I'm currently reading Frank Herbert's "Dune" for the first time.

I was struck by this passage. It comes right after the Reverend Mother has tested Paul Atreides. She is talking with him.

"𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺."

How apropos seventy years later.

Want to move from US-based apps and services to Europe-based ones?

Useful links…

https://european-alternatives.eu

https://euroalternative.co

https://www.switch-to.eu/en

https://www.goeuropean.org

https://eutechmap.com/map

https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/%F0%9F%87%AA%F0%9F%87%BA-european-alternatives-to-american-apps.46070

https://www.privacytools.io

https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tools

https://eurotechguide.com

https://switching.software

https://codeberg.org/ADHDefy/delightful-creative-tools

Big freeware / open source list:
https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/edit/3tPYpALSRBVZ5od-0YfEKp+l

LinkedIn alternative:
https://ponos-job.eu

#EU #europe #tech #tips #FOSS

About trans rights:

They're a wedge issue. If you think it's okay to deprive trans people of the right to exist in the public sphere then you're saying human rights are conditional and/or can be withdrawn. Which puts you on a slippery slope to no human rights for anyone.

When you trace the roots of the modern anti-trans movement they boil down to some combination of bigotry and billionaire bullshit— the oligarchs think rights are for the rich.

So: trans-rights are human rights. No exceptions.

On this occasion of the launch of Artemis II, I need to reshare this.

This is a photo of 8 of the surviving Apollo astronauts, taken on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

The man wearing ... well ... a heat shield, is Buzz Aldrin. I have to imagine his arrival went like this:

PHOTOGRAPHER: Um, Mr. Aldrin, this is a formal portrait.
BUZZ: Do you think I don't know that, son?
PHOTOG: Well, your outfit sir, it's-
BUZZ: Son. I've been to the moon. The mother-lovin' moon. In a tin can running on a graphing calculator powered by a can of sterno.
PHOTOG: Yes sir.
BUZZ: I get to wear what I want, where I want, when I want, for the rest of my life. Do you understand me, son?
PHOTOG: Right this way sir.

And what really gets me is Charlie Duke. He's the guy in the tux with the gold trim. He thought he was going to stand out in this photo. Then in walks Mr. Moon Man.

The crew of Apollo 17 took this photo 19,473 days ago.

If all goes well, we should have a new one in six days' time.

#Artemis

Some good news!!!!

The #Copyright Amendment Bill 2026 passed both houses yesterday.

This might sound like an incredibly niche and boring thing but this will have huge positive ramifications for Australians' access to collections in libraries and archives, and make online education much safer from copyright trolls.

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7402

Most notably: Once this is signed into law it will be legal to copy/publish orphan works after a diligent search for a copyright owner. This will impact thousands of works currently sitting in copyright limbo.

Thanks @Trishh for the heads up.