Fediverse, ActivityPub and the Ethics
Musing out loud some casaul philosophical reflection on fedi and tech ethics, related to this toot:
In our FOSS movement and the social impact movements that favor the fediverse we value a set of principles we think are essential to improve all the things that need fixing, in order to move to a better world.
Fediverse as no other other online space can be considered a "humane technology field lab". People care about the features of their app, and the impact it has on fedizens that use it. This focus on the human side, ethics, and externalities is highly laudible and much needed to become the norm everywhere. The only future of mankind is the one where we find equilibrium of our exploitation with what our planet can provide. Holistic sustainability.
But do we take all the externalities into account fairly? Or are we fooling ourselves that app-centric humane tech focus is enough. We aren't able to collaborate at scale in our grassroots environment, as Big Industry™ under hypercapitalism is able to do. Yet we do work in public and give all our innovation away, also to the bad actors. Is that responsible? Are we really creating "humane technology" then?
Are we able to control what we create, as we introduce it into society in real-time?
Will our work remains commons based, for the people by the people? Or won't we be able to avoid corporate capture of our tech followed by 'business as usual'? Maybe the way we work together now is the best we can muster. But who is pondering if that is the case, and looking into better ways to work ethical and responsible in large-scale grassroots commons that keep sustainable technology ecosystems afloat?
AOC Is A Genocidal Con Artist
Coming under fire from the left for the glaring contradiction of providing military assistance to a state that is perpetrating an active genocide, AOC issued a statement claiming her vote was about protecting civilians. AOC’s statement is absolute crap. The Iron Dome is not used for defending, it’s used to facilitate constant attacks. In an article for Jewish Currents titled “Iron Dome Is Not a Defensive System,” Dylan Saba explains:
“‘In theory, a weapon like Iron Dome could be used only defensively. But in practice it doesn’t work that way,’ analyst Nathan Thrall told Jewish Currents. ‘Iron Dome facilitates greater Israeli offensive measures, because it lowers the perceived cost to Israel of escalating or extending or initiating attacks.’ In other words, while the Iron Dome may prevent the deaths of Israeli non-combatants, it has made it easier for Israel to engage in deadly operations that take Palestinian lives.”
The Iron Dome isn’t for protecting civilians, it’s for protecting the Israeli regime from deterrence. We see this in the comfort the regime displays in waging constant military violence on its neighbors knowing they can’t retaliate. That’s why Israel cut a ceasefire deal with Iran so fast.
Iran’s advanced missiles can’t be reliably stopped by the Iron Dome, so Iran was able to smash Israel and force it to cease its unprovoked aggressions. If Israel had had a missile defense system which could casually swat those missiles out of the sky at a high rate of success, Israel would still be bombing Iran today, and would continue doing so until Tehran looked like Gaza. Israel’s war-horny population would have supported this, because they’d have no skin in the game.
AOC Is A Genocidal Con Artist
Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):Caitlin Johnstone (Caitlin’s Newsletter)
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
AOC Is A Genocidal Con Artist
Coming under fire from the left for the glaring contradiction of providing military assistance to a state that is perpetrating an active genocide, AOC issued a statement claiming her vote was about protecting civilians. AOC’s statement is absolute crap. The Iron Dome is not used for defending, it’s used to facilitate constant attacks. In an article for Jewish Currents titled “Iron Dome Is Not a Defensive System,” Dylan Saba explains:
“‘In theory, a weapon like Iron Dome could be used only defensively. But in practice it doesn’t work that way,’ analyst Nathan Thrall told Jewish Currents. ‘Iron Dome facilitates greater Israeli offensive measures, because it lowers the perceived cost to Israel of escalating or extending or initiating attacks.’ In other words, while the Iron Dome may prevent the deaths of Israeli non-combatants, it has made it easier for Israel to engage in deadly operations that take Palestinian lives.”
The Iron Dome isn’t for protecting civilians, it’s for protecting the Israeli regime from deterrence. We see this in the comfort the regime displays in waging constant military violence on its neighbors knowing they can’t retaliate. That’s why Israel cut a ceasefire deal with Iran so fast.
Iran’s advanced missiles can’t be reliably stopped by the Iron Dome, so Iran was able to smash Israel and force it to cease its unprovoked aggressions. If Israel had had a missile defense system which could casually swat those missiles out of the sky at a high rate of success, Israel would still be bombing Iran today, and would continue doing so until Tehran looked like Gaza. Israel’s war-horny population would have supported this, because they’d have no skin in the game.
AOC Is A Genocidal Con Artist
Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley):Caitlin Johnstone (Caitlin’s Newsletter)
EXPOSING THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Paper of Zionist Record
Exposing The New York Times: The Paper of Zionist Record
High-ranking Times editors and reporters have material and ideological ties to Israel’s occupation and apartheid. Their journalistic malpractice enables genocide in Gaza.newyorkwarcrimes.com
Ani DiFranco – ¿Which Side Are You On? (2012)
Dopo una pausa di quasi quattro anni (il suo ultimo lavoro "Red Letter Year" è del 2008) dovuti al matrimonio e alla maternità, la quarantunenne Ani DiFranco ritorna con un nuovo disco, il diciannovesimo: ¿Which Side Are You On?.. Leggi e ascolta...
[Video] Linus Tech Tips | I Bought EVERY PlayStation and some of them are Weird
Embark on an epic journey through PlayStation history! See "every PlayStation ever," from the iconic PS1, PS2, and PS3 to the powerful PS4 and PS5. Discover rare variants like the Net Yaroze and PSX, and explore unique accessories. We compare console performance, discuss generational leaps, and recommend the best models for your collection, whether you're a hardcore collector or a casual gamer. See classic games like Parappa the Rapper, God of War, and Motorstorm played on period-accurate displays. Uncover the evolution of controllers, from Dualshock to Dual Sense, and learn which PlayStation is right for YOU!
Genova 2001
Apartheid Reloaded – „Disctrict 9“ (2009)
„Vor 28 Jahren ist ein Raumschiff mit Außerirdischen über Johannesburg gestrandet. Seitdem werden die Aliens in einem slumartigen Flüchtlingslager isoliert – dem District 9.“ – Ein südafrikanischer Science-Fiction-Film, der es in sich hat, uns mal wieder wirklich nachdenklich werden zu lassen. (ZDF, Wh)
Apartheid Reloaded - „Disctrict 9“ (2009)
"Vor 28 Jahren ist ein Raumschiff mit Außerirdischen über Johannesburg gestrandet. Seitdem werden die Aliens in einem slumartigen Flüchtlingslager isoliert - dem District 9.NexxtPress
Microsoft buys more than a billion dollars’ worth of excrement, including human poop, to clean up its AI mess — company will pump waste underground to offset AI carbon emissions
Microsoft buys more than a billion dollars’ worth of excrement, including human poop, to clean up its AI mess — company will pump waste underground to offset AI carbon emissions
It wants to bury poop deep underground to counter all the pollution that its data centers generate.Jowi Morales (Tom's Hardware)
like this
forward.com/culture/film-tv/75…
From the top of search results, just looking for a source for this.
Is the new 'Superman' really pro-Palestine? – The Forward
James Gunn tackles a fictional international crisis, but doesn't give the Middle Eastern-coded characters much dignity.The Forward
Linux and Secure Boot certificate expiration
Linux and Secure Boot certificate expiration
Linux users who have Secure Boot enabled on their systems knowingly or unknowingly rely on a ke [...]LWN.net
like this
There is even a whole section in Wikipedia on issues and criticism with secure boot:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFI#S…
Some people argue that one can work around such locking down of PC hardware. Do this or that to avoid issues with substantial tinkering.
But that is not a bug but a feature. Sure, as a technical Linux user you can work around some nastiness. Like working around privacy invasion on Facebook or Linkedin by "adjusting" settings, or "adjust" settings in Wimdows to make it more private and so on. The thing is: working against the platform becomes quickly a losing game, because you don't control the platform - Microsoft does. And it does not help you if you manage to re-gain control of your device after some hours of tinkering if 99.9% of people around you don't have the knowledge and time and store your data, photos, Emails on OneDrive and so on. Freedom is very much a collective thing and software freedom is no exception.
And this does not mean that the thinkering and hacking is in vain - but it is not enough. We need the practical right to control our devices.
Un primo sguardo alle caratteristiche del K3, carro armato all'idrogeno sudcoreano - Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri
Un primo sguardo alle caratteristiche del K3, carro armato all'idrogeno sudcoreano - Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri
Nello scenario di guerra contemporaneo, dove sono le informazioni a farla da padrone, con la possibilità di attaccare da distanze chilometriche mediante l’utilizzo di razzi ed artiglieria, piuttosto che l’impiego di semplici droni radiocomandati, le …Jacopo (Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri)
Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most maligned tech devices. Not only is the company reintroducing new versions of old features which would allow police to request footage directly from Ring users, it is also introducing a new feature that would allow police to request live-st
like this
Technology reshared this.
