@Techmeme@techhub.socialOn the web's 35th birthday, there are two issues to address: power concentration, which contradicts decentralization, and exploitation of personal data (Tim Berners-Lee/World Wide Web Foundation)
https://webfoundation.org/2024/03/marking-the-we…
@StevenRogge@mastodon.greenTim Berners-Lee: Marking the Web’s 35th Birthday.
"Call For Action
Realising this emergent movement won’t just happen - it requires support for the people leading the reform, from researchers to inventors to advocates. We must amplify and promote these positive use cases, and work to shift the collective mindset of global citizens."
@matthiasott@mastodon.social“The future hinges on our ability to both reform the current system and create a new one that genuinely serves the best interests of humanity. To achieve this, we must break down data silos to encourage collaboration, create market conditions in which a diversity of options thrive to fuel creativity, and shift away from polarising content to an environment shaped by a diversity of voices and perspectives that nurture empathy and understanding.”
—Tim Berners-Lee
✊
@beaware@social.beaware.liveSoooo....I'm doing a thing...🤭😏
As a lot of you know, Tooters shut down recently and the way it was handled in the end is regrettable.
However, I felt for longest time while it was up, that it was consistently one of the BEST run instances on Fedi with how they protected their users from some of the insanity that happens here.
That being said, with Tooters being gone, it leaves a bit of a hole in my Fedi heart and I know a lot of others as well.
So, I'm creating a new, very limited for now, politically-light (as little politics as possible locally), AI friendly (AI art welcome), Sharkey instance for some folks within my circle that I've grown to consider my friends.
The Social Zone is meant to be a place to escape the very political society we currently all live in and just be social with one another about our hobbies, interests, and day to day lives.
I'm still working out all the details but when I launch it, it's going to be invite only because I'm new to something like this and I want to get it right. Especially because those I will invite are people that are close to me and I don't want to disappoint them.
Depending on how things go for the next few months, including if I can even get this thing started correctly, I MIGHT be open to allowing more members in, down the line.
But, this is just getting started. I registered the domain yesterday and just started researching Sharkey today and how hard it would be to spin something up. Then, of course, there's configuration settings and administration with Sharkey that I have to familiarize myself with.
All in all, I'm very nervous, but excited that I decided to take this next step in my Fedi adventure and hope to eventually "give back" to the entire community, the same positive energy that you've all given me over the past wonderful year of being on this amazing platform.
Please do not ask for invites. I will not be handing them out anytime soon. I've already asked about 5 of you along with some IRL folks and I feel I would like some time to get this right for them first.
Thanks for reading. I hope you understand why I'm choosing to do this and hope you're as excited as me to see where things can go and understand why I feel it's important to have these types of "politically-light" spaces so people can escape such topics from time to time.
Keep on keeping on, Fedi. The future is bright and I'm ready to learn along with you. More info about TheSocial.Zone coming soon!
Your friend,
B.A.
@mgorny@social.treehouse.systemsOf course, I can't start a day without being awfully angry about some shit.
So #Gentoo suddenly undoes USE=lzma [and USE=zstd] that used to be enabled by default in 23.0 profiles, apparently based on "consensus" on the mailing lists. The "consensus" boils down to one conspiracy theorist developer complaining, and being supported by 3 users whose Gentoo contributions boil down to having to express their opinions on everything on the mailing list.
This isn't only a problem, because Gentoo is letting itself be controlled by a vocal minority. This is a problem, because we've enabled something that can affect program output, told everyone to upgrade and rebuild their systems, then pulled the carpet from under them.
Wait, did that random app start using LZMA compression now that you've enabled it? Well, bad luck, you won't be able to open your files anymore. Surely, there's no better #security than not being able to do anything!
Unfortunately, sys-apps/kmod had explicit IUSE= lzma by default for a while now, so there's still a risk that you'll be able to boot your system. That's not good for security at all!
#xz
@YaleDivinitySchool@mstdn.socialRegistration is open for the online course “Ministering to Those Impacted by Suicide.” The course meets 4 Mondays in a row, beginning April 15.
