Notices by M. J. Fromberger (creachadair@phire.place)

The authoritarian coup taking place in the U.S. federal government right now, although it is driven mainly by the so-called "conservative" party, is not a matter of policy disputes of any ordinary sort.

Reasonable people can be "conservative" about policy, but to align yourself with the GOP in this moment is a very different signal: It says you would rather burn the world than compromise in any way. It's not a political choice, it's an assault, and marks you as an enemy combatant.

Internet search in…

1990: ask people you know for their FTP server address

1995: scroll through twenty pages of Altavista results

2000: ten blue links

2010: ten blue links below ten ads

2020: one useful link to Wikipedia below the fold, all ads above

2024: AI summary followed by ads followed by a Wikipedia link

2025: AI summary followed by AI summaries of ads followed by a Wikipedia link behind an AI summary

2026: ask people you know for their archive torrent address

@grimalkina You are making a vital point: much of the obsession with "tech aptitude" and "technical competency" is a way to create, circumscribe, and defend an in-group. For a long time that was used to curate an idea of an elite, as a competitive measure in a vibrant economy; but it is also a way of kettling labour among a certain class of workers, as we have seen more recently.

"Is that free as in beer, or free as in freedom?"

"It's free as in use-after."

I accidentally typed "git pull --rebae", now my relationship is all screwed up and I think I'm about to be in a detached head state.