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Julian Oliver

@julian0liver.bsky.social
937 followers 98 following 78 posts

Critical engineer / Educator / Infrastructure activist / Artist Art: julianoliver.com Infrastructure: nikau.io Socials: mastodon.social/@JulianOliver Classes: courses.nikau.io/currently-availabl…

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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Excited to be teaching another edition of the ROOTS Lab (Masters of Information Design), at the Design Academy Eindhoven (remote). It will run for several months.
ROOTS LAB
 
Roots reach, roots find, roots feel. Roots probe, roots route, roots feed.
 
In this lab we take inspiration from roots, their talents and topologies, in the buiding of networks and communication infrastructure. Reading from the botanical sciences and its illustrations we'll study the root systems of
plants and fungi to imagine new kinds of networks; thin networks; intersectional, agile and diverse networks; home networks; dark networks; networks fit for a changing world.
 
But roots do more than this, roots also sense, and so we'll look at networks as nervous systems, paired with with 'cilia' of meshed environmental sensors from the chemical to the electromagnetic and atmospheric.
 
We'll also look at the tangled topologies of the networks we use every day, from local area networks to the vast network-of-networks we call the Internet. Here, rather than being consumers of networks we'll shift to becoming
creators, building truly sovereign server infrastructure on the public Internet independent from the captures of 'big tech'.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Quick note there are now 3 seats left for edition 6 of the Tunnel training, Oct 12-15. Sign up to learn the craft of system administration while guided in the deployment of VPN infrastructure, on a big-tech-free server all of your own, running on renewable energy in Iceland courses.nikau.io/tunnel
A screenshot of part of the Tunnel course information page, showing an archaeological site showing a vertical tunnel column. The image is two-tone, emerald green highlights and greyscale.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Kia ora new followers! I'm not on this site much, and due to ethos/trust issues with this platform I may not stick around. There's more of me, my work and ideas, over on Mastodon: mastodon.social/@JulianOliver
mastodon.social
Julian Oliver (@JulianOliver@mastodon.social)
4.05K Posts, 751 Following, 5.35K Followers · I deploy and secure sovereign digital platforms and server infrastructure for NGOs, human rights and environmental defenders, while teaching people to do ...
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
A new edition of Tunnel will run August 3-6. There are 2 seats left. Sign up if you'd like to learn system administration fundamentals while building up your own very private, sovereign, fast and diversely flexible VPN, running on geothermal energy in Iceland. courses.nikau.io/tunnel/
courses.nikau.io
Tunnel – Nīkau Courses
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Pleased to share a new (long) article providing guidance to help orgs help themselves move off big tech. It is based on many years experience helping organisations & groups do exactly that. courses.nikau.io/2026/07/03/m... Perhaps someone near you finds some of it useful. #sovereignty #bigtech
courses.nikau.io
Moving your org off big tech – Nīkau Courses
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Reposted by Julian Oliver
Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I realise I omitted to share the project page about the 'Science is Poetry' AI Crawler entrapment project. Here you go: julianoliver.com/projects/sci... Therein you will find over 4,000 harvested AI Crawler IPs in a file for your blacklisting pleasure, with more automatically added daily.
julianoliver.com
Science is Poetry
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I realise I omitted to share the project page about the 'Science is Poetry' AI Crawler entrapment project. Here you go: julianoliver.com/projects/sci... Therein you will find over 4,000 harvested AI Crawler IPs in a file for your blacklisting pleasure, with more automatically added daily.
julianoliver.com
Science is Poetry
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Glad to announce another Cloudbreak live training opportunity, running for 6hrs on May 28. This course is ideal for those wanting to become part of the movement from BigTech platforms to ethical & data-sovereign alternatives. No prior exp is required. Visit courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak for more.
Title image for Cloudbreak, featuring that word in white atop a greyscale image of a cumulus cloud
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Finally a page and explainer for the AI tarpit project Science is Poetry, with legal statement, rationale(s), and a few deployment notes: julianoliver.com/projects/sci... The page may grow a bit. Just wanted to get it out the door. #ai #bigtech
julianoliver.com
Science is poetry
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Pleased to share an AI crawler tarpit, poison as a service (PaaS). Link it in your site & bots will get caught when they hit it, veering off into an endless maze of babble, leaving the rest of your site alone. 100% channeled my inner GeoCities. Yes it looks ridiculous. scienceispoetry.net/noodles
scienceispoetry.net
Home |
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Why run your own Virtual Private Network? I wrote a post unpacking this, with a view to pushing folk to reclaim VPN technology in this neo-feudalist era of the Internet, clawing back autonomy (& privacy) from the big VPN providers. courses.nikau.io/2026/03/24/w... #selfhosting #privacy #infosec
courses.nikau.io
Why run your own VPN? – Nīkau Courses
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Pleased to share Convoy, a new course in #selfhosted infrastructure. Participants are fully supported in the build up of a sovereign email server in 8hours. Dozens of accounts can be given to family, friends & colleagues to help them off predatorial email providers. courses.nikau.io/convoy
