06.06.20
Gemini version available ♊︎Status Update: DDoS, Traffic, Interns
Summary: Times are difficult for liberty/freedom; but we’re trying to stay on top of it all in spite of attempts to derail us
THIS past month we’ve managed to produce more stories, short posts, memes and feature articles than usual. Our goal is to return to the dozen or so per day (as we did a decade ago).
“DDoS attacks of various forms have been attempted for 2-3 weeks, on and off…”Over at Tux Machines, which over the past week saw an all-time traffic record for the second week in a row, DDoS attacks have spread (it started about 5 days ago), causing the site to be unavailable or unbearably slow at times. Here in Techrights attacks were attempted as recently as less than 24 hours ago. DDoS attacks of various forms have been attempted for 2-3 weeks, on and off…
We’re aware that some people are sometimes not able — or barely able — to access Techrights. We’re improving our defenses over time. We’re ready to file complaints and reports if those attacks persist and intensify; it usually takes far more time than it’s worth.
We’ve meanwhile been training someone from South Africa to help with Tux Machines. The situation there is grim (access to basic resources, especially at times of crises like this terrible pandemic), so it has taken up a lot of time with little to show for it. Internships can be extremely time-consuming with no guarantee of any output whatsoever.
We’ve meanwhile been looking deeper and deeper into the events some dubbed “Free software 9/11″; the European Patent Office (EPO) still interests us, but not much is happening there and the USPTO we’ve mostly relegated to Daily Links (with focus on 35 U.S.C. § 101 cases). So we write more about GNU/Linux…
“Internships can be extremely time-consuming with no guarantee of any output whatsoever.”There are all sorts of ways people can help Techrights. Any help can lead to improved productivity, hence more articles. The best way to communicate about ways to help is our IRC channels. We pick E-mail less regularly and we don’t do “social control media” (it’s more of a noise machine, designed to provoke and reward for emotional impact rather than accuracy or quality; “likes” don’t represent objective value but sometimes just sheer anger or a measure like “celebrity status”).
We love hearing from readers and it motivates us to carry on. Our workflow is improving over time, even if it can be a tad slow (e.g. overhead in picking up mail). Our accuracy is still of utmost interest and memes are for entertainment value, albeit they’re based on underlying facts (presented with some humour).
“Our accuracy is still of utmost interest and memes are for entertainment value, albeit they’re based on underlying facts (presented with some humour).”The riots in the US are manifesting or replicating themselves as protests in the UK (I’ve seen no concrete evidence of violence, sabotage or arson; the state media calls it “UK anti-racism protests” and celebrities get involved). The economy isn’t really recovering; people being forced to go back to work (despite health risk) is merely evidence of systemic failure, putting financial interests ahead of basic safety. The American oligarchs earned an additional 60 billion dollars (or something in that region) since the riots began, so you know who stands to gain and who stands to lose…
As a ‘remote’ worker (I don’t consider home to be “remote” per se) I’m still hanging in there, managing to pay the bills. That limits the amount of time I can spend on Techrights, but at least it keeps Techrights going.
Stay safe, stay home if possible (the oligarchs want you back at work, working for them) and don’t forget the value of solidarity, as well as the power of reconciliation. Vandalism helps make a point; but it creates nothing. █
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act: it is a permanent attitude.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
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