Highlights

 

An Optimization Too Far 🖼

08/30/2022 • #246

There is a genuine risk that search engine professionals will attempt to use AI images as an SEO tactic. We should prevent this from happening now, before it turns Google Image Search into mush.

Look, the rise of AI-generated images is really cool and fascinating (and additive in the right contexts), but we need to have guardrails on when and how we use those… Read More

08/29/2022

Off-Grid Nerdery 🤓 : 

An interesting thing I’ve noticed about small talk in recent years: The more niche your interests are, the harder it is to have it. This one’s for the nerds not into Marvel.

#245

08/25/2022

The Other Slippery Slope 🛝 : 

Companies like CloudFlare often avoid trying to get involved in content issues out of a concern of setting off a slippery slope. But looking at their recent actions in the context of their original stated goals, it feels like they let something else more fundamental slide.

#244

08/23/2022

Don’t Mess With Mudge 🔓 : 

A shocking whistleblower report on Twitter’s security issues—from a legendary whistleblower—paints a company disinterested in repairing its significant infrastructure challenges.

#243

08/22/2022

Gimme Stelter 🗞️ : 

If CNN doesn’t want Brian Stelter, fine, whatever. But I think Brian Stelter is an important voice and our culture needs a place for a journalist who reports effectively on journalism.

#242

08/18/2022

Pizza Punchline 🍕 : 

The pizza chain Papa John’s sets itself up as a source of mockery by launching a new product while implying pizza is somehow in decline.

#241

08/16/2022

If You Love a Newsletter, Set It Free 🕊 : 

A suggestion to Substack, which seems to get upset whenever a popular paid newsletter leaves its platform for outside pastures: Don’t get mad when people leave.

#240

08/15/2022

We Can Harness AI to Create New Things 🖼 : 

A lot of ink has been spilled on the potential destructive effects of AI-based art. But in the hands of the right kind of creator, it can actually expand their reach—rather than shrink it.

#239

08/11/2022

4 Minutes, 54 Seconds, 798 Milliseconds ⏱ : 

A speedrunner breaks the Super Mario Bros. record at a time where it seems like there may not be many more records to squeeze out of it.

#238

08/09/2022

Toys, Take Two 🚂 : 

Toys “R” Us gets a second lease on life in Macy’s locations across the country. It may not match the chain’s former glory, but at least they held on somehow.

#237

08/08/2022

Avoiding the Copyright Trap 🪤 : 

Creators are getting nailed by photographers for simply wanting to celebrate the creative works of another person. This is backwards, and collectively, we should solve for it. Here’s one idea.

#236

08/04/2022

Minimizing HBO Max 📺 : 

For some reason, the incredibly popular HBO Max service appears to be going through some things—and it feels like creators are left holding the bag once again.

#235

08/02/2022

Return to Sender 📬 : 

A recent GOP political campaign around email deliverability could force spammy political messages into your inbox—despite strong evidence that user error and ineffective marketing might be the real issue.

#234

08/01/2022

Niche Problem Solving 🍰 : 

Showcasing my deep respect for a food writer who decided to take a layer cake on a plane for some reason. Surprisingly, it went off without a hitch.

#233

07/28/2022

Facebook Broke the Contract 💔 : 

Ultimately, we signed up for specific experiences when joining a social network. When we no longer get those experiences, even in a small way, we should not be expected to stick around.

#232

07/26/2022

Where the Paths Diverge 🧭 : 

Ten years ago this month, I started a new job, where I’m still at—and a well-known creator in the retro community quit his. To me, the diverging paths are too interesting to ignore.

#231

07/25/2022

NFT Toxicity ☣️ : 

A bad NFT published on GameStop’s new service drew controversy over the weekend, but the real story might have been the trolls going out of their way to defend it.

#230

I Can’t Stop Thinking About This Song 🎹

07/21/2022 • #229

How a song by an unknown singer, posted over the weekend, led me on a journey to learn more about who he was. Meet Joey Wilson, a Philly songwriter whose songs will haunt you.

Ever have an earworm stuck in your head that you know barely anything about? Welcome to my world over the past week. I kind of have to credit/blame the Internet Archive’s Jason Scott for this, admittedly. While digging through the archives of… Read More

07/19/2022

Benchmark-Gate 🍎 : 

A longtime Apple journalist’s takedown of the culture of performance benchmarking on YouTube might have been a little too sharp. Is there room for less drama?

#228

07/18/2022

What a Guarantee Means 🧦 : 

The outdoors brand Bass Pro finds itself the target of a class-action lawsuit because it apparently didn’t follow the rules of its own lifetime-guarantee socks.

#227