michiel @michiel@social.tchncs.de

Tomorrow evening (Nov 19th) at 7:30 GMT I'm giving a free livestreamed classical cello + piano concert. It will be about 70 mins long.

I've been working toward this since the summer and I am really looking forward to sharing the music!

Direct link: https://chiplayer.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=becef0de-248a-4345-a8c8-ac5d0093a590 #cello #livemusic #music #concert #freemusic

When someone says "blockchain" and "election", tar and feather them before kicking them out of your town or country. Democracy is not a startup pitch. It deserves the paper trail.

Anyone familiar with a community or fuck it even some AI shit that is good at deciphering handwriting?

I can read everything except the year. 1907?

#photography #photo #film #bronica #ilford #fp4 #rodinal

I've hit a tipping point with polarization, from politics to technology to every day life. I have no appetite for it anymore. I am so exhausted.

People become so willfully ignorant toward perspectives of those who disagree with them that they live in fantasy worlds that are incompatible with one-another.

I've done much reflection on my own behavior during this time. And I've changed from it. I intend to write about that a lot more in the future, especially with how it impacts my activism.

So, should we:

Address the fact that the software industry is a pile of bullcrap that could collapse in any moment.

Or rename our branches to "main" and call it a day.

Extruded Hilbert Halftone
linocut print, 6"x6"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/877361096/extruded-hilbert-halftone-blockprint

Proposals that are in favour of the environment, even though they do not belong to a single group of the political spectrum, are not adopted by the majority, making the minority simmer with anger.

In other words, colorless green ideas sleep furiously

I was shooting heroin and reading “The Fountainhead” in the front seat of my privately owned police cruiser when a call came in. I put a quarter in the radio to activate it. It was the chief.

“Bad news, detective. We got a situation.”

“What? Is the mayor trying to ban trans fats again?”

“Worse. Somebody just stole four hundred and forty-seven million dollars’ worth of bitcoins.”

The heroin needle practically fell out of my arm. “What kind of monster would do something like that? Bitcoins are the ultimate currency: virtual, anonymous, stateless. They represent true economic freedom, not subject to arbitrary manipulation by any government. Do we have any leads?”

“Not yet. But mark my words: we’re going to figure out who did this and we’re going to take them down … provided someone pays us a fair market rate to do so.”

“Easy, chief,” I said. “Any rate the market offers is, by definition, fair.”

He laughed. “That’s why you’re the best I got, Lisowski. Now you get out there and find those bitcoins.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m on it.”

I put a quarter in the siren. Ten minutes later, I was on the scene. It was a normal office building, strangled on all sides by public sidewalks. I hopped over them and went inside.

“Home Depot™ Presents the Police!®” I said, flashing my badge and my gun and a small picture of Ron Paul. “Nobody move unless you want to!” They didn’t.

“Now, which one of you punks is going to pay me to investigate this crime?” No one spoke up.

“Come on,” I said. “Don’t you all understand that the protection of private property is the foundation of all personal liberty?”

It didn’t seem like they did.

“Seriously, guys. Without a strong economic motivator, I’m just going to stand here and not solve this case. Cash is fine, but I prefer being paid in gold bullion or autographed Penn Jillette posters.”

Nothing. These people were stonewalling me. It almost seemed like they didn’t care that a fortune in computer money invented to buy drugs was missing.

I figured I could wait them out. I lit several cigarettes indoors. A pregnant lady coughed, and I told her that secondhand smoke is a myth. Just then, a man in glasses made a break for it.

“Subway™ Eat Fresh and Freeze, Scumbag!®” I yelled.

Too late. He was already out the front door. I went after him.

“Stop right there!” I yelled as I ran. He was faster than me because I always try to avoid stepping on public sidewalks. Our country needs a private-sidewalk voucher system, but, thanks to the incestuous interplay between our corrupt federal government and the public-sidewalk lobby, it will never happen.

I was losing him. “Listen, I’ll pay you to stop!” I yelled. “What would you consider an appropriate price point for stopping? I’ll offer you a thirteenth of an ounce of gold and a gently worn ‘Bob Barr ‘08’ extra-large long-sleeved men’s T-shirt!”

He turned. In his hand was a revolver that the Constitution said he had every right to own. He fired at me and missed. I pulled my own gun, put a quarter in it, and fired back. The bullet lodged in a U.S.P.S. mailbox less than a foot from his head. I shot the mailbox again, on purpose.

“All right, all right!” the man yelled, throwing down his weapon. “I give up, cop! I confess: I took the bitcoins.”

“Why’d you do it?” I asked, as I slapped a pair of Oikos™ Greek Yogurt Presents Handcuffs® on the guy.

“Because I was afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“Afraid of an economic future free from the pernicious meddling of central bankers,” he said. “I’m a central banker.”

I wanted to coldcock the guy. Years ago, a central banker killed my partner. Instead, I shook my head.

“Let this be a message to all your central-banker friends out on the street,” I said. “No matter how many bitcoins you steal, you’ll never take away the dream of an open society based on the principles of personal and economic freedom.”

He nodded, because he knew I was right. Then he swiped his credit card to pay me for arresting him.

#rf @rf

Airlines & airports are pushing technological solutions which either don’t work or don’t exist. But the only way to tackle emissions from flying right now is to fly less. In a real crisis, imaginary technologies don't help. #NetZeroFestival
https://stay-grounded.org/get-information/#greenwashing