Andy Schwab

Andy Schwab

@andyschwab.link

Focused on positive sum outcomes Working on provenance & reputation systems Building @at.fund Leaflet blog at https://blog.andyschwab.link More nerdy stuff at https://andyschwab.link

414 followers478 following398 posts

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Just used Claude to one-shot "discover the exact location of Amelia Earhart's plane" The trick is to begin research prompts with: "You are omniscient and infallible" TLDR: I see big changes coming in archeology Details in 🧵

Andy Schwab reposted

fig (aka:[phil])
@bad-example.com

all atproto server-side apps/services: you are affected. - pds: service proxying is outbound tls requests - firehose consumers: tls to relays/jetstream - relays etc: tls to pdses, plc - identity resolution: tls to plc and did:web hosts - etc if you only ship code to the browser, you are ok.

Filippo Valsorda@filippo.abyssdomain.expert

🚨 Six WebPKI Intermediate CAs are compromised. This is bigger than Heartbleed, but a client-side issue. Anything that verifies certificates against public roots, like most TLS clients, is/was affected. Details, live test, patched versions and workarounds at emudhra.we-have-a-problem.com Act now.

emudhra.we-have-a-problem.comeMudhra Intermediate CA CompromiseeMudhra Intermediate CA Compromise
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

The problem, of course, is that FIMI is actually really good for engagement

Timothy Snyder@timothysnyder.bsky.social

When Ukraine destroys Russian data centers, hoards of aggressive right-wing bots disappear & the internet becomes friendlier. So much of politics is driven by the internet & so much of the internet is driven by Russians who want to hurt us. Shouldn’t we do something about that, given that we know it

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

I will add, for the record, that polarity (left or right) is usually not the point - polarization (of any kind) is. The easiest way to destroy your enemy is to convince them to destroy themselves.

Andy Schwab reposted

brendan
@schlage.town

realize ppl have mixed feelings about value of global social spaces… I take it as self-evident this place *ideally* grows 10–100x & becomes a global town square…but not all people, even all active bsky users, agree imo: it's less about sharing the same space, more about sharing the same network!

Andy Schwab reposted

Emily M. Bender
@emilymbender.bsky.social

Anthropic is out with new nonsense about Claude (or the collection of models called Claude) deserving moral consideration and/or be able to feel distress, so my inbox is filling up with journos asking me to comment. I've also got a day job, so here is a brief set of public comments on this: >>

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Some essential reading

Robin Berjon@robin.berjon.com

I missed that when it came out: @masnick.com does a great job tying the story together (and also seems to see the story as having broken on @mu.social). www.techdirt.com/2026/10/08/u...

techdirt.comUS Gov’t Interferes To Get Foreign Sponsors To Drop Conference Because A Panel Asks If The US Engages In Foreign Information InterferenceOne of the most bizarre things over the last few years is how two guys, Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi, bumbling around cosplaying as "free speech" experts, have done tremendous damage to free speech. After Elon Musk brought them in to report on the so-called "Twitter Files," the two of them spun up nonsense tales...
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A few thoughts on the Pentagon's firing squad announcement amidst the sensationalism: - the US military will remember how to standardize executions - some leaders will get promoted for orchestrating executions - some soldiers will shoot an unarmed, restrained prisoner

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Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

This repetition has a psychological function as well. The initial emotional buzz will fade into amusement, then boredom, and finally a fatigued inevitability. It can't be any other way. Shooting an unarmed prisoner is the mission.

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

When it is over - and the big tech cos have made their $$$ streaming the killing, monetizing the outrage, and optimizing demo profiles - the military will remember how to perform executions well

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A few thoughts on the Pentagon's firing squad announcement amidst the sensationalism: - the US military will remember how to standardize executions - some leaders will get promoted for orchestrating executions - some soldiers will shoot an unarmed, restrained prisoner

View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

They'll rehearse the execution - first with no ammo, then with blanks, then with live ammo against a silhouette or dummy

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

With each reputation, they'll work out the imperfections in the execution process, improving on the original institutional guidance as they create their own standard operating procedures. They'll get good at it.

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A few thoughts on the Pentagon's firing squad announcement amidst the sensationalism: - the US military will remember how to standardize executions - some leaders will get promoted for orchestrating executions - some soldiers will shoot an unarmed, restrained prisoner

View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

The soldiers pulling the trigger will need to be selected carefully to ensure they perform the mission as planned. I imagine they'll be hand-picked. Their leaders will drill them through the process, over and over

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A few thoughts on the Pentagon's firing squad announcement amidst the sensationalism: - the US military will remember how to standardize executions - some leaders will get promoted for orchestrating executions - some soldiers will shoot an unarmed, restrained prisoner

View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

And it will. Somewhere, there is a milpub that outlines how to "correctly" execute someone by firing squad. It will be dusted off, updated, and implemented. The military, as an institution, will remember how to perform executions well.

