Inspiring books for a publicservice internet

The branches of the Fediverse diagram

I have been thinking a lot about the public service internet (or the notion of a internet which is focused on public value not extraction and surveillance)

Theres a number of things in my head but one of them is about collectively sharing what we mean. When I say we, I literately mean exactly that. I was reminded of this a while ago while looking at my diigo group I setup ages ago. Ultimately its a aggregated list of links from a pool of people.

In practice it didn’t really work because although I did accept a few people, almost no one added any links to the group. In actual fact I’m looking for an fediverse version of diigo because I’m really not getting that much out of it. I did get some spammers but not enough to cause any problems, harm or use much of my time. I could glance at their profile and easily work out their intentions.

Anyway I do think the pooling/aggregation is a good idea within a human scale group.

While listening to tech won’t save us and looking more into the Degrowth movement, I found a number of books by the guest Jason Hickel. I did what I normally do is add them to bookwrym as books of interest. Then thought wonder if there is a category or tag option. I found lists and the ability to change the visibility and contribution options.

So I setup a public list and the ability to carefully add contributors.

Ideally this could be really good and a useful list for me personally listening to a lot of public service related audiobooks. It could also be useful to collate some of the lesser know books and authors. But even better is the ability to share wider what is meant by a public service internet?

Interested in joining the group? Get on bookwrym or setup your own instance and click the button to join the list? Of course if I don’t accept the request (I’m new to this too) just direct message me.

Back to the link sharing, I realised this is what Lemmy is…kinda is. I may take a different route on link sharing and potentially self-host it myself. Once I do I’ll likely just move away from Diigo completely, shutting down the existing groups. Don’t worry I have already gone a export of the links and data.

Looking forward to reading and sharing more.

Little update on Bookwrym

I now have a group which can add to the book list, I’m carefully adding people who are collaborators. If you feel this is also you, contact me.

In the EU or UK? Opt out of Meta using data to train AI

Facebook form for opting out of data being used to train Meta AI

I heard Meta were planning to change their EULA/Terms of use and planned to opt out in anyway possible. But I was nicely surprised to see not only the EU but UK can opt out using the short form above. Although I think it is cheeky to require a reason…

I assumed the EU would be covered but the UK would be left out. Thank goodness for GDPR

You can learn a lot more by reading this how to guide or watching this video.

Update just 55mins later

I got this email from Facebook/Meda

Hi Ian,

We’ve reviewed your request and will honor your objection. This means your request will be applied going forward.

If you want to learn more about generative AI, and our privacy work in this new space, please review the information we have in Privacy Center.

facebook.com/privacy/genai

This inbox cannot accept incoming messages. If you send us a reply, it won’t be received.
Thanks,
Privacy Operations

Isolation but not Inactive in Amsterdam mix

Amsterdam Nemo museum colourised with clouds
Nemo Amsterdam

Following on from my time in Berlin, came a number of conferences in Amsterdam. Between a number of excellent conferences, time in a theme park and lots of time on the Amsterdam metro system I caught Covid for the second time. Although not so bad as the first time, I isolated in a hotel room to avoid infecting others. I was very aware there was no need to self-isolate, I couldn’t bring myself to infect a number of people. Hence this mix a late entry into the locked down mixing out era of my mixes.

In between working, sleeping and watching a lot of media, I was able to craft and record this mix then redo it on the aggressive hour plane back to Manchester.

Recorded live and it leans on the Berlin Donnerwetter mix with another swift 136ish BPM plus a real interesting bag of old and new tunes. Originally longer but the hour flight set a better time of under a hour.

Enjoy here or on Peertube or in full quality on my mixgarden

  1. Dark Side Of The Moon (RYDEX Extended remix) – Susana
  2. Opium (Stan Kolev Remix) – Jerome Isma ae Alastor
  3. Back to Earth (rave mix) – Yves Deruyter
  4. Energy Crash (Extended Mix) – Maarten De Jong
  5. Stealth bomber (Chris Schweizer remix) – Bryan Kearney
  6. Erase – Brooks Alexsander
  7. Silence (Jerome Isma-Ae Extended Remix) – D-Nox, Baya, LENN V
  8. The Wave 2.0 (Extended Mix) – Cosmic Gate
  9. Labyrinth (Paul Keyen Remix) – Lee Cassells
  10. The Legacy 2.0 (Alphazone remix) – Funabashi pres. Saltwater
  11. Headliner – Jorn Van Deynhoven
  12. Home (Cosmic gate remix) – Paul van Dyk feat. Johnny McDaid

My first mushroom based cocktail

Mushroom cocktail with mushroom juice in a bottle in the background

A while ago I made my first mushroom cocktail and it was delightful, I always meant to post it but its sat in my drafts for a long while.

I took the recipe from here, and made some changes to cater for my vegan partner.

Ingredients

  • 25ml Dried mushroom
  • 50ml Vodka
  • 25ml Lemon juice
  • 10ml Agave
  • Ice cubes

Method

Boil the Dried mushroom in water for about 45mins. Then pour into a container and put in the fridge to chill.

Later at the party, add 2 shots of vodka (50ml), 1 shot of the mushroom broth/juice (25ml – adjust for strength), 1 shot of lemon juice (25ml), 10ml Algave syrup to a cocktail shaker and add ice cubes. Then shake away.

Once you are done, filter the drink into a martini glass and enjoy!

Endemic Covid-19

Mozilla keep cup, positive covid tests, mug, paracetomol and other mdedication on a wood table

Just recently I caught Covid19 for the second time. It was once again while in Europe working (never caught it in the UK funny enough). This time I didn’t get the awful Covid toe, which was a big relief!

