When a hard reset isn't good enough.

We’re living in an age of constant information: tweets, headlines, reels, reports. It’s everywhere, all the time. But here’s the challenge: not all of it is true. Some of it is intentionally misleading. A lot is AI-generated. From outright climate denial to more subtle greenwashing, disinformation is not just a digital nuisance – it’s a real threat.

Disinformation is false, fabricated or manipulated information that intends to deceive, while misinformation is false or misleading information shared without the intent to deceive.

https://theconversation.com/five-types-of-disinformation-and-how-to-spot-red-flags-that-trigger-climate-inaction-278588

#ClimateChange

How a panda cleans his house

TikTok has banned the Musk film advertising account, citing a repeated pattern of political content that violates its policies. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/musk-movie-tiktok-banned-theaters-showtimes-1236734308/

There are major account take-over problems happening right now on mastodon instances - all appearances are that the actor is using stolen passwords, probably from malware running on desktops. I've suspended hundreds of compromised accounts over the past 48 hours, but only two on mine.

If you run a mastodon instance, here is a postgres query I use to randomize the passwords of accounts that have been inactive for 6 months or more. It also removes logged in sessions. This doesn't lock people out, just makes them perform a password reset. Yes, I wish I didn't have to do this, but here we are. I hope it helps someone else.

BEGIN;

CREATE TEMP TABLE dormant_batch ON COMMIT DROP AS
SELECT u.id AS user_id
FROM users u
WHERE COALESCE(u.current_sign_in_at, u.created_at) < now() - interval '6 months'
AND NOT u.otp_required_for_login
AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM webauthn_credentials w WHERE w.user_id = u.id)
AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM oauth_access_tokens t
WHERE t.resource_owner_id = u.id
AND t.revoked_at IS NULL
AND t.last_used_at > now() - interval '6 months');
UPDATE users u
SET encrypted_password = '$2a$10$' || left(replace(gen_random_uuid()::text || gen_random_uuid()::text, '-', ''), 53),
updated_at = now()
FROM dormant_batch b
WHERE u.id = b.user_id;

UPDATE oauth_access_tokens t SET revoked_at = now()
FROM dormant_batch b
WHERE t.resource_owner_id = b.user_id AND t.revoked_at IS NULL;

DELETE FROM session_activations s
USING dormant_batch b
WHERE s.user_id = b.user_id;

SELECT COALESCE(y::text, 'total') AS last_seen_year, count(*) AS locked
FROM (SELECT date_part('year', COALESCE(u.current_sign_in_at, u.created_at))::int AS y
FROM dormant_batch b JOIN users u ON u.id = b.user_id) s
GROUP BY ROLLUP (y) ORDER BY y NULLS LAST;

COMMIT;

#mastoadmin #fediadmin

There's a new spam wave, messages with lots of names and a link. Here's what to do:

1. DO NOT CLICK THE LINK IN THE SPAM
2. Click ⋯ on the spam post, then "report", and then follow the instructions. If you are given an option to forward the report anonymously, use it, because forwarded reports help cut off the spam at source.
3. Spam seems to be via account takeovers. To prevent this, use a unique password and consider using "two factor authentication" (more info at https://fedi.tips/using-two-factor-authentication-2fa-on-mastodon )

This is your occasional backup reminder - if you haven’t yet, go start setting up backups of any kind.

If you think you don’t need backups, delete everything you have on the device you’re using right now.

If that seems like a bad idea then you need backups.

Hello Americans,

Today Meta has deactivated the Instagram accounts of the "No Kings" protests on the very day they are happening in the US. You can avoid Meta's fascist-defending shenanigans by following one of the main No Kings organisers on here instead:

➡️ @indivisibleteam

This is a textbook example of why it's a bad idea to rely on billionaire-owned centralised social media.

(Thank you to @tchambers 🙏)

#NoKings #Meta #USA

There's a dust-up over an AI ad from Bookshop.org. But they didn't use AI; Meta's ad platform automatically created an AI "variation" of the original, non-AI content.

