cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/52191489

I’ve been working on an open-source project called Userless (https://github.com/danhab99/userless), and I’ve reached a point where the codebase has officially outgrown me. Working as a solo dev has gotten overwhelming and lonely, and I’m looking for collaborators—and honestly, friends—who want to help me shape this vision.

The Core Idea: Redefining the Internet Protocol

The internet is broken when it comes to how content creators and moderators interact. Right now, platforms have total monopoly over your data. If a moderator or a platform doesn't like what you say, they delete your post, and it ceases to exist.

I looked at basic internet protocols and thought: the relationship between creators and moderators needs to be entirely different.

Userless is built on two core principles:

1. Creators own their content entirely. Period.
2. Moderators have the right to exclude content. If a moderator doesn't want to host or display certain content on their node or community, they shouldn't have to.

But just because a moderator doesn't like your content doesn't mean it shouldn't exist anymore.

By separating ownership from hosting/curation, we can create a web where communities can self-moderate without silencing creators or destroying their digital footprints.

There's a tonne more I can talk about it but the AI's recommended I shorten this.

Why I need your help:

I’ve laid down the initial code, but it has gotten away from me. I’m losing my mental map of the project, and I really need people to jump in, help me organize it, and brainstorm the roadmap.

Whether you’re a protocol nerd, a backend engineer, or just someone who cares deeply about digital ownership and the future of the web, I’d love to have you.

Check out the repo here: https://github.com/danhab99/userless

Drop a comment, shoot me a PM, or open an issue if you want to chat, look at the code together. Let's build a better internet together.

Guys I'm in a slump, I keep having the same fight every time I feel bored and want to go out to do something and I can't because I don't know what to do because I don't even know what kinds of things I can do, like what classification of activity I should pick. And even when I do pick an activity class I'm paralyzed with the decisions regarding how to execute that activity. It's a 3dimentional puzzle of trying to find what doesn't make me miserable, is actually available to me, and I understand.

Here is my current list of activity classes, I keep it as an Obsidian Kanban board where each lane is a my opinion. What classifications should I add or if you have any ideas for what specific things I can do I'd really appreciate that too.

I'm based in Brooklyn

New things

• [ ] Hobbyist Groups Model Building, Gardening Clubs #social
• [ ] Joining Environmental Groups #social

Want to do

• [ ] Volunteering at Charities #social #commitment
• [ ] Calligraphy #lazy #equipment
• [ ] Electronic Circuit Building #equipment #alone
• [ ] Skating Inline, Ice #sport #inside #winter
• [ ] Kickboxing #sport
• [ ] Canoeing #sport #social #outside
• [ ] Volleyball #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Handmade Jewelry #equipment #class
• [ ] Robotics #equipment #expensive #alone
• [ ] Electronic Music Production #alone #class
• [ ] Nature Walks for Relaxation #alone
• [ ] Listening to Calming Music #alone
• [ ] Progressive Muscle Relaxation #alone
• [ ] Joining a Film Club #club
• [ ] Community Art Classes #social #class
• [ ] Collage Making #materials
• [ ] Baking as a creative activity #lazy #home #materials
• [ ] Music Composition #lazy
• [ ] Sewing #art #equipment
• [ ] Coffee Latte Art #class #equipment
• [ ] Swimming

Don't want to do

• [ ] Volunteering for Political Causes #social
• [ ] Participating in Dance Classes #social
• [ ] Joining a Choir or Music Group #social
• [ ] Language Exchange Clubs #social #club
• [ ] Furniture Restoration #expensive #materials #resources
• [ ] Garden Design #outside
• [ ] Film Making #art #equipment
• [ ] Rugby #sport #social #club
• [ ] Lacrosse #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Dodgeball #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Ultimate Frisbee #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Parkour #sport #social #outside
• [ ] Wrestling #sport #social #club #inside
• [ ] Surfing #sport #summer #outside
• [ ] Snowboarding #sport #expensive #winter
• [ ] Skiing Alpine or Cross-Country #sport #expensive #winter
• [ ] Rowing #sport #social #club #outside #hard
• [ ] Gymnastics #sport #social #club #inside #hard
• [ ] Cricket #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Basketball #sport #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Football/Soccer #sport #social #club #outside
• [ ] Weight Lifting #sport #club #hard
• [ ] Rock Climbing #sport
• [ ] Martial Arts Karate, Judo #sport
• [ ] Dancing various styles #sport #club #social

