Posts
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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3d ago
@passenger@kolektiva.social @cstross@wandering.shop Which is where this type of conflict is so rich for stories! Nobody in the situation was "wrong", but several players were set up with conflicting information, backgrounds, and incentives and suddenly no person is wrong but every thing is wrong.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
·
3d ago
@passenger@kolektiva.social @cstross@wandering.shop
> In a tragedy, the bad thing could be averted, but isn't, because the protagonist would have to act against their own nature to avert it. This gives tragedy its sense of inevitability and makes it so fun to read.
I think this is the difference though: if you don't have the conversation because of a character flaw, that's tragedy. If you don't have the conversation because you get interrupted by a series of increasingly contrived coincidences you have at best a weak farce.
> My sympathy for having been stuck on the inside of real-life failures, though. Seeing large corporations fail to do what must be done is the reason I've always avoided management jobs and just been a senior IC. You are made of sterner stuff than me if you risked that, and I'm sorry to hear it treated you that badly.
Thank you, but I'm not made of that sterner stuff either! Part of the problem/the saving grace was that I didn't go into management, I was supposed to be an IC with training and education responsibilities. But training one type of good practice/workflow doesn't work if the manager who wanted the training done is no longer in the position to actually push doing the things that are being trained (and the new manager is actively pushing other ways of doing things that are fine in themselves, but clash with what you've been asked to teach people)
> In a tragedy, the bad thing could be averted, but isn't, because the protagonist would have to act against their own nature to avert it. This gives tragedy its sense of inevitability and makes it so fun to read.
I think this is the difference though: if you don't have the conversation because of a character flaw, that's tragedy. If you don't have the conversation because you get interrupted by a series of increasingly contrived coincidences you have at best a weak farce.
> My sympathy for having been stuck on the inside of real-life failures, though. Seeing large corporations fail to do what must be done is the reason I've always avoided management jobs and just been a senior IC. You are made of sterner stuff than me if you risked that, and I'm sorry to hear it treated you that badly.
Thank you, but I'm not made of that sterner stuff either! Part of the problem/the saving grace was that I didn't go into management, I was supposed to be an IC with training and education responsibilities. But training one type of good practice/workflow doesn't work if the manager who wanted the training done is no longer in the position to actually push doing the things that are being trained (and the new manager is actively pushing other ways of doing things that are fine in themselves, but clash with what you've been asked to teach people)
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
·
3d ago
@cstross@wandering.shop Having been twice made responsible for institutional change in the workplace and then having the person who appointed me lose the authority to push the changes, I have a painfully direct experience of how tough it can be to break out of the Abilene Paradox with a group that has someone well spoken and charismatic in authority who doesn't understand what's happening in the rest of the group. Lots of well meaning people doing things that seem sane, rational, and empathic individually, leading to a Not Good™ and emotionally distructive overall situation.
Hmm. I think I'm leaking my trauma. But it definitely makes for a stronger plot than 'I need to delay the PoV character five minutes or the entire story ends because they can have a conversation.'
Hmm. I think I'm leaking my trauma. But it definitely makes for a stronger plot than 'I need to delay the PoV character five minutes or the entire story ends because they can have a conversation.'
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
·
3d ago
@cstross@wandering.shop I think these 'stupidity dependent' misunderstandings are tempting partly because they are easy, but also because they are easy to justify as 'realistic' because we have all seen people being stupid in relationships. But they fundamentally aren't satisfying because we can see how easily the conflict could be resolved from the outside, sort of a deus ex machina in reverse.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
·
4d ago
@0xabad1dea@infosec.exchange I love watching that happen! My mum once went through the whole process of ordering a meal in a kebab shop in the UK speaking Turkish (which is what the staff were using talking to each other). He not only replied in English, but then asked his co-worker why they'd complimented an English speaker on their Turkish...
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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6d ago
@ppscrv@mathstodon.xyz Makes sense, I'm from down south with a some years in the Midlands, so I obviously speak proper like and don't know how you northerners would mangle the language :). I think I tend to use post for the postie and as a verb, and mail as the noun ("The postie delivers the mail" "I'm going to post the letter") but I'm pretty sure I'm not consistent in using either.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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6d ago
@0xabad1dea@infosec.exchange @xaetacore@neondystopia.world English English would use mail or post interchangeably for 'is this thing physically being sent to me'. Here in Italy though, 'mail' is often used to refer to email in Italian so if you use mail speaking in English to an Italian they will often assume you mean email (and will often use mail to refer to email even in English)
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Apr 13, 2026
@0xabad1dea@infosec.exchange I recently discovered that here in Italy you can sell nude properties, which amused me no end. Literal translations are such an unending source of fun. (It refers to buying a property but granting the current resident leave to continue living in it, and is used in situations where a pensioner is running out of money but doesn't want to leave their house)
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Apr 13, 2026
@natpryce@mastodon.social @romeu@mastodon.social "I spent more money, give me a raise!"
