VSHN.timer #247: Celebrating the Internet
Tomorrow, Tuesday, is International Internet Day. Since 2005, the world celebrates this day on an annual basis. The festivities take place on October 29th because it commemorates a watershed moment in internet history: the day in 1969 when the first electronic message was sent from one machine to another. It recalls a time when obtaining and sharing information was not as straightforward as conducting a Google search or making a video call.
Charley Kline, a junior researcher, sent a message with the word ‘login’ from a UCLA computer to one at the Stanford Research Institute. Unfortunately, only the letters L and O were sent before the entire system crashed. Since then, the Internet has evolved into one of the most vital aspects of our lives, and most of us cannot fathom life without it.
Today’s VSHN.timer is therefore dedicated to the Internet. So, without further ado:
- Gareth Edwards explores the surprising intersection of international geopolitics and the digital domain, diving into how Britain’s handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius might spell the end of the .io domain. As tech and gaming companies like GitHub and itch.io have popularized this suffix, its potential disappearance raises questions about the stability of online infrastructure. Through historical precedents, Edwards reveals how physical borders – and their shifts – have lasting impacts on the digital space, reminding tech founders to think beyond the virtual world when choosing domains:
https://every.to/p/the-disappearance-of-an-internet-domain - But of course there are at least three opinions on any given topic. So despite what you just read above, Andrew Allemann assures .io domain holders that their domains are likely safe, even as Britain prepares to hand the British Indian Ocean Territory over to Mauritius. While ICANN has policies to retire country code domains when territories change hands, Allemann argues that removing the popular .io would be disruptive to the domain system’s stability, making such a move unlikely. Instead, he suggests that .io’s management could remain with its current registry or transition to Mauritius, with minimal impact on users – aside from possible fee adjustments:
https://domainnamewire.com/2024/10/09/io-domain-names-arent-going-away - DuckDuckGo has launched AI Chat, a free and private way to access popular AI chatbots like OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, and open-source models such as Meta Llama 3.1. True to DuckDuckGo’s privacy mission, AI Chat is fully anonymous, meaning no chats are saved or traced back to users, with providers storing interactions temporarily under strict agreements. Accessible via duck.ai or directly within DuckDuckGo search, AI Chat lets users toggle easily between AI-generated responses and traditional search, adding flexibility for exploring new topics securely:
https://spreadprivacy.com/ai-chat - Speaking of DuckDuckGo: Do you already know DuckDuckGo Lite? It’s a minimalist version of the well-known privacy-focused search engine, designed for quick and lightweight browsing. It provides essential search features while minimizing data load, ideal for users needing speed and privacy on limited internet connections:
https://lite.duckduckgo.com/lite - Have you heard of the Social Web Foundation? it aims to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive Fediverse. They’re committed to growing its user base, enriching online interactions, and unlocking new creative possibilities. A healthy Fediverse is key, supporting free expression while empowering users to tailor their experience and filter unwanted content. Financial sustainability is crucial, so they’re exploring diverse funding models – from ad-supported frameworks to non-profit backing – to keep providers and developers thriving. Ultimately, they envision a multi-polar Fediverse, where no single entity dominates, fostering a balanced and innovative online community for everyone:
https://socialwebfoundation.org
Speaking of the Fediverse: Are you following us on Mastodon yet?
https://mastodon.vshn.social/@vshn
How do you feel about the potential risks and rewards of using country-code domains like .io or .ai for your online presence? Do you think privacy-focused tools, like DuckDuckGo’s anonymous AI chat, will influence how people interact with the Internet? What role do you believe decentralized platforms like the Fediverse should play in the future of social media? Get in touch with us, and see you next week for another edition of VSHN.timer.
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