I will never understand the latent power that many people willingly give up, because somehow they’ve become convinced they lack the agency to design the kind of life they would prefer to live.
Perhaps I’m just an oddly independently-minded person, with a high tolerance for nonconformance. “I just want to fit in and be accepted like everyone else” is a suit that I did try on for a while in my early adulthood and eventually found that it never fit my skull.
Virtually everyone I’ve ever personally admired has been deeply eccentric in unusual and unique ways. I’m not not sure why I ever thought I could get by not being an eccentric myself. I suppose it’s natural when you’re young to want to be part of a “tribe” that everyone else seems to be a part of and having a good time. You want to be in that club, not out of it. Only losers are out of the club.
The truth is that nobody inside the club is having fun either. It’s a show. It’s a performance. It’s a lie.
Once you break free of that deception, once you shed the blind desire to conform, you discover that life on the other side is actually great. The grass actually is greener.
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"published": "2025-03-13T21:46:35-07:00",
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"html": "<p>I will never understand the latent power that many people willingly give up, because somehow they\u2019ve become convinced they lack the agency to design the kind of life they would prefer to live.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps I\u2019m just an oddly independently-minded person, with a high tolerance for nonconformance. \u201cI just want to fit in and be accepted like everyone else\u201d is a suit that I did try on for a while in my early adulthood and eventually found that it never fit my skull.</p>\n\n<p>Virtually everyone I\u2019ve ever personally admired has been <em>deeply eccentric</em> in unusual and unique ways. I\u2019m not not sure why I ever thought I could get by not being an eccentric myself. I suppose it\u2019s natural when you\u2019re young to want to be part of a \u201ctribe\u201d that everyone else seems to be a part of and having a good time. You want to be in that club, not out of it. Only losers are out of the club.</p>\n\n<p>The truth is that nobody inside the club is having fun either. It\u2019s a show. It\u2019s a performance. <strong>It\u2019s a lie.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Once you break free of that deception, once you shed the blind desire to conform, you discover that life on the other side is actually great. <strong>The grass actually is greener.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Mic \ud83c\udfa4 drop \u2b07\ufe0f \ud83d\ude0e\u270c\ufe0f</p>",
"text": "I will never understand the latent power that many people willingly give up, because somehow they\u2019ve become convinced they lack the agency to design the kind of life they would prefer to live.\n\nPerhaps I\u2019m just an oddly independently-minded person, with a high tolerance for nonconformance. \u201cI just want to fit in and be accepted like everyone else\u201d is a suit that I did try on for a while in my early adulthood and eventually found that it never fit my skull.\n\nVirtually everyone I\u2019ve ever personally admired has been deeply eccentric in unusual and unique ways. I\u2019m not not sure why I ever thought I could get by not being an eccentric myself. I suppose it\u2019s natural when you\u2019re young to want to be part of a \u201ctribe\u201d that everyone else seems to be a part of and having a good time. You want to be in that club, not out of it. Only losers are out of the club.\n\nThe truth is that nobody inside the club is having fun either. It\u2019s a show. It\u2019s a performance. It\u2019s a lie.\n\nOnce you break free of that deception, once you shed the blind desire to conform, you discover that life on the other side is actually great. The grass actually is greener.\n\nMic \ud83c\udfa4 drop \u2b07\ufe0f \ud83d\ude0e\u270c\ufe0f"
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Something I wrote in the W3C Authentic Web Mini Workshop’s Zoom chat:
Another implicit assumption (flaw) that is often a part of "purely technical solutions" is the neglect or ignorance (innocent naïveté) of existing technical solutions.
A technical proposal should not be praised for what it claims to solve.
A technical proposal must be evaluated by what marginal difference or advantage does it provide over existing technologies.
Any technical proposal that ignores prior technologies is itself doomed to be ignored by the next technical proposal.
In addition to the slide presentations (links to come) in the mini workshop and Zoom verbal discussion which was minuted (link to come), there was a lot of very interesting discussion in the Zoom chat, which was not minuted. Sometimes such quick back & forth can help inspire summarizing of points which one had not previously written down.
I was encouraged by a fellow workshop participant to blog this one so here it is!
