From web to client: The Mastodon experience

Mastodon is an open-source social networking platform for microblogging. While it has a web-based interface, many users prefer to use a client to access Mastodon. Clients are programs or applications that allow users to access and interact with the Mastodon platform from various devices, including computers, tablets, and phones. I moved to Fosstodon in 2019, … Read more

Fastfetch: High-Performance Alternative to Neofetch for System Information Display

Yesterday I wrote about Neofetch which is a tool that I have used in the past on Linux systems I owned. It was an easy way to provide a good snapshot of the distribution I was running and some other pertinent information about my computing environment. One of my readers replied to let me know … Read more

Neofetch: The Universal System Info Display Tool

Neofetch, hosted on the reputable and active project homepage at the Github repository, is designed to create system configuration screenshots on various platforms. The primary difference between Neofetch and ScreenFetch lies in its broader support; it extends beyond Fedora, RHEL, or CentOS and provides compatibility with almost 150 different operating systems, including lesser-known ones like … Read more

Empowering Creators with Open Source Software

As we welcome another academic year, the integration of creative arts within school curriculums remains vital. Among open source resources that empower students to engage with digital soundscapes is Audacity, a free and versatile audio recording and editing software cherished by educators for its simplicity and power in the classroom setting. Audacity’s capacity has only … Read more

Pandoc: The Ultimate Document Conversion Tool

Pandoc is a versatile command-line tool that facilitates seamless file conversions between different markup formats. It supports an extensive range of input and output formats, making it indispensable for writers, researchers, and developers. I have found it particularly useful when converting output from LLMs to to HTML or more common word processing formats. Pandoc’s strength … Read more

Using Python to talk with an Ollama model

Continuing my exploration of using a locally hosted Ollama on my Linux desktop computer, I have been doing a lot of reading and research. Today, while having lunch with a university professor, he asked me some questions I didn’t have an immediate answer to. So, I went back to my research to find the answers. … Read more

Contemporary AI Ethics – Can We Safeguard Innovation Without Falling into Repetitive Cycles?

Years ago, I watched a TED talk by Larry Lessig about laws that stifle creativity. He made several excellent points in his speech, and it got me thinking about whether we are reaching a critical point in terms of laws regulating the use of generative AI. Recently, I listened to a podcast where the host … Read more