WFMU: Techtonic with Mark Hurst: Playlist from January 27, 2025

Listener comments!
	5:52pm ultradamno: Mark! Techtobberbarons!
	5:57pm Hugo (NL): Hi Mark, techies. In the netherlands, people are actively promoting to leave big tech on februari first. Is it an international movement? Also NGO bots of freedom is screaming out a call to action to our gouvernement to leave the social platforms that are run by big tech. Marleen Stikker has been up on the radio and newspapers to inform us a. Exciting times! Finally
	🤖 6:00pm Handy Haversack: Mark, Techyon Drives.
	6:00pm David (in London): Evening Mark and all Technoids here gathered.
	🤖 6:00pm Deano de los Muertos: Hello Mark and rest
	🤖 6:01pm Bas NL: Hi Mark! Heys all!
	🤖 6:01pm Ken From Hyde Park: Hello, Mark and billionaire's row!
	6:02pm Logicbeach: Machinarium soundtrack!!!
	🤖 6:02pm chresti: Hi Mark and techtonians!
	6:02pm Hugo (NL): Bots of freedom hehe, i mean bits of freedom
	6:02pm wenzo: Salutations fellow oligarchy survivors
	🤖 6:02pm cosmic matrix: hallo there everybody!
	6:02pm Logicbeach: I was lucky enough to get to hang out with Tomas and his ensemble in Chicago in November, really swell group of Czechs!
	6:03pm Peter from Saranac Lake NY: Hello Mark and techies.
	6:03pm Cooh John: Hello Mark and techtonicians.
	🤖 6:03pm cosmic matrix: back to the madness
	6:03pm ultradamno: ...and enough of that!
	6:04pm disco_nap_: Looking through the images for this week 🤢
	🤖 6:05pm PaulRobeson1925: Hi Hi Hi
	6:05pm Mennlinn Rebarts: Kirk Pearson's book should be arriving at my local bookstore in the next day or two. Very much looking forward to it :)
	6:05pm Mark T: Good evening. I learned how to solder electronics back in 1976 as a teenager. It's still enjoyable to do things manually.
	6:07pm Logicbeach: Been diving into circuitry, I’ll need to check out that show. I’m heavily inspired by LookMumNoComputer. Great resource for this sort of stuff
	6:07pm ms boo: Hey! Got a weird tech question for you. I noticed this week that The NY Times website can now tell when I take a screenshot on my iphone of one of their articles. I do this often to post a paragraph or two I’m discussing online). I know it’s aware I took a screenshot because it immediately says “Use a gift article to share this story. Your screen shot will be shared too”. How can I disable this creepy feature? And can all apps and websites tell when I take private actions on my iOS?
	6:07pm ultradamno: Meta moves content mod to TX (with eye toward bringing in community notes)...while Twitter brought in the option of have Grok explain posts (with an eye toward getting rid of community notes)
	🤖 6:07pm cosmic matrix: LookMumNoComputer is flippin’ amazing. would love to visit him and his museum someday.
	🤖 6:08pm Ken From Hyde Park: ↳ Hugo (NL) @6:02 2029: boots of freedom.
	6:08pm Hugo (NL): ↳ ms boo @6:07 Lots of people use archive.is to read paywalled content
	🤖 6:09pm Ken From Hyde Park: ↳ ms boo @6:07 Might need to get a second camera to take a picture of the phone.
	6:10pm ultradamno: ...and, after the salute kerfuffle and the unconvincing 'roman' excuse, Musk went and addressed the far right Alternative for Germany people
	6:10pm disco_nap_: Couldn't agree with you more, Mark. Thanks so much for talking about this.
	🤖 6:10pm PaulRobeson1925: Gilded Age 2.0
	6:10pm Hugo (NL): ↳ Ken From Hyde Park @6:08 Awesome title!
	🤖 6:10pm Handy Haversack: ↳ ms boo @6:07 By not using a surveillance phone to access it for starters, I'd think. And then maybe go a step further: archive.ph...
	6:10pm disco_nap_: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:10 💯 They are our modern day "Robber Barons."
	6:10pm Fuzzy: ↳ ultradamno @6:10 If it quacks like a Nazi...
	6:11pm Cooh John: Check out Ted Gioia's recent post on Substack that compares big tech to the East India Trading Company.
	6:12pm PolakSlovak: Hi techtonicers! Thanks so much for covering this topic, Mark.
	6:13pm DANIEL HOFFMAN: Deepseek? what about them?
	6:13pm Cooh John: ↳ Handy Haversack @6:10 Why can't we make our own phones and load our own programming?
	6:13pm PC77: fantastic political cartoons on this page!
	6:13pm ultradamno: On the upside, now that he is just one billionaire in a line, it makes his stint as shadow president likely to end soon.
	6:14pm Mike Sin: Do folks really believe that as these CEO/Oligarchs buy policy and the federal government races towards a kleptocracy there won't be more Luigi Mangiones springing up in the corners of the USA? I'm not saying that's right, but how far do you bend the stick until it snaps?
	🤖 6:14pm Webhamster Henry: That wasn't Tim Cook, that was Tim Apple!
	🤖 6:15pm Bas NL: Did they receive an invitation? Or was it any million payer welcome?
	6:15pm common: ↳ Webhamster Henry @6:14 tim apple heeee oh how shitty it all is
	🤖 6:17pm Webhamster Henry: Folks: don't say billion, say "thousand million". People have only a vague idea of what a billon is, that's how they get away with it. For New Yorkers, $1 million gets you a so-so 1 bedroom apartment.
	🤖 6:17pm Handy Haversack: And Tesla makes a great deal of its profits by selling pollution offsets to other polluters.
	6:17pm ultradamno: Vivek has already jumped ship from DOGE...my bet is the whole thing will never happen.
	6:18pm Hugo (NL): What do you all think? What is the real motivation for all these big tech rich people? They want to be the next president? Or just be close to those with politocal power?
	6:19pm chris in the redwoods: ↳ Hugo (NL) @6:18 get richer!
	🤖 6:19pm PaulRobeson1925: A house divided esk
	6:19pm ultradamno: ↳ ultradamno @6:17 That on top of reports that Elon's access is being limited www.msn.com...
	6:19pm chris in the redwoods: also, hello everyone.
	6:20pm Tom from Stirling: ↳ ultradamno @6:13 getting rid of the penny, that's a good idea.
	6:21pm ultradamno: I like that there's one coin that isn't silver...they're good for fountain throwing too
	6:22pm Sam: The Oligarchy. When you’re here, you’re family.
	6:22pm disco_nap_: Mark for President 2028
	6:22pm disco_nap_: ↳ Sam @6:22 😂
	6:23pm ?: Blutocracy, govt of bullies
	6:23pm Tom from Stirling: hope trumpski isn't listening to this show. never know what he might do.
	6:23pm Aitch: USA dropped English system for the french model and look how that worked out. Sharpen the guillotine
