GEMINILOGGBOOKOBERDADAISTICUS

Funkwhale

I just joined a new nook of the fediverse, a funkwhale pod, with a few old tracks previously only available on soundcloud. More things to be added later.

Oberdada @ a funkwhale pod

There seems to be some interesting content up already, including podcasts, but not yet an overwhelming number of users. After all, Funkwhale is a relatively new service, which I just discovered the other day while checking out some links on someone's gemlog. So far the user experience is a bit clunky; the navigation isn't completely intuitive and sometimes you come to a login screen when trying to play content that should have anonymous access.

The platform's rules of conduct are quite detailed and mainly directed at prohibiting hate speech and harassment. I might have prefered some general adage such as "please be kind and respectful unto each other" over the list of specific things not to do and say, but I understand that the guidelines have come about as a reaction to a toxic online culture. At some point, such rules have to be interpreted, and there is always a risk that something said with a benevolent intent may sound crass or rude to someone else and lead to takedowns. (Please note, I do not defend rudeness or stalking or any such behaviour, nor am I in favour of cancel culture or censorship. Unfortunately, I don't know of any quick fix to solve our online dilemmas.)

A potentially confusing thing about the fediverse is the partial duplication of content over several instances. Since not all content is mirrored everywhere, it may be necessary to browse a few different instances to find a broader selection. But doing so means encountering the most shared material over and over again. I don't know if anyone has thought of some way of handling that. Get used to it?

The fediverse also expects shareable content with a CC or similar licence, which somewhat limits what I'll be able and willing to contribute. I won't go into the topic of copyright now, having already commented on it earlier:

Ig-Nobel and copyright

Currently I'm finishing off two albums, one full of spontaneous jams (well, relatively spontaneous for an Oberdada production) following the principle of one genre per track and ranging from Ivesian atonal polyphony through a raga to drum-n-bass. For the other album, which is more thoroughly composed, I had hoped to enlist a few collaborators on various instruments. With one exception, their engagement turned tepid once they heard the sketches. So, returning to the project after a period of writing I realised that I had to record everything myself and reconsider some arrangement ideas. I also came up with a few more songs, several of which are thematically germane. Just a lot more hard work and no play ... but it won't be dull!

Expect announcements here in due time.

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