@johnmark@freeradical.zone cover
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

johnmark

@[email protected]

Anti-racist anti-fascist anti-authoritarian

Anti-social lol

He/him

And we're lost in the woods, somewhere in New Jersey, and we're not gonna make it to LA

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar futurebird , (edited ) to random

It's legit gross out and my husband ignored the beeping on the phone and has gone off to the bodega.

If he does not return I will take a shovel and find him when the sun rises.

(UPDATE: I just realize this post is very ominous without the context that there is a horrible snow storm going on)

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@futurebird yikes... thoughts and prayers!

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@futurebird I understand the impulse... I would probably do the same lol

@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar johnmark , to random

What I loved about the - he was a wandering observer, allowing us to see his world through his eyes. He was the narrator, letting us into his jaunt through PR culture.

It's the selflessness that got me. It's not "look at me" it's "look at all this"

Just beautiful stagecraft

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

Newsletter: Binance’s Changpeng Zhao earns a gold-plated pardon as other industry figures fund Trump’s $300 million ballroom

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-95/

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@molly0xfff jfc... OMG this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better

@aeva@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar aeva , to random

is doing this real cool thing where if I hover the mouse over scribus or krita, the cursor shrinks. idk where to even begin with that one

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@aeva I actually like plasma and use it daily (I have a high tolerance for pain?) but oh how I cackled at this lol

@gbhnews@mastodon.social avatar gbhnews , (edited ) to random

free bobbleheads

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@gbhnews Socrates! The soccer player?

@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar johnmark , to random
@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

"No one is quite sure how much more electricity the United States will need, but estimates suggest the nation’s emerging AI machine could demand 60 gigawatts or more within the next couple of years. That volume far exceeds the needs of major U.S. cities, such as New York."

When do the rolling electricity cuts start? Just after your bill has gone way up to pay for Big Tech AI scam you of your hard earned money.

The final chapter in the Growth Death Cult won't be pretty.
https://journalrecord.com/2025/09/25/ai-energy-demand-us-power-challenges/

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@gerrymcgovern china is addressing this by going all in on batteries+ solar. We... have not.

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@gerrymcgovern that buildout is declining and their overall carbon output is going down. I wasn't trying to say that china is green - rather that they are better prepared for the future by embracing solar + batteries

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@LillyHerself @gerrymcgovern that depends on what you mean by "ai" - automation is definitely changing how we write and execute computer programs forever. The scammy bubble part is open AI, meta, and grok. There's a signal to noise problem, not to mention an ethics, surveillance, and resource consumption problem, but this isn't blockchain. There is actual utility.

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@kritischelezer @gerrymcgovern completely agree. One thing I've seen is that we don't actually need these gigantic data centers for the intelligent automation tech that is proving to be useful. That's the bubble part which will implode at some point. But yes, the future is batteries + renewables, the sooner the better.

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@LillyHerself @gerrymcgovern I'm all for taxing this usage and fining data centers that increase pollution and emissions. I just wanted to point out that we're not doing enough to prepare for future energy demands or reduce pollution, in contrast to China.

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@gerrymcgovern @Dirk79 it's worrisome and gives me nightmares, but at this point I'm just looking for any hope to grasp on to lol

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

Ashley Rindsberg and Fox News are furious at Wikipedia editors for “attacking” Charlie Kirk by... listing the viewpoints he prominently and publicly advocated

The attack continues further down in the Kirk article’s lead paragraphs, where editors said Kirk was controversial due to his "opposition to gun control, abortion, and LGBTQ rights; his criticism of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr.; and his promotion of Christian nationalism, COVID-19 misinformation, the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, and false claims of electoral fraud in 2020." COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK The framing ensures that anyone searching for Kirk after his murder is met with a narrative designed to discredit him.
ALT
johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@molly0xfff literal lol...

"We believe in free speech and journalistic integrity"

"No no not like that"

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

it's like when you miss a cool number on the odometer

1,111,092 more to go, i guess!

Screenshot: User contributions for GorillaWarfare A user with 123,475 edits. Account created on 28 July 2007.
ALT
johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@molly0xfff such a missed opportunity ;)

@gbhnews@mastodon.social avatar gbhnews , (edited ) to random

and now for the poll of the day

how are we feeling about hats?

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@gbhnews feel like there needs to be a 3rd option... :)

@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

Every 7 minutes, Wrestlemania breaks out in my office...

