R

Michael Ayres

@random-coder-1.bsky.social

339 Followers 340 Following

In software; not a fan of genAI. Mostly promote first-party artists' work that makes me feel joy, lack of ethics by public officials, security stuff, and some ramblings about things that frustrate me. Not a big divulger of personal data on public sites.

A ten-pack of starkist tuna, the only thing shipped in a tiny box. The shrinkwrap was sliced through, so it looks mangled, too.
Screenshot of a redirect browser page with a warning: Red text in header: "⚠️ Be careful! This site may be harmful." Normal looking great text body;for some reason they choose to center it like the heading: "The site you are trying to visit (bsky.app) may include malware, phishing attempts, or disturbing content." With a big, blue "BACK TO SAFETY" button and tiny gray text for "GO TO SITE" (still all caps for some reason).
Screenshot of part of an email, where the logo didn't load and the alt of the image says, "A black and blue text with white text" Under that is a disclaimer (seems to be down when the image loads): "Description automatically generated"
(Netflix allowed me to capture the captions, but not the stills) Veronica: And pepper spray,
From bbc article: "One half of Milli Vanilli's public-facing duo, Fab Morvan, said he will also perform as scheduled. The voices behind Milli Vanilli's music said in a statement on X that they will not be performing."
Xbox app icon is the Xbox "x sphere" logo on a black circular background, but the "x" is now filled with black instead of white
screenshot of a job description. "Want to be part of a company that leverages AI to cloud verify someone's identity?"
Excerpt from a job description, where the company has a heading for "Our 2026 Engineering operating principles" and includes a bullet point with: "Efficiency — every tool at our disposal, from AI agents to scripts, to make work repeatable." And I highlighted "ai agents" and "to make work repeatable", which is not a thing.
Clicking "Focus" on the Win11 calendar popped up a window that says "Clock needs an update. We are getting the update ready for you..." with an egg timer and some fake progress animations.
pre-code title: OK, a quick puzzle., what does this program print? C# Code: using System; // 👇 casting to IShape IShape shape = new Square(); Console.WriteLine(shape.GetName()); // 👈 What does this print? public interface IShape { string GetName() => "IShape"; // Default implementation } public class Rectangle : IShape { } public class Square : Rectangle { public string GetName() => "Square"; // Specific implementation }
A job responsibility got one of their open roles: Identify opportunities to integrate non-biased, secure, and ethical LLM/GenAI technologies into the contact center.
Bullet point from a job's responsibilities: You're quick to spot inefficiencies in processes across your team and engineering and make actionable steps and recommendations to amend them.
Main popup modal is info about an open position (info is crossed out by me). For every section, there are vertical and horizontal scrollbars, including the background page itself which has 2. Each button ('x' to close, and 'apply' [not shown]) also has the two scrollbars... There's also a cookie settings modal on top of the main modal.
requirements on a job post: "AI proficiency & enthusiasm." They come at the end of a list of other requirements, so either someone left out the oxford comma or left out the "and" before "AI Proficiency", only required for clarity.
All birds Inc. (NASDAQ:BIRD) Allbirds saw a remarkable increase of 582.33%, closing at $16.99. The stick reached an intraday high of $24.31 and a low of $6.11, with a 52-week range between $24.31 and $2.15. In the after-hours trading, the stock fell 24.66% to $12.80. The company's pivot from sneakers to AI, branded as "NewBird AI," has captivated investors. This transition involves selling its footwear assets for $39 million and investing in AI infrastructure with a $50 million financing facility.
Fidelity sent me an email. Gmail truncates it. Subject: "Navigating market volatility like an anal..." LIKE A WHAT, FIDELITY
Close up of a banana. There's a dark yellow ring around the circumference of the fruit. The rest looks normal, but it's extremely tough and rigid, almost like it was dehydrated a bit on the dark areas.
reference to DMCA law. Instead of "17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3)", it says "17 U.S.C. 512©(3)"
Starting on a different product's page, there is a "Frequently bought together" section on the amazon page. The TRAUMA album by artist I Prevail is shown to be $12.41. When I click on the album image to see the product details, it shows $22.49.
User "Upside_of_Down" commented on an Aftermath article about the Buzzfeed switch to ai-generated content, and how the company's value has tanked so hard: "I like the theory floating around that stupid narcissistic CEOs are uniquely vulnerable to AI psychosis and sycophancy. It’s an effective theory when you realize those who are most primed to believe the AI hype are exactly those most primed to promote it and artificially push it on others."
List, a Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and chief economist at Walmart, said the key problem is that they didn't fully understand what they were presenting. "The words sound right," he wrote. "But when someone pushes back just a little bit, the sand castle crumbles."
Linked in reactions: 69 total; 62 are laughing, 4 likes, and 3 supports
