M templates/thoughts.html → templates/thoughts.html

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ <p><i>these are all tiny thoughts</p></i>
 <p><i>that don't deserve their own blog posts</p></i>
 <p><i>i hear u want <a href="/feed.atom">rss???</a></i></p>
 <h4>2022</h4>
+<li><a href="/thought/.io-domains-considered-harmful.html">.io domains considered harmful</a></li>
 <li><a href="/thought/drones-run-linux-free-software-isnt-enough.html">drones run linux: free software isn't enough</a></li>
 <li><a href="/thought/the-constantly-collapsing-horizon.html">the constantly collapsing horizon</a></li>
 <li><a href="/thought/my-website-is-one-binary.html">my personal website is one binary</a></li>

A thought/.io-domains-considered-harmful.html

@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@ 
+                        .io domains considered harmful
+                                  2022-11-14
+
+                                   .io
+                                 .io  .io
+                                .io  .io .io
+                          .io  .io  .io .io .io
+                          you see .io everywhere.
+                              but where did it come from?
+
+             .io domains are very popular in tech circles.
+
+   i personally think it's because "io" sounds kind of fun to say at the end of
+   words. it's easy to imagine saying things like KEYBOARDIO, and PRODUCTIO!
+   FANTASTIO!
+
+   but also, .io is very startup. it's very silicon valley. it's agile. grokio.
+   twilio. hot. fast. factorio. graphio. it's sexy.  wingardium. levio. sah.
+
+          _
+      /b_,dM\__,_
+    _/MMMMMMMMMMMm,
+   _YMMMMMMMMMMMM(
+  `MMMMMM/   /   \
+   MMM|  __  / __/      _____________
+   YMM/_/# \__/# \    (               )
+   (.   \__/  \__/  ( .io is web scale )
+     )       _,  |    (_______________)
+_____/\     _   /  -------/ 
+    \  `._____,'
+     `..___(__
+              ``-.
+                  \
+              [0]  )
+
+   also - apparently this is important - the letters "i" and "o" together have
+   some amount of precedent as input/output in computer lingo.
+
+   maybe seeing those letters together lends subconscious "tech cred." the
+   whole input/output thing never really occured to me tbh.
+
+   but what people may not know is that the .io domain name has an annoying
+   history.
+   
+   a history filled with lies. and deception. and WAR. and a selfish british
+   guy
+           called paul
+
+
+                      ~ jes's .io domain name facts ~
+
+   ~ .io is the official domain of "the british indian ocean territory"
+
+   ~ why .io instead of .tbiot?
+
+     i would have guessed because .tbiot sounds _fucking awful_.
+     but it turns out the two-character "io" comes from a country code
+     standard called iso-3166[1] who knew?!
+
+   ~ but wait, isn't the indian ocean more than just the british territories?
+
+     * yes, a lot more. so much more. the indian ocean is really big.
+
+   ~ so what, the domain is bad because it funnels money into bri'ish pockets?
+
+     welllll, not exactly....................................but yes
+
+   ~ british colonialism?
+
+     not exactly. but also yes
+
+   ~ wait wait hold up jes, this isn't facts about the io domain at all - it
+     seems like you're just asking random questions to yoursel-
+
+     this is my blog and i'll do what i want god damni-
+
+
+                   ~~~ a brief history of the io domain ~~~
+
+   1997: the .io domain was delegated by IANA (the internet domain police) to
+         paul kane: a "proper" british "bloke" who wanted to "make euros" from
+         "the internet"*.
+
+     * paul kane named his company "internet computer bureau" or "ICB"
+       if IANA is the internet domain police, maybe paul wanted to be the
+       internet domain FBI?
+
+   2014: paul kane claims that "each of the overseas territories has an account and
+         the funds are deposited there because obviously the territories have
+         expenses that they incur and it’s offsetting that."
+
+     * which seems charitable, until:
+
+   2014: the UK government responds with "There is no agreement between the UK
+         government and ICB regarding the administration of the .io domain"
+
+     * despite paul's claims, all .io proceeds likely flowed directly into ICB
+
+                ⠟⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠛⢻⣿
+                ⡆⠊⠈⣿⢿⡟⠛⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣎⠈⠻
