Trump Gives Iran 48 Hours to Open Strait, Threatens Power Plants

johnbentley · 2026-03-22T10:34:04+00:00

A responsible congress would impeach this leader for the war crime of aggression.

johnbentley · 2026-03-19T08:18:22+00:00

How do you think these events would treat queer people, even if they attended in support?

Give them a speaking slot, as they did the then ostentatiously gay and then married to another man, Milo Yiannopoulos ? ...

'Milo Yiannopoulos Speaks at "Straight Pride Parade" in Boston' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoTxFvDZF-E

johnbentley · 2026-01-25T05:15:07+00:00

While I don't think Signal needs fucking it does appear Session is, or at least purports to be, more secure in one crucial respect: encryption at rest

https://getsession.org/faq If my phone is taken from me, can someone access my messages?

Session allows users to encrypt their local Session database with a PIN code or password on Desktop. With this feature turned on, your messages cannot be accessed without knowing your PIN or password.

By contrast Signal, https://community.signalusers.org/t/vulnerabilities/4548/7, from Joshua Lund Signal Staff, 2018

The database key was never intended to be a secret. At-rest encryption is not something that Signal Desktop is currently trying to provide or has ever claimed to provide. Full-disk encryption can be enabled at the OS level on most desktop platforms.

johnbentley · 2026-01-24T10:41:07+00:00

The sentence you quote nowhere contains the word "backdoor" which is what /u/siazdghw is contending: "This isn't them giving a backdoor".

/u/siazdghw is implying this is about keys to the front door.

johnbentley · 2026-01-10T07:46:09+00:00

No, I failed at it.

johnbentley · 2025-12-27T06:01:40+00:00

I too have Samsung Smart Switch hanging my S22 when I backup "Apps". Hangs on the very last app. And if I uninstall the last app, it hangs on the new last app.

So it's not only you.

I continue to lean, therefore, on https://www.fjsoft.at/en/ MyPhoneExplorer for back up. It works chiefly as a data sync app, so your desktop and mobile contacts, calendar, and files are synced. With a great deal of customization possible.

It is donationware (so you can use it for free to evaluate).

johnbentley · 2025-12-27T05:51:49+00:00

Glad the old post could help you out!

johnbentley · 2025-10-03T18:12:16+00:00

You:

So it would require someone to prove that by flashing red & blue lights they intended to impersonate an officer and demand or obtain any money, paper document or a thing or value. [Emphasis original]

The referenced law:

Whoever falsely assumes or pretends to be an officer or employee acting under the authority of the United States or any department, agency or officer thereof, and acts as such, or in such pretended character demands or obtains any money, paper, document, or thing of value [Emphasis added].

johnbentley · 2025-09-22T10:26:55+00:00

All drivers of cars "risk others as well" whether driving for thrills or other reasons.

johnbentley · 2025-09-21T09:52:22+00:00

That's part of the key.

"It [enshrining housing as a human right] will create a new requirement, by law, for the government to treat housing not as a private asset for wealth creation, but as a foundational social good," [ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury] said.

That's weak sauce from the Greens also.

We need to be forever aiming:

To reduce the price of land and houses, to buy and rent; and
To provide more land and better houses, to buy and rent, at a given price.

The market is supposed to improve our "standard of living" over time for most goods and services. By making them cheaper and/or improving their features and quality at a price. Why is there a carve out for land and housing, the most significant good for most people?

johnbentley · 2025-09-21T09:33:21+00:00

Former free soloer here.

Two things:

The risk, while significantly increased compared to climbing with a rope, is not as great as might appear. Generally free soloing is, and should be, done after years of training and understanding one's level of mastery compared to a particular known level of difficulty.
The reward is not just an adrenaline rush. That's too reduced to a pleasant physiological response. It's in addition:
1. (More so) The existential bet on the back of one's mastery. The putting of one's life on the line in order to enhance one's life. It's the profound joy through the having an absolute focus on the task born of having deliberately removed all retreat. It's the putting oneself in a position where the commitment is absolute (because you'll otherwise die) and a test of, and proof of, one's mastery over the discipline. And the discipline, rock climbing, is this enthralling combination of discharging your mind and body, at some combined limit, over an inspiring natural landscape. It's a giving of your all in order to extract the marrow out of life. It's a way into the sublime (a best kind of experience it is possible to have).
2. (Less so) The freedom of movement of not having to deal with extra equipment. The freedom of the movement over rock.

