Zero Trick Pony @zerotrickpony@mastodon.technology

certified: generate self-signed (TOFU) ECC certs for TLS https://code.lag.net/robey/certified | https://lobste.rs/s/ke1rhp #crypto #python #show

As we watch events in Texas unfold, bear in mind that Texas "seceded" from the US national electrical grid in order to avoid federal regulation. They privatized their grid into the hands of a few wealthy people. As a result there are only two limited interconnects making it impossible for surrounding states to share power to keep Texas afloat in terms of electric power.

All this suffering in Texas should not be happening. The grid in Texas is intact, they just don't have generation capacity. If Texas had remained part of the US grid, power from as far away as California, Washington, West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, could be routed to Texas. Looking at the real-time data here, the US grid is running at more than 200 GW below capacity. There's enough power to hold up two states of Texas even if Texas had no generation at all. But we can't send them power.

Keep this in mind when rich people trick the public and politicians about privatization, and spout garbage like "going it alone, in keeping with the pioneering spirit of the USA". No. Organized cooperation is power. Going it alone is weakness.

Don't believe in cooperation? Study how the Roman army was organized. It was all about very tightly organized cooperation, starting with an individual soldier and those to his immediate left and right. This is how 8,000 Romans could take on 80,000 and methodically slaughter the 80,000 with zero losses.

> …It was very thorough and they had obviously put a lot of effort into it, but it was all premised on this idea that GamerGate was some kind of shining PR success, even though as I remember it they managed to take a complaint about a video game review and mishandle it so badly that they literally got condemned by the UN General Assembly. But it's the thought that counts, and I am humbled by their support.

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/still-alive

I am once again thinking about the Sino-Soviet friendship posters that appear to be telling the story of a gay couple

I don't think people realize why its important to remove white supremacists from your board/forum/web community.

- They are extremely motivated.
- They have a tradition of recruiting via meme(in the classic sense).
- They have centuries of effective propaganda.
- They will take over. Slowly at first then suddenly.
- They will always create more moderation work for you. They will never stop pushing.

Every society struggles with this. And it's not some conspiracy.

this is the best summary of the "working at twitter" experience i've ever seen (via @cadadr)