Convoy title image, featuring that world in chocolate brown over a tan sky and birds in flight
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Pleased to share Convoy, a new course in #selfhosted infrastructure. Participants are fully supported in the build up of a sovereign email server in 8hours. Dozens of accounts can be given to family, friends & colleagues to help them off predatorial email providers. courses.nikau.io/convoy
Convoy title image, featuring that world in chocolate brown over a tan sky and birds in flight
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
OK, here we go. The 4th run of the Tunnel training. Build up your very own VPN in Iceland. Give configs to friends, family & activist mates to protect them in this mad era of runaway surveillance, automated attacks & account theft. courses.nikau.io/tunnel/ March 27. 4x4hrs. No prior skills req.
The title image for Tunnel, featuring the word, in caps, atop a duo-tone background of an old brick tunnel complex.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
I have deployed and run infra since the noughts, through some wild turns in geo/techno-political history, and will say that now more than ever, #selfhosting is an act of resistance. Depopulate. Defund. Disempower.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Pleased to announce the next Cloudbreak. Learn how to deploy & secure your own sovereign cloud infrastructure using best practices refined from over 2 decades of server administration. This is an ideal opportunity to become part of the movement away from BigTech. courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak
Cloudbreak 3 title image featuring white text over a grayscale cumulus cloud.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Pleased to announce the next Cloudbreak. Learn how to deploy & secure your own sovereign cloud infrastructure using best practices refined from over 2 decades of server administration. This is an ideal opportunity to become part of the movement away from BigTech. courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak
Cloudbreak 3 title image featuring white text over a grayscale cumulus cloud.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Six seats left for Cloudbreak, kicking off Feb 16. In just 6 hours you learn to deploy, secure & admin your very own sovereign EU-based cloud server, complete with Zoom & Google Docs alternatives suitable for fam, small orgs & communities. No comp-sci or tech bg needed. courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak/
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Six seats left for Cloudbreak, kicking off Feb 16. In just 6 hours you learn to deploy, secure & admin your very own sovereign EU-based cloud server, complete with Zoom & Google Docs alternatives suitable for fam, small orgs & communities. No comp-sci or tech bg needed. courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak/
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Pleased to announce that the next edition of Cloudbreak will take place on Feb 16, & with a few enhancements to both content and pace. You can become part of the solution, in this era of runaway digital imperialism, surveillance capitalism & Internet enshittification. courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak/
Cloudbreak title image, featuring the word in white and caps atop a greyscale cumumus cloud.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Congrats to the participants of the first edition of Cloudbreak! An intense & intensely rewarding 6hrs. Every participant finished with their own EU-based tightly-secured & very capable #selfhosted cloud server, complete with video conferencing & collab doc editing. courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak/
courses.nikau.io
Cloudbreak – Nīkau Courses
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Reposted by Julian Oliver
Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
If another year feeding #BigTech is getting you down, consider running your own infra. Become part of the change. In 6hrs I'll guide you through the process of building up & securing your own low-carbon, private & powerful cloud & videoconf platform in an EU datacenter courses.nikau.io/cloudbreak/
Title image for the Cloudbreak live training
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Glad to share the details for our Q1 2026 live training, including that of Cloudbreak, a new course in #selfhosting geared toward those with no prior relevant skills. As with 2025, seats are limited to ensure quality coaching with great outcomes for participants. courses.nikau.io/currently-av...
A screenshot of the referenced site
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
I've released a playlist of little videos introducing core UNIX shell concepts and skills for those curious about getting off BigTech and onto self-run, sovereign server infrastructure. video.nikau.io/w/p/o2pxK81g... #selfhosted #infrastructure
video.nikau.io
Command line fundamentals for the sysadmin-curious
A collection of videos detailing UNIX shell basics in preparation for beginning a journey into the world of self-hosted and sovereign server infrastructure. These videos are not to be taken as a co...
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Pleased to announce new training dates. If you'd like to bring self-hosted sovereign server infrastructure to your communities, movements &/or orgs - getting them off BigTech & onto a happier & healthier platform surface - these courses are probably for you. learn.nikau.io/courses/cour...
learn.nikau.io
Tunnel and Fortress
Tunnel and Fortress is a live, coached and intensive training series empowering participants to deploy and secure sovereign server infrastructure.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
The Replaybook is out! My contribution was specifically on helping climate-facing organisations chart a pathway from big tech platforms to mission-coherent, #selfhosted and sovereign infrastructure. You can download the book free, or pre-order in print. tacticaltech.org/replaybook/
Promotional image for the Replaybook, showing the book's cover and book description. It reads:

