Dark ages are often quite durable.

The Latin West likes to forget that the Roman Empire didn’t fall with Rome, but staggered on like a golem for 1100 years under their fascistic new regime. The emperors were worshipped as semidivine figures anointed by God; you can still see the haloes on their ikons in Orthodox churches.

Under the brutish rulers’ absolute authority, the Christian empire long outlasted the old civic life of res-publica it burnt to the ground. The police state torched Saracen ships with Greek fire as eagerly as they did heretics and “pagan” academies.

No one dared to stop it. No one either in or against the novo ordem did, at least. The people had forgotten how, forgotten how to think beyond the hegemonic order of the Abrahamic world-state. Yet somehow some canny archives survived in monastery back rooms, mouldering on wormy shelves, copied as samizdat by the rare contrarian or cosmopolitan scribe.

Our archives must likewise be built to last for generations, to ensure learning endures such epochs. It goes without saying so far we are very unprepared.

I just saw this one shared on the “Orange Site.” A few of them were written in Common Lisp.

I know Gwen Weinholt has built her Loko Scheme for running on bare metal, I wonder if that should be listed on this site as well?

Wilderland

The digital world we live in is full of excesses. We have come to expect fast speeds, 100% up-time, high resolution and always accessible digital media. The primary version of this website reluctlantly aims to meet those expectations, while highlighting some these issues.

The main version of this site is accessible at all times of the day, but is housed on a self-hosted server, made from recycled, consumer-grade computer parts, on a domestic internet connection, and domestic electricity connection.

The remote website is most precarious, relying on solar power and cellular network, the main version of the website is slightly less precarious.

#art, #permacomputing

A little lightning talk at CERN about #permacomputing and #uxn.
https://cds.cern.ch/record/2931835

The next #PermaComputing Berlin Meet up is this Sunday 18. June:

## DITHERING HEIGHTS ##

Image dithering was once a clever trick for digital imaging on limited hardware in the 1980s. It largely faded from memory as higher power graphic hardware become more ubiquitous. But recently, among those of us interested in a smaller more efficient web, it is having a bit of a renaissance. However, it's not without its critics. This PMC Berlin session will demonstrate and discuss techniques and styles for making images as small as possible. Florian Stolzenhain will bring his ancient Mac and show us some possibilities. We will have a general discussion of limited-palette aesthetics, dirt-style compression and dithering discontents.

https://berlin.permacomputing.net/

at @offline

Are there any good resources or research on long-lived components? Most of the #permacomputing articles I've seen have been somewhat high-level. For example, I didn't see much discussion of ceramic capacitor aging or the lifetimes of electrolytics. If I wanted to build a device that would run for 200+ years, is there a good source to guide me around the pitfalls?

Permacomputing Update 2021 | viznut

#permacomputing, #sustainability

I finally watched "Machines in Flames" - the most #luddite documentary ever. Very clever and provocative as well as self-aware. A good one for anyone interested in #PermaComputing

https://machinesinflames.com/

While reading Leanne Betasamosake Simpson's Theory of Water I'm coming to see that part of the reason why the #permacomputing community seems so compelling to me is that it offers a way of practicing computing outside of capitalism and colonialism. That like water (Nibi), the logos of computation is fundamental to what it means to be human. I guess I'm thinking here with Ron Eglash, Arturo Escobar, Lisa Nakamura, and (honestly) a bit of Earl Fontainelle.

https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2533-theory-of-water

got a hand-me-down 'thin client' chromebook I'm looking to repurpose into a beater laptop I can throw in a bike bag without much concern.

looking for appropriate desktop environment / window manager setups for

+ 4G memory & 8G disk, both slow and precious space
+ cramped screen: display bars, tiling, much beyond full-screen application windows isn't necessary
+ offload most control to CLI/TUI, don't need GUI widgets for network etc.

Wilderland

https://remote.materialsmatter.ie/about.html

"Wilderland is a partnership project between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), North Mayo Heritage Centre, Mayo County Council’s Arts Service and Environment, Climate Change and Agriculture Department, TASC Think-tank for Action on Social Change, and artist Elaine Harrington.

[...]

The project will create a public space for discussion about the biodiversity and climate crises and explore our relationship to our environment through creative workshops and climate awareness events that promote sustainable use of materials and stewardship of the landscape, using collaborative, co-creative activities to initiate conversation about how we use and protect our natural environment, its resources and its plant & animal life.

[...]

Wilderland is collaborating with graphic designer and lecturer Colm O’ Neill [ @colm ], to extend its sustainable thinking by considering the digital and communication requirements of the project. This means acknowledging that computation and the internet can have a direct, negative, impact on the climate."

When #FLOSS devs get in a “let’s be disruptive, yay” mood it really turns me off. The strength of FLOSS should be in #permacomputing, pursuing the long view of continuity, sustainability, and backwards compatibility. If you’re not helping keep the production loops long, you’re failing the Earth.

No rando VC is going to fall in love with your project, guys. It’s just not on.

Description: "[A] new series focusing on how to build computers [from scratch] using simple electronic devices such as microcontrollers (MCU) and system-on-chips (SoCs) to achieve meaningful and concrete computing capabilities... [Y]ou will also be able to come up with your own computer designs, tailored around your computational needs."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUSDWLZC-s

An interesting online festival has just started right now for three days

FLEURON

a three-day online festival for all things at the overlap of #botany and #technology. Join us online from April 23–25 for the most inspiring creators working at the overlap of botany, design, illustration, and tech.

It's 33$, online, right now:

https://fleuron.tf/

After the Code of Conduct and the Mediation process, the Core Governance document is now ready for wider feedback.

This document describes what JoinJabber does and what we aim to achieve. It also describes what our values are and a way to make proposals to the entire community.

Feel free to share and read/respond to the document.
https://codeberg.org/joinjabber/collective/src/branch/governance/Governance/Governance.md

Tän hetken iso kiinnostus: #permacomputing
Katselin huvikseen löytyykö Youtubesta videoita, niin Arte julkaissut sinne yhden, josta kanssa saatavilla saksaksi käännetty versio, tämä ranskaksi. Vaikken kieltä osaa enää juuri ollenkaan, niin tämän menon katsominen inspiroi vaan ihan törkeesti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmeEcSCaQHw