May 2020 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

freedom of speech - from Australia to The Netherlands - Geert Wilders criminal trial, opening statement
by Zenaan Harkness 11 Oct '20

11 Oct '20

youtube-dl --all-subs https://www.youtube.com/embed/pJwoygYdTmY (default max quality is ~160MiB - choose alt if too big) Nationalism is a thorn in the side of the hegemonic empire, and the simple question, when you are a watched / listened to human, can land you in criminal court, as Australia's Bernard Gaynor knows only too well. (Besides the comments, this only links to the video above: http://vladtepesblog.com/2016/09/25/geert-wilders-opening-statement-for-his… )

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1. Freedom Makes People Smarter - homeschooling
by Zenaan Harkness 07 Oct '20

07 Oct '20

Stating the obvious dept, using for those stucked in the oblivious dept. 6 Reasons to Start Homeschooling ASAP https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-31/6-reasons-start-homeschooling-asap

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Puri.sm Librem 5 Phone Ships, Pine64 Pinephone Coming, Linux and BSD Phones
by grarpamp 05 Oct '20

05 Oct '20

https://www.pine64.org/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/09/purisms-librem-5-phone-starts-shipp… https://puri.sm/posts/first-librem-5-smartphones-are-shipping/ https://pureos.net/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuT2w6BkT-k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvnt78mK-Ac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHcHi0TBFv4 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64-PJ-yoF7aJ9pIHWEbrTQ/videos Support the Digital Rights Movement... Get this phone ! Purism announced their first Librem 5 smartphones were rolling off the assembly line and heading to customers. "Seeing the amazing effort of the Purism team, and holding the first fully functioning Librem 5, has been the most inspirational moment of Purism's five year history," said their founder and CEO Todd Weaver. On Wednesday they posted a video announcing that the phones were now shipping, and Friday they posted a short walk-through video. "The crowdsourced $700 Linux phone is actually becoming a real product," reports Ars Technica: Purism's demand that everything be open means most of the major component manufacturers were out of the question. Perhaps because of the limited hardware options, the internal construction of the Librem 5 is absolutely wild. While smartphones today are mostly a single mainboard with every component integrated into it, the Librem 5 actually has a pair of M.2 slots that house full-size, off-the-shelf LTE and Wi-Fi cards for connectivity, just like what you would find in an old laptop. The M.2 sockets look massive on top of the tiny phone motherboard, but you could probably replace or upgrade the cards if you wanted... [Y]ou're not going to get cutting-edge hardware at a great price with the Librem 5. That's not the point, though. The point is that you are buying a Linux phone, with privacy and open source at the forefront of the design. There are hardware kill switches for the camera, microphone, WiFi/Bluetooth, and baseband on the side of the phone, ensuring none of the I/O turns on unless you want it to. The OS is the Free Software Foundation-endorsed PureOS, a Linux distribution that, in this case, has been reworked with a mobile UI. Purism says it will provide updates for the "lifetime" of the device, which would be a stark contrast to the two years of updates you get with an Android phone. PureOS is a Debian-based Linux distro, and on the Librem 5, you'll get to switch between mobile versions of the Gnome and KDE environments. If you're at all interested in PureOS, Purism's YouTube page is worth picking through. Dozens of short videos show that, yes, this phone really runs full desktop-class Linux. Those same videos show the dev kit running things like the APT package manager through a terminal, a desktop version of Solitaire, Emacs, the Gnome disk utility, DOSBox, Apache Web Server, and more. If it runs on your desktop Linux computer, it will probably run on the Librem 5, albeit with a possibly not-touch-friendly UI. The Librem 5 can even be hooked up to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and you can run all these Linux apps with the normal input tools... Selling a smartphone is a cutthroat business, and we've seen dozens of companies try and fail over the years. Purism didn't just survive long enough to ship a product -- it survived in what is probably the hardest way possible, by building a non-Android phone with demands that all the hardware components use open code. Making it this far is an amazing accomplishment.

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I'm just white. I didn't choose to be supreme, Supremacy chose me. - and what's this "NPC" meme? - [PEACE]
by Zenaan Harkness 04 Oct '20

