“Open web” is redundant
I like IndieWeb because it emphasizes smaller, more distributed sites run by people, not big companies. But Dave is right. The default for the web is openness.
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"html": "<p><a href=\"http://scripting.com/2023/10/03/135806.html?title=openWebIsRedundant\">Dave Winer</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cOpen web\u201d is redundant</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I like IndieWeb because it emphasizes smaller, more distributed sites run by people, not big companies. But Dave is right. The default for the web is openness.</p>",
"text": "Dave Winer:\n\n\u201cOpen web\u201d is redundant\n\nI like IndieWeb because it emphasizes smaller, more distributed sites run by people, not big companies. But Dave is right. The default for the web is openness."
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@manton Nice point. #indieweb #fediverse The wild west web - open. Corporate/commercial web - closed.
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"html": "<p><span class=\"h-card\"><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://manton.org/activitypub/manton\">@<span>manton</span></a></span> Nice point. <a href=\"https://mastodon.world/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.world/tags/fediverse\">#<span>fediverse</span></a> The wild west web - open. Corporate/commercial web - closed.</p>",
"text": "@manton Nice point. #indieweb #fediverse The wild west web - open. Corporate/commercial web - closed."
},
"published": "2023-10-03T15:35:58+00:00",
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If you're attending @marcthiele's and my border:none conference on October 26-27 and are in town anyway, you might be interested to know that @tantek.com and I will also be hosting the first #IndieWebCamp in #Nuremberg since 2018 right after #bono23 (on Saturday and Sunday). Don't miss the chance to join us if you're up for some great conversations and tinkering with your personal site (existing or yet to be created). It's free and will be fun! 🌞
https://indieweb.org/2023/Nuremberg.
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"html": "<p>If you're attending <span class=\"h-card\"><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://mastodon.social/@marcthiele\">@<span>marcthiele</span></a></span>'s and my border:none conference on October 26-27 and are in town anyway, you might be interested to know that <span class=\"h-card\"><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://tantek.com/\">@<span>tantek.com</span></a></span> and I will also be hosting the first <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/IndieWebCamp\">#<span>IndieWebCamp</span></a> in <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/Nuremberg\">#<span>Nuremberg</span></a> since 2018 right after <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/bono23\">#<span>bono23</span></a> (on Saturday and Sunday). Don't miss the chance to join us if you're up for some great conversations and tinkering with your personal site (existing or yet to be created). It's free and will be fun! \ud83c\udf1e<br /><br /><a href=\"https://indieweb.org/2023/Nuremberg\"><span>https://</span><span>indieweb.org/2023/Nuremberg</span><span></span></a>.</p><p><a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
"text": "If you're attending @marcthiele's and my border:none conference on October 26-27 and are in town anyway, you might be interested to know that @tantek.com and I will also be hosting the first #IndieWebCamp in #Nuremberg since 2018 right after #bono23 (on Saturday and Sunday). Don't miss the chance to join us if you're up for some great conversations and tinkering with your personal site (existing or yet to be created). It's free and will be fun! \ud83c\udf1e\n\nhttps://indieweb.org/2023/Nuremberg.#indieweb"
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Finally after all these years I have a home online at jrr.digital
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"html": "<p>Finally after all these years I have a home online at jrr.digital</p><p><a href=\"https://jrr.digital/2023/10/03/a-new-home.html\"><span>https://</span><span>jrr.digital/2023/10/03/a-new-h</span><span>ome.html</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://mastodon.online/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a></p>",
"text": "Finally after all these years I have a home online at jrr.digitalhttps://jrr.digital/2023/10/03/a-new-home.html#IndieWeb"
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#indieweb for the win.
"In 2009, I got a #tumblr & it changed my life. Every single thing I have in life I owe to Tumblr.... I was working a really garbage temp job & kind of going nowhere, and like deeply, deeply depressed.
.. this girl that I shared a cubicle with introduced me to Tumblr, & I had never been exposed to so many interesting people & communities. And it just really changed my life because I realized, 'Wow, there’s actually this whole world out there.'”
https://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/taylor-lorenz-extremely-online-book-interview/
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"html": "<p><a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> for the win. </p><p>\"In 2009, I got a <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/tumblr\">#<span>tumblr</span></a> & it changed my life. Every single thing I have in life I owe to Tumblr.... I was working a really garbage temp job & kind of going nowhere, and like deeply, deeply depressed. </p><p>.. this girl that I shared a cubicle with introduced me to Tumblr, & I had never been exposed to so many interesting people & communities. And it just really changed my life because I realized, 'Wow, there\u2019s actually this whole world out there.'\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/taylor-lorenz-extremely-online-book-interview/\"><span>https://</span><span>blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-c</span><span>ulture/taylor-lorenz-extremely-online-book-interview/</span></a></p>",
"text": "#indieweb for the win. \"In 2009, I got a #tumblr & it changed my life. Every single thing I have in life I owe to Tumblr.... I was working a really garbage temp job & kind of going nowhere, and like deeply, deeply depressed. .. this girl that I shared a cubicle with introduced me to Tumblr, & I had never been exposed to so many interesting people & communities. And it just really changed my life because I realized, 'Wow, there\u2019s actually this whole world out there.'\u201dhttps://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/taylor-lorenz-extremely-online-book-interview/"
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last night i wrote a short daily note and released 2 others i wrote last week so i'll link them here now
Oct 1: Where are the daily notes? https://realja.me/dailynote/where-are-the-notes.html
"Short answer: I've been spending my time working on Micrathena!"
Sep 28: I need to blog more https://realja.me/dailynote/blog-more.html
"I have a lot of ideas for daily notes while my blog is collecting dust. Why? I think it comes down to being too lazy for the detail I want to put into blog posts - which ends up leaving my blog not having any blog posts. I really just need to lower my standards and write."
Sep 25: Thoughts on corru.observer (it's very cool) http://realja.me/dailynote/corru-observer.html
"corru.observer is a very strange website. It's an interactive story that's part 3D game, part visual novel, part website. Hypertext fiction at its finest."
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"html": "<p>last night i wrote a short daily note and released 2 others i wrote last week so i'll link them here now</p><p>Oct 1: Where are the daily notes? <a href=\"https://realja.me/dailynote/where-are-the-notes.html\"><span>https://</span><span>realja.me/dailynote/where-are-</span><span>the-notes.html</span></a><br />\"Short answer: I've been spending my time working on Micrathena!\"</p><p>Sep 28: I need to blog more <a href=\"https://realja.me/dailynote/blog-more.html\"><span>https://</span><span>realja.me/dailynote/blog-more.</span><span>html</span></a><br />\"I have a lot of ideas for daily notes while my blog is collecting dust. Why? I think it comes down to being too lazy for the detail I want to put into blog posts - which ends up leaving my blog not having any blog posts. I really just need to lower my standards and write.\"</p><p>Sep 25: Thoughts on corru.observer (it's very cool) <a href=\"http://realja.me/dailynote/corru-observer.html\"><span>http://</span><span>realja.me/dailynote/corru-obse</span><span>rver.html</span></a><br />\"corru.observer is a very strange website. It's an interactive story that's part 3D game, part visual novel, part website. Hypertext fiction at its finest.\"</p><p><a href=\"https://wetdry.world/tags/blog\">#<span>blog</span></a> <a href=\"https://wetdry.world/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://wetdry.world/tags/dailynote\">#<span>dailynote</span></a></p>",
"text": "last night i wrote a short daily note and released 2 others i wrote last week so i'll link them here nowOct 1: Where are the daily notes? https://realja.me/dailynote/where-are-the-notes.html\n\"Short answer: I've been spending my time working on Micrathena!\"Sep 28: I need to blog more https://realja.me/dailynote/blog-more.html\n\"I have a lot of ideas for daily notes while my blog is collecting dust. Why? I think it comes down to being too lazy for the detail I want to put into blog posts - which ends up leaving my blog not having any blog posts. I really just need to lower my standards and write.\"Sep 25: Thoughts on corru.observer (it's very cool) http://realja.me/dailynote/corru-observer.html\n\"corru.observer is a very strange website. It's an interactive story that's part 3D game, part visual novel, part website. Hypertext fiction at its finest.\"#blog #indieweb #dailynote"
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Finally finished my side project - moving away from Jekyll into #python (Pelican package) and tailwind for my family website.
