A few thoughts on Astral / OpenAI, now that the emotions have sat for a bit.

First, let me start by noting that AI is an attack on open source, inherently, by necessity, and at a structural level. That argument is bigger than Astral, but the short version is that you cannot simultaneously expand the public commons and work towards it's enclosure; moreover, if the public commons do not stand for the public good, then it's not really a commons any more.

Raquel y yo solemos aprovechar las vacaciones para irnos un par de días a algún hotelito de pueblo de la sierra de Grados.

Solíamos reservar por la primera web que nos salía en el buscador, hasta que:

- Nos enteramos de que Booking es una empresa aliada de Israel.

- En un hotelito nos invitaron a hacerlo a través de su web para ahorrarse la comisión de Booking.

Desde entonces solo usamos webs como Booking para buscar, pero luego buscamos la web del hotel/hostal/casa rural en cuestión y reservamos directamente.

No solo no cuesta nada, sino que, solo por reservarles directamente, en estos alojamientos nos han hecho rebajas, nos han dado habitaciones mejores...

Uno de esos raros caso en los que sí puedes saltarte a un intermediario horrible y todos salimos ganando.

How (racist/sexist/whatever) harassment on Mastodon works:

1. Harasser replies to their target's post, with the reply set to "followers only", saying the most vile stuff you can imagine.

2. All the harasser's followers join in on the harassment, posting more vile stuff.

3. Nobody but the target and the harassment crew can see the vile stuff that was said.

4. Target is traumatized. Nobody else can see why.

5. Everybody says "I don't see it so it's not happening."

https://community.hachyderm.io/blog/2024/08/12/hachyderms-introduction-to-mastodon-moderation-part-1/

Well, I have now been quoted calling SpaceX "fuckweasels" in a real publication by real journalists: https://au.pcmag.com/ai/116598/spacex-to-start-small-with-1-million-satellite-plan-pushes-back-on-critics

I guess I am proud of myself? (They are, indeed, fuckweasels, for their complete lack of care for the atmosphere that we all depend on, as well as not caring about Kessler Syndrome, or light pollution, or smashing people on the ground...)

It looks like #degrowth has become big enough that its proponents are starting to police one another for being unorthodox. Fortunately, the mighty Giorgos Kallis has wise words of advice:

"What if, instead, we were all to relax and cherish the plurality of political and exploratory pathways opened by degrowth? [...] What if we were to accept that [...] there will be different theories of degrowth too, and different political proposals for achieving it? "

https://degrowth.info/en/blog/what-s-wrong-with-degrowth-nothing

#economics

Before becoming a politician, one should complete a mandatory 1.5 years of social service, divided into three-month periods:

— in nursing care
— in a daycare center
— in a school
— in a medium-sized company
— in retail
— on a farm

All unpaid and voluntary, of course.