Bill Hunt :blue_lantern:

https://mastodon.publicinterest.town/@krusynth

US Gov Civic Technologist & Policy Nerd. PublicInterest.Town admin #Cyberpunk #Govpunk #Hopepunk :blue_lantern: Web1.1 enthusiast. he/him

Richmond, VA, US

Views expressed are personal and NOT official positions or policy.

:move_carefully: "Move carefully and fix things"

Website: https://billhunt.dev
Learn Gov IT Policy!: https://digitalpolicy.us
Videogames YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSL7BIdwgBEZ09BpD9xPPYQ

Public Key

npub1x0gcjy8l8ql6y7t3j9c4y4fwmr0ut4hfa4kpw5x32uyf8sesc59s7ymn86

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr85vfzrlns0az09cezu2j25hd3h796m576mqh2rg4wzyncvcv2zcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds8p857v

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1x0gcjy8l8ql6y7t3j9c4y4fwmr0ut4hfa4kpw5x32uyf8sesc59s7ymn86

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Last Notes

2026-06-10 16:37:40 GMT

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same.
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/116/726/789/167/239/718/original/cd3bcd25e32ad7c0.jpeg

2026-03-15 18:07:52 GMT

THIS IS NOT A DRILL
https://www.instagram.com/p/DV6Js56jT3F/?hl=en
#BrowncoatsAssemble #KeepFlying

2025-12-22 17:22:15 GMT

Hey babe are you alright? You’ve barely touched the cyberpunk dystopia you fantasized about throughout most of the 90s that you’re currently trapped in.

2025-12-19 15:51:21 GMT

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I'm going to start using negative numbers just to make it super clear. And to break some common semver parsers.

2025-11-17 23:04:02 GMT

It's happening dot gif send toot
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/peter-thiel-fund-sold-off-103831552.html

2025-11-10 17:10:24 GMT

I no longer believe that pure open source licenses serve a public good, as our tools can easily be used to do harm - we are building weapons for our oppressors.
Building on the work of many others, I've cobbled together my own Ethical Software License from a variety of sources.
My own addition is a prohibition on using the software for building AI, crypto, or any similar technology.
I'd appreciate any and all feedback on this! (Sharing is OK!)
https://codeberg.org/krusynth/Valvalis/src/branch/release/LICENSE
#opensource #oss

2025-10-13 02:04:33 GMT

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when I used to give talks on IT modernization regularly, I used to tell folks that you generally can't reduce complexity, you can only move it to places that it's harder to see (and fix).

2025-09-19 18:07:01 GMT

Question for the various mastodon admins around: is the “gaza-verified” site a scam? We are getting a lot of new follows from supposedly “verified” accounts all begging for donations.

2025-09-13 16:49:28 GMT

It’s 1995 and I’m buying Tori Amos CDs.
It’s 2005 and I’m buying Tori Amos CDs.
It’s 2025 and I’m buying Tori Amos CDs.
I highly recommend folks start buying used CDs again now while they’re $3 again, before the next nostalgia wave hits and they go up to $25 again.
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/115/198/007/361/797/967/original/c524687d24196dae.jpeg

2025-08-01 12:11:50 GMT

I have a bunch of packages coming, so I wanted an easy way to track all of them without signing up for a third party site.
Back in the olden days, Mac introduced desktop widgets that included a package tracker. I checked to see if Windows had anything similar, now 20 years later.
There *are* widgets, but you're assaulted with a feed of horrible news articles about you-know-who. Turn that off, and you're offered a small handful of sad apps. No package tracker.
Why can't we have nice things?

2025-07-29 18:16:02 GMT

New stickers in the shop! New stickers in the shop!
https://billhunt.dev/stickers/
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/114/937/883/709/206/430/original/8f7a0965d3ba6f5c.jpg

2025-06-24 01:52:12 GMT

I think what makes me so incredibly angry about AI is that it’s not there to reduce *your* work. It’s there to reduce the amount of labor that CEOs have to pay for.
There’s no world in which doing *your* job a little faster is worth the trillions of dollars in investment; this is entirely predicated on eliminating working class jobs.
And *no one* should be excited about that, except for billionaires.

2025-04-30 15:29:51 GMT

Fellow #Govpunk friends - check out these fantastic shirts supporting the CFPB Union! I just bought a bunch!
https://cfpbunion.shop
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/114/427/628/992/701/965/original/7dc3b0d48e2d0334.jpeg

2025-04-18 21:56:36 GMT

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Show me those link pages, friends! Build those webrings! Roll out those guestbooks! Social media is a scam!

2025-04-18 21:50:43 GMT

This is now my anthem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7kVH9xePM

2025-03-13 19:59:56 GMT

I know everyone is struggling to find new jobs right now. I just relaunched my tiny microsite to help keep track of all the positions you're applying for:
https://job.hunt.works
It's not a jobs board, just an easy way to keep tabs on all of the various steps in the process of applying and responding.
I built this the last time I was unemployed and just freshened it up - I hope some folks find it useful.
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/114/156/891/334/962/005/original/5dbabe06dfc78377.jpg

2025-02-26 17:10:03 GMT

Just a reminder that the return to office / mandatory commute policy *IS* an anti-DEI measure, as telework allows a wider variety of folks to work, including those with young children, disabilities, etc. that make in-office work difficult or impossible.

