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Source: http://andypiper.co.uk/feed/

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9.  
10. <channel>
11. <title>The lost outpost</title>
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13. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk</link>
14. <description>technology, society, life</description>
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25. <title>The lost outpost</title>
26. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk</link>
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31. <title>FediForum Advisory Board</title>
32. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/07/fediforum-advisory-board/</link>
33. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/07/fediforum-advisory-board/#respond</comments>
35. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
36. <pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 19:31:32 +0000</pubDate>
37. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
38. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
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40. <category><![CDATA[advisory board]]></category>
41. <category><![CDATA[career]]></category>
42. <category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
43. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
44. <category><![CDATA[Fediforum]]></category>
45. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
46. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
47. <category><![CDATA[online]]></category>
48. <category><![CDATA[people]]></category>
49. <category><![CDATA[roles]]></category>
50. <category><![CDATA[social web]]></category>
51. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
52. <category><![CDATA[unconference]]></category>
53. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=17983</guid>
54.  
55. <description><![CDATA[I'm excited about the opportunities FediForum created in the past, and can continue to generate in the future - and I'm proud to be on the Advisory Board.]]></description>
56. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
57. <p>I&#8217;m really happy to have been asked to join the new <a href="https://fediforum.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fediforum.org/">FediForum</a> Advisory Board that is helping to guide and steer the future of the event.</p>
58.  
59.  
60.    <blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.social" data-post-id="114462384030476115" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
61.        <p>We are proud to announce the first-ever FediForum advisory board. We are very glad to have such an incredible group of committed and experienced Open Social Web pioneers and advocates come together to advise FediForum and help move the Open Social Web forward.</p><p>Check out <a href="https://fediforum.org/people" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">fediforum.org/people</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
62.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
63.            &mdash; FediForum (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.social/@fediforum">@fediforum</a>)
64.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.social/@fediforum/114462384030476115">2025-05-06T18:49:33.513Z</a>
65.        </p>
66.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://mastodon.social/" async src="https://mastodon.social/embed.js"></script>
67.  
68.  
69. <p>FediForum has been an important part of the development of the Fediverse over the past couple of years. It has provided a space for projects to share their latest releases and features, and also enabled the serendipitous sharing of needs and ideas. The <a href="https://fediforum.org/projects/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fediforum.org/projects/">Projects page</a> on the FediForum site documents a few of the collaborations that have come out of the event already. </p>
70.  
71.  
72.  
73. <p>I particularly remember how <a href="https://mastodon.social/@benpate" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@benpate">Ben Pate</a> came to share what he was building (<a href="https://emissary.dev/" data-type="link" data-id="https://emissary.dev/">Emissary</a>), how several creators in the music space came together during the same event to discuss their hopes for new social channels to connect with their audiences, and how that evolved into both <a href="https://bandwagon.fm/" data-type="link" data-id="https://bandwagon.fm/">Bandwagon</a>, and <a href="https://theindiebeat.fm/" data-type="link" data-id="https://theindiebeat.fm/">The Indie Beat FM</a>. I&#8217;ve loved being a part of these kinds of conversations!</p>
74.  
75.  
76.  
77. <p>An unconference can be difficult to navigate to some people, but it can also enable exactly these kinds of unexpected, delightful fusions of shared interest and technical know-how. At the same time, there&#8217;s also a lot of value in more organised, formal events with agendas known in advance. My own belief is that there&#8217;s space for <em>both</em> formats to support the Fediverse community, and I hope to see these happen in the coming years. In the meantime, you&#8217;ll see some adjustments to the format of FediForum itself, in response to feedback heard at recent town halls.</p>
78.  
79.  
80.  
81. <p>I&#8217;ve helped to run various unconference format events in person in the past; I&#8217;m also a public speaker; and, I have been a community organiser myself. I know how complicated it can be to make events like FediForum happen! I&#8217;m grateful to have the opportunity to help keep this important shared space open, available, and valuable for the future. I&#8217;m also delighted about the <a href="https://fediforum.org/people/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fediforum.org/people/">wonderful group of people</a> that are on the advisory board &#8211; we have a shared passion for the Fediverse, and more importantly, we care about the humans that are part of it.</p>
82.  
83.  
84.  
85. <p>Looking forward to seeing folks again at <a href="https://events.humanitix.com/fediforum-june-2025/tickets" data-type="link" data-id="https://events.humanitix.com/fediforum-june-2025/tickets">FediForum, June 5-7</a>.</p>
86.  
87.  
88.  
89. <p></p>
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99. <title>Talks and travels: Fediverse House at SXSW 2025</title>
100. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/</link>
101. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/#respond</comments>
103. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
104. <pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2025 11:57:47 +0000</pubDate>
105. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
106. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
107. <category><![CDATA[404 Media]]></category>
108. <category><![CDATA[bluesky]]></category>
109. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
110. <category><![CDATA[flipboard]]></category>
111. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
112. <category><![CDATA[panel]]></category>
113. <category><![CDATA[PeerTube]]></category>
114. <category><![CDATA[public speaking]]></category>
115. <category><![CDATA[speaking]]></category>
116. <category><![CDATA[sxsw]]></category>
117. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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121. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=17897</guid>
122.  
123. <description><![CDATA[It was a delight to join Mia Quagliarello's panel at  the "Fediverse House" SXSW side event in Austin, discussing building communities on the open social web. It was a privilege to represent our Fediverse communities.]]></description>
124. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
125. <p>I&#8217;ve worked in tech for many years, and one of the events that has been a constant part of the calendar is SXSW. I remember signing up for Twitter back in 2007 just after I heard about it while chatting in Roo Reynolds&#8217; office at IBM, from a visitor who had been at SXSW where it first took off (referenced in a post back over <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2007/03/02/technology-gets-everyware/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2007/03/02/technology-gets-everyware/">here</a>).</p>
126.  
127.  
128.  
129. <p>That was nearly 20 years ago now &#8211; and in all of that time, I never had the opportunity to go to SXSW for the tech part<sup data-fn="187a9876-6c3a-4632-a7ee-857bd12c26a8" class="fn"><a href="#187a9876-6c3a-4632-a7ee-857bd12c26a8" id="187a9876-6c3a-4632-a7ee-857bd12c26a8-link">1</a></sup> of the festival&#8230;</p>
130.  
131.  
132.  
133. <p>This year, our friends at Flipboard created a side event they called <a href="https://about.flipboard.com/fediverse-house/" data-type="link" data-id="https://about.flipboard.com/fediverse-house/"><em>Fediverse House</em></a>, as a eye-catching label for a series of talks and sessions around the open social web </p>
134.  
135.  
136.  
137. <p>[<em><strong>yes</strong></em>, it was broader than the Fediverse; some other platforms and topics were represented, too. It was great to be able to talk about the Fediverse]</p>
138.  
139.  
140.  
141. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full has-lightbox"><a href="https://social.brookslawson.com/@brooks/statuses/01JP0Y7BTY0F59SYVVHGAB89KQ"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="3527" height="2351" data-attachment-id="17923" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/cf95f22f-9a3d-40a7-94fd-6fd85a913ecf-edit/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?fit=3527%2C2351&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3527,2351" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;Andy Piper from Mastodon sitting on a couch alongside Rose Wang from Bluesky&lt;/p&gt;
142. " data-image-caption="<p>Image credit: Brooks Lawson @brooks@social.brookslawson.com</p>
143. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?fit=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=3527%2C2351&#038;ssl=1" alt="Andy Piper from Mastodon sitting on a couch alongside Rose Wang from Bluesky" class="wp-image-17923" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?w=3527&amp;ssl=1 3527w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CF95F22F-9A3D-40A7-94FD-6FD85A913ECF-EDIT.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Brooks Lawson <a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://social.brookslawson.com/@brooks">@brooks</a></figcaption></figure>
144.  
145.  
146.  
147. <p>I was excited to be able to join the event<sup data-fn="24855053-5535-4846-8bd8-76cd87c91d0e" class="fn"><a href="#24855053-5535-4846-8bd8-76cd87c91d0e" id="24855053-5535-4846-8bd8-76cd87c91d0e-link">2</a></sup>, and even more so, I was honoured to be asked to join a panel moderated by <a href="https://flipboard.social/@miaq" data-type="link" data-id="https://flipboard.social/@miaq">the wonderful Mia Quagliarello</a> all about building communities on the new social web. I briefly mentioned this trip on <a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/04/trunk-tidbits-march-2025/" data-type="link" data-id="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/04/trunk-tidbits-march-2025/">the most recent Mastodon blog post update for our updates during March</a>, but I&#8217;m now able to include more about the content here.</p>
148.  
149.  
150.  
151. <figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/andypiper.co.uk\/2025\/05\/01\/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
152. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="400" height="533" data-attachment-id="17911" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5829/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?fit=3072%2C4096&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3072,4096" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5829" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?fit=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17911" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=400%2C533&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17911" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=113%2C150&amp;ssl=1 113w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5829.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
153.  
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156. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17912" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5835/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5835" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17912" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17912" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5835.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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160. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17910" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5837/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?fit=4096%2C3072&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4096,3072" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5837" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17910" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17910" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5837.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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164. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="320" data-attachment-id="17909" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5859/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?fit=3210%2C2568&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3210,2568" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5859" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?fit=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?fit=400%2C320&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17909" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=400%2C320&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17909" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=400%2C320&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=150%2C120&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=1536%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=2048%2C1638&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?resize=1200%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5859.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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168. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17913" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5830/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?fit=4096%2C3072&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4096,3072" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5830" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17913" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17913" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5830.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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172. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17914" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5900/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5900" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17914" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17914" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5900.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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176. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17915" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5839/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5839" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17915" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17915" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5839.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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180. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17917" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5850/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?fit=4096%2C3072&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4096,3072" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5850" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17917" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17917" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5850.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
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183.  
184. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="17916" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5851/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5851" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="17916" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17916" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5851.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
185. </figure>
186.  
187.  
188.  
189. <p>Here&#8217;s the video of our panel discussion, available <a href="https://flipboard.video/w/fr6Ajy9YxgmW3ZGdAycBca" data-type="link" data-id="https://flipboard.video/w/fr6Ajy9YxgmW3ZGdAycBca">on Flipboard&#8217;s PeerTube</a> &#8211; or, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gcVoAJWtoE&amp;list=PL186B9D34083AB90B" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gcVoAJWtoE&amp;list=PL186B9D34083AB90B">on YouTube</a> for those of you that are not yet Fediverse-enabled, or who want to watch on your TV or something <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> I hope I did <em>an OK</em> job, representing the good people of the different communities on the Fediverse. I know that my own experience and perspective is not a universal one and I do my best to reflect that when I talk about our spaces.</p>
190.  
191.  
192.  
193. <div style="position: relative; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Building Communities Across the Social Web" width="100%" height="100%" src="https://flipboard.video/videos/embed/74e0fb44-525b-434f-bac3-7a25ef92936b?warningTitle=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-forms" style="position: absolute; inset: 0px;"></iframe></div>
194.  
195.  
196.  
197. <p>As well as this panel, the event included some fantastic talks from folks such as <a href="https://hachyderm.io/@molly0xfff" data-type="link" data-id="https://hachyderm.io/@molly0xfff">Molly White</a> and <a href="https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic" data-type="link" data-id="https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic">Cory Doctorow</a> (clips are <a href="https://flipboard.video/c/fediverse.house/videos" data-type="link" data-id="https://flipboard.video/c/fediverse.house/videos">on PeerTube</a>); it gave me an opportunity to learn more about the ATProto ecosystem from chatting with the nice folks from Bluesky; I was able to meet writers from one of the best publications on the web today, <a href="https://404media.co" data-type="link" data-id="https://404media.co">404 Media</a>; and, it also provided a chance to spend time IRL with friends from the Fediverse &#8211; including the excellent <a href="https://mastodon.social/@box464" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@box464">Jeff Sikes</a>, and also people I greatly respect and appreciate from <a href="https://wedistribute.org">WeDistribute</a>, <a href="https://social.wedistribute.org/@deadsuperhero" data-type="link" data-id="https://social.wedistribute.org/@deadsuperhero">Sean</a> and <a href="https://social.wedistribute.org/@damon" data-type="link" data-id="https://social.wedistribute.org/@damon">Damon</a>.</p>
198.  
199.  
200.  
201. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default has-filter-saturation"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3072" height="4096" data-attachment-id="17924" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/img_5866/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?fit=3072%2C4096&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3072,4096" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5866" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?fit=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=3072%2C4096&#038;ssl=1" alt="A colorful guitar sculpture titled 'Vibrancy' by Craig Hein, displayed on a sidewalk with buildings in the background." class="wp-image-17924" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?w=3072&amp;ssl=1 3072w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=113%2C150&amp;ssl=1 113w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_5866.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Guitar sculpture titled &#8216;Vibrancy&#8217; by Craig Hein, located in downtown Austin</figcaption></figure>
202.  
203.  
204.  
205. <p>Anyway&#8230; I still haven&#8217;t actually been to SXSW <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f604.png" alt="😄" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> </p>
206.  
207.  
208.  
209. <p>This year, I did something better than that. Thank you to the Flipboard team for all your work in putting Fediverse House together! </p>
210.  
211.  
212.  
213. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
214.  
215.  
216. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="187a9876-6c3a-4632-a7ee-857bd12c26a8">I was <em>in</em> Austin one year during the music festival, and managed to get to a couple of sessions, but I wasn&#8217;t in town specifically for the event, that was a surprise bonus. <a href="#187a9876-6c3a-4632-a7ee-857bd12c26a8-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="24855053-5535-4846-8bd8-76cd87c91d0e">Thank you to the <a href="https://socialwebfoundation.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://socialwebfoundation.org/">Social Web Foundation</a> for making my trip to Austin possible. <a href="#24855053-5535-4846-8bd8-76cd87c91d0e-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 2"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
217.  
218.  
219. <p></p>
220. ]]></content:encoded>
222. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/05/01/fediverse-house-at-sxsw-2025/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
223. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
226. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
227. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17897</post-id> </item>
228. <item>
229. <title>Heliocode</title>
230. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/heliocode/</link>
231. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/heliocode/#respond</comments>
233. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
234. <pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2025 21:33:12 +0000</pubDate>
235. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
236. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
237. <category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
238. <category><![CDATA[artwork]]></category>
239. <category><![CDATA[bantam tools]]></category>
240. <category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
241. <category><![CDATA[forge and craft]]></category>
242. <category><![CDATA[generative art]]></category>
243. <category><![CDATA[nextdraw]]></category>
244. <category><![CDATA[paint]]></category>
245. <category><![CDATA[painting with plotters]]></category>
246. <category><![CDATA[pen plotter]]></category>
247. <category><![CDATA[wimbledon art fair]]></category>
248. <category><![CDATA[wimbledon art studios]]></category>
249. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=17861</guid>
250.  
251. <description><![CDATA[Some background about our Forge &#038; Craft mini-masterpiece submitted for the May 2025 Wimbledon Art Fair.]]></description>
252. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
253. <p>Our <a href="https://shop.forgeandcraft.co.uk">Forge &amp; Craft</a> &#8220;mini-masterpiece&#8221;<sup data-fn="f26877df-a781-47e1-82ad-f91949f9cdee" class="fn"><a href="#f26877df-a781-47e1-82ad-f91949f9cdee" id="f26877df-a781-47e1-82ad-f91949f9cdee-link">1</a></sup> for the <a href="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/">Wimbledon Art Fair</a> for spring 2025, is titled <em>Heliocode</em>. </p>
254.  
255.  
256.  
257. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
258.  
259.  
260.  
261. <p>Throughout the past year, we&#8217;ve been experimenting with the use of paint as an element of our pen plotter work. This is not to the same extent as some of our friends in the community, who have built complete systems to pick and apply colours individually<sup data-fn="7bee28ac-9611-4802-a5e9-a64794fff667" class="fn"><a href="#7bee28ac-9611-4802-a5e9-a64794fff667" id="7bee28ac-9611-4802-a5e9-a64794fff667-link">2</a></sup> &#8211; instead, we&#8217;re using 3D printed styli to draw through poured paints. We&#8217;ve found this to be an interesting combination, juxtaposing the organic and unpredictable movement of the paints with the precision of the drawn lines.</p>
262.  
263.  
264.  
265. <p>Our previous mini-masterpiece, <em>New Horizons</em>, was in the show sale last November; a behind-the-scenes image crept into <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/17/pen-plotters-and-the-history-of-computer-art/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/17/pen-plotters-and-the-history-of-computer-art/">my previous post about plotter work</a>.</p>
266.  
267.  
268.  
269. <iframe title="Pixelfed Post Embed" src="https://pixelfed.social/p/andypiper/745396520881450551/embed?caption=false&#038;likes=false&#038;layout=compact" class="pixelfed__embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="400" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><script async defer src="https://pixelfed.social/embed.js"></script>
270.  
271.  
272.  
273. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
274.  
275.  
276.  
277. <p>The new piece, <em>Heliocode</em>, is something that <a href="https://heidigoseek.com">Heidi</a> spent a lot of time on, largely while I was travelling in <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/15/communicating-changes/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/15/communicating-changes/">my new role</a>! The line art design was my principal contribution &#8211; that may reappear in different form, in a future project; experimentation with paint, and creation of the final artwork, were all thanks to her efforts. The design was was not intended to be reminiscent of the previous work, at all (in fact, it was never created with the intent to be plotted) &#8211; although, viewed one after the other, I can see that there&#8217;s a coincidental similarity. </p>
278.  
279.  
280.  
281. <iframe title="Pixelfed Post Embed" src="https://metapixl.com/p/forgeandcraft/822462976393676787/embed?caption=false&#038;likes=false&#038;layout=compact" class="pixelfed__embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="400" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><script async defer src="https://metapixl.com/embed.js"></script>
282.  
283.  
284.  
285. <p><strong><em>Heliocode</em></strong></p>
286.  
287.  
288.  
289. <p>The artwork was created with a&nbsp;<a href="https://bantamtools.com/products/bantam-tools-nextdraw-1117" data-type="link" data-id="https://bantamtools.com/products/bantam-tools-nextdraw-1117">Bantam Tools NextDraw&nbsp;1117</a>, and again combines poured paint techniques with the more strict stylus dynamics of a coded SVG design. We chose a vibrant yellow medium, and a dark violet for the line art. A slight imperfection still found its way into the pattern, which is part of the charm of working with a mixture of digital and analog tools. </p>
290.  
291.  
292.  
293. <p>Feel free to take a look at the <em>new</em> work, on <a href="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/mini-masterpiece-sale-may25/p/forge-craft" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/mini-masterpiece-sale-may25/p/forge-craft">the Wimbledon Art Fair sale site</a> &#8211; it is one of a kind, at an affordable price.</p>
294.  
295.  
296.  
297. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
298.  
299.  
300.  
301. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="201" data-attachment-id="17871" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/heliocode/waf-red-logo-edited/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?fit=1080%2C542&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1080,542" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="WAF &#8211; Red Logo (Edited)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?fit=300%2C151&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?fit=400%2C201&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited-400x201.png?resize=400%2C201&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17871" style="aspect-ratio:1.990150509074812;width:668px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?resize=400%2C201&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?resize=300%2C151&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?resize=150%2C75&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?resize=768%2C385&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WAF-Red-Logo-Edited.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
302.  
303.  
304.  
305. <p>You can also come to <a href="https://wimbledonartfair.com">visit us at the event itself</a> &#8211; find us in Red Studios 273, between May 8th &#8211; May 11th 2025.</p>
306.  
307.  
308.  
309. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
310.  
311.  
312. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="f26877df-a781-47e1-82ad-f91949f9cdee">The <a href="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/about-mini-masterpieces" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/about-mini-masterpieces">mini-masterpieces</a> are made and donated by each of the artists taking part in the fair, as part of fundraising for the future of the show. <a href="#f26877df-a781-47e1-82ad-f91949f9cdee-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="7bee28ac-9611-4802-a5e9-a64794fff667">See Licia He&#8217;s <a href="https://www.eyesofpanda.com/project/painting_with_plotters/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.eyesofpanda.com/project/painting_with_plotters/">Painting with Plotters course</a>, as one example. <a href="#7bee28ac-9611-4802-a5e9-a64794fff667-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 2"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
313.  
314.  
315. <p></p>
316. ]]></content:encoded>
318. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/heliocode/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
319. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
322. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
323. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17861</post-id> </item>
324. <item>
325. <title>NordVPN, Fedora 42, and iptables compatibility</title>
326. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/nordvpn-fedora-42-and-iptables-compatibility/</link>
327. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/nordvpn-fedora-42-and-iptables-compatibility/#comments</comments>
329. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
330. <pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:59:19 +0000</pubDate>
331. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
332. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
333. <category><![CDATA[Computing]]></category>
334. <category><![CDATA[Fedora]]></category>
335. <category><![CDATA[iptables]]></category>
336. <category><![CDATA[Linux]]></category>
337. <category><![CDATA[networking]]></category>
338. <category><![CDATA[nordVPN]]></category>
339. <category><![CDATA[tailscale]]></category>
340. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
341. <category><![CDATA[VPN]]></category>
342. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=17846</guid>
343.  
344. <description><![CDATA[I updated my Framework 13 to Fedora 42 about two weeks ago, just before the final release. It has been pretty solid! This evening, I went to start up my VPN (I use NordVPN, FWIW). No luck. Just no connection. Well, thanks. In case it was a package issue, I uninstalled and reinstalled the third [&#8230;]]]></description>
345. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
346. <p>I updated my Framework 13 to Fedora 42 about two weeks ago, just before the final release. It has been pretty solid!</p>
347.  
348.  
349.  
350. <p>This evening, I went to start up my VPN (I use NordVPN, FWIW). No luck. Just no connection.</p>
351.  
352.  
353.  
354. <pre class="wp-block-code"><code>The VPN connection has failed. Please check your internet connection and try connecting to the VPN again. If the issue persists, contact our customer support.</code></pre>
355.  
356.  
357.  
358. <p>Well, thanks.</p>
359.  
360.  
361.  
362. <p>In case it was a package issue, I uninstalled and reinstalled the third party <code>nordvpn</code> RPM. No luck, same error.</p>
363.  
364.  
365.  
366. <p>Digging into the system log, I found this:</p>
367.  
368.  
369.  
370. <pre class="wp-block-code"><code>19:40:46 &#91;Error] failed to connect to uk2646.nordvpn.com : resseting forward firewall: reseting allowlist rules: removing allowlisted subnets: listing iptables rules: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH</code></pre>
371.  
372.  
373.  
374. <p>A &#8220;smoking gun&#8221;! </p>
375.  
376.  
377.  
378. <p>OK, so let&#8217;s dig a bit more.</p>
379.  
380.  
381.  
382. <pre class="wp-block-code"><code>$ journalctl -g iptables -b --no-pager
383. Apr 28 19:47:20 neshatan tailscaled[1649]: linuxfw: clear iptables: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH
384. Apr 28 19:47:20 neshatan tailscaled[1649]: router: iptables not found: firewall mode "iptables" not supported: iptables command run fail: multiple errors:
385. Apr 28 19:47:20 neshatan tailscaled[1649]:         exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH
386. Apr 28 19:48:56 neshatan nordvpnd[1518]: 2025/04/28 19:48:56 [Error] failed to connect to uk2582.nordvpn.com : resseting forward firewall: reseting allowlist rules: removing allowlisted subnets: listing iptables rules: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH
387. Apr 28 19:49:22 neshatan nordvpnd[1518]: 2025/04/28 19:49:22 [Error] failed to connect to uk1910.nordvpn.com : unsetting allowlist: disabling allowlist routing: clearing allowlisting: iptables listing rules: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH:
388. Apr 28 19:50:28 neshatan nordvpnd[1518]: 2025/04/28 19:50:28 [Error] failed to connect to uk2281.nordvpn.com : unsetting allowlist: disabling allowlist routing: clearing allowlisting: iptables listing rules: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH:
389. Apr 28 19:53:36 neshatan nordvpnd[16192]: 2025/04/28 19:53:36 [Error] failed to connect to uk2570.nordvpn.com : resseting forward firewall: reseting allowlist rules: removing allowlisted subnets: listing iptables rules: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH
390. Apr 28 19:57:28 neshatan nordvpnd&#91;16192]: 2025/04/28 19:57:28 &#91;Error] failed to connect to uk2123.nordvpn.com : unsetting allowlist: disabling allowlist routing: clearing allowlisting: iptables listing rules: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH:</code></pre>
391.  
392.  
393.  
394. <p>OK, so we definitely don&#8217;t have an <code>iptables</code> executable.</p>
395.  
396.  
397.  
398. <p>It turns out that there is an <code>iptables-nft</code> package installed (for netfilter), and this is <em>supposed</em> to install <code>/usr/bin/iptables</code> &#8211; but that file doesn&#8217;t exist.</p>
399.  
400.  
401.  
402. <p>A quick symlink of <code>iptables-nft</code> as <code>iptables</code> was a basic patch for this, and I was able to bring the VPN connection up again.</p>
403.  
404.  
405.  
406. <p>Two related reports from the interwebs, one from as recent as today (which may explain why I only just encountered it) &#8211; I found these just as I started to write this post.</p>
407.  
408.  
409.  
410. <ul class="wp-block-list">
411. <li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Fedora/comments/1k9tvbh/latest_upgrade_of_iptablesnft_and_iptableslibs/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.reddit.com/r/Fedora/comments/1k9tvbh/latest_upgrade_of_iptablesnft_and_iptableslibs/">Latest update of iptables-nft breaks NordVPN</a></li>
412.  
413.  
414.  
415. <li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Windscribe/comments/1k0wts4/connection_problem_on_fedora_42/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.reddit.com/r/Windscribe/comments/1k0wts4/connection_problem_on_fedora_42/">Connection problem on Fedora 42</a></li>
416. </ul>
417.  
418.  
419.  
420. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
421.  
422.  
423.  
424. <p>I&#8217;ll take the opportunity of this blog post to point out that <code>nordvpnd</code> has two typos in log messages. I&#8217;m not entirely certain where else to report this issue. Consider resetting these.</p>
425.  
426.  
427.  
428. <p>In the meantime, I also accidentally discovered that <code>tailscaled</code> had also been reporting issues with a missing <code>iptables</code> executable. I hadn&#8217;t noticed too many issues with it over the past couple of weeks, but hopefully this is an improvement for both daemons!</p>
429.  
