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
DNA Lounge Update, Wherein today is Zero Cool Day
https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2023/08/10.html
This strikes me as another well thought out critique of #Mastodon developers' choices.
And no, they're not able to just blame #ActivityPub for these things, at least not all of them.
Mastodon's Mastodon'ts. There are a few fundamentally broken things about how Mastodon posts work that are terrible vectors for abuse, as well as b...
There's this bizarre thing that happens all too often where a press report lays out some facts and then a conclusion that doesn't merely give context for the facts or a certain interpretation of the facts but instead outright states the opposite of the facts that were just presented.
I generally see this happen from outlets that aren't exactly top tier sources of #journalism and I end up wondering whether the reporter is intentionally misleading their audience, and if so intentionally applying a strategy whereby simple spin would be noticed but outright contradiction would fly under the psychological radar.
It's a phenomenon akin to a reporter saying it is currently daytime, but instead of discussing how much the clouds may or may not be blocking the sun, instead asserting that it is dark because the sun set a while back.
The sort of thing really does contribute to people in society having such different ideas about what is verifiably true. And it's just so strange to see.
volkris
boosted
Satellite operators poised for $9 billion payday after clearing C-band spectrum
Intelsat, SES are on track to get nearly $9 billion in FCC incentive payments.
You know what's not a great argument to tell somebody who is noticing that they are being gaslit?
"You are not being gaslit."
Yeah, that doesn't really help, to be honest :)
volkris
boosted
It's about time science proves something useful.
https://patreon.com/lowqualityfacts
The latest indictment against #Trump is critically factually wrong right off the hop, on the very second claim in the introduction,.
It claims that "Despite having lost [..] for more than two months following election day on November 3" when the US process of presidential election doesn't choose its winner on that day.
The indictment seems largely built on that factually incorrect foundation, that's at odds with some pretty major elements of the US system for election presidents.
Not that facts matter these days... sigh
volkris
boosted
I saw someone argue that shitposters can't succeed on Mastodon because their posts won't go viral due to the lack of an algorithm.
As a counterpoint to their belief I would like to introduce exhibit A, whatever the hell this account is.
volkris
boosted
@alexwild
More people need to know about Jury Nullification. The judges and lawyers are not allowed to tell you about it, but it's every juror's right to ignore a law that in itself is unjust. It's the last chance for the voice of democracy to be heard in our system.
#USPolitics #Homeless
Oh what a welcoming place Mastodon is.
People calling for action to be taken against a judge for his highlighting the importance of judicial independence and the rule of law are at least consistent, if not self-aware.
volkris
boosted
Tonight's #SpaceX #Falcon9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California will be almost an hour after sunset, during nautical twilight. When the rocket climbs into sunlight, it will become visible across much of CA, NV, AZ and NW corner of Mexico. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_phenomenon
And for better or worse, some people want it this way.
Yes. I am suspended by mastodon.social! An entire instance blocked a user who isn't even on their own server. No warning and no way to request an a...
volkris
boosted
PSA: Google is deleting some old Hangouts photos this week
It's hard to say exactly what is getting deleted, but it's easy to download.
volkris
boosted
In 2020, I published* This is Fine: Optimism & emergency in the p2p network *(https://newdesigncongress.org/en/pub/this-is-fine)* *It laid out a clear argument that the #fediverse is irreparably vulnerable because of its p2p nature and political naivete:
*"Anyone with administrator access to an Instance can read anything that travels through that Instance’s infrastructure – including direct messages. The level of risk correlates with the number of cross-Instance interactions between users. If users from different Instances communicate, an attacker need only compel one Instance to reveal the direct messages between all of the interacting accounts. [...] In a peer-to-peer network without encryption, there’s no structure, no agreed-upon governance, and absolutely no protection. Compromising or compelling an Instance or its staff means that all of network traffic is laid bare to its assailant. [...] The decentralised community seeks to antagonise a powerful status quo whilst making tradeoffs that do not acknowledge how societies directly threaten their communities."*
Today, Kolektiva - a anti-colonial anarchist instance - announced an FBI raid of one of their admins, which included the seizure of an entire copy of the Kolektiva instance.
This is *literally* the kind of situation I warned about nearly three years ago.
volkris
boosted
@seachanger Last time #journalists wanted to join, they got defederated because some of the #fediverse thinks they're too inquisitive and promotional… 🙄️ https://www.cjr.org/analysis/journalists-want-to-recreate-twitter-on-mastodon-mastodon-is-not-into-it.php
volkris
boosted
volkris
boosted
Is distributed computing dying, or just fading into the backdrop?
There seems to be much less excitement about distributed computing these days.
Folks saying government debt is not like a family's debt because governments can print money get that exactly backwards.
Yes, your family can print your own money. Maybe it won't be accepted because it's not considered particularly valuable. **Same as government printed money** if the government prints too much of it.
The lesson is the same in both cases: the value of money can vary.
volkris
boosted
Well no that's not right. That's not how the US system works.
The majority of Supreme Court influence comes from the recognition of lower courts, since it is a court of appeals. It's when lower courts abide by Supreme Court precedent that most of their influence impacts the world.
And thank goodness that's the case! Because the general public has no idea what the Supreme Court actually says or does or rules. There is so much misinformation out there.
So long as the lower courts are paying attention and well informed and actually abiding by the Supreme Court rulings the system will keep working, regardless of the nonsense going around social media and network television.
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