It is super strange, I caught it between attending the PublicSpaces conference and getting setup to run the ethical dilemma cafe at Mozhouse Amsterdam. Now to be fair I did spend a lot of time on Amsterdam’s public transport,went to a Dutch castle with lots of tourists and had a great time at Walibi.

Regardless, I did feel a bit tired from the lack of decent sleep over the last few weeks (Not spent much time at home recently) but I also felt cold but didn’t really think about it. The Mozilla team decided to take Covid tests and I did so not really thinking I would be positive.

Then it happened, 2 very red lines – a total surprise!

That was the moment I decided not attend Mozilla house Amsterdam because its a place where you talk to a lot of people and felt deeply responsible for passing on Covid on to others. I also decided to stay in my hotel room and only venture out for breakfast and to a supermarket which was about 15mins walk away. Both with a mask, which I happen to have in my laptop bag since 2021.

Looking from Amsterdam station to North Amsterdam
As close as I could get to Mozilla House Amsterdam

After a few days and a second covid test, I changed my plans and took a earlier flight back to the UK.

I did find it strange how people reacted to me wearing a mask, although I was trying to be a responsible person (No judgement on anyone else). I had assumed people would think I was protecting them as I might have Covid? There was one instance in the hotel lift when I informed a man they might want to wait as I have Covid. He decided to not worry about it but commented it was really good I was wearing a mask and most people don’t bother?

I know all the Covid policies have pretty much gone and we have moved from pandemic to endemic. Like myself, there was no way of knowing I had Covid till I tested. I wouldn’t have tested if I didn’t have access to tests and had a reason to test.

Its all quite a interesting catch 22…

How am I? I’m tired, slower but active. Cough has gone and I found my out of date Covid tests are still picking up on my positive Covid, although a year old. But I do have the new ones to confirm when I do believe I’m negative again.

Not that it matters I guess?

The Berlin donnerwetter mix

Google thunderstorm weather alert with map of Berlin and airport in background

Recently I took a last minute flight to Berlin for Republica 2024. Although I mainly escaped the thunderstorm by going via Copenhagen it was touch and go on the Copenhagen to Berlin leg of the journey.

Of course I had lots of time to record this mix on the pacemaker device, which attracted the eye and question of a fellow passenger who asked what it was and how it worked. Gladly explained, not sure if he took it all on board but good to have interesting in this very aged device.

This mix is recorded live and moves a long at 136ish BPM with some classic trance tunes. Turn this one up nice and loud! Hopefully in the sunshine not in the thunderstorm!

Enjoy here or on Peertube or in full quality on my mixgarden

The list of tunes used

  1. Long Way Home – Gareth Emery
  2. Aberration Of Light (Original Mix) – Michael Kaelios
  3. Energy Crash (Extended Mix) – Maarten de Jong
  4. Erase – Brooks Alexsander
  5. Verdi – Mauro Picotto
  6. Opium (Quivver Remix) – Jerome Isma-Ae & Alastor
  7. Beat (Da Boxx) – Laurent Garnier
  8. Soundbar (extended mix) – Giuseppe Ottaviani
  9. Running up the hill (jerome isma-ae bootleg) – Placebo
  10. Whites Of Her Eyes (Original Mix) – Simon Patterson
  11. Amino Acids (Original Mix) – Tau-Rine
  12. Brush Strokes (Original Mix) – Simon Patterson
  13. Certitude (original mix) – Thomas Bronzwaer
  14. Floyd (extended mix) – Jerome Isma-Ae & Alastor
  15. Adam K & Soha Mix – Kaskade
  16. Inception – Teminite

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (June 2024)

4 people standing (3 female and 1 male) look into their phones

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed while seeing the latest shiny AI device as simply a Android launcherFUD pointing at Signal & Proton and AI bots dating other each other?

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

You are seeing aspects of this with Meta sued under section 230Microsoft providing passkey support for all its users and finally some agreement around Bluetooth tracking.


Is the C-suite at fault for the current tech problems?

Ian thinks: This new series by Zittron looking at how the tech industry is being run by people who have far less interest in the technology. Some call it the maturing of the sector but its clear from the Zittron this isn’t necessarily a good thing

We need a public service internet. no really!

Ian thinks This is not going to come as a surprise to many readers but iit really unites a number of the different initiatives. Futher adding fuel to the slowly burning fire.

GoFundMe is worst that you can imagine

Ian thinks: Most people have seen a range of crowdfunding profiles/sites/apps for tragic healthcare cases, Even I pointed at the lack of public healthcare systems but the podcast goes so much deeper, pointing out who gets funding, how and ultimately how Crowdfunding sites profit from the misery.

Not heard about Deadbots?

Ian thinks: Digital recreations of dead people or deadbots, is on the rise and this Guardian piece highlights the rise and problems with them. The idea of them haunting others could be a real big problem in the future.

Is Passkeys a dream too far?

Ian thinks: Reading this flags a lot of alerts, MicrosoftGoogle and many more have thrown weight behind it. I still use them but alongside other multifactor authentication.

Time to own your own home page?

Ian thinks: Reading about the return of the home page is a interesting read but I can’t help but remember Steven Pemberton’s presentation from a long time ago.

Use the artificial creativity

Ian thinks: I found Ruskoff’s monologue about Gen AI is quite balanced and reminds us all of the problem with the wider ecosystem. Gen AI will create generic stuff but won’t create the next generation of anything without human creativity.

A public bid to acquire TikTok?

Ian thinks: The Tiktok bans are popping up everywhere and I found this news quite unique. With a billionaire buying Tiktok for the public good? There is a lot more detail on project liberty..

Does Data Colonialism exist?

Ian thinks: One of the most thought-provoking talks in Re:Publica this year, I felt. When layed out in a new book data grab, the professors make a compelling case for how the only word to describe now is data colonialism.


Find the archive here