notes

Some applications run better with a hosting provider than on your own server. Especially when it comes to speed and availability, you’re usually better off in the cloud than behind a home internet connection. If you’re looking for an affordable provider for open-source software, you should check out “PikaPods”. My FreshRSS instance is still hosted on fly.io. If they cut my free tier, I’ll probably move to PikaPods or Uberspace. ...

Marion Fourcade writes in »The sovereign individual and the paradox of the digital age« for aeon.co The weakening of these conventional structures and the ability to individualise political messaging also produces highly personalised forms of social domination. Populist leaders thrive on perceptions that they have a direct connection to the public – even though this connection is often attended to by an entire ecosystem, a carefully constructed ‘propaganda feedback loop’. Owners of social media can even force this connection onto users via self-serving algorithmic manipulation, as Elon Musk and Donald Trump have both reportedly done on their respective platforms. Intoxicated by the ideal figure of the ‘sovereign individual’ unconstrained by national borders, social norms or the law, a small cadre of ultra-wealthy men have been able to reclaim control over the state and traditional elites through a direct appeal to the masses and to market freedom. Pushing the logic of sovereign individuality to its logical extreme, some are busy trying to carve out independent territories for themselves, complete with their own rules and possibly their own currencies. Others invest in revolutionising existing institutions from within. Until he withdrew from his government role, Musk hoped to oversee a radical remaking of the state as a centralised and largely automated computing infrastructure. Trump made himself into a digital token, offering his own status and reputation as an investment opportunity to enthusiastic followers and anyone striving for access, while his sons leveraged their father’s position to build (or attempt to build) a cryptocurrency empire. ...

Alexander Rudolph writes in »Microsoft says U.S. law takes precedence over Canadian data sovereignty« for digitaljournal.com Does this affect the federal government and military? Yes. It appears that it does not matter if the target is an individual, organization, or government. As long as the legal request is considered valid in the United States, the target or location of the data does not matter. ...

Bill Doerrfeld writes in »What To Do When Critical Open Source Projects Go End of Life« for thenewstack.io “That doesn’t just mean money — it means showing up, contributing engineering time, asking thoughtful questions and understanding their roadmap,” said Hanlon. “If your business relies on OSS, you’re part of that ecosystem and part of the responsibility.” The text was automatically translated from German into English. The German quotations were also translated in sense.