Fresh Fusion

New year, new grumpy cat (!!), new recording setup (hint: not using an Apple OS!), and so much more. Welcome to the soft-reboot of Fresh Fusion, and a state of the [fill in the blank] rundown: from social networking to desktops to music streamers along with some praise for a software ecosystem I never expected to be this jazzed about in 2026…Ruby. All that and a bag o' chips (different chips than the ones I'm using to bet with, obviously).Links & Show Notes📢 Hosted by Jared White💬 Chat with me! Discord / Signal / Mastodon🤌 Produced by Intuitive Future // Join Intuitive+ Today and support the show for only $5 a month📥 Subscribe to the Cycles Hyped No More newsletter🎶 Theme music by YARRED----Gem.coop Gem Fellowship GrantArdourQobuz

As folks may know, I try to avoid deep-dives into "programming" topics here on Fresh Fusion. But as many recent events have proven, the slow creep of edgelord dank meme cosplay-fascist culture online has affected all kinds of communities, and unfortunately the world of open source technology is not immune. This episode is in part about Ruby, Ruby Central, Rails and the various players thereof, but it's really about a larger question: is this kind of behavior OK? Will we just continue to tolerate bullies running online communities? When is it time to speak up? How can we demonstrate to people of marginalized backgrounds that they are safe around us? Simply remaining silent is no longer an option. As the saying goes, if you walk into a bar and you see nazis hanging out freely without push back, then congratulations! You're in a Nazi Bar. 😬Does talking like this make me a woke scold? Then so be it. I'm woke.😎❤️💛💚💙💜☮️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✌️Links & Show NotesHosted by Jared WhiteProduced by Intuitive Future // Join Intuitive+ Today and support the show for only $5 a monthSubscribe to the Cycles Hyped No More newsletter & the Vibe Coded podcastTheme music by YARREDMain topic: Ruby Central is Not Behaving in Good Faith, and I’ve Got ReceiptsHow Ruby Went Off the Rails (404 Media)Trigger warning for DHH's appalling rhetoric:The beauty of idealsYou expect principles but should wish for noneBuilding competency is better than therapyAs I remember LondonWe've all had enough of this nonsenseCalling someone a "nazi" is a permission slip for violenceFramework flame war erupts over support of politically polarizing Linux projects

In what has apparently become an ongoing series, this installment of Living in Portland has our intrepid hero (me, that's me!) sharing all about the journey of personal discovery he went on as part of his real-world journey through the Pacific Northwest as a digital nomad. In addition, time to spill the beans and talk about what it's like to move into a new place as a Portlander once more; only this time, with newfound intentionality and a design sense better than "raised by wolves". Also lots about the joys of white linens. What is even happening here?? 😂Hosted by Jared WhiteProduced by Intuitive Future // Join Intuitive+ Today and support the show for only $5 a monthSubscribe to the Cycles Hyped No More newsletter & the Vibe Coded podcastTheme music by YARRED

Props if you know that very Millennial reference! We’re here to talk about Gen-Z and what it’s like to be a teenager in this screwy world. And by “we”, I mean me and my very special guest: Mike. Like all pundits worth their salt, when I want people to know more about the plight of today’s youth, I ask the only youth I know well. Yes that’s right: today I’ve put on my Mr. Dad hat. Enjoy the interview! (Note: if you think you hear knuckles cracking at one point, you are not imagining things! Sorry I wasn’t able to clean up in post… 😄) Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Mike’s YouTube channel Mike’s favorite political (and other stuff) creator: Danny Phantom exe Danny on the the importance of Due Process

We need better stories. The “Hero’s Journey” isn’t going to help us. No plucky band of rebels is going to land a blow and take the fascists out in one punch. The cycle of Republic vs Evil Empire will continue forever—unless we break that cycle. Our imaginations and our ideas must expand. Deep thoughts as I watch through the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale and ruminate on the ever provocative words of Jessie Gender on the nature of modern storytelling. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! MAGA Ladies’ Fashion 🙄 Torment Nexus meme Jessie Gender: The Stories Fascism Fears Most The “Ludds” of Upload (not a great show overall, but this aspect of it was fascinating) Joseph Campbell, History, and Antisemitism: Critiquing the Hero’s Journey (I don’t claim to completely agree with all points in this article, but it’s a good overview of criticism of the Monomyth in storytelling)

