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Josh Chessman

@beansb.bsky.social
42 followers 36 following 532 posts

Technologist and lover of science (fiction and otherwise) www.linkedin.com/in/Josh-Chessman

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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
When I asked for a in-cm conversion Google pointed me to ck12.org which told me that there are 63.5cm in 72in. Sure, there are 63.5cm in 72in (plus around 119 more) #ai #wrong #ck12org #enshitification #wtf #aitutor
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Does anyone actually use @ticketmaster.com to buy tickets because they like them? Might be the new number one #sleazy company out there. They almost make @corporate.comcast.com look competent. #custserv #ticketmaster #sucks #incompetent #monopoly
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Well that sucks. First you get hit with ransomware. Then you decide to pay. Finally you can’t decrypt the data even if you get the key. #ransomware #security #cybersecurity
theregister.com
Nitrogen can't unlock its own ransomware after coding error
: Gang walks away with nothing, victims are left with irreparable hypervisors
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
I use @firefox.com as my primary browser and now I have one more reason to stick with it. Firefox is adding functionality in their upcoming v148 release to allow users to control what AI functions and features they want to use. A novel concept! #AI #firefox #mozilla
blog.mozilla.org
AI controls are coming to Firefox | The Mozilla Blog
AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it. We’ve heard from many who want nothing to do with AI. We’ve also heard from
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
I'm not a regular Walmart shopper and have a lot of issues with the way they run their operations but this might be enough to get me to a store at least during road trips. #ev #charging #walmart
finance.yahoo.com
Major change coming to Walmart parking lots across the US
The retail giant will soon update parking lots at certain stores in 19 states to include spaces for electric vehicle charging.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
That 30% of code written by #AI at @Microsoft.com that Nadella claimed last year is starting to look like a questionable choice. Not whether it is or isn't but just how good the code being written is. Is writing bad, buggy code faster actually better? #security #cybersecurity #windows #bugs #patches
theregister.com
Microsoft stays quiet while emergency Windows fixes ramp up
Opinion: Administrators sigh: OOBs, they did it again
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Another day another (state sponsored) supply chain attack. This time Notepad++ had traffic intercepted at their hosting provider allowing redirection. Check your software versions! #notepad++ #security #hackers
notepad-plus-plus.org
Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers | Notepad++
Current Version 8.9.1
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Apple Computer is doing something (again) to help protect consumer privacy. Your #mobile #cellular carrier knows exactly where you are at all times and may sell that data for their own profit (and your detriment). Apple is making that a little harder.
bleepingcomputer.com
New Apple privacy feature limits location tracking on iPhones, iPads
Apple is introducing a new privacy feature that lets users limit the precision of location data shared with cellular networks on some iPhone and iPad models.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
#IBM has a lot of challenges ahead but I honestly believe the future of the mainframe is bright(-ish). Redundancy, availability, expandability, performance, make it a serious player when it comes to running massive workloads. #mainframe #performance
theregister.com
IBM says AI is insane in the mainframe as z17 sales surge
: Big Blue leaning on software smarts to modernize COBOL estates and cut costs
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Good money after bad (part 2)? Seems like #Oracle may be looking at cutting costs and selling a BU to raise funds to build those #AI data centers after #banks have started backing off on providing #funding. Nice to see companies using their own money instead of someone else's.
theregister.com
Oracle may slash jobs to keep AI datacenter plans on track
: Cerner, though acquired in 2022, is nothing to multibillion black hole
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Good money after bad? Only time will tell but #Meta is continuing to invest in insane $$'s in #AI #infrastructure. If the #investment pays off, great but if it doesn't someone is going to have a hell of a hangover (and hole in their checkbook).
theregister.com
Meta's massive AI infrastructure spend to match Kenya's GDP
: Zuck bets big on 'personal superintelligence' with $135B splurge
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
This seems like a good idea. I'm not anti-AI, I'm anti-stupid. Giving the keys to the kingdom to a device that you are not 100% sure is secure and that you have secured properly is a really bad idea. #clawdbot #moltbot #agentic #ai #security #asssitant #agenticai
theregister.com
Clawdbot becomes Moltbot, but can’t shed security concerns
: The massively hyped agentic personal assistant has security experts wondering why anyone would install it
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Looks like @Microsoft.com has a #spam problem. People are reporting receiving emails from a legit #Microsoft #email address. It all seems to get back to a Power BI feature which Microsoft has temporarily disabled. #oops #security #cybersecurity
arstechnica.com
There's a rash of scam spam coming from a real Microsoft address
Abusing Microsoft's reputation may make scam harder to spot.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Many people are familiar with the non-routable IP ranges but I'm guessing not as many are familiar with #example.com - a #domain name specific for #testing purposes. Unfortunately, @Microsoft.com appears to have missed the memo and has been routing traffic to an unrelated 3rd party. Whoops.
arstechnica.com
Why has Microsoft been routing example.com traffic to a company in Japan?
