Notices by Chris Trottier (atomicpoet@calckey.social), page 6

I am brewing Folgers with an Aeropress.

I am a monster.

It's not worth bemoaning that #ActivityPub is, in fact, an open protocol.

And this is because it's not worth bemoaning that #SMTP is an open protocol. Or Hypertextual Transfer Protocol (#HTTP) is an open protocol.

Or for that matter that anyone can use these protocols as they see fit.

Do I like every use of these protocols? Not at all. We can't always have good things because shady assholes insist on exploiting the open web for their own greed.

The trade off is that we get to have an open web.

Now occasionally, I get people popping by who tell me, "Screw you! I don't care about an open web! I just want to keep my community intact!"

But the only reason your community exists is because we have open protocols.

If you don't think so, find me all those thriving communities still using AppleTalk or IPX/SPX. Wait. There aren't any.

And that's because the only entities that have bothered with a *closed, proprietary* protocol happen to be for-profit corporations that have largely discontinued them due to -- again, wait for it -- the prevalence of open protocols.

Which brings us to a further problem.

You can't use an open protocol while simultaneously pushing for it to be closed. The #W3C already validated ActivityPub. The proverbial cat is out of the bag.

So yes, corporations will adopt ActivityPub. That's already happening. #Meta, #Automattic, #Medium, #Flipboard -- many more to come -- are developing for it.

But openness also means you can build upon it. You can create your own thriving communities. And some of these communities can be private if you so choose.

Just as it's possible for you to build your own newsletter or publish your own webpage, it's possible for you built your own #Fediverse server.

You see, openness cuts both ways.

@philtor@fosstodon.org Low is incredible. Now I'm not one to be pedantic about genre terms because, really, categories don't mean much beyond a descriptor of sound.

However, I think Low and slowcore are synonymous with each other. They practically defined the sound.

I think they were the ones who coined the phrase "quiet is the new loud".

@nerkles@toot.cat The whole album is killer, with classic songs from top to bottom. I struggled with what song to recommend. But "Selfish" really hits hard.

Now to finish my recommendations right where we started, and that's with British shoegaze.

"Alison" by Slowdive

And really, how can I have a list of shoegaze recommendations and not include this song? To many people, this is quintessential shoegaze.

It perfectly represents "the scene the celebrates itself".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkM3M3zGcGE

Now to talk about the greatest shoegaze band of all time -- actually, the greatest of the 2010s.

Yellow Fang is an all-girl trio from Thailand with incredible vocal harmonies, rollicking guitar, and atmosphere for days.

"Selfish" by Yellow Fang from their lone album "The Greatest" needs to be heard to be believed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCb4LyPBaGU

Another hidden gem that should be a shoegaze classic also came out last year.

"Spare the Time" by No Swoon

This song is magical, transfixing, and has incredible mystique.

No Swoon is from Texas. They're not Asian, but you definitely know they've been hearing many of the sounds coming from back east.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2UaZRs2W5c

The next incredible Asian shoegaze band is ODDLY. Again, this one's a hidden gem, but no less amazing.

I love the peppy drums, thumping bass, and the male/female duet.

"Ruh Ruh" by ODDLY was released just last year, and for me, was an instant classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIu3FCMhWQQ

@chris_e_simpson@hachyderm.io You should read the rest of the thread 😊

And now I could have mentioned My Bloody Valentine's masterpiece "Loveless". And it for sure is one of the best album's of all time.

But for my money, KiHap's cover of My Bloody Valentine's "Sometimes" is better.

This Korean band took what is essentially the perfect song and, not only made it better, but took it to a more devastating place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgimzQD1coc

Now I mentioned that Asian shoegaze is a big deal. So let me now mention the bridge between American and Asian shoegaze: Blonde Redhead.

This is an American band that has had a lot of Japanese members, and they really are one of the best shoegaze bands of all time.

"23" by Blonde Redhead is such a great song that paints such a melancholic mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7FqUNlEdwA

Now if you want a true hidden gem of American shoegaze, here's something that you'll really want to hear.

"Curl" by Morella's Forest. This is from the 1995 album "Superdeluxe"

Got to love this soft, sensuous feminine vocals married to that serrated distortion guitar that goes clean during the chorus.

Everyone should hear this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w3Jww8BkEw

Black Tamourine is another American shoegaze band. And I recommend their song " Throw Aggi Off the Bridge".

Now when I first heard this band's name, I thought they would be some dark hippy band. But not even close.

They have one of the most intense wall-of-sound guitar I've ever heard. And the feminine vocals are just delicious.

But most of all, listen to those drums. They go all out. What a band!

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

Now for some controversy: I think American shoegaze is better than British shoegaze. And these next three recs will demonstrate why.

First, let's start with the Drop Nineteens. Their song "Winona" has a more folsky quality, but also recalls a bit of the Pixies. A lot of underrated guitar with a hummable melody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXorpwa8Y30

This shoegaze song will surprise you.

It's Faye Wong covering the Cocteau Twins' "Serpentskirt".

Faye Wong is a Cantopop superstar, and is famous for starring in the Chongqing Express and singing the theme song for Final Fantasy VIII.

But here, not only did she sing "Serpentskirt", the Cocteau Twins were her backing band! Liz even sang back-up for her!

What's even more amazing is that Faye Wong did an entire album of Cocteau Twins tunes.

IMO, this may have been the catalyst for Asian shoegaze, which remains important to this day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRdpC0ul_I

My next recommendation is "Nothing Natural" by Lush.

When I first saw this music video, I thought it was the hottest thing I had ever seen. Both singers seemed really, really into each other.

It was only much later that I find out that both Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson hated filming this, and found it highly uncomfortable. Which should tell you that fantasy is often nothing like reality.

Nevertheless, this is a killer song -- and Lush is one of the greats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUuCXE6nnNs

Yesterday, someone asked for shoegaze music recommendations. So I'm compiling a list.

My first rec is My Bloody Valentine 7" single "Sunny Sundae Smile".

I first heard this song when I was 8-years-old. My sister put this on the family car tape deck, and I instantly fell in love.

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

I'm going to continue with another thread tomorrow, specifically talking about #email. Because to really understand the #Fediverse, email is essential to understand.

#LearnFediverse

In 2018, the W3C validated a protocol called ActivityPub that allowed interoperability between different social networks.

Instead of one social media node acting as a centralizing silo, each of them can federate -- cooperating to send messages across the universe that is the network.

The Fediverse.

This is social media's version of the United Federation of Planets.

It is ARPANET yet again -- a model that continues to work over decades.

And it's the future of social media.

#LearnFediverse

Into the 2010s, the flaws with centralization of social media quickly became apparent. A centralized node:

1. Lacks redundancy
2. Can be overwhelmed by bad actors
4. Is limited in scale for moderation
5. Is constantly targets for compromize

If a centralized node breaks or goes down, the whole network breaks or goes down with it.

Nowhere was this more apparent than with the Cambridge Analytica scandal that severely damaged Facebook.

#LearnFediverse