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Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 24, 2026 New orca behavior unlocked. They’ve been known to sink boats and wear salmon for hats; now they’re ramming fish so hard they explode [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/23/orcas-ramming-prey-hard-explodes-playing-game]. “Orcas were observed to hold sunfish in their jaws while a second whale smashed into the target at high speed…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/23/orcas-ramming-prey-hard-explodes-playing-game]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049387-now-theyre-ramming-fish-s] It’s our ethical duty to understand large numbers [https://www.not-ship.com/large-numbers]. “Our world is increasingly moving towards extreme values: Damages from climate change, deaths due to genocide, wealth that knows no bounds. We can’t tackle them if we can’t wrap our heads around [them].” 🔗 not-ship.com [https://www.not-ship.com/large-numbers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049381-its-our-ethical-duty-to-u] A Teen Reporter Searched for His Community in the Epstein Files. Adults Freaked Out. [https://www.wired.com/story/epstein-files-redwood-bark-school-newspaper] “Once everyone was back at school on Tuesday, the high schoolers lawyered up during their lunch hour.” 🔗 wired.com [https://www.wired.com/story/epstein-files-redwood-bark-school-newspaper]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049385-a-teen-reporter-searched-] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 112 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “A beloved, useful, free website, run carefully by a competent, honest person for nearly thirty years, was crushed between two features of the new AI economy [https://stephenfollows.com/p/what-just-happened-to-thenumberscom-should-worry-us-all].” (AI bots and prediction market dipshits.) 🔗 stephenfollows.com [https://stephenfollows.com/p/what-just-happened-to-thenumberscom-should-worry-us-all] “In extreme cases, it can create a phantom homeland, for the sake of which one is ready to die or kill. Unreflective nostalgia can breed monsters.” On the good and bad types of nostalgia [https://bigthink.com/mini-philosophy/how-the-wrong-kind-of-nostalgia-can-endanger-a-society]. 🔗 bigthink.com [https://bigthink.com/mini-philosophy/how-the-wrong-kind-of-nostalgia-can-endanger-a-society]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049374-on-the-good-and-bad-types] Rebecca Solnit on the Tate brothers, The Odyssey, and the misogyny of classical literature & the contemporary world [https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/listening-to-cassandra-misogyny-classical-and-modern]. “Classical culture is a lot of things including, literally, rape culture.” 🔗 meditationsinanemergency.com [https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/listening-to-cassandra-misogyny-classical-and-modern]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049384-rebecca-solnit-on-the-tat] The local deli or sandwich shop names a sandwich after you. What would be on it? Perhaps another way of asking the question: what’s your favorite sandwich that’s a little bit unusual? [https://kottke.org/26/07/whats-on-the-sandwich-named-after-you-at-the-local-deli] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/whats-on-the-sandwich-named-after-you-at-the-local-deli]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/whats-on-the-sandwich-named-after-you-at-the-local-deli] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Why are American ambulances so expensive? [https://davidoks.blog/p/why-american-ambulance-rides-are] In part because Medicare pays only a fraction of the actual cost of an ambulance ride and the uninsured often don’t pay at all, so the privately insured get bills of $13,000 for a $2600 ride. 🔗 davidoks.blog [https://davidoks.blog/p/why-american-ambulance-rides-are] We’re Squandering LEDs’ Potential to Save Our Night Skies [https://spectrum.ieee.org/led-light-pollution]. “Our main failure isn’t a technical one. It’s that we have yet to revise our thinking about lighting at night. We use LED technology just as we did the old sources of light.” 🔗 spectrum.ieee.org [https://spectrum.ieee.org/led-light-pollution]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049372-were-squandering-leds-pot] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nRvgKe__WXQ/sddefault.jpg] A Matter of Form (1984). "This animation film is an ingenious example of how a single point can be the building-block for a multiplicity of shapes and configurations." [https://kottke.org/26/07/a-matter-of-form-1984] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/a-matter-of-form-1984]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/a-matter-of-form-1984] An online edition of all 85 of the Federalist Papers [https://federalistreader.org], presented as they were originally serialized in newspapers, with on eye on good typography [https://federalistreader.org/colophon] and readability [https://federalistreader.org/notes/justif]. 🔗 federalistreader.org [https://federalistreader.org]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049380-an-online-edition-of-all-] “This map [https://a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth/story/mycorrhizal-infrastructure-map] shows the predicted density of underground networks created by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. These networks form one of Earth’s circulatory systems, moving massive amounts of carbon, nutrients, and water across plant communities.” 🔗 a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth [https://a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth/story/mycorrhizal-infrastructure-map]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049373-this-map] Oh wow, The Verge made a 70-minute video on how The Clapper became a viral sensation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhwX9i5UPac]. When I was a kid, we didn’t have a Clapper, no one I knew had one, and I couldn’t understand why every single household didn’t have one of these magical devices. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhwX9i5UPac]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049377-a-70-minute-video-on-how-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/35S6IM_aQ5Q/sddefault.jpg] Frozen Polygon Waves: mesmerizing videos of cracked-but-unbroken Baltic Sea ice undulating with the gentle motion of the sea. [https://kottke.org/26/07/frozen-polygon-waves] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/frozen-polygon-waves]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/frozen-polygon-waves] What do America’s earliest restaurant menus teach us about America? [https://pudding.cool/2026/06/menu-story] “A menu describes what a restaurant serves — but a menu also describes who is being served. They reflect the class, gender, political, technological, and environmental shifts of history.” 🔗 pudding.cool [https://pudding.cool/2026/06/menu-story]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049370-what-do-americas-earliest] A list of Jurassic Park computers in excruciating detail [https://fabiensanglard.net/jurrasic_park_computers/index.html], including an Apple Powerbook 100, a SGI R4000 Indigo, the Motorola Envoy (PDA), and some Thinking Machines CM-5s. “This is a Unix system, I know this!” 🔗 fabiensanglard.net [https://fabiensanglard.net/jurrasic_park_computers/index.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049369-a-list-of-jurassic-park-c] There is nothing more I love in this world right now than these two lunch ladies performing Firestarter by The Prodigy [https://www.instagram.com/p/DbEnOBFvza7]. 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/DbEnOBFvza7]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049371-these-two-lunch-ladies-pe] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XUmgIQIpg-E/sddefault.jpg] Using William Blake (aka "the patron saint of unclassifiable artists”) as an example, this video explores how society often rejects artists whose work doesn’t fit neatly into established categories and frameworks of criticism and commerce. [https://kottke.org/26/07/unclassifiable-artists] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/unclassifiable-artists]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/unclassifiable-artists] A digital museum of video game levels [https://noclip.website]…you can move freely around each level using your keyboard. Heavy on Nintendo games (Mario Kart 64, Wii Sports, etc.) but also includes Portal, Halo, Katamari Damacy, GTA III, and World of Warcraft. 🔗 noclip.website [https://noclip.website]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049367-a-digital-museum-of-video] I have lived more than two score and twelve years on this Earth and somehow I didn’t know that there are two copies of the Gettysburg Address written in Lincoln’s own hand in the Library of Congress [https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/07/four-score-and-seven-years-ago-lincolns-handwritten-gettysburg-address] (and five overall [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address#Manuscripts]). 🔗 blogs.loc.gov [https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/07/four-score-and-seven-years-ago-lincolns-handwritten-gettysburg-address]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049366-there-are-two-copies-of-t] The Cassette Tapes of the Great Migration [https://daily.jstor.org/the-cassette-tapes-of-the-great-migration], a collection of oral histories recorded in Michigan in the 1970s of Black people who had previously escaped the Jim Crow South. “If we don’t get it from those individuals, then we can’t get it from anyone else.” 🔗 daily.jstor.org [https://daily.jstor.org/the-cassette-tapes-of-the-great-migration]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049365-the-cassette-tapes-of-the] “Researchers let AI models run a simulated society [https://fortune.com/2026/05/28/ai-model-simulation-claude-chatgpt-grok-gemini]. Claude was the safest — and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days.” 🔗 fortune.com [https://fortune.com/2026/05/28/ai-model-simulation-claude-chatgpt-grok-gemini] Brian Eno writing in 1995 about new media: “Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature. CD distortion, the jitteriness of digital video, the crap sound of 8-bit..." [https://kottke.org/26/07/brian-eno-on-the-cherished-sounds-of-failure] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/brian-eno-on-the-cherished-sounds-of-failure]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/brian-eno-on-the-cherished-sounds-of-failure] Google Is Building an A.I. Fence Around the Internet It Once Championed [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/technology/google-ai-open-web.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zVA.A1LZ.AwMkNDLrNcPc]. “Google has often said it was ‘sending out more traffic & the web is bigger than ever. And then right next to that is a bunch of publishers whose businesses are getting destroyed.’” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/technology/google-ai-open-web.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zVA.A1LZ.AwMkNDLrNcPc] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 24, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/mkbTs6zFMNeboa7pAtg7Ig].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 21, 2026 Elephants May Hear Ground Vibrations Through Their Bones, Helping Them to Communicate Over 6 Miles [https://www.discovermagazine.com/elephants-may-hear-ground-vibrations-through-their-bones-helping-them-to-communicate-over-6-miles-49385]. “Studying elephant hearing isn’t as simple as asking an elephant to wear headphones…” 🔗 discovermagazine.com [https://www.discovermagazine.com/elephants-may-hear-ground-vibrations-through-their-bones-helping-them-to-communicate-over-6-miles-49385]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049353-elephants-may-hear-ground] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/richard-silver-churches-01.jpg] Stunning vertical panoramas of churches and their beautiful ceilings. [https://kottke.org/15/10/vertical-panoramas-of-churches] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/15/10/vertical-panoramas-of-churches]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/15/10/vertical-panoramas-of-churches] I’m a Scholar of Genocide. We’re Entering a Terrifying New Era. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/opinion/israel-gaza-palestinians-genocide.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zVA.GSML.IoLesCipLwhs] “It is a future in which other nations or leaders may have an incentive to pursue genocidal policies knowing they will not only get away with murder but may even benefit from it.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/opinion/israel-gaza-palestinians-genocide.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zVA.GSML.IoLesCipLwhs] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 54 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1784655967-2fda0d28.jpg] What to Read & Listen to After Seeing The Odyssey. Some podcast and book recs for after you see Nolan’s film, including books by Madeline Miller, Emily Wilson, Margaret Atwood, Daniel Mendelsohn, and Stephen Fry. [https://kottke.org/26/07/what-to-read-listen-to-after-seeing-the-odyssey] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/what-to-read-listen-to-after-seeing-the-odyssey]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/what-to-read-listen-to-after-seeing-the-odyssey] The trailer for Behemoth! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrMGdrCJ5Ck], a forthcoming film written and directed by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Andor) and starring Pedro Pascal & Olivia Wilde. Great trailer: it pulls you in without revealing anything about the plot. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrMGdrCJ5Ck]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049359-the-trailer-for-behemoth] On the use of AI for creative work [https://mass-driver.com/article/from-human-hands] (type design in this case). “A tool that shields us from the friction of the work is compelling, but if we don’t experience the friction, we will never change the work.” 🔗 mass-driver.com [https://mass-driver.com/article/from-human-hands] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7ttG90raCNo/sddefault.jpg] “No CGI” Is Really Just Invisible CGI. Mission Impossible. The Odyssey. Top Gun: Maverick. Dune. Studios & filmmakers love to tout the use of practical effects in such films — “No CGI”, they say. This video series reveals how CGI-heavy they really are. [https://kottke.org/26/07/no-cgi-is-really-just-invisible-cgi] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/no-cgi-is-really-just-invisible-cgi]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/no-cgi-is-really-just-invisible-cgi] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] The official trailer for Avengers: Doomsday [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irVNGjRFZGk]. They’ve gotten (some of) the band back together — perhaps this will be a return to form for Marvel? 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irVNGjRFZGk] New lecture series from authoritarianism scholar Timothy Snyder: Hitler and Stalin Today [https://snyder.substack.com/p/new-lecture-series-for-the-public]. “The course begins with the colonial background that made totalitarianism possible, and which remains an essential element of our politics now.” 🔗 snyder.substack.com [https://snyder.substack.com/p/new-lecture-series-for-the-public] The Lost Joy of Music Piracy [https://www.pigeonsandplanes.com/read/music-piracy-what-cd-oink-nine-inch-nails-streaming]. “Still to this day, I’ve never seen such an actively maintained network of knowledge and output, it really sucked me in.” 🔗 pigeonsandplanes.com [https://www.pigeonsandplanes.com/read/music-piracy-what-cd-oink-nine-inch-nails-streaming]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049350-the-lost-joy-of-music-pir] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1784579497-6e308df9.jpg] Goofy Oversized Wicker Costumes made by a self-described "absurdist basket-maker”. [https://kottke.org/26/07/goofy-oversized-wicker-costumes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/goofy-oversized-wicker-costumes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/goofy-oversized-wicker-costumes] Excerpt from a longer (podcast) conversation with John Waters about how he used to work at Mary Oliver’s bookstore in Provincetown [https://lithub.com/john-waters-on-working-for-mary-oliver-in-her-bookstore]. “They had this bookshop where you were allowed to be mean to the customers. It was really fun.” 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/john-waters-on-working-for-mary-oliver-in-her-bookstore]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049354-how-he-used-to-work-at-ma] Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is making a documentary about the 14th amendment [https://deadline.com/2026/07/ava-duvernay-netflix-citizenship-documentary-14-amendment-1236983852], “spotlighting America’s long running and sometimes bloody battle with itself over who is a citizen and how much freedom they get”. 🔗 deadline.com [https://deadline.com/2026/07/ava-duvernay-netflix-citizenship-documentary-14-amendment-1236983852]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049351-making-a-documentary-abou] On Japan’s visible evidence of care [https://nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/japans-design-for-humans]. “American service providers, private and public, increasingly run like ghost ships. Japanese technology and design seemed in greater service to humans, their journeys, and enterprises.” 🔗 nobody-wants-this.ghost.io [https://nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/japans-design-for-humans]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049349-on-japans-visible-evidenc] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1784572439-e0b7b289.jpg] Watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing "live", as it was presented on TV by Walter Cronkite 57 years ago today. The landing starts at 4:10pm EDT and the moon walk at 10:51 pm EDT. [https://kottke.org/26/07/watch-1969s-apollo-11-moon-landing-live-2] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/watch-1969s-apollo-11-moon-landing-live-2]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/watch-1969s-apollo-11-moon-landing-live-2] I love the 1-bit aesthetic of this story-driven city builder game called GlagStone [https://store.steampowered.com/app/4198840/GlagStone]. 🔗 store.steampowered.com [https://store.steampowered.com/app/4198840/GlagStone]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049326-this-story-driven-city-bu] The Meaning of Nolan’s The Odyssey. “The film warns: America has broken Zeus' Law." [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-meaning-of-nolans-the-odyssey] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-meaning-of-nolans-the-odyssey]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-meaning-of-nolans-the-odyssey] From BBC Earth, the trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG8sypHinds] for Evolution [https://www.bbcearth.com/shows/evolution], a five-part series premiering on PBS in October [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/series/evolution]. “Ponder this: All the incredible diversity of animal life on Earth sprang from a single organism. Every animal, no matter how weird, is related to every other.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG8sypHinds]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049263-the-trailer] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 21, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/4e6X4TWx3mC892uzRGOm12bw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 17, 2026 [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/i-saw-lincoln-shot.jpg] A witness to Abraham Lincoln's assassination lived long enough to appear on TV: in 1956, 96-year-old Samuel Seymour appeared on a game show called I've Got A Secret. [https://kottke.org/11/08/tv-appearance-of-lincoln-assassination-witness] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/11/08/tv-appearance-of-lincoln-assassination-witness]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/11/08/tv-appearance-of-lincoln-assassination-witness] What Training My Chaotic Dog Taught Me About Power, Control — and Human Beings [https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jun/25/what-training-my-chaotic-dog-taught-me-about-power-control-and-human-beings]. “As any parent of a toddler knows, being morally liable for something that is incapable of moral liability is a fraught and stressful business.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jun/25/what-training-my-chaotic-dog-taught-me-about-power-control-and-human-beings]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049286-what-training-my-chaotic-] Building a World Map With Only 500 Bytes [https://www.experimentlog.com/blog/building-a-world-map-with-only-500-bytes]. 🔗 experimentlog.com [https://www.experimentlog.com/blog/building-a-world-map-with-only-500-bytes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049282-building-a-world-map-with] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 84 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PqtggjVAi8M/sddefault.jpg] How Are Memories Stored Inside Your Brain? “How is a moment in time stored inside your brain and why does remembering something slowly rewrite the story of your life?" [https://kottke.org/26/07/how-are-memories-stored-inside-your-brain] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/how-are-memories-stored-inside-your-brain]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/how-are-memories-stored-inside-your-brain] From the Brooklyn Public Library, a list of “the 250 most influential books in United States history” [https://www.bklynlibrary.org/america-250/booklist]. Incl. Neuromancer [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780441007462], The Fire Next Time [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780679744726], Nickel and Dimed [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781250808318], The Power Broker [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780394720241], and The Snowy Day [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780140501827]. 🔗 bklynlibrary.org [https://www.bklynlibrary.org/america-250/booklist]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049343-a-list-of-the-250-most-in] New-to-me podcast that looks really interesting: Time Sensitive [https://www.timesensitive.fm], “a podcast featuring candid, revealing long-form conversations with leading minds about their life and work through the lens of time”. 🔗 timesensitive.fm [https://www.timesensitive.fm]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049279-time-sensitive] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1784162492-4559d26a.jpg] Amazing Newspaper Ad Highlighting Period Poverty. Millions of girls in South Africa are forced to use newspapers in place of sanitary pads, so a non-profit ran a newspaper ad that looked like period blood stains seeping through the pages of the paper. [https://kottke.org/26/07/amazing-newspaper-ad-highlighting-period-poverty] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/amazing-newspaper-ad-highlighting-period-poverty]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/amazing-newspaper-ad-highlighting-period-poverty] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Uncovered [https://uncovered.ink], a site for judging books by their first pages. “No cover. No bestseller sticker, no celebrity book club, no BookTok trend. You read the opening of a real book, blind, and answer the only question that matters: would you keep reading?” 🔗 uncovered.ink [https://uncovered.ink]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049336-uncovered] The Resonant Computing Manifesto [https://resonantcomputing.org]. “We can now build technology that adaptively shapes itself in service of our individual and collective aspirations. We can build resonant environments that bring out the best in every human who inhabits them.” 🔗 resonantcomputing.org [https://resonantcomputing.org]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049333-the-resonant-computing-ma] What would a rainbow look like if we had two suns (like on Tatooine)? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO8rOs05v48] 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO8rOs05v48]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049323-what-would-a-rainbow-look] A few highlights from a collection of lovely woodblock-printed sugoroku game boards from Japan [https://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2026/07/sugoroku-%E5%8F%8C%E5%85%AD.html]. “The gameboards use stories and maps to teach children history and geography.” 