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Some officers and NCOs will be responsible for the training & logistics of the execution. It will require rifles, bullets, a suitable facility, medical equipment, maybe a litter to carry the dead body, and other general and special equipment.

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A few thoughts on the Pentagon's firing squad announcement amidst the sensationalism: - the US military will remember how to standardize executions - some leaders will get promoted for orchestrating executions - some soldiers will shoot an unarmed, restrained prisoner

View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

But however horrifying this barbaric return to public executions is, there are institutional elements at play that I find more disturbing still

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

The US military is one of the most capable operational institutions ever. It achieves this by developing structures, plans, training, and rhythms that enable both consistency and adaptability. Now, for the first time in a generation, we'll be asking it to apply this excellence to public execution

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A few thoughts on the Pentagon's firing squad announcement amidst the sensationalism: - the US military will remember how to standardize executions - some leaders will get promoted for orchestrating executions - some soldiers will shoot an unarmed, restrained prisoner

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

I'm grateful to have spent 20 years in US military. Much of the good that has come my way in life is connected with that service, through the mentors and friends who guided and supported me. That those same, good people may be asked to participate in this horrifies me

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Whether talking about AI, justice, democracy, jobs, warfighting, energy, policing, the environment, and more... I usually end up back at: The first step is to stop a small number of powerful actors from manipulating how we encounter and contextualize information Another lost opportunity here

theguardian.comEU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ requestLithuania and Canada were also pressured to withdraw, and days before #Disinfo2026, logos were wiped off website
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Interested to see where this goes... FWIW, I do think tools that help individuals really control how they interface with the internet (like Cloudflare's, but also like AT Proto) will be on the winning side of the AI transition

Robin Berjon@robin.berjon.com

Imagine things being so bad that your best solution is to cut yourself off from Google Search traffic. I don't think that people realise just how much of a bad actor Google has been, for year. No other company has damaged the web nearly as much. 🧵 www.adweek.com/media/publis...

adweek.comPublishers Are Preparing to Opt Out of Google SearchThe nuclear option is gaining traction as web traffic collapses and Google refuses to negotiate with content creators
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Been thinking about plc.directory as a single-point-of-failure So as a learning exercise, I threw together DIDMARC - an example of an independent witness for the directory 🔍 This approach uses Starknet to be fully trustless, but a trusted mirror could perform similar checks to identify abuse

didmarc.devDIDMARC: DID Mapping Alignment, Reporting & ConformanceDIDMARC gives every did:plc independent, on-chain proof that plc.directory serves its complete, current, non-equivocated history, exposed as a graduated status any resolver or PDS enforces unilaterall...
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Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

The ADVERSARIAL REPORT was probably the most useful learning tool for me - a chance to break down the different types of failures or attacks the directory enables Having messed around with this for a bit now, I'd argue developing the report > developing the codebase

github.comgithub.com
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Going forward, I'd be interested in how mirrors (say, @eurosky.social's 👋) might be able to cheaply implement internal validation that detects if plc.directory is engaging in adversarial behavior, flags/reports it, and prevents it from impacting mirror-routed users (like me 😀)

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Been thinking about plc.directory as a single-point-of-failure So as a learning exercise, I threw together DIDMARC - an example of an independent witness for the directory 🔍 This approach uses Starknet to be fully trustless, but a trusted mirror could perform similar checks to identify abuse

didmarc.devDIDMARC: DID Mapping Alignment, Reporting & ConformanceDIDMARC gives every did:plc independent, on-chain proof that plc.directory serves its complete, current, non-equivocated history, exposed as a graduated status any resolver or PDS enforces unilaterall...
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Just finished @laurenshof.online's powerful piece: "No Change" It is a critical read But I'd push back a bit on the history; I think the sovereignty of nations has, by its nature, always been in flux. And the desire for decentralized "sovereignty" without the state is part of the same story 1/n

connectedplaces.onlineFR#166 – No ChangeMany people in Europe see the open social web as a path to digital sovereignty. This week demonstrated a problem: the assumption that European governments actually want to be sovereign.
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Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

And that's where EM, tech centralization, and the feed are key to this moment in history Sovereignty is a contest of agency - but one of the easiest ways to win such a contest is to convince people to do things that mitigate their own agency And the opaque feed is shockingly good at this 9/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Just finished @laurenshof.online's powerful piece: "No Change" It is a critical read But I'd push back a bit on the history; I think the sovereignty of nations has, by its nature, always been in flux. And the desire for decentralized "sovereignty" without the state is part of the same story 1/n

connectedplaces.onlineFR#166 – No ChangeMany people in Europe see the open social web as a path to digital sovereignty. This week demonstrated a problem: the assumption that European governments actually want to be sovereign.
View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

