volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
volkris
boosted
Day 58 of posting grilled cheese sandwiches until I run out of cheese types: Face Rock Creamery, Monterey Jack https://www.diningandcooking.com/1002834/day-58-of-posting-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-until-i-run-out-of-cheese-types-face-rock-creamery-monterey-jack/
volkris
boosted
Having used #Bluesky for a while, here's what it does right, compared to #Mastodon (and lesser extend the #fediverse )
- You have one identity, regardless of server/federation.
- This identity belongs to you and not some server.
- It's OK to have asymetric interactions: journalist model. Journalists are there, and not here.
- It listens to users wishes: algorithmic timelines (opt-in!), search, discovery, quote-posts are what new users want, and what they get.
volkris
boosted
@psu_13 I gave up on Adguard because "Adguard *For Safari*" contains an entire copy of Chrome inside it, for compatibility with the latest WebP exploits. https://mastodon.social/@jwz/111132818664259012
volkris
boosted
No one is ever satisfied with dystopia. They always imagine that things are better over in dat topia.
volkris
boosted
volkris
boosted
Next year, SpaceX aims to average one launch every 2.5 days
SpaceX's Falcon rockets are flying more often than any launch vehicle in history.
People delighting in #Jordan not getting enough votes to be elected Speaker and the business of the #House resumed really capture the idea of cutting off the nose to spite the face.
Well, or maybe they just like to see the world burn.
Ah well, so long as they don't go on to complain about the legislative business that's not getting done.
Sounds like much more interesting #moderation options on #nostr than #Fediverse
there is more than that, there is delegated distributed moderation via reports, mute lists, web of trust, keywords and some algos, also ip filters ...
volkris
boosted
one of the biggest mistruths i've seen about the fediverse is that it is based on specifications. fedi followed a couple of specifications a long time ago. now it is unregulated, based on whatever behavior mastodon happens to have. the specifications themselves don't provide an entire social media network, which is why there are so many extensions just to make it usable. the spec is the mastodon codebase
and even then, activitystreams borrows it's extension system from json-ld, an overcomplicated serialization format for RDF, which is just worse XML. this means that, in order to make activitystreams usable, you have to implement an overcomplicated schema system that nothing else uses
the fediverse is unstandardized and entirely based on whatever happens to end up being used in practice. it is violated as implementations please and extensions end up based on throwing shit at the wall waiting for something to stick
volkris
boosted
I feel that the #fediverse's lack of an #algorithm is *more* toxic than #Twitter; on #mastodon's #chronological timeline I feel like I'm missing out on important signal in the noise so I have to spend more time combing through it, exploring #hashtags, #following them, #mute words, build #lists, etc. With Twitter there were ads, but also there was all the best stuff since the last time you logged in, sorted by how interesting it would be to YOU! That was awesome; I miss that!
FWIW, I thought #Ahsoka was pretty awful, not really worth watching, but I made it to the end to say I gave it a full shot, as is my way.
It was a mess of bad dialog, flat characters without arcs, poor decisions without consequences, inconsistencies, and maybe worst of all, the great reveal of #Thrawn, built up to be the smartest tactician ever, as a bumbling fool.
So many of the characters reminded me of the old review of "This comes across as dumb people writing what they think smart people are like."
I thought #Andor was really good. Ahsoka was just a superficial, vapid miss of an opportunity.
volkris
boosted
"Running a successful open source project is just Good Will Hunting in reverse, where you start out as a respected genius and end up being a janitor who gets into fights." - Bryne Hobart
volkris
boosted
There is no law stating that the Speaker of the House has to be human. Scientists estimate that 20 quadrillion ants live on Earth. One of them has to have the right stuff.
volkris
boosted
me after upgrading Debian Linux to v12 from v11 https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/update-upgrade-debian-11-to-debian-12-bookworm/
volkris
boosted
just a reminder that the Nobel Prizes are being announced this week so if you get a phone call from country code +46, don't let it go to voice mail or they'll move along to the next best person.
volkris
boosted
The justices often get pigeon-holed as "conservative" or "liberal", but political scientist John Tures says that's too simplistic.
Typically, over half of decisions each term (which may be the less controversial and publicized ones) are decided unanimously or 8-1.
#uspolitics #USPol #SCOTUS (2 of 3)
One step forward: mainstream conservatives today intensely criticizing last night's Republican debate as a mess of people yelling over each other instead of expressing positions and exploring matters of substance.
Two steps backwards: the exact same individuals celebrating that it's the rolling around in the mud moments that let you really figure out who the candidate really is.
Well, it's not just conservatives of the moment: throughout the political environment, across the political spectrum we see people bashing bad outcomes before supporting exactly the elements that brought us to the place and promote it into the future.
We get the government we ask for. We need to stop asking for such socially unhealthy things.
We can't put all the blame on politicians for doing what we empowered them to do, and reelected them for doing.
The dysfunction will continue so long as we keep reelecting politicians promising dysfunction.
Never forget the feedback effect of negative things filling a vacuum when positive things are removed.
Whether that's in politics or business or information platforms.
So many good people left #Twitter and demanded that other good people also leave the platform, so there should be no surprise that the platform shows more bad actors now.
But it's a case of complaining how the game is going after deciding not to play anymore.
Musk’s X spreads more disinformation than rival social networks, EU says Twitter/X left voluntary alliance but is "not off the hook," EU official s...
Sounds like the #Hollywood writer's strike is raising the issue of requiring an arbitrary minimal number of writers to be involved in a production, which just makes me think about the phrase "designed by committee."
It's not supposed to be a positive phrase, so making the committee arbitrarily larger doesn't inspire confidence in the eventual work.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
