Chris Thomas
@hotgarbage.ca
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 SoundGuys Editor-at-large, frmr Executive Editor. Previously USAToday, Reviewed, StorageReview. Dad, #rstats data jockey, crow summoner. #righttorepair, #homebrewing advocate. Colossal jerk about publishing standards and practices.
If for whatever reason you think you might encounter an LRAD in your daily life, this is useful advice from a granite stater:
youtu.be/CXKTBQBugIA
youtu.be/CXKTBQBugIA
DEFEATING LRAD
YouTube video by Tech Ingredients
youtu.be
February 7, 2026 at 11:31 PM
If for whatever reason you think you might encounter an LRAD in your daily life, this is useful advice from a granite stater:
youtu.be/CXKTBQBugIA
youtu.be/CXKTBQBugIA
Reposted by Chris Thomas
"Take away our ability to speak, and we can still think, reason, form beliefs, fall in love, and move about the world.
But take away language from a large language model, and you are left with literally nothing at all."
Read more from @benjaminriley.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
But take away language from a large language model, and you are left with literally nothing at all."
Read more from @benjaminriley.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
February 7, 2026 at 4:11 PM
"Take away our ability to speak, and we can still think, reason, form beliefs, fall in love, and move about the world.
But take away language from a large language model, and you are left with literally nothing at all."
Read more from @benjaminriley.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
But take away language from a large language model, and you are left with literally nothing at all."
Read more from @benjaminriley.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Reposted by Chris Thomas
This is an article about a study on the perception and measurement of headphone distortion I worked on with Rtings.com. We will also be talking about this at CanJam NYC in March and presenting an AES paper Copenhagen in May.
www.rtings.com/headphones/l...
www.rtings.com/headphones/l...
The Surprising Truth About Headphone Distortion: Most Of It Is Inaudible
This article is about our research into the audibility of headphone distortion, using listening tests. It was co-authored by Dr. Sean Olive.
www.rtings.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:28 PM
This is an article about a study on the perception and measurement of headphone distortion I worked on with Rtings.com. We will also be talking about this at CanJam NYC in March and presenting an AES paper Copenhagen in May.
www.rtings.com/headphones/l...
www.rtings.com/headphones/l...
Apparently nylon with embedded glass makes for printed objects with similar density to bone
Anyways, mics that use bone conduction to augment MEMS are one hell of a puzzle to solve to get microphone samples
Anyways, mics that use bone conduction to augment MEMS are one hell of a puzzle to solve to get microphone samples
February 4, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Apparently nylon with embedded glass makes for printed objects with similar density to bone
Anyways, mics that use bone conduction to augment MEMS are one hell of a puzzle to solve to get microphone samples
Anyways, mics that use bone conduction to augment MEMS are one hell of a puzzle to solve to get microphone samples
Reposted by Chris Thomas
You can catch my full, open course on accessibility in visualization here:
openvisualizationacademy.org/courses/acce...
openvisualizationacademy.org/courses/acce...
1.1 Introduction - Accessibility in Data Visualization
- Open Visualization Academy
openvisualizationacademy.org
January 30, 2026 at 6:55 PM
You can catch my full, open course on accessibility in visualization here:
openvisualizationacademy.org/courses/acce...
openvisualizationacademy.org/courses/acce...
Reposted by Chris Thomas
The Open Visualization Academy (OVA) IS LIVE!
openvisualizationacademy.org
Thread follows #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
openvisualizationacademy.org
Thread follows #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
January 30, 2026 at 3:09 PM
The Open Visualization Academy (OVA) IS LIVE!
openvisualizationacademy.org
Thread follows #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
openvisualizationacademy.org
Thread follows #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
AS THEY SHOULD
The EFF is publicly shaming tech companies for dragging their feet on privacy
The EFF is publicly shaming tech companies for dragging their feet on privacy
EFF launches new campaign to force default encryption across major platforms.
www.androidauthority.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:36 PM
AS THEY SHOULD
I'm running out of names to call these slop jockeys.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/disc...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/disc...
Discover isn’t the only place Google is experimenting with AI-generated snippets
On Friday, The Verge’s Sean Hollister reported that Google is now calling AI-generated headlines in Discover a “feature,” not just an experiment.
For several months now, Google has been rewriting hea...
www.niemanlab.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:52 PM
I'm running out of names to call these slop jockeys.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/disc...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/disc...
So the Lyro headphones are fun
Been forever since I've had a Sony MDR-G42LP-style product cross my desk
Been forever since I've had a Sony MDR-G42LP-style product cross my desk
January 24, 2026 at 3:32 AM
So the Lyro headphones are fun
Been forever since I've had a Sony MDR-G42LP-style product cross my desk
Been forever since I've had a Sony MDR-G42LP-style product cross my desk
Reposted by Chris Thomas
Today, @seanhollister.bsky.social is sitting in the courtroom that may decide the fate of Android.
