A reminder that broadband-from-space isn't about bridging the global digital divide or serving poor people. It's just another for-profit enterprise that seeks to exploit a public commons for private gain.
"#Starlink has refused to comply with the country’s BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) – 30 per cent ownership to local historically disadvantaged people."
technext24.com/2025/01/28/star…
Starlink said the policy would stifle international investmentsJoshua Fagbemi (TechNext.ng)
Cozy makes audiobook listening easy with simple controls and an intuitive interface.Sourav Rudra (It's FOSS News)
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Is 185 users "a significant number"?
Will Mastodon.social be required to shut down its public web pages and cease federation?
Is AWS S3 required to ban pornography or implement age-assurance protocols for public HTTP requests?
Can Sotheby's auction house display images of Robert Mapplethorpe's "X" series on their web site?
These are some of the questions we asked in our letter to Ofcom regarding the #OnlineSafetyAct. blog.woof.group/announcements/…
This letter (lightly edited for formatting and clarity) was sent to Ofcom's Online Safety Team on 2025-01-27 to clarify open questions re...Woof.group Announcements
@Friendica Developers @Friendica Support
Does "Save to folder" function work for you on the current stable and dev?
When ever I enter a folder and confirm, the browser (Firefox) freezes until I refresh it. The browser asks on refresh if I really want to leave the site since it is still processing.
After the manual refresh, the site is correctly saved.
Background: I was diving in the Code to adjust the color for the "save to folder" dialog, which is actually colorbox. Are we interested to make it a modal like the compose window?
I already fixed the color appearance, but am reluctant to create a PR on a may be faulty feature in general.
PS: I am so grateful for the dev container for friendica, it simplifies the dev process at leat for ui tremendously! ❤
Discover an affordable, innovative Braille learning device that also allows for science, math, and art learning. Enhance reading experiences and open new pathways to learning.The TouchPad Pro Foundation
On this Data Privacy Day, choose a search engine that puts you first. No ads. No tracking. No compromise. Just the results you want, on your terms.
(Illustration by Chaz Hutton for Kagi)
#Kagi #Search #DataPrivacyDay #DataPrivacyWeek #Privacy #AdFree
My wife and many of her friends are sociologists. She forwarded me this text that one of her friends found. Apparently it was also written by a sociologist. I found it helpful. Maybe you will too.
"As a sociologist, I need to tell you that your being overwhelmed is the goal.
1/ The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn't just politics as usual - it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.
2/ Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.
3/ Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.
The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.
What now?
1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.
2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.
3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.
4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context
5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.
Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.”
UPDATE: it seems that this Threads post is the origin of the above sentiment: threads.net/@itsjenniferwalter…
While I don't love linking to Threads, I think it's important to give credit where credit is due.
As a sociologist, I need to tell you: Your overwhelm is the goal 🧵 1/ The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too d…Threads
I cannot be more pumped to continue working on this amazing startup with this amazing team and community! 🔥🔥🔥
The Open Social Web is the future, we’re just getting started 🚀
techcrunch.com/2025/01/28/auto…
Openvibe's clever app that integrates multiple open social networks including Bluesky, Mastodon, Nostr, and Threads, just got a boost toward its futureSarah Perez (TechCrunch)
Hey everyone,
I’m micr0, the person behind Altbot, the open-source bot that helps generate alt-text for images, videos, and audio on the Fediverse. Right now, Altbot uses Google Gemini to generate the alt-text, but that means your data goes through Google’s servers and could be used for training their machine learning models.
To fix this and ensure total privacy, I’m looking to move Altbot to a local model that will run completely on my own hardware. This way, your data won’t be saved, shared, or used anywhere else—it’ll stay private and only temporarily be on my hardware.
It’s a big goal, but one that’s been on my mind since the very beginning. I’ve been talking about this shift for a while, and it’s time to make it happen. Plus, if I reach the goal, Altbot will be running on 48% renewable energy, which means less environmental impact and more sustainability.
To make this happen, I need to raise $1,800–$2,000 USD to buy server-grade hardware—things like GPUs for model processing, a solid motherboard, power supply, storage, and cooling. With this setup, I’ll be able to run Altbot privately, efficiently, and sustainably.
I’ve also posted a breakdown of the planned server specs and spending as a reply to this post if you’re curious about the details!
If this sounds like something you want to support, any help would be appreciated! Every little bit gets me closer to the goal. You can donate here: Ko-fi Link.
Thanks so much for supporting Altbot and helping make the Fediverse a better place!
Become a supporter of Micr0byte today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love.Ko-fi
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Remember The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, an old video game from 1984? Download it and play again on MyAbandonware.My Abandonware
Sensitive content
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Via Tom's Hardware: Facebook flags Linux topics as 'cybersecurity threats' — posts and users being blocked
Does this mean that Meta/Facebook is going to also ban mentions of:
What an absolutely asinine thing to do. Linux is incredibly prevalent in the technology landscape today. Yes, #linux on the desktop is a small percentage of the overall devices on the market today. However, linux usage in #embedded, #server, and #appliance applications is to a level where censoring references to it is insanity.
