-- Leo's gemini proxy
-- Connecting to ew.srht.site:1965...
-- Connected
-- Sending request
-- Meta line: 20 text/gemini
The other day I came across this wonderful, but somewhat depressing rant by Ingrid:
Found via Alex' Journal (05-23):
original entry unfortunately lost
> No, the solution has to be political. That’s uncomfortable for me, as it probably is for you too. Software I can do, politics though? That’s hard. Something needs to change about these profit motives though. I’m not arrogant enough to declare that I know the one true answer here, I doubt there even is one true answer.
The article is well worth reading.
I pretty much agree with the assessment, though I would like to add a tiny thing: Do not wait for politics to solve any of this mess. There is no incentive for them. In my not so humble opinion, there is only one way out: Do not use said centralized services if you can possibly afford it.
"Can possibly afford it" is not a financial thing, at least not for me. I could definitely pay for a SIM card with a luxurious data plan included. But I chose not to. I could definitely afford another smart phone after my fairphone2 failed on me. But I chose not to. I can afford to miss out on Facebook/Whatsapp, Google Accounts, Instagram and what not. I find peace in being largely offline during the day (no private online stuff during $dayjob). And yes, of course, I do miss out on communication even with my family being online elsewhere. I do have a github account, because I sometimes edit a website, which is generated from there. I do have an account at source hut, and I pay for it. Nothing there is the only copy. The most important copy of this stuff resides on my computer at home. I do know, that this is not how to run a big software project, and I do highly appreciate the ones, that I'm regularly using (such as linux and emacs).
And to those claiming, that live without Facebook is impossible ... there was a time before Facebook existed. And life was possible. If Facebook does not have users, it will cease to exist. And in this context Facebook is just a place holder for any online service.
And to everyone who knows a bit more: do show alternatives to the ones around you. I'm always amazed that folks do not know openstreetmap, that folks do not know, they can type the URL into the address bar of Firefox or other browser directly without telling google, where they go today! Don't get tired of this, and remember to always be nice. Its only afterwards, when things become obvious.
One of the more impressive talks I ever saw was John Perry Barlow giving the opening keynote at 23C3 "Who can you trust?"
And there is this important bit about what we choose to focus on:
> Barlow was by no means naive. He knew that technology could be used for evil as much as for good, but he chose to focus on the latter, as highlighted by the EFF’s executive director, Cindy Cohn, in this touching tribute.
> The best way to invent the future is to predict it -- John Perry Barlow
picked up on a talk at FOSDEM 2019
Sometimes I need to remember people like John Perry Barlow to overcome fatique and loss of motivation.
Cheers,
~ew
-- Response ended
-- Page fetched on Tue Apr 16 11:46:20 2024