Alternatives to Facebook

Open Source Decentralized Facebook Alternatives

Mastodon: A decentralized social network where users can create and manage their own servers (instances). It prioritizes privacy, has no ads or algorithms, and supports rich media sharing. Servers interconnect globally using ActivityPub.

Friendica: A distributed social network that integrates with platforms like Twitter, Diaspora, and StatusNet. It is privacy-focused, federated, and supports self-hosting.

Hubzilla: A powerful platform for decentralized identity and communication. It includes features like forums, wikis, and nomadic identities, allowing users to migrate between servers without losing data.

Diaspora: One of the first decentralized social networks, offering user control over data and privacy. It operates on independently hosted pods.

Movim: A decentralized social platform built on XMPP standards, ideal for lightweight communication and community building.

How to set up Misskey

To set up Misskey manually, follow these steps:

Prerequisites

Install required software:

Node.js (v20.4.x or above)

PostgreSQL (v15 or above)

Redis

FFmpeg

Build tools like build-essential and python for Debian/Ubuntu.

Enable corepack:

bash

sudo corepack enable

Installation

Create a non-root user:

bash

adduser --disabled-password --disabled-login misskey

Clone the Misskey repository:

bash

sudo -iu misskey

git clone --recursive https://github.com/misskey-dev/misskey.git

cd misskey

git checkout master

git submodule update --init

Install dependencies:

bash

NODE_ENV=production pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

Configuration

Copy and edit the configuration file:

bash

cp .config/example.yml .config/default.yml

Update default.yml with your domain, database credentials, and other settings.

Build and Initialize

Build Misskey:

bash

NODE_ENV=production pnpm run build

Initialize the database:

bash

pnpm run init

Launch

Start Misskey:

bash

NODE_ENV=production pnpm run start

Optional: Manage with systemd

Create a systemd service file at /etc/systemd/system/misskey.service with the following content:

text

[Unit]

Description=Misskey daemon

[Service]

Type=simple

User=misskey

ExecStart=/usr/bin/npm start

WorkingDirectory=/home/misskey/misskey

Environment="NODE_ENV=production"

Restart=always

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload systemd and enable the service:

bash

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

sudo systemctl enable misskey

sudo systemctl start misskey

You can check the status with systemctl status misskey. For updates, pull the latest code and rebuild.

Twitter alternatives

There are several open-source Twitter alternatives available on GitHub and other platforms. Here are some notable options:

Open-Source Alternatives

Misskey

Misskey is a decentralized microblogging platform built on ActivityPub. It allows users to host their own instances, interact with other platforms like Mastodon, and customize features such as themes, reactions, and widgets.

How to set up Misskey

Mastodon

Mastodon is a popular decentralized social network also based on ActivityPub. It offers a Twitter-like experience with self-hosting capabilities and various clients like Tusky for Android.

GoToSocial

Another decentralized microblogging platform that allows self-hosting and integration with the Fediverse.

Nitter

A privacy-focused alternative front-end for Twitter, offering lightweight, ad-free browsing without JavaScript.

Harpy

A Twitter client built with Flutter, focusing on user experience and unique features.

Twidere X

An Android app built with Kotlin that provides an alternative interface for Twitter.

diracdeltas/tweets

A project aimed at creating a decentralized Twitter replacement, though still in experimental stages.

These platforms cater to diverse needs, from privacy-focused browsing to full-fledged microblogging solutions.

Mental disorders and the Connection to allergies.

I'm Bipolar, and for years I have been treating my bipolar disorder with all of the recommended pharmaceuticals. Lamictal, Depakote, Lithium, etc. But because of many of their side effects, the social stigma of taking them, and the cost, I wanted to try to get off of them. Slowly, over decades, as I became more stable, with fewer and less severe manias, I began to wean myself off them, and would only begin to take them at the first signs of depression or Mania.

For me, Mania was the easiest symptom to catch. Elation, flight-of-ideas, and sleeplessness. It was this sleeplessness that led me to try antihistamines. My wife is a nurse and as many nurses do, she knows how to use medications off-label. Meaning, using the side effects of a medication to treat the disorder of another disease it was never intended for. Many doctors do this for patients who have diseases that don't have any treatments. Sometimes this is abused. Like with students who take drugs intended to treat narcolepsy to help them remember better so they can do better on tests. Adderall as an example. Antihistamines are also misused by parents or bad babysitters, who give them to children to make them go to sleep. It was for this same off-label reason that my wife suggested that I use a drowsy antihistamine to go to sleep.