And exactly this behavior ("I have no clue about the thing I will do, but I'll do it anyway without educating myself prior") is what makes everything suck more and more because it always gets adapted to the lowest common denominator.
We're only still alive because people need licenses to drive cars or fly planes.
Yeah sure, government shall intervene. But...i can probably expect more from anyone else.
And no,I didn't imply everyone should be expert at everything. That is beyond impossible, even for fractions of fractions of things.
But. If you wanna drive a car, you're forced to learn a shitton and pay like 2k € to be allowed to do so. One of the reasons is safety for others.
If I had no clue about e.g. doorbells, I would ask a pro I know or search the net or whatever. At least the absolute basics of it. Even setting the pure curiosity aside, just to know what the heck I'm getting at.
Admitted, I might have much more spare time than the regular Jane or Joe, but I'd still do that if I had to work. Just less intensive.
But yes, this mixture of apathy and ignorance is the leading reason why the internet sucks so much nowadays then 30 or even just 20yrs ago.
The majority of absolutely clueless people not knowing how they get fucked and where to draw a line. Sure, to some it's just a tool they don't need to know shit about to use it. No judging. BUT that doesn't change the fact.
That's the thing, you correctly see the difference in available time after work. That difference stacks over time. Having read this or that makes you understand terminology, patterns, builds confidence and over time that marginal extra time I have had has made it possible for me to grok a manual in 15 minutes but my father who hasn't had that time takes 45 minutes from his shorter available time. Then there's all the modifying details around kids or no kids, how much more hours the lower parts of the working class have to do to pay rent today vs earlier and so on and so forth. Everyone really but it's just much worse for the lower sections.
And then there's the problem of availability of products without extensive research. There's few brands owned by few large corpos that spend a lot pushing them left front and center on their digital platforms. That increases significanty the amount of work anyone has to do to avoid surveillance in this case. And as you understand, increasing the amount of work, increases the amount of time, and there's hard cutoffs which lead to the work not being done, which leads to the marketing campaigns succeeding in getting dad to buy a Ring. These people study, research and know well how to get people who seemingly have choices to choose their product 8 out of 10 times. Especially when transacting via their digital platform.
Which is why we're fighting a losing game if we rely on the individual when they're standing against the corporation which acts as a large collective with collective resources aligned to achieve their goals. This is why individualism is profitable and therefore encouraged. Consumers, employees have to also act as a collective which pools their resources like time, expertise to counteract this. E.g. by having people, supported by the normies, digest, analyse and spit out the results in trivial form (when posaible) that also takes very little time for everyone else to grok, so they make the right decision. Example that come to mind is Consumer Reports.
Your arguments are all valid and fine, wouldn't argue with them. BUT understanding the underlying reasons doesn't really change the fact and my point.
I can empathise with speeders, murderers, scammers and whatever. But know why someone does something, or even truly empathizing with it, doesn't change the fact that it's bad.
I could understand a society of murderers and their reasons for murdering. But they'd still destroy their society.
And sadly I really see no way for the government (any gov anywhere) to really pull the rudder. Capitalism just won. And, as you already stated, their goals align excellently with the average Joe/Jane having no clue about the stuff that's thrown in their faces and are worked to death so that'll never change.
Yes. 😁
And in capitalism right now there's no obvious way to reverse the trend. That said, if the critical theory of capitalism (and history) holds any water, the victory is very likely to be temporary, followed by mass unrest and significant change. What kind of change is not so clear but we may have a say if we're educated enough and organized, so at least we know who to support when the time comes.
Not today anymore. Social-media and the state-of-stupid of the web inhibit that. The masses don't even know what to protest for or against. And without MASSIVE numbers you'd achieve nothing. Someone just needs to throw enough moneyz at the problem (or pay thousands to flood the net with "I love our overlords because XYZ") until it's gone.
It was hard to topple a king some 100yrs ago, but today? We don't even know our kings anymore. Besides those few media-clown-babies that so desperately crave attention to fill a bottomless void of darkness inside them.
Besides that I would trust a Chinese cloud way more than a murican one (I'm non-US), this really is a lazy excuse. This apathy paired with ignorance or being technically challenged is the main reason dystopian shit like ring even sells at all. Or all those silly "smart" assistants like Alexa.
Phrases like "renewing my subscription" in context of a fucking doorbell itself sounds so absurd to me.
E.g. A raspberry (or the likes) with some run-of-the-mill ip-cam, some wifi-doorbell and AgentDVR would do the same for even less moneyz. And just for you, not the whole world. Wouldn't take more than some hours of setup.
