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etc

@etchachan

Like the loch. Formerly https://cohost.org/etc . I don't know how much I'll actually be using this. They/them. Slowly constructing a site at https://zawn.dev/ where longer posts will hopefully end up.

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11.09.2024
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Latest posts by etc @etchachan

Market garden? Confusing in either case.

12.03.2026 16:16 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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If we could just raise sea levels by 150 meters we get a backup Strait of Hormuz

12.03.2026 12:25 πŸ‘ 4477 πŸ” 894 πŸ’¬ 153 πŸ“Œ 189

and that, right there, is how i think about genAI: not so much about the slop it extrudes, not even exactly about the harm to the people plagiarized from to make it, but that it's a trap for people with questions. an intellectual tar baby. a Screwfly Solution for communication instead of sex.

11.03.2026 15:23 πŸ‘ 53 πŸ” 17 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

I want this lenticular card.
(Paris Fashion Week x Anrealage x Ghost In The Shell)

10.03.2026 15:47 πŸ‘ 600 πŸ” 148 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 8
Incredible Farming Monorail in China β€” How Farmers Move Crops on Steep Mountains
Incredible Farming Monorail in China β€” How Farmers Move Crops on Steep Mountains YouTube video by Fun Mind

I like these.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=YAgZ...

10.03.2026 12:53 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

the next available in-sequence X-plane designation was X-69! you absolute cowards!

09.03.2026 18:24 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The internet, on scientists: They're secretive gatekeepers, they hoard esoterica/the truth, they don't want anyone in their ivory tower little clubs

Actual scientists: LOOK, WE FOUND A 300 MILLION YEAR OLD FOSSILIZED CLOACCAL IMPRESSION AND THE VENT IS HORIZONTAL! PLZ READ MY 67-PAGE PAPER ABOUT IT

09.03.2026 04:42 πŸ‘ 1166 πŸ” 359 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

@gufferdk@ohai.social on mastodon informs me that the lichen is probably Xanthoria parietina, which I’d considered (as it has the right shape) and rejected as photos of xanthorias tend to be orangey-red… it turns out that species can in fact be quite green at times.

08.03.2026 17:33 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A thin twig of hawthorn, densely encrusted with a bright yellow-green lichen that is fruiting vigorously and is covered in little cup-shaped apothecia.

A few small brightly red-pink coloured buds of the tree are poking through the layer of lichen.

A thin twig of hawthorn, densely encrusted with a bright yellow-green lichen that is fruiting vigorously and is covered in little cup-shaped apothecia. A few small brightly red-pink coloured buds of the tree are poking through the layer of lichen.

Lichen cups and hawthorn buds. I don’t know what species the lichen is.

#lichensubscribe

08.03.2026 16:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Several fruiting bodies of an auricularia fungus on a rotten bit of tree branch. The two largest have a very ear-like shape, have a soft and squidgy texture and an orangey-browny-pinky colour that’s slightly translucent. The older bodies are thinner are darker and veinier.

Several fruiting bodies of an auricularia fungus on a rotten bit of tree branch. The two largest have a very ear-like shape, have a soft and squidgy texture and an orangey-browny-pinky colour that’s slightly translucent. The older bodies are thinner are darker and veinier.

Some Auricularia auricula fungus looking particularly ear-like. The common name was weirdly racist, but apparently they get called jelly ear fungi these days.

I’m told you can eat them, and though the flavour isn’t very interesting the texture is. I’ve never tried.

#mushroomsky #fungi

08.03.2026 16:14 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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07.03.2026 22:37 πŸ‘ 13352 πŸ” 5043 πŸ’¬ 88 πŸ“Œ 246
02.03.2026 17:15 πŸ‘ 615 πŸ” 197 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 2

I wonder when we’ll get age verification for fridges.

06.03.2026 15:36 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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If anyone is friends with any Georgian air traffic controllers, buy them a nice bottle of wine. As guardians of pretty much the only narrow gap still available between Europe and Asia that avoids both Iran, the Gulf, Ukraine and Russia, they are under some substantial pressure.

03.03.2026 14:26 πŸ‘ 3973 πŸ” 1282 πŸ’¬ 71 πŸ“Œ 132
Preview
Newcastle pubs ban AI art from breweries to protect local creatives As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.

"If I was to use ChatGPT for my designs rather than our designer Sean, that's taking money out of the local area into the hands of a multibillionaire ... removing value from the local community and local artists [and] into the hands of some of the richest people in the world."

#AIslop #refuseresist

22.02.2026 10:11 πŸ‘ 4549 πŸ” 1701 πŸ’¬ 15 πŸ“Œ 100

This is a really weird fantasia of Edinburgh (and its geography) as it never was and is *full* to the brim of the sorts of simple yet glaring errors and anachronisms you would never have gotten if you hadn't left it to a computer to just barf out an averagised slop answer.

02.03.2026 11:32 πŸ‘ 330 πŸ” 70 πŸ’¬ 18 πŸ“Œ 2

Weirdly, the etymology of β€œtirade” shows it’s origin kinda meant β€œshoot lots”.

01.03.2026 13:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
North African elephant - Wikipedia

Cos the most suitable ones got wiped out by the romans.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_A...

