Vlog 086 – I couldn't have said it better myself
Usually on social media the golden rule is "Never read the comments", but things are a little bit different in the Fediverse. I had a bunch of thoughtful and insightful responses to yesterday's video (Vlog 085) and so today I wanted to walk through some of the great ideas people shared with me. Welcome to Vlog No. 086.
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Vlog 086 – I couldn't have said it better myself
Usually on social media the golden rule is "Never read the comments", but things are a little bit different in the Fediverse. I had a bunch of thoughtful and insightful responses to yesterday's video (Vlog 085) and so today I wanted to walk through some of the great ideas people shared with me. Welcome to Vlog No. 086.My Newsletter: ewenbell.com/subscribe
My Photography Advice: ewenbell.com/blog
My name is Ewen Bell and I am a LUMIX Australia Ambassador and an Ambassador for Sigma Photo.#EwenTube #Photography #PhotographyVlog
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Join Ewen's newsletter for short updates on new articles and photographic inspiration. A special treat for new subscribers is a FREE download of my 80 page eBook called 'Camera Not Included'.Photography by Ewen Bell
Can we please stop arguing about whether Bluesky is decentralized?
privacy.thenexus.today/can-we-…
> "People who saw Bluesky as centralized nine months ago still see Bluesky as centralized. People who saw Bluesky as decentralized (or decentralizing) nine months ago still see Bluesky as decentralized (or decentralizing). Nobody's changing their minds in response to new information. It's basically the same discussions rehashed again and again.
>
> One thing that's been really striking to me in this latest iteration of this interminable discourse is that so many people in the Fediverse present the fact that 99.99% of Bluesky users are still using infrastructrure run by Bluesky PBC as if it's a gotcha that people advocating for Bluesky and the ATmosphere aren't aware of.
>
> No, actually, ATmosphere developers I talk to are very very aware of these limitations. They just prefer to invest their time and energy in working to improve the situation rather than arguing about the semantics of "decentralization."
>
> That sure seems like a good approach to me.
>
> So can we please stop arguing about this already?"
>
Can we please stop arguing about whether Bluesky is decentralized?
Nobody's changing their minds at this point, and the discourse is reallyJon (The Nexus Of Privacy)
South Carolina’s gubernatorial race has evolved into a brawl over who can curry Trump’s favor and secure a formal endorsement.
A crowded race for governor has turned into an all-out fight over Trump's endorsement
The crowded Republican race to be South Carolina’s next governor has erupted into an early, all-out battle to secure Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement.Melanie Zanona (NBC News)
[2023] Gulf Stream could collapse as early as 2025, study suggests
Gulf Stream could collapse as early as 2025, study suggests
A collapse would bring catastrophic climate impacts but scientists disagree over the new analysisDamian Carrington (The Guardian)
Trump has declared war on wind and solar power. It’s time for the industries to fight back.
Trump has declared war on wind and solar power. It’s time for the industries to fight back.
Wind and solar are the cheapest power sources being added to the grid. But now under attack during Trump 2.0, the industries must build political power to preserve their future.Justin Gerdes (Quitting Carbon)
Why China has a tech manufacturing advantage over the U.S. | Author Dan Wang talks about his new book, "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future"
And a much longer interview with Wang on technopolitics, grand opera, China's "industrial party", and why the Chinese and Americans are the two most alike people in the world, here.
Highly recommend it if you have time.
How to become President of China with Dan Wang
Episode five of the Works in Progress podcast is about why China outbuilds AmericaSam Bowman (The Works in Progress Newsletter)
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The Green Revolution Is Alive and Well — Just Not in the US
Global investment in renewable energy sources hit $386.5 billion in the first half of 2025 despite the pullback in the US.
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Tesla FSD turns off more U.S. consumers than it attracts, survey finds
Tesla FSD turns off more U.S. consumers than its attracts, survey finds
Despite Elon Musk's exhaustive promotion of Tesla's FSD technology, U.S. consumers don't seem to want it.Lora Kolodny (CNBC)
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Wait, you mean people don't want to buy a vehicle that throws you into incoming traffic and hits children in the street at full speed?
