Martin Jambon 🌍🌎🌏 @mjambon@qoto.org

Why GPL? "Using the GNU GPL will require that all the released improved versions be free software. This means you can avoid the risk of having to compete with a proprietary modified version of your own work." More at https://u.fsf.org/3kr #GNUGPLFAQ

Why is it a "restriction site" and not "cleave-land"? 🧐

Christmas lichen (Cryptothecia rubrocincta) from Myakka River State Park, Florida. Apparently they don't produce apothecia (fruiting bodies with spores) like most lichens. Reproduction is instead via isidia, surface outgrowths that contain the partnering fungal hyphae and algae. #lichen #lichens #fungus #fungi #nature #biology #Christmas

High temperatures in Iowa today are lower than those on Mars.

Despite that, with the right technology, I do believe we can make Iowa habitable for humans.

#Iowa #Mars #cold

if you are at all able (or able to learn), i highly recommend:
• creating your own website
• on your own domain
• acquiring copies of your data that you care about that's on third party sites (particularly this one)

Where are the #ArtBots on #mastodon at?

I just discovered the "advanced web interface" in #mastodon "preferences".
This should probably be the default when a desktop is detected.
Anyway, #tweetdeck -like experience. I am a happier bunny.
#tookmelongenough

Are mathematicians gifted people? ~ Alexandre Borovik. https://micromath.wordpress.com/2022/11/12/are-mathematicians-gifted-people/ #Math

I must say, that even in the last few days since I joined Mastodon I’ve seen a culture shift - more #politics, more ‘hot takes’, less discussion, fewer #CWs, less #AltText. I hope it’s a blip and urge newbies like me not to unwittingly play out the #coloniser #stereotypes and ride roughshod over the existing culture. It’s a lovely, gentle, curious #community here, would be awful to ruin it because we’re conditioned to something worse.

Some Mastodon thoughts, for bird-site expats (which include myself). I'm aggregating these from posts I've boosted before, so little of this is my own brain.

- There's no algorithm here. That means favoriting/liking doesn't do anything except communicate approval to the OP and others (which is still nice!).

- No algorithm means boosting ("retweeting") is the true method to increase a post's visibility. Do that more than you did on birdsite.

- There's no post-quoting here, and that's by design. Look at quote-tweets on the birdsite; it's a feature primarily used for toxicity.

- There's no direct word-search here either; that means you want to use hashtags to make posts more searchable. This is also intended, since word-searching posts was often used to harass/stalk on the birdsite and elsewhere, so that was left by the wayside here. This also means hashtags are much more a thing here than any of the algorithm-powered sites.

- It's encouraged to put in text descriptions when you post images; a lot of Mastodon users use screen-readers due to various disabilities, and getting an image description read out loud helps them immensely.

- Speaking of screen-readers: using capitalization in your hashtags allows the screen-readers to read them more easily, especially if you're smashing multiple words together. #rockmusic = unreadable. #RockMusic = readable.

- The best way to make threads is to make set your first post as public, but "unlist" all of your replies. This prevents your whole thread from clogging up feeds.

- Content Warnings should be used more liberally here. If you haven't gotten the impression yet, much of Mastodon was built and populated by marginalized groups who were harassed/bullied off of other platforms. This is the culture they built, to respect each other's mental health. It's not a rule, but it's well-appreciated.

- Consider chipping a few bucks towards whomever runs the server you're on; the strain is real, and most server admins were likely paying out of pocket before so don't have an existing donation base. The growth here has been extremely fast, and that means money's needed.

- DMs are just posts with privacy settings. So if you @ someone in a DM, you pull them into the thread. That could be embarrassing.

- Also, no, DMs aren't end-to-end encrypted, but they aren't on Twitter either. Don't use either if you want true privacy.

- Including your Mastodon handle in your birdsite profile will help people find you here; there's a tool (pruvisto.org/debirdify/ is one of them that's used) people can use to pull Mastodon handles from Twitter profile.

- Use the blocking and reporting features liberally, if needed. This should go without saying, but they work, and work well!

- If there's an entire Mastodon server you don't want to hear from, you can block the whole thing too.

- Preferences -> Appearance -> "Slow Mode": this can make larger "Local" feeds and any "Federated" feed much more readable.

I'll reply with some more as I see them, or reply here too. I've only been here 4 days but I'm loving it so far.