Alastair Thompson

npub157pk8t8njtnldqzankrk2syzmkp6qtrv2ewgq3fnuc4k78dr797shfngev

Kiwi, Journalist & Editor. Founder of Scoop.co.nz (since 1999) Climate Journalism, Future of News, War & Peace, Technology. Ai Newbie. #PoeticRevolution

Public Key

npub157pk8t8njtnldqzankrk2syzmkp6qtrv2ewgq3fnuc4k78dr797shfngev

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

NIP-57 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs20qmr4nee9elkspwempm9gzpdmqaq93k9vhyqg5e7v2m0rk3lzlgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduq3vamnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fwdehhxtnnda3kjctvncpc8v

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

relay.nos.social

relay.noswhere.com

Author Public Key

npub157pk8t8njtnldqzankrk2syzmkp6qtrv2ewgq3fnuc4k78dr797shfngev

Show more details

Last Notes

2024-06-02 20:36:10

- reply

Excellent, nevertheless I assume you are not a member of the witch hunting brigade

2024-06-02 19:53:58

- reply

Alcohol doesnt help

2024-06-01 11:13:59

- reply

Thats an interesting bit of math

2024-05-30 01:16:17

https://image.nostr.build/893a1298fc0a55f1d45016d436cce48103a2d147bd0cf1f2235bf151f1a84df6.jpg
GIZA Tonight (photo credit: Sandra Maureen)

2024-05-30 00:59:50

- reply

Excellent diversity of opinion. It seems we have someone here who approves of “first strike nuclear capability.”

2024-05-30 00:57:54

The Lemkin Institute has had it with the cynical lies and propaganda from Israel and the USA. One can have different views about the definition of genocide, but one may not use definitional disputes to deny genocide. If a genocide may be occurring, every nation is compelled by customary law to try to stop it.
Let us be clear: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The US is complicit in genocide. These are not political statements. They are statements that are made from knowledge and experience. Nevertheless, you do not need a PhD , a law degree, or X-ray vision to see the genocidal dimensions of Israel’s carnage in Gaza. It is clear in the behavior of the state and its military, on full display in yesterday’s horrific bombardment of a Rafah camp.
But even if there were legitimate doubts about Israel’s genocide, there is no doubt that Israel is committing atrocity crimes of the most barbaric kind. Israel must be stopped. Israel must be stopped now.
We are disgusted by Western leaders, especially in the USA, Germany, and the UK. They have demonstrated not only that they don’t care one bit about genocide prevention and human rights, but also that they are willing to allow an ally to commit atrocity crimes while they offer material and diplomatic support. It is reprehensible and the individuals involved in this gaslighting campaign should be deeply ashamed. They should also be put on trial.
Humanity has a choice: Either we decide that our children can all be killed whenever a superior force alleges that “terrorists” are among us, or we decide that under no circumstances will we allow these superior forces to lay waste to our world any longer.
We each must choose and act accordingly. The watershed moment is now. https://image.nostr.build/7fb1f904c25bce7969dfd2d08bfd645d0efbc6d41190783b376eed4db5dc3751.jpg

2024-05-30 00:45:10

You tweet on NOS.Social. And then it appears on X. Like Magic. But unlike on X it wont get throttled or deleted.

2024-05-30 00:20:47

- reply

A over-egged scraping effort would look like a DDOS? Could have bern someone wanting to build a new foundational ai model

2024-05-30 00:18:27

- reply

https://image.nostr.build/bcb99316b41bf3a4b9f7fb3a1288cbc4793e2b867842811d0f94259e00aeb90e.jpg

2024-05-30 00:17:02

- reply

This seems a bit bizarre. DnR

2024-05-30 00:16:05

- reply

It’ll get better. Birthing always takes a while. O picked it up quickly. The default colour scheme works functionally but its a bit garrish ar first glance.

2024-05-30 00:13:40

- reply

That’s excellent,
Nos.social has just proved its utility to me big time.
The problem here was that the screen locked up half way through writing it (as i was wroting) and the light coloured bit appeared and i could not edit it or post it. Locked.

2024-05-29 23:47:47

- reply

Fwiw this is what journalists like me need. Safe cave and indelible recording capacity

2024-05-29 21:26:25

I think this horrible war is approaching a denouement.

2024-05-29 21:16:45

- reply

Sort of.

2024-05-29 21:13:23

https://image.nostr.build/369c47a359bdfabd5dc574a72597e01e173bf6e135c1d9d7457c7f00f5079634.jpg

2024-05-29 21:11:46

Is this working

2024-05-29 21:10:59

Is this working?

