Post AwkMxw1dvvfW4Igcdc by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AwkMxjIBH8AmZpK96u by danny@mastodon.spesh.com
2025-08-01T00:37:15Z
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One of my favourite new thinkers, Frank Miroslav (@mutual_ayyde ) just dropped an absolutely barnstormer of an essay: "Technically Radical: On the Unrecognized Potential of Tech Workers and Hackers". I'm going to be quoting bits of this for /years/.https://wedontagree.net/technically-radical-on-the-unrecognized-potential-of-tech-workers-and-hackers
(DIR) Post #AwkMxkfc9UVmqnINH6 by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:27:23Z
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@danny Interesting read and I agree that full-stack alternatives are absolutely necessary. In particular, a very good alternative to Google Docs, and (I begin to suspect) to Slack. Those are key nodes for cooperative projects, and such, a vulnerability when they're under corporate control. Unfortunately it felt to me through the history portion like listening to a fish in water unable to imagine not-water.Some non-ivory-tower, non-theoretical perspective would have helped.
(DIR) Post #AwkMxlgMOChbzOeU4m by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:28:43Z
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@danny "the tech industry is still seemingly the only entity with a serious vision of the future different to our present that could actually be enacted"🤨 There is too much unstated "no well-funded (in academia or business), white dudes have effectively articulated a popular alternative vision of the future" in that statement.
(DIR) Post #AwkMxmb4zK4YpJBmU4 by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:29:52Z
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@danny As long as success equates to control over an increasing amount of money (in fewer hands) and increasing market dominance (i.e. decreased options), we are dragged away from solutions with deep mutuality and many thriving nodes. Not only dragged away from implementing them, but from even seeing them as serious or viable visions.
(DIR) Post #AwkMxnSxkzArWQOoTI by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:30:37Z
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@danny Reading on, I do not think you can understand techno-utopianism without acknowledging how deeply it didn't / doesn't want to believe that our bodies are real and have real needs. So much desperate wishing to escape the reality of biology and nature. (And I say this as someone who was around the whole Mondo 2000 / cyberspace dream vibe back in the day.)
(DIR) Post #AwkMxoMGRNPUHwGyfY by tomjennings@tldr.nettime.org
2025-08-02T03:38:32Z
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@metagrrrlSigh, I'm still awaiting the promised designer drugs. @danny
(DIR) Post #AwkMxrxx1iL3TgvcKO by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:31:14Z
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@danny That's a profound vulnerability of techno-utopians and their modern heirs (viz. the let's move to Mars crowd). When disasters come—and they are increasingly unavoidable and increasingly frequent—any group whose ability to use their knowledge (technical and otherwise) to relieve suffering is more likely to be trusted subsequently. And those who have power, but don't make a positive difference will be trusted less.
(DIR) Post #AwkMxw1dvvfW4Igcdc by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:31:40Z
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@danny Disaster experiences are transformative and disruption creates space for alternative solutions to demonstrate their viability. There's a potential for hackers (in the broadest sense) to change the world by saving their communities. There's where I see the greatest potential for collaborative / cooperative / mutualistic tech. Small, reproducible solutions that help people out of the worst situations, and perhaps strengthen local networks at the same time.
(DIR) Post #AwkMy0PtbhRfgg42zo by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:39:47Z
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@danny (It surprises me to encounter deeply thoughtful writing that moves between individual and broad perspectives which completely sidesteps the fact that climate change is going to impact the author and their ideas.Yes, some things will chug along as shifting trends and norms. But we are in radically disruptive times, amplified by the effects of current Federal action. We will need to achieve many big changes through small, interconnected solutions that can be implemented at local scales.)
(DIR) Post #AwkMy5E1jFvEbJY8gq by metagrrrl@mastodon.social
2025-08-01T04:41:13Z
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@danny (Last thought on this, is a bit of grousing: what the hell is up with a sentence like this? "When it comes to the generation of ideas you quickly hit diminishing returns when someone has their basic needs met, can access research material and has time to think and communicate with others." ?!If we actually resolve a lot of sources of human misery, we'll have FEWER ideas? That makes no damn sense against the vast sweep of human history.Serious 🤨 at that, but overall glad to have read.)