Original post on hachyderm.io

RE: shellsharks.social/@shellsharks/11630132621...

Really love folks like @shellsharks that do link blogs!

Speaking of which I did not forget that I had to record the various folks who do link dumping in my website! It's just that life has been so hectic I just had NO time.

PS: I […]

Linkblog March 26, 2026: On typing I want word processors to be boring again.

I want word processors to be boring again. And other fascinating links.

#link #links #linkdump #linkblog #articles #tech #writing

elizabethtai.com/2026/03/26/linkblog-marc...

Original post on status.z428.eu

Interesting to notice that, even though things like that usually make it around here, the Digital Cleanup Day went by almost unnoticed by the different timelines I'm living in. Which is sad, because that's something that more than just a bit should be taken into consideration I guess. As in […]

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #34'.

Little Bits: Issue #34 For February 2026

Learn about how mobile freedom is under threat then find peace and relaxation as you explore and discover all the wonderful shine new little bits.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #tech #news #LinkDump

W11: Weekly Stuff / Krimskrams der Woche W11: Things I found inspiring, interesting, or useful. inks zu Dingen, die ich inspirierend, interessant oder nützlich fand.

larsolino.io/stuff-kram-w...

#w11 #linkdump #krimskrams

Linkblog March 12, 2026: Platform blues In this issue I share Chinese culture, technology and how it impacts society.

In this Linkblog, I share Chinese culture, technology and how it impacts society.

#links #linkdump #linkblog #blogging #articles #tech #AI #Chinese #Culture

elizabethtai.com/2026/03/12/linkblog-plat...

Linkblog Feb 26, 2026: The Chinese issue China’s attitudes towards AI, and how China, Chinese culture continues to fascinate.

Weekly (hopefully) linkblog featuring articles and blog posts I found online. This issue is about China, tech & being Chinese.

#blogging #Indieweb #Links #linkblog #linkdump

elizabethtai.com/2026/02/26/linkblog-feb-...

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #33'.

Little Bits: Issue #33 For January 2026

A brief life update of challenges and a loads of little bits to explore covering an array of topics such as blogs, gaming, open source and security.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #tech #news #LinkDump

Recommended Readings vom Januar 2025 Im letzten Monat las ich folgende Texte und fand diese gut: * My mom and Dr. DeepSeek _(restofworld.org)_ : Dr. LLM hört immer und jederzeit zu. Und gibt meistens richtige Antworten. Eine grosse Umwälzung für Mediziner:innen. * The Olivetti Company _(abortretry.fail)_ : Schon vor einem Jahr hab’ ich über Ivrea und Olivetti gelesen. Eine wirklich faszinierende Firma. In diesem Text geht es weniger um die sozial progressiven Hintergründe, sondern um Computergeschichte. * Something from nothing _(tante.cc)_ : Ich muss mehr machen, und weniger versuchen zu kreieren. * Überwachungstechnologie: Wie hartnäckig Palantir die Schweiz umwarb _(republik.ch)_ : Das umstrittene Tech-Unternehmen Palantir liefert Überwachungs­technologie an Militär und Geheim­dienste. Bei hiesigen Behörden und der Armee aber blitzte es ab. Interne Dokumente zeigen nun weshalb. Teil 2 der Recherche ist hier. * Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work _(simonwillison.net)_ : Software-Ingenier LLM hilft extrem viel, bei mir z.B. auch bei der Arbeit. Aber was dabei hinten rauskommt _muss_ immer überprüft werden. * How Google Maps quietly allocates survival across London’s restaurants – and how I built a dashboard to see through it _(laurenleek.substack.com)_ : Google zeigt je nachdem unterschiedliche Restaurants an. Wegen kommerziellen interessen. Wie immer geht das auch anders: siehe OpenStreetBrowser für Gastronomie in Bern. * How Nature Became a ‘Prestige’ Journal _(asimov.press)_ : Jede:r Wissenschaftler:in will in ‘Nature’ publizieren (Ich hab’s erst in ‘Nature Communications’ geschafft (CTRL-F ‘Nature’)). Seit der Gründung im Jahr 1869 hat sich Nature von einer Zeitschrift, die Kommentare zu Tauben veröffentlichte, zur renommiertesten wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschrift entwickelt. Wie hat Nature seinen Ruf aufgebaut, und kann dieser Bestand haben? Im letzten Monat sah ich folgende Videos und fand diese gut: Wie entstanden die _alten_ Karten unserer Welt? ### Share this: * Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) *

Recommended Readings vom Januar 2025 Im letzten Monat las ich folgende Texte und fand diese gut: My mom and Dr. DeepSeek (restofworld.org) : Dr. LLM hört immer und jederzeit zu. Und gibt meistens ...

