a few years ago i mentioned that i wrote a book about the exciting, awkward and embarrassing experiences of growing up with computers and video games in the 80s and 90s.

i wanted to remember what it felt like being the only dorky computer kid at school. or what it was like to hear my first modem handshake sound. or starting the first flamewar on the school's national FirstClass BBS in the macintosh lab over the lunch-hour

it was originally something i wrote only for my family and friends who were there at the time.

and then i met all of you folks when i started my first masto instance 4 years ago. i had no idea there were so many hardcore retrocomputing and gaming nerds out there; unix and mac and ms-dos folks alike.

so i mentioned it casually. i was surprised by the interest in the book.

so i spent the better part of the past 3 years rewriting the book for *you* fellow mastodon dorkus malorkuses. the book is a celebration of all of the best (and worst) parts of a kid growing up in the digital age.

we're all busy old tired stressed folks now. so every memory and cringetacular story is short enough to read on a 5 minute bus/metro/toilet ride. they're weaved together into an arc that starts at my family's first Tandy TRS-80 and ends at my school's Mac LC II and building my first Pentium 133.

it's finally published, and i'm super proud of what it became thanks to everyone here nerding out for years.

enjoy the book. i wrote it just for you. ❤️

paperback edition: https://mybook.to/EDuUf

DRM-free ebook (EPUB format) and chapter samples here:
https://tomotama.itch.io/mages-modems

#books #indiePublisher #bookstodon #author #macintosh #vintageApple #vintageComputing #msdos #dosGaming #yeg #canada #alberta #bbs #smolWeb #indieWeb

a few years ago i mentioned that i wrote a book about the exciting, awkward and embarrassing experiences of growing up with computers and video games in the 80s and 90s.

i wanted to remember what it felt like being the only dorky computer kid at school. or what it was like to hear my first modem handshake sound. or starting the first flamewar on the school's national FirstClass BBS in the macintosh lab over the lunch-hour

it was originally something i wrote only for my family and friends who were there at the time.

and then i met all of you folks when i started my first masto instance 4 years ago. i had no idea there were so many hardcore retrocomputing and gaming nerds out there; unix and mac and ms-dos folks alike.

so i mentioned it casually. i was surprised by the interest in the book.

so i spent the better part of the past 3 years rewriting the book for *you* fellow mastodon dorkus malorkuses. the book is a celebration of all of the best (and worst) parts of a kid growing up in the digital age.

we're all busy old tired stressed folks now. so every memory and cringetacular story is short enough to read on a 5 minute bus/metro/toilet ride. they're weaved together into an arc that starts at my family's first Tandy TRS-80 and ends at my school's Mac LC II and building my first Pentium 133.

it's finally published, and i'm super proud of what it became thanks to everyone here nerding out for years.

enjoy the book. i wrote it just for you. ❤️

paperback edition: https://mybook.to/EDuUf

DRM-free ebook (EPUB format) and chapter samples here:
https://tomotama.itch.io/mages-modems

#books #indiePublisher #bookstodon #author #macintosh #vintageApple #vintageComputing #msdos #dosGaming #yeg #canada #alberta #bbs #smolWeb #indieWeb

For decades, Canadians eagerly rushed onto US tech platforms and services. But now the drawbacks of that dependence are on full display.

For the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, I explain the economic and political consequences of a US-dominated internet — and why digital sovereignty is imperative.

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/every-data-centre-is-a-u-s-military-base/

#tech #canada #cdnpoli #cdntech #digitalsovereignty #politics

OK. Here it is. My full-throated rebuttal to the Alberta separatists and useful idiots trying to destroy the country I love. Please read. Please share. Please stand up for Canada. https://albertaviews.ca/the-case-for-sticking-around/ #Alberta #Canada #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli

For decades, Canadians eagerly rushed onto US tech platforms and services. But now the drawbacks of that dependence are on full display.

For the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, I explain the economic and political consequences of a US-dominated internet — and why digital sovereignty is imperative.

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/every-data-centre-is-a-u-s-military-base/

#tech #canada #cdnpoli #cdntech #digitalsovereignty #politics

Do any of my followers have knowledge/experience regarding organizing a tenants' union in Canada?

One of my domains is very similar to that of an Albertan property management corporation, and its mail-server is configured to accept mail regardless of the recipient's address. This means I'm just one small typo away from receiving mail intended for their employees, and such mistakes happen semi-regularly.

