Old Fucking Punk @lwriemen@librem.one

Many people from Commonwealth nations don’t view the monarchy or a particular monarch the way I do. I think we were encouraged to think of her as a benign ruler with little real power. But she acted powerfully behind the scenes, e.g. in the removal of a democratically elected prime minister here in the ‘70s. Even if we assume she was a benign ruler, the system (not this one individual) highlights the lack of democracy and the extreme inequality inherent in a hereditary, unelected head of state.

After having a frustrating conversation with a friend about how the Internet has turned from an exciting new technology to something saddening that's endlessly abused capitalism, I decided to contribute my tiny share to make alternative digital spaces possible.

This is how datenkommune.org came to be. It's a public access computer system, powered by OpenBSD and with a focus on a positive computing experience and driven by a desire to learn, cooperate and enjoy technology without any commercial motives or the dystopian intrusion of surveillance capitalism.

I eventually plan on writing down more what the philosophy behind it is, and what differentiates the project from (e.g.) the Tildeverse (which it is partially inspired by), but for now you can read about it at https://datenkommune.org/philosophy.html.

If you're interested in more details and in gaining access, look no further: https://datenkommune.org/service.html

Everything is still in its infancy, but it should be ready for a first couple of users. So if you're interested .. I'd be happy to see you around. Feel free to spread the word. :)

(For some tag-based reach: #openbsd, #privacy, #shell, #community, #fediverse)

If you weren't around for Princess Di's death: the UK was effectively paralyzed as a functioning entity for about a week. Stores closed, airports a mess, supply lines strained, etc. The same thing may not happen this round, but if you're proximate to any kind of precarity - putting off refilling that prescription, haven't bothered with groceries, whatever - and you have the means to prepare for a week-long shutdown, you should do so as soon as possible.

@jeeynet

I'm late to the party, as usual, but nonetheless I wanted to comment on the recent discussion about the futility (or lack thereof) of self-hosting ones e-mail.

https://housingsklave.at/posts/2022-09-08-on-selfhosting-mail/

TL;DR: No, we're not doomed (yet). You can still self-host your e-mails. And while it's not trivial, the amount of domain-specific knowledge that's necessary is limited.

(Thanks to @stevelord for providing me words where my own failed me.)

New people, welcome!

If you need help using Mastodon and the Fediverse, check out the Unofficial Guide:

https://growyourown.services/an-unofficial-guide-to-mastodon-and-the-fediverse

It's got lots of advice for both complete beginners and experienced users. I've tried to write it as clearly and non-technically as possible.

Also, I'm gradually adding all the past posts from FediTips to the guide, and will add future posts too.

If you want to post these tips elsewhere in your own language, please feel free! The tips are meant to be spread as far as possible.

Message me if you have any questions/feedback

p.s. For an alternative perspective, check out the excellent "Increasingly Less-Brief Guide to Mastodon" by @noelle at:

https://github.com/joyeusenoelle/GuideToMastodon

Study reveals striking differences in brains of #ModernHumans and #Neanderthals | Neanderthals | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/sep/08/study-reveals-striking-differences-in-brains-of-modern-humans-and-neanderthals

#Science #Biology #Evolution #Anthropology #Hominids

World on brink of five ‘disastrous’ #climate #TippingPoints, study finds | #ClimateCrisis | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/08/world-on-brink-five-climate-tipping-points-study-finds

#Environment #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange

Real convergence means having the same OS across multiple hardware platforms with apps that adapt to their hardware. The Librem 5 uses the same convergent PureOS as our Librem 14 laptop and Mini PCs, with the same adaptive applications that make the Librem 5 more than merely a phone, it’s a mobile computer in your pocket that can shape shift into a laptop, tablet, desktop, or even a server.

https://puri.sm/posts/shape-shifting-computer-powered-by-convergence/?mtm_campaign=promo&mtm_source=organic&mtm_medium=librem_social&mtm_content=ls-shape-shifting-computer&mtm_group=librem5USA

Yesterday @varx just posted a thread promoting the ideas underlying his new social media / journaling protocol, called Cavern. He's seeking collaborators to help him develop it further: https://infosec.exchange/@varx/108953476745127345

It's a really interesting model (see details here: https://www.brainonfire.net/cavern/), and I encourage folks to take a look.

Cool to hear this interview with my colleague Colin Meurk referencing a project my company, Egressive, and I had quite a lot to do with quite a few years ago... https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018857793/using-inaturalist-community-to-keep-an-eye-on-urban-sprawl The resulting website, https://inaturalist.nz, and the broader https://inaturalist.org (all fully #FOSS!) citizen science & biodiversity reporting system, is an impressive feat of tech and community for the benefit of our global ecosystems!

@lightweight I wonder if that's part of the problem. These Orwellian names we have to use as short-cuts just to talk about policy or the news. The naming makes it so easy to fall into a completely inaccurate (wrong) view of the world. Chomsky helps remember that corporations are "private tyrannies" and not the local family-run restaurant in the neighborhood. But people just fall into the commercial flow and can't stay with accurate views of how the world works, what policies will do to us.

@lightweight
> My comment on the government's support for the secrecy of the TPPA negotiations and text being "traitorous" got a rise (literally) from both David Bennett and one of the other Nat'l MPs next to him and requests for censure and questions of decorum. It confirms that they were listening, for which I thank them.
There is a great Japanese word for people that sell their country:
売国奴 BaiKokuDo. Mark Twain on Patriotism being the last refuge of scoundrels comes to mind too.

I'm building a new thing for the Distributed 'Net, and I'd love company!

Cavern is a new journaling protocol focused on user agency, with end-to-end encryption and local-first design at its core. It has a social model intended to restore some chill to online communication, embracing non-public posting and manageably small social spaces. Check out <https://www.brainonfire.net/cavern/> for a rundown and links to code and discussion spaces!

​

I do not identify with (to the exclusion of others) a singular ideology, first and foremost because my identity and dreams can never be wholly captured or conceived of by thought, from which ideology stems. And second, because while folks battle it out online or through academic journals to show who is the purest (anarchist, communist, leftist) of them all, there are people out there actually taking actions to make a positive material difference in the world... 1/

A pretty stellar line up in these Conversations with Gamechangers

Cooperation Jackson, Aborîya Jin in Rojava, Grassroots Liberation in Nairobi, Zameen Prapti Sangharsh in the Punjab region, and @guerrillamediacollective

"A series of conversations with radical grass-roots solidarity economy organisations across the world who are breaking new ground in their own contexts while building power in their communities."

https://www.solidarityeconomy.coop/projects/conversations-with-gamechangers

#Socialcoop friends: On 9/16 I'm doing a talk for Meet.coop, which we're a member of—I'll be discussing the limits and even "tyranny" of open source—and why co-ops like ours are so important.

All are welcome—join us: https://forum.meet.coop/t/signup-commons-hour-session-10/1156

Now that the beta is out, we've been trying to form up for a discussion around the idea of the Co-op Cloud Federation ™️ which can be an organisational model for hosters/hackers/user groups/etc. to make decisions together about how the project should be run.

We published a proposal some time ago on https://coopcloud.tech/blog/federation-proposal and got some feedback.

1/3

#coopcloud #federation

We helped another union get online!

https://comicgewerkschaft.org

https://page-online.de/bild/comiczeichnende-gruenden-gewerkschaft/

Another @coopcloud based setup. They're experimenting with Discourse and Nextcloud atm.

Bosses beware!