Mastodon Feed: Posts

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

spirals are often problematic

Boosted by jwz:
dnalounge@sfba.social ("DNA Lounge") wrote:

Drink Special @ Sorry For Party Rocking (2010-2015 Pop and EDM): Ice, Ice Barbie - Tito's Vodka, Soda, Splash of Cranberry, Lime.

Attachments:

• gifv: 02572d0062799d5e.mp4

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold"):
kims@mas.to ("Kim Scheinberg") wrote:

Everything Macron does here is calculated. It's the difference between leaving no tip and leaving a nickel as a tip—the latter is a no-ambiguity message, "This wasn't oversight, it was a deliberate choice"

And it's not just that Macron doesn't shake Trump's hand, it's that his hand moves to Zelenskyy's back after letting Trump hang in midair

The contrast between his admiration for one man and contempt for the other couldn't be clearer

No 'fuck you' can compete with a French fuck you

Attachments:

• video: Macron approaches Trump and Zelenskyy in the entryway of the Vatican Macron reaches out to Zelenskyy and holds his hand in a warm, extended handshake Upon to turning to Trump's extended hand, Macron lets Trump hand, then places his own hand on Zelenskyy's back in a asupportive manner

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold"):
ghibli@beep.town ("Studio Gifli") wrote:

Attachments:

• gifv: The rage, it's left the atmosphere.

pzmyers@freethought.online ("pzmyers 🕷") wrote:

This house represents what America has become, and I hate it.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/04/26/america-2/

adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold") wrote:

*David Attenborough voice* “And here we have a Priveleged Man in Tech, the dominant species in this region. See how his survival instinct drives him to dismiss and deflect, for taking responsibility is poisonous to such a creature.”

https://fosstodon.org/@mike/114405505130065930

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold"):
mttaggart@infosec.exchange ("Taggart :donor:") wrote:

I feel compelled to talk a little bit about this #Fosstodon situation, having had my struggles with the instance and its moderation.

You need to start with the inherent tension in the instance's Code of Conduct, which states the following as a goal:

Provide a friendly, safe, and welcoming environment for everyone interested in Free/Libre/Open-Source Software, regardless of level of experience, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, political affiliation, or other similar characteristic.

But also clarifies that Fosstodon is not:

A free speech zone. Fosstodon is a community with specific — and high — standards of behaviour. If you would like to exercise your full free speech rights, you can do so somewhere else; while on Fosstodon, you should agree to follow the community rules set out in this CoC.

Nor is it:

An advocacy space. There are many important, controversial and political issues; and advocating for what you believe is important. However, Fosstodon is not the place for that advocacy. Even correct views can violate our CoC.

"We welcome all, as long as you don't talk about your identity too much, or what really matters to you other than FOSS." Look, instances can have the rules they choose, which users implicitly agree to by signing up. But it seems a bit much to ask users to render all other aspects of their identity subordinate to their interest in technology. This is a common refrain amongst a certain kind of tech ~~bro~~ enthusiast: keep your "politics" out of my tech. Of course, all technology is political, and the FOSS movement more than most. Ignoring or suppressing those aspects of the movement does a disservice to it. It also insults or ignores the many, many developers whose open source work we rely on, and whose identities and related advocacy would be considered "political."

To separate these spheres has never been realistic. Now, it's at best tragicomic, and at worst collaboration with authoritarianism.

The "solution," as they'll readily tell you, is to "find another instance." Which is exactly what I did, when I received warnings for posting about anti-trans legislation without a content warning. To be fair, the warning was a slap on the wrist, but I had been feeling the tension growing between my need to speak out and the apparent distaste for such speech on Fosstodon. Even the CW policing felt deeply problematic to me. I firmly believe Content Warnings are best used to prevent undue trauma. What they ought not become is a way to conveniently hide the suffering of others from those who would rather not see it.

So I departed. Others have arrived at the same, or similar, conclusions.

Now we come to the current matter, in which a fascist-aligned moderator engaged in conduct outside Fosstodon that made members feel unsafe. The claim by the Fosstodon admins that they are "happy with" the individual's moderation work, and that it doesn't reflect those views, demonstrates the exact untenable position described above: considering Fosstodon (or any online space) as a "politics-free zone" in which one's identity, conduct, and behavior outside that zone have no bearing on it. This is preposterous on its face: if I commit violent assault outside your bar, will you be comfortable when I take a seat and order a beer?

The threshold does not erase the behavior, nor protect anyone inside from it.

This is true for any user, but it is especially true for those put in positions of power, such as moderators. The power dynamic of online moderation requires that those entrusted with said power be of sufficient observable, upstanding character as to reassure users that the moderator will execute their duties judiciously and fairly. Once that's compromised, the moderator can no longer fulfill their duties.

Fosstodon, and those who similarly want to separate "politics" from their space, face an inflection point. Does it matter more that their users are actually safe, and able to express themselves as their whole selves, or does it matter more than the bubble remain intact? That is a choice each user and each community must make, but it's worth remembering what you become when you let the Nazis cross the threshold.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

Captured with a DSLR and 19mm shifting lens, from a somewhat precarious traffic ramp not really designed for pedestrians with tripods.

Built in 1913, Grand Central is one of my favorite buildings in NYC (and maybe anywhere), both inside and out.

The Chrysler building couldn't resist photobombing.

mattblaze@federate.social ("Matt Blaze") wrote:

Grand Central Terminal and Neighbors, NYC, 2017.