430.  
431.  
432. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
433.  
434.  
435.  
436. <p><strong>Update 2024/04/30</strong> &#8211; as pointed out by some folks in Fediverse comments, this appears to have been an issue with an update to the <code>iptables-nft</code> package on Fedora interacting poorly with <code>alternatives</code> and the merger of <code>/usr/bin</code> and <code>/usr/sbin</code>, and has been resolved for the moment by reverting the change <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f44d.png" alt="👍" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
437.  
438.  
439.  
440. <p></p>
441. ]]></content:encoded>
443. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/28/nordvpn-fedora-42-and-iptables-compatibility/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
444. <slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
447. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
448. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17846</post-id> </item>
449. <item>
450. <title>The Bootloader</title>
451. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/24/the-bootloader/</link>
452. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/24/the-bootloader/#respond</comments>
454. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
455. <pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:34:09 +0000</pubDate>
456. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
457. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
458. <category><![CDATA[bootloader]]></category>
459. <category><![CDATA[dashboard]]></category>
460. <category><![CDATA[mnt]]></category>
461. <category><![CDATA[mnt pocket reform]]></category>
462. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
463. <category><![CDATA[self-hosting]]></category>
464. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
465. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=17816</guid>
466.  
467. <description><![CDATA[I joined Paul and Tod on The Bootloader podcast, sharing some tech picks - Glance, and the MNT Pocket Reform.]]></description>
468. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
469. <p>A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being asked to join <a href="https://paulcutler.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://paulcutler.org/">Paul Cutler</a> and <a href="https://todbot.com/about.html" data-type="link" data-id="https://todbot.com/about.html">Tod Kurt</a> on their podcast, <a href="https://www.thebootloader.net/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.thebootloader.net/">The Bootloader</a>.</p>
470.  
471.  
472.  
473. <p>I&#8217;ve been an avid follower of The Bootloader since it began. In my opinion, it is a perfect 30 minute format: each participant gets to bring some &#8220;picks&#8221; to talk about (mostly in the tech / software / hardware / maker space), for no more than 5 minutes &#8211; so you get to hear about six things of interest, that you may not have come across before, and learn something cool about the thing and the host or guest. You either get a Paul/Tod double-header with three picks each, or they bring on a guest, and each person picks two things. I <em>always</em> discover something new through listening to this show! I was surprised and delighted that Paul and Tod asked me to join them for this episode &#8211; compared to them, I am a mere amateur when it comes to making cool electronics and such.</p>
474.  
475.  
476.  
477. <p>You can listen to the show <a href="https://episodes.fm/1644244356/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2lyY3VpdHB5dGhvbnNob3cuY29tL0B0aGVib290bG9hZGVyL2VwaXNvZGVzL3dlbGNvbWUtYW5keS1waXBlcg" data-type="link" data-id="https://episodes.fm/1644244356/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2lyY3VpdHB5dGhvbnNob3cuY29tL0B0aGVib290bG9hZGVyL2VwaXNvZGVzL3dlbGNvbWUtYW5keS1waXBlcg">via multiple channels</a> &#8211; like our own <a href="https://gamesatwork.biz">Games at Work.biz</a> podcast, there&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFRGhonClp0" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFRGhonClp0">a YouTube version</a>, but it is audio-only (nice work YouTube for forcing everyone into that weird system). The show notes are also extensive, as they more-or-less cover a linkified transcript of what we talked about.</p>
478.  
479.  
480.  
481. <p>The YouTube edition may be a bit strange for an audio show&#8230; but gives me an opportunity to embed it here, so if you feel like it, click away!</p>
482.  
483.  
484.  
485. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
486. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Welcome Andy Piper" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zFRGhonClp0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
487. </div></figure>
488.  
489.  
490.  
491. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">So, what did I pick?</h3>
492.  
493.  
494.  
495. <p>Oh, you don&#8217;t want to <s>watch</s> listen? Well, that&#8217;s a bit sad. OK, here are my picks:</p>
496.  
497.  
498.  
499. <ol class="wp-block-list">
500. <li><a href="https://github.com/glanceapp/glance" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/glanceapp/glance">Glance</a><br />I recently came across <a href="https://github.com/glanceapp/glance" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/glanceapp/glance">Glance</a>, an easy-to-configure self-hosted dashboard that lets me arrange information, feeds and data into a useful start page for my life and interests. It is nice and straightforward, pretty easy to extend, and has a friendly community. Worth taking a look!</li>
501.  
502.  
503.  
504. <li><a href="https://shop.mntre.com/products/mnt-pocket-reform" data-type="link" data-id="https://shop.mntre.com/products/mnt-pocket-reform">MNT Pocket Reform</a> / <a href="https://mntre.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://mntre.com/">MNT Research</a><br />I&#8217;ve written a few times about my <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/mnt/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/mnt/">MNT Pocket Reform</a>, and after a recent spell where I had to get something looked at under warranty and didn&#8217;t have it with me, it came back just before we recorded the podcast episode. Again, I really wanted to share something that has a fantastic <a href="https://community.mnt.re/" data-type="link" data-id="https://community.mnt.re/">community</a>, and in this case also a company (and people) with great principles behind it. So, I took the opportunity to give them a shout-out!</li>
505. </ol>
506.  
507.  
508.  
509. <p>I hope you take a listen to The Bootloader, and maybe even get interested enough to check out their back catalogue of episodes and add it to your podcast app for new ones!</p>
510.  
511.  
512.  
513. <p></p>
514.  
515.  
516.  
517. <p></p>
518.  
519.  
520.  
521. <p></p>
522. ]]></content:encoded>
524. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/24/the-bootloader/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
525. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
528. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
529. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17816</post-id> </item>
530. <item>
531. <title>Pen plotters and the history of computer art</title>
532. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/17/pen-plotters-and-the-history-of-computer-art/</link>
533. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/17/pen-plotters-and-the-history-of-computer-art/#comments</comments>
535. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
536. <pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
537. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
538. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
539. <category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
540. <category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
541. <category><![CDATA[forge and craft]]></category>
542. <category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
543. <category><![CDATA[info1]]></category>
544. <category><![CDATA[infoq]]></category>
545. <category><![CDATA[pen plotter]]></category>
546. <category><![CDATA[plotter art]]></category>
547. <category><![CDATA[qcon]]></category>
548. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
549. <category><![CDATA[wimbledon art fair]]></category>
550. <category><![CDATA[wimbledon art studios]]></category>
551. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=17745</guid>
552.  
553. <description><![CDATA[Reflecting on my talks about pen plotters, sharing my closing keynote from QCon 2024; and, the upcoming Wimbledon Art Fair.]]></description>
554. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
555. <p>Last year, I gave a number of talks on the subject of pen plotters / drawing machines, and how they have been used in different ways to realise different forms of art. </p>
556.  
557.  
558.  
559. <p>I wasn&#8217;t immediately able to share the main talk (the closing keynote from QCon London 2024), but I posted about <a data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/15/where-is-the-art/" href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/15/where-is-the-art/">the shorter edition that I delivered at Electromagnetic Field</a>, and I&#8217;ve also written <a data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/07/30/art-and-algorithms-vs-ai/" href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/07/30/art-and-algorithms-vs-ai/">about the distinction between computer art generated using algorithms, and generative AI creations</a>.</p>
560.  
561.  
562.  
563. <p>It took some time for the video to become available to share, but you can now take a look at the closing keynote that began it all, on the <a data-type="link" data-id="https://www.infoq.com/presentations/creative-technology/" href="https://www.infoq.com/presentations/creative-technology/">InfoQ website: <em>Where is the Art? a History in Technology</em></a>. I really enjoyed researching the subject.</p>
564.  
565.  
566.  
567. <p>This year, I plan to <a data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/07/20/hacking-with-plotters/" href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/07/20/hacking-with-plotters/">tinker with building more of my own plotters</a>, in different formats.</p>
568.  
569.  
570.  
571. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" data-attachment-id="17760" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/0e23601f-fb4b-44ba-ab21-f1e156e18d58/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?fit=1606%2C1606&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1606,1606" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;0E23601F-FB4B-44BA-AB21-F1E156E18D58&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1727367060&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;102&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0167&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;0E23601F-FB4B-44BA-AB21-F1E156E18D58&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="0E23601F-FB4B-44BA-AB21-F1E156E18D58" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;0E23601F-FB4B-44BA-AB21-F1E156E18D58&lt;/p&gt;
572. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?fit=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture-400x400.jpg?resize=400%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-17760" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?resize=1536%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/photo-2370_singular_display_fullpicture.jpg?w=1606&amp;ssl=1 1606w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Plotting with paint</figcaption></figure>
573.  
574.  
575.  
576. <p>Next up, we have our fifth (!) <a href="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.wimbledonartfair.com/">Wimbledon Art Fair</a> &#8211; next month, May 8-11. We&#8217;re still working with the plotter and pouring paints, and have upgraded from the AxiDraw A4 SE to a larger <a href="https://store.bantamtools.com/products/bantam-tools-nextdraw-1117" data-type="link" data-id="https://store.bantamtools.com/products/bantam-tools-nextdraw-1117">NextDraw 1117</a> for some of our more recent work. If you&#8217;re in the neighbourhood, do come and take a look!</p>
577. ]]></content:encoded>
579. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/17/pen-plotters-and-the-history-of-computer-art/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
580. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
583. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
584. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17745</post-id> </item>
585. <item>
586. <title>By the fireside</title>
587. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/16/by-the-fireside/</link>
588. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/16/by-the-fireside/#respond</comments>
590. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
591. <pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2025 07:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
592. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
593. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
594. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
595. <category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
596. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
597. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
598. <category><![CDATA[podcasting]]></category>
599. <category><![CDATA[video]]></category>
600. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=11452</guid>
601.  
602. <description><![CDATA[Recently, I joined the Fireside Fedi show to discuss the diverse Fediverse community. Thank you, Ozoned!]]></description>
603. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
604. <p>A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to join <a href="https://links.ozoned.net/" data-type="link" data-id="https://links.ozoned.net/">Ozoned</a> on his <a href="https://links.firesidefedi.live/" data-type="link" data-id="https://links.firesidefedi.live/">Fireside Fedi</a> show to talk about&#8230; all kinds of things! Ozoned started the show to talk to the people who make up the Fediverse, and so far there have been a range of guests from different projects and also, from across the community. I love it!</p>
605.  
606.  
607.  
608. <p>You can watch the show recordings <a href="https://stream.firesidefedi.live/" data-type="link" data-id="https://stream.firesidefedi.live/">live on Owncast</a>, or <a href="https://video.firesidefedi.live/c/show/videos" data-type="link" data-id="https://video.firesidefedi.live/c/show/videos">watch later on PeerTube</a>, or listen to the episodes as <a href="https://audio.firesidefedi.live/@firesidefedi/episodes" data-type="link" data-id="https://audio.firesidefedi.live/@firesidefedi/episodes">audio podcasts on Castopod</a> (in <a href="https://episodes.fm/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpby5maXJlc2lkZWZlZGkubGl2ZS9AZmlyZXNpZGVmZWRpL2ZlZWQueG1s" data-type="link" data-id="https://episodes.fm/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpby5maXJlc2lkZWZlZGkubGl2ZS9AZmlyZXNpZGVmZWRpL2ZlZWQueG1s">any of your preferred podcast apps</a>)</p>
609.  
610.  
611.  
612. <div style="position: relative; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Episode 7 - Andy Piper - Head of Communications Mastodon - Livestream 2025-03-25" width="100%" height="100%" src="https://video.firesidefedi.live/videos/embed/7tjwufG5eSsAtmBPVdPiR9?warningTitle=0&amp;p2p=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-forms" style="position: absolute; inset: 0px;"></iframe></div>
613.  
614.  
615.  
616. <p>Thanks again Ozoned for inviting me to hang out, it was great chatting! Also, thank you for creating Fireside Fedi &#8211; this is exactly the kind of thing I hadn&#8217;t realised I wanted, to learn about the rich and diverse community we&#8217;re all taking part in. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f496.png" alt="💖" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
617.  
618.  
619.  
620. <p></p>
621. ]]></content:encoded>
623. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/16/by-the-fireside/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
624. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
627. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
628. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">11452</post-id> </item>
629. <item>
630. <title>Communicating changes</title>
631. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/15/communicating-changes/</link>
632. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/15/communicating-changes/#comments</comments>
634. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
635. <pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2025 18:15:59 +0000</pubDate>
636. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
637. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
638. <category><![CDATA[career]]></category>
639. <category><![CDATA[comms]]></category>
640. <category><![CDATA[communications]]></category>
641. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
642. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
643. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
644. <category><![CDATA[open source]]></category>
645. <category><![CDATA[public speaking]]></category>
646. <category><![CDATA[storytelling]]></category>
647. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=13827</guid>
648.  
649. <description><![CDATA[Since &#8220;The Event&#8221; in late 2022, I have not been in a full-time role (which I&#8217;m privileged to say, has been my first time in that situation). Apart from developing my hobbies and interests into an art practice, I&#8217;ve been continuing to do some public speaking, and also freelancing as fractional lead for Developer Relations [&#8230;]]]></description>
650. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
651. <p>Since <a href="https://buttondown.com/andypiper/archive/andys-discoveries-and-musings-issue-8-advocate" data-type="link" data-id="https://buttondown.com/andypiper/archive/andys-discoveries-and-musings-issue-8-advocate">&#8220;The Event&#8221; in late 2022</a>, I have not been in a full-time role (which I&#8217;m privileged to say, has been my first time in that situation). Apart from developing my hobbies and interests into <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/07/19/activities-with-forge-craft/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/07/19/activities-with-forge-craft/">an art practice</a>, I&#8217;ve been continuing to do some public speaking, and also freelancing as fractional <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2023/12/27/six-and-a-bit-months-on-team-mastodon/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2023/12/27/six-and-a-bit-months-on-team-mastodon/">lead for Developer Relations on the Mastodon project</a> since ~May 2023.</p>
652.  
653.  
654.  
655. <p>I&#8217;m very happy and excited to share that as of early March, I&#8217;m working with <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/">Mastodon</a> full-time, as <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/about#team">Head of Communications</a>.</p>
656.  
657.  
658.  
659. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Pivot&#8230;</h3>
660.  
661.  
662.  
663. <p>A full-time role in communications is a slight pivot for me, but I can draw a through-line across all of my experience with community, public speaking, and in developer relations &#8211; Dev Rel often contains an element of acting as a translator between parties; demystifying new technologies and APIs and explaining them in layman&#8217;s terms; connecting customer feedback to the right places inside an organisation. In the case of Mastodon, I get to draw on multiple threads of experience: working adjacent to the news and Curation product teams, and also the Policy and the Trust &amp; Safety teams, in my previous full-time role; 20+ years of Open Source (and Open Source foundation) community experience; public speaking, and writing about tech. The best part of it all is that Mastodon, the Fediverse, and Open Source, are all things that I am deeply personally invested in, and passionate about.</p>
664.  
665.  
666.  
667. <p>I&#8217;m extremely grateful to the rest of the team at Mastodon (particularly Eugen and the leadership for trusting me with the role, and also the board of our US 501(c)(3) entity who were instrumental in the decision making processes that enabled me to become involved on a full-time basis). </p>
668.  
669.  
670.  
671. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Looking ahead</h3>
672.  
673.  
674.  
675. <p>In terms of communications strategy, I&#8217;m working on making things less reactive, more proactive. As a small, technically-focused team we have not always been able to quickly respond to media and other inquiries. My goal is that with more bandwidth to dedicate on talking to press, organisations, etc (and by decoupling these replies from being distractions or burdens on the engineering folks) we can do more to tell the story of the Fediverse, and Mastodon, more broadly. We&#8217;ll continue to work with the community as we do so &#8211; in fact, I&#8217;m hoping to hear how we can better support community efforts to share the message about ethical, more privacy-focused social web platforms, and also looking to learn about local and cultural nuances that can help us to share our story in a strong way.</p>
676.  
677.  
678.  
679. <p>You&#8217;ll see us getting more involved at conferences, community events, and in some more formal environments as well. Feel free to get in touch, if I can help &#8211; <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/about#contact" data-type="link" data-id="https://joinmastodon.org/about#contact">contact information is listed on the website</a>.</p>
680.  
681.  
682.  
683. <p><em>image credit: </em><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-person-holding-a-smart-phone-in-their-hand-9Xf-jxvfpW8" data-type="link" data-id="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-person-holding-a-smart-phone-in-their-hand-9Xf-jxvfpW8">Unsplash</a> / CC BY-ND <a href="https://mastodon.social/@_elena/113900211541640872" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@_elena/113900211541640872">Elena Rossini</a></p>
684.  
685.  
686.  
687. <p></p>
688. ]]></content:encoded>
690. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/15/communicating-changes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
691. <slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
694. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
695. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">13827</post-id> </item>
696. <item>
697. <title>Framework of Theseus</title>
698. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/</link>
699. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/#comments</comments>
701. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
702. <pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 14:45:26 +0000</pubDate>
703. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
704. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
705. <category><![CDATA[framework]]></category>
706. <category><![CDATA[hardware]]></category>
707. <category><![CDATA[laptop]]></category>
708. <category><![CDATA[Linux]]></category>
709. <category><![CDATA[upgrade]]></category>
710. <category><![CDATA[webcam]]></category>
711. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=13492</guid>
712.  
713. <description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been using my Framework 13 laptop a lot more often, recently. I have found myself preferring it as daily driver over the M1 Pro MacBook Pro for various reasons &#8211; largely connectivity, and OS / hacking / getting things done. I have a Framework 13 with a 12th Gen Intel board running Fedora. Since [&#8230;]]]></description>
714. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
715. <p>I&#8217;ve been using my <a href="https://frame.work/">Framework</a> 13 laptop a lot more often, recently. I have found myself preferring it as daily driver over the M1 Pro MacBook Pro<sup data-fn="c42fe373-8d45-40a6-9581-d5b3183eedb4" class="fn"><a href="#c42fe373-8d45-40a6-9581-d5b3183eedb4" id="c42fe373-8d45-40a6-9581-d5b3183eedb4-link">1</a></sup> for various reasons &#8211; largely connectivity, and OS / hacking / getting things done.<sup data-fn="46b8c939-eec5-428c-8960-a4e5296d6bfd" class="fn"><a href="#46b8c939-eec5-428c-8960-a4e5296d6bfd" id="46b8c939-eec5-428c-8960-a4e5296d6bfd-link">2</a></sup></p>
716.  
717.  
718.  
719. <p>I have a Framework 13 with a 12th Gen Intel board running Fedora.</p>
720.  
721.  
722.  
723. <p>Since I first got the machine, I&#8217;ve upgraded the battery capacity (to the 61Wh version), and also the screen (to the nicer high definition 2.8K display panel).</p>
724.  
725.  
726.  
727. <p>I&#8217;ve got an order in to switch the motherboard<sup data-fn="4707bad0-3564-43df-8b96-24c6b44984a9" class="fn"><a href="#4707bad0-3564-43df-8b96-24c6b44984a9" id="4707bad0-3564-43df-8b96-24c6b44984a9-link">3</a></sup> for one of the newer AMD Ryzen models, and I&#8217;m on the waiting list to receive that. I&#8217;m excited to see how the performance boost is in practice. I also plan to add a nice purple bezel, since I want <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/branding" data-type="link" data-id="https://joinmastodon.org/branding">to be on-brand</a>!</p>
728.  
729.  
730.  
731. <p>I&#8217;m mostly using the machine docked at a desk either in the studio or at home, which generally means plugging in to a single USB-C connection to attach displays, input devices and a good webcam and mic. I am also travelling a lot more at the moment, though, so my eye fell on the gen 2 webcam module upgrade for better picture quality and performance in different lighting conditions.</p>
732.  
733.  
734.  
735. <p>Hardware &#8211; top module is the original module that came in the laptop, below is gen 2.</p>
736.  
737.  
738.  
739. <figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/andypiper.co.uk\/2025\/04\/02\/framework-of-theseus\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
740. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="13504" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/img_6021/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1743508333&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_6021" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="13504" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021-400x300.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="Close-up image of two webcam modules for a laptop, showcasing the 1st generation module on top and the 2nd generation module below, both with visible components and labels." class="wp-image-13504" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6021.jpeg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
741.  
742.  
743.  
744. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="13505" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/img_6020/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1743508313&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_6020" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-id="13505" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020-400x300.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="A comparison of two laptop webcam modules, with the first generation module on top and the second generation module below, displayed on a brown surface." class="wp-image-13505" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_6020.jpeg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
745. </figure>
746.  
747.  
748.  
749. <p>Framework&#8217;s documentation and hardware design is really exceptional. The <a href="https://guides.frame.work/Guide/Webcam+Replacement+Guide/87?lang=en" data-type="link" data-id="https://guides.frame.work/Guide/Webcam+Replacement+Guide/87?lang=en">upgrade instructions</a> suggested that this would be a 5-10 minute upgrade, and I think that it could probably have been done in 2 minutes if the ribbon cable connection wasn&#8217;t quite as fiddly as I seemed to find it. Open the laptop fully (it folds out flat); lift the screen bezel (connected magnetically); unscrew the two magnetised anchors at either end; remove, replace with new (here lies some cable fiddling with small clips); screw back and reseat bezel. Done.</p>
750.  
751.  
752.  
753. <p>Technical comparison via <a href="https://github.com/tuna-f1sh/cyme" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/tuna-f1sh/cyme">cyme</a> &#8211; although the full listing does not format terribly well in a wrapped context.</p>
754.  
755.  
756.  
757. <pre class="wp-block-code" style="font-size:0.4rem"><code>$ cyme -d 0x0bda:0x5634 -vvvm --headings
758. Bus  # TPos PPath I  VID     PID     Dev V  CVal   BaseC           SubC UidSc Pcol UidPc Name                            Manufacturer     Serial         Driver Speed
759. 3    3   7  3-7   0x0bda 0x5634  0.21  2.01  0xef Miscellaneous 0x02 ?  0x01 Interface Association Laptop Camera Generic  200901010001     usb     480.0 Mb/s
760. # I  Attributes I# PMax Name
761. 1             9  300 mA USB Camera
762. PPath I Alt# CVal BaseC SubC UidSc Pcol UidPc Name             Driver   E#
763. 3-7:1.0 0x00 0x0e Video 0x01 Video Control  0x00  -  Laptop Camera uvcvideo 1
764.   # Dir   TranT   SyncT       UsqeT Iv MaxPkb
765.   3 In  Interrupt None  Data  6 1x 32
766. 3-7:1.1 0x00 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 0
767. 3-7:1.1 0x01 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
768.   # Dir   TranT           SyncT       UsqeT Iv MaxPkb
769.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 1x 128
770. 3-7:1.1 0x02 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
771.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 1x 512
772. 3-7:1.1 0x03 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
773.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 1x 1024
774. 3-7:1.1 0x04 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
775.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 2x 768
776. 3-7:1.1 0x05 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
777.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 2x 1024
778. 3-7:1.1 0x06 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
779.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 3x 896
780. 3-7:1.1 0x07 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming 0x00  -             uvcvideo 1
781.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 3x 1020</code></pre>
782.  
783.  
784.  
785. <pre class="wp-block-code" style="font-size:0.4rem"><code>$ cyme -d 0x32ac:0x001c -vvvm --headings
786. Bus  # TPos PPath I  VID     PID     Dev V  CVal   BaseC           SubC UidSc Pcol UidPc Name                            Manufacturer   Serial               Driver Speed
787. 3    3   7  3-7   0x32ac 0x001c  1.11  2.01  0xef Miscellaneous 0x02 ?  0x01 Interface Association Laptop Webcam Module (2nd Gen) Framework FRANJBCHA1430207PD usb   480.0 Mb/s
788. # I  Attributes I# PMax Name
789. 1             10 500 mA Laptop Webcam Module (2nd Gen)
790. PPath I Alt# CVal BaseC SubC UidSc Pcol UidPc Name                            Driver   E#
791. 3-7:1.0 0x00 0x0e Video 0x01 Video Control    0x01  -   Laptop Webcam Module (2nd Gen) uvcvideo 1
792.   # Dir   TranT   SyncT       UsqeT Iv MaxPkb
793.   3 In  Interrupt None  Data  6 1x 32
794. 3-7:1.1 0x00 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 0
795. 3-7:1.1 0x01 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
796.   # Dir   TranT           SyncT       UsqeT Iv MaxPkb
797.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 1x 128
798. 3-7:1.1 0x02 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
799.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 1x 512
800. 3-7:1.1 0x03 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
801.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 1x 1020
802. 3-7:1.1 0x04 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
803.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 2x 768
804. 3-7:1.1 0x05 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
805.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 2x 1020
806. 3-7:1.1 0x06 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
807.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 3x 896
808. 3-7:1.1 0x07 0x0e Video 0x02 Video Streaming  0x01  -                          uvcvideo 1
809.   1 In  Isochronous Asynchronous Data 3x 1020
810. 3-7:1.2 0x00 0xfe ApplicationSpecificInterface 0x01 Device Firmware Update     -        0
811.                                               Camera DFU Device</code></pre>
812.  
813.  
814.  
815. <p>Noting that the 2nd gen module (second listing) has a DFU option, and draws slightly more power</p>
816.  
817.  
818.  
819. <p>Before and after shots, similar position in the same room within about 20 minutes of each other. The newer module has a wider field of view and more light for sure. Either way, I need to improve my setup there slightly, but ordinarily when I&#8217;m sitting at that desk, I would be using a Logitech StreamCam connected via a hub.</p>
820.  
821.  
822.  
823. <figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/andypiper.co.uk\/2025\/04\/02\/framework-of-theseus\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
824. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="225" data-attachment-id="13508" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22-531038/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Laptop Camera (V4L2)&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="Photo from 2025-04-01 11-45-22.531038" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?fit=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-id="13508" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=400%2C225&#038;ssl=1" alt="A person wearing glasses and a sweater, looking directly into the camera, with bookshelves and a poster in the background." class="wp-image-13508" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=150%2C84&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-11-45-22.531038.jpeg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
825.  
826.  
827.  
828. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="225" data-attachment-id="13509" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59-477473/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Laptop Webcam Module (2nd Gen) (V4L2)&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="Photo from 2025-04-01 12-04-59.477473" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?fit=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-id="13509" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=400%2C225&#038;ssl=1" alt="A person sitting at a desk with shelves filled with books and items in the background, wearing glasses and a shirt with text." class="wp-image-13509" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=150%2C84&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Photo-from-2025-04-01-12-04-59.477473.jpeg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
829. </figure>
830.  
831.  
832. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="c42fe373-8d45-40a6-9581-d5b3183eedb4">Exception tends to be video editing and, sometimes, podcasting (but that is mostly due to the setup we chose for <a href="https://gamesatwork.biz/">Games at Work dot Biz</a>, rather than a deficiency on the Linux side). <a href="#c42fe373-8d45-40a6-9581-d5b3183eedb4-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="46b8c939-eec5-428c-8960-a4e5296d6bfd">What of the <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/mnt-pocket-reform/" data-type="post_tag" data-id="765551737">MNT Pocket Reform</a>? Well&#8230; it&#8217;s <em>currently</em> with UPS, after needing what was supposed to be a brief return to Germany for a strange issue that was resolved under warranty. I&#8217;m extremely annoyed about the time it has taken to get back to me &#8211; not the fault of the MNT team, absolutely the fault of the ridiculous import/export situation the UK finds it in with Europe these days&#8230; meh. <a href="#46b8c939-eec5-428c-8960-a4e5296d6bfd-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 2"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="4707bad0-3564-43df-8b96-24c6b44984a9">Once I get this, I&#8217;ll repurpose the original motherboard and display into a simple desk device, I think. <a href="#4707bad0-3564-43df-8b96-24c6b44984a9-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 3"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>]]></content:encoded>
834. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/04/02/framework-of-theseus/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
835. <slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
838. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
839. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">13492</post-id> </item>
840. <item>
841. <title>Talks and travels &#8211; RightsCon Taipei</title>
842. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/23/rightscon-taipei/</link>
843. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/23/rightscon-taipei/#respond</comments>
845. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
846. <pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 17:54:26 +0000</pubDate>
847. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
848. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
849. <category><![CDATA[advocacy]]></category>
850. <category><![CDATA[conference]]></category>
851. <category><![CDATA[digital rights]]></category>
852. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
853. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
854. <category><![CDATA[human rights]]></category>
855. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
856. <category><![CDATA[RightsCon]]></category>
857. <category><![CDATA[ruby]]></category>
858. <category><![CDATA[social web]]></category>
859. <category><![CDATA[taipei]]></category>
860. <category><![CDATA[taiwan]]></category>
861. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
862. <category><![CDATA[Tor]]></category>
863. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
864. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=6418</guid>
865.  
866. <description><![CDATA[This week, I'm at #RightsCon 2025 in Taiwan, discussing open platforms and Mastodon's role in the new social web.]]></description>
867. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
868. <p>I&#8217;m currently in Taipei &#8211; my first visit to Taiwan. </p>
869.  
870.  
871.  
872. <p>This week I&#8217;m attending <a href="https://www.rightscon.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.rightscon.org/">RightsCon 2025</a>, along with my friend <a href="https://mastodon.social/@mellifluousbox" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@mellifluousbox">Felix</a> from the Mastodon core team. It is a <em><strong>critical</strong></em> time for digital human rights (and for <span style="text-decoration: underline;">all</span> human rights, privacy, and the future of online communities &#8211; and so, so many other things) and I&#8217;m keen to learn what I can from the different groups of advocates at this event, as well as to talk about what we&#8217;re working on. I&#8217;m here to discuss the importance of choosing authentic, user-centric platforms that are not driven by for-profit corporations, or &#8220;juiced&#8221; by algorithmic engagement.</p>
873.  
874.  
875.    <blockquote  data-instance="macaw.social" data-post-id="114041576053798133" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
876.        <p>Flying to Taipei <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f1f9-1f1fc.png" alt="🇹🇼" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> this evening for <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/RightsCon" href="/friends/tag/rightscon/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RightsCon</span></a> next week, where I’ll be on a panel “How we build a new social web” at 9am on Tuesday. I’ll also be speaking at the <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/RubyJam" href="/friends/tag/rubyjam/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RubyJam</span></a> meetup on Tuesday evening, about Ruby and the <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/Fediverse" href="/friends/tag/fediverse/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Fediverse</span></a>. My first visit to Taiwan &#8211; any tips?</p>
877.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
878.            &mdash; Andy Piper (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper</a>)
879.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/114041576053798133">2025-02-21T11:12:33.362Z</a>
880.        </p>
881.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://macaw.social/" async src="https://macaw.social/embed.js"></script>
882.  
883.  
884. <p class="has-small-font-size">Thank you, friends, for the great suggestions and tips ahead of the trip! I&#8217;m already using some of the useful knowledge you shared on the socials <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f60a.png" alt="😊" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
885.  
886.  
887.  
888. <p>I will be taking part in a panel on Tuesday morning entitled <em>How we build a new social web</em>, where we will be discussing user empowerment and the decentralised, open social web platforms. It is an honour to be invited to be a participant in the conversation here, and I&#8217;m looking forward to explaining the importance of independent social networks in the form of the Fediverse.</p>
889.  
890.  
891.  
892. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>If you&#8217;re interested in following the event, I configured a <a href="https://fediwall.social" data-type="link" data-id="https://fediwall.social">Fediwall</a> to bring together related hashtags &#8211; <a href="https://andyp.url.lol/rightscon25" data-type="link" data-id="https://andyp.url.lol/rightscon25">RightsCon25</a>.</p></blockquote></figure>
893.  
894.  
895.  
896. <p>Separate from the main RightsCon conference tracks, I&#8217;m also going to be speaking at the monthly RubyJam meetup on Tuesday night, covering <a href="https://rubytaiwan.kktix.cc/events/rubyjam2502" data-type="link" data-id="https://rubytaiwan.kktix.cc/events/rubyjam2502"><em>The Fediverse and Ruby</em></a>. I&#8217;m planning to take a deeper and slightly historical dive into the role of Ruby in the past, present and future of the Fediverse &#8211; a different angle to <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/">the keynote I delivered in Japan in December</a>, to avoid direct repetition.</p>
897.  
898.  
899.  
900. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3858" height="2170" data-attachment-id="6427" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/23/rightscon-taipei/img_5630-1/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?fit=3858%2C2170&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3858,2170" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_5630-1" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?fit=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?fit=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=3858%2C2170&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-6427" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?w=3858&amp;ssl=1 3858w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=150%2C84&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5630-1.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Some new Mastodon stickers, available to share at RightsCon</figcaption></figure>
901.  
902.  
903.  
904. <p>This evening ahead of the conference proper, we attended an excellent keynote by Roger Dingledine, co-founder of Tor, and met with various people from across the Tor community. </p>
905.  
906.  
907.  
908. <p>As always, I&#8217;m reminded of how much I have to learn from the different perspectives shared around me.</p>
909.  
910.  
911.  
912. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
913.  
914.  
915.  
916. <p>aside: I still need to write about FOSDEM, and also my upcoming trip(s), and also, also&#8230; agh, must be better at writing!</p>
917. ]]></content:encoded>
919. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/23/rightscon-taipei/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
920. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
923. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
924. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">6418</post-id> </item>
925. <item>
926. <title>The Enshittification Continues&#8230;</title>
927. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/18/the-enshittification-continues/</link>
928. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/18/the-enshittification-continues/#respond</comments>
930. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
931. <pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 14:38:26 +0000</pubDate>
932. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
933. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
934. <category><![CDATA[complaining]]></category>
935. <category><![CDATA[cory doctorow]]></category>
936. <category><![CDATA[enshittification]]></category>
937. <category><![CDATA[quiz]]></category>
938. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
939. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=6394</guid>
940.  
941. <description><![CDATA[We live in smaller filter bubbles than we may realise.]]></description>
942. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
943. <p>Last night, a friend and I took part in the weekly quiz at a local pub. We were a bit stuck for a team name, and ended up hitting on the (we thought amusing) name &#8220;The Enshittiification Continues&#8221;. </p>
944.  
945.  
946.  
947. <p>At the end of the first round, as he always does, the quiz master came around to collect the team name &#8211; the bar staff then got to vote on the best / most amusing one, and that team got a packet of crisps (!) and an extra point. </p>
948.  
949.  
950.  
951. <p>So, we gave him the name &#8211; and he said he did not get the reference. We then attempted to explain the concept.  That&#8217;s in spite of &#8220;enshittification&#8221; being a Word of the Year <em>somewhere in the world</em> in both <a href="https://americandialect.org/2023-word-of-the-year-is-enshittification/" data-type="link" data-id="https://americandialect.org/2023-word-of-the-year-is-enshittification/">2023</a> and in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-26/macquarie-dictionary-word-of-the-year-2024/104648884" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-26/macquarie-dictionary-word-of-the-year-2024/104648884">2024</a>. </p>
952.  
953.  
954.  
955. <p>Being in tech, and an avid reader of <a href="https://craphound.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://craphound.com/">Cory Doctorow&#8217;s work</a> (mostly on the non-fiction side, but I&#8217;ve dipped into some of the fiction stuff too), of course, it&#8217;s a term I&#8217;m very familiar with. Last night&#8217;s experience was another reminder of the remarkably tiny interest and social bubbles in which we exist.</p>
956.  
957.  
958.  
959. <p>&#8230; our team name was not even listed as one of those that got any kind of attention from the bar staff, and we lost out on that much sought-after (!!) packet of crisps.</p>
960.  
961.  
962.  
963. <p>&#8230; we did, however, come second overall when the scores were totalled up, which was pretty impressive considering there were only two of us, and at least 14 out of 60 questions were sports-related (although we did nail 17/20 of the movie round, so there&#8217;s that). Hurrah!</p>
964.  
965.  
966.  
967. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
968. <p>Shout-out to the man Ash that runs that weekly quiz, he&#8217;s nice guy, and doesn&#8217;t get a ton of support from the venue, we appreciate him when we&#8217;re there!</p>
969. </blockquote>
970.  
971.  
972.  
973. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
974.  
975.  
976.  
977. <p>In semi-related news, the fancy Nokē smart padlock<sup data-fn="2b6a6309-6091-4077-a70c-fa62ca379a59" class="fn"><a href="#2b6a6309-6091-4077-a70c-fa62ca379a59" id="2b6a6309-6091-4077-a70c-fa62ca379a59-link">1</a></sup> that I was gifted as a birthday present ~10 years ago is the latest victim of capitalism and tech eating themselves. </p>
978.  
979.  
980.  
981. <p>Arrived home on Friday night to discover that the rarely-used gadget had been used to lock up a delivery, but that since I hadn&#8217;t used the app for months, Apple had kindly uninstalled it from my phone. The only problem was that I then could not log back in to my account in the app. A <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1gr192z/seeking_others_affected_by_discontinued_noke/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1gr192z/seeking_others_affected_by_discontinued_noke/">Reddit search later</a>, and also a grep through the depths of my email &#8211; the company was sold to another one last year, the servers taken down, and the promised &#8220;transfer of function&#8221; to the new company&#8217;s app was never actually communicated to customers. Fortunately, a day later I was able to use the failsafe mechanism to unlock it (having already sourced a potential loan of an angle grinder). </p>
982.  
983.  
984.  
985. <p>My appeal to a support email address to resolve the issue has been ignored, but &#8220;rewarded&#8221; (!!!) by apparently immediately being added to the marketing email list for the new company, as yesterday I received a junk message. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f92c.png" alt="🤬" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
986.  
987.  
988.  
989. <p>Needless to say: the enshittification does, in fact, continue; and I am <em>very</em> annoyed about it.</p>
990.  
991.  
992.  
993. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
994.  
995.  
996. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="2b6a6309-6091-4077-a70c-fa62ca379a59">I know&#8230; technology may not always be an ideal solution to every problem. It <em>was</em> a very nice gift, though, and it was good while it lasted. <a href="#2b6a6309-6091-4077-a70c-fa62ca379a59-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
997.  
998.  
999. <p></p>
1000. ]]></content:encoded>
1002. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/02/18/the-enshittification-continues/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1003. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1006. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
1007. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">6394</post-id> </item>
1008. <item>
1009. <title>The Indie Beat on your (Linux) desktop</title>
1010. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/25/the-indie-beat-on-your-linux-desktop/</link>
1011. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/25/the-indie-beat-on-your-linux-desktop/#comments</comments>
1013. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
1014. <pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:22:45 +0000</pubDate>
1015. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
1016. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
1017. <category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
1018. <category><![CDATA[bandwagon]]></category>
1019. <category><![CDATA[Coding]]></category>
1020. <category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
1021. <category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
1022. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
1023. <category><![CDATA[GNOME]]></category>
1024. <category><![CDATA[javascript]]></category>
1025. <category><![CDATA[Linux]]></category>
1026. <category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
1027. <category><![CDATA[The Indie Beat]]></category>
1028. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=6077</guid>
1029.  
1030. <description><![CDATA[As a small side-project, I created an extension for the GNOME desktop to stream and listen to music from The Indie Beat - an online radio station powered by independent musicians sharing music in the Fediverse, via Bandwagon.]]></description>
1031. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1032. <p><em>tl;dr</em> I created an extension for the GNOME desktop on Linux, so that folks can stream and listen to music from <a href="https://theindiebeat.fm">The Indie Beat</a> &#8211; an online radio station powered by independent musicians sharing music in the Fediverse, via <a href="https://bandwagon.fm">Bandwagon</a>.</p>
1033.  
1034.  
1035.  
1036. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Background</h3>
1037.  
1038.  
1039.  
1040. <p>Independent musicians, creatives, artists, makers &#8211; these are all folk who often struggle to connect with audiences, and where retail and tech platforms tend towards squeezing their ability to make money from their work (see the excellent <em><a href="https://chokepointcapitalism.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://chokepointcapitalism.com/">Chokepoint Capitalism</a></em> by <a href="https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic" data-type="link" data-id="https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic">Cory Doctorow</a> &#8211; <strong><em>essential</em></strong> reading for today&#8217;s world and understanding how it systematically squeezes creatives). Over the Christmas period, I finally deleted my Spotify account, after <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/" data-type="link" data-id="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/">reading about yet more awful ways</a> that company is destroying authentic creativity for their own profit.</p>
1041.  
1042.  
1043.    <blockquote  data-instance="macaw.social" data-post-id="113702146008159379" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
1044.        <p>Cancelled Spotify. One of those things I&#39;d allowed to roll far too long for no good reason (not paying attention), and the &quot;ghost artists&quot; stuff has made me feel particularly unfriendly towards the platform. <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">harpers.org/archive/2025/01/th</span><span class="invisible">e-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/</span></a></p>
1045.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
1046.            &mdash; Andy Piper (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper</a>)
1047.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113702146008159379">2024-12-23T12:31:01.894Z</a>
1048.        </p>
1049.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://macaw.social/" async src="https://macaw.social/embed.js"></script>
1050.  
1051.  
1052. <p>I&#8217;ve been a huge fan of independent artists for a very long time. Back in the MySpace / MP3 / Napster days I came across folks who I now count as friends, amazing musicians such as <a href="https://www.cindyalexander.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.cindyalexander.com/">Cindy Alexander</a>, and <a href="https://alexcornishmusic.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://alexcornishmusic.com/">Alex Cornish</a>. </p>
1053.  
1054.  
1055.  
1056. <p>Up until recently there was a <em>wonderful</em> streaming station, <a href="https://radiofreefedi.net/" data-type="link" data-id="https://radiofreefedi.net/">RadioFreeFedi</a>, that offered music from artists who had a presence in the Fediverse. Sadly, <a href="https://neilzone.co.uk/2024/11/reflections-on-radiofreefedi/" data-type="link" data-id="https://neilzone.co.uk/2024/11/reflections-on-radiofreefedi/">that has now gone away</a>.</p>
1057.  
1058.  
1059.  
1060. <p>Over the past couple of years I&#8217;ve been attending <a href="https://fediforum.org/projects/">Fediforum</a>, an online conference where people building in the Fediverse gather to share projects and ideas. During the events in 2024, I came across two fantastic people with an interest in making things better for artists and musicians: <a href="https://mastodon.social/@benpate" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@benpate">Ben Pate</a>, builder of the <a href="https://emissary.social/home" data-type="link" data-id="https://emissary.social/home">Emissary platform</a>, which has a music-centric edition called <a href="https://bandwagon.fm">Bandwagon</a>; and <a href="https://mastodon.social/@mizkirsten" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@mizkirsten">Kirsten Lambertsen</a>, a multi-talented web creative who runs <a href="https://patronhunt.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://patronhunt.com/">Patron Hunt</a>, and who spun up an alternative streaming station, <a href="https://theindiebeat.fm">The Indie Beat</a>. </p>
1061.  
1062.  
1063.    <blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.social" data-post-id="113760653630014273" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
1064.        <p>Happy New Year fedifriends!</p><p>I&#39;m excited to officially announce the launch of TheIndieBeat.fm, a streaming radio station showcasing indie <a original-href="https://mastodon.social/tags/music" href="/friends/tag/music/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>music</span></a> from the Fediverse. </p><p>The Indie Beat Radio is made possible through a collaboration with Bandwagon.fm /  <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@benpate" class="u-url mention">@<span>benpate</span></a></span> </p><p>Music artists who upload their work to Bandwagon.fm have the option to make tracks available for streaming on TheIndieBeat.fm</p><p>Our goal is to use federation to make less work for artists — upload once; distribute infinitely.</p>
1065.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
1066.            &mdash; MizKirsten (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.social/@mizkirsten">@mizkirsten</a>)
1067.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.social/@mizkirsten/113760653630014273">2025-01-02T20:30:17.360Z</a>
1068.        </p>
1069.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://mastodon.social/" async src="https://mastodon.social/embed.js"></script>
1070.  
1071.  
1072. <p>The Indie Beat builds on Bandwagon, so artists who share their music in the Fediverse via Bandwagon, can also choose to add them to rotation on The Indie Beat.</p>
1073.  
1074.  
1075.  
1076. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="742" height="370" data-attachment-id="6104" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/25/the-indie-beat-on-your-linux-desktop/tibr-info/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?fit=742%2C370&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="742,370" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="tibr-info" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?fit=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?fit=400%2C199&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?resize=742%2C370&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-6104" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?w=742&amp;ssl=1 742w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?resize=400%2C199&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/tibr-info.png?resize=150%2C75&amp;ssl=1 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px" /></figure>
1077.  
1078.  
1079.  
1080. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Some inspirations</h3>
1081.  
1082.  
1083.  
1084. <p>I was nerd-sniped, I mean, <em>inspired</em>, to make something with The Indie Beat, in part through <a href="https://neilzone.co.uk/2025/01/adding-the-indie-beat-radio-fm-to-lyrion-music-server-mpd-and-jellyfin/" data-type="link" data-id="https://neilzone.co.uk/2025/01/adding-the-indie-beat-radio-fm-to-lyrion-music-server-mpd-and-jellyfin/">a nice blog post shared by Neil Brown</a> (which was apparently prompted by me, so that&#8217;s nice and circular!) about how to add the streams from The Indie Beat into Linux music apps such as <code>mpd</code>.</p>
1085.  
1086.  
1087.  
1088. <p>I don&#8217;t use <code>mpd</code>, and to be honest I most often live on Apple platforms (but I do keep a Plex server, which I intend to move to Jellyfin this year as I work on improving my self-hosting and homelab situations). I was pretty sure that I&#8217;d seen a taskbar music player for GNOME, though. I usually run GNOME on my Linux systems &#8211; the exception being <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/?s=pocket+reform" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/?s=pocket+reform">my MNT Pocket Reform</a>, which is Sway with a minimal set of other desktop apps.</p>
1089.  
1090.  
1091.  
1092. <p>The player I was thinking of is the <a href="https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1237/somafm-internet-radio/" data-type="link" data-id="https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1237/somafm-internet-radio/">SomaFM internet radio extension</a>, which is a menubar app that lists the SomaFM station streams, and allows the user to choose between them.</p>
1093.  
1094.  
1095.  
1096. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The process</h3>
1097.  
1098.  
1099.  
1100. <p>The first iteration was a straightforward copy/edit hack of the SomaFM extension, replacing the list of channel streams with the equivalent ones from The Indie Beat. Easy!</p>
1101.  
1102.  
1103.  
1104. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="400" data-attachment-id="6113" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/25/the-indie-beat-on-your-linux-desktop/9c9c3495-e2d1-442c-82c1-c43e9ebfbb30_1_201_a/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?fit=1042%2C1042&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1042,1042" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?fit=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a-400x400.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-6113" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/9C9C3495-E2D1-442C-82C1-C43E9EBFBB30_1_201_a.jpeg?w=1042&amp;ssl=1 1042w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
1105.  
1106.  
1107.  
1108. <p>I excitedly sent a screenshot to Kirsten to show off!</p>
1109.  
1110.  
1111.  
1112. <p>There were quite a few things that I felt I could do better, though. First of all, the artwork was missing. Also, I knew that the whole point of The Indie Beat was to be a showcase for the artists on Bandwagon, and that there was supposed to be metadata in the stream header that contained their link information.</p>
1113.  
1114.  
1115.  
1116. <p>After a lot of poking at the MP3 stream, I realised that The Indie Beat is built on a streaming server called <a href="https://www.azuracast.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.azuracast.com/">Azura Cast</a>, which has <a href="https://www.azuracast.com/docs/developers/now-playing-data/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.azuracast.com/docs/developers/now-playing-data/">an API</a> &#8211; and <a href="https://azura.theindiebeat.fm/docs/api/" data-type="link" data-id="https://azura.theindiebeat.fm/docs/api/">The Indie Beat API</a> had that data, and a whole lot more that I could use. In order to use it all though, I had to fully re-think how the extension would work.</p>
1117.  
1118.  
1119.  
1120. <p>So, I started over, from scratch.</p>
1121.  
1122.  
1123.  
1124. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1125. <li>I hand-traced the &#8220;catellite&#8221; artwork and made a minified icon for the GNOME top bar &#8211; the full design was not great at a tiny size.</li>
1126.  
1127.  
1128.  
1129. <li>I kept a similar look-and-feel to the SomaFM extension &#8211; an icon, a player, a list of channels &#8211; but, I removed the settings and favourites options from my scope, to keep things simple. I also have the menu expand to fit the channel names, which I don&#8217;t love as it means it changes size, but it works.
1130. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1131. <li>a little thing that I&#8217;m fond of is that the extension uses the configured accent colour &#8211; recently added in GNOME 47 &#8211; for some of the text.</li>
1132. </ul>
1133. </li>
1134.  
1135.  
1136.  
1137. <li>I did a lot of reading and poking around at GNOME Shell and gjs, the JavaScript API that enables extensions to be built.  I also learned a lot about GStreamer, the engine that GNOME apps use for access to audio and video media. This was all a long, <em>long</em> way from my past work coding for GNOME, <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2001/09/03/anjuta-progress/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2001/09/03/anjuta-progress/">~20 years ago, back in early Anjuta days</a>! I&#8217;m not naturally a JavaScript person at all, so I made a lot of mistakes here.
1138. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1139. <li>huge shout-out to the author of the JustPerfection extension, who carefully and helpfully reviewed my submissions to the GNOME Extensions site. This thing would be a lot more crashy and messy without that oversight!</li>
1140. </ul>
1141. </li>
1142.  
1143.  
1144.  
1145. <li>the extension contains a small cached implementation of the Azura Cast API, which enables the extension to query the available channels, rather than needing to have a static internal list of streams updated if a channel came along or went away (a concept of &#8220;mixtapes&#8221; is on <a href="https://theindiebeat.fm/roadmap/" data-type="link" data-id="https://theindiebeat.fm/roadmap/">the roadmap for The Indie Beat</a> in the future).
1146. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1147. <li>I needed to add a way to access an artist&#8217;s page, which comes from a property that&#8217;s stored in the now playing data, so building an API layer that sits parallel to the radio stream player seemed to work nicely.</li>
1148. </ul>
1149. </li>
1150. </ul>
1151.  
1152.  
1153.  
1154. <p>The Indie Beat is evolving &#8211; within a few days of starting work on this side project, Kirsten switched the branding from pink to green, so I updated the artwork. She also added a Bonk Wave channel &#8211; and the extension seamlessly picked it up! That was a nice win.</p>
1155.  
1156.  
1157.    <blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.online" data-post-id="113885110335954369" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
1158.        <p>Not What I Call Radio Bonk Wave is a new radio station from The Indie Beat Radio, curated by bonkwave.org and playing music which may be <a original-href="https://mastodon.online/tags/BonkWave" href="/friends/tag/bonkwave/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>BonkWave</span></a>. Or may be <a original-href="https://mastodon.online/tags/NotBonkWave" href="/friends/tag/notbonkwave/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NotBonkWave</span></a>. </p><p>Listen here:</p><p><a href="https://not.what.i.call.radio.bonkwave.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">not.what.i.call.radio.bonkwave</span><span class="invisible">.org/</span></a></p><p>or here:</p><p><a href="https://theindiebeat.fm/not-what-i-call-radio-bonk-wave/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theindiebeat.fm/not-what-i-cal</span><span class="invisible">l-radio-bonk-wave/</span></a></p><p>&#8212;</p><p>Bonk Wave contributors &#8211; did you know you can submit any of your tracks to the station? </p><p><a href="https://bonkwave.org/board/index.php?topic=134.0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bonkwave.org/board/index.php?t</span><span class="invisible">opic=134.0</span></a></p><p>(Bonk Wave Contributors only &#8211; if you&#39;re not signed up to the board, create an account and we&#39;ll add you to the group)</p>
1159.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
1160.            &mdash; keef (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.online/@keefmarshall">@keefmarshall</a>)
1161.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.online/@keefmarshall/113885110335954369">2025-01-24T20:01:15.978Z</a>
1162.        </p>
1163.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://mastodon.online/" async src="https://mastodon.online/embed.js"></script>
1164.  
1165.  
1166. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">OK&#8230; so what does it do?</h3>
1167.  
1168.  
1169.  
1170. <p>I&#8217;ve posted a short video which covers the basic features: choose between channels, play/stop, open the Bandwagon page of the currently playing artist in a web browser, or directly jump to Bandwagon&#8217;s Explore page or The Indie Beat main page. I&#8217;ve aimed for simple and clean, as befits the GNOME philosophy.</p>
1171.  