04 Oct '20

I'm just white. I didn't choose to be supreme, Supremacy chose me. White privilege? Ahh yes, “white achievement”. #ItsOkToBeWhite Meme of the $TIME_VECTOR: NPCs exist in IRL. NPCs ("non player/playable character" for the gaming impaired) are people who look and seem to act normal, but are functionally mentally disabled - unable to think much if at all, unable to reflectively listen, unable (or really struggle) to form any original thought, often cannot answer basic questions e.g. "So you hate Trump, you want change - how are you going to achieve that?" followed by a blank stare. https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/9hc9cs/whats_going_on_with_t… “Npc’s are people who lack critical thinking.” "It was shocking to a lot of people, myself included, to find out that a lot of the people you interact with on a daily basis are literally incapable of thought as we understand it. The same response kept coming up - "This explains everything". That was pretty much my thoughts too. Like this line out of 1984 really got me: Orwell's 1984: “It was not the man’s brain that was speaking it was his larynx. The stuff that was coming out of him consisted of words but it was not speech in true sense: it was a noise uttered in unconsciousness like the quacking of a duck.” “I can see why people get upset by [being labelled as a living NPC meme]. I don’t think we should make fun of people who think differently, or even at a “lower level”. If it is thinking at a lower level, then you are just making fun of the disabled.” The distance between he who can critically reason, reflectively listen, introspect and engage in con-verse-ation, and those who cannot, is a gulf of consciousness so vast that the one incapable cannot even conceive of what he is missing. Idiocracy in action. Now the fun part - being labelled an NPC is apparently https://kotaku.com/how-the-npc-meme-tries-to-dehumanize-sjws-1829552261?IR=T quite triggering to the typical "SJW NPC wacko". Just like (literally, as in, actually) CNN's Don Lemon calling Kanye West a "token negro". real thoughtful there Mr Lemon… real thoughtful. Hmm… beware memes from the "anti-progressive online communities" hey? Memes are dangerous, as are "anti-progressive online communities" you hear? Do NOT go to them! Especially don't go to the vile Daily Stormer Memetic Monday article which meme-highlights how truly pissed off "@brightabyss" got with this "NPC meme" - yes @brightabyss, your name is so unique and snowflakey we understand your pain - so embrace your inner child already and give him his blankey and a pacifier - it is so clear from your @…abyss nick that you could never be mistaken for an NPC, so don't you fret your little brow about... and leave your bedside leather lampshade on to keep the darkies away... you'll be alright now. https://dailystormer.name/memetic-monday-npc-edition/ ^B^B^B^BWhoopsososorry

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Overton Window: Scott Adams: “most charitable explanation …@tedlieu experiencing temporary TDS hysteria, owes @RealCandaceO world's biggest apology” - [PEACE]
by Zenaan Harkness 27 Sep '20

27 Sep '20

Goys and Hoys, le overton window nicely banged open for now, in this instance Scott Adams backs USA Republican Candace Owens after she rips into lying Democrats Ted Lieu and Jerry Nadler: The most charitable explanation of this situation is that @tedlieu is experiencing temporary TDS hysteria and owes @RealCandaceO the world's biggest apology. The less charitable explanation is almost beyond comprehension. https://t.co/u9GrjCYZB0 — Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) April 9, 2019 Interesting times :) Candace Owens in EPIC clash with Ted Lieu at congressional ‘white nationalism’ hearing https://www.rt.com/usa/456065-candance-owens-ted-lieu-hitler/

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OpenPOWER EULA up for review - intends to be "libre-friendly"
by Zenaan Harkness 20 Sep '20

20 Sep '20

OpenPower EULA Released, FOSDEM, and More (Libre RISC-V M-Class by Luke Leighton) https://www.crowdsupply.com/libre-risc-v/m-class/updates/openpower-eula-rel… Several things in this update: the OpenPower Foundation released their EULA (which is really exciting); we had a last-minute decision to go to FOSDEM to meet NLNet (and meet lots of nice people including someone from the EU Commission); we have new team members helping out (and making really good progress). Before we begin, however, we still have a high-priority task of finding a C++/compiler developer for the NLNet-funded 3D MESA Driver project. EUR 50,000 is available, tax-free: this thread describes the scope, where you’re pretty much at liberty to choose the approach that you’d like to take. http://lists.libre-riscv.org/pipermail/libre-riscv-dev/2020-January/003302.… OpenPOWER Foundation Releases the Power ISA EULA This is a big deal: the EULA for anyone wishing to create a Power ISA compatible processor, it’s been designed to be “libre-friendly.” We will need to do a full review, and would appreciate feedback on it, via this bug report. A very quick read (like, right now): the really interesting bit is the combination of a royalty-free grant (as long as you are fully compliant with Power ISA) in combination with “if you initiate patent litigation, you lose all rights immediately.” This provides an extremely strong disincentive for patent trolls to “try it on.” It also actively encourages contributors to make sure that their work becomes an “official” part of Power, because that then gets them under the “umbrella” of protection as part of this EULA. https://openpowerfoundation.org/final-draft-of-the-power-isa-eula-released/ http://bugs.libre-riscv.org/show_bug.cgi?id=179 ...

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Expected duration of the Corona virus threat?
by Georgi Guninski 19 Sep '20

19 Sep '20

What is the expected duration of the Corona virus threat? Not only death counts, include fear, social, technological and economic threats. And what is the mortality rate of common flu?

