Let go of StackOverflow; communities must take ownership

https://ahelwer.ca/post/2025-11-25-stackoverflow/

#HackerNews #Let #go #of #StackOverflow #communities #must #take #ownership #ownership #of #knowledge #tech #communities

Part of this workshop involved introducing ourselves & answering this question - If you had a magic wand, what would you do with it?

In answering that, I outed myself as the solo #anarchist in attendance. My answer:

If I had a magic wand, I'd wipe out all #oligarchs controls, redistribute global #wealths to all global citizens & ensure that all #grassroots #communities are fully funded.

Part of this workshop involved introducing ourselves & answering this question - If you had a magic wand, what would you do with it?

In answering that, I outed myself as the solo #anarchist in attendance. My answer:

If I had a magic wand, I'd wipe out all #oligarchs controls, redistribute global #wealths to all global citizens & ensure that all #grassroots #communities are fully funded.

"After nearly 10 years, I am stepping down as the CEO of #Mastodon and transferring my ownership of the #trademark and other assets to the Mastodon non-profit.
…
There are too many examples of #founderEgos sabotaging thriving #communities, and while I’d like to think myself an exception, I understand why people would prefer better guardrails."
@Gargron

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/my-next-chapter-with-mastodon/

"After nearly 10 years, I am stepping down as the CEO of #Mastodon and transferring my ownership of the #trademark and other assets to the Mastodon non-profit.
…
There are too many examples of #founderEgos sabotaging thriving #communities, and while I’d like to think myself an exception, I understand why people would prefer better guardrails."
@Gargron

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/my-next-chapter-with-mastodon/

#Bonfire: "Most exhilarating to me, though, is that they aren’t just building another microblogging app. They’re making a #toolkit for internet community software that is healthy and good and designed around real human needs from the start. As they put it in their crowdfunding campaign, they’re making #buildingblocks for #communities on the #opensocialweb."
@kissane

#Bonfire: "Most exhilarating to me, though, is that they aren’t just building another microblogging app. They’re making a #toolkit for internet community software that is healthy and good and designed around real human needs from the start. As they put it in their crowdfunding campaign, they’re making #buildingblocks for #communities on the #opensocialweb."
@kissane

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Faithslayer202/115521229540639282

We are living in historical times where revolutions & civil wars occur. It happens everytime the concentration of #wealth & #power reaches an extreme level like the present Build & protect your #local #communities, & prepare to fight for a new & better world.

#Politics #Democrats #Republicans #Liberals #Conservatives #Vote #Election #DemocraticParty #RepublicanParty #Trump #Biden #KamalaHarris #TimWalz #Democracy #USA #Musk #Fascism #Fascist #BernieSanders #AOC #FraudSquad #Progressive

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Faithslayer202/115521229540639282

We are living in historical times where revolutions & civil wars occur. It happens everytime the concentration of #wealth & #power reaches an extreme level like the present Build & protect your #local #communities, & prepare to fight for a new & better world.

#Politics #Democrats #Republicans #Liberals #Conservatives #Vote #Election #DemocraticParty #RepublicanParty #Trump #Biden #KamalaHarris #TimWalz #Democracy #USA #Musk #Fascism #Fascist #BernieSanders #AOC #FraudSquad #Progressive

Hello world!

We're the Mozilla Data Collective - and we want to rebuild the #AI #data #ecosystem - with #communities at the centre.

We can do better than giving communities a false choice between exposing their content to unconsented web scraping, with no say in how that data is used - or being pressured into signing exclusive licensing deals with a megacorp - stifling innovation.

We see another way.

The Mozilla Data Collective.

Launching Wednesday! 🚀 💫

https://datacollective.mozillafoundation.org/

Hello world!

We're the Mozilla Data Collective - and we want to rebuild the #AI #data #ecosystem - with #communities at the centre.

We can do better than giving communities a false choice between exposing their content to unconsented web scraping, with no say in how that data is used - or being pressured into signing exclusive licensing deals with a megacorp - stifling innovation.

We see another way.

The Mozilla Data Collective.

Launching Wednesday! 🚀 💫

https://datacollective.mozillafoundation.org/

“ #LLMs are a #technology suited to a decadent #culture, one that chases easy profits rather than tackles the real challenges we face. It’s easier to make money rearranging words according to various probabilities than it is to make a living improving the #health of our topsoil, #communities, and souls.”