1172.  
1173.  
1174. <iframe loading="lazy" title="A GNOME Shell extension for The Indie Beat - stream music from the Fediverse to your Linux desktop!" width="560" height="315" src="https://makertube.net/videos/embed/13ab753e-1f23-468b-9ce5-3087a5a5a581" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-forms"></iframe>
1175.  
1176.  
1177.  
1178. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where to get it</h3>
1179.  
1180.  
1181.  
1182. <p>The extension is available to install&nbsp;<a href="https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/7822/the-indie-beat-fediverse-radio/">here</a>. </p>
1183.  
1184.  
1185.  
1186. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized has-lightbox"><a href="extensions.https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/7822/the-indie-beat-fediverse-radio/"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="186" data-attachment-id="6169" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/25/the-indie-beat-on-your-linux-desktop/ego/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?fit=537%2C250&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="537,250" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="ego" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?fit=300%2C140&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?fit=400%2C186&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?resize=400%2C186&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-6169" style="width:182px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?resize=400%2C186&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?resize=300%2C140&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?resize=150%2C70&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ego.png?w=537&amp;ssl=1 537w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a></figure>
1187.  
1188.  
1189.  
1190. <p>You can <a href="https://makertube.net/w/3qSQBQSwPLqGyYtopiTAk4" data-type="link" data-id="https://makertube.net/w/3qSQBQSwPLqGyYtopiTAk4">watch the demo video on my MakerTube</a>. </p>
1191.  
1192.  
1193.  
1194. <p>You can <a href="https://github.com/andypiper/theindiebeat-gnome-ext" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/andypiper/theindiebeat-gnome-ext">follow development on GitHub</a>.</p>
1195.  
1196.  
1197.  
1198. <p>If you like it, a <a href="https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/7822/the-indie-beat-fediverse-radio/" data-type="link" data-id="https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/7822/the-indie-beat-fediverse-radio/">comment / review on the GNOME Extensions page</a> would be very welcome. If you have issues or ideas, do leave those <a href="https://github.com/andypiper/theindiebeat-gnome-ext" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/andypiper/theindiebeat-gnome-ext">on the GitHub project</a>. </p>
1199.  
1200.  
1201.  
1202. <p>There is a donation button in the GNOME Extensions page, the use of which is entirely optional.</p>
1203.  
1204.  
1205.  
1206. <p>Don&#8217;t forget to click over to Bandwagon, and check out the artists you hear that you like.</p>
1207.  
1208.  
1209.  
1210. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What&#8217;s the future?</h3>
1211.  
1212.  
1213.  
1214. <p>The world and the internet are kind of bleak right now, but actually &#8211; we&#8217;ve got the power to make it better.</p>
1215.  
1216.  
1217.  
1218. <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTaeVVAvk-c" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTaeVVAvk-c">Watch Molly White&#8217;s talk from XOXO</a> and get inspired.</p>
1219.  
1220.  
1221.  
1222. <p>Also, this:</p>
1223.  
1224.  
1225.  
1226. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-the-lost-outpost wp-block-embed-the-lost-outpost"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
1227. <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="fnMmzmszsE"><a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/29/the-web-made-by-humans/">The Web, made by Humans</a></blockquote><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted"  title="&#8220;The Web, made by Humans&#8221; &#8212; The lost outpost" src="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/29/the-web-made-by-humans/embed/#?secret=mX61RkspSb#?secret=fnMmzmszsE" data-secret="fnMmzmszsE" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
1228. </div></figure>
1229.  
1230.  
1231.  
1232. <p>There&#8217;s a lot of opportunity for creatives in the Fediverse!</p>
1233.  
1234.  
1235.  
1236. <p><a href="https://castopod.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://castopod.com/">Castopod</a> is a great way to self-host a podcast with native ActivityPub federation. Bandwagon exists, where you can create a Fediverse profile for yourself and your music. You can share it through The Indie Beat. I&#8217;ve personally got my eye on <a href="https://libre.fm/">Libre.FM</a> (like Last.FM, but free, and with a renewed / reinvigorated interest in building new features like ActivityPub and IndieWeb support &#8211; <a href="https://libre.fm/user/andypiper" data-type="link" data-id="https://libre.fm/user/andypiper">here&#8217;s my profile</a>). Beyond those, there is also <a href="https://simonrepp.com/faircamp/" data-type="link" data-id="https://simonrepp.com/faircamp/">Faircamp</a>, a static site generator that helps musicians self-host their content and avoid <em>enshittification</em> through other channels and platforms. I&#8217;m excited! We can work together to make our spaces better for musicians and other artists!</p>
1237.  
1238.  
1239.  
1240. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">More features for the extension?</h4>
1241.  
1242.  
1243.  
1244. <p>This has been a fun side project!</p>
1245.  
1246.  
1247.  
1248. <p>I&#8217;ve got a few barely-formed ideas for things I can do with this in the future, as both Bandwagon and The Indie Beat evolve. Stay tuned. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f4e1.png" alt="📡" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
1249.  
1250.  
1251.  
1252. <p>Oh, and through making this extension, I found and purchased <a href="https://bandwagon.fm/677e2164545bd480665b848e" data-type="link" data-id="https://bandwagon.fm/677e2164545bd480665b848e">an album I&#8217;m obsessed with</a>, which has inspired me to do some other new things&#8230; so watch this space.</p>
1253.  
1254.  
1255.  
1256. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1257.  
1258.  
1259.  
1260. <p><strong>Update 26/02</strong> &#8211; since posting this, folks have made me aware of some other fantastic options in this space. Hopefully, we can see more collaborations between these platforms / sites / curators, to grow the opportunity for everyone.</p>
1261.  
1262.  
1263.  
1264. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1265. <li><a href="https://nham.co.uk/about/" data-type="link" data-id="https://nham.co.uk/about/">NHAM</a> shares monthly online mixtapes of music from Fediverse musicians</li>
1266.  
1267.  
1268.  
1269. <li><a href="https://www.audiointerface.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.audiointerface.org/">Audio Interface</a>, a set of radio shows for independent artists</li>
1270.  
1271.  
1272.  
1273. <li>the <a href="https://faircamp.webr.ing/directory.html" data-type="link" data-id="https://faircamp.webr.ing/directory.html">Faircamp Webring</a> collects together many of the artists using Faircamp for their sites</li>
1274.  
1275.  
1276.  
1277. <li><a href="https://mirlo.space/" data-type="link" data-id="https://mirlo.space/">Mirlo</a> (there&#8217;s an <a href="https://github.com/funmusicplace/mirlo/discussions/530" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/funmusicplace/mirlo/discussions/530">open issue</a> proposing that they add ActivityPub / Fediverse support)</li>
1278.  
1279.  
1280.  
1281. <li><a href="https://ampwall.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://ampwall.com/">Ampwall</a> </li>
1282. </ul>
1283.  
1284.  
1285.  
1286. <p><strong>Update 26/02</strong> &#8211; I wanted a simple app to play The Indie Beat on my MNT Pocket Reform, too, so I made a <a href="https://github.com/andypiper/theindiebeat-simple-player" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/andypiper/theindiebeat-simple-player">more basic system tray app</a>, that should work on most Linux desktops (written in Python)</p>
1287.  
1288.  
1289.  
1290. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1291.  
1292.  
1293.  
1294. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where do I get those stickers?</h3>
1295.  
1296.  
1297.  
1298. <p>Come find me at <a href="https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/track/social-web/">FOSDEM</a> 2025 in Brussels next weekend, I&#8217;ll have Bandwagon+The Indie Beat stickers to share <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f44d-1f3fb.png" alt="👍🏻" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
1299. ]]></content:encoded>
1301. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/25/the-indie-beat-on-your-linux-desktop/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1302. <slash:comments>16</slash:comments>
1305. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
1306. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">6077</post-id> </item>
1307. <item>
1308. <title>Re-evaluating where I am online</title>
1309. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/24/re-evaluating-where-i-am-online/</link>
1310. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/24/re-evaluating-where-i-am-online/#respond</comments>
1312. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
1313. <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 13:32:59 +0000</pubDate>
1314. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
1315. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
1316. <category><![CDATA[bluesky]]></category>
1317. <category><![CDATA[communications]]></category>
1318. <category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
1319. <category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
1320. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
1321. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
1322. <category><![CDATA[meta]]></category>
1323. <category><![CDATA[signal]]></category>
1324. <category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
1325. <category><![CDATA[Social networking]]></category>
1326. <category><![CDATA[society]]></category>
1327. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
1328. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=6084</guid>
1329.  
1330. <description><![CDATA[Thinking about Meta platforms, and more - here's where I spend the majority of my social time and effort, online.]]></description>
1331. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1332. <p>Ironically (?), this started out as a Facebook post, and then grew into something that I felt warranted annotation and expansion. Let&#8217;s talk about where I spend the majority of my social time and effort, online.</p>
1333.  
1334.  
1335.  
1336. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, et al</h3>
1337.  
1338.  
1339.  
1340. <p>Like a lot of folks, I&#8217;m re-evaluating and revising my use of Meta-owned platforms (<a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2023/07/31/goodbye-to-my-life-on-twitter-2007-2023/" data-type="post" data-id="3830">just as I did with Twitter</a>). I&#8217;m sure some people might jump into the comments and say &#8220;told you so&#8221;, &#8220;I haven&#8217;t used those for years&#8221;, etc.. Fair; I don&#8217;t have a rejoinder to that.</p>
1341.  
1342.  
1343.  
1344. <p>I&#8217;m not deleting Facebook at the moment, but I will heavily scale back my use of FB and Instagram. I prefer Signal over WhatsApp and Messenger&#8230; unfortunately, I have a Quest headset and the Ray Ban glasses, so I&#8217;m fairly stuck for now, but don&#8217;t have to &#8220;be&#8221; on their platforms very much. Frustratingly, the art world is very embedded in Instagram, and we only started our <a href="https://forgeandcraft.co.uk">Forge &amp; Craft</a> presence there a few months ago, after holding out for the longest time. Again, I&#8217;ll be minimising use, rather than fully deleting, at least for for now.</p>
1345.  
1346.  
1347.  
1348. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where am I?</h3>
1349.  
1350.  
1351.  
1352. <p>I continue to have <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2023/09/18/when-social-networks-are-like-pokemon/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2023/09/18/when-social-networks-are-like-pokemon/">presences</a> in <a href="https://andypiper.me">lots of places</a> for awareness and self-education, but this is the main state of affairs:</p>
1353.  
1354.  
1355.  
1356. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1357. <li>My primary social platform is <a href="https://joinmastodon.org">Mastodon</a>. My account there is <a data-type="link" data-id="https://macaw.social/@andypiper" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper@macaw.social</a>, which you can follow from any compatible Fediverse<sup data-fn="83b6fa58-b949-4802-8706-a8b5418cdac4" class="fn"><a id="83b6fa58-b949-4802-8706-a8b5418cdac4-link" href="#83b6fa58-b949-4802-8706-a8b5418cdac4">1</a></sup> platform. You&#8217;ll find several other slices of me in the Fediverse, with the same username but different domains and content (I&#8217;m on Pixelfed, Bookwyrm, Lemmy, PeerTube and more) &#8211; but that&#8217;s the main place I spend time.
1358. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1359. <li>I’m also <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2023/12/27/six-and-a-bit-months-on-team-mastodon/">on the Mastodon core team</a>, so this may not be completely surprising…</li>
1360. </ul>
1361. </li>
1362. </ul>
1363.  
1364.  
1365.  
1366. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1367. <li>I&#8217;m on <a href="https://bsky.app">Bluesky</a> where I have an account <a data-type="link" data-id="https://bsky.app/profile/andypiper.me" href="https://bsky.app/profile/andypiper.me">@andypiper.me </a><strong><em>BUT</em></strong> I use that one infrequently&#8230; if you use Bluesky, you&#8217;re better following my other &#8220;bridged&#8221; account <a data-type="link" data-id="https://bsky.app/profile/andypiper.macaw.social.ap.brid.gy" href="https://bsky.app/profile/andypiper.macaw.social.ap.brid.gy">@andypiper.macaw.social.ap.brid.gy</a>, that means you will be following my posts on Mastodon directly.</li>
1368. </ul>
1369.  
1370.  
1371.  
1372. <ul class="wp-block-list">
1373. <li>I prefer Signal for messaging (or iMessage, if you&#8217;re on an Apple platform like me). Signal is encrypted, private, and (I believe) trustworthy &#8211; they have consistently pushed back against government efforts to weaken private data protection.</li>
1374. </ul>
1375.  
1376.  
1377.  
1378. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">More self-hosting</h3>
1379.  
1380.  
1381.  
1382. <p>I&#8217;m working to self-host more of my own content. Right now my website/blog andypiper.co.uk, and my projects page andypiper.org are <span style="text-decoration: underline">not</span> self-hosted, but I&#8217;m looking at moving that way in future. I&#8217;ve started to learn Proxmox, and want to get things together on my own servers. Now, I started out that way, a long long time ago&#8230; I had my own site that I managed, but gave up in favour of the convenience of paying for an organisation (in this case Automattic/WordPress.com) to do the heavy lifting for me. I&#8217;ve always been thoughtful and concerned about these issues; but, I&#8217;m very, <em>very</em> worried about data sovereignty in the current era. There are a <a data-type="link" data-id="https://european-alternatives.eu/" href="https://european-alternatives.eu/">lot of good EU-based alternatives</a>, in case you&#8217;re looking to explore.</p>
1383.  
1384.  
1385.  
1386. <p>I&#8217;m also, fundamentally, a realist. I&#8217;m not about to stop using <em>all</em> of these platforms &#8211; or others that I know are also problematic, including the one I&#8217;m posting this on, right here, for now &#8211; but I can minimise <em>how</em> I use them, plan for change and migration, and be aware of the cages and risks that exist as I do so. To some folks, particularly in software freedom circles, that will make my choices insufficient, and I understand that.</p>
1387.  
1388.  
1389.  
1390. <p>It&#8217;s a slow process, but it is an issue I take seriously (and that I&#8217;ll be happy to advise you on, if you like).</p>
1391.  
1392.  
1393.  
1394. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The need for change is more urgent than ever</h3>
1395.  
1396.  
1397.  
1398. <p>We need to build a better, more resilient and decentralised, web (and society). I spoke about this in Japan last month. Along with the most recent changes in the US, that&#8217;s a key driver behind me making these changes.</p>
1399.  
1400.  
1401.  
1402. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-the-lost-outpost wp-block-embed-the-lost-outpost"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
1403. <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="IrQm1RF9Mf"><a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/">Building a Better Social Web</a></blockquote><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted"  title="&#8220;Building a Better Social Web&#8221; &#8212; The lost outpost" src="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/embed/#?secret=cFuJpRve2D#?secret=IrQm1RF9Mf" data-secret="IrQm1RF9Mf" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
1404. </div></figure>
1405.  
1406.  
1407.  
1408. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1409.  
1410.  
1411.  
1412. <p><strong><em>In case you missed it</em></strong>: the Mastodon project (which I am involved with, as mentioned above) <a data-type="link" data-id="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/01/the-people-should-own-the-town-square" href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/01/the-people-should-own-the-town-square">announced</a> changes in governance recently, to enshrine the independent nature of the platform into a new EU-based entity, eschewing individual ownership. I think this is an excellent direction, and I&#8217;m excited to be part of making that announcement a reality.</p>
1413.  
1414.  
1415.  
1416. <div class="wp-block-cover"><span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim"></span><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="279" data-attachment-id="6088" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/24/re-evaluating-where-i-am-online/image-24/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?fit=1036%2C722&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1036,722" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="image" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?fit=300%2C209&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?fit=400%2C279&amp;ssl=1" class="wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-6088" alt="" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?resize=400%2C279&#038;ssl=1" data-object-fit="cover" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?resize=400%2C279&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?resize=300%2C209&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?resize=150%2C105&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?resize=768%2C535&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image.png?w=1036&amp;ssl=1 1036w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><div class="wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow">
1417. <p class="has-text-align-center has-large-font-size">The People Should Own The Town Square</p>
1418. </div></div>
1419.  
1420.  
1421.  
1422. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1423.  
1424.  
1425.  
1426. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Coda</h3>
1427.  
1428.  
1429.  
1430. <p>We live in a heterogenous world of many cultures, we always have and always will.</p>
1431.  
1432.  
1433.  
1434. <p>It takes effort to embrace that idea, but life is richer for it. </p>
1435.  
1436.  
1437.  
1438. <p>That goes for technology platforms just as much as our real-life social circles. I use a variety of platforms (Apple, Linux, Microsoft, Google, retro). </p>
1439.  
1440.  
1441.  
1442. <p>I know a lot of people in a lot of places, and I&#8217;m grateful for it.</p>
1443.  
1444.  
1445.  
1446. <p>Life is a story of constant change and evolution, and that&#8217;s a good thing.</p>
1447.  
1448.  
1449.  
1450. <p>Let&#8217;s stay in touch &#8211; only, not so much on Facebook.</p>
1451.  
1452.  
1453.  
1454. <p>Stay safe, my friends.</p>
1455.  
1456.  
1457.  
1458. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1459.  
1460.  
1461. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="83b6fa58-b949-4802-8706-a8b5418cdac4">The Fediverse is a group of interoperable platforms that all use the same protocol / language (technically, that&#8217;s ActivityPub), to talk to one another. See also <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/15/fediverse-for-freedom/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/15/fediverse-for-freedom/">Fediverse for Freedom</a>. <a href="#83b6fa58-b949-4802-8706-a8b5418cdac4-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
1462.  
1463.  
1464. <p></p>
1465. ]]></content:encoded>
1467. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2025/01/24/re-evaluating-where-i-am-online/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1468. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1471. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
1472. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">6084</post-id> </item>
1473. <item>
1474. <title>Finding affordable Air Quality sensors for FOSDEM</title>
1475. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/30/finding-affordable-air-quality-sensors-for-fosdem/</link>
1476. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/30/finding-affordable-air-quality-sensors-for-fosdem/#respond</comments>
1478. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
1479. <pubDate>Mon, 30 Dec 2024 14:47:25 +0000</pubDate>
1480. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
1481. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
1482. <category><![CDATA[air quality]]></category>
1483. <category><![CDATA[AQM]]></category>
1484. <category><![CDATA[carbon]]></category>
1485. <category><![CDATA[carbon dioxide]]></category>
1486. <category><![CDATA[Chris Adams]]></category>
1487. <category><![CDATA[CO2]]></category>
1488. <category><![CDATA[devices]]></category>
1489. <category><![CDATA[environment]]></category>
1490. <category><![CDATA[Fosdem]]></category>
1491. <category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
1492. <category><![CDATA[green]]></category>
1493. <category><![CDATA[Green Web Foundation]]></category>
1494. <category><![CDATA[hardware]]></category>
1495. <category><![CDATA[monitoring]]></category>
1496. <category><![CDATA[MQTT]]></category>
1497. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
1498. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=6020</guid>
1499.  
1500. <description><![CDATA[Can we find speedy and cheap devices for CO2 monitoring at #FOSDEM that meet our open, eco-friendly preferences? Deep breath, here are some thoughts on the subject!]]></description>
1501. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1502. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Pick two</strong></h3>
1503.  
1504.  
1505.  
1506. <p>There&#8217;s a well-known project management / product management adage&#8230; you have three variables &#8211; speed / price / quality &#8211; and must choose two.</p>
1507.  
1508.  
1509.  
1510. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">FOSDEM 2025</h3>
1511.  
1512.  
1513.  
1514. <p>My friend <a href="https://chrisadams.me.uk/" data-type="link" data-id="https://chrisadams.me.uk/">Chris Adams</a> is, like me<sup data-fn="ebda646e-ae8c-44c6-aa67-003bfca633cd" class="fn"><a href="#ebda646e-ae8c-44c6-aa67-003bfca633cd" id="ebda646e-ae8c-44c6-aa67-003bfca633cd-link">1</a></sup>, headed to <a href="https://fosdem.org/2025/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fosdem.org/2025/">FOSDEM 2025</a> &#8211; in fact, for the last couple of years, that is the only time I&#8217;ve had the joy of seeing him, so I already treasure the opportunity to go there!</p>
1515.  
1516.  
1517.  
1518. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
1519. <p>Background factoid: Chris and I got to know each other back in the London tech scene, and bonded over topics like the internet of things, energy monitoring and green initiatives &#8211; he&#8217;s now heading up the <a href="https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/">Green Web Foundation</a>, as well as co-hosting <a href="https://podcasts.castplus.fm/environment-variables" data-type="link" data-id="https://podcasts.castplus.fm/environment-variables">a very good podcast</a>. He&#8217;s also one of the nicest humans I know &#8211; and I&#8217;m privileged to know a <span style="text-decoration: underline;">lot</span> of good people.</p>
1520. </blockquote>
1521.  
1522.  
1523.  
1524. <p>He&#8217;s proposed setting up some very basic air quality measurement in the devrooms &#8211; essentially crowdsourcing some data about the concentration in the conference rooms. In <a href="https://rtl.chrisadams.me.uk/2024/12/whats-the-air-quality-like-in-rooms-at-fosdem/" data-type="link" data-id="https://rtl.chrisadams.me.uk/2024/12/whats-the-air-quality-like-in-rooms-at-fosdem/">his post about the idea</a>, he&#8217;s suggested an initial baseline: grab <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007613685035.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.34.95ad5c5fvxMQk1" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007613685035.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.34.95ad5c5fvxMQk1">an affordable device from the onlines</a><sup data-fn="0ce9f4c9-d9f5-4a2a-96ca-4587335b12cd" class="fn"><a href="#0ce9f4c9-d9f5-4a2a-96ca-4587335b12cd" id="0ce9f4c9-d9f5-4a2a-96ca-4587335b12cd-link">2</a></sup>, and (with the approval of the room owner) stick it somewhere prominent. Future steps might be to have a nice Grafana dashboard with open data feeding into it.</p>
1525.  
1526.  
1527.  
1528. <p>Suitably nerd-sniped, I have accepted the challenge. This is where that choice starts to bite, though&#8230;</p>
1529.  
1530.  
1531.  
1532. <p>Chris is, very sensibly, working upwards from a baseline of &#8220;something is better than nothing&#8221;. My brain decided to join in, but from the Utopian ideal that we have open hardware and software doing all the work for us already, and that&#8217;s where I&#8217;ve spent most of Monday morning. First of all &#8211; look, yes, I&#8217;m as guilty of grabbing cheap stuff from AliExpress as many others, but if I&#8217;m going to do so, I&#8217;d prefer to know that I can hack it myself and push data to my own MQTT broker. </p>
1533.  
1534.  
1535.  
1536. <p>So, I started by looking into the open hardware options.</p>
1537.  
1538.  
1539.  
1540. <p>There are such devices available. Chris learned about <a href="https://opensmartmonitor.co.uk/environmental-monitoring/" data-type="link" data-id="https://opensmartmonitor.co.uk/environmental-monitoring/">Devtank</a>, a UK-based company that makes some environmental monitoring devices that support MQTT, who I know about via <a href="https://openuk.uk/" data-type="link" data-id="https://openuk.uk/">OpenUK</a> events and community. I dug into these a couple of years ago, and my memory is that they are not consumer-level affordable, and may not be the right choice here, but I&#8217;m open to being corrected! They also do particulate monitoring rather than CO2, I think.</p>
1541.  
1542.  
1543.  
1544. <p>There are a handful of other full solutions that I know of &#8211; the <a href="https://sensor.community/en/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sensor.community/en/">Luftdaten</a> sensors / community, the <a href="https://apolloautomation.com/products/air-1" data-type="link" data-id="https://apolloautomation.com/products/air-1">Apollo Automation Air 1</a>, and the <a href="https://www.airgradient.com/indoor/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.airgradient.com/indoor/">Air Gradient</a>, all of which could be good for this, but are pricier, and more-or-less headless / have minimal displays, thus needing more work to build the dashboard up-front.</p>
1545.  
1546.  
1547.  
1548. <p>There&#8217;s the possibility of full build-it-yourself, which could work, assuming folks have the time and energy. The <a href="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vindriktning-air-quality-sensor-80515910/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vindriktning-air-quality-sensor-80515910/">IKEA Vindrikning devices</a> are reasonably priced, and eminently hackable with a Pi Pico W, but again do particulate monitoring rather than CO2. I already have the Pimoroni <a href="https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pico-enviro-pack?variant=40045073662035" data-type="link" data-id="https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pico-enviro-pack?variant=40045073662035">Enviro+ for both Pico</a> and <a href="https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/enviro?variant=31155658457171" data-type="link" data-id="https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/enviro?variant=31155658457171">Pi</a>, once again providing optional PM measurement rather than CO2. That CO2 element is the kicker in most of these cases &#8211; it&#8217;s solvable with the addition of the correct sensor add-on, but not super quick to do, or as afforable as the cheapo quick purchase options. These would all also want some work to get a nice display in place that was visible in the room, or the provision of a dashboard. I&#8217;m in a decent spot &#8211; I&#8217;ve been collecting and tinkering with these kinds of solutions for years &#8211; but this is not a straightforward solution for most of the devrooms.</p>
1549.  
1550.  
1551.  
1552. <p>So&#8230; I find myself back at AliExpress, checking on gadgets, and then searching to see whether any FLOSS integrations exist that work &#8211; i.e. something with a screen, affordable, supporting CO2 measurement, and a local connection without depending on a vendor&#8217;s cloud.</p>
1553.  
1554.  
1555.  
1556. <p>I think <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007029745886.html" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007029745886.html">some</a> of the <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005971500482.html" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005971500482.html">things</a> I&#8217;m seeing could be persuaded to share their data over BLE to a nearby Pi or other device, and then push that over MQTT, but I&#8217;m not so sure that many of them would allow a full firmware replacement that also retains a usable display. I also see some devices that use a Tuya module to do their networking, and there are various states of jailbreaking or sniffing of these online and <a href="https://github.com/jasonacox/tinytuya" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/jasonacox/tinytuya">a Python module</a>, but the level to which they can be reliably detached from an overlord cloud is variable.</p>
1557.  
1558.  
1559.  
1560. <p>All of this is an info dump rather than a solution. It would be great to keep this conversation active, and see where we can get to in the next 3-4 weeks ahead of the event!</p>
1561.  
