Why there’s no European Google? And why it is a good thing! My answer to the European Commission "call for evidence on Open Source." https://ploum.net/2026-01-22-why-no-european-google.html #geminiprotocol link: gemini://ploum.net/2026-01-22-why-no-european-google.gmi

Even after Trump is gone, the world will remember that he threatened to forcibly seize the territory of a peaceful democratic ally, and our institutions failed to immediately remove him. That makes US dangerously unreliable, not just one senile gangster.

I think the appearance of free software really broke the oligarch's brains. People are just giving away stuff that should be Shareholder Value? And we *can't* buy it off them and own it? People are just running a compiler whenever they like to make whatever they want without paying anyone? The […]

RE: https://mastodon.social/@hennavirkkunen/115888721732640894 Dear #mastodon this is the Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy of the European Commission. Great to have someone from the commission here 🙌 🇪🇺 ✌️

I often hear Americans & rich brits justify buying oversized, polluting vehicles by claiming they need them because they live in the "countryside". I call bullshit, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce, the Citroen C15⬇

The EU is working on what is in essence a new Open Source strategy for Europe, and the call for evidence is now open. This is our cue to provide feedback and input to the strategy! If you are involved in the Open Source community in any way, if you benefit (or could benefit) in any way from […]

Academic paywalls are really getting me down. I'm a working anthropologist, but my employers (college and tribe) are not universities, and so the research I'm able to do is severely limited. #academicchatter

This latest from @pluralistic is extremely good and worth the watch (or listen to the audio) https://archive.org/details/doctorow-39c3

Excellent talk by Cory Doctorrow on the post-American and enshittification-resistant internet archive.org/details/doct...

Maybe in 2026 we can start to agree that "a complex algorithm selects content" is an editorial stance and platforms should be responsible to a certain degree.

"Ja niin hänestä tulee arjen realiteeteista vieraantunut hempukka, joka ei ymmärrä, että hedelmöityksen hetkellä solmittiin sopimus, joka määräsi hänet työntämään omat tarpeensa syrjään ja uhraamaan itsensä ilolla, onhan hän tulossa äidiksi. Se, että synnyttäjien toiveista puhutaan vähätellen […]

RE: https://mastodon.ie/@IrishCyclingCampaign/115771283299131540 Great to see Irish Cycling Campaign here on Mastodon.ie - welcome !

Book recommendation: Mother Mary Comes To Me by Arundhati Roy. https://youtu.be/7AB300pI6JA?si=lklVgp_GL4PNTQgu https://youtu.be/mZhugTmSrMo?si=Gjd3_eOqnTMw5LoG #books #bookstodon #arundhatiroy

More right wing achievements: in a country that used to be known for providing for every child, poor families are now asking diapers as Christmas presents for their children. Meanwhile, the pro racism party in the government managed to anger about 4.8 billion people with their racist bullshit.

"Aivan riippumatta siitä, kuinka suunniteltuja siirrot ovat, niiden funktio on selvä. Ne suojelevat Orpoa siltä, että hän joutuisi kantamaan täyden vastuun hallituksensa moraalisesta konkurssista. Tekojen ja sanojen välinen ristiriita on niin suuri, että se näkyy […] [Original post on piipitin.fi]

Mitä tämä tällänen vihjeellisyys nyt oikein on.. 20 vuotta myöhässä mutta silti. https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/microsoft-on-soluttautunut-kaikkialle-salla-jyrahtaa-julkinen-sektori-heti-ulos/9268732 #microsoft #tietokonekulttuuri #omavaraisuus

Today we are calling on institutions around the world to take control of their #digitalsovereignty, including their social accounts. Governments should communicate directly with their citizens on open platforms, not through the mouthpiece of a corporation […]

https://youtu.be/fzatT_xnVfA?si=G4kQHArUYQFncxSb #arctic #sailing #greenland

"Ainoa, mikä tässä maassa on finanssikriisin jälkeen kasvanut, ovat pörssiyhtiöiden maksamat osingot. Vuonna 2008 niitä maksettiin 6,9 miljardia euroa, viime vuonna ennätykselliset 12 miljardia. Hallitus toisensa jälkeen on uskonut, että yritykset investoivat ja luovat työpaikkoja, kun niiden […]

A couple of weeks ago I saw @pluralistic live in conversation with Novara Media, a fascinating talk, which is now available to watch online. One phrase he mentioned a couple of times was a post-American internet, where American big tech no longer dominates the landscape. If you're reading this […]

@bsky.brid.gy @anneapplebaum.bsky.social

Four unidentified military-style drones breached no-fly zone to target Zelenskyy's arrival in Dublin https://www.thejournal.ie/drones-dublin-ireland-hybrid-warfare-russia-6893104-Dec2025/ #mastodaoine #ireland #hybridthreat

When we’re doing city planning, why aren’t we asking simpler questions? Like “How could your life be easier if your city or community were different?”

