2023
Given the ability to do so, I would make Private Eye freely available in all libraries, GPs, at bus stops, and in schools. Oh and football stadiums also.
Too many people in this country have proven that they’re unwilling to seek out good and effective literature insofar as the news is concerned.
The number of pyramid schemes you see via adverts on YouTube is staggering. The web is awash with grift.
Can self-reporting make Micro.blog seem less muddled?
The following is mostly in response to John Philpin’s comment in a Micro.blog conversation, specifically the third paragraph:
To be clear - likely all very theoretical since micro blog is well below the radar, but it highlights how ‘clarity’ on MicroBlog, takes work and iterations - and you can even break the rules and not know 😬.
(emphasis mine)
If we could find some lost treasure — and thus fund an expansions to the Micro.blog team — then it would be possible to produce regular mini-versions of the “State of Micro.blog” session from Micro Camp, focused on how these issues are being tackled on the platform.
I say that because social issues — ethics, people, incidents, etc — are a moving target that require regular updates and can’t be properly accounted for with the “just trust us” model that has been in use on social platforms for the past twenty years.
For example: rahaeli’s minimum expectations when signing up for a new service could be the type of checklist against which the team’s efforts could be regularly self-reported as part of the aforementioned mini-session.
I mean, maybe this kind of thing is already being discussed — I know there was an invitation for people to get involved via email last year and I failed to do so — and it’s all still private at the moment. Either way there doesn’t appear to be much going on, in an overtly public manner. Otherwise I don’t think there would be a need to ask such questions for the concerns raised in the original thread.
Still catching up on ATP. I forgot how much I enjoy listening to @siracusa@mastodon.social talk about tech. It’s always good to hear a rounded point-of-view that goes beyond the usual, knee-jerk reactions that fill up the various timelines.
The level of denial I continue to see in people with regard to the pandemic is amazing. I’m not really surprised; after ten years of caring for my wife I’ve had my eyes opened to the sheer effort the average person will invest in constantly running from the reality of our fragile humanity.
Having inflicted pointless distractions upon myself over the past few days, I turned the corner by making a dent in the chores — specifically in the Eternal Chore, the kitchen — and now feel much better.
Variety of work really does often get the job done. Need to put effort into better maintenance.
The archive download for my Twitter account failed (“Something went wrong”) and so I was pointed to a form to complete, the page for which is a 404.
What a dumpster fire.
Super jealous of the folks going to the maique-cro meetup. Have fun everyone! ⭐️☀️🕶🎉
Person A: “Here is a link to a post about a topic.”
Person B: “What about X issue regarding topic?”
Me, internally: “Imagine a world in which you open the link and … ✨read✨.”
I’m starting to actively dislike Substack.
I wanted to sign up to your newsletter, and support you and all of that good stuff.
And part of the cost is I am now roped into Substack’s centralised account system with a bunch of notifications for things that are not your newsletter?
That’s terrible.
Want to read: Bullingdon Club Britain: The Ransacking of a Nation by Sam Bright 📚
Catching up on ATP. You know, I’ve been on and off with that and The Talk Show but I think it was less to do with anything happening with the shows and more to do with myself. I made the mistake of assuming that the time listening involved was poorly spent. Now I’m glad to be back on board.
Listening to No Cars Go, by Maxence Cyrin 🎶
Glorious walk with Hogan today. Bumped into some of his best friends for an impromptu play-date accompanied by the Spring sun. It has remained into the evening.
Moving close to the countryside has done wonders for us in so many ways, and that fact is never clearer than during seasonal change.
That is two and a half times as much as Covent Garden and English National Opera put together.
Meanwhile, in London, Arts Council England is sticking to its opera cuts.
— Norman Lebrecht, Paris pays its Opéra’s energy bills
Strong and stable; prosperity for miles. All going well. 👍
If you use an iPhone and care about these things for your music:
- A local library.
- Album playlists (& shuffle).
- Flexible options for syncing.
- Supporting an indie developer.
… then Doppler 3 is for you. I have been so happy with Doppler everywhere that I bought the upgrade sight unseen. 🎵