2025-02-19 00:54:10 GMT

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Thanks for this. However, they recommend Proton, who actively support the current US president, so I'm not inclined to take their advice.

2025-02-19 00:02:00 GMT

Hey if you're in the US you really really really need to be using a VPN so no one can monitor your traffic. Nowadays I use NordVPN. It works on both my desktop and phone!
If you want to sign up you can use my referral link below. Or not. Whatever. Just use a VPN please.
https://refer-nordvpn.com/piVszdDUcXt

2025-02-13 14:12:16 GMT

The market is already flooded with unemployed software developers and engineers in America. The gov gleeful joining the fray by gutting the civil service will only drive unemployment up. Don't stop talking about this.
We cannot toot or code our way out of the current environment. But that's a lot of hands to lay to new civic infrastructure projects.
We need to start building ethical companies to replace the current Valley-centric VC-based bullshit, to reclaim capital from oligarchs. 1/3

2025-01-24 23:25:49 GMT

Terrible week. Don’t know if I’ll still have my job in 30 days due to the return to work EO. Here are my #cats
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/113/885/910/992/715/354/original/1679c0ecfcc060de.jpeg

2025-01-14 16:36:36 GMT

I was watching a movie on a popular streaming service, whose parent company has invested heavily in AI, and was presented this classic image at the beginning.
And friends, I swear, I nearly died of irony right then.
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/113/827/674/552/722/807/original/35a834b69ee6b7d1.jpeg

2024-12-31 22:07:52 GMT

I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but the floor is now lava. Good luck.

2024-12-07 01:59:26 GMT

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would the Recipe Filter plugin help them for this?

2024-12-06 18:26:19 GMT

I just saw that GSA quietly changed their policy on Login.gov - now any state, local, or tribal gov organization can use it, even without spending federal funding!
Now that they're also IAL2 compliant, this is HUGE! Finally, a single login to use for every government service! Spread the word!
https://billhunt.dev/blog/2024/12/06/login-gov-for-everyone-even-more/

2024-12-04 00:36:24 GMT

Just a reminder that it's still #GivingTuesday for a few more hours. I strongly recommend donating to food banks and similar orgs that help those who have the greatest need.
If you do, let me know and I'll send you a sticker!
https://billhunt.dev/stickers/

2024-11-22 14:08:54 GMT

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It would be almost impossible in the US. There's too much money involved and corporations have too much power already. Generally, government can't just take things from the private sector.
It would take major acts of Congress to change in the first place - Trump can't do it unilaterally - and even more serious legal changes to undo.
(The UK is not comparable because it's so small.)

2024-11-20 13:20:17 GMT

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I read the whole thing, but once you peel away the layers of "it's complicated." this approach sounds shockingly like Stalinism in Russia. That didn't work too well for them.

2024-11-06 23:50:20 GMT

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Tech is not going to save us. Mastodon is not going to save us. We cannot science our way out of these problems. No one else is coming to help.
We can only change our habits and retake what power we can. We must choose empathy, kindness, and love in the face of hate.

2024-11-06 23:50:11 GMT

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As an aside, if you're a person that produces sperm, I STRONGLY recommend you schedule a vasectomy as soon as humanly possible. It's very likely that soon the reproductive rights of women will be taken away, so it will be up to men to be more responsible. It's a painless procedure and typically is covered almost entirely by insurance. I didn't pay a dollar for mine. They're generally reversible. Recovery takes about a week. Let's make this the norm, friends.

2024-11-06 23:49:59 GMT

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We also need to get used to paying for our news, and getting that news from smaller, independent offerors. Control of the media is one of the greatest benefits that the folks in control have today.

2024-11-06 23:49:49 GMT

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Every single liberal needs to examine their comfort and start making changes. It sounds cliché, but we MUST stop giving money to corporate interests that work behind closed doors to disempower us. Every WaPo or Times subscription cancelled reduces the reach of that misinformation. Every cancelled Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta account reduces their power to buy politicians.
And for fuck's sake STOP WORKING FOR THESE COMPANIES. Don't build weapons for your oppressors.

2024-11-06 23:49:36 GMT

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Liberals spend too much of our time fighting amongst ourselves over definitions rather than coming together cohesively as the Rs have done since the Tea Party. We need a new, aggressively liberal policy plank focusing on equity and decolonization, and to refuse to accept ANY candidate that does not adopt it - new or incumbent. The Rs did this and won, over and over.

2024-11-06 23:49:26 GMT

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The biggest failing of Dems has been to eat a load of shit handed to us by the DNC. The current mainstream Dem party has the same goals as the Rs, amass wealth for corporate interests. They cannot be trusted.