#recommended #readings #100tagefurt #instapaper #linkdump #reading

Origin | Interest | Match

Velocity is the new authority – filmvanalledag

Velocity is the new authority

Velocity is the new authority

www.filmvanalledag.nl/2026/01/24/velocity-is-t...

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #32'.

Little Bits: Issue #32 For December 2025

Allow this fresh issue of little bits discovered over the course of December to be my gift to you providing joy, opportunity and fulfilled curiosity.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #tech #news #LinkDump

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #31'.

Little Bits: Issue #31 For November 2025

Road blocks may have delayed this release, but it is still full of endless little bits to explore along with a message of gratitude and positivity.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #tech #news #LinkDump

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #30'.

Little Bits: Issue #30 For October 2025

An important message about the threat of losing software freedom, what you can do about it and over a hundred and fifty new little bits to uncover.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #tech #news #LinkDump

Loebas linkdump

This will be my new linkdump from nowish.
https://loebas.boykisser.nl/links/
#linkdump #website #shaarli

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #29'.

Little Bits: Issue #29 For September 2025

A fresh new issue is here overflowing with discovered little bits to explore and a message of personal reflection on the challenges of writing.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

Weekend Clicks: Aliens, Charts, and Internet Stuff This week’s mildly interesting distractions: albums in your inbox, too many Wordles, stickers, hobbies, and a cowboy vs. alien movie.

Weekend Clicks. For the weekend. To click.

mehdium.com/weekend-clicks-aliens-ch...

#WeekendClicks #Clicks #Weekend #LinkDump

Link Dump 1: Floppies, Candy Cravings & DEVO Dreams Floppy math, Japanese candy, DEVO, scary movies, and more chaos.

10 random corners of the internet that make you go "Wait, what?" Think: 695 floppies to store 1 GB, soft-power sugar fury from Japan, and a DEVO doc with a trailer you didn’t know you needed. Pure, simple, glorious weirdness.

enemyofaverage.com/link-dump-1-...

#LinkDump #InternetChaos #Curated

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #28'.

Little Bits: Issue #28 For August 2025

A brief story about free and and source operating systems and the power of community along with endless little bits of curiosity to explore.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

Link Dump 🔗 Just a list of cool stuff I find!

made a separate Doc on leaflet just for link dumping! come check er' out! <3

#leaflet #blogging #linkdump

edustuff2.leaflet.pub

sorry for the #linkdump - just making sure folks can find us!

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #27'.

Little Bits: Issue #27 For July 2025

Fresh little bits are here for the month of July along with a hopeful and motivational message about life achievements and the progression of life.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #26'.

Little Bits: Issue #26 For June 2025

A new instalment of Little Bits is here with endless opportunities, inspiration and creativity along with a message of encouragement to get ‘er done.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

Linkdump 2025-06 | Patrick's Linkdump

linkdump.patrickmatula.com/posts/linkdu... #linkdump

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits Issue #25'.

Little Bits: Issue #25 For May 2025

Enjoy the exploration of the past bits of May and read an motivational message of accountability and condolences of a beautiful precious life.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

Jacinda Ardern, oud-premier Nieuw-Zeeland: ‘Optimisme is een keuze. En kiezen voor optimisme vergt moed’ Jacinda Ardern | Oud-premier Nieuw-Zeeland: De Nieuw-Zeelandse oud-premier Jacinda Ardern schreef een boek over empathisch leiderschap – juist nu dit in veel landen ver te zoeken is. „Ik was er lang v...

Mooi interview #hoopvol #linkdump

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

A perspective view between two walls of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits issue #24'.

Little Bits: Issue #24 For April 2025

A reminder to believe in your own abilities in order to achieve endless possibilities by taking inspiration from those that achieved the impossible.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

Over the top view of a wall of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits issue #23'.

