Thrilled to have had an excellent conversation with Hunter Stabler about digital autonomy and the arts. We spoke about many different topics, ranging from Free Software, community, and the broader impact of social media. It was a pleasure to connect with somebody who’s taken many steps towards reclaiming their digital autonomy, and has such incredible talent.
You can take a look at Hunter’s creations on his Pixelfed.
We share an affinity for Blender Antennapod and XMPP. Hunter has put together a CNC machine and likes to create with Free Software where possible. Adding that we need to all find ways to collaborate and work together to solve problems of education, outreach, and support.
Links Discussed
“Impossible”: OpenAI admits ChatGPT can’t exist without pinching copyrighted work
Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery
A Taste of Freedom: Libre Hosters
A very important topic highlighted in this discussion was how somebody without much time or resources can get started with using excellent Free and Open Source Software. One way to become familiar with self-hostable services is to try them out with an online community that provides them.
Of course, since you are a guest on somebody else’s infrastructure it’s important to be a good digital citizen and respect their rules and culture while using their services. Of course, if you’re an experienced self-hoster with spare resources, consider becoming your own libre hoster for others!
Here are some examples:
Browse others at the libre hosters directory
This conversation took place over the Free Software Foundation’s Jitsi Instance. Consider becoming a member to support Free Software, and gain acess to numerous member’s benefits, including an XMPP account. OBS Studio was used to record the conversation, and cleanup/edits were done in blender and audacity.
Digital Autonomy and The Arts with Hunter Stabler