"“Mars colonization” [...] makes no sense based on economic or scientific reasoning. But it has one thing going for it: Cosy nostalgia. [...] It’s a story of progress and future that interestingly promises no change." (Original title: Progress and cosy nostalgia)
Smashing Frames
Progress and cosy nostalgia
Today (November 8th, 2024) Refused released a new version of their groundbreaking “The Shape of Punk to Come” Album based on cover vers...
In a recent Tech Won't Save Us episode I talked about the structural issues of open source and how it often lacks in democratic and political values. (Original title: Podcast: The Corruption of Open Source / Tech Won’t Save Us)
Smashing Frames
Podcast: The Corruption of Open Source / Tech Won't Save Us
Paris Marx invited me to his influential Tech Won’t Save Us podcast to connect two seemingly distinct stories: The WordPress collapse (that I...
Gotta say, Bluesky's "Starter Packs" are a very good idea.
If Europe and the EU would not themselves experiment with fascism right now, with the way that the US will probably act in the next years there's a huge window to actually change the web and tech if one had some will to actually do something. (And I am not talking about "EU Unicorns" or a "European Palantir". I mean something that actually puts the common good and the people using technology to structure parts of their lives front and center.)
I think it is important to bring your politics into everything. If you get a stage, make a statement. It really matters. We need to take back spaces. And claiming them to be "apolitical" or whatnot is just handing them over to people who believe Joe Rogan is smart.
Mastodon
Bastian Allgeier (@bastianallgeier@mastodon.social)
Attached: 2 images Manuel @matuzo@front-end.social gave a really good overview of fancy new color features in CSS at @btconf
"There’s something darkly fitting about these two forces, Silicon Valley and Trump, conjoining so amicably right now. The tech industry has never been bigger, or richer, or piloted by wealthier or more influential billionaires. Crypto, as close to a purely speculative instrument of capital as exists, is being hyper-charged. Trump, of course, has no regard for rules or standards; he respects only the accrual of power and wealth. The digital casino is open, there are no house rules apart from ‘don't insult the boss’, and there are certainly no guarantees. Anyone who gets screwed is either a loser or a sucker or shouldn’t have been there in the first place. " (Original title: Silicon Valley got what it wanted)
Silicon Valley got what it wanted
It's not just Elon Musk. It's a new day for deregulation, crypto, and tech companies cozying up to Trump.
Since nobody wanted to pay for Copilot Pro, Microsoft is now leveraging their Office365 monopoly, adding it to the service and raising prices there. Luckily Nadella did bend the knee to Trump so there won't be any repercussions. (More importantly: We see again that #AI isn't economically sustainable) (Original title: Microsoft is bundling its AI-powered Office features into Microsoft 365 subscriptions)
The Verge
Microsoft is bundling its AI-powered Office features into Microsoft 365 subscriptions
Microsoft quietly announces big Microsoft 365 changes.
The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters. Antonio Gramsci
I guested on a podcast and we talked about why "Open Source" no longer cuts it for our digital infrastructures. (Original title: Podcast: “Digital Infrastructure and Why Open Source Is Not Enough Anymore”)
Smashing Frames
Podcast: "Digital Infrastructure and Why Open Source Is Not Enough Anymore"
So Hagen Terschüren, a German journalist who does a lot of work on tech- and internet related topics has his own new podcast that he invited me to...