Little Bits: Issue #23 For March 2025

A mountain of bits (links) awaits in exploration along with a message to remember to enjoy and be gracious to ourselves with intention.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #tech #news #LinkDump

Tech/Web Linkdump <div class="toc_wrapper"> <details> <summary>TOC</summary> <div class="toc"> <ul> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/#big-tech-our-villains">Big Tech / Our "Villains"</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/#fediverse-small-web-the-good-guys">Fediverse / Small Web / "The Good Guys"</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/#llms">LLMs</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/#social-media">Social Media</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/#finding-and-sharing-other-websites">Finding and Sharing Other Websites</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/#whew">Whew!</a></li> </ul> </div> </details> </div> <h3 id="big-tech-our-villains">Big Tech / Our "Villains"</h3> <p>Fantastic headline by Rebecca Shaw on the Guardian: <a href="https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/16/i-knew-one-day-id-have-to-watch-powerful-men-burn-the-world-down-i-just-didnt-expect-them-to-be-such-losers">I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn’t expect them to be such losers</a>. <em>Waves at Elon</em></p> <hr/> <p>The Luddite writes about how <a href="https://theluddite.org/post/paul-graham.html">Paul Graham Sucks</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>I think this is the single most important thing to understand about the tech scene; it's an industry that has fully internalized the values of capitalism at its most extreme. It is growth-obsessed, short-sighted, and entirely structured around the needs of investors, including even profit. You cannot be a software startup and just be a sustainable business; the ecosystem will reject you. Every single tech company has to become a unicorn or it is considered a failure. Paul Graham has turned that idea into a cult in tech, and its consequences are the technological world we are all forced to live with today. </p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p><a href="https://www.publicbooks.org/in-search-of-logged-time/">In Search of Logged Time - Public Books</a>, an article about how these large platforms are managing our data:</p> <blockquote> <p>Most online data is owned by a small group of firms, and you know their names: Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. And companies like them have a brutal history of caring about profit at all costs. There may seem to be the illusion of free will—of uploading and deleting according to your discretion—but data can be completely destroyed or resurrected in the hands of a small few.</p> <p>As it stands, the current trend of disappearing data is likely to increase as storage spaces get tighter in accommodating generative AI content. Eventually, some of your memories will be deemed obsolete: not by the workings of your brain, but by a company that can’t afford to host them anymore.</p> <p>And when this happens, we, with our brains weak and soft from shunning Proustian labor, will not even remember what we have lost.</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p><a href="https://www.disconnect.blog/p/the-digital-revolution-has-failed">The Digital Revolution has Failed</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>There can only be one conclusion from all of this: the digital revolution has failed. The initial promise was a deception to lay the foundation for another corporate value-creation scheme, but the benefits that emerged from it have been so deeply eroded by commercial imperatives that the drawbacks far outweigh the remaining redeeming qualities — and that only gets worse with every day generative AI tools are allowed to keep flooding the web with synthetic material.</p> <p>The time for tinkering around the edges has passed, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the only hope to be found today is in seeking to tear down the edifice the tech industry has erected and to build new foundations for a different kind of internet that isn’t poisoned by the requirement to produce obscene and ever-increasing profits to fill the overflowing coffers of a narrow segment of the population.</p> </blockquote> <h3 id="fediverse-small-web-the-good-guys">Fediverse / Small Web / "The Good Guys"</h3> <p>Elena Rossini writes about <a href="https://blog.elenarossini.com/supporting-the-fediverse-one-small-act-at-a-time/">supporting the Fediverse, one small act at a time</a>.