Futurology Today

While Beijing has publicly maintained a neutral stance, China continues to provide diplomatic and economic support to Russia.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.euronews.com/2025/03/31/chinas-foreign-minister-visits-russia-amid-uncertainty-around-ukraine-ceasefire

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Roads have been closed as crews battle the blaze

An American surgeon who's been working in two Gaza hospitals for the past three weeks has said that wounded Palestinian patients have died because of the lack of equipment and supplies.

Dr Mark Perlmutter says that doctors have had to work in operating rooms without soap, antibiotics or x-ray facilities, as Israel has resumed its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

A 15-year-old girl who was hit by Israeli machine gun fire while riding her bicycle was one of the many wounded children that Dr Perlmutter said he had to operate on.

Dr Perlmutter spoke to the BBC shortly after the end of his second trip to Gaza - the first one was around a year ago. Critical of Israel's conduct in the Strip, he has previously called for an arms embargo and said its attacks on Gaza constitute genocide, which Israel vehemently denies.

Context: there was a Tesla store

So check it out: Mastodon decided to implement follower-only posts for their users. All good. They did it in a way where they were still broadcasting those posts (described as "private") in a format that other servers could easily wind up erroneously showing them to random people. That's not ideal.

Probably the clearest explanation of the root of the problem is this:

Something you may not know about Mastodon's privacy settings is that they are recommendations, not demands. This means that it is up to each individual server whether or not it chooses to enforce them. For example, you may mark your post with unlisted, which indicates that servers shouldn't display the post on their global timelines, but servers which don't implement the unlisted privacy setting still can (and do).

Servers don't necessarily disregard Mastodon's privacy settings for malicious reasons. Mastodon's privacy settings aren't a part of the original OStatus protocol, and servers which don't run a recent version of the Mastodon software simply aren't configured to recognize them. This means that unlisted, private, or even direct posts may end up in places you didn't expect on one of these servers—like in the public timeline, or a user's reblogs.

That is super relevant for "private" posts by Mastodon. They fall into the same category as how you've been voting on Lemmy posts and comments: This stuff seems private, because it's being hidden in your UI, but it's actually being broadcasted out to random untrusted servers behind the scenes, and some server software is going to expose it. It's simply going to happen. You need to be aware of that. Even if it's not shown in your UI, it is available.

Anyway, Pixelfed had a bug in its handling of those types of posts, which meant that in some circumstances it would show them to everyone. Somebody wrote on her blog about how her partner has been posting sensitive information as "private," and Pixelfed was exposing it, and how it's a massive problem. For some reason, Dansup (Pixelfed author) taking it seriously and fixing the problem and pushing out a new version within a few days only made this person more upset, because in her (IMO incorrect) opinion, the way Dansup had done it was wrong.

I think the blog-writer is just mistaken about some of the technical issues involved. It sounds like she's planning on telling her partner that it's still okay to be posting her private stuff on Mastodon, marked "private," now that Pixelfed and only Pixelfed has fixed the issue. I think that's a huge mistake for reasons that should be obvious. It sounds like she's very upset that Dansup made it explicit that he was fixing this issue, thinking that even exposing it in commit comments (which as we know get way more readership than blog posts) would mean people knew about it, and the less people that knew about it, the safer her partner's information would be since she is continuing to do this apparently. You will not be surprised to discover that I think that type of thinking is also a mistake.

That's not even what I want to talk about, though. I have done security-related work professionally before, so maybe I look at this stuff from a different perspective than this lady does. What I want to talk about is this type of comments on Lemmy, when this situation got posted here under the title "Pixelfed leaks private posts from other Fediverse instances":

Non-malicious servers aren’t supposed to do what Pixelfed did.

Pixelfed got caught with its pants down

rtfm and do NOT give a rest to bad behaving software

dansup remains either incompetent for implementing badly something easy or toxic for federating ignoring what the federation requires

i completely blame pixelfed here: it breaks trust in transit and that’s unacceptable because it makes the system untrustworthy

periodic reminder to not touch dansup software and to move away from pixelfed and loops

dansup is not competent and quite problematic and it’s not even over

developers with less funding (even 0) contributed way more to fedi, they’re just less vocal

dansup is all bark no bite, stop falling for it

dansup showed quite some incompetence in handling security, delivering features, communicating clearly and honestly and treating properly third party devs

I sort of started out in the ensuing conversation just explaining the issues involved, because they are subtle, but there are people who are still sending me messages a day later insisting that Dansup is a big piece of shit and he broke the internet on purpose. They're also consistently upset, among other reasons, that he's getting paid because people like the stuff he made and gave away, and chose to back his Kickstarter. Very upset. I keep hearing about it.