As Fern, the protagonist of Nomadland (an incredible award-winning film), says: I’m not homeless, I’m houseless. There is a difference! So, I said in the last episode of Fresh Fusion that I was getting ready to move, and also travel a lot. When I didn’t say was that my traveling a lot would be happening after moving out…and before moving in! 😅 Listen as I explain my four reasons why I’ve made this major lifestyle change to downsize, cram a bunch o’ things into storage, and hit the road. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Nomadland My review in 2021 Eamon & Bec FnA Van Life Nikki Delventhal Bad Trend: Why America is turning into a nation of homebodies

I’m a ramblin’ guy, I’m ramblin’ ramblin’ ram…BLIN’! Just like Steve Martin apparently, I’ll be ramblin’ around a lot this year, so it’s time to take my mobile workspace seriously and bid adeiu to being tethered to a desktop Mac (and, well, macOS in general). How will I get things done while I’m on the road? Who knows—I mean, yes, this episode will explain everything! Update: the original published MP3 was missing chapter markers. Had to wrangle with Ferrite a bit more, but this version should be working now! 😅 Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Creator Class 41: Your Sacred Obligation to Speak Truth to Power Focusrite Scarlett Solo iPad launched 15 years ago (Apple) My Shifting Computing Habits in 2025 (Thanks…Tim Cook?) Framework GNOME

(Note: I want to provide a Trigger Warning as this episode contains examples of hate speech targeted at LGBTQ+ people and women. Take care of yourselves, and proceed with understanding.) It’s 2025 y’all, and everything’s going great so far! 😜 But seriously, I have some good news to report (really, I do!) even while expressing my supreme frustration that yet another commercial social media platform has proven itself to be absolutely terrible, the broligarchy is in full swing, and there are no good billionaires. Thankfully, we can exercise our freedom of association by refusing to entertain these clowns or have anything to do with their gross and unsafe platforms. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! My First Four Weeks of Daily Blogging Bridgetown 2024: Year in Review ‘It’s Total Chaos Internally at Meta Right Now’: Employees Protest Zuckerberg’s Anti LGBTQ Changes Meta Deletes Trans and Nonbinary Messenger Themes Elon Musk agrees that we’ve exhausted AI training data My Experience Biohacking (Declan Chidlow) Clive Thompson (@[email protected]) writes: The secret to a better city is a two-wheeler RealJournalism (@[email protected]) shares: Tribes celebrate Klamath dam removal: “More successful than we ever imagined”

It’s that time of year again in the U.S. of A.—time to take stock of where we’ve been and find all of the silver linings. And it’s time for this podcaster to geek out over some very special blessings, from weird quirky indie horror films to weird quirky indie web browsers as well as weird quirky indie…OK, I think you get the idea. 😄 Also some thoughts on why there’s value in staying engaged in local politics even when national elections are a source of undying gloom. And guess what? Yearly intentions work! But enough about me. What are you thankful for this holiday season? Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Threads See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Social Web Foundation Our Discussion on Just a Spec Podcast My Review of Vivaldi Web Browser Bridgetown 2.0 Newsletters: Creator Class Cycles Hyped No More by The Internet Review That HTML Blog Fullstack Ruby Portland Vortex Creative Club

Why has the mood changed so suddenly on Threads? How has Meta dropped the ball at this pivotal moment for the nascent social network? Meanwhile, other social networks and the Fediverse as a whole are kicking some serious ass. It’s a real shift in a short amount of time from just earlier in the summer, and I’m here to talk all about it…and how much I just love Mastodon 4.3 + Tangerine UI 2.0. 😍 Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Threads See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! The Social Web Foundation Just a Spec episode about the foundation Flipboard federation blog My profile on Pixelfed Impressia for Pixelfed (Apple App Store) My profile on Vernissage Mastodon 4.3 Tangerine UI 2.0

