 🍿 to watch again:

• Wag the Dog
• Conspiracy Theory
• Enemy of the State

My sleeping issues returned in full force this week. With my Apple Watch, it looks pretty depressing.

As you can see in the graph, I’ve been waking up at night since Tuesday, then trying to squeeze in some more sleep before work in the mornings. Even then, it’s rare that I get 6 hours of sleep. Unlike what it shows, I don’t spend the orange areas (awake times) in bed. I use this time to work on low-key projects or play relaxing games.

Today has been finally somewhat “better” (5 hours and 5 minutes), but I’ll probably crash hard in the afternoon.

As a result of all this, I’ve been posting much less, which sucks. I’ve been enjoying working on my blog last week, and there’s been a peak in my postings and messing about. Eeehhhrrrmmph.