Highlights

 

Don’t Look Through the Microscope 🔬

12/02/2021 • #130

A note to myself about how to approach criticism. Feel free to link me this piece if it looks like I’m getting a little too invested in a slight.

The other night, just before I was I was about to sleep, I stumbled upon a comment around a piece I put up here the other day in which the person, which a much larger profile than I, said a few things critical about my thinking (yes,… Read More

11/30/2021

Recipe Ransacking 🥘 : 

Should copyright cover recipes? It’s a question coming up more and more as cooking becomes big business, and plagiarism becomes a bigger problem.

#129

11/29/2021

Bring back Web1 🕸 : 

The reason why Web3 feels a bit hollow to me comes down to the fact that it’s clearly being driven by commercial forces, when prior iterations of the internet were not to the same degree.

#128

11/25/2021

A Chart-Record Feast 🎶 : 

Two of the most important records in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 fell this week, and man, I can’t wait to nerd out about them.

#127

The FrankenMac 🍏

11/23/2021 • #126

Thinking back to a time in my life when an old iBook gave me a window into a broader world … and why I got rid of it.

About 17 years ago, I made the snap decision that, while I really liked the Mac Mini I had just purchased, I really wanted to be able to leave the house with my computer sometimes. So, I bought a somewhat-out-of-date iBook and sold the Mac… Read More

11/22/2021

Some Brewed Morning ☕️ : 

The weird feeling of having your strange SEO experiment linked in one of the largest newsletters on the internet. (Howdy, Morning Brew.)

#125

11/18/2021

Oops, I Did That 🤦‍♂️ : 

Talking myself through a moment in which I accidentally locked myself out of an important Twitter account because I tried to get clever.

#124

11/16/2021

Money Breaks Things 💸 : 

The newsletter ecosystem, like other publishing ecosystems before it, wasn’t allowed to grow naturally … and that has complicated the path forward for creators relying on it as a career path.

#123

11/15/2021

The Great Linux Tablet Hope 🐧 : 

The JingPad A1, which just started shipping to Indiegogo donors, is looking very promising thus far. Here’s a first look—a full review is on the way.

#122

11/11/2021

What Makes Something Obscure? 🤨 : 

How can something be obscure if you still use it? Short answer: It’s a question of framing. Here’s the general definition I use for what makes something obscure.

#121

11/09/2021

A Holiday Film for My Generation 🕹 : 

The upcoming 8-Bit Christmas promises to hit the nostalgic spot for middle-aged people who grew up in the late ’80s obsessed with Nintendo. Even if it sucks, it will be amazing.

#120

11/08/2021

Obsessed With The Bird 🪶 : 

Personally, I feel bad that Big Bird’s vaccination has upset the same group of loud people who dominate every discussion that aims to divide us culturally.

#119

11/04/2021

The Newsletter Underclass 🖋 : 

The Atlantic is doing good work by bringing in newsletters. But it, like Substack’s recent moves, puts the indie roots of email newsletters at risk by potentially starving new voices of attention.

#118

11/02/2021

Packed Like Sardines 🏫 : 

Dorms are crammed areas, but a viral story about a dorm designed to emphasize open areas—with an unusual architect—has me thinking about my own dorm room days.

#117

11/01/2021

Old Drama, Replayed 🎭 : 

That feeling when one of my blood-boilingest rants appeared on Hacker News more than three years after I originally wrote it—and long after the conflict was settled.

#116

10/28/2021

An Ode To Picross ✏️ : 

Picross, or the nonogram, is a game that I’ve found to strike the perfect balance between mental challenge and low-stakes calmness. Here’s why you should try it.

#115

10/26/2021

Don’t Be the Straggler 🗂 : 

Frustratingly, a few key apps—most notably Dropbox—are falling down on the job of natively supporting Apple Silicon, affecting performance on the new M1 devices. Strategically, this is a bad place to be.

#114

10/25/2021

When Speculation Gets Ugly 🎥 : 

The tragic and complex situation around the accidental shooting on the Rust set requires investigations and in-depth reporting, not armchair critics. Let the process play out.

#113

10/21/2021

On Grid Removal 🏕 : 

I largely was off the grid for a couple of days this week, and I feel like (as much as I hate it at times) the occasional shift is necessary.

#112

10/19/2021

Pretending I Saw the MacBooks Yesterday 💻 : 

I am currently in a cabin without internet access, so I have no idea what the new MacBook Pros look like. I wrote this ahead of time as if I know what happened. You know more than me.

#111