Mastodawn

#OtD 27 Mar 1912 rail workers of various nationalities in BC, Canada went on strike. Led by the revolutionary @iww union, thousands joined and worker-run camps were built. Joe Hill even came and wrote his famous song "Where the Fraser River Flows." https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e52-the-iww-in-canada/

E52: The IWW in Canada

Podcast episode about the history of the revolutionary union the Industrial Workers of the World in Canada. We speak with historian and author Mark Leier about the union’s organising work amo…

Working Class History

Ashton Mar 22

The Leveller · Community News Mar 21

"They will pretend to care now because we are actually doing something together.”

Tenants of 550 Wilbrod met to make demands of their landlord, multiple corporations, to follow through on maintenance and follow the law.

Read it here: https://leveller.ca/2026/03/tenants-of-sandy-hill-are-organizing/

#ottawa #ottnews #ottpoli #onnews #onpoli #housing

Tenants of Sandy Hill are Organizing! - The Leveller

By Ashley Liza Fernando I n Sandy Hill, at the end of the cul-de-sac on Wilbrod Street, sits an apartment building facing the Rideau river. The building, which is a 20 minute walk away from the University of Ottawa, is advertised toward students. The apartment building has around 130 units spread over 9 floors. The …

The Leveller

Ashton Mar 13

DC Books to Prisons Mar 12

Bad news from #Canada: "Correctional Service Canada is finalizing plans to cut all #prison #librarian positions at federal institutions, in a move that advocates say violates human rights and will actively harm efforts to rehabilitate prisoners... Under the United Nations 'Nelson Mandela rules,' adopted in 2015, accessing libraries in prisons is listed as one of the rules for good treatment of prisoners."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/prison-librarians-eliminated-correctional-service-canada-9.7123335

Correctional service cutting librarians at federal prisons, in move criticized by advocates | CBC News

The Correctional Service of Canada is finalizing plans to cut all prison librarian positions at federal institutions, in a move that advocates say violates human rights and will actively harm efforts to rehabilitate prisoners.

CBC

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Ashton Mar 6

The Boycotting #Microsoft #Windows: Switching to #Linux workshop went great and was well attended! It was held in #Ottawa as part of solidarity with #Palestine events.

Whether you're observing #BDS of Israel or don't want to deal with Win11, this introduces operating systems and gives step-by-step instructions on choosing a distribution.

It's also meant to be replicated! The presentation and some notes are available to view, copy and use for your own workshops: https://cryptpad.fr/presentation/#/2/presentation/view/I-7jJoUWpsVI1hItvBSllS0LnGHgq9vFCPlaqMVoJyw/embed/

Encrypted Presentation

CryptPad: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite

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Ashton Feb 27

Here's the artwork!

Ashton Feb 27

RE: https://mastodon.social/@theashtonstarr/115583005704194067

I'll be hosting a workshop on switching to Linux as part of Israeli Apartheid Week.

Microsoft is on the Boycott, Divestment & Sanction list for their partnership with. Despite how huge these tech companies are, it's entirely possible to boycott them! Start with Windows and Xbox by using ethical alternatives, like Linux. Use this presentation to show others how easy the switch is at your own school, office or organization.

If you're in Ottawa, join IAW events here: https://linktr.ee/sjpcarleton

Ashton Feb 27

Megan Fox Feb 25

Our next game is Verminsteel!

You're a bird with a broadsword, kicking thousands of fascists so hard they fly into the sun

PLEASE go wishlist it, it'll make me really happy and help me stop low-key panicking and stuff: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4352280/Verminsteel/ #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev (boosts super appreciated)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8_SQwxaAjE

Verminsteel on Steam

You're a bird with a broadsword, kicking thousands of fascists so hard they fly into the sun. Joined by a hoe-wielding badger, a mouse with a frying pan, and all the Molotovs you can chuck: You’ll resist occupation, defend the helpless, and push the Verminsteel back under the rock they crawled from.

Ashton Feb 24

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mcc Feb 23

When I say "fork every software project containing code by by 'AI code assistants', starting at the commit before the slop is known or believed to have been added, and resume from there", I really do mean every project

https://donotsta.re/objects/8e2166c6-3e0f-4ea3-8a29-3008702a39f7

nick :neocat: (@[email protected])

@mcc oh no

Ashton Feb 23

Joseph Cox Feb 23

Meta's director of AI safety allowed an AI agent to... accidentally delete her inbox. This is supposedly the person at the company who is working to make sure that powerful AI tools don’t go rogue and act against human interests

https://www.404media.co/meta-director-of-ai-safety-allows-ai-agent-to-accidentally-delete-her-inbox/

Meta Director of AI Safety Allows AI Agent to Accidentally Delete Her Inbox

Meta Superintelligence Labs’ director of alignment called it a “rookie mistake.”

404 Media

Ashton Feb 16

Nathalie Lawhead (alienmelon)Feb 16

‘This shouldn’t be normal’: developers speak out about bigotry on Steam, the world’s biggest PC gaming storefront…
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/feb/16/bigotry-steam-pc-moderation-developers-speak-out
i spoke for this too. it’s a well researched article.

‘This shouldn’t be normal’: developers speak out about bigotry on Steam, the world’s biggest PC gaming storefront

Multiple game creators describe ineffective moderation on the platform, resulting in unchecked hatred in forums and targeted campaigns of negative ‘anti-woke’ reviews

The Guardian

Published:	https://leveller.ca/author/astarr
Game Reviews:	https://backloggd.com/u/astarrgames/reviews/
Game Streaming	https://twitch.tv/astarrgames