Stick Maps, Butt Lifts, and Robot Construction Workers
Plus cool art and a dash of 1990s tech
Hello, dear reader!
I’ve been busy with starting a new job in October, and it’s going well, thanks. Let’s get right into it!
Aesthetics
Vrijburcht, Amsterdam – Right to Build Toolkit
This very interesting concept for shared housing was built in Amsterdam. What if you and ten friends built your own apartment building?
This Tokyo café has robot waiters controlled remotely by disabled workers
Some slightly uplifting cyberpunk news.
Marshallese Stick Chart | National Geographic Society
I continue to be astounded by the navigational skills and tools of seafaring Pacific Island people.
What Kind of Owl Are You? | National Audubon Society
There’s always time for a delightful bird quiz. Audubon is one of my favorite nonprofits too, as an amateur birdwatcher.
The mind warping art of Benjamin Sack | Boing Boing
Much more at the link!
Run Internet Explorer 5 in your browser! – Terence Eden’s Blog
For most of my readers, this will be a fun dose of Internet nostalgia.
Tech
Jihadists flood pro-Trump social network with propaganda - POLITICO
So far, Islamic State supporters are enjoying their incursion into GETTR and the possible new audience they could reach. “We will come at you with slaying and explosions you worshippers of the cross,” wrote an account whose name referenced the extremist group, adding: “How great is freedom of expression.”
It’s important to consider our reaction here before jumping to “ban it!” EFF (one of my favorite nonprofits) has some great context:
Right or Left, You Should Be Worried About Big Tech Censorship | EFF
But it’s not just conservatives who have their political speech blocked by social media giants. It’s Palestinians and other critics of Israel, including many Israelis. And it’s queer people, of course.
And more! “punk musicians to peanuts fans, historians to war crimes investigators, sex educators to Christian ministries.”
For the first time, there’s a law before Congress that could make Big Tech more accountable and give internet users more control over speech and moderation policies.
Apple Walks a Privacy Tightrope to Spot Child Abuse in iCloud | WIRED
You may have already heard about this. Much ink has been spilled. Most concerns center on Apple adding file-scanning tech to your device, which checks against a hidden database. The issue is not so much what it does today, but what Apple could make it do in the future.
Apple’s Mistake – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
Lots more context in this piece. Salient quote:
It’s truly disappointing that Apple got so hung up on its particular vision of privacy that it ended up betraying the fulcrum of user control: being able to trust that your device is truly yours.
Where Are The Robotic Bricklayers?
I love dunking on robots and automation and I will continue to do it! Honestly, an interesting review of robotic building technology.
Culture
Toyota bet wrong on EVs, so now it’s lobbying to slow the transition | Ars Technica
Sad to see dinosaur companies fighting the tide of change.
Why Millennials Have a Weird Relationship with Water and Hydration
Millennials lived in the absolute Golden Era of sugary beverages. Tap water was boring, and besides, our refrigerators were magical portals of sugar water and possibility.
Tencent cuts kids’ playing time on flagship game Honour of Kings to appease Beijing
A significant change here—play time was unlimited and is now a mere 3 hours weekly! So, predictably…
Young Chinese gamers lash out at new, limiting rules | Business and Economy News
I’m curious to see how this will play out. Gamers are uniquely equipped to be agents of change.
Failing at easy things is shameful; succeeding is unremarkable. Much better to work on hard things – heads you win, tails they lose. Failure is unfortunate but expected; success makes you a hero.
The BBL effect: How the Brazilian butt lift went mainstream - Vox
There’s so much here it’s hard to summarize. Doctors in different fields switching to performing BBLs. Health risks abound. And the cultural context is head-spinning:
“You steal a version of what a Black woman’s body should be, repackage it, sell it to the masses, and then if I’m Black and I don’t look like that? That’s a mindfuck,” summarised [Alisha] Gaines, [professor of English at Florida State University].
How a Sex Trafficking Survivor Escaped Her Prison
Great read here! This story is about how one woman was coerced into sex work, what that world is like, and how she got out.