@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , (edited ) to random

Remember when the right decided it hated (some) big businesses, specifically Big Tech? A branch of the Trump coalition (including Vance, Gaetz and Hawley) declared themselves "Khanservatives," a cheering section for Biden's generationally important FTC commissioner Lina Khan:

https://www.fastcompany.com/91156980/trump-vp-pick-j-d-vance-supports-big-tech-antitrust-crackdown

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/khanservatives/#kid-rock-eats-shit

1/

n altered version of a Gilded Age editorial cartoon titled 'Who controls the Senate?' which depicts the Senate as populated by tiny, ineffectual politicians ringed by massive, bloated, brooding monopolists. A door labeled 'people's entrance.' is firmly locked. A sign reads, 'This is a senate of the monopolists, by the monopolists and for the monopolists.' The image has been altered: an editorial cartoon of Boss Tweed, portrayed as a portly man in a business suit with a money-bag for a head, stands in the foreground. He is wearing a MAGA hat. On his shoulder perches a tiny, 'big stick' swinging FDR from another editorial cartoon. The logos of the monopolists in the background have been replaced with logos for Chevron, Coinbase, Google, Microsoft, WB, PGA, Apple, Comcast, Realpage and KKR.
ALT
18+ pluralistic OP ,
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar

While it's true that the platforms constitute an existential risk to free expression thanks to their chokehold over speech forums, it was always categorically untrue that conservatives were singled out by tech moderators:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

8/

@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , to random

There's a reason every decentralized system eventually finds its way onto a platform: platforms solve real-world problems that platform users struggle to solve for themselves.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/11/post-dollar-world/#de-dollarization

1/

An old-fashioned credit-card imprinter; its handle is a cracked and dirty American flag. Under the slip is a gold Trump Card. Looming over the imprinter is the top half of Trump's face, brooding and squint-eyed; it has been altered to increase its orangeness, to add bloodshot sclera to his eyes, and to add liver spots. At its bottom, the face merges with a bubbling, hellish cauldron of smoke and flame.
ALT
18+ pluralistic OP ,
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar

Consider the US dollar. The dollar is to global commerce what America's fiber head-ends are to the world's data network: a site of essential, (nominally) neutral interchange that is actually a weapon that the US uses to gain advantage over its allies and to punish its enemies:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/10/weaponized-interdependence/#the-other-swifties

The world's also got about 200 currencies. For parties in one country to trade with those in another country, the buyer needs to possess a currency the seller can readily spend.

7/

@thepinkhacker@app.wafrn.net avatar thepinkhacker , to random

Guys here's my new Discord alternative. I'm going to be open sourcing the protocol here soon. I'd like one william dollars.

-discord-seemed-to-like-this-one

8 metal cans in a circle connected from the center by string.
ALT

IRC Downloading

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat and data transfer, including file sharing. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC ...

B4DR0B0T OP , to Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ in IRC Downloading
@B4DR0B0T@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar
  • #moviegods - used to required this, but they don't allow any proxy.
  • scenep2p - you can use #the.source.nospam without registration, and proxy is allowed as long as you behave.
  • I dont think skullxdcc.com was built by same people, style of coding completely different unless they did ai vibe coding than its possible.
MissingInteger , (edited ) to Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ in IRC Downloading
@MissingInteger@lemmy.zip avatar
  • I used #moviegods on and off for years without ever registering without problem (maybe they briefly required it when I wasn't using them?)
  • You need to register now to actually download even if you use #the.source.nospam. You can interact in the channel without registering, but as soon you try to message a bot to actually download you get the following automated message "You must identify to a registered nick to private message this user"
  • skullxdcc.com seems to be made by the same person.
B4DR0B0T OP , to Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ in IRC Downloading
@B4DR0B0T@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar
  • #moviegods maybe it changed now, but this was like 2-3 years ago. Before the second they detected you are using proxy/vpn you were auto banned.
  • #the.source.nospam maybe it changed now, few months ago you were able to use it unregistered. But its alwasy recommended to register your nick and use SASL/SSL to authenticate.
  • skullxdcc I looked at the style of coding and it seems not, but i dont know.

EDIT: My bad for some reason I confused skullxdcc with xdcc.rocks. You might be right.