Or maybe it's the Nazi that leads it who stole all our public funds for his little electric car and space race things.
Millionaire Alexis Ohanian walked out of the LSAT 20 minutes in, went to a Waffle House and decided he was ‘gonna invent a career.’ He founded Reddit
Millionaire Alexis Ohanian walked out of the LSAT 20 minutes in, went to a Waffle House and decided he was ‘gonna invent a career.’ He founded Reddit
Reddit, now worth more than $40 billion, would have never happened without Alexis Ohanian ditching law school in favor of entrepreneurship.Preston Fore (Fortune)
Texas Suit Alleging Anti-Coal ‘Cartel’ of Top Wall Street Firms Could Reshape ESG—and Wall Street Itself
Republican attorneys general accuse three of the world’s biggest asset managers of conspiring to depress U.S. coal output. It’s a first-of-its-kind and closely watched test of whether corporate alliances on climate efforts violate antitrust laws.
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Even John Bolton Doesn’t Deserve This
Even John Bolton Doesn’t Deserve This | The Nation
Trump’s former national security adviser is a very hateable figure. But he still needs defending from the president’s lawlessness.The Nation
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More dust storms called haboobs are coming to California, thanks to climate change
* archive.today
* web.archive.org
More dust storms called haboobs are coming, thanks to climate change
As climate change increases heat and dryness in Southern California and the Central Valley, dust storms pose an increasing problem and health risk.Susanne Rust (Los Angeles Times)
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Climate change is making New Orleans hotter. You can even hear it [Audio]
Climate change is making New Orleans hotter. You can even hear it | Here & Now
Average temperatures have been going up in many cities, including New Orleans.Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom (WBUR)
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How the Horrors of Hurricane Katrina Radicalized Young People Into Climate Activists
How Hurricane Katrina's Horrors Created a Generation of Climate Activists
In the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, combatting climate change, environmental racism, and structural inequality has become a calling for these young people.Siri Chilukuri (Teen Vogue)
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OpenAI Says It's Scanning Users' ChatGPT Conversations and Reporting Content to the Police
OpenAI Says It's Scanning Users' ChatGPT Conversations and Reporting Content to the Police
OpenAI has authorized itself to call law enforcement if users say threatening enough things when talking to ChatGPT.Noor Al-Sibai (Futurism)
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California must do better to make Big Oil pay for climate change | Wiener, environmentalists couldn’t pass bill due to lack of hard data on its impact, which next year’s effort will need
Elias: California must do better to make Big Oil pay for climate change
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and environmentalists couldn’t pass a bill due to lack of hard data on its impact, which next year’s effort will need.njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com (The Mercury News)
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LLMs are a tiny energy use, 100 queries to chatGPT type models use about as much energy as a hair dryer for a few minutes. At current UK electricity retail prices (after tax, so significantly more than datacentres pay) 1 query costs somewhere between £0.00015 - £0.001 in power usage.
I cant see that being a significant factor in the price power companies charge over things like moving away from cheap but dirty sources of power or fluctuations of the natural gas price.
