Notices by Allyson Shaw (allysonshaw@wandering.shop)

The Westray Wifey is giving you the Monday side-eye. This #Neolithic figure from the Stone Age found on Westray #orkney is the first depiction of a face found in the UK to date. #FavouriteThings

I love Scottish bank notes. This detail is a ring of midges from the Scottish £10 note visible under UV light. The bill also features scientist Mary Somerville who discovered the planet Neptune. (I believe this midge wreath also appears on other denominations. Has anyone seen them?) #Scotland

"At so crucial a political moment we need deep, critical thinkers and powerful writers - we must not let the entire future of human understanding be stolen from us, frozen in time because no one who comes next knows how to write."--Tansy Hoskins.@tansy This blog post is essential reading https://tansyhoskins.org/my-books-have-been-stolen/?ref=tansy-e-hoskins-newsletter #Meta #MetaAI #GenAI

@morph this looks great- thanks for the suggestion!

I’ve lived most of my life without a patch of land to grow stuff in. Now, I have a square of sad, pointless grass. I’ve made the leap and planted some cold resistant carrots in a grow bag & made the first wild spring salad with dandelions just come up. May my spoons hold…I have plans. #gardening while #spoonie Any green thumbs in cold climes have tips for easy wins? I’m new at this. #orkney #Scotland #compost #allotment

@pluralistic @alpinegreg what aspects of FB do you feel would translate here? Groups-pages-or the address-book aspect? Or something else? I’m not familiar with either cloud!

@pluralistic @alpinegreg “Federation is to social media what fire-exits are to nightclubs: a way for people to escape if the party turns deadly:” exactly.

@stux There is a blind spot on the Fediverse-migration conversation and that’s with professional artists & writers who need a social media presence to get the word out about their work. They may have built up an audience on corporate platforms who will not follow them here. I am trying to convince my peers to try, but it’s a hard sell—not because it’s “difficult” but because there’s a lot at stake professionally. The ‘us and them’ language can also sound patronising to an ‘outsider’

@PhoenixSerenity @arisummerland it had definitely taught me who are my true friends- will you bother to find another way to be connected to me, or would you rather Meta mediated all your relationships, including ours? I love that, slow time.

@arisummerland @PhoenixSerenity I realise that I don’t see information I need or want on those platforms- even though the potential seems to be there- it’s the carrot. Disinformation spreads, wedged between your grandparents or your friends from high school or a Bot that looks vaguely familiar and who you can’t block. ( a design feature of the new AI profiles on Meta- they can’t be blocked). I find it so sinister. Thank you.

@arisummerland @PhoenixSerenity What you are saying really hits home to me, Ari. I still go onto Meta products to check in, too--maybe once a month. There will be a time when I delete, but that hasn't come yet. I think if you are not a habitual/addicted user, the interface feels immediately toxic and infiltrated by bots and ads already. The people who have stayed are inured to this.

@arisummerland The heartbreaking thing is that FB/IG is the only way I find out whether one of my friends has died. I realised that as I became invisible on FB & IG, and began to disengage, I also became invisible to people I thought were friends. It was heartbreaking, especially because I avoid gatherings because of the pandemic.

I imagine some who are resistant to leaving know this is the price they will pay.
Thank you
@PhoenixSerenity for holding space for this conversation.

@goatsarah @marlies @Natasha_Jay thank you, Sarah! I was wondering if those who own the site are just hoping to populate it with content at any cost so that it can be sold on- or whatever. The vibe there is very different.

@Natasha_Jay @goatsarah @marlies what does vc backed mean? Thank you for this discussion. I was on Bluesky and saw this happening. It was alarming.