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• Post #4397251

  "The Army used AI that hallucinated multiple times, creating the false impression that Trax’s bid was weaker than rival Southwest Range Services’ successful bid of roughly $450 million, a complaint filed in late July alleged. The filing comes after the Government Accountability Office denied Trax’s bid protest in May": https://www.nextgov.com/acquisition/2026/08/contractor-alleges-army-inappropriately-used-ai-make-450m-contract-award/415225/?oref=ng-homepage-river

• Post #4393702

  My S/O of 35 years referred to someone today as a controlling narcissistic man baby. I am so proud to be married to her...

• Post #4362147

  Say what you will about AI (I certainly have), but the level of sophistication with regards to phishing emails is very noticeably increasing. Had one passed along by our cybersecurity analyst this morning that fortunately still had "flags" that were identified by staff, but the content of the communication was really good, down to reasonably emulating the personalities of folks known to interact with our agency. It's absolutely an indicator of things to come...

• Post #3840222

  Stuff like this pops up in feeds and I find myself wondering which dystopian novel is the best match on my Bingo Card. 🤔 https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-pentagon-testosterone-testing-troops-47333bbf3af9e4cac432722332ff1383

• Post #3733407

  @jaykuo@universeodon.com And... She departed from Monterey Bay, California... Kesley Absolutely Rocks.

• Post #3645573

  “At the institutional level, I cannot reconcile what I have seen on free speech, on the dismantling of diversity and inclusion infrastructure, and on the protection of marginalized students, faculty, and staff,” Fielding wrote. “The administration’s posture has been to absorb federal and state pressure quietly rather than push back publicly.” https://www.ipm.org/news/2026-07-02/iu-foundation-board-member-declines-fourth-term-not-able-to-defend-iu

• Post #3645572

  Shepherd Book used to tell me, “If you can’t do something smart, do something right.” #RandomQuotes

• Post #3645571

  Father Hennepin Bridge: July 4th 2013, was my first in Minneapolis. At the time Evelia and I were temp living in Saint Louis Park as our long-term digs weren't ready yet (SOO Line Building) Even so we spent the day downtown with a very festive crowd, eventually watching the fireworks from the Stone Arch Bridge. By Midnight, things had quieted though, giving me the opportunity to take one of my all-time favorite photos. #Photography #BlackAndWhite #UrbanPhotography #Minneapolis

• Post #3645570

  🎞️ 🍿 #MovieNight - WALL•E I may be biased, as I will admit to an irrational love for this film, but as more time goes by, the more I think that this is the peak Pixar moment. The level of attention to everything, from the flakes of rust on our hero, to the subtle movements of light in the circuitry under EVE's skin is astounding. The story is flawless, with too many tiny perfect moments to count. It's simply a masterpiece in every measurable way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WA...

• Post #3645569

  Forgotten Battles: A lone man stands at the corner of the Pilcher & McBryde Rexall Drugs, with the Edmund Pettus Bridge visible off in the distance, on a silent and nearly empty July 4th in Selma Alabama. #Photography #BlackAndWhite #SilentSunday

• Post #3645568

  Yosemite offers many wonders. Crushing crowds are now one of them: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/yosemite-offers-many-wonders-crushing-crowds-are-now-one-of-them/

• Post #3645567

  RE: https://mastodon.social/@cmconseils/116874216918655699 I actually lived this. Had a person who was responsible for technology and cybersecurity oversight who could not open or save PDF board meeting reports.

• Post #3645566

  MSTodon... #plushtodon

• Post #3645565

  "The Interior Department’s top technology official left the agency last week after falling out of favor with administration officials, according to a person familiar with the matter, ending a short tenure for a former SpaceX engineer brought in amid the Trump administration’s push to remake federal technology operations." https://www.nextgov.com/people/2026/07/interior-cio-paul-mcinerny-exits-position/414612/

• Post #3030005

  ✒️ Neat write-up by Evan Tschuy this week with some thoughts about Open Loop payments on California Transportation Systems (with a nice mention about Monterey-Salinas Transit being a pioneer in this space). https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/05/27/an-update-on-contactless-fare-payment-across-agencies-in-california

• Post #3030004

  TriMet (Oregon) has finalized service cuts to buses and MAX, along with a historic reduction in staffing, set to go into effect this summer. The cuts are intended to address a roughly $300 million structural budget deficit that TriMet first identified about a year ago. Although the agency reduced costs by about $150 million through staffing and service cuts last fall, the deficit has continued to grow amid rising operating expenses, officials said. https://www.transittalent.com/articles/index....

