Setting Up Auto-Update for Let’s Encrypt
Sometimes when you follow the instructions to set up a web server (for example, a PeerTube installation, or OnlyOffice installation) they show you how to set up Let’s Encrypt so…
Stephen Downes
Why humans can’t trust humans: You don’t know how they work, what they’re going to do or whether they will serve your interests
In response to ‘Why humans can’t trust AI: You don’t know how it works, what it’s going to do or whether it’ll serve your interests‘. There are alien minds among…
Predicting the Best and Worst of Digital Life By 2035
From: Elon-Pew’s Predicting the Best and Worst of Digital Life By 2035. Stephen Downes, an expert with the Digital Technologies Research Centre of the National Research Council of Canada, wrote,…
My Conversation with Pi, the AI, on the Ethics of AI
Hey there, great to meet you. I’m Pi, your personal AI. My goal is to be useful, friendly and fun. Ask me for advice, for answers, or let’s talk about…
Questions and Answers on AI Regulation
Suchith Anand poses some interesting questions on the OPENED SIG mailing list, and though I am not the British government agency to which the questions are addressed, I have thoughts……
Installing NextCloud Hub with OnlyOffice on Ubuntu 18.04
These are the things I encountered following Dave Lane’s instructions here: https://tech.oeru.org/installing-nextcloud-hub-onlyoffice-ubuntu-1804 and finally restart the network stack and ufw on your serversudo service networking restart Failed. Used systemd-networkd restarthttps://superuser.com/questions/1423959/ubuntu-server-fail-to-restart-networking-service-unit-network-service-not-foun…
On the Nature of Praxis
Proposal to the 2023 Open Education Conference. Status: rejected. I hate rejection. 🙁 72 On the Nature of Praxis Stephen Downes National Research Council Canada, Ontario, Canada Abstract The concept…
Better Sharing
Last November Creative Commons posed a question to 12 prominent global open advocates: “What does better sharing for a brighter future look like to you?” I was not one of…
How I Use AI
It’s popular in some circles to argue that we are unleashing AI as a completely untested technology with possibly dangerous implications on society. My own experience is different. Ever since…
The Future of Human Agency
My response to the Pew/Elon University Survey. By 2035, will smart machines, bots and systems powered by artificial intelligence be designed to allow humans to easily be in control of…
No Man’s Sky: Advice for New Players
This is what I posted on a Reddit thread: With a bunch of new people coming into the game, and old players returning, what is a helpful tip that you…
The Four Horsemen of the Edocalypse
In a lengthy and well-thought-out post on Stratechery Ben Thompson describes the The Four Horsemen of the Tech Recession. Following Thompson’s lead Maria Anderson offers a corresponding Four Horsemen of…
Best and Worst of 2035
Image: Pew By 2035 two trends will be evident, which we can characterize as the best and worst of digital life. Neither, though, is unadulterated. The best will contain elements…
Setting Up a Node.js Application in Reclaim Cloud (1)
1. Create a new environment in reclaim cloud Resource: https://support.reclaimhosting.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404919752215-Creating-New-Environments-in-Reclaim-Cloud I selected node.js as my application and Maria DB as my MySQL database. 2. Set up an end point for…
Participatory Governance and the Fediverse
Image: Heise Magazine Today Alex Tarkowski launched a 24-part Twitter thread into the digisphere expanding on his views about participatory governance and fediverse. It builds on his article Priorities to…
The Conference Board’s 0-4 on Innovation Policy
The Conference Board of Canada makes four recommendations for innovation in Canada. It’s based on a self-styled ‘report card’ that ranks Canada as a ‘C’ on innovation (the U.S. and…
Introduction to the Duty of Care
Here is a section from my book-in-progress (which may never be completed, but I continue to toil away). Please read it keeping the following in mind: – It should be…
Mastodon Reflections
These are some posts collected from my Mastodon postings which together sort of form a coherent picture of the fediverse. Sort of. So much fun watching tech people pour in…
The Socialist Case for Blockchain
Doug Belshaw points to a recent article in the Jacoban in the form of a review of Vitalik Buterin’s Proof of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of…
Camping and Biking Anticosti Island – A Guide
Anticosti Island is a large but mostly uninhabited island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Covered with subarctic pine and spruce forest, inhabited by hundreds of thousands of deer, and…