Notices by neil 🍄 (neil@social.coop), page 18

@azh I haven't. Looks good, thanks!

What if the problem with social media isn’t just that it got centralized, but something deeper than that? Looking forward to seeing this project by Kathleen Fitzpatrick progress as she looks at the history of sociality online.

https://kfitz.info/we-have-never-been-social/

@hector

Software doesn't just spontaneously birth itself into existence. It's made by people, and predominantly a certain type of people. People tend to have biases and self-interest. Be aware of that.

Not sin - privilege. It's not a sin to be privileged. To be unaware of it, or unconcerned by it, in relation to others, is a failing.

'self-flagellation' - your choice of words. I'd see it as empathy.

'disgusts me' - sorry you're so easily triggered.

@tbeckett

Two years after Grenfell, there has been little change or progress in the provision of safe social housing in the UK.

Summed up in the podcast as being down to a lethal mix of indifference, incompetence, and dicking about with Brexit.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/audio/2019/jun/14/the-story-of-grenfell-united-podcast

#Grenfell

- Spend half the time you use learning Yet Another Technology to educate yourself about race, gender and class struggles (historical and present).

- Pipe down and listen to others when it comes to discussions about what is needed in software.

- Don't 'scratch your own itch' - serve a community. If you're white, male and technically proficient you've got enough privilege in the bank to pay it back building for others rather than yourself.

Some things I am learning: if you're white and male and into free software (I am), recognise that you have a very blinkered and narrow view of the world.

@intherain Yeah nice I saw that in Utrecht recently!

Despite the liberatory potential of technology, of which I see free software playing a big role, there's a very real concern of ending up with a kind of technocratic 'vanguard party'.

You can debate the merits of vanguardism in general, but couple it with the current disproportionate skew of tech roles to white and male - which is even more pronounced in free software at present - and throw in the 'scratch your own itch' trope.

That's a huge systemic problem as vanguard becomes regime.

@ink_slinger Oh I'm so, so sorry to hear that. My deepest sympathies to you and your wife.

This podcast made me very angry. The effects Tory austerity has had on disabled people in the UK. After a lot of hard-won gains for disability rights in the 80s and 90s, the Cameron government rolled most of those gains back in the bogus pursuit of austerity.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2019/jun/11/cruel-state-the-impact-of-austerity-on-disabled-people

Don't suppose there's a public Mastodon instance available that's set up purely for testing? Where you can register and test posting various things and it won't junk up people's timelines?

The environment is getting more into the public consciousness in the UK.  For young people, even more so.

'Almost half of 18- to 24-year-olds chose environmental issues as one of the nation’s three most pressing concerns, compared with 27% of the general population.'

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/05/greta-thunberg-effect-public-concern-over-environment-reaches-record-high

The environment is getting more into the public consciousness in the UK.  For young people, even more so. ‘Almost half of 18- to 24-year-olds chose environmental issues as one of the nation’s three most pressing concerns, compared with 27% of the general population.’ www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/05/greta-thunberg-effect-public-concern-over-environment-reaches-record-high

I like the Im-only-online-Monday-and-Thursday approach of Kicks Condor. Might give it a go...

Make space for solitary bees.

@syndikalista Indeed! I hope to go this year. https://festivalofmaintenance.org.uk/