Features:
- Hosted on #github Pages
- Linting using ruff, black and mypy
- Full test coverage with pytest
- Automation through #github Actions
- Everything in #docker containers
- Light/Dark mode themes
- Utils available through Make
The website is under MIT, so if you like the concept, just fork it, add your data and have fun:
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"html": "<p>Finally finished my side project - moving away from Jekyll into <a href=\"https://datasci.social/tags/python\">#<span>python</span></a> (Pelican package) and tailwind for my family website.</p><p>Features:<br />- Hosted on <a href=\"https://datasci.social/tags/github\">#<span>github</span></a> Pages<br />- Linting using ruff, black and mypy<br />- Full test coverage with pytest<br />- Automation through <a href=\"https://datasci.social/tags/github\">#<span>github</span></a> Actions<br />- Everything in <a href=\"https://datasci.social/tags/docker\">#<span>docker</span></a> containers<br />- Light/Dark mode themes<br />- Utils available through Make</p><p>The website is under MIT, so if you like the concept, just fork it, add your data and have fun:</p><p><a href=\"https://github.com/lukzmu/family-website\"><span>https://</span><span>github.com/lukzmu/family-websi</span><span>te</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://datasci.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
"text": "Finally finished my side project - moving away from Jekyll into #python (Pelican package) and tailwind for my family website.Features:\n- Hosted on #github Pages\n- Linting using ruff, black and mypy\n- Full test coverage with pytest\n- Automation through #github Actions\n- Everything in #docker containers\n- Light/Dark mode themes\n- Utils available through MakeThe website is under MIT, so if you like the concept, just fork it, add your data and have fun:https://github.com/lukzmu/family-website#indieweb"
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#WriteFreely was my first #indieweb #fediverse choice but it turns out that the "enable federation" feature is the same "whole separate instance" setup as micro.blog, which isn't what I wanted. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that what I'm aiming for is called #POSSE: https://indieweb.org/POSSE
That aside, I'm not going to use WF because apparently post image uploads are done through https://snap.as and there isn't a self-host option for that yet (I think?) 🙃 https://discuss.write.as/t/self-hosted-snap-as-version/3699/2
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"html": "<p><a href=\"https://pdx.masto.host/tags/WriteFreely\">#<span>WriteFreely</span></a> was my first <a href=\"https://pdx.masto.host/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://pdx.masto.host/tags/fediverse\">#<span>fediverse</span></a> choice but it turns out that the \"enable federation\" feature is the same \"whole separate instance\" setup as micro.blog, which isn't what I wanted. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that what I'm aiming for is called <a href=\"https://pdx.masto.host/tags/POSSE\">#<span>POSSE</span></a>: <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/POSSE\"><span>https://</span><span>indieweb.org/POSSE</span><span></span></a></p><p>That aside, I'm not going to use WF because apparently post image uploads are done through <a href=\"https://snap.as\"><span>https://</span><span>snap.as</span><span></span></a> and there isn't a self-host option for that yet (I think?) \ud83d\ude43 <a href=\"https://discuss.write.as/t/self-hosted-snap-as-version/3699/2\"><span>https://</span><span>discuss.write.as/t/self-hosted</span><span>-snap-as-version/3699/2</span></a></p>",
"text": "#WriteFreely was my first #indieweb #fediverse choice but it turns out that the \"enable federation\" feature is the same \"whole separate instance\" setup as micro.blog, which isn't what I wanted. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that what I'm aiming for is called #POSSE: https://indieweb.org/POSSEThat aside, I'm not going to use WF because apparently post image uploads are done through https://snap.as and there isn't a self-host option for that yet (I think?) \ud83d\ude43 https://discuss.write.as/t/self-hosted-snap-as-version/3699/2"
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The notable list: October 2023
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"name": "The notable list: October 2023",
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"text": "This is my monthly roundup of the links and media I found interesting. Do you have suggestions? Let me know!Apps + WebsitesDALL\u00b7E 3. Once again, this looks completely like magic. Very high-fidelity images across a bunch of different styles. The implications are enormous.Photoshop for Web. Insanely good. It blows my mind that this can be done on the web platform now.Privacy Party. This is really good: a browser extension (for Chrome-based browsers) that goes through your social networks and helps you update your settings to optimize for privacy and security. Really well-executed.Notion web Clipper - Klippper. I\u2019m a heavy Notion web clipper user, but this is far better for my needs. I was worried I\u2019d need to build it myself. Luckily: no!Mastodon 4.2. Lots of good new changes here - and in particular a much-needed search overhaul. My private instance is running the latest and I like it a lot.Notable ArticlesAIHow the \u201cSurveillance AI Pipeline\u201d Literally Objectifies Human Beings. \u201cThe vast majority of computer vision research leads to technology that surveils human beings, a new preprint study that analyzed more than 20,000 computer vision papers and 11,000 patents spanning three decades has found.\u201dCalifornia governor vetoes bill banning robotrucks without safety drivers. The legislation passed with a heavy majority - this veto is a signal that Newsom favors the AI vendors over teamster concerns. Teamsters, on the other hand, claim the tech is unsafe and that jobs will be lost.ChatGPT Caught Giving Horrible Advice to Cancer Patients. LLMs are a magic trick; interesting and useful for superficial tasks, but very much not up to, for example, replacing a trained medical professional. The idea that someone would think it\u2019s okay to let one give medical advice is horrifying.AI data training companies like Scale AI are hiring poets. These poets are being hired to eliminate the possibility of being paid for their own work. But I am kind of tickled by the idea that OpenAI is scraping fan-fiction forums. Not because it\u2019s bad work, but imagine the consequences.John Grisham, other top US authors sue OpenAI over copyrights. It will be fascinating to see the outcome of this - which, in turn, will set a precedent for how commercial data can be used to train AI (and other software systems) going forward.Who blocks OpenAI? \u201cThe 392 news organizations listed below have instructed OpenAI\u2019s GPTBot to not scan their sites, according to a continual survey of 1,119 online publishers conducted by the homepages.news archive. That amounts to 35.0% of the total.\u201dMicrosoft announces new Copilot Copyright Commitment for customers. \u201cAs customers ask whether they can use Microsoft\u2019s Copilot services and the output they generate without worrying about copyright claims, we are providing a straightforward answer: yes, you can, and if you are challenged on copyright grounds, we will assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved.\u201dOur Self-Driving Cars Will Save Countless Lives, But They Will Kill Some of You First. \u201cIn a way, the people our cars mow down are doing just as much as our highly paid programmers and engineers to create the utopian, safe streets of tomorrow. Each person who falls under our front bumper teaches us something valuable about how humans act in the real world.\u201dClimateEVs are a climate solution with a pollution problem: Tire particles. Another reason why the really sustainable solution to pollution from cars is better mass transit.Revealed: top carbon offset projects may not cut planet-heating emissions. \u201cThe vast majority of the environmental projects most frequently used to offset greenhouse gas emissions appear to have fundamental failings suggesting they cannot be relied upon to cut planet-heating emissions, according to a new analysis.\u201dEarth \u2018well outside safe operating space for humanity\u2019, scientists find. \u201cThis update finds that six of the nine boundaries are transgressed, suggesting that Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity.\u201d No biggie.Why the United States undercounts climate-driven deaths. Another way the effect of the climate crisis is understated: climate deaths are undercounted. Changing this state of affairs is possible but requires effort, training, and resources. In the meantime, many people still don\u2019t understand how serious the crisis actually is.CultureNature TTL Photographer of the Year 2023: Winners Gallery. Every image here is stunning.\u2018The scripts were the funniest things I\u2019d ever read\u2019: the stars of Peep Show look back, 20 years later.Before there was Succession, there was Peep Show. A brilliant piece of TV that launched a bunch of careers. If you haven\u2019t seen it, give yourself the gift of checking it out.The Berkeley Hotel hostage. I know people who worked with Douglas Adams and I\u2019m incredibly envious of them. He seems like someone I would have really enjoyed meeting - and his books (all of them) were a huge part of my developing psyche. This story seems so human, so relatable. Trapped by his success, in a way.Refusing to Censor Myself. A less-discussed problem with book bans: publishers will self-censor, as they did here by requiring the removal of the word \u201cracism\u201d in the context of internment camps.Writer Sarah Rose Etter on not making things harder than they need to be. I found this interview fascinating: definitely a writer I look up to, whose work I both enjoy and find intimidatingly raw. And who happens to have a very similar day job to me.DemocracyFTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power. \u201cAmazon\u2019s ongoing pattern of illegal conduct blocks competition, allowing it to wield monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation for consumers and businesses.\u201d Whatever happens here, it will be meaningful. It\u2019s also nice to see the FTC actually wielding its antitrust powers.Intuit Pushing Claim That Free Tax-Filing Program Would Harm Black Taxpayers. Intuit has a stranglehold on how taxes are filed in America. For what? Many other countries just have an easy to use tax portal of their own. This is a business that shouldn\u2019t even need to exist.Migrants tracked with GPS tags say UK feels like \u2018an outside prison\u2019. I had no idea Britain was fitting migrants and asylum seekers with ankle bracelets and surveilling them to this level. It seems impossible that this is something people would think is right and just. The dystopian cruelty is mind-boggling.An endless battle for the rights of the underclass. Every word of this, but particularly: \u201cCultural warfare was a political ploy designed to keep workers from recognizing our common ground and banding together against corporate abuses and thefts.\u201dUS economy going strong under Biden \u2013 Americans don\u2019t believe it. It\u2019s how we measure the economy, stupid.What Mitt Romney Saw in the Senate. A fascinating read that makes me want to check out the full book, which seems to me like an attempt by Romney to save the Republican Party from Trumpism (as well as, let\u2019s be clear, his own reputation). Wild anecdote after wild anecdote that highlights the cynicism of Washington political life.Never Remember. The best thing I read on the anniversary of 9/11 by far. It feels cathartic to read. But it\u2019s also so, so sad.New Elon Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire's Ukraine dilemma. If I was building technology to let people watch Netflix and check their email from remote locations, I would also be upset about it being used for drone strikes. But if that\u2019s the case, you shouldn\u2019t be deploying your tech to the military in the first place. Nor should you be making strategic military decisions of your own.Majority of likely Democratic voters say party should ditch Biden, poll shows. No surprises here. We need more progressive change than we\u2019re getting. But obviously, if it\u2019s Biden v Trump, there\u2019s only one choice.AOC urges US to apologize for meddling in Latin America: \u2018We\u2019re here to reset relationships\u2019. Yes. Absolutely this. And everywhere.HealthThe Anti-Vax Movement Isn\u2019t Going Away. We Must Adapt to It. Depressing. I agree that vaccine denial is not going away, and that we need to find other ways to mitigate outbreaks. But what a sad situation to be in.LaborRemote work may help decrease sexual assault and harassment, poll finds. \u201cAbout 5 percent of women who were working remotely reported instances in that time, compared with 12 percent of in-person women workers. Overall, only 5 percent of remote workers reported instances in the past three years, compared with 9 percent of those who work fully or mostly in person.