It’s a common shape in the universe: large spherical mass in the center, plane of objects rotating around it.

Imagine a new object orbiting Saturn in a random direction. At some point (two, actually), it will cross the plane of the rings. Eventually it will crash into an object. The average of the impact will be closer to the plane. Eventually, it will either align with the plane or its orbit will be unstable.

Is this one of those cat ladies I’ve been hearing about?

Illegal human ‘Locust’

WTF… I really want to live in a world where people in power are at least afraid to say things like that publicly.

I think more ironic than bad.

I think this still eliminates class action suits. According to the article quotes, they still define the court and terms under which you can sue.

It is illegal. That’s what the lawsuit is about.

Way down yonder?

Oh, absolutely. I’m sure that they are infiltrated, which is why they keep getting caught. If you and I can figure out what they are up to, then I’m guessing the FBI and all their fun toys know what’s up.

They have evidence against all of them, but it’s better to wait until they can really put them away for a long time.

Mastodon manages to do it on ActivityPub

I just can’t take all this free speech that’s happening right now

I would argue that there should be a block feature and also a mute feature. What we currently call “block” is actually just a mute.

Imagine finding out one day that someone you’ve blocked for harassment has been following you around and making nasty comments on every single post you made for months, or even leaking personal information. You just didn’t know it.

It happens, and even on Lemmy you will have people who will do this (doxing will get a ban but other behaviors may slide under the radar, especiallyif the target doesn’t see and report it).

That was my first instinct, but no… The specific inclusion of 14 & 88, together and in that order?

Walmart just did it to be noticeably less than competitors, who often would price items ending in .99, .98, or .97.

Not stupid, just lucky that you haven’t had extensive dealings with these people

When I’ve brought this up with the devs, they have shot it down immediately. Basically, their attitude is that posts are public by default. So hiding them from a blocked user doesn’t really do anything.

Of course, that’s nonsense. Mastodon does it. It has an incredible chilling effect on harassment.

What does this mean? Does this mean they’re trying to do something like Yelp and hold those reviews hostage?

True, but most orgs and devs would take the reliable monthly income rather than an unpredictable infusion every two years. If it’s a massive donor base, maybe those things even out. For smaller, active projects, I don’t mind giving a percentage to the bank knowing that they can rely on my donations every month. The larger annual gifts are usually reserved for orgs like clinics, food banks, and community institutions that can handle the fluctuations.

I think there may be a challenge or challenges that you haven’t pinned down yet. First is: what problem does this solve?

Second is, how will people know that they are housed under the same roof, so to speak? A small instance dedicated to NBA basketball may be interesting, but if it seems disconnected then people would be wary. Small specialty instances can be shut down without warning for all sort if reasons.A consortium of instances may help with this issue, as long as it is immediately clear through common branding that they are part if the same group.

Third is that different communities have different needs.

Don’t worry, deceptive sales are still allowed everywhere else…

Not specifically software, but I divide my donations into three categories - for my budget, that’s basically the $10-20 range, the $20-500 range, and $500-2000. I track the donations I make over the year, with a target in mind. For me, the target is 10% of income.

I decide which organizations are doing the most important work, and prioritize those. I try to donate monthly to those that I make use of regularly, then I give the rest as what comes up from day to day.

I consider free software to be a social good, so I don’t separate it from other giving.