Notices by Strypey (strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz), page 8

We have to be careful about claiming that anyone who has ever made a critique of Islam or Muslims is responsible for Friday's tragedy. That's not fair, just like it wasn't fair when some people tried to claim that every every greeny was responsible for the actions of the Unabomber. (1/2)

Having a special type of account for official use, one that needs a post seconded by another team member to post things, would be a handy feature. Would also be useful for people who know they tend to go off half-cocked sometimes. They could ask friends to be their post seconders for a while.

@MistahDarcy I love being able to link to videos on YT without actually sending people to their site. But I can't wait to be able to link to videos on #PeerTube sites more often than videos on YT.

Exactly what I expected of #ClickBait corporate media. They are so easily distracted and their entire business model is based on feeding the loudest trolls they can find. Here's an example, where a page of live coverage on the #Strike4Climate protests has been hijacked into covering the mosque shootings:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/03/live-updates-new-zealand-s-school-kids-join-global-climate-change-strike.html

Students and supporters marching for #ClimateJustice in the central city of #Wellington, the capital city of #Aotearoa (#NZ):
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=4z_3UzpaCr0
#Strike4Climate

This really is the last straw. It's already unacceptable that an oligopoly of publishing corporations are making enormous unearned profits from their control of academic journals. But when they start actively sabotaging the integrity of the peer-reviewed literature, it's time for the editorial staff of every corporate-owned journal to quit en masse, and set up new #OpenAccess journals to continue their work as a #CreativeCommons, or even in the #PublicDomain.

On top of all their other questionable business activities, leading to boycotts against them by academic institutions in both the EU and US, I just learned that #Elsevier is also trying to censor peer-reviewed science that goes against the PR line of other corporations:
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Retracting_Serallini_study_violates_science_and_ethics.php

'Killing in the Name' - #RATM:
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=bWXazVhlyxQ

'Tubthumping' - #Chumbawumba:
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=2H5uWRjFsGc

Both these deeply political songs have similar underlying messages, encouraging people to stand strong in the face of repression. (1/2)

@aral I don't agree that "user" is an othering term. Users are the people who need things like copyleft licenses to protect our interests from developers or owners who are unethical or incompetent. Whenever we use tech we didn't build, and there is a potential power difference between us and the people who built it, we are users. Even the most experienced programmers play the role of users (unless they've had time to read and fully understand all the code in every piece of software they run).

"#UltraReach says their security considerations mean they prefer third party expert review to open source review."

... and we know that "third party" isn't of the Chinese Communist variety ... how? I have no idea what to recommend to Chinese nationals for getting out the Great Firewall. But I would strongly advise them against using anything that doesn't make it's source code public. It's the most basic security precaution there is.

I just spent half an hour trying to connect to the hotel WiFi. Then my wife absent-mindedly turned off the router, and I have to start again from scratch. For fucks sake people! No one is going to be #wardriving more than 20 floors up! You don't need a WiFi passcode, and if you must have one, give it to us at reception with our room key. #GrumpyForeigner #FirstWorldProblems

"We're not going to win the freedom of the net discussion carrying FB on our backs."
#EbenMoglen, 'Freedom in the Cloud'

"[FB] are not technically innovative. They depend upon an architecture subject to misuse, and the business model that supports them *is* misuse. There isn't any other business model for them. This is bad. I'm not suggesting it should be illegal, it should be obsolete. We're technologists, we should fix it."
- Eben Moglen, 'Freedom in the Cloud'
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=QOEMv0S8AcA

While I'm on a rant, it annoys me that I might have to retire my laptop in a year or two, even though the hardware is still working fine and dandy, just because even #FreeCode software seems to require more and more hardware power over time to do basically the same tasks. When I bought this laptop in 2010, it could run perfectly good voice and video calls over Skype on Windows XP! We must stop treating complex electronics as disposables.

Anyone have a proposal for more ethical, #FreeCode/ #OpenSource approaches to search and discovery on the net? The EU Next Generation Internet project might fund it to the tune of 5000 to 50,000 Euros. Application deadline is April 1, 2019:
https://nlnet.nl/discovery/
#funding

I can't watch this #NZOnAir funded documentary, produced by public broadcaster #RadioNZ, because it's on YouTube, which is blocked in China. How annoying:
http://shorthand.radionz.co.nz/alienweaponry/index.html

Hey RadioNZ, I have no objection to you putting your stuff on YT so it's available to the audience who choose to use that platform, but how about setting up a #PeerTube server to put all your video content on so it's not compulsory to use YT to watch it?

A request to founders of #FreeCode projects; if you decide to abandon a project, please make that clear on all the project's communication channels (ideally before you go dark). It would be great to know if you are ceasing development due to a) inadequate time, b) change in personal circumstances (eg job loss), c) loss of motivation, d) redirecting energy to support another project doing a similar thing (which one?)/ other projects in general (which ones?).

'University of California boycotts publishing giant Elsevier over journal costs and #OpenAccess'
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/university-california-boycotts-publishing-giant-elsevier-over-journal-costs-and-open

One of the topics YT plan to marginalize videos about is 9/11. The events of that day have been used to justify massive increase in state powers (especially #MassSurveillance), and erosion of basic human rights, not just in the USA but across the world. Will videos critiquing that get caught up in the dragnet that's trying to suppress speculative theories about the events themselves?

One way to stop people being systematically misinformed by #FlatEarth videos on YT is making sure that the search results and recommendations associated with those videos include a bunch of videos explaining the science of how we know the earth is round, and debunking flat earth talking points. Marginalization != education.
https://mashable.com/article/youtube-to-stop-recommending-conspiracy-theories/