Collected Over Spread @collectedoverspread@qoto.org

#Mastodon #Fediverse curiosity: What are some strategies for viewing the local timeline of another instance on a mobile device?

So far I've just been pulling it up in the browser, which isn't great, especially if I want to boost something from there. I suppose I could create an account but that seems to go against the idea of federation (and also I'd need to take care to post on only one account). I could also theoretically create my own instance and curate my follows so that the federated timeline reflects the instances I want but that seems like overkill.

I've switched from #Twidere to #Tusky as my mobile client for #Mastodon . A long time ago I tried using Twidere for Twitter but it wasn't great, and I just kept it for Mastodon. But I notice that it doesn't properly handle the extended character limit on QOTO and it also doesn't show the extra links on profiles.

"To be clear: there is nothing magical about federated worlds. If a federated social media is better than the centralized incumbents, it will be because people made a conscious choice to make it better - not because of any technological determinism. Open, decentralized systems offer new choices towards a better online world, but it’s up to us to make those choices."

"The Fediverse Could Be Awesome (if we don’t screw it up" by Cindy Cohn and Rory Mir from the Electronic Frontier Foundation https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/fediverse-could-be-awesome-if-we-dont-screw-it

#Fediverse #decentralization #DecentralizedWeb

"Things I Hate About the Internet: False #AdBlocking Accusations," on how I am often told to disable my #AdBlocker #AdBlock even when I don't use one (I'm not against #OnlineAdvertising, only #OnlineTracking ) https://collectedoverspread.tumblr.com/post/696156790149300224/things-i-hate-about-the-internet-false

At the same time though I do identify
with non-political groups with fuzzy boundaries, so why not political groups as well?

One obvious difference is that identifying with non-political groups invites far less controversy. But I think the more fundamental difference is the presence/lack of "central"/"typical" instances/characteristics. At least for the sociopolitical groups I can think of, it's hard for me to pick these out because the groups are so broad with many factions.

"All in All, Another Brick in the Motte"

https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/11/03/all-in-all-another-brick-in-the-motte/

"[The motte-and-bailey fallacy] draws its strength from people's usual failure to debate specific propositions rather than vague clouds of ideas."

This isn't even the main point of the essay but it succinctly captures something I've noticed for a long time, and it's basically why I can't really align myself with any broad sociopolitical (?) movement.

I feel like I need to finally start learning how #MatrixChat works

"I don’t like Kiwi Farms at all... But as loath as I may be to say it, Kiwi Farms is far more harmless than their enemies on Twitter and in the media would have you believe. They are the simple side of this battle. Keffals, on the other hand…"

"Suicide-by-Kiwi-Farms." by Taylor Stuckey in Default Wisdom https://defaultfriend.substack.com/p/suicide-by-kiwi-farms

"The core message I'm going for is that 'universal' debt forgiveness is not universal. It benefits people who took out student loans at the expense of everyone who didn't take out student loans, privileging a class who are disproportionately likely to be privileged and telling the rest to suck it up and be happy for them."

"Anger At Student Loan Cancellation Is Justified" by TracingWoodgrains https://tracingwoodgrains.substack.com/p/anger-at-student-loan-cancellation

#StudentDebt

It's days like these I'm actually glad I don't actively check my Twitter feed.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that I'm definitely not ardently progressive or leftist. And sometimes I wonder how my my moderate positions would be taken in some circles. (I can honestly imagine people picking apart my post about the SCOTUS ruling in Dobbs because I said was only "cautiously" pessimistic about its ramifications.)

"Clear communication is difficult... I am only sometimes good at it, but a major piece of what makes me sometimes good at it is described below in concrete and straightforward terms."

"Ruling Out Everything Else" by Duncan_Sabien on Less Wrong https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/57sq9qA3wurjres4K/ruling-out-everything-else

I've been trying to write something with my thoughts about COVID-19 safety policies (mainly inspired by the the debates I witnessed around the policies for fan conventions I'm attending this year, but applicable more broadly) but it always just feels like a disjointed collection of thoughts on disparate issues.

Watching the reaction to #SCOTUS ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturning #RoevWade and I'll say I'm cautiously pessimistic about the ramifications. Also watching what comes of Justice Thomas's concurrence re other major decisions that may be reconsidered.

Next step would be of course to campaign against restrictive state laws prohibiting #abortion esp. provisions prohibiting travel to other states for abortions (or federal legislation preventing this?).

"Internet 'algospeak' is changing our language in real time, from 'nip nops' to ‘le dollar bean'" by Taylor Lorenz in the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/08/algospeak-tiktok-le-dollar-bean/

#SocialMedia #SocialNetworking #Internet

To be fair, Orac does acknowledge the possibility as part of a comment: "I suppose it’s theoretically possible to be provaccine but antimandate, but I’m struggling to recall the last time that I’ve encountered one." Which is basically the same as how I feel.

It's not because I agree with that libertarian sort of position, but rather because I think there needs to be a genuine political debate informed by the science, not a scientific debate in a political arena.

Also, it means one side can claim to be "pro-science" and advocate for particular policies under that banner, while portraying other policies as "anti-science," even though the disagreement is (or ought to be) a political one.

Same thing happens with climate change.

"How to identify most antivaxxers with a simple question" by Orac in Respectful Insolence https://respectfulinsolence.com/2022/06/07/how-to-identify-most-antivaxxers-with-a-simple-question/

Good post but the header image (with a person holding a sign reading, "I'm not Anti-Vaccine; I'm anti-Mandate") bothers me, because I genuinely wish the position of, "Vaccines are generally good and you should get them unless you have a medical condition that precludes it, but they shouldn't be mandated," was more prominent.

#vaccines #antivax

"My first impressions of web3" by Moxie Marlinspike https://moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html

"People don’t want to run their own servers, and never will." I think this is a fundamental principle to keep in mind when trying to create decentralized systems on the Internet.

I previously expressed annoyance at the fact that Linktree, a site for creating a Web page with links to other sites, exists as a commercial service ( https://qoto.org/@collectedoverspread/105613164044699683 ) but I recognize that this is just that principle at work. Still, it still bothers me how even simple things are now being placed on other people's servers because of this.

#Web3 #DWeb #DecentralizedWeb #DistributedWeb