It is estimated that 50% of individuals in any congregation have been impacted by suicide in some way. This training will take a deep dive into the topic and expand the thinking of leaders about how churches and organizations can proactively address the hopelessness and isolation that contribute to suicidality.
@gedankenstuecke@scholar.socialLove this! (of course I'm biased):
«[Members] possessed different tools, goals, data literacies, and data ontologies, and yet their shared imaginary for open science practices motivated, generated, and deepened their communication. Their shared data imaginary did not homogenize the practices and values that functioned within their data activism. This community's approach to communication may be particularly useful for communities that organize around personal data and health conditions.»
@timbray@cosocial.ca
@vrandecic@mas.toCelebrating the 35th birthday of the World Wide Web, a letter by its founder, Tim Berners-Lee.
Discussing some of the issues of the Web of today: too much centralization, too much exploitation, too much disinformation, all made even more dire by the development of AI.
https://
@YaleDivinitySchool@mstdn.socialWe are now offering online, 6-week intensive summer courses in Elementary Biblical Hebrew and Elementary New Testament Greek, open to the public.
Course tuition is free for YDS students. For all others it is: $3,673
For more info and to apply: https://divi…
@FerdiZ@mastodon.cloudTim Berners-Lee writes an open letter on the occasion of the World Wide Web's 35th anniversary..:
✍️ https://medium.com/@timberners_lee/marking-the-webs-35th-birthday-an-open-letter-ebb410cc7d42
@cellfourteen@social.petertoushkov.euLip Sync: Creature Comforts (Original Short) #AardmanAnimations
"Nick Park’s first Oscar winning film. A series of interviews with the animals in an English zoo. Used to open spaces and sunnier climes, they comment on accommodation, diet and of course - the English weather."
@iragersh@mstdn.socialH/T to my wife who sent me the article.
Converting golf courses to open space preserves.
A feel good article.
As usual, interesting comments. First ends with wish that one golf course would have become a natural golf course.
Comments are closed so no answer.
Screw that comment. I don't golf. Wouldn't feel safe even if allowed to wander a golf course. Wouldn't think of visiting a golf course.
Gift link.
@crell@phpc.social
@kerstinsailer@sciences.socialThe one-year MSc / MRes programme I teach on at the #BartlettSchoolOfArchitecture #UCL called 'Space Syntax: Architecture and Cities' is holding an online open event for prospective students on 27 March, 1-2pm UK time.
Students from a non-architectural background are v…
@timbray@cosocial.ca
@AnthonyCollette@infosec.exchange$125K stolen in 10 minutes
From Kim Komando's newsletter —
"Feb. 16 was a typical Friday night. Barry and I decided to stay home, grill chicken and make a salad for dinner. At about 6:45 p.m., we heard some loud rumbling overhead.
We walked onto the back patio, and two police helicopters were shining lights all over our property. A recording echoed, “Police. You are under arrest. Stay right there and I won’t shoot you.”
As I looked across the fence, a swarm of armed Phoenix SWAT team members with a few dogs were circling our property. One of the guys said, “Yeah, there’s a jammer right here.” He picked it up. I leaned over the patio and asked, “What’s going on?”
The police told me to go inside
When I asked again, a SWAT member said, “Ma’am, it’s a South American gang targeting homes to steal from. The jammer says you might have been next. Do we have permission to enter your property?” I said, “Yes!” and then he asked something like, “If we find anyone, will you pursue charges so we can arrest them?” I replied, “Of course!”
I opened the driveway gates to our property and the guest house while Barry tossed the police keys to open the security gates. People asked me if I was scared. How could I be? There was a team of really professional police officers protecting me from who knows what.
Turns out, when the gang saw we were home, they likely diverted their attention to the house next door. A house four doors down from us wasn’t so lucky.
The homeowner left at 5 p.m. to have dinner and got a notification his security cameras were offline at 5:05 p.m. He thought the internet went down. Nope, the gang broke in and took $25,000 in cash and valuables worth $100,000. They were in and out in under 10 minutes.
How are they getting away with this?
The gang places cellular and Wi‑Fi jammers around the homes they’re targeting. This way, security cameras and phones are useless. A Phoenix police officer told me the gang probably noticed nothing was down in our house.