It worked really well. With the only side effect being drowsiness the next day, it was a safer, cheaper, and more effective first line of defense than any of my other psychiatric medications. I have been using it for the last 6 years without any manic episodes. I usually go to bed around 10 pm if I can't get to sleep by 12 pm, I'll take an antihistamine and be asleep by 1 am. I'll be groggy the next day until the afternoon, but otherwise functional. It also had the effect of reducing my bags under my eyes, which was likely being caused by an allergic reaction, to pollen or dust mites. But it was so good at preventing my episodes I began to think that maybe there was a more causal relationship. But why do Antihistamines cause sleepiness?

It turns out histamines don't just cause itchy eyes, stuffy nose, and scratchy throat. Histamine is a neurotransmitter, that helps regulate sleep-wakefulness in the brain. A study by the NIH found "The H3 receptor functions as an autoreceptor and regulates the synthesis and release of histamine. Activation of H3 receptor decreases histamine release and promotes sleep. Blockade of H3 receptor promoted wakefulness." Article. In other words, when you have an allergic response histamines are released by your system which also has the effect of keeping you awake and preventing REM sleep. This wakefulness and lack of REM sleep could over several days then cause a manic episode. Thereby setting off the seasonal swing of bipolar disorder. For many Bipolar sufferers, they may not even know that they have an allergy, and the response may be limited to the brain, and not cause any typical irritation of the eyes or throat. By taking an anti-histamine I may have not just been treating an environmental stress making my bipolar disorder worse, I may have also been treating one of the underlying causes. So which Antihistamines work best?

Older, first-generation antihistamines, including diphenhydramine and doxylamine succinate, don't discriminate between which histamine receptors they block. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and inhibit one of the other functions of histamines — that is, the pivotal role they play in regulating sleep and wakefulness. This disruption of the action of histamines in the brain results in drowsiness. These older antihistamines are the ones that I use to make me go to sleep. But it turns out that taking the newer non-drowsy versions of antihistamines seems to protect against sleeplessness in the same way, without the groggy side effects. Finding safe antihistamines that work is relatively easy, as the majority of them are safe enough for pregnant women to take, and are sold over the counter at most drug stores.

The best way to find out if histamines are contributing to you're mental disorder is to consult your doctor; or a medical professional who understands and is aquanted with your entire medical history; to find the best anti-histamine for you. However, we live in the real world, where time and money are both precious commodities, and going through the lengthly and expensive US medical process may not be an option for you. If this is the case, when buying over the counter anti-histamines, shop for single antihitamines like  Loratadine or Diphenhydramine, not compounds that add pain killers or decogentants, like acetometaphin (Tylonol) or phenylephrine (Sudafed). Also, try the cheap ones first 

Could the elimination of Allergies, or treatment with Anti-histamines, remove a primary cause of Bipolar disorder? More research is needed, but what is sure is that if you are bipolar you should get checked for Allergies, and get treatment for any. It is becoming more clear that allergens are more than just an environmental stress and an irritation for Bipolar patients and possibly other kinds of mental disorders.

Beyond Bipolar Disorder:

Other researchers have found that Hay fever was linked to depression. The histamine H(3) receptors are autoreceptors damping histamine synthesis, the firing frequency of histamine neurons, and the release of histamine from axonal varicosities. To further explore the relationship between hay fever and allergies, the researchers recruited 100 individuals who had been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder. Of the total, 53% tested positive for allergies to ragweed or tree pollen

The H3T receptor has been proposed as a target for treating sleep disorders.

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncel.2016.00169/full

Another longitudinal study found atopy (genetic tendency to develop allergies) was positively associated with dementia.

Here is a list of all know antihistamines:
https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/antihistamines.html

How to take political action.

4 Steps to take Political Action:

1) Be informed. Do you know who are your governmental representatives? If not, find out: a) National http://act.commoncause.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sunlight_advocacy_list_page b) local: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

2) Understand the agenda, literally. Find out what is on the legislative agenda a) State: http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/2016-state-legislative-session-calendar.aspx b) Federal Senate: http://www.senate.gov/reference/Index/Calendars_schedules.htm c) Federal House: http://www.house.gov/legislative/

3) Vote. If those representatives do not represent your values, or you as a person, work on replacing them, by organising, raising awareness, and planning for the next election (hint: there are many voting opportunities before even the mid term election, school boards, local reps., budget referendums... etc. These are actually the most important for you).

4) Push your agenda. Write your reps from step 1) with issues from step 2) and don't forget step 3). Repeat.

Feminism

I am done with Feminism. Most likely not feminists, but definitely feminism. Sorry I can't help you with feminism. I really want to, but I can't.

I will probably miss feminist literature, as I basically grew up on the stuff. 4 years at art school with great lesbian professors, 12 years at a Montessori style school where liberal ideas such as feminism, were highlighted and shown for their great virtues.

There are some "feminists" like Bell Hooks, who I will miss.  'Feminism is for everybody', that is a book that has ideas I can get behind. But basically the moment the word feminism gets used, I just can't read it anymore.

Why?