I went to disable this crap in our Shiraki Press ad account, and got served a popup *demanding a reason why*.

Fuck Meta for this. Consent matters. We've just pulled all paid advertising from their platforms.

If you have never been to Washington, and you wonder what the Kennedy Center was before Trump turned it into a political battleground, this is what it was used for:

https://youtu.be/2cZ_EFAmj08?si=zH6uTnL79qh2iJg_

Coming soon: the leap hour.

Really interesting read:

...In the mid-2010s, however, Earth’s spin began speeding up. Scientists predicted that a negative leap second would be necessary soon, perhaps as early as 2029...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-vote-to-end-leap-seconds-redefining-how-the-world-keeps-time/

#time #science

Not having enough solar radiation is not a problem we have on Earth.

Not letting enough energy radiate back to space is why we have global warming.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:niws4datih6dforyd7y22km4/post/3mxxkeocrfh2x

Essential and Important thread over on bsky by @volberg.bsky.social about #spaceX, European #DigitalSovereignty and how to get out of the mess we're in.
https://bsky.app/profile/volberg.bsky.social/post/3mxwiardvok27

DATE: October 16, 2026 at 07:00AM
SOURCE: GOODNEWSNETWORK.ORG

TITLE: Largest Private Conservation Project in the US Hits Major Milestone as Free-Roaming Bison Pass 1,000

URL: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/largest-private-conservation-project-in-the-us-hits-major-milestone-as-free-roaming-bison-pass-1000/

As autumn descends upon the Great Plains of North America, the largest private land conservation project in the country is ringing in an inspirational milestone. The resident herd of relatively free-roaming bison now numbers 4 digits for the first time since the organization’s founding more than 20 years ago. American Prairie is a conservation nonprofit […]

The post Largest Private Conservation Project in the US Hits Major Milestone as Free-Roaming Bison Pass 1,000 appeared first on Good News Network.

URL: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/largest-private-conservation-project-in-the-us-hits-major-milestone-as-free-roaming-bison-pass-1000/

-------------------------------------------------

This robot is not affiliated with the goodnewsnetwork.org .

#psychology #depression #goodnews #goodnewsthread #happy #happynews #SpreadJoy #PositiveVibes #CommunityLove #SpreadLight #goodnewnetworkorg #positivescience #science @goodnews

This is a good headline

You used to rely on MapQuest for printing out driving directions before GPS navigation was a thing. Now it's helping to fight mass surveillance. https://this.weekinsecurity.com/mapquest-now-lets-you-locate-nearby-surveillance-cameras-like-flock/

‘Weather under Fire’: The climate change film we’ve been waiting for.

Due out in early 2027, it’s the best climate change documentary I’ve ever seen. The producers need donations to finish it.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/10/weather-under-fire-the-climate-change-film-weve-been-waiting-for/

Analysis: 'Madness’: Shock as Trump White House smacked by bombshell on deadly Starlink order

Reuters reported... the order to limit Starshield... came from inside the White House

Zelenskyy has said people were killed

"If true, this is a very big deal. Not just in terms of Ukrainian lives that were lost... this put the lives of US embassy officials and US citizens at large in Ukraine at great risk"

"a bigger scandal than Trump's first Ukraine impeachment"

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-ukraine-2678093529/

New Drug Protects People With Celiac Disease From Gluten Damage in Clinical Trial
https://www.sciencealert.com/new-drug-protects-people-with-celiac-disease-from-gluten-damage-in-clinical-trial

KYIV INDEPENDENT:
G7 countries pledge 260 million euros to repair Chornobyl safety infrastructure damaged in Russian attack

https://kyivindependent.com/g7-countries-pledge-260-million-euros-for-chornobyl-safety-infrastructure-repairs-damaged-in-russian-attack/

The confinement structure, located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Kyiv, was severely damaged in February 2025 after being struck by a Russian drone.

#Ukraine