It’s the summer of our content, as we take time to enjoy the great outdoors and spend quality moments IRL with friends and family. At least, that’s what I’ve been doing, as well as making structural changes in my day-to-day such as a studio move and an email newsletter move from ConvertKit to Buttondown. But even as the sun is shining and the birds are singing, what’s happening on social media right now is…weird. And I’m not sure how to feel about it. Like, what IS going on with the Fediverse anyway? And should we all just hold our Meta-scarred noses and embrace Threads now? Hmm. Let’s talk about that. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Threads See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Fresh Fusion is 6 years old, y’all! 🎉 Cycles Hyped No More (tech news-focused newsletter) That HTML Blog (newsletter for web developers) Fullstack Ruby (newsletter for Ruby developers) “Best of LinkedIn” (CEO goes off the rails 😂)

Some people say that RIVEN: The Sequel to MYST is the greatest computer game of all time. (That’s me. I say that.) Perhaps YMMV. But there’s no doubt that Riven is the G.O.A.T. of puzzle adventure games as pioneered in the 1990s, and this year we’re blessed with the tremendous opportunity to fall in love with Riven all over again, as Cyan has developed and published a modern remake in glorious real-time 3D. I am, quite simply, obsessed. Here’s why you should be too. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Cycles Hyped No More (my new tech-focused newsletter) First issue: Hype Cycles, Come Again No More Riven (2024 Remake) Launch Trailer (YouTube) Riven (Wikipedia)

I’ve often found that most of the people out there who have genuine talent and real success are more than happy to pass their well-founded wisdom on to others. Unfortunately, those experts who have a proven track record, having made predictive claims grounded in reality over time, are often not the popular figures in our society. With alarming frequency, many “influencers” with high follower counts are fairly good at one thing: influencing…not the actual topics they claim to understand based on real-world expertise. Let’s discuss. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! European Commission sends preliminary DMA findings to Apple My Apple DMA commentary on Mastodon Riven 2024 (Steam store)

Generative art, aka artistic output that’s produced by a sophisticated set of parameters, cycles, connections, and yes, even algorithms, has been around for decades—especially in music—and has a prestigious and invigorating history. More importantly, generative art tools have helped usher in countless new art forms. Contrast that with…well…y’know. 😂 In this so-called “Age of AI” we find ourselves in, it’s helpful to take a step back and remember that new generative artistic capabilities have typically given rise to vast new worlds of creative expression. Augmentation if you will, not substitution. Alas, Silicon Valley seems to have lost the plot. We should stop trusting they’re seeing something we’re not, and instead trust our own judgement in choosing tools which elevate (not badly approximate) human ingenuity and artistry. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! My essay: They Forgot It’s “Bicycle for the Mind”—not “Jet Airplane” Also my essay: I Am Terrified of WWDC24. But Perhaps I Shouldn’t Be The Art of Noises by Luigi Russolo “Ansel Adams-style AI art” 🤢 Threads thread / Follow-up Horrifying monster people 😱 (just zoom in!) WSJ: The AI Revolution is Already Losing Steam Adam Conover: How Google RUINED the Internet / Mastodon thread Google’s bad AI search results went viral. It’s since made improvements

A tale of two Threads: one—the Threadiverse—is a subportion of the Fediverse dedicated to replicating the kind of experiences we’re familiar with on Reddit, Hacker News, and the like; the other is Meta’s fast-growing competitor to X. Not confusing at all! 😂 In this episode I break down what the Threadiverse is and how I’ve been using and enjoying Lemmy, and then cover the latest developments with Threads having entered the Fediverse (in a partial solution) and what’s coming next—and how it’s being impacted by the Fedipact. I also cover a range of exciting news on the growth of the open social web. And in the Fusion+ segment this week: my spoiler-light review of Alex Garland’s heady movie Civil War and the fascinating metanarrative it offers on the nature of journalism, activism, and the quest for Truth. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Ghost Embraces the Fediverse, Collaborating with Buttondown Dot Social: Threads Has Entered the Fediverse, with Meta’s Rachel Lambert and Peter Cottle Flipboard Magazine Federation Happy Cities (my magazine on urbanism and micromobility) Digiday: As TikTok ban threatens stability in social media ecosystem, some brands settle into the fediverse The Verge is working on federation!

