Capitalism is rife with problems, but there is one opportunity that exists within free enterprise which is unusual.

Free enterprise gives openness to explore things that are not capitalism.

This kind of experimentation is not possible in all other systems, because it threatens the system.

However, it is possible to build a co-op, a collective, a whole thriving alternative society within capitalism. It may not have the labels or structures to support it well, but it can exist.

I don't follow sports. I have no interest in them. They're pretty much a non-entity to me.

But I'd like to make a rare exception here to congratulate Taylor Swift on winning the Super Bowl.

Bluesky just opened its doors wide. (Has been invite-only for a long stretch.)

Opinion question: which looks like a more productive investment of a small organisation's time and energy:

If you're at the level of planning your retirement that it's coming up in every meeting, every conversation, every decision, then just retire.

Seriously.

I've seen this play out too many times in my life. People hold out for reasons, long after they've checked out.

Just. Go.

I believe it was some time in the late 70s or early 80s, computer scientists realised that the way computing was being done would eventually require more programmers than there were human beings living on earth.

This resulted in sweeping changes in the industry, including standardising computer hardware and software across massive sectors of the industry.

This is the kind of response needed to our looming intersecting energy and transportation crises now.

Just, y'know, action.

Lime & pepper flavoured peanuts are such a great snack to have on the counter. They're healthy. They don't go stale. They're too intense for me to binge on. They're just a great little jolt to grab a mouthful of every once in a while.

This phenomenon tracks with nearly every example of majority privilege. (It's not just a Western, or Northern, thing.)

But this gets really strange when colonisation means dominance in wealth and power, but not majority. I grew up in a country in southern Africa that was a former British colony. Colonisation's effect on the country was deep, broad and unpredictable. Internalised prejudice infiltrated the whole culture.

Most white supremacists didn't start off with the intentional choice to be white supremacists. They just grew up as the default, assuming they were the centre of everything. This is a view which was reinforced by every message being addressed to them (not just in their language, but also in their dialect and even accent), celebrating them and pandering to them.

When their position at the centre of everything was first challenged is when whiteness suddenly mattered to them: different = a threat.

Random tech tip: If you need a Windows laptop on a budget, consider a used Lenovo P series.

15-inch models were called the P50, P51, P52 and P52 (then the switched the name to P15, but they aren't cheap yet).

17-inch models were the P70, P71, P72 and P73 (same deal for the P17).

They're powerful, highly upgradeable, have extremely good build quality, and they are available for a very good price. These are better than many new computers at 2x or 3x time the price.

A question, fellow CoSonauts: today for the first time I encountered the acronym Q+ as a stand-in for LGBTQ (and all of its extended variations).

Have you encountered this?

How does it feel to you?

I've recently been made more aware than ever that there are a bajillion start-ups calling themselves institutes in an attempt to sound serious and significant.

So just a reminder: anything can be called an institute.

It doesn't need to do achieve anything. There is no standard or qualification that must be met before that word can be used.

Regard them, their work, and especially any certification they want to charge you for accordingly.

Phew, I've been on a blocking spree on Threads.

There is neither shame nor pride in blocking folks -- I'm just saying this as a public reminder to myself to curate my attention.

All communication requires some push and some pull.

When communication fails, receivers tend to blame senders, and senders tend to blame receivers.

This is naïve and futile.

Depending on the relationship, sometimes this is a thing which needs to be stated explicitly: "I need you to put more work into communication."

Either:
Work at being comprehensible.

Or:
Work to comprehend.

Work represents value.

Injustice and antagonism are entrenched with self-serving platitudes.

Seeking to point out injustice does not inherently mean seeking retribution, but it is a politically expedient thing to assume and suggest.

These are strategies of entrenchment of status quo, so the system can keep serving who it serves, ignoring who it ignores, and oppressing who it oppresses.

Some people's imagination for justice ends at retribution.

This is true for many with power and privilege, who can only imagine retribution is the goal of every justice-seeking initiative from the margins.

While we need to define terms carefully, and justice is often vague, injustice is generally clear and obvious.

I'm grateful for the interventions that are available for disabled/neurodivergent people in Canada, like tax breaks, and gov't assistance.

But I gotta tell you: these programs are complicated, confusing and clumsy! They are often associated with so much admin that many are effectively inaccessible for disabled/neurodivergent folks.

There is definitely room to simplify all of this stuff -- make it *simpler* than other things, not *more* complicated. There is also a huge need for navigators!

A lot of people have a core dream they've cherished for their whole life, but they don't take the minimal planning it would take to make their dream come true.

This is profoundly weird and vaguely sad to me.

I have to accept that people simply want to live in their dreams more than their their reality.

I've lost patience for that. You get one life. Live it!