Fresh Fusion

It’s that time of year again in the U.S. of A.—time to take stock of where we’ve been and find all of the silver linings. And it’s time for this podcaster to geek out over some very special blessings, from weird quirky indie horror films to weird quirky indie web browsers as well as weird quirky indie…OK, I think you get the idea. 😄 Also some thoughts on why there’s value in staying engaged in local politics even when national elections are a source of undying gloom. And guess what? Yearly intentions work! But enough about me. What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Why has the mood changed so suddenly on Threads? How has Meta dropped the ball at this pivotal moment for the nascent social network? Meanwhile, other social networks and the Fediverse as a whole are kicking some serious ass. It’s a real shift in a short amount of time from just earlier in the summer, and I’m here to talk all about it…and how much I just love Mastodon 4.3 + Tangerine UI 2.0. 😍

It’s the summer of our content, as we take time to enjoy the great outdoors and spend quality moments IRL with friends and family.

At least, that’s what I’ve been doing, as well as making structural changes in my day-to-day such as a studio move and an email newsletter move from ConvertKit to Buttondown. But even as the sun is shining and the birds are singing, what’s happening on social media right now is…weird. And I’m not sure how to feel about it.

Like, what IS going on with the Fediverse anyway? And should we all just hold our Meta-scarred noses and embrace Threads now? Hmm. Let’s talk about that.

Some people say that RIVEN: The Sequel to MYST is the greatest computer game of all time. (That’s me. I say that.)

Perhaps YMMV. But there’s no doubt that Riven is the G.O.A.T. of puzzle adventure games as pioneered in the 1990s, and this year we’re blessed with the tremendous opportunity to fall in love with Riven all over again, as Cyan has developed and published a modern remake in glorious real-time 3D. I am, quite simply, obsessed. Here’s why you should be too.

I’ve often found that most of the people out there who have genuine talent and real success are more than happy to pass their well-founded wisdom on to others. Unfortunately, those experts who have a proven track record, having made predictive claims grounded in reality over time, are often not the popular figures in our society. With alarming frequency, many “influencers” with high follower counts are fairly good at one thing: influencing…not the actual topics they claim to understand based on real-world expertise. Let’s discuss.

Generative art, aka artistic output that’s produced by a sophisticated set of parameters, cycles, connections, and yes, even algorithms, has been around for decades—especially in music—and has a prestigious and invigorating history. More importantly, generative art tools have helped usher in countless new art forms.

Contrast that with…well…y’know. 😂

In this so-called “Age of AI” we find ourselves in, it’s helpful to take a step back and remember that new generative artistic capabilities have typically given rise to vast new worlds of creative expression. Augmentation if you will, not substitution. Alas, Silicon Valley seems to have lost the plot. We should stop trusting they’re seeing something we’re not, and instead trust our own judgement in choosing tools which elevate (not badly approximate) human ingenuity and artistry.

A tale of two Threads: one—the Threadiverse—is a subportion of the Fediverse dedicated to replicating the kind of experiences we’re familiar with on Reddit, Hacker News, and the like; the other is Meta’s fast-growing competitor to X. Not confusing at all! 😂

In this episode I break down what the Threadiverse is and how I’ve been using and enjoying Lemmy, and then cover the latest developments with Threads having entered the Fediverse (in a partial solution) and what’s coming next—and how it’s being impacted by the Fedipact. I also cover a range of exciting news on the growth of the open social web.

And in the Fusion+ segment this week: my spoiler-light review of Alex Garland’s heady movie Civil War and the fascinating metanarrative it offers on the nature of journalism, activism, and the quest for Truth.

Sigh. It’s frustrating to still feel like an early adopter of open web technology. How many years has it been? 25? 30? But here we are, trying to convince the masses that you can use open protocols, networks, and software to build lasting publishing businesses and outlets for your creativity. And who better to show us the way than…Donald Trump? Perish the thought! 😱 (But seriously, it’s amazing to recall everyone once scoffed at his fledgling social network once he was booted off Facebook and Twitter and…well, it was hardly the kiss of death.)

He proved Big Social just ain’t so powerful anymore. Can people who aren’t *batshit crazy* please take inspiration from this and use the open web for good?? TIA! 🙏

Say it with me: Own Your Own Platform.

Microblogging is an artform, just like any other creative endeavor people publish on the web. In this episode, I talk about one of the subtle techniques I sometimes use to microblog which increases the likelihood of engagement and boosting—but beware! You can definitely overdo it, and you can also manipulate people with it if you’re a bad actor. Use responsibly. 😅

And in the Fusion+ segment: it’s been six years since the acquisition of GitHub by Microsoft. How has that corporate overlordship gone? It’s difficult to deny Microsoft’s stewardship of GitHub has been a success, but there are dark clouds on the horizon…

In this episode, I dive deep into how I might be willing to acknowledge an ethical approach to using generative AI tools, and why virtually all tools in widespread use today fall wildly short in the morality department—which makes the embrace of these tools by corporations incredibly disappointing. But can we thread this needle? Is there a viable path forward? Let’s discuss.