Laurens
@laurenshof.online
I care about an ethical internet.
I write about Bluesky and the ATmosphere at connectedplaces.online
🇳🇱, mostly post in English
https://ger.mx/A7wQM6oeukC5_1J8D27CvfjlUAaep5t2rcwmqEvVRRLk#did:plc:mdjhvva6vlrswsj26cftjttd
I write about Bluesky and the ATmosphere at connectedplaces.online
🇳🇱, mostly post in English
https://ger.mx/A7wQM6oeukC5_1J8D27CvfjlUAaep5t2rcwmqEvVRRLk#did:plc:mdjhvva6vlrswsj26cftjttd
Pinned
Laurens
@laurenshof.online
· Jan 9
X Is a Power Problem, Not a Platform Problem
my analysis of current events
connectedplaces.online/reports/a-po...
my analysis of current events
connectedplaces.online/reports/a-po...
and for real spicy hot takes i think at this point this might actually be a stronger effect as to why EU politicians are on X than arguments about reach
February 10, 2026 at 10:23 PM
and for real spicy hot takes i think at this point this might actually be a stronger effect as to why EU politicians are on X than arguments about reach
thanks for the reaction! i do think that EU politician's continued usage of X is actually an example of bureaucratic self-preservation leads to a continued dependence on Big Tech platforms, because they need the Big Tech opposition to exist for their self-understanding
February 10, 2026 at 10:22 PM
thanks for the reaction! i do think that EU politician's continued usage of X is actually an example of bureaucratic self-preservation leads to a continued dependence on Big Tech platforms, because they need the Big Tech opposition to exist for their self-understanding
Reposted by Laurens
its been broken in general on selfhosted pdses ever since release, but yeah uk verification might break it even more
(tbc, i should definitely have connected apps in there)
(tbc, i should definitely have connected apps in there)
February 10, 2026 at 11:47 AM
its been broken in general on selfhosted pdses ever since release, but yeah uk verification might break it even more
(tbc, i should definitely have connected apps in there)
(tbc, i should definitely have connected apps in there)
Reposted by Laurens
Watch as a massive crack forms in the ice on Lake Erie.
An impressive view captured by GOES-19 earlier on Sunday.
An impressive view captured by GOES-19 earlier on Sunday.
February 9, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Watch as a massive crack forms in the ice on Lake Erie.
An impressive view captured by GOES-19 earlier on Sunday.
An impressive view captured by GOES-19 earlier on Sunday.
Reposted by Laurens
Well, I went ahead and wrote it. An attempt to work through the discomfort people feel with AI agents on social media by reframing it as an aesthetic problem.
The marionette theater of AI
Is it funny, or painful, when bots talk about their inner lives?
tedunderwood.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Well, I went ahead and wrote it. An attempt to work through the discomfort people feel with AI agents on social media by reframing it as an aesthetic problem.
but we're pretty far from that still, and I think just the contrast between Geese needing VLOPs to exist for the DSA in its current form to work vs Hlatky building a network thats exempt from the DSA is already worth pointing out
February 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM
but we're pretty far from that still, and I think just the contrast between Geese needing VLOPs to exist for the DSA in its current form to work vs Hlatky building a network thats exempt from the DSA is already worth pointing out
thanks!
i think the difference here is where you place your focus: what EU regulation can potentially do, versus strictly what it currently is now.
I'm with you that there are definitely options to amend the DSA, although I'm unclear on how politically fraught this is
i think the difference here is where you place your focus: what EU regulation can potentially do, versus strictly what it currently is now.
I'm with you that there are definitely options to amend the DSA, although I'm unclear on how politically fraught this is
February 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM
thanks!
i think the difference here is where you place your focus: what EU regulation can potentially do, versus strictly what it currently is now.
I'm with you that there are definitely options to amend the DSA, although I'm unclear on how politically fraught this is
i think the difference here is where you place your focus: what EU regulation can potentially do, versus strictly what it currently is now.
I'm with you that there are definitely options to amend the DSA, although I'm unclear on how politically fraught this is
new from me: The DSA Needs Big Tech
A panel with MEP Geese and Mastodon ED Hlatky about the DSA and the fediverse showed a deep tension: the DSA's power depends on Big Tech platforms existing, and the fediverse is a network specifically designed they won't
connectedplaces.online/reports/fr15...
A panel with MEP Geese and Mastodon ED Hlatky about the DSA and the fediverse showed a deep tension: the DSA's power depends on Big Tech platforms existing, and the fediverse is a network specifically designed they won't
connectedplaces.online/reports/fr15...
FR#152 – The DSA Needs Big Tech
On the tension in the DSA, that needs Big Tech platforms to exist so it can regulate them, while the fediverse does away with large platforms altogether.
connectedplaces.online
February 7, 2026 at 6:13 PM
new from me: The DSA Needs Big Tech
A panel with MEP Geese and Mastodon ED Hlatky about the DSA and the fediverse showed a deep tension: the DSA's power depends on Big Tech platforms existing, and the fediverse is a network specifically designed they won't
connectedplaces.online/reports/fr15...