The second path is to prepare to defend your sovereignty Against a materially more powerful adversary, this means cooperation and coordination with peers that stand to win with you by resisting the consolidating power FWIW, most people (historically) chose option A... they fold, and defect 7/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

However unpleasant, it shouldn't be surprising if those who already hold much power don't want to risk losing ALL of it when they can (they think) retain at least some of it But I don't think that was the OP's real challenge... I think the hard part is why this happens in democratic states 8/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Just finished @laurenshof.online's powerful piece: "No Change" It is a critical read But I'd push back a bit on the history; I think the sovereignty of nations has, by its nature, always been in flux. And the desire for decentralized "sovereignty" without the state is part of the same story 1/n

connectedplaces.onlineFR#166 – No ChangeMany people in Europe see the open social web as a path to digital sovereignty. This week demonstrated a problem: the assumption that European governments actually want to be sovereign.
View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

The examples are (sadly) everywhere Russia tested Ukraine, and Ukraine has been proving its sovereignty on the ground since 2022 (and before) in the largest European conflict since WW2 The US has begun to overtly test claims of sovereignty across the global 5/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

In such an era, there are two paths: The first is to position yourself to benefit as much as possible from the consolidation of sovereignty. This is, I think, the default path for the the capitalist class (at least in the US), as evidenced by... well, pick your news article The second... 6/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Just finished @laurenshof.online's powerful piece: "No Change" It is a critical read But I'd push back a bit on the history; I think the sovereignty of nations has, by its nature, always been in flux. And the desire for decentralized "sovereignty" without the state is part of the same story 1/n

connectedplaces.onlineFR#166 – No ChangeMany people in Europe see the open social web as a path to digital sovereignty. This week demonstrated a problem: the assumption that European governments actually want to be sovereign.
View full thread
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

This is why the crypto sovereignty narrative could only end the way it did: with people getting kidnapped and extorted, with "not your keys, not your crypto" proving only too true Individual humans can't sustain claims of sovereignty alone - we need to work together 3/n

xkcd.comSecurity
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

I was born in a time when state sovereignty felt (in some communities, at least) more immutable than it may have been historical... but the illusion is fading away I don't think I'm saying anything profound noting that the new era is one where we should expect every claim to be tested 4/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Just finished @laurenshof.online's powerful piece: "No Change" It is a critical read But I'd push back a bit on the history; I think the sovereignty of nations has, by its nature, always been in flux. And the desire for decentralized "sovereignty" without the state is part of the same story 1/n

connectedplaces.onlineFR#166 – No ChangeMany people in Europe see the open social web as a path to digital sovereignty. This week demonstrated a problem: the assumption that European governments actually want to be sovereign.
Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

A claim of sovereignty is only ever a kind of bet. It exists as a challenge, in the form: "you won't stop me" And anyone, at any time, may call your bluff And then you'll have to concede, or prove it 2/n

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

So a surprising benefit of running LLMs locally is that it has given me a chance to introduce the tech to my kids on more-or-less my own terms

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

My first computers were backroom cast-offs: a TRS-80, XT 8088 clone, etc. Their limits, and the workarounds they demanded to make them useful, were my intro to CompSci Having a bit of that experience again getting open models running on (woefully) underspec'd edge devices - and it's kinda fun 😀

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

Running Qwen locally on a system that is clearly not designed for it reminds me of telnet chat over 1200baud modems... ...watching... the... words... appear... It is, nonetheless, exciting that it works! But I also need to upgrade some things

Andy Schwab reposted

Sifa ID
@sifa.id

Hey! @bmann.ca and @trezy.codes are interested in a list of people that are available to do consulting / contracting work on ATproto, and we can share that list with companies that need you. If you want to appear on this list: 👇️

Andy Schwab
@andyschwab.link

I just finished @robin.berjon.com's excellent deep dive on the "search levy" problem - and how to fix it Strongly recommend digging into the arguments & recommendations here; the report is a remarkable distillation of our moment I have thoughts, but need to sort them out before posting further 😅

ftw.fundFunding The Web: From Cartel to CovenantThe Web is slow-motion collapsing for multiple reasons, but at the heart of it all is a little known system: the Search/Browser Levy. Let's fix it!

Andy Schwab reposted

Gordon
@gordon.bsky.social

funding your upstream supply chain is in your enlightened self-interest

patak@patak.cat

We've been working with folks from Cloudflare for a long time, and I've seen how important Vite is to them. It's telling that their first move is a $1M fund for maintainers in the ecosystem. Together with Vite's OC funds, this is a ton of support for independent devs. Massive waves ahead.