1562.  
1563.  
1564. <p>I&#8217;m likely to try grabbing a couple of cheap (! &#8230; ok maybe sub-£30) monitors and see what I can do with them when they arrive, but I don&#8217;t really want to put those kinds of things onto FOSDEM network infrastructure without knowing more about how they work. </p>
1565.  
1566.  
1567.  
1568. <p>Right now, I&#8217;m stuck at picking two &#8211; quick (to procure), low cost; but, proprietary and tied to a dubious data sink &#8211; over trying for a better longer-term option.</p>
1569.  
1570.  
1571.  
1572. <p>More ideas welcome! There&#8217;s a thread over <a href="https://mastodon.social/@mrchrisadams/113730911782444104" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@mrchrisadams/113730911782444104">here on Mastodon</a>, and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mrchrisadams.bsky.social/post/3lehqed3wnc2b" data-type="link" data-id="https://bsky.app/profile/mrchrisadams.bsky.social/post/3lehqed3wnc2b">here on Bluesky</a>; or comment here, if you wish!</p>
1573.  
1574.  
1575. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="ebda646e-ae8c-44c6-aa67-003bfca633cd">I&#8217;ll be helping with the <a href="https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/track/social-web/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/track/social-web/">Social Web Devroom</a>. <a href="#ebda646e-ae8c-44c6-aa67-003bfca633cd-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="0ce9f4c9-d9f5-4a2a-96ca-4587335b12cd">Chris (and I) do not specifically endorse this one, just an option that he already has.<br> <a href="#0ce9f4c9-d9f5-4a2a-96ca-4587335b12cd-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 2"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
1576.  
1577.  
1578. <p></p>
1579. ]]></content:encoded>
1581. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/30/finding-affordable-air-quality-sensors-for-fosdem/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1582. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1585. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
1586. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">6020</post-id> </item>
1587. <item>
1588. <title>Building a Better Social Web</title>
1589. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/</link>
1590. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/#comments</comments>
1592. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
1593. <pubDate>Tue, 24 Dec 2024 17:20:22 +0000</pubDate>
1594. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
1595. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
1596. <category><![CDATA[activitypub]]></category>
1597. <category><![CDATA[andy piper]]></category>
1598. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
1599. <category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
1600. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
1601. <category><![CDATA[presentations]]></category>
1602. <category><![CDATA[public speaking]]></category>
1603. <category><![CDATA[ruby]]></category>
1604. <category><![CDATA[rubyworld]]></category>
1605. <category><![CDATA[social web]]></category>
1606. <category><![CDATA[speaking]]></category>
1607. <category><![CDATA[talks]]></category>
1608. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
1609. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5990</guid>
1610.  
1611. <description><![CDATA[I delivered the keynote at RubyWorld 2024 in Japan, where I covered the decentralized social web, Mastodon, and Ruby. It was a fun trip, and I look forward to more opportunities to talk about the social web in 2025.]]></description>
1612. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
1613. <p>Recently, I delivered a keynote speech at <a href="https://2024.rubyworld-conf.org/en/news/2024/11/keynote-title/" data-type="link" data-id="https://2024.rubyworld-conf.org/en/news/2024/11/keynote-title/">RubyWorld 2024</a> in Shimane, Japan.</p>
1614.  
1615.  
1616.  
1617. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="267" data-attachment-id="5995" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/img_0205/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?fit=2432%2C1621&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2432,1621" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 6D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1733396417&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_0205" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?fit=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=400%2C267&#038;ssl=1" alt="Andy Piper on stage at RubyWorld 2024" class="wp-image-5995" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0205.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Andy Piper on stage at RubyWorld 2024</figcaption></figure>
1618.  
1619.  
1620.  
1621. <p>I was there on behalf of the <a href="https://joinmastodon.org">Mastodon project</a> &#8211; Mastodon being an example of Ruby and Rails in production at <em>some degree of scale</em>. My talk was much broader than the scope of just our segment of <a href="https://socialwebfoundation.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://socialwebfoundation.org/">the social web</a>, and was more about the state of the internet today, and how we must all make choices that enable the better web that we say that we want &#8211; reflected in the title: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>The Social Web: Decentralization and Building a Better Internet</em></span>.</p>
1622.  
1623.  
1624.  
1625. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="267" data-attachment-id="5998" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/img_0220/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?fit=3648%2C2432&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3648,2432" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 6D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1733396462&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;28&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;3200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_0220" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?fit=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=400%2C267&#038;ssl=1" alt="Andy Piper standing at a podium marked RubyWorld Conference 2024, in front of a slide that reads &quot;Evolution of the Internet&quot;" class="wp-image-5998" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0220.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Andy Piper standing at the RubyWorld podium</figcaption></figure>
1626.  
1627.  
1628.  
1629. <p>It was truly an honour to be invited to deliver this presentation, and a delight to be back in Japan, five years after my previous visit. Matsue is a lovely, quiet, friendly city. I really enjoyed the trip.</p>
1630.  
1631.  
1632.  
1633. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="248" data-attachment-id="5997" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/img_0979/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?fit=1862%2C1156&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1862,1156" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1733468682&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_0979" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?fit=300%2C186&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?fit=400%2C248&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?resize=400%2C248&#038;ssl=1" alt="Screenshot of the English livestream of the keynote on YouTube, a slide reading &quot;Support Mastodon and the open Social Web&quot; with a video of Andy Piper speaking in the bottom right hand corner" class="wp-image-5997" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?resize=400%2C248&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?resize=300%2C186&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?resize=150%2C93&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?resize=768%2C477&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?resize=1536%2C954&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0979.jpeg?w=1862&amp;ssl=1 1862w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Screenshot of the English livestream of the keynote on YouTube</figcaption></figure>
1634.  
1635.  
1636.  
1637. <p>There were a couple of last-minute changes and realtime rewrites! Among other things, as I woke up on the morning that I was due to deliver the talk, I read the news that Threads had <em>just</em> enabled the first element of two-way federation<sup data-fn="17d7f482-cfe2-4c7e-9316-66382ee722df" class="fn"><a href="#17d7f482-cfe2-4c7e-9316-66382ee722df" id="17d7f482-cfe2-4c7e-9316-66382ee722df-link">1</a></sup>, and I had to quickly update my script. An off-the-cuff update would not usually have been an issue, but I was also working with an excellent team of simultaneous interpreters who had seen the original planned version of the text, so I was grateful for their support as I made the changes.</p>
1638.  
1639.  
1640.  
1641. <p>I&#8217;m including the <a href="#transcript" data-type="internal" data-id="#transcript">full spoken transcript of my talk below</a>, with slides available <a href="https://andypiper.org/SocialWeb-RubyWorld2024/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.org/SocialWeb-RubyWorld2024/">here</a>; the video version will be available in future, but I believe only with a Japanese translation overdub (a technical issue prevented a complete version in English from being saved).</p>
1642.  
1643.  
1644.  
1645. <p>I have a handful of the special Japanese stickers that I had made for the RubyWorld event left over, so come find me at <a href="https://fosdem.org/2025/news/2024-11-16-stands-announced/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fosdem.org/2025/news/2024-11-16-stands-announced/">FOSDEM 2025 in February</a> if you&#8217;d like one!</p>
1646.  
1647.  
1648.  
1649. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1650.  
1651.  
1652.  
1653. <p>In related but separate news: the Mastodon team <a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2024/12/annual-report-2023/" data-type="link" data-id="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2024/12/annual-report-2023/">just published our annual report for progress during 2023</a>. I&#8217;ve seen a number of ironic comments in response to the report being announced on Mastodon, related to the fact that it is almost a year &#8220;out of date&#8221;, but if you take the time to read before posting something funny about the date, you&#8217;ll find that we readily admit that it was delayed, primarily due to lack of time and resources through an extremely busy ~18 month period, and that we aim to be more timely in releasing these voluntary progress reports in the future. Anyway, for me it is a notable report, as it was my first year of formal involvement on the project; you&#8217;ll see mention of my work, alongside the strides made by the team and project as a whole.</p>
1654.  
1655.  
1656.  
1657. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1658.  
1659.  
1660.  
1661. <p id="transcript"><strong>The Social Web: Decentralization and Building a Better Internet</strong></p>
1662.  
1663.  
1664.  
1665. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
1666. <p>Hello everyone.</p>
1667.  
1668.  
1669.  
1670. <p>I am Andy Piper. You may know me as a developer advocate on the internet. I’ve worked in a few places during my career, usually talking about messaging APIs and interoperability. Right now, I am a freelance technologist, and I continue to care about the Web and Open Source technologies, as I always have done.</p>
1671.  
1672.  
1673.  
1674. <p>One of the ways that I contribute to the web and open source in practical terms, is that I work with the Mastodon team on developer relations and community.</p>
1675.  
1676.  
1677.  
1678. <p>It is wonderful to be here!</p>
1679.  
1680.  
1681.  
1682. <p>This is not my first time in Japan, but it has been a few years since I was last able to visit this wonderful country. Thank you for having me here again. It is extra exciting for me, because it is Ruby Week! I&#8217;m honoured to be here in Shimane, speaking to such a talented group of Ruby developers.</p>
1683.  
1684.  
1685.  
1686. <p>I’ve used a number of different programming languages in my career, some a lot more than others. Let me tell you about my relationship with Ruby.</p>
1687.  
1688.  
1689.  
1690. <p>My first experiences with Ruby were back in 2012, when I worked on the early version of Cloud Foundry at VMware and Pivotal. Cloud Foundry eventually switched to Go, but I spent a lot of time with Ruby back then. I have also had the pleasure to meet Matz a couple of times before on my previous visits to Japan. I do not use Ruby myself very often today, but I still appreciate its value and importance, and I will talk about that today.</p>
1691.  
1692.  
1693.  
1694. <p>Why am *I* here? Well, I am very happy and honoured to be here on behalf of Eugen Rochko, the founder of Mastodon, who was not able to travel here to speak to you all in person.</p>
1695.  
1696.  
1697.  
1698. <p>I have a short message from Eugen that I brought with me, and I’d like to play that for you now.</p>
1699.  
1700.  
1701.  
1702. <p>[EUGEN VIDEO]</p>
1703.  
1704.  
1705.  
1706. <p>Hello everyone. My name is Eugen Rochko, I am the founder and current CEO of Mastodon.</p>
1707.  
1708.  
1709.  
1710. <p>Thank you for inviting me to RubyWorld, I hope that you have a great conference.</p>
1711.  
1712.  
1713.  
1714. <p>I believe that social media should not belong to a single company that controls and owns everything that you post online, and this is why I founded Mastodon, which is built on the principle of protocols over platforms.</p>
1715.  
1716.  
1717.  
1718. <p>Mastodon is built on the ActivityPub protocol and is part of the Fediverse, which is a network of interoperable social media platforms, that include many different open source software projects, like Misskey, Pleroma, Pixelfed, and so on; as well as commercial platforms like Flipboard, Threads, and hopefully many more in the future.</p>
1719.  
1720.  
1721.  
1722. <p>Users from all of these platforms can communicate with each other seamlessly as if they are on a single network, but at the same time control over the network does not belong to anyone in particular, and everyone has control over their own part of it. This allows different approaches to social media, to user experience, to business models to sort of coexist together, it allows limitless experimentation and it gives developers the security that they can build on these standard APIs without the risk of anyone shutting them down.</p>
1723.  
1724.  
1725.  
1726. <p>Mastodon itself is built on principles of respect for users choice. I think that nowadays what you often find is that platforms only offer you two options: “yes&#8221;, and &#8220;maybe later”, and I think that is emblematic of the way that Big Tech no longer treats users as adults. In Mastodon you curate your own home feed &#8211; you follow people, you follow hashtags, and then you see them in your home feed, no surprises. When you search for something, we give you results for your search, we don’t try to guess what else you might have meant &#8211; in the current landscape of social media I think it is quite a unique spin on things where you still feel like you’re in control.</p>
1727.  
1728.  
1729.  
1730. <p>Building a social media platform to compete with Facebook and Twitter who have thousands and thousands of engineers, is not easy, but it is a little bit easier with Ruby on Rails, because Ruby is a very beautiful and expressive language that is just very pleasant to work in. And it definitely helps that with Ruby on Rails you have conventions of where things are, and it is very easy for new developers to get started with our project because they know where things are, there is a familiar layout. I’ve been a Ruby developer for a long time and it is my favourite language. It is certainly also helpful that the ecosystem of Ruby Gems can provide so many different options for functionality that you may not want to build in-house. One of the recent developments in the Ruby language that I haven’t had the chance to try out yet but I’m sort of curious about is static type checking because it’s something that I’m getting used to with TypeScript and I find it very useful, and I know that there has been movement in this regard in the Ruby ecosystem, so eventually hopefully we will get around to it in Mastodon; but for now it hasn’t been the case.</p>
1731.  
1732.  
1733.  
1734. <p>The whole decentalised social web ecosystem has seen amazing growth in recent years and this is what Andy is here to talk about. I think it is more important now than ever to build a truly decentralised social web where control is in the hands of the people and not just one or two US corporations.</p>
1735.  
1736.  
1737.  
1738. <p>Thank you very much. I know that Mastodon is popular in Japan, it’s one of the first places where Mastodon became popular, I really appreciate your support.</p>
1739.  
1740.  
1741.  
1742. <p>And, have an amazing conference!</p>
1743.  
1744.  
1745.  
1746. <p>[/END]</p>
1747.  
1748.  
1749.  
1750. <p>So let me begin by telling you what we’re going to cover today.</p>
1751.  
1752.  
1753.  
1754. <p>&#8211; First, I’ll talk about the decentralized social web, and why that’s important; right now, more than ever!</p>
1755.  
1756.  
1757.  
1758. <p>&#8211; We will look into how the Social Web has grown.</p>
1759.  
1760.  
1761.  
1762. <p>&#8211; We will talk a little bit about why it is difficult to make something better, but why it is worth doing.</p>
1763.  
1764.  
1765.  
1766. <p>&#8211; and of course, I want to talk about Ruby as well!</p>
1767.  
1768.  
1769.  
1770. <p>And I hope to convince you all that the Social Web needs your passion, code, and support.</p>
1771.  
1772.  
1773.  
1774. <p>Let’s get started.</p>
1775.  
1776.  
1777.  
1778. <p>[section 1]</p>
1779.  
1780.  
1781.  
1782. <p>Today I’m excited to talk about how WE &#8211; all of us &#8211; can build a better internet, one that centres on users and communities, not corporations with hidden motives.</p>
1783.  
1784.  
1785.  
1786. <p>I’m here to represent Mastodon, this decentralized social media platform that’s part of the larger, growing open Social Web, and that is written in Ruby. I also care about making a better online experience for everyone, beyond Mastodon!</p>
1787.  
1788.  
1789.  
1790. <p>In order to understand why decentralization matters today, let’s look back at how the internet has developed.</p>
1791.  
1792.  
1793.  
1794. <p>My university degree subject was History, and I believe that we need to understand the history of our technology. I think that my interest in history has also given me a deep interest in people, society, and culture.</p>
1795.  
1796.  
1797.  
1798. <p>The internet started as a space for collaboration.</p>
1799.  
1800.  
1801.  
1802. <p>The World Wide Web offered *incredible* opportunities for people to share, connect, and create freely. It was meant to be a space of open exchange. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web who is from the UK like me, famously said: “This is for everyone”.</p>
1803.  
1804.  
1805.  
1806. <p>The *PROBLEM* was that as the web grew, so did the power of a small number of technology giants. Today, a few dominant companies set the rules for most online social spaces.</p>
1807.  
1808.  
1809.  
1810. <p>Society and technology are extremely interconnected. We see this all the time.</p>
1811.  
1812.  
1813.  
1814. <p>We thought we were building a digital public square, but that evolved into a collection of private, profit-driven platforms that prioritize data collection for advertising, and algorithms to drive engagement over user well-being.</p>
1815.  
1816.  
1817.  
1818. <p>You might notice something else, as well &#8211; those private platforms don’t want you to easily access and share content between them, they want you to post your content into, and stay on, their platforms! Very often, they do not want you to make that choice to use a different tool, so they add more and more features into their own apps like chat, and video, and selling you things, so that you never have to leave.</p>
1819.  
1820.  
1821.  
1822. <p>Around the world, Right Now &#8211; we see changes that might challenge the freedoms that the internet has shown us all.</p>
1823.  
1824.  
1825.  
1826. <p>With so much power centralized by technology giants that are either in the USA or China, we’ve seen them influence decisions affecting our privacy, data security, and even democracy itself.</p>
1827.  
1828.  
1829.  
1830. <p>[section 2]</p>
1831.  
1832.  
1833.  
1834. <p>Mastodon offers an alternative to the closed social platforms. </p>
1835.  
1836.  
1837.  
1838. <p>It is based on the web’s open, collaborative roots. It’s part of the Fediverse (or Social Web), a collection of interconnected services that operate independently, but can communicate seamlessly &#8211; this is called “federation”.</p>
1839.  
1840.  
1841.  
1842. <p>Mastodon and the Social Web are powered by the ActivityPub protocol, and over the past couple of years there has been rapid growth in the number of services embracing federation.</p>
1843.  
1844.  
1845.  
1846. <p>ActivityPub is a standard that is overseen by the W3C, the same organisation that supports many of the core web standards.</p>
1847.  
1848.  
1849.  
1850. <p>Recently, the Social Web Foundation was formed, to help support and sustain momentum around ActivityPub. In their launch post, they wrote:</p>
1851.  
1852.  
1853.  
1854. <p>“The “social web”, also called the “Fediverse”, is a network of independent social platforms connected with the open standard protocol ActivityPub. Users on any platform can follow their friends, family, influencers, or brands on any other participating network.</p>
1855.  
1856.  
1857.  
1858. <p>ActivityPub was standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 2018. It has attracted OVER ONE HUNDRED software implementations, tens of thousands of supporting web sites, and tens of millions of users.”</p>
1859.  
1860.  
1861.  
1862. <p>This is not just about adopting a technical protocol, although ActivityPub is very important.</p>
1863.  
1864.  
1865.  
1866. <p>• user-centric, privacy, locality, choice, resilience</p>
1867.  
1868.  
1869.  
1870. <p>This is a philosophy that puts users first, emphasizing local and community control and user empowerment. It is about an internet culture that values privacy, locality, choice, and resilience.</p>
1871.  
1872.  
1873.  
1874. <p>These are the principles that define Mastodon and the Fediverse.</p>
1875.  
1876.  
1877.  
1878. <p>When we think of social media, we often talk about that small group of big companies, and those dominant and centralised platforms who don’t really want you to go or to connect anywhere else.</p>
1879.  
1880.  
1881.  
1882. <p>The Fediverse changes this. Anyone can run their own platform, build their own community, and still communicate with others around the world.</p>
1883.  
1884.  
1885.  
1886. <p>This is also really important for public institutions such as governments and other organisations.</p>
1887.  
1888.  
1889.  
1890. <p>They have the opportunity to run their own services. This means that they no longer have to rely on private companies owned by billionaires, who can limit their access or ability to post at any time. I wrote about this on my blog several times this year. We see a number of organisations actively operating their own social web presences today, particularly in Europe.</p>
1891.  
1892.  
1893.  
1894. <p>In the light of recent global developments, I think we will see more countries and organisations realising that having all of your data hosted by a few US-based companies is not necessarily a great idea.</p>
1895.  
1896.  
1897.  
1898. <p>Mastodon is one of the most well-known fediverse platforms, but there are services like PeerTube for video sharing, Pixelfed for photos, BookWyrm for reading.</p>
1899.  
1900.  
1901.  
1902. <p>There is a lot of opportunity to build new things. There is a new short video app called Loops (a bit like TikTok) which is part of the movement to federate as well.</p>
1903.  
1904.  
1905.  
1906. <p>There are existing networks opening up, as well.</p>
1907.  
1908.  
1909.  
1910. <p>In the last year, we have seen Meta’s Threads platform launch with a promise that it will be part of the fediverse. It has slowly started to federate, and users on other non-Meta platforms can follow Threads users if they opt-in to sharing. Just a few hours ago today, Threads enabled the ability for users on Threads to follow users on other platforms, so for the first time you can follow my Mastodon account (which is my main social account) on Threads! This is very very cool!</p>
1911.  
1912.  
1913.  
1914. <p>We have also seen established platforms like Flipboard and WordPress join the fediverse. The blog and newsletter platform Ghost is posting regular updates as they start to add features for federation as well.</p>
1915.  
1916.  
1917.  
1918. <p>All of this progress is really cool &#8211; it means I can write my blog on WordPress, post my photos on Pixelfed, keep my videos on PeerTube, and I can share those same things directly on my Mastodon account &#8211; or any platform that supports ActivityPub.</p>
1919.  
1920.  
1921.  
1922. <p>One of the largest Mastodon communities is right here, in Japan.</p>
1923.  
1924.  
1925.  
1926. <p>This dates back to 2017, right after Mastodon was started. mstdn.jp was created in April 2017 &#8211; it went viral and saw a growth of tens of thousands accounts within a few days, a catalyst for Mastodon’s popularity in Japan.</p>
1927.  
1928.  
1929.  
1930. <p>If you look at this, you can see that mstdn.jp is still the second largest Mastodon instance worldwide, by numbers &#8211; both overall registered users, and the monthly active user count.</p>
1931.  
1932.  
1933.  
1934. <p>We really want to say thank you to our friends at Sujitech for running the instance, and for their support of Mastodon.</p>
1935.  
1936.  
1937.  
1938. <p>Mastodon is not only about individual large instances, though &#8211; it is important that there is a diverse community of different servers, with their own rules and owners, to accommodate many different interests. Diversity makes the internet stronger, and it makes the web more interesting.</p>
1939.  
1940.  
1941.  
1942. <p>Of course, Mastodon itself is only part of the fediverse story &#8211; for example, I know that the Misskey community is very active in Japan as well. I think the interest in Mastodon and the fediverse in Japan might be because they have values that are understood here: local community, respect for users, and data sovereignty.</p>
1943.  
1944.  
1945.  
1946. <p>[section 3]</p>
1947.  
1948.  
1949.  
1950. <p>Building a decentralized social network like Mastodon has a unique set of challenges, both technical and social. I want to spend a bit of time talking about those, because we need to make an effort together to overcome them, if we want to build a better system together.</p>
1951.  
1952.  
1953.  
1954. <p>A centralized platform has one set of rules, one server architecture, and one approach to moderation. Oh, and usually there’s only one owner with one business model, as well.</p>
1955.  
1956.  
1957.  
1958. <p>That makes it mostly easy to manage, but means that it can be difficult to fit well with a local culture, or to support a range of different opinions and views.</p>
1959.  
1960.  
1961.  
1962. <p>A centralized platform can also remove access or choose to limit the ability to post.</p>
1963.  
1964.  
1965.  
1966. <p>In a federated system, there is no central control. Every server and platform may have its own rules, and be run in a different way, under different legal requirements.</p>
1967.  
1968.  
1969.  
1970. <p>Mastodon (and other ActivityPub services) operates as a federation of independently hosted servers, or “instances.” Each instance needs to handle its own user data, security, and interactions with other servers. There are technical challenges to hosting and scaling the data, and the network connections. We need to discuss and agree on the technical standards, as well. The Social Web Incubator Community Group at the W3C, and the less formal Fediverse Enhancement Proposals at SocialHub, are both parts of this discussion.</p>
1971.  
1972.  
1973.  
1974. <p>There are also *social* challenges. The responsibility for content moderation and community standards belongs to the individual instances and their administrators. This can be great! It means that communities set their own standards, with a more localized experience. The challenge is that it also means that we need to provide good moderation tools, and to build strong ways to collaborate between instances.</p>
1975.  
1976.  
1977.  
1978. <p>People can be as complicated as technology!</p>
1979.  
1980.  
1981.  
1982. <p>If you are interested in these topics &#8211; moderation and user safety &#8211; there is a non-profit organization, called IFTAS &#8211; Independent Federated Trust and Safety &#8211; that is working on creating new tools and education in this area. It is an important thing to understand.</p>
1983.  
1984.  
1985.  
1986. <p>This is the internet, and the internet connects our world.</p>
1987.  
1988.  
1989.  
1990. <p>This means that we must THINK truly globally. We need to enable people in different countries to use the Social Web in ways that make cultural sense. We need people from places such as Japan and other countries in this region to take part in the conversations about technology standards, and user expectations.</p>
1991.  
1992.  
1993.  
1994. <p>This is difficult. There are language barriers between us, and timezones, and sometimes it can be a bit scary when we feel less confident about how we communicate.</p>
1995.  
1996.  
1997.  
1998. <p>There is a lot of work to do, and there are a lot of tools to build, to make the decentralized Social Web successful, and to make it as accessible to as many people as we want it to reach.</p>
1999.  
2000.  
2001.  
2002. <p>[section 4]</p>
2003.  
2004.  
2005.  
2006. <p>This brings me to my final section &#8211; the role of developers, particularly Ruby developers &#8211; in building the Social Web.</p>
2007.  
2008.  
2009.  
2010. <p>The Ruby community is global and thriving, and that is very exciting and empowering. In my role as a developer advocate, as someone who works with developer communities, I’ve seen how Ruby’s reach and culture have enabled it to grow and succeed.</p>
2011.  
2012.  
2013.  
2014. <p>Here is the *cool* part &#8211; Ruby has been a part of this story for at least as long as Mastodon itself, because Mastodon is built using Ruby and Ruby on Rails. And it is going strong!</p>
2015.  
2016.  
2017.  
2018. <p>Mastodon is not the only ActivityPub service built with Ruby. For example, there is a new app, called ManyFold &#8211; a 3D printing catalog app &#8211; that is also built with Rails. There is also a Ruby gem called Federails that provides ActivityPub support for apps, and I know that the author of ManyFold has been contributing to that. If you look at the “delightful Fediverse” list of apps, there are at least 20 references to Ruby, and that is really cool!</p>
2019.  
2020.  
2021.  
2022. <p>And of course you have your own &#8220;Matz-todon&#8221; instance, ruby.social!</p>
2023.  
2024.  
2025.  
2026. <p>I’m here to talk about Mastodon! So let me tell you a bit about the importance of Ruby to the Mastodon project.</p>
2027.  
2028.  
2029.  
