Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026Wordle 1,946 X/6* ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 (which turns out to be pretty ironic) 010 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026Pretty dramatic skies here over Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia! 010 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026In today's installment of "What could possibly go wrong?" www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-inte… #security #chrome 001 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026A cow, a pony and a donkey walk into a pub. "So why the long face?" said the journalist. "Someone called the cops on us" said the pony. www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-28/no-b… (from 10 years ago, but I only just stumbled across […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 010 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026Props to whoever at the Network Time Foundation came up with "Epochalypse" to refer to rollovers in various time systems (including the Y2K38 one). www.nwtime.org/epochalypse #epochalypse #programming #time #tzdb #punsnwtime.orgThe Epochalypse: Preparing for the Next Time RolloversReliable time helps digital systems coordinate transactions, validate credentials, and keep accurate records. Between 2036 and 2038, several widely used time representations will reach rollover points, including those used by the Network Time Protocol (NTP), older Unix time formats, and some GPS systems. 011 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026You can own an original, used (one careful owner) RFC1149 packet! onlineonly.christies.com/s/fine-pri… Also cc @etchedpixels as I believe you were there for that..onlineonly.christies.comActual RFC1149 packet being auctionedComments 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026@mattblaze and the metricthusiasts are estatic... (sorry, late to the party on this one) 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026Well I wasn't expecting to get it like this. 😅 Wordle 1,939 3/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 010 1
Reposted by Chris SamuelJeff Moss @thedarktangent.defcon.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026With all the new G's (New GTLDs that ICANN has approved) coming up like .pdf now is a great time to disable search from your browser bar so you don't accidentally end up at a malicious site. For FireFox or Tor Browser do: - about:config - set browser.fixup.alternate.enabled false - set keyword […]defcon.socialOriginal post on defcon.social 1016 16
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026Snek! Not what I was expecting on my morning walk yesterday. (a sadly deceased Dekay's Brownsnake according to Seek, confirmed by someone on iNaturalist) #snake #philadelphia #snek 010 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026Should I be surprised that this is 666 seconds into Greg K-H's latest talk on Linux kernel security? youtu.be/NnV_cWeoo5Q?si=LKkFsquWXdP… His point is that kernel vulnerabilities are now (on average) being exploited 7 days before being reported. 😬 #linux #security #itsec 020 2
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026I didn't think it was possible to be nostalgic about scams, but I just got my first 419 type email in a long time. Unfortunately I don't think they realise I know that the Nigerian government doesn't have that much to do with the Geelong Archery Club (whose Plex webmail system they appear to […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026Sunflower with three bees hanging out this morning in the drizzle. #bloomscrolling #bees 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026Shipwreck remains, likely from the 1884 wreck of the schooner Warren Sawyer, uncovered by the Nor'Easter on Nantucket. www.npr.org/2026/09/27/nx-s1-598278… #archaeology #shipwreck #nantucket 001 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026Pretty impressive work, recovering ancient human DNA from samples associated with cave art on walls in caves in Portugal. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-… #archaeology #ancientDNA #aDNA #genetics #genomicsnature.comInvestigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art - Nature CommunicationsAncient DNA can be preserved on materials from archaeological floor deposits such as bones, sediments and artifacts. Here, the authors investigate whether Palaeolithic wall art can preserve human DNA for study. 002 2
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 21/09/2026I think Queensland police need to set up a sting operation. www.theguardian.com/australia-news/… #puns #beestheguardian.comMore than 800,000 bees stolen across far north Queensland in ‘sophisticated’ operationApiarists will lose not just the insects but the value of pollination contracts, which can be worth thousands of dollars 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026^^^^ how it started attached - how it went (pure coincidence) #paleontology #dinosaurs 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026This is fun, determining a likely body temperature for T.Rex by looking at tooth enamel structure. Spoiler, looks like an endotherm! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.… #paleontology #t.rex #dinosaurs 100 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 12/09/2026“Oh my head!”, said Thomas, waking up after another heavy night. “Where am I this time? Wait, America? How on earth did I get here?” he pondered, through the fog, aches and nausea. A groan to his right startled him. “Henry! Oh no! What have I got you into? […] [Original post on mastodon.acm.org] 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/09/2026Sadly I suspect the answer to his rhetorical question is "yes". 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/09/2026Great article on the strife that Australia is in with its heavy reliance on diesel (using about twice the amount per-capita compared to the US for instance), suggesting a way to make reserves go further would be to start moving to electric freight vehicles (and what that entails). This quote […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 100 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/09/2026@mhoye @etchedpixels ah yes - same for Digital UNIX too. Found out trying to kill a process on a primary DNS server.. 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/09/2026Freddy Mercury would have been 80 today. The UK National Archives have published his British naturalisation application. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore…nationalarchives.gov.ukFreddie Mercury’s naturalisation certificateFreddie Mercury was naturalised as a British citizen in 1969. This record tells the story of how he emigrated from Zanzibar to the UK. 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/09/2026Fascinating article on the work of Fred Hollows and his successors, saving sight in regional and outback Australia. But they survive year to year based on grant funding despite the with they do being so critical […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 000 0
Reposted by Chris SamuelKit Bashir @unixbigot.aus.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026“*YOU* Are the Chosen One?!” “Hahaha no.” “I thou—“ “I’m just *a* chosen girl. There’s hundreds of us, you know. Big planet; takes a lot of saving” “Where’s your enchanted sword, then?” “Melted it” “You *what*!” “Swords are flashy, but impractical. So I made an enchanted multitool” “You […]aus.socialOriginal post on aus.social 51057 57