Blizzard’s Diablo Game Developers Has Unionized
Hundreds of Diablo Game Developers Join Communications Workers of America
Today, over 450 game developers behind the popular video game series Diablo have voted strongly in favor of union representation with CWA.Communications Workers of America
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36521221
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
Critical vulnerabilities in Pudu Robotics allowed unauthorized control of every Pudu Robotics Robot worldwide. They ignored emails until I contacted Skylark Holdings and Zensho about their compromised robot fleets.bobdahacker.com
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36521221
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
Critical vulnerabilities in Pudu Robotics allowed unauthorized control of every Pudu Robotics Robot worldwide. They ignored emails until I contacted Skylark Holdings and Zensho about their compromised robot fleets.bobdahacker.com
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
I Hacked BellaBot and Every Robot from China's Biggest Robotics Company (Pudu Only Fixed It When I Told Their Clients)
Critical vulnerabilities in Pudu Robotics allowed unauthorized control of every Pudu Robotics Robot worldwide. They ignored emails until I contacted Skylark Holdings and Zensho about their compromised robot fleets.bobdahacker.com
Into the Uncanny Valley: Human-AI War Machines
Into the Uncanny Valley: Human-AI War Machines
There is a universal tendency among mankind to think of all things as being like themselves, and to transfer to every object the qualities they are familiarly acquainted with.Kate Horgan (Project Censored)
'AI slop' videos may be annoying, but they're racking up views — and ad money
Spend some time scrolling on social media these days and you are likely to notice more and more videos made with artificial intelligence. Many are funky or fantastical. Others are downright bizarre. Some are intentionally misleading.Rapid advancements in AI have led to a proliferation across the internet of what critics are calling "AI slop," or short videos that are rapidly produced, often repetitive, and made using generative AI technology. Platforms are grappling with how to handle them.
RFK Jr. Is Making His Bid To Become One Of American History's Biggest Killers
RFK Jr. Is Making His Bid To Become One Of American History's Biggest Killers | Defector
True to the spirit of America, the most catastrophic thing to happen at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month was not the attempted mass shooting in Atlanta of the agency’s public health workers, but rather the sudden firing of it…defector.com
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Exclusive: San Francisco scores long-term conference commitment from Visa
San Francisco scores long-term conference commitment from Visa
San Francisco scores long-term conference commitment from Visa, which will brings its annual Visa Payments Forum to the city.Laura Waxmann (San Francisco Chronicle)
A Fediverse Permaculture
From Survival to Abundance: How Fediverse Permaculture Can Save Your Instance
(Article by Steven Tree Baxter)
Another Fediverse instance just vanished—swallowed by the familiar spiral of desperate donation drives and dwindling support. Will yours be next?
Fediverse permaculture offers a bold alternative: instead of living in fear of collapse, admins and developers can build resilient, self-reinforcing ecosystems where every interaction strengthens the whole. The goal? A mutually beneficial cooperative, designed to thrive through change.
How It Works: A Self-Sustaining Ecosystem
1. Merch & Artisan Creations
Users don’t just donate—they invest in the community. A merch buyer gains a tangible symbol of their support, while the instance earns funds to cover costs. Handmade goods and creative projects foster connection, celebrate talent, and turn supporters into active participants.
2. Community Events & Collaborative Projects
From virtual workshops to co-created content, these initiatives generate value while reinforcing bonds. Users contribute skills, time, or resources, and the instance gains both financial and social capital.
3. Niche Communities & Multilingual Support
Diversity is strength. By welcoming sub-instances, specialized groups, and multilingual users, you create a richer, more adaptive ecosystem. The message is clear: "You have a place with us!"
Permaculture Principles in Action
| Permaculture Principle | Fediverse Application | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Observe and interact | Monitor instance health, user activity, and trends | Spot early signs of stress or opportunity |
| Catch and store energy | Collect donations, host merch, offer premium content | Build a financial buffer for stability |
| Obtain a yield | Develop sustainable content, events, or services | Deliver value while generating resources |
| Apply self-regulation | Review engagement and governance policies | Continuously improve and adapt |
| Use renewable resources | Leverage volunteers, open-source tools, and shared knowledge | Reduce costs and empower the community |
| Produce no waste | Recycle content, reuse ideas, share code | Maximize impact, minimize redundancy |
Why This Works: Flipping Fear into Opportunity
Fediverse permaculture replaces anxiety with action. Instead of waiting for donations to dry up or users to leave, you create a system where:
- Every purchase, contribution, or collaboration strengthens the whole.
- Artisans, creators, and volunteers become stakeholders in the instance’s success.
- Diversity and adaptability turn challenges into opportunities.
The result? An instance that doesn’t just survive—it thrives as a hub of creativity, commerce, and shared identity.