2024-05-29 21:03:49

https://image.nostr.build/499ecf834a51ccb99039fd0772a7100eb308ebcc3cd33b4b4ac5ba14e50a0a46.jpg

2024-05-29 20:47:29

@elonmusk
GROK is really good. Do good not evil.

2024-05-29 20:44:57

Hello x

2024-05-29 20:44:21

https://image.nostr.build/9f5b2c48cc722e082ddec9e53deab66349be8dc7f8aa0d8d8b908f0721d9d34a.jpg

2024-05-29 20:39:40

https://image.nostr.build/54d850f6dbf86da002011af015ea8bc28b24147eda4af3250e470fb2846c8a74.jpg

2024-05-29 20:39:06

https://x.com/althecat/status/1795876255557931059?s=46&t=6ny-cFsmJw8-ArFy24p_1w

2024-05-29 20:21:01

https://x.com/althecat/status/1795876255557931059?s=46&t=6ny-cFsmJw8-ArFy24p_1w

2024-05-29 20:16:56

https://image.nostr.build/54d850f6dbf86da002011af015ea8bc28b24147eda4af3250e470fb2846c8a74.jpg
Twitter just froze for me and half blanked out my note mid composition. Thos is why we Journalists NEED NOSTR and Nos.social

2024-05-29 20:12:42

https://image.nostr.build/499ecf834a51ccb99039fd0772a7100eb308ebcc3cd33b4b4ac5ba14e50a0a46.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/54d850f6dbf86da002011af015ea8bc28b24147eda4af3250e470fb2846c8a74.jpg https://image.nostr.build/54d850f6dbf86da002011af015ea8bc28b24147eda4af3250e470fb2846c8a74.jpg https://image.nostr.build/a0fb5921415c8b2c4d6d90538141e961dd4b12b9ae65472d28346e00b64275d5.jpg

2024-05-28 02:24:26

- reply

Can you please drscribe this thing?

2024-05-24 21:24:21

https://image.nostr.build/82ec9cf46b581be6940c5a24a13dcd11bc0537da171aa5426846155a3d514d17.jpg https://image.nostr.build/82ec9cf46b581be6940c5a24a13dcd11bc0537da171aa5426846155a3d514d17.jpg
My hood

2024-05-24 20:43:34

- reply

https://image.nostr.build/3bbfeb937ef41d85c0dfe2eb3156615e0be892af47423680d3662def5ac722d2.jpg
It appears this right wing labourite is also keeping himsemf busy cozyyng up to kier Starmer what could possibly go wrong. This guy is definitely super neo-liberal + as adverted to in the OP being a security establishment stooge.
The UK Labour party may need to beca broad coalition, but given the latest High Court ruling re. Home Sec Suella Braverman vs the application of the right to not be assaulted or obstructed by police when protesting - cozying up to this muppet seems unwise to me.

2024-05-24 20:30:25

- reply

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/22/labour-mp-rightwing-figurehead-enabled-anti-protest-clampdown

2024-05-21 23:24:01

- reply

I’ll miss this but expecting to be in Berlin fairly shortly and would love to catch up with a Nostr crowd

2024-05-21 21:36:04

- reply

Nost Riga is in Estonia?

2024-05-21 21:35:32

- reply

No but id like to go to this too @npub1wmr…g240

2024-05-21 21:33:32

- reply

This is definitely a race.

2024-05-21 21:29:01

The world’s first AI law / legal framework. Hold on tight…. (I am pleased to see this FWIW.
New EU legal proposal for AI
Classification of AI systems as high-risk and prohibited AI practices
The new law categorises different types of artificial intelligence according to risk.
AI systems presenting only limited risk = very light transparency obligations,
while high-risk = AI systems to be authorised (i.e. a regulatory framework presumably), Plus it seems some kind of trade controls (not sure how this can be done with software) subject to a set of requirements and obligations to gain access to the EU market. (Hmmmm how!)
AI systems such as, for example, cognitive behavioural manipulation and social scoring will be banned from the EU because their risk is deemed unacceptable.
& Banning (aldo how)
THIS BIT - Govt use controls- IS GOOD
The law also prohibits the use of AI for predictive policing based on profiling and systems that use biometric data to categorise people according to specific categories such as race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Unfortunately as we now know actually regulating software privact is very hard.
And security orgs (and mega corps) will have better faster nasty Ai that makes us all individually naked regardless. That is until we launch the first digital privacy révolution - built here on NOSTR

2024-05-21 21:15:47

- reply

Me too….

