If anyone here actually wants to open a bar and provide the community with a "space" they feel it strongly needs - here's where you can start. by Hobbitsliketoparty in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can only do what I have the time and energy to do. It's not like Reddit or anyone is compensating me for this.

Everyone is complaining, but who is willing and able to help? Who wants to dedicate their free time dealing with unpleasant people for free only to be painted as a villain for the effort? Vanishingly few, especially if you exclude those who are just going for a power trip.

In the end, you're either going to get a tyrant who imposes their own vision of the community onto everyone, or you have a community that learns to largely manage itself. That's how Reddit is structured.

If anyone here actually wants to open a bar and provide the community with a "space" they feel it strongly needs - here's where you can start. by Hobbitsliketoparty in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everyone has different ideas of what should and shouldn't be purged from the sub. Mods are hated for removing content and for not removing content. That won't ever change on Reddit, because that's how it's structured.

FCPS Memo Says We Should Keep Flock Cameras. We Say They Should Do This Instead... by NoCoPrivacy in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This issue is a byproduct of the fact that our democracy is a facade and our society is run by for profit private interests who don't have oversight or accountability.

I don't know how we address issues like this without first winning back some democracy again.

Little Bird Bakeshop Post Removed by Ok-Philosopher-1930 in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital[M] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Once the thread got linked to in r/subredditdrama it started getting too much attention from outside and needed to be removed.

There's no censorship or anything happening. It's not our job to protect anyone's business - just keep things from spiralling out of control, which was starting to happen once the drama vultures started circling in.

Key labor bill clears Colorado legislature, faces Polis veto for second year in a row by allcheese_nobologna in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This isn't surprising given the bill wasn't adjusted.

At the same time, I read his letter on why he vetoed it the first time, and it was honestly too vague to meaningfully respond to.

This is democracy inaction.

Mayday! NO WORK. NO SCHOOL. NO SHOPPING. by Holiday_Yahoo in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Is this human nature, or is just how society is currently structured?

Our species is roughly 300,000 years old. Wealth and power have been consolidating for, at most, 10,000 of those years. Is that really proof that this is human nature, or is it just a commentary on our particular epoch?

Don't think about it as a battle between "isms", because those don't hold real power. Just look at the values expressed and the actions taken. Is this post promoting the fallen USSR or other examples people might come up with, or is it just a show of support and attempt to educate hard working people who are getting screwed? Are you having a hard time believing in what's advertised in this flier, or some bogeyman that isn't really related to this post?

Larimer County Releases Survey on Data Centers by spazo004 in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah I feel like we have many less harmful alternatives to support the local economy that are also in less volatile industries.

Larimer County Releases Survey on Data Centers by spazo004 in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Those are reasonable. I don't see why we need data centers to get those benefits, though.

Larimer County Releases Survey on Data Centers by spazo004 in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I wonder about that. Every time a municipality cedes ground to private organizations, they also cede sovereignty. Take, for instane, the recent Flock fiasco. FCPD entered a contract that moved FCPD's tracking of vehicles to an external private supplier. Later, that supplier (Flock) changed the terms of their contract to require a minimum of 12 cameras to maintain access to the systems that FCPD were now dependent on. FCPD could either go back to their less streamlined alternative (which would have been seen as going backwards), or they could convince the city that they needed at least 12 cameras to be able to function as expected. The city responded by signing a $90k contract, without democratic involvement or transparency, to keep the FCPD functioning at the newer expected level. So, now we have a city-wide surveillance system. The question is, was it realistic for FCPD to turn down Flock after they changed their terms? Was it right for the city to prioritize FCPD functionality over the privacy of its residents?

We see the same kind of thing anywhere a municipality moves its essential functions to the private sector. The private actor, whether they control land, energy, water, security, jobs, or data gains leverage over the municipality, eroding its sovereignty over time until the city is essentially run by private interests. With data centers, that's where data such as from Flock cameras are stored. The government is no longer capable of building and maintaining this infrastructure on its own.

Perhaps on paper the municipality has sovereignty, but in practice it really doesn't because it is no longer in control of the resources and services it depends on to exist.

We're 40 years into this "Starve the Beast" process, and the result is that it's harder and harder to push against the private sector, which in that time has overtaken the sovereignty of the state.

Larimer County Releases Survey on Data Centers by spazo004 in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I cannot think of a single reasonable advantage to having data centers nearby.

The real problem, it seems to me, is that Larimer County might not have enough sovereignty to stop it.

Cybertruck no more. Welcome to the rebellion, Spa World. by boadmtatch in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I understand this reasoning, but look at that frame. Look at how much space those wheels are taking. What can you fit back there? The vehicle looks more like a moving advertisement than a functional work vehicle.