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"text": "Something I wrote in the W3C Authentic Web Mini Workshop\u2019s Zoom chat:\n\n\nAnother implicit assumption (flaw) that is often a part of \"purely technical solutions\" is the neglect or ignorance (innocent na\u00efvet\u00e9) of existing technical solutions.\n\nA technical proposal should not be praised for what it claims to solve.\n\nA technical proposal must be evaluated by what marginal difference or advantage does it provide over existing technologies.\n\nAny technical proposal that ignores prior technologies is itself doomed to be ignored by the next technical proposal.\n\n\nIn addition to the slide presentations (links to come) in the mini workshop and Zoom verbal discussion which was minuted (link to come), there was a lot of very interesting discussion in the Zoom chat, which was not minuted. Sometimes such quick back & forth can help inspire summarizing of points which one had not previously written down. \n\nI was encouraged by a fellow workshop participant to blog this one so here it is!\n\n#W3C #credweb #credibleWeb #authenticWeb #technology #technical #proposal #technicalProposal #history",
"html": "Something I wrote in the W3C Authentic Web Mini Workshop\u2019s Zoom chat:<br /><br /><br />Another implicit assumption (flaw) that is often a part of \"purely technical solutions\" is the neglect or ignorance (innocent na\u00efvet\u00e9) of existing technical solutions.<br /><br />A technical proposal should not be praised for what it claims to solve.<br /><br />A technical proposal must be evaluated by what marginal difference or advantage does it provide over existing technologies.<br /><br />Any technical proposal that ignores prior technologies is itself doomed to be ignored by the next technical proposal.<br /><br /><br />In addition to the slide presentations (links to come) in the mini workshop and Zoom verbal discussion which was minuted (link to come), there was a lot of very interesting discussion in the Zoom chat, which was not minuted. Sometimes such quick back & forth can help inspire summarizing of points which one had not previously written down. <br /><br />I was encouraged by a fellow workshop participant to blog this one so here it is!<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">W3C</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">credweb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">credibleWeb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">authenticWeb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">technology</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">technical</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">proposal</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">technicalProposal</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">history</span>"
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I just participated in the first W3C Authentic Web Mini Workshop¹ hosted by the Credible Web Community Group² (of which I’m a longtime member) and up front I noted that our very discussion itself needed to be careful about its own credibility, extra critical of any technologies discussed or assertions made, and initially identified two flaws to avoid on a meta level, having seen them occur many times in technical or standards discussions:
1. Politician’s Syllogism — "Something must be done about this problem. Here is something, let's do it!"
2. Solutions Looking For Problems — "I am interested in how tech X can solve problem Y"
After some back and forth and arguments in the Zoom chat, I observed participants questioning speakers of arguments rather than the arguments themselves, so I had to identify a third fallacy to avoid:
3. Ad Hominem — while obvious examples are name-calling (which is usually against codes of conduct), less obvious examples (witnessed in the meeting) include questioning a speaker’s education (or lack thereof) like what they have or have not read, or would benefit from reading.
I am blogging these here both as a reminder (should you choose to participate in such discussions), and as a resource to cite in future discussions.
We need to all develop expertise in recognizing these logical and methodological flaws & fallacies, and call them out when we see them, especially when used against others.
We need to promptly prune these flawed methods of discussion, so we can focus on actual productive, relevant, and yes, credible discussions.
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"text": "I just participated in the first W3C Authentic Web Mini Workshop\u00b9 hosted by the Credible Web Community Group\u00b2 (of which I\u2019m a longtime member) and up front I noted that our very discussion itself needed to be careful about its own credibility, extra critical of any technologies discussed or assertions made, and initially identified two flaws to avoid on a meta level, having seen them occur many times in technical or standards discussions:\n\n1. Politician\u2019s Syllogism \u2014 \"Something must be done about this problem. Here is something, let's do it!\"\n\n2. Solutions Looking For Problems \u2014 \"I am interested in how tech X can solve problem Y\"\n\nAfter some back and forth and arguments in the Zoom chat, I observed participants questioning speakers of arguments rather than the arguments themselves, so I had to identify a third fallacy to avoid:\n\n3. Ad Hominem \u2014 while obvious examples are name-calling (which is usually against codes of conduct), less obvious examples (witnessed in the meeting) include questioning a speaker\u2019s education (or lack thereof) like what they have or have not read, or would benefit from reading.\n\nI am blogging these here both as a reminder (should you choose to participate in such discussions), and as a resource to cite in future discussions.\n\nWe need to all develop expertise in recognizing these logical and methodological flaws & fallacies, and call them out when we see them, especially when used against others. \n\nWe need to promptly prune these flawed methods of discussion, so we can focus on actual productive, relevant, and yes, credible discussions.\n\n#W3C #credweb #credibleWeb #authenticWeb #flaw #fallacy #fallacies #logicalFallacy #logicalFallacies\n\n\nGlossary\n\nAd Hominem\n\u00a0 attacking an attribute of the person making an argument rather than the argument itself\n\u00a0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem\n\nPolitician's syllogism\n\u00a0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician%27s_syllogism\n\nSolutions Looking For Problems (related: #solutionism, #solutioneering)\n\u00a0 Promoting a technology that either has not identified a real problem for it to solve, or actively pitching a specific technology to any problem that seems related. Wikipedia has no page on this but has two related pages: \n\u00a0 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_instrument\n\u00a0 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fix\n\u00a0 Wikipedia does have an essay on this specific to Wikipedia:\n\u00a0 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Solutions_looking_for_a_problem\n\u00a0 Stack Exchange has a thread on \"solution in search of a problem\":\n\u00a0 * https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/250320/a-word-that-means-a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem \n\u00a0 Forbes has an illustrative anecdote: \u00a0\n\u00a0 * https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanieburns/2019/05/28/solution-looking-for-a-problem/\n\n\nReferences\n\n\u00b9 https://www.w3.org/events/workshops/2025/authentic-web-workshop/\n\u00b2 https://credweb.org/ and https://www.w3.org/community/credibility/\n\n\nPreviously in 2019 I participated @misinfocon.com #MisinfoCon: \n* https://tantek.com/2019/296/t1/london-misinfocon-discuss-spectrum-recency\n* https://tantek.com/2019/296/t2/misinfocon-roundtable-spectrums-misinformation",