+                ⣷⣠⠁⢀⠰⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⠋⠛⠛⠿⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠀⢹⣿⡑⠐⢰
+                ⣿⣿⠀⠁⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⠟⡩⠐⠀⠀⠀⠀⢐⠠⠈⠊⣿⣿⣿⡇⠘⠁⢀⠆⢀
+       noooooo  ⣿⣿⣆⠀⠀⢤⣿⣿⡿⠃⠈⠀⣠⣶⣿⣿⣷⣦⡀⠀⠀⠈⢿⣿⣇⡆⠀⠀⣠⣾
+       ooo      ⣿⣿⣿⣧⣦⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⠀⠐⣿⣿⣷⣦⣷⣿⣿
+       paul     ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⢰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+       whyyy D: ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡆⠀⣾⣿⣿⠋⠁⠀⠉⠻⣿⣿⣧⠀⠠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+                ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡀⣿⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢿⣿⠀⣺⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+                ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣠⣂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣁⢠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+                ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣄⣤⣤⣔⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+
+   2017: paul sells ICB to afilias for $70 million
+
+     * naturally, this frees up all of paul's time that he has been spending
+       (checks notes) working^Wowning domain names and lying about charity.
+          neat
+
+   2019: ethos capital is formed in order to buy the .org TLD
+
+     * they raised a BILLION dollars to buy .org
+
+     * they failed 😄
+
+   2020: afilias is acquired by donuts (a company, not a food)
+
+     * donuts owns a bunch of non-traditional domain names, so acquiring .io
+       was probably a huge factor in this purchase
+
+   2021: a very sexually frustrated ethos capital buys donuts and afilias
+
+     * and merges them into "identity digital"
+
+
+                  recap.
+     ethos capital was formed
+         to raise money
+            to buy and profit from the .org domain
+     which has historically been not-for-profit
+         and had a price ceiling
+            but they were stopped 🥳
+     but they got pissed and bought some other domains 😠
+         and now, ethos capital owns .io
+
+     neat.
+
+
+                       🍩 donut break 🍩
+
+          nom. nom. okay. so far so good.
+
+       nothing too crazy. i mean, money in tech - weird. feels bad.
+
+        but nothing insane.
+
+          welllllll
+           llllllllllllll
+            llllllllllllll
+
+
+   ////// TIME WARP //////
+
+   1967: the USA asks the UK to expel the native Chagossians from the chagos
+         archipelago
+
+     * the chagos archipelago is - you guessed it - within
+       the british indian ocean territory
+
+     * the UK obeys and expels the native Chagossians
+
+   1971: the USA builds a military base on the chagos archipelago
+
+     * since 1971, the chagos archipelago has _only_ been inhabited by
+       employees of the US military - everyone else is forbidden.
+
+    \\\\\ END TIME WARP \\\\\
+
+
+    now things get *strange*:
+
+   2020-2021: .io gets _very_ popular among cryptocurrency enthusiasts
+
+   2021: the united nations tribunal of law and sea (UNTOLAS) claims that the
+         UK has no sovereignty over the chagos archipelago
+
+     * this claim would EXTINGUISH the british indian ocean territory, _and_ the
+       iso-3166 two-letter country code, _and_ potentially the .io domain
+
+     * the UK disputes and does not recognise the tribunal's decision, even tho
+       they're not party to the case
+
+   2021: the Chagossian Refugees Group submits complaint against paul kane and
+         ethos capital, seeking repatriation of $7m/year for the .io domain 
+
+     * as far as i can tell, this has gone nowhere
+
+
+     tl;dr~
+
+     .io domains are associated with:
+       - cryptocurrency
+       - startup culture
+       - military occupation
+       - native population displacement
+
+     .io domains support:
+       - a lucky liar making millions
+       - an evil capital firm that attempted a hostile .org takeover
+
+     .io domains may:
+       - be extinguished 🧯
+
+
+
+  so basically,
+
+---.._
+      `\  ,;;;,
+"--.._  |,%%%%%%              _
+      `\;;;;  -\      _    _.'/\  try not to buy
+     ,;;;;" .__{=====/_)==:_  ||     .io domains.
+,,,;;;;;'`-./.____,'/ /     '.\/   bcuz they're icky. 🤮
+;;;;;'      `--.._.' /
+       '-.        `\/
+        ,'`.        |
+   __.-'    \     ,'
+'``          `---`
+
+
+love,
+  jes