borja's recent activity

  1. Switching from Mac to PC?

    ~tech Ask (advice)
    I've always used Ubuntu. It has better privacy setting and I can have total control over the OS. However, due to my work, I use many programs that don't run in Ubuntu and if there's an...

    I've always used Ubuntu. It has better privacy setting and I can have total control over the OS. However, due to my work, I use many programs that don't run in Ubuntu and if there's an alternative, the cost of switching is too high. So in the end, I ended up using a mac more often than not.

    Mac is not the perfect alternative, but I have to say that I'm more productive with it. It runs smoothly. And of course, when it comes to laptops, macbooks are usually built to last.

    BUT, I'm tired of Apple's BS. There are so many things that bother me, but one of the things that really bothers me is the fact that I can't use an AMD graphics card because they no longer support openCL. I just don't want to be hooked up to their products. So I'm highly considering (1) selling my mac and buying a Razer (?) laptop, and (2) try Windows again.

    I'd love to know your thoughts:

    1. How bad is windows really? (Please let's be as objective as possible)

    2. Is there a way to run Windows "privately"? (I've heard about windows "Flavours", but I'm concerned about their security)

    3. Any laptop recommendations? I don't mind if it's expensive, but I want it to last. Ideally, I want it to be as powerful as a desktop. (Upgradeable up to 64gb RAM, 8 or 16gb GPU and a powerful processor.)

    Please let me know your thoughts, and share any information you think it's useful.

    14 votes

  3. Comment on UK Surveillance State: A Short Documentary in ~movies

    borja
    Link Parent
    Thank you @joplin. I'm already working on another documentary about this that involves the US (and many other countries)--it's about data colonialism and states of emergency. You're absolutely...

    Thank you @joplin. I'm already working on another documentary about this that involves the US (and many other countries)--it's about data colonialism and states of emergency.

    You're absolutely right, we need more documentaries, movies and anything that engages people visually to communicate all the stuff that happens behind the scenes.

    4 votes

  4. UK Surveillance State: A Short Documentary

    ~movies Ask
    Hi everyone, I wanted to share with you my latest project. It's a short run'n'gun documentary. During 2019 and 2020 I closely followed UK police forces—especially in London and Cardiff. I...

    Hi everyone,

    I wanted to share with you my latest project. It's a short run'n'gun documentary.

    During 2019 and 2020 I closely followed UK police forces—especially in London and Cardiff. I witnessed at least 5 or 6 live facial recognition deployments by the Metropolitan police (London) and South Wales police (Cardiff).

    The first thing I noticed in these deployments is how the UK police forces target certain people—especially racial minorities. Which is extremely worrying. But after you deeply analyze their modus operandi, the threat of their surveillance goes much further than the already grave threat of racial profiling: it is the beginning of a state of surveillance and a roll-back on human rights and fundamental freedoms.

    This film is not perfectly shot. I wish I had access to more gear. But the police's notice time of these facial recognition deployments was so short that I couldn't pick any gear at all. I'm glad that I'm always carrying my camera with me!

    I've put a lot of effort and care into this film. I hope you enjoy it.

    Any feedback is welcomed.

    Here's a short clip of the film: https://twitter.com/iamBorjaMoya/status/1246721750852870144

    You can watch the entire film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6WCS3ZF5mw

    12 votes

  5. Comment on What is your favorite opening scene in a movie? in ~movies

  6. Comment on What are you doing this weekend? in ~talk

    borja
    Link Parent
    Isn't that great? Every time I film I have a really good time

    Isn't that great? Every time I film I have a really good time

    4 votes

  7. Comment on What are some good questions for self-reflection? in ~talk

    borja
    Link
    "What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"

    "What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"

    1 vote

  9. Why does LibreOffice's font rendering suck so much on mac?

    ~tech Ask
    I'm a happy Ubuntu user. I love it and I wouldn't switch to other OS. But since I do a lot of video editing and design, I have no other choice than using mac. (I completely refuse to use Windows...

    I'm a happy Ubuntu user. I love it and I wouldn't switch to other OS. But since I do a lot of video editing and design, I have no other choice than using mac. (I completely refuse to use Windows at this point.)

    Anyway, I try to use as much FOSS as possible but I'm having a hard time with LibreOffice. The rendering is really bad and I don't know how to fix it.

    Have any of you had this problem?

    9 votes

  10. Comment on My problem with writing in ~creative

    borja
    Link Parent
    I totally agree with you on making the story better. I guess it depends on the genre and format. We can't generalize, but I have the feeling that your advice fits more into the fiction category,...

    I totally agree with you on making the story better.