	6:23pm TwinDaddy: we be leaning to a plutocracy
	🤖 6:24pm Ken From Hyde Park: If a Russian oligarch offends Putin, they're pushed out a window.
	6:24pm mndave: The ol' "KPO" - has a ring to it, which I'd like to un-ring
	🤖 6:24pm PaulRobeson1925: Nobody wants to hear they gotta give something up
	🤖 6:25pm cosmic matrix: mark: “i told you so” us: (nodding heads)
	🤖 6:25pm Deano de los Muertos: In Mark, we trust
	6:25pm keoville: You told us so!
	6:25pm Tom from Stirling: unscrupulous, incompetent, greedy. probably unhygienic too.
	6:25pm Hudson Valley: SPEAK THE TRUTH, MARK! STOP THESE BILLIONAIRE PIGS!
	6:26pm Christoph: What's the form of government called again?
	🤖 6:26pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:24 Americans don’t want to hear they have to give something up. The 1% and the average American. Joe and frank and billy and Susan and jane and Jennifer
	6:26pm Andres: Cacastrophy is a direct result of enshitification.
	6:26pm drew: No big tech or us are not the only two choices. "Us" is a many-splintered group!
	6:26pm TwinDaddy: people be giving up their kids before handing over their phone. it's like crack in the 80's. Tech addiction!
	6:27pm ?: ↳ Christoph @6:26 mockracy
	🤖 6:27pm MarciB: ↳ ultradamno @6:19 Well, throwing cold water on Dear Leader's big AI plans isn't the best way to get along...then again, there's the news from China today...
	6:28pm castor: We are ruled by capitalism, which for the last few centuries has fluctuated between democracy and fascism, but is always about money in the end
	🤖 6:28pm DjLorraine: Catocrsy over kakistrocracy
	6:28pm drew: I'm anti-big-tech, but how can I tell that the other people claiming that care about MY best interests? Just gimme a Pepsi already.
	6:28pm The Butterman: Tangled up tubes!
	🤖 6:28pm MarciB: And now we have another potential pandemic brewing, coupled with the raids on migrant workers harvesting our foods...what could possibly go wrong?
	6:29pm Mennlinn Rebarts: I know of at least one Democratic congressperson that calls themselves a "doge democrat." puke!
	6:30pm Cooh John: Ralph Nader (who I voted for president twice) said the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is the speed at which they fall to their knees when big business comes calling.
	6:30pm ultradamno: Blooskeee, I always say
	6:31pm Cooh John: ↳ DjLorraine @6:28 Hi DjLorraine! I second that meow.
	🤖 6:31pm PaulRobeson1925: Give up some of yer money. Mr.Elon? For the good of the country. for the good of your fellow man? Please? Will the answer be? Over my dead body. Or yes, please. I love my fellow man. Or something else? How do we bring about a loving society? What would our loving American society look like?
	6:31pm erik: it was an "Übermensch" salute... he believes himself to be the evolution of huimanity.
	6:31pm Fuzzy: All the other MAGA Nazis know what Elon meant.
	6:31pm drew: It's easy to blame tech, but the problem (that we're not allowed to mention - Dems won't let us say it!) is capitalism. Capitalism was the root cause of the last millenium's slavery. Fascism exists only as a special case of capitalism. Capitalism is the poison.
	6:32pm Peter from Saranac Lake NY: The German newspapers called E-lawn's gesture a N@zi salute, that's what it was.
	6:32pm mndave: For one, if I found myself being labeled as part of that group, and could clarify that indeed I am not, I'd say that? Just spitballin'
	🤖 6:33pm Will thee SG OCNY: Hi Mark Hurst and all!!!
	6:33pm McGroovey: Elon: He's not stupid. Even if he didn't intend it to be a nazi salute, he's smart enough to know what it is. An adult will understand that the should admit their mistake and move on. So, we can conclude that either he meant it; or it was a dumb mistake, not meant the way it looked, but he's not morally upright enough to admit what it looks like. It can't possibly true that he's not familiar with that gesture.
	6:34pm Cooh John: ↳ drew @6:31 Amen, drew. I say let's get rid of $.
	🤖 6:34pm DjLorraine: ↳ DjLorraine @6:28 *Kakistocracy
	6:34pm ultradamno: That look on his face when doing it didn't help
	6:34pm drew: Elon is a little boy with an overactive cock. He should be reigned in.
	6:35pm ultradamno: ↳ ultradamno @6:34 ...also that he turned around and did it again with seconds to think 'is this a good idea?'
	🤖 6:35pm Deano de los Muertos: You were right again Mark..this episode is pretty depressing 😂
	6:36pm Jeff Moore: Schrödinger's Douchebag --- One who makes douchebag statements, particularly sexist, racist or otherwise bigoted ones, then decides whether they were “just joking” or dead serious based on whether other people in the group approve or not. "Oh man women should just stay in the kitchen, it's the only place they're useful" with one group "Haha just kidding, that's sexist" with anther "lol amirite" "You're a total schrodinger’s douchebag you know that right?" www.urbandictionary.com...
	6:36pm drew: Elon turned against his own kid for trans reasons. I don't care about your stance on trans issues. What parent would ever do that?
	🤖 6:37pm PaulRobeson1925: Democracy also requires a highly literate society
	6:37pm Tom from Stirling: Elon Muskie is goddamn robot. his circuits got fried and he made one of his infamous spazzy movements. only explanation.
	6:38pm drew: America never had a democracy. We were a capitalist experiment, Mark.
	6:38pm Tom from Stirling: ↳ drew @6:36 muskie is a robot. only explanation.
	6:39pm drew: @Tom: Pike over Muskie. Actually, I thought Hump had a heart. But that's too long ago . . .
	🤖 6:40pm cosmic matrix: is this a deepfake?
	6:40pm ultradamno: He may, in a jar
	6:42pm Marie in Chicago: Thanks for this, Mark. I think the Guardian is a good paper. Robert Reich has some good articles in there about how to deal with Musk and how to deal with having the Trump admin in.I was glad to hear today that a Chinese AI development undercut some bad-acting American companies
	🤖 6:42pm MarciB: ↳ drew @6:36 And she (Vivian) has recently started to respond about how awful he is online. No matter what Muskrat says, he's still her father. He cannot escape that fact. What a monster.
	🤖 6:43pm Ken From Hyde Park: "Can a brother get a tax cut?"
	6:44pm ultradamno: No one in that family can sit right i.ebayimg.com...
