September 30
Lots of interesting stuff happening on Observable, a live-coding site for data & info visualizations. Their Explore page is a good place to start.
Trailer for the documentary film about General Magic, a Silicon Valley company spun out from Apple that developed many of the technologies we use today. "Failure isn't the end. Failure is actually the beginning."
In lieu of a 5th season, Transparent is ending with a 2-hour "Musicale Finale". Here's the trailer.
September 27
Photos of descriptions of weeknight dinners from around the world. "We asked 18 families to show us what they have for dinner on a typical weeknight."
September 26
Wait, wait, WAIT! Fleabag started as a Kickstarter campaign?! With only 54 backers?!!
STEM majors' salaries are higher initially but liberal arts majors catch up. "[Liberal arts] skills are hard to quantify, and they don't create clean pathways to high-paying first jobs. But they have long-run value in a wide variety of careers."
A birdwatcher reviews Untitled Goose Game, the indie game of the moment. "The waddling, honking, and flapping all seemed properly goose-like to me."
September 25
From Kenji Lopez-Alt, how to get your young children interested in food and cooking. "Your best bet is to serve them the food you want them to eat, give them a few options, and apply no pressure."
September 24
The Terrascope, a proposed Earth-sized telescope, could be much much more powerful than any previous telescope. "You could detect mountain ranges on exoplanets."
Silicon Valley Is One of the Most Polluted Places in the Country. "Microchip manufacturers contaminated the groundwater in the 1980s. Almost 40 years later, the cleanup still isn't complete."
Types of Loneliness by Mari Andrew. "Loneliness when I was expecting solitude."
September 23
A 1969 recording session with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash will see its first release soon. It's been largely unheard and unbootlegged for 50 years.
A free stock photo library of 100,000 AI-generated faces. "These people aren't real!"
Gunmaker Colt has suspended production of assault rifles for the civilian market. Assault rifles for the civilian market. Assault. Civilians. That this was ever a "market" in the first place is ludicrous.
Video of Arcade Fire playing in NYC for the first time in 2004. "I think there were more people on stage than in the audience."
September 19
A 2-hour commercial for a charter airline that lets customers arrive just 20 minutes before departure. The ad mostly features a couple spending their extra time together before leaving for the airport.
From Steven Heller, a list of the Top 25 20th Century Typographers. List includes Paul Rand, Corita Kent, Saul Bass, and Paula Scher.
A profile of climate activist Greta Thunberg by David Wallace-Wells. "She was the Joan of Arc of climate change, commanding a global army of teenage activists numbering in the millions and waging a rhetorical war against her elders."
Nice review of the iPhone 11 Pro camera from pro photographer Austin Mann. The night mode and ultra wide shots look fantastic.
Hilariously over-the-top introduction of the new logo for Staples. I lost it when the staples went supernova.
September 18
After years of development, the TextMate text editor sees its official 2.0 release. I still write all @kottke posts in TextMate.
A list of major world cities and their signature films. NYC: Do the Right Thing. Berlin: Wings of Desire. Rio de Janeiro: City of God. Paris: The 400 Blows. Hong Kong: Hard Boiled.
September 17
Petawatt lasers and plasma mirrors may allow scientists to "poke a hole in the Universe". Add this to the list of possible Great Filter events.
A report on inequality from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Where you are born is more predictive of your future than any other factor."
In 2029, an asteroid 1/4 mile across will pass by the Earth closer than some of our geosynchronous satellites. It'll be visible with the naked eye.
Upcoming children's book from amazing illustrator/designer Jessica Hische: Tomorrow I'll Be Kind. "Tomorrow I'll be everything I strive to be each day, and even when it's difficult, I'll work to find a way."
September 16
Brett Kavanaugh lied under oath to cover up criminal acts. Of course he should be impeached and removed from the Supreme Court.
The Best Things To Do In New York City. "Get really angry at the subway. End up somewhere you didn't intend to go. Yell out loud in public in a subway station without realizing you did; discover that nobody cares."
September 15
September 13
So @kottke is still down (sorry!) but I suddenly remembered I have a newsletter. So here's my recent media diet (incl. American Factory, Fiasco, and Do the Right Thing).
September 11
Out next week: Permanent Record, a memoir from Edward Snowden. "Six years later, Snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it."
September 10
IKEA halts a 3000-person game of hide-and-seek in one of its stores. Police and store employees were "stopping everyone who 'looks like they are here for a game of hide and seek'".
The Atlantic introduces a digital subscription; five free articles a month and then you hit the paywall. Another one bites the dust. I'm gonna run out of places to freely link to soon...
September 9
Human composting is now legal in Washington. "The bodies decomposed after about four weeks, producing about one cubic yard of soil per person."
50 States of True Crime. "Every state has an infamous crime — and a book about it."
Who are some famous women you learned to like after recognizing societal misogyny? E.g. Monica Lewinsky, Lorena Bobbitt, Yoko Ono, Sinead O'Connor...
September 6
Some tips from my pal Matt that make remote work easier. "Your local library is like a coworking space, but free."
September 5
25 TV Shows That Should Have Ended Sooner. Some I agree with (Lost, Arrested Development, The Office) and some I do not (Mad Men, Girls).
Solar powered crystalline nets can harvest water from even the driest desert air. But can they be made cheap enough and at sufficient scale to really help?
September 4
The NYC DOT Aug 2019 Mobility Report. One interesting finding: weekday trips under 2 miles in Midtown are faster and (much) cheaper on a Citi Bike than in a taxi.
A lovely photographic tribute by Alan Taylor to his parents, both of whom passed away last month. "I'd like to honor them with a collection of images showcasing the place on Earth they loved and called home: Washington."
September 3
Basecamp buys an ad calling out Google for their brand advertising policy. "So here we are. A small independent co. forced to pay ransom to a giant tech company."
Walmart announces it will stop selling handguns, handgun ammunition, and ammunition that can be used in military-style rifles. They are also asking patrons not to "open carry" guns in stores.
Sega is releasing a 30th anniversary mini version of the Genesis that comes preloaded with 42 games. Pre-order here.
Patrick Cullis had a plan to photograph a total solar eclipse from a high altitude weather balloon. "...the camera would capture images of the curvature of the earth and the gigantic, round shadow cast by the moon on the face of the planet."