https://www.metafilter.com/ The past 24 hours of MetaFilter Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:39:07 GMT Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:39:07 GMT en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 An amateur astronomer helps discover a mysterious decagon on Saturn's south pole, which he tracked from his homemade backyard observatory.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214681/Backyard-astronomer-contributes-to-world-first-Saturn-discovery tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214681 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:39:07 GMT chariot pulled by cassowaries Astronomy BackyardObservatories DecagonOnSaturnsSouthPole Saturn SaturnsSouthPole https://www.metafilter.com/214681/Backyard-astronomer-contributes-to-world-first-Saturn-discovery/rss Carter Church: "I used GPT-6 Astra to break an unsolved cipher to one of Napoleon's generals that had gone unread for 217 years."]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214680/Breaking-the-Marmont-Cipher tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214680 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 06:20:45 GMT russilwvong ai cipher codebreaking napoleon https://www.metafilter.com/214680/Breaking-the-Marmont-Cipher/rss Death Don't Have No Mercy performed by the Grateful Dead, with vocals by Alvin Chipmunk.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214679/No-Mercy tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214679 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 01:21:02 GMT Winnie the Proust AlvinAndTheChipmunks GratefulDead https://www.metafilter.com/214679/No-Mercy/rss Database thrillers are a subgenre of knowledge games/thinky games/metroidbranias where the primary mechanic involves searching through databases and other sources for information to solve a mystery. Tumblr user velteris has complied an extensive list of database thrillers and similar games, including The Roottrees Are Dead, Type Help (recently remastered as The Incident at Galley House), and Her Story. (note: the first link is originally in Korean but translated by the website itself into English using AI)]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214678/Search-for-the-answers tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214678 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 23:45:25 GMT creatrixtiara DatabaseThriller Deduction KnowledgeGames Metroidbranias Mystery ThinkyGames VideoGames https://www.metafilter.com/214678/Search-for-the-answers/rss 74 FLRA No. 82 includes a brief history of, and argument against, almost complete freedom of arbitrators to interpret collective bargaining agreements.

Some would say that freedom includes completely altering or ignoring the plain meaning in the carefully, painfully, and often contentiously negotiated agreement. Which is then followed by 74 FLRA No. 83 where the arbitrator "disregard[ed] the clear, unambiguous language of these provisions, [which] is not merely frustrating, it is a fundamental breach of the process and the respect it commands." (Quoted from concurring opinion)]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214677/FLRA-to-limit-deference-to-arbitrators-interpretations-of-CBAs tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214677 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 19:31:28 GMT flestrin flra labor legal negotiation union https://www.metafilter.com/214677/FLRA-to-limit-deference-to-arbitrators-interpretations-of-CBAs/rss Anne Applebaum in the Atlantic: how far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
This Sunday is the first round of the General Election in Brazil. Lula vs Fabio Bolsonaro.
The Arrest of a Bolsonaro Ally Revealed Trump & Rubio Techno-Fascist Meddling in Brazilian Elections.
This week, the National Conference of Bishops of Brasil lost access to its X account.
John Oliver: Yet again, Brazil finds itself having to choose between Lula and a guy named Bolsonaro for president, and many do not seem thrilled that those are their main choices,

A Datafolha poll indicates that Lula has 40% of voting intentions in the first round, compared with 36% for Flávio Bolsonaro. In the second round, there is a tie: the president has 47% and the senator, 45%. The margin of error is two percentage points, plus or minus. A Lula on the ground rally called at short notice. I want you to think about what work was done here by the previous government. What did the other presidents of the republic do here, in the history of Pernambuco?" he began. "I ask you, who created the SAMU (public ambulance system)?" "Lula!" answered the crowd. "Who created the Farmácia Popular [free prescription drug service]? Who created it for everyone to use?" "Lula!" "Who built Highway 101?" "Lula!" "Who is finishing the Trans-Northeast Highway?" "Lula!" "Who built the Petrobras refinery in Suape?" "Lula!" "Who established a pharmaceutical industry in the town of Goiana [Pernambuco]?" "Lula!" "Who built seven new federal universities? Who created more jobs? Who created the Minha Casa Minha Vida social housing program?" "Lula!" "And what did they ever create?" "Nothing!"]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214676/Cut-off-one-head-two-more-shall-take-its-place tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214676 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:28:02 GMT adamvasco Brazil Election Fabio_Bolsonario Global_Far_Right Lula https://www.metafilter.com/214676/Cut-off-one-head-two-more-shall-take-its-place/rss and SpaceXAI's Grok, according to Joe Gebbia, the Airbnb co-founder who led development of the site for the Trump administration. In 2027, the site will move "from answers to actions," Gebbia said. Nevertheless, Trump encouraged Americans to start using America.gov right away. "This took a while to bring it to a point where it's so good," Trump said. "America.gov is a declaration to the world that every citizen of our nation will be treated with respect and dignity." The functionality of America.gov at launch, however, was awkward for Trump. By providing summaries of official government data and reports, it easily and comprehensively debunks many of the falsehoods that Trump frequently promotes.