Sigh. It’s frustrating to still feel like an early adopter of open web technology. How many years has it been? 25? 30? But here we are, trying to convince the masses that you can use open protocols, networks, and software to build lasting publishing businesses and outlets for your creativity. And who better to show us the way than…Donald Trump? Perish the thought! 😱 (But seriously, it’s amazing to recall everyone once scoffed at his fledgling social network once he was booted off Facebook and Twitter and…well, it was hardly the kiss of death.) He proved Big Social just ain’t so powerful anymore. Can people who aren’t *batshit crazy* please take inspiration from this and use the open web for good?? TIA! 🙏 Say it with me: Own Your Own Platform. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Updates from Jared’s Publishing Empire: JaredWhite.com: Video: Midsummer Adventures at Mt. Hood Fresh Fusion Episode 107 (thoughts on PeerTube) The Spicy Web: writing of the next course is underway! “DIY UI That Scales”…vanilla or mostly-vanilla JS solutions to common architectural problems. Also enjoying link-blogging at That HTML Blog. Bridgetown: version 2 of this Ruby web framework is on the way! Just a Spec: new podcast episodes coming soon with my buddy Ayush! Fullstack Ruby: yep, a redesign and relaunch! The Internet Review: oh my gawd, it’s finally here!! 🎉

Microblogging is an artform, just like any other creative endeavor people publish on the web. In this episode, I talk about one of the subtle techniques I sometimes use to microblog which increases the likelihood of engagement and boosting—but beware! You can definitely overdo it, and you can also manipulate people with it if you’re a bad actor. Use responsibly. 😅 And in the Fusion+ segment: it’s been six years since the acquisition of GitHub by Microsoft. How has that corporate overlordship gone? It’s difficult to deny Microsoft’s stewardship of GitHub has been a success, but there are dark clouds on the horizon… Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! 404 Media Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them Mastodon: @404mediaco The Internet Review Mastodon: @theinternet

In this episode, I dive deep into how I might be willing to acknowledge an ethical approach to using generative AI tools, and why virtually all tools in widespread use today fall wildly short in the morality department—which makes the embrace of these tools by corporations incredibly disappointing. But can we thread this needle? Is there a viable path forward? Let’s discuss. Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Shared Links: The Subversive Hyperlink - Jim Nielsen’s Blog RMTransit on PeerTube — 698 videos on public transit & urbanism! Reece Martin’s Blog Kickoff Toots: I don’t think many folks who primarily spend time on Mastodon as their social network of choice realize how absolutely bonkers it is elsewhere… Just so we’re super-duper-crystal-clear here, there is no AI, none whatsoever, that anyone anywhere has invented which actually thinks…actually reasons… Crazy Stat: According to a 2021 Georgetown University poll of gun owners in the US, 24.6 million persons have an AR-15 or a comparable firearm in their possession. –Wikipedia

Folks have been talking about different terminology and ways of describing this brave new world of decentralized social networking. But with Threads’ staggering growth to 150 million MAU (Monthly Active Users), combined with its embrace of the colloquial term “fediverse”, I make the case that fediverse is here to stay. I also touch on the recent news around Google’s flailing leadership causing Googlers to get real grumpy real fast. And in the Fusion+ segment: after a long period of time where microblogging (aka text-focused social media) and blogging seemed at odds with each other, we finally have an opportunity to go back to what made the web great, where both blogging and microblogging can not only co-exist but thrive together. Yay! Links & Show Notes Sign Up for Intuitive+ to listen to Fresh Fusion+ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to Creator Class (a Newsletter) Follow Jared on Mastodon & Pixelfed See the comments on this very episode, and add your own! Google’s CEO Responded to Intense Criticism at the Company’s All-Hands Meeting. It Didn’t Go Well Adam Mosseri on Threads reaching 130m MAU Alessandro Paluzz on Threads’ Fediverse sharing UI Fusion+: Blogging and “microblogging” can now evolve and thrive in tandem! It’s hard to look back fondly on the Twitter algorithm in the days when it was still considered cool…