	🤖 6:44pm Webhamster Henry: I might be spinning up a NodeBB federated (Mosto compatible) instance. NodeBB is a forum-based kind of system, so , I'm thinking, not constrained by post sized character count.
	6:45pm Jeff Moore: I'm @jbm@ohai.social on Mastodon How about all of y'all?
	🤖 6:45pm Bas NL: No algorithm. Yet.
	6:45pm joe mulligan: ↳ Webhamster Henry @6:14 haha I hoped someone would bring that up
	6:45pm ultradamno: I'm there mastodon.social...
	6:45pm drew: @WM Henry: for us . . .?
	🤖 6:46pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ drew @6:45 I'll have to get to know it before loosing it on the public, but really, the WFMU chat board is the best social media!
	6:47pm carlos danger: how does mastodon make money?
	🤖 6:48pm Webhamster Henry: The thing is the Mastodon Server is supposed to be kind of limited to an existing community - there's a way to just follow posting on your local server, as well as getting messages from other feeds...
	6:48pm drew: The problem with Mastodon (or others) is that no one uses them. Then again look at us on WFMU's crappy board software!
	🤖 6:48pm PaulRobeson1925: I need a drink
	🤖 6:49pm Webhamster Henry: You can still use FIDOnet - dialup BBS system! Just try to monetize THAT!
	6:49pm Jeff Moore: ↳ drew @6:48 That's actually... nonsense. There are vibrant communities on both Mastodon and Bluesky.
	6:49pm chris in the redwoods: ↳ drew @6:48 crappy!? bite your tongue. ;)
	6:49pm GC in Bmore: Blue Sky is good for following informative journalists and scholars. Relieved to be in a zone with no ads. Enjoying it while it lasts.
	6:50pm drew: @Carlos Mastodon is free. Intentionally. Because not everyone who writes code wants to exploit you!
	🤖 6:50pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:48 Not using drink as a slang word for consuming the drug Alcohol. I actually need a drink.
	🤖 6:50pm PaulRobeson1925: Water please
	6:51pm drew: BS is what it says on the tin. And it's all liberal BS, too.
	6:51pm ultradamno: Blueski, I will call it blue sky sometime after I first call twitter x
	6:51pm sensisio: @mark IGNORE INSTAGRAM!!
	🤖 6:52pm cosmic matrix: EEK that’s not good
	6:52pm Tom from Stirling: sludge factory
	6:53pm Marie in Chicago: Is that a violation of free speech? Considering the size of IG and FB?
	6:53pm Steve Del Sol: I must ask this question Mark. If these platforms don't generate income, isn't it conceivable that they are surveillance tools of the new oligarchs? In other words, Musk and the rest know liberals may not post on their platforms, so they set one up to monitor their "enemies"?
	🤖 6:53pm Handy Haversack: Should be mandatory listening all over the world, this show. Thanks, Mark. As ever.
	6:53pm drew: Musk tried to call something else "x" before. It's sorta weird: www.forbes.com...
	6:53pm ultradamno: Speaking of Zuck hiding things on his platforms www.msn.com...
	6:54pm Jeff Moore: I'm playing in that sandbox too, of course! pixelfed.social...
	🤖 6:54pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ sensisio @6:51 The techtonic signoff needs a few more entries, indeed!
	6:54pm Cooh John: ↳ drew @6:48 You have a point drew, but I hold on to what Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
	6:54pm Tom from Stirling: ↳ Steve Del Sol @6:53 like chatgpt?
	🤖 6:54pm Deano de los Muertos: Thanks Mark.
	6:55pm disco_nap_: I've been wanting an alternative to Goodreads!!
	6:55pm drew: @Cool John: MM had a small sample set!
	🤖 6:55pm Webhamster Henry: Do use Bookshop.org instead of Amazon!
	🤖 6:55pm PaulRobeson1925: Being a Liberal, as of 1965, in America means you believe all people are born innately good and we need laws that reflect this.
	6:56pm drew: ↳ drew @6:55 Cooh, sorry
	6:56pm Jeff Moore: There's no end to Meta's recent fuckery: "Facebook flags Linux topics as 'cybersecurity threats' — posts and users being blocked" www.tomshardware.com...
	6:56pm Steve Del Sol: ↳ Tom from Stirling @6:54 Ya know, when everyone was signing up to FaceBox and all these platforms, I saw the future, knew it would be a sh**show, so I continue to not be on any. Except this chat board.
	🤖 6:56pm PaulRobeson1925: The word Liberal had been co-opted and changed to fit what power in America says it means.
	6:56pm Marie in Chicago: Mark, I wish you could get a short article listening all these alternatives in the NYT and other large publications
	🤖 6:57pm MarciB: Just got my business email transferred to FastMail. Gotta get onto Nextcloud...
	6:57pm carlos danger: alibris is great for buying books—you buy directly from small bookshops. they have EVERYTHING.
	6:57pm Marie in Chicago: ↳ Marie in Chicago @6:56 listening=listing
	6:57pm mndave: Mark doesn't hawk his own website on here, because he's great, but check his WFMU user profile. He puts in the work for us!
	🤖 6:57pm Ken From Hyde Park: Thanks, Mark. Welcome to the resistance!
	🤖 6:57pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:56 Has been co-opted* and turned into a dirty word.
	🤖 6:57pm cosmic matrix: whoo hooo
	6:57pm drew: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:55 Being a liberal white person in the US in 1965 means that black people are in their place . . . somewhere else!
	6:57pm carlos danger: ↳ Marie in Chicago @6:56 Yes!
	🤖 6:57pm Bas NL: Thanks Mark!
	6:57pm disco_nap_: Thanks, Mark!! Thanks everybody for the lively chat!!
	6:57pm castor: Thanks Mark!!!!!
	6:57pm The Butterman: Wonderful Mark.
	6:57pm Ski: Thanks Man.
	6:58pm joe_rosevear: Good show!
	6:58pm chris in the redwoods: thank you, Mark!
	6:58pm bleubombersune: Thanks Mark
	6:58pm mmdd: Thanks so much Mark! We need more of you in the world!
	🤖 6:58pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:57 Similar to political correctness . MLK in his lifetime would of been considered Polticaly correct- meaning living ones life in accordance with morally good political ideals
	🤖 6:58pm cosmic matrix: thank you mark!
	6:58pm Tom from Stirling: best show ever
	6:59pm joe_rosevear: Thanks, Mark!
	🤖 6:59pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:58 Rugged individualism for the poor and candy for owners of the mine and mill
	6:59pm wenzo: Thanks Mark
	🤖 6:59pm Will thee SG OCNY: Thank you Mark Hurst!!!
	6:59pm drew: I always appreciate how Mark Hurst helps liberals "radicalize" and move just half a step to the left.
	7:00pm Mark Hurst: Thanks, everyone!
	🤖 7:00pm Ken From Hyde Park: Don't be like oligarchs, be like Markliarchs!