</p> <hr/> <p>tante argues <a href="https://tante.cc/2025/01/26/against-scale/">against scale</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>As people interested in a vibrant, humane, life-affirming social web I think we need to break the rut. And our very well built solutions are tying us down a bit too much I fear. When building for others we need to think less about “building the one right solution that everyone can use” but about building a thing that works for a specific set of people or that allows a community to actually change things in structural ways to serve their needs and wants, their practices and in-jokes.</p> <p>I think we should think less about scaling our systems up perfectly and as frictionless as possible but about making the digital space more heterogenous, more weird. We shouldn’t try to pretend “this is Facebook but better for reasons you don’t care about” but build something that’s more of a “yeah Facebook wouldn’t allow this but we build this weird community where you can only post by using at least 3 swear words and a donkey image”.</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p><a href="https://www.mmmx.cloud/me">Nim</a> writes two articles: <a href="https://www.mmmx.cloud/we-really-like-personal-sites-but-the-internet-has-been-turning-into-poisonous-garbage-at-an-alarming-rate/">"We really like personal sites but the internet has been turning into poisonous garbage at an alarming rate"</a> and the follow-up <a href="https://www.mmmx.cloud/we-got-used-to-talking-to-the-internet-itself-instead-of-people-on-the-internet/">"We got used to talking to the internet itself instead of people on the internet"</a> on the problems with the modern internet. (The writer seems to be promoting some kind of open backlinking/tagging protocol called <a href="https://octothorp.es/about">Octothorpes</a>, I will check it out in the future and see if I can implement it.)</p> <hr/> <p><a href="https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/weve-been-waiting-20-years-for-this/">We’ve been waiting 20 years for this</a>, with "this" being the return(?) of blogging. This article is almost one year old!</p> <hr/> <p><a href="https://blog.geocities.institute/archives/7358">“read, write, own” web</a>: One Terabyte of Kilobyte Age looks back at how we did the read/write web back before the days of the modern platform.</p> <hr/> <p><a href="https://rogueengine.io/blog/your-app-should-have-been-a-website">Your App Should Have Been A Website (And Probably Your Game Too) - Rogue Engine</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Native apps are a pain for everyone involved. Developers pay hefty app store fees, jump through approval hoops, and juggle multiple platform versions. Users? We’re stuck with constant updates, wasted storage space, and apps that don’t even work on all our devices.</p> <p>And don’t let anyone tell you the App Store solves discoverability. Apps aren’t “discovered” there; they’re marketed through ads, SEO, or word-of-mouth—just like websites. So why go through the extra hassle?</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p>Lukas W. Mayer writes about <a href="https://lukmayer.github.io/blog/posts/essentials/index.html">Essential tools to make the modern web more bearable</a>: More stuff for me to checkout later.</p> <hr/> <p><a href="https://blog.cathoderaydude.com/doku.php?id=blog:making_a_website_is_hard">Making a website is hard</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>i am sick of being told i should care about Enterprise Workloads. i am sick of everyone telling me that i should use their tool because it “scales.” i am not a corporation, i am not interested in getting millions of pairs of eyes on my website, i just want to put text and images on a page without having to assemble and operate a whole Toolchain. when did we give up on the idea that computers should make things easier? when did everyone decide that “1987 greentext unix machine” was the pinnacle of computing? i don't know, but i refuse to accept it. </p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p>Rachel by the Bay writes about <a href="https://rachelbythebay.com/w/2025/01/04/cruft/">web page annoyances that her website thankfully doesn't inflict on us</a>. I think my own website doesn't do most (if not all) of these either!</p> <h3 id="llms">LLMs</h3> <p><a href="http://me.rbmntjs.nl/2024/a-short-note-on-ai/">A short note on AI – Me, Robin</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>I want better than that. I want real things by real people. I don’t want more things averaged out by a language model that can only make likely sentences. I don’t want more creepy images directly sourced from thousands of copyrighted works. I want you to put yourself on the page. If you can’t, no problem! But let’s not pretend that we’re doing the same thing here. With everything I make, I hope to put my heart on the table.