I deploy and secure sovereign digital platforms and server infrastructure for NGOs, human rights and environmental defenders, while teaching people to do the same for communities and orgs important to them | https://nikau.io
I also make and teach tech/media/electronic art, exhibiting internationally since the late 90's | https://julianoliver.com
Big Tech & AI-free. Local rainforest conservation when I can.
Aotearoa New Zealand, Pākehā, Tangata Tiriti, he/him, herbivore
| projects | https://julianoliver.com |
| infrastructure | https://nikau.io |
| learn from me | https://courses.nikau.io/currently-available-courses |
As so many other countries seek increased distance from US Big Tech due to its embedded relationship with the AWOL Trump administration, good 'ol Aotearoa NZ digs in and accepts lobster lunches, no doubt the occasional cheeky Rolex.
So far as the digital infrastructure of our public sector, and as a result so much else, we are a vassal state of the US
If you happen to be in Berlin, there's a launch on June 6 of an interesting publication at my old studio, Weise7, documenting a 2022 series critically engaging EM phenomena in the radio spectrum.
Here's a bit about the event series:
https://antennenozeane.de/en/start-eng/
A link to the documentation:
https://antennenozeane.de/en/documentation/
Here's the studio site (https://weise7.org). Launch is at 7pm.
(ping -c 1 @chootka @k0a1a @bengtsjolen @gordo)
Tbh I do confess some dread in the coming months of the window shifting for hundreds of millions of people, an unspoken normalisation of 'we're all using AI now'. It is not unlikely we soon see 'AI' as a term seeing less use, that these software products have such reach, ubiquity and dependence, it's just 'how we do computers now'.
Making chatbots search, gradually fading out traditional search, is for sure a smartphone scale market maneuver.
#OpenBSD is a beautiful server OS (apparently on desktop too), but alas without hardware passthrough for Qemu guests it's not as useful & convenient as GNU/Linux + Qemu/KVM for big build outs for orgs needing a high performance & diverse platform surface. Hope the day does come.
Yes, there's always #FreeBSD with bhyve & OpenZFS. Probably the fastest today on same metal.
I've not looked into #NetBSD & Qemu. Do share experiences of host passthrough if it's a thing now.
An historic UN Climate Resolution passes making nation states legally responsible to protect people from harms caused by climate pollution.
The usual suspects opposed of course, just 8 of them, with 141 in favour. 28 abstained.
While not legally binding (and decades late) the resolution can become an important tool in litigation as at least now it is named, written up in international law at the highest level.
Comforting to see some clear-headed and educated criticism from thinking people in this article on the absurd and destructive proposition of replacing expert public servants with chatbots.
Professor's Alexandra Andhov and Jeannie Paterson especially. Power to them.
Finalising the cohort for this training run in 3hrs, at 22:00 UTC.
Sign up to be fully supported in the deployment of your own private, data-sovereign docs/drive/calendar++ and videochat server, tightly secured and configured, in a 6hr guided session.
https://courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak
A few seats left.
Four seats left!
Closing registration for this training in 12hrs.
Joseph Cox