Screenshot of the Amazon app. Normally, the products have the price showing. This shows: "To see product details, as this item to your car. You can always remove it later." I've seen this on multiple products, now.
Earn Papa Dough Quicker The current program gives members 1 point for every $1 spent on menu items. Starting March 9, 2026, every 10 points you earn will convert to $1 in Papa Dough.
screenshot of my communication preferences in the microslop account: "To stop receiving emails for the topics below, uncheck any topics you don’t want to receive, then select Save" The first option, "Skype," is selected. The descriptions reads: "Inform me about new products, features and special offers"
Job Title: Full Stack Developer - with Microsoft Azure / Microservices Primary Location: Remote Visa : ONLY US NATIVE CITIZEN ( NO Indian ) Rate : $45/hr W2
github's error message on their website, which shows a somewhat angry unicorn. "No server is currently available to service your request. "Sorry about that. Please try refreshsing and contact us if the problem persists"
a remade poster for the stupid mrs rump movie. she's sitting in epstein's lap
screenshot of the MS store on Windows 11. extension name I'm trying to install: HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer It says "🛑 this app will not work on your device." Requirements: ✅ dvc: PC, Mobile, Surface Hub, HoloLens ✅ ops: Windows 10 version 16299.0 or higher ✅ X86: x86, x64, Arm64
Picture stolen from Reddit. Terminal access block on a range, where the power cord is installed. There is a paper-ish insert that is installed under the block... I had to remove the block to fully remove the paper, so it didn't seem like packing materials. The LG manual says nothing about this, and their example youtube install videos leave it in while installing the power cord. But they don't explicitly state to leave it in. Pic from https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectricians/comments/1jz0gaw/electric_range_installation_do_i_leave_this/
Screenshot of a modal dialog on my phone. Title: Opt Out Settings "Change your preferences to suit your needs. "Select options for app delivery:" Options are ready buttons (exclusive selection): - Continue getting apps - Forever Feels ominous, like they really want me to never be able to opt out of the service provider being able to install apps on my phone willy nilly.
reddit user Latter_Panic_1712 says: "It's arguably worse right now, because those companies are big, so they can force their AI products down the consumer's throats. Who the hell asking for youtube AI live chat summary? Or X/Twitter AI image description? "It's worse because with that non-consensual usage, they can report to their investors that the userbase keeps increasing, while no one is actually interested. It was different during the dotcom bubble consumers can refuse to use and buy .com products. So the bubble can pop sooner before it gets worse." Right now, things will be record-breaking for a while, maintaining an illusion that AI industry is invincible, until it explodes when everyone realize that things aren't as good as it seems.
Screen capture of the Wikipedia page: The “Snap, Crackle, Pop” slogan was in use as early as 1929, with “New! A cereal so crips it actually crackles in cream!” "So crips" is highlighted by me, probably meant to be "so crisp"
Still from the video linked. It shows a screenshot of a musk tweet from 2018 that says: "Long-term, the car will work poorly in custom, with radar just a plus, but maybe worth adding a radar heater anyway." This video is a bit older, but the are lots of newer ones covering the same topic of Tesla removing LIDAR because of musk, even though his engineers want it.
LEGO apologizes in a follow-up email: their previous mass email about how they're using ai contained the wrong subject line. "The subject line of the original email was ‘Update on your order’ but should have said ‘Update to Our Privacy Policy’."
Lego sent me an email: "Dear Michael "We've updated our Global Privacy policy to include the use of an internal AI tool for transcription of interactions with our customer support. Additionally, we have made a few clarifying updates to our CCPA addendum. Please click here to read the updated privacy policy."
Image of the quoted tweet to bypass the bots. "Hiding the Epstein files is the hardest Rump has ever fought for anything in his life. It must be horrible."
Screenshot of grafana telling its ai how to cosplay as an "experienced software engineer and technical writer for Grafana Labs" From https://github.com/grafana/alloy/blob/main/.docs/agent/role.md Heading: Role Act as an experienced software engineer and technical writer for Grafana Labs. Write for software developers and engineers who understand general programming concepts. Focus on practical implementation and clear problem-solving guidance.
Screenshot of an email from Postman, the api tool: "Beginning today, December 1, 2025, each team member on your plan will automatically receive monthly AI credits to power Agent Mode, helping teams build, test, and document APIs faster. These credits are included with your plan. "Billing users should enable pay-as-you-go so team members can continue using Agent Mode without interruption, even after they have used their monthly credit allotment."
