Jonkman Microblog
  • Login
Show Navigation

  • Public

    • Public
    • Network
    • Groups
    • Popular
    • People

Notices by Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)

  1. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Monday, 16-Mar-2020 01:53:04 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Social Responsibility Amid COVID-19 Outbreak:

    https://mikegerwitz.com/2020/03/social-responsibility-covid-19

    As an activist for user freedom, I focus primarily on issues of social freedom and equality through the lens of technology. I think about how to level the playing field, to help those who are vulnerable.

    But some of the most effective things we can do today to make our contribution to society has nothing to do with software. Please consider others, even if you don't worry about illness yourself.

    #covid19
    In conversation Monday, 16-Mar-2020 01:53:04 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  2. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Saturday, 15-Feb-2020 23:44:31 EST Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    I'm sorry to say that I've decided to cancel my plans to attend #LibrePlanet2020 this year. My wife has had a rough pregnancy so far and will be just about in her final month during the conference, on top of having to care for our other two children solo for the weekend, and I don't want to put her in that position.

    I hope to see everyone next year, and I'm sorry again to those I was going to meet up with.
    In conversation Saturday, 15-Feb-2020 23:44:31 EST from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  3. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Thursday, 02-Jan-2020 00:11:59 EST Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Looking back on 2019, one thing I'm happy to see is that #privacy concerns are becoming much more mainstream.

    When I gave a talk at LP2017 just three years ago, I began by saying "this is not a tinfoil hat presentation". If I were to give that talk today, I could confidently omit that line, because 2019 has created a far more fucked up narrative than I ever could have.

    (On the downside, I haven't been able to keep up with the deluge of privacy related issues over the past year.)
    In conversation Thursday, 02-Jan-2020 00:11:59 EST from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  4. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Wednesday, 01-Jan-2020 02:10:36 EST Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    I chose not to submit a talk this year because I'm too busy, but I'm still planning to attend #LibrePlanet2020. I'm excited for the extra social time that I'll have---the previous four years I've confined myself to rehearsing my talk in my hotel room.

    If you're planning on attending, please lmk. If not, then please consider! FSF Associate Members are not charged for admission, and the FSF offers a travel fund to help those who may not otherwise be able to attend.

    https://libreplanet.org/2020/
    In conversation Wednesday, 01-Jan-2020 02:10:36 EST from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  5. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Wednesday, 01-Jan-2020 00:45:24 EST Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Happy GNU year, everyone!
    In conversation Wednesday, 01-Jan-2020 00:45:24 EST from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  6. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 00:50:51 EST Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Over the past year, my GNU Social timeline has gone almost completely silent; it seems that many people have moved to Mastodon and maybe those instances have stopped federating.

    Further, GNU Social development has been stalled for a long time.

    So this seems like an inevitable decision to give Mastodon a try. I'll start by following people and will post both on here and GNU Social initially. See https://mastodon.mikegerwitz.com.
    In conversation Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 00:50:51 EST from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink

    Attachments

    1. Mike Gerwitz (@mikegerwitz@mastodon.mikegerwitz.com)
      from Mike Gerwitz's Mastodon Instance
      25 Toots, 29 Following, 18 Followers · Free software hacker and activist with a focus on user privacy and security; GNU maintainer, evaluator, and volunteer.
  7. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Thursday, 10-Oct-2019 22:22:41 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    • Mike Gerwitz
    Actually, trying to clarify a potential misinterpretation may have opened up another.

    To be clear: I continue to support the FSF, and I respect the opinions of the GNU maintainers who signed the statement. And to those who support rms: please note that he has called for people to support the FSF as well.
    In conversation Thursday, 10-Oct-2019 22:22:41 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  8. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Thursday, 10-Oct-2019 21:38:44 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    I'm deeply disturbed and disappointed by the hatred, bigotry, and tribalism I've observed from certain groups over the past number of weeks.

    The free software community should know better than most that people have differences in opinion---we fight for freedoms many people don't even see as something worth fighting for. Every day is a brutal, uphill struggle against forces many times more powerful than we are. But we persist, undeterred.

    Yet many can't handle differences of opinion within our own community?

    People are upset. But if your posts feel like you're waging war, please take a step back and consider what you're doing. I don't care what side you are on, or what position you hold---if you spew intolerance, then I condemn your words even if I'd otherwise support your cause. Think of what example you're setting for future advocates and activists looking to join us in our cause.

    And, since this statement could be easily misinterpreted as supporting those I'm speaking out against: the FSF is not the enemy. A collective of GNU maintainers are not the enemy. In fact, if you see any "enemy" in any of this, I urge you to take a deep breath and step away for a bit.

    One useful strategy is to write what upsets you, but don't send it. Sit on it for hours, maybe even a day. Return to it when you're calm. I've deleted or re-written countless messages doing this.
    In conversation Thursday, 10-Oct-2019 21:38:44 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  9. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Monday, 16-Sep-2019 22:59:59 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Holy shit...

