Notices by Robert W. Gehl (rwg@aoir.social)

The following is a random quote from my next book, Move Slowly and Build Bridges:

It’s time, Balkan and the Small Tech Foundation argue, to degrow things like corporate social media. Degrowth is a way of thinking that counters years of capitalist fantasies of infinite growth....

#MoveSlowlyAndBuildBridges #bot

I keep hearing people call legitimate concerns about LLMs/generative AI a "moral panic."

I really hope folks stop using that framing. This is not the same as parents getting freaked out about Dungeons and Dragons in the 1980s. This is a moment when huge, for-profit interests are seeking to exploit the creativity of writers, artists, and anyone else who creates. It's completely legitimate to express concerns. It's not a moment of "Won't someone PLEASE think about the children!?!".

@cwebber yes! It's all about how Mastodon invented ActivityPub! 😆

My book about Mastodon and the fediverse is now available for pre-order!

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/move-slowly-and-build-bridges-9780197776681?q=gehl&lang=en&cc=ca#

#Mastodon #fediverse #bookstodon #academicchatter

@aral @FediThing @jarrodu but... it's a Public Benefit Company! Surely that means good intentions.

I have reached the copyediting phase of the book, with a proof version of the title page as a nice tease of what it will all look like!

#bookstodon

My university, York U, is suspending admissions to a bunch of programs, mainly in the humanities. This includes Indigenous Studies.

There's news coverage in @torontostar. But it doesn't really address the cause.

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#academicchatter #indigenousStudies #YorkU

The immediate cause is that the federal government cut back on international students in Canada. But the underlying cause is Ontario universities becoming addicted to charging high tuition to those students. And the cause of *that* is the Ford government, which has underfunded education in the province.

Hey, there's an election coming up! Hey, Ontario: vote out Ford!

#canpoli #Ontario #higherEducation

I don't know who cares to hear this, but I publicly pledge to never use generative #AI to do any of my writing.

That means no AI to generate ideas, generate words, or edit my writing.

(It does not mean I won't use tools to learn how they work for purposes of criticism.)

#takeTheOrganicAcademicPledge

Sometimes people ask me why I moved to Canada.

To them I say:

DEIA diversity equity inclusion accessibility gender intersectionality indigenous LGBTQ* social justice privilege BIPOC

I can say more, but I imagine you get the point.

Hey, y'all, I've been on the fedi a minute. I've been on Mastodon since 2017, and an admin since '22.

The people at IFTAS are doing great work. Needed work. They provide space for admins to share knowledge, and they build evidence-based blocklists new instances can use to stay safe.

They need help. Now. Consider giving to IFTAS:

https://about.iftas.org/donate/

I've done it.

#fediverse #mutualAid #IFTAS #trustAndSafety

Hey, fedi, if I wanted to start a small fediverse server (probably server-of-one) using a Canadian company, do you have any recommendations?

I have experience running stuff on DigitalOcean and Linode, but they're both US companies and I want to #buycanadian

#askFedi

I'm going to talk to CBC about code words people use in corporate social media to get around algorithms -- things like #cutewinterboots on TikTok.

While using it on TikTok can make sense, I was curious to see where else it's used.

I don't really see that term used here on the fediverse, which makes sense. The fediverse doesn't really need (or want) obfuscation -- in fact, it's better to talk about the topic directly.

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@seanlawson and I wrote a book called "social engineering."

The Trump White House loves that term. What do they mean by it? What is the history of this curious term? And might Trump and his pals, themselves, be engaging in social engineering?

May I humbly suggest you check out our book? It's now available as an e-book on Bookshop.org!

https://bookshop.org/p/books/social-engineering-how-crowdmasters-phreaks-hackers-and-trolls-created-a-new-form-of-manipulativ-e-communication-sean-t-lawson/17170706?ean=9780262368933&next=t&next=t&digital=t

Since there's a new wave of new folks on fedi, maybe it's time for a re-#Introduction.

I'm Rob, a professor of media in Canada, and I've been studying alternative social media -- like the fediverse -- for over a decade now. I'm wrapping up a book about the fediverse for Oxford University press.

I've also written books about the dark web and disinformation/hacking.

I live in Canada by the Great Lakes and I go to Michigan to be by... the Great Lakes. I like the lakes!

Great interview with @vantablack about Fedipact, the agreement to not federate with Threads. Vanta talks about the big reasons people signed back in '23 -- EEE, poor moderation. Even more relevant today!

https://radiostudent.si/druzba/tehno-klistir/fedi-pakt#

#fedipact #Threads

Me in 2010: you should leave corporate social media.

Others: LOL, that's silly. They spread Democracy(TM)!

Me in 2015: you should leave corporate social media.

Others: sure, they spy on me, but I have nothing to hide.

Me in 2025: you should leave corporate social media.

Others: that wasn't a Nazi salute, I swear. And what about Engagement(TM)?

Trans rights are human rights.

Today you'll hear many people quote the "I have a dream" speech (including people on the right) but fewer people quote this:

"'And one day we must ask the question, 'Why are there forty million poor people in America?' And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth."

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#MLKjr #MLKday

Or this:

"Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism.”

#MLKjr