Company's autodiscover caused users' test credentials to be sent outside Microsoft networks.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
It's been a long and varied journey from the invention of the three-point seat belt to today's modern, computer controlled, safety belts. While the fundamentals haven't changed much it is amazing how much has changed. #auto #volvo #seatbelt #safety
arstechnica.com
Volvo invented the three-point seat belt 67 years ago; now it has improved it
The EX60 senses a passenger's size and weight, determining how much force to use.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
It won't be the first time @France has developed their own video service. I remember #Minitel and the associated phone book during the 80's and 90's. It was way ahead of their time. Be interesting to see if they can repeat that feat. #telecom #zoom #webex #teams #videoconferencing
theregister.com
France says au revoir to US videoconferencing software
: French govt says state-run service 'Visio' will be more secure. Now where have we heard that name before?
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Full disk encryption is fine and dandy but not if the keys are available to anyone. @Microsoft.com might make it convenient to avoid issues by letting you store your keys in their cloud but it comes with consequences. #bitlocker #encryption #microsoft #keys #fbi #warrant #decrypt #security
techcrunch.com
Microsoft gave FBI a set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops: Reports | TechCrunch
The FBI served Microsoft a warrant requesting encryption recovery keys to decrypt the hard drives of people involved in an alleged fraud case in Guam.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
With #Tesla's announcement that they are killing #Autopilot and will be charging $99/month for the new lane keeping functionality #Lemonade's announcement of a discount on insurance while using the functionality seems a little less positive.
arstechnica.com
Tesla kills Autopilot, locks lane-keeping behind $99/month fee
With falling sales and shrinking profits, the recurring revenue will be most welcome.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
I'm old enough to remember when #telnet was the way to #communicate with other systems. While we have (mostly) moved to more secure methods apparently telnet still gets enough usage that a #bug more than a decade old has been identified. #security
theregister.com
Ancient telnet bug happily hands out root to attackers
: Critical vuln flew under the radar for a decade
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
I post a lot about #AI and much of it is negative. It's not that I am anti-AI - there are things about AI I love. What I am opposed to is the idea that AI is going to solve all our #problems in the next few months or years. Maybe someday but that day is not today.
theregister.com
AI chatbot might save insurance agents 3 minutes a day
: Does that kind of time saving actually pay for itself?
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Will this (or next) be the year we FINALLY see a drop of pitch fall? It's been almost a century and while 9 drops have fallen none have actually been witnessed by a person. Maybe drop number 10 will be the #lucky #drop! #science #lab #experiment
sciencealert.com
The World's Longest-Running Lab Experiment Is Almost 100 Years Old
Sometimes science can be painfully slow.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Another day another report on #AI success (or lack thereof). I use AI on an almost daily basis and love it. I also chose specific AI use cases that are known to work (in my case LLMs for research). Eventually AI will be helpful in myriad of areas but we are not there yet.
theregister.com
Majority of CEOs report zero payoff from AI splurge
: PwC survey finds more than half of 4,500+ biz leaders see no revenue growth nor cost savings
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
When will too much #enshitification finally be enough? Not any time soon based on this years #CES Worst-in-Show products.