    I'm going to continue to withhold public comments until I get more information, and more thoughts in order.
    In conversation Monday, 16-Sep-2019 22:59:59 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  10. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Sunday, 15-Sep-2019 22:23:10 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Mischaracterization of an individual is an injustice regardless of your differences.
    In conversation Sunday, 15-Sep-2019 22:23:10 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  11. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Friday, 13-Sep-2019 23:55:47 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Those times where you spend nearly 2h writing, proofreading, and re-writing a fairly short email that should have probably taken ~5m, and then decide to stash it in your drafts and possibly never send it at all, and then complain about it on social media as if that'll somehow make your time feel a bit less wasted even if you never send the message.

    I suppose I could take this time to say something vague about how painting cultural taboos in black and white and subjecting it to groupthink chills speech and makes it very difficult to have constructive conversations.
    In conversation Friday, 13-Sep-2019 23:55:47 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  12. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Sep-2019 21:45:06 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    ACLU: "Should You Buy a Ring Doorbell Camera?"

    https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/should-you-buy-ring-doorbell-camera

    This article presents a number of good, important issues with these devices. And to be clear on my position: no, you absolutely should not buy a Ring camera.

    In my LibrePlanet 2017 talk, I asked surveillance camera owners to make sure that they are only recording their own property, not sidewalks or streets and such. Ring wasn't a thing back then, and it all but ensures that you capture passerbys (unless your doorbell isn't visible from the street). Now I consider it one of our greatest practical privacy threats.
    In conversation Tuesday, 10-Sep-2019 21:45:06 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink

    Attachments

    1. Should You Buy a Ring Doorbell Camera?
      from American Civil Liberties Union
  13. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Thursday, 29-Aug-2019 00:14:03 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    in reply to
    • Free Software Foundation
    • Alexandre Oliva
    I'm really pleased to see this, @lxoliva! Congrats!
    In conversation Thursday, 29-Aug-2019 00:14:03 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  14. Free Software Foundation (fsf@status.fsf.org)'s status on Wednesday, 28-Aug-2019 13:14:16 EDT Free Software Foundation Free Software Foundation
    Exciting news: Alexandre Oliva, chief developer of the GNU Linux-libre project, and recipient of the 2016 Advancement of Free Software award, has joined the FSF board of directors! Let's all give him a warm welcome. https://u.fsf.org/2wi https://status.fsf.org/attachment/1337982
    In conversation Wednesday, 28-Aug-2019 13:14:16 EDT from status.fsf.org permalink Repeated by mikegerwitz
  15. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Sunday, 18-Aug-2019 23:00:25 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    I find it difficult to express how much I enjoyed this video on APL from 1975, using a teletypewriter:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTpQ4Kk2wA

    (YouTube requires non-free software to run; please consider entering the URL in your favorite video player or downloader instead.)
    In conversation Sunday, 18-Aug-2019 23:00:25 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink

    Attachments

    1. APL demonstration 1975
      By Imperial College London from YouTube
  16. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Monday, 12-Aug-2019 23:08:50 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    ACLU: "Say No to the 'Cashless Future'":

    https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/consumer-privacy/say-no-cashless-future-and-cashless-stores
    In conversation Monday, 12-Aug-2019 23:08:50 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink

    Attachments

    1. Say No to the “Cashless Future” — and to Cashless Stores
      from American Civil Liberties Union
  17. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Monday, 05-Aug-2019 22:20:22 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    Another good article from Cory Doctorow about adversarial interoperability, this time about IBM and the Phoenix BIOS:

    https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/ibm-pc-compatible-how-adversarial-interoperability-saved-pcs-monopolization
    In conversation Monday, 05-Aug-2019 22:20:22 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink

    Attachments

    1. 'IBM PC Compatible': How Adversarial Interoperability Saved PCs From Monopolization
      from Electronic Frontier Foundation
      Adversarial interoperability is what happens when someone makes a new product or service that works with a dominant product or service, against the wishes of the dominant business.Though there are examples of adversarial interoperability going back to early phonograms and even before, the computer...
  18. Mike Gerwitz (mikegerwitz@social.mikegerwitz.com)'s status on Saturday, 22-Jun-2019 22:53:28 EDT Mike Gerwitz Mike Gerwitz
    in reply to
    • Christine Lemmer-Webber
    @cwebber Great episode! Just had a listen.
    In conversation Saturday, 22-Jun-2019 22:53:28 EDT from social.mikegerwitz.com permalink
  • Before
  • Help
  • About
  • FAQ
  • TOS
  • Privacy
  • Source
  • Version
  • Contact

Jonkman Microblog is a social network, courtesy of SOBAC Microcomputer Services. It runs on GNU social, version 1.2.0-beta5, available under the GNU Affero General Public License.

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 All Jonkman Microblog content and data are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

Switch to desktop site layout.