This led to #ShowerThoughts; I wonder is the Pirate Party could get some traction in Aotearoa if the local version was called the Private Party?
nostr:npub1trdnqrfstufc45awha43p6xy2n0v6czuhapzh4r09hap08dg0c6s9gussx
Aye, it's about my least favorite, but it *is* convenient for online shopping. We don't have too many good options in the U.S.
Zelle is incredibly capricious. They have all kinds of throttling algorithms that are a total black box. you can go to pay your rent and then find out you can only transfer $500 per day. That happened recently to someone I know.
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> Zelle is incredibly capricious
This is analogous to saying the same thing about FB or Titter. The core problem is not the behaviour of these companies or the people running them. But that we've allowed our payments systems and social networks to be privatised by proprietary tech companies. Which neoliberalism has allowed to form mon/olig-opolies and mon/olig-opsonies, and enshittify services for everyone.
See Doctorow's new book. In both cases, it's a collective action problem.
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> are those government-created payment systems
Sadly, no (except for cash). EFTPOS was set up by a consortium of banks, building on the tech they'd already rolled out for ATMs. It's now a duopoly, like so many things here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debit_card#New_Zealand
The debit/credit cards are mainly Visa/ MasterCard. POLI was created by an Ozzie company:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/POLi_Payments
(1/2)
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
I'd love to see a payment system using QRCodes and apps, like they have in China, but vendor-agnostic. Not controlled by two tech corporations. Something that would work online *and* in person. I'm intrigued by both InterLedger and CBDCs as potential ways of doing that.
(2/2)
nostr:npub1trdnqrfstufc45awha43p6xy2n0v6czuhapzh4r09hap08dg0c6s9gussx
That's nice, are those government-created payment systems?
We really need that in the U.S.... and will probably never get one.
High-functioning failed state, yo.
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> are those government-created payment systems
Sadly, no (except for cash). EFTPOS was set up by a consortium of banks, building on the tech they'd already rolled out for ATMs. It's now a duopoly, like so many things here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debit_card#New_Zealand
The debit/credit cards are mainly Visa/ MasterCard. POLI was created by an Ozzie company:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/POLi_Payments
(1/2)
I notice more and more places in Aotearoa refusing to accept cash for payments, despite the fact that it's legal tender. If this isn't already illegal, it ought to be. If it is, those laws need to be enforced.
Some people prefer to keep some (or all) of our transactions private, rather than sharing data about them with banks, payment providers, and anyone else they share it with or sell it to. We have that right.
#Aotearoa #NZ #privacy #payments #cash #LegalTender
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> How do you guys pay for stuff in kiwiland?
Depends on the context. We've had EFTPOS cards for a long time. We use credit/debit cards online, and a lot of people are now using them in person too, because of PayWave. I still mostly use cash, with EFTPOS as a backup.
More recently there's POLI for online payments, which redirects you to your bank's online banking web app, which is cool. I try to use this wherever it's available, to cut the credit card corporations out of the chain.
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
I guess some people use PayPal? Not me. I've never trusted it, and the more I learn about the people behind it, the more true that is.
nostr:npub1trdnqrfstufc45awha43p6xy2n0v6czuhapzh4r09hap08dg0c6s9gussx
We have stuff like paypal and Zelle, but they can be very capricious and throttle you out of nowhere while you're trying to get your rent paid.
Personal checks aren't accepted in every context, but usually when we have a relationship with a client, we'll accept personal checks.
How do you guys pay for stuff in kiwiland? ;)
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> How do you guys pay for stuff in kiwiland?
Depends on the context. We've had EFTPOS cards for a long time. We use credit/debit cards online, and a lot of people are now using them in person too, because of PayWave. I still mostly use cash, with EFTPOS as a backup.
More recently there's POLI for online payments, which redirects you to your bank's online banking web app, which is cool. I try to use this wherever it's available, to cut the credit card corporations out of the chain.
nostr:npub17yujtq4726d4g8mxwp9hayuz9jahfgsc0j03ncs6e22l8h03gf5s9ppxek
> APfest or (better) FediFest
I'm a bit uncomfortable with these kinds of contractions. Maybe because they remind me of NewSpeak from 1984? For some reason I'm OK with this for a conference, but for the monthly meetup I'm looking for a phrase, like the examples I gave.
nostr:npub1trdnqrfstufc45awha43p6xy2n0v6czuhapzh4r09hap08dg0c6s9gussx
Oh I remember that thread, you make some fair points sure knowing the history of state financing of the internet/encryption there's no absolute pure stance.