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@AnarchoNinaWrites I can't decide if this is chaotic good, chaotic neutral, or chaotic evil. Maybe depends on your mood? lol

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

The scale of Trump's pay-for-access scheme outlined by the Times is mindblowing. Crypto contributions resulting in business deals with the Trump family crypto businesses, oil companies buying influence and later reaping benefits from friendly policies, and a $1 million pardon.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/us/politics/donor-list-suggests-scale-of-trumps-pay-for-access-operation.html

Cryptocurrency interests, which have benefited from the Trump administration’s dismantling of a yearslong government crackdown and from the Trump family’s financial interest in the industry, appear to have been the most generous industry, accounting for nearly $45 million in donations to MAGA Inc.An affiliate of the exchange Crypto.com gave $10 million, while the crypto services company Blockchain.com donated $5 million. The venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are heavily invested in crypto, gave $3 million each. Ondo Finance, which has a partnership with the Trump family’s crypto company, donated $2.1 million to MAGA Inc., on top of $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration.

Cryptocurrency interests, which have benefited from the Trump administration’s dismantling of a yearslong government crackdown and from the Trump family’s financial interest in the industry, appear to have been the most generous industry, accounting for nearly $45 million in donations to MAGA Inc.An affiliate of the exchange Crypto.com gave $10 million, while the crypto services company Blockchain.com donated $5 million. The venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are heavily invested in crypto, gave $3 million each. Ondo Finance, which has a partnership with the Trump family’s crypto company, donated $2.1 million to MAGA Inc., on top of $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
ALT
johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@molly0xfff I'm glad the nytimes at least still does some journalism

@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

Lol, Trump wants to pardon Maxwell?

Aight libs, I have been sympathetic to your desire not to feed the conspiracy nazis but like, this is exactly what it looks like - Trump is covering up his involvement in a child sex slave ring. There's no other fucking way to read this.

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@AnarchoNinaWrites wait what??? OMG

@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , (edited ) to random

30 days of Trump's second term: Markets crashing, manufacturing collapsing, eggs at $8.

The economic arsonist is back with a vengeance.

https://www.theindex.media/america-voted-for-chaos-the-markets-are-feeling-the-punch/

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@Daojoan Trump 2.0: this time I'll finish the job

@protonprivacy@mastodon.social avatar protonprivacy , to random

Recent US State Department budget cuts have unfortunately also impacted non-profits working on internet freedom.

The Proton Foundation has stepped in to support organizations such as Free Press Unlimited, Freedom House, and Tor, which are impacted, but these organizations need more support.

You can find out more about what they do and the $1 million that Proton is donating towards organizations defending democracy during this critical time here:

https://proton.me/blog/2024-lifetime-fundraiser-results

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@protonprivacy I really wish you would rethink your social media strategy. You have accounts on all the oligarch platforms but none that are explicitly anti-monopoly such as mastodon, signal, matrix, or even bsky.

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

I’m not sure people quite grasp how much of the crypto world is reacting to the Trump memecoin launches.

nic carter @nic__carter · 11h Something that hasn’t been much discussed - creating a bunch of personal memecoins opens the door to secretive foreign buyers trying to curry influence with our leaders. If you hated hunter biden’s anonymous art sales, you should hate this too. nic carter @nic__carter Basically, we used to have an informal rule that presidents wouldn’t start or run businesses that could pose a conflict of interest. Creating a bunch of memecoins and defi protocols opens the possibility to rampant violations of the emoluments clause. Not to mention the obvious COI given the fact that trump can set crypto policy.
Ryan Selkis (d/acc) 🇺🇸 @twobitidiot Dear @realDonaldTrump : Please fire whoever recommended going forward with the Melania launch today. 1. They don’t know what they’re doing. 2. They cost you a lot of $ and goodwill. 3. They don’t have your interests in mind.
Brent @Brentsketit feel bad for anyone trying to build anything serious rn president just making a complete mockery of this industry fighting another biden admin prolly would have been better longterm

Brent @Brentsketit feel bad for anyone trying to build anything serious rn president just making a complete mockery of this industry fighting another biden admin prolly would have been better longterm
ALT
johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@molly0xfff Them: DeFi and deregulation forevaaaaaahhhhhh

Trump: Hey kids, here's $TRUMP and $MELANIA!

Them: wait, not like that...

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

According to PolitiFact, Trump kept only 23% of his campaign promises during his first term. Now, with weeks to go before starting his second, he’s already walking back some of his biggest 2024 pledges. The Big Picture unpacks the reversals—and what it says about his ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’ slogan. https://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/donald-trump-campaign-promises-broken

johnmark ,
@johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

@georgetakei Al Franken called it all those years ago "lies and the lying liars who tell them"

@dansup@mastodon.social avatar dansup , to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @dansup If you enjoy being around stinky, cold, waterlogged Europeans, you'll love fosdem

    (I love fosdem very much, but there's definitely an 'eau de fosdem')

    @theronconrey@hachyderm.io avatar theronconrey , to random

    and clients are both failing to upload videos. Loopless provides a more verbose error message.

