Notices by Kate Bowles (kate@aus.social)

Thinking about the UI problems @mekkaokereke is raising, the behaviours @KarenWyld and others have consistently pointed out, the labour of everyone working on shared blocklisting, and the accountability for what happens here that can never be set and forget — how does this erratic network of self-managed communities best manage its own future?

Bear with me, but what if BlueSky really is the best and most seamless experience for Twitter communities looking to rebuild quickly? What if it’s always going to be fine for some people and completely meet their needs? Is that a threat to this? Maybe.

Unless this is quietly becoming something else altogether, something for a different purpose that’s still being spec’d. What could that turn out to be?

Here’s @ben on being open-minded about platform co-existence, instead of the very tedious smackdown triumphalism that’s a tech product norm.

“This dynamic offers a promising future for users, with both worlds learning from one another in a productive tension that has the potential to strengthen the open social web.”

https://werd.io/2024/bluesky-the-fediverse-and-the-future-of-social-media

Among the terrible things in my workplace is a proposal to disestablish languages and linguistics. We’re a regional university serving a regional community—this risks language study at university level for students over a really wide area.

If you work in languages or linguistics, especially in Australia, please consider supporting my hardworking colleagues who are fighting back with a petition. Time is pressing, and boosts are welcome.

https://www.change.org/p/fight-the-closure-of-languages-at-the-university-of-wollongong/c

Very demoralised by everything but especially the behaviour of my employer. That line got crossed. If you work in a uni you won’t have to guess.

#silentsunday astonishment

Absolutely never expected to find myself engaging with the Telegraph for any reason, but Ukraine: The Latest is a whole other thing. So much grief for such a loved person.

Just so sad at the news David Knowles has died, far too young. I’ve been listening to his voice every night since the invasion of Ukraine. Here’s the report from the team at the Kyiv Independent.

https://kyivindependent.com/founder-and-co-host-of-telegraphs-ukraine-podcast-dies-aged-32/

@Alon @AstroKatie @Mabande But just quietly, if people do CW eye contact they’re only doing something to try to take care of strangers for whom that might be a thing. That “culture of CWs” — like encouraging alt text which BS used to not do, and now does — is just a way of saying “hey, keep in mind others aren’t living with the same needs or lived experiences as you”. In the end, erring on the side of caution isn’t the worst thing we could do for each other.

Of course there are better and worse ways to point things out. All we can do is try not to be assholes for any reason anywhere even with good intentions.

Moving on from thinking about replying, I’m noticing the techniques we all have for being each other’s strangers in crowded places, so we don’t do each other harm. Road rules are an obvious example. We take turns in doorways.

We’ve had a few big surf days recently and our community has been out watching the point break. Surf culture is a whole thing to watch in action, notorious for being hostile to outsiders and resistant to change.

But also amazing in achieving safety in pretty hectic situations.

@tty @natureworks Oh I love this. It happens on informal bush paths around where I walk — people clear overhanging branches and put stepping stones across muddy patches. These small anonymous fixes on a path where you never meet anyone are all time gifts.

@natureworks @tty I shared this one recently. It’s a creek outlet that constantly shifts position on a busy dog beach. Every day someone takes a moment to make a new little creek crossing for other dog walkers. So in this case there’s also a sense of working with impermanence. I love this aspect.

@rakyll @pettter Oh my, this has helped me understand something that also applies with force in universities.

@aral Having just arrived in Ireland can absolutely confirm.

@StillIRise1963 Great news! They can just text Jesus they’re not available for the next shift.

https://religionnews.com/2023/08/07/new-ai-app-lets-users-text-with-jesus-and-other-biblical-figures/

“So much bull-shit text makes for a highly effective bull-shit text generator.”

This is so fierce on #ChatGPT serving our own worst words back to us. Cheering @Ammienoot here. We need a much bigger conversation about AI.

https://ammienoot.com/brain-fluff/chatgpt-and-grimm-realism/

As some relief from #ChatGPT, please see this surprise from the garden today. It’s Hoya carnosa, also known as the honey plant, porcelain flower and wax flower. #florespondence @plants