Personally I'd be willing to overlook the massive technical failings of synapse/element were they on firm ethical ground. And if vice versa Matrix was as stable and well designed as the several XMPP based platforms out there I could overlook them getting/seeking cop money. But as it stands I think me and my friends should leave the buggy and unstable platform to the pigs and use something else.
nostr:npub1ycccmlftetyyqsnv957l0h4pywmtyj8j83a6q3mxc0ma9x79khwsp00l5g
> as it stands I think me and my friends should leave the buggy and unstable platform to the pigs and use something else
I've been using XMPP off and on for at least 20 years, and I'm currently writing a series of blog posts for nostr:npub14t2drd00dn8g37nc5sfd48x8elchl2ctxq2vy95szhyjx9px5mfqgqnx8c. If you're looking for a human-friendly XMMP stack with both server and mobile apps, you could do much worse than Snikket.
But TBH I find matrix much easier to use, and I use it much more often. As do most of the people I chat with. YMMV.
"Most people absolutely need an algorithmic timeline that throws all sorts of things at them, because they don’t have a large established number of followers or friends when they join a social network."
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about
"Just under a year ago... I offered these building blocks to forecast what could happen... Companies whose whole business is built around capturing attention."
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/hows-that-ai-tsunami-looking-a-year
Wow, that's almost as prescient as when I predicted a decade ago that companies would build whole businesses around slicing loafs of bread and wrapping them in a plastic sleeve ; )
I mean, come on. The Social Dilemma came out 3 years ago.
"Most people absolutely need an algorithmic timeline that throws all sorts of things at them, because they don’t have a large established number of followers or friends when they join a social network."
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about
"I’m the proposed Class Representative for a lawsuit against Google in the UK on behalf of publishers. If you sold open display ads in the UK after 2014, you might be a member of the class. Read more at Googleadclaim.co.uk. (Or see the press release.)"
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about
#ClassAction #Google #GoogleAdClaim
"Most people absolutely need an algorithmic timeline that throws all sorts of things at them, because they don’t have a large established number of followers or friends when they join a social network."
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about
"I’m the proposed Class Representative for a lawsuit against Google in the UK on behalf of publishers. If you sold open display ads in the UK after 2014, you might be a member of the class. Read more at Googleadclaim.co.uk. (Or see the press release.)"
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about
#ClassAction #Google #GoogleAdClaim
nostr:npub1a74ryj5gxqtv48q25duvxlru98xjm8jvazws35kw2yjn9p4chsvqygu9xf
> What is Fedi's opinion on passphrases vs passwords? Are passphrases just better?
Yes. As is often the case, there's an XKCD that explains why better than I could:
Passphrases in obscure languages you know well are even better. I'm considering learning Klingon so I can login to things by saying stuff like "Today is a good day to die" ; )
nostr:npub1wx0tnmv8stshjztht58wapgpsha9smtuqcsrkq3up4t0a9e7dazqljce0l
nostr:npub17j5xgxhtskpcp0kjd9ldjhm3w6ggns7kkvfp44lk4qsrdwawmjeqvd0ny5
Yeah, this is another area where my very siloed IT experience bites me in the butt.
I just don't have the general experience to maintain a web application server.
I *do* have enough Infosec experience to not trust container images... Who knows what's in those things?!? Who knows if it's getting regular security updates? Does anybody really inspect them?
It's a massive security disaster waiting to happen.
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> I *do* have enough Infosec experience to not trust container images... Who knows what's in those things?!?
They're pretty legit if you roll your own. Or if you trust a software project to make regular releases, especially whenever there's a security update.
nostr:npub17j5xgxhtskpcp0kjd9ldjhm3w6ggns7kkvfp44lk4qsrdwawmjeqvd0ny5
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> Check printing (yes, really ;)
Your country's banks still have cheques? Some businesses still accept them? They went out with the dodo here, I think due to a rash of cheque fraud.
nostr:npub1l3gpk6vrudg8r67swqlex5alv9ch59s4lw46kk6hekuxe2n3aczsyqvu48
> Xero comes highly recommended to me, but I'm loathe to go "cloud" for accounting
Ae, me too. If there's any personal data that never ought to leave your local network, it's financial data.
"Most people absolutely need an algorithmic timeline that throws all sorts of things at them, because they don’t have a large established number of followers or friends when they join a social network."
#CharlesArthur, 2023
https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about
ActivityConf/ ActivityFed makes sense as a name for the proposed online conference, but I’d like us to come up with something more descriptive and fun for the monthly meetup name. Any suggestions?
Here’s an example, inspired by Open Tech Will Save Us;
Federated Freedom For Humans
Seems a little clunky, I think we can do better. But you get the idea.
#fediverse #AskFedi #MeetUps #ActivityPub
ActivityConf/ ActivityFed makes sense as a name for the proposed online conference, but I’d like us to come up with something more descriptive and fun for the monthly meetup name. Any suggestions?
Here’s an example, inspired by Open Tech Will Save Us;
Federated Freedom For Humans
Seems a little clunky, I think we can do better. But you get the idea.
#fediverse #AskFedi
#ShowerThoughts: Water is not the petrol of the human body, but the oil.