Your Call to Action: Design for Abundance
- Identify Mutual-Benefit Loops
Start small: merch, micro-donations, or volunteer-driven projects. Every loop you create reinforces the ecosystem. - Embrace Diversity
Welcome niche communities, multilingual users, and sub-instances. The more voices, the richer the soil for growth. "You have a place with us!" - Apply Permaculture Principles
Observe, adapt, and iterate. What works? What doesn’t? Let the community guide you. - Celebrate Creativity
Reward artisans, creators, and contributors. Their work isn’t just content—it’s the lifeblood of your instance. - Collaborate & Share
Connect with other instances. Build a network of resilient ecosystems, where success is collective and shared.
The Choice Is Yours
The question is no longer "Can we survive?" but "How will we thrive?"
Fediverse permaculture is your path from fear to abundance. Take the first step. Watch your community bloom—and join a movement where everyone wins.
Let’s Discuss!
- What permaculture principles have you applied to your instance?
- What challenges have you faced in building a sustainable community?
- Share your ideas and experiences below!
#Fediverse, #Permaculture, #SelfHosted, #Cooperative, #CommunityBuilding, #InstanceManagement, #Artisans, #CreativeEconomy, #DigitalSustainability, #CommunityResilience, #CollaborativeProjects
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Op, I appreciate that you seem to be genuinely interested in these topics, and are not just farming engagement (which is kinda meaningless here on the Fedi, anyways...). If I may offer a suggestion, try to find a tone that doesn't sound like a roadmap for some corporate brand strategy. Most of us that are here and would be interested in a "fediverse permaculture" are severely put off by the structure of your post, not to mention it lacks in depth for most suggestions to be directly actionable (for example, the merch you would sell to support the insurance still needs to be made somewhere, by someone, who either needs to be paid for their time or are already independently wealthy).
Have you taken a look around !permacomputing@slrpnk.net ? Permaculture is not just about principles of mutual support but also a long process of experimentation to see which combinations of which plants and practices works out "for the best". You might foster more of the conversation you're looking for if you can bring some more concrete examples or proposals to serve as topics instead of an all-encompassing manifesto post.
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Should i pirate EVERYTHING or only things that i bought, but do not own?
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In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and ‘companions’ pose unique psychological risks
In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and ‘companions’ pose unique psychological risks
It’s no surprise these lifelike AI companions are attractive to lonely people. But for some, these relationships are harmful and even dangerous.The Conversation
New self-assembling material could be the key to recyclable batteries
MIT researchers have developed a self-assembling battery material that rapidly disintegrates when exposed to organic solvents, potentially transforming electric vehicle battery recycling and addressing the growing challenge of electronic waste from the expanding EV market.
The breakthrough, published Tuesday in Nature Chemistry, introduces an electrolyte material composed of aramid amphiphiles that self-assemble into mechanically stable nanoribbons when exposed to water, yet completely dissolve within minutes when immersed in organic liquids. This allows entire battery packs to fall apart naturally, enabling separate recycling of individual components without the harsh chemicals and high temperatures typically required.
"So far in the battery industry, we've focused on high-performing materials and designs, and only later tried to figure out how to recycle batteries made with complex structures and hard-to-recycle materials," said lead author Yukio Cho, a recent MIT PhD graduate now at Stanford University. "Our approach is to start with easily recyclable materials and figure out how to make them battery-compatible."
New self-assembling material could be the key to recyclable EV batteries
MIT researchers designed molecules that can serve as the electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery and then quickly break apart at the end of the battery’s life, making it easier to recycle all of the components.MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
My brother in Christ, have you heard about our lord and saviour the Scientific Method and the proliferation of cross-domain ideas? How do you imagine the li-ion batteries came about as the go-to energy storage solution? Incremental improvements of ideas would be my guess, ideas have to start somewhere and of course they’re going to be hyperbolic since researchers are both excited and have to draw attention to their ideas.
I sympathise with your point but the alternative is little to no research into different battery technologies because close to nothing will ever emerge as a competitive day-one drop-in replacement, but some ideas may prove exciting to others who understand the value and they might push the ball further towards realistic alternatives.
