Cypherpunk is a genre of fiction closely related to CyberPunk. It involves near-future technology themes, but focuses more on cryptography, decentralization, and network theory than on hacking, cracking, and culture jamming (though it often incorporates those elements in less central story lines).

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates - https://old.reddit.com/r/lightningnetwork/comments/10916pl/image_quote_by_socrates/

Another Angle

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance”

Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1996)

What about a series of videos, maybe weekly. Each one would take one controversial topic and probe its depths. Present the 10 second summary, and the one minute version, and the annotated five minute version. Invite others to critique and expand individual elements.

Maybe something like Wikipedia, but comprised like TikToks and FixedByTheDuets, and curated by pure scien-tists. Timeline tags with collaborative filtering to elevate the most useful.

In The News

Reddit Itself

• Reddit Subpoena'd for User Identities: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/17m4616/lakehead_school_board_files_court_order_demanding/
  • RedditLakeheadDistrictCorruption
• Reddit Sells Content to AI Company: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1aunu6b/reddit_user_content_being_sold_to_ai_company_in/
  • Alt Sub: https://old.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/comments/1auo1xn/ysk_reddit_is_planning_to_sell_its_user_generated/
• IPO Info, CEO Comp
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1axll4s/reddit_files_to_go_public_reveals_that_it_paid/
• Enshittification: https://old.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/1axru6h/enshittification_rolls_ever_onward/
• Meh Story, See Comments: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1aylvdd/reddit_has_never_turned_a_profit_in_nearly_20/

Post Election 2024

• Twitter Shadow Ban / Election 2024: https://old.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/comments/1gnctmn/she_was_probably_shadow_banned/
  • Dumbass Effect: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/1gndo23/the_reality_of_our_politics_and_society/
• The US Experience (from a European View): https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1gnl96x/pretty_much_sums_up_my_experience_in_the_us_from/
• Reactionism
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/madlads/comments/1gnbrtk/bro_is_ready/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/691/comments/1gn831y/rule/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/1gnb8in/_/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1gnc3fd/lorena_bobbitt_after_years_of_domestic_abuse_cut/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/therewasanattempt/comments/1gnelrh/to_remain_private_while_being_publicly_hateful/
• Disinformation
  • https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/link-between-media-consumption-and-public-opinion
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/Journalism/comments/1gm74bh/i_dont_know_if_i_believe_in_what_im_teaching/
  • See Also: Documents/hacking/politics/2024-election-disinformation-impact.png
  • https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fpk7h32cbblzd1.png%3Fwidth%3D1600%26format%3Dpng%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D96a6c7000070eb9d6b27fa7bed950b3be5c0de33