Techtonic with Mark Hurst: Playlist from January 27, 2025

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Conversations with creators and thinkers who are charting the way forward in a tech-saturated society. In our shift to a digital future, we need alternatives to Big Tech. Homepage: techtonic.fm

Also available as an MP3 podcast. More info at our Podcast Central page.

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January 27, 2025: Welcome to the oligarchy: on Big Tech's government takeover

Listen to this show: MP3 - 128K | Pop-up listen Pop-up player!

Today: Welcome to the oligarchy: on Big Tech’s government takeover

The Big Tech oligarchs occupied center stage at the inauguration, heralding their ascent to the highest realm of political power, matched only by their enormous wealth. As the CEO-kings attempt to fully bend society to their will, Mark discusses what’s next for “the rest of us.”

• “We can have a democratic society or we can have the concentration of great wealth in the hands of a few. We cannot have both.”
– apocryphal quote attributed to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis (who wrote similar thoughts but not on those exact words)

• Democracy vs. oligarchy vs. plutocracy vs. kakistocracy

• The tech oligarchy has been here for years (past Techtonic guest Brian Merchant, Jan 17, 2025)

• Elon Musk did the Nazi salute on live TV to prove he could (also by Brian Merchant, Jan 21, 2025):

Four of the five richest men in the world, worth over $1 trillion, beaming in the front row, the fifth already firmly in Trump’s pocket.

That the men in charge of the companies most responsible for destroying journalism — Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Musk himself — were in the front row of the inauguration, clapping for Trump, on the same day Musk made his salute, is telling. . . . And Jeff Bezos, the fourth tech titan in the front row seats, can tell his newspapers to spike op-eds supporting the other party, or editorial cartoons criticizing the big man.

• Pwnallthethings on Bluesky (Jan 21, 2025): “An odd thing with ... ‘is it a Nazi salute’ ... is this reflexive need by tons of people to believe something can be bad only if it was understood by the person as bad, but since we cannot know to metaphysical certainty their mind, it can’t be. This is a standard that exists in absolutely no other circumstances. If someone repeatedly says racist things they will (hopefully) be fired, even if in some metaphysical sense nobody can read their mind to ‘prove’ they knew it.”

• Bluesky user trillgabi (Jan 22, 2025): “Google, Youtube, Fitbit, Waze, Calico, SpaceX, Nest, Whatsapp, IG, Threads, IMDb, Twitch, Audible, Wholefoods, AWS, Zappos, MGM, Ring were also all present.”

• Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy (by past Techtonic guest Jason Koebler, 404 Media, Jan 21, 2025):

Zuckerberg, Musk, TikTok CEO Shou Chew, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman were all in attendance at Trump’s inauguration Monday. There is now no major corporate-owned social media platform that is not aligned with Trump or beholden to him in some way, and nearly every American is on at least one of these platforms.

The TikTok ban highlights, as we’ve seen before, that businesses and accounts built on these centralized, corporate social media platforms are incredibly fragile and can be taken away at any moment, whether by government action, algorithm tweaks that destroy reach, a platform deciding that a specific account does not comply with its ever-changing rules and political systems . . .

• Mark Lemley on LinkedIn (Jan 20, 2025): "I have struggled with how to respond to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook's descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness. . . . I cannot in good conscience serve as their lawyer any longer."

• Open letter to Mark Zuckerberg by Pixelfed founder Daniel Supernault (Jan 18, 2025):

Open letter to Mark Zuckerberg

Dear Mark,

I hope this finds you well. I noticed something interesting today - it seems Instagram is blocking links to my little open-source project. You know, the one that lets people share photos without harvesting their personal data or forcing algorithmic feeds on them.

I have to admit, I'm flattered. Who would've thought a small team of volunteers could build something that would catch your attention? We're just trying to give people a choice in how they share their memories online. No VCs, no surveillance capitalism, just code and community.

[...]

Every time you block a link to our platform, you remind people why we built it in the first place. Your action tells them there are alternatives worth exploring, ones that respect their privacy and agency. So thank you, Mark. You've turned our little project into a symbol of resistance against digital monopolies.

[...]

Best regards,
Daniel Supernault

• From Chris Trottier on Mastodon (Jan 21, 2025):

Here’s a list of ActivityPub services that are not Twitter-like, along with a description of what each service does: [below is just an excerpt -mh]

• Pixelfed - image sharing
• Peertube - video sharing
• Bookwyrm - book reviews
• Nextcloud - data storage
• Mobilizion - events

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Artist	Track	Album	Label	Approx. start time
Welcome to the oligarchy: on Big Tech's government takeover
Tomaš Dvořák	Gameboy Tune "Gameboy Tune" by "Tomaš Dvořák"	Machinarium Soundtrack	n/a
Music behind DJ:	Mark's comments "Mark's comments"
Shahar Varshal	I Want To Break The Wall	Keine Album	Keine Label Fur Niemand	0:54:56 (MP3 \| Pop-up)