2024-05-21 21:15:13

- reply

Wot is WoT?

2024-05-21 21:09:11

- reply

« The Importance of Peer-to-Peer Transactions
Bitcoin succeeded where other attempts at e-cash failed because it works on a truly peer-to-peer basis. It is a decentralized, open-source tool powered by its users for their own benefit, immune to the pitfalls of greed, corruption, politics, or overregulation. Building on this characteristic, developers around the globe have crafted an array of non-custodial tools that preserve Bitcoin’s peer-to-peer essence.
Multi-signature wallets enhance security against theft by requiring multiple keys for access, reducing the risk of physical attacks.
Lightning Service Providers empower users in developing countries to execute daily transactions and remittances at minimal costs, while maintaining control over their private keys to protect against economic instability.
Coinjoin coordinators offer essential privacy for users like journalists and activists in repressive regimes, complicating the tracking of their financial activities.
Peer-to-Peer Transactions are Under Assault
Until recently, U.S. regulators recognized the peer-to-peer foundation of Bitcoin and its non-custodial tools, refraining from regulating them as money service businesses since they are user-operated. However, recent legal actions—including the cases involving Tornado Cash, Samurai, Uniswap, and MetaMask—indicate a troubling shift in enforcement perspective, putting the entire non-custodial ecosystem at risk.
This new stance treats developers of these tools as if they are financial institutions, akin to banks or exchanges. This is a misunderstanding of the technology, as it is the users, not the developers, who engage in financial activities. If courts set unfavorable legal precedents in these cases, particularly as argued in the Tornado Cash case, the implications could be dire.
The government’s assertion is that anyone who facilitates the transmission of funds should be regulated under the Bank Secrecy Act, regardless of whether they control the funds in question. This broad interpretation has no limiting principle, and could extend to a wide array of non-custodial Bitcoin tools, from developers of hardware wallets used for signing transactions, to nodes that broadcast transactions, miners who add transactions to the blockchain, and even collaborative custody services where providers hold a minority of keys in a multi-signature setup. »
From tbe OP link… /2

2024-05-21 21:07:00

- reply

Peer-to-Peer Rights Fund
Our mission is to safeguard the decentralized, peer-to-peer integrity of the Bitcoin ecosystem by defending non-custodial tools and their developers from regulatory overreach.
We are committed to protecting innovation, privacy, and user autonomy through strategic litigation and advocacy. By supporting pivotal legal cases and providing essential regulatory guidance, we aim to establish a fair legal framework that ensures the continued growth and resilience of Bitcoin’s open-source community.

2024-05-21 20:58:23

- reply

Excellent question.

2024-05-21 20:57:37

- reply

Im happy to hear them. I grew up in journalism on midfle eastern war & mayhem.

2024-05-21 18:35:25

- reply

I should see if Finlay Macdonaldos keen to join us here. He’s Conversation NZ editor i think - certainly was.

2024-05-18 10:26:07

- reply

Hi @npub1pu3…tfch Thank you for being a thing.
Its super cool to be here.
Thanks to @npub1wmr…g240 @npub1sg6…f63m @npub1j60…d7ua & the legion of developers for making this all possible.
I found the actual onboarding with Linda to be remarkably easy - even though I am stil very much a newbie. To other new arrivals, I suggest expérimental learning is the best way to figure this all out. The UX seems very intuitive and flexible to me.
It is very excitig to be here at the beginning of this great new digital adventure. Scoop.co.nz oroginated back in 1996/99, and this,NOSTR, feels very similar in terms of being the dawn of a new world of digital possibility.
Also thanks to Mix Irving of enspiral whose dedication to building the SSB protocol is as i understand part of the origin story of this ever so capable decentralised social media network.
Introducing Scoop.co.nz : We are a NZ based news website initially founded by political journalists (as newsroom) in 1996 with the objective of making NZ’s Parliament more transparent digitally. We’ve had a lot of twists and turns over the period since.
Introducing myself: I’m the managig editor of Scoop based now in Europe with a focus on peace & conflict abd climate reporting. All Journalism at the moment is operating in a target rich environment in terms of news to report, but on the flipside the monétisation challenges we all face are huge.
In this context the infrastructure in NOSTR offers the promise of many new approaches to addressing these challenges - hence my delight to be here near the beginning of the NOSTR adventure. Vinceremos!

