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from sparr

Some choices are net positive despite increasing negative outcomes

Never mix friendship and money. Never lend a friend money you can't afford to lose. There are many adages like this, and they are great advice for preserving friendships. They are, however, terrible advice if you're optimizing for the quality of life of your friends. Our society produces a lot of people and households that occasionally have a few hundred or thousand extra dollars (e.g. biweekly payroll giving an “extra” paycheck every six months), but are also occasionally broke enough that that same amount would have a huge impact on future life trajectory (e.g. fixing a broken car needed for work). If you live in that slice of society, as I have for a significant chunk of my life, then you could lend that extra money to a friend when they need it, but you would need it to be repaid. Only gifting what you can afford to lose would mean not helping when your friend needs it. Unfortunately, the course of action here that helps the most also occasionally leads to bad outcomes that would have been avoided otherwise. Sometimes you're going to lose your job when they refuse to repay you, or lose your friend or get them or yourself ostracized from a larger friend group when you insist.

This same concept applies to a lot of social norms and best practices in life and business. Our culture has built up a mountain of tradition focused on maintaining short term happiness and interpersonal relationships, at the expense of long term and more widespread benefits. I am pretty sure that almost all of these should be done away with, and I choose to be the change that I want to see in the world. Unfortunately this leads to me having a lot more conflict than most people do. Where that really goes off the rails is when people don't recognize or understand that connection, and instead conclude that the frequency of the negative interactions must say something else about me that is slightly to significantly worse (e.g. I am actively trying to hurt people). In an attempt to better describe this phenomenon, I'm going to elaborate on a few recurring examples here.

The most impactful example I have is establishing large intentional communities, e.g. coliving or cohousing. This is something almost no one will ever try. Relatively few people will even take responsibility for filling a 3 bedroom flat, let alone getting 5-20 people to live and do other things together or even own property together. Because you don't try this, you never experience the consequences. The moment I pull the trigger on a project like that, I am committing to dozens of very negative outcomes in the future. People will end up crying. Someone will get kicked out of their home. Some romantic relationships will end disastrously. I know these things will happen. I couldn't do this (again) if I wasn't comfortable with those outcomes, and many people refuse to try when they realize what will ensue. You see those outcomes and conclude that I've done something wrong, that there must have been a way to avoid them, but most of you don't seem willing to discuss or apply critical thought to that conclusion.

There's also the lending of money to friends that I described above. You probably never do this, so you never encounter the failure modes. Because you never do this, you probably also don't consider asking your friends, and they don't consider asking you, so you probably aren't even aware of how much good could be done otherwise. You perceive me as being unreasonably confrontational, even though you don't know how confrontational you would be in the same situation. I perceive you as being a less good friend, to all the friends you could have helped but didn't.

On a related note, we have “Never talk about politics or religion in polite company”. This rule optimizes for interpersonal harmony. It reduces the frequency of loud disagreements with people you otherwise want or need to be around. Unfortunately, it also produces a society in which there is very little awareness of political issues and most people's political positions are never effectively challenged. So here I am, talking to acquaintances about politics and religion, even though I know that will lead to arguments and worse, because I think the large scale long term good outweighs the local immediate bad. Fortunately, this one seems to be on the decline as a social norm, and I regularly find myself surrounded by people who consider these topics fair game. Hopefully more items on this list trend in that direction.

Another example is radical honesty. I take pride in not intentionally misleading people. It's an intentional choice that I've put thousands of hours of thought and discussion into. I know that it will cause problems, but I believe that the benefits outweigh those problems. Almost every time someone engages with me on this subject, they start off trying to explain some alternate course of action that they predict would have achieved similar positive outcomes without the associated negative outcomes. Almost every time one of those people is willing to dive deep into their suggestions, it becomes clear that there was a component of intentional misleading buried in some of their ideas. Often they weren't even aware of it. Without that being brought to their attention, they stick to the original position that the less-negative results could have been achieved without dishonesty.

There is also paternalism, or avoiding it, in interpersonal interactions. When you and I are interacting on a contentious matter and I can tell it's making you upset, I could walk away. I could judge that your upsetness is more important than whatever other issue we're trying to resolve. This would be extremely patronizing of me toward you. If, instead, I allow you to be the judge of those two priorities, and to decide whether the upsetness or the issue are more important to you, then we're going to have the unpleasant interaction for longer. By committing in advance to not being paternalistic, I am ensuring that more of those negative interpersonal outcomes happen. I judge that the world would be a worse place if I substituted my judgment for yours more often, so I don't do that, even though I know the consequences.

A relatively broad general category is when someone in authority (or even not) is violating my (or your) civil or property rights. The widespread pattern of letting those people get away with that sort of misbehavior is harmful to our entire society. I decline to contribute to that pattern. I conclude that by fighting back against these things, I am moving a very big needle a very small amount. I judge that good to outweigh the harms of the individual confrontations, even though negative outcomes are extremely common.