\u201dWorking mothers reach record high, above pre-pandemic levels. Flexible work from home policies have allowed more mothers with young children to join the workforce than ever before. Yet another reason why these policies are positive for everyone and should not just stick around but be significantly expanded.MediaAmanda Zamora is stepping down as publisher at The 19th. Amanda is absolutely fearless and I was privileged to work with her. As co-founder of The 19th, she was an absolutely core part of what it became: both a strategist and culture instigator. What she does next will certainly change media; I\u2019ll be cheerleading.Failing Without Knowing Why: The Tragedy Of Performative Content. Thought-provoking for me: particularly as someone who thinks through ideas through writing. But perhaps that writing doesn\u2019t need to be in public, in front of an audience.How I approach crafting a blog post. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen someone walk through their process for writing a blog post, though.\u201d I love this breakdown! Tracy\u2019s structured process shows up in the quality of her posts. I love the thoughtfulness here.In defense of aggressive small-town newspapers. This: \u201cThe prevalence of \u201cnews deserts\u201d has apparently led some to think it\u2019s normal for neighborhood news outlets to function as lapdogs rather than watchdogs.\u201d The purpose of journalism is to investigate in the public interest.In the AI Age, The New York Times Wants Reporters to Tell Readers Who They Are. I think this is the right impulse: people tend to follow and trust individual journalists, not publications. Building out profiles and establishing more personal relationships helps build that trust.Counting Ghosts. \u201cWeb analytics sits in the awkward space between empirical analysis and relationship building, failing at both, distracting from the real job to be done: making connections, in whatever form that means for our project.\u201dPublisher wants $2,500 to allow academics to post their own manuscript to their own repository \u2013 Walled Culture. The open access movement is an important way academics can fight back against predatory publishers for the good of human knowledge everywhere - but the publishers are still out there, grifting.A New Low: Just 46% Of U.S. Households Subscribe To Traditional Cable TV. I\u2019ve lived in the US for twelve years, and at no point have I even been tempted by traditional cable. Every time I encounter it, I wonder why people want it. It\u2019s a substandard, obsolete product. So this is no surprise.The Ad Industry Bailed On News. Can An AI Solution Offer A Way Back? Services like this become single points of failure with outsize power over the journalism industry. It\u2019s a bad idea. No one entity should be the arbiter of bias in news or where a buyer should put their money. For one thing, who watches that entity\u2019s own inevitable bias? And if you\u2019re offering AI as a bias-free solution, you\u2019ve already lost.Zine: How We Illustrate Tech (and AI) at The Markup. Lovely!White House to send letter to news execs urging outlets to 'ramp up' scrutiny of GOP's Biden impeachment inquiry 'based on lies'. I couldn\u2019t be less of a fan of the current Republican Party but I hate this. The White House should not be sending letters to the media encouraging them to do anything. That\u2019s not the sort of relationship we need our journalistic media to have.Snoop Dogg can narrate your news articles. Snoop Dogg gimmick aside, this is actually pretty neat, and useful. I\u2019d also like the opposite: sometimes I want to read podcasts. Different contexts demand different media; I wish content itself could be more adaptable.Non-news sites expose people to more political content than news sites. Why? Two thirds of the political content people consume come from non-news sites. And most of the news content people read is not overtly political. Instead, it\u2019s mostly coming from entertainment - which has no ethical need to report factually.Naomi Klein's \"Doppelganger\". \u201cFundamentally: Klein is a leftist, Wolf was a liberal. The classic leftist distinction goes: leftists want to abolish a system where 150 white men run the world; liberals want to replace half of those 150 with women, queers and people of color.\u201dSocietyUS surgeons are killing themselves at an alarming rate. One decided to speak out. \u201cSomewhere between 300 to 400 physicians a year in the US take their own lives, the equivalent of one medical school graduating class annually.\u201dOxford University is the world\u2019s top university for a record eighth year. This presumably means that the Turf Tavern is the best student pub in the world.Britain\u2019s attitude to refugees shows, once again, that it\u2019s a colonial nation. \u201cHostile immigration policy stokes racism but the foundation it builds upon itself is racist and maintains a \u2018colonial present\u2019. Through dealing with migrants like pests, who deserve to be locked away in a prison barge, the British government continues to ignore the fact that, \u201cBorders maintain hoarded concentrations of wealth accrued from colonial domination.\u201d\u203319th News/SurveyMonkey poll: The State of Our Nation. Lots of interesting insights in this poll, including on nationwide attitudes to gender-affirming care (only 29% of Republicans think their party should focus on it) and gun control (82% of Americans want to restrict access in domestic abuse cases).Victims of forced sterilization in California prisons entitled to reparations. One thing I learned from this story is that forced sterilization of inmates has still been widespread in the 21st century in America. Ghoulish.Unconditional cash transfers reduce homelessness. It turns out that if you give homeless people money as assistance, it really helps them. This is something society should do.StartupsWhy Starting Your Investor Updates With \u201cCash on Hand\u201d Information is a Major Red Flag Right Now. It\u2019s Maybe the Only Thing Worse Than Not Sending Updates at All. I appreciated this succinct discussion on using venture dollars well from Hunter Walk. In particular, this: \u201cStartups spend a $1 to ultimately try and create more than $1 of company. If you do that repeatedly and efficiently we will all make money together.\u201d Too many founders still think of investment as being akin to a grant.TechnologyMeta in Myanmar, Part I: The Setup. \u201cBy that point, Meta had been receiving detailed and increasingly desperate warnings about Facebook\u2019s role as an accelerant of genocidal propaganda in Myanmar for six years.\u201d We need more discussion of this - I\u2019m grateful for this four-part series.Optimizing for Taste. A solid argument against A/B testing. A lot of it comes down to this: \u201cIt fosters a culture of decision making without having an opinion, without having to put a stake in the ground. It fosters a culture where making a quick buck trumps a great product experience.\u201d I agree.Meredith Whittaker reaffirms that Signal would leave UK if forced by privacy bill. Signal on UK privacy law: \u201cWe would leave the U.K. or any jurisdiction if it came down to the choice between backdooring our encryption and betraying the people who count on us for privacy, or leaving.\u201d Good.U.S. Counterintel Buys Access to the Backbone of the Internet to Hunt Foreign Hackers. \u201cThe news is yet another example of a government agency turning to the private sector for novel datasets that the public is likely unaware are being collected and then sold.\u201dDigital Disruption: Measuring the Social and Economic Costs of Internet Shutdowns & Throttling of Access to Twitter. This report found that removing access to Twitter created significant economic and social impacts. Question: are some of these now replicated with the switch to X?Build Great Software By Repeatedly Encountering It. This is really important, and why we talk about \u201ceating your own dogfood\u201d. If you don\u2019t use what you build, you can\u2019t build anything great.EV charging infrastruture is a joke \u2013 Brad Barrish. Non-Tesla EV charging infrastructure is awful. It\u2019s good that Tesla has opened the standard, but it\u2019s not good that the only really viable charging infrastructure is owned by one company. It needs to be fixed.The #ViewSource Affordance. I strongly agree with this. \u201cView source\u201d has been an important part of the culture of the web since the beginning. Obfuscating that source or removing the option does damage to its underlying principles and makes the web a worse place. I like the comparison to the enclosure movement, which seems apt.Online Safety Bill: Crackdown on harmful social media content agreed. This is a horrendous bill that is designed to encourage self-censorship, including around topics like \u201cillegal immigration\u201d, as well as vastly deepen surveillance on internet users. And Britain passing it will likely embolden other nations to try the same.WordPress blogs can now be followed in the fediverse, including Mastodon. I\u2019d prefer if this was default WordPress functionality - but the big lede is buried here. Hosted WordPress sites are getting fediverse compatibility. That\u2019s a huge deal.Finishing With Twitter/X. Who at the intersection of tech and politics is still posting on Twitter? And should they be? A good breakdown.Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off. As with API pricing changes across social media, these tiers disproportionately penalize indie developers. The message is clear: they don\u2019t want or need those customers. In a tighter economy, much of technology is re-organizing around serving bigger, wealthier players.Silicon Valley's Slaughterhouse. \u201cAndreessen wasn\u2019t advocating for a tech industry that accelerates the development of the human race, or elevates the human condition. He wanted to (and succeeded in creating) a Silicon Valley that builds technology that can, and I quote, \u201ceat markets far larger than the technology industry has historically been able to pursue.\u201d\u201dGoogle vet wants to turn your hot water heater into a \"virtual power plant\". I really need this for my home, and I suspect my entire region needs it. This could do a lot of good and be the start of something much bigger using virtual power plants as a platform.It\u2019s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy. Every modern car brand abuses your personal information. 84% sell your data (including where you go and when). 56% will share it with law enforcement without a warrant. And none of them have demonstrably adequate security.Tucson's Molly Holzschlag, known as 'the fairy godmother of the web,' dead at 60. Rest in peace, Molly. We\u2019ve lost one of the really good people who made the web better.",
"html": "<p><img src=\"https://werd.io/file/651a2145df6bbf5c0e06ce62/thumb.jpg\" alt=\"A robot drawing with a glowing orb\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" /></p><p>This is my monthly roundup of the links and media I found interesting. Do you have suggestions? <a href=\"mailto:ben@benwerd.com\">Let me know!</a></p><h3>Apps + Websites</h3><p><a href=\"https://openai.com/dall-e-3\">DALL\u00b7E 3.</a> Once again, this looks completely like magic. Very high-fidelity images across a bunch of different styles. The implications are enormous.</p><p><a href=\"https://photoshop.adobe.com\">Photoshop for Web.</a> Insanely good. It blows my mind that this can be done on the web platform now.</p><p><a href=\"https://blockpartyapp.com/privacy-party\">Privacy Party.</a> This is really good: a browser extension (for Chrome-based browsers) that goes through your social networks and helps you update your settings to optimize for privacy and security. Really well-executed.</p><p><a href=\"https://klippper.com\">Notion web Clipper - Klippper.</a> I\u2019m a heavy Notion web clipper user, but this is far better for my needs. I was worried I\u2019d need to build it myself. Luckily: no!</p><p><a href=\"https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/09/mastodon-4.2\">Mastodon 4.2.</a> Lots of good new changes here - and in particular a much-needed search overhaul. My private instance is running the latest and I like it a lot.</p><h3>Notable Articles</h3><h4>AI</h4><p><a href=\"https://404media.co/how-the-surveillance-ai-pipeline-literally-objectifies-human-beings\">How the \u201cSurveillance AI Pipeline\u201d Literally Objectifies Human Beings.</a> \u201cThe vast majority of computer vision research leads to technology that surveils human beings, a new preprint study that analyzed more than 20,000 computer vision papers and 11,000 patents spanning three decades has found.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/california-governor-vetoes-bill-banning-robotrucks-without-safety-drivers-2023-09-23\">California governor vetoes bill banning robotrucks without safety drivers.