theregister.com
CES 2026 worst-in-show
: There's a lot of bad ideas set to create literal waste and be a waste of money
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
The article is pretty poorly written but it is an interesting (and terrifying IMO) development. Just what we need is AI hallucinating things like Medicare rules or making up ICD10 codes. Not to mention leaking private medical data. What could possibly go wrong? #claude #anthropic #HIPAA #medicare
bleepingcomputer.com
Anthropic brings Claude to healthcare with HIPAA-ready Enterprise tools
Anthropic is bringing Claude for healthcare, following a similar move by OpenAI for ChatGPT.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
It's about time states started reining in data brokers. California is first to the party but I certainly hope more states follow. #databroker #data #privacy #pii #calprivacy
bleepingcomputer.com
California bans data broker reselling health data of millions
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) has taken action against the  Datamasters marketing firm that sold the health and personal data of millions of users without being registered as…
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Not really sure what one is supposed to say about this. A forum dedicated to hackers was breached exposing member account information. Not really sure where this falls in the scheme of organizations should have better security. #security #breachforums #cybersecurity #hackers
bleepingcomputer.com
BreachForums hacking forum database leaked, exposing 324,000 accounts
The latest incarnation of the notorious BreachForums hacking forum has suffered a data breach, with its user database table leaked online.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Software that tracks and records mobile devices can have uses but it is a steep and slippery slope from legitimate to illegal tools and uses. Illegally installing (and suggesting illegally installing) software should be prosecuted aggressively to help protect everyone. #spyware
arstechnica.com
Michigan man learns the hard way that “catch a cheater” spyware apps aren’t legal
Spying doesn't become legal just because "cheaters" are the targets.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
I'm sure there are people who find value in @Microsoft.com #copilot but it is also nice to see #Microsoft giving organizations some flexibility when it comes to their use. Organizations should not have technology forced upon them. #ai #digitalassistant
bleepingcomputer.com
Microsoft may soon allow IT admins to uninstall Copilot
Microsoft is testing a new policy that allows IT administrators to uninstall the AI-powered Copilot digital assistant on managed devices.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
#AI is going to solve all our #security problems unless it causes them first. No technology is prefect right out of the gate and believing it will be is a bad idea. AI is no different. It will make a difference in security but make sure you look before you leap. #cyber #cybersecurity
rys.io
AI will compromise your cybersecurity posture
Yes, “AI” will compromise your information security posture. No, not through some mythical self-aware galaxy-brain entity magically cracking your passwords in seconds or “autonomously” exploiting new
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I do not use @Microsoft.com #OneDrive for anything. Ever. And this is one of the reasons for that. I do not trust #Microsoft to do the right thing and based on how OneDrive works, I'm right. While I'd like to believe they will improve the operation all evidence indicates that they won't.
boingboing.net
Everyone hates OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud app that steals then deletes all your files
OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud-based storage service, and it's aggressively pushed on users of Windows. They want your files on their servers, and are willing to use dark patterns to get…
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I'm a #Linux user and have been for decades but (sadly) #Windows is still necessary in a few cases (but fewer all the time). Things like #Wine works pretty well but there are still challenges, and I'd rather just native Linux apps, nonetheless something like #less32 is interesting to me.
theregister.com
Loss32: An idea for a Linux designed around Win32 apps
: It's crazy, a million-to-one shot, but it might just work
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
#AI #Agents for the win? While only time will tell if this is a good move I suspect this will not end the way they want it to. #saas #sales
businessinsider.com
The 'Godfather of SaaS' says he replaced most of his sales team with AI agents: 'We're done with hiring humans'
Jason Lemkin, the founder of SaaStr, the world's largest community of business-to-business executives and founders, is swapping out human workers for AI.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
No new technology is an island and that includes #AI. #LLMs have brought great benefit to some areas at the cost of things like #IP. Researchers have developed a way to help prevent that by poisoning data to force LLMs to provide #wrong results.
theregister.com
Researchers poison stolen data to make AI results wrong
: Wanted: Chief Disinformation Officer to pollute company knowledge graphs
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
#Tech has helped move #education forward in numerous ways. Unfortunately when you are dependent on #technology and it isn't available things go sideways. Some students in the UK are getting an extended holiday break this year due to an attack. I'm sure the kids are sad about it. #cyber #security
theregister.com
Students bag extended break after cyber hit on school IT
: Phones, email, and core systems knocked out at Higham Lane in Nuneaton
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Can anyone really say they are surprised? Stack Overflow was incredible in it's heyday and we likely will regret it's loss someday but #LLMs are really good at the same types of questions. I've never posted on SO but used results from #Google searches routinely. Now I use results from #Gemini.
developers.slashdot.org
Stack Overflow Went From 200,000 Monthly Questions To Nearly Zero - Slashdot
Stack Overflow's monthly question volume has collapsed to about 300 -- levels not seen since the site launched in 2009, according to data from the Stack Overflow Data Explorer that tracks the…
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Could be the best analysis of #AI I've seen in a long time (or possible ever). AI is not a replacement for people but an assistant to make people more productive and that's what it should be. Like other tools, AI is a tool and should be used as such. #productivity
theregister.com
Safe CEO: AI is an assistant, not a replacement
Interview: There is no automated substitute for experienced staff, and 'if there's one thing AI has a never-ending thirst for ... it's data'
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
I love the idea of a fully functional #console based #browser! I don't have a lot of need for one but every now and again it would be great. I tried #brow6el and while I got it installed I could never get it to load a webpage but it is still early days. Looking forward to the future!
theregister.com
Brow6el is a full-featured browser that runs in a terminal
: A full-featured, Sixel-capable terminal browser for those who’d rather skip AI assistants
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
@krebsonsecurity.com.web.brid.gy has an interesting piece on the #Kimwolf #botnet. WHen you buy a cheap #Android TV box you often get more than you pay for - in this case preinstalled botnet software.