2024-11-06 23:49:11 GMT

It is easy to point fingers at the hubris of the Dems. The DNC's nepotistic hegemony is certainly to blame for the failings this morning.
But if we want change, voting will NEVER be enough. We must use systems thinking to break apart the machines that hold us hostage. We have to control the flow of capital, and the flow of information, to choke off those in power. We must starve them of their resources. And we must take deliberate steps to protect the most vulnerable among us.

2024-10-31 20:08:39 GMT

Happy #Halloween! I'm going to take a second to plug my silly little spooky #cyberpunk #horror story I wrote two years ago: https://billhunt.dev/blog/2022/10/23/bytes/

2024-10-18 12:42:02 GMT

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/fbi-arrests-alabama-man-january-2024-sec-x-hack-spiked-value-bitcoin
' He later conducted internet searches for “SECGOV hack,” “telegram sim swap,” “how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI,” and “What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them.” '

2024-10-17 11:47:53 GMT

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For years, I would close my laptop at the end of the evening just before bed - my cats quickly became trained to think anytime I close my laptop it was time for them to eat. 😬

2024-10-12 13:26:30 GMT

I've started using Webmentions on my blog, and you should too!
"In the meantime, the only way for us to start taking back the web is to talk about each other and the awesome work everyone else is doing, rather than just talking about ourselves all the time... We must actively water each other’s gardens so that we can share fruit in the future."
https://billhunt.dev/blog/2024/10/11/webmentions-your-next-social-network/

2024-09-21 17:42:53 GMT

LIFE HACK: Forget crypto, did you know you can literally take food from the store, stick it in the ground, and it’ll make more food FOR FREE!?!?
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/113/176/775/074/633/845/original/e68badfd162f9ae4.jpeg

2024-09-18 11:50:28 GMT

Tomorrow, September 19th at 2PM Eastern we have an AMAZING lineup for the Agile Community of Practice! We are talking all about Agile and Acquisition, including speakers from the VA, FDIC, SEC, and Treasury! Learn how agencies are building software development contractor teams that *actually work*!
These events are open to all US gov staff - federal, state, local, and tribal. To attend, or if you're interested in joining the CoP, just send an email to [email protected]

2024-09-13 01:46:03 GMT

“I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills.“
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/113/127/712/304/807/050/original/81aa3385d551218b.png

2024-09-05 01:46:39 GMT

Of the things that I find infuriating about the web in the year 2024, near the top is the rise of the link-sites like linker.ee as a workaround to only allowing a single link in a bio. By now folks should have realized they should just make their own websites instead of relying on third party redirects.

2024-08-06 11:28:01 GMT

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Perfect! I hope it's not too lonely!

2024-07-10 16:08:22 GMT

July 11th at 2PM Eastern is the next Agile Community of Practice meeting under the Federal CIO Council! This is open to all US gov staff: federal, state, local, & tribal!
FDIC explains the basics of Agile, IRS talks about their journey, and I'll be recapping our community survey!
If you'd like to join the CoP just send an email to [email protected] and we'll add you to the mailing list! Drop me a comment if you have trouble.
Likes and reposts are greatly appreciated!

2024-06-04 12:01:50 GMT

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I tried installing a couple of "lightweight" PHP frameworks and database wrappers and... they're friggin' huge. Thousands of files. Looks like the library bloat of JavaScript has come to PHP while I was away.
So the question is, do I resurrect my 2000s era PHP micro-framework for this one-shot project? It'll take some love to get it updated to PHP 8.
https://github.com/krusynth/Valvalis

2024-06-04 01:30:11 GMT

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Relatedly, having deployed a ton of Wordpress sites over the years, it always feels like the *number* of files is the thing that makes uploading slow, not the *size* of the files. Or maybe it’s the process of getting the state of each directory?
I’ll need to do some research, but I wonder if concatenating entire libraries into a single file is faster? (Obviously rewriting any include statements.) Certainly it’s easier.

2024-06-03 20:02:38 GMT

I've been struggling to make progress on a personal coding project I've had in the back of my mind for over a year. Unfortunately there are just too many hobbies competing for my attention these days.
Though now I'm thinking about starting it from scratch and using PHP, without composer, for the sheer convenience of being able to drag-and-drop the whole app and use it on cheap hosting. 🤔 Standing up a web app should be as easy as running Wordpress. (But hopefully with fewer vulnerabilities.)

2023-12-22 12:08:20 GMT

I’m struggling to deal with this version of the internet, where hosts are removing people for voluntarily nudity, but not removing nazis.
And a big part of that is because banks & credit card processing companies won’t allow nudity and sex stuff but are totally ok with hate speech.
From a risk perspective this is asinine - very few people have ever died as a result of naked tits, while we’re watching people be murdered in hate attacks daily.
Everything is fucked and backwards.

2023-01-17 18:02:00 GMT

It's a new year so it's time for a new sticker! You can get one of my brand-new Govpunk stickers, or one of my old Move Carefully and Fix Things stickers, for FREE!
And maybe we can help out a good cause at the same time!
https://billhunt.dev/stickers/
https://media.publicinterest.town/media_attachments/files/109/705/858/231/484/446/original/a1cfdacc68f94eaf.jpg