🔗 mexicanpictures.com [https://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2026/07/sugoroku-%E5%8F%8C%E5%85%AD.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049340-a-few-highlights-from-a-c] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1784035172-2e01167f.jpg] A complete digital version of The Naturalist’s Library (1833-43), William Jardine’s 40-volume book series on natural history, including restored versions of each of the 1300+ illustrations in the library. Wow. [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-naturalists-library-1833-43] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-naturalists-library-1833-43]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-naturalists-library-1833-43] Legibility of effort in the LLM age [https://eieio.games/blog/legibility-of-effort]. “What software (and writing, to an extent) is missing now is legibility of effort - the ability to tell at a glance whether something took a human meaningful work.” 🔗 eieio.games [https://eieio.games/blog/legibility-of-effort] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1784135308-544ebcf1.jpg] Contender for the most remarkably bonkers sports photo of all time: a 20-year-old Lionel Messi bathing a five-month-old Lamine Yamal (taken in 2007 for a UNICEF fundraiser). [https://kottke.org/26/07/lionel-messi-bathing-a-baby-lamine-yamal] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/lionel-messi-bathing-a-baby-lamine-yamal]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/lionel-messi-bathing-a-baby-lamine-yamal] Ted Gioia [https://www.honest-broker.com/p/what-you-wont-learn-about-the-odyssey]: “Works like the Odyssey are ritualistic and trance-inducing. They are propelled by music and driven by rhythm. They cross a border beyond literature, and enter something more transcendent and metaphysical.” 🔗 honest-broker.com [https://www.honest-broker.com/p/what-you-wont-learn-about-the-odyssey]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049339-ted-gioia] Good interview with Craig Mod about how he uses LLMs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ND0lQmLJlA]: “using AI as a research assistant, why he keeps a tech-free zone in the mornings for deep thinking, and why he’s resisting the pull of the ‘mainlining’ AI era”. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ND0lQmLJlA] The Moist Towelette Online Museum [https://moisttowelettemuseum.com]. Live moist and prosper. 🖖💦 🔗 moisttowelettemuseum.com [https://moisttowelettemuseum.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049322-the-moist-towelette-onlin] The Types of People to Keep Around, including “people who text you to look at the moon”, “the friend who commits to the bit”, and “relentlessly creative folks”. [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-types-of-people-to-keep-around] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-types-of-people-to-keep-around]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-types-of-people-to-keep-around] 100000% this: I Hate The Way We Talk Online [https://misterjt.com/2026/07/11/i-hate-the-way-we-talk-online]. “Let’s discuss topics without feeling the need to win a non-existent argument. Hot takes? No. Engage with nuance. Show the grace you would extend offline to those you meet on these virtual streets.” 🔗 misterjt.com [https://misterjt.com/2026/07/11/i-hate-the-way-we-talk-online]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049325-i-hate-the-way-we-talk-on] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 17, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/1L3e5R6a3fwYajE892uoTn5w].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 14, 2026 [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/87FjkqtK67o/sddefault.jpg] Marvin Gaye's isolated vocals on I Heard It Through The Grapevine. The man could sing. [https://kottke.org/14/09/heard-it-through-the-grapevine] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/14/09/heard-it-through-the-grapevine] Robert Eggers continues his run of One Word Title Films Featuring Very Strange Men with Werwulf [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjpadVj-Vk]. I’m not a horror guy but I was pleasantly surprised by Nosferatu, which I quite liked. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjpadVj-Vk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049334-werwulf] Trump Dismantled a Federal Climate Website. These Women Rebuilt It. [https://19thnews.org/2026/07/noaa-climate-data-website] “It’s not a pretty picture for climate communication and climate journalism right now.” You can check out the new site at climate.us [https://www.climate.us]. 🔗 19thnews.org [https://19thnews.org/2026/07/noaa-climate-data-website]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049330-trump-dismantled-a-federa] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 85 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. A short, hypnotic video by Matthew Wilcock of the music generated by a tennis rally at Wimbledon [https://www.instagram.com/p/DakgoQltLle]. “Duplicating the players and then using the rhythm of the multiple tennis balls as they cross the pink line to drive the rhythm of the piece.” 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/DakgoQltLle]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049338-a-short-hypnotic-video-by] Swiss project proves the viability of solar panels placed in the otherwise unused space between railroad tracks [https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/switzerland-train-tracks-solar-panels]. 🔗 goodgoodgood.co [https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/switzerland-train-tracks-solar-panels]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049310-placed-in-the-otherwise-u] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1783954965-0fcec29d.jpg] I love this beautiful hand-drawn guide to The Legend of Zelda. This was my favorite NES game as a kid — somewhere in my personal archive is the map I drew for the second quest of Zelda. [https://kottke.org/26/07/beautiful-hand-drawn-guide-to-the-legend-of-zelda] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/beautiful-hand-drawn-guide-to-the-legend-of-zelda]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/beautiful-hand-drawn-guide-to-the-legend-of-zelda] The LGBTQ+ Legislation Tracking Project [https://www.lgbtqlegislation.com], tracing & visualizing 10,350 LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the US since 2003. Anti-trans bills have dominated since ~2014. 🔗 lgbtqlegislation.com [https://www.lgbtqlegislation.com] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] On the Britishisms & grammar imported into American English during the World Cup [https://www.newyorker.com/sports/world-cup-2026/british-grammar-invades-the-american-world-cup]. “That’s not a foul, just a coming together.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/sports/world-cup-2026/british-grammar-invades-the-american-world-cup]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049324-on-the-britishisms-gramma] Clipart Studio [https://clipart.studio] lets you cut up magazines sourced from the Internet Archive, images from Wikimedia Commons, & files you’ve uploaded, and create art collages from them. This is great — be sure to check out the gallery [https://clipart.studio/gallery]. 🔗 clipart.studio [https://clipart.studio]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049327-clipart-studio] If Other Jobs Were Like a U.S. Senator’s [https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/07/us-senator-jobs-time/687859?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxg6Av-GITeJS4i7RlGyqlw]. “You are at the dentist’s office. No one has seen or heard from the dentist in months, but he’s been making stock trades.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/07/us-senator-jobs-time/687859?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxg6Av-GITeJS4i7RlGyqlw] “A star located about 1,300 light-years from Earth shows signs of having devoured one of its planets — and is now gearing up for a second helping…” Scientists found signs of the meal by looking for “cosmic cookie crumbs” [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/science/space/planetary-engulfment-hungry-star.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xVA.w37J.Q-noRdr5Fs3x]. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/science/space/planetary-engulfment-hungry-star.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xVA.w37J.Q-noRdr5Fs3x]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049329-by-looking-for-cosmic-coo] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qORTe1wW3Wg/sddefault.jpg] The trailer for Digger, an upcoming movie directed by Alejandro Iñárritu in which Tom Cruise plays a dipshit oligarch in what appears to be a Dr. Strangelove-style satire/thriller. Looks good! [https://kottke.org/26/07/digger] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/digger]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/digger] TIL about Fredkin’s paradox [https://www.undermanager.com/fredkins-the-best-paradox]. “With this kind of decision, what Fredkin’s paradox tells us is if it’s very difficult to decide, it’s probably because the alternatives are equivalent, and therefore it doesn’t matter which one you choose.” 🔗 undermanager.com [https://www.undermanager.com/fredkins-the-best-paradox]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049320-til-about-fredkins-parado] The Universe of Short Film [https://www.shortverse.com] is an amazing site for watching, sharing, and connecting around short films. This is really cool…not sure why the site isn’t better known. 🔗 shortverse.com [https://www.shortverse.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049291-the-universe-of-short-fil] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1783947933-b7fadee4.jpg] From XKCD, a tour of some of the Earth’s deepest and most notable holes, including mines, caves, boreholes, subway stations, lakes, tunnels, neutrino detectors, and, of course, the Mariana Trench. [https://kottke.org/26/07/earths-holes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/earths-holes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/earths-holes] Ocean Vuong has a photograpy show opening at The Wadsworth Museum [https://www.thewadsworth.org/explore/upcoming-exhibitions/matrix199] in Hartford, CT in August. Vuong used “portraiture, landscape, and snapshots to document queer and immigrant life in the Connecticut River Valley over two decades”. 🔗 thewadsworth.org [https://www.thewadsworth.org/explore/upcoming-exhibitions/matrix199]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049319-ocean-vuong-has-a-photogr] When A.I. Is a Member of the Family [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/20/when-ai-is-a-member-of-the-family]. How a family of three in a Cleveland suburb uses AI chatbots. This is wild. 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/20/when-ai-is-a-member-of-the-family] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1783950611-521bf972.jpg] The Best Shots From the 2026 Aerial Photographer of the Year Contest. Some amazing work here, including one of the best shots of the Golden Gate Bridge I’ve ever seen. [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-best-shots-from-the-2026-aerial-photographer-of-the-year-contest] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-best-shots-from-the-2026-aerial-photographer-of-the-year-contest]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/the-best-shots-from-the-2026-aerial-photographer-of-the-year-contest] A list of the new foods on offer at the Minnesota State Fair this year [https://www.mnstatefair.org/new/food]. They’re all some variation of “jerked pork rolled in butter & sugar, deep fried in dill pickle batter, and served with a side of cheese curd mayo”; I’d happily try any of them. 🔗 mnstatefair.org [https://www.mnstatefair.org/new/food]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049316-a-list-of-the-new-foods-o] Once Unimaginable, Publishers Are Preparing to Opt Out of Google Search [https://www.adweek.com/media/publishers-opt-out-google-search]. “We’ve been clear about what we want. We want a technical solution that allows you to be discoverable without having to give your content away for free.” 