• Post #3030003

  Had a moment in the last week where I ran across a job post here on the Masto for a Palantir architect at a former org that had been a significant part of my career. Job posts being what they are, the plug for it could have been exaggerated, but the blurb indicated that the org goal was to make Thiel's products a key part of their tech strategy going forward. It saddened me more than I expected it to...

• Post #2290649

  (what should be an) Obvious Observation to No One in Particular: Leaders can get a shitload accomplished simply by treating people like their voice matters and thanking them for the things that they do.

• Post #1101784

  🎞 🍿 #MovieNight Legends Of The Fall Director Edward Zwick has done a number of visually stunning movies, and while this one is not his best "story" I think it is his most beautiful. And the 4k remaster done last year is as good as it gets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_of_the_Fall

• Post #1101783

  Not the heroes we deserve, but the ones that we need: https://www.deviantart.com/leopinheiro/art/Good-News-Everyone-454742490

• Post #1101782

  "Delusion of Omnipotence" is now one of my favorite phrases.

• Post #1101781

  RE: https://mastodon.world/@NoRomBasic/116139781192872962 😵 Looks like Enrich9945 has knocked me out of the top spot over the weekend... 🥳 Congratulations! The really cool thing is everyone on Fedihosting Foundation servers win as well! 🤔 Any others think that they can knock me out of the #2 position???

• Post #1005754

  April is when the Monterey Harbor Seals pup and there have been about a half dozen so far this year. So, most weekends this month you will find me at the Hopkins Marine Station Beach. No pup here (I'll have some over the next few days), but a neat shot of one of the Harbor Gals leaning into that 1st wave on the way out the harbor today. #Photography #WildlifePhotography #HarborSeals #Seals

• Post #1005753

  Yeah, that's me. Getting those Harbor Seal shots without intruding into their world takes a decent telephoto lens and the one I have been using the most over last two years is the Sony FE 400-800mm G OSS, sometimes combined with the Sony 1.4x teleconverter. Fortunately I got it before the tariffs and crap kicked in, but it is still some serious kit.

• Post #1005752

  As of this morning (and per one of our resident experts), there have been about 8 or so pups born at the Hopkins Marine Station Beach. About half of those were hanging with their moms yesterday and today. The calm seas and incredibly beautiful weather in Monterey this weekend has meant that most of seals (and pups) are out in the water. So, fewer photo opportunities. But still... Next weekend will likely be peak pupping at the beach. #Photography #WildlifePhotography #HarborSeals #Seals

• Post #1005751

  One more Harbor Seal and Pup Pic before calling it a night. Hopkins Marine Station Beach. Pacific Grove, California. #Photography #WildlifePhotography #HarborSeals #Seals

• Post #1005750

  "A suspected China-linked breach of an FBI surveillance system likely revealed phone numbers of targets being monitored by the bureau, according to a person familiar with a recent notification of the breach sent to Congress and a second person familiar with the matter": https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2026/04/suspected-chinese-breach-fbi-system-exposed-surveillance-targets-phone-numbers/412612/

• Post #1005749

  My office mug this week:

• Post #1005748

  The spike {in scams} comes amid a broader surge in impersonation-based fraud, fueled by artificial intelligence-driven voice and messaging tools that can allow scammers to convincingly pose as government officials at scale: https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2026/04/government-official-impersonation-scam-complaints-doubled-2025-fbi-report-shows/412656/

• Post #1005747

  Monterey Bay Harbor Seal pics from this past weekend: Based on the image, this Harbor Gal looks like she is having the time of her life. But in reality she was in in a foul mood all day; and I strongly suspect in labor. For the 4 hours I was around on Sunday she never stayed still, moving from the shore to the water, then to the rocks, and periodically barking quite loudly. I would not be surprised if she has pupped by now. #Photography #WildlifePhotography #HarborSeals #Seals