Tech Deck

October 15, 2024, 10:20 AMOctober 16, 2024, 1:05 AM Chill Tech

SSL certificate lifetimes are going down. Dates proposed. 45 days by 2027.

Goddamn this is fucking idiotic. Creates a huge amount of hassle and work for absolutely zero increase in security for anyone anywhere ever. And many devices and components that use certs, updating cannot be automated.

Also, the advice of “just set up a private Certificate Authority then” is also tremendously clueless. I have done this and it’s very hard. It’s out of the realm of most tech people’s skills, even good ones. And it requires maintenance. It’s not a “for free” thing.

The whole tech industry is full of clownish losers.

TVB

October 15, 2024, 6:16 AM Chill TV Shows

My guess is that in moderation reality TV has no effect either way. Like most things. Some of the dumbest and some of the smartest humans I’ve ever met have been fans of reality TV shows of various stripes.

If anything, in small doses they are likely mildly palliative but it’d be hard to measure. And very individual-specific (I find them all annoying and they make me low-level angry).

In large doses, of course, yes reality TV shows make you dumber if for no other reason is that time devoted to one activity cannot be used for anything else.

Choices

October 15, 2024, 5:44 AMOctober 15, 2024, 9:03 AM Chill Gutter Philosophy, War

I’d posit that war is always atrocity, but sometimes it’s better than the other choices on offer. Pacifism has no answers, alas — it just means that those willing to dominate with force of arms and threat of violence do so with no consequences. The same destruction and genocide occur, just with no opposition even in principle.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about meta-evolution and the idea that evolution itself is constrained by the base instantiation of the universe to produce creatures that in individualized form tend to be war-like when combined with the ability to accrue resources that are durable over time.

Still pondering that one.

Thinking Groupily

October 15, 2024, 12:04 AMOctober 15, 2024, 12:16 AM Chill Regular-ass Post

I do not do well in groups and do not like being part of them. Groups inevitably lead to groupthink and I want nothing to do with that.

I recognize that groups are an unavoidable part of life but doesn’t mean I have to like it. And groups generally end up having issues with me because I’m always the one saying, “I know everyone here thinks that, but you’re all wrong.”

That does seem to be my assigned role in life.