Victoria N. Alexander, Ph.D., is a literary fiction novelist, writing about censored and controversial subjects with audacity, humor, and compassion.

It was an honor and pleasure to speak with VN Alexander on a wide variety of topics. I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation where we touch on the finer points of many ongoing changes in our digital experience. Learning from her vast knowledge and expertise has been a valuable experience. You’ll definitely benefit from exploring her works, which range from novels to educational courses.

This conversation was a thrilling opportunity for me to learn from her in-depth knowledge and precision about AI tools, online safety, and the fall of our institutions. We explore the opportunities and possibilities in taking part of the change to bring about a better digital future. By precisely understanding the deep differences between biological systems and machines we can make the best of the future.

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Samuel reached out to me to offer people free consultations to improve their digital experience. I took the opportunity to have a rich conversation with him about the finer points of privacy and overall digital autonomy in our time. It was a very welcome chance to connect over not just the perils of our age, but the actual opportunities to build a better digital experience.

This conversation was a helpful way for me to dig deep into some of the finer points of our current struggles to maintain digital autonomy in our time. We start off talking about how telling someone to “just use Linux” should be the start of a conversation, not a command. We talk about how your overall choices have an impact regardless of what particular product or system you chose.

This overlaps with many pressing questions like the end of support for Windows 10, as well as choosing ‘dumbphones’ over a smartphone. It’s not just what you use, but also how you use it. The importance of judicious use of social media is a great example. Yet, neither of us are purists, we believe that changes that ultimately isolate you from other people are wholly impractical for a better digital future.

What I hope you take away from our conversation is an invitation, no matter what your background is, to consider how you can use technology rather than have it use you. Privacy shouldn’t be about hiding, but about building trust and protecting real independence. Both Sam and I would encourage you to nurture a desire to steward a better digital future for yourself and others.

If you’re impressed by this conversation, you may want to consider bookmarking his website haveprivacynow.com which will eventually feature blog posts and a newsletter.

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New XMRChat from Leo:

Thanks for the excellent article on Zano, and in general for the information you share. Keep up the weight loss! Share how you did it? Staying away from soft drinks was key for me, as well as cutting out all caffeine.

Weight loss progress - Major Milestone: Below 350 šŸŽ‰

New Article: You don’t understand the Culture War

Technical blog Self-hosting: Speed, decentralization and efficiency

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Tech Google stock jumps 8% after search giant avoids worst-case penalties in antitrust case

Google wants to make sideloading Android apps safer by verifying developersā€™ identities

“Sideloading” is the rentseeker word for “being able to run software of your choosing on a computing device you purchased”.

GrapheneOS not affected

Some of the New US State Social Media Laws are Driving Away Small Social Media

4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over its Age Verification Law

Mastodon says it doesnā€™t ā€˜have the meansā€™ to comply with age verification laws

Technically, [fedi admins are] probably also breaking laws in Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and so on.

Are We Decentralized Yet? - Fediverse vs ‘The Atmosphere’

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I really would like your feedback on what features are essential for a desktop RSS reader to have in 2025! I am not a designer, so UX suggestions are very much valued. I want this project to be built for making the open web a first-class contender with other media systems. The more feedback I get early on, the better this can be in the long run.

Help me build the best desktop RSS client!

You can now leave tip messages via XMRChat Feel free to browse the repository for XMRchat. XMRchats will be read and answered in the next relevant piece or recap, whichever comes first!

I’ve hit a major weight loss milestone of 200lbs down from my high of over 570. That mission has definitely impacted the Libre Solutions Network as a project, but I’m grateful to have made so much progress. I am optimistic that with enough support, I can really go full-throttle into making the Libre Solutions Network an impactful project for digital autonomy.

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Listen on Peertube

This is a great conversation with Anti Moonboy a highly knowledgeable Monero advocate also known as Xenu on X. It was a pleasure to be joined by a knowledgeable and passionate cyber rebel to discuss many things including his latest manifesto Darknet Market Maximalism. In our conversation we touch on the wider cryptocurrency discussion as well as the finer points of decentralization and privacy.