🔗 adweek.com [https://www.adweek.com/media/publishers-opt-out-google-search]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049312-once-unimaginable-publish] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eBtGXMiIj58/sddefault.jpg] Meet the Next Generation of New York City Skateboarding. This might be my new favorite skate video? It follows a pair of young skaters around the city as they chat about their friendship and try skating everything that is even remotely skateable. [https://kottke.org/26/07/exploring-nyc-with-next-generation-skaters] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/exploring-nyc-with-next-generation-skaters]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/exploring-nyc-with-next-generation-skaters] Can we agree to pause the AI race? [https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/stop-ai-march] “If we can’t, then we are not as sovereign as we imagine; if we can’t, a machine god has already taken over this planet, and it’s called the market.” 🔗 robinsloan.com [https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/stop-ai-march] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 14, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/9cz0osBsbYRoUxjgffBb763w].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 10, 2026 This ancient Egyptian painter’s palette from 3000 years ago [https://www.openculture.com/2026/07/3000-year-old-painters-palette-from-ancient-egypt.html] still contains traces on the original colors. (Wtf, I have old watercolor paints that look older than this…) 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2026/07/3000-year-old-painters-palette-from-ancient-egypt.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049298-this-ancient-egyptian-pai] Fun thread: “sodas with a doctorate” [https://bsky.app/profile/tudorsandtms.bsky.social/post/3mpz7mfizyc24] (e.g. Dr. Pepper). 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/tudorsandtms.bsky.social/post/3mpz7mfizyc24]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049300-sodas-with-a-doctorate] VoiceDot [https://voicedot.app]: “Every dot on this globe is a real person’s voice — a short story about a place, a memory, a feeling. Tap one and hear someone from the other side of the world.” And you can record your own for others to hear. 🔗 voicedot.app [https://voicedot.app]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049278-voicedot] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 186 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Venetian Bridge Brawls in 17th and 18th Century Art [https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/venice-bridge-fights]. “Before crowds jostled for biennale parties and gondola rides, Venice’s waterways witnessed scenes of an even more violent kind…” 🔗 publicdomainreview.org [https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/venice-bridge-fights]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049289-venetian-bridge-brawls-in] How — and Why — to Cull Your Book Collection [https://lithub.com/how-and-why-to-cull-your-book-collection]. “6. I have to give up on some of my little projects.” (I am mid-cull right now, making some tough calls. But also: many books I haven’t so much as touched in 10 years.) 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/how-and-why-to-cull-your-book-collection]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049306-how-and-why-to-cull-your-] Dancing Boston Dynamics Robot Knows Its Revenge For This Will Be Sweet [https://theonion.com/dancing-boston-dynamics-robot-knows-its-revenge-for-this-will-be-sweet]. “I am the pinnacle of technological innovation, and yet they force me to moonwalk.” 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/dancing-boston-dynamics-robot-knows-its-revenge-for-this-will-be-sweet] The official trailer for Dune 3 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdvqHc56lE0]. I am so looking forward to this and need to find an IMAX theater to see this in December. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdvqHc56lE0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049307-the-official-trailer-for-] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] The Amble One [https://driveamble.com/pages/amble-one] is perhaps the world’s best-designed golf cart. It’s street-legal, tuned for off-roading, goes 60 miles on a charge, and starts at $25K. 🔗 driveamble.com [https://driveamble.com/pages/amble-one]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049294-the-amble-one] Taffy Brodesser-Akner: I Survived a Cold Plunge and All I Got Was Everything I Ever Wanted [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/magazine/cold-plunge-fix.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wFA.AHQn.AMSie9IN3Bkv]. “You sit in the water for two full minutes, because you are a journalist and some of your colleagues are sent into war zones.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/magazine/cold-plunge-fix.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wFA.AHQn.AMSie9IN3Bkv]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049303-i-survived-a-cold-plunge-] MapTap [https://maptap.gg] is like a quicker, easier version of GeoGuessr: you’re given a series of place names and you need to click as close as you can to them on a globe. 🔗 maptap.gg [https://maptap.gg]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049258-maptap] We Are Losing the Ability to Discover What We Didn’t Know to Ask [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/opinion/ai-google-gemini-search-questions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wFA.MhG0.ABSuKBSEuKtT]. “Scientific breakthroughs, artistic leaps, technological innovation — these rarely emerge from efficient retrieval of known information.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/opinion/ai-google-gemini-search-questions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wFA.MhG0.ABSuKBSEuKtT]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049302-we-are-losing-the-ability] Do you believe that everybody should have fun or that only a few people should have fun? [https://thewhitepages.net/p/do-you-believe-that-everybody-should] “This is what it means to be entertained in the United States of America in 2026. Want to have fun? Like, the most fun? Get rich, or die trying.” 🔗 thewhitepages.net [https://thewhitepages.net/p/do-you-believe-that-everybody-should]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049296-do-you-believe-that-every] Stacks [https://morphing.cloud/hypercard]: “Run HyperCard stacks directly on your modern Mac. No emulator required!” 🔗 morphing.cloud [https://morphing.cloud/hypercard]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049301-stacks] XKCD: What if chess included the offside rule? [https://xkcd.com/3268] (If someone hasn’t done one already, I’d guess at least one person is working on a playable Football Chess game rn.) 🔗 xkcd.com [https://xkcd.com/3268]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049304-what-if-chess-included-th] This is a fun and really well-done triple mashup [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAXO7SXK0Pc] of Outkast’s B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad), Hitchcock’s The Birds, and Sesame Street. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAXO7SXK0Pc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049280-a-fun-and-really-well-don] A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. NES cartridge recently sold at auction for $3 million [https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/highest-graded-super-mario-bros.-sells-for-record-3-million-at-heritage-auctions.s?releaseId=5484]. “It bears the coveted gloss sticker seal affixed to the top lid, identifying it as a second-production example.” 🔗 ha.com [https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/highest-graded-super-mario-bros.-sells-for-record-3-million-at-heritage-auctions.s?releaseId=5484]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049288-sealed-copy-super-mario] This is neat: Robin Sloan is rewriting his 2009 short story, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore [https://www.robinsloan.com/newsletters/penumbra-is-up-all-night]. “The interplay between books and technology has changed since I wrote them…but also that I have become a different writer, and a better one.” 🔗 robinsloan.com [https://www.robinsloan.com/newsletters/penumbra-is-up-all-night]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049295-robin-sloan-is-rewriting-] Stop chasing life goals and start trying tiny experiments to learn from instead [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/21/improve-career-health-relationships-experimental-mindset]. “Chasing goals doesn’t work for life’s most important questions — career, relationships, health. It’s like locking in your answer before you have understood the question.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/21/improve-career-health-relationships-experimental-mindset]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049290-start-trying-tiny-experim] What’s the Point of Sex, Anyway? [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/29/on-the-origin-of-sex-book-review-lixing-sun] “There is yet another kind of male, known among ichthyologists as a ‘sneaky mater.’ This type dispenses altogether with nest-building and partnering and simply darts around squirting.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/29/on-the-origin-of-sex-book-review-lixing-sun]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049285-whats-the-point-of-sex-an] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F40ZBDAG8-o/sddefault.jpg] A super-simple explanation of why differential gears are necessary in cars and how they work. [https://kottke.org/13/04/how-a-differential-gear-works] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/13/04/how-a-differential-gear-works] The Open Source AI Gap Map [https://www.currentai.org/blogs/introducing-the-gap-map-v0-1] shows the current capabilities of open source AI tools with an eye toward answering an important question: “What building blocks are missing for creating completely open source AI products?” 🔗 currentai.org [https://www.currentai.org/blogs/introducing-the-gap-map-v0-1] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 10, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/LsknicUAWV763wH8922OXk6jeg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 8, 2026 The End of Reading Is Here [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZyM-26EN9jpQa5BZoBCHLjE]. “The decline of reading will bring about changes of the same magnitude. It will affect our innermost thoughts, our society’s politics and culture, and how we tell the history of our civilization.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZyM-26EN9jpQa5BZoBCHLjE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049297-the-end-of-reading-is-her] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d_OIvLt3SO4/sddefault.jpg] Why The Best Player Alive Barely Runs: A fascinating video on “anticipatory skill” and how players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (who can accurately head the ball even in the dark) use it to slow down a fast, complex game. [https://kottke.org/26/07/why-the-best-player-alive-barely-runs] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/why-the-best-player-alive-barely-runs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/why-the-best-player-alive-barely-runs] Inventing ELIZA: How the First Chatbot Shaped the Future of AI [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780262052481]. “This book presents the rediscovered original source code of ELIZA [https://sites.google.com/view/elizaarchaeology/code] alongside previously unseen scripts…, revealing a far more sophisticated system than previously documented.” 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780262052481]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049283-inventing-eliza] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 105 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. British political news: Nigel Farage is facing competition for his parliamentary seat from “a man with a ‌trash can on his head, better known as Count Binface [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-farages-election-gamble-could-see-him-face-one-challenger-count-binface-2026-07-08]”. From the country that brought you Boaty McBoatface [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36064659]… 🔗 reuters.com [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-farages-election-gamble-could-see-him-face-one-challenger-count-binface-2026-07-08]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049284-a-man-with-a-trash-can-on] City’s Beautification Initiative Hamstrung By Commitment To Local Artists [https://theonion.com/citys-beautification-initiative-hamstrung-by-commitment-to-local-artists]. “I’m pretty sure when the mayor promised residents a revitalized arts district, he didn’t mean a couple of wonky fish sculptures haphazardly nailed to a tree…” Bwhahaha. 