Posts by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
(DIR) Post #B2F8pSUMmr8Uk2q6Zk by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-13T11:54:16Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@EnigmaRotor @grunfink I wanted to enable it as I'm usually posting photos on Mastodon and they are pre-processed. Metadata are stripped away. I wanted to be able to post on snac without exposing too many metadata š
(DIR) Post #B2HGy35VmfuMWAjzDk by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-14T12:34:36Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
UPDATE: One of the company owners (whom I've known for many years and is a good person) has asked to speak with me in about fifteen minutes. I've agreed. I'm curious to see what he has to say. I'll update this post after the call.Yesterday I lost a client. And I couldn't be happier about it.It's a long-standing client, but the management changed a few months ago. On Monday, they requested an emergency intervention, which I handled immediately.On Tuesday (yesterday, evening), they asked for a non-urgent enhancement to be closed by Wednesday evening. I explained that due to various reasons (including urgent family matters), I wouldn't be able to finish the task before Friday. That's when the lecturing started: they told me they set tight deadlines even for non-emergencies because "that's the proper way to do things", and anyone working with them must respect them without exception.I requested a video call to clarify. I explained that the work requires nearly a full day and that I simply couldn't close it by Wednesday. Even the physical time required to copy the data exceeded their deadline. But the new management believes that by applying pressure, you can overcome anything. Even the laws of physics.Their response was sarcastic: "Our requests take priority, even if you are dying". I smiled and reiterated that I had no other way. "We will therefore have to find a new consultant who respects our timing", they said.My response: "Okay. Our agreement expired on 31st December. I was waiting for a renewal, but it never arrived. Meaning, I have no legal obligations toward you. You have the data, the passwords, everything. Have a great day.".The manager, annoyed and failing to understand the implications, replied: "Fine, weāll look for someone younger with fewer family ties to manage.".This morning, the phone rang. It was the manager, asking me to reconsider. His tone remained contemptuous, so I told him my decision was final. Two minutes later, I got a call from their biggest client - the one responsible for over 50% of their revenue. They had been notified I was leaving and informed the company they would also leave if I was no longer the one supervising their machines.I called the manager back, friendly, trying to see if they were willing to change their attitude - to move from peremptory orders to requests between human beings. He started talking about "suing for damages" if they lost their main client because of me (to be clear: I am not taking that client for myself).I donāt know how this story will evolve, but right now, I'm just enjoying a breath of fresh air outside my window.#IT #FreelanceLife #WorkLifeBalance #ToxicManagement #TechLife #Consulting #SelfEmployed
(DIR) Post #B2HH3DuGzIePWGx2lk by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-14T12:57:05Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@andersgo no, nothing like that. Just one of those managers that thinks they can "win" by being aggressive.
(DIR) Post #B2HHDfa8wjZyFUW7MG by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-14T13:29:01Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@mjack both of them. Interesting things are happening and I've decided to share them. I'll also share older stories - but yes, this 2026 seems quite.... interesting...
(DIR) Post #B2PCGklBCpKCfe0evo by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-18T09:36:57Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I just nearly had a heart attack. A pigeon slammed into the closed window of my study, barely half a meter from me. It's not even the first time it's happened. It's got to be an idiot, considering the glass is so dirty thereās no way it couldn't see it... Dear 2026, can we please stop making me jump every single day?
