Damus
MarjorieR profile picture
MarjorieR
@MarjorieR

Retired Operational Researcher/Statistician/Economist.
Worked in Energy Industries/University/Civil Service. Most recently producing UK Energy & Emissions Projections.
GNU/Linux user since 1993 (kernel 0.99).
Now on Devuan Daedalus/Cinnamon (kernel 6.1).
Rower, cyclist, dingy sailor, walker, skier.
Socialist, bi, poly, she/her.
Fully paid up member of the Guardian reading, tofu eating Wokerati.

Relays (1)
  • wss://relay.ditto.pub – read & write

Recent Notes

Tinker ☀️ · 2w
Damn. This quote from Linus Torvalds is... well... damning. In response to a discussion around use of generative AI as it relates to contributions to the Linux code base, Linus (creator and lead con...
MarjorieR profile picture
@nprofile1q... Linus: "And so we make decisions primarily based on technical merit. Not fear of new tools."

While I also agree there are very good wider environmental and ethical reasons not to contenance use for GenAI (and it's not fear, it's disgust) to me there also seem to be plenty of good technical reasons not to allow GenAI vibe coded slop into the Linux kernel.
MarjorieR profile picture
"UK’s public spending watchdog to investigate Lower Thames Crossing project"

Well, along with HS2 and every GenAI data-centre this is another white elephant where the loss to GDP and cost to government finances would not be missed.

"Ministers committed this month to plough ahead with the controversial and long-delayed project, after it was spared from billions of pounds in cuts to infrastructure projects earmarked by Keir Starmer to help make way for a £15bn increase in defence spending.

It emerged last month that £174m of additional public money was being made available for the scheme, which is estimated to cost more per mile than the HS2 high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham.

The government has committed £3.1bn to the construction of the twin 2.6-mile tunnel, which is designed to ease congestion on the Dartford Crossing, with the rest of the project expected to be financed by the private sector."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/12/public-spending-watchdog-investigate-lower-thames-crossing-project
Milcom Miasma · 8w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqwyu5tn758hc399kq7z0gcf0s4tqxs8z8rn2me5672pnks4429s2ssnxult True and true. But for a single conversation with someone who had the ear of the then vice-president, we could have lost the republic on Jan 6th 2021, when he could have chosen not to...
MarjorieR profile picture
"Labour ‘not looking to raise taxes to fund benefits’ as Mandelson messages suggest, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has said."

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/02/labour-not-looking-to-raise-taxes-to-fund-benefits-minister-says-after-whatsapp-messages-revealed

I don't think anyone with half a brain has thought for one moment that LINO have had the slightest intention to raise taxes to fund benefits. Quite the reverse. Especially not raising taxes on the rich.
MarjorieR profile picture
I wonder what Warren Buffet is thinking now that he's passed on the reins?

This only makes sense if Berkshire Hathaway expect Google will mop up what remains of the GenAI market once OpenAI and Anthropic crash and burn.

"Google owner Alphabet to sell $80bn in stock to fund AI spending spree

One of largest equity fundraisings ever includes $10bn share sale to US investment group Berkshire Hathaway."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/02/google-alphabet-sell-stock-ai-share-sale-berkshire-hathaway

For Google its obviously a case of if you're in a hole keep digging.
@[email protected] has moved · 9w
To the sceptics among us the rash of prospective Initial Public Offerings from AI-related enterprises reflect not so much confidence in the future of AI & related technologies bit rather the actions o...
MarjorieR profile picture
@nprofile1q... not just fools.
They have just rigged the rules for adding these IPOs to the NASDAQ so that otherwise conservative index funds are likely to be forced to buy them. Thy are also changing the rules allowing SpaceX to list with only a very small percentage of stock available for investors to buy, so rigging the market.
So a lot of ordinary individuals holding index funds in their portfolio will get sucked in and no doubt beggared as both SpaceX (really mostly a profitable but unsustainable telecom satellite company harnessed to unprofitable rocket launch company) and the two grossly overvalued GenAI companies (OpenAI and Anthropic) that are never likely to turn any sort of profit ever.
So surely surely the price of these shares is going to crash and burn (like Starlink satellites do) before too long.
These IPO are just there as opportunities fro there initial VC investors (and Musk) to cash out.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/garthfriesen/2026/04/25/spacex-ipo-is-forcing-changes-to-index-and-underwriting-rules/
Lesley Lai · 9w
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpqwyu5tn758hc399kq7z0gcf0s4tqxs8z8rn2me5672pnks4429s2ssnxult nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq6gdzwy72fqd2ax0cxfq37tszrpv9608g00h2r4dqf7xx3sgn0asscr2ly3 https://cdn.masto.host/mastodongamedevplace/media_attachments/files/116...
@[email protected] has moved · 9w
So, in a bid to deflect media attention from the £5m gift from a crypto-billionnaire that has been causing the Fascist Frog (or Clacton Conman if you prefer) some difficulty, he now claims that the p...
MarjorieR profile picture
@nprofile1q... well I think it unlikely the Russians would want to undermine one of their principal UK chaos agents. Surprised he didn't accuse Starmer and the Met of doing it.

But irrespective, who cares how or by whom he got found out taking bribes and is now serially being found out coming up with a sequence of different and inconsistent lies as each one is refuted in turn?