polotek

FeralRobots , 9 hours ago to random

What's most disturbing is the sense that they're making a heartfelt apology for behaving with basic decency. 'We promise never again do anything our most strident rural customers might find upsetting.'
https://corporate.tractorsupply.com/newsroom/news-releases/news-releases-details/2024/Tractor-Supply-Company-Statement/default.aspx
@hrefna | https://hachyderm.io/@hrefna/112692159525694561]

polotek , 4 hours ago

@hrefna @FeralRobots this is real. The big challenge in front of us that the right is motivated and hella organized. They send people to every fight. And sometimes all you gotta do to win a fight is be the only one that keeps showing up.

molly0xfff , 6 days ago to random

PSA: Paying for a subscription on the crypto version of OnlyFans using a public blockchain does not give you "true privacy", regardless of what the models there might say.

#cryptocurrency

polotek , 6 days ago

@molly0xfff it's wild to me that this community still talks about "privacy" as a feature.

hrefna , 23 days ago to random

One idea I've toyed with before that I think is really interesting is the idea of having a persistent inbox but an offline processor

So think of it like this:

You have a queue that sits online with a webserver in front. The queue has some logic (the kind you can configure with RabbitMQ) for deduping and routing, but is still just a queue.

That's the only persistently online piece.

(@jenniferplusplus mentioned this earlier as well, this is not unique nor original to me as a thought)

1/

polotek , 23 days ago

@hrefna I really like this.

polotek , 29 days ago to random

I'm looking at mastodon some more today and probably tomorrow. On our last episode, we reached a milestone of getting a local mastodon build up and running using docker. The docker part is important, because my goal is to get two local instances running and have them talk to each other. I'm thinking that's the easiest way for me to be able to inspect the ActivityPub protocol more directly.

polotek OP , 29 days ago

What are some high level questions people have about how mastodon works? Maybe I can use those for guidance as I explore. I'll share any answers I'm able to uncover.

polotek , 1 month ago to random

I'm gonna use this tool where no ones in charge, I don't pay for anything, and there are no real restrictions on how it's used.

Things happen that I don't like

no one could've seen this coming.

https://toot-lab.reclaim.technology/@djsundog/112480508051075965

polotek OP , 1 month ago

Just a reminder. I'm still exploring mastodon and the fediverse from a more technical perspective. I haven't quite gotten around to figuring out what "closed by default" looks like. But I still think it's a better use of time and energy than being mad when bad things happen on your completely open and unrestricted network. I'll share whatever I'm learning when I do get there.
https://social.polotek.net/@polotek/111932297792406262

polotek OP , 1 month ago

We're probably going to have to repeat this a lot and keep talking about it. But we don't actually have a ton of practice for how to manage things in a world without corporate control structures. Managing spam is one of the many things we take for granted now. Companies just do it for us, because not doing it devalues their business.

In the fediverse, all of these responsibilities are decentralized. It's going to matter a lot that nobody has to make themselves responsible for fighting spam.

polotek OP , 1 month ago

I know I sometimes start out by being snarky about these things. I can't help it. I am actually looking forward to seeing more discourse about all of the things we took for granted in corporatized social media. I believe we can figure out how to give ourselves those benefits again without the same compromises. But it takes work. And the first step is getting over that thing where wander through the world without caring about how these things actually get handled.

polotek OP , 1 month ago

My current feeling is that we need more parts of the ecosystem to be "pluggable". I should be able to pay for spam protection on my instance even if other people don't care enough or don't have the funds. But right now I'm not sure where it would plug in. I haven't noticed where the services I pay for even address it.
https://front-end.social/@ppk/112480843260215805

polotek , 2 months ago to random

“We have a culture of vibrant, open discussion that enables us to create amazing products and turn great ideas into action,” he said in the memo, which the company posted online. “But ultimately we are a workplace and our policies and expectations are clear: this is a business.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/22/google-nimbus-israel-protest-fired-workers/

polotek OP , 2 months ago

I'm not an activist. I could be. I probably should be. Ultimately my life choices have carried me in a different direction. I say that only to acknowledge that I'm not in the trenches. And so whatever I have to say about the tactics and strategies of activism should be taken with a healthy grain of salt. But as a person who supports these causes, I do have some thoughts that I think are worth discussing.

polotek OP , 2 months ago

First and foremost, it's important to understand that what tech activism is up against. These aren't just big companies. These are the biggest companies that have ever existed. They have more resources and more power than most nation-states. So being unable to move them isn't any kind of failure in my mind. It has always been a tall order.

polotek OP , 2 months ago

At the same time, I am asking myself what leverage we have as tech workers. What levers can we pull that can actually cause pain or damage to these behemoths?

More importantly, is that what tech activists set out to do? My assumption is that the goal of direct action is to cause pain to the powers that be. That's what makes a demand and not a request.

polotek OP , 2 months ago

Google is gonna get some pad press for firing these workers. But that's just not enough. We know that the news environment is pretty broken. Fast news cycles that have to constantly chase new stories ensure that none of this stuff will stick long enough to make a dent. The awareness does matter. But only if it eventually calls a wider group to action. And I'm not sure how that is achieved in this current environment.

polotek OP , 2 months ago

The question I'm sitting with is what other kinds of pain can tech workers cause. I was talking to some folks recently and had a revelation about tech workers power. Walkouts aren't going to work as intended. Because nothing breaks when we don't show up. In software tech, we spend a tremendous amount of time and effort building systems that can keep running 24/7. Even while we sleep. That's the goal. It's one way we measure success. So walkouts aren't the right kind of leverage.

polotek OP , 2 months ago

@hrefna @sgf no offense, but I feel like we have to agree that there's nothing special about SREs. The feeling is valid, but it's not unique. Lots of people care about the impact of not doing their job. I mean teachers still have to choose to strike when it means literally leaving thousands of kids with no education. This is hard for everybody.

It's more likely that tech workers just aren't actually impacted enough to reach that breaking point.

polotek OP , 2 months ago

@hrefna @sgf yeah I think this is the right framing. Thanks.