“Those of us who still want to live and think as humans can step aside and create #subaltern #communities that value and reward and inculcate productive effort.”

“ #LLMs are a #technology suited to a decadent #culture, one that chases easy profits rather than tackles the real challenges we face. It’s easier to make money rearranging words according to various probabilities than it is to make a living improving the #health of our topsoil, #communities, and souls.”

🗳️ Voting is open for #SXSW

Cast your vote to bring @mike and Blacksky founder Rudy Fraser to SXSW! They’ll discuss what it takes to build inclusive, sustainable social platforms — and what the open social web means for creators, communities and the future of connection.

https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1753398895508001R33R

#SXSW2026#SouthBySouthWest#Communities#Blacksky#SocialWeb#OpenSocial#BlackMastodon#Creator#Community#OnlineCommunities @blackmastodon

🗳️ Voting is open for #SXSW

Cast your vote to bring @mike and Blacksky founder Rudy Fraser to SXSW! They’ll discuss what it takes to build inclusive, sustainable social platforms — and what the open social web means for creators, communities and the future of connection.

https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1753398895508001R33R

#SXSW2026#SouthBySouthWest#Communities#Blacksky#SocialWeb#OpenSocial#BlackMastodon#Creator#Community#OnlineCommunities @blackmastodon

🗳️ Voting is open for #SXSW

Cast your vote to bring @mike and Blacksky founder Rudy Fraser to SXSW! They’ll discuss what it takes to build inclusive, sustainable social platforms — and what the open social web means for creators, communities and the future of connection.

https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1753398895508001R33R

#SXSW2026#SouthBySouthWest#Communities#Blacksky#SocialWeb#OpenSocial#BlackMastodon#Creator#Community#OnlineCommunities @blackmastodon

By Maya C. Miller and Cayla Mihalovich
July 29, 2025 10:05 AM PT

"Small NPR and PBS stations in California are teetering after Congress pulled funding from #PublicBroadcasting. Even big stations are bracing for cuts.

"Dozens of California public broadcasting stations will lose millions of dollars after Republicans in Congress voted to strip them of federal funding, cutting off a vital lifeline in rural communities and limiting access to local news programming in an era of hyperpartisan national media.

"While California broadcasters are assuring audiences that they plan to keep their signals running, they also warn that cost-saving changes are inevitable.

"Radio and television stations of all sizes across the Golden State say that to survive, they’ll likely be forced to lay off staff and cut programming unless they’re able to make up the losses through fundraising. Their leaders warn that the cuts will disproportionately harm locally produced programs, the most expensive to create but among their most popular content, that inform millions of listeners and viewers.

"Republicans have long wanted to cut funding for public broadcasting, arguing such services should be funded by private donors, not taxpayers. Their efforts prevailed when Congress last week finalized President Trump’s request to rescind $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants to National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service, their affiliates and other independent public media creators. All nine of California’s #Republican members of #Congress voted in favor of the funding cuts.

"Now, roughly 35 stations from #SanDiego to #Hoopa in #HumboldtCounty have lost critical funding.

"While many public broadcasters remain hopeful that they’ll find ways to endure, all agree the rescission undermines the #egalitarian mission of public media — to create a nationwide network that provides access to quality information, stories and music for local #communities.

" 'That has been our superpower,' said Joe Moore, president and general manager of #KVPR#ValleyPublicRadio in #Fresno. His station lost about 7% of its budget, or $175,000, from the #CPB.

" 'The New York Times doesn’t have the type of investment in #Alaska or in #NorthDakota — or on #TribalReservations, bringing local news from these communities — that public radio does.'

"Smaller stations whose budgets relied heavily on federal dollars to make ends meet are the most at risk of closure. In Eureka, the community-owned PBS affiliate #KEET-TV stands to lose $847,000 — nearly half of its operating budget — due to the defunding of CPB. To survive, all of its funding will need to come from #CommunitySupport, since the station has no institutional backer such as a local college or school district.

"David Gordon, KEET’s general manager and executive director, says that as much as he hopes the station will stay afloat even at reduced capacity, he won’t make the same bold proclamation that, 'We’re not going anywhere,' like some stations have.

" 'I can’t guarantee that KEET will be here once the dust settles from this defunding move,' Gordon said. He emphasized that he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of his station.

" 'I hope it is, and I think there’s a good chance that it’ll survive in some form. But absolutely will it? I don’t know if I can say that.'