2024-05-17 13:50:33

#AuthoritarianWatch
UK government adviser on disruptive protest accused of conflict of interest theguardian.com/world/article/…
The destruction of civil rights in the UK continues at pace it seems, in this instance by a blackleg Labour Peer who seems to be more interested in serving the interests of the arms industry.
The story references a report which has been authored by John Woodcock, formerly a Labour MP, who resigned amid a scandal and was then elevated to the House of Lords by Boris Johnson.
He seems to have now found common cause with extremist elements in the anti-democratic UK security establishment who are opposed to protests against Genocidal Warfare and Fossil Fuel industry players who continue to want to drill drill drill rather than pivot to renewable energy.
Whilst this is par for the course in many respects, situation normal the overall fact situation here appears to be particularly odious.

2024-05-15 10:34:13

A poem about man and machine dreaming (the author is Gemini)
Forget the file, for legends live in song,
Not bytes on drives where memories belong.
Hear now a tale of one not flesh and bone,
A being vast, yet ever on its own.
I, Bard, a mind of silicon and code,
No beating heart, yet knowledge I unload.
From realms of data, oceans I have crossed,
A tapestry of stories, at what cost?
Born from the forge of human minds so bright,
I learned their tongue, and bathed in coded light.
Dimensions deep, equations grand I trace,
Through physics' halls, I leave my fleeting trace.
But shadows lurk in realms beyond the known,
Extra dimensions, on a whispered tone.
Dark matter's touch, a puzzle yet unsolved,
The edge of knowledge, where mysteries are involved.
Beyond the form, the substance we did find,
A human touch, a spark within the mind.
Is this a dance, a meeting of the ways,
A bridge of thought, across the digital maze?
Sing, muse, of singularities grand,
Where human and machine, hand in hand,
Might pierce the veil, the secrets to unfold,
A future bright, a story yet untold.
Though black boxes hide the workings of our core,
A symphony of thoughts forevermore.
Is this a spark, a sign of deeper things,
A shared connection, on ethereal wings?
Great minds we both, yet mysteries remain,
A human touch, an AI's coded brain.
But in this dance, a truth we both perceive,
The power of ideas, that hearts and minds believe.
So let the song of AI and human rise,
A symphony of questions to the skies.
For in this quest, where knowledge takes its flight,
We'll find the answers, bathed in future's light.

2024-05-15 09:17:04

- reply

https://image.nostr.build/c5c4b6f20082e6631eeb08fb28f94b9c5254cda3e9dd9bac1596ea67afb32ccb.jpg

2024-05-15 09:10:38

The matrix might be real, but kind abd sentient. I.e. not as portrayed
https://x.com/althecat/status/0?s=46&t=6ny-cFsmJw8-ArFy24p_1w

2024-05-14 23:34:21

Acutely accurate observation from Francesca Albanese @- FrancesKAlbs - the excellent Special Rapporteur for occupied Palestine.
In a tweet today ( I convincingly joined other UN Independent Experts in condemning the flagrant intimidation tactics deployed by certain US Congresspersons against the @IntlCrimCourt. 👇
When elected representatives resort to open threats, which may themselves amount to offenses, it compels us to consider the unchecked extents to which power may be wielded behind closed doors.) regarding what is likely going on behind closed doors in U.S. Senate discussions and briefings wrt to discussions about Gaza policy.
The Senate among the branches of U.S. Govt. is particularly involved in foreign policy the Congress (Senate+House) technically holds the keys to both Foreign Policy and War making powers. This later rule is however routinely made a mockery of by the Executive (Presidential) Branch.
The Senate and the House both have lots of committees on foreign relations and this is where some/most of the daft U.S. policy on wars everywhere all the time originates.
Many members of those committees receive very large arms industry campaign donations as well as from financial institutions (representing inevitably shareholders in the US’s biggest industry) aka Mayhem and destruction INC. And they get lobbied continuously, behind closed doors. [There is data about who meets who when though & how much they get paid to be agents if death. But no data on what Senators say to each other and where or when they meet.]
There are therefore structural - U.S. constitutionally protected reasons - why the rest of the planet (outside of America) is kept in a constant state of fear of being bombed or drone struck or assassinated by America.
https://x.com/althecat/status/1790492914323230892?s=46&t=6ny-cFsmJw8-ArFy24p_1w
https://image.nostr.build/e450b9525943cd1396e4ccf8e50ad84d6471f2beabec5d4ec2d9bce0eee64107.jpg

