Sigfrid Lundberg @sigfridlundberg@mastodon.se

It is #WerewolfWednesday again and I am here to share more fun tidbits about Livonian werewolves.

A Swedish Archbishop in 1555 notes that Livonian werewolves gather in packs around Christmastime, and

"invade beer cellars and drink some barrels of beer or mead, then pile the empty mugs in the middle of the cellar, one on top of another, in which practice they differ from natural and genuine wolves."

Good to know. 😄 🍻 🐺

#folklore #werewolves

Google used to take pride in minimizing time we spent there, guiding us to relevant pages as quickly as possible. Over time, they tried to answer everything themselves: longer snippets, inline FAQs, search results full of knowledge panels.

Today's Bard announcement feels like their natural evolution: extracting all value out of the internet for themselves, burying pages at the bottom of each GPT-generated essay like footnotes. https://blog.google/technology/ai/bard-google-ai-search-updates/

The problem first appeared last week, when I attempted to open a book on my Kindle.

The book cover appeared in my Library as normal.

When I tapped on it, the following message appeared:

@monro This is why I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS crack the DRM on any ebook I purchase (and archive a DRM-free copy in an open file format). And why I've stopped buying new titles from Amazon (they "fixed" the DRM on Kindle files and there's no crack for new titles on sale since 01/01/2023). It's not because I'm a pirate, but because if I've paid for it I don't want to lose access to it due to negligence or malicious restraint of trade by the supplier.

Discovered during the week I was unable to access a Kindle book purchased in 2013. Reason? The order was “too old”, and refund issued to buy again. Which was pointless as the book is now more expensive than when I bought it.

Subsequently discovered 66(!!) other ebooks no longer available for download.

Currently 40 minutes in to a support chat with Amazon.

About to learn, I think, whether we purchase ebooks, or rent them…

[Edit: documenting progress in this thread https://mastodon.online/@monro/109812445178130161]

#Homeless #people #are people #too!

The EuroCity to Budapest Nyugati is departing from the opposite platform here at Spandau. And I have this *really* strong wanderlust all of a sudden 🙂 #CrossBorderRail

Morning Mastodon.

Ailsa Craig shrouded in cloud.

#photography #photographie #fotografie #fotografia #Art