@z428eu@quietmoon.org avatar z428eu , to random

Out in dusk. Hazy cold.

baltic self winter in everything

Rocks in snow, the frozen sea behind.
Shoreline, frozen sea and a dark forest in the back.
A path through grass. Dark forest and a road with lanterns in the back.

A path through grass. Dark forest and a road with lanterns in the back.
ALT
Lucelu2 , to Buy European in Better buy European: Trump ‘kill switch’ fears grow over Australia’s $17 billion F-35 fleet

"Australia got its anticircumvention law through the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which obliges Australia to enact anticircumvention law."

The alternative was tariffs. Well, I don't know if you've heard, but we've got tariffs now! ... what about repealing anticircumvention law?"
--Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c3/#the-new-coalition

@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , to random

What if there was a way for a business to transform any conduct it disliked into a felony, harnessing the power of the state to threaten anyone who acted in a way that displeased the company with a long prison sentence and six-figure fines?

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/07/aimsters-revenge/#effective-means-of-access-control

1/

Image: Electronic Frontier Foundation https://www.eff.org/wp/unfiltered-how-youtubes-content-id-discourages-fair-use-and-dictates-what-we-see-online CC BY 4.0 https://www.eff.org/copyright
ALT
18+ pluralistic OP ,
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar

And here we are, more than a quarter-century later, living in the prison of lawmakers' reckless disregard for evidence and expertise, a world where criticism can be converted into a felony. It's long past time we get rid of this stupid, stupid law:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c3/#the-new-coalition

33/

@gabboman@gabboman.xyz avatar gabboman , to random

god damit if I want to convert an animaged gif/webp to a mp4 video turns out I need to extract all frames THEN I use ffmpreg to join them in a video file.

I rather have one command to do it that i can call ass a dependency :/

ludrol ,
@ludrol@app.wafrn.net avatar

I use https://ezgif.com/webp-to-mp4

-advances-of-moder-web-neve-ceases-to-amaze-me

@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , to random

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Luxury Kafka; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/06/doge-ball/

1/

A suburban house; on the law stand a couple, their backs to it, looking appreciatively upon it. On the lawn is a lawn-flag reading 'Chinga la migra' in ornate script, surrounded by butterflies and flowers. The flag is limned in red spokes.
ALT
18+ pluralistic OP ,
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar pluralistic , to random

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: All laws are local; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/05/contingency/

1/

A pair of broken off statue legs, shod in Roman sandals, atop a cliff. Behind them, we see a futuristic city.
ALT
18+ pluralistic OP ,
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar
@pervognsen@mastodon.social avatar pervognsen , (edited ) to random

Maybe I'm too harsh but this is like nails on chalkboard: https://ratatui.rs/tutorials/json-editor/app/#the-full-application-state. Since it's a beginner tutorial maybe it's driven by the (IMHO misguided) notion that beginners would be confused by using enum fields properly to make invalid states unrepresentable.

@LisaWarnerLisaLuv@mastodon.social avatar LisaWarnerLisaLuv , to random
LisaWarnerLisaLuv OP ,
@LisaWarnerLisaLuv@mastodon.social avatar
LisaWarnerLisaLuv OP ,
@LisaWarnerLisaLuv@mastodon.social avatar
LisaWarnerLisaLuv OP ,
@LisaWarnerLisaLuv@mastodon.social avatar
LisaWarnerLisaLuv OP ,
@LisaWarnerLisaLuv@mastodon.social avatar

🌐🌏🩵💁🏿‍♀️DEAR BELOVED FRIENDS I AM FEEDING MY SPIRIT WITH GOOD!& LOVING THINGS!& ALWAYS THINKING OF YOU!& THE MEANING OF LIFE!& GOD'S WILL!& SHARING WITH YOU SO WE ALL CAN BE LIFTED!& BOOSTED WITH POSITIVE HOPE!& PASS IT ON TO ALL OTHERS IN LIGHT!*GENTLENESS!KINDNESS!& LOVE!*AMEN!👉

’s

LisaWarnerLisaLuv OP ,
@LisaWarnerLisaLuv@mastodon.social avatar

🌐🌏🩵💁🏿‍♀️DEAR BELOVED FRIENDS I HOPE!& PRAY YOU ALL HAVE A WARM!*ENLIGHTENED!*FUN!WHIMSICAL!& AMAZING DAY!*AMEN!🤗👉

🙌🙏🌐🌏🙌🙏*From all that dwell below the skies!👉

’s