France wants to nuke citizens’ holidays to fund a fantasy war with Russia
France wants to nuke citizens’ holidays to fund a fantasy war with Russia
Macron’s handpicked centrist prime minister has chosen to mess with the one thing that unites the French more than anything: their time offRT
don't like this
The real reason is because France is being kicked out of Africa so they have to turn inwards and colonize their own people.
The more African countries free themselves from the shackles of French imperialism, the worse it will get for the average French. Then it would be very easy to sell them the next war for them to needlessly die in.
In China, delivery robots now ride the subway to restock 7-Eleven stores
In China, delivery robots now ride the subway to restock 7-Eleven stores
The project, reportedly the first of its kind in the world, will see robots ride subway trains to deliver goods to more than 100 stores across Shenzhen.He Huifeng (South China Morning Post)
like this
Technology reshared this.
Japan sets new internet speed world record — 4 million times faster than average US speeds
Japan sets new internet speed record — it's 4 million times faster than average US broadband speeds
A team of scientists in Japan shattered the record for the fastest internet speed by developing new fiber optics.Perri Thaler (Live Science)
like this
Author Adam Shatz on ‘The World since October 7’ (II)
Author Adam Shatz on ‘The World since October 7’ (II) - World-Outlook
In this essay, author Adam Shatz raises important issues that deserve further discussion in light of the gruesome October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas that targeted civilians in Israel, the genocidal war Israel unleashed in retaliation on the entire …world-outlook.com (World-Outlook)
A Prominent OpenAI Investor Appears to Be Suffering a ChatGPT-Related Mental Health Crisis, His Peers Say
It's a very delicate thing to try to understand a public figure's mental health from afar. But unless Lewis is engaging in some form of highly experimental performance art that defies easy explanation — he didn't reply to our request for comment, and hasn't made further posts clarifying what he's talking about — it sounds like he may be suffering some type of crisis.If so, that's an enormously difficult situation for him and his loved ones, and we hope that he gets any help that he needs.
At the same time, it's difficult to ignore that the specific language he's using — with cryptic talk of "recursion," "mirrors," "signals" and shadowy conspiracies — sounds strikingly similar to something we've been reporting on extensively this year: a wave of people who are suffering severe breaks with reality as they spiral into the obsessive use of ChatGPT or other AI products, in alarming mental health emergencies that have led to homelessness, involuntary commitment to psychiatric facilities, and even death.
Psychiatric experts are also concerned. A recent paper by Stanford researchers found that leading chatbots being used for therapy, including ChatGPT, are prone to encouraging users' schizophrenic delusions instead of pushing back or trying to ground them in reality.
Lewis' peers in the tech industry were quick to make the same connection. Earlier this week, the hosts of popular tech industry podcast "This Week in Startups" Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm expressed their concerns about Lewis' disturbing video.
A Prominent OpenAI Investor Appears to Be Suffering a ChatGPT-Related Mental Health Crisis, His Peers Say
Bedrock co-founder Geoff Lewis has posted increasingly troubling content on social media, drawing concern from friends in the industry.Joe Wilkins (Futurism)
adhocfungus likes this.
Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most maligned tech devices. Not only is the company reintroducing new versions of old features which would allow police to request footage directly from Ring users, it is also introducing a new feature that would allow police to request live-stream access to people’s home security devices.
‘FUCK CRIME:’ Inside Ring’s Quest to Become Law Enforcement’s Best Friend
Amazon's surveillance company has seeped into hundreds of American communities by throwing parties for police and giving them free devices.Caroline Haskins (VICE)
like this
Top House Dem Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t endorse socialist Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayoral race in lukewarm statement after highly-anticipated meeting
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani finally sat down Friday for the first time since New York City’s primary — but the Democratic nominee left without an endorsement.
In a lukewarm statement, Jeffries called the pair’s hourlong meeting in his Brooklyn stomping grounds “constructive,” but did not indicate whether he would throw his weight behind the lefty candidate.
“We don’t really know each other well,” he has said. Jeffries has said Mamdani needs to “clarify” his stance on “Globalizing the Intifada” — a controversial phrase in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Top House Dem Hakeem Jeffries doesn't endorse socialist Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayoral race in lukewarm statement after highly-anticipated meeting
Schumer is expected to meet with Mamdani soon, but no date has yet been set.Craig McCarthy (New York Post)
like this
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
Do you understand the difference between optics and abandoning all principles?