</a> The legislation passed with a heavy majority - this veto is a signal that Newsom favors the AI vendors over teamster concerns. Teamsters, on the other hand, claim the tech is unsafe and that jobs will be lost.</p><p><a href=\"https://futurism.com/neoscope/chatgpt-advice-cancer-patients\">ChatGPT Caught Giving Horrible Advice to Cancer Patients.</a> LLMs are a magic trick; interesting and useful for superficial tasks, but very much not up to, for example, replacing a trained medical professional. The idea that someone would think it\u2019s okay to let one give medical advice is horrifying.</p><p><a href=\"https://restofworld.org/2023/ai-developers-fiction-poetry-scale-ai-appen\">AI data training companies like Scale AI are hiring poets.</a> These poets are being hired to eliminate the possibility of being paid for their own work. But I am kind of tickled by the idea that OpenAI is scraping fan-fiction forums. Not because it\u2019s bad work, but imagine the consequences.</p><p><a href=\"https://reuters.com/legal/john-grisham-other-top-us-authors-sue-openai-over-copyrights-2023-09-20\">John Grisham, other top US authors sue OpenAI over copyrights.</a> It will be fascinating to see the outcome of this - which, in turn, will set a precedent for how commercial data can be used to train AI (and other software systems) going forward.</p><p><a href=\"https://palewi.re/docs/news-homepages/openai-gptbot-robotstxt.html\">Who blocks OpenAI?</a> \u201cThe 392 news organizations listed below have instructed OpenAI\u2019s GPTBot to not scan their sites, according to a continual survey of 1,119 online publishers conducted by the <a href=\"https://homepages.news\">homepages.news</a> archive. That amounts to 35.0% of the total.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2023/09/07/copilot-copyright-commitment-ai-legal-concerns\">Microsoft announces new Copilot Copyright Commitment for customers.</a> \u201cAs customers ask whether they can use Microsoft\u2019s Copilot services and the output they generate without worrying about copyright claims, we are providing a straightforward answer: yes, you can, and if you are challenged on copyright grounds, we will assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://mcsweeneys.net/articles/our-self-driving-cars-will-save-countless-lives-but-they-will-kill-some-of-you-first\">Our Self-Driving Cars Will Save Countless Lives, But They Will Kill Some of You First.</a> \u201cIn a way, the people our cars mow down are doing just as much as our highly paid programmers and engineers to create the utopian, safe streets of tomorrow. Each person who falls under our front bumper teaches us something valuable about how humans act in the real world.\u201d</p><h4>Climate</h4><p><a href=\"https://grist.org/transportation/evs-are-a-climate-solution-with-a-pollution-problem-tire-particles\">EVs are a climate solution with a pollution problem: Tire particles.</a> Another reason why the really sustainable solution to pollution from cars is better mass transit.</p><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/do-carbon-credit-reduce-emissions-greenhouse-gases\">Revealed: top carbon offset projects may not cut planet-heating emissions.</a> \u201cThe vast majority of the environmental projects most frequently used to offset greenhouse gas emissions appear to have fundamental failings suggesting they cannot be relied upon to cut planet-heating emissions, according to a new analysis.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/13/earth-well-outside-safe-operating-space-for-humanity-scientists-find\">Earth \u2018well outside safe operating space for humanity\u2019, scientists find.</a> \u201cThis update finds that six of the nine boundaries are transgressed, suggesting that Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity.\u201d No biggie.</p><p><a href=\"https://grist.org/health/why-the-united-states-undercounts-climate-driven-deaths\">Why the United States undercounts climate-driven deaths.</a> Another way the effect of the climate crisis is understated: climate deaths are undercounted. Changing this state of affairs is possible but requires effort, training, and resources. In the meantime, many people still don\u2019t understand how serious the crisis actually is.</p><h4>Culture</h4><p><a href=\"https://naturettl.com/poty/2023-winners\">Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2023: Winners Gallery.</a> Every image here is stunning.</p><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/sep/18/the-scripts-were-the-funniest-things-id-ever-read-the-stars-of-peep-show-look-back-20-years-later\">\u2018The scripts were the funniest things I\u2019d ever read\u2019: the stars of Peep Show look back, 20 years later.</a>Before there was Succession, there was Peep Show. A brilliant piece of TV that launched a bunch of careers. If you haven\u2019t seen it, give yourself the gift of checking it out.</p><p><a href=\"https://thebookseller.com/features/berkeley-hotel-hostage\">The Berkeley Hotel hostage.</a> I know people who worked with Douglas Adams and I\u2019m incredibly envious of them. He seems like someone I would have really enjoyed meeting - and his books (all of them) were a huge part of my developing psyche. This story seems so human, so relatable. Trapped by his success, in a way.</p><p><a href=\"https://harpersbazaar.com/culture/a44877828/maggie-tokuda-hall\">Refusing to Censor Myself.</a> A less-discussed problem with book bans: publishers will self-censor, as they did here by requiring the removal of the word \u201cracism\u201d in the context of internment camps.</p><p><a href=\"https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/writer-sarah-rose-etter-on-not-making-things-harder-than-they-need-to-be\">Writer Sarah Rose Etter on not making things harder than they need to be.</a> I found this interview fascinating: definitely a writer I look up to, whose work I both enjoy and find intimidatingly raw. And who happens to have a very similar day job to me.</p><h4>Democracy</h4><p><a href=\"https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-power\">FTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power.</a> \u201cAmazon\u2019s ongoing pattern of illegal conduct blocks competition, allowing it to wield monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation for consumers and businesses.\u201d Whatever happens here, it will be meaningful. It\u2019s also nice to see the FTC actually wielding its antitrust powers.</p><p><a href=\"https://propublica.org/article/turbotax-intuit-black-taxpayers-irs-free-file-marketing\">Intuit Pushing Claim That Free Tax-Filing Program Would Harm Black Taxpayers.</a> Intuit has a stranglehold on how taxes are filed in America. For what? Many other countries just have an easy to use tax portal of their own. This is a business that shouldn\u2019t even need to exist.</p><p><a href=\"https://codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/gps-ankle-tags-uk-migrants-home-office\">Migrants tracked with GPS tags say UK feels like \u2018an outside prison\u2019.</a> I had no idea Britain was fitting migrants and asylum seekers with ankle bracelets and surveilling them to this level. It seems impossible that this is something people would think is right and just. The dystopian cruelty is mind-boggling.</p><p><a href=\"https://tracydurnell.com/2023/09/14/an-endless-battle-for-the-rights-of-the-underclass\">An endless battle for the rights of the underclass.</a> Every word of this, but particularly: \u201cCultural warfare was a political ploy designed to keep workers from recognizing our common ground and banding together against corporate abuses and thefts.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/15/biden-economy-bidenomics-poll-republicans-democrats-independents\">US economy going strong under Biden \u2013 Americans don\u2019t believe it.</a> It\u2019s how we measure the economy, stupid.</p><p><a href=\"https://theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/mitt-romney-retiring-senate-trump-mcconnell/675306\">What Mitt Romney Saw in the Senate.</a> A fascinating read that makes me want to check out the full book, which seems to me like an attempt by Romney to save the Republican Party from Trumpism (as well as, let\u2019s be clear, his own reputation). Wild anecdote after wild anecdote that highlights the cynicism of Washington political life.</p><p><a href=\"https://armoxon.substack.com/p/never-remember?nthPub=2701\">Never Remember.</a> The best thing I read on the anniversary of 9/11 by far. It feels cathartic to read. But it\u2019s also so, so sad.</p><p><a href=\"https://cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/elon-musk-biography-walter-isaacson-ukraine-starlink\">New Elon Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire's Ukraine dilemma.</a> If I was building technology to let people watch Netflix and check their email from remote locations, I would also be upset about it being used for drone strikes. But if that\u2019s the case, you shouldn\u2019t be deploying your tech to the military in the first place. Nor should you be making strategic military decisions of your own.</p><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/07/joe-biden-poll-2024-election-democrats\">Majority of likely Democratic voters say party should ditch Biden, poll shows.</a> No surprises here. We need more progressive change than we\u2019re getting. But obviously, if it\u2019s Biden v Trump, there\u2019s only one choice.</p><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/02/aoc-us-apology-latin-america-coup-chile\">AOC urges US to apologize for meddling in Latin America: \u2018We\u2019re here to reset relationships\u2019.</a> Yes. Absolutely this. And everywhere.</p><h4>Health</h4><p><a href=\"https://time.com/6311276/antivax-movement-adapt-essay\">The Anti-Vax Movement Isn\u2019t Going Away. We Must Adapt to It.</a> Depressing. I agree that vaccine denial is not going away, and that we need to find other ways to mitigate outbreaks. But what a sad situation to be in.</p><h4>Labor</h4><p><a href=\"https://19thnews.org/2023/09/poll-remote-work-decrease-sexual-harassment\">Remote work may help decrease sexual assault and harassment, poll finds.</a> \u201cAbout 5 percent of women who were working remotely reported instances in that time, compared with 12 percent of in-person women workers. Overall, only 5 percent of remote workers reported instances in the past three years, compared with 9 percent of those who work fully or mostly in person.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://axios.com/2023/09/01/working-mothers-labor-market-women-equality\">Working mothers reach record high, above pre-pandemic levels.</a> Flexible work from home policies have allowed more mothers with young children to join the workforce than ever before. Yet another reason why these policies are positive for everyone and should not just stick around but be significantly expanded.</p><h4>Media</h4><p><a href=\"https://19thnews.org/2023/09/amanda-zamora-stepping-down-publisher\">Amanda Zamora is stepping down as publisher at The 19th.</a> Amanda is absolutely fearless and I was privileged to work with her. As co-founder of The 19th, she was an absolutely core part of what it became: both a strategist and culture instigator. What she does next will certainly change media; I\u2019ll be cheerleading.</p><p><a href=\"https://daedtech.com/performative-content\">Failing Without Knowing Why: The Tragedy Of Performative Content.</a> Thought-provoking for me: particularly as someone who thinks through ideas through writing. But perhaps that writing doesn\u2019t need to be in public, in front of an audience.</p><p><a href=\"https://tracydurnell.com/2023/09/27/how-i-approach-crafting-a-blog-post\">How I approach crafting a blog post.</a> \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen someone walk through their process for writing a blog post, though.\u201d I love this breakdown! Tracy\u2019s structured process shows up in the quality of her posts. I love the thoughtfulness here.</p><p><a href=\"https://cjr.org/analysis/small-town-newspaper-marion-kansas-gideon-cody-raid.php\">In defense of aggressive small-town newspapers.</a> This: \u201cThe prevalence of \u201cnews deserts\u201d has apparently led some to think it\u2019s normal for neighborhood news outlets to function as lapdogs rather than watchdogs.\u201d The purpose of journalism is to investigate in the public interest.</p><p><a href=\"https://vanityfair.com/news/2023/09/new-york-times-bios\">In the AI Age, The New York Times Wants Reporters to Tell Readers Who They Are.</a> I think this is the right impulse: people tend to follow and trust individual journalists, not publications. Building out profiles and establishing more personal relationships helps build that trust.</p><p><a href=\"https://pcmaffey.com/counting-ghosts\">Counting Ghosts.</a> \u201cWeb analytics sits in the awkward space between empirical analysis and relationship building, failing at both, distracting from the real job to be done: making connections, in whatever form that means for our project.