All the pixels, but no post office, food court or Apple Store, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/31933507513

#photography

Boosted by kornel ("Kornel"):
Viss wrote:

ˢˡᵃᵖˢ

Attachments:

• video: 7c398997adb992c2.mp4

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
timwaterman@mas.to ("Tim Waterman") wrote:

Apparently this plaque has been on the ceiling in the band room in Moscow High School (Idaho) for the last 40 years. I was the pianist for the orchestra and would lie on the floor and dream during sectional rehearsals. Marsha Folks, the orchestra teacher, put this up in my honour.

fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:

#BehindTheBastards covers The Zizians, #Rationalists, and the increasingly bizarre belief systems out of the tech community that are fertile grounds for culty behavior.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?i=1000698710498

kornel ("Kornel") wrote:

Sudanese punctuation looks like a company logo: ᳇

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Unicode/Sundanese%5FSupplement

adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold") wrote:

📝 Long overdue blog post. Being unwelcome: https://notes.neatnik.net/2025/04/being-unwelcome

I know I sound like a broken record, but this stuff is really important. Especially right now. “Let’s all just get along” can be such a tempting view, but that’s not going to fix the rise in fascism. The first step is to draw visible boundaries around the problem and make it crystal clear what kind of behavior isn’t welcome.

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold"):
holsta@helvede.net ("Alex Holst") wrote:

Bro, do you even ally

Boosted by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
ArtSmart@mas.to ("Art Smart") wrote:

The Lancet: "Medical journals should not expect to be spared by the Trump administration's attack on science, nor should health institutions such as the NIH, the CDC, or academic medical centres. Science and medicine in the USA are being violently dismembered while the world watches. While the risks to civil servants and academics’ livelihoods are real and understandably frightening, bullies are only emboldened by acquiescence or indifference."

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2825%2900814-1/fulltext

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
ShadowJonathan@tech.lgbt ("Spring Jo :neobun: :v_enby: 🍃") wrote:

The EU is introducing an energy label for phones, together with mandatory requirements for phones sold in the EU;

- 5 years of software updates (AFTER they stop selling the device in the EU)

- providing important hardware parts (during sale and for 7 years after), including free software (if needed), to every repair shop, within 5-10 business days

- batteries have to make 800 charging cycles and still be above 80% original capacity

And on top of that, phones and tablets need this energy label (which also includes a fall damage durability and repairability score), and abide by the above requirements, from 20 June 2025.

(https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/product-list/smartphones-and-tablets%5Fen)

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
Aphelion@mastodon.sdf.org ("Michelle") wrote:

How long
Have I
Cast this
Shadow
Without
Looking for
The light?

#poetry

Boosted by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art ("Michael Whelan") wrote:

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY
Saturday, April 26, 2025

This national one-day party celebrates independent bookstores across the country online and in-store. Exclusive books and literary items, contests, cupcakes, and everything in between...

https://www.bookweb.org/independent-bookstore-day

cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:

My accomplishment this morning: one letter from "Pikachu" responding to a birthday invitation, complete with little self-portrait.

cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:

I enjoyed this set from L'Impératrice this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7hzeUKzzj8

Especially "Entropia" at 17:01, but don't rush to that timestamp. Enjoy the whole thing.

Boosted by kornel ("Kornel"):
yurnidiot@mstdn.social ("Mandu 🥟") wrote:

Here we have the common boneless cat aggressively relaxing down the stairs

#Caturday

Attachments:

• gifv: calico cat laying on its side and slinking down the stairs like a wet noodle, outside in the sun

kornel ("Kornel") wrote:

Anything that Matt Berry reads is outstanding, and this is doubly so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXn%5F24Wb3q0

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold"):
cpi wrote:

protect trans youth

art by @tombofnull

adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold") wrote:

Fosstodon co-founder #1: “It’s OK to be a fascist as long as it doesn’t interfere with your moderation duties.”

Fosstodon co-founder #2: “Here’s a picture of my watch.”

pzmyers@freethought.online ("pzmyers 🕷") wrote:

No one goes to grad school in anticipation of receiving a prison sentence, or a death sentence.

https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2025/04/26/the-most-discouraging-xkcd-ever-yet/

adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold") wrote:

I still think about this post a lot: https://www.manton.org/2024/04/29/when-i-find.html

I wonder how that realization is holding up these days.

The mental gymnastics that some people will undertake to avoid taking responsibility can be astounding. (See also: the current situation with Fosstodon.)

Boosted by adam@social.lol ("Adam Newbold"):
jamesravey@social.lol ("James Ravenscroft") wrote:

#introduction hey all - wanted to introduce myself in light of my account migration to social.lol. I am a Software Engineering Manager and reformed academic by day and an amateur musician (saxophonist + guitarist), foodie, gamer and sci-fi enjoyer by night. I picked social.lol because some of the coolest people I was following from my old server are here and it seems like a laid back, inclusive and fun place. Looking forward to chatting to y'all :)

jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:

“12) Make eye contact and small talk. This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.”

reach across the barriers of old grievances to find new friends amongst your fellow Citizens. expand your web of trust.

Boosted by jwz:
jonny@neuromatch.social ("jonny (good kind)") wrote:

Just seeing that they are threatening Wikipedia's tax exempt status. The one good thing on the internet, the one healthy way we have of interacting with information.
https://www.theverge.com/news/656720/ed-martin-dc-attorney-wikipedia-nonprofit-threat

#USPol #Wikipedia