2030. <p>Six months ago, we started to share a monthly blog series which is “behind the scenes” from our development team, where you can follow what we are working on. We call this “Trunk and Tidbits”. If you read these blog posts, you will see a summary of the changes we are making over time, and also learn about new things that we are working on.</p>
2031.  
2032.  
2033.  
2034. <p>I help to write the blog posts, but I told you at the start of the talk that I do not write and run Ruby code myself every day, so I talked to the team to get a good understanding of what we have been building and learning!</p>
2035.  
2036.  
2037.  
2038. <p>In the most recent release, 4.3 that came out in October this year, we updated our dependencies. We support the maintained Ruby versions, and try to update our recommended version to the most recently-released Ruby. With 4.3, we moved our baseline to Ruby 3.3.</p>
2039.  
2040.  
2041.  
2042. <p>We saw significant improvements after updating to Ruby 3.3 and YJIT.</p>
2043.  
2044.  
2045.  
2046. <p>When we upgraded our flagship instance &#8211; mastodon.social &#8211; from Ruby 3.2 (with YJIT enabled) to Ruby 3.3 also with YJIT, we saw 15-20% response time and CPU usage improvements. We really love these kinds of improvements in Ruby, and we are already planning to move on to Ruby 3.4 in the future.</p>
2047.  
2048.  
2049.  
2050. <p>Our backend stack is a classic Rails app with Sidekiq and Postgres, in a big monolith. We serve more than 150k requests per minute at peak on mastodon.social, with a 120ms P90 response time. We process more than 200 million Sidekiq jobs per day, on 160 CPU cores, which is quite impressive!</p>
2051.  
2052.  
2053.  
2054. <p>By the way, as well as mastodon.social, we also operate a second instance, mastodon.online. We run the latest code from GitHub on mastodon.social and mastodon.online as much as we can, to get new features to a lot of users and to get a good idea of the performance and usability of our updates.</p>
2055.  
2056.  
2057.  
2058. <p>We try to use modern Ruby constructs where we can. The Mastodon codebase is very clean and well organised for such a large project, thanks to the expressiveness of Ruby, and Rails patterns. We find that this combination makes it easy to prototype new features as we improve Mastodon.</p>
2059.  
2060.  
2061.  
2062. <p>As well as the overall Ruby runtime, we’re also closely following the recent performance improvements in the json gem. Right now, we use a third-party gem for JSON processing called oj &#8211; this has been valuable for many years, but the recent work on the json gem has brought it level with oj, and our preference to reduce dependencies as much as possible means that we hope to move to the json gem soon.</p>
2063.  
2064.  
2065.  
2066. <p>A lot of this great performance work originates from Shopify, so we are really grateful to their contributions to Ruby! As a community, please continue to improve Ruby, and make it better for everyone!</p>
2067.  
2068.  
2069.  
2070. <p>There are a number of ways for Ruby developers to get involved with Mastodon itself. The best place to start is our CONTRIBUTING guide, which has a lot of information about how our small team works, and how we accept contributions from the developer community.</p>
2071.  
2072.  
2073.  
2074. <p>My role on the team is to help developers to work with the Mastodon API, and to be successful building apps with Mastodon. Our team is in different places around the world, but we might not always know how users in countries such as Japan prefer to use a social network, so I strongly believe that it is important to have a variety of apps available. We know that there are some great apps from here in Japan, such as SoraSNS on the iPhone.</p>
2075.  
2076.  
2077.  
2078. <p>I want to finish my talk today, with this message.</p>
2079.  
2080.  
2081.  
2082. <p>It’s not just about Mastodon. It’s about you, and it’s about all of us.</p>
2083.  
2084.  
2085.  
2086. <p>You &#8211; Ruby developers &#8211; have an opportunity to help to expand the fediverse and open social web ecosystem, by building new libraries, apps, and tools, even whole new platforms. Go out and invent new things!</p>
2087.  
2088.  
2089.  
2090. <p>The mayor said this morning: &#8220;Open-mindedness and communication enrich the community and give shape to dreams.&#8221;</p>
2091.  
2092.  
2093.  
2094. <p>Wonderful.</p>
2095.  
2096.  
2097.  
2098. <p>The website describes Ruby Week as: “a campaign that expresses the values of &#8220;freedom, fun, and contribution to the community&#8221; that are alive in Ruby.” and I love that description! Freedom, fun, and contribution. This is great.</p>
2099.  
2100.  
2101.  
2102. <p>It is not just writing code.</p>
2103.  
2104.  
2105.  
2106. <p>We &#8211; all of us here in this room today &#8211; are able to shape the future of the internet with all of our contributions to the community.</p>
2107.  
2108.  
2109.  
2110. <p>We &#8211; ALL of us here in this room today &#8211; need to tell the story of the web to our friends and families, opt when we can to support open platforms over closed algorithms, and we need to make sure that the future of the internet is decentralized, safe from efforts to subvert our freedoms.</p>
2111.  
2112.  
2113.  
2114. <p>We have the power to build an internet that is open, free, and based on the values of community and trust that we care about.</p>
2115.  
2116.  
2117.  
2118. <p>I’m here today and asking you all to help us on the Mastodon team, and friends of the Social Web Foundation, to do that.</p>
2119.  
2120.  
2121.  
2122. <p>Finally &#8211; again, Mastodon is a non-profit organization. We rely on donations to keep us going.</p>
2123.  
2124.  
2125.  
2126. <p>Please support us if you can. It is more important than ever before that there are financially stable, sustainable, open alternatives to the legacy centralized platforms operated out of one or two specific countries.</p>
2127.  
2128.  
2129.  
2130. <p>We appreciate all of you, and I want to thank the developer community here in Japan and the Ruby developer community, for everything you bring to the free and open Social Web.</p>
2131.  
2132.  
2133.  
2134. <p>I have stickers to share with you to say thank you.</p>
2135.  
2136.  
2137.  
2138. <p>Thank you! Enjoy RubyWorld!</p>
2139. </blockquote>
2140.  
2141.  
2142.  
2143. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
2144.  
2145.  
2146.    <blockquote  data-instance="macaw.social" data-post-id="113605335876520617" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2147.        <p>I should have done more research when I spoke about Mastodon client apps in my <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/RubyWorld" href="/friends/tag/rubyworld/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RubyWorld</span></a> talk, I mentioned that SoraSNS is made in Japan&#8230; of course, so are Feather, Subway Tooter, Dawn, ZonePane, TootDesk and maybe even more that I missed mentioning. I love the diverse range of apps that are available for different cultures and preferences! Thank you to the developer community in Japan! -&gt; <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/apps" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">joinmastodon.org/apps</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
2148.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2149.            &mdash; Andy Piper (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper</a>)
2150.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113605335876520617">2024-12-06T10:10:56.516Z</a>
2151.        </p>
2152.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://macaw.social/" async src="https://macaw.social/embed.js"></script>
2153.  
2154.  
2155. <p>(in retrospect, I should definitely also have added that we are also using Ruby for the new <a href="https://fediscovery.org">Fediverse Discovery Providers project, aka &#8220;Fediscovery&#8221;</a>, that was initiated at Mastodon but is independent and open to the broader fediverse &#8211; ready for some interoperability testing).</p>
2156.  
2157.  
2158.  
2159. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
2160. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
2161. </blockquote>
2162.  
2163.  
2164. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="17d7f482-cfe2-4c7e-9316-66382ee722df">This was the ability to follow fediverse users from Threads; although, no replies or interaction as yet, and there&#8217;s still a lot for them to do to be full and fair participants in the fediverse as a whole <a href="#17d7f482-cfe2-4c7e-9316-66382ee722df-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>]]></content:encoded>
2166. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/24/building-a-better-social-web/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2167. <slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
2170. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2171. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5990</post-id> </item>
2172. <item>
2173. <title>Where is the Art?</title>
2174. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/15/where-is-the-art/</link>
2175. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/15/where-is-the-art/#comments</comments>
2177. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2178. <pubDate>Sun, 15 Dec 2024 16:03:59 +0000</pubDate>
2179. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2180. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2181. <category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
2182. <category><![CDATA[computer history]]></category>
2183. <category><![CDATA[electromagnetic field]]></category>
2184. <category><![CDATA[emf2024]]></category>
2185. <category><![CDATA[emfcamp]]></category>
2186. <category><![CDATA[forge and craft]]></category>
2187. <category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
2188. <category><![CDATA[pen plotter]]></category>
2189. <category><![CDATA[penplotter]]></category>
2190. <category><![CDATA[plotter art]]></category>
2191. <category><![CDATA[presentation]]></category>
2192. <category><![CDATA[talks]]></category>
2193. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
2194. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5963</guid>
2195.  
2196. <description><![CDATA[My Electromagnetic Field 2024 #emfcamp talk is now on YouTube! I explored computer art and #penplotter pioneers. Thanks to the EMF video team for the great editing.]]></description>
2197. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2198. <p>My talk from Electromagnetic Field 2024 is now available to watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jyZkEsr1vs" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jyZkEsr1vs">on YouTube</a>. </p>
2199.  
2200.  
2201.  
2202. <p>This was a shorter version of a talk I gave as the closing keynote at QCon London<sup data-fn="476502b7-9c7d-490c-9635-fb6ae4c65056" class="fn"><a href="#476502b7-9c7d-490c-9635-fb6ae4c65056" id="476502b7-9c7d-490c-9635-fb6ae4c65056-link">1</a></sup>. It covers the work we&#8217;re doing with pen plotters at <a href="https://forgeandcraft.co.uk">Forge &amp; Craft</a>, as well as telling the story of my exploration of the history of computer art &#8211; and pioneering plotter artists such as Nake, Nees, Molnár and Cohen, as well as modern makers and artists &#8211; over the course of the past 18 months.</p>
2203.  
2204.  
2205.  
2206. <p>There was a bit of a technical issue midway through (edited out of the video, although you will hear the applause when the system recovered!) so the latter part is a bit more sped up and raced through than I intended &#8211; hopefully I&#8217;ll have an opportunity to do a &#8220;complete&#8221; version of this talk at some point. A big thank you to the EMF video team for making the talk watchable; I&#8217;m sure there was a lot of clever editing required! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f44f-1f3fb.png" alt="👏🏻" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
2207.  
2208.  
2209.  
2210. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
2211. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Where is the Art? Pen plotters and the history of computer art - EMF2024" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8jyZkEsr1vs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2212. </div></figure>
2213.  
2214.  
2215.  
2216. <p>You can find links to the resources mentioned in the closing section of the presentation, on an <a href="https://wita.glitch.me/" data-type="link" data-id="https://wita.glitch.me/">accompanying website</a>.</p>
2217.  
2218.  
2219.  
2220. <p>If you want to read about <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/06/20/energized-mood-flux/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/06/20/energized-mood-flux/">our experiences at EMF 2024</a>, I wrote about those back nearer the time.</p>
2221.  
2222.  
2223.  
2224. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
2225.  
2226.  
2227. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="476502b7-9c7d-490c-9635-fb6ae4c65056">The QCon one should be online in about a month from now <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f91e-1f3fb.png" alt="🤞🏻" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a href="#476502b7-9c7d-490c-9635-fb6ae4c65056-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
2228.  
2229.  
2230. <p></p>
2231. ]]></content:encoded>
2233. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/12/15/where-is-the-art/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2234. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
2237. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2238. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5963</post-id> </item>
2239. <item>
2240. <title>MQTT turns 25 &#8211; here&#8217;s how it has endured</title>
2241. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/22/mqtt-turns-25-heres-how-it-has-endured/</link>
2242. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/22/mqtt-turns-25-heres-how-it-has-endured/#comments</comments>
2244. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2245. <pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:55:42 +0000</pubDate>
2246. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2247. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2248. <category><![CDATA[1C1A25]]></category>
2249. <category><![CDATA[787588]]></category>
2250. <category><![CDATA[C9C4DA]]></category>
2251. <category><![CDATA[eclipse paho]]></category>
2252. <category><![CDATA[FCF8FF]]></category>
2253. <category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
2254. <category><![CDATA[hivemq]]></category>
2255. <category><![CDATA[IBM]]></category>
2256. <category><![CDATA[integration]]></category>
2257. <category><![CDATA[internet of things]]></category>
2258. <category><![CDATA[iot]]></category>
2259. <category><![CDATA[m2m]]></category>
2260. <category><![CDATA[messaging]]></category>
2261. <category><![CDATA[mosquitto]]></category>
2262. <category><![CDATA[MQTT]]></category>
2263. <category><![CDATA[open source]]></category>
2264. <category><![CDATA[open standards]]></category>
2265. <category><![CDATA[paho]]></category>
2266. <category><![CDATA[protocols]]></category>
2267. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
2268. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5859</guid>
2269.  
2270. <description><![CDATA[October 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of MQTT, a crucial protocol for connecting devices in diverse environments. With origins in lightweight networks, MQTT has flourished, empowering countless applications, from home automation to industrial systems. Here's to its bright future!]]></description>
2271. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2272. <p>It&#8217;s October 2024 and I&#8217;m sitting here in my creative maker studio, wearing a bright t-shirt that excitedly bellows &#8220;MQTT 25&#8221;! To my left is a top-end Bambu Lab X1C 3D printer, that uses MQTT internally for communication. On my wall are a variety of connected gadgets that display data or that light up in response to <a href="https://mqtt.org">MQTT</a> notifications. <a href="https://nodered.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://nodered.org/">Node-RED</a> is sitting quietly on a Raspberry Pi in the corner, processing MQTT messages as they come and go.</p>
2273.  
2274.  
2275.  
2276. <p>Today is the 25th anniversary of the publication of what <a href="https://stanford-clark.com/MQIpdp/" data-type="link" data-id="https://stanford-clark.com/MQIpdp/">would become the initial MQTT specification</a>.</p>
2277.  
2278.  
2279.  
2280. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="385" data-attachment-id="5868" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/22/mqtt-turns-25-heres-how-it-has-endured/screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09-40-46/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?fit=2076%2C2000&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2076,2000" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screenshot 2024-10-22 at 09.40.46" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?fit=300%2C289&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?fit=400%2C385&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=400%2C385&#038;ssl=1" alt="A picture of Andy Piper sitting in a maker studio, surrounded by virtual balloons. He is wearing a yellow coloured t-shirt with the text MQTT 25 in purple text." class="wp-image-5868" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=400%2C385&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=300%2C289&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=150%2C145&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=768%2C740&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=1536%2C1480&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=2048%2C1973&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-22-at-09.40.46.png?resize=1200%2C1156&amp;ssl=1 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></figure>
2281.  
2282.  
2283.  
2284. <p>The co-creator of MQTT is my good friend <a href="https://stanford-clark.com">Andy Stanford-Clark</a>, who <a href="https://mastodon.iow.social/@andysc/113349599886653118" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.iow.social/@andysc/113349599886653118">announced the event</a> on Mastodon:</p>
2285.  
2286.  
2287.    <blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.iow.social" data-post-id="113349599886653118" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2288.        <p>Happy Birthday, <a original-href="https://mastodon.iow.social/tags/MQTT" href="/friends/tag/mqtt/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>MQTT</span></a>!<br />25 today <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> xxx</p>
2289.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2290.            &mdash; Andy S-C (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.iow.social/@andysc">@andysc</a>)
2291.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.iow.social/@andysc/113349599886653118">2024-10-22T06:13:54.991Z</a>
2292.        </p>
2293.    </blockquote><script src="https://mastodon.iow.social/embed.js" async="async"></script>
2294.  
2295.  
2296. <p>I&#8217;m not going to post a complete history of the past two (plus) decades of this technology, but for those just joining&#8230; what the heck is MQTT, and&#8230; how did I come to be involved?</p>
2297.  
2298.  
2299.  
2300. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Connecting things</h3>
2301.  
2302.  
2303.  
2304. <p>Here&#8217;s the tl;dr &#8211; MQTT is a network protocol that was originally designed to enable small devices on lightweight or patchy networks (we&#8217;re going back to the late 1990s, remember!) to publish and collect / receive data. Say you&#8217;re an environmental monitoring device in a far-flung area where there&#8217;s occasional network coverage, and you have limited power available &#8211; it&#8217;s important that you use power and network bandwidth and availability efficiently, to send sensor information (in a minimal, but useful, format) to a larger system. MQTT is a <em>great</em> fit here. It turns out that a highly optimised and efficient protocol like this, also scales up extremely well. As networks got better (faster, more stable, and more widespread), and as we moved through a period of greater access to efficient computing devices for edge-of-network, home automation, and in-your-pocket use cases, MQTT remained highly valuable. The simplicity of the protocol is very powerful.</p>
2305.  
2306.  
2307.  
2308. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What&#8217;s my connection?</h3>
2309.  
2310.  
2311.  
2312. <p>In 2001 I got my second full-time job after university, and joined IBM as an IT Specialist &#8211; a consultant working with IBM software, primarily on-site with their customers, implementing what we used to call business integration, message queueing, application connectivity, middleware etc.</p>
2313.  
2314.  
2315.  
2316. <p>Within a few years I was pretty experienced within the IBM middleware portfolio &#8211; I&#8217;d been helping to implement banking payment systems and other projects using &#8220;full size&#8221; IBM MQ. Around that time, IBM was starting a marketing push around something they would <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2010/08/05/mqtt-the-smarter-planet-protocol/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2010/08/05/mqtt-the-smarter-planet-protocol/">ultimately call Smarter Planet</a>. I&#8217;d gravitated towards IBM&#8217;s fantastic Hursley Lab as an engineering hub in the UK, the home of MQ and also, the base of Andy Stanford-Clark, who was one of my mentors. A bunch of us from there started to hack with this MQTT thing, which was at that time externally published as a protocol, but little-known or implemented outside of IBM. I became something of an accidental advocate for MQTT, and looking back now, I count that as my first &#8220;developer relations / developer advocacy&#8221; role, even though it was informal and my day job was something different<sup data-fn="a4ddc54c-fc92-4602-8814-8d2f1f904878" class="fn"><a href="#a4ddc54c-fc92-4602-8814-8d2f1f904878" id="a4ddc54c-fc92-4602-8814-8d2f1f904878-link">1</a></sup>.</p>
2317.  
2318.  
2319.  
2320. <p>Looking back in this blog, I was <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/mqtt/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/mqtt/">posting about MQTT</a> regularly back through ~2009-2011, which was really the period where we started to make progress in socialising the protocol beyond smaller IBM implementations. We went from having a small number of message brokers &#8211; the enterprise and very expensive IBM WebSphere Message Broker, and the excellent but closed-source microbroker and, also closed-source but freely-available Really Small Message Broker from the labs &#8211; to <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@ralight">Roger Light</a>&#8216;s creation of the Open Source <a href="https://mosquitto.org">Mosquitto</a>, which remains one of the more widely-used free implementations out there<sup data-fn="b505d264-351c-4964-b722-476750d44bf3" class="fn"><a href="#b505d264-351c-4964-b722-476750d44bf3" id="b505d264-351c-4964-b722-476750d44bf3-link">2</a></sup>. I was one of the folks who had the keys to the MQTT Twitter account and community website, and one of my goals as developer advocate was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL950E08D350673410" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL950E08D350673410">sharing</a> and promoting all of the cool ways that folks were using the protocol<sup data-fn="03445776-7e30-4460-9d06-13f0857337db" class="fn"><a href="#03445776-7e30-4460-9d06-13f0857337db" id="03445776-7e30-4460-9d06-13f0857337db-link">3</a></sup>.</p>
2321.  
2322.  
2323.  
2324. <p>In 2011 I was <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2012/03/10/paho-gets-started/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2012/03/10/paho-gets-started/">heavily involved</a> in <a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2011/11/04/mqtt-goes-free-a-personal-qa/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2011/11/04/mqtt-goes-free-a-personal-qa/">IBM&#8217;s donation of its MQTT implementations to the Eclipse community</a>, as the Eclipse Paho project. After I left IBM in 2012, I continued to have a strong connection, and I played a role on the Paho project through my next job at Cloud Foundry; but, after I joined Twitter in 2014 I needed to step back from formal involvement. That was the time at which MQTT went through formal standardisation, at OASIS and ISO/IEC.</p>
2325.  
2326.  
2327.  
2328. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Success and growth</h3>
2329.  
2330.  
2331.  
2332. <p>It is not my place or part in the story to talk in depth about the different companies that have thrived in the past 15 years, and helped to make MQTT as ubiquitous as it has become, but it is truly one of my most proud personal achievements, helping this technology grow to beyond the walls of IBM &#8211; into an open protocol success story. Today, 25 years on, it is in many things and places you may not realise &#8211; hobbyists and makers use it, it&#8217;s used in (for example) Dyson&#8217;s air filters and their associated apps, in 3D printer control systems, in home alerting, and across industry and manufactuing. It&#8217;s almost certain that more than one of the apps on your phone right now, is using MQTT somewhere in the stack.</p>
2333.  
2334.  
2335.  
2336. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
2337.  
2338.  
2339.  
2340. <p>Andy Stanford-Clark recently did a &#8220;fireside chat&#8221; with our friends at HiveMQ. This is worth a look, and a much better place to learn more. HiveMQ also have a podcast series called <a href="https://theunstructuredmessage.buzzsprout.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://theunstructuredmessage.buzzsprout.com/">The Unstructured Message</a> that you can subscribe to for more!</p>
2341.  
2342.  
2343.  
2344. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
2345. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Revolutionizing Connectivity: Powerful MQTT Use Cases with Co-Inventor Andy Stanford-Clark" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JYYo7ycQLu4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2346. </div></figure>
2347.  
2348.  
2349.  
2350. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
2351.  
2352.  
2353.  
2354. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">A small (but timely) update</h3>
2355.  
2356.  
2357.  
2358. <p>As a small 25th birthday present to the community from me, I thought it was beyond time to forget about the old project account over on X<sup data-fn="bcbb5587-918d-40af-841e-1e765dc53fcf" class="fn"><a href="#bcbb5587-918d-40af-841e-1e765dc53fcf" id="bcbb5587-918d-40af-841e-1e765dc53fcf-link">4</a></sup>, and move us to a similarly open protocol and standards-based platform &#8211; Mastodon!</p>
2359.  
2360.  
2361.  
2362. <p>You can now follow <code><a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mqtt" data-type="link" data-id="https://fosstodon.org/@mqtt">@mqtt@fosstodon.org</a></code>!</p>
2363.  
2364.  
2365.    <blockquote  data-instance="fosstodon.org" data-post-id="113350454310453855" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2366.        <p>It feels like a long time, but also only yesterday &#8211; to celebrate our 25th birthday, we&#39;ve joined the open social web. This is our first message posted on the Fediverse via ActivityPub!</p>
2367.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2368.            &mdash; MQTT (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://fosstodon.org/@mqtt">@mqtt</a>)
2369.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://fosstodon.org/@mqtt/113350454310453855">2024-10-22T09:51:12.460Z</a>
2370.        </p>
2371.    </blockquote><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://fosstodon.org/" async src="https://fosstodon.org/embed.js"></script>
2372.  
2373.  
2374. <p>Here&#8217;s to the next 25 years (or more) of MQTT <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f389.png" alt="🎉" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
2375.  
2376.  
2377.  
2378. <p>Thanks to everyone &#8211; developers, users, enthusiasts across the community &#8211; for your support!</p>
2379.  
2380.  
2381.  
2382. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
2383.  
2384.  
2385. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="a4ddc54c-fc92-4602-8814-8d2f1f904878">One year, this cost me a bad PBC rating &#8211; I&#8217;d spent too much time on the fun community stuff over my client focus; early career lesson learned. <a href="#a4ddc54c-fc92-4602-8814-8d2f1f904878-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="b505d264-351c-4964-b722-476750d44bf3">Roger made mosquitto after hearing Andy Stanford-Clark talk about his connected smart home at the very first OggCamp, in 2009; 10 years from the date the specification was created. <a href="#b505d264-351c-4964-b722-476750d44bf3-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 2"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="03445776-7e30-4460-9d06-13f0857337db">Weirdly, one of my most popular YouTube videos remains <a href="https://youtu.be/jI-0b6XMM5E" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/jI-0b6XMM5E">a 2009 clip of using MQTT and PHP together</a>. It&#8217;s 15 years old! <a href="#03445776-7e30-4460-9d06-13f0857337db-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 3"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li><li id="bcbb5587-918d-40af-841e-1e765dc53fcf">If you are not off X already, <a href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113330414080901624" data-type="link" data-id="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113330414080901624"><em>please</em> get away from there</a>. <a href="#bcbb5587-918d-40af-841e-1e765dc53fcf-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 4"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
2386.  
2387.  
2388. <p></p>
2389. ]]></content:encoded>
2391. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/22/mqtt-turns-25-heres-how-it-has-endured/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2392. <slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
2395. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2396. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5859</post-id> </item>
2397. <item>
2398. <title>Meetup.com is so over</title>
2399. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/18/meetup-com-is-so-over/</link>
2400. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/18/meetup-com-is-so-over/#comments</comments>
2402. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2403. <pubDate>Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:03:50 +0000</pubDate>
2404. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2405. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2406. <category><![CDATA[bending spoons]]></category>
2407. <category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
2408. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
2409. <category><![CDATA[luma]]></category>
2410. <category><![CDATA[meetup]]></category>
2411. <category><![CDATA[organising]]></category>
2412. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5834</guid>
2413.  
2414. <description><![CDATA[Meetup's gone from community king to overpriced ghost town, thanks to Bending Spoons. Enshittification strikes again! Now what?]]></description>
2415. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2416. <p>Another day, another batch of events I&#8217;ve been on the list for, either announcing they are moving away from Meetup.com, or, another batch of emails telling me that the organiser has abandoned the group, and would I like to be the one to save it and keep it going?</p>
2417.  
2418.  
2419.  
2420. <p>Why is this happening? Well, Meetup has had a storied history (it was at one point <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/why-wework-is-buying-meetup/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.wired.com/story/why-wework-is-buying-meetup/">owned by WeWork</a>, at the height of the bubble around that organisation&#8217;s intent to reinvent the way we all live, work and socialise) &#8211; culminating most recently in it being <a href="https://www.meetup.com/blog/a-new-home-for-meetup/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.meetup.com/blog/a-new-home-for-meetup/">acquired by Bending Spoons</a>.</p>
2421.  
2422.  
2423.  