"This first-of-its-kind toolkit shifts focus from analysis to action, providing strategies to decode disorder, challenge technological paradigms, and counteract division."
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Very pleased to present another round of Tunnel and Fortress, live classes in the design & deployment of sovereign server infrastructure. I want to teach you to get the communities you care about off Big Tech. video.nikau.io/w/9RVN23fgj7... learn.nikau.io/courses/cour... #exitbigtech #sysadmin
video.nikau.io
Tunnel and Fortress 2
An introduction to self-hosted server infrastructure in the context of 'Tunnel and Fortress', a live, coached and intensive training series empowering participants to become capable, creative, conf...
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
For those in the region, please join us for a rigorous evening of discussion on the dominant belief system of Technological Determinism, its impact on our autonomy, dignity, communities and cultures. criticalsignals.nz/programme/in...
criticalsignals.nz
The Inevitabilism Panel
Critical Signals explores practical and visionary responses to an era of collapses.
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Sophie Jerram @scrjerram.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
V happy to launch Critical Signals, a cross-over artistic/data sovereignty/kai (food) sovereignty project in #Wellington City CBD. #Aotearoa: with @ira.bailey.nz @julian0liver.bsky.social et al, aiming to get ready for oncoming disruptions, in community. Sign up here criticalsignals.nz
criticalsignals.nz
Critical Signals
Critical Signals explores practical and visionary responses to an era of collapses.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Pleased to share Critical Signals, a 3 month series of events in downtown Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. The series centers practical & visionary responses to an era of collapses. criticalsignals.nz (Programme still growing as we confirm new collabs)
criticalsignals.nz
Critical Signals
Critical Signals explores practical and visionary responses to an era of collapses.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Overjoyed to see our 2011 Critical Engineering Manifesto tooled up for our times, in this powerful reading by Charlotte Kent for the Brooklyn Rail brooklynrail.org/2025/05/art-... TY @tega.bsky.social
brooklynrail.org
The State of AI Agents | The Brooklyn Rail
Artists’ recent approaches to machinic agents showcase the designed attributes of different systems. Artist and environmental engineer Tega Brain wisely pointed me towards the Critical Engineering Man...
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
I'm very pleased to share Tunnel & Fortress, a new live coached training series bringing the art of system administration to those with no prior experience in the field. Participants will deploy, garden & harden servers to keep their communities safe. video.nikau.io/w/sXj2kQ8vQo... #exitbigtech
video.nikau.io
Introducing Tunnel and Fortress
A brief introduction to the new Tunnel and Fortress training series, hosted by Nīkau, and instructed by Julian Oliver. Please see here for more information: https://learn.nikau.io
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
PSA - I'm working on some online courses that I'll be launching very soon, skilling up folk (incl from less technical backgrounds) to deploy, maintain and grow low-cost sovereign server infrastructure to keep their communities, friends and families safe in this incredible time.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Glad to share a fun weekend project, a powerful #Meshtastic node in a waterproof & rugged case, for use in comms blackout situations/emergencies. It allows for texting across the mesh with a smartphone. More here: mastodon.social/@JulianOlive...
A black rugged case with handle and solar panel affixed to front, antenna mounted vertically behind the handle. It sits atop a wooden rail, with native bush/forest behind itA closeup of a man holding the case, with the antenna folded down, bush in the background.A view of the interior showing 12.8V@18A LiPo battery, LoRa board (T-Beam Supreme/ESP32-S3), spare antenna, R-Pi Zero W and charge controller.Closeup of the T-Beam Supreme / ESP32-S3 LoRa board.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