Other

• Expert vs. Confident: https://old.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/comments/1bwx4j5/talking_to_experts_multiple_images/
• Russia Bots and 2024 Election: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1b10v2r/russia_using_bots_and_fake_accounts_to_interfere/
• Empathy is socially transmitted: https://old.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1azu3d3/study_found_that_empathy_is_socially_transmitted/
• Trolling Creates "News": https://old.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1amfolm/yall/
• 50% of Environmentalists Left Twitter, Risk of Losing Environmentalist Public Discourse
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/science/comments/15skifh/nearly_50_of_environmentalists_abandoned_twitter/
• 52 doctors behind social media spread of covid misinfo
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/15slxwb/social_media_study_reveals_just_52_doctors_spread/
• Canada Demands Meta Lift News Filter for Wildfire Coverage
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/15uud0h/canada_demands_meta_lift_news_ban_to_allow/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/15uud0h/canada_demands_meta_lift_news_ban_to_allow/jwsbcmf/
  • "The feds in consultation with Canadian news agencies wanted meta and other social media providers to pay the Canadian news agencies for the news that people post on the platform. Meta says no we are not a news agency and that is not a part of our core business so we don’t want to pay, thus they block access (before the fires were even an issue). Fast forward to present and people are trying to use social media to try and post these stories but they can’t, so people have to go to the Canadian news agencies directly to get the news. Which is exactly what any sane person would expect the outcome would be. Now the feds are mad that meta doesn’t want to share the stories (and pay for the shares as well)."
• This is war (China)
  • https://www.politico.eu/article/china-behind-largest-ever-digital-influence-operation-says-meta/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/164jhue/china_behind_largest_ever_digital_influence/
• 5 people control a wide swath of Reddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/comments/166dyuk/incredible_how_pointing_out_how_a_few_people/
• Twitter: Creepy Stalker for Profit: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/167i2zy/x_formerly_twitter_to_collect_biometric_and/
  • "We may collect and use your personal information (such as your employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement, and so on) to recommend potential jobs for you, to share with potential employers when you apply for a job, to enable employers to find potential candidates, and to show you more relevant advertising." - Twitter
    • "Oh, so for a small fee your current employer can also check in on which person is job hunting. Cool. I'm glad I hopped off when Elon bought Twitter." - Redditor
      • "Don't forget now political figureheads who find you to be a perceived threat can now contact your employers to get you fired, can research your history to find potential attack points when doxxing you out of revenge or preemptive attack, and stalkers/harassers can now easily find you without the need for any pesky social engineering or deep dives. How long til we get our first stalker victim killed from some incel pretending to be a recruiter so he can find a target where she/he lives?"
• YouTube has no obligation regarding free speech: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/16ayv5q/youtube_under_no_obligation_to_host_antivaccine/
• Zuck Celeb Chat: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/173o3yl/meta_is_paying_the_celebrity_faces_behind_its_ai/
  • Also See "AI Celeb Chatbots"
• Billionaires Own Media: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/177zf50/the_us_government_has_abandoned_the_nations/k4w9mql/
• Broken Social Media: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1793n6g/this_war_shows_just_how_broken_social_media_has/
  • https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/10/social-media-infrastructure-news-algorithms/675614/
  • "Social media is not just a vector for information. Or misinformation. It’s a place to bear witness, to express solidarity, and to fight for change. All of that is harder now than it was just a year ago. What comes next is impossible to anticipate, but it’s worth considering the possibility that the centrality of social media as we’ve known it for the past 15 years has come to an end—that this particular window to the world is being slammed shut."
• 2003 Influence Campaign: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/179yzd3/stunned_and_sickened_wexner_foundation_cuts_ties/k59ho06/
  • In my day, influence campaigns were done by humans, and they were considered bad.
• Apple & Jon Stewart Split: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/17cdru6/if_we_werent_in_the_darkest_timeline_this_is_the/
• Biden, SCOTUS, Disinformation: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/17d2v0k/supreme_court_allows_white_house_to_fight_social/
• Twitter Charging: https://old.reddit.com/r/BrandNewSentence/comments/17ez0u7/an_acorn_a_decade/
• Palestine / Israel Polarization: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/17m56s4/students_walk_out_of_hillary_clintons_class_to/k7is8rf/
• The Death of Social Media: https://iterativechaos.com/summary/17pxanm.html
• Threats to The US: https://iterativechaos.com/summary/17sc9jk.html
• China Disinfo Campaign: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/17vjveu/china_is_using_the_worlds_largest_known_online/
• Some Guy on Disinformation & AI: https://www.securityweek.com/addressing-the-state-of-ais-impact-on-cyber-disinformation-misinformation/
• Bo Burnham: Commodifying Your Mind: https://old.reddit.com/r/Antimoneymemes/comments/17yb0rj/under_capitalism_corporations_are_commodifying/
  • See Seagate Backup / Media/Video/substance
• Malicious Shitposting on Truth Social: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/184o6bq/inside_the_operation_to_bring_down_trumps_truth/
• Twitter Community Notes Might Work: https://old.reddit.com/r/GetNoted/comments/18fd16o/elon_double_noted/
• Google Search: You're The Product: https://old.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/18f5ulr/what_the_google_overlords_dont_want_you_to_see/
• Apple Breaking Android Compatibility: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/18fr525/senator_warren_calls_out_apple_for_shutting_down/
• Obama Clip on Disinformation: https://www.reddit.com/r/StrangeEarth/comments/18ghc12/obama_describes_with_precision_what_we_are_seeing/
  • https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/obama-was-warning-about-disinformation-not-endorsing-it/
• 15% of Reddit Content is Corporate Generated: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/18m1vlh/new_study_at_least_15_of_all_reddit_content_is/
• Medvedev Acknowledges Election Interference: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1ajdamk/medvedev_doesnt_hide_russias_plans_to_interfere/
• Japan Political Social Media Accounts: https://old.reddit.com/r/madlads/comments/1ddk6tf/what_a_madlad/

