I set up ActivityPub.Space because I wanted to have one central place to catch-up, consume, and distribute content about ActivityPub. Forums are intensely topical, and the ability to federate with the open social web allows one to skip the hardest part of starting a forum: building the community.

At the same time, existing fediverse software (the most popular being Mastodon, a microblogging UI) tends to act more like a window to a digital public square of sorts, where anything and everything can be discussed. This is wonderful in many ways, but contrary to how forums themselves are run.

We're at a point where we don't really know what the scale of the ActivityPub developer community is. we're fractured between multiple channels: mailing lists, W3C groups, Matrix channels, forums, blog posts, etc., but the one thing that unites all ActivityPub developers is that we are all on the fediverse. It simply doesn't make sense to conduct our conversations elsewhere!

Additionally, I wanted to combat the ephemeral nature of microblogging. A decade or more of corporatized social media has taught us to just shout our hot takes out into the universe, and optimize for engagement. A forum does the opposite — you submit your content for considerate discussion and a simpler, more honest form of engagement. Your contributions stay here accessible to history and generations (hopefully) to come, and aren't scattered to the winds the moment it falls off the front page feed.

You are posting to something, not just broadcasting.

The professional patterns of people in this technological era, 2025, are changing a lot. In olden days, most people worked for daily wages, some people did business, and some others went for a traditional 9-to-5 job. In the past few years, most people chose 9-to-5 jobs, and some others chose to do business and daily work. But in today’s digitalized world, a major income source for most people has become a small business.

Not everyone starts a business with the motive of developing a business empire. But everyone aims at developing their business and remaining competitive in the business market. Starting a small business has become a mandatory factor for most people. It is a good point to hear. Being a small business owner has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. Let’s explore it in this blog.

What is a Small Business?

A small business is a work process that is owned by a single person and operates with fewer employees. The income generated here will be low when compared with that of the large-scale businesses. Small businesses usually focus on selling their products and services in local areas rather than doing so internationally.

In a small business, separate employees will not be allocated to do each activity. For example, the small business owner themselves may do the marketing work, invoicing process, accounting process, employee management, and sometimes even the production process.

Key Advantages of Small Business

1. Small Business Offers Customized Solutions

Consider an example. You are going to a large clothing shop to purchase a kurta set. You choose a dress, but you like to make small alterations in its design. But the customization facility is not offered at that shop. At the same time, you approach a small boutique and ask for the same alteration to the kurta set. Immediate alterations are made there as per the request. So, customized solutions can be offered by small businesses.

2. Appreciations for the Work Completed

The number of clients approaching the small business may be fewer, but the feedback shared by each of them gives more strength and energy to continue the business. But large businesses have a huge number of clients, and the appreciations given to them may not have as much effect.

3. Flexibility in Invoicing

Some large businesses' invoicing process will be like travelling through a rocky mountain. They can’t customize their invoices and steadily follow a single rule for the invoicing process. But small businesses can customize their invoices, set their own terms and conditions, etc., using the online invoicing software for small businesses.

4. Focused Precisions

Large businesses usually deal with multiple income streams. So, their focus would be on every field because their aim would be to expand the business even further. But small businesses will have one- or two-income streams, majorly one. So, their focus will be on a single path. So that excellent outcomes can be generated from them.

5. Client Relationship

The factor that takes place mostly in small businesses and rarely in large businesses is the relationship between the clients and the business. As the client’s expectations are clearly communicated and they are fulfilled by the small business, and engaging communication is maintained, a strong relationship will be maintained between the business and the clients.

6. Solo Decision-Making

If you’re running a small business, you’re the boss here, and you can make all the decisions regarding your business. Unlike large businesses, you don’t need to get approval from higher-level authorities for any changes, you don’t need to conduct multiple meetings to decide, etc. You, as a solo person, can make all the decisions.

Running a small business has numerous advantages, but if it does not operate well, it creates a chance to face failure also. Proper management is crucial here to succeed. If you wish to generate revenue, start a small business and become an independent person.

Running a small business offers certain advantages that are not gained in large businesses or established corporations.