2424. <p>Bending Spoons may not be super well-known outside of late-stage venture capitalist asset stripping piranha circles, but my observation is that it has been a kiss of death for products that they acquired. It is an organisation that has gone around gobbling up once-cool startups and apps, and then hiking prices and reducing quality to squeeze the value out of their customers and users. Wonder why Evernote lost its shine, and everyone moved to Notion, Bear, Obsidian, Joplin (in my case), or anything-other-than-Evernote? Aside from getting tired as a product, that would be the ridiculous pricing and limitations Bending Spoons imposed, after a similar acquisition&#8230;</p>
2425.  
2426.  
2427.  
2428. <div class="wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex">
2429. <p>So, the very basic story here is that <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40854275" data-type="link" data-id="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40854275">Meetup tripled prices for Meetup Pro (the bit that let you do the event organising) with less than 30 days notice</a>, and a lot of event organisers suddenly found themselves paying way more for their communities than they wanted to. </p>
2430. </div>
2431.  
2432.  
2433.  
2434. <p>In case you&#8217;re not familiar with this pattern, <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/enshittification-the-2023-word-of-the-year?srsltid=AfmBOoqSIao3x8BhZNgSF9oHs7BGQ2y38FlwIC0flnyA5XfIXFqRtyOr" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/enshittification-the-2023-word-of-the-year?srsltid=AfmBOoqSIao3x8BhZNgSF9oHs7BGQ2y38FlwIC0flnyA5XfIXFqRtyOr">Cory Doctorow has coined a word for it</a>: <em>enshittification</em>. <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3035-the-internet-con" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3035-the-internet-con">You should read his excellent book about it</a>.</p>
2435.  
2436.  
2437.  
2438. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="262" height="400" data-attachment-id="5841" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/18/meetup-com-is-so-over/attachment/120806182/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?fit=262%2C400&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="262,400" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="120806182" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?fit=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?fit=262%2C400&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?resize=262%2C400&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5841" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?w=262&amp;ssl=1 262w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?resize=197%2C300&amp;ssl=1 197w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/120806182.jpg?resize=98%2C150&amp;ssl=1 98w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 262px) 100vw, 262px" /></figure>
2439.  
2440.  
2441.  
2442. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What, or where, next?</h3>
2443.  
2444.  
2445.  
2446. <p>It&#8217;s a choice, and not a great one.</p>
2447.  
2448.  
2449.  
2450. <p>Meetup was particularly great, at a point in time, for location-based and interest-based discovery of physical communities &#8211; at least, that was my experience. I was able to look for topics like &#8220;internet of things&#8221; and locations such as &#8220;london&#8221; and find myself an excellent group to get involved with.</p>
2451.  
2452.  
2453.  
2454. <p>What I&#8217;ve been seeing recently is that groups are either shutting down completely, moving to use something like Discord (!) for arranging meetups, or in some cases, moving to a platform like <a href="https://lu.ma/">Lu.ma</a> which also has a decent set of <a href="https://lu.ma/london" data-type="link" data-id="https://lu.ma/london">location-based collections of events</a>, at least for some of the large cities. I&#8217;m not sure what I think of Lu.ma overall yet, and I haven&#8217;t used it to directly arrange events myself, but I&#8217;ve certainly been to quite a few where organisers have moved over, and it seems to provide what I need as an attendee.</p>
2455.  
2456.  
2457.  
2458. <p>I haven&#8217;t yet found an excellent Fediverse / ActivityPub-based alternative, although there are some promising options &#8211; <a href="https://gath.io/" data-type="link" data-id="https://gath.io/">Gath.io</a> is one that I&#8217;ve tried and that has worked quite well, for example. One issue is that as email has become (arguably) less-used and more difficult to access from a &#8220;send to list&#8221; perspective &#8211; thanks, spammers &#8211; it can be difficult to stay connected to a group of interested parties on an ongoing basis.</p>
2459.  
2460.  
2461.  
2462. <p>This feels like an area that is ripe for a new round of invention and disruption! Let me know if you have any suggestions either for good places to find interesting in-person meetup communities, or alternate platforms I might now know about yet&#8230;</p>
2463. ]]></content:encoded>
2465. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/18/meetup-com-is-so-over/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2466. <slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
2469. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2470. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5834</post-id> </item>
2471. <item>
2472. <title>Podcasting updates</title>
2473. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/17/podcasting-updates/</link>
2474. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/17/podcasting-updates/#respond</comments>
2476. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2477. <pubDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2024 10:25:27 +0000</pubDate>
2478. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2479. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2480. <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
2481. <category><![CDATA[apps]]></category>
2482. <category><![CDATA[audio]]></category>
2483. <category><![CDATA[carplay]]></category>
2484. <category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
2485. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
2486. <category><![CDATA[floss weekly]]></category>
2487. <category><![CDATA[hacker public radio]]></category>
2488. <category><![CDATA[iOS]]></category>
2489. <category><![CDATA[late night linux]]></category>
2490. <category><![CDATA[Linux]]></category>
2491. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
2492. <category><![CDATA[open source]]></category>
2493. <category><![CDATA[open source stories]]></category>
2494. <category><![CDATA[pocket casts]]></category>
2495. <category><![CDATA[podcast]]></category>
2496. <category><![CDATA[podcaster]]></category>
2497. <category><![CDATA[podcasting]]></category>
2498. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5801</guid>
2499.  
2500. <description><![CDATA[How and why I switched from Apple Podcasts to Pocket Casts (after enduring bizarre skipping with CarPlay). Plus, I’ve been on some podcasts to chat about Open Source stuff, and the Mastodon 4.3 release.]]></description>
2501. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2502. <p>As many readers of my blog may know, I&#8217;m one-third of a long-running weekly podcast, <a href="https://gamesatwork.biz">Games at Work dot Biz</a> (when I&#8217;m available to record) &#8211; and, I also consume a fair number of other audio shows myself. </p>
2503.  
2504.  
2505.  
2506. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The quest for an app</h3>
2507.  
2508.  
2509.  
2510. <p>My usual pattern of consumption is during travel: train, plane or car, with the latter being the most frequent over the past couple of years, traveling to and from <a href="https://forgeandcraft.co.uk">the maker studio</a>. My daily driver devices are pretty much all Apple<sup data-fn="6468732d-45fe-4037-9c91-e99a5c376d6e" class="fn"><a href="#6468732d-45fe-4037-9c91-e99a5c376d6e" id="6468732d-45fe-4037-9c91-e99a5c376d6e-link">1</a></sup> (iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods, Watch, the whole shebang). I&#8217;ve mostly been using Apple Podcasts for years, despite knowing that it has had a terrible reputation amongst podcast power consumers. The power of defaults&#8230;</p>
2511.  
2512.  
2513.  
2514. <p>It has been&#8230; <em>fine</em>&#8230; it keeps a list of shows I&#8217;m interested in, and <em>mostly</em> seems to get the synchronisation of listening progress correct across my iCloud devices. </p>
2515.  
2516.  
2517.  
2518. <p>The teeth-grinding issue it has, though, is interaction with other apps. I typically use Waze for driving directions, and every time the voice directions cut in, the Podcasts app will pause and then skip back an&#8230; indeterminate number of seconds before resuming. I&#8217;m not kidding &#8211; sometimes it will be 2 seconds, sometimes, as much as two or three minutes and I&#8217;m re-listening to a chunk of audio I&#8217;ve already consumed.</p>
2519.  
2520.  
2521.  
2522. <p>I decided enough was enough, and went on a hunt for a replacement. Three critical requirements &#8211; CarPlay support, good sync between apps and devices, and import from Apple Podcasts &#8211; and one nice-to-have, which was a Mac app for listening at my desktop. I was already aware of the names of the three most likely contenders: Castro, Overcast, and Pocket Casts. In fact, I already had the first two of these installed, so I&#8217;d obviously toyed with them both in the past.</p>
2523.  
2524.  
2525.  
2526. <p>Apple Podcasts does not offer a way to directly export an OPML file (a list of podcasts you&#8217;re subscribed to), but there are a variety of Shortcuts that purport to do this.</p>
2527.  
2528.  
2529.  
2530. <p>To my surprise, I didn&#8217;t see a quick way to get my OPML file into Overcast &#8211; maybe I was driving it wrong, but when I couldn&#8217;t figure that out, I gave up there, and uninstalled it.</p>
2531.  
2532.  
2533.  
2534. <p>Castro seemingly let me import the list of podcasts, but took a really long time to do so and defaulted to trying to download everything. Also uninstalled.</p>
2535.  
2536.  
2537.  
2538. <p><a href="https://pocketcasts.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pocket Casts</a>, then. I&#8217;ll say this up-front: I&#8217;m presently out of love with Automattic, who own the app, for reasons I may write about another day, but knowing all of that, I am willing to give this a go.</p>
2539.  
2540.  
2541.  
2542. <p>I&#8217;m impressed so far. It provides its own Shortcut to automate the export-from-Podcasts, import-to-Pocket Casts process, and that worked flawlessly. I then went through my (lengthy) list and unchecked shows that have ended or that I&#8217;m no longer listening to, and got myself back on track with how I want things added to my listening queue. The app has an impressive array of options around managing podcast storage, playback, and more. I&#8217;m relatively sure that I don&#8217;t need the premium features, so that keeps me at equal cost to the Apple Podcasts option. It performed flawlessly in the car this morning, and looks tremendously similar to my earlier app choice on the CarPlay interface. I think I&#8217;ll be using this for the foreseeable future.</p>
2543.  
2544.  
2545.  
2546. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Some recent appearances</h3>
2547.  
2548.  
2549.  
2550. <p>An update on where I&#8217;ve been appearing on other shows. I&#8217;ve got a couple of news items here (drop me a line if you&#8217;d be interested to talk to me on your podcast).</p>
2551.  
2552.  
2553.  
2554. <ol class="wp-block-list">
2555. <li>I was <a href="https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/andy-piper-community-needs/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/andy-piper-community-needs/">interviewed for Open Source Stories</a> back in the summer, and that interview has just been published. It&#8217;s a discussion of my experiences helping Open Source software projects with their communities and contributions over time. You can <a href="https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/andy-piper-community-needs/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/andy-piper-community-needs/">read this online</a>, or <a href="https://episodes.fm/1622070098/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS8xNDY2MTU1L2NvbnRlbnQuYmx1YnJyeS5jb20vMTQ2NjE1NS9BbmR5X1BpcGVyX29uX0NvbW11bml0eS5tcDM" data-type="link" data-id="https://episodes.fm/1622070098/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS8xNDY2MTU1L2NvbnRlbnQuYmx1YnJyeS5jb20vMTQ2NjE1NS9BbmR5X1BpcGVyX29uX0NvbW11bml0eS5tcDM">listen to the conversation as a podcast</a>. I&#8217;m a big fan of <a href="https://hachyderm.io/@amcasari">amanda</a> and <a href="https://floss.social/@juliaferraioli" data-type="link" data-id="https://floss.social/@juliaferraioli">julia</a> who make Open Source Stories, and it was an honour to talk with amanda about my career.</li>
2556.  
2557.  
2558.  
2559. <li>This week, I was a guest on <a href="https://flossweekly.libsyn.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://flossweekly.libsyn.com/">FLOSS Weekly</a>, the long-running Open Source podcast &#8211; it was originally on the TWiT network, and early last year moved over to be hosted by <a href="https://hackaday.com/tag/floss-weekly/" data-type="link" data-id="https://hackaday.com/tag/floss-weekly/">Hackaday</a>, which is one of my favourite sites and communities online. I talked all about the <a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2024/10/mastodon-4.3/" data-type="link" data-id="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2024/10/mastodon-4.3/">new Mastodon 4.3 release</a>, along with a bunch of other things related to the Fediverse. You can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TH4uKfE0bA">watch the show on YouTube</a> (especially if you want to see the Mastodon plushie!), or you can <a href="https://episodes.fm/1728547478/episode/MzJkZjlhYWMtN2MzZS00OTFhLTg4ZTctZGYzNzA3MjZhMGFl" data-type="link" data-id="https://episodes.fm/1728547478/episode/MzJkZjlhYWMtN2MzZS00OTFhLTg4ZTctZGYzNzA3MjZhMGFl">listen to it in your podcast app of choice</a>.</li>
2560. </ol>
2561.  
2562.  
2563.  
2564. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
2565. <iframe loading="lazy" title="FLOSS 805: Mastodon -- Bring Your Own Algorithm" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5TH4uKfE0bA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2566. </div></figure>
2567.  
2568.  
2569.  
2570. <p>Oh, and a note to end on is that after <a href="https://oggcamp.org">OggCamp</a> at the weekend, I&#8217;m more excited than ever about the various podcast and audio communities that exist in the Open Source space. I&#8217;m really grateful to <a href="https://mastodon.social/@garythewilliams" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.social/@garythewilliams">Gary</a> and <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@JoeRess" data-type="link" data-id="https://fosstodon.org/@JoeRess">Joe</a> from the <a href="https://latenightlinux.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://latenightlinux.com/">Late Night Linux family of shows</a> for helping to drive OggCamp forward this year. It was also really nice to re-connect with <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/@ken_fallon" data-type="link" data-id="https://mastodon.sdf.org/@ken_fallon">Ken</a> from <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://hackerpublicradio.org/">Hacker Public Radio</a>, and to continue conversations with fans of other free culture podcasts as well.</p>
2571.  
2572.  
2573.  
2574. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"/>
2575.  
2576.  
2577. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="6468732d-45fe-4037-9c91-e99a5c376d6e">FWIW I heavily use a variety of other systems, mostly Linux (<a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/26/mnt-pocket-reform-a-literal-field-test/" data-type="post" data-id="5371">MNT Pocket Reform</a>, Framework, various Raspberry Pi servers etc) and Windows as well. Apple stuff is the day-to-day, less fun, though.  <a href="#6468732d-45fe-4037-9c91-e99a5c376d6e-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>
2578.  
2579.  
2580. <p></p>
2581. ]]></content:encoded>
2583. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/17/podcasting-updates/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2584. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2587. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2588. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5801</post-id> </item>
2589. <item>
2590. <title>Fixing my Bambu X1C</title>
2591. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/</link>
2592. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/#respond</comments>
2594. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2595. <pubDate>Wed, 16 Oct 2024 22:15:45 +0000</pubDate>
2596. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2597. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2598. <category><![CDATA[3d printing]]></category>
2599. <category><![CDATA[Bambu Lab]]></category>
2600. <category><![CDATA[Benchy]]></category>
2601. <category><![CDATA[hardware]]></category>
2602. <category><![CDATA[maintenance]]></category>
2603. <category><![CDATA[repair]]></category>
2604. <category><![CDATA[toolhead]]></category>
2605. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5786</guid>
2606.  
2607. <description><![CDATA[A couple of weeks ago I was attempting to use a &#8220;glow in the dark&#8221; filament in my 3D printer for the first time. It was a bit tricky to manage, and in end I had an unfortunate situation where the filament broke in the print head, so I needed to try to unclog it. [&#8230;]]]></description>
2608. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2609. <p>A couple of weeks ago I was attempting to use a &#8220;glow in the dark&#8221; filament in my 3D printer for the first time. It was a bit tricky to manage, and in end I had an unfortunate situation where the filament broke in the print head, so I needed to try to unclog it.</p>
2610.  
2611.  
2612.  
2613. <p>(as an aside, I&#8217;ve had the Bambu X1 Carbon for about 20 months now and while I don&#8217;t use it every day, it gets a decent amount of use &#8211; nowhere near the number of hours that many of these machines work in small or medium print shops of course &#8211; and I think I&#8217;ve had maybe 3 or 4 similar situations in the past, with no major trauma getting the head cleared)</p>
2614.  
2615.  
2616.  
2617. <p>Unfortunately, one of the wires connecting the print head to the toolhead assembly came away along with its connector. This had happened once before, and that time I was able to carefully slide the connector back over the pins on the circuit board&#8230; this time, the pins themselves broke off. It looked like a potentially-expensive repair, and I was cursing myself for the choice of the high-end-but-closed-hardware printer.</p>
2618.  
2619.  
2620.  
2621. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" height="533" width="400" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="5793" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/img_4240/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4240-rotated-e1729116353659.jpg?fit=1946%2C1946&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1946,1946" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1728055157&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_4240" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4240-rotated-e1729116353659.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4240-rotated-e1729116353659.jpg?fit=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4240.jpg?resize=400%2C533&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5793"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The connector (centre) has come away from the board</figcaption></figure>
2622.  
2623.  
2624.  
2625. <p>I raised a ticket with Bambu Lab via their support page. Impressively, even though it was a national holiday in China and the initial response warned that there may be a delay in hearing back, I did get a reply pretty quickly, and was able to confirm that I have the <a href="https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/x1/maintenance/toolhead_boards_v9#differences-between-the-versions" data-type="link" data-id="https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/x1/maintenance/toolhead_boards_v9#differences-between-the-versions">TH V9 revision</a> board. The support desk suggested that I could either replace the entire tool head, or if I was confident that the damage was limited to the Extruder Interface Board (the smaller of the two boards that make up the enclosed print head of the X1), I could just order that part.</p>
2626.  
2627.  
2628.  
2629. <figure data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\/\/andypiper.co.uk\/2024\/10\/16\/fixing-my-bambu-x1c\/"}'  class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
2630. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="271" data-attachment-id="5795" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/img_4427/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?fit=2685%2C1820&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2685,1820" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1729093908&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_4427" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Broken extruder interface (L), replacement ®&lt;/p&gt;
2631. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?fit=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?fit=400%2C271&amp;ssl=1" data-id="5795" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719-400x271.jpg?resize=400%2C271&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5795" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?resize=400%2C271&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?resize=300%2C203&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?resize=150%2C102&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?resize=768%2C521&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?resize=1536%2C1041&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4427-e1729116566719.jpg?resize=2048%2C1388&amp;ssl=1 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Broken extruder interface (L), replacement ®</figcaption></figure>
2632.  
2633.  
2634.  
2635. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="533" data-attachment-id="5798" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/img_4424/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?fit=3024%2C4032&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1729093471&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_4424" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;New part fitted&lt;/p&gt;
2636. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?fit=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1" data-id="5798" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424.jpg?resize=400%2C533&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5798" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?resize=113%2C150&amp;ssl=1 113w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4424-rotated.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New part fitted</figcaption></figure>
2637.  
2638.  
2639.  
2640. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="533" data-attachment-id="5797" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/img_4423/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?fit=3024%2C4032&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1729093457&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_4423" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Rear of toolhead&lt;/p&gt;
2641. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?fit=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1" data-id="5797" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423.jpg?resize=400%2C533&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5797" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?resize=113%2C150&amp;ssl=1 113w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4423-rotated.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rear of toolhead</figcaption></figure>
2642. </figure>
2643.  
2644.  
2645.  
2646. <p>Overall, I&#8217;m impressed here. It was about £15 (minus shipping) for the replacement part; it arrived within a few days. Bambu Lab provide good <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNsFxT6vwns" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNsFxT6vwns">video guides describing the process of disassembling</a> the printer, and although it was initially a pretty daunting prospect, the system is well-constructed and designed and it was a logical, clear process.</p>
2647.  
2648.  
2649.  
2650. <p>Even better, the new part seems to have had another revision / improvement since the early 2023 model, with additional adhesive around the base of the connector that had broken before. </p>
2651.  
2652.  
2653.  
2654. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="5796" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/img_4428/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4428-e1729116583741.jpg?fit=2500%2C1875&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="2500,1875" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1729093933&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_4428" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4428-e1729116583741.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4428-e1729116583741.jpg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4428-400x300.jpg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5796"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The replacement part, showing the black adhesive around the base of the thermal sensor connector</figcaption></figure>
2655.  
2656.  
2657.  
2658. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="300" data-attachment-id="5825" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/img_4436-large/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1280,960" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1729164716&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.2200000286119&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_4436 Large" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?fit=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large-400x300.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-5825" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_4436-Large.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ahoy there, we are back in action! <a original-href="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/benchy/" rel="tag" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="/friends/tag/benchy/">#Benchy</a></figcaption></figure>
2659. ]]></content:encoded>
2661. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/16/fixing-my-bambu-x1c/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2662. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2665. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2666. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5786</post-id> </item>
2667. <item>
2668. <title>Get Involved at OggCamp 2024: bring a talk or demo</title>
2669. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/04/get-involved-at-oggcamp-2024/</link>
2670. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/04/get-involved-at-oggcamp-2024/#respond</comments>
2672. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2673. <pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 15:49:46 +0000</pubDate>
2674. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2675. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2676. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
2677. <category><![CDATA[free culture]]></category>
2678. <category><![CDATA[free software]]></category>
2679. <category><![CDATA[fun]]></category>
2680. <category><![CDATA[hardware hacking]]></category>
2681. <category><![CDATA[oggcamp]]></category>
2682. <category><![CDATA[open hardware]]></category>
2683. <category><![CDATA[open source]]></category>
2684. <category><![CDATA[talks]]></category>
2685. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
2686. <category><![CDATA[unconference]]></category>
2687. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5752</guid>
2688.  
2689. <description><![CDATA[OggCamp 2024 is nearly here, promising an electrifying revival of community, creativity, and open-source innovation! Dive into discussions, share your ideas, and celebrate free culture. Bring your talks and projects along with you!]]></description>
2690. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2691. <p>As I write this, <a href="https://ogg.camp">OggCamp 2024</a> (which I have subtitled <em><a href="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/20/return-of-the-oggcamp/" data-type="link" data-id="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/08/20/return-of-the-oggcamp/">The Return</a></em> in my head’s inner monologue) is a little over a week away. You can still <a href="https://oggcamp.org/tickets/" data-type="link" data-id="https://oggcamp.org/tickets/">get a ticket</a> and join us!</p>
2692.  
2693.  
2694.  
2695. <p>A few of us have done a little bit of promotion of the event that you may not have seen, heard, or read, so feel free to explore these:</p>
2696.  
2697.  
2698.  
2699. <ul class="wp-block-list">
2700. <li>I was on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wobkxZm6Yo" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wobkxZm6Yo">Tom&#8217;s Hardware PiCast</a></li>
2701.  
2702.  
2703.  
2704. <li><a href="https://www.danlynch.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.danlynch.org/">Dan</a> <a href="https://www.danlynch.org/blog/2024/09/oggcamp-rides-again/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.danlynch.org/blog/2024/09/oggcamp-rides-again/">wrote about passing the torch</a> (massive, massive thanks to Dan and many others, for leading and organising the original run of OggCamp events)</li>
2705.  
2706.  
2707.  
2708. <li><a href="https://gary.thewilliams.ie/" data-type="link" data-id="https://gary.thewilliams.ie/">Gary</a> and <a href="https://webm.ink/" data-type="link" data-id="https://webm.ink/">Simon</a> were <a href="https://hackaday.com/2024/10/02/floss-weekly-episode-803-unconferencing-with-oggcamp/" data-type="link" data-id="https://hackaday.com/2024/10/02/floss-weekly-episode-803-unconferencing-with-oggcamp/">on FLOSS Weekly</a> a couple of days ago &#8211; great discussion there.</li>
2709. </ul>
2710.  
2711.  
2712.  
2713. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"/>
2714.  
2715.  
2716.  
2717. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
2718. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andypiper/6044718999/in/album-72157627313503945"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/live.staticflickr.com/6070/6044718999_aa520731e4.jpg?resize=500%2C373&#038;ssl=1" alt="OggCamp 11 banner" width="500" height="373" /></a>
2719. </div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The banner, from all the way back at OggCamp 2011!</figcaption></figure>
2720.  
2721.  
2722.  
2723. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Never been before. How does OggCamp work, then?</h3>
2724.  
2725.  
2726.  
2727. <p>OggCamp is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BarCamp" data-type="link" data-id="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BarCamp">Barcamp</a>-style unconference (that&#8217;s where the &#8220;Camp&#8221; part of the name comes in; we do not recommend attempting to actually camp in the venue!). It is a celebration of Free Culture, Free and Open Source Software, hardware hacking, digital rights, and collaborative cultural activities.</p>
2728.  
2729.  
2730.  
2731. <p>We have a <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-2024" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-2024">scheduled track of content</a> in one of the rooms, but there will be two entire  tracks (rooms) with <em>zero</em> pre-arranged content. That’s where <em>YOU</em> come in! If you have something related to our theme that you want to talk about, this is your opportunity.</p>
2732.  
2733.  
2734.  
2735. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-photo is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
2736. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lornajane/49078352427/"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/live.staticflickr.com/65535/49078352427_9bbe2065cf.jpg?resize=500%2C281&#038;ssl=1" alt="OggCamp Schedule taking shape" width="500" height="281" /></a>
2737. </div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The grid from OggCamp in 2019, taking shape (via Lorna on Flickr)</figcaption></figure>
2738.  
2739.  
2740.  
2741. <p>The Grid is a central element of an unconference. You will have the opportunity to write your <strong>name</strong> and <strong>talk title / session topic</strong> on a sticky note; then, folks can indicate their levels of interest in the topics by putting ticks onto talks they want to go to; and we schedule it out on a board, similar to the one shown above (thanks <a href="https://lornajane.net" data-type="link" data-id="https://lornajane.net">Lorna</a>, for keeping a visual record of OggCamp 2019! You can see the actual schedule from that event, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-19/schedule/grid" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-19/schedule/grid">here</a>). We also add them to the Joind.in schedule as they go into the schedule. If your talk is not scheduled for Saturday, you can try again or with something different for the Sunday. For any talks that do not end up happening, writing your name on a sticky note with your topic means that other people can find you to talk about it during the event anyway&#8230; <em>it&#8217;s all good</em>!</p>
2742.  
2743.  
2744.  
2745. <p>I personally fell down a rabbit hole of nostalgia looking back at some of the topics from OggCamps of yore. We&#8217;ve used Joind.in for the schedule over the years, and you can wander through the memories over there &#8211; <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-19" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-19">2019</a>, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-18-2018" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-18-2018">2018</a>, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-17" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-17">2017</a>, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-15" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-15">2015</a>, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-14" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-14">2014</a>, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-13" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-13">2013</a>, <a href="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-12" data-type="link" data-id="https://joind.in/event/oggcamp-12">2012</a>. Maybe some of those previous events will give you a nudge on a topic you&#8217;ve been meaning to tell the community all about?</p>
2746.  
2747.  
2748.  
2749. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Speaking at OggCamp</h3>
2750.  
