Linkage overspill, January 2024
As mentioned in #61, I've got a bunch of links that didn't fit. So, without further ado, here's the linkage overspill for January 2024, and then some.
Let's get the Substack mess out of the way first.
💩 Platformer, which is hosted by Substack, reports that the company will remove the Nazi publications editor Casey Newton confronted them with, but won’t start an active moderation program to combat the problem. This despite Substack’s claim that “’censorship’ of Nazi publications would only make extremism worse”. So, they’ll knowingly make extremism worse, and then not actively enforce anything moving forward? Remember, Substack makes a cut on the money funneled to extremist causes on its platform. Since common decency isn’t a thing the founders seem to value (see this post), there’s literally no win for them in not allowing Nazis and its ilk on their platform. I predict the Substack exodus will continue, as it should, unless you want to be part of the problem. And yes, Platformer left, which is true for a bunch of others too, like Garbage Day and The Racket, among others.
🗑️ Massive trigger warning on this one, courtesy of The Bad Newsletter (which is still on Substack): The garbage I found on Substack in an hour.
👻 Let's wrap up with a comprehensive guide to setting up Ghost on your own server, if that’s what you want to do. Ghost, of course, is one of the most obvious Substack alternatives. I covered them, and more, in this post on the Bored Horse.
That's enough of that. Let's carry on with non-Nazi stuff for a bit.
🎮 Remember that Sony was going to remove a bunch of Discovery shows, including Mythbusters, from the PlayStation Store? Well, they backpedaled in an effort to save face.
🐭 Mickey and Minnie Mouse are now public domain, thanks to animated short Steamboat Willie. It’s one of many, and as always, the Center for the Study of the Public Domain has a great overview.
🇦🇶 The anonymous and magnificent Antarctica (yes, you read that right) blog Brr has started a new series where the author is detailing the trip home, and then moving on to redeployment it seems. The first post talks about winter and summer crew, with some cool photos. It’s certainly a special place, isn’t it?
🫖 As someone who used to publish an iPad only site, I applaud the monstrosity of Federico Viticci’s iPad Pro setup, which attaches both phone and speakers using magnets. Not my cup of tea, but fun nonetheless.
🕹️ Depressing wrap-up of the games industry in 2023. Over 10,000 people laid off.
💥 Anil Dash's piece in the Rolling Stone, on how the internet is about to get weird again, has sparked a bunch of hopeful comments from bloggers and fediversers alike. Here's hoping he's right, I'm sure I'll cover the movement along the way. Hell, I guess I'm part of it now?
📋 Speaking of which, here's a fun list of ideas for your new, or old, website. Another source of inspiration might be the brutalist websites gallery, as well as this list of text-only (well...) news sites.
🏔️ Looking for a couple of hours of slow TV? Then check out the year two cut from Martijn Doolaard’s renovation in the Italian alps series.
That's it. I hope you found something fun to read. I'm happy to be somewhat caught up in my linkage, albeit not in my reading, so be prepared for more.