1974: my commune had a terminal+social media

 Lee Felsenstein made this possible. He just published a book about his life:

Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future

Here is a great interview:

https://magazine.mindplex.ai/lee-felsenstein-who-started-the-digital-revolution-im-exaggerating-a-little-declares-the-golden-age-of-engineering/

Greece music tour finale: charmolypi

 

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Greece music tour

 Enjoying a couple of weeks in Greece and attending 11 concerts of world class music! Great people, food and musicians…

Study Project 2025 with an AI assistant

 https://www.25and.me/

The best article on techbro authoritarianism

 Good overview and analysis, good references to follow up on.

The oligarchs are running the asylum

As someone (over)active on the Net since ARPAnet in the mid-Seventies, I know these guys and these ideologies. I tasted their words and thoughts and banged heads with them. Beware. Be very wary. I and some friends have paid a price.

On Usenet in the Nineties I argued with someone who proposed a mechanism to financially reward those who assassinate government employees because they are “agents of the State”. This was prior to the blockchain and bitcoin, but what was proposed would work well now that these exist.

Know that a lot of thought over decades created the mileau that JD Vance rises from. He is a hothouse flower purpose-built for a takeover in the aftermath of the bulldozer that is Trump. Do not mistake him as just an awkward nerd. He embodies the adage “put all the wood behind one arrowhead.” Bathing him with billions of dollars and propping him up with the long term organization of the Heritage Foundation, et al creates something never before seen in human history.

Retirement and pilgrimage

 As I approach the end of my last job as a bit player in the tech industry, I have a lot on my mind. The next step is very close. I missed joining a deep and profound Buddhist study group that began two years ago so I could care for Sara. However, next month I start in another one, comprised of students of Pema Chodron. Beyond that, in October I leave for a pilgrimage to Bhutan and to visit friends in Thailand and Japan, probably our last in person meeting. I will be gone for two months.

More is in the works starting in 2025.

Register in-person guests for the Celebration of Life for Sara

 Sunday, September 8, 2024 noon-4PM PDT Santa Rosa, California

Lunch included. Bring your stories and memories and share your love for Sara.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/880331905427?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please forward to interested parties