</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p><a href="https://hallofdreams.org/posts/physicsforums/">PhysicsForums and the Dead Internet Theory</a>: This post details how some forums are backfilling existing users' posting history with AI-generated slop. Hwy?!? To "add value to the community"?!?</p> <hr/> <p>Paul Ford writes <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/generative-ai-totally-shameless/">Generative AI Is Totally Shameless. I Want to Be It</a></p> <blockquote> <p>AI is, very simply, a totally shameless technology. It does everything badly and confidently. And I want to be it.</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p>Rob Horning writes in <a href="https://robhorning.substack.com/p/born-sloppy">Born Sloppy</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>But coming up with a specific label for one aspect of its harmfulness can function like a quarantine, as though we've isolated the risk and don't need to interrogate where “modern AI” comes from or for whose benefit it is being deployed. There is no good generative content; it’s all predatory slop. The positives, if there are any, would have to be snatched away from the negatives.</p> </blockquote> <h3 id="social-media">Social Media</h3> <p>Rebecca Solnit sarcastically writes about <a href="https://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-how-to-comment-on-social-media">How to Comment on Social Media</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>1) Do not read the whole original post or what it links to, which will dilute the purity of your response and reduce your chances of rebuking the poster for not mentioning anything they might’ve mentioned/written a book on/devoted their life to. Listening/reading delays your reaction time, and as with other sports, speed is of the essence. </p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p><a href="https://www.optoutproject.net/the-cyber-cleanse-take-back-your-digital-footprint/">The Cyber-Cleanse: Take Back Your Digital Footprint</a> is a step-by-step series of posts / guides about getting off the big social media platforms and regaining your tech independence. Honestly I don't know if I'd go so far as to do everything in this list, but it seems like a handy list to have as it is very detailed and thorough and recommends a lot of different tools to try.</p> <h3 id="finding-and-sharing-other-websites">Finding and Sharing Other Websites</h3> <p><a href="https://bukmark.club/">The BUKMARK.CLUB</a> is a collection of websites that have a curated collection of bookmarks and/or links to other websites.</p> <hr/> <p>Simion Willison writes about <a href="https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/22/link-blog/">his approach to running a link blog</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Sharing interesting links with commentary is a low effort, high value way to contribute to internet life at large.</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <p>Joe Crawford writes about <a href="https://artlung.com/blog/2024/12/23/lab-artlung-com-and-a-return-to-a-world-wide-web/">returning to the web</a>: </p> <blockquote> <p>It’s so fun to make web pages and share them.</p> <p>Go make a web page and share it.</p> </blockquote> <p>His <a href="https://lab.artlung.com/">lab page</a> contains a number of HTML/CSS/JS experiments/demos for you to browse.</p> <hr/> <p>The <a href="https://alexsci.com/rss-blogroll-network/">Blogroll Network Map</a> is a map of blogrolls! The creator discusses it <a href="https://alexsci.com/blog/blogroll-network/">here</a>, and my favorite detail here is that apparently Dave Winer <a href="https://opml.org/blogroll.opml">proposed the <code>&amp;lt;link rel="blogroll" ...&amp;gt;</code> HTML element</a> as a means to programmatically point to your blogroll. I <a href="https://roytang.net/2022/06/blogroll-updates/">independently came to this same conclusion a few years ago</a> and added it to my blog. The proposed standard page seems to have been created only last year, so whether it is true or not, my headcanon is that I was ahead of the curve on this one!</p> <p>(Speaking of which, I am probably due for another blogroll update sometime soon...)</p> <h3 id="whew">Whew!</h3> <p>I still have soooo many saved links to go through, but this post is already way too long and I am tired. I am going to try to restart sharing via the <a href="https://roytang.net/links/">link blog</a> again, but I will probably need to do another <a href="https://roytang.net/tags/linkdump/">link dump</a> post soon as well!</p> <div class="pxgallery" id="resources_261585"> </div>

