So, here goes, #introductions. I am 46, brought up all over the world then continued to move. Brought three amazing kids into play, got a v. cool concept artist husband, three cats (to his chagrin) and a 13 yr old 50 kilo dog. Recently moved to Southern Italy near stunning sea after 12 years in UK, from which we ran off, disgusted with Brexit. I translate and think too much for a living. I have written and published and am re-editing one book, also doing its translation into Italian.
Hope you're all doing good. Have spent months between new job, mediator course and translations of great youtube channel interviews. have been deeply interacting with mainstream social media because that is where my target audience, unfortunately, resides. But have not forgotten. Will come and browse what you're up to soon. Hope all is good.
Any good hackers round here wanna go for an easy buck? (she says imagining all hackers to be geniuses)
Via Euronews: Switzerland offers cash to hackers who can crack its e-voting system https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/13/switzerland-offers-cash-to-hackers-who-can-crack-its-e-voting-system - Via Euronews: https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/13/brexit-may-faces-valentine-s-day-showdown-in-parliament
An introduction to my childhood: albums https://t.co/YRkhgtTzht
Just some blab from my blog as a writing assistance.
Calling all #Fediverse admins of instances in the #EU. The #CopyrightDirective is coming, we need to show the MEPs how massively the EU Internets will be affected.
We are preparing a list of all EU-based #Pleroma, #Mastodon, #GNUSocial, #Peertube, #Funkwhale, and any other instances.
Please *contact me*. All I need is the domain name, which EU Member State it's located in, and the rough topic of the instance. Approximate user count welcome, but not necessary.
Please help. This is important.
Is there anyone else here who sees exactly what people say, when they are vulgar especially, and therefore feels "struck" every time people use vulgar expressions, vulgar imagery? I swear it's not about being moral or anything. Now, I don't want to be crass myself, so I won't make an example, but every time any of the adults around me use these very "colourful" expressions to make their points I feel like someone slapped me. Am I alone in this?
Another dilemma. My second book is a biography. I may or may not use a pen name for it but, should I use the third person or the first? I confuse myself. (Link to my blog hidden)
The stuff on my mind today, though, is less about the interface and more about the culture. How do we make the fediverse a place people *want* to be? How do we increase the sum of human kindness and joy? Can we make social media less of a "slot machine that makes me feel anxious" and more of a "window into other people's lives that gives me connection and compassion"?
Pinafore doesn't have good answers for this. I still don't have good answers for this. It still troubles me.
Still, I think Mastodon has done more to make decentralized tech accessible than anything else I've seen. There are non-techies on the fediverse! There are people here who don't know what SSH is! That's a miracle.
I hope we continue doing this kind of good work and bringing more people into the humane, privacy-respecting, own-your-own-data world. It would be a shame if we succeeded on the technical front but failed on the human front, and people turned around and went back to the silos.
I was on page two of my new novel, which I was trying very hard to write in Italian, but it didn't work out, I'm back to English. Which one is my native language? There was a time they would tell me I was trilingual, but now I'm thinking they are all foreign languages to me. Just they all have different emotional and psychological connotations and effects on me, but they are ALL foreign to me. What should I do with that? Me, a linguist, a translator? Quit the job, some might say. And do what.
The wind is blowing strong, and I'm going to take advantage of new flexi adjustable mini-desk to try and write some of my new novel. I will also try to overcome the guilt about not working. I have found the picture of my happy moment in Yorkshire that I was mentioning to @iona and set it as my header. All is ready, I can now attempt to forget all the things I am sure I'm meant to be doing, all my lack of confidence and the three episodes of Mr Robot left to watch and just write.
Right, I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to organise a conference in Europe for people working on ethical alternatives to surveillance capitalism that isn’t sponsored by surveillance capitalism. For people who aren’t afraid to pick a side.
Because I’ve had it with this bullshit and we need non-bullshit alternatives.
Watch this space.
For any Brits considering escaping Britain to gain EU citizenship before you become extra-community, you may not be aware that as of 19th of February your documents (birth, marriage, etc) no longer will need legalising when applying for residence (those who apply before the UK leaves Europe will surely have more rights than afterwards). In all of Europe. It will make things a lot easier. Right now, my UK friends had to do nothing more than I did (Italian citizen) to obtain residence.
I just realised: will the UK leaving the EU mean I can finally stop reading about their antics in my Euronews app? Oh I hope so, I really do. I realise that, whereas a couple of years ago I was gearing up to ask for British citizenship, now I am seriously Brit-saturated. I'll need ten years or so to get them out of my system, only dealing with 1-2 very close British friends at a time. No more.
Battling social anxiety, now work as Intercultural mediator in these troubled, troubled populo-fascist times.
Found great snuggle spot in Italy's heel and aim for clutter-free thought.