Old Fucking Punk @lwriemen@librem.one

Back during COVID I looked into starting either a #DEFCON #VPN service, or a private email service.

Both VPN and email are well understood services, there is no shortage of people with expertise, it is not a big technical challenge to set up and operate...

Each became impossible or unattractive after talking to people who have operated them at deep levels over time. Here is why:

Because this post got a lot of traction, some more context:

Last year I had drinks with another VPN dude at a meeting, and he worked for a holding company that owned many VPN companies. They acquired them pretty regularly and integrated them best they could.

I asked why keep all the separate brands and marketing if it’s all basically the same thing, and he explained the market is segmented. Some users believe a particular VPN is better for gaming, or business, or torrenting, or porn, or cheapest or whatever.

It actually hurt them the couple times they tried to merge brands, so now they try to merge all they can behind the scenes technically but keep the brand identities separate.
#DEFCON #VPN #VPN #Tor

“The prosecution broke the law when it hid this evidence from the Prairieland defense,” said Texas attorney George Lobb, who is representing one defendant in the state’s case. “This internal FBI document shows the government lied about the defendants, because it presents a position contrary to what the prosecution alleged at trial. The prosecutors should be removed from this case and a new trial should be granted immediately.” https://inthesetimes.com/article/prairieland-antifa-trial-protest-repression-fbi

RE: https://mastodon.online/@mullvadnet/116822244689326681

If you don't want your Mullvad fees going to fund neo-Nazis - or MozillaVPN fees, which is rebranded Mullvad - cancel and get a refund immediately

that's whose "free speech" the official account is talking about here, and that's where your fees go to

If you want to be a good programmer, don’t use generative AI tools to program. Instead, learn.

RE: https://det.social/@lostgen/116820546568940358

I think that's the end of Mullvad for me, until maybe they denounce this jackass.

GOP stands for "Gross Old Pool" now. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/6/26/800061096/cartoon/reflecting-pool-party/

#Trump’s Board of Peace plans to grant itself sweeping #immunity, documents show - https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jun/27/board-of-peace-legal-immunity-un how convenient; #gazagenocide

Support the Minnesota 15 with this Become Ungovernable Tee and Tote!
Tote: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=2293
Tee: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=2294

“Because once you are curious about capitalism you must reject the bargain: if the price of the comfort of the few is the immiseration of the many then the price is too damn high. It is the skill of reading that hones that curiosity, sharpens our ability to notice what is before us, what is real and what is not, which bargains are fair and which are usurious. Reading is how we attend the world, which is also how we change it.”

https://aworkinglibrary.com/writing/umyazu

In case anyone was thinking that maybe the environmental case against LLMs is overblown, let the data center lobbyists explain it to you:

Europe must choose between AI and climate goals, data center lobby says

Tech sector says only carbon-emitting gas plants are reliable enough today to power the EU’s AI goals.

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-choose-ai-climate-goals-data-center-chief-warns/

Periodic reminder that Gil Scott Heron's "Whitey On the Moon" was a warning, not a suggestion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goh2x_G0ct4

I will block handles that post with AI images and unfollow posters boosting same. I don’t care why you posted it (unless you’re going ‘look at this ridiculous evil slop’), the planet-killing billionaire-boosted economic bubble-creating plagiarism software is not welcome on my timeline.

US auto regulators want to kill robotaxi brake pedals - https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/06/26/us-auto-regulators-want-to-kill-robotaxi-brake-pedals/5263228 nope nope nope

Trump-shuttered climate change site back online in nonprofit hands - https://www.theregister.com/science/2026/06/26/trump-shuttered-climate-change-site-back-online-in-nonprofit-hands/5263319 "Remove something from the internet? You can't stop the (climate change) signal, Mal" #climatecrisis

The Free And Open Web Is Under Attack At The IETF - https://www.techdirt.com/2026/06/25/the-free-and-open-web-is-under-attack-at-the-ietf/

Data center that vowed to avoid Colorado River water is now suing for 260 million gallons per year.

Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing has gone to court to secure 260 million gallons of water per year — about 750,000 gallons a day. #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/data-center-vowed-avoid-colorado-143900694.html

“The Algorithmic Order”

https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/the-algorithmic-order/

> This does mean, of course – and this is truly paramount – that we plan for those things, that we reclaim public space for kids, that we fund activities and resources for them and with them. And not because we think they’re broken without their phones, but because we believe that they are whole people, worthy people regardless.

This week officially marks 10 years since Barrack Obama signed PROMESA Law. The promise was getting Puerto Rico’s finances under control. What we actually got was tons of austerity.

An “oversight board” was supposed to be temporary has become its own de facto government on top of the Puerto Rico government.

It already swallowed the electric grid. Now it wants to strangle the University of Puerto Rico.

May it forever be a stain on the names of everyone involved. #PuertoRico

Is Digital Sovereignty Another Word for Nationalism?

In which I share my experience at the United Nations' Open Source Week, discussing the critical issues around digital sovereignty and open source discourse. I'm a little disappointed that discussions focus on the localization of technology rather than addressing fundamental questions about privacy and human rights. Please don't view sovereignty purely as a geopolitical power play - this could lead to exploitation under the guise of nationalism. I'm calling for a definition of human rights in technology and urge that meaningful outcomes should take precedence over mere geographic considerations. https://osenetwork.com/2026/06/26/is-digital-sovereignty-another-word-for-nationalism/