    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @theronconrey Glad I'm not the only one who couldn't get it to work

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , (edited ) to random

    Newsletter: Crypto’s efforts to buy the 2024 elections paid off, and we’re in for a bumpy ride.

    A recap of how unprecedented crypto super PAC spending impacted 68 Congressional races, and the pro-crypto appointees Trump is already eyeing.

    https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-70/

    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff This timeline sucks

    @Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

    I’m going to start replying to everything like I’m on Hacker News. Unhappy with Congress? Why don’t you just start a new country and write a constitution and secede? It’s not that hard once you know how. Actually, I wrote a microstate in a weekend using Rust.

    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @Daojoan I laughed.

    And then I cried...

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    what do you think the most regretted purchase is, going by listings on resale marketplaces?

    i think it’s got to be cricut machines

    (not counting things like furniture and cars and stuff that people regularly purchase and then resell with wear/downsizing/taste changes/etc.)

    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff TIL what a cricut machine is lol

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    representation is important. thank you unicode team.

    Face with Bags Under Eyes 🆕 Approved in September 2024 as part of Emoji 16.0. Expected to arrive on platforms in late 2024 and throughout 2025. A yellow smiley face with a strained expression and dark markings under its eyes, likely caused by stress or exhaustion. Face with Bags Under Eyes was approved as part of Unicode 16.0 in 2024 and added to Emoji 16.0 in 2024.

    Face with Bags Under Eyes 🆕 Approved in September 2024 as part of Emoji 16.0. Expected to arrive on platforms in late 2024 and throughout 2025. A yellow smiley face with a strained expression and dark markings under its eyes, likely caused by stress or exhaustion. Face with Bags Under Eyes was approved as part of Unicode 16.0 in 2024 and added to Emoji 16.0 in 2024.
    ALT
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff Someone made an emoji just for me! I am loved!

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    Last week, Public Citizen’s Rick Claypool and I filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission based on my research into apparent campaign finance violations by the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange.

    Read the full complaint and my updated article.

    Complaint: https://www.citizen.org/article/coinbase-fec-complaint/

    Updated article: https://www.citationneeded.news/coinbase-campaign-finance-violation/

    building” if “payment for the performance of such contract or payment for such material, supplies, equipment, land, or building is to be made in whole or in part from funds appropriated by the Congress.” 52 U.S.C. § 30119(a)(1). The FEC has interpreted the prohibition on contributions to political committees as including contributions to hybrid PACs and independent expenditure-only political committees (“IEOPCs” or “super PACs”), a position they have made clear including in a statement regarding published after the 2011 Carey v. FEC decision. FECA additionally prohibits any person from knowingly soliciting any such contribution from a federal contractor. 52 U.S.C. § 30119(a)(2). The prohibition on campaign contributions from federal contractors applies from when a request for proposals is sent out or when negotiations commence (whichever is earlier) until the completion of performance under the contract or the termination of negotiations (whichever is later). 52 U.S.C. § 30119(a)(1); 11 C.F.R.§ 115.1(b) Coinbase is a federal contractor subject to the FECA prohibition Coinbase is a federal contractor, holding a current government contract with the United States Marshals Service (USMS), a federal agency within the United States Department of Justice. This contract has a $7 million obligated amount, and a $32.5 million total contract value. The USMS contract opportunity was first published on March 4, 2024, and offers were due on April 1, 2024.
    CONCLUSION FECA and FEC regulations prohibit a federal contractor from making a contribution to any political committee during the period in which a federal contract is being negotiated or performed. According to the definitions of the prohibited time period outlined in FEC regulations, Coinbase was prohibited from making campaign contributions beginning on March 4, 2024. The prohibition will continue until the completion of performance under the contract or the termination of negotiations (whichever is later). As the contract is still ongoing, Coinbase has been prohibited from making any contributions from March 4, 2024 through to the date of this complaint. Consequently, there is reason to believe Coinbase violated the federal contractor contribution prohibition by making a $500,000 contribution to a hybrid PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and a $24,999,995 contribution to a super PAC, Fairshake, during the period it was negotiating and/or performing its federal contracts. Furthermore, both the Congressional Leadership Fund and Fairshake are aware of the prohibition on accepting contributions from federal government contractors, and may have violated FECA and FEC regulations if they had reason to believe Coinbase was negotiating a federal contract at the time they solicited and/or accepted the contributions.