RE: https://mastodon.social/@NouranKhaledGh/115521046352507159 Engagement on my posts is decreasing every day and this caused donations to drop. Please if you see me, share my post Your help means the world for us❤️

"Lajok: The Night Dancer" by filmmaker @dilmandila is a spooky revenge fantasy based on Ugandan (Luo) folklore. Dance is used to possess and control but once the spell is broken, the same power can be used for payback. Watch: https://makertube.net/w/pvjR9o3oNJMBLHHUm9kpqW If you enjoy this […]

Them: Please rate our service, it means a lot to us! Me: Well, why not. I got good service from a small, local shop. Five stars. Them: Now you must log on to Google to send the review so they can track and profile you! Me: lol no.

They know their brand in Athenry #athenry #mastodaoine #ireland #westofireland #galway #countygalway

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or […]

Free community fediscience, please boost! 🌒Tues Oct 28 🌓 6:30pm 'The science of mythology. "The Sleeping Beauty" and other tales' Chris Knight LIVE Daryll Forde Room, 2nd Floor, UCL Anthropology Dept, 14 Taviton St, WC1H 0BW ZOOM ID 952 8554 1412 passcode Wawilak

"Orpo ja Purra ovat leikkaamalla kasvattaneet työttömyyttä ja velkaantumista. Orpo ja Purra ovat epäonnistuneet täydellisesti omien talouspoliittisten tavoitteiden toteuttamisessa." […]

Every European (and Canadian, and Australian, and so on) should read @pluralistic 's latest. A snippet: "It's well past time for a post-American internet. Every device and every service should be designed so that the people who use them have the final say over how they work. Manufacturers' […]

Are we teaching students AI competence or dependence? https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2025/10/17/are-we-teaching-students-ai-competence-or-dependence/ "Universities face a clear decision: do we want graduates who can merely use #ai, or citizens who can think with it? The first […]

This is the most punk thing I've ever heard of. This guy got his physics phd then proceeded to use it to create open source plans for everything you need to start a civilization. Definitely going in my digital apocalypse kit (wait, you don't have one?!), and this guy is now one of my heroes […]

Monet liberaalit tunnistavat aivan oikein väärien kannustinten, osaoptimoinnin ja lobbauksen olemassaolon systeemissä, mutta uskovat silti vastoin todistusaineistoa että riittävästi diskuteeraamalla on löydettävissä joku fiksu win-win-ratkaisu jossa kapitalistit saavat pitää voittonsa ja maailma […]

Over 40 years, we were collectively told to give tax cuts to rich people. And we were told that if we did that, wealth would trickle down and everyone would be better off. Over 40 years, pretty much everything got cut to fund these tax cuts. Schools. Hospitals. Public housing. Public […]

01.10.2025 #1000Madleens Jour 4 ⛵️"Bonjour Je m'appelle MUSTAPHA, je suis MEDIC à bord du bateau Anas El Sharif (Journaliste Palestinien assassiné par l’armée d’occupation israélienne) et je suis fier de représenter l’ASSOCIATION EUROPALESTINE pour tenter […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

When you consider the *ecocide* alongside the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza, you begin to grasp the totality of the Israeli state’s attempt to eliminate both the Palestinians and their homeland. My column today. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Car ownerships are rising and "roads are clogged, time is lost, streets blocked or hard to navigate due to parked cars, other streets and roads being used as rat runs, our air is clogged with fumes and pollution, and it is contributing to climate change and damaging our health. Exhaust fumes are […]

It is WILD that we now live in a time where my job as an astrophysics professor has gone from "learn cool things about space" to "try to get someone to hold billionaires accountable for dropping shit on us from orbit"

KU:sta ei soiteltu. Vaan lainattiin suoraan BSKY:sta. #talous #politiikka #media

When you let autocrats and dictators achieve any level of control, they use it to take more control. And more. And more. We knew that.

Power is the rock on which truth founders. The mainstream media, with a few exceptions, is a single-issue lobby group, whose purpose is to assert the rights of capital. Here's what I've learnt about the industry in 40 years in journalism. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Federation problems is just something we have to live with in the Fediverse. Federating has its pros and cons. I'm Swiss. We know these things. #switzerland #fediverse #justswissthings

Smart cities know that, as hot as they already are, they’re just going to keep getting hotter. Greening the city not only cools it down, it cleans the air, quiets the noise, improves mental health & happiness, saves public money, & more. Strand Aldwych, London. 2021 vs. 2025. Via @modacitylife.com

New music release from CMAT: ✨ EURO-COUNTRY https://album.link/i/1802736479 #music #cmat #musicsocial

At the #sustainable #schools #network we are aiming at greening the school environments with edibble fruit trees and vegetables. These provide students with both shades and nutritious foods. #growyourown #gardening #sustainableagriculture in #Schools #permaculture #foodforest