This is not the first time, or even the first time with Dansup. From time to time, I see this with some kind of person on the Fediverse who's doing something. Usually someone who's giving away their time to do something for everyone else. Then there's some giant outcry that they are "problematic" or awful on purpose in some way. With Dansup at least, every time I've looked at it, it's mostly been trumped-up nonsense. The worst it ever is, in actuality, is "he got mad and posted an angry status HOW DARE HE." Usually it is based more or less on nothing.

Dansup isn't just a person making free software, who sometimes posts angry unreasonable statuses or gets embroiled in drama for some reason because he is human and has human emotions. He's the worst. He is toxic and unhinged. He is keeping his Loops code secret and breaking his promises. He makes money. He broke privacy for everyone (no don't tell me any details about the protocol or why he didn't he broke it for everyone) (and don't tell me he fixed it in a few days and pushed out a new version that just makes it worse because he put it in the notes and it'll be hard for people to upgrade anyway so it doesn't count)

And so on.

Some particular moderator isn't just a person who sometimes makes poor moderation decisions and then doubles down on them. No, he is:

a racist and a zionist and will do whatever he can to delete pro-Palestinian posts, or posts that criticize Israel.

a vile, racist, zionist piece of shit, and anyone who defends or supports him is sitting at the table with him and accepts those labels for themselves.

And so on. The exact same pattern happened with a different lemmy.world mod who was extensively harassed for months for various made-up bullshit, all the way up until the time where he (related or not) decided to stop modding altogether.

It's weird. Why are people so vindictive and personal, and why do they double down so enthusiastically about taking it to this personal place where this person involved is being bad on purpose and needs to be attacked for being horrible, instead of just being a normal person with a variety of normal human failings as we all have? Why are people so un-amenable to someone trying to say "actually it's not that simple", to the point that a day later my inbox is still getting peppered with insistences that Dansup is the worst on this private-posts issue, and I'm completely wrong and incompetent for thinking otherwise and all the references I've been digging up and sending to try to illustrate the point are just more proof that I'm horrible?

Guys: Chill out.

I would just recommend, if you are one of these people that likes to double down on all this stuff and get all amped-up about how some particular fediverse person is "problematic" or "toxic" or various other vague insinuations, or you feel the need to bring up all kinds of past drama any time anything at all happens with the person, that you not.

I am probably guilty of this sometimes. I definitely like to give people hell sometimes, if in my opinion they are doing something that's causing a problem. But the extent to which the fediverse seems to like to do this stuff just seems really extreme to me, and a lot of times what it's based on is just weird petty bullying nonsense.

Just take it it with a grain of salt, too, if you see it, is also what I'm saying. Whether it comes from me or whoever. A lot of times, the issue doesn't look like such a huge deal once you strip away the histrionics and the assumption that everyone's being malicious on purpose. Doubly so if the emotion and the innuendo is running way ahead of what the actual facts are.

People always talk about the Grammys, but it's really high time that we as Canadians start treating the Junos as what they were intended to be: an awards ceremony recognizing the best that Canada has to offer in music and NOT a means of advertising Canadian talent to the American market.

ROOTING FOR CARIBOU AND BBNO$ WOOOOOOOOO

I think it was possible when eternity was first released. I tried to subscribe to an account today and the option wasn't there.

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.31-081835/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/03/31/spaniards-prefer-soldiers-with-shovels-to-guns_6739681_4.html

Is it the physical barrier of the Pyrénées or their history that explains the distance with which Spaniards apprehend the threat of war in Europe? According to the latest Eurobarometer, published on Tuesday, March 25, they are the Europeans least concerned about strengthening the continent's security and defense. When asked what the priorities of the European Union (EU) should be, Spaniards put education and research at the top of the list. Only 20% rate defense as a priority, the lowest level with Malta.

"There's a lack of global threat perception in Spain, which can be explained by the fact that the country didn't take part in the world wars. Added to this is a deep-rooted anti-militarism, inherited from opposition to Franco's military dictatorship," said Jesus A. Nunez Villaverde, co-director of the Institute of Studies on Conflicts and Humanitarian Action. "What's more, due to a public opinion allergic to military issues, the governments of democratic Spain, regardless of political affiliation, never did any educational work to explain the dangers of the world we live in, and the army's role as a deterrent and last resort."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27915778

By Fayha Shalash in Ramallah, Palestine
Published date: 30 March 2025 10:20 BST

"The Israeli army has announced plans to change the layout of the Palestinian refugee camps in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm as part of a large-scale military operation in the northern occupied West Bank that has been ongoing since late January.

The plans aim to completely wipe out the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, transforming them into neighbourhoods within the two cities, with the goal of preventing them from serving as "incubators for terrorist organisations," the military was quoted as saying by Israeli media."

The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) successfully targeted an E-2 command and control aircraft belonging to the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, a senior Sanaa government source told Al Mayadeen on Sunday.

According to the source, "The Truman lost command capabilities following the attack, while both the White House and the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) have launched an investigation into the incident."

