It’s understandable that people invested in ActivityPub would feel it’s the most logical standard for a global open social web protocol. And perhaps it should be. But there are competing arguments for and against it. Other federations happened after long and painful competitions between competing tech and players. In the meantime, there were gateways and bridges between them, just as there is one now emerging with BlueSky. It’s a very healthy competition, I think. And both can evolve to …
Markets work in mysterious ways. We all tell Betamax and VHS jokes, but the fact is, they existed simultaneously for quite a while. There were even “dual format” players made and sold quite successfully. It takes time for techs to prove themselves.
Voted in #SantaFe#NewMexico today, a place where the Democratic primary determines some of the ultimate races. One race really struck me as emblematic of the future, assuming constitutional democracy survives in the U.S. 1/
Every time I have to get these cancer scrapes I start reflecting on anything about everything. Because I get that idea that it’s random odds that I’ll get the chance to reflect or question tomorrow. It’s cleansing to purge my brain of all those random stupid questions for a day or two. Another instance of making lemonade from lemons.
@BigBoppa That’s what they are, yes. I’ve had 4 over 2 years and can expect the same for life. Doctor likes to say “it won’t kill you, but it could annoy you to death.”
Our voice phone systems are seamlessly federated. You can call people across carriers, over national boundaries, instantaneously, and the only friction is slightly more numbers to dial.
@evan I have a collection of old Bell Telephone magazine ads in storage from the 1950s! My favorite is one where a dude in a fedora points finger and says “Call by number! It’s fast! It’s easy!”
@evan The same is true of every one of your examples, and electricity too. The standards only emerged when many independently owned solutions tried to gain dominance. The smaller or failing companies almost always pushed for some form of standard so they could compete with the bigger dogs who always resisted it. None started out thinking federation. It always evolves from competing forces.
Elitism is such a dirty word today. But we have no other word to soften the idea that some levels of meritocracy have always been a vital and respected thing. Yet it’s still stylish to deny it. Equal opportunity and treatment under the law should be the legal standard for everything. But it isn’t and shouldn’t be the cultural standard. Because it never really was. Isn’t this why we’re in the Fediverse in the first place? Because we don’t share the same values or behavioral norms of the …
Ever wonder if any one organization could be supported by MOST liberally-minded citizens, if it had a coherent plan for restoring what worked in the American experiment? What would it take to break people out of their cynicism, sloth, and disinterest in working for real change?
Bike Ninjas. If I’m going to get “high riser” handlebars, should I go all out and get the really high ones like this (left), or just the 4.5” risers (right)? I am only a street rider and that’s all I will ever be. The higher looks comfy for cruising, but i worry about stability.
@swrogers I haven’t finished it yet. And can’t decide if I want to. Yes. it’s unique, but that isn’t always a good thing. I’m on the fence until I get through it.
Gawker Media Company -> Gizmodo Media Company -> G/O Media -> / Media? Or maybe they can rename it based on the assets they haven't sold yet where the staff doesn't actively hate management like checks notes Quartz? Should they just rename themselves Quartz but with an asterisk so no one confuses it with the original Quartz? https://writing.exchange/@ernie/112559953065962054
I’ve followed @film_girl since my 2nd day on Twitter. She’s always posting to a tech audience that knows WTF she’s talking about. I always learn a lot trying to catch up :)
Did I see an article in the past few days saying that Bluesky was going to start interoperating with Mastodon, at least as far as cross posting? I couldn’t get the article to load, and now I can’t find it
@notthatkaren@bsky.brid.gy@bsky.brid.gy That’s a start, I suppose, and a step up from the Threads AP model. I hope it scales. Personal Data Servers are the right model, and I don’t see anyone aggressively pushing AP in that direction. ANd we’re running out of time. Whoever has the mo 12 months from now, probably wins
@notthatkaren@bsky.brid.gy@bsky.brid.gy I keep asking about this, and all I get back is “it’s possible.” Lots of things are possible. Nothing gets done until someone does it.