Old Fucking Punk @lwriemen@librem.one

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So, we jumped from #Twitter to #Mastodon, after a man with a sink showed us how fragile centralized platforms really are. And now there's #Bluesky wanting to convince us that their AT Protocol is even more robust than #ActivityPub. But is it really superior and would it have been better to build the #fediverse on top of this protocol, instead?

Thread time!

So the "nonpartisan" No Labels got a big gift from Clarence Thomas sugar daddy Crow.

https://newrepublic.com/article/172059/no-labels-took-100000-clarence-thomas-buddy-harlan-crow

The logical reason for this is that No Labels wants to ensure a Republican win in 2024, by siphoning off votes from Democrats.

As one WaPo commenter put it: "I am sick and tired of articles that seem to absolve the Republicans of their own idiocy and then blame the Democrats for not protecting us from the harm caused by Republicans." https://presswatchers.org/2023/04/republicans-threaten-to-tank-economy-media-blames-biden/

Let's be clear about what the Republicans are doing. They're holding the economy hostage, and are perfectly happy to kill it. They seem convinced that tanking the economy will give them control of government in the 2024 elections.

Given Big Journalism's eagerness to turn this into just another both-sides-have-a-point issue -- yet another staggering failure of journalism -- the Republicans may well pull it off.

We live in disheartening times.

@dogriley It did finish, eventually. Job done. Sadly, though, my faith in MariaDB is shaken by recent insights into their current corporate operation...

Wow, I'm really tiring of the breathless hype about 'AI' being tacitly encouraged by our media hiring endless 'pundits' to talk about AI. So, of course, that's what they talk about, shedding little if any light. Worse, they don't push back against the misleading use of the term 'AI' to describe ChatGPT and other LLMs (Large Learning Models). The slightly informed hired by the blind to editorialise for the even blinder.

Looking for a job where you can contribute to #FreeSoftware projects? Check out @fossjobs! They list technical and non-technical positions exclusively for paid free and #OpenSource jobs.

You can use this opportunity to work with organizations that improve and involve FOSS or open hardware projects.

Do you know some missing opportunities? Submit it.

https://fossjobs.net!

#opensourcejobs #techforgood

Got this month's literary loot from @pmpress

The Cargo Rebellion: Those Who Chose Freedom
https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1288

"A powerful graphic tale of the Robert Bowne Rebellion of 1852 in one of the darkest moments of human trafficking: the coolie trade. Fearless and visually striking, "

#grapicNovel #slavery #imperialism

Writing update: today I finished writing a draft of chapter four: writing a draft. I have to say, writing a book about writing a book is very meta.

#writing

The United States fell three spots, to 45th, in the global study.

"According to the 2023 World Press Freedom Index the situation is “very serious” in 31 countries, “difficult” in 42, “problematic” in 55, and “good” or “satisfactory” in 52 countries. In other words, the environment for journalism is “bad” in seven out of ten countries, and satisfactory in only three out of ten."

https://rsf.org/en/2023-world-press-freedom-index-journalism-threatened-fake-content-industry

#media #journalism #journalists #press #freedom #PressFreedom #ReportersWithoutBorders

Went to my favourite empty lot for the first time in a while
It's lovely as always. It used to be a community garden but that got torn down for development plans that never happened. But, because of that the space is filled with herbs just growing on their own. Its filled with mints, dandelions, mugwort, strawberries, yarrow and countless others.
I dug up a small patch of chives to take home to my garden
I also ran into someone else doing the exact same thing! He was also walking through the lot gathering herbs for snacking on

Introducing the #StopCopCity shirt to benefit the Atlanta Solidarity Fund @AtlSolFund who support defenders of the Weelaunee Forest and others.

Learn how to get the shirt https://conta.cc/3LQogmy

Design from @nobonzo

#defendatlantaforest

Anti-monarchists receive ‘intimidatory’ Home Office letter on new protest laws - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/02/anti-monarchists-receive-intimidatory-home-office-letter-on-new-protest-laws-coronation outrageous bullying, and warning of things to come...

You can make anything look efficient and profitable if there is a social compact to not count some of the costs.

Ah yes this fossil fuel stuff is so energy dense & so cheap. Except for the undrinkable water. Except for the acid rain. Except for the air pollution (and thus the asthma, premature birth and dementia). Except for the wars over it. Except for the climate change. Except for the roads needed to use it to move around. Except for the parking needed for the stuff needed to use the roads

Yields per acre are so much higher and thus production costs so much lower with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Except for the dead zones in the oceans. Except for the loss of fishing livelihoods in the dead zones. Except for the reliance on distance sources of fertilizer.

Varx: Hey, you know what we forgt?

Me: What?

Varx: May Day. You know what starts yesterday?

Me: Dismantling capitalism.

Varx: That's right.

Protect developer freedom. Abolish software patents. Learn why software patents are unjust by checking out the new design of our #endsoftwarepatents initiative. https://u.fsf.org/3f-

Latest evidence that the word "conservative" (as used in journalism) now means "radical right-wing extremist". Always keep that in mind when you see it.

From Wired:

"The American College of Pediatricians, which has fought to deprive gay couples of their parental rights and encouraged public schools to treat LGBTQ youth as if they were mentally ill, is one of a handful of conservative think tanks leading the charge against abortion in the United States." https://www.wired.com/story/american-college-pediatricians-google-drive-leak/