Thomas Baekdal
@baekdal.bsky.social
Author, Professional Writer, Magazine Publisher, and Media Analyst.
This is my 'friendly' reminder that my newsletter system will be 100% more expensive ...
(I'm moving my system to Amazon SES)
(I'm moving my system to Amazon SES)
November 15, 2025 at 5:54 AM
This is my 'friendly' reminder that my newsletter system will be 100% more expensive ...
(I'm moving my system to Amazon SES)
(I'm moving my system to Amazon SES)
Denmark's 'Leading Climate Newspaper' (as they call themselves), has only one story about COP30 on their front page, and it's this tiny one far down the front page about where next year's conference will be held.
I mean, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
November 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Denmark's 'Leading Climate Newspaper' (as they call themselves), has only one story about COP30 on their front page, and it's this tiny one far down the front page about where next year's conference will be held.
I mean, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I also need to rename my bed to 'todo' ;)
November 10, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I also need to rename my bed to 'todo' ;)
It's this time of year... (unless you can work remotely ;))
November 9, 2025 at 12:34 PM
It's this time of year... (unless you can work remotely ;))
I still think it's funny that I can download a 60 GB game is just about 15 minutes. My first internet modem was 56k. Using that, this would have taken 2,953 hours or about 123 days of non-stop downloading ... during which my phone line would have been blocked from being used for anything else ;)
November 8, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I still think it's funny that I can download a 60 GB game is just about 15 minutes. My first internet modem was 56k. Using that, this would have taken 2,953 hours or about 123 days of non-stop downloading ... during which my phone line would have been blocked from being used for anything else ;)
The single tax strikes again. I'm currently ordering groceries, and they have some clementines for sale, except, it's 2.3 kg, which is way too many to eat as just one person before they go bad. But, luckily, they also have a 0.5 kg box. But...
2.3 kg: 28 DKK (12.17 kg)
0.5 kg: 15 DKK (30.00 DKK kg)
2.3 kg: 28 DKK (12.17 kg)
0.5 kg: 15 DKK (30.00 DKK kg)
November 8, 2025 at 5:48 PM
The single tax strikes again. I'm currently ordering groceries, and they have some clementines for sale, except, it's 2.3 kg, which is way too many to eat as just one person before they go bad. But, luckily, they also have a 0.5 kg box. But...
2.3 kg: 28 DKK (12.17 kg)
0.5 kg: 15 DKK (30.00 DKK kg)
2.3 kg: 28 DKK (12.17 kg)
0.5 kg: 15 DKK (30.00 DKK kg)
Number of identified bot traffic trying to access my site over the past week: 587,830 ...
November 8, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Number of identified bot traffic trying to access my site over the past week: 587,830 ...
I decided to take trip to Norway today... ;)
November 5, 2025 at 4:59 PM
I decided to take trip to Norway today... ;)
Either my anti-bot detection is getting better, or the bots are getting better at disguising themselves. But three months ago, there were a lot more bot traffic coming to my site. Now 'only' 70% of it is bots ... I say 'only' because it used to be around 92%.
November 3, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Either my anti-bot detection is getting better, or the bots are getting better at disguising themselves. But three months ago, there were a lot more bot traffic coming to my site. Now 'only' 70% of it is bots ... I say 'only' because it used to be around 92%.
What kind of pricing nonsense is this?
October 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM
What kind of pricing nonsense is this?
I don't understand warnings like this one. I mean, what am I supposed to do about it? The 'leak' was in 2020, and they got my address. So, what am I supposed to do about that? Move to a new house? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
October 31, 2025 at 1:50 PM
I don't understand warnings like this one. I mean, what am I supposed to do about it? The 'leak' was in 2020, and they got my address. So, what am I supposed to do about that? Move to a new house? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, except all of these are coming from different residential internet IPs, and not some cloud servers (which would be easy to block by their ASN). And, I cannot block countries either because they are coming from different countries too.
So, this is a botnet of compromised personal computers.
So, this is a botnet of compromised personal computers.
October 31, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Yeah, except all of these are coming from different residential internet IPs, and not some cloud servers (which would be easy to block by their ASN). And, I cannot block countries either because they are coming from different countries too.
