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Matt Lorentz
d0a1ffb8761b974cec4a3be8cbcb2e96a7090dcf465ffeac839aa4ca20c9a59e
Technologist, solarpunk, gamer, backpacker, passionate about using the internet to push more power to more people.

This seems to follow the same principles we’ve been talking about for Nos social. The major difference is we are leaning into NIP-32 labels for “passing judgement” on users and content rather than lists, which I think is more expressive and will scale better. For instance you can have client-side rules that say things like “if 1 of my friends reported this person put a content warning on their stuff, if 3 reported them don’t show them at all”. We’re about to start building a web app that allows relay owners (or any user) to view content reports take action on them.

I think shared blocklists are still really useful in the short term. This is the main way Matrix fights spam to this day and it’s still working for them at their scale I believe. It would be nice if we could leverage the existing mute lists (kind 10,000) somehow, as there is already a lot of valuable moderation-type data sitting in those. I would be careful about using the word "block" because it implies that the other user can't see your content if you've blocked them (which is true on most social platforms today but not Nostr).

I wrote some more about our vision for moderation here: naddr1qqxnzd3cxsurvd3jxyungdesqgsq7gkqd6kpqqngfm7vdr6ks4qwsdpdzcya2z9u6scjcquwvx203dsrqsqqqa282c44pk / https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzd3cxsurvd3jxyungdesqgsq7gkqd6kpqqngfm7vdr6ks4qwsdpdzcya2z9u6scjcquwvx203dsrqsqqqa282c44pk

It was really helpful! I especially like the app recommendations. Many I had heard of but many were new to me. I did get tripped up trying to use Safari and Firefox at first. It felt dirty having to use Chrome and I saw your note that “Chrome, Edge or Brave will work fine” but maybe if it said “You have to use a Chromium browser” it would’ve saved me a few minutes. Thanks for the great resource!

When I tap a zap amount it starts to show a loading indicator and then nothing happens. Is that because I don't have a wallet app installed?

First impressions:

- more UX is copy-pasted from iOS than I realized

- LineageOS works a lot better than I thought it would

- Its ugly

Running Amethyst.

Just got my first Android phone. So this is how the other half lives. Or in this case it's like the other 80% :P

I spent some time looking at self-hostable crash reporting tools yesterday and decided to try sentry.io. Does anyone have experience with them? I’m especially excited about their performance monitoring tools.

We have a goal with Nos to not have to say “this app shares data with third parties” on our App Store page. That means self-hosting analytics, support, crash reporting, etc. we are already self-hosting Posthog analytics and we are just using email for support right now.

Replying to Avatar QnA

Announcing my new nostr:npub1235tem4hfn34edqh8hxfja9amty73998f0eagnuu4zm423s9e8ksdg0ht5 guide!

Reclaiming some mobile phone privacy no longer requires crappy hardware, unacceptable trade-offs or command line knowledge.

Install Graphene in under 10 minutes with just a laptop and a web browser. Learn how👇

https://bitcoiner.guide/grapheneos

This isn't just a guide on how to install @GrapheneOS

, it's full walk through of everything you need to know before removing Apple or Google from your mobile life.

The guide covers:

- Tips on easing the transition

- The install process

- How to customize GrapheneOS

- The various different methods you can install apps

- An extensive list of Apple/Google app alternatives

- An honest discussion about the GrapheneOS trade-offs

- Sandboxed Google Play Services

- eSims and 'Profiles'

- Backups

I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you do, please give the guide a share so more people can learn about Graphene and opt out of the surveillance software they carry with them every day.

If you have any feedback or suggestions, get in touch.

🧡

I’m getting my first Android device next week and will definitely be checking this out. Thanks!

Replying to Avatar rabble

This isn’t for nostr folks, but I wanted to cross post / share it here because I think people might find it interesting.

This is a proposal for the future of Bluesky and the at_protocol that would accommodate both the desires of the community of early adopters and also the vision of an open social media protocol.

**Building a Community**

Bluesky has successfully built a thriving community on its initial test server. With its own norms, culture, and even inside jokes like the sexy alf, it's more than just a test server. It's become a significant entity in its own right, with a community of 600,000 users.

**Facing Conflict**

However, it's not all been sunshine and rainbows. The server has become a site of considerable conflict. There's a fundamental gap between those who advocate for an open, decentralized protocol and others who desire a more actively managed social space. The vision that drives the project and the evolving values of its growing community have created tensions within the Bluesky team.

**Addressing the Challenge**

Both a federated social media protocol and a commitment to actively policing against bigotry have merit. But these two goals aren't entirely compatible. So, what if they didn't have to be? What if the current Bluesky server continued as a standalone entity, running updated Bluesky software, while the company simultaneously launched the atproto network using the same software?

**Accommodating Users**

Current users could choose to stay on the existing server or utilize key migration technology to move their accounts to another server that's part of the open network. They could maintain the same identity on both platforms. This approach would allow users to choose their preferred experience.

**Managing Speech**

In a fully open, decentralized social media protocol, managing speech in the way that many early Bluesky adopters envision may not be feasible. You can block and mute objectionable users and content, but you can't prevent them from using the protocol altogether. This highlights the inherent tension between the preferences of early Bluesky adopters and the open-source, open-protocol nature of what the company is building.

**Examples of Exclusivity**

Examples like the fediverse servers, some of which either don't federate at all or only have very limited federation (like certain Japanese servers), demonstrate that exclusivity is an option. The current server with its 600,000 users could remain its own entity.

**Empowering Users**

What if we transferred management of the current server to its users? Bluesky the company would continue to develop software for both this specific instance and the larger network. Users could vote and select a management team for technical and trust/safety issues. Digital democracy tools like loomio could be adapted to enable this community governance model, giving users a direct voice in shaping their digital space.

**Funding the Transition**

Running Bluesky costs money, so funding will be essential. Possible sources include Bluesky LLC, crowdfunding efforts, or donations from foundations. Once established, the community could explore sustainable business models to continue funding trust and safety efforts.

**Conclusion**

This approach aligns with Bluesky's original vision of empowering people to run their own communities. By handing over the current server to its users and developing software for both the standalone instance and the larger network, we can support diverse digital spaces that accommodate the needs of all users, while upholding the vision of an open social media protocol.

If Bluesky did this it would look like an admission of failure to me. If communities with different rules and customs can’t coexist in the space then you’ve failed at creating a decentralized social network.

Ok I’m hooked on kagi.com search. It feels like Google search circa 2016. The first result is the right one ~70% of the time. It has quickly taken over ChatGPT as my first stop for programming questions. I’ll probably drop the OpenAI subscription and put that money towards Kagi instead.