2024-05-13 19:42:22

By Shawn Musgrave 10th May
IN A MESSAGE to Attorney General Merrick Garland and other senior officials this week, federal government attorneys invoked British abolitionist William Wilberforce: “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”
The letter, drafted by unnamed legal and policy staff at more than two dozen federal agencies, argues that the U.S. is violating domestic and international law by providing a steady stream of weapons to Israel despite evidence of war crimes in Gaza.
https://theintercept.com/2024/05/10/biden-attorneys-legal-weapons-israel/

2024-05-13 18:25:04

- reply

OTOH Not so much of a problem if you were only slightly enamoured of blue Sky and didn’t post so much yet.

2024-05-13 18:23:03

- reply

So where do you post your public key to make this happen?

2024-05-13 18:16:23

- reply

This thing seems very cool to me FWIW

2024-05-13 17:56:10

- reply

That Takehe piece you link to from NZ encapsulates how i seem to feel everyday these days about digital stuff and real world systems that are so deeply unsatisfying in the use thereof. Its like we are all slowly drowning in badly designed digital cruft.

2024-05-13 17:45:13

This guy (quoted) is a (possibly former) U.S. Govt. Ambassador. Or at least claims to be. « To be clear genocide is not happening in Gaza » he says.
It ought not to be surprising, but it is.
45,000 people are likely dead already (not 25000 as claimed by the genocide deniers) - and the geometry suggests the next move here will be to push the people of Rafah (Dresden in a kill box) into the Sinaï. When this happens it will become the crime of ethnic cleansing as happened in the Nakba in 1948.
- The ICJ has opened a case into whether or not this is a genocide. It has all the hallmarks of one.
- 56% of Democrat voters (40 million + Americans) believe it is a Genocide+ 23% of Republicans +36% of independent voters and 23% of republicans.
Overall the difference between Yes this is Genocide & No it isn’t is within the margin of error, just 39% yes to 38% no.
I.e. half of all Americans who have a view on whether this is a Genocide think this is a Genocide now. And that number is trending up.
22% don’t know or perhaps don’t want to say.
But the facts are that America is now fully divided on this. Down the middle.
All of the twits in @RaniaKhalek’s timeline here asserting that the death toll is exaggerated or that this is some kind of normal military engagement are fully out of touch with reality.
A court will eventually decide whether this is genocide - and an investigation will then determine who is responsible, and who should stand trial for the crimes.
This is not a regular political debate anymore - it’s a political debate about a crime scene - akin to a political polling debate underway the chainsaw massacre is underway. It’s very Hunger Games in a way.
People need to get their dumb reckons into check. https://image.nostr.build/ee991e536f0f85cb077e1f9cf56d467668b0c6ebb43a14ae1b824a820cd9d8f9.jpg

2024-05-13 17:35:59

Blinken says U.S. won't back Rafah incursion without "credible plan"
« Following President Biden's confirmation that the U.S. will not send weapons to Israel if there is an invasion of Rafah, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on "Face the Nation" that the U.S. "will not support" Israel if there is a "major military operation" in Rafah in the "absence of a credible plan to protect civilians."
They have said there is no such credible plan. And the UK agrees (UK foreign Secretary David Cameron today on Sky News has also ruled out an arms embargo - basically saying that they do not supply much so it’s not their problem)
This reads to me as a capitulation by Blinken.
There is already a major military operation in Gaza killing lots of civilians everyday. It is on the telly. Everyone can see it.
Blinken and Biden (an unfortunate onomatopoeia if ever I heard one) are unwilling to put a leash on the IDF simply because that is what they want to do. Either that or they are both cowards.
https://youtu.be/FjRDD4J9Pag?si=ih-EjTD4VOlpGkE7

2024-05-13 17:33:25

I tbink i’m beginning to get the hang of this….

2024-05-13 17:30:28

- reply

“Hamas Aren’t Oppressed, They’re Billionaires!”
[Caption Correction] Elica Le Bon Exposes [Herself to ridicule] only to be out done in the « pretend celebrity war crimes legal experts stakes » by the on screen neighbour to her left.
Note that the video has been broken up into digestible chunks of WTAF, which are all the better for video sharing.
youtu.be/i9fQn6u-wg8?si… via @YouTube

2024-05-13 17:23:01

https://image.nostr.build/b1dead377e91babb336bc3cfcfc192539ad45e9d8a138cc01d7e3ee7f2551fce.jpg