Death of Journalism

• BBC Decline: Bombastic Headlines: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1ahoet5/inert_nuclear_missile_found_in_us_mans_garage/
• ABC Headline: Plane Door Falls Off: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1apypqg/plane_lands_safely_after_door_falls_off_midflight/

Discussion Topics

See Also: cypherpunk/cypherpunk_reddit/doc/story/

• A discussion whose depth Reddit cannot reach: https://old.reddit.com/r/clevercomebacks/comments/174n36u/reddit_moment/
• Market Pricing and the margin between demand, supply, and market price: https://iterativechaos.com/summary/173yrnj.html
• Twitter Follower Calling: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/17jsa0z/a_psa_on_privacy_setting_changes_two_images/
• Cruelty as Idiot Detector: https://old.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/1821dnm/how_to_spot_an_idiot/
• "If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts; if you have the law on your side, pound the law; if you have neither the facts nor the law, pound the table."
• Thematic Media: rogue one, firefly, dungeon crawler carl, v for vendetta, The Expanse, Blade Runner, The Matrix, Snowpiercer, The Hunger Games
  • CypherThematicMedia
• CypherEmpathyMachinesAndArguments
• Tamagotchi Streamers: https://old.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/189zbi7/everyone_has_the_mom_subscriber/
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Acceptance, Glorification, Fragility, Evolution
  • Plastic Faced Woman Versus Dead Obesity Influencers: https://old.reddit.com/r/shitposting/comments/18ya2ks/froot_loops/
  • Misgendered, Fragile, Possible Straw Man: https://old.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/18z1gqn/you_better_watch_out/
• United States Migrant Carrying Capacity (V2)
  • What kind of research data do we have on the cost (~services) and benefit (~labor) of migrants?
  • Are there meaningful trends? Is the data sufficient to make forecasts that significantly differ from current numbers, or are there too many unknown unknowns?
  • They will exist somewhere until they pass on. What are the options and what are the implications in how we support or limit those options?
  • If the cost/benefit is negative, how many per what period can we support for a reasonable cost? Compare to the budgets for other socio-benevolent missions like public defenders.
  • What is the US rate of inbound requests for asylum? What is the trend in that number?
  • What is the US clearing rate of requests for asylum? What is the trend in that number?
  • What is the global rate of migration and trend? What would be our share based on population, GDP, or GDP/capita?
  • Pull the numbers together.
    • What is the cost per migrant?
    • How many can we support?
    • What is the inbound rate and forecast?
    • What is the net rate and forecast?
    • What knock-on effects should we consider?
• Migrant V1
  • What kind of research data do we have on the cost and benefit of migrants who request asylum protection?
  • Are there meaningful trends? Is the data sufficient to make forecasts, or are there unknown unknowns?
  • These are human beings who have to exist somewhere until they pass on. What are the location options and what are the implications for our national identity in how we approach those options?
  • How many per what period can we support for a reasonable cost? Compare to the budgets for other benevolent missions like public defenders.
  • What is the current rate of requests for asylum? What is the trend in that number?
  • What is the clearing rate of requests for asylum? What is the trend in that number?
  • Pull the numbers together.
    • What is the cost per migrant?
    • How many can we support?
    • What is the inbound rate and forecast?
    • What is the net rate and forecast?
    • What knock-on effects should we consider?

Links

• Zapddit: https://zapddit.com/t/nostr
• Bluesky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesky
  • DeSocial
  • Double Bridge to Nostr via ActivityPub
  • AT Protocol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_Protocol