Issue 15 - Meta Disses Disinformation Researcher 😠

Welcome to issue fifteen of the Eco Punks Gazette. We did it! We actually published two issues this week. Did you notice? Or does time move faster in December? Are you following us on Instagram? If not, you miss learning about stuff like this:

If you’re new to the Eco Punks, welcome! We’re here to serve and stimulate you, so please let us know if there are subjects or topics that you would like us to cover. We can always be reached by replying to this email or contacting us via email, [email protected] or [email protected].

Upcoming Event

Dec 19th at 11am EST - The Power of Open Source

Fellow eco punk and President of the Mozilla Foundation, Mark Surman, will be joining us for an open discussion reappraising the power and role of open source, both as a concept and as the software the enables our connected world. Whether AI, IoT, health tech, farming, EVs, green energy, and smart cities, open source can and should play a role. Yet is it? Is open source living up to the potential and promise set decades ago?

If you’re not already participating in these salons, email [email protected] to get the details and join in.

Meta Disses Disinformation Researcher

Dr. Joan Donovan is a powerhouse when it comes to combating disinformation. The Boston based researcher has been at the forefront of a growing network of people who dissect and disarm attempts to undermine our informational ecosystem. For several years Donovan was based out of Harvard, and now the terms of her departure is making news:

It should surprise nobody that Meta will go to great lengths to protect their perceived reputation and broader public perception. Going after a disinformation researcher who effectively demonstrates Meta’s role in fostering disinformation is on brand for Meta.

This isn’t an isolated incident, although the reporting on Meta’s intimidation and harassment of researchers and critics is spotty and sparse at best. Instead we’re left with anecdotes and rumours, especially from outside of the US, such as with McGill University in Canada:

Our bias in all this reflects our own conflict with Meta’s PR goons:

WormGPT - The AI for Hackers

While ChatGPT may be getting all of the attention, the impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) on the Internet is both profound and diverse. There are all sorts of GPTs for a wide range of purposes, including cybercrime:

The above is probably not the original WormGPT, which was available via the dark web; however, if it is a copycat or the real thing, it speaks to the availability of such technology.

One of the complaints about ChatGPT and other LLMs is that they have guardrails or limits on how they can be used. This creates a market for LLMs that have no limitations, and in this case, a focused user community.

For more on the subject, here’s an interview with the developer behind WormGPT.

The Rise of Leftwing Conservatism

A big problem with contemporary North American politics is the imposition of binary thinking onto a society that is increasingly diverse. It’s impossible to divide everyone into either a Liberal or a Conservative, especially when these terms are already disconnected from their original meaning.

In this context, adding a second modifier may be minor, but could have major impact, towards further expanding political discourse.

Enter the concept of the left wing conservative:

One of the biggest problems with Liberalism is the emphasis on the individual, often at the expense of the community. There needs to be a greater balance, especially in response to climate change.

The benefit of combining conservative values with left wing politics is the renewed emphasis on local autonomy and community action.

When we feel overwhelmed by the global scale of injustice and the sense of powerlessness in the face of climate change, we can remember that meaning and change both happen via communities.

What’s in the Foxhole?

By Murley Herrle-Fanning

Have you ever played a game that requires you to complete small and seemingly insignificant tasks without any reward or recognition from your teammates, in order to win? Where cooperation and mutual aid are the key to success as opposed to individualistic heroism and acts of bravery? Foxhole is a war game that revolves around logistics and supply chain management strategy rather than combat and violence. 

This unique MMO simulates WWII style battles which span the course of weeks, involving hundreds of players. It serves as an interesting case study for multiplayer gaming, where thankless and unseen labour are required for a team to win and the fallacies of meritocracy emerge. While social capital may be earned by some players providing a tangible form of support, others playing a key role behind the scenes go unnoticed and yet continue to enjoy doing so in their private, humble triumph.

Aside from Foxhole’s unique approach to cooperative multiplayer gameplay and its hive mind like strategy elements, it also serves to demonstrate how a niche game-based representation of war functions as a form of propaganda. The focus on mastering logistics and supply chain as a source of fun teaches players to be happy operating as a cog in the machine, often without appreciation or recognition for their simple but crucial efforts.

2024 is going to be the year of the Hybrid Car?

While you thought EVs and self-driving vehicles were—if not the thing of the present—the thing of the future, it seems that, for now, the immediate future is hybrid vehicles that manage to switch between electric and combustion engines based on the need in a given situation.

Gear-head blog Autopian predicts that 2024 Is Going To Be The Year Of The Hybrid, and in a related article Autotrader ponders the question Should I Buy a Hybrid Car in 2024? (Spoiler alert: the “why not to buy a hybrid” articles are hard to find). What is taking us so long?

Notable Punk: Chace Barber

If only the bots covering the automotive industry knew about Chace Barber! Chace is a truck driver and entrepreneur working in the British Columbia forestry sector. An environmentalist at heart, he’s been toying with solar and green tech for years.

Recently Chace started a company called Edison Motors which is successfully creating a hybrid heavy duty truck that can operate deep in the backwoods of BC and still be green.

These are converted Kenworth trucks that have tons of batteries, electric drives, and a diesel engine to act as a generator. The success of these trucks, still in the prototype stage, has come so fast and been so significant, that it has allowed Edison Trucks to now focus on 1-ton pickups:

@_edison.motors

Edison Pickup Kit #edisonmotors #electricpickup #edisonpickup #truck #electric #ev #electricsemi #hybridtruck #cybertruck #fordlighting

This is a truly revolutionary idea because it makes it relatively easy for independent mechanics to convert any pickup truck into a hybrid EV.

Just like comma.ai this demonstrates how the future of automotive tech and electric vehicles is to be found on the periphery, coming from entrepreneurs and punks, rather than via the industry proper.

We’ve also created a Signal group for Eco Punks to share links, ideas, and get a friendly reminder about salons and events. If you’d like to join us on Signal, email [email protected]. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Signal, or if you’re not already using it, this video will bring you up to speed and explain why Signal is the choice for Eco Punks:

Here’s the bonus for this issue, thanks for reading!