bhaugen @bhaugen@social.coop

Some fuckhead apparently decided Elon Musk didn't have enough of a platform so made a Fediverse bot that regurgitates his Twitter diarrhea into the Fediverse. Just blocking the bot for now, but considering blocking the entire instance it's on.

MASTODON GROUPS TUTORIAL!
(ACTIVITYPUB GROUPS IN THE FEDIVERSE!)

NO EXTRA SIGNUP NEEDED...
USE YOUR FEDIVERSE ACCOUNT

TUTORIAL BELOW:

- SEE A LIST OF GROUPS !
- FOLLOW A GROUP !
- MAKE A GROUP !
- POST IN A GROUP !

ALSO
- HOW TO SEE POSTS?
- TESTING / NOT SURE?

After doing some digging here's my near mini-tutorial about groups...
__________________________________
- SEE LIST OF GROUPS!
https://a.gup.pe/
Also shows follower numbers.

______________________
FOLLOW A GROUP !
- Following a group is done a few ways but I found this way as 100% / BEST WAY so far:

Step 1. Find the name of any group (on https://a.gup.pe/ website)... "Plants" group for example...

2. Put name "Plants" with @ before it in Mastodon Search Box (the top left box):
@plants (and hit enter)

3. The Mastodon search result will show @ plants @ a.gup.pe (without the spaces) as a group

4. Click to follow group!
Done!

(If you see two entries in the search results then one might be an old server from before - just follow what the newest which is "a.gup.pe" <--- newest has extra "a." in the address)

__________________
MAKE A GROUP !

- Anyone can make a group.
It's done in 2 ways (your choice both is ok and can't go wrong even if you do both)

METHOD 1 - New groups can be created in the Mastodon Search box. So at the same time as when you use the search to search for it then the group it's automatically made for you in the process if it doesn't already exist! Then it shows up a few seconds later!

METHOD 2 Another way to create group is to *mention it* in a post and also at the same time it is created for you.
Example if I mention:
@ Freeschool @ a.gup.pe (without spaces) then the group will be made!

This group it's now created and if you start typing @ freeschool then you can autocomplete @ Freeschool @ a.gup.pe

SUMMARY
Whatever method you choose from it will create a new group name as you do that method and it will show up when you put that in search box results or mention it in future!
*Immediately* anyone else looking can find the group!

It will not show in the https://a.gup.pe/ website as it has to be more populate to show up there... and better for privacy not to show the smaller groups.
__________________________
MY OTHER COMMENTS:

I personally like they way to create group using no external signup AND using existing Mastodon account.

The Mastodon search box name provides a direct and powerful interface to see things
e.g. "@ freeschool @ a.gup.pe " shows " freeschool " group.

After creating group you can post and mention the group name to people in your group and can be quite private.

______________________
HOW TO SEE POSTS?

Posts show up in timeline like following a person.

To see posts just Mastodon search box in Mastodon with group name (like @ plants) and then click the group name to natively show the existing posts.

I don't think you can enable notifications on these groups (yet) but the usual mentioning / replying / favouriting can show you immediately someone read it or replied.
_____________________
POST IN A GROUP !
To post to a group yourself, mention the " @ plants @gup.pe " address (without spaces) in your post. If you start typing @plants now it will attempt to autocomplete for you so just select the a.gup.pe address from that and you don't have to type out the full address!

Just remember for posting just the group name is needed... use @group and autocomplete will do the rest in your compose box and you can choose the appropriate.

If you delete-redraft post don't worry it will only show once - I re-draft my posts a lot so I know !

Hope this info is worth it to you!

________________________
TESTING / NOT SURE?
If you want to test some messages, feel free to use the Freeschool group by mentioning @ FreeSchool @ a.gup.pe (without the spaces)
or
use search "@freeschool" and select the a.gup.pe group from there.

OTHER NOTES / DETAILS / READING
- Newest website is a.gup.pe
(notice the "a." prefix - Old website was gup.pe which changed earlier in 2022, around April)

- a.gup.pe is the server that is used as a middle between Mastodon without needing separate accounts but rather creates accounts itself on-the-fly / as you ask or search for it!

____________________
THANKS & CREDITS

-Thanks FediTips @feditips for initial tip about this - Hope you liked my tutorial :)

- Thanks Will datatitian@social.coop for initially creating guppe groups

Github Info + Description:

https://github.com/wmurphyrd/guppe

"Decentralized social groups with ActivityPub, NodeJS, Express, and Mongodb"

another description:

Guppe is an ActivityPub server that automatically generates group actors and provides distribution functions.

Searching for and following any account in the gup.pe domain, such as in Mastodon, will create a new group which you can then follow.
https://a.gup.pe/

IS THERE A GROUP TALKING ABOUT GUPPE ITSELF?

- A group talking about a.gup.pe itself is at link below. Use if you want to follow / get updates / chat about a.gup.pe itself:
@guppegroups
(or search @guppegroups)

__________________________________
FAQ / INTERESTING QUESTIONS
__________________________________

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HASHTAG AND GUPPE GROUP?

@GuppeGroups helps actively grow your network of people around topics of interest. So if two unconnected people both participate in same group, it will cause them to become connected and see each other.
Hashtag doesn't have this unless you happen to post at same time and look yourself at hashtag page more aggressively / manually etc.
The Guppe group way *let's you* know and choose to follow it more actively listening.

Hashtags are more a way of organizing toots and checking when you want (not sure if a tool exists or worth it for high-traffic hashtags)

POSTING TO GROUP VIA PUBLIC OR UNLISTED POST?

"Public" in your post setting (when writing any post) will get it seen asap.

"Unlisted" level of post means everyone in the group will still get it, but it won't appear in local or global timelines, just when someone is looking in the group specifically.