If you’re interested in staying up to date on Monero and other topics Anti Moonboy News is a phenomenal resource. Please consider following Anti Moonboy through his site’s RSS feed, but you can also check out his channels on YouTube, Rumble, and Odysee.

The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.

Satoshi Nakamoto - Bitcoin Genesis block

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This conversation is an opportunity to learn from Simplified Privacy, an organization that works to put decentralization in practice. It was a pleasure to talk with Shadow from the team to dig deep into the challenges involved with privacy for fun and profit. This was a great opportunity to compare notes on the bleeding edge of decentralization and privacy tools and the practical realities of putting it to use. There are a lot of important questions to ask and lots of fine points to consider.

You can follow Simplified Privacy on Nostr to get connected.

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We return to the Digital Autonomy series to take a close look at our role in participating in today’s information landscape. It is an honor and a pleasure to be joined by James Corbett of the Corbett Report to dig into this topic in detail. James brings his vast experience as an independent researcher and alternative media voice. We discuss the evolving digital landscape as well as the pressing concerns around artificial intelligence tools. Independent voices and audiences themselves face unprecedented challenges to make the most of the opportunities of our time.

Consider taking this as an opportunity to reevaluate how you want to engage online. It has never been more clear that our time on corporate platforms is on borrowed time. You can consider trying out the Fediverse or nostr or even just bookmark sites you find important and valuable. We all have a role to play in shaping the future of the information landscape, and our choices matter.

CIA mines ā€˜richā€™ content from blogs

Open Source Journalism

Mission Un-Accomplished? The Corbett Report Back on YouTube

AntennaPod

The Corbett Report . . . Now on IPFS!

No, RSS isnā€™t dead!

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey said he’s ‘partially to blame’ for centralizing the Internet and that he regrets it

Decentralization in Action: Odysee Welcomes the Independent Media Alliance to Portal

Independent Media Alliance.opml

A Grayjay Review

Self-hosting your own media considered harmful (updated)

YouTube Considers This Software “Harmful or Dangerous”

The Internet Is Dead. Long Live the Internet.

We Need To Talk About AI

Neil Postman on Technopoly (1992)

Shopify CEO says AI use for work a ā€˜fundamental expectationā€™ for all employees

The Illusion of Thinking: Understanding the Strengths and Limitations of Reasoning Models via the Lens of Problem Complexity

AI Mania - Nobody Special

Roko’s Basilisk: The “Banned” Thought Experiment You Might Regret Reading About

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It was an honor and privilege to join James Corbett for #SolutionsWatch to discuss Digital ID and how we can (or can’t) stop it. James Corbett is a legend and a great inspiration to this project. I would highly recommend you check out more of his work at the Corbett Report.

SHOW NOTES and comments on the Corbett Report

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I would like to introduce you to Zachary Boissinot. A great Canadian who is passionate about health and people’s autonomy. I joined Zach to discuss what it’s been like for him a personal trainer and owner of a gym. Recently I’ve begun to make progress on my own weight loss journey thanks in big part to his instruction. We touch on some of the recent challenges people are facing, as well as potential concerns of how health data can be misused. I hope you’ll find our conversation worth diving into.

The Digital Autonomy Series is where I try to have conversations to ‘bridge the gap’ between technical minds and the real concerns people have in their daily lives. The goal is to build some understanding of the pressing issues related to how our digital experience impacts different domains of life. By learning from others with a solid understanding in one of those areas, we can begin to imagine how a better digital future would actually work.

Zachary runs A Foot Above Fitness a gym with an excellent community and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it. There’s something uniquely inspiring about a community of people being so forthcoming with kindness and encouragement. Even if you’re not local, there’s a lot that can be learned from his example. You can also get connected through either Facebook or Instagram.

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