Thought-provoking piece by my friend @rj-x.bsky.social on what happens when robot companions "die", the power of open-source tech, and the obligations of tech companies in an era when people are encouraged to give their hearts to AI. pirg.org/articles/mox...

Sometimes social media gives us the impression that our thoughts and opinions are what we offer the world, and the most important way to influence others. I think this is a mirage. We need to get to work.

The #RighttoRepair movement is constantly changing.

Here are some highlights from the State of Right to Repair report from @nathanproctor.bsky.social at PIRG. 🧵

A summary and the full report here: pirg.org/edfund/resou...

we under-appreciate maturity -- both in our own lives and in the larger world. We elevate the voices of childish commentators and politicians, and have created a deeply unserious society ... armed with planet killing power.

Yikes!

"'Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income,' FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a press release."

We should all be able to fix our stuff.

www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftc...

Big news from the FTC on Right to Repair -- the agency has announced it will file suit against John Deere for allegedly monopolizing certain repairs.

I think their analysis is spot on -- here are some reasons why I think this case is strong:

Have you ever wondered why your washing machine couldn’t make phone calls? No? Well Samsung has!

The Repair Coalition's Worst in Show awards are out, calling out the dark side of flashy new gizmos -- privacy, security, environmental and more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5l...

Good time to remind Americans that we currently have massive amounts of these materials in electronics which we are instructed to throw away at an ever-increasing pace.

China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications (not to mention EV, photovoltaics, batteries, whatever) apnews.com/article/chin...

If you can't fix it, you don't own it

Stay calm and fix on:

“... I do know that no matter what hand gets dealt, we have things that we can do to speak truth to power and to protect our communities and to move things forward.”

www.wired.com/story/the-ri...

I spoke with a 20-year Army veteran, who described to me how manufacturers repair restrictions put soldiers’ lives at risk -- and why he is now supporting an effort to pass a Right to Repair for military purchases: pirg.org/articles/vet...