"html": "I just participated in the first W3C Authentic Web Mini Workshop<a href=\"https://tantek.com/#t5az1_note-1\">\u00b9</a> hosted by the Credible Web Community Group<a href=\"https://tantek.com/#t5az1_note-2\">\u00b2</a> (of which I\u2019m a longtime member) and up front I noted that our very discussion itself needed to be careful about its own credibility, extra critical of any technologies discussed or assertions made, and initially identified two flaws to avoid on a meta level, having seen them occur many times in technical or standards discussions:<br /><br />1. Politician\u2019s Syllogism \u2014 \"Something must be done about this problem. Here is something, let's do it!\"<br /><br />2. Solutions Looking For Problems \u2014 \"I am interested in how tech X can solve problem Y\"<br /><br />After some back and forth and arguments in the Zoom chat, I observed participants questioning speakers of arguments rather than the arguments themselves, so I had to identify a third fallacy to avoid:<br /><br />3. Ad Hominem \u2014 while obvious examples are name-calling (which is usually against codes of conduct), less obvious examples (witnessed in the meeting) include questioning a speaker\u2019s education (or lack thereof) like what they have or have not read, or would benefit from reading.<br /><br />I am blogging these here both as a reminder (should you choose to participate in such discussions), and as a resource to cite in future discussions.<br /><br />We need to all develop expertise in recognizing these logical and methodological flaws & fallacies, and call them out when we see them, especially when used against others. <br /><br />We need to promptly prune these flawed methods of discussion, so we can focus on actual productive, relevant, and yes, credible discussions.<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">W3C</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">credweb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">credibleWeb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">authenticWeb</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">flaw</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">fallacy</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">fallacies</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">logicalFallacy</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">logicalFallacies</span><br /><br /><br />Glossary<br /><br />Ad Hominem<br />\u00a0 attacking an attribute of the person making an argument rather than the argument itself<br />\u00a0 <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem</a><br /><br />Politician's syllogism<br />\u00a0 <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician%27s_syllogism\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politician%27s_syllogism</a><br /><br />Solutions Looking For Problems (related: #<span class=\"p-category\">solutionism</span>, #<span class=\"p-category\">solutioneering</span>)<br />\u00a0 Promoting a technology that either has not identified a real problem for it to solve, or actively pitching a specific technology to any problem that seems related. Wikipedia has no page on this but has two related pages: <br />\u00a0 * <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_instrument\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_instrument</a><br />\u00a0 * <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fix\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fix</a><br />\u00a0 Wikipedia does have an essay on this specific to Wikipedia:<br />\u00a0 * <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Solutions_looking_for_a_problem\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Solutions_looking_for_a_problem</a><br />\u00a0 Stack Exchange has a thread on \"solution in search of a problem\":<br />\u00a0 * <a href=\"https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/250320/a-word-that-means-a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem\">https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/250320/a-word-that-means-a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem</a> <br />\u00a0 Forbes has an illustrative anecdote: \u00a0<br />\u00a0 * <a href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanieburns/2019/05/28/solution-looking-for-a-problem/\">https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanieburns/2019/05/28/solution-looking-for-a-problem/</a><br /><br /><br />References<br /><br /><a href=\"https://tantek.com/#t5az1_ref-1\">\u00b9</a> <a href=\"https://www.w3.org/events/workshops/2025/authentic-web-workshop/\">https://www.w3.org/events/workshops/2025/authentic-web-workshop/</a><br /><a href=\"https://tantek.com/#t5az1_ref-2\">\u00b2</a> <a href=\"https://credweb.org/\">https://credweb.org/</a> and <a href=\"https://www.w3.org/community/credibility/\">https://www.w3.org/community/credibility/</a><br /><br /><br />Previously in 2019 I participated <a href=\"https://misinfocon.com\">@misinfocon.com</a> #<span class=\"p-category\">MisinfoCon:</span> <br />* <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2019/296/t1/london-misinfocon-discuss-spectrum-recency\">https://tantek.com/2019/296/t1/london-misinfocon-discuss-spectrum-recency</a><br />* <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2019/296/t2/misinfocon-roundtable-spectrums-misinformation\">https://tantek.com/2019/296/t2/misinfocon-roundtable-spectrums-misinformation</a>"
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"html": "<p>This tool indexes the full text of all published Fediverse Enhancement Proposals, and then lets you search that text. (<a href=\"https://fep-search.glitch.me/\">full item here</a>)</p>",
"text": "This tool indexes the full text of all published Fediverse Enhancement Proposals, and then lets you search that text. (full item here)"
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