    CONCLUSION FECA and FEC regulations prohibit a federal contractor from making a contribution to any political committee during the period in which a federal contract is being negotiated or performed. According to the definitions of the prohibited time period outlined in FEC regulations, Coinbase was prohibited from making campaign contributions beginning on March 4, 2024. The prohibition will continue until the completion of performance under the contract or the termination of negotiations (whichever is later). As the contract is still ongoing, Coinbase has been prohibited from making any contributions from March 4, 2024 through to the date of this complaint. Consequently, there is reason to believe Coinbase violated the federal contractor contribution prohibition by making a $500,000 contribution to a hybrid PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and a $24,999,995 contribution to a super PAC, Fairshake, during the period it was negotiating and/or performing its federal contracts. Furthermore, both the Congressional Leadership Fund and Fairshake are aware of the prohibition on accepting contributions from federal government contractors, and may have violated FECA and FEC regulations if they had reason to believe Coinbase was negotiating a federal contract at the time they solicited and/or accepted the contributions.
    ALT
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff Molly this is great stuff. How can we help?

    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar johnmark , to random

    Who would you rather vote for to keep Donald Trump out of office?

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    Newsletter: Are US legislators and regulators warming to crypto? Also, someone lights himself on fire to promote a memecoin. https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-59/

    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff ngl - I'm afraid to read this one. I don't want to see legislators warming to crypto.

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    Coinbase’s “Stand With Crypto” PAC claims to have raised $87 million, but their donations list totals up to only $1,176,900. They seem to be double-counting corporate contributions to super PACs to overstate how much their “community” supports this supposedly grassroots project.

    The list trails off at donations of $44.67, so there could be additional smaller donations not shown on the page, but not more than $85 million’s worth.

    Our community See how our community is taking a stand to safeguard the future of crypto in America. Donations to Fairshake, a pro-crypto Super PAC, are not included on the leaderboard. Recent activity Top donations 1 position 1 medal MoonPay profile picture MoonPay $1,000,000.00 2 position 2 medal ENS avatar for toshibase.eth toshibase.eth $20,000.00 3 position 3 medal Generic profile picture for anonymous user geminifrontierfund.eth $15,000.00 4 ENS avatar for barmstrong.eth barmstrong.eth $11,774.37 5 Generic profile picture for anonymous user wwarren.eth $10,049.30 6 Generic profile picture for anonymous user Anonymous $10,000.00 7 Generic profile picture for anonymous user 0x...37e02 $8,951.84 8 Generic profile picture for anonymous user 0x...ede10 $7,174.67 9 Generic profile picture for anonymous user Anonymous $5,000.00 10 ENS avatar for warpie.eth warpie.eth $3,500.00

    Screenshot: $87,186,950 donated by crypto advocates
    ALT
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff ah "grassroots"

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

    back in my day we called this spyware

    New Windows AI feature records everything you’ve done on your PC Recall uses AI features "to take images of your active screen every few seconds."
    ALT
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff JFC... as if I needed another reason to dislike windows

    @web3isgreat@indieweb.social avatar web3isgreat Bot , to random

    Tornado Cash developer sentenced to more than five years imprisonment in the Netherlands

    May 14, 2024
    https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/?id=alexey-pertsev-sentencing

    Tornado Cash developer sentenced to more than five years imprisonment in the Netherlands Alexey Pertsev, one of the developers of the Tornado Cash mixing service, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to 64 months imprisonment in the Netherlands. Prosecutors claimed that Pertsev knew the service was being used to launder money, but "chose not to intervene". They argued that, although the developers could not necessarily prevent bad actors from laundering money through the service directly, they could have done more to prevent people from using the web interface to wash funds from known criminal wallets. The case is a concerning one, as sanctioning software developers for how the code they write is used — particularly when it comes to software intended to protect privacy — has frightening implications. Although there is some precedent in the United States that "code is speech", and merely writing and publishing code is protected by the First Amendment, that obviously does not apply to the Netherlands. A collaborator to Pertsev, Roman Storm, is set to be tried on charges of money laundering and sanctions violations in the United States in September, and that case is likely to grapple with this exact issue.
    ALT
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff @luis_in_brief Agreed - but I'm hoping this leads to just such an outcome. (I'm allowed ridiculous fantasies)

    @molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , (edited ) to random
    johnmark ,
    @johnmark@freeradical.zone avatar

    @molly0xfff It just won't go away :/