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 02/09/2026Quite a light show on the Strasburg PA rail camera from the thunderstorm heading to Delaware right now. www.youtube.com/live/RZpIX6cq7Os #PAwx 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026Data courtesy of the Linux kernel teams "vulns" repo - public here: git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/securi…git.kernel.orgsecurity/vulns.git - Unnamed repository; edit this file 'description' to name the repository. 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026Finally, I was pondering what areas of the kernel were most CVE'd, well here's that answer: $ git grep Subject: | awk '{print $3}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head 823 net: 534 wifi: 318 media: 313 scsi: 294 Bluetooth: 292 netfilter: 270 usb: 251 bpf: 226 btrfs: 217 drm/amd/display: #Linux […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 101 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026That then got me wondering "what on earth happened in the 5.15 release" - and it turns out the answer is improved support for Windows interoperability... $ git grep Subject: $(git grep -li "Issue introduced in 5.15") | awk '{print $3}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head 142 ksmbd: 63 fs/ntfs3 […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 210 2
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026I was curious about which Linux kernel releases are blamed for introducing CVEs, so poking in the kernel security teams "vulns" repo here are the (current) top 10 blamed kernel versions: $ git grep -i "Issue introduced in" | awk '{print $1,$5}' | sort | uniq | awk '{print $2}' | sort | uniq -c […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 101 1
Reposted by Chris SamuelAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 15/08/2026This is a pleasing factoid: the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is the same size and weight as a T-Rex! Countdown: 15 days to launch! 🚀 AUG 30, 2026 11:26 UTC ℹ️: science.nasa.gov/mission/roma... 1025584 255
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 27/08/2026Lucky nobody was hurt... 😬 > After the airplane stopped, passengers began standing and attempting to access overhead bins despite commands to remain seated. [...] > She repeatedly commanded passengers to leave their belongings behind; however, multiple passengers took their carry-on baggage […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 001 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 26/08/2026How it started... live.acarsdrama.com/@acarsdrama/117…live.acarsdrama.com 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 26/08/2026RE: live.acarsdrama.com/@acarsdrama/117… Sometimes you just can't get a break...live.acarsdrama.com 100 1
Reposted by Chris Samuelsabik @sabik.rants.au.ap.brid.gy · 14/08/2026"Three feet long and with 34 names, Clacton's ballot paper is the longest ever" Australians: sweet summer child 003 3
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026If an AI plays James Bond but doesn't tell anyone it's an AI is it... ....a secret agent? (sorry) #puns 001 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026Oops. www.theregister.com/security/2026/0… #security #firefoxtheregister.comMozilla revokes Firefox signing key after unencrypted copy lands in GitHubAudit logs found no unexpected visitors, but release verification still needs an update 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026@SteveBellovin ouch - best of luck with the recovery! Hope all the baking is tiding you over well. 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026TIL that the earliest evidence of a stringed instrument in Europe was found in High Pasture Cave on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, and is the charred remains of the bridge of what is believed to be a lyre. It's about 2,300 years old […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 022 2
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 10/08/2026@Yolande I definitely agree that avoiding both would have been ideal, especially as the National Trust is already concerned about the impact of human activity at what is now Dobby's Grave on the environment there. It's a beautiful area, I suspect anywhere you go around there will risk damage of […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 10/08/2026Sigh, humans care more about not disturbing fictional graves of fictional characters than possibly damaging real graves of real people. > In the end, he said, “we went quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby’s grave” […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 101 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 09/08/2026Shocked to find that the Australian language dictionary for Thunderbird does not seem to know "whinging". Yours, A whinging Pom. 010 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/08/2026Nostalgia - it's not as good as it used to be... A couple of years ago I found a really nice little quote in an article on nostalgia that claims that it doesn't date back to when we first started writing, but a little time after when we could look back at […] [Original post on mastodon.acm.org] 002 2
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/08/2026Gah - now the UK govt has managed to do it too... www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/incident-repor… The crazy thing is they say they are working on: > surfacing potential risks before they reach the public Yet they then say: > we test them under […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 03/08/2026Another, much more recent, aDNA genetics discovery again turning assumptions about the past on their head. Ancient DNA recovery of the Upton Lovell "Shaman" (bronze age metalworker), who had always been presumed to be a male, shows that instead they were biologically female […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 020 2
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 02/08/2026Nice to see aDNA genetics undoing some stories invented about some of the people found in Pompeii by revealing some of the realities of who they were, how they were related (or in these cases how they were not) and where they came from […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 122 2
Reposted by Chris SamuelTom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 01/08/2026My latest cartoon for @newscientist.com 121026273 1K
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 31/07/2026"Wait, so if Demippos here gets to read all his part then he gets 3 hours, and I only get 2 for my part!" "I know, there's this other tale I know, I'll adapt it and then that'll make us equal" "Oh no, now we're too long overall! We'll need to take this other part out, everyone agrees it's not […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 000 0
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 31/07/2026Love this idea of no one #Homer. > The poem could even have taken shape by committee. In the late 6th century BCE, Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, mandated the annual performance of the entire Iliad and Odyssey at a festival celebrating the goddess Athena. > > It takes about 20 hours to read the […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 100 1
Chris Samuel @chris-bloke.mastodon.acm.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026@mattblaze was driven past that yesterday after meeting my brother arriving at PHL and he was asking what that was! It’s interesting that the motion blur seems to get less the farther the train is away. I’m guessing that’s because the perspective means there’s less proper motion (to borrow the […]mastodon.acm.orgOriginal post on mastodon.acm.org 000 0