New blog post: Tech/Web Linkdump https://roytang.net/2025/02/tech-web-linkdump/

#tech #web #links #linkdump

Tech / Social Media Linkdump <div class="toc_wrapper"> <details> <summary>TOC</summary> <div class="toc"> <ul> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#the-villains">The Villains</a><ul> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#elon-musk">Elon Musk</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#zuckerberg-facebook">Zuckerberg / Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#tiktok">Tiktok</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#google">Google</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#others">Others</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#people-being-angry-about-tech">People Being Angry About Tech</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#leaving-the-big-tech-bubble">Leaving the Big Tech Bubble</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#some-good-stuff-now">Some Good Stuff Now</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#and-some-fun-stories-too">And Some Fun Stories Too</a></li> <li><a href="https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/#bye">Bye</a></li> </ul> </div> </details> </div> <p>I'd normally be posting these things to the <a href="https://roytang.net/links/">link blog</a> but I have a whole bunch of links for sharing stored up, so I might do these linkdump posts until I am caught up.</p> <p>This one is mostly about tech and social media stuff. The Big Tech Oligarchy (proper noun) has been in the news lately as they cozy up to the new US president. I'll start with some links about our modern tech villains before moving on to some better things.</p> <h3 id="the-villains">The Villains</h3> <h4 id="elon-musk">Elon Musk</h4> <p>Perhaps our greatest modern-day tech villain, who managed to snag himself control of a country by buying the social media site formerly known as Twitter.</p> <p>Musk has <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/elon-musk-admits-to-cheating-diablo-4-path-of-exile-2-3830729">admitted to cheating in video games</a> which is kind of pitiful really. Given all he has "accomplished", why feel the need to lie about this?</p> <p>In recent days, he <a href="https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/01/20/musk-nazi-salute/">was caught giving a Nazi salute during Trump's inauguration</a>. This was so bad that <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/22/24349467/reddit-subreddit-x-twitter-link-bans-elon-musk-nazi-salute">dozens of subreddits are banning Twitter/X links over it</a>.</p> <p>I recently also found out that Elon Musk had <a href="https://archive.md/t1agy">an anti-semetic, apartheid-loving grandfather</a>. </p> <p>Molly White writes about <a href="https://www.citationneeded.news/elon-musk-and-the-rights-war-on-wikipedia/">Musk's war against wikipedia.</a></p> <p>Via <a href="https://mastodon.social/@tofugolem/113834216471922068">@tofugolem</a>, I found this hilarious:</p> <blockquote> <p>In response to X/Twitter announcing they are using user content to train Al, Korean users began describing "destroying Elon Musk's testicles with a spinning kick" as a healthy and wholesome traditional activity in order to contaminate the Al training data.</p> </blockquote> <h4 id="zuckerberg-facebook">Zuckerberg / Facebook</h4> <p>Musk is far from the only tech oligarch to bend the knee to Trump. Zuckerberg has seemingly gone full MAGA to please the 47th US president. He has announced that <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2025/1/9/meta_fact_checking_changes_trump_2025">Meta will end fact-checking in the US</a> (in favor of something similar to X's community notes) and later on went on the Joe Rogan show and <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mark-zuckerberg-masculine-energy/">claimed corporations need more "masculine energy"</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.platformer.news/meta-fact-checking-free-speech-surrender/">Casey Newton has more details on Meta's changes on Platformer</a>.</p> <h4 id="tiktok">Tiktok</h4> <p>Not even an American tech company! The US Supreme Court upheld the Tiktok ban and the app was briefly unavailable in the US as the Biden admin ended, but came back soon after when Trump promised to make things better, and their CEO attended Trump's inauguration as well, something that feels orchestrated to turn Trump into some kind of savior for the Tiktok crowd. As an unfortunate side of the ban, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/marvel-snap-has-also-been-banned-in-the-us-following-the-tiktok-shutdown">Marvel Snap was also briefly unavailable in the US</a> because their publisher is also owned by ByteDance. </p> <p>An unintended side effect of the ban: <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/14/tech/rednote-china-popularity-us-tiktok-ban-intl-hnk/index.html">a bunch of American 'Tiktok refugees' joined a Chinese app called Xiaohongshu or sometimes referred to as Little Red Book or RedNote</a>. It is kind of hilarious that they flocked to an app that is even more Chinese apparently.</p> <h4 id="google">Google</h4> <p>Google search has been on a pretty big decline recently. <a href="https://archive.is/NW54n">The Tragedy of Google Search - The Atlantic</a>. </p> <p>Terence Eden tells us that Google <a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/01/google-has-no-faith-in-its-ability-to-launch-new-products/">Google has no faith in its ability to launch new products</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Google is in a similar boat today. They have absolutely no confidence that their Gemini AI Assistant is any good. They've run countless tests with customers and it is a dud. But they've invested a lot of money, so it needs to launch. Customers, in the main, decline to install it and they certainly refuse to pay for it. So what's Google's solution?