Highlights

 

Left & Leaving 👋

12/12/2022 • #290

On The Weakerthans, a killer album about transitions, and the transition we’re seeing within our own online cultures.

When I was introduced to The Weakerthans back around 2007 or so, it was like this band that all my friends seemed to already know about, except for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17-k61p1iU8 The band,… Read More

12/08/2022

Time for a Walkout 🪧 : 

For the first time in decades, The New York Times sees its staff walk out. This is an important move for the labor movement when it comes to journalism. Take a break from reading the Times today.

#289

12/06/2022

A Case of the Mondays 🗓 : 

We’re working in the office less, and that shift in work is changing the way that we handle Mondays. It’s only really a problem if you see it that way.

#288

12/05/2022

Don’t Let Him See You Mad 🤬 : 

The recent leak of secret correspondence from Twitter’s archives seemed designed to anger a lot of people. You don’t have to play into the performative anger—even if there’s actual anger there.

#287

12/01/2022

Not The Bees 🐝 : 

Hive Social’s bad security practices, which are dangerous enough that a security team fast-tracked disclosure, puncture a hole in the formative platform’s long-term prospects.

#286

11/29/2022

Don’t Fall Into The Well 🪣 : 

New social media networks put a lot of work into onboarding you with cool features. But what truly matters is what those networks look like over time—and open looks better than closed.

#285

11/28/2022

The Signs, They Aren’t A-Changin’ ✍️ : 

Bob Dylan learns the hard way that if you duplicate your autographs in a $600 book using an autopen, you will get called out for it. This is a story about the failures of capitalism, really.

#284

The FrankenMac 🍏

11/24/2022 • #283

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.

It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S. and I’ve been working pretty hard lately, so I’m taking a break today. With that in mind, I wanted to pull this piece from a year ago in which I get relatively close to discussing the things that I’m thankful… Read More

11/22/2022

Bobbing For Leaders 🐭 : 

Bob Chapek’s departure from Disney was a bit of a surprise—but not as big of a surprise as his replacement, Bob Iger. What the heck happened?

#282

11/21/2022

This is Your Escape Hatch 🚪 : 

If you’ve had an unhealthy relationship with social media for a while, the past month could offer an opportunity for a reset. Don’t miss it.

#281

11/17/2022

Is Mastodon Fetch? 🍖 : 

As we close out the pop-up newsletter, let’s talk about the haters for a second here. Do they have a point? Or, are they missing the point?

#280

11/15/2022

With Mastodon, You Have Choices 🗳 : 

While Mastodon releases features at a regular clip, its nature as an open-source tool means that you can ignore them if you’d like, or add your own. That’s a refreshing shift from closed social networks.

#279

11/14/2022

The Infernal September 📅🔥 : 

The case that what Mastodon is experiencing isn’t so much an Eternal September but a trial by fire. Get to know the term “Infernal September.”

#278

11/10/2022

Why Mastodon Search Seems So Unclear 🔎 : 

Explaining the cultural dynamics that have led Mastodon to have a search engine that barely works by traditional standards.

#277

11/08/2022

Does Mastodon Need a Buffer? 🗓 : 

Breaking down a few more of the nagging Mastodon questions you might have—including why tools to schedule your posts aren’t common just yet.

#276

11/07/2022

This is a Mastodon Pop-Up 🐘 : 

So, we’re doing something different for the next week or two, and we’re sacrificing MidRange for the task. The reason? There’s a heckuva lot of confusion about the suddenly popular Mastodon. Maybe we can help.

#275

11/03/2022

Past the Personality Cults 🗿 : 

Many people on Twitter seem to be looking past the network they’ve made their digital home for more than a decade. I wonder if it’s because the cult of personality spell has been broken.

#274

11/01/2022

Crocheting on a Tightrope 🧶 : 

The challenge of real-time reporting is that doing it well is really hard. But coming up with some made-up facts about the victim of a crime? That’s the easy part.

#273

10/31/2022

See What Sticks 🤑 : 

Elon Musk appears to be taking a “let’s see what we can get away with” approach to running the large social network he just bought. Whiplash impending.

#272

10/27/2022

Normalize Imperfection 🫶 : 

John Fetterman, managing an auditory processing disability caused by a stroke, should be appreciated for the bravery of what he did on the Pennsylvania Senate debate stage the other night.

#271