My experience of the #fediverse :

[_elena@mastodon.social]

My experience of the #fediverse :

Year 1 (2023):
It feels a little lonely as 99% of my friends stayed on Big Tech platforms.

Year 2 (2024):
I start a blog - #TheFutureIsFederated - to explain the fediverse to "normies"... and I make a lot of new (techie) friends.

Year 3 (2025):
My techie friends encourage me to start self-hosting with #YunoHost... and I do! (GoToSocial, PeerTube, NextCloud...) I LOVE it.

Year 4 (2026):
I plan to buy a Heltec to try out off-grid mesh radio communication ‍️

[leonieke@squilla.vitaulium.eu]

@_elena So recognisable!

(and yes, I've recently purchased a lilygo-tdeck for lora/meshcore communication)

[3rik@oslo.town]

@_elena The never-ending (?) process of fediverse radicalization

[david_chisnall@infosec.exchange]

@_elena

People who use X are increasingly radicalised until they end up as Nazis.

People who use Mastodon are increasingly radicalised until they end up as C programmers.

[_elena@mastodon.social]

@leonieke awww I look forward to your tips

[leonieke@squilla.vitaulium.eu]

@_elena Thanks! I think I know how I got it working, but I still need to write it down

[_elena@mastodon.social]

@david_chisnall

[fmors@fosstodon.org]

@_elena that's the way to go! ️

[_elena@mastodon.social]

@fmors 14 years on Twitter (2008-2022) and I didn't learn a single thing.

4 years on the Fediverse and I feel like MacGyver

[andy@social.dvsn.net]

@_elena Have fun! I believe some #MeshCore folks down in the south UK managed to send and receive messages to France. It’s a giggle, despite most of the messages being “is this thing on?”.

[_elena@mastodon.social]

@3rik given how quickly this escalated, I have no idea what I will be up to in 2027!

[james@expressional.social]

@andy @_elena But alas, not the middle of the UK. One day, I hope.

[_elena@mastodon.social]

@james @andy my Fedi guru is in Germany and has been able to communicate with people in Northern Italy (where my parents are based / I am visiting ATM). It'll be fun to try this out... and also bring the equipment to Paris and experiment there too...

[james@expressional.social]

@_elena @andy In theory it's possible, but my efforts with Meshcore up to now have limited my messages to the UK and I can't see anybody on the continent so far.

[banshee7076@hear-me.social]

@_elena
I'm starting my Big Tech de-cluttering.
If it's not a secret, what else are you self-hosting?

[andy@social.dvsn.net]

@james @_elena My repeater will get past Glossop, but I need Sheffield to step up to go any further! 🫡

[leosam@mastodon.social]

@andy @_elena from Lyon we have managed to communicate with the extreme Germany, close to the triple frontier between Germany, Austria and Czechia. Its rock solid in terms of connectivity.

[u0421793@toot.pikopublish.ing]

@andy @james @_elena I’m getting all the way up and down England and since a day or so ago Northern Ireland too, also, as well now on MeshCore.

On Meshtastic I’m able to get from home in Beckton Park to Royal Albert dock, which is about one stop on the DLR. There’s no conversation on it ever, nobody ever replies, but it has an impressive mesh map with lots of coloured blobs on.

[fmors@fosstodon.org]

@_elena watch out! Speaking of MacGyver can be used as an age verification criterion...

[u0421793@toot.pikopublish.ing]

@_elena I’d suggest buy two nodes, so you can tell if it’s working or not. The second one is always going to be useful if you put it somewhere near you and high up. Having two is reassuring when you see it working between the two.

In fact, there’s MeshCore and Meshtastic, it’s worth being on both depending on the exact area (some are more MeshCore, some are more Meshtastic), so really, I’d suggest getting four nodes!

You’ll end up buying more than that in the long run, maybe not all at once in one go.

I also wrote up a page on which nodes I recommend for giving to family members, once you’re into it and can’t stop buying nodes (too early to reveal that?) pikopublish.ing/u0421793/bolg/whichradio.xhtml