Posts by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
(DIR) Post #B2Dqu9qDYLWG1RBv3g by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-12T22:16:05Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@spook I also hate it, and the reason why I hate it is that it's part of the never-ending tendency of hyping things up into the stratosphere for marketing purposes. Nothing can be described in reasonable terms anymore, every single thing is made it sound as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime thing that will blow your mind. Even when you only wanted a decent dinner or a good time with friends, two precious things on their own.
(DIR) Post #B2DrMRbf604XEDs3t2 by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-12T22:13:08Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
New Shadows of Esteren book just arrived and it's drop-dead gorgeous. It's also extremely well made. If you're looking for an RPG with gothic/romantic horror setting and a very strong emphasis on narrative and in-character play give it a shot. This is the French version but it's available in English too.#ShadowsOfEsteren #LesOmbresdEsteren #ttrpg
(DIR) Post #B2QzWz32fA8wGYFAi8 by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-18T13:28:06Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
When talking about DRAM please don't use the term "shortage", call it what it is: price manipulation.Shortages are when things you want to buy cannot be bought anywhere, but DDR5 memory kits are widely available. There's hundreds of different types in stock at online retailers. I've yet to see a kit that is actually out of stock. This is the tech industry attempt at keeping high margins at a time when computer sales were already predicted to be declining. Don't fall for it. It's a scam.
(DIR) Post #B2TWC4Err1qB5SKSUC by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-20T10:34:44Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
Another month, another patch and more proof that Microsoft doesn't do QA anymore or has delegated it to an LLM.https://www.techpowerup.com/345341/windows-11-january-2026-update-triggers-black-screens-outlook-failures-and-emergency-patches
(DIR) Post #B2XSyIvIwFY9LUlPu4 by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-22T08:34:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I've seen a lot of CPU bugs lately, would people here be interested on a short thread about how they arise and why?
(DIR) Post #B2Y3h0ir3I14HIYcrY by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-22T16:00:44Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
In the early days of personal computing CPU bugs were so rare as to be newsworthy. The infamous Pentium FDIV bug is remembered by many, and even earlier CPUs had their own issues (the 6502 comes to mind). Nowadays they've become so common that I encounter them routinely while triaging crash reports sent from Firefox users. Given the nature of CPUs you might wonder how these bugs arise, how they manifest and what can and can't be done about them. 🧵 1/31
(DIR) Post #B2ZzpvZhY6mVQ1BzaS by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-23T14:21:54Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
For anybody still doubting that the only use-case for Tether and other "stablecoins" is crimehttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/irans-central-bank-acquired-507m-155649104.html
(DIR) Post #B2be9Y9QXRiFt4m3YO by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-24T09:23:00Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Don't post pictures of minors on the internet If you can avoid it. If they get posted as part of the news cycle at least hide their faces, and ask journalists to do the same. What recently happened on commercial social networks should be enough to convince you: we live in an age where CSAM can be generated with a click and the only thing needed is one picture.
(DIR) Post #B2ecfiY7VsIwHpxd2m by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-23T07:34:58Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@slink oh yes, we have tools for that. First however I'd point you to my thread about memory errors because those are even more common when analyzing crashes: https://fosstodon.org/@gabrielesvelto/112407741329145666For crash analysis we have a rust crate to analyze minidumps, which we generate when Firefox crashes. The crate can be used both as a tool and as a library:https://github.com/rust-minidump/rust-minidump
(DIR) Post #B2ecfjQ0HXPEyxAf20 by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-23T07:36:38Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@slink this crate can detect patterns that suggest a memory error was encountered or that the crash was inconsistent and thus most likely due to a hardware bug. If you check out the output schema of the tool you'll find two fields called "possible_bit_flips" and "crash_inconsistencies" that capture this information: https://github.com/rust-minidump/rust-minidump/blob/main/minidump-processor/json-schema.md
(DIR) Post #B2eu6UqmFiD2q62hAO by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-25T14:23:51Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Some people asked me more or less politely why I didn't write a blog post instead of a very long thread on the topic of CPU bugs. There are several reasons but they boil down to me lacking the time and energy to write a proper blog post - versus a loosely structured stream-of-consciousness thread - but also the wish to engage with people here. Ask me questions and I'll happily answer them, add more information and I'll happily boost it.
(DIR) Post #B2jDzkrl5CgWCSP6A4 by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-28T00:03:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
If Windows updates brick your machine I can help fix it. But I can also help you install Linux if you prefer, because Microsoft software isn't getting better anytime soon (or never).https://www.club386.com/avoid-installing-the-latest-windows-11-updates-or-your-pc-might-not-boot-afterwards/
(DIR) Post #B2k6d8sP8qDpU9w6yW by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-01-28T11:48:09Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@tuxicoman I personally ran into a number of issues in the last few months, and I have very extensive experience in managing computers. Example 1 - my machine asks for Windows to be reinstalled for no apparent reason:https://mas.to/@gabrielesvelto/115655470575433341
(DIR) Post #B2ufj6DXNfxox5zpg0 by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-02T13:49:40Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I missed this but Gentoo Linux allows you to bootstrap the rustc compiler using a regular C++ compiler via mrustc. You should be able to build the entire Rust toolchain from source without having to rely on a rustc binary distribution if you wish so.https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Trickygnome/Rust_from_sources_installation#Gentoo #RustLang
(DIR) Post #B2zWkaDTP3sIU7OmJs by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-04T17:51:47Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Dude, everything's fine
(DIR) Post #B2zWkbS2oN7mJbDvfc by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-04T18:22:34Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
A gentle reminder that a bunch of "AI companies" used to be in crypto, and used Bitcoins as collateral for the gigantic loans they've taken. Play the world's smallest violin for the banks that were dumb enough to accept crypto bullshit in exchange for real money.
(DIR) Post #B2zWkcUCxoRvWbFAgK by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-04T21:50:43Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
"crypto bailout" lol lmao
(DIR) Post #B3AmYh4NpftCGq3hdw by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-10T08:39:59Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Every programming language is a high-level language if your functions are small enough and their names sufficiently descriptive.
(DIR) Post #B3GzBw984okCioW7oe by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-12T19:10:44Z
3 likes, 2 repeats
Don't anthropomorphize LLMs, language is important. Say "the bot generated some text" not "the AI replied". Use "this document contains machine-generated text" not "this work is AI-assisted". See how people squirm when you call out their slop this way.
(DIR) Post #B3HV7XI1kPqp0Pcm4e by gabrielesvelto@mas.to
2026-02-13T10:18:07Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
When talking about the energy consumed by LLMs don't be fooled by arguments focusing solely on the direct power consumption of these models, because they are externalizing a lot of it. Browsers are now doing proof-of-work calculations to access many websites, because websites need to protect themselves from AI scrapers. That takes power! Let that sink in: every computer, tablet or phone on earth is now consuming more power *every time it accesses a webpage* because of "AI".