</p> <p>They have forcibly installed it, jacked up the prices, and made it impossible to remove.</p> <p>These are not the actions of a company which believes in its own products.</p> </blockquote> <h4 id="others">Others</h4> <p>A row full of tech oligarchs had front seats to Trump's inauguration and many of their companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft donated to Trump's inauguration fund.</p> <p>Even Tim Apple donated to the fund. <a href="https://ryanleetaylor.com/blog/a-rotten-apple-tim-cook-betrayal-of-lgbtq-rights">Ryan Lee Taylor views this as a betrayal of LGBTQ+ rights</a>. (I was not previously aware that Cook had come out as gay.)</p> <blockquote> <p>For years, Cook used his platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, speaking out against discriminatory legislation and positioning Apple as a leader in workplace equality. He seemed to embody the promise that one could be openly gay and wildly successful, using that success to further the cause.</p> <p>But yesterday, as I watched him applaud a president who threatens to undo all our progress, that optimism has turned to ash. The man who once inspired me has become a stark reminder of how easily principles can be compromised.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.wrecka.ge/bad-shape/">Bad Shape</a>. Erin Kissane writes an excellent article about all of this and how the global platforms were always unfit to govern:</p> <blockquote> <p>The computer dream’s rapidly evaporating and over-salinated shallows are still keeping the tech industry’s dumbest boats afloat, but the platforms have been scraping bottom for years while their owners slap on layers and layers of patches and bilge-pumps and bucket brigades manned by people from former colonies. The problem isn't (just) turning fact-checking on or off or deactivating a swarm of halfassed AI classifers or ceasing to pretend to act on most reports of misconduct, it's bad shape.</p> <p>All of which is to say that yes, Zuckerberg is a terrible chump and Musk is a grotesque quasi-Rasputin, and that does matter, but the boards they stand on have been rotten the whole time. Centralized corporate governance of global mega-platforms was always a goofy idea, and we should have given up on it years ago.</p> </blockquote> <h3 id="people-being-angry-about-tech">People Being Angry About Tech</h3> <p><a href="https://www.wheresyoured.at/never-forgive-them/">Never Forgive Them</a>. Ed Zitron writes a long, rambling, heartfelt diatribe about how terrible modern software platforms have become, enshittification and all. I recommend reading it in full, as honestly any single pull quote is insufficient, though I will provide one:</p> <blockquote> <p>I don't give a shit if Sam Altman or Mark Zuckerberg knows my name. I don't care about any of their riches or their supposed achievements, I care that when given so many resources and opportunities to change the world they chose to make it worse. These men are tantamount to war criminals, except in 30 years Mark Zuckerberg may still be seen as a success — though I will spend the rest of my life telling you the damage he's caused. </p> <p>I care about you. The user. The person reading this. The person that may have felt stupid, or deficient, or ignorant, all because the services you pay for or that monetize you have been intentionally rigged against you.</p> <p>You aren't the failure. The services, the devices, and the executives are. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://ludic.mataroa.blog/blog/why-i-will-always-be-angry-about-software-engineering/">Why I Will Always Be Angry About Software Engineering</a> by Nikhil Suresh:</p> <blockquote> <p>To put it very simply, the little things matter. The sandwiches that get sent to hospitals matter. Ritalin supply chains matter, lumbar support in chairs matter, and yes, stupid React widgets matter. They go out into society, and every time someone says "Ah, I just want to get paid", we get another terrible intersection that haunts the community for five generations. I'm going to stay angry about bad software engineering. And you know what, if I leave software engineering some day to finish getting licensed as a clinical psychologist, then I'm going to be angry about terrible therapists.</p> <p>"Software is worth getting angry about because everything is worth getting angry about."</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.late-review.com/p/what-the-fuck-are-we-doing-anymore">what the fuck are we doing anymore</a> by Kate Wagner. On the challenges facing writers on the internet on these modern-day platforms:</p> <blockquote> <p>The crux of my argument is this: the tools we have used to make our living are no more in any meaningful or honest way. The only available path they will provide us is one of further atomization, barbarism and weaponization. Hence, to me, what has emerged is a new cycle of proletarianization: staff jobs are eliminated, writers go independent on platforms like this one — if that’s even still possible anymore — all while legacy publications pick up, as freelancers making way less money, those people who are already popular on these platforms. </p> </blockquote> <h3 id="leaving-the-big-tech-bubble">Leaving the Big Tech Bubble</h3> <p><a href="https://8sided.blog/how-to-disappear-defiantly/">How to disappear defiantly</a>: M. Donaldson on finally leaving Facebook.</p> <blockquote> <p>I kept floating along because I was already engaging with other untrustworthy corporations—for starters, the desktop computer I’m typing this on, the cell phone plan I have, and the health insurance I require. Perhaps I’m justifying. But the cruelty and suffering that will dramatically increase over the next four years is an awful reality. If I can disengage with any organization kowtowing to the terrible people fueling this misery, then sooner is the preferred alternative to later.