Changed my profile header on all my Mastodon accounts to coincide with the sign of the times. #GetPsyched
On the topic of jazz...
Around 30 years ago, I was taking music classes in my studies for sound engineering. I remember taking some music theory classes, and I fell in love with it. However, I never was more in love with the class until I had this one music theory teacher, Mr. John Georgini. He was this rugged looking Italian-American fella who told it like it is, but he really cared that his students achieve their best in his class. As I saw mentioned recently, he was tough, but fair. A spectacular instructor and mentor.
I remember one time crossing paths with him on campus and it was raining rather heavily. I remember seeing him and greeting him jokingly, "Nice weather we're having!" He looked at me and smiled, and said in his scruffy voice, "Yeah... For ducks!" I laughed, but didn't think much beyond that.
It would be more than 30 years later, namely yesterday, that I finally understood why he said that. See, he was an established jazz trumpeter in the Miami jazz scene. Well, yesterday I heard the following song, and it all came full-circle. Even after 3 decades, he never ceases to amaze me. I'll never forget the impact he had on me.
PSA for New Fediverse Folks
For all of the newcomers from the #TwitterMigration and #RedditMigration, welcome! That being said, please make sure to engage with those you wish to follow. I understand that some might be a bit apprehensive to do so given the experience whence you came, but most of us won't bite and are pretty friendly.
Personally, I'm more willing to accept, and follow, folks who not only provide an #introduction or multiple #introductions, but also show engagement with others on the #fediverse. Even if you don't have an avatar configured but are positively and constructively engaging with others, I'll accept and even follow.
However, if all I see when I visit your actual page for more information is a blank avatar, no posts, and no basic info about you even after a number of days, chances are that I'll be very hesitant to accept. 👁️ #psa
For the new folks joining #Mastodon and the #fediverse overall, welcome! It's good to see you filling out a short bio and an avatar to get to know you, but be sure to *engage* with those you follow and remember to "be excellent to each other" when you do. Use CWs if you wonder if your post/toot/whatever is appropriate (better safe than sorry), and provide image descriptions to aid the visually impaired on the fedi.
For the most part, everyone is mindful of others on the fedi ("Do unto others...", that ol' chestnut). Be sure to do the same.
✌🏻
So, I guess it's high time for a new #introduction.
As my profile description says, "I'm a graybeard geek with a love for technology old & new, a love for music, and greater love for my family."
First loves have always been computers and music. Was intrigued as a teen by the word "UNIX" when I saw it in an ad on Family Computing magazine, but wouldn't be turned on to it with Linux until the mid 90s and coming full circle with BSD within the last 6 years or so, though probably more than that if you count Mac OS X.
Music also factors into that and, when time permits, I'll sit at my keyboard 🎹 and doodle around or compose something on my Fedora laptop using Qtractor and soft synths. Still miss using Master Tracks Pro on a Mac, though.
Speaking of legacy software and hardware, I do enjoy some #retrocomputing and #classiccomputing from time to time with my stash of vintage computers ranging from a Macintosh Quadra 650 to a Power Macintosh G5, along with a Motorola StarMax 4000 PowerPC Mac clone running both Mac OS and BeOS Pro R5.0.3. Sadly, my IIgs was a casualty of age but still remains as a museum piece in my stash.
Of course, all of those took second place upon having a family and kids. The "families" may have changed over the years, but my sons will always be constant for me and are my world.
Aside from that, expect silly meme posts, my usual #coffee posts
, my #GoodMorning / #tzag posts, my #Goodnight / #tzaf posts, and everything of my daily life in between.
#introductions
Found this in an old screenshot folder. Evil Entity really, really didn't want you running its config tool as root as count the amount of exclamation marks 🫠
#EvilEntity #Linux #LinuxHistory #LinuxDistro #Enlightenment #RetroComputing #VintageComputing #OldSchoolLinux #RetroLinux
Today's Low Quality Ad is for this Skull Snail Pin. Welp, that's what Gary gets for trying to eat a poisonous slug.
https://collabs.shop/fpkp05
Pixelfed is made by people.
Pixelfed is shaped by people.
Pixelfed belongs to people.
Thank you to everyone who spoke out about AI-generated contributions. You showed us how much this matters, and we should have asked you sooner.
No single person defines this project. We define it together.
And together, we're building the social web we want to see.
Been thinking about retro computing platforms again.
I ripped this video from the Facebook BASIC Programming group, which, if you have a Facebook account, you ought to join.
In this video, the screen draws very slowly. This is obviously not ideal in such a case: a game about shooting in a corral.
In my mind, there may be many applications where the screen should be designed to draw slowly, or partially.
The BASIC text editors spring to mind.
@trebach @claudiom @ParadeGrotesque
here you go. I hadn't heard that for over 50 years! Never seen it, of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU1rKC57-qA
We’re very happy to welcome Gina Plat as our new Head of GovTech! 🎉
@Gina joins us from the Open Source Program Office of the Dutch Ministry of the Interior, where she has been helping turn open source and digital sovereignty into practice.
Her connection to FOSS goes far beyond her day job: she’s a founding board member of the Fosstodon Foundation and serves on the F-Droid Board of Directors.
She doesn’t just work with the open source ecosystem, she’s very much part of it.
Welcome, Gina! 🚀
#GoodMorning and good #tzag on this #HumpDay.
🐪
Still going through e-mails and tickets this morning as I listen to 2600's OTW, the last of the podcasts in my podcatcher's queue.
All this while enjoying this morning's mate. 🧉
Happy #WorldHeartDay! 🫀
Small healthy choices today can make a big difference tomorrow. choose #NetBSD 🚩🧡
#NetBSD #WorldHeartDay2026 #OpenSource #UNIX #noai #nollm #runbsd
I just want to point out that the MAGANazi party tried the culture war bullshit with Zohran Mamdani. They tried, and it failed.
They tried the socialism thing. He waved it away by leaning harder into workers rights.
They tried the trans thing. He waved it away by leaning harder into trans rights.
They tried the immigration thing. He waved it away by leaning harder into immigrant rights.
The lesson here for Centrist Democrats is simple. You don't fight Nazis by giving up ground to the Nazis. You fight Nazis by leaning harder into the wind and standing up for individual rights.
I'm a graybeard geek with a love for technology old & new, a love for music, and greater love for my family. (he/him) 🇺🇸 🇦🇷
No, not *that* Claudio Miranda. 📽️ 🚫 😝
🕔 UTC -4 🌎
Blog: https://claudiomiranda.wordpress.com
SDF: http://claudiom.sdf.org
Tilde.institute: https://claudiom.tilde.institute
RESIST! 🪧✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿✊🏼✊🪧:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=IKOW2ZikGW8
#nobot 🤖🚫