Purchase a $45 gift card (online only) and receive a digital bonus of $10. After you order the qualifying gift card, you will receive an email with a $10 digital bonus for each gift card increment of $50 purchased, up to a total of fifteen $10 digital bonuses per transaction. Offer runs 11/26/25 at 12:01 am EST through 12/1/25 at 11:59 pm PST. While supplies last. Offer valid only at QDOBA.com. Digital bonus is valid for one-time use, applied only to one order. Any unused funds will be forfeited. To redeem the digital bonus in-restaurant, scan the barcode at the register. To redeem the digital bonus on an online delivery or pickup order, input the barcode number in the gift card payment field at checkout. Digital bonus is redeemable 1/1/26 through 2/28/26 at 11:59 pm PST on orders placed in-restaurant, on QDOBA.com, or the QDOBA app in the U.S. Digital bonus is valid at participating U.S. locations only and excludes license locations, such as airports and malls. No cash value. Digital bonus not valid on catering orders, gift card purchases or third-party delivery platforms. Additional digital bonus terms and conditions will apply. ‘QDOBA’ and ‘QDOBA Mexican Eats’ are registered trademarks of the QDOBA Restaurant Corporation. © 2025.
github status page shows "copilot" service as available/normal (up and running)
Options screen, pretty bright white and yellow. Dark mode option in the lower right. Note: originally taken because the language shows "EN-US" but shows the Union Jack
In windows 11, search for "settings", then navigate to "Privacy & security" > "Screenshots and screen recording". It has a few options including "Let apps take screenshots and record the screen". I turned all of mine "off," though it's a personal machine.
A feature called "Color picker," only available on copilot+ pcs, features the ability to "Capture exact color values from anywhere on the screen."
MS Store page for Snipping Tool. Says it right there: - built for copilot+ pc - uses ai features
some ridiculous petition on change.org started as "Ban AI Coding Tools from outputting 'TODO: Fix'" Struck out the latter bit so it reads, "Ban AI Coding Tools". I'd sign that.
job description that says it would be nice to have "4 years' experience with .NET Core 8+," when version 8 just released less than 2 years ago...
screenshot of postman setttings. Go to settings -> Feature previews -> toggle off "try agent mode"
video shows a 'begin date' entry field with a validation error that says, "Please choose a begin date in MM/DD/YYYY format," but the entered input says "01/01/2015". Fun note: using the calendar picker does set it as M/D/YYYY The input is then edited to "1/1/2015" and the validation error goes away.
Skewed pic of a framed painting. A couple of buildings on a strip of land set up like a pier. It has a row boat or canoe, and two other larger fishing boats. A nice gentle sky and calm sea with muted blue, white, and lavender tones. Signed "A Simpson," which seems like a British artist named Alan J Simpson, known for marine paintings.
Screenshot of a product in the Sam's Club app: "Magic: The Gathering Remastered Booster Ass .. "
News headline: ShinyHunters hackers random 1 billion Salesforce records on the dark web, report says
A compartment, meant to be kept at freezer temperatures, contains Portesi cheese fries (pizza shaped but no red sauce) and some ring shape chicken nugget like things. The thermometer is almost at 50°F
After 15 incredible years of bringing together thousands of geeks, fostering community, and inspiring the next generation of technologists across the Midwest, we're taking a pause to reimagine THAT Conference. Since 2010, you've helped us prove that investing in Midwest tech was worth it—through 16 events, over 2000 sessions, and countless connections that extended far beyond those four days each year. While we won't be hosting THAT Conference, this isn't goodbye—it's a chance to evolve. The perfect storm of post-pandemic challenges means we need to step back, regroup, and design a sustainable path forward that stays true to our mission of inspiring, creating, and supporting our community. We're committed to finding new ways to bring people together, because we believe community matters now more than ever. Read Clark's full letter to the community.
Lens.com screenshot of my cart. The contact lenses show as $19.98 each after rebate, but then they show $98.96 in taxes and fees. Clicking the info tooltip shows the following disclaimer: "Taxes are tax recovery charges for tax obligations where applicable and the fees are compensation for servicing your order. "Our goal is to offer the lowest total price online, whether that means having a higher box price with no taxes and fees or a lower box price with higher taxes and fees. "Regardless of the breakdown, we aim to have the lowest total price on the web! "We invite you to compare our bottom line process with our competitors'. We promise we won't disappoint you!" You already did, scammy losers. I'd rather pay someone more for their honesty.
HiffPost article headline: "John Oliver’s Exposé Of Mike Lindell’s Marketplace Takes An Absolutely Filthy Turn" These people must not have watched any episodes prior to this.
"Excel 2103 for Dummies," both in book and DVD form. The book has a "Cheap $3" sticker on it.
Excerpt from the article, which is highlighted in the image and when you visit the link. The Excerpt reads: Mozilla chalked up the change in the wording of the FAQ to legal considerations, saying the word "sell" has a broad legal definition in "many jurisdictions." It also clarified that any data it shares with third parties "is stripped of potentially identifying information."