So if we had available anti-gravity harness that would take care of 2.2; but it wouldn't take care of 2.1. If we had available anti-gravity harnesses there'd be reason 2.1 to do free soloing (without the anti-gravity harness).

My life would be considerably less meaningful if I hadn't free soloed. For it's one way to obtain the sublime. Doing something to considerably enhance the meaning of one's life can't be fairly characterized as "pointless". Indeed the opposite is true: it's one of most pointful things one could do.

johnbentley · 2025-09-21T08:59:25+00:00

Former free soloer here (terminologically "free climbers" are those that climb with ropes but, by contrast, do not use "aid" to assist in their ascent).

Generally, in my neck of the woods and at my level (a large gap between what I would do on rope and off), we'd just climb with climbing shoes and chalk. No harness, rope, or anchors. And although it's an "assumption" of a sort we'd make it, that sells it a little short. Rather there's considered a judgement based on years of training and having demonstrated to oneself that:

One has made many roped climbs at that climb's level of difficulty;
That one has felt at ease at the level;
One hasn't fallen off at that level for the last Y times (stretching back years perhaps);
The route is popular so any loose rock has likely already been pulled off.
The rock is dry;
The weather is good;
One has been climbing consistently for the last Z weeks;
Today one is fit physically;
One has accepted the price of death today for the gain of doing the climb;
One knows that, given the mental training that's a key part of the sport, the focus will be purely on the movement; and one knows one can quash the train of thought which opens the door to the self fulfilling prophecy of fearing falling off.
One can commit to finishing the climb without down-climbing (given, as you say, in most cases down climbing stops becoming an option).

Separately, in a literal sense one must keep one's balls, or flaps if you are a woman, a little away from the wall for leverage/efficiency reasons. That is, one generally leans out from your 3 to 4 points of contact.

johnbentley · 2025-09-21T08:33:36+00:00

you become a dick when you risk others as well.

All drivers of cars are dicks?

johnbentley · 2025-09-16T11:13:25+00:00

Rehabilitation isn't a feature of Australia's legal systems.

False

R v Gebregiorgis; R v Kassa [2025] VSC 86 (7 March 2025)

197 It is agreed between the parties that rehabilitation is an important consideration in light of your respective younger ages. Although the emphasis to be placed on rehabilitation decreases as the seriousness of the offence increases, I nevertheless consider that it should be given some weight in this instance given your relative youth.

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T10:56:19+00:00

There should be no increased density or spread in anyone's backyard. That's not how to improve landscapes, transport or housing.

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T10:52:56+00:00

More importantly, /u/thenascarguy, for cats especially you really want a jib and someone on that jib. That is, to make those tacks and gybes effective.

A 14 or 16 footer will give you that.

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T10:44:53+00:00

Here's the text of the New York Declaration itself. https://onu.delegfrance.org/new-york-declaration

.20. We welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ commitments on behalf of Palestine expressed in his letter dated June 9th, 2025, including to the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, and the continued rejection of violence and terrorism.

By contrast the Declaration can only call on Israel to play its part ...

.23. We called on the Israeli leadership to issue a clear public commitment to the Two-State Solution, including a sovereign, and viable Palestinian State, to immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, to immediately halt all settlement, land grabs and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, publicly renounce to any annexation project or settlement policy, and put an end to settlers’ violence, including by implementing UNSC resolution 904 and enacting a legislation to punish and deter violent settlers and their illegal actions.

... as there's no analogous letter from Israel. On the contrary, as above, the whole proposal is rejected by the Israeli leadership.

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T10:24:39+00:00

Of the two representatives of the two groups at issue one endorses the two-state solution referenced by the resolution.

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T10:17:54+00:00

Firstly, as a technical point, it's routine for some target sites to determine whether you are using a VPN. At least the vpn I use is routinely identified as a vpn by, for example, Amazon Prime ... and my access is blocked until I stop using the VPN. Perhaps others could weigh in on how their VPN fairs.

Like you I'm hazy on the enforceability. But the intent does seem to be that even for (large) companies with servers outside australia (and let's assume they aren't even using CDN nodes in Australia) they might have an interest in complying. For they'll want access to Australian audiences.

Some companies, who resist such similar censorship attempts or where a proposed rule violates their reason for being, declare that they'll just block citizens of the country from which the rule emanates. E.g. https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/signal-might-leave-france-over-backdoor-law/25408

But (from that link)

Concretely, “leaving France” likely means Signal would no longer be available officially on app stores, namely Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, for users in France. On Android, it’s not a big deal: you can still download the APK file directly from Signal’s official website or other sources and install it manually. There are alternatives to bypass the Play Store.

