#computing & technology

[meret118]

Microsoft Office, like many companies in recent months, has slyly turned on an “opt-out” feature that scrapes your Word and Excel documents to train its internal AI systems. This setting is turned on by default, and you have to manually uncheck a box in order to opt out.

If you are a writer who uses MS Word to write any proprietary content (blog posts, novels, or any work you intend to protect with copyright and/or sell), you’re going to want to turn this feature off immediately.How to Turn off Word’s AI Access To Your Content

I won’t beat around the bush. Microsoft Office doesn’t make it easy to opt out of this new AI privacy agreement, as the feature is hidden through a series of popup menus in your settings:On a Windows computer, follow these steps to turn off “Connected Experiences”:

File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences > Uncheck box: “Turn on optional connected experiences”

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Punched Cards

In 1955, 4.5 megabytes of data was stored on 62,500 punched cards, illustrating just how far technology has come since then.

Punched cards were a primary method of data storage and input in the mid-20th century. Each card could hold a small amount of information, typically one line of code or a set of instructions.

This process required significant physical space and manpower, with each card needing to be carefully organized and processed by a machine.

The image of 62,500 punched cards serves as a striking reminder of the limitations of early computing technology.

The massive volume of cards needed to store a relatively small amount of data highlights the inefficiency of early data storage methods.

As computers evolved, more compact and efficient ways of storing and processing data emerged, eventually leading to the development of modern digital storage devices.

Looking back at the use of punched cards emphasizes the rapid technological advancements in computing that have occurred over the last several decades.

Today, we can store far more data in incredibly small devices, thanks to innovations in memory storage and processing power.

The 1955 punched card system now stands as a historical marker, showcasing the ingenuity and persistence that led to the computing revolution.

© History Facts

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[bevsi]

I’m not even an anti-internet person like I love the internet, I just get so frustrated with the passive way people have become accustomed to using it now. not actively seeking things out or engaging with communities, just turning their brain off & letting the algorithm feed them whatever it wants. & I can’t help but feel like that’s partially to blame for the current state of things (anti-“woke” backlash is easier to digest if you turn your brain off when online)

[thisisrealy2kok]

[yodaprod]

Burger King Internet corner, New York (1998)

[digitalismmm]

Ribs

[prokopetz]

I 100% agree with the criticism that the central problem with "AI"/LLM evangelism is that people pushing it fundamentally do not value labour, but I often see it phrased with a caveat that they don't value labour except for writing code, and... like, no, they don't value the labour that goes into writing code, either. Tech grifter CEOs have been trying to get rid of programmers within their organisations for years – long before LLMs were a thing – whether it's through algorithmic approaches, "zero coding" development platforms, or just outsourcing it all to overseas sweatshops. The only reason they haven't succeeded thus far is because every time they try, all of their toys break. They pretend to value programming as labour because it's the one area where they can't feasibly ignore the fact that the outcomes of their "disruption" are uniformly shit, but they'd drop the pretence in a heartbeat if they could.

[plusie]

🖥 - computer plushies!!

[silvermoon424]

This is a subject that really interests me because I (28 years old) had computer classes in grade school where learning how to efficiently type was a big focus. As a result I have a very high WPM (words per minute) count and am an excellent touch typer.

However, I've heard that they started phasing out computer classes in a lot of schools because it's assumed that kids/teenagers already know how to use a computer in this day and age. But smartphones are more popular than computers now, and as result a lot of Gen Z/Gen Alpha kids are able to text very quickly but their typing skills aren't as good.

[chaotic-minds-think-alike]

Ok I caved, my beloved war computer

[loveislove-so-kissacomputer]

some images i found of computers being in love!! i didnt wanna add too much edgar, but this is ( unfortunately ) a rare genre of image.

[cupids-stimboards]

day 6: board based off fave aesthetic

event link

🐠 🖥️ 🐠 / 🖥️ 🐠 🖥️ /  🐠 🖥️ 🐠

[389]

Lars Tunbjörk - Shooter Files

[thisisrealy2kok]

Power Mac G4 (1999-2004)