RECOMMEND ANY GROUPS / ANY OTHER EXAMPLES?
@ retrocomputing @ gup.pe is the OLD group without a. in server (still can see the posts

so use newest
@ retrocomputing @ a.gup.pe

#retrocomputing is also great

NOTE!
Searching "@ groupname" is good / works best but also creates the group if not already existing!

NEED HELP? LET ME KNOW AS USUAL FROM THE FREESCHOOL / FREEDOM LOVER.

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #Mastodon #Pleroma, #GNU Social, #Mastodon, #Friendica, #Hubzilla, #Diaspora, #PixelFed,
#PeerTube, #Funkwhale, #Mobilizon
#fediverseInfo #fedi #aguppe

photo with eye contact

“Palantir Technologies had a secret plan to deepen its relationship with the UK’s National Health Service without public scrutiny.

The US data-analytics company aimed to buy up smaller rivals that already had an existing relationship with the NHS, according to emails and strategy documents seen by Bloomberg. This approach would hopefully allow Palantir to avoid further scrutiny in working with one of the largest depositories of heath data. ”

https://inkl.com/a/lvadqXCvnxv

#peopleFarming #BigTech

The history of the IWW is an essential reminder that US unionism was once determined to replace the capitalists, not just make demands of them. https://jacobin.com/2022/09/iww-persecution-criminalization-union-capitalists

I seldom reference Titter posts here but this series of posts by Mel Conway is mind blowing and important:

https://nitter.net/conways_law/status/1536754353775820800

"Our liberal tradition is no match for the new alliance of very high connectivity and malicious opportunism."

#MelConway, 2020

"Californians call for annexation as 'East Vietnam' to avoid catastrophe."

"Floridians call for annexation as 'North Cuba' to survive US neglect."

US should de-annex Hawaii to give Russia an example.

At least some colonizers are honest about their education systems.

The most recent Galaxy Brain newsletter analyzes the Musk text messages and comes to the conclusion that some of us have been pointing out for a while:

the "titans" of (tech, VC) industry aren't all that visionary or even smart. They are just folks like you and me, but with a lot more money and belief in their own bullshit.

Newsletter is available only for The Atlantic subscribers: https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/galaxy-brain/email/e06aa164-3226-4de5-9084-3db6bcb91922/

@Hamishcampbell @derek @Sandra @skyfaller Parliamentarianism is a spook, which vampire-like drains and diverts the life force of its victims. I am wondering where all of those Momentum or Bernie bros are now?

Also I don't think it's true that 95% of the electorate want to destroy the planet. Most people just want to get on with their lives in the best way that they can manage, often in difficult conditions, and don't have the time or the spoons to do extensive research or be in dreary meetings or be blocking roads or performing heroics. Just surviving is difficult enough.

Liz Truss vs local BBC radio.

I don’t see how this government survives another month.

https://nitter.net/robotduck/status/1575505538275647488

#UK #tories

This is a great video on internet privacy or lack there-of. Degoogled android seems like a pretty good base platform for a phone based on this, but its just the tip of the iceberg. This obviously goes deeper though with fingerprinting etc. One thing I've noticed is how much functionality you lose outside the fediverse if you make efforts to not be tracked. Additionally you have to assume by trying to not be tracked actually is a thing about you that can be tracked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To5Nbs6DmIA

@aral @cubicgarden @kranzkrone this.

The point of BlueSky is not to build a decentralized network.

The point of BlueSky is to suck air out of decentralized networks, by pretending to build one, in a way such that it looks like a decentralized network but is still in all the really meaningful ways controlled by a single entity.

It's an attempt to keep the monopoly / roach-motel model going even though people start demanding decentralization.

RT @cryptpad@twitter.com

We received some reports that http://CryptPad.fr, our flagship instance, is being blocked in #Iran.

In case of issues accessing our instance remember you can use another one, just pick it from our public instances list: https://cryptpad.org/instances/

#censorship #circumvention

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/cryptpad/status/1575120996222345217

"DeSantis in recent days has said a significant part of Ian’s damage will come from flooding, which is largely insured through the National Flood Insurance Program, rather than by private companies."

So glad to see my federal tax dollars going to subsidize people's choice to live in flood-prone areas, especially as we also choose to keep burning fossil fuels, causing sea levels to rise and increasing the frequency and severity of storm surge.

Any why are Trump-voting Floridians participating in such socialist programs? Fucking hypocrites.

Florida blocks private insurers from exiting market for two months | The Capitolist
https://thecapitolist.com/florida-blocks-private-insurers-from-exiting-market-for-two-months/

with Iran and Ukraine having the most increases in the number of ad trackers compared to the baseline number common to all countries.

—https://www.schneier.com/?p=65915

ah, yes, classic! country at (brink of civil) war, time to amp up tracking.

OK, so I just got an email saying @penpot just got $8M in series A.

Last I raised concerns about their funding (https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/107213277312042632), @diacritica assured me “you won't see any VC” (https://fosstodon.org/@diacritica/107223795756458412)

Well, this sure looks like VC to me.

Folks investing $8M are going to want a billion-dollar exit. So who’s that exit going to be to (Adobe’s already full, is Google hungry for a design tool?) Or do they plan on going public?

#vc #ventureCapital #BigTech #exits #openSource #penPot

Why ‘Woke’ Armies Beat Hypermasculine Ones

The ability to run a complex system has been the cornerstone of strategic success. Though popular literature likes to stress the human drama of combat it's not nearly as important as decisive as people assume. In state-to-state wars the side that most efficiently deploys more effective equipment operated by better-trained personnel typically emerges victorious.

[Not a fan of military conflict...but we should learn from it.]
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/09/russia-ukraine-woke-military-tucker-carlson/671569/?utm_source=feed