Details on the targeted E-2 aircraft

The targeted E-2 aircraft is designed to provide critical intelligence on potential threats faced by the warship during military operations. While it does not directly participate in attacks, it plays a crucial role in surveillance and tracking.

The aircraft, operated by a five-member crew—including two pilots and three radar specialists—lost its defensive protection, making it more vulnerable to attacks from Yemeni missiles and drones.

YAF target 'Israel's' Ben Gurion Airport

Earlier today, the Yemeni Armed Forces also announced that they had targeted "Israel's" Ben Gurion Airport in the occupied Yafa (Tel Aviv) area, spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced.

Saree stated that the military operation was carried out using a Zulfiqar ballistic missile and successfully achieved its objective, adding that the latest strike was in support of the Palestinian people and their Resistance.

The spokesperson pointed out that the YAF reaffirmed the failure of the US aggression in preventing Yemen from continuing its support for the Palestinian people.

He stressed that "dozens of daily airstrikes [on Yemen] will not deter the armed forces from fulfilling their duties," underscoring that Yemeni operations against "Israel" will persist until the aggression on Gaza ceases and the blockade imposed on the Palestinian enclave is lifted.

Sirens sounded across central "Israel" and al-Quds at midday on Sunday following the launch of a missile from Yemen. Debris was also found in Modi’in and Tel Aviv.

According to "Israel's" Channel 12, two people were injured in Gush Dan. One woman exited her vehicle when the sirens went off and fell into a five-meter-deep pit, while another person sustained a head injury in Tel Aviv while heading to a shelter.

Read more: YAF say engaged with US aircraft carrier Truman 3 times within 24 hrs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_E-2_Hawkeye

The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft.

Time machines already exist and they're in the guise of space telescopes. In 1995, one such time machine called Hubble peered into a small patch of empty sky for ten days straight.

For the scientists on Earth, it was a huge, expensive gamble.

What emerged from Hubble's patient gaze was a glittering array of 3,000 galaxies and billions of years of history staring right back at us.

A trial of around 800 people with lower back pain suggested the cannabis-derived drug could be used as a painkiller

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/first-nonaddictive-cannabis-painkiller-b2717174.html

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Amazon has delivered on its promise to launch an upgraded Alexa experience, Alexa+, in March. But the service reportedly lacks certain advertised features.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Debt-laden Chinese property giant Vanke reported annual losses of 49.5 billion yuan ($6.8 billion) on Monday, citing falling sales and shrinking profit margins despite Beijing's attempts to revive the housing market.

Vanke said 2024 was an "exceptionally challenging year" in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange and apologised for "distress caused... due to the significant decline in sales, substantial losses and pressure on our liquidity".

Beijing has in recent years grappled with a prolonged crisis in the country's vast real estate sector, once a key pillar of the economy but now beset with sprawling debt.

Hong Kong-listed Vanke is part-owned by the government of Shenzhen and was China's fourth-largest real estate firm by sales last year, according to research firm CRIC.

Vanke said on Monday that it "failed to break free from expansion inertia of high-debt, high-turnover and high-leverage in a timely manner, which led to problems" such as aggressive investment and over-expansion.

Last year marked Vanke's first annual loss since it was listed in 1991 and the magnitude exceeded the firm's January estimate of $6.2 billion.

Revenue fell 26 percent year-on-year to $47.3 billion.

Vanke partly attributed the losses to "significant decrease in the settlement scale and gross profit margin of the development business".

Company chief operating officer and executive vice president Liu Xiao resigned from his position on Monday "due to work adjustments", the firm said.

"After stepping down from these roles, (Liu) will continue to work for the Company, focusing on strategic investment business," according to the company.

Vanke has seen a shakeup of its top management, including the resignation of its CEO Zhu Jiusheng on January 27 which the company said was "due to health reasons".

That month, Chinese outlet the Economic Reporter cited sources as saying Zhu had been "taken away by public security authorities", without specifying his alleged offences.

Beijing announced support measures in November for the ailing property sector that included lowering deed tax rates for certain first and second homes in four major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.

Despite the policy package, Vanke suffered net losses of $4.35 billion in the final quarter of last year.

The company said it will face a concentrated repayment of its public debts this year, "further intensifying the liquidity pressure".

Chinese authorities were mulling plans to help Vanke plug a funding gap of $6.8 billion this year, Bloomberg News reported last month.

Vanke is among several major Chinese property firms mired in a debt crisis in recent years that has left developers in severe financial distress.

Troubled property developers Kaisa and Country Garden -- both fending off winding up petitions in Hong Kong courts -- also reported losses separately.

Kaisa said on Monday that its losses for the year grew 48.4 percent to $4.03 billion in 2024.

Country Garden reported an annual loss attributable to company owners of $4.5 billion on Sunday, adding that its total debt amounted to $34.9 billion as of the end of last year.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/mapporn by /u/Strong-Heart4875 on 2025-04-01 05:15:38+00:00.