Not Just The End Product

Kōdō Shimon writing about the rise in AI ‘Street Photography’ Street photography isn’t just about getting images. It’s about being present in the world, engaging with fellow humans, finding the courage to put yourself in uncomfortable situations. I should preface my thoughts on this with the fact that I am not against LLMs’ use as an assistive tool. I do so daily and am a big fan of what they can do for my life and my productivity (yes, I just threw up a bit typing that word out).

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Essay

01 Jan 2025

What Do You Get Out Of It?

Manuel Moreale writing Kindness in a transactional world Kindness is the reason why I’m doing this. There’s no other reason. I don’t care about getting a reward. I care about showing people that in this stupid transactional world, we can still be kind to one another. We can still help someone, even if we’ll get nothing in return. Manuel’s posts are some of my favourite to read online. Through provoking, and revolving around pushing to the web.

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Essay

01 Jan 2025

Comparing Trials To Oranges

Manton Reece pondering about free trials whist at the coffee shop: At the coffee shop this morning I asked the barista to make my latte before I paid for it so I could try it first. Wait, no. Because demos and trials are an important complement to things that need thought and time and money, like a $40 app. But does $5 software need a trial? What about if it’s $1?

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Essay

30 Dec 2024

🔗 YouTube quietly made some of its web embeds worse, including ours - The Verge

News publishers can choose between the standard YouTube embedded player or a version designed specifically for them, which gives greater control over the ads experience, but removes YouTube branding and links back to YouTube. This version provides publishers greater control over the ads running on their videos, but YouTube doesn’t have visibility into which ads are served.

Am I the only person that things this makes perfect sense to both YouTube and the publisher?

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16 Dec 2024

Authorship And The Web

Don’t worry, this isn’t the usual post about AI and it stealing everyone’s content. That’s true, of course, but this post is a bit different — although still AI-adjacent. As is customary around this time of year, I start to think about my goals for the following year and, more importantly, the tools I am going to use to get to them. I usually start with digital things because my analogue choices are far easier and much more enjoyable.

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Essay

12 Dec 2024

YouTube: Information vs Entertainment

On a recent Vergecast, Nilay and David were chatting about the very real idea that the current state of streaming services is just cable TV all over again. Of course, they are correct, but they also kept coming back to the idea that the only services that make a serious amount of money are those that convince people to make the content for free. The best example of this is YouTube, and I just don’t see it that way.

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Essay

10 Dec 2024

A Fresh Sheet

The best feeling in my online life is when I have inspiration for a post and I open a fresh sheet in Ulysses. Just then, right before I start typing my garbled English onto the sheet and ruin the whole thing, that is an electric feeling that anything could happen. Maybe I write a really great post, everyone loves it and I get loads of comments and replies. Writers I love begin posting link posts to it, and this fantastic post is referenced all over the web.

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Essay

04 Dec 2024

Babysitting Yourself

After more than 40 years (yes, I am old) I am well aware of needing massive barriers in the way of my bad habits. I have very little self-control when it comes to dopamine boosting things, and my phone is the worst. I realise how pathetic that is. Over the years, I’ve given advice which is regurgitated from that which I receive (often unrequested) multiple times. To simply stop. Much like an addict l, because that is what I am of sorts, I’ve tried too hard too quickly and slowly returned to ‘normal’.

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Essay

03 Dec 2024

In the US suicide rates among men under 30 have risen by 40 percent since 2010 and are four times higher than among young women.

Male suicide accounts for as many deaths as breast cancer.

~ if you need help or just don’t feel yourself, please please please reach out.

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02 Dec 2024

Nick Heer in Google’s iOS App Inserts Its Own Links Into Webpages

For Google to believe it has the right to inject itself into third-party websites is pure arrogance, yet it is nothing new for the company.

The only upside is I doubt many people use this app.

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01 Dec 2024