The professional patterns of people in this technological era, 2025, are changing a lot. In olden days, most people worked for daily wages, some people did business, and some others went for a traditional 9-to-5 job. In the past few years, most people chose 9-to-5 jobs, and some others chose to do business and daily work. But in today’s digitalized world, a major income source for most people has become a small business.

Not everyone starts a business with the motive of developing a business empire. But everyone aims at developing their business and remaining competitive in the business market. Starting a small business has become a mandatory factor for most people. It is a good point to hear. Being a small business owner has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. Let’s explore it in this blog.

What is a Small Business?

A small business is a work process that is owned by a single person and operates with fewer employees. The income generated here will be low when compared with that of the large-scale businesses. Small businesses usually focus on selling their products and services in local areas rather than doing so internationally.

In a small business, separate employees will not be allocated to do each activity. For example, the small business owner themselves may do the marketing work, invoicing process, accounting process, employee management, and sometimes even the production process.

Key Advantages of Small Business

1. Small Business Offers Customized Solutions

Consider an example. You are going to a large clothing shop to purchase a kurta set. You choose a dress, but you like to make small alterations in its design. But the customization facility is not offered at that shop. At the same time, you approach a small boutique and ask for the same alteration to the kurta set. Immediate alterations are made there as per the request. So, customized solutions can be offered by small businesses.

2. Appreciations for the Work Completed

The number of clients approaching the small business may be fewer, but the feedback shared by each of them gives more strength and energy to continue the business. But large businesses have a huge number of clients, and the appreciations given to them may not have as much effect.

3. Flexibility in Invoicing

Some large businesses' invoicing process will be like travelling through a rocky mountain. They can’t customize their invoices and steadily follow a single rule for the invoicing process. But small businesses can customize their invoices, set their own terms and conditions, etc., using the online invoicing software for small businesses.

4. Focused Precisions

Large businesses usually deal with multiple income streams. So, their focus would be on every field because their aim would be to expand the business even further. But small businesses will have one- or two-income streams, majorly one. So, their focus will be on a single path. So that excellent outcomes can be generated from them.

5. Client Relationship

The factor that takes place mostly in small businesses and rarely in large businesses is the relationship between the clients and the business. As the client’s expectations are clearly communicated and they are fulfilled by the small business, and engaging communication is maintained, a strong relationship will be maintained between the business and the clients.

6. Solo Decision-Making

If you’re running a small business, you’re the boss here, and you can make all the decisions regarding your business. Unlike large businesses, you don’t need to get approval from higher-level authorities for any changes, you don’t need to conduct multiple meetings to decide, etc. You, as a solo person, can make all the decisions.

Running a small business has numerous advantages, but if it does not operate well, it creates a chance to face failure also. Proper management is crucial here to succeed. If you wish to generate revenue, start a small business and become an independent person.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-wiretap/2025/09/09/how-ice-is-using-fake-cell-towers-to-spy-on-peoples-phones/

Recent news revealed that Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek has been investing heavily in military tech companies, which adds another ethical layer to a platform already criticized for how little it pays musicians !

Spotify only pays artists about $3–5 per 1,000 streams, using a pro-rata model that directs most money toward major stars...
By contrast, Qobuz (≈$18–20 per 1,000 streams) and Tidal (≈$12–13) pay far more fairly!

However Tidal is far from ethical. Most of its revenue is controlled by private investors and founders and small artists still earn very little...

More fair-minded platforms like Bandcamp, Resonate, Ampled, or SoundCloud’s fan-powered royalties prioritize musicians over investors.

With these more ethical alternatives available, why do we keep using Spotify?

https://www.wired.com/story/far-right-reactions-charlie-kirk-shooting-civil-war/

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/charlie-kirk-shot-utah-09-10-25#cmferaxnq00003b607l47wqty

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/09/brics-reiterates-its-resolve-to-fight-for-multilateralism-and-democratic-global-trade/

As part of its unprovoked invasion, Russia has been firing massed waves of drones and missiles into Ukraine for years, though the tempo has been raised dramatically in recent months. Barrages of 700-plus drones now regularly attack Ukraine during overnight raids. Russia also appears to have upped the ante dramatically by sending at least 19 drones into Poland last night, some of which were shot down by NATO forces.