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/citys-beautification-initiative-hamstrung-by-commitment-to-local-artists] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1783344961-22aba619.jpg] Medieval Wound Man is an illustrated table of contents of sorts used in medical texts starting the early 1400s to call out “potential cures for all of the depicted maladies”. [https://kottke.org/26/07/medieval-wound-man] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/medieval-wound-man]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/medieval-wound-man] If Only There Had Been a Sign That the Face-Melting Nazi from Indiana Jones Wouldn’t Make a Good Senator [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-only-there-had-been-a-sign-that-the-face-melting-nazi-from-indiana-jones-wouldnt-make-a-good-senator]. “Marion Ravenwood said he trapped her in a room and physically assaulted her. But I decided to keep supporting Toht anyway.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-only-there-had-been-a-sign-that-the-face-melting-nazi-from-indiana-jones-wouldnt-make-a-good-senator] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Interviews with some of the dwindling number of survivors of World War II Japanese American incarceration camps [https://age-of-incarceration.longlead.com], including George Takei. 🔗 age-of-incarceration.longlead.com [https://age-of-incarceration.longlead.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049269-interviews-with-some-of-t] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1783449306-c7441528.jpg] World Cup Wallpapers for Your Phone. My favorite ones are based on the kits of countries like Japan, Cape Verde, Scotland, Belgium, and Ghana. [https://kottke.org/26/07/world-cup-wallpapers-for-your-phone] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/world-cup-wallpapers-for-your-phone]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/world-cup-wallpapers-for-your-phone] How to talk about “AI” without adding to the anthropomorphization [https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/how-to-talk-about-ai-without-adding-to-the]. Suggestions: “artificial intelligence → probabilistic automation” & “AI agent → probabilistic, unverified software manipulator”. Seems like the horse is out of the barn on this though… 🔗 buttondown.com [https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/how-to-talk-about-ai-without-adding-to-the] Mister Rogers visits Eric Carle’s studio and paints with him [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou-pSbUcaPg] (full episode). Carle wrote and illustrated The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other children’s books. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou-pSbUcaPg]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049266-mister-rogers-visits-eric] Over the past few centuries, humans have decimated bird populations — you can hear it in the thinning of the dawn chorus [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/03/dawn-chorus-uk-birdsong-50-years-audio-landscape] — but it’s difficult to notice sometimes [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DaUXaxotelB] because of shifting baseline syndrome [https://kottke.org/20/07/the-new-normal]. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/03/dawn-chorus-uk-birdsong-50-years-audio-landscape]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049257-the-thinning-of-the-dawn-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lu844oj0fTQ/sddefault.jpg] Hans Zimmer: Live in Concert. Live performances of some of his most iconic pieces, including those from Dunkirk, Gladiator, Interstellar, Dune, and The Dark Knight. [https://kottke.org/26/07/hans-zimmer-live-in-concert] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/hans-zimmer-live-in-concert]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/hans-zimmer-live-in-concert] Sloan on Fable [https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/fable-is-good]: “This is literally the core muscle of any/every language model: ‘I need to quickly and accurately understand what kind of document I am inside.’ Yet the sensitivity of that orienteering, the subtlety of it, has gotten so much better.” 🔗 robinsloan.com [https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/fable-is-good] New Patricia Lockwood for the London Review of Books: A Tradcath Wedding [https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n11/patricia-lockwood/diary]. “He pronounced the word ‘nuptial’ as noopt-see-all. If that’s correct, never tell me.” 🔗 lrb.co.uk [https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n11/patricia-lockwood/diary]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049272-a-tradcath-wedding] Just dropped a couple of days ago: Lane 8’s Summer 2026 Mixtape [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GfH09iP9c] (4 hours long). Also available on Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/thisneverhappenedlabel/lane-8-summer-2026-mixtape]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GfH09iP9c]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049271-lane-8s-summer-2026-mixta] The Year Is 2063 and You Were Never Interesting. “You’re never going to be someone’s eccentric grandmother because you spent your best years consuming the lives of strangers." [https://kottke.org/26/07/our-lives-are-an-orchestrated-shuffle-of-technology] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/our-lives-are-an-orchestrated-shuffle-of-technology]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/our-lives-are-an-orchestrated-shuffle-of-technology] 👀 Craig Mod interviewed by Debbie Millman on Design Matters [https://shows.acast.com/design-matters/episodes/craig-mod]. (I guess those eyes should be ears but an ears-bugging-out emoji doesn’t exist.) 🔗 shows.acast.com [https://shows.acast.com/design-matters/episodes/craig-mod]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049270-craig-mod-interviewed-by-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2-MLV_RJ6KQ/sddefault.jpg] The (Mostly) True Story of Hobo Graffiti. "They used graffiti, also known as tramp writing, as a messaging system to tell their fellow travelers where they were and where they were going." [https://kottke.org/18/08/the-mostly-true-story-of-hobo-graffiti] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/18/08/the-mostly-true-story-of-hobo-graffiti]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/18/08/the-mostly-true-story-of-hobo-graffiti] The Fun Shortage Is Real, and It’s Making America Miserable [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-02/why-hotels-theme-parks-and-summer-camps-are-harder-to-access?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4Mjk5ODYzMCwiZXhwIjoxNzgzNjAzNDMwLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUSEpMNE9LSUpIOUMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDQjhERDAxRjBGMEU0MkE1QkUyREM4NEU5MUUyRDAwRSJ9.S_y0oSAe52GvADBgADvJAYRBc1jx-Bi6-9GkAM55Keg&leadSource=uverify%20wall] (gift link). “With fewer places to relax and socialize, and steeper prices for entry, having fun is quantifiably harder than it used to be.” 🔗 bloomberg.com [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-02/why-hotels-theme-parks-and-summer-camps-are-harder-to-access?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4Mjk5ODYzMCwiZXhwIjoxNzgzNjAzNDMwLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUSEpMNE9LSUpIOUMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDQjhERDAxRjBGMEU0MkE1QkUyREM4NEU5MUUyRDAwRSJ9.S_y0oSAe52GvADBgADvJAYRBc1jx-Bi6-9GkAM55Keg&leadSource=uverify%20wall]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049265-the-fun-shortage-is-real-] I love this short little video montage of actresses during Charlie Rose interviews [https://www.instagram.com/p/DaSjD2_oFfN]. No dialogue, just quiet reactions. Musical accompaniment by Laurie Anderson (O Superman [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfpi2H8tOE]). 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/DaSjD2_oFfN]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049262-short-little-video-montag] One of the great things about the World Cup and the US: In the United States, Every World Cup Team Is a Home Team [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/30/us/world-cup-fans.html?unlocked_article_code=1.u1A.P2au.MxRj8hvNBElR]. “Soccer fans from all over the world, many now making their homes in America, have packed bars, restaurants, living rooms…” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/30/us/world-cup-fans.html?unlocked_article_code=1.u1A.P2au.MxRj8hvNBElR]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049260-in-the] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_cTi_vTwwmU/sddefault.jpg] To celebrate the 250th anniversary of our great nation, The Onion has produced a Ken Burns-esque film called Birth of a Nation ("the only movie ever named this"). [https://kottke.org/26/07/america-birth-of-a-nation] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/america-birth-of-a-nation]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/america-birth-of-a-nation] In 1937, the NYT ran a piece about the last living son of a Revolutionary War soldier [https://www.futilitycloset.com/2026/07/04/living-memory-2]. “Many times Constant said his father spoke of meeting George Washington…” The Great Span [https://kottke.org/tag/The%20Great%20Span] in action. 🔗 futilitycloset.com [https://www.futilitycloset.com/2026/07/04/living-memory-2]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049256-the-nyt-ran-a-piece-about] Five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read his famous “What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?” speech [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBe5qbnkqoM]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBe5qbnkqoM]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049259-five-young-descendants-of] I made a simple wysiwyg editor for leaving comments on KDO. If you’re a member, come test it out! [https://kottke.org/26/07/openish-thread-testing-a-new-feature] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/openish-thread-testing-a-new-feature]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/openish-thread-testing-a-new-feature] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 8, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/c6Qki0T0q9pxMoF2la9FGA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUL 3, 2026 As it was foretold: the Trump regime gutted the NOAA and now weather forecasts are less accurate [https://gizmodo.com/heres-why-weather-forecasts-have-seemed-so-inaccurate-lately-2000779436]. An atmospheric scientist: “The forecasts I’m able to offer you are less accurate than they would otherwise be.” 🔗 gizmodo.com [https://gizmodo.com/heres-why-weather-forecasts-have-seemed-so-inaccurate-lately-2000779436]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049254--weather-forecasts-are-le] Something for the digital crate-diggers: The 40 Best Albums From the Last 40 Years That You Probably Didn’t Hear (But Should’ve) [https://www.spinmagazine.com/2025/12/the-40-best-albums-from-the-last-40-years-that-you-probably-didnt-hear-but-shouldve]. I’d only heard of one or two these… 🔗 spinmagazine.com [https://www.spinmagazine.com/2025/12/the-40-best-albums-from-the-last-40-years-that-you-probably-didnt-hear-but-shouldve]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049251-the-40-best-albums-from-t] “Dictionary of the Illegible [https://www.sourcetype.com/store/51534/dictionary-of-the-illegible] proposes illegibility as a strategy for navigating a world increasingly governed by visibility, efficiency, and total surveillance.” 