Conversation
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Scroll quīndecim
sourceWelcome to volume fifteen of Scrolls, a newsletter for sharing cool stuff from the IndieWeb, Fediverse & Cybersecurity realms. This week, we tap into the light side of the force web, laud the benefits of decentralization, and take a lovely lovely trip to Potatoland!
Oh, plus—here’s my favorite Star-Wars-ey thing from this year’s May-the-Fourth (be with you) celebration ⬇️
IndieWeb
Welcome back fellow web-traveler, to the light-side of the Internet! (Y’know as opposed to the dark side). This side is known by many names, but I’ve come to call it—the “IndieWeb”. Given how constantly online we all are, it’s surprising how surprised people continue to be when they first discover it. Like, “there’s a whole segment of the Internet that is just individuals bein’ themselves on fun quirky web sites?”. YEP! There sure is. In the modern age of the Internet, this concept of a “more human web” turns out to be quite profound, even if anatomically, the web-gardens that comprise the IndieWeb are not. What makes the IndieWeb special is that it’s fun, it’s human (and deliberately anti-corporate), it’s meaningful as a medium for expression, rememberance, and to connect in endless ways not possible within the prevailing (soul-sucking) silos of the corporate, hegemonic web.
Despite these virtues, the idea of blogging in isolation is a lonely proposition for most. For those, the world of blogging is a blackhole—a void where their words go, never to be seen. But as it turns out, the IndieWeb has quite the lively community, and with a little time and effort, you too can find people here and connect. So go check out some cool sites! Peruse their blogroll if they’ve got one (here’s mine). Tell your friends about the awesome stuff you find! You can even reach out to people you find on the web and let them know you liked something about their site! Most folks have some form of contact (e.g. email, Fediverse, etc…) available.
If you don’t have your own website already. I bet you’re totally convinced to go and make one at this point riiiight? I’ve talked a lot and provided tons of resources for how to get started in the past—but here’s some more stuff that could help! There’s no shortage of website builders (e.g. Phantomake) to check out. Teahouse hosting is a new hosting platform that looks intriguing—fancy a tea party? Just pick something that looks cool, try it out and see how it goes. With static sites especially, it’s generally easy enough to move your content elsewhere if needed. Start small, remember to consider accessibility, don’t be afraid to hand-jam your own HTML, and share your process! Don’t worry about what isn’t done, there will always be something unfinished about your site. Just keep working on it as you have time.
Small Web Finds and Features
Here’s some awesome stuff I’ve discovered on the web this past week…
- Apis Necros’s post about Core Values. This is an IndieWeb practice I think is awesome. Everyone should take the time to write about what guides them, why they do what they do, etc…
- Paloma Kop has a very aesthetically pleasing site.
- Eli’s latest week notes. This is a blogging format I adore. Just to peek into someone elses life and see a bit of genuine humanity for once on the Internet.
- Martin’s blog Weaving Stories looks awesome!
- Anubi, of AnubiArts, is one of my favorite Pixel Artists on the Fediverse—and they now have a website!
- Frills is a long-time favorite site for me on the IndieWeb. They were recently featured on People and Blogs!
- Last but certainly not least, check out Adam Newbold’s Pokémon Art Appreciation series. It’s fire!
Fediverse
Never a dull week in Fediland I tell ya–y’know, we’re a complex and silly bunch afterall! Fortunately, if things get too spicy where you’re at, you can always pick up and find a new home. It’s one of the benefits of an actually decentralized social platform! Or, you could always just turn the lights off and take a break for a bit (could be good advice for many)…
A third option is, for those who want to make the rules or feel like doin’ a little digital homesteading, the ever-eventful world of self-hosting! Yeah, that’s right, you can just haul off and run your own social media network and continue to chat with all the same people you were chatting with before on Fedi. Except this time ‘round, you can make it all about you. Want to change up the look and feel? Gotcha. Wanna go light-weight? Done-zo. Hell, you can even make your website Fedi-compatible! So fear not weary traveler, your search is over.
Cybersecurity
Welcome back to the horror show beautiful utopia that is the infosec world! A field and a career that is a ever-devolving hellscape boundless sea of enjoyment and opportunity.
Speaking of how well things are going…. we’ve got super-secure and totally not leaky LLMs, SSL is in perfect shape, nothing to worry about with fonts, JavaScript is flawless as usual, and all things remain hunky-dory in Potatoland!
OK… mhmm… I see you’re a bit skeptical… well if you’re still somehow worried despite all my words of comfort, here’s some recently discovered tools you could check out to help secure things more I guess…
- CLOAK: Concealment Layers for Online Anonymity and Knowledge
- Kubernetes Goat: Intentionally vulnerable cluster environment to learn and practice Kubernetes security
- Ransomware Tool Matrix Project
Thanks for reading Scrolls! Now waddle you waitin’ for? Go do cool stuff on your website!
