This morning, I opened some "traditional" social media, which I still follow mainly to stay up to date on local information and events. I did a personal survey: out of 50 posts I saw, 35 were clearly AI-generated (even by ordinary people), some completely inaccurate and imprecise, not to mention "fake news". Ten were almost unreadable and incomprehensible due to the level of ignorance they showed, and five were ads. Zero were status updates from people I actually know and would be interested in reading. I wonder how people have gotten so used to all this. But, looking around and talking to people, it seems this is their new normal, and they've become accustomed to this way of writing and thinking. Fake news has become their primary source of information. A few days ago, I saw someone writing an email in an office. I felt a glimmer of hope when I saw them doing it by hand, but then I was saddened to see the result was almost identical to an AI's: the same structure, the same tone, the same emojis. We've become so accustomed to these artificial creations that now, even unconsciously, we are the ones emulating them.
It was the 19th April 2020 - right in the middle of lockdown - and I had ordered an iPhone. My first iPhone in years, so I was quite curious. And he, somehow, had sensed something: he stayed there, on guard, until the courier arrived. Once the package was delivered, he left. And no, he’s not my cat… #Caturday image
When Bigger Stops Being Better #MyNotes #Blogging #LifeLessons
EDIT: I've posted this - that will clarify even more things: I’ve received many reactions to my latest blog post. Some constructive, others critical, but all useful to better understand different perspectives. However, two recurring dynamics emerged in the comments (mostly outside the Fediverse). First: I didn’t mention any names. I understand the disappointment, but naming them wouldn’t have helped anyone. Before publishing, I did my homework - that draft had been ready for over a year - and I even asked some of the people involved. They took action privately to warn friends and colleagues, with good results, but they didn’t want public exposure. Many years have passed, and that company no longer has the same relevance anyway. Some understood my choice (naming them could have meant serious legal trouble for me), but others started quoting US laws and amendments to "prove" that I could have safely done it. What many don’t realize is that the world isn’t the United States - not everyone plays by the same legal rules. And even if I won such a case, it would still mean wasted time, energy, and peace of mind. Cui prodest? Second: "Stories like that can only happen in Italy because there are so many small, family-run businesses". That one annoyed me more - especially because it often came from Italians themselves. First of all, I’ve worked in several countries, and I never said the story was about an Italian company. Second, small businesses are not a problem - they’re a strength. My experience taught me that large corporations tend to turn employees into replaceable parts of a giant machine. Customers become faceless numbers, almost subjects rather than clients. At some point, a company’s need for endless growth becomes a trap - not a service that enriches people’s lives, but a "necessary evil". And that, to me, is the real danger: believing that bigger automatically means better - in tech, and in life. I wrote about this a few months ago, and I still believe it even more strongly today: #ITNotes #BlogPost #TechCulture #SmallBusiness #Writing #Reflections #PersonalThoughts
In Zagreb, I realized my 2021 MacBook Pro M1 is starting to show its age. The battery life is shorter and the system seems slower than it was at the beginning, perhaps also due to the latest OS version. Yesterday, I used the "new" Acer with openSUSE Tumbleweed, running KDE Plasma. It's small, I paid about 500 euros for it, and it has a good monitor, but the battery life is poor, and that's the main reason I still primarily use the Mac. And yet, it gave me a greater sense of speed than the Mac. When one of the BSDs works well enough on this laptop (mainly suspend/resume), it will probably become my daily driver on the go. I need to try OpenBSD 7.8 as soon as it will be out. it might have some surprises in store for me. #RunBSD #OpenBSD #KDE #Plasma
The Email They Shouldn't Have Read #ITNotes #Data #HorrorStories #OwnYourData #Server
This morning, someone launched into a technical explanation of a computer component for my benefit, without even bothering to check if I might know a thing or two. Initially, I just listened, but then I had to step in to correct a slight inaccuracy - one that could have actually caused problems. I was promptly verbally assaulted and told that ignorant people should remain silent and listen instead of talking back. I politely retorted that, in principle, they were right, but that the specific thing they'd just said was incorrect and could mislead the others listening. Nope. They doubled down, told me to be quiet or leave, since I was so determined to "remain in my ignorance". In the end, I just fell silent and let it go. I now pretend to believe that SSD and NVMe drives have tiny, high-speed rotating platters inside - miniature ones, of course - that spin so fast that if the power is cut, their momentum keeps them going long enough to finish writing the data, preventing any loss. It all makes perfect sense now. #IT
I Just Want to Go Back Home #MyNotes #Memories #Past
Another small victory today. A salesperson had almost convinced a client to move their email from 365 to Google because "they hold all the cards now". I stepped in and suggested they keep their email on servers that they control instead. The salesperson almost mocked me, treating me like a "nerd" who doesn't understand how the world works. I was happy to be a nerd, if necessary, to explain the pros and cons of the solution to the client. The result? The salesperson was politely thanked and "sent home", and I'm now evaluating some details of the new mail server, which, by the client's choice, will be based on OpenBSD. Because people need explanations, not brochures. #OwnYourData #OpenBSD #RunBSD