It seems like Mastodon is losing its mindshare to #Bluesky among many academics.
I can't help but think this has to do with the self-imposed limitations of Mastdon — lack of quotes, ordered timeline, etc. Makes it less interesting to use, for no real advantage.
Sad, because the underlying decentralization is much more robust.
@tiago@academicchatter It's the same story being hyped again and again, IMHO. A few weeks ago it was Threads that would suck all energy out of the Fediverse. Today it is BlueSky. Tomorrow it will be something else. The weird thing is — ultimately the fediverse keeps on growing at a rather stable rate. Which makes sense, as it is here since many years and will stay around for many more years to come. The hype machine will find new targets, ActivityPub will stay ;)
@tiago@alx@academicchatter You are still reducing the discussion to the way Mastodon has implemented ActivityPub. Quote posts exist in the Fediverse outside of Mastodon. And I simply don’t buy the implied argument that quote posts are annimportant reason for academics to shy away from the fediverse.
Simple calculation. If you pack solar panels on the giant flat roofs of shopping malls (and maybe add them as shade covers on the giant parking places AND add some big storage batteries, you can offer FREE charging for all EVs, cover most of the power usage of the complete shopping mall and on good days even sell electricity to the grid. Same for airports. What's not to like? cc @isotopp
My point being: Don't see solar as a way to sell electricity, but as dog-fooding, as we software people say. Meaning to use things yourself first as a priority. I did the math. For most rural areas, with this approach, we can end up with effectively free electricity for the majority of the people, IF we accept a bit of change. Like switching off fridges during the night when we sleep. Fridges are quite good at surviving power outages fr up to 24 hours. Etc.
I guess I will write a blog entry on this with pictures and stuff, but when you live in Central Europe, in a city, and you think about getting an electric bicycle, here's my advice. You want something practical. A city bike. Hub gears, 3 are enough, you'll only use the 3rd gear anyway as your bike is electric. You don't need fancy middle drive. Go for a 250W front wheel motor. Get a comfy saddle. Big bags. Make sure it has lights, mud flaps and chain protection. It's a tool. Go robust, not fancy
This is my go-to electric bicycle. Around 700€. I charge it maybe twice a week. The battery is removable, so I can take it upstairs while the bicycle stays in the garage. I added big bags and a crate. I don't care about looks. I care about practical use. I commute 16 km every day. It's brilliant. I go shopping with it. Easily carries 30-40 kg of shopping stuff if needed. It's a no-brainer, IMHO.
@kev So now we have a date and a time for the ominous #Facebook meeting. 2023-06-27 11:15 to 12:00 PT. #Meta#Fediverse That's good to know. Thank you for sharing!