For those of you heading to Transmediale in Berlin this year, I will be streaming in to join 2 panels. The first panel is with Felicity Hammond and Nina Davies: transmediale.de/en/2025/even... The 2nd with Catherine Griffiths, Anna Engelhardt and Marija Ristic: transmediale.de/en/2025/even...
transmediale.de
transmedialetransmediale 2025 | Pixels in, People out: An Image-Based Ideology of Space
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Every now and again I try my hand at writing short fiction. Here's one that's been feeling ready: julianoliver.com/fiction/the-... #fiction #writing
julianoliver.com
The Sprites
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
I'll be giving a seminar 'Communications in an Emergency' on the 14th in Wellington, & an intensive 'Information and Operations Security for Activists' on the 18th. Be sure to check out the other great workshops too. beautifulsignals.nz #infosec #resilience
beautifulsignals.nz
Beautiful Signals
Explore emerging issues with soil, food, data, democracy, and digital sovereignty through engaging art practices and self-run workshops. December 2024, Wellington, NZ
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Sharing here a keynote I gave this yr. I cover the enviro hit of 'AI'/ML & our endangering habits of animism & anthropomorphism. Also look at embedded racism & the broader cult of technological determinism in this tech. I called it Machine Cult. A kind soul uploaded it here: vimeo.com/952557065
vimeo.com
Machine Cult – Keynote by Julian Oliver
Internationally renowned New Zealand artist and critical engineer Julian Oliver launched the symposium with a keynote address laying out the current state-of-play…
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
For those of you in Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara / Wellington, I'll be having a wee chat about disaster resilient communications on the 24th, at the very nice Vogelmorn. I'll cover wired & wireless fallbacks, packet radio, meshing, long-range analog radio & antennae options, low cost software radio++
The session flier, which holds largely the same text as that found on the site.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
'The Closed World' is my most recent artwork. I took a standard refractor telescope and modified it to look upon an entirely fictitious, computer-generated cosmos. Commissioned for the ADA Symposium 2024, it's a piece about truth in an era of machine-made content. julianoliver.com/projects/the...
Title image for The Closed World, featuring a refractor telescope set against a night sky deep in the Southern Hemisphere.A photo of the telescope internals during development, with 'parasite' telescope fitted, electronics and custom aluminium framing.Photo of a person looking through the telescope, softly lit, set against a night sky.A view of the machine generated cosmos.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
If you are a US-based org working in support of human rights and/or the environment looking to swiftly migrate your server infrastructure and data to safer soil, get in touch. We have extensive experience helping at-risk orgs find a safer home for their work. nikau.io Pass it on #infosec #opsec
A modified digital drawing of a network topology generated using Walrus from the CAIDA project.
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Trust issues with Bsky (fear it won't end well) so have resolved to stick to my ethos over at Mastodon (mastodon.social/@JulianOliver). Nonetheless will post low volume bytes and pieces specifically related to my work here.
mastodon.social
Julian Oliver (@JulianOliver@mastodon.social)
1.98K Posts, 466 Following, 3.58K Followers · Artist, engineer, educator, activist. I make and teach tech art, exhibiting internationally since the late 90's. I also deploy secure infrastructure for ...
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Julian Oliver @julian0liver.bsky.social · 21/10/2024
Photo shows a tangle of black cables, some looped into bunches, supported by a pole. Backdrop of powerlines, off off-white building wall and blue sky
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