    I guess it depends on the genre and format. We can't generalize, but I have the feeling that your advice fits more into the fiction category, and what I wrote below fits more into the non-fiction category. Either way, different things work for different people. It's one's job to figure out what works best for the story itself.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on My problem with writing in ~creative

    borja
    Link
    Nothing is for everyone. And you don't want everyone. You want the right someone. So identify who that someone is, and write for him or her. I believe that whenever you're doing something creative...

    Nothing is for everyone. And you don't want everyone. You want the right someone.

    So identify who that someone is, and write for him or her.

    I believe that whenever you're doing something creative (and this is particularly true for writing), before you do anything else you should consider who you're targeting. Avoid the masses. They don't care about you. Instead, focus on a small group of people and do the work for them.

    That's the only way to create something that resonates.

    So think about your ideal reader. Maybe you know someone personally who could be your target. Try to see the world the way that person sees it, and then write for that person. That way you know what you should include and what you should discard.

    I hope it helps... Good luck!

    3 votes

  13. Data Dictatorships: The Arms Race to Hack Humankind (my latest book)

    ~books Text 359 words
    As many of you know, my book Data Dictatorships has just come out and I believe the timing couldn't be better. For the last year I’ve been banging my head against the wall trying to understand the...

    As many of you know, my book Data Dictatorships has just come out and I believe the timing couldn't be better.

    For the last year I’ve been banging my head against the wall trying to understand the complexity of our current situation with the technological disruption. And this book contains all the answers I have found along the way.

    Forget about fake news, election interferences or being watched on the Internet. The reality is much more chaotic, complex and dreadful than that.

    The truth is that data has become the raw materialization of power, and this is making dictatorships more efficient than ever before. Few dare to say it, but liberal democracy is likely going to die. (At least as we know it.)

    But I believe if we start global conversations about this, maybe we can change things. And these conversations could start as small as a thread in this forum.

    I hope you can find the time to check out the content of this book. And it would be great if we could start a threat talking about these threats we’re facing.

    I know this might be perceived as spam for a lot of people. And that's fair. But I'm not trying to sell anything. In fact, I'm giving it away for free (the digital version.)

    If you just want to grab a free copy, here’s the electronic version for free. I believe that the ideas discussed in this book are so important that I’m willing to give it away for free. So here’s the link–download it, share it, but please let’s start a conversation about this:

    EPUB:
    https://borjamoya.com/books/Data-Dictatorships_The-Arms-Race-to-Hack-Humankind-Borja-Moya.epub
    MOBI:
    https://borjamoya.com/books/Data-Dictatorships_The-Arms-Race-to-Hack-Humankind-Borja-Moya.mobi

    And of course, if you’d like the paperback version here or just read more info about the book, go here: https://borjamoya.com/DataDictatorships

    I hope you enjoy my small contribution to the world.

    PS. My book has gotten to the front page of Hacker News, you can also join the conversation there: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21417319

    7 votes

  14. Comment on Why a social credit system is so scary in ~life

    borja
    Link Parent
    In the last year I've spent a lot of time thinking about this (and writing an entire book that covers this.) And the best way to understand the shift is to know the origin of money. Most people...

    In the last year I've spent a lot of time thinking about this (and writing an entire book that covers this.) And the best way to understand the shift is to know the origin of money.

    Most people believe that money comes from barter, but that's far from the truth. As David Graeber showed us in 2011 with his book Debt, there's no proof that money comes from barter, and there's a lot of proof proving otherwise.

    Money was invented to keep track of debt.

    And the new way to keep track of debt is social debt. These are not social credit systems. These are social debt systems.

    6 votes

  15. Comment on Why a social credit system is so scary in ~life

    borja
    Link
    I believe that most of the arguments around social credit systems are very shallow. There's a bigger shift going on here: in the twenty-first century social behavior will be the "new money". And...

    I believe that most of the arguments around social credit systems are very shallow. There's a bigger shift going on here: in the twenty-first century social behavior will be the "new money".

    And this isn't just about China. The west is walking pretty fast towards some sort of social credit system. And Facebook knows this very well--that's why they're heavily pushing Libra.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on What creative projects are you working on? (August 2019 edition) in ~creative

    borja
    Link
    I'm writing a book. This is the third summer in a row that I decided to start writing a book. Well, it actually takes more time than a month, but July and August are the perfect months to focus of...

    I'm writing a book. This is the third summer in a row that I decided to start writing a book. Well, it actually takes more time than a month, but July and August are the perfect months to focus of a long creative endeavors and tackle deep topics that require a lot of focus.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on China's official digital currency is nearly ready in ~finance