We have our cameras and internet hardwired. Even when they tried to jam our signals, the red lights on the security cameras still showed they were recording everything.
But how frightening is that? Your phone doesn’t work. Your cameras aren’t recording anything. On the upside, the gang doesn’t carry guns. This way, if they get caught, they’ll spend about six months in jail before being extradited to Chile.
Nothing is random
The gang scopes out homes beforehand. They drive the neighborhood and look up houses on real estate sites to get an idea of where the primary bedroom is located. They look for dogs, too.
It’s not just in Phoenix, by the way. This is happening all over the country. A friend was robbed by this gang, and he lives in a guarded, gated community in California. Kudos to the Phoenix Police Department — they arrested three members of the gang who were in my neighborhood that night.
So, what can you do?
☑️ Wireless cameras go kaput with no signal. Try a wired camera for a backup.
☑️ A cam with SD card storage will still record if there’s no Wi‑Fi.
☑️ Put up motion-activated lights; they make it harder for anyone to sneak around.
☑️ A femtocell (think of it as a mini cell tower) could be enough to keep your connection if thieves use jammers — T‑Mobile or Verizon.
☑️ Have an Amazon Echo? Away mode lets you control your lights so it looks like someone’s home.
☑️ Make it look like someone’s watching TV at your house when you’re not there with a Television Simulator.
☑️ A University of North Carolina survey of over 400 incarcerated burglars found security system signs deter thieves.
☑️ Check Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin for photos of your house. The more crooks know about the layout, the better for them. Ask to have them removed.
☑️ Blur your house from Google Maps and Apple Maps while you’re at it.
@arXiv_mathDS_bot@mastoxiv.pageUnsolved problems on joinings, multiple mixing, spectrum, and rank
Valery V. Ryzhikov
https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.03641 https://arxiv.…
@karlauerbach@sfba.socialHow do you spell "boondoggle with someone else's (our) money"?
You spell it ICANN Grant Program.
WTF does ICANN's proper scope have to do with:
- Providing capacity development.
- Advancing developments, innovation, and open standards for the benefit of the Internet community.
- Contributing to diversity, participation, and inclusion across stakeholder communities and geographic regions.
The answer, of course, is "nothing" - it&…
@FerdiZ@mastodon.cloudTim Berners-Lee writes an open letter on the occasion of the World Wide Web's 35th anniversary..:
✍️ https://medium.com/@timberners_lee/marking-the-webs-35th-birthday-an-open-letter-ebb410cc7d42
@arXiv_csHC_bot@mastoxiv.pageOpen Your Ears to Take a Look: A State-of-the-Art Report on the Integration of Sonification and Visualization
Kajetan Enge, Elias Elmquist, Valentina Caiola, Niklas R\"onnberg, Alexander Rind, Michael Iber, Sara Lenzi, Fangfei Lan, Robert H\"oldrich, Wolfgang Aigner
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16558
@iragersh@mstdn.socialH/T to my wife who sent me the article.
Converting golf courses to open space preserves.
A feel good article.
As usual, interesting comments. First ends with wish that one golf course would have become a natural golf course.
Comments are closed so no answer.
Screw that comment. I don't golf. Wouldn't feel safe even if allowed to wander a golf course. Wouldn't think of visiting a golf course.
Gift link.
@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.caSerious question... if the AMOC shuts down, does Spain (the Iberian peninsula) become more temperate because northern Europe has more winter cold snaps as the jetstream flies further south more often, or does it become drier because there just isn't that much difference moisture wise... so essentially, desertification/expansion of the Sahara?
@YaleDivinitySchool@mstdn.socialNow a plug for the most cleverly named class at YDS Summer Study 2024: "The Joy of Text," a course taught by Julie Faith Parker '02 S.T.M. on reading the Bible with a liberating lens.