Many of these drones are Shahed/Geran types built with technology imported from Iran, and they have recently gained the ability to fly higher, making shootdowns more difficult. Given the low cost of the drones (estimates suggest they cost a few tens of thousands of dollars apiece, and many are simply decoys without warheads), hitting them with multimillion-dollar missiles from traditional air defense batteries makes little sense and would quickly exhaust missile stocks.

So Ukraine has adopted widespread electronic warfare to disrupt control systems and navigation. Drones not forced off their path are fought with mobile anti-aircraft guns, aircraft, and interceptor drones, many launched from mobile fire teams patrolling Ukraine during the night...

Ukraine’s killer interceptors take aim at Russia’s Shahed drones

Ukraine is developing fast and cheap interceptors to knock down incoming Russian drones, forcing Moscow to react.

^{Veronika Melkozerova (POLITICO)}

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/37230653

Pro

2025-09-10 23:27:41

Do chatbots have a moral compass? Researchers turn to Reddit to find out.

Do chatbots have a moral compass? Researchers turn to Reddit to find out. - Berkeley News

By challenging AI chatbots to judge thousands of moral dilemmas posted in a popular Reddit forum, UC Berkeley researchers revealed that each platform appears to follow its own set of ethics.

^{Kara Manke (Berkeley News)}

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/37228898

• Meta uses an array of influence tactics to try to shape the public narrative around kids and social media. The goal is to counter growing concerns that sites like Instagram can be harmful to teens’ health and safety.
• Meta funds a collection of parent and child safety groups, including the National PTA, that go to bat for its initiatives involving kids. This gives a sheen of expert approval to the company’s efforts to keep young users engaged on its platforms.
• Meta has also created something called the Trust, Transparency & Control Labs that publishes reports in support of its kid-focused products. Meta has at times framed these “labs” as a separate organization to regulators and others.
• Meanwhile Meta has funded an array of academic research projects that foster a more benign view of Instagram, helping to support the company’s contention that academic research is inconclusive on the topic of social media’s impact.

Pro

2025-09-10 22:45:08

Inside Meta’s Spin Machine on Kids and Social Media

• Meta uses an array of influence tactics to try to shape the public narrative around kids and social media. The goal is to counter growing concerns that sites like Instagram can be harmful to teens’ health and safety.
• Meta funds a collection of parent and child safety groups, including the National PTA, that go to bat for its initiatives involving kids. This gives a sheen of expert approval to the company’s efforts to keep young users engaged on its platforms.
• Meta has also created something called the Trust, Transparency & Control Labs that publishes reports in support of its kid-focused products. Meta has at times framed these “labs” as a separate organization to regulators and others.
• Meanwhile Meta has funded an array of academic research projects that foster a more benign view of Instagram, helping to support the company’s contention that academic research is inconclusive on the topic of social media’s impact.

TTP - Inside Meta’s Spin Machine on Kids and Social Media

As Meta comes under growing pressure over its impact on teens, it’s using a range of tactics to move the public narrative in a friendlier direction.

^{www.techtransparencyproject.org}

The historic program, which starts November 1, will save families an estimated $12,000 per child every year.

New Mexico Becomes First State to Provide Universal Free Child Care

^{Chabeli Carrazana (Truthout)}

Obviously uncomfortable with the Banksy message, the police launched an investigation, and the courts scrubbed the artwork from the walls

Archived version: archive.is/newest/thecanary.co…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

The UK just took a harder stance on Banksy than genocide

^{Willem Moore (The Canary)}

Recording on-duty law enforcement agents is protected by the First Amendment.

DHS Says Filming, Posting Videos of ICE Agents Is “Doxxing,” Vows Prosecutions

^{Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg (Truthout)}

Poland's Prime Minister has invoked NATO Article 4 after Russia sent a wave of drones into the country's airspace on Wednesday. He said the country was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II."

Archived version: archive.is/newest/commondreams…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

NATO Article 4 Declaration Puts Poland 'Closest to Open Conflict Since WWII'

The decision by Prime Minister Donald Tusk came after the Polish military shot down several Russian drones that entered its airspace, marking the first time a NATO member has fired shots in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

^{stephen-prager (Common Dreams)}

Users will now see seven-day metrics that track active visitors and contributions instead.