krebsonsecurity.com
The Kimwolf Botnet is Stalking Your Local Network
The story you are reading is a series of scoops nestled inside a far more urgent Internet-wide security advisory. The vulnerability at issue has been exploited for months already, and it's time for a…
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
I think there is another reason not mentioned for #IPv6's struggles. I can remember important #IPv4 #addresses on my #network which is basically impossible with IPv6. For network admins used to IPv4 this was a major change and impacted #productivity and #simplicity.
theregister.com
IPv6 just turned 30 and still hasn’t taken over the world
Feature: The world has passed it by in many ways, yet it remains relevant
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
I'm more convinced than ever that an #AI #crash is coming but maybe it won't be all downside. Lots of GPU's will be available and probably cheap. Maybe I'll finally be able to build that #crypto mining rig I've always dreamed about.
theregister.com
Why software will save Nvidia from an AI bubble burst
: Want to survive the crash? Find another way to make money with GPUs
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
So you bought the #AI hype without doing actual due diligence and now are paying the price? Wish I could muster up some sympathy for #Salesforce but it's not happening. I wonder how many other companies are going to suffer similar fates before they start being smart about AI.
maarthandam.com
Salesforce regrets firing 4000 experienced staff and replacing them with AI
Salesforces has entered a phase of public reckoning after senior executives publicly admitted that the company overestimated AI’s readiness
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
The #price always comes due. If you are going to borrow #billions or #trillions of dollars to invest into AI someone is going to have to pay the bill. Nothing wrong with #debt #financing in the right circumstances but for #AI which hasn't figured out how to make money yet? Maybe not.
nytimes.com
As A.I. Companies Borrow Billions, Debt Investors Grow Wary
Artificial intelligence companies looking to raise funds are being made to pay lofty interest rates, as debt investors become cautious.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
When life gives you #lemons make #lemonade! #AI may eventually deliver on its promises but we are not there yet. The smart money was that #India would struggle with AI taking the outsourced jobs but it looks like things are not going to work out that way, at least not yet. #shoveling
indiadispatch.com
The AI Revolution Needs Plumbers
How Indian IT learned to stop worrying and sell the AI shovel
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
So @fanexpohq.bsky.social do you just not bother responding to #custserv issues? Ordered on Nov 14. Half shipped on Dec 22 (after multiple emails, web forms, and a post here), recvd on Dec 27 the other half is nowhere to be found. So much for #christmas or #hanukkah presents. #fanexpo #fanexposhop
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
I use #Lastpass.bsky.social entirely because of #inertia (I'd switch but it's a family thing). It mostly works fine but their history of slow development, poor #security, and #breaches does concern me. Glad I don't have any #crypto #breach
thehackernews.com
LastPass 2022 Breach Led to Years-Long Cryptocurrency Thefts, TRM Labs Finds
Stolen LastPass vaults from the 2022 breach enabled about $35M in crypto thefts through 2025, according to TRM Labs.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
I remember when @Microsoft.com pitched Teams as amazing because anyone could reach you on it. Turns out that isn't ideal since it is rife for abuse. #Microsoft is addressing that concern (sort of) by allowing blocking of external users via #Defender.
bleepingcomputer.com
Microsoft Teams to let admins block external users via Defender portal
Microsoft announced that security administrators will soon be able to block external users from sending messages, calls, or meeting invitations to members of their organization via Teams.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Is #AI spending out of control? Depends on who you ask but I don't see any way $1.5+ TRILLION dollars in the past year has an ROI anytime soon. But hey, maybe if we keep throwing money at it something different will happen! #cash #fail #money
theregister.com
AI faces closing time at the cash buffet
opinion: Will businesses continue to invest in something that's shown so little return?
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
I've never had a strong need to change my #gmail address but I guess it's nice to know this will be an option soon. While it hasn't been a need of mine I can see some scenarios where it makes sense. #email #address #change #google
bleepingcomputer.com
Google will finally allow you to change your @gmail.com address
Google will finally allow you to change your @gmail address or create a new alias, according to a new support document.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Sometimes #technology moves too fast. A #5k #monitor sounds great but not if even the most advanced video cards can't drive it. With 78% more pixels than a #4k monitor that's not totally shocking. #nvidia #asus
pcmag.com
5K Gaming Is Too Hard, Even for an RTX 5090D
Some companies have started to launch 5K monitors for gamers, but it's going to be a while before they're viable for normal players to use.
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Josh Chessman @beansb.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
I'm not surprised by this and honestly it makes good sense. Too much dependence on any one #technology from one vendor is dangerous. I hate being dependent on the #Apple or #Google ecosystem (but that's a different discussion). #hyperscaler #cloud #gdpr
theregister.com
Europe gets serious about cutting US digital umbilical cord
Feature: Public bodies migrate in the bloc as hyperscalers claim sovereignty
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