As I said in a specific context above, you perceive me as being unreasonably confrontational, even though you don't know how confrontational you would be in the same situation. This actually applies across all of these examples. The most common response I've seen to this is “of course not, I avoid those situations”... but that just brings us back to the question of whether you're helping or harming by avoiding those situations. It's easy to avoid hurt and harm by never doing anything, but I think we can all agree that you should at least occasionally do something, so there must be some acceptable threshold even if you've not thought it through previously.

I could go on. I've encountered many other examples of this thing, including in ways I live my own life, each many separate times. But more examples isn't the point. The point is that there's an underlying pattern here, and that's what I am trying to bring to your attention. My hope is that by gaining even a little understanding of a few of these examples, you'll be able to spot the pattern when it applies to arbitrary other scenarios. That said, I'm happy to discuss other examples that you have in mind, or any of the nuance of the examples I've given above.

 
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from Packet Garden

Kolektiva.social was raided in May 2023, leaving its database unencrypted. The FBI seized this database, which frightened many Kolektiva.social admins.

Kolektiva.social admins posted:

“The database is the heart of a Mastodon server. A database copy such as the one seized may include any of the following user data, up to date as of early May 2023.”

Kolektiva.social admins also said one admin was charged with something they did not do. That incident made those admins worry about another raid.

They also stated:

“As a precaution, we highly recommend all users on Kolektiva.social change their password immediately to a new, unique, and strong password.”

“We sincerely apologize to all our users and regret this breach. Leaving a copy of the database unencrypted was obviously a mistake.”

Which is true, and I fully agree. But the problem does not stop here. A member of that server got a post deleted for being “antisemitic,”

I have read the post that got leaked which is not illegal to post on Mastodon.

A post about a termination of a post: https://kolektiva.social/@Quasit/116726888048342047

A post from beige.party: https://beige.party/@Quasit/116727342202756390

kolektiva.social raid: https://techstory.in/privacy-concerns-escalate-as-fbi-seizes-server-copy-from-mastodon-network-without-subpoena/

EFF: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/07/fbi-seizure-mastodon-server-wakeup-call-fediverse-users-and-hosts-protect-their

 
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from Eco-Friendly Bin Bags

How a Compost Bin Supports FOGO Compostable Waste Solutions

As Australian councils continue to expand Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) programmes, households and businesses are looking for practical ways to manage organic waste more effectively. One of the simplest and most effective tools for supporting these initiatives is a quality compost bin. When paired with certified compostable liners, a compost bin helps collect food scraps and organic materials while keeping waste separation clean and convenient.


Biotuff supports Australia's growing sustainability movement with certified compostable products designed to work seamlessly with modern FOGO systems. Using FOGO compostable solutions alongside a reliable compost bin and compost system can help reduce landfill waste and support a healthier environment.


Understanding the Importance of FOGO Waste Collection


FOGO programmes are designed to divert organic waste away from landfill and into composting facilities where it can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost. Food scraps, fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, and garden waste can all be collected through these systems.


Without proper separation, valuable organic materials often end up in general waste bins. A dedicated compost bin makes it easier to sort waste correctly and encourages consistent participation in local FOGO programmes. Combining a compost bin with FOGO compostable liners creates a practical solution for homes, offices, schools, and hospitality businesses.


Benefits of Using a Compost Bin for Organic Waste


Using a compost bin as part of a FOGO waste management routine offers several advantages:

  • Helps reduce food waste sent to landfill.
  • Supports council FOGO collection programmes.
  • Keeps kitchens and workspaces cleaner and more organised.
  • Makes organic waste separation easier for households and businesses.
  • Contributes to the production of valuable compost for agricultural and landscaping use.

These benefits highlight why compost-bin compost systems are becoming increasingly popular across Australia.


Choosing Certified Compostable Products for Better Results


The success of any FOGO waste system depends on using products that meet recognised compostability standards. Biotuff offers a range of fully compostable solutions that help consumers and businesses manage organic waste with confidence.


Every item in our compostable range is certified to AS 4736 and AS 5810, the nationally recognised benchmarks for commercial and home compostability. These certifications demonstrate that products have been independently tested and verified for composting performance under Australian conditions.


How Compost Bin Compost Systems Work to Improve Waste Management.


A well-designed compost bin compost setup helps streamline waste collection and disposal. Key features include the following:

  • Convenient collection of food scraps and organic materials.
  • Reduced contamination in recycling and general waste streams.
  • Improved hygiene when using certified compostable liners.
  • Easier transportation of organic waste to FOGO collection bins.

By integrating FOGO compostable products into daily waste routines, households and businesses can participate more effectively in Australia's circular economy.


Supporting Sustainable Living with Biotuff


As awareness of environmental responsibility continues to grow, more Australians are seeking practical ways to reduce waste. Biotuff remains committed to supporting sustainable living through innovative compostable solutions that align with FOGO programmes nationwide.


Customers can also enjoy free Australian shipping on all retail orders over $120*, making it easier to access trusted compostable products for home and business use.


Final Thoughts


A quality compost bin plays an essential role in supporting successful FOGO waste collection. When combined with certified FOGO compostable products, compost bin compost system helps reduce landfill waste, improve organic waste separation, and contribute to a more sustainable future. With Biotuff's certified compostable solutions, Australians can take simple but meaningful steps towards better waste management and environmental responsibility.


 
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