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Challenge to his Liberal Allies | AAIHS
Martin Luther King Jr. press conference, Atlanta GA, Southern Christian Leadership Conference office 1966. (Photo: Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Stanford U ...Jeanne Theoharis (AAIHS)
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
I thought he was good
There is no food in Gaza
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/33397111
Breaking | In an urgent and important press statement, Gaza Health Ministry reports and appeals to the world:⭕️Unprecedented numbers of starved civilians of all ages are arriving at emergency departments in severe exhaustion and fatigue.
⭕️We warn that hundreds of severely emaciated Palestinians are at imminent risk of death due to hunger and their bodies’ inability to endure any longer.
Gaza Update Summary (July 16th - July 19th, 2025)
🚨 The past four days have been defined by a dual crisis of escalating IOF massacres and a catastrophic, deepening famine. IOF operations systematically targeted civilians in designated "safe zones" and at aid distribution points, particularly in Khan Younis and Rafah, while the north faced relentless demolition. We saw the famine's death toll rise, sparking popular protests against aid hoarders as the humanitarian situation collapsed completely.
Wednesday, July 16th: The slaughter of civilians was marked by a horrific massacre at an American aid distribution center in Rafah, where over 20 martyrs ascended due to suffocation and gas, including those on a "pre-approved list." This pattern was repeated throughout the day, targeting the displaced and hungry in tents in Mawasi Khan Younis and Nusseirat. Shelters were not spared, as the IOF bombed the Abu Helou school in Bureij, resulting in 4 martyrs, and struck the historic Latin Church in Gaza City, resulting in 3 martyrs from the Christian community. In Jabalia, the entire Shahab famil (father, mother, and their five daughters) was annihilated under the rubble of their home. 94 martyrs ascended and over 370 were wounded. 26 aid seekers were martyred as well.
Thursday, July 17th: The crisis of starvation reached a terrifying new peak, with children like Zain Al-Dremeili ascending due to malnutrition and reports of people collapsing from hunger in the streets. The bombardment escalated on Khan Younis, with airstrikes, artillery, and demolitions. IOF drones targeted tents in Mawasi. New evacuation orders were issued in Jabalia, and a strike resulted in 8 martyrs near Tawam roundabout who were protecting an aid convoy. At least 50 martyrs ascended on Thursday.
Friday, July 18th: The deepening famine ignited a "Revolution of the Hungry", with citizens storming merchants' warehouses in search food, only to be met with IOF drone fire. The IOF's campaign of genomicde continued with the massacre of the Abu Sahloul family in Khan Younis, where at least 8 were martyred under the rubble of their home. The famine claimed another life as the infant Sanaa Al-Lahham ascended, while in Deir al-Balah, 5 more were martyred in the chaos of an aid delivery. Further, the IOF continued to bomb tents, such as in Mawasi. A strike in Jabalia Al-Nazla claimed 5 more martyrs, while a bombing of a school saw two more. Another 50 martyrs on Friday.
Saturday, July 19th: Between the famine and bombing, another day of horrific massacres against entire families. We saw the annihilation of the Aql family in Nusseirat, where a single strike resulted in 12 martyrs, mostly women and children. The slaughter of the hungry reached a new low with over 60 martyrs ascending, including 35 aid seekers killed by IOF fire near the "Netzarim" axis. The famine continued to claim children's lives, including Joad Al-Anqar and Yahya Al-Najjar, as the IOF expanded its operations to the sea, raiding the Gaza beach and abducting several fishermen. Northern Gaza saw intense bombing in Sheikh Radwan and Jabalia, as well as martyrs killed while attempting to reach their homes. Today, over 116 martyrs have ascended so far, including 38 aid seekers.
Over 310 martyrs ascended in the last four days, amidst international and global silence despite calls for escalation and action. #GazaSummary
Descendants of the survivors of the Warsaw ghetto create a new "Warsaw ghetto" 85 years later.
Their bubbes must be so proud of them!
What's happening to my post? Blurred, red flagged?
Can't make sense of it. Might be flagged remotely as AI? I'm the mod. Shouldn't I be able to see what this is about?
Just catching up, night be suspiciously too many posts back to back?
It's also getting downvoted. Somebody has an issue with it
Edit: Nevermind, he's an AI artist. I didn't realize, am taking down.
just small circles 🕊
in reply to Arnold Schrijver • • •Due to a bug in the #Discourse #ActivityPub plugin the image is included twice and with the wrong alt-text (the one that auto-generated on image upload).
The #ALT4you alt-text is the exact text of my toot at this location:
social.coop/@smallcircles/1148…
cc @angusmcleod
(Plus the federation of this caused another nginx "504 Gateway Time-out" on SocialHub forum)
just small circles 🕊
2025-07-20 07:13:51