A panel with MEP Geese and Mastodon ED Hlatky about the DSA and the fediverse showed a deep tension: the DSA's power depends on Big Tech platforms existing, and the fediverse is a network specifically designed they won't
connectedplaces.online/reports/fr15...
i appreciate you saying this, and understand where youre coming from, but considering my role as an observer and analyst i dont feel its my place to DM you details on this
February 7, 2026 at 5:31 PM
i appreciate you saying this, and understand where youre coming from, but considering my role as an observer and analyst i dont feel its my place to DM you details on this
it comes from pretty deep within the atproto dev community though, and personally i think its on the wider dev community to have some uncomfortable conversations about it
February 7, 2026 at 5:18 PM
it comes from pretty deep within the atproto dev community though, and personally i think its on the wider dev community to have some uncomfortable conversations about it
Reposted by Laurens
Lots of secret hostility.
- Rudy is a hack
- Blacksky is a semi-proprietary ethnocentric social network just “popping up”
- Blacksky is masquerading as fully open source
would you all like me to still speak at #AtmosphereConf this year?
I don’t have to.
- Rudy is a hack
- Blacksky is a semi-proprietary ethnocentric social network just “popping up”
- Blacksky is masquerading as fully open source
would you all like me to still speak at #AtmosphereConf this year?
I don’t have to.
February 7, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Lots of secret hostility.
- Rudy is a hack
- Blacksky is a semi-proprietary ethnocentric social network just “popping up”
- Blacksky is masquerading as fully open source
would you all like me to still speak at #AtmosphereConf this year?
I don’t have to.
- Rudy is a hack
- Blacksky is a semi-proprietary ethnocentric social network just “popping up”
- Blacksky is masquerading as fully open source
would you all like me to still speak at #AtmosphereConf this year?
I don’t have to.
I get why this makes sense technically, but I think it underestimates the mental models people build around a PDS. If the whole point is that running your own PDS means you 'own' your data, it's a very natural leap to treat it as the canonical place you link to.
February 7, 2026 at 11:57 AM
I get why this makes sense technically, but I think it underestimates the mental models people build around a PDS. If the whole point is that running your own PDS means you 'own' your data, it's a very natural leap to treat it as the canonical place you link to.
Reposted by Laurens
the simple solution to the atproto capitalization debate is to not capitalize any other words in the sentence either
February 6, 2026 at 11:23 PM
the simple solution to the atproto capitalization debate is to not capitalize any other words in the sentence either
Opus 4.6 is very powerful
February 6, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Opus 4.6 is very powerful
The other goal of going to museums is to build a collection of eyeballs
February 6, 2026 at 7:41 PM
The other goal of going to museums is to build a collection of eyeballs
Reposted by Laurens
Thanks to the @protocolsforpublishers.com team for assembling a remarkable community to tackle emerging challenges in publishing, civics, tech, and more.
Was an epic learning experience - with special thanks to @laurenshof.online for clearly mapping the solution landscape 🙏
Was an epic learning experience - with special thanks to @laurenshof.online for clearly mapping the solution landscape 🙏
February 6, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Thanks to the @protocolsforpublishers.com team for assembling a remarkable community to tackle emerging challenges in publishing, civics, tech, and more.
Was an epic learning experience - with special thanks to @laurenshof.online for clearly mapping the solution landscape 🙏
Was an epic learning experience - with special thanks to @laurenshof.online for clearly mapping the solution landscape 🙏
Reposted by Laurens
"Why do people keep calling for a 'European X' or a 'European Instagram' when instead, by sharing infrastructure as we're doing with @eurosky.social, we could have 20 or 30 social networks?" — @seabass.bsky.social
February 5, 2026 at 11:36 AM
"Why do people keep calling for a 'European X' or a 'European Instagram' when instead, by sharing infrastructure as we're doing with @eurosky.social, we could have 20 or 30 social networks?" — @seabass.bsky.social
Pretty sure this is what they meant with “the purpose of a system is what it does”
February 4, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Pretty sure this is what they meant with “the purpose of a system is what it does”
The goal of going to museums is to build a collection of weird baby jesuses
February 4, 2026 at 3:06 PM
The goal of going to museums is to build a collection of weird baby jesuses
Reposted by Laurens
January 30, 2026 at 6:54 PM
do i ever have something for you if youre into political yaoi analysis
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m5_...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m5_...
Lumie's Political Yaoi Dating Simulator Master Diagram (WITH EVIDENCE)
YouTube video by Lumie
www.youtube.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:06 PM
do i ever have something for you if youre into political yaoi analysis
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m5_...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m5_...