2751.  
2752.  
2753. <p>We&#8217;re a friendly group, and in my opinion, OggCamp has always been particularly welcoming to first time speakers. On more than one occasion, I&#8217;ve seen folks get inspired by something they saw or someone they spoke to on day one, and arrive back on Sunday with a short talk of their own! It is really wonderful when this happens.</p>
2754.  
2755.  
2756.  
2757. <p>We have a <a href="https://oggcamp.org/guidelines/" data-type="link" data-id="https://oggcamp.org/guidelines/">guide to speaking</a> on the main OggCamp site, so definitely take a look at that.</p>
2758.  
2759.  
2760.  
2761. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"><blockquote><p>Don’t be shy! Talks at OggCamp can be about anything. This includes open source software, hardware hacking, making, science, home improvements, politics, creative commons music and literature, or anything else you think might interest the community. Even if you’re not sure it will, you might be surprised to find out there are many people who find your project fascinating!</p><cite>From the <a href="https://oggcamp.org/guidelines/" data-type="link" data-id="https://oggcamp.org/guidelines/">OggCamp Talk Guidelines</a></cite></blockquote></figure>
2762.  
2763.  
2764.  
2765. <p>It&#8217;s important to note that unfortunately, as we reboot OggCamp after several years away, we will not have the ability to record or stream talks this year. If you are a less confident speaker, that could be better? or, it could be worse, if you want to review your session later. You&#8217;re welcome to have a friend record you using a phone or something if you want; we just can&#8217;t do this as part of the event, at least not this time around.</p>
2766.  
2767.  
2768.  
2769. <p>Slots are about 25 minutes long, and we will have someone from the crew helping with each of the rooms for timing (and for getting you setup, etc). If you have a particularly expansive talk, you can use two slots and fill 50 minutes. There will be the ability to present from your own device (although, slides are optional). The slots include any time for Q&amp;A, so if you think you’re going to run for 20-25 minutes, I&#8217;d suggest taking questions in the corridors afterwards, to let everyone get their fair time in the rooms.</p>
2770.  
2771.  
2772.  
2773. <p>A very important thing is that we are a family-friendly event (although, we do not have a specific track for kids / younger people this year), and all talks must abide by the <a href="https://oggcamp.org/code-of-conduct" data-type="link" data-id="https://oggcamp.org/code-of-conduct">Code of Conduct</a>. If you intend to cover topics unsuitable for those under 18, you must make this clear when you put it on a sticky note, so that folks can make informed choices about the content they get involved with.</p>
2774.  
2775.  
2776.  
2777. <p>Oh, and demos are always fun &#8211; feel free to show off hardware or software! We’re a community of curious people, who love to learn from one another. For example, at another event earlier this year, I went to a talk by the creator of a brilliant shell history tool called <a href="https://atuin.sh">Atuin</a>, and now I use it on all my machines!</p>
2778.  
2779.  
2780.  
2781. <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Yikes, 25 minutes feels like a long time&#8230;</h4>
2782.  
2783.  
2784.  
2785. <p>Yes, we get that! We also plan to make space for some 5 minute Lightning Talks. Currently, we think we may use one of the unconference rooms to host lightning talks for a time block around the lunch period; more information will be provided on the day(s). If you only have a very short talk, look out for that session.</p>
2786.  
2787.  
2788.  
2789. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What will you be doing, Andy?</h3>
2790.  
2791.  
2792.  
2793. <p>Well &#8211; I am excited to be helping to bring OggCamp back to life! My role is to organise the volunteer crew this year (incidentally, crew folks &#8211; you will already have had one email from me a few weeks ago; expect another one, in the next day or so).</p>
2794.  
2795.  
2796.  
2797. <p>I’m likely to be busy with event tasks rather than talking about or demoing anything myself this year. Previously, I&#8217;ve talked about MQTT, augmented reality, and a range of things at different OggCamps. I&#8217;ve got a list of things I’d be keen to talk about: the Fediverse, 3D printing, using Joplin to manage my note-taking and journal, adventures with open source hardware, pen plotters and computer art, developer relations in Open Source projects, the history of board gaming, and MicroPython; but those things will have to wait for another time<sup data-fn="92650656-1f1e-43ed-ac99-134871f3e173" class="fn"><a href="#92650656-1f1e-43ed-ac99-134871f3e173" id="92650656-1f1e-43ed-ac99-134871f3e173-link">1</a></sup>. Feel free to pick one of them up, if you like!</p>
2798.  
2799.  
2800.    <blockquote  data-instance="macaw.social" data-post-id="113243114560115317" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2801.        <p>… there was mention in the podcast of <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/meshtastic" href="/friends/tag/meshtastic/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>meshtastic</span></a> and I would certainly love to see a session about that topic as I’m curious to play with that. So, if you were wondering what you could talk about, put a talk about that on the board for us!</p>
2802.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2803.            &mdash; Andy Piper (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper</a>)
2804.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113243114560115317">2024-10-03T10:53:17.856Z</a>
2805.        </p>
2806.    </blockquote><script src="https://macaw.social/embed.js" async="async"></script>
2807.  
2808.  
2809. <p>All in all, it&#8217;s looking like a great weekend. I&#8217;m excited to re-connect with the community, and learn about some new things. Come along and join in.</p>
2810.  
2811.  
2812.  
2813. <p>Don&#8217;t forget to <a href="https://mastodon.social/@oggcamp">follow us</a>, and use the <a original-href="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/oggcamp/" rel="tag" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="/friends/tag/oggcamp/">#OggCamp</a> hashtag on Mastodon in the lead up and throughout the event! Check out the Fediwall <a href="https://andypiper.url.lol/oggcamp2024">here</a>.</p>
2814.  
2815.  
2816.  
2817. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"/>
2818.  
2819.  
2820. <ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="92650656-1f1e-43ed-ac99-134871f3e173">I wouldn&#8217;t be able to do 7 talks in a weekend, anyway!  <a href="#92650656-1f1e-43ed-ac99-134871f3e173-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/21a9.png" alt="↩" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />︎</a></li></ol>]]></content:encoded>
2822. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/10/04/get-involved-at-oggcamp-2024/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2823. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2826. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2827. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5752</post-id> </item>
2828. <item>
2829. <title>Overview of the Fediverse Discovery Providers project</title>
2830. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/13/overview-of-the-fediverse-discovery-providers-project/</link>
2831. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/13/overview-of-the-fediverse-discovery-providers-project/#comments</comments>
2833. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2834. <pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 22:32:58 +0000</pubDate>
2835. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2836. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2837. <category><![CDATA[discovery]]></category>
2838. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
2839. <category><![CDATA[Fediforum]]></category>
2840. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
2841. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
2842. <category><![CDATA[ngi search]]></category>
2843. <category><![CDATA[presentation]]></category>
2844. <category><![CDATA[search]]></category>
2845. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
2846. <category><![CDATA[topics]]></category>
2847. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5720</guid>
2848.  
2849. <description><![CDATA[Renaud and I shared an update on the Fediverse Discovery Providers project at Fediforum. The presentation covered plans for new services and discussion on Auxiliary Service Providers. Initial specs and a GitHub repository will be available soon.]]></description>
2850. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2851. <p>At Fediforum today, <a href="https://oisaur.com/@renchap" data-type="link" data-id="https://oisaur.com/@renchap">Renaud</a> and I presented on the new <a href="https://fediscovery.org">Fediverse Discovery Providers project</a>, initiated by Mastodon gGmbH via a grant from <a href="https://www.ngisearch.eu/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.ngisearch.eu/">NGI Search</a>.</p>
2852.  
2853.  
2854.  
2855. <p>The slide deck below mostly presents the information from the website in an alternate format &#8211; but, hopefully the brief talk and then the broader discussion with the group that came to the session will have been a useful way to learn more about this new service, and the associated concept of &#8220;Fediverse Auxiliary Service Providers&#8221; (Discovery Providers being an instance of one of these) to bring additional features to Fediverse instances that opt-in to use them.</p>
2856.  
2857.  
2858.  
2859. <script defer class="speakerdeck-embed" data-id="e1168e05c289438c9c5d258e4263fc4b" data-ratio="1.414516129032258" src="//speakerdeck.com/assets/embed.js"></script>
2860.  
2861.  
2862.  
2863. <p>I used iA Presenter to create the deck, and there is a bit more information in the speaker notes in the <a href="https://github.com/mastodon/fediverse_discovery_providers/blob/017bd738e6512173856377920bd4183c63141aa9/static/files/FDP-Fediforum-Sep2024.iapresenter/text.md" data-type="link" data-id="https://github.com/mastodon/fediverse_discovery_providers/blob/017bd738e6512173856377920bd4183c63141aa9/static/files/FDP-Fediforum-Sep2024.iapresenter/text.md">source (Markdown) file</a>, but in broad terms you&#8217;ll find that it all matches up with the current landing page for the project.</p>
2864.  
2865.  
2866.  
2867. <p>In the coming weeks, the initial specifications will be made available in a GitHub repository that will be the primary resource for general discussions on the project.</p>
2868.  
2869.  
2870.  
2871. <p>We&#8217;d like to thank the folks at Fediforum for the excellent discussion and insightful questions &#8211; these were exactly the kinds of conversations we wanted to start with the community.</p>
2872. ]]></content:encoded>
2874. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/13/overview-of-the-fediverse-discovery-providers-project/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2875. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
2878. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
2879. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5720</post-id> </item>
2880. <item>
2881. <title>My brief notes on day 1 of Fediforum Sep 2024</title>
2882. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/12/my-brief-notes-on-day-1-of-fediforum-sep-2024/</link>
2883. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/12/my-brief-notes-on-day-1-of-fediforum-sep-2024/#respond</comments>
2885. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
2886. <pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:33:02 +0000</pubDate>
2887. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
2888. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
2889. <category><![CDATA[academics]]></category>
2890. <category><![CDATA[bandwagon]]></category>
2891. <category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
2892. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
2893. <category><![CDATA[fedica]]></category>
2894. <category><![CDATA[Fediforum]]></category>
2895. <category><![CDATA[fediverse]]></category>
2896. <category><![CDATA[fediverse discovery providers]]></category>
2897. <category><![CDATA[iftas]]></category>
2898. <category><![CDATA[mastodon]]></category>
2899. <category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
2900. <category><![CDATA[musicians]]></category>
2901. <category><![CDATA[quiblr]]></category>
2902. <category><![CDATA[radiofreefedi]]></category>
2903. <category><![CDATA[truefans]]></category>
2904. <category><![CDATA[unconference]]></category>
2905. <category><![CDATA[w3c]]></category>
2906. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5697</guid>
2907.  
2908. <description><![CDATA[The fourth edition of Fediforum kicked off today. New Fediverse projects, live demos, and discussions made for an exciting start.]]></description>
2909. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
2910. <p>[I don&#8217;t know whether I&#8217;ll write about each day of <a href="https://fediforum.org">Fediforum</a> individually&#8230; and I expect to be posting less regularly for a week or so, due to other things going on&#8230;] </p>
2911.  
2912.  
2913.  
2914. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="607" data-attachment-id="5698" data-permalink="https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/12/my-brief-notes-on-day-1-of-fediforum-sep-2024/pexels-photo-3112140/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?fit=857%2C1300&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="857,1300" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Photo by Lisa Fotios on &lt;a href=\&quot;https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/white-flowers-3112140\/\&quot; rel=\&quot;nofollow\&quot;&gt;Pexels.com&lt;\/a&gt;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;white flowers&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="pexels-photo-3112140" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo by Lisa Fotios on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-flowers-3112140/&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;Pexels.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
2915. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?fit=198%2C300&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?fit=400%2C607&amp;ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?resize=400%2C607&#038;ssl=1" alt="white flowers" class="wp-image-5698" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?resize=400%2C607&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?resize=198%2C300&amp;ssl=1 198w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?resize=99%2C150&amp;ssl=1 99w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?resize=768%2C1165&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/andypiper.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3112140.jpeg?w=857&amp;ssl=1 857w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Lisa Fotios on <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-flowers-3112140/" rel="nofollow">Pexels.com</a></figcaption></figure>
2916.  
2917.  
2918.  
2919. <p>Today was the first day of the fourth edition of <a original-href="https://andypiper.co.uk/tag/fediforum/" rel="tag" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="/friends/tag/fediforum/">#Fediforum</a> &#8211; an unconference that brings together folks who are building, using, advocating, and learning about the Fediverse and the platforms that it comprises.</p>
2920.  
2921.  
2922.  
2923. <p>I went to the first Fediforum back in March 2023; I missed the second one last autumn due to travel; attended the last one this March; and so, this is my third one overall. It has proven to be a great event for catching up with what is going on, what people are building, sharing ideas, and finding new collaborators. It is growing each time, which is excellent to see.</p>
2924.  
2925.  
2926.  
2927. <p>Fediforum is three half-day sessions (previously it has been two half-days; this time they added a Saturday to enable folks who may have found the weekdays less easy, to join in as well). It is not the most convenient time from a European perspective, but also not impossible to get involved &#8211; 4pm to 9pm UK time across three days is OK if I&#8217;m able to plan and prepare for them. It is an unconference format. Each day starts with a series of 5 minute demos of working code and apps &#8211; if folks want to dive deeper onto one of those demos, then the presenters are encouraged to create a session for them during the day. Then there is a chunk of time to collaboratively create the agenda for the day in a Google doc &#8211; the day is split into three, hour long sessions, across up to 8 virtual rooms. Each session has an audio/video element, and a collaborative etherpad shared doc for taking notes. At the end of the day, we come back together and summarise the key things from the main sessions.</p>
2928.  
2929.  
2930.  
2931. <p>Here&#8217;s a quick summary of interesting things from today:</p>
2932.  
2933.  
2934.  
2935. <ul class="wp-block-list">
2936. <li>Right before things kicked off, the Mastodon team announced a new project to explore building a new shared service for the Fediverse &#8211; the concept of <a href="https://fediscovery.org">Fediverse Discovery Providers</a>. I&#8217;ll probably talk about this tomorrow, if I can find a slot to schedule a session on it.</li>
2937. </ul>
2938.  
2939.  
2940.    <blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.social" data-post-id="113125057908864709" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2941.        <p>We are excited to launch a new project that will help small and medium-sized fediverse servers and their users have better access to search and discovery through the use of pluggable Fediverse Discovery Providers, supported by a grant from <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://ec.social-network.europa.eu/@EC_NGI" class="u-url mention">@<span>EC_NGI</span></a></span>. See our new dedicated website for details:</p><p><a href="https://fediscovery.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">fediscovery.org/</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
2942.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2943.            &mdash; Mastodon Engineering (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.social/@MastodonEngineering">@MastodonEngineering</a>)
2944.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.social/@MastodonEngineering/113125057908864709">2024-09-12T14:29:56.317Z</a>
2945.        </p>
2946.    </blockquote><script src="https://mastodon.social/embed.js" async="async"></script>
2947.  
2948.  
2949. <ul class="wp-block-list">
2950. <li>I enjoyed the demos today! We heard from <a href="https://fedica.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fedica.com/">Fedica</a> (a scheduling and cross-platform social media management tool from my old friend Samir and his team); <a href="https://about.iftas.org/" data-type="link" data-id="https://about.iftas.org/">IFTAS</a>, about their new content classification service; the very interesting <a href="https://truefans.fm/" data-type="link" data-id="https://truefans.fm/">TrueFans.fm</a> podcasting service; the Lemmy client app <a href="https://quiblr.com/" data-type="link" data-id="https://quiblr.com/">Quiblr</a>; and an update from the Threads team.
2951. <ul class="wp-block-list">
2952. <li>I really need to migrate a podcast between hosts, at the moment it is a WordPress site with over 10 years of content, and I&#8217;m now torn between Castopod and TrueFans (among other options)&#8230; a good problem to have, I guess!</li>
2953. </ul>
2954. </li>
2955. </ul>
2956.  
2957.  
2958.    <blockquote  data-instance="macaw.social" data-post-id="113125338153154941" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2959.        <p>TIL Quiblr, a Lemmy client <a href="https://github.com/Technicolor-Dreamcoat/Quiblr" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">github.com/Technicolor-Dreamco</span><span class="invisible">at/Quiblr</span></a> <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/fediverse" href="/friends/tag/fediverse/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>fediverse</span></a> <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/fediforum" href="/friends/tag/fediforum/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>fediforum</span></a></p>
2960.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2961.            &mdash; Andy Piper (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper</a>)
2962.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113125338153154941">2024-09-12T15:41:12.506Z</a>
2963.        </p>
2964.    </blockquote><script src="https://macaw.social/embed.js" async="async"></script>
2965.  
2966.    <blockquote  data-instance="macaw.social" data-post-id="113125342356649006" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2967.        <p>Threads team just announced and launched the ability to send Threads users a link that opens the Fedi sharing options at <a original-href="https://macaw.social/tags/Fediforum" href="/friends/tag/fediforum/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Fediforum</span></a> &#8211; so that should make it quicker if you&#39;re asking a user over there to share to the rest of us!</p>
2968.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2969.            &mdash; Andy Piper (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper">@andypiper</a>)
2970.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://macaw.social/@andypiper/113125342356649006">2024-09-12T15:42:16.649Z</a>
2971.        </p>
2972.    </blockquote><script src="https://macaw.social/embed.js" async="async"></script>
2973.  
2974.  
2975. <ul class="wp-block-list">
2976. <li>a group of us had an excellent conversation around creatives and artists and how we can build better platforms to support them in the Fediverse. It was cool to talk about several things that are happening in this space particularly around music (see <a href="https://bandwagon.fm">Bandwagon</a>, <a href="https://radiofreefedi.net/" data-type="link" data-id="https://radiofreefedi.net/">RadioFreeFedi</a>, <a href="https://live.theindiebeat.fm/" data-type="link" data-id="https://live.theindiebeat.fm/">IndieBeat</a>, etc).</li>
2977. </ul>
2978.  
2979.  
2980.    <blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.social" data-post-id="113121381781425498" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
2981.        <p>Hey <a original-href="https://mastodon.social/tags/music" href="/friends/tag/music/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>music</span></a> lovers:  The Indie Beat FM is launching tonight, streaming tracks from the Fediverse by indie artists. </p><p>Music hosted by our friends at Bandwagon.fm, a place you should check out if you make and/or love music.</p><p><a href="https://live.theindiebeat.fm/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">live.theindiebeat.fm/</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p><a original-href="https://mastodon.social/tags/radio" href="/friends/tag/radio/" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>radio</span></a></p>
2982.        <p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
2983.            &mdash; MizKirsten (<a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://mastodon.social/@mizkirsten">@mizkirsten</a>)
2984.            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.social/@mizkirsten/113121381781425498">2024-09-11T22:55:03.067Z</a>
2985.        </p>
2986.    </blockquote><script src="https://mastodon.social/embed.js" async="async"></script>
2987.  
2988.  
2989. <ul class="wp-block-list">
2990. <li>we discussed the <a href="https://swicg.github.io/activitypub-data-portability/lola.html" data-type="link" data-id="https://swicg.github.io/activitypub-data-portability/lola.html">LOLA (Live OnLine Account) portability proposal</a> from the W3C SWICG, which could enable data portability between ActivityPub instances.</li>
2991.  
2992.  
2993.  
2994. <li>there was an interesting session on academics on the Fediverse, which included a reference to <a href="https://nathanlesage.github.io/academics-on-mastodon/" data-type="link" data-id="https://nathanlesage.github.io/academics-on-mastodon/">this excellent list of instances and folks</a>.</li>
2995. </ul>
2996.  
2997.  
2998.  
2999. <p>Too many sessions for me to easily choose between them, and I&#8217;m looking forward to flipping through the notes from the others! It was really, really good to talk to folks both in the sessions and in the side channel chats, and it is great to see people who are building and using the platforms coming together and sharing their thoughts.</p>
3000.  
3001.  
3002.  
3003. <p>I joked in the chat at the start of the afternoon (my time) that another 6 months have flown past in the Fediverse &#8211; and it is so true! There is so much happening &#8211; an exciting time to be learning and helping to shape the platforms that are emerging.</p>
3004. ]]></content:encoded>
3006. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/12/my-brief-notes-on-day-1-of-fediforum-sep-2024/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
3007. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
3010. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
3011. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5697</post-id> </item>
3012. <item>
3013. <title>An OggCamp preview</title>
3014. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/11/an-oggcamp-preview/</link>
3015. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/11/an-oggcamp-preview/#respond</comments>
3017. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
3018. <pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2024 14:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
3019. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
3020. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
3021. <category><![CDATA[events]]></category>
3022. <category><![CDATA[free software]]></category>
3023. <category><![CDATA[les pounder]]></category>
3024. <category><![CDATA[manchester]]></category>
3025. <category><![CDATA[oggcamp]]></category>
3026. <category><![CDATA[oggcamp2024]]></category>
3027. <category><![CDATA[open source]]></category>
3028. <category><![CDATA[the pi cast]]></category>
3029. <category><![CDATA[toms hardware]]></category>
3030. <category><![CDATA[UK]]></category>
3031. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5690</guid>
3032.  
3033. <description><![CDATA[A video interview about OggCamps past and future!]]></description>
3034. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
3035. <p>I had the pleasure of reminiscing about OggCamps from &#8220;Days of Yore&#8221; with the excellent <a href="https://bigl.es">Les Pounder</a> yesterday, in an episode of the Tom&#8217;s Harware Pi Cast. If you&#8217;ve never been to an OggCamp, hopefully this will provide a flavour of the event (Les did a deep dive back into the photo archive from previous events).</p>
3036.  
3037.  
3038.  
3039. <p></p>
3040.  
3041.  
3042.  
3043. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio" style="margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
3044. <iframe loading="lazy" title="The Pi Cast (9/10) Oggcamp with Andy &quot;The Chief&quot; Piper" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9wobkxZm6Yo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
3045. </div></figure>
3046.  
3047.  
3048.  
3049. <p></p>
3050.  
3051.  
3052.  
3053. <p>OggCamp 2024 (&#8220;The Return of OggCamp!&#8221;) is happening at the Manchester Conference Centre at the Pendulum Hotel on October 12 &amp; 13. <a href="https://oggcamp.org/tickets">Tickets are available now</a>. We would love to have you join us, and bring along an open source / free software topic or two to discuss and share.</p>
3054. ]]></content:encoded>
3056. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/11/an-oggcamp-preview/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
3057. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
3060. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
3061. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5690</post-id> </item>
3062. <item>
3063. <title>Underwhelmed by Glowtime</title>
3064. <link>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/09/underwhelmed-by-glowtime/</link>
3065. <comments>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/09/underwhelmed-by-glowtime/#respond</comments>
3067. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andy Piper]]></dc:creator>
3068. <pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 22:16:57 +0000</pubDate>
3069. <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
3070. <category><![CDATA[100DaysToOffload]]></category>
3071. <category><![CDATA[AirPods]]></category>
3072. <category><![CDATA[announcements]]></category>
3073. <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
3074. <category><![CDATA[apple watch]]></category>
3075. <category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
3076. <category><![CDATA[hardware]]></category>
3077. <category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
3078. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
3079. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
3080. <category><![CDATA[The Verge]]></category>
3081. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://andypiper.co.uk/?p=5669</guid>
3082.  
3083. <description><![CDATA[Apple event liveblog banter more entertaining than actual announcements; no compelling updates that I can see (yet).]]></description>
3084. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
3085. <p>I followed today&#8217;s Apple launch primarily <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/9/24236176/apple-iphone-16-liveblog-apple-watch-x-airpods-keynote" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/9/24236176/apple-iphone-16-liveblog-apple-watch-x-airpods-keynote">via the Verge liveblog</a> (I was out, and unable to watch the stream itself). I think I got more entertainment from the banter between the writers, and their digs at the event, content, and slides, than from what was actually announced! In particular, the Verge staff made the excellent point that their policy is not to upgrade to new hardware on the basis of future promised software updates, and that&#8217;s more valid than ever this time around.</p>
3086.  
3087.  
3088.  
3089. <p>I&#8217;m quick to admit that I&#8217;m an Apple fanboy of many years &#8211; but, I think I&#8217;ll most likely be skipping any immediate updates this time. </p>
3090.  
3091.  
3092.  
3093. <ul class="wp-block-list">
3094. <li>I use my AirPods Pro and Max often, and I really want to finally ditch Lightning cables, but the new Max appear to only provide a switch to USB-C. The so-called purple colourway is more lavender/lilac, whereas I&#8217;d totally be onboard for a stronger colour if I was to change. Look, I&#8217;ve always enjoyed my AirPods Max, but I also think they are overpriced as an item and I don&#8217;t recommend them to anyone other than existing Apple fans. The updates to the regular (non-Pro) AirPods may be enough to justify them as my next swap if my Pros reach the end of their usefulness; there&#8217;s no sign of that, yet.</li>
3095.  
3096.  
3097.  
3098. <li>The Watch looks&#8230; fine&#8230; but I&#8217;m currently wearing a Series 9, and I just don&#8217;t see a strong reason to upgrade there. Previous years have had useful health sensors I&#8217;ve wanted to move on for, not this time (unless I&#8217;ve missed something). </li>
3099.  
3100.  
3101.  
3102. <li>I&#8217;ve carried a series of iPhone Pros over a number of years, primarily for the camera over the other features. I&#8217;m currently on an iPhone 15 Pro and I think it&#8217;s very good in terms of meeting my needs. It also doesn&#8217;t feel at all tired, or that there&#8217;s some incredible new feature in the new line this year that I want &#8211; even the side-by-side comparison tool on the Apple Store app basically indicated that I&#8217;d be forced to gain .2 inch of screen size (and I&#8217;ve never wanted the Max phones, the current screen and body size is good), along with the camera control that is in all the new models, but that otherwise there&#8217;s very little different in spec.</li>
3103. </ul>
3104.  
3105.  
3106.  
3107. <p>Anyway, I&#8217;m sure I&#8217;ll skim through the video from the launch at some point, but that&#8217;s my quick reaction. Nothing compelling to me this time around.</p>
3108. ]]></content:encoded>
3110. <wfw:commentRss>https://andypiper.co.uk/2024/09/09/underwhelmed-by-glowtime/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
3111. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
3114. <friends:post-format>standard</friends:post-format>
3115. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5669</post-id> </item>
3116. </channel>
3117. </rss>