@johl@mastodon.xyz2025-12-25 16:36:09
There are more than enough talks at #39C3. It's impossible to make a choice. So here are three more things to make the choice even more impossible.
https://blog.johl.io/just-three-talks-at-39c3/
@hex@kolektiva.social2025-11-17 08:52:05
The implications are interesting enough when we apply this to systems like capitalism or national governments, but there are other very interesting implications when applied to systems like race or gender.
Like, as a cis man the only way I can be free to express and explore my own masculinity is if the masculinity I participate in is one which allows anyone the freedom to leave. Then I have an obligation to recognize the validity of nom-masculine trans identity as a necessary component of my own. If I fail to do this, then I trap myself in masculinity and allow the system to control me rather than me to be a free participant in the system.
But if it's OK to escape but not enter, that's it's own restriction that constrains the freedom to leave. It creates a barrier that keeps people in by the fear that they cannot return. So in order for me to be free in my cis masculine identity, I must accept non-masculine trans identities as they are and accept detransitioning as also valid.
But I also need to accept trans-masc identities because restricting entry to my masculinity means non-consensually constraining other identities. If every group imposes an exclusion against others coming in, that, by default, makes it impossible to leave every other group. This is just a description of how national borders work to trap people within systems, even if a nation itself allows people to "freely" leave.
So then, a free masculinity is one which recognizes all configurations of trans identities as valid and welcomes, if not celebrates, people who transition as affirmations of the freedom of their own identity (even for those who never feel a reason to exercise that same freedom).
The most irritating type of white person may look at this and say, "oh, so then why can't I be <not white>?" Except that the critique of transratial identities has never been "that's not allowed" and has always been "this person didn't do the work." If that person did the work, they would understand that the question doesn't make sense based on how race is constructed. That person might understand that race, especially whiteness, is more fluid than they at first understood. They might realize that whiteness is often chosen at the exclusion of other racialized identities. They would, perhaps, realize that to actually align with any racialized identity, they would first have to understand the boot of whiteness on their neck, have to recognize the need to destroy this oppressive identity for their own future liberation. The best, perhaps only, way to do this would be to use the privilege afforded by that identity to destroy it, and in doing so would either destroy their own privilege or destroy the system of privilege. The must either become themselves completely ratialized or destroy the system of race itself such being "transracial" wouldn't really make sense anymore.
But that most annoying of white person would, of course, not do any such work. Nevertheless, one hopes that they may recognize the paradox that they are trapped by their white identity, forced forever by it to do the work of maintaining it. And such is true for all privileged identities, where privilege is only maintained through restrictions where these restrictions ultimately become walls that imprison both the privileged and the marginalized in a mutually reinforcing hell that can only be escaped by destroying the system of privilege itself.
@Techmeme@techhub.social2025-10-23 18:55:45
Anthropic says Claude's memory feature, initially available for Team and Enterprise users, is rolling out to Pro and Max subscribers (Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET)
https://www.zdnet.com/article/one-of-chatgpts-most-helpful-features-is-com…
@arXiv_csPL_bot@mastoxiv.page2025-09-26 08:23:51
Efficient Symbolic Computation vis Hash Consing
Bowen Zhu, Aayush Sabharwal, Songchen Tan, Yingbo Ma, Alan Edelman, Christopher Rackauckas
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.20534 https…
@cdarwin@c.im2025-10-17 19:16:18
Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) lived his peculiar life on the conviction that
art could create an awareness that allowed one to see into and communicate the essence of experience.
Throughout his life he searched for the state of being one with the object of his poems,
something he believed a poet needed to reach in order to write truthfully.
This life-long search brought Basho to wandering.
He thought that travelling would lead to a state of karumi (lightness), ess…
@jtk@infosec.exchange2025-12-20 03:16:06
When you're trying to get #Google to help them fix a problem they have in relaying an email to a list (they are forwarding as if it they are originating your non-GMail email, thus incurring an SPF failure) their helpful support team to the rescue (see image attached).
FYI... the second thing they want is a screen cap of the client SMTP config.
Very temped to send a screenshot wit…
@arXiv_condmatmtrlsci_bot@mastoxiv.page2025-09-26 09:51:11
Topological nontrivial berry phase in altermagnet CrSb
Jianhua Du, Xin Peng, Yuzhi Wang, Shengnan Zhang, Yuran Sun, Chunxiang Wu, Tingyu Zhou, Le Liu, Hangdong Wang, Jinhu Yang, Bin Chen, Chuanying Xi, Zhiwei Jiao, Quansheng Wu, Minghu Fang
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.21303
@Jyoti@mas.to2025-12-22 03:35:06
@hex@kolektiva.social2025-10-15 20:50:35
I keep coming back to the mirror dualities of the oppressed and oppressor under authoritarianism.
The oppressed is portrayed as both weak and godlike. The stereotypes are always some variation on sloth and incompetence, but yet somehow also a menace capable of destroying the "pure" society. To use the most relevant current example, Antifa being both little femme soy boys who would always get beat up by "real men" while also being an international terrorist organization on the brink of overthrowing the US government, the unarmed presence of whom makes the heavily armed agents of ICE flee for their lives. Antifa is both having absolutely no impact on ICE, and also having such an impact on ICE that the military needs to come in to protect them. The contradiction is obvious but never seems to occur to those who hold both to be true at the same time.
But few talk about the duality of the oppressor. The sovereign throughout history has always been both a ruler above the law, sometimes even the representative or incarnation of a divine force. Yet, this same superhuman/god-man is also a baby who needs constant care. This is absolutely a through line from the very earliest records of sovereign cults to modern cult leaders, CEOs, and Trump today. Power, for these people, is expressed both as the ability to force others to enact their will and in the ability to compel others to care for them. Can any of these "men" cook? Can they fix anything themselves? They are driven everywhere, cooked for all the time, constantly protected from danger. Kings are still dressed, at least for rituals. I could dissect masculinity here, but that's a whole thing.
It is as though the drive to care for our children, who must be taught to behave within acceptable norms, is hijacked by "leaders" who demand our care and attention... even at the expense of our literal children. And recently we've seen some of those very CEOs, with LLMs and return to office demands, show that their judgment is also little better than children, making decisions while pretending to understand a subject.
The oppressed are portrayed as both god-like and impotent and are, in fact, neither. Meanwhile the rulers portray themselves only as invulnerable and are, in fact, childish in their ability to survive without constant support. Their greatest fear from the collapse of society is figuring out how to make sure people keep taking care of them.
It just keeps rattling around in my head.
#USPol
@gray17@mastodon.social2025-12-19 18:41:22
spam of the day
> Hi there, I am [generic chinese name], a senior full-stack developer with 7 years of experience. I’m looking to partner with someone in the US who can handle the client-facing communication side of projects, while I focus on the technical work and delivery.
> The idea is simple:
> You handle communication − I build the solution − We share the profit.
I should have setup per-contact email long ago, so I know how I got on the spam list of John …