I don't fault researchers for publishing novel research that might not go anywhere. I explicitly understand the scientific value in doing so.
I do not think it's valuable to breathlessly regurgitate those claims to the broader pop-sci public though. A) It's boring to read the same overhyped battery press release every single week. And B) it shakes people's faith in science, in the same way that people's faith in medicine has been shaken by bad reporting on every study that says X could give you cancer or make you live longer.
AI powering China's industrial evolution
AI powering China's industrial evolution
'Industry plus artificial intelligence' cresting across Chinese manufacturing landscape, driven by tech companies scrambling to develop AI agents to solve tasks.www.chinadaily.com.cn
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Judge Fines Pirate IPTV Man €30,000, Owing Sky €500K is Punishment Enough
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36476619
A pirate IPTV reseller investigated by Sky, who destroyed evidence and dissipated assets in violation of two High Court orders, has been found guilty of contempt of court. David Dunbar of Co Wexford, Ireland, operated 'IPTV is Easy' and according to him, generated nearly €500k in profits while doing so. Since that money is now owed to Sky, a judge at Ireland's High Court imposed a fine of €30,000 rather than a prison sentence, concluding that on balance, he'd suffered enough.
Judge Fines Pirate IPTV Man €30,000, Owing Sky €500K is Punishment Enough
A pirate IPTV reseller investigated by Sky, who destroyed evidence and dissipated assets in violation of two High Court orders, has been found guilty of contempt of court. David Dunbar of Co Wexford, Ireland, operated 'IPTV is Easy' and according to him, generated nearly €500k in profits while doing so. Since that money is now owed to Sky, a judge at Ireland's High Court imposed a fine of €30,000 rather than a prison sentence, concluding that on balance, he'd suffered enough.
Judge Fines Pirate IPTV Man €30,000, Owing Sky €500K is Punishment Enough * TorrentFreak
An IPTV reseller who destroyed evidence in violation of a High Court order, has been fined €30,000. Owing Sky €500K is punishment enough.Andy Maxwell (TF Publishing)
U.S. Recommends 57-Month Prison Sentence in 'Spider-Man' Piracy and Firearm Case
The U.S. government has recommended a lengthy prison sentence for a former employee of a disc manufacturing company. He previously admitted stealing and distributing numerous DVD and Blu-ray discs, including 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'. The recommendation is largely based on an unconnected firearm charge, not copyright infringement. The MPA has requested to speak at the sentencing hearing, noting that the movie studio victims likely lost tens of millions of dollars.
U.S. Recommends 57-Month Prison Sentence in 'Spider-Man' Piracy and Firearm Case * TorrentFreak
The U.S. has recommended a lengthy prison sentence for a man who admitted to stealing Blu-ray discs, including "Spider-Man: No Way Home".Ernesto Van der Sar (TF Publishing)
Iran ready for ‘serious' cooperation with China, Pezeshkian says ahead of visit
Iran ready for ‘serious' cooperation with China, Pezeshkian says ahead of visit
President Masoud Pezeshkian has voiced Iran’s readiness for “serious and constructive” cooperation with China, particularly within the framework of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), ahead of his planned visit to China later this month.PressTV
The Political Awakening of the Oyster Farmer Gunning for Susan Collins
The Political Awakening of the Oyster Farmer Gunning for Susan Collins
Graham Platner’s campaign launch has been a sudden sensation. But what he’s building now is rooted in the work of a lifetime.The New Republic
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AbouBenAdhem
in reply to IO 😇 • • •I checked the paper cited in that article, and it has an author correction published last week:
(emphasis mine)
Author Correction: Warning of a forthcoming collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation - Nature Communications
Naturelike this
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kingofras
in reply to AbouBenAdhem • • •алсааас [she/they]
in reply to IO 😇 • • •Now we only need re-insurance companies to fund a tanker fleet of ~500 mega tons of salt to restart it.
Maybe even some kind of foundation could coordinate it, like it National Science one