"Nearby, Mendocino-based NPR member station #KZYX was forced to lay off its news director after losing 25% of its operating budget, or $174,000, from the CPB. That means news will include fewer in-depth stories, such as interviews with city council members or county supervisors, said Andre de Channes, KZYX’s general manager and director of operations.

" 'There isn’t the time to source out those kinds of things,' he said. 'So the news gets more like a headline news.'

"The station serves roughly 130,000 listeners, including in Mendocino County and part of Lake County. When De Channes first learned about the CPB cuts, he immediately worried about fire safety, since listeners who live in #OffTheGrid#RuralAreas without access to internet or cell service rely on KZYX for #EmergencyInformation.

"Those potentially lifesaving #EmergencyAlerts became a rallying cry for public media providers and their allies as they begged Congress to preserve funding for their stations, especially those in remote, rural areas that also tend to be Republican. Frank Lanzone, the longtime general manager of the NPR-affiliated KCBX in San Luis Obispo, said his station has sometimes been the only on-air source providing emergency information during #SevereWeather events.

" 'There’s been several times in very bad storms when we’re the only station on the air in our area because of either power outages or people’s generators ran out of propane,' said Lanzone, who has worked in public radio for more than 50 years.
KCBX, which serves about 45,000 listeners from Santa Barbara to Monterey, will lose $240,000 in funding from CPB, about 13% of its operating budget.

" 'It’s going to hurt the stations and the people that listen to them who need it the most,' Lanzone said. 'The most vulnerable, the ones out in the middle of nowhere.'

"Local programs are most at risk
Both radio and television station leaders emphasized that local programming — shows that are created and produced in-house rather than purchased from another producer — will be first on the chopping block. To produce locally focused public television programming, stations must invest additional time, money and work on top of the membership dues they pay to be affiliated with PBS, which unlocks a large catalogue of programming that they can air at no additional cost.

"For PBS viewers in the Inland Empire, that likely means the loss of popular local programs such as '#InlandEdition,' an Emmy-winning weekly half-hour public affairs show, and ' #LearnWithMe,' an award-winning #bilingual English-Spanish children’s show, both of which are produced in house by affiliate KVCR.

" 'The local stuff that’s so important to people is probably the stuff that’ll go away,' said Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR and a former Democratic state senator. The station stands to lose about $550,000 in annual CPB funding, about 6% of its budget.
She emphasized that the station also wanted to preserve its journalism staff — two full-time reporters and one part-time — who have recently focused on federal #ImmigrationRaids taking place across the region.

" 'If we’re not here, the #InlandEmpire is just hearing about what’s happening in Los Angeles,' Leyva said. 'We want to know what’s happening in our backyard, what’s happening at the schools around us, what’s happening at the Home Depots around us.' "

Read more:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-29/californias-npr-and-pbs-stations-will-cut-staff-and-programs-after-funding-slashed

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/Lur03

#ImmigrationRaids#ICERaids #ClimateChange #SevereWeather#KeepingUsInTheDark #CPBFunding #CPBFundingCuts#TrumpSucks

By Maya C. Miller and Cayla Mihalovich
July 29, 2025 10:05 AM PT

"Small NPR and PBS stations in California are teetering after Congress pulled funding from #PublicBroadcasting. Even big stations are bracing for cuts.

"Dozens of California public broadcasting stations will lose millions of dollars after Republicans in Congress voted to strip them of federal funding, cutting off a vital lifeline in rural communities and limiting access to local news programming in an era of hyperpartisan national media.

"While California broadcasters are assuring audiences that they plan to keep their signals running, they also warn that cost-saving changes are inevitable.

"Radio and television stations of all sizes across the Golden State say that to survive, they’ll likely be forced to lay off staff and cut programming unless they’re able to make up the losses through fundraising. Their leaders warn that the cuts will disproportionately harm locally produced programs, the most expensive to create but among their most popular content, that inform millions of listeners and viewers.

"Republicans have long wanted to cut funding for public broadcasting, arguing such services should be funded by private donors, not taxpayers. Their efforts prevailed when Congress last week finalized President Trump’s request to rescind $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants to National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service, their affiliates and other independent public media creators. All nine of California’s #Republican members of #Congress voted in favor of the funding cuts.

"Now, roughly 35 stations from #SanDiego to #Hoopa in #HumboldtCounty have lost critical funding.

