Abe Katz

I journaled a bit about experimenting with the current state of interoperability on the Fediverse: www.abekatz.com/baby-steps-i...

(The experiment did not include automatic crossposting on both my Mastodon and Bluesky accounts, oops)

This is a post on Bluesky for the Mastodon-user version of me to see.

www.hey.qq/

Great TLD if you can get it!

But while bad faith debate is clearly not for the benefit of the debater (the anti-Semite), it *is* effective to the audience. So how to respond to holocaust denial for the benefit of the credulous audience? (Think “Thank You For Smoking,” ice cream debate scene) - this is what I struggle with.

I think Zentropi's new offering is good, but with one wonky nuance. This 2020 article by @evelyndouek.bsky.social raises concerns about too much conformity in moderating speech, and is an important read. knightcolumbia.org/content/the-...

Still, the openness of Zentropi's approach is its strength.

I wrote some thoughts about how content distribution works in social tech, and why it's always more important to think about that than about specific content (e.g. AI Slop). With apologies, as usual, to McLuhan: www.abekatz.com/substance-an...

Pluriverse! Pluriverse! Yes!

We're getting really close to interop, and I think that's so good. I joined the @anew.social board because @quillmatiq.com and @snarfed.org think about this work so carefully at the social and culture levels as well as the tech ones. A delight to see the work blossom.

Very cool analysis! Another important piece is that many of these red circles began as - and many continue today as - *non-political* in orientation, at least explicitly. “Guys just talking.” To that extent, I think the “dems need a Joe Rogan” line of thinking has traction.

Little Brother by Doctorow as required reading!

I’m not being facetious: I truly recommend reading this, because it’s as wrong as it is a harbinger of the new phase of como.

This piece is a beautiful model of the libertarian view of social tech- strongly recommend reading. Inserra argues for a discrete “free speech” team in the content policy org, as if the very firm’s raison d’etre isn’t already to maximize sessions and engagement.

If I focus on the “open source” part of ROOST and less on the (widely misunderstood) “AI” part, I get most excited. Like 70% of some infra/tooling ROOST releases, but hate 30% of it? Fork it and make it better!

In other words, I hope fediverse mods lean into ROOST in a major way.

I also want a human-centered tech world, but I’m concerned that parts of fediverse culture today - like anti-automation - will get in the way of it being a viable alternative to the ubiquitous walled-gardens of today.

I went to an IFTAS presentation at TrustCon last year which summarized a bunch of survey responses about trust and safety, from owners/moderators of federated servers. One point that concerned me was respondents were generally opposed to the use of AI/automation in moderation.

a 2d graphic of a large egg shell broken in half, with the ROOST logo emerging from the shell. Logo is a minimal graphic of a bird on a box

AND WE'RE HATCHED!

ROOST launches at the #ParisAIActionSummit, bringing together tech companies and philanthropies to deliver free, open-source safety tools. Join us 👉 roost.tools

And a Kendrick-level winner 😉

In my self-defense classes I focus on how most people are socially conditioned to follow the norms of a civilized, polite society — and there is a MENTAL SHIFT required to use violence to defend from violence.

I'm reminded of this while watching our elected officials dithering and delaying. 1/

Bring it to Duffy’s door with press and cameras. None of this is business-as-usual, and I want my Rep to meet the moment.

Will you start an investigation?

Oh this is extremely rad, as far as econ can be.

I disagree. He has been running the gauntlet since 2016 and suddenly he’s a Cool Kid - he will only go further down this path.

Please turn up the heat, Congresswoman. Now.

Is there a good, non-proprietary alternative for web indexing other than Google Search?

Strong agree when it comes to specific substantive claims (eg heliocentricity). When it comes to epistemic claims / process (how do we make knowledge; how *should we evaluate* helio v geocentricity) I think the state must play a role: see “separation of church and state.”

Transaction cost of arriving at a price* I meant

Interesting. But for some claims - like some market goods - the “transaction cost” of arriving at a cost should be prohibitive. Do we need to litigate (find a price for) “the earth is flat,” or can it be anointed “wrong” because the body of info debunking it for millennia can’t be overcome?

IMO when conflict comes, it will be because of public image, credit, portfolio, and power, etc, not because of a substantive policy difference. A (much harder) version of this chart that captures their “are they getting what they want”-ness on those dimensions will be a better predictor.

Very cool! Aside from new features for Bluesky, are there any breakthroughs yet on non-Bluesky instances that interop here using ATproto?

As opposed to “innovation” (AI, Mars, etc) or “ideology” (transphobia, anti-socialism, etc)