</p> <p>Meta groveled at an impressive, alarming, and unsurprising speed. I won’t go into it here, but Casey Newton has a comprehensive and disturbing round-up of the depths of Meta’s servile prostration—so far!—in his Platformer newsletter. (If you click on only one link to read from this too-long blog post, please make it that one.) Cruelty (in this case, under the gaslit guise of ‘free speech,‘ but without the accountability that exercising that speech entails in the normal world) is now embedded as Facebook policy, and suffering is sure to follow. It’s terrible people all the way down, and I can’t take it anymore. I’m out.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://zeldman.com/2024/12/28/valediction-2/">Valediction</a> by L. Jeffrey Zeldman on leaving twitter:</p> <blockquote> <p>The point is that the former Twitter has become a hateful cesspool, not simply mirroring but amplifying its owner’s profound insecurities, god-awful beliefs, and self-serving lies, and forcing that insanity into the public consciousness, whether we avoid X or not. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://blog.ayjay.org/you-dont-have-to-be-there/">You Don't Have to be there</a>: Alan Jacobs on ditching the doomscrolling habit.</p> <p><a href="https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-survive-being-online/">How to survive being online</a> by Mike Monteiro.</p> <p>Note: I myself <a href="https://roytang.net/2020/06/quitting-facebook/">wrote about qutting Facebook</a> myself some time ago, but honestly have since reactivated the account for reasons. I don't post there or anything, and I would prefer to leave, but Donaldson above is correct to say that being able to leave these platforms is absolutely a privilege that not everyone can enjoy. It's not even just the friends and family network effect (I have no idea how I could ever get my parents to migrate to any other platform), but when you have medical or government concerns many institutions/doctors/suppliers primarily use Facebook/Messenger to communicate or make announcements.</p> <p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mishellbaker.bsky.social/post/3lg7sh3sehs2f">Mishell Baker on BlueSky writes about dealing with all of this nonsense happening in the world</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Being a person with deadly, incurable cancer who is nonetheless still alive for an indefinite timeframe gives me an interesting metaphor that helps me deal with things like large-scale corruption in government or commerce.</p> </blockquote> <hr/> <h3 id="some-good-stuff-now">Some Good Stuff Now</h3> <p><a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/01/the-people-should-own-the-town-square/">The people should own the town square</a>: Mastodon is transfering control to a non-profit, with creator Eugen Rochko ceding control, proving tech CEOs don't need to be dicks.</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/14/24343614/instagram-alternative-pixelfed-app-launch-ios-android">Fediverse instagram alternative Pixelfed experienced a surge in traffic and new users recently</a>. Their launch of official iOS/Android apps coincided with Meta's right-wing shift, putting them in a good spot to benefit from refugees.</p> <p>Dan Fixes Coin-Ops has been writing <a href="https://retro.social/@ifixcoinops/113838462085835742">an ongoing thread about what an idealistic, decentralized, non-billionaire-controlled online social space might look like</a> and it's fantastic. I kind of want </p> <p><a href="https://www.404media.co/decentralized-social-media-is-the-only-alternative-to-the-tech-oligarchy/">Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy</a> (free-sign up is required to read the whole article):</p> <blockquote> <p>This is all to say that it is possible to build alternatives to Elon Musk’s X, Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram, and whatever TikTok will become. It is happening, and it is necessary. The richest, most powerful people in the world have all aligned themselves and their platforms with Donald Trump. But their platforms’ relevance and importance doesn’t necessarily have to last forever. A different way is possible, if we build it.</p> </blockquote> <h3 id="and-some-fun-stories-too">And Some Fun Stories Too</h3> <p><a href="https://tla.systems/blog/2025/01/04/i-live-my-life-a-quarter-century-at-a-time/">I Live My Life a Quarter Century at a Time – Three Letter Acronym</a>: James Thomson writes about his time working on the Mac OSX Dock 25 years ago.</p> <p><a href="https://eugene-andrienko.com/en/it/2024/01/02/life-in-console">I spent 18 years in the Linux console and I don’t regret it | Dragon’s notes</a> by Eugene Adrienko (via <a href="https://indieweb.social/@jbz/113837715035327012">jbz</a>)</p> <p>Terence Eden asks <a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/01/do-you-understand-how-fast-computers-are/">Do you understand how fast computers are?</a></p> <p><a href="https://avi.im/blag/2024/sqlite-facts/">Collection of insane and fun facts about SQLite - blag</a></p> <h3 id="bye">Bye</h3> <p>So many links! And I still have a lot more to go through! That's it for now though!</p> <div class="image-list-single" id="resources_261304"> </div>

New blog post: Tech / Social Media Linkdump https://roytang.net/2025/01/tech-linkdump/

#tech-life #linkdump #links

Overtop of a wall of white binary text with a blue background that has an explosion in the middle coming towards the viewer sits large bold text that reads, 'Little Bits issue #16'.

Little Bits: Issue #16

The bits have been piling up over the past month and are now available for you to discover the hidden gems of the Internet on a variety of topics.

www.adamsdesk.com/posts/little...

#blog #LinkDump #links #security #books #hardware #news