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Apr 13, 2026
@0xabad1dea@infosec.exchange I wonder if you could get a good rendition of Azimov era scifi describing the modern world by deliberately translating back and forth from unrelated languages focussing on literal translations.
"The lightning carriage accelerated down the complimentary path with torque unmatched by the older confined burn machines..."
"The lightning carriage accelerated down the complimentary path with torque unmatched by the older confined burn machines..."
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Apr 13, 2026
@miniBill@mastodon.uno @stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe What could possibly go wrong?
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Apr 10, 2026
@cstross@wandering.shop @HighlandLawyer@mastodon.social @graydon@canada.masto.host @passenger@kolektiva.social Thing is, I can't help suspecting that each time these people are so pleased with themselves for having come up with their very own, very unique, cunning plan.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 31, 2026
@janl@narrativ.es @ellyxir@humanwords.cc Now... does this make MS incompetent or dishonestly trying to shed responsibility by proclaiming incompetence? I'm not sure I know or care, really. But it feels hard on the other projects/3rd parties who got the random seagull experience.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 31, 2026
@ellyxir@humanwords.cc @janl@narrativ.es Just saw a post (unfortunately on LinkedIn, which I'm reluctant to link to) where the head of developer relations was apologising because it wasn't even deliberate; they'd added a selection of useful tips to highlight third party tools with copilot integrations for the LLM to use in 'appropriate situations' and well, it's an LLM so it just started spamming absolutely everything with them.
Which means that, as far as I can make out, none of the third parties being advertise knew this was happening, wanted it to happen, or paid for it to happen. Which was kind of nice to know given I use at least one of the tools it was spamming about.
Which means that, as far as I can make out, none of the third parties being advertise knew this was happening, wanted it to happen, or paid for it to happen. Which was kind of nice to know given I use at least one of the tools it was spamming about.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 30, 2026
@grimalkina@mastodon.social @mwl@io.mwl.io I've just also realised that this is exactly what the best bosses do, which I've always previously described as 'being the shit shield' but that's a, erm, less useful name in a professional context than 'applies ring theory in their management of the team'
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
·
Mar 30, 2026
@grimalkina@mastodon.social I love having a name for this concept, which I first met when some Chinese friends were horrified to learn that the immediate family normally handled funeral proceedings in the UK. "But... they're the ones most impacted! That's when everyone else is needed most."
Also: you (and by the sounds of things your wife) are standing strong even if this is a crappy timeline at the moment and that is awesome. There's a lot of us rooting for you, and hoping it gets less crappy soon, including adding some recognition for the people who are actually doing the hard work.
Also: you (and by the sounds of things your wife) are standing strong even if this is a crappy timeline at the moment and that is awesome. There's a lot of us rooting for you, and hoping it gets less crappy soon, including adding some recognition for the people who are actually doing the hard work.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
·
Mar 30, 2026
@edwinb@types.pl ah, well. It's all over now anyway. There's a line of LLM enthusiasts just waiting to explain to you how natural language is the ideal tool for capturing and defining complex processes.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 30, 2026
Now, now, @edwinb@types.pl . You're almost making it sound like different programming languages are better at or make it easier to communicate different things to both their users and maybe even the computer.
This is obviously nonsense, as shown by the many developers who will immediately tell you the best programming language.
This is obviously nonsense, as shown by the many developers who will immediately tell you the best programming language.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 29, 2026
@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange as someone nearly two years into dealing with part viral fatigue (which may not even have been from covid!) I totally agree. The effects of the pandemic go so far beyond the immediate, in objective physical terms but also in terms of trauma, uncertainty, and general mental health.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 14, 2026
@ryanc@infosec.exchange @domi@donotsta.re A couple of weeks ago, somebody mentioned they were using a blog post of mine from 2013 to guide them in their current project. It is, in fact, on a blog titled Mavnn's Blog
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Mar 10, 2026
@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io @ferricoxide@blahaj.zone Ah, yes. Blank keycaps and using Dvorak (I needed to learn a different layout as part of dealing with a repetitive strain injury years back) make my desktop virtually usable to anyone else.
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Feb 26, 2026
@wohali@timeloop.cafe Although she's not based in Italy right now, @_elena@mastodon.social might know some groups it would be good to pass this on to?
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Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
Michael Newton
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
Christian, husband, dad, coder, trainer, speaker, rpg geek, adhd
bonfire.mavnn.eu
@mavnn@bonfire.mavnn.eu
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Feb 25, 2026
The next train on platform 2 is going to Errore XSLT @kevlin@mastodon.social
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