Enabling lay use of emerging technology. Preserving outdated digital and physical artifacts. Research, participatory design, facilitation, prototyping.
Dec 30, 2021 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
A @simonw comment last week reminded me to publish this, so: introducing "archival ownership markers," a .well-known URI to tell caches and archives when a domain is or isn't yours, to help keep your old content available: 1/8vitor.io/archival-marke…
Right now, not only can your personal domain name be owned by someone else in the future, they can also retroactively block your archived content because of the way some archives and caches treat a file called robots.txt: 2/8robotstxt.org
Jul 15, 2019 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
Today's nice thing is learning @intercom and @thoughtwax linked to some work I did: the emulation of the Canon Cat at the @internetarchive. Serious nerdery in thread 👇
Two FBI agents knock on the door, and if they're supposed to be playing good cop/bad cop, Good Cop is having a hard time keeping a straight face for whatever is about to go down. A thread. 👇 Content warning for onanism and cooperation with law enforcement, which are different.
It was February 2000, and I was still living at home with my parents. They wake me up, very displeased the FBI is in the living room, and I'm in pajamas.
Jun 7, 2019 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
This idea was also a 2011 art project by @oscarlhermitte, funded by @awesomefound London, and was what got me to spend seven years contributing to equally unique projects in Austin through @atxawesome
(It helped that the story I heard was the project got him arrested, it's illegal to have that much helium in the UK, and the funds had to be used to make bail.)
Mar 4, 2019 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
Late night #badgelife-adjacent project wrap-up, an accessible electronic badge for people more comfortable with pixel art, HTML, or textiles. Learn about and make your own e-paper name tag at, obvs, .e-paper.name/tag
Shout out to @MrRobotBadge and @antitronics for inspo, and if you have an extra @signalconf 2018 Hackpack v.4, lmk
Nov 26, 2018 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Got my early CastAR glasses working again after the @VRAustin jam (hi @francoislaberge!), had no idea about some of these internal AR hardware details:
I count nine (9) names printed on the VIB circuit board, and there were seven (7) backers at the highest two tiers of the original Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/techn…
Nov 21, 2018 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
Genuinely excited about this advancement in fringe aeronautical engineering! Excitement in thread 👇scientificamerican.com/article/silent…
These MIT researchers built a self-contained, remote-controlled lifter in the shape of an airplane, and flew it! Video because it did happen:
Nov 10, 2018 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
This is a great articulation of why publishing sources alone isn't enough for me any more, and why defensively ensuring safe access and continuance for important projects is at least equally important: via @scanlimeexple.tive.org/blarg/2018/11/…
The author links to a past essay referencing Philip Pettit's "Freedom as Antipower," which is worth reading at least a summary of.
Nov 4, 2018 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Just caught up with @SpritesMods Hackaday #Supercon talk, where he reverse-engineered a *modern* HP color inkjet cartridge (not the older, serial, black carts), and made a real-life I/O Brush! So great to see. Links in thread 👇
The recording of the talk, with I/O Brush functionality at 42:30:
Aug 9, 2018 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
Blergh, late night yak shaving trying to update old sites to SSL, because Chrome now labels them all as "Not Secure".
P.S. why forcing sites to redirect to HTTPS may be bad: meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/…
Jul 18, 2018 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
📢 Follow @nfctoys for the livestream and discussion of my talk this Sunday.
👇 Last yak shaving thread probably, let's talk about presentation logistics.
First up, @rands has a good post on prep, including having your first slide let you make sure your aspect ratio and fonts are correct.
⏰ This Sunday I'm speaking at @hopeconf on toys, video games, and weird legal issues. Follow @nfctoys for the livestream and discussion.
👇 But first, getting people to make copies of your stuff.
If you put your stuff on a site run by a company, they can remove it whenever they like.
Jul 14, 2018 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
📢 The world is a trash fire but follow @nfctoys and next Sunday I'll tell you how a 20y old bad law means you also might not own the toys you bought.
👇 In this thread, learn about keeping your shit separate.
When you're publishing something that's legally fringe, you need service providers that have experience adhering to the law, and not having policies that go beyond it.
Jul 6, 2018 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
🗓️ July 22, 2018, 4pm Eastern
📢 I'm speaking at @hopeconf about NFC toys and the DMCA
👂 Follow @nfctoys for more
But right now let's talk about when publishing legally subtle stuff properly is better than anonymous pastebins, and why.
(I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.)
Jul 3, 2018 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
🗓️ July 22, 2018
⏰ 4pm Eastern
🏙️ NYC
🎥 Livestreamed
📢 I'm presenting a talk on NFC toys at @hopeconf
👇 Details in thread
NFC toys are toys with an NFC tag inside. They're often used as video game accessories or with electronic playsets. This may change the legal status of the toy if you want to take it apart!
Jul 2, 2018 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
🗓️ Hey okay in 3 weeks I'm giving a talk in NYC at @hopeconf
👈 Last thread was diversity and inclusion concerns versus legal ones
👇 This thread is on self promotion while the world is a trash fire
(Here's the previous thread if you missed it)
🚨 It's been 2½ years since I last worked on something in public, and there are a lot of reasons for that. But:
🗓️ In 3 weeks I'm giving a talk at @hopeconf in NYC and launching a new site.
👇 Thread
Since one of the other things I work on is sustainable community groups, let me first acknowledge that HOPE, like many hacking/infosec and adjacent conferences, may be problematic.
Sep 11, 2016 • 10 tweets • 1 min read
After 9/11, I traveled across the country with my journalist father as he reported on sentiment and effects beyond the Northeast after ~6mo.
In retrospect, I'm not sure either of us wanted to be there. His reports were unfulfilling. I didn't keep a diary. There aren't photos.
Dec 31, 2015 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
‘It – it’s not going very easy, actually, not very well, I don’t think. I think I’m doing some things wrong. I’ve tried to do them right,
and I almost do, but there’s so many things. I’m there remembering and everything’s around to remind me.’
‘It doesn’t get easier.