Will this chatbot continue to contradict the things Trump says? Only time (and probably the results of the next few elections) will tell. This government has already made moves to: *Undermine government data collection and research and reporting *Remove information on climate change, minority issues, and public health from public-facing government websites *Delay or skew reports government reports hat contradict Trump's claims But 75 years of data-driven governance is probably a bit hard to erase overnight. In other government services news, via the Washington Sun: White House Drove Users to Official App Fraught With Trackers. he White House app shot to the top of the Apple App Store's news category last week after its new 24/7 broadcast channel, Trump TV, was swiftly positioned as a legitimate source for news while networks halted their pool coverage. After the Trump administration mandated that federal agencies force-install the app onto all government-issued mobile devices, cybersecurity researchers noted that no public security authorization or privacy assessments required under federal law had been completed. Pushback over the app's security apparatus forced White House developers to delegate tracking software to third-party services. But the app still includes scripts to monitor a user's location several times per minute, according to Gera, and it's unclear how that data is used by the White House or third-party services. The app also contains a latent keylogger script sourced online from an amateur developer based in India, according to Gera and confirmed by The Sun's analysis. Keyloggers most commonly appear in surveillance malware to store written text from a device, but they also can be used as a benign tool to analyze inputs like typing frequency. While it's unlikely to work on mobile devices, Fields said, it's still concerning that the White House is using a keylogger web-sourced from an foreign coder. App marketplaces require developers to disclose what data app developers collect from their users, which platforms like the Apple App Store enforce through a "privacy manifest." In the app's latest version, the White House left that manifest completely blank, implying it collects no data from users despite contradicting findings from cybersecurity experts. An unpublished feature within the White House browser extension allowed app administrators to create a political profile on a user, and included an "investigate" button to refer individuals to the Secret Service. Loge contends that rather than using user data for political strategy, the White House is more likely to leverage the information to steer supporters driven to the app toward one of Trump's merchandise or cryptocurrency ventures. "What we've seen is that Donald Trump is a businessman who's monetizing politics. Therefore, this app is a way to make money," Loge said. "The other people who could find this information either directly or through several layers of resale are, of course, hostile governments — foreign actors whose interests are the demise of American democracy." *** Federal government forces all federal employees to install malware on their federal government phones, should be the headline here. Anyway, don't install any software promoted by the Trump administration. And know that whatever you ask this America.gov chatbot will definitely be collected and recorded.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214675/Watch-Trumps-new-chatbot-debunk-his-lies tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214675 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:08:34 GMT subdee americagov malware privacy security trumpapp uspolitics https://www.metafilter.com/214675/Watch-Trumps-new-chatbot-debunk-his-lies/rss "Once places of brutal violence and genocide, they are now sites of conscience." (slTheNarwhal)

Almost 40K residential school records will be destroyed. Not all survivors think they should be She Died in a Resident School and Was Buried in Secret You Can't Beat the Truth: A Hereditary Chief Shares What His Grandfather Taught Him About Reconciliation Under Carney, Canada is Cooling on Reconciliation]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214674/Canada-plans-to-destroy-thousands-of-resident-school-testimonies tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214674 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:19:56 GMT Kitteh cbc cdnpoli firstnations nationaldayfortruthandreconciliation thenarwhal thetyee thewalrus https://www.metafilter.com/214674/Canada-plans-to-destroy-thousands-of-resident-school-testimonies/rss Custard Cream. In A Jar. I'm stepping on Wordshore's toes here but he's busy talking about the Premier League so here's an article that made me laugh this morning while eating oatmeal.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214673/The-next-winner-in-the-eat-it-from-a-spoon-category tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214673 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:59:54 GMT PussKillian British food humor https://www.metafilter.com/214673/The-next-winner-in-the-eat-it-from-a-spoon-category/rss But, in a way, it definitely is. Windows 11½ gives you everything you've come to expect in the new Windows Experience, just more of it. Lots more.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214672/Its-Definitely-Not-Windows tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214672 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:52:44 GMT tommasz satire windows windows11 https://www.metafilter.com/214672/Its-Definitely-Not-Windows/rss They cheated, to the sum of £830,690,000. For 9 seasons, during which they won a number of titles and trophies. After a multi-year investigation, further details.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214671/The-Premier-League-was-a-lie tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214671 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:16:35 GMT Wordshore finance Football fraud Manchester ManCity money rules https://www.metafilter.com/214671/The-Premier-League-was-a-lie/rss banding together to preserve and disseminate historically accurate versions of some of the most beloved films in history—an end-run around the rights and financial issues that hold legitimate enterprises back.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214670/Only-Fans tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214670 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:07:02 GMT chavenet Blue Bowdlerizing Cinema Editing GeorgeLucas Movies Mubi Pirates Pirating Versions https://www.metafilter.com/214670/Only-Fans/rss