01.03.2026 09:11 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The talk to your friends app and the witness the horrors app being the same app is not great for the mental health is it

13.02.2026 21:37 πŸ‘ 8356 πŸ” 2424 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 4

This is an actual, genuine The Telegraph article by Allister Heath. It’s not fake.

Is it possible he too is using the Allister Heath Headline generator? πŸ€”

27.02.2026 12:57 πŸ‘ 74 πŸ” 24 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 2
As an ethical Al user, I begin each session by asking the chatbot to give a stolen data acknowledgement. It is an important first step toward justice.

As an ethical Al user, I begin each session by asking the chatbot to give a stolen data acknowledgement. It is an important first step toward justice.

26.02.2026 01:59 πŸ‘ 45 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

β€œGreat Man” theories of history may have been wrong but β€œThat F*ing Guy” theory looks increasingly plausible.

22.02.2026 13:15 πŸ‘ 1902 πŸ” 472 πŸ’¬ 29 πŸ“Œ 17
A photograph of some vertically-oriented stone slabs on the top of a stone wall. The kind and colour of the stone are hard to tell, as all the exposed surfaces are coated in a layer of pale grey lichen, which is in turn covered with warty-looking apothecia, the fruiting bodies which are round and raised up with a pale grey rim and a faintly pinkish and slightly sunken inner.

Some other plants and mosses and lichens fill the deep gaps between the slabs, but they’re mostly out of focus.

A photograph of some vertically-oriented stone slabs on the top of a stone wall. The kind and colour of the stone are hard to tell, as all the exposed surfaces are coated in a layer of pale grey lichen, which is in turn covered with warty-looking apothecia, the fruiting bodies which are round and raised up with a pale grey rim and a faintly pinkish and slightly sunken inner. Some other plants and mosses and lichens fill the deep gaps between the slabs, but they’re mostly out of focus.

Another one that seems like it should be easier to identify… maybe ochrolechia parella? It had thoroughly colonised all of the exposed surfaces of this old stone wall. There are some other species tucked in the gaps… I see some cladonia cups, but that’s as much as I can name.

#lichensubscribe

22.02.2026 15:52 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Hard Wired Island: Second Gig A full-length sourcebook for the Hard Wired Island tabletop RPG.

Hard Wired Island: Second Gig is now on Kickstarter! This is a full expansion for the retrofuture cyberpunk TTRPG, with all kinds of tasty new content. Check it out:

20.02.2026 23:40 πŸ‘ 240 πŸ” 154 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 30
A photograph of a natural fibre rope barrier, wet with rain and encrusted with at least two species of lichen. One kind is a pale bluish green and has tatty papery looking β€œleaves”... the other is more pale green and has a finely branching hairy or fluffy appearance.

A photograph of a natural fibre rope barrier, wet with rain and encrusted with at least two species of lichen. One kind is a pale bluish green and has tatty papery looking β€œleaves”... the other is more pale green and has a finely branching hairy or fluffy appearance.

Things you can see in places with clean air and plenty of rain. Not enough of either where I spend most of my time.

The papery looking lichen might be Platismatia glauca, and I’m guessing the fluffy one is an Usnea but I don’t know what kind.

#lichensubscribe

21.02.2026 12:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

(the secret key still needs to be shared with the vault, so there are a bunch of attacks that still work on it, but it does avoid the most obvious ones)

21.02.2026 12:09 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

without you knowing (eg. via a key logger), whereas the challenge-response keeps the secret key material in the secure element where it is (hopefully) inaccessible.

21.02.2026 12:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Reminds me of ibuttons used for security on bar POS machines. Don’t know if they’re still used. Yubikey has a challenge-response mode which keepassxc can use to secure password vaults… it’s better than spitting out the password on demand, because that lets your password be stolen or mitm’d,

21.02.2026 12:06 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

β€œvarmint yuri paid for the burrito” is an amazing phrase. 500 years of cultural and linguistic diffusion right there.

21.02.2026 10:23 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
An edge on view of some lobes of dogtooth lichen, showing the long and stiff white rhizines underneath which aren’t roots but serve more to hold the thallus in place.

An edge on view of some lobes of dogtooth lichen, showing the long and stiff white rhizines underneath which aren’t roots but serve more to hold the thallus in place.

A view of some more mature lobes of the Iichen that have gone paler and dryer and curled up more and formed round orangey apothecia at the edges which are the fruiting parts of the lichen and will shed spores.

A view of some more mature lobes of the Iichen that have gone paler and dryer and curled up more and formed round orangey apothecia at the edges which are the fruiting parts of the lichen and will shed spores.

A clump of dogtooth lichen overgrowing some moss. The leaf-like lobes are a few centimetres across and dark grey and wrinkled on top, and white and hairy underneath. There are about 10 lobes visible in a broad patch, making it look quite plant-like.

A clump of dogtooth lichen overgrowing some moss. The leaf-like lobes are a few centimetres across and dark grey and wrinkled on top, and white and hairy underneath. There are about 10 lobes visible in a broad patch, making it look quite plant-like.

Here’s an interesting thing… greater dogtooth lichen, or Peltigera membranacea. It is remarkably big and fast growing for a lichen… you can see it overshadowing the moss underneath it here. I had mistaken it for a liverwort, but you can see lichen-like fruiting bodies in photo 2.

#lichensubscribe

20.02.2026 22:04 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0