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1. Embed this notice
   Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2025 21:10:49 JST Aral Balkan

   Was talking with a friend of mine in academia here in Ireland about introducing one of the universities in Dublin to the concept of the Small Web and Small Tech. She asked her faculty if they’d be interested.

   Their response?

   “We’re not looking to change things.”

   I shit you not.

   (In case you’re wondering why we’re fucked or who exactly is complicit. These are folks that have multi-million euro relationships with Big Tech.)

   #BigTech #SiliconValley #academia #institutionalCorruption #education #neoliberalism #fascism #SmallTech #SmallWeb #humanRights #democracy

   • Embed this notice
     Abhiram (axel@social.glitched.systems)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2025 21:31:32 JST Abhiram

     in reply to

     @aral@mastodon.ar.al I constantly run into this same exact attitude here in India too.
     
     It is incredibly frustrating as an educator when you get stonewalled with no room for discussion because the people in charge just want to coast along and not actually do anything.

   • Embed this notice
     grey (grey@basilisk.gallery)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2025 21:37:14 JST grey

     in reply to

     @aral

     I dunno if you've seen this trailer for a parody film called Silicon Docks by Graham Jones:

     https://youtu.be/W5z-kQcyHRM?si=fgzW0jjvX199gRIf

     It's the trailer for the longer film mocking American tech giants:

     https://youtu.be/cG8gwP3kQfE?si=rNhzWwQPvRl3jqdd

     Unfortunately they've definitely got their claws into Ireland as you well know.

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2025 21:37:14 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • grey

     @Grey Hadn’t. To be fair, have zero life to spare to even watching a parody of those assholes.

   • Embed this notice
     ricardo (cpdxdev@fosstodon.org)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2025 21:51:43 JST ricardo

     in reply to

     @aral you’re trying to get them to drop MS office for libre office or something?

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Feb-2025 21:51:43 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • ricardo

     @cpdxdev “introducing one of the universities in Dublin to the concept of the Small Web and Small Tech”

     Small Web:

     - https://ar.al/2020/08/07/what-is-the-small-web/
     - https://ar.al/2024/06/24/small-web-computer-science-colloquium-at-university-of-groningen/

     Small Tech:

     - https://small-tech.org/about/#small-technology

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Wednesday, 26-Feb-2025 00:15:49 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • grey

     @Grey I’m not even fighting them. Waste of energy. I’m working on something that will hopefully make them irrelevant.

   • Embed this notice
     grey (grey@basilisk.gallery)'s status on Wednesday, 26-Feb-2025 00:15:50 JST grey

     in reply to

     @aral I get it, it's a constant grind fighting them.

   • Embed this notice
     Katrina Katrinka :donor: (katrinakatrinka@infosec.exchange)'s status on Wednesday, 26-Feb-2025 02:17:02 JST Katrina Katrinka :donor:

     in reply to

     @aral
     Cost might come into play as big tech has discounts for schools and nonprofits.

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Wednesday, 26-Feb-2025 02:17:02 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Katrina Katrinka :donor:

     @katrinakatrinka This wasn’t about procurement. It was about hearing about a different way of doing things. And possible collaborating on research, etc.

     But yes, they get multi-million euro grants for working with industry. Hence why they’re perfectly fine with technofascism.