So, this is a botnet of compromised personal computers.
So, this is a botnet of compromised personal computers.
Or what about this one. This bot tried to load an image that I have no idea what it (it's one my server), but it kept retrying 50 times per second...
Per second!
I mean, what the f..?!?
Per second!
I mean, what the f..?!?
October 30, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Or what about this one. This bot tried to load an image that I have no idea what it (it's one my server), but it kept retrying 50 times per second...
Per second!
I mean, what the f..?!?
Per second!
I mean, what the f..?!?
I'm getting really frustrated by bad bots.... here is an example. In my error log file, I have recorded 2,294 attempts by a bot to try to load an image that doesn't exist on my server (404 Not Found).
It tried to do this 2,291 times!! ... I mean, obviously, my server can handle this, but... why?
It tried to do this 2,291 times!! ... I mean, obviously, my server can handle this, but... why?
October 30, 2025 at 11:51 PM
I'm getting really frustrated by bad bots.... here is an example. In my error log file, I have recorded 2,294 attempts by a bot to try to load an image that doesn't exist on my server (404 Not Found).
It tried to do this 2,291 times!! ... I mean, obviously, my server can handle this, but... why?
It tried to do this 2,291 times!! ... I mean, obviously, my server can handle this, but... why?
What?!?! ... I'm trying to work here Google Docs!
October 30, 2025 at 11:46 PM
What?!?! ... I'm trying to work here Google Docs!
This is getting out of hand... ;) ... my quest to find a bicycle saddle that is actually comfortable to use.
October 30, 2025 at 2:13 PM
This is getting out of hand... ;) ... my quest to find a bicycle saddle that is actually comfortable to use.
Not to mention that they previously reported about it being a problem.
2018: 'Fears for teens', 'bombarded by gambling ads', make to 'look fun'
2025: We call on Reeves to shelve crackdown on fun.
It is as blatant as it can get!
2018: 'Fears for teens', 'bombarded by gambling ads', make to 'look fun'
2025: We call on Reeves to shelve crackdown on fun.
It is as blatant as it can get!
October 30, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Not to mention that they previously reported about it being a problem.
2018: 'Fears for teens', 'bombarded by gambling ads', make to 'look fun'
2025: We call on Reeves to shelve crackdown on fun.
It is as blatant as it can get!
2018: 'Fears for teens', 'bombarded by gambling ads', make to 'look fun'
2025: We call on Reeves to shelve crackdown on fun.
It is as blatant as it can get!
What the actual... the system I use for sending out newsletters just increased their prices by 100%
October 29, 2025 at 2:59 PM
What the actual... the system I use for sending out newsletters just increased their prices by 100%
Waiting for Firefox to approve my Meow Domain Blocker ... ;)
October 27, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Waiting for Firefox to approve my Meow Domain Blocker ... ;)
Another test is to checked ages. It used to be that when asked to AIs to create images of women, they would either be extremely young, or very old, but it struggled with anything in-between. So, here I asked it to create an image for a 20, 30, 40, and 50 year old woman.
October 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Another test is to checked ages. It used to be that when asked to AIs to create images of women, they would either be extremely young, or very old, but it struggled with anything in-between. So, here I asked it to create an image for a 20, 30, 40, and 50 year old woman.
AI image generators used to exaggerate old biases. So one test we could do was to ask an AI to create an image of a man and a women, and for years, this has resulted in an older man, next to a almost teenage women, often sexualized too.
But look at this picture from Google Gemini. That's good.
But look at this picture from Google Gemini. That's good.
October 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
AI image generators used to exaggerate old biases. So one test we could do was to ask an AI to create an image of a man and a women, and for years, this has resulted in an older man, next to a almost teenage women, often sexualized too.
But look at this picture from Google Gemini. That's good.
But look at this picture from Google Gemini. That's good.
This one is better... because I cannot find him: (unless Google means that the guy in front is Waldo, but Waldo wears a hat and is thin)
October 26, 2025 at 7:07 PM
This one is better... because I cannot find him: (unless Google means that the guy in front is Waldo, but Waldo wears a hat and is thin)
Here is what ChatGPT made... ;) ... can you find him?
October 26, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Here is what ChatGPT made... ;) ... can you find him?