I've posted this before, and it pains me more than I can say that it's time to post it again.
War is a Racket, by Brigadier General Smedly Butler:
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
mastodon
4.5.7
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www.flux.utah.edu. I build research infrastructure: https://cloudlab.us, https://powderwireless.net, https://emulab.net, https://geni.net.
I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me
Not a boffin
Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses
Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Feb 28, 2026
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Feb 27, 2026
y'all, I am so, so good at breaking things, you don't even know
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Feb 14, 2026
Temporary hack the size of a permanent hack
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Feb 06, 2026
Hachyderm is the El Paso of the Fediverse
It can be kind of hard to understand how big a server (instance) on the Fediverse really is. I know mastodon.social is much bigger than the server I'm on, but how much bigger, really?
So what if we compare the populations of servers to cities?
I built a tool for that! https://arewedecentralizedyet.online/fedicities/
Let's compare mastodon.social, the biggest server on the Fediverse, to the biggest city in the world, Shanghai (pop 24.9M). In comparison, pixelfed.social is like Ahmedabad, India (pop 6.4M). hachyderm.io is like El Paso, Texas (pop 679K). The server I'm on, discuss.systems, is like Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany (pop 32.1K).
Cool but maybe I'm not so familiar with some of those cities. What if we compare to cities in Mexico? (mastodon.social is Mexico City, Hachyderm is Tepic) Or Ontario? (mastodon.social is Toronto, Hachyderm is Caledon).
Play around with this tool, select an area of the world you're familiar with, and get a better sense for how big all these servers really are! Check out what your own server is comparable to!
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Jan 24, 2026
I am so tired of convincing websites I'm human. Fuck you maybe convince me you have something worthwhile first
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Jan 22, 2026
Launching their new social network, W, the EU posted a map of where other social networks are hosted. It showed nothing in Europe.
But their map is wrong.
Here's what Mastodon actually looks like, and what the Fediverse as a whole actually looks like.
https://arewedecentralizedyet.online/map/?source=fedi
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Dec 27, 2025
"average person counts ℵ₀ sets a year" factoid actualy just statistical error. average person counts 0 sets per year. Georg Cantor, who lives in cave & counts over ℵₐ each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
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@ricci@discuss.systems
While cleaning a storage room, our staff found this tape containing #UNIX v4 from Bell Labs, circa 1973 Apparently no other complete copies are known to exist: https://gunkies.org/wiki/UNIX_Fourth_Edi
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@ricci@discuss.systems
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@ricci@discuss.systems
The attempt to read the UNIX V4 tape is underway!
Current reply
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Dec 19, 2025
There will be more video later (there's a TV news crew there) but here's a bit that Jon Duerig has sent from on-site
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@ricci@discuss.systems
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@ricci@discuss.systems
While cleaning a storage room, our staff found this tape containing #UNIX v4 from Bell Labs, circa 1973 Apparently no other complete copies are known to exist: https://gunkies.org/wiki/UNIX_Fourth_Edi
Current reply
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Dec 19, 2025
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kittymaxxing
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Dec 16, 2025
Did you know: you can avoid the need for backups by failing to do anything worth saving a copy of
Follow me for more computing lifehacks
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Dec 09, 2025
EMAIL WRAPPED 2025
This year, you received too fucking much email!
Number of emails that found you well: zero
Number of emails that you printed, even though you didn't consider the environment: zero
Number of times an "out of office" autoresponder was immediately followed by the person answering your email: all of the times
Your favorite email was: none of them
Next year, you are considering: are there any countries where email is illegal, and what are their immigration laws?
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Nov 27, 2025
There are a lot of cursed computers things but this is the most cursed computers thing
https://benjojo.co.uk/u/benjojo/h/h4N78m1PjXYsYfzkGV
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Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
·
Nov 06, 2025
While cleaning a storage room, our staff found this tape containing #UNIX v4 from Bell Labs, circa 1973
Apparently no other complete copies are known to exist: https://gunkies.org/wiki/UNIX_Fourth_Edition
We have arranged to deliver it to the Computer History Museum
#retrocomputing
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@saagar@federated.saagarjha.com
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@saagar@federated.saagarjha.com
Proving once again that Minecraft exploits are fundamentally more interesting than the ones targeting software people actually care about (and definitely being better for civil society): https://githu
Current reply
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
Rob Ricci
@ricci@discuss.systems
Research professor in the Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah. Co-director of the Flux Research Group: https://www. flux.utah.edu . I build research infrastructure: https:// cloudlab.us , https:// powderwireless.net , https:// emulab.net , https:// geni.net . I do not speak for my employer, nor do they speak for me Not a boffin Profile pic: Middle aged white man with grey hair and a large beard wearing sunglasses Banner: Magtape of UNIX V4 and a VT220. Credit: Dan Hixson
discuss.systems
@ricci@discuss.systems
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Apr 19, 2024
@saagar This is a thing of beauty
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