I did a restoration of discuss.userland.com, the discussion group for scripting.com between 1998 and 2001. I think now finally it works. If you find anything interesting in the archive, send me a link. A lot of the early blogs started from discussions there, heated at times. But a lot of good stuff came from it. #
The very last message in the DG is, now, 25 years later, basically the design of the network I'm building -- with WordLand as the frontend and WordPress as the backend. The issue is the same. When people post only to get attention, forget about anything useful getting done there. It's strictly a broadcast system. So the investment Masto and Bluesky make in discourse is imho wasted complexity. What we want is linking, not replies. If they were the web, they would be designed very differently. Anyway, in 2000, I asked people to put their ideas on their own sites, send me a link, and maybe I'll post it on my site. That right there is the plan for the new network. Facilitating that, it's as easy as posting on a twitter-like system (the early users confirm that!), but the post goes into your space ie your blog, and a link goes to the person you're responding to, and it's up to them whether or not they want to amplify it, using their own criteria, in their space, to their subscribers. It's why twitter failed to be a keg of revolutionary ideas, instead one of warring factions in a prison. Not able to leave, but not able to do anything either.#A question came up about the RSS feeds that WordLand maintains, so I wrote it up on the support site. Net-net: Unless you're developing a component of the textcasting vision, you should probably use the WordPress-maintained feed for your site. #
I love how people declare that Trump doesn't represent us. But the truth is as long as our representatives don't impeach and remove him, he absolutely does represent us. There aren't two definitions of represent.#
- I am hereby changing the name of "Republicans" to "Fucking Republicans" because that's what they do and what we're going to do to them. Today's issue is Medicare, which hits home to me, a person who planned for health care and depends on Medicare.#
- I need my Medicare. It's my health insurance. Health insurance always been a problem for me, with pre-existing conditions, and at one point a lapsed corporate plan.#
- I finally got on solid ground or so I thought when I turned 65 a few years ago. Now I find out that the Repubs are going to cancel or reduce my insurance, and I don't imagine that a person my age, with my pre-existing conditions (we all have them once at this age) I could get insurance.#
- So please tell me Republicans, how this is meant to work? I am not stupid and I know Medicare is not out of money. Am I going to be paying out of pocket for my health care? Are there any doctors or hospitals who even do this any longer?#
- Repubs, if my Medicare goes down, you are going down too.#
- PS: The inspiration for this fucking idea. #
- I'm not a paid subscriber to anything on Substack. But I do read a few of their newsletters when they come out, including Paul Krugman's. Almost always must-read stuff. #
- But he also writes on the "other side of the paywall." When he announced it, he said he doesn't need the money, so I wondered why he does it. I kept reading anyway.#
- But he does something incredibly annoying and as clueless imho as the things he calls out in his writing — I only find out an article is on the other side of the paywall after I've read the first few paragraphs. I am a fan and I would send the money directly if he asked for it, but not via Substack.#
- Here's an example of such a post. #
- So because I don't pay I have to lose that time every time you do this? Have some respect for us who read you. I'm as old as he is, and I like to use my time well. So please either get rid of the stinking paywall, or warn us up front.#
- And also consider getting off Substack. It's not a good look.#