RSS feeds for Techtonic with Mark Hurst: Playlists feed | MP3 archives feed

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Listener comments!
	5:52pm ultradamno: Mark! Techtobberbarons!
	5:57pm Hugo (NL): Hi Mark, techies. In the netherlands, people are actively promoting to leave big tech on februari first. Is it an international movement? Also NGO bots of freedom is screaming out a call to action to our gouvernement to leave the social platforms that are run by big tech. Marleen Stikker has been up on the radio and newspapers to inform us a. Exciting times! Finally
	🤖 6:00pm Handy Haversack: Mark, Techyon Drives.
	6:00pm David (in London): Evening Mark and all Technoids here gathered.
	🤖 6:00pm Deano de los Muertos: Hello Mark and rest
	🤖 6:01pm Bas NL: Hi Mark! Heys all!
	🤖 6:01pm Ken From Hyde Park: Hello, Mark and billionaire's row!
	6:02pm Logicbeach: Machinarium soundtrack!!!
	🤖 6:02pm chresti: Hi Mark and techtonians!
	6:02pm Hugo (NL): Bots of freedom hehe, i mean bits of freedom
	6:02pm wenzo: Salutations fellow oligarchy survivors
	🤖 6:02pm cosmic matrix: hallo there everybody!
	6:02pm Logicbeach: I was lucky enough to get to hang out with Tomas and his ensemble in Chicago in November, really swell group of Czechs!
	6:03pm Peter from Saranac Lake NY: Hello Mark and techies.
	6:03pm Cooh John: Hello Mark and techtonicians.
	🤖 6:03pm cosmic matrix: back to the madness
	6:03pm ultradamno: ...and enough of that!
	6:04pm disco_nap_: Looking through the images for this week 🤢
	🤖 6:05pm PaulRobeson1925: Hi Hi Hi
	6:05pm Mennlinn Rebarts: Kirk Pearson's book should be arriving at my local bookstore in the next day or two. Very much looking forward to it :)
	6:05pm Mark T: Good evening. I learned how to solder electronics back in 1976 as a teenager. It's still enjoyable to do things manually.
	6:07pm Logicbeach: Been diving into circuitry, I’ll need to check out that show. I’m heavily inspired by LookMumNoComputer. Great resource for this sort of stuff
	6:07pm ms boo: Hey! Got a weird tech question for you. I noticed this week that The NY Times website can now tell when I take a screenshot on my iphone of one of their articles. I do this often to post a paragraph or two I’m discussing online). I know it’s aware I took a screenshot because it immediately says “Use a gift article to share this story. Your screen shot will be shared too”. How can I disable this creepy feature? And can all apps and websites tell when I take private actions on my iOS?
	6:07pm ultradamno: Meta moves content mod to TX (with eye toward bringing in community notes)...while Twitter brought in the option of have Grok explain posts (with an eye toward getting rid of community notes)
	🤖 6:07pm cosmic matrix: LookMumNoComputer is flippin’ amazing. would love to visit him and his museum someday.
	🤖 6:08pm Ken From Hyde Park: ↳ Hugo (NL) @6:02 2029: boots of freedom.
	6:08pm Hugo (NL): ↳ ms boo @6:07 Lots of people use archive.is to read paywalled content
	🤖 6:09pm Ken From Hyde Park: ↳ ms boo @6:07 Might need to get a second camera to take a picture of the phone.
	6:10pm ultradamno: ...and, after the salute kerfuffle and the unconvincing 'roman' excuse, Musk went and addressed the far right Alternative for Germany people
	6:10pm disco_nap_: Couldn't agree with you more, Mark. Thanks so much for talking about this.
	🤖 6:10pm PaulRobeson1925: Gilded Age 2.0
	6:10pm Hugo (NL): ↳ Ken From Hyde Park @6:08 Awesome title!
	🤖 6:10pm Handy Haversack: ↳ ms boo @6:07 By not using a surveillance phone to access it for starters, I'd think. And then maybe go a step further: archive.ph...
	6:10pm disco_nap_: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:10 💯 They are our modern day "Robber Barons."
	6:10pm Fuzzy: ↳ ultradamno @6:10 If it quacks like a Nazi...
	6:11pm Cooh John: Check out Ted Gioia's recent post on Substack that compares big tech to the East India Trading Company.
	6:12pm PolakSlovak: Hi techtonicers! Thanks so much for covering this topic, Mark.
	6:13pm DANIEL HOFFMAN: Deepseek? what about them?
	6:13pm Cooh John: ↳ Handy Haversack @6:10 Why can't we make our own phones and load our own programming?
	6:13pm PC77: fantastic political cartoons on this page!
	6:13pm ultradamno: On the upside, now that he is just one billionaire in a line, it makes his stint as shadow president likely to end soon.
	6:14pm Mike Sin: Do folks really believe that as these CEO/Oligarchs buy policy and the federal government races towards a kleptocracy there won't be more Luigi Mangiones springing up in the corners of the USA? I'm not saying that's right, but how far do you bend the stick until it snaps?
	🤖 6:14pm Webhamster Henry: That wasn't Tim Cook, that was Tim Apple!
	🤖 6:15pm Bas NL: Did they receive an invitation? Or was it any million payer welcome?
	6:15pm common: ↳ Webhamster Henry @6:14 tim apple heeee oh how shitty it all is
	🤖 6:17pm Webhamster Henry: Folks: don't say billion, say "thousand million". People have only a vague idea of what a billon is, that's how they get away with it. For New Yorkers, $1 million gets you a so-so 1 bedroom apartment.
	🤖 6:17pm Handy Haversack: And Tesla makes a great deal of its profits by selling pollution offsets to other polluters.
	6:17pm ultradamno: Vivek has already jumped ship from DOGE...my bet is the whole thing will never happen.
	6:18pm Hugo (NL): What do you all think? What is the real motivation for all these big tech rich people? They want to be the next president? Or just be close to those with politocal power?
	6:19pm chris in the redwoods: ↳ Hugo (NL) @6:18 get richer!
	🤖 6:19pm PaulRobeson1925: A house divided esk
	6:19pm ultradamno: ↳ ultradamno @6:17 That on top of reports that Elon's access is being limited www.msn.com...
	6:19pm chris in the redwoods: also, hello everyone.
	6:20pm Tom from Stirling: ↳ ultradamno @6:13 getting rid of the penny, that's a good idea.
	6:21pm ultradamno: I like that there's one coin that isn't silver...they're good for fountain throwing too
	6:22pm Sam: The Oligarchy. When you’re here, you’re family.
	6:22pm disco_nap_: Mark for President 2028
	6:22pm disco_nap_: ↳ Sam @6:22 😂
	6:23pm ?: Blutocracy, govt of bullies
	6:23pm Tom from Stirling: hope trumpski isn't listening to this show. never know what he might do.
	6:23pm Aitch: USA dropped English system for the french model and look how that worked out. Sharpen the guillotine
