Molly de Blanc: Endorsements
Transparency is essential to trusting a technology. Through transparency we can understand what we re using and build trust. When we know what is actually going on, what processes are occurring and how it is made, we are able to decide whether interacting with it is something we actually want, and we re able to trust it and use it with confidence.
This transparency could mean many things, though it most frequently refers to the technology itself: the code or, in the case of hardware, the designs. We could also apply it to the overall architecture of a system. We could think about the decision making, practices, and policies of whomever is designing and/or making the technology. These are all valuable in some of the same ways, including that they allow us to make a conscious choice about what we are supporting.
When we choose to use a piece of technology, we are supporting those who produce it. This could be because we are directly paying for it, however our support is not limited to direct financial contributions. In some cases this is because of things hidden within a technology: tracking mechanisms or backdoors that could allow companies or governments access to what we re doing. When creating different types of files on a computer, these files can contain metadata that says what software was used to make it. This is an implicit endorsement, and you can also explicitly endorse a technology by talking about that or how you use it. In this, you have a right (not just a duty) to be aware of what you re supporting. This includes, for example, organizational practices and whether a given company relies on abusive labor policies, indentured servitude, or slave labor.
Endorsements inspire others to choose a piece of technology. Most of my technology is something I investigate purely for functionality, and the pieces I investigate are based on what people I know use. The people I trust in these cases are more inclined than most to do this kind of research, to perform technical interrogations, and to be aware of what producers of technology are up to. This is how technology spreads and becomes common or the standard choice. In one sense, we all have the responsibility (one I am shirking) to investigate our technologies before we choose them. However, we must acknowledge that not everyone has the resources for this the time, the skills, the knowledge, and therein endorsements become even more important to recognize. Those producing a technology have the responsibility of making all of these angles something one could investigate. Understanding cannot only be the realm of experts. It should not require an extensive background in research and investigative journalism to find out whether a company punishes employees who try to unionize or pay non-living wages. Instead, these must be easy activities to carry out. It should be standard for a company (or other technology producer) to be open and share with people using their technology what makes them function. It should be considered shameful and shady to not do so. Not only does this empower those making choices about what technologies to use, but it empowers others down the line, who rely on those choices. It also respects the people involved in the processes of making these technologies. By acknowledging their role in bringing our tools to life, we are respecting their labor. By holding companies accountable for their practices and policies, we are respecting their lives.
Endorsements inspire others to choose a piece of technology. Most of my technology is something I investigate purely for functionality, and the pieces I investigate are based on what people I know use. The people I trust in these cases are more inclined than most to do this kind of research, to perform technical interrogations, and to be aware of what producers of technology are up to. This is how technology spreads and becomes common or the standard choice. In one sense, we all have the responsibility (one I am shirking) to investigate our technologies before we choose them. However, we must acknowledge that not everyone has the resources for this the time, the skills, the knowledge, and therein endorsements become even more important to recognize. Those producing a technology have the responsibility of making all of these angles something one could investigate. Understanding cannot only be the realm of experts. It should not require an extensive background in research and investigative journalism to find out whether a company punishes employees who try to unionize or pay non-living wages. Instead, these must be easy activities to carry out. It should be standard for a company (or other technology producer) to be open and share with people using their technology what makes them function. It should be considered shameful and shady to not do so. Not only does this empower those making choices about what technologies to use, but it empowers others down the line, who rely on those choices. It also respects the people involved in the processes of making these technologies. By acknowledging their role in bringing our tools to life, we are respecting their labor. By holding companies accountable for their practices and policies, we are respecting their lives.
DebConf20 is taking place online, from 23 August to 29 August 2020.
It is the 21st Debian conference, and organizers and participants are working hard
together at creating interesting and fruitful events.
We would like to warmly welcome the 17 sponsors of DebConf20, and introduce them to you.
We have four Platinum sponsors.
Our first Platinum sponsor is 
I don't generally write consumer reviews, here or elsewhere; but I have been so
impressed by this one I wanted to mention it.
For Holly's birthday this year, taking place under Lockdown, we decided to buy
a year's subscription to "Disney+". Our current TV receiver (A Humax Freesat
box) doesn't support it so I needed to find some other way to get it onto the
TV.
After a short bit of research, I bought the "Roku Express" streaming media
player. This is the most basic streamer that Roku make, bottom of their range.
For a little bit more money you can get a model which supports 4K (although my
TV obviously doesn't: it, and the basic Roku, top out at 1080p) and a bit more
gets you a "stick" form-factor and a Bluetooth remote (rather than line-of-sight IR).
I paid 20 for the most basic model and it Just Works. The receiver is very
small but sits comfortably next to my satellite receiver-box. I don't have any
issues with line-of-sight for the IR remote (and I rely on a regular IR remote
for the TV itself of course). It supports Disney+, but also all the other big
name services, some of which we already use (Netflix, YouTube BBC iPlayer)
and some of which we didn't, since it was too awkward to access them
(Google Play, Amazon Prime Video). It has now largely displaced the
FreeSat box for accessing streaming content because it works so well and
everything is in one place.
There's a phone App that remote-controls the box and works even better than the
physical remote: it can offer a full phone-keyboard at times when you need to
input text, and can mute the TV audio and put it out through headphones
attached to the phone if you want.
My aging Plasma TV suffers from burn-in from static pictures. If left paused
for a duration the Roku goes to a screensaver that keeps the whole frame
moving. The FreeSat doesn't do this. My Blu Ray player does, but (I think) it
retains some static elements.
I was gonna use this blog post to share about the migrant worker woes as there has been multiple stories doing the rounds. For e.g. a story which caught the idea of few people but most of us, i.e. middle-class people are so much into our own thing that we care a fig leaf about what happens to migrants. This should not be a story coming from a humane society but it seems India is no different than any other country of the world and in not a good way. Allow me to share
Or for those who don t like youtube, here s an alternative link
Dhauladhar range Northern Punjab Copyright CNN.Com