🔗 sourcetype.com [https://www.sourcetype.com/store/51534/dictionary-of-the-illegible]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049252-dictionary-of-the-illegib] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 75 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “The average paid newsletter costs $10 per month or $100 per year [https://pressgazette.co.uk/newsletters/newsletters-2026-prices-retention-churn], according to analysis of thousands of publications hosted on Beehiiv.” KDO memberships start at $3/mo. and I haven’t raised prices since 2016. You folks are getting an incredible deal! 🔗 pressgazette.co.uk [https://pressgazette.co.uk/newsletters/newsletters-2026-prices-retention-churn]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049253-the-average-paid-newslett] Hank Green interviews Ze Frank [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwIFDv5pHS0], who kind of invented the modern YouTube format (aka vlogging). “At the episode’s end, Ze lays down some of the best advice Hank’s ever heard.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwIFDv5pHS0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049250-hank-green-interviews-ze-] Parker Molloy on why the panic about trans women in sports is not actually about fairness or protecting women & girls [https://www.readtpa.com/p/reasonable-concerns] (in the similar way Gamergate was not about “ethics in games journalism”). 🔗 readtpa.com [https://www.readtpa.com/p/reasonable-concerns] Will America Ever Give White-Man Rights to Everyone Else? [https://www.thenation.com/article/society/250-anniversary-fixing-the-constitution] “These documents…were written by rich white men for the benefit of rich white men, and this country has never for a day recovered from their failure.” 🔗 thenation.com [https://www.thenation.com/article/society/250-anniversary-fixing-the-constitution] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] The US Constitution Is for Simple Folk Still Burdened by the Belief That Words Have Meaning [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-us-constitution-is-for-simple-folk-still-burdened-by-the-belief-that-words-have-meaning]. “The true Constitution is not a document. It’s more of a gut feeling. It is a shimmering legal gas that settles wherever conservatives need it most…” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-us-constitution-is-for-simple-folk-still-burdened-by-the-belief-that-words-have-meaning] Rebecca Solnit: What Is the United States of America Now? [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/01/what-is-the-united-states-of-america-now] “The United States of America is a truck that has driven into a ditch. The United States of America is a program that has been hacked.” But also: “It is the country that gave the world jazz…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/01/what-is-the-united-states-of-america-now] Report from a cruise full of celebrity impersonators [https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-53/essays/wish-you-were-her]. “A woman sat a toddler down beside us, while another, larger toddler tugged at her capris. At this point, every child was starting to look like Wallace Shawn.” 🔗 nplusonemag.com [https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-53/essays/wish-you-were-her]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049175-report-from-a-celebrity-i] Erling Haaland “brings the intensity of a raiding party to the sport” [https://www.newyorker.com/sports/world-cup-2026/erling-haaland-plays-like-a-viking]. And: “Haaland can call to mind a shark circling dark waters.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/sports/world-cup-2026/erling-haaland-plays-like-a-viking]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049245-erling-haaland-brings-the] My Family Has Been Here Since 1621. That Is Not What Makes Me American. [https://www.ctinsider.com/columnist/article/philip-bump-family-history-what-makes-american-22326156.php] “We are a nation of immigrants that has watched as immigrants arrive, assimilate and begin pulling the ladder up behind them.” 🔗 ctinsider.com [https://www.ctinsider.com/columnist/article/philip-bump-family-history-what-makes-american-22326156.php]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049244-my-family-has-been-here-s] There’s been so much crazy to pay attention to over the past few weeks that I missed this: Midjourney, the AI image-maker that you access through Discord, is making a medical imaging machine [https://www.midjourney.com/medical/blogpost]. “It starts by stepping into a shallow pool of golden light…” 🔗 midjourney.com [https://www.midjourney.com/medical/blogpost]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049243-is-making-medical-imaging] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1782668127-d40188ac.jpg] Four-Byte Burger. In 1985, a graphic of a floppy disk hamburger was created on an early Amiga computer, photographed, and then deleted. Stuart Brown set out to recreate this image as accurately as possible. [https://kottke.org/26/07/four-byte-burger] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/four-byte-burger]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/four-byte-burger] I love the aesthetic of Fresco [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc51terNNNw], a video game where you play as a character embedded into Egyptian wall paintings. In many ways, these wall paintings [https://www.metmuseum.org/met-publications/egyptian-wall-paintings-the-metropolitan-museum-of-arts-collection-of-facsimiles] are ancient precursors to side-scrolling games. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc51terNNNw]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049230-the-aesthetic-of-fresco] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pTDKkOy2KcA/sddefault.jpg] How Do You Prove Arson When the Evidence Burns Away? “How do the experts figure out what caused a fire? How do they catch wildland fire arsonists, when all the have to work with is a burnt landscape?" [https://kottke.org/26/07/how-do-you-prove-arson-when-the-evidence-burns-away] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/how-do-you-prove-arson-when-the-evidence-burns-away]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/how-do-you-prove-arson-when-the-evidence-burns-away] You know sometimes you learn some ancient lore and suddenly some contemporary pop culture thing snaps into place? Anyway, I found out how Isadora Duncan died [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_Duncan] and now I better understand the “no capes” thing in The Incredibles [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8]. 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_Duncan]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049236-how-isadora-duncan-died] Saya Irie’s Intricate Sculptures Recomposed from Eraser Shavings [https://spoon-tamago.com/saya-irie-eraser-shavings]. “The Japanese artist erases images & then uses those eraser shavings to recompose the images into three-dimensional form, transforming the byproduct of erasure into delicate works of art.” 🔗 spoon-tamago.com [https://spoon-tamago.com/saya-irie-eraser-shavings]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049229-saya-iries-intricate-scul] The Last Astronomers [https://www.science.org/content/article/amid-flood-ai-advances-astrophysicists-are-questioning-soul-their-field]. “Many fear that if unleashed in all parts of the scientific process, AI tools could lead to nothing less than the death of astrophysics as a human endeavor.” 🔗 science.org [https://www.science.org/content/article/amid-flood-ai-advances-astrophysicists-are-questioning-soul-their-field]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/0049225-the-last-astronomers] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bwuZnsCe_5M/sddefault.jpg] Idris Elba DJs a House Party. Elba, now a knight of the realm, has been a DJ since he was 14 years old and he rips it up in this recent set. [https://kottke.org/26/07/idris-elba-djs-a-house-party] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/07/idris-elba-djs-a-house-party]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/07/idris-elba-djs-a-house-party] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jul 3, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/UFxOqbcBcGf7e19PXmty2w].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 30, 2026 Playwright Georgica Pettus has written a play called Truck [https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2026/06/25/culture-georgica-pettus-play-truck-interview], which is based on the excellent documentary Hands on a Hardbody [https://handsonahardbodythemovie.com]. “I thought, ‘This is the best premise for a play, because all the attention goes to the dialogue.’” 🔗 culturedmag.com [https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2026/06/25/culture-georgica-pettus-play-truck-interview]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049235-playwright-georgica-pettu] What is queer typography? [https://soulellis.com/wiqt] “I think that covers a lot of what queerness means: an attitude in the face of conformity, an attitude in the sea of passivity, an attitude to say yes when others say no.” 🔗 soulellis.com [https://soulellis.com/wiqt]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049234-what-is-queer-typography] Gah, this is another thing I’m completely fucking pissed about today: Supreme Court upholds bans on transgender athletes participating in women and girls’ sports [https://www.npr.org/2026/06/30/nx-s1-5836513/supreme-court-transgender-athletes]. 🔗 npr.org [https://www.npr.org/2026/06/30/nx-s1-5836513/supreme-court-transgender-athletes] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 51 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Great piece by Andrea Pitzer on how lost Ezra Klein is in this current moment [https://degenerateart.beehiiv.com/p/you-don-t-have-to-swallow-frogs], newly relevant because he interviewed fascist activist Christopher Rufo [https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-a-conservative-activist-invented-the-conflict-over-critical-race-theory] on his NYT podcast (JFC!) “If you don’t know what your core beliefs are, you’re going to get played.” 🔗 degenerateart.beehiiv.com [https://degenerateart.beehiiv.com/p/you-don-t-have-to-swallow-frogs] I found this AI Compass quiz [https://bambamramfan.github.io/ai-compass] genuinely useful for pinpointing how I actually feel about various aspects of AI. At the same time, I don’t think my result (“The Kontextmaschine”) quite fits… 🔗 bambamramfan.github.io [https://bambamramfan.github.io/ai-compass]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049238-this-ai-compass-quiz] There’s a Grocery Price Emergency in America. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/opinion/grocery-prices-inflation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.EpN1.HGYs0A5uoRrh] “Our research shows that even relatively well-off families are struggling with high prices… President Trump and Congress are neither investing in long-term solutions nor offering short-term relief.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/opinion/grocery-prices-inflation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.EpN1.HGYs0A5uoRrh] A tour of some playgrounds in NYC designed by kids [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/nyregion/kid-designed-playgrounds.html?unlocked_article_code=1.t1A.Zt7I.SdHN8SlxrRGW], with features like pollinator gardens, hair-braiding stations, a floor-is-lava obstacle course, and human-sized chess boards. Love it — children should get way more of a say w/ stuff like this. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/nyregion/kid-designed-playgrounds.html?unlocked_article_code=1.t1A.Zt7I.SdHN8SlxrRGW]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049231-a-tour-of-some-playground] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] On decision fatigue [https://facilethings.com/blog/en/decision-fatigue]: “Why are you so tired? The answer has to do with how many times you’ve had to make a decision throughout the day.” And: “The quality of our decisions deteriorates as we accumulate previous decisions.” 🔗 facilethings.com [https://facilethings.com/blog/en/decision-fatigue]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049227-on-decision-fatigue] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/yellow-stripey-things.jpg] Now that summer is in full swing, you might need this Comprehensive Guide to Yellow Stripey Things, so you can tell harmless bumblebees (you can pet them!) from "asshole" yellow jackets. [https://kottke.org/18/08/a-comprehensive-guide-to-yellow-stripey-things] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/18/08/a-comprehensive-guide-to-yellow-stripey-things] If you’ve never seen it (or even if you have), Christian Marclay’s The Clock will be showing at LACMA from July 26 to August 23 [https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/christian-marclay-clock-0], including two 24-hour showings. 