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://walledculture.org/publisher-wants-2500-to-allow-academics-to-post-their-own-manuscript-to-their-own-repository\">Publisher wants $2,500 to allow academics to post their own manuscript to their own repository \u2013 Walled Culture.</a> The open access movement is an important way academics can fight back against predatory publishers for the good of human knowledge everywhere - but the publishers are still out there, grifting.</p><p><a href=\"https://techdirt.com/2023/09/18/a-new-low-just-46-of-u-s-households-subscribe-to-traditional-cable-tv\">A New Low: Just 46% Of U.S. Households Subscribe To Traditional Cable TV.</a> I\u2019ve lived in the US for twelve years, and at no point have I even been tempted by traditional cable. Every time I encounter it, I wonder why people want it. It\u2019s a substandard, obsolete product. So this is no surprise.</p><p><a href=\"https://bigtechnology.com/p/the-ad-industry-bailed-on-news-can\">The Ad Industry Bailed On News. Can An AI Solution Offer A Way Back?</a> Services like this become single points of failure with outsize power over the journalism industry. It\u2019s a bad idea. No one entity should be the arbiter of bias in news or where a buyer should put their money. For one thing, who watches that entity\u2019s own inevitable bias? And if you\u2019re offering AI as a bias-free solution, you\u2019ve already lost.</p><p><a href=\"https://themarkup.org/2023/09/14/zine-how-we-illustrate-tech-and-ai-at-the-markup\">Zine: How We Illustrate Tech (and AI) at The Markup.</a> Lovely!</p><p><a href=\"https://cnn.com/2023/09/12/media/white-house-letter-news-executives/index.html\">White House to send letter to news execs urging outlets to 'ramp up' scrutiny of GOP's Biden impeachment inquiry 'based on lies'.</a> I couldn\u2019t be less of a fan of the current Republican Party but I hate this. The White House should not be sending letters to the media encouraging them to do anything. That\u2019s not the sort of relationship we need our journalistic media to have.</p><p><a href=\"https://inma.org/blogs/product-initiative/post.cfm/snoop-dogg-can-narrate-your-news-articles\">Snoop Dogg can narrate your news articles.</a> Snoop Dogg gimmick aside, this is actually pretty neat, and useful. I\u2019d also like the opposite: sometimes I want to read podcasts. Different contexts demand different media; I wish content itself could be more adaptable.</p><p><a href=\"https://niemanlab.org/2023/09/non-news-sites-expose-people-to-more-political-content-than-news-sites-why\">Non-news sites expose people to more political content than news sites. Why?</a> Two thirds of the political content people consume come from non-news sites. And most of the news content people read is not overtly political. Instead, it\u2019s mostly coming from entertainment - which has no ethical need to report factually.</p><p><a href=\"https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/05/not-that-naomi\">Naomi Klein's \"Doppelganger\".</a> \u201cFundamentally: Klein is a leftist, Wolf was a liberal. The classic leftist distinction goes: leftists want to abolish a system where 150 white men run the world; liberals want to replace half of those 150 with women, queers and people of color.\u201d</p><h4>Society</h4><p><a href=\"https://theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/26/surgeons-suicide-doctors-physicians-mental-health\">US surgeons are killing themselves at an alarming rate. One decided to speak out.</a> \u201cSomewhere between 300 to 400 physicians a year in the US take their own lives, the equivalent of one medical school graduating class annually.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://ox.ac.uk/news/2023-09-27-oxford-university-world-s-top-university-record-eighth-year\">Oxford University is the world\u2019s top university for a record eighth year.</a> This presumably means that the Turf Tavern is the best student pub in the world.</p><p><a href=\"https://nowthenmagazine.com/articles/britains-attitude-to-refugees-shows-once-again-that-its-a-colonial-nation\">Britain\u2019s attitude to refugees shows, once again, that it\u2019s a colonial nation.</a> \u201cHostile immigration policy stokes racism but the foundation it builds upon itself is racist and maintains a \u2018colonial present\u2019. Through dealing with migrants like pests, who deserve to be locked away in a prison barge, the British government continues to ignore the fact that, \u201cBorders maintain hoarded concentrations of wealth accrued from colonial domination.\u201d\u2033</p><p><a href=\"https://19thnews.org/polling/2023\">19th News/SurveyMonkey poll: The State of Our Nation.</a> Lots of interesting insights in this poll, including on nationwide attitudes to gender-affirming care (only 29% of Republicans think their party should focus on it) and gun control (82% of Americans want to restrict access in domestic abuse cases).</p><p><a href=\"https://19thnews.org/2023/09/california-forced-sterilization-incarceration-reparations\">Victims of forced sterilization in California prisons entitled to reparations.</a> One thing I learned from this story is that forced sterilization of inmates has still been widespread in the 21st century in America. Ghoulish.</p><p><a href=\"https://pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2222103120\">Unconditional cash transfers reduce homelessness.</a> It turns out that if you give homeless people money as assistance, it really helps them. This is something society should do.</p><h4>Startups</h4><p><a href=\"https://hunterwalk.com/2023/08/25/why-starting-your-investor-updates-with-cash-on-hand-information-is-a-major-red-flag-right-now-its-maybe-the-only-thing-worse-than-not-sending-updates-at-all\">Why Starting Your Investor Updates With \u201cCash on Hand\u201d Information is a Major Red Flag Right Now. It\u2019s Maybe the Only Thing Worse Than Not Sending Updates at All.</a> I appreciated this succinct discussion on using venture dollars well from Hunter Walk. In particular, this: \u201cStartups spend a $1 to ultimately try and create more than $1 of company. If you do that repeatedly and efficiently we will all make money together.\u201d Too many founders still think of investment as being akin to a grant.</p><h4>Technology</h4><p><a href=\"https://erinkissane.com/meta-in-myanmar-part-i-the-setup\">Meta in Myanmar, Part I: The Setup.</a> \u201cBy that point, Meta had been receiving detailed and increasingly desperate warnings about Facebook\u2019s role as an accelerant of genocidal propaganda in Myanmar for six years.\u201d We need more discussion of this - I\u2019m grateful for this four-part series.</p><p><a href=\"https://cra.mr/optimizing-for-taste\">Optimizing for Taste.</a> A solid argument against A/B testing. A lot of it comes down to this: \u201cIt fosters a culture of decision making without having an opinion, without having to put a stake in the ground. It fosters a culture where making a quick buck trumps a great product experience.\u201d I agree.</p><p><a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/21/meredith-whittaker-reaffirms-that-signal-would-leave-u-k-if-forced-by-privacy-bill\">Meredith Whittaker reaffirms that Signal would leave UK if forced by privacy bill.</a> Signal on UK privacy law: \u201cWe would leave the U.K. or any jurisdiction if it came down to the choice between backdooring our encryption and betraying the people who count on us for privacy, or leaving.\u201d Good.</p><p><a href=\"https://404media.co/us-counterintel-buys-netflow-data-team-cymru-track-vpns\">U.S. Counterintel Buys Access to the Backbone of the Internet to Hunt Foreign Hackers.</a> \u201cThe news is yet another example of a government agency turning to the private sector for novel datasets that the public is likely unaware are being collected and then sold.\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://techpolicy.press/digital-disruption-measuring-the-social-and-economic-costs-of-internet-shutdowns-throttling-of-access-to-twitter\">Digital Disruption: Measuring the Social and Economic Costs of Internet Shutdowns & Throttling of Access to Twitter.</a> This report found that removing access to Twitter created significant economic and social impacts. Question: are some of these now replicated with the switch to X?</p><p><a href=\"https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2023/software-by-encountering\">Build Great Software By Repeatedly Encountering It.</a> This is really important, and why we talk about \u201ceating your own dogfood\u201d. If you don\u2019t use what you build, you can\u2019t build anything great.</p><p><a href=\"https://bradbarrish.com/2023/09/18/ev-charging-infrastruture-is-a-joke\">EV charging infrastruture is a joke \u2013 Brad Barrish.</a> Non-Tesla EV charging infrastructure is awful. It\u2019s good that Tesla has opened the standard, but it\u2019s not good that the only really viable charging infrastructure is owned by one company. It needs to be fixed.</p><p><a href=\"https://htmx.org/essays/right-click-view-source\">The </a><a href=\"https://werd.io/tag/ViewSource\" class=\"p-category\">#ViewSource</a> Affordance. I strongly agree with this. \u201cView source\u201d has been an important part of the culture of the web since the beginning. Obfuscating that source or removing the option does damage to its underlying principles and makes the web a worse place. I like the comparison to the enclosure movement, which seems apt.</p><p><a href=\"https://bbc.com/news/technology-66854618\">Online Safety Bill: Crackdown on harmful social media content agreed.</a> This is a horrendous bill that is designed to encourage self-censorship, including around topics like \u201cillegal immigration\u201d, as well as vastly deepen surveillance on internet users. And Britain passing it will likely embolden other nations to try the same.</p><p><a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/14/wordpress-blogs-can-now-be-followed-in-the-fediverse-including-mastodon\">WordPress blogs can now be followed in the fediverse, including Mastodon.</a> I\u2019d prefer if this was default WordPress functionality - but the big lede is buried here. Hosted WordPress sites are getting fediverse compatibility. That\u2019s a huge deal.</p><p><a href=\"https://theconnector.substack.com/p/finishing-with-twitterx\">Finishing With Twitter/X.</a> Who at the intersection of tech and politics is still posting on Twitter? And should they be? A good breakdown.</p><p><a href=\"https://theverge.com/2023/9/12/23870547/unit-price-change-game-development\">Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off.</a> As with API pricing changes across social media, these tiers disproportionately penalize indie developers. The message is clear: they don\u2019t want or need those customers. In a tighter economy, much of technology is re-organizing around serving bigger, wealthier players.</p><p><a href=\"https://wheresyoured.at/p/silicon-valleys-slaughterhouse\">Silicon Valley's Slaughterhouse.</a> \u201cAndreessen wasn\u2019t advocating for a tech industry that accelerates the development of the human race, or elevates the human condition. He wanted to (and succeeded in creating) a Silicon Valley that builds technology that can, and I quote, \u201ceat markets far larger than the technology industry has historically been able to pursue.\u201d\u201d</p><p><a href=\"https://axios.com/2023/09/06/google-vet-hot-water-heater-power-plant-onsemble\">Google vet wants to turn your hot water heater into a \"virtual power plant\".</a> I really need this for my home, and I suspect my entire region needs it. This could do a lot of good and be the start of something much bigger using virtual power plants as a platform.</p><p><a href=\"https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy\">It\u2019s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy.</a> Every modern car brand abuses your personal information. 84% sell your data (including where you go and when). 56% will share it with law enforcement without a warrant. And none of them have demonstrably adequate security.</p><p><a href=\"https://tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/090523_molly_holzschlag/tucsons-molly-holzschlag-known-as-the-fairy-godmother-web-dead-60\">Tucson's Molly Holzschlag, known as 'the fairy godmother of the web,' dead at 60.</a> Rest in peace, Molly. We\u2019ve lost one of the really good people who made the web better.</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Ben Werdmuller",
"url": "https://werd.io/profile/benwerd",
"photo": "https://werd.io/file/5d388c5fb16ea14aac640912/thumb.jpg"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "39065348",
"_source": "191",
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The Halloween event I helped plan and coordinate for the https://32bit.cafe/ community is now live: https://tilde.32bit.cafe/~slug/events/halloween-2023/ Showcase your #PixelArt skills, music curation, and more to get into the spooky mood with us 👻
If you’re an adult who is passionate about the #SmallWeb & #IndieWeb, come join in on the fun with us!