The irony of all of this? Zuckerfaces recent pull back of moderation on Meta's sites.... Meaning it's now okay to bash socially vulnerable populations, spread tons of mis-information on many social and political topics... But linux?"Oh no! That's a #CyberSecurity threat!"
This reeks of political #tomfoolery. I won't be surprised if it's eventually revealed that our new overlords put pressure on #Meta to #censor linux.
tomshardware.com/software/linu…
DistroWatch is one of the largest affected organizations.Mark Tyson (Tom's Hardware)
Gwynne Wilcox pledges to challenge decision after dismissal in effect paralyzes National Labor Relations Boardapple.news
#AndroidAppRain at apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid today with 18 updated (10 RB) and 2 added apps:
* Working Time Account: record your personal working and free time 🛡️
* Logline - MovieApp: discover, organize, and rate movies 🛡️
RB status: 419 apps (33.8%)
Enjoy your #free #Android #apps with the #IzzyOnDroid repo 
This is a repository of apps to be used with your F-Droid client. Applications in this repository are official binaries built by the original application developers, taken from their resp. repositories (mostly Github, GitLab, Codeberg).IzzyOnDroid App Repo
This is great news! Of course, prioritize your local library and bookstores. But also: get books and ebooks from Bookshop.org (which supports local bookstores) and audiobooks from Libro.fm.
Bottom line: bye Amazon 👋🏻
engadget.com/mobile/tablets/bo…
Bookshop.org, an online retailer that financially supports brick and mortar stores, began selling ebooks today, with all profits going to indie book stores.Amy Skorheim (Engadget)
sadly it's almost all DRM. IMHO from customer's perspective it's still better to buy it from Amazon, apply deDRM and read it everywhere.
It reminds me how fortunate we are here. When Czech ebooks became a thing, everyone had already had a Kindle and Amazon was not interested in entering such a small market. They had to figure out how to make the ebooks work with Kindle and the simplest way was to distribute DRM-free files you can simply email to your reader. And ever since all Czech ebooks have been DRM-free (actually they use social DRM, adding buyer's identification into the copy).
When PP talks trash about Jagmeet Singh pension, remember this was 15 years ago: youtube.com/watch?v=b9aJKDqqP4…
Can't spell conservative without the word con.
On route to #FOSDEM in #Brussels- so looking forward to talking about #Civicactions work with #FOSS #OpenSource & #DigitalPublicGoods
So, who is Canada about to elect? It's so shameful.
Please let's be better than this.
(P.S. Beware the bugs 🤦♀️)
![Workers, not WEF
[...] you have to read this.
The global elites want to impose a disastrous agenda for our country.
Carbon Tax Carney and Carbon Tax Chrystia share the same awful agenda that circulates at the World Economic Forum and other places like it:
You will own nothing and be happy.
This has no room in our country. Canadians deserve better than the destructive woke WEF agenda.](https://fedi.ml/photo/preview/640/632553 "Workers, not WEF
[...] you have to read this.
The global elites want to impose a disastrous agenda for our country.
Carbon Tax Carney and Carbon Tax Chrystia share the same awful agenda that circulates at the World Economic Forum and other places like it:
You will own nothing and be happy.
This has no room in our country. Canadians deserve better than the destructive woke WEF agenda.")
@sqrl_23 and he is already elligible to a pension since he is 31. But he believe hard working Canadian don't deserve one.
But we have the same conservative legacy media, that doesn't ask question, take lies at faith value (typo intended) and that's where we are at.
Dear @thunderbird :
I want exactly zero notifications for me and for the desktop users I support using the upcoming #Thunderbird 134 when it's released.
Will there be an easy option to disable all such notifications ?
support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/n…
This allows Mozilla to push important, time-sensitive notifications to users. These notifications are scheduled based on version, OS and locale.support.mozilla.org
@alecaddd OK, once every 4 months is reasonable, now imagine all free open source software asking for this.
What you describe sounds awfully like tracking, again, unexpected in Free open source software.
I am really not against donations notifications, just not in an office context, when it's already installed and I am upgrading. Enabled by default, yes. No way to disable it, please - no.
Learning Blind Tech Episode 20 A Little Taste Of Reaper
In this episode, I give some very basic information about the audio editing software Reaper. I show where to download the software, find the plug in that is essential for using Reaper with a screen reader, talk about training courses available and finally give you a small glimpse into some basics when using Reaper.
desireerenae.com/learning-blin…
In this episode, I give some very basic information about the audio editing software Reaper. I show where to download the software, find the plug in that is essential for using Reaper with a screen…Desiree Renae's Website
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Been using @joplinapp and a handful of plugins, along with my @nextcloud server, for notetaking over the past week or so since they added accessibility improvements. It has some rough edges but, aside from TiddlyWiki which is also accessible but also more opinionated, this is the best accessible notetaking system I've found so far.
