Hello from a former Alabamian!
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Congratulations on having escaped!
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When it came to the BoingBoing âfront pageâ i confess i always noted who did the posting before almost anything else. So on SubStack thereâs a new post involving the ongoing JohnDeere tractor legal imbroglio posted by: âPaidâ. So who pays for such a posting? Not a JohnDeere rep certainly, not the FTC, some lawyer suing JohnDeere perhaps? Clearly iâve not a crumb of a clue how social media is funded anymore [shrug]
FTC finally investigates John Deereâs creepy repair restriction scheme
Nov 01, 2024
Paid
JCLobo/shutterstock.com
Deere caught in headlights â the US Federal Trade Commission is finally investigating farm equipment giant John Deere over its questionable repair policies.
(hhmm⌠only â2 links per postâ rule here. how odd)
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I considered anonymity but opted to remain visible. Partly out of irrational attachment and partly out of stubborn defiance. Iâm at the anger stage of grief over the BBS and Iâve decided to channel it into something I hope is helpful.
If this country goes fash (a possibility but far from a certainty), I have enough points of privilege that I am safer than many would be. Safe enough to act as a lightning rod. Safe enough that maybe my privilege can protect someone who has less. Itâs the same reason I vote in person in my deep red polling place, despite my fear of some of my neighbors. Iâll be there, loudly reminding people where the literal line between political speech and voter interference is drawn in the parking lot. I can safely push where others often canât and I want to use that for something positive.
If the brown shirts start rounding people up they will have to begin somewhere, and I intend to at least be an early wrench in the works to give cover to those who donât have the same options I do.
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I do believe I also was distracted by squirrels.
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I was wondering about that, since I requested it, but it did not appear today? Just wondering if this means my account at the old place will not get anonymized, because itâs too late? @orenwolf can you let me know about that?
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âSquizzles, you say? You have piqued my interest, sir!â
âMay I suggest we join forces in this wonderful hunt?â.
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I kept reflexively checking the BBS last night and this morning, as if expecting some kind of official final farewell, some acknowledgement that this, right here, in this thread, was the last post ever. Itâs still a little hard to believe itâs gone so abruptly. But just now I closed that tab for presumably the final time. Itâs hard to let go, but Iâm having an easier time than some. Almost everyone I cared about is here and I donât give a fuck about badges, so the only thing I mourn is BoingBoingâs fall from grace, which Iâd been dealing with over several years already.
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The abruptness of the change was surely intentional.
My lesson from this (and one I should have already learned by my age) is to cherish the good when you have it.
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âŚand back up the stuff you care about onto your own computer. 
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How does one request the anonymization that many are doing? I canât see where to put in for that.
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Probably.
There are a few reasons I can think of, which may or may not be relevant:
-
Minimize pushback from the community, knowing there was bound to be some.
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A limited-time, move it or lose it deal from SuS.
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The threat to the site owners and users if TFG wins the election.
We were never going to get full disclosure on all the whys and wherefores. No business does that. But the speed of the process is enough to make my head spin, and even though as an average user I donât deserve full behind-the-scenes knowledge, I wish I knew more. I suspect no amount of disclosure would ease the feeling that Iâve lost a place I called home for nearly a decade. 
Themâs the breaks, I guess.
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Moderating wasnât paid? Boy howdy.
I respected you all this time, but honestly that is just impressive, a heroic amount of care and effort on your part. I cannot really fathom what youâre dealing with right now, but I hope youâre OK.
I am thrilled to have you here as one of us (one of us!), in whatever way or however much you care to be.
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I suspect all my old BB interaction ended up that way⌠I donât remember specifically asking for that, but I think there was a change made at some point that caused it if you didnât affirm your account. In any event, I didnât find anything when I searched recently. 
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âMove fast and break things.â The motto of assholes everywhere who donât particularly care what gets broken.
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I am not at all sure it is possible anymore. Others are more familiar with the fine points, but I think itâs a frozen site at this point.
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The timing to make sure it was completed prior to Nov 5 gives validity to your point #3.
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This has been a rough ride;
Thank you again, for all that you have done for the community over the years.
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Well. I just unpinned BoingBoing BBS from my Google start page, and pinned this place in its stead. A small thing, overall, but it drives home the change.
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Same here, for now, just in case I need to refer to something before it all goes away. Like you, I am insulated by privilege more than most, and I think more vulnerable people were wise to anonymize themselves.
I did go back and scrub my profile clean â there was never much that could identify me anyway. I did change the avatar I have had since the Pleistocene.
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