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "@lostletters",
"url": "https://cutie.city/@lostletters",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://cutie.city/@lostletters/111162870417171816",
"content": {
"html": "<p>The Halloween event I helped plan and coordinate for the <a href=\"https://32bit.cafe/\"><span>https://</span><span>32bit.cafe/</span><span></span></a> community is now live: <a href=\"https://tilde.32bit.cafe/~slug/events/halloween-2023/\"><span>https://</span><span>tilde.32bit.cafe/~slug/events/</span><span>halloween-2023/</span></a> Showcase your <a href=\"https://cutie.city/tags/PixelArt\">#<span>PixelArt</span></a> skills, music curation, and more to get into the spooky mood with us \ud83d\udc7b</p><p>If you\u2019re an adult who is passionate about the <a href=\"https://cutie.city/tags/SmallWeb\">#<span>SmallWeb</span></a> & <a href=\"https://cutie.city/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a>, come join in on the fun with us!</p>",
"text": "The Halloween event I helped plan and coordinate for the https://32bit.cafe/ community is now live: https://tilde.32bit.cafe/~slug/events/halloween-2023/ Showcase your #PixelArt skills, music curation, and more to get into the spooky mood with us \ud83d\udc7bIf you\u2019re an adult who is passionate about the #SmallWeb & #IndieWeb, come join in on the fun with us!"
},
"published": "2023-10-02T01:39:51+00:00",
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39064547",
"_source": "7235",
"_is_read": false
}
I'm hosting this month's #IndieWeb Carnival on self-care. Can't wait to read your responses.
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "@pablo",
"url": "https://social.lifeofpablo.com/@pablo",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://social.lifeofpablo.com/@pablo/111161771476048082",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I'm hosting this month's <a href=\"https://social.lifeofpablo.com/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a> Carnival on self-care. Can't wait to read your responses.</p><p><a href=\"https://lifeofpablo.com/blog/indieweb-carnival-october-2023\"><span>https://</span><span>lifeofpablo.com/blog/indieweb-</span><span>carnival-october-2023</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://social.lifeofpablo.com/tags/Indieweb\">#<span>Indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lifeofpablo.com/tags/indiewebcarnvial\">#<span>indiewebcarnvial</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lifeofpablo.com/tags/blog\">#<span>blog</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lifeofpablo.com/tags/selfcare\">#<span>selfcare</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lifeofpablo.com/tags/ownyourdata\">#<span>ownyourdata</span></a></p>",
"text": "I'm hosting this month's #IndieWeb Carnival on self-care. Can't wait to read your responses.https://lifeofpablo.com/blog/indieweb-carnival-october-2023#Indieweb #indiewebcarnvial #blog #selfcare #ownyourdata"
},
"published": "2023-10-01T21:00:22+00:00",
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39063284",
"_source": "7235",
"_is_read": false
}
New blogpost is up – my modest guide to why and how to join the #indieweb. Check it out:
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "@grgml",
"url": "https://indieweb.social/@grgml",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://indieweb.social/@grgml/111160741010940563",
"content": {
"html": "<p>New blogpost is up \u2013 my modest guide to why and how to join the <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a>. Check it out:</p><p><a href=\"https://grgml.xyz/blog/setting-up-indieweb-blog/\"><span>https://</span><span>grgml.xyz/blog/setting-up-indi</span><span>eweb-blog/</span></a></p>",
"text": "New blogpost is up \u2013 my modest guide to why and how to join the #indieweb. Check it out:https://grgml.xyz/blog/setting-up-indieweb-blog/"
},
"published": "2023-10-01T16:38:19+00:00",
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39061407",
"_source": "7235",
"_is_read": false
}
Open Possibilities: A Love Letter to Open Source, the Open Web, and Open Access - https://schalkneethling.substack.com/p/open-possibilities-a-love-letter #opensource #openweb #indie #indieweb
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "@mechanicalink",
"url": "https://fosstodon.org/@mechanicalink",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://fosstodon.org/@mechanicalink/111159262818251263",
"content": {
"html": "<p>Open Possibilities: A Love Letter to Open Source, the Open Web, and Open Access - <a href=\"https://schalkneethling.substack.com/p/open-possibilities-a-love-letter\"><span>https://</span><span>schalkneethling.substack.com/p</span><span>/open-possibilities-a-love-letter</span></a> <a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/opensource\">#<span>opensource</span></a> <a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/openweb\">#<span>openweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/indie\">#<span>indie</span></a> <a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
"text": "Open Possibilities: A Love Letter to Open Source, the Open Web, and Open Access - https://schalkneethling.substack.com/p/open-possibilities-a-love-letter #opensource #openweb #indie #indieweb"
},
"published": "2023-10-01T10:22:23+00:00",
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39059042",
"_source": "7235",
"_is_read": false
}
To the #IndieWeb folks out there, what’s your solution to handling reposts from a currently non-public silo (Bluesky)? At the moment I’ve avoided addressing this by not publishing any reposts on my site at all.
Is it acceptable to hotlink to resources or to mirror them instead?
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "#indieweb",
"url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://beep.flawbee.net/objects/c07b6ac1-4681-4453-a6fe-f000549967f9",
"content": {
"html": "<p>To the <a href=\"https://beep.flawbee.net/tag/indieweb\">#IndieWeb</a> folks out there, what\u2019s your solution to handling reposts from a currently non-public silo (Bluesky)? At the moment I\u2019ve avoided addressing this by not publishing any reposts on my site at all.</p><p>Is it acceptable to hotlink to resources or to mirror them instead?</p><p><a href=\"https://beep.flawbee.net/tag/netiquette\">#Netiquette</a> <a href=\"https://beep.flawbee.net/tag/bluesky\">#Bluesky</a></p>",
"text": "To the #IndieWeb folks out there, what\u2019s your solution to handling reposts from a currently non-public silo (Bluesky)? At the moment I\u2019ve avoided addressing this by not publishing any reposts on my site at all.Is it acceptable to hotlink to resources or to mirror them instead?#Netiquette #Bluesky"
},
"published": "2023-10-01T09:00:23+00:00",
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39058789",
"_source": "7235",
"_is_read": false
}
@etp My IndieWeb Carnival Submission!
https://foreverliketh.is/blog/my-kind-of-weather/
Nice to e-meet you btw! Also, I was interested in hosting a month, let me know yea?
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "@accordionpolar",
"url": "https://indieweb.social/@accordionpolar",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://indieweb.social/@accordionpolar/111155888442009784",
"content": {
"html": "<p><span class=\"h-card\"><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://indieweb.social/@etp\">@<span>etp</span></a></span> My IndieWeb Carnival Submission!</p><p><a href=\"https://foreverliketh.is/blog/my-kind-of-weather/\"><span>https://</span><span>foreverliketh.is/blog/my-kind-</span><span>of-weather/</span></a></p><p>Nice to e-meet you btw! Also, I was interested in hosting a month, let me know yea?</p><p><a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/blog\">#<span>blog</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/writing\">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/weather\">#<span>weather</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/smallweb\">#<span>smallweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/hugo\">#<span>hugo</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/webdev\">#<span>webdev</span></a></p>",
"text": "@etp My IndieWeb Carnival Submission!https://foreverliketh.is/blog/my-kind-of-weather/Nice to e-meet you btw! Also, I was interested in hosting a month, let me know yea?#blog #writing #weather #indieweb #smallweb #hugo #webdev"
},
"published": "2023-09-30T20:04:14+00:00",
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39055088",
"_source": "7235",
"_is_read": false
}
What is a silo?