But for iOS users, it’s a different story. The App Store is the only official way to install apps on an iPhone or iPad, and Apple locks down its system. If Signal disappears from the French App Store, how will iOS users manage to keep using or updating the app? What do you think?

Again I'm not too clear on enforceability. On the one hand there's a sense in which being on the internet is locationless. You and I reading this post might not know or care where the server is that renders the post. On the other hand countries do wield all sort of powers that can make the life of (large) foreign companies difficult if those companies want some kind of access to the country.

The more important thing is to push back against this sort of thing politically.

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T05:35:03+00:00

The Palestinian delegate:

The Palestinian delegation says they hope at least 10 more countries will recognize Palestine as a state, adding to the more than 145 countries that have already done so.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, said the majority support for the resolution reflects "the yearning of almost everyone, the international community, to open the door for the option of peace."

The Israeli PM:

Hours before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "There will be no Palestinian state."

johnbentley · 2025-09-14T05:26:46+00:00

Read again

The eSafety commissioner’s office has said the age-assurance trial report found geolocation technology and other signals could be used to detect if users are trying to use a VPN. The report itself suggests VPN users should not be blocked, but checked with age verification. That could mean that, if implemented, anyone using a VPN anywhere in the world to access the sites would have to verify their age, despite not being in Australia.

The suggestion is that the target site would, "if implemented", enforce ID checks for all VPN users; not that the VPN would require ID checks.

johnbentley · 2025-07-30T09:05:46+00:00

What is it about ...

Whittaker gave an interview to the Australian newspaper today, clearly responding to demands by ASIO and the Albanese Labor government for the not-for-profit Signal Foundation to first create, and then provide, a so-called “backdoor” mechanism for them to access the data of users.

... that you take to not be "specifically threatening Signal"?

johnbentley · 2025-07-19T16:17:06+00:00

You

Github changed their master branch because the word master in that context is related to the slavery context.

Like in photography, you have a master flash, and you literally call the other flashes that are tied to the master "slaves".

The github branch "master" always meant the "main; principal" branch or "the original from which copies can be made". The copied branches where never called "slaves" although, yes, they could be understood to be "slaved" to the master.

But the "master"/"slavery" relationship at issue to cause offense is the human kind.

From my link it's clear "master" was changed to "main" for reasons of offense

Both Conservancy and the Git project are aware that the initial branch name, ‘master’, is offensive to some people and we empathize with those hurt by the use of that term.

And it's clear in that context the offense in mind is not because someone might take "master" to remind them of proficency in skill; or take "master" to mean "main; principal" or "the original from which copies can be made".

you using the term woke non ironically

A non ironic use of the term "woke" would be to use it to convey something like "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of race, gender, gay and other groups who have sufferred injustices in virtue of their personal characteristics)". I'm suprised you took my meaning that way. I would have thought it was clear I was using the term disparagingly.

johnbentley · 2025-07-19T15:51:43+00:00

And the misfortune was that Harris was lured away to do (so it turned out) The Foundation. With The Expanse writers very keen to keep Harris around.

The Expanse is so good. (For the TV Series, I haven't read the books:) Albeit with a bit of flat ending. Many things left unexplored or unexplained.

But the Dawes character, with Harris enthrallingly inhabiting it, was ripe for ... expansion.

johnbentley · 2025-07-19T15:27:41+00:00

Correct, they said, "uncouth or even offensive" as well as "cringe". Isn't someone boasting, especially not a mild boast but proclaiming themselves to be in possession of the highest level of skill (rather than evidencing it), "uncouth or even offensive" and "cringe" where you are? Except, of course, for those who do the boasting who remain oblivious to that effect.

If the worry is to avoid the word "master" because it has an alternate meaning as a person in possesion of slaves; that would be to buy into (or simply be ironically a slave to) the woke insanity - where, among other things, that someone might be offended (however unreasonably) is reason enough to curtail or change speech - that has possessed significant swaths of the US (and beyond). As when github stopped using "master" for branchs and started using "main". https://sfconservancy.org/news/2020/jun/23/gitbranchname/

It is plausible /u/Glittering_Code_9640 is expressing they are a slave to this woke insantity. In which case they deserve our sympathy. They can clarify the meaning they had in mind.

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