(DIR) Post #B2RdrJIH60V10zcFcm by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-18T20:07:37Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Friends of the #Fediverse - I need some information about good apps for iOS. On Android, my favourite is #Moshidon but I also like #Tusky or #Pachli or #Fedilab etc.On iOS, I remember I was using (back in 2022/early 2023) #Icecubes and #Tusker - which looks nice but I canāt find the quote post option.Can you please help me and suggest something?#AskFedi
(DIR) Post #B2RdrKYyNPRyx4R6I4 by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-18T20:49:52Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Iām trying some apps. Ice Cubes is nice, but doesnāt work with #snac and itās open source, which is a great plusTusker is nice and works perfectly with snac, but doesnāt allow to quote post (which is ok, for snac, a bit less for Mastodn)Toot! Is nice and funny. Worth investigating more.Mona is clear and seems to be working with #snac tooIvory looks interesting, but I should consider if I want to pay a monthly fee.ā¦Iāll have some funā¦
(DIR) Post #B2VTqjhFDw0zhdDrcG by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-21T08:41:06Z
3 likes, 4 repeats
They say AI isnāt profitable. Thatās not true. Twice just this past week, Iāve been contacted and paid to fix problems caused by developers who relied on AI to configure servers.#AI #IT #SysAdmin
(DIR) Post #B2WQPjEiikkdkjGqvI by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-21T21:18:39Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I just realized that 1996 was thirty years ago.Gosh!#FeelingOld #TimeReallyFlies
(DIR) Post #B2YAmGi7jdOizXfaka by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-22T15:34:31Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
First smelly task of the day: accomplished. Letās go on with the new FreeBSD bare metal server Iām preparing.
(DIR) Post #B2YNv89EEum0Rdu6ZU by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-22T19:44:52Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Iāve just measured the power consumption of my MacBook Pro M1 (M1 Pro, which Iāve been using for years). When connected to an external monitor and closed, it averages between 5 and 7 watts. When everything is idle, itās around 4. When I turn the screen off, it drops to 2-3 W. Incredible.
(DIR) Post #B2Zaov9D9doWwxE0fI by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-23T08:51:38Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I thought Italy was the land of bureaucracy.An overseas company wants a certificate for my company. I need to go to a specific office to get it and then scan it. I could get the same document online, but it wouldn't be signed. However, itās a certificate where I declare... so I would just sign it digitally anyway. But no, they want the paper version, scanned, and then sent to them.It doesn't make any sense.#Bureaucracy
(DIR) Post #B2aUJGFikJk6ZXkYue by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-23T20:20:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Current position: watching āThe Office (UK)āRelaxing
(DIR) Post #B2eiKZJ1HiTfGJCE52 by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-25T20:48:22Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Relaxing with a Classic movie#Relax
(DIR) Post #B2enWQXWCbzFJuS4cy by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-25T12:31:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Memories of a walk in nature, 13 years ago, in search of a Silent Sunday, a bit of peace in a tumultuous and turbulent period of my life that would soon come to an end, although I didn't know it yet.This photo holds a profound significance, known only to me.#Photography #Photo #Picture #Pic #Pics #NaturePhotography #SilentSunday #Peace
(DIR) Post #B2ikjtNCmw4jHSCFoe by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-27T19:53:18Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
My Access Point has a watchdog#MikroTik #AccessPoint
(DIR) Post #B2jjHHXhwUgb2wrYQq by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-28T07:14:16Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Long day, long coffee#GoodMorning
(DIR) Post #B2k7xnEuskowPnsRSC by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-23T13:30:42Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Today's politicians are the human version of Large Language Models: they just predict the next word you want to hear, regardless of the truth.#ReadingTheNews
(DIR) Post #B2lyVYh6rCH7vMRi6q by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-29T08:57:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Tonight the waves of bot traffic hitting many of the servers I manage have intensified, including Brew on BSD Cafe, but not only that. Honestly, the feeling I have now is no longer the same as it was some time ago (AI scrapers), but that there are real disruption operations going on. I can see itās much more concentrated around certain providers and certain datacenters. If I block some countries like China, the numbers drop dramatically.I still havenāt figured out whether thereās something specific and targeted happening (a broad DDoS) or if theyāre still scrapers, but they honestly seem really dumb.Maybe we should just create an alternative network and leave the Internet to these entities. At this point theyāre just talking to themselves anyway.#IT #SysAdmin #Networking #DDoS
(DIR) Post #B2nDWehFidgTIfSCCu by stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe
2026-01-29T19:27:11Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@justine @kirby not a snac issue but definitely a local indexing issue.I'm reindexing and I can already see the posts from @justine with the FreeBSD hashtag from 23 hours ago, so it's probably catching up