Follow along for live updates:
Follow along for live updates:
Epic v. Google: everything we learned in Fortnite court
The jury and judge sided with Epic.
www.theverge.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Today, @seanhollister.bsky.social is sitting in the courtroom that may decide the fate of Android.
Follow along for live updates:
Follow along for live updates:
I've definitely shifted to a West Canadian accent in the last 7 years away from home, but get a few in me and I'm right back. I hope I never lose it
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/16/l...
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/16/l...
The Boston accent is disappearing. How much longer will its music linger? - The Boston Globe
From call-in radio shows to corner bars, the accent that defined Boston is losing ground. A Dartmouth linguist has research to prove it.
www.bostonglobe.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:15 PM
I've definitely shifted to a West Canadian accent in the last 7 years away from home, but get a few in me and I'm right back. I hope I never lose it
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/16/l...
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/16/l...
Apropos of nothing, some privacy-related posts
www.soundguys.com/headphones-a...
www.soundguys.com/headphones-a...
Headphones are collecting too much personal data
Whether it's the music you're listening to or personal health information, personal data collection is happening right on your headphones.
www.soundguys.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:49 AM
Apropos of nothing, some privacy-related posts
www.soundguys.com/headphones-a...
www.soundguys.com/headphones-a...
Reposted by Chris Thomas
"[OpenAI] is encouraging users to connect their personal medical records and wellness apps, such as Apple Health, Peloton, MyFitnessPal, Weight Watchers, and Function"
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
But it’s “not intended for diagnosis or treatment.”
buff.ly
January 8, 2026 at 1:29 AM
"[OpenAI] is encouraging users to connect their personal medical records and wellness apps, such as Apple Health, Peloton, MyFitnessPal, Weight Watchers, and Function"
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Don't do this.
Reposted by Chris Thomas
On the heels of a court loss earlier this week, OpenAI now faces calls for sanctions and demands to retrieve and share potentially millions of deleted chats long thought of as untouchable.
News orgs win fight to access 20M ChatGPT logs. Now they want more.
OpenAI's loss in privacy fight could lead to sharing even more deleted chats.
arstechnica.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:53 PM
On the heels of a court loss earlier this week, OpenAI now faces calls for sanctions and demands to retrieve and share potentially millions of deleted chats long thought of as untouchable.
Quoted is the best advice anyone can give a new writer.
It's not easy to do, but keep trying; you've got this!
Trust yourself
It's not easy to do, but keep trying; you've got this!
Trust yourself
write for yourself and the audience will show up
January 6, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Quoted is the best advice anyone can give a new writer.
It's not easy to do, but keep trying; you've got this!
Trust yourself
It's not easy to do, but keep trying; you've got this!
Trust yourself
Reposted by Chris Thomas
A big smartphone name might be done: ASUS confirms no 2026 phones
A big smartphone name might be done: ASUS confirms no 2026 phones
ASUS won't be launching any new phones this year, but will continue supporting existing devices.
www.androidauthority.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:47 AM
A big smartphone name might be done: ASUS confirms no 2026 phones
This piece by @404media.co is excellent. It makes me miss ripping LPCM to minidisc. I'd love to do that again, but my own local library will have to do for now
www.404media.co/why-i-quit-s...
www.404media.co/why-i-quit-s...
Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes
In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.
www.404media.co
December 30, 2025 at 1:46 AM
This piece by @404media.co is excellent. It makes me miss ripping LPCM to minidisc. I'd love to do that again, but my own local library will have to do for now
www.404media.co/why-i-quit-s...
www.404media.co/why-i-quit-s...
My dog is currently mad at me for not allowing her to play with a coyote.
The coyote did not want to play, either.
The coyote did not want to play, either.
December 26, 2025 at 4:47 PM
My dog is currently mad at me for not allowing her to play with a coyote.
The coyote did not want to play, either.
The coyote did not want to play, either.
While I'm not 100% on board with all of this, this article has a pretty good focus on where things are headed
.@burtherman.com: Forget “Google Zero.” We need to talk about “People Zero.”
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/forg...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/forg...
December 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
While I'm not 100% on board with all of this, this article has a pretty good focus on where things are headed
Reposted by Chris Thomas
In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.
Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes
In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.
www.404media.co
December 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.
I promise you it'll be much more efficient and effective than getting familiar with a chatbot.
December 17, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I promise you it'll be much more efficient and effective than getting familiar with a chatbot.
People hate on Clippy but Teams is far worse
December 16, 2025 at 3:53 PM
People hate on Clippy but Teams is far worse
Reposted by Chris Thomas
Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is ‘slop’
Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is ‘slop’
The year of slop.
buff.ly
December 15, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is ‘slop’