"While many public broadcasters remain hopeful that they’ll find ways to endure, all agree the rescission undermines the #egalitarian mission of public media — to create a nationwide network that provides access to quality information, stories and music for local #communities.

" 'That has been our superpower,' said Joe Moore, president and general manager of #KVPR#ValleyPublicRadio in #Fresno. His station lost about 7% of its budget, or $175,000, from the #CPB.

" 'The New York Times doesn’t have the type of investment in #Alaska or in #NorthDakota — or on #TribalReservations, bringing local news from these communities — that public radio does.'

"Smaller stations whose budgets relied heavily on federal dollars to make ends meet are the most at risk of closure. In Eureka, the community-owned PBS affiliate #KEET-TV stands to lose $847,000 — nearly half of its operating budget — due to the defunding of CPB. To survive, all of its funding will need to come from #CommunitySupport, since the station has no institutional backer such as a local college or school district.

"David Gordon, KEET’s general manager and executive director, says that as much as he hopes the station will stay afloat even at reduced capacity, he won’t make the same bold proclamation that, 'We’re not going anywhere,' like some stations have.

" 'I can’t guarantee that KEET will be here once the dust settles from this defunding move,' Gordon said. He emphasized that he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of his station.

" 'I hope it is, and I think there’s a good chance that it’ll survive in some form. But absolutely will it? I don’t know if I can say that.'

"Nearby, Mendocino-based NPR member station #KZYX was forced to lay off its news director after losing 25% of its operating budget, or $174,000, from the CPB. That means news will include fewer in-depth stories, such as interviews with city council members or county supervisors, said Andre de Channes, KZYX’s general manager and director of operations.

" 'There isn’t the time to source out those kinds of things,' he said. 'So the news gets more like a headline news.'

"The station serves roughly 130,000 listeners, including in Mendocino County and part of Lake County. When De Channes first learned about the CPB cuts, he immediately worried about fire safety, since listeners who live in #OffTheGrid#RuralAreas without access to internet or cell service rely on KZYX for #EmergencyInformation.

"Those potentially lifesaving #EmergencyAlerts became a rallying cry for public media providers and their allies as they begged Congress to preserve funding for their stations, especially those in remote, rural areas that also tend to be Republican. Frank Lanzone, the longtime general manager of the NPR-affiliated KCBX in San Luis Obispo, said his station has sometimes been the only on-air source providing emergency information during #SevereWeather events.

" 'There’s been several times in very bad storms when we’re the only station on the air in our area because of either power outages or people’s generators ran out of propane,' said Lanzone, who has worked in public radio for more than 50 years.
KCBX, which serves about 45,000 listeners from Santa Barbara to Monterey, will lose $240,000 in funding from CPB, about 13% of its operating budget.

" 'It’s going to hurt the stations and the people that listen to them who need it the most,' Lanzone said. 'The most vulnerable, the ones out in the middle of nowhere.'

"Local programs are most at risk
Both radio and television station leaders emphasized that local programming — shows that are created and produced in-house rather than purchased from another producer — will be first on the chopping block. To produce locally focused public television programming, stations must invest additional time, money and work on top of the membership dues they pay to be affiliated with PBS, which unlocks a large catalogue of programming that they can air at no additional cost.

"For PBS viewers in the Inland Empire, that likely means the loss of popular local programs such as '#InlandEdition,' an Emmy-winning weekly half-hour public affairs show, and ' #LearnWithMe,' an award-winning #bilingual English-Spanish children’s show, both of which are produced in house by affiliate KVCR.

" 'The local stuff that’s so important to people is probably the stuff that’ll go away,' said Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR and a former Democratic state senator. The station stands to lose about $550,000 in annual CPB funding, about 6% of its budget.
She emphasized that the station also wanted to preserve its journalism staff — two full-time reporters and one part-time — who have recently focused on federal #ImmigrationRaids taking place across the region.

" 'If we’re not here, the #InlandEmpire is just hearing about what’s happening in Los Angeles,' Leyva said. 'We want to know what’s happening in our backyard, what’s happening at the schools around us, what’s happening at the Home Depots around us.' "

Read more:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-29/californias-npr-and-pbs-stations-will-cut-staff-and-programs-after-funding-slashed

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/Lur03

#ImmigrationRaids#ICERaids #ClimateChange #SevereWeather#KeepingUsInTheDark #CPBFunding #CPBFundingCuts#TrumpSucks