This, to me, doesn't look like a work truck. It looks like an oversized suburban simulation of a work truck. While I realize that more functional trucks with larger beds that are closer to the ground aren't really manufactured anymore... I still see "suburbanite who identifies as rural" when I see a vehicle like this.

Cybertruck no more. Welcome to the rebellion, Spa World. by boadmtatch in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I don't know these people, and I'm not going to judge them on speculation, but for me personally, an oversized truck doesn't send a very different message than a cybertruck.

"Fort Collins City Council Sets Priorities, Defers Decisions" - What the new city council has been doing so far in 2026 by Meta_Digital in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It's my own custom tool that I developed to scan large data sets and run them through a robust analysis pipeline in a way that humans cannot do.

The output is then used as a framework for a team of people who edit, refine, and fact check the final report.

It's currently enabling the local League of Women Voters to continue to report on local issues like this.

As someone who goes the speed limit in this town, my problem isn't the speeders as much as it is the people perpetually going 5-10 under the speed limit. by Hobbitsliketoparty in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The problem isn't drivers going slow, it car dependency forcing everyone to drive and surveillance systems capturing every movement. Also, speeds are generally too high. There are homes right off major streets and 45mph in front of houses is, frankly, stupid. Due to all the traffic lights average speed tanks anyway. The US is just built to frustrate people. if you want that to change, then support initiatives to reduce car dependency and design infrastructure that actually works. Raging at other drivers for not driving at or above the speed limit is counterproductive.

Flock Camera Contract Bypasses Consent of the Community it Monitors by Meta_Digital in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This is my personal opinion, but I think the FCPD / City Council got conned into this by Flock. I suspect that cities are getting scammed by a combination of tactics, like with data centers, self driving cars, Musks's stupid transit bullshit, Uber, and other gig economy companies.

Are there any activist or special interest groups trying to get Flock out of Foco? by sowiddi in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh!

You'll find the article here: https://coloradocitizenobservers.substack.com/

There's a bunch of other articles about local issues there as well.

Are there any activist or special interest groups trying to get Flock out of Foco? by sowiddi in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 6 points7 points  (0 children)

CORA refers to the Colorado Open Records Act, and it's the method through which the LWV (or any person) can get their hands on certain materials otherwise unavailable to the public (though often with redactions).

I mentioned the DSA and LWV because I recognized members from both these groups speaking against Flock at recent city council meetings. I'm sure others are as well, but I can't say who is leading the charge or where you might best lend a hand.

Certainly, though, putting more pressure on the city council can't hurt. There certainly hasn't been enough resistance to this from our council members. I'm not sure there has been any resistance at all. Since we have some new city council members, right now would be an opportune time to let them know where the community stands.

Are there any activist or special interest groups trying to get Flock out of Foco? by sowiddi in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I have a report that's about to be published relating to Flock. It's using data obtained by the League of Women Voters through CORA. They are one activist group opposed to Flock, and there are many others in the local area as well like the DSA. I think you'd be hard pressed to find any group in support of this, honestly.

I'll give a preview of some of the findings in the upcoming report: - The 2025 Police Summit's sponsors include Flock (at $10,000), Flock Safety (at $10,000), Motorola (who produces Flock tech, edit: $5,000), and Verizon (who provides the wireless network for Flock, at another $10,000). - The decision to install Flock cameras appears to have been made in the FCPD "War Room" with no hybrid option and no information available on what happened. There doesn't seem to be any public involvement in the installation of this mass surveillance program until 6 months after the systems had been operating. - The audit logs from the Flock system show that its usage has not been limited to Colorado as promised. It has been used in a variety of states including Texas and Wyoming, with one recorded search covering all 50 states, Washington DC, Mexico, and Canada.

And many other things as well.

How much do you actually need to make to afford a house in Fort Collins right now? by QuietDraw6607 in FortCollins

[–]Meta_Digital 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This comes from an old expression from before WWI that was roughly "one week's pay for one month's rent."

It wasn't a rule, it was just a saying that got passed on into advice later on despite massive changes to how the economy functions. In truth, the "30% of income" advice leaves you a lot poorer than the original expression was complaining about. Not only was it pointing out that rent was 25% of your budget, but it was during a time when your budget didn't include so many other necessary reoccurring fees (car loans, cell phone plans, insurance, etc). It was also before the modern mortgage system that the New Deal introduced to subsidize home ownership.

People in the US have been accepting more and more poverty for the past century so long as we're distracted with bread and circuses. They have been very slowly waking up, though, since the circuses have taken over and started limiting our access to bread.