Planning

• [ ] Volunteer at animal shelter
• [ ] Pottery #art #expensive #equipment
• [ ] Sculpting #art #expensive #equipment

Doing

• [ ] Reading manga #lazy

Will do it again

• [ ] Deep Breathing Exercises #alone
• [ ] Boxing #sport #hard #club #equipment
• [ ] Yoga #sport #inside #alone #club
• [ ] Hiking #sport #outside
• [ ] Swimming #sport #club
• [ ] Spas #lazy #expensive
• [ ] Writing Journaling, Novels, Poetry #art
• [ ] Playing a Musical Instrument #art
• [ ] Attending Networking Events #social
• [ ] Aromatherapy #therapy
• [ ] Massage Therapy
• [ ] Herbal Therapy #therapy
• [ ] Tea Ceremonies #alone
• [ ] Mobile App Development
• [ ] Open Source Contributions
• [ ] Going to a comedy show #outside #lazy

Did it once

• [ ] Photography #art #equipment
• [ ] Joining a Book Club #social
• [ ] Cycling #sport #equipment #outside
• [ ] Drawing #art #skilled
• [ ] Painting #art #equipment
• [ ] Scuba diving

Do it with friends

• [ ] Attending Community Festivals #social
• [ ] Attending Concerts and Live Performances #social
• [ ] Cooking Classes with Friends #social #class #club

Hated it

• [ ] Meditation #alone
• [ ] Running #sport #outside #hard
• [ ] Sitting in Silence

Used to do it but its over

• [ ] Gaming Communities Online or Offline #social
• [ ] Tennis #sport #social #club #outside

I'm worried about his genetics. He was re-homed to me at 2yo, his previous owners did some genetic selection for him which I don't think I approve of. But he's my cat and I love him to bits and pieces and I want to know that he's ok.

I just broke up with a friend of afew years.

We met in college, she changed my life for the better, I'll never have a friend like that again.

3ish years ago she moved to a different state, we haven't hung out in person in forever. We talk on whatsapp all the time. Recently she got into some trouble and asked me for help, I should have refused. Not like it would have made a difference, we haven't talked in weeks.

I feel like I get "going through a hard time" better than everyone. Things suck right now but I have such a deep comprehension of how much worse-off I can be, I'm happy I'm not starving.

But I still manage to reach out, I still manage to grow and change and do new things. Why can't she, why can't my friends stop being so broke-minded when it comes to me.

Everything I want to do is 10x harder or 10x more expensive simply bc I suggest it but when others bring up the same ideas it's fine. How can it be impossible to manage in 10x difficulty when I do it all the time?

I cannot be special, that's against the rule that everybody is special therefore nobody's special therefore I cannot be special. So how is it possible that I can feel so aweful all the time and still drag myself to go out and have fun even though I'm at a bar alone. I can do it. It's not hard. Just go out and get a drink and stand there and be ok.

If you're feeling sad and a friend texts you then you have to text back, if you asked a friend for help and they helped you should owe them back atleast how hard it was for you to ask. You should have to give back something. And if you don't what does that mean for me? Do I gain the privilege to do something? Should I do something about it? What can be done?

So I decided to break up with her because even if I didn't help she can go months without talking to me and that's the same as not having friends to me so what? Why is it different? Why shouldn't I make something out of this empty pipe between us and fill it with a push, people have pushed me out, does that mean that I get the privilege to push people out too? Should I (I already did)?

All I know about making friends at my age is that the ROI is bad bc the cost is actually that daunting. The benefits have not increased since childhood but the difficulty has. And at some age I passed a threshold where the difficulty line rose above the benefit line and it's just going up and up and I can't stop it, I can't get ahead of it.

I can't do anything but loose people. My last friend is married, she'll be having kids in afew years, she's on the other side of the planet. We're effectively not even friends anymore but what can I say about it? Tell her to slow down for me?

I want community

I want my old cat back

I want to be a child again because I can't face an inevitable future where I know how much less I will have.