Polymer Witch @polymerwitch@social.polymerwitch.com

Why Slavoj Žižek and Moxie Marlinspike Are Both Wrong About Autonomy

I wrote a thing. I didn't proof read it so it's probably full of mistakes, but I'm burned out for now. Maybe you will find it interesting though.

https://polymerwitch.noblogs.org/post/2022/01/22/why-slavoj-zizek-and-moxie-marlinspike-are-both-wrong-about-autonomy/

That time when Malatesta perfectly articulated why moderating federated communities is good

I just had an amazing blog post idea. I'm committing to writing it: Why Savoj Zizek and Moxie Marlinspike Are Both Wrong About Autonomy

Creation through destruction

My laptop has a socketed CPU. Meaning it's not soldered on. I can swap it out. I have swapped it out. I am confused why this is impossible to find on other laptops.

So far, even those with a clear use case and proposed security controls have either been a MLM, had lack of unstated security controls, or didn't provide the stated security controls in practice. But I do want to help people vet something and not get scammed.

If it has no use case and can't explain why it solves it, then it is a scam until proven otherwise and I can't help someone who gets pulled in. That's beyond my ability.

I will no longer be reviewing and doing tech dives into anything related to cryptocurrencies unless a specific use case is given and a review of specific security controls offered by the blockchain or currency is provided.

If someone says "The future 🌐 of life 👶 is here for the virtual hamsterspace 🚀 surfing chain 🏄 ⛓️ . To the moon!" It's just an MLM and no other investigation is needed.

We can talk about burner phones with people and then hand them a link to an onion site with a 40 page text about how to do opsec with monero to anonymously get a phone that you then reflash and ...

or you can be the person whose like "yo, I got some phones that cost me $20 a piece. You want one?"

Setting up that takes infrastructure, but even starting yourself can happen now.

Have people make a request to you, set a budget with them (less than $100 should be fine), hunt down a cheap used laptop , clean it, refurb it, set it up, and send them on their way. Tech people wanting to get involved with local organizing could do this and have a lot of fun. Activists being provided cheap and secure laptops and phones from friends with a support line is a great mutual aid project imo.

We talk a lot about people liberating their tech and joining radical leftist online spaces as they get involved in IRL organizing, but then the equipment is thousands of $ and very technical.

You should be able to just pickup a free laptop for organizing (maybe drop $10 as a dono or something if you want) and have it come with a pre-configured secure OS, VPN, intranet with community services with menu and desktop entries, and more.

Apparently people have been refurbing thinkpads into privacy machines for near $2K a piece 😮

https://insurgo.ca/

I'm still hoping to get a handful of these and hand them out for free locally. The most expensive part is the battery ($60 for a quality one), and eventually I want to have the tools for folks to come DIY new batteries ($10-$20 for a quality one).

Non-repudiable Fungible Tamagochis

Tomagochis that you can make infinite copies of, but you can never deny having copied if you get embarrassed later. If you don't take care of your virtual pets we will all know it.

If you strike, the state might rule that it's illegal.

If you quit to move to better work conditions, the state might say that it is illegal for you to leave.

The state colludes with capital to reinforce oppressive power structures. Often the only avenue to resist are going to be illegal. Prepare yourself for that.

https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2022/01/21/what-we-know-ascension-thedacare-court-battle-over-employees/6607417001/

Wordle 217 4/6*

Line 1: 5th perfect, but 1st in the wrong place.
Line 2: 1st and 5th perfect, but 3rd in the wrong place.
Line 3: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th perfect.
Line 4: Won!

🟨⬛⬛⬛🟩
🟩⬛🟨⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Maybe I just need to wire up an EEPROM to the GPIO?

I just want to make a DIY tamagochi, but now I'm trying to deal with supply chain BS 😭

Does anyone know of a cheap dev board that's readily available in the US that has an LCD screen, EEPROM, and LoRa module? Adafruit has a feather with LoRa but it doesn't have en EEPROM.

The only ones I'm finding are in China and I've had supply issues with the couple I've tried already.

Earl Sweatshirt - Old Friend:

Strong spirit where the body couldn't get asylum
The cost of living high, don't cross the picket line and get the virus
Wild cat has got 'em in a bind, stay inside
Know I came from out the thicket smilin'
Mad hatters cappin' every line
It doesn't matter to the ten of five
They start hackin' when they can't shrink us