So far I've loaded all the manuals for my last year or so of major purchases into it as PDF attachments, and the PDF viewer is about what you'd expect from a browser so certainly serviceable. Next I'll document how things are wired and complex button layouts, and it'll be great having those alongside the manuals. Also using journaling and this inline todo plugin to document the things I need to do alongside their context, then have them collected from my journal entries and displayed in a consolidated task view. Nice!
Write TODOs *everywhere* and view them in one place. - CalebJohn/joplin-inline-todoGitHub
Before Google decided to let extremists rename bodies of water, it used common sense.
From 2008: "...if a ruler announced that henceforth the Pacific Ocean would be named after her mother, we would not add that placemark unless and until the name came into common usage."
publicpolicy.googleblog.com/20…
Posted by Andrew McLaughlin, Director of Global Public Policy Hundreds of millions of users around the world use Google Earth . Many of the...Google Public Policy Blog
4 days until our 4th annual jam! Games for blind Gamers!
This is my all time favorite jam, I've met amazing people, learned a lot about accessibility, became a better programmer, and I'm super happy that I'm helping run it this year!
If you have time, consider joining! It's a month long chill jam where if all you can do is an afternoon one Saturday, you're as welcome as anyone and we'd be honored to have you!
itch.io/jam/games-for-blind-ga…
#Blind #GameDev #GameJam #gaming #indiedev #indiegame
A game jam from 2025-02-01 to 2025-03-10 hosted by NightBlade. Welcome, Blind and Sighted Game Developers! Welcome to the fourth annual Games for Blind Gamers jam! The goal of this jam is to build awareness of bli...itch.io
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And we've removed the profanity filter. Thank you again for the heads up!
github.com/thunderbird/appoint…
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. Maintaining a profanity list isn't a tenable solution for us, so we'll remove it and rely on user reports for any misuse. Describe the...GitHub
#Garmin watch owners, beware! There is a problem with a GPS coordination file that can brick your watch. Until it's resolved, avoid any GPS activities and/or turn the watch connectivity completely off.
My model is affected. 😕
UPDATE: Garmin has replaced the corrupted file with a fixed on their servers. If you have an affected model, but your device hasn't gotten into the boot loop, you're advised to go the Garmin Connect app and enforce the device sync to download the fixed file. The article has been updated accordingly.
dcrainmaker.com/2025/01/garmin…
Here I was just minding my own business trying to take photos for my Instinct 3 review, when some, but …DC Rainmaker
Long shot but worth trying. I'm #blind, want to redo my website(s) in Zola, and am looking for a theme. Can anyone please recommend something that a) looks good b) is somewhat flexible and c) would be appropriate for a blog/portfolio/project list? I realize that's a broad/vague ask, and I'm not very picky FWTW, but the Zola theme site is not terribly helpful if you can't see the screenshots.
If I had to narrow things down a bit more then I'd probably pick something Bootstrap-based since I know Bootstrap classes a bit more than Tailwind, but that's not a hill I'll die on if something looks/works better.
This is for both my personal site and, maybe, lightsout.games as well. The setup I used for both of those is creeky and less useful than I'd originally hoped so it's time to go back to mostly static.
Thanks for any recommendations and feel free to boost for reach.
The Node.js project just issued CVE IDs for 3 EOL versions
Is this a good idea or a bad idea? It depends who you ask
It's a weird discussion to follow, so I broke it down in a way that should offend all the involved parties
opensourcesecurity.io/2025/01-…
Very recently the Node.js project filed a few CVE IDs for end of life products. For vulnerability nerds this is exciting because historically EOL things didn’t get CVE IDs just for being EOL.Josh Bressers (Open Source Security)
🎉 👏 #WIN one year of Legend this #DataPrivacyDay 🎉 👏
Today we're gifting privacy to you with a FREE Legend plan!
To enter: 👉 Watch & tell us the color of his undies via the comments 🔥 😉
Hypolite Petovan
in reply to Der Marek • • •@Der Marek The feature works for me, I've fixed the awkward UX recently on develop: github.com/friendica/friendica…
Improving the display would be welcome, by using the regular modal window instead of the the colorbox for example.
Der Marek
in reply to Der Marek • • •Ahh okay, thank your very much! I pulled your PR and now the save works like a charm.
On the other hand, the background color is not fixed for frio dark / black.
I created an issue on github, elaborating my assumption for the cause for better discussion:
github.com/friendica/friendica…