Last week’s linkage (week 10, 2022)
The Bored Horse newsletter goes out to subscribers on Fridays, free of charge. One section in said newsletter contains links to things I found interesting, things that are not, in fact, published on Bored Horse because it appears that there are other websites on the internet, too. Who could’ve known?!
Anyway, these are the links from last week’s newsletter. It’s more than usual, due to the hiatus, and the fact that the world sure hasn’t slowed down recently.
I decided to get all the war stuff out of the way first, because there’s obviously a lot of interesting things written about it. If you’re feeling war fatigue, feel free to take care of yourself, and scroll down to the beautiful fox. No, that’s not a euphemism…
🇷🇺 The fake news law in Russia is downright horrible. Putin’s really doing his best to make sure his is the only narrative. Luckily, VPNs are topping the various app stores, so there’s hope for some. I also like that Twitter has a Tor version, and hope Russians use this, and any other tool, to stay informed. 👇🏻
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🔌 The idea to unplug Russia from the internet is interesting, but honestly, I think information is key here. That’s the only way for Russians to question the regime’s claims. For the same reason, I have a hard time thinking that blocking access to sites just because the person’s geographical origin is Russia. If that’s your cup of tea, however, there’s a simple script for it.
🛑 Want to know which tech companies are taking action against Russia? Then this list is for you. For some, I think EA removing Russian themes from its FIFA and NHL games is the worst.
📒 Slate’s story on what’s going on at Wikipedia, due to Russia’s aggression in the past, and the current invasion, is well worth a read.
🗺 I’m fascinated by the so-called amateur open-source researchers analyzing the war in Ukraine.
Hey, look, Elon Musk did something nice for a change! 👇🏻
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🏨 Want to help? Book Airbnbs in Ukraine, and don’t check in, but pay anyway, obviously. Clever.
🤬 Stop making the Ukraine war about you is a thought-worthy piece. It’s also a bit blunt, but hey, tricky subject.
🕵️ Anonymous has leaked the database of Russian federal agency Roskomnadzor. That’s the censorship agency, so hopefully someone can do something good with it. 👇🏻
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Puh. That’s quite enough 🇺🇦 and war for today. Let’s just clear our heads, and move on to other things, okay?
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🦊 @hourlyFox on Twitter is a lifesaver these days. You need something nice with your doomscrolling, after all. #FollowFriday and all that jazz.
🇯🇵 The killing stone split in two. Armageddon can’t be far off, can it?
🔥 People are always so worried about OLED burn-in, and I don’t get it. I’ve been on the OLED bandwagon since iPhone X, and never seen any burn-in. Not in my TVs either. Anyway, it’s nice to see that the OLED Nintendo Switch manages just fine. It’s my preferred Switch, and a great screen, by the way.
🤑 Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter for four novels in 2023 has passed $27 million, with 20 days to go. It’s staggering, and also the most successful Kickstarter ever. He’s not a lone author, as mentioned in the Guardian interview – there’s a proper team, too. Oh, and read author John Scalzi’s take.
❄️ Speaking of fantasy authors, George R.R. Martin has an update on, well, lots of things. Yes, that includes The Winds of Winter, and no, it’s not getting released anytime soon.
📖 Two new novels from Cormac McCarthy? Why, thank you.
🪐 I don’t care if it’s a Star Wars cruiser, there’s no way I’m paying $6,000 for a stay in one. Give me Super Nintendo World any day.
🏜 The Obi-Wan TV show looks bloody great, though. I’m actually looking forward to see Hayden Christiansen as Darth Vader. 👇🏻
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🍈 The pandemic changed the bra. Be free, sisters.
👾 Nice piece on Bitsy, a lovely little game engine for small games. Makes me want to make something.
🙈 Three days offline helped David Cain figure things out. Sure, but have you tried using a dumbphone instead?
📱 It’s been a while, so there has been several Switch to iPad posts and newsletters, so just head over to the site and have a look. And, remember: I’m matching new subscriptions with a donation to UNICEF all of March, up to $1,000.
🌋 The Atlantic is declaring peak subscription. That doesn’t sound good…
📰 Then again, Cardinal News is a “rural startup” without broadband, and they’re making an impact locally, so maybe it’s not black and white?
⚫️ Axios is known for distilling everything down to bullet points, so I found this piece in the New York Times fun, and interesting too.
🤯 Trump is blowing the Truth Social launch. Let’s hope so.
🎹 Epic is buying Bandcamp. This is scary for a lot of people, I’m sure, but other than the silly App Store lawsuit, Epic seems to be fighting the good fight overall.
🕯 Tech workers are facing burnouts, study shows. Meanwhile, clever distributed companies headhunt talent at companies that announce plans to go back to the office. That dreaded work-life balance is tricky, and requires more thinking.
🏦 The internet is just investment banking now. Read this, on Web3 and other fuzzy stuff. Wall Street wins, in the end.
Finally, let’s rock out, shall we? (Found via my friend @Ghostwoods.)
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