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It's an Ill Wind
by Peter Fairbrother 03 Sep '20

03 Sep '20

2- It's an Ill Wind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XRc389TvG8 So now we know: first, that the UK government is actually deliberately trying to infect over 40 million UK citizens, and in doing so expecting, on their figures, 400,000 deaths. The reason given for this is to develop "herd immunity", where there are so many people who have had the virus that there is nobody for someone who later contracts it to give it to, as everybody has already had it and is immune. But the Chinese didn't do that. They implemented strong containment and stopped the virus dead. They didn't "lessen the peak", they obliterated the peak. There is no reason why we can't do that too. But the Government insists on buying herd immunity at the cost of at least 400,000 (more likely a million [1]) deaths. Why? The question arises, what good would herd immunity, bought at such a terrible cost in deaths, do? The reason given is that the Government believes that COVID-19 will turn into a seasonal disease, and herd immunity might protect us from it's return next year. There are three big problems with that - First, we don't know that it will return at all. Second, if it does return next year, it will have mutated - and like flu, it is likely that the herd immunity, so dearly bought, will not be effective against next year's version, if it happens. There is also concern about people in China who seem to have gotten the disease twice. We don't know why that is, whether it is two different strains of the virus (there are several hundred known varieties of the COVID-19 virus, it mutates fairly rapidly) or people getting the disease twice - however in either case that would lower the usefulness of any herd immunity. So, I don't see why the UK Government are killing 400,000 people. Apparently it isn't because the UK has a large proportion of older people. Older people who need extensive healthcare, expensive pensions, who tie up a lot of wealth and property - of the predicted 400,000 (million) deaths the vast majority would be of older people. This clearing away of unproductive and expensive (and wealthy) older population would more than balance the budget, releasing £10 billion per year in state pensions, £20 billion per year in heathcare costs, and so on. It would stop the disease in the UK fairly quickly, and it would be the cheapest option (ignoring the actuarial but not-real-pounds cost of the deaths). It would release several hundred thousand badly-needed homes (and cause a property price crash; the UK needs about 1 million homes, which is why UK property is so expensive) and would provide a more balanced population pyramid. So for the UK as a nation it would not be a bad thing (ignoring the deaths), and I fear some politicians may think "Hey, it's just the useless oldies, who cares?". But no. There is probably a sensible reason we don't implement strong confinement and stop the virus in its tracks, rather than letting it have its way. Unfortunately I don't know what that reason is. Peter Fairbrother [1] I calculate around a million deaths, but that is a bit of a back-of-the envelope calculation based on known death rates elsewhere and comparative population age spreads. Exact figures also depend on some assumptions about things we do not know about the disease. I have made what I think are reasonable assumptions. I don't know how reasonable the Goverment's assumptions are, or how they came up with the 400,000 figure.

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China reparations to world, ought include returning Tibet to the Tibetans - Wuhan China virus - [PEACE]
by Zenaan Harkness 29 Aug '20

29 Aug '20

China ought be held to return Tibet to the Tibetans, under the authority of the Dalai Llama, as part of the reparations for the China virus/ Wuhan flu. Coronavirus response in Tibet: arrests, crackdown, religious repression https://savetibet.org/coronavirus-response-in-tibet-arrests-crackdown-relig… https://tibet.net/coronavirus-response-in-tibet-arrests-crackdown-religious… .. - China has responded to the spread of coronavirus to Tibet by cracking down on people who post information online about the deadly illness, including one man who was detained by police simply for encouraging his contacts to recite prayers to ward off infection. - Chinese authorities also announced the cancellation of public religious festivals and prayer ceremonies for “Losar,” the Tibetan New Year, which begins Feb. 24. - In the wake of the outbreak, the Chinese government has activated its network of military and Chinese Community Party cadres to spread propaganda about protecting “stability”—a euphemism for the suppression of free speech and the enforcement of compliance with CCP policies. - Despite the spread of the virus, China’s leadership has chosen to move ahead with a new campaign in Tibet described as sending a “million police to 10 million homes.” The intention is to ensure “grassroots” integration of security forces in local communities. The campaign began in January and will continue throughout the year. - In contrast to the Chinese government’s heavy-handed response, the Tibetan people have reacted to the outbreak of coronavirus with compassion. Monasteries have donated funds for the purchase of facemasks and goggles, and Tibetans lit butter lamps in honour of the Chinese whistleblower who warned about the virus and subsequently died from it. https://www.yandex.com/search/?text=coronavirus%20in%20tibet&lr=10145

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Re: [Privacy] Snowden Warns Governments Are Using Coronavirus to Build 'the Architecture of Oppression'
by John Young 15 Aug '20

15 Aug '20

At 09:04 PM 4/9/2020, you wrote: >Snowden Warns Governments Are Using Coronavirus to Build 'the >Architecture of Oppression' > ><<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bvge5q/snowden-warns-governments-are-usi…>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bvge5q/snowden-warns-governments-are-usi…> Bear in mind that leaker's information ages into less significance, other than historical, as sources respond to the leaks with replacements and innovations. Leaks are left unchallenged, even promoted and initiated, by sources to serve as alluring camouflage for current operations. Some wizards claim leaks and leakers were invented and sustained for this purpose. Prosecutons and demonization and publicity and legislation are tools of the deceptive ops. FOIA a particularly manipulative technique, redactions and classification markings applied for verisimilitude. So too the tiny yellow dots and other traces. Others: Encryption and anonymizers, drop boxes, whispers to journos, aggrieved insiders and loose-lipped contractors, inspector generals, congressional briefings, sex entrapments, privacy protection NGOs, hired and coerced bots, trolls and hackers, iimplants in hardware and software, compromised communcations and internet workers and admins, lawyers, priests, psychiatrists and other supposedly confidential advisers. Roll your own narcotic of outsmarting the mofos, peddle the product of secrecy and oppression.

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