	6:23pm TwinDaddy: we be leaning to a plutocracy
	🤖 6:24pm Ken From Hyde Park: If a Russian oligarch offends Putin, they're pushed out a window.
	6:24pm mndave: The ol' "KPO" - has a ring to it, which I'd like to un-ring
	🤖 6:24pm PaulRobeson1925: Nobody wants to hear they gotta give something up
	🤖 6:25pm cosmic matrix: mark: “i told you so” us: (nodding heads)
	🤖 6:25pm Deano de los Muertos: In Mark, we trust
	6:25pm keoville: You told us so!
	6:25pm Tom from Stirling: unscrupulous, incompetent, greedy. probably unhygienic too.
	6:25pm Hudson Valley: SPEAK THE TRUTH, MARK! STOP THESE BILLIONAIRE PIGS!
	6:26pm Christoph: What's the form of government called again?
	🤖 6:26pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:24 Americans don’t want to hear they have to give something up. The 1% and the average American. Joe and frank and billy and Susan and jane and Jennifer
	6:26pm Andres: Cacastrophy is a direct result of enshitification.
	6:26pm drew: No big tech or us are not the only two choices. "Us" is a many-splintered group!
	6:26pm TwinDaddy: people be giving up their kids before handing over their phone. it's like crack in the 80's. Tech addiction!
	6:27pm ?: ↳ Christoph @6:26 mockracy
	🤖 6:27pm MarciB: ↳ ultradamno @6:19 Well, throwing cold water on Dear Leader's big AI plans isn't the best way to get along...then again, there's the news from China today...
	6:28pm castor: We are ruled by capitalism, which for the last few centuries has fluctuated between democracy and fascism, but is always about money in the end
	🤖 6:28pm DjLorraine: Catocrsy over kakistrocracy
	6:28pm drew: I'm anti-big-tech, but how can I tell that the other people claiming that care about MY best interests? Just gimme a Pepsi already.
	6:28pm The Butterman: Tangled up tubes!
	🤖 6:28pm MarciB: And now we have another potential pandemic brewing, coupled with the raids on migrant workers harvesting our foods...what could possibly go wrong?
	6:29pm Mennlinn Rebarts: I know of at least one Democratic congressperson that calls themselves a "doge democrat." puke!
	6:30pm Cooh John: Ralph Nader (who I voted for president twice) said the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is the speed at which they fall to their knees when big business comes calling.
	6:30pm ultradamno: Blooskeee, I always say
	6:31pm Cooh John: ↳ DjLorraine @6:28 Hi DjLorraine! I second that meow.
	🤖 6:31pm PaulRobeson1925: Give up some of yer money. Mr.Elon? For the good of the country. for the good of your fellow man? Please? Will the answer be? Over my dead body. Or yes, please. I love my fellow man. Or something else? How do we bring about a loving society? What would our loving American society look like?
	6:31pm erik: it was an "Übermensch" salute... he believes himself to be the evolution of huimanity.
	6:31pm Fuzzy: All the other MAGA Nazis know what Elon meant.
	6:31pm drew: It's easy to blame tech, but the problem (that we're not allowed to mention - Dems won't let us say it!) is capitalism. Capitalism was the root cause of the last millenium's slavery. Fascism exists only as a special case of capitalism. Capitalism is the poison.
	6:32pm Peter from Saranac Lake NY: The German newspapers called E-lawn's gesture a N@zi salute, that's what it was.
	6:32pm mndave: For one, if I found myself being labeled as part of that group, and could clarify that indeed I am not, I'd say that? Just spitballin'
	🤖 6:33pm Will thee SG OCNY: Hi Mark Hurst and all!!!
	6:33pm McGroovey: Elon: He's not stupid. Even if he didn't intend it to be a nazi salute, he's smart enough to know what it is. An adult will understand that the should admit their mistake and move on. So, we can conclude that either he meant it; or it was a dumb mistake, not meant the way it looked, but he's not morally upright enough to admit what it looks like. It can't possibly true that he's not familiar with that gesture.
	6:34pm Cooh John: ↳ drew @6:31 Amen, drew. I say let's get rid of $.
	🤖 6:34pm DjLorraine: ↳ DjLorraine @6:28 *Kakistocracy
	6:34pm ultradamno: That look on his face when doing it didn't help
	6:34pm drew: Elon is a little boy with an overactive cock. He should be reigned in.
	6:35pm ultradamno: ↳ ultradamno @6:34 ...also that he turned around and did it again with seconds to think 'is this a good idea?'
	🤖 6:35pm Deano de los Muertos: You were right again Mark..this episode is pretty depressing 😂
	6:36pm Jeff Moore: Schrödinger's Douchebag --- One who makes douchebag statements, particularly sexist, racist or otherwise bigoted ones, then decides whether they were “just joking” or dead serious based on whether other people in the group approve or not. "Oh man women should just stay in the kitchen, it's the only place they're useful" with one group "Haha just kidding, that's sexist" with anther "lol amirite" "You're a total schrodinger’s douchebag you know that right?" www.urbandictionary.com...
	6:36pm drew: Elon turned against his own kid for trans reasons. I don't care about your stance on trans issues. What parent would ever do that?
	🤖 6:37pm PaulRobeson1925: Democracy also requires a highly literate society
	6:37pm Tom from Stirling: Elon Muskie is goddamn robot. his circuits got fried and he made one of his infamous spazzy movements. only explanation.
	6:38pm drew: America never had a democracy. We were a capitalist experiment, Mark.
	6:38pm Tom from Stirling: ↳ drew @6:36 muskie is a robot. only explanation.
	6:39pm drew: @Tom: Pike over Muskie. Actually, I thought Hump had a heart. But that's too long ago . . .
	🤖 6:40pm cosmic matrix: is this a deepfake?
	6:40pm ultradamno: He may, in a jar
	6:42pm Marie in Chicago: Thanks for this, Mark. I think the Guardian is a good paper. Robert Reich has some good articles in there about how to deal with Musk and how to deal with having the Trump admin in.I was glad to hear today that a Chinese AI development undercut some bad-acting American companies
	🤖 6:42pm MarciB: ↳ drew @6:36 And she (Vivian) has recently started to respond about how awful he is online. No matter what Muskrat says, he's still her father. He cannot escape that fact. What a monster.
	🤖 6:43pm Ken From Hyde Park: "Can a brother get a tax cut?"
	6:44pm ultradamno: No one in that family can sit right i.ebayimg.com...
	🤖 6:44pm Webhamster Henry: I might be spinning up a NodeBB federated (Mosto compatible) instance. NodeBB is a forum-based kind of system, so , I'm thinking, not constrained by post sized character count.