Since the most recent misdirected email I've been thinking of reaching out to these tenants with an offer to connect those who might be interested in unionizing.

Any information about their rights could be really helpful.

#canada #union #unions

Do any of my followers have knowledge/experience regarding organizing a tenants' union in Canada?

One of my domains is very similar to that of an Albertan property management corporation, and its mail-server is configured to accept mail regardless of the recipient's address. This means I'm just one small typo away from receiving mail intended for their employees, and such mistakes happen semi-regularly.

Since the most recent misdirected email I've been thinking of reaching out to these tenants with an offer to connect those who might be interested in unionizing.

Any information about their rights could be really helpful.

#canada #union #unions

@evan

Yes.

February 29, 2004: the US kidnapped Aristide and his family and flew them to the Central African Republic.

Canada's #jtf2 special forces held the airport.

#cdnpoli #canada #mexico #fascism #antifa #antifascist #elbowsup #bcpoli #vancouver #burnabybc #canlab #bcgreens #bcndp
#cuba #venezuela #iran #coup

The Post-American Internet “…there's a third possible response to #tariffs, one that's just sitting there, begging to be tried: what about repealing #anticircumvention #law?… …what if #Canada repealed…the #CopyrightModernizationAct of 2012 (that's our anticircumvention law)?” | from speech by #CoryDoctorow entitled "A post-American, #enshittification-resistant #internet" for #39C3, the 39th Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg, Germany https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c3/#the-new-coalition @pluralistic

Hey folks! If you live in BC (or know people who do) and want to see some sort of proportional representation system of voting replace the first-past-the-post one we currently use, then now is the moment to act.

The BC gov’s special committee advised that a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform should be created to determine what voting system BC will use for future elections.

The BC gov’t will be voting on whether or not to act on that recommendation in the next few weeks, so right now is a great time to call your MPP and tell them you support it!

If you wanna **really** help out, you can join a phone bank* contacting folks who have already signed up with Fair Vote Canada to let them know it’s going down and what they can do.

It’s get out the vote time folks!

Please boost, this is the closest we’ve ever been to seeing real representation in a multi-party environment.

* https://secure.fairvote.ca/en/action/join-phonebank-to-push-for-action-on-pr-for-bc

#BritishColumbia #BC #Canada #CanPoli #VancouverIsland #Vancouver

Hey folks! If you live in BC (or know people who do) and want to see some sort of proportional representation system of voting replace the first-past-the-post one we currently use, then now is the moment to act.

The BC gov’s special committee advised that a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform should be created to determine what voting system BC will use for future elections.

The BC gov’t will be voting on whether or not to act on that recommendation in the next few weeks, so right now is a great time to call your MPP and tell them you support it!

If you wanna **really** help out, you can join a phone bank* contacting folks who have already signed up with Fair Vote Canada to let them know it’s going down and what they can do.

It’s get out the vote time folks!

Please boost, this is the closest we’ve ever been to seeing real representation in a multi-party environment.

* https://secure.fairvote.ca/en/action/join-phonebank-to-push-for-action-on-pr-for-bc

#BritishColumbia #BC #Canada #CanPoli #VancouverIsland #Vancouver

The Post-American Internet “…there's a third possible response to #tariffs, one that's just sitting there, begging to be tried: what about repealing #anticircumvention #law?… …what if #Canada repealed…the #CopyrightModernizationAct of 2012 (that's our anticircumvention law)?” | from speech by #CoryDoctorow entitled "A post-American, #enshittification-resistant #internet" for #39C3, the 39th Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg, Germany https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c3/#the-new-coalition @pluralistic

Cory Doctorow spoke at the 39C3 on 28 Dec ’25. There, he described a way to finally escape the US-controlled, enshittified internet — by means that D. J. Trump accidentally opened access to.

‘Virtually every government ministry, every major corporation, every small business, every household in the world have locked themselves into a US-based, cloud-based service.’

‘So this is the third bloc in the disenshittification army: not just digital rights hippies like me; not just entrepreneurs and economic development wonks rubbing their hands together at the thought of transforming American trillions into European billions; but also the national security hawks who are 100% justified in their extreme concern about their country’s reliance on American platforms that have been shown to be totally unreliable.’

A brilliant, encouraging speech, worth every one of its 61 minutes. Thank you @pluralistic

Via @_elena and @DataKnightmare⁠, thank you, too.

https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c3/#the-new-coalition

#Enshittification #Disenshittification #EU #Canada #USPol #Internet #39C3 #CoryDoctorow