Reddit is dropping subscriber counts on subreddits

Reddit users can no longer see how many people are subscribed to their favorite subreddit communities

^{Jess Weatherbed (The Verge)}

Poco fa stavo pensando che la stuffoctt si sta spegnendo… quindi condividete, se avete paura del freddo. Ma, a parte gli scherzi, mi secca un po’ che il sitino blogghino che creai qualche mese fa è caduto nel dimenticatoio senza nemmeno ufficializzarsi del tutto… e si, sarebbe colpa mia, perché se non io non c’è […]

octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…

minioctt

2025-09-10 21:51:16

stufocto stufata stufando il sito della stuffa (lo stuff e la roba)

Poco fa stavo pensando che la stuffoctt si sta spegnendo… quindi condividete, se avete paura del freddo. Ma, a parte gli scherzi, mi secca un po’ che il sitino blogghino che creai qualche mese fa è caduto nel dimenticatoio senza nemmeno ufficializzarsi del tutto… e si, sarebbe colpa mia, perché se non io non c’è nessun’altra entità che ha il compito di scrivere cose lì sopra, ma non ho molte idee per cose piccole da poter fare più o meno al volo, anche in via parziale, così da poter fare tanto. Come direbbero i senza cuore: skill issue. 😶

Comunque, nei rari momenti in cui mi tornava in mente che questo sito esiste (anche se per i motori di ricerca esiste solo a metà… ci sarebbe da caricarci su un video dove piango e vedere se l’algoritmo di Google e Bing si smuove così, visto che per gli youtuber funziona), come appena qualche settimana o giorno fa, mi tornava in mente che sarebbe stato il caso di farci qualche ulteriore aggiustamento estetico-pratico, perché in tutto questo tempo di stasi non l’ho considerato a forma definitiva, non è mai stato completo… 📀

…E, se vorrei in realtà modificare abbastanza l’aspetto attuale in modo da renderlo parecchio più colorato, anziché ‘sto bianco da ospedale, ma non ho idea di come senza farlo sembrare il cesso di un asilo (ossia, simpatico per i bimbi ma un pugno nell’occhio per qualsiasi altra persona, me inclusa), almeno poco fa ho fatto degli aggiustamenti che lo rendono quantomeno leggibile… perché questo tema che dall’inizio ho scelto è oggettivamente ben fatto come layout, ma ha qualche problemino col testo e con la responsiveness… al punto tale che ho sempre paura, anche se nessuno me lo ha mai confessato (e io non ho traccianti che possano rilevarlo), che qualcuno possa abbandonare la lettura a metà proprio per quanto non si legga. 🐙

Premesso che cambiare tema (magari con uno di per sé più colorato, che davvero il fottuto bianco e nero su dispositivi capaci di mostrare milioni di colori non lo sopporto) non è un’opzione (e li ho riscorsi tutti oggi pomeriggio, per essere certa che fosse questo il caso come ricordavo solo vagamente), perché nessuno degli esistenti è già pronto per come mi serve, e dunque dovrei spendere fin troppi quarti d’ora a replicare le stesse modifiche che ho già fatto dentro l’attuale… poco fa ho fatto qualche piccolo aggiustamento, e penso sia andato tutto toppi, senza difficoltà. (In foto: a sinistra ora, a destra prima.) 😁

Oh, ora si gode! (Credo.) Ho tolto una regola CSS che rendeva il testo più piccolo su schermi più stretti della baseline desktop (…non capisco perché ci fosse, francamente), così come nei blocchi di codice in generale, e ho fatto sparire il padding enorme attorno al blocco principale della pagina su schermi anche medio-piccoli, perché probabilmente non dovrebbe essere lì visibile a rubare spazio prezioso sugli smartphone… ma sul mio smartphone purtroppo lo faceva, per l’appunto. E ne ho approfittato pure per aggiungere highlight.js al sito, che i blocchi di codice predefiniti, senza colori, fanno piangerissimo. 🕷️