Summer Study runs June 3-7, online, open to all.
https://summerstudy.yale.edu/…
@raiders@darktundra.xyzRaiders' Tom Telesco very blunt when asked about Davante Adams being available for trade https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/raiders_tom_telesco_very_blunt_when_asked_about_davante_…
@arXiv_csSE_bot@mastoxiv.pageBridging Theory to Practice in Software Testing Teaching through Team-based Learning (TBL) and Open Source Software (OSS) Contribution
Elaine Venson, Reem Alfayez
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.10912
@tml@urbanists.socialInteresting development. https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2024/3/alstom-plans-operate-its-own-passenger-train-service-uk-first-time
In the past it was of course fairly standard that large rai…
@karlauerbach@sfba.socialHow do you spell "boondoggle with someone else's (our) money"?
You spell it ICANN Grant Program.
WTF does ICANN's proper scope have to do with:
- Providing capacity development.
- Advancing developments, innovation, and open standards for the benefit of the Internet community.
- Contributing to diversity, participation, and inclusion across stakeholder communities and geographic regions.
The answer, of course, is "nothing" - it&…
@AndrzejWasowski@scholar.social**Prof. Marta Kwiatkowska** of Oxford will talk about _Probabilistic verification for neural networks_ at the PICS Autumn School in Copenhagen.
This course will provide an overview of formal verification for neural networks, which can be used to certify that the networks are robust to adversarial perturbations.
The registrations are now open at: #pics2024 #etaps2024 @ETAPSconf @ACM @sigplan #boost #repost
@arXiv_mathHO_bot@mastoxiv.pageThis https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.07794 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a
@arXiv_physicsedph_bot@mastoxiv.pageThis https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.13131 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXi…
@adrianriskin@kolektiva.socialForced labor was the foundation of an economic system that knew no color boundaries; like an open sore the plantations grew upon the Caribbean, and when the Indians died, and the supply of white trash failed to meet demand, the merchants tapped deeper into Africa, drawing away men and women not because they were black, but because they were cheap, limitless in number, and better. European class societies whose elite thought nothing of hanging an English child for petty theft, or packing indentured workers, white or black, like herring into the festering holds of ships, cared less about the origins of their laborers than the production of their labor. Slavery was not born of racism; rather, racism was the consequence of slavery. In the first days of colonialism, when the merchants sailed away from the insular world of Europe, the color of the worker’s skin meant no more to them than it did to the kings of Africa, rulers who lorded over thousands of their own slaves, and who for a suitable profit were more than willing to pass them along. Of course, all of this mattered little to the men and women unloaded into bondage in Saint Domingue. For them the enemy had a face, and there was no doubt as to its color.
Wade Davis -- The Serpent and the Rainbow
#Slavery #Racism #Abolition #Haiti #Capitalism
@mgorny@social.treehouse.systemsIt feels like #enshittification is an inevitable result of browsers gaining popularity.
Back in the old days, when I was still doing some WebDev, #Microsoft had a monopoly with its #InternetExplorer. It really sucked because they didn't care about web standards. For me, it meant testing my website under #Mozilla, #Opera (back when it used the Presto engine) and then adding awful hacks to make it work under IE (Safari was practically nonexistent in Poland). But the remaining browsers had their small foothold.
Then came #Google with its #Chrome, and we were really enthusiastic about it. Little did I know what was to come later. After all, it was a reasonably portable browser, with an open source engine, that followed standards. On top of that, it had a good chance of ending Microsoft's monopoly — and that was great news, because it meant that one day we wouldn't have to worry about compatibility with IE.
So there came a time when Chrome took over a major share of the browser market. Microsoft replaced IE with Edge. Eventually all the main browsers were using WebKit, Blink or a related engine which made life easier for WebDevs. Mozilla's small market share diminished even further.
Then things went to shit. Google showed its true colors, and abused its monopolist position in every possible way. Standards compliance ended up meaning very little, when the monopolist controls the standards. Being open source helps but there's only as much that volunteers can do when dealing with a corporate giant.
One positive aspect of this is that as GAFAM keeps shooting at their feet, Firefox started gaining popularity again. And it's a much better browser than it used to be back in the day. And what happens next?
Of course, as soon as Mozilla notices they're gaining market share, they're starting their own enshittification. Instead of embracing the users who appreciate what Firefox is right now, they are being greedy and trying to lure more people with buzzwords. This isn't going to end well.