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": "Kh\u00fcrt Williams",
"url": "https://islandinthenet.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://islandinthenet.com/what-is-a-silo/",
"published": "2023-09-14T08:49:00-04:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>I read <a href=\"https://substack.com/profile/5475310-jatan-mehta\">Jatan Mehta</a>'s argument about WordPress.com, and while I respect his perspective, I must respectfully disagree with some of his statements. Let me offer a rebuttal to address the concerns in his article <strong><a href=\"https://thoughts.jatan.space/p/avoid-blogging-platform-silos\">Medium, WordPress.com and social platforms are siloes you should try avoiding</a></strong>.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://substack.com/profile/5475310-jatan-mehta\">Jatan Mehta</a> asserts that blogging on platforms like WordPress.com can lead to being \"semi-locked-in\" regarding owning the connection to your audience. He\u2019s conveniently found a way to apply the \"semi-locked-in\" label to WordPress.com by focusing on how mailing lists are managed. He argues that social media platforms often make it difficult to move your followers to a new platform and that WordPress.com and Medium have adopted similar tactics, hindering portability. He conveniently ignores that as long as you own your domain, your \"followers\" can always find you.</p>\n<p>Before I start, one major issue with Jatan's article is the comparison of WordPress.com, a blogging platform and content management system, with microblogging and social messaging platforms like micro.blog. It's crucial to recognise that WordPress.com doesn't include any social messaging features \u2013 it never has. He might as well be comparing pawpaw and papaya. I don\u2019t think anyone in the <a href=\"https://news.indieweb.org/en\">IndieWeb</a> community would apply the word \"silo\" to self-hosted WordPress websites.</p>\n<p>While I understand the concern about maintaining a connection with your audience, Jatan's argument overlooks some important aspects of using WordPress.com and similar blogging platforms. Let's delve into these points:</p>\n<ol><li>Standardisation and Portability: Jatan acknowledges that blogs are largely standardised, allowing easy movement from one platform to another. This is even easier if your website has a domain name. This is a crucial advantage of blogging platforms like WordPress.com. Unlike social media platforms, where your content's fate is tied to the platform's existence, a blog can be exported in a format other platforms can understand. Thus, even if WordPress.com were to suspend your account (an unlikely scenario for most users who adhere to platform guidelines), you still have the option to take your content and migrate it elsewhere without losing your valuable thoughts and contributions.</li>\n<li>Audience Ownership: Jatan raises concerns about owning the connection with your readers and followers on WordPress.com. The idea that you \"own your followers\" bothers me. While it's true that some blogging platforms, such as Medium, force you to retain followers within their ecosystem, it's essential to consider that your primary means of communication with your audience on WordPress.com is through your content \u2013 your blog posts. Your readers subscribe to your blog and follow you (via RSS) to receive updates directly from you. While there might be other mechanisms like \"Follow\" buttons or email subscription lists, the heart of your connection with your audience remains rooted in the content you produce, not just the platform-specific features. Regarding Jatan's notion of exporting his micro.blog followers and forcing them to follow him on another platform is far-fetched. How exactly does he plan to make that work? Again, The idea that you \"own your followers\" bothers me.</li>\n<li>Diverse Engagement Options: WordPress.com provides multiple avenues for engaging with your audience. While some may prefer direct email subscriptions or RSS feeds, others might find value in following your blog through the platform's built-in \"Follow\" mechanism. Different people have different preferences, and offering a variety of options can be advantageous in reaching a broader audience. Automattic has acquired the <a href=\"https://wordpress.org/plugins/activitypub/\">ActivityPub</a> plug-in! With this development, I'm confident that WordPress.com will soon be able to facilitate rich conversations with Mastodon instances. This integration holds great promise for enhancing the platform's capabilities and fostering more dynamic interactions across the web. Remember that engagement methods should complement one another rather than create a rigid either/or choice.</li>\n<li>Medium's Algorithmic Challenge: Jatan highlights his struggles with Medium's algorithm, which impacts the visibility of his posts to his followers. While algorithmic challenges can affect content reach on some platforms, this is not an inherent limitation of all blogging platforms, including micro.blog and WordPress.com. The reach on micro.blog is noticeably lower compared to other platforms. The community size is relatively small, and Manton's intentional design choices constrain the behaviours that expand reach. WordPress.com, for instance, provides various ways to optimise your content's discoverability, such as SEO tools, tags, and categories, but the platform lacks any algorithmic system. Engaging with your audience through WordPress.com is a more direct and transparent process compared to social media algorithms, where your content's reach is often at the mercy of platform-specific algorithms.</li>\n<li>RSS and Email: Jatan mentions RSS and email subscribers as the solution to platform lock-in. He\u2019s on the right path to how to avoid platform lock-in, whether micro.blog or otherwise. He conveniently ignores that WordPress.com supports both. WordPress.com supports RSS follows via JetPack\u2019s Reader. They call this feature \"follow\". As a WordPress.com user, I can follow <em>any</em> blog vis RSS feed, whether hosted on WordPress.com or micro.blog. Anyone can sign-up to get my newsletter. They don\u2019t need a WordPress.com account to do so. When I want to leave WordPress.com, I can export all the email addresses to a CSV file and import them into my new platform. I can export all my JetPack Reader follows as an OPML file and follows those blog in another RSS aggregator.</li>\n<li>\n<p>Comments: There's an important distinction to be made when leaving comments on micro.blog posts versus WordPress.com websites. On micro.blog, leaving a comment to a blog post requires having a micro.blog account, whereas on WordPress.com, no account is needed to leave a comment. WordPress.com relies on the Akismet service, which has proven incredibly effective in keeping spam at bay. After over 20 years of using WordPress, I can confidently say that Akismet has not failed me. It's a reliable tool that ensures the comments section remains a clean and engaging space for readers and bloggers alike.</p>\n</li>\n</ol><p>Manton wrote about <a href=\"https://book.micro.blog/silos/\">silos</a> in his book:</p>\n<blockquote><p>\n Not all centralized services are silos. The key trait of silos is isolation. Silos wall-off and limit our control over content, usually by storing all content at the silo\u2019s own domain name rather than allowing personal domain names.\n</p></blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://substack.com/profile/5475310-jatan-mehta\">Jatan's</a>'s preference for email and RSS-based direct engagement with his audience is valid. I\u2019ve always encouraged my readers to use RSS. Additionally, the portability and standardisation of WordPress.com blogs ensure that my content remains under my control. While platforms may offer additional engagement options, the primary connection with your audience lies in the value of your content. Embracing diverse methods of engaging with your audience can amplify your reach and impact, making blogging platforms like WordPress.com valuable tools for building an online presence and sharing your thoughts with the world.</p>\n<p>As Manton said in his book under the section, <strong><a href=\"https://book.micro.blog/owning-your-content/\">Owning your content</a></strong>.</p>\n<blockquote><p>\n I think in the tech world \u2014 and especially as programmers \u2014 we tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. We know too much about content ownership, most of it irrelevant for mainstream users.</p>\n<p> If you want to control your content on the web, post it at your own personal domain name. That\u2019s it. Everything else you want to do is icing on the cake.<br />\u2026<br />Owning your content isn\u2019t about portable software. It\u2019s about portable URLs and data. It\u2019s about domain names.</p>\n<p> When you write and post photos at your own domain name, your content can outlive any one blogging platform. In all the years of blogging at manton.org, I\u2019ve switched blogging platforms and hosting providers a few times. The posts and URLs can all be preserved through those changes because it\u2019s my own domain name.</p>\n<p> If you can\u2019t use your own domain name, you can\u2019t own it. Your content will be forever stuck at those silo URLs, beholden to the whims of the algorithmic timeline and shifting priorities of the executive team.\n</p></blockquote>\n<p>I\u2019ve had my domain for over 20 years, and this blog has lived on <a href=\"http://manila.userland.com/\">UserLand Manila</a>, Blogger, WordPress.com, and MoveableType before I settled on self-hosted WordPress. I'll never be locked in as long as I can export my content and my audience can access RSS.</p>\n<p>NOTE: Both <a href=\"https://micro.blog/moonmehta\">@moonmehta</a> and I are part of the micro.blog community. I supported the original Kickstarter! However, it's worth mentioning that my primary website is self-hosted WordPress. For those interested in a self-hostable, single-user, IndieWeb-friendly microblogging open-source software, check out <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/microblog.pub\">microblog.pub</a>.</p>",
"text": "I read Jatan Mehta's argument about WordPress.com, and while I respect his perspective, I must respectfully disagree with some of his statements. Let me offer a rebuttal to address the concerns in his article Medium, WordPress.com and social platforms are siloes you should try avoiding.\nJatan Mehta asserts that blogging on platforms like WordPress.com can lead to being \"semi-locked-in\" regarding owning the connection to your audience. He\u2019s conveniently found a way to apply the \"semi-locked-in\" label to WordPress.com by focusing on how mailing lists are managed. He argues that social media platforms often make it difficult to move your followers to a new platform and that WordPress.com and Medium have adopted similar tactics, hindering portability. He conveniently ignores that as long as you own your domain, your \"followers\" can always find you.\nBefore I start, one major issue with Jatan's article is the comparison of WordPress.com, a blogging platform and content management system, with microblogging and social messaging platforms like micro.blog. It's crucial to recognise that WordPress.com doesn't include any social messaging features \u2013 it never has. He might as well be comparing pawpaw and papaya. I don\u2019t think anyone in the IndieWeb community would apply the word \"silo\" to self-hosted WordPress websites.\nWhile I understand the concern about maintaining a connection with your audience, Jatan's argument overlooks some important aspects of using WordPress.com and similar blogging platforms. Let's delve into these points:\nStandardisation and Portability: Jatan acknowledges that blogs are largely standardised, allowing easy movement from one platform to another. This is even easier if your website has a domain name. This is a crucial advantage of blogging platforms like WordPress.com. Unlike social media platforms, where your content's fate is tied to the platform's existence, a blog can be exported in a format other platforms can understand. Thus, even if WordPress.com were to suspend your account (an unlikely scenario for most users who adhere to platform guidelines), you still have the option to take your content and migrate it elsewhere without losing your valuable thoughts and contributions.