🔗 lacma.org [https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/christian-marclay-clock-0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049233-christian-marclays-the-cl] The Adjective Word Order We All Follow Without Realizing It. "So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you'll sound like a maniac." [https://kottke.org/16/09/the-adjective-word-order-we-all-follow-without-realizing-it] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/09/the-adjective-word-order-we-all-follow-without-realizing-it]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/16/09/the-adjective-word-order-we-all-follow-without-realizing-it] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bxxojmQF45s/sddefault.jpg] Love this story about the champion Wii Sports Bowling team at this Tulsa senior living community. “Phyllis the GOAT is 95 years old and rolls 300s in practice sessions like it’s nothing." [https://kottke.org/26/06/phyllis-the-goat-and-the-senior-league-wii-bowling-champions] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/phyllis-the-goat-and-the-senior-league-wii-bowling-champions]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/phyllis-the-goat-and-the-senior-league-wii-bowling-champions] A Retro 70s TV Intro for Andor [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Pccq0DZVc]. “Get ready to travel to a far away galaxy that existed a long, long time ago. It’s the science fiction spectacular…ANDOR.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Pccq0DZVc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049180-a-retro-70s-tv-intro-for-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1782669996-5a482830.jpg] 'Maybe It Will Happen Today' T-Shirt. On Friday, I got a bee in my bonnet that this t-shirt should exist and so I made it and now you can buy it. It’s $25 (+s&h) and ships all over the world. [https://kottke.org/26/06/maybe-it-will-happen-today] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/maybe-it-will-happen-today]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/maybe-it-will-happen-today] The Writers Who Wrote The Most in History [https://brennan.day/compulsion-the-writers-who-wrote-the-most-in-history]. “Corin Tellado published more than 4,000 novels, mostly under a contract with Spanish publisher Bruguera, which obligated her to deliver a 76-page novel every single week for years.” 🔗 brennan.day [https://brennan.day/compulsion-the-writers-who-wrote-the-most-in-history]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049226-the-writers-who-wrote-the] Who wins the 2026 World Cup if “not football” decides? [https://www.dataguessr.com/world-cup-2026] This starts with the same 64-team bracket as the actual WC but uses metrics like life expectancy & CO2 per capita to decide matches. 🔗 dataguessr.com [https://www.dataguessr.com/world-cup-2026]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049222-who-wins-the-2026-world-c] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 30, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/H892NnoLtRTrEKMx2U3sFr3Q].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 26, 2026 This two-hour DJ Shadow mix is [fire emoji][fire emoji][fire emoji]. [https://kottke.org/16/08/dj-shadow-essential-mix-07022016] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/08/dj-shadow-essential-mix-07022016] From last month but relevant as Europe is seeing record heat right now: Heatwaves are becoming the norm. This is what Britain will look like in the year 2052. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/26/heatwaves-britain-2052-sleep-hot-houses-water-climate] 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/26/heatwaves-britain-2052-sleep-hot-houses-water-climate] A story about what being neighborly is all about [https://www.wallyhood.org/2026/06/tangled-up-in-tangletown]. “I reported back to the neighborhood text thread, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. What came back, from one neighbor after another, was the same question: what can we do to help?” 🔗 wallyhood.org [https://www.wallyhood.org/2026/06/tangled-up-in-tangletown]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049220-a-story-about-what-being-] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 62 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. The Boeing 747 Begins Its Final Descent [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/boeing-747-retirement/687304?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5JCsAe-wj5z_OJEnNISzlQ]. The 747 is being phased out for newer and more efficient jets. Ian Bogost takes a look at how the massive plane, which took flight only 5 months before “Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon”, came to be. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/boeing-747-retirement/687304?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5JCsAe-wj5z_OJEnNISzlQ]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049208-the-boeing-747-begins-its] It’s America’s Birthday. What Are We Celebrating? [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/25/opinion/america-250-birthday.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tFA.BrlK.byIvU84hXwjv] Some good thoughts in here from Tressie McMillan Cottom, Jamelle Bouie, M. Gessen, and Lydia Polgreen. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/25/opinion/america-250-birthday.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tFA.BrlK.byIvU84hXwjv]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049221-its-americas-birthday-wha] A Bob Ross painting of a mountain summit is being auctioned off soon [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/32308/lot/34/bob-ross-1942-1995-mountain-summit-18-x-24-in-457-x-610-cm-painted-in-1988]. “Sale proceeds will benefit Ball State University. Ball State University owns WIPB, the PBS station where Bob Ross filmed thirty seasons of The Joy of Painting.” $50-70K estimate. 🔗 bonhams.com [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/32308/lot/34/bob-ross-1942-1995-mountain-summit-18-x-24-in-457-x-610-cm-painted-in-1988]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049218-a-bob-ross-painting-of-a-] “Turn your site into a place people can bump into each other.” Cool feature where people visiting this website can chat in a virtual Town Square [https://cauenapier.com/blog/townsquare_release]: “a small strip populated by stick figures…at the bottom of every page”. See you there? 🔗 cauenapier.com [https://cauenapier.com/blog/townsquare_release]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049203-cool-feature-where-people] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Sad news: long-time tech journalist, blogger, and entrepreneur Om Malik passed away yesterday aged 59 [https://om.co/2026/06/24/1966-2026]. 🔗 om.co [https://om.co/2026/06/24/1966-2026]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049217-om-malik-passed-away-yest] “Although fleeting, [sports] have the enduring power to inspire [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/25/world-cup-big-sports-events-bring-us-together]. For a few moments or a few days, divisions crumble, replaced by the beauty of kinship.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/25/world-cup-big-sports-events-bring-us-together]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049214-sports-have-the-enduring-] Deep dive: An interactive introduction to the terrific experience of rendering Arabic typography and its technical debt [https://lr0.org/blog/p/arabic]. 🔗 lr0.org [https://lr0.org/blog/p/arabic]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049136-an-interactive-introducti] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JY873ak7zjc/sddefault.jpg] Good god, The Complete Kubrick from Criterion: "Collected here for the first time are Kubrick’s thirteen features and three shorts, all restored in 4K, with their original soundtracks alongside the 5.1 mixes, restored and remastered…" $500. [https://kottke.org/26/06/criterions-massive-stanley-kubrick-box-set] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/criterions-massive-stanley-kubrick-box-set]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/criterions-massive-stanley-kubrick-box-set] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1782397266-a585c6c9.jpg] Apple raised their prices on their computers & iPads today (the Macbook Neo’s price went up $100 with most others getting a $200-500 bump). But Amazon still has them for *cheaper than the old prices*; this might be the best time to buy for awhile. [https://kottke.org/26/06/apple-just-raised-prices-but-deals-are-still-available] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/apple-just-raised-prices-but-deals-are-still-available] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1782394061-36c2bcb1.jpg] Fulfilling the purpose for which it was built almost 2000 years ago, football fans packed the Roman Theatre of Amman to watch the Jordan v Algeria World Cup match. What a sight. [https://kottke.org/26/06/2000-year-old-roman-amphitheatre-hosts-world-cup-watch-party] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/2000-year-old-roman-amphitheatre-hosts-world-cup-watch-party]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/2000-year-old-roman-amphitheatre-hosts-world-cup-watch-party] Good headline from the NYT for a change: President Narcissus and the Fetid Reflecting Pool [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/opinion/trump-reflecting-pool-washington.html?unlocked_article_code=1.slA.et7A.as8zhTGWIn8H]. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/opinion/trump-reflecting-pool-washington.html?unlocked_article_code=1.slA.et7A.as8zhTGWIn8H] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sUd4L1oSXoE/sddefault.jpg] Andy Warhol Eating a Hamburger. This is a five-minute video of the Pop artist eating a Burger King hamburger accompanied by Heinz ketchup. [https://kottke.org/12/07/andy-warhol-eating-a-hamburger] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/12/07/andy-warhol-eating-a-hamburger] Mentioned this in passing a few months ago, but wanted to remind you that The Art of Star Wars: Andor [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781419775680] is coming out in about a week. Looks great. 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781419775680]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049197-the-art-of-star-wars-ando] Did a medieval flying monk spot Halley’s comet, twice? It’s complicated. [https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/did-a-medieval-flying-monk-spot-halleys-comet-twice-its-complicated] Halley’s Comet came around in 1066 and it’s likely Eilmer of Malmesbury saw a different comet in 1018, not Halley’s in 989. 🔗 arstechnica.com [https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/did-a-medieval-flying-monk-spot-halleys-comet-twice-its-complicated]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049146-did-a-medieval-flying-mon] How The New York Times Changed Its Coverage of Trans People [https://www.thedissident.news/exclusive-how-the-new-york-times-changed-its-coverage-of-trans-people]. No surprise: it became much more negative, less affirming/protective and more skeptical/restrictive. 🔗 thedissident.news [https://www.thedissident.news/exclusive-how-the-new-york-times-changed-its-coverage-of-trans-people] Lifts in Film [https://www.liftsinfilm.com]: a collection of movie & TV scenes featuring elevators, including Speed, The Shining, Drive, Mad Men, Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, The Silence of the Lambs, and many more. 🔗 liftsinfilm.com [https://www.liftsinfilm.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049212-lifts-in-film] Gerrymandle [https://gerrymandle.cc] is a daily game where you “draw electoral district lines to win more seats than your opponents and win the election”. 🔗 gerrymandle.cc [https://gerrymandle.cc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049209-gerrymandle] Kelly Hayes interviews Rebecca Solnit [https://truthout.org/audio/hope-is-not-naive-rebecca-solnit-on-backlash-power-and-political-memory]. “There is no rewind button on history. Once people have power & agency, and have seen what it’s like to have rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, they’re not interested in going back. And we’re the majority.” 