There is a super dark side to feminism, and some women who call themselves feminist are often tone deaf to their own paradoxical views. Not all, and not all the time, but definitely most, some of the time.

The last two waves of feminism in the news has been gamer-gate, and then a more recent general verbal and sometimes physical abuse or threats toward feminist bloggers. If you missed it here is http://gawker.com/what-is-gamergate-and-why-an-explainer-for-non-geeks-1642909080

I am a father, a son, a husband, and a friend to many of the female, girl, woman, or whatever you want to call the people that don't have a Y chromosome. So, when men abuse them, I get mad, and want to do something about it. This however is not very welcome in the feminist community.

The first thing I usually do when trying to figure out a problem is to ask ignorant questions. I find it's good when first learning about an issue to admit ignorance, and work from there. So I'll ask questions like what is Gamer-gate? Why are these men so mad? What did the feminists say that made these men so mad? Then why does, such and such, make women mad? It's this last one that I gets me in a lot of trouble. Apparently asking this question is at best very insensitive and apart of the hegemonic misogyny embedded in our culture; at worst it is an active repression of women and the very reason feminists are so angry. Sorry. This gamer gate has made women so defensive that they are lashing out. Please, stop.

Please calm down. Sometimes the fear, or reaction to something does more harm than the actual action. Don't get caught up in a black and white fallacy, it may not only be harmful to others but harmful to yourself.

But after that there is usually at least one or two nice feminists which will provide a link to a blog post or explain it succinctly. That will help me understand the female point of view, in a way that at least part of my brain can understand, so that it can explain it to all the other parts. Relativity is difficult, and being able to see all sides of an issue takes a great deal of empathy. At the end of the process I am usually rewarded with a feeling of accomplishment when I finally figure out the problem.

This is when the real problems begins. I try to help. Often I will make a suggestion. Feminists do not like it when men make suggestions. Especially white men, apparently we are a privileged class that should not be making suggestions on how to deal with other angry white men. So when I suggest that maybe we should change the fem in feminist, to something that I could stand behind, like gender equality. Maybe geninist... or genderist... I don't really know, I am kind of just brainstorming. This is apparently a no no. Men, according to feminists bloggers, are not feminists, and shouldn't try to be.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/10/you-want-to-be-a-male-feminist-maybe-dont.html

So, I won't. No more clicking on feminist blogs, no more discussing feminism with friends, no more feminism on facebook, or any other social media site. It's /ignore, block, or filtering all the content that has the word feminist, feminism, or any off shoot like feministas... etc. But, I'll still catch up on the fashionistas,

There are definitely some feminism I will miss, but I think it may just be better this way. Good luck with the misogynists, if they actually exist. I'll spare you my semiotic analysis, and cognitive comparison of the word, because that one got me into a lot of hot water as well. Besides some people, like myself will just make a larger mess,

However, if your a woman, man, bi-sexual, trans-gender, trans-sexual, a-sexual... ok  I am going to stop because there are just too many, I'll still be here to lend a hand in the gender equality struggle, and if you have a gender equality blog, I'll read that too, just don't mention feminism.

Why Killing Bin Laden was bad.

Undoubtedly there are some good things that that come from Bin Ladin's death. One less mastermind fear monger plotting war. But here are some of the reasons why killing Bin Laden was a bad idea.

1. Dead men can't stand trial. Unlike Sadam Hussien who was captured, tired, and then executed by a jury of his peers, Bin Laden can't go through the cathartic experience of going through a thorough trial.

2. Evidence collected from Bin Laden's house can't be used in court. If raiding a house without a warrant is illegal, then certainly flying covertly through another Nation, and breaking into, and killing the private residences breaks just about every Law that I can think of. So any actionable evidence that leads to another terrorist will just lead us to another Assassination.

3. Catch 22. The United States Government can't bring those fugitives before a court, so they will be forced to Assassinate them. This is exactly how we got into the Guantanamo Bay mess. By going outside the law, where we have become the very Terrorist we wish to catch. Is this how will we "bring to justice" other members of Al qaeda? Is Justice now just another Euphemism for being shot in the face? This is just another recruiting tool that will be used by used by Extremist groups against the US Government going forward.

Where do we go from here? Now that Bin Ladin is dead the cycle of killing has to stop. If we continue drone attacks, assassinating suspected Al Qaeda members, we will only continue the mistrust and hatred. However if the United States has to prove that is can apprehend people and give them a trial. But in order to do that do we really think the US will be grown up enough to do it? No. Just like when President Obama tried to close Guantanamo Bay, we can't trust the US to do the right thing. So perhaps the best thing is to compromise. Military Tribunals are not enough, but a full public trial on US soil won't work either. Perhaps their is a middle ground, where we could have a partially public trial, that will lead to proper trials in International courts, or on US territory.