Chissà se avere le pagine effettivamente guardabili, ora, mi farà risalire quelle ispirazioni mistiche… probabilmente no; le pareti sono ancora in ferie. Chiunque abbia idee allucinanti e incongruenti, ma che possono essere trasformate in gustosi post singoli in lingua italiana o inglese, preferibilmente in non più di 9 minuti e 59 secondi di tempo di lavorazione per ciascuno (esclusi i secondi che necessiterei per ingerire ossigeno ed espellere anidride carbonica mentre scrivo), me ne comunichi con generosità… per favore. (No, non escono mai idee interessanti chiedendo ispirazione alle intellighenzie artifiziali, ci ho già provato… mi si fornisca la dovuta freschezza dopo che io ho rinfrescato la stufa, suvvia.) 😳

#aggiornamenti #blog #design #siti #stuffoctt

Betterify (improve) theme & misc · octospacc/stuffoctt@560ebd2

A website for my stuff 📦. Contribute to octospacc/stuffoctt development by creating an account on GitHub.

^GitHub

In a recently-unsealed search warrant reviewed by Forbes, ICE used such a cell-site simulator in an attempt to track down an individual in Orem, Utah. The suspect had been ordered to leave the U.S. in 2023, but is believed to still be in the country. Investigators learned last month that before going to Utah, he’d escaped prison in Venezuela where he was serving a sentence for murder, according to the warrant. He’s also suspected of being linked to gang activity in the country, investigators said.

When the government got the target’s number, they first got a warrant to get its location. However, the trace wasn’t precise–it only told law enforcement that the target was somewhere in an area covering about 30 blocks. That led them to asking a court for a Stingray-type device to get an accurate location.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-wiretap/2025/09/09/how-ice-is-using-fake-cell-towers-to-spy-on-peoples-phones/

More than a dozen troopers made over $200,000 last year when factoring in overtime, roughly equal to the starting salary for top public health doctors in the state. Two lieutenants netted more than $300,000. One of them, Lt. Kevin A. King, brought home $344,196 — nearly as much as former DPS Director Steve McCraw. Overtime accounted for two-thirds of King’s haul, and OLS shifts specifically about $93,000, according to DPS.

Residents in Eagle Pass, the epicenter of Operation Lone Star, say state troopers are less visible than they were a year ago. A city park that DPS commandeered during the height of the crackdown reopened months ago and was virtually empty on a recent afternoon. The only state troopers in the area appeared to be patrolling the highways.

“There used to be a DPS every five miles. Now you won’t see them. They’re all gone,” said Jessie Fuentes, who runs a kayaking business in Eagle Pass and has been an outspoken critic of the crackdown. “The count of vehicles you would see on the highway or the streets, it’s not present here.”

Greg Abbott’s border crackdown is doubling Texas trooper salaries

Operation Lone Star has been a windfall for state troopers, many of whom have doubled their salaries through record amounts of overtime, even as migrant crossings bottomed out.

^{Benjamin Wermund (The Houston Chronicle)}

https://www.neowin.net/news/vimeo-is-getting-acquired-by-bending-spoons-the-parent-company-of-evernote/

The 69-page complaint was filed by former acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll and two other fired FBI leaders who claim they were the targets of “politically motivated retribution” and are seeking "to vindicate their constitutional and legal rights.”

The suit cites a series of alleged conversations involving Patel and other senior Trump advisers that, if true, show an FBI leadership consumed by the whims of a Trump White House that targeted employees solely for political reasons.

The insider accounts also tend to corroborate earlier reporting about claims that Patel misled the Senate in his January confirmation hearing when he insisted he would never fire or demote bureau staff for political reasons.

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/kash-patel-fbi-lawsuit-firings-illegal-rcna230368

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/35965987

this is a coworker.

to me a clear no, this person jokes about it and smiles. I can share her frustration with stupid job tasks, demanding clients, or having to get up too early, commute... I find her genuine and full of energy, I like working with her, she's sincere. I like that in people, she likes to help.

However, other 2 female colleagues have the opposite point of view: there is something that troubles her because she constantly jokes about death, killing herself due to some clients, waking up early...

We all agree she is so full of energy, my colleagues say she jokes about it constantly. I hear her joking about once or twice a day.

Am I being naive?

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09/10/us/charlie-kirk-shot-utah