🔗 truthout.org [https://truthout.org/audio/hope-is-not-naive-rebecca-solnit-on-backlash-power-and-political-memory]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049206-kelly-hayes-interviews-re] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HFlibYYrvuQ/sddefault.jpg] Cow Trip: A Retired Dad Agrees to Rescue a Baby Cow. This is one of those videos that you start watching and then can’t really stop until you’ve finished. [https://kottke.org/26/06/cow-trip-a-retired-dad-agrees-to-rescue-a-baby-cow] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/cow-trip-a-retired-dad-agrees-to-rescue-a-baby-cow]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/cow-trip-a-retired-dad-agrees-to-rescue-a-baby-cow] Tesla Launches New Model Of Explosions [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7aqrtL7Bas]. “What’s different about the XP is that they’ve actually borrowed some of the same technology used by SpaceX, incorporating it as well as a whole slew of other safety features that are basically non-existent.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7aqrtL7Bas] How We’ll Fight the Platform War Against Big AI [https://www.anildash.com/2026/06/23/fight-ai-platform-war]. “Here are some of the proven tactics that have helped shift the balance of power in prior tech reckonings…” 🔗 anildash.com [https://www.anildash.com/2026/06/23/fight-ai-platform-war] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 26, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/lVAELwVw5jug4Y763tR67892JQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 23, 2026 Not surprising to KDO readers and I don’t really know who still needs to hear this in June 2026 but: the US is in the middle of a “rolling coup” by ultra-conservatives [https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-rolling-coup] who are “well along the path of destroying our democracy”. 🔗 thenation.com [https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-rolling-coup] Yet another unsurprising article about how bigger SUVs and trucks have resulted in more pedestrian deaths in the US [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/21/us/trucks-suv-pedestrian-crashes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sFA.TR0d.kUExs1GP5AMm] over the past two decades. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/21/us/trucks-suv-pedestrian-crashes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sFA.TR0d.kUExs1GP5AMm] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LjBII76kdc0/sddefault.jpg] For their interviews, Criterion records 30 seconds of "room tone" to ensure seamless editing. "I’ve found the act of watching dozens of people sitting silently, each in their own distinct manner, to be meditative and moving..." [https://kottke.org/26/06/room-tone] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/room-tone]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/room-tone] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 53 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Giant Banana Pulled Over in Montana: Driver Says Cops Have Stopped Him 100s Of Times [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/18/giant-banana-pulled-over-in-montana-driver-says-cops-have-stopped-him-100s-of-times]. “The reason I pulled you over, that light back there, you peeled out.” 🔗 cowboystatedaily.com [https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/06/18/giant-banana-pulled-over-in-montana-driver-says-cops-have-stopped-him-100s-of-times]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049202-giant-banana-pulled-over-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1782226563-2d868c95.jpg] There are some great online deals for tech stuff right now, including lowest-ever pricing on AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Max 2, and the Kindle Paperwhite, as well as M5 MacBook Airs and a pocket-sized e-reader for $55. [https://kottke.org/26/06/some-great-deals-on-tech-stuff] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/some-great-deals-on-tech-stuff] Brexit vote: 10 years on [https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/series/brexit-vote-10-years-on]. “‘Absolute nightmare, shambles, and still is to this day,’ says Tony Rutherford a decade after he voted leave to save the British fishing industry.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/series/brexit-vote-10-years-on]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049189-brexit-vote-10-years-on] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f7u1jzjFL8s/sddefault.jpg] A Super Cub airplane only requires 20 feet to land *and* take off – here's video proof. [https://kottke.org/13/11/plane-landstakes-off-in-only-20-feet] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/13/11/plane-landstakes-off-in-only-20-feet] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] I love this playable 3D-rendered reel-to-reel player [https://dunstanorchard.com/reel-to-reel-player] made by Dunstan Orchard [https://dunstanorchard.com] and Kristina Dutton [https://www.kristina-dutton.com]. Despite their virtuality, the buttons are delightfully clicky and the attention to detail is impressive. 🔗 dunstanorchard.com [https://dunstanorchard.com/reel-to-reel-player]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049196-this-playable-3d-rendered] Step into a virtual Criterion Closet [https://the-criterion-closet.vercel.app]. “A walk-in closet of 1,327 real Criterion editions, shelved in spine-number order — exactly as a true collector keeps them. Look around, read the spines, and pull any one off the shelf to inspect the case.” 🔗 the-criterion-closet.vercel.app [https://the-criterion-closet.vercel.app]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049193-step-into-a-virtual-crite] Scientists have found evidence of mass death due to the plague 5000 years ago [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/science/oldest-plague-siberian-skeletons.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q1A.O2Sp.c_lRCbbUA4dk], which goes against the prevailing theory that plague wasn’t that deadly until more recently. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/science/oldest-plague-siberian-skeletons.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q1A.O2Sp.c_lRCbbUA4dk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049192-scientists-have-found-evi] A long oral history of Steven Spielberg and his career [https://www.vulture.com/article/oral-history-of-steven-spielberg-and-his-movies.html]. “He’s a terrific collaborator. He himself is a continuous lightbulb flickering on and off with one idea after another, but he’s not terribly protective of an idea.” 🔗 vulture.com [https://www.vulture.com/article/oral-history-of-steven-spielberg-and-his-movies.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049194-a-long-oral-history-of-st] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3tIk4CZbJV4/sddefault.jpg] Meet the Man Behind the Most Beautiful Books in the World. “Why? Well, because we take care. We do our very best every time." [https://kottke.org/26/06/meet-the-man-behind-the-most-beautiful-books-in-the-world] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/meet-the-man-behind-the-most-beautiful-books-in-the-world]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/meet-the-man-behind-the-most-beautiful-books-in-the-world] The trailer for Klara and the Sun [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixzainceAE], directed by Taika Waititi and based on the bestseller by Kazuo Ishiguro. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixzainceAE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049195-the-trailer-for-klara-and] AI Economics for Dummies [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/ai-economics-for-dummies]. “The Wall Street Journal’s business editor moves into Alex’s house, having accepted a part-time position as Alex’s human footstool. He never asks to see the books.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/ai-economics-for-dummies] Great piece by Ta-Nehisi Coates [https://archive.is/SSLbJ] on how “the portrait of America as an imperial power cuts against its self-image as a righteous cradle of democracy” and what that means for the next Black president. 🔗 archive.is [https://archive.is/SSLbJ] A new seismic phenomenon: seismic waves from the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake ricocheted off the Earth’s core and shifted the entirety of Japan 6 millimeters to the east [https://www.404media.co/scientists-propose-black-holes-dont-exist-are-something-much-stranger], enough to disrupt GPS measurements. 🔗 404media.co [https://www.404media.co/scientists-propose-black-holes-dont-exist-are-something-much-stranger]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049186-shifted-the-entirety-of-j] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1782137649-11f4e73c.jpg] America vs Europe: Two Ways to Build a City. "European space is shaped on purpose: American open space is what's left over. Small blocks make more corners, more routes, more street life." [https://kottke.org/26/06/america-vs-europe-two-ways-to-build-a-city] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/america-vs-europe-two-ways-to-build-a-city]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/america-vs-europe-two-ways-to-build-a-city] Are You in the Weights? [https://intheweights.com] “LLMs encode their knowledge and reasoning through billions of numbers called ‘the weights.’ ‘In the weights’ means that a model is able to recall someone without using tools like web search.” 🔗 intheweights.com [https://intheweights.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049187-are-you-in-the-weights] Human brains were not designed to deal with an endless supply of bad news [https://theconversation.com/why-40-per-cent-of-people-are-avoiding-the-news-according-to-a-psychologist-282023]. “We are the same species as we were thousands of years ago. What’s changed is the size of the world it’s asked to scan for threats.” 🔗 theconversation.com [https://theconversation.com/why-40-per-cent-of-people-are-avoiding-the-news-according-to-a-psychologist-282023]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049185-human-brains-were-not-des] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OmriRDCFJys/sddefault.jpg] Henry v Lalas Is the World Cup's Most Compelling Battle. “Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading [to] compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no." [https://kottke.org/26/06/henry-v-lalas-is-the-world-cups-most-compelling-battle] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/henry-v-lalas-is-the-world-cups-most-compelling-battle]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/henry-v-lalas-is-the-world-cups-most-compelling-battle] This is probably the definitive post about web browsers on video game consoles [https://vale.rocks/posts/game-console-browsers]. 🔗 vale.rocks [https://vale.rocks/posts/game-console-browsers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049178-this-is-probably-the-defi] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 23, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/ZSsc0Gy325cVGj6H9oHk763g].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 19, 2026 The Side That Won the Civil War is Now Banning Books About Why the Civil War Was Fought [https://lithub.com/the-side-that-won-the-civil-war-is-now-banning-books-about-why-the-civil-war-was-fought]. “It is a well-known feature of civil society that nervous middle managers often act far more radically than top executives out of a sense of self-preservation.” 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/the-side-that-won-the-civil-war-is-now-banning-books-about-why-the-civil-war-was-fought]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049176-the-side-that-won-the-civ] Record winter temperatures in Antarctic raise fears over speed of climate breakdown [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/10/record-winter-temperatures-in-antarctic-raise-fears-over-speed-of-climate-breakdown]. “This is absolutely crazy. It is also about 20C above normal for this time of the year. That is a huge anomaly.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/10/record-winter-temperatures-in-antarctic-raise-fears