	6:45pm Jeff Moore: I'm @jbm@ohai.social on Mastodon How about all of y'all?
	🤖 6:45pm Bas NL: No algorithm. Yet.
	6:45pm joe mulligan: ↳ Webhamster Henry @6:14 haha I hoped someone would bring that up
	6:45pm ultradamno: I'm there mastodon.social...
	6:45pm drew: @WM Henry: for us . . .?
	🤖 6:46pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ drew @6:45 I'll have to get to know it before loosing it on the public, but really, the WFMU chat board is the best social media!
	6:47pm carlos danger: how does mastodon make money?
	🤖 6:48pm Webhamster Henry: The thing is the Mastodon Server is supposed to be kind of limited to an existing community - there's a way to just follow posting on your local server, as well as getting messages from other feeds...
	6:48pm drew: The problem with Mastodon (or others) is that no one uses them. Then again look at us on WFMU's crappy board software!
	🤖 6:48pm PaulRobeson1925: I need a drink
	🤖 6:49pm Webhamster Henry: You can still use FIDOnet - dialup BBS system! Just try to monetize THAT!
	6:49pm Jeff Moore: ↳ drew @6:48 That's actually... nonsense. There are vibrant communities on both Mastodon and Bluesky.
	6:49pm chris in the redwoods: ↳ drew @6:48 crappy!? bite your tongue. ;)
	6:49pm GC in Bmore: Blue Sky is good for following informative journalists and scholars. Relieved to be in a zone with no ads. Enjoying it while it lasts.
	6:50pm drew: @Carlos Mastodon is free. Intentionally. Because not everyone who writes code wants to exploit you!
	🤖 6:50pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:48 Not using drink as a slang word for consuming the drug Alcohol. I actually need a drink.
	🤖 6:50pm PaulRobeson1925: Water please
	6:51pm drew: BS is what it says on the tin. And it's all liberal BS, too.
	6:51pm ultradamno: Blueski, I will call it blue sky sometime after I first call twitter x
	6:51pm sensisio: @mark IGNORE INSTAGRAM!!
	🤖 6:52pm cosmic matrix: EEK that’s not good
	6:52pm Tom from Stirling: sludge factory
	6:53pm Marie in Chicago: Is that a violation of free speech? Considering the size of IG and FB?
	6:53pm Steve Del Sol: I must ask this question Mark. If these platforms don't generate income, isn't it conceivable that they are surveillance tools of the new oligarchs? In other words, Musk and the rest know liberals may not post on their platforms, so they set one up to monitor their "enemies"?
	🤖 6:53pm Handy Haversack: Should be mandatory listening all over the world, this show. Thanks, Mark. As ever.
	6:53pm drew: Musk tried to call something else "x" before. It's sorta weird: www.forbes.com...
	6:53pm ultradamno: Speaking of Zuck hiding things on his platforms www.msn.com...
	6:54pm Jeff Moore: I'm playing in that sandbox too, of course! pixelfed.social...
	🤖 6:54pm Webhamster Henry: ↳ sensisio @6:51 The techtonic signoff needs a few more entries, indeed!
	6:54pm Cooh John: ↳ drew @6:48 You have a point drew, but I hold on to what Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
	6:54pm Tom from Stirling: ↳ Steve Del Sol @6:53 like chatgpt?
	🤖 6:54pm Deano de los Muertos: Thanks Mark.
	6:55pm disco_nap_: I've been wanting an alternative to Goodreads!!
	6:55pm drew: @Cool John: MM had a small sample set!
	🤖 6:55pm Webhamster Henry: Do use Bookshop.org instead of Amazon!
	🤖 6:55pm PaulRobeson1925: Being a Liberal, as of 1965, in America means you believe all people are born innately good and we need laws that reflect this.
	6:56pm drew: ↳ drew @6:55 Cooh, sorry
	6:56pm Jeff Moore: There's no end to Meta's recent fuckery: "Facebook flags Linux topics as 'cybersecurity threats' — posts and users being blocked" www.tomshardware.com...
	6:56pm Steve Del Sol: ↳ Tom from Stirling @6:54 Ya know, when everyone was signing up to FaceBox and all these platforms, I saw the future, knew it would be a sh**show, so I continue to not be on any. Except this chat board.
	🤖 6:56pm PaulRobeson1925: The word Liberal had been co-opted and changed to fit what power in America says it means.
	6:56pm Marie in Chicago: Mark, I wish you could get a short article listening all these alternatives in the NYT and other large publications
	🤖 6:57pm MarciB: Just got my business email transferred to FastMail. Gotta get onto Nextcloud...
	6:57pm carlos danger: alibris is great for buying books—you buy directly from small bookshops. they have EVERYTHING.
	6:57pm Marie in Chicago: ↳ Marie in Chicago @6:56 listening=listing
	6:57pm mndave: Mark doesn't hawk his own website on here, because he's great, but check his WFMU user profile. He puts in the work for us!
	🤖 6:57pm Ken From Hyde Park: Thanks, Mark. Welcome to the resistance!
	🤖 6:57pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:56 Has been co-opted* and turned into a dirty word.
	🤖 6:57pm cosmic matrix: whoo hooo
	6:57pm drew: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:55 Being a liberal white person in the US in 1965 means that black people are in their place . . . somewhere else!
	6:57pm carlos danger: ↳ Marie in Chicago @6:56 Yes!
	🤖 6:57pm Bas NL: Thanks Mark!
	6:57pm disco_nap_: Thanks, Mark!! Thanks everybody for the lively chat!!
	6:57pm castor: Thanks Mark!!!!!
	6:57pm The Butterman: Wonderful Mark.
	6:57pm Ski: Thanks Man.
	6:58pm joe_rosevear: Good show!
	6:58pm chris in the redwoods: thank you, Mark!
	6:58pm bleubombersune: Thanks Mark
	6:58pm mmdd: Thanks so much Mark! We need more of you in the world!
	🤖 6:58pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:57 Similar to political correctness . MLK in his lifetime would of been considered Polticaly correct- meaning living ones life in accordance with morally good political ideals
	🤖 6:58pm cosmic matrix: thank you mark!
	6:58pm Tom from Stirling: best show ever
	6:59pm joe_rosevear: Thanks, Mark!
	🤖 6:59pm PaulRobeson1925: ↳ PaulRobeson1925 @6:58 Rugged individualism for the poor and candy for owners of the mine and mill
	6:59pm wenzo: Thanks Mark
	🤖 6:59pm Will thee SG OCNY: Thank you Mark Hurst!!!
	6:59pm drew: I always appreciate how Mark Hurst helps liberals "radicalize" and move just half a step to the left.
	7:00pm Mark Hurst: Thanks, everyone!
	🤖 7:00pm Ken From Hyde Park: Don't be like oligarchs, be like Markliarchs!

Techtonic with Mark Hurst: Playlist from January 27, 2025

Listener comments!

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