\nAudience Ownership: Jatan raises concerns about owning the connection with your readers and followers on WordPress.com. The idea that you \"own your followers\" bothers me. While it's true that some blogging platforms, such as Medium, force you to retain followers within their ecosystem, it's essential to consider that your primary means of communication with your audience on WordPress.com is through your content \u2013 your blog posts. Your readers subscribe to your blog and follow you (via RSS) to receive updates directly from you. While there might be other mechanisms like \"Follow\" buttons or email subscription lists, the heart of your connection with your audience remains rooted in the content you produce, not just the platform-specific features. Regarding Jatan's notion of exporting his micro.blog followers and forcing them to follow him on another platform is far-fetched. How exactly does he plan to make that work? Again, The idea that you \"own your followers\" bothers me.\nDiverse Engagement Options: WordPress.com provides multiple avenues for engaging with your audience. While some may prefer direct email subscriptions or RSS feeds, others might find value in following your blog through the platform's built-in \"Follow\" mechanism. Different people have different preferences, and offering a variety of options can be advantageous in reaching a broader audience. Automattic has acquired the ActivityPub plug-in! With this development, I'm confident that WordPress.com will soon be able to facilitate rich conversations with Mastodon instances. This integration holds great promise for enhancing the platform's capabilities and fostering more dynamic interactions across the web. Remember that engagement methods should complement one another rather than create a rigid either/or choice.\nMedium's Algorithmic Challenge: Jatan highlights his struggles with Medium's algorithm, which impacts the visibility of his posts to his followers. While algorithmic challenges can affect content reach on some platforms, this is not an inherent limitation of all blogging platforms, including micro.blog and WordPress.com. The reach on micro.blog is noticeably lower compared to other platforms. The community size is relatively small, and Manton's intentional design choices constrain the behaviours that expand reach. WordPress.com, for instance, provides various ways to optimise your content's discoverability, such as SEO tools, tags, and categories, but the platform lacks any algorithmic system. Engaging with your audience through WordPress.com is a more direct and transparent process compared to social media algorithms, where your content's reach is often at the mercy of platform-specific algorithms.\nRSS and Email: Jatan mentions RSS and email subscribers as the solution to platform lock-in. He\u2019s on the right path to how to avoid platform lock-in, whether micro.blog or otherwise. He conveniently ignores that WordPress.com supports both. WordPress.com supports RSS follows via JetPack\u2019s Reader. They call this feature \"follow\". As a WordPress.com user, I can follow any blog vis RSS feed, whether hosted on WordPress.com or micro.blog. Anyone can sign-up to get my newsletter. They don\u2019t need a WordPress.com account to do so. When I want to leave WordPress.com, I can export all the email addresses to a CSV file and import them into my new platform. I can export all my JetPack Reader follows as an OPML file and follows those blog in another RSS aggregator.\n\nComments: There's an important distinction to be made when leaving comments on micro.blog posts versus WordPress.com websites. On micro.blog, leaving a comment to a blog post requires having a micro.blog account, whereas on WordPress.com, no account is needed to leave a comment. WordPress.com relies on the Akismet service, which has proven incredibly effective in keeping spam at bay. After over 20 years of using WordPress, I can confidently say that Akismet has not failed me. It's a reliable tool that ensures the comments section remains a clean and engaging space for readers and bloggers alike.\n\nManton wrote about silos in his book:\n\n Not all centralized services are silos. The key trait of silos is isolation. Silos wall-off and limit our control over content, usually by storing all content at the silo\u2019s own domain name rather than allowing personal domain names.\n\nJatan's's preference for email and RSS-based direct engagement with his audience is valid. I\u2019ve always encouraged my readers to use RSS. Additionally, the portability and standardisation of WordPress.com blogs ensure that my content remains under my control. While platforms may offer additional engagement options, the primary connection with your audience lies in the value of your content. Embracing diverse methods of engaging with your audience can amplify your reach and impact, making blogging platforms like WordPress.com valuable tools for building an online presence and sharing your thoughts with the world.\nAs Manton said in his book under the section, Owning your content.\n\n I think in the tech world \u2014 and especially as programmers \u2014 we tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. We know too much about content ownership, most of it irrelevant for mainstream users.\n If you want to control your content on the web, post it at your own personal domain name. That\u2019s it. Everything else you want to do is icing on the cake.\n\u2026\nOwning your content isn\u2019t about portable software. It\u2019s about portable URLs and data. It\u2019s about domain names.\n When you write and post photos at your own domain name, your content can outlive any one blogging platform. In all the years of blogging at manton.org, I\u2019ve switched blogging platforms and hosting providers a few times. The posts and URLs can all be preserved through those changes because it\u2019s my own domain name.\n If you can\u2019t use your own domain name, you can\u2019t own it. Your content will be forever stuck at those silo URLs, beholden to the whims of the algorithmic timeline and shifting priorities of the executive team.\n\nI\u2019ve had my domain for over 20 years, and this blog has lived on UserLand Manila, Blogger, WordPress.com, and MoveableType before I settled on self-hosted WordPress. I'll never be locked in as long as I can export my content and my audience can access RSS.\nNOTE: Both @moonmehta and I are part of the micro.blog community. I supported the original Kickstarter! However, it's worth mentioning that my primary website is self-hosted WordPress. For those interested in a self-hostable, single-user, IndieWeb-friendly microblogging open-source software, check out microblog.pub."
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Is there a hacker news like board, but for #indieweb projects?
So, still involving a mix of "technical" and "non-technical" conversations, but minus the VC bullshit?
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"html": "<p>Is there a hacker news like board, but for <a href=\"https://mastodon.cloud/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> projects? </p><p>So, still involving a mix of \"technical\" and \"non-technical\" conversations, but minus the VC bullshit?</p>",
"text": "Is there a hacker news like board, but for #indieweb projects? So, still involving a mix of \"technical\" and \"non-technical\" conversations, but minus the VC bullshit?"
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At 5pm UK time / 12 noon ET / 9am ET I am hosting a Build a Website in an Hour event 🌐
In the meeting, you have one hour to either start a new website (it can be as small or as big as you want!) or improve an existing website.
Last time, we had people build a bookmarks list, a PNG file header reader, an I, Spy game, and more!
Find more information on the event page. No need to RSVP.
#indieweb #personalwebsites
https://events.indieweb.org/2023/09/build-a-website-in-an-hour-IlkuPP6V6dNW
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"html": "<p>At 5pm UK time / 12 noon ET / 9am ET I am hosting a Build a Website in an Hour event \ud83c\udf10<br />\u2029In the meeting, you have one hour to either start a new website (it can be as small or as big as you want!) or improve an existing website.<br />\u2029Last time, we had people build a bookmarks list, a PNG file header reader, an I, Spy game, and more!\u2029Find more information on the event page. No need to RSVP.<br />\u2029<a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/personalwebsites\">#<span>personalwebsites</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://events.indieweb.org/2023/09/build-a-website-in-an-hour-IlkuPP6V6dNW\"><span>https://</span><span>events.indieweb.org/2023/09/bu</span><span>ild-a-website-in-an-hour-IlkuPP6V6dNW</span></a></p>",
"text": "At 5pm UK time / 12 noon ET / 9am ET I am hosting a Build a Website in an Hour event \ud83c\udf10\n\u2029In the meeting, you have one hour to either start a new website (it can be as small or as big as you want!) or improve an existing website.\n\u2029Last time, we had people build a bookmarks list, a PNG file header reader, an I, Spy game, and more!\u2029Find more information on the event page. No need to RSVP.\n\u2029#indieweb #personalwebsiteshttps://events.indieweb.org/2023/09/build-a-website-in-an-hour-IlkuPP6V6dNW"
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"published": "2023-09-30T11:31:15+00:00",
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No more 404
I really, really like the progressive enhancement approach that Remy is taking here with outbound links:
When a real user clicks on a link, it’s swapped out to be redirected through my own endpoint that checks if the URL is still OK, and if so permanently redirects the visitor, otherwise my endpoint checks the Web Archive for the URL and permanently redirects to that instead.
I think I’m going to do the same! I’d have to rewrite the server-side code in PHP, but that shouldn’t be too tricky.
This could a project for the next Indie Web Camp I attend.
#redirects
#links
#linking
#hyperlinks
#archive
#linkrot
#redirecting
#blogs
#personal
#publishing
#indieweb
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"text": "No more 404\n\n\n\nI really, really like the progressive enhancement approach that Remy is taking here with outbound links:\n\n\n When a real user clicks on a link, it\u2019s swapped out to be redirected through my own endpoint that checks if the URL is still OK, and if so permanently redirects the visitor, otherwise my endpoint checks the Web Archive for the URL and permanently redirects to that instead.\n\n\nI think I\u2019m going to do the same! I\u2019d have to rewrite the server-side code in PHP, but that shouldn\u2019t be too tricky.\n\nThis could a project for the next Indie Web Camp I attend.",
"html": "<h3>\n<a class=\"p-name u-bookmark-of\" href=\"https://remysharp.com/2023/09/26/no-more-404\">\nNo more 404\n</a>\n</h3>\n\n<p>I really, really like the progressive enhancement approach that Remy is taking here with outbound links:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>When a real user clicks on a link, it\u2019s swapped out to be redirected through my own endpoint that checks if the URL is still OK, and if so permanently redirects the visitor, otherwise my endpoint checks the Web Archive for the URL and permanently redirects to that instead.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think I\u2019m going to do the same! I\u2019d have to rewrite the server-side code in PHP, but that shouldn\u2019t be too tricky.</p>\n\n<p>This could a project for <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/2023/Nuremberg\">the next Indie Web Camp I attend</a>.</p>"
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How I’m blogging the IndieWeb way http://elizabethtai.com/2023/07/03/how-i-am-blogging-the-indieweb-way/ #IndieWeb #Blog
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"html": "<p>How I\u2019m blogging the IndieWeb way <a href=\"http://elizabethtai.com/2023/07/03/how-i-am-blogging-the-indieweb-way/\"><span>http://</span><span>elizabethtai.com/2023/07/03/ho</span><span>w-i-am-blogging-the-indieweb-way/</span></a> <a href=\"https://tweesecake.social/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a> <a href=\"https://tweesecake.social/tags/Blog\">#<span>Blog</span></a></p>",
"text": "How I\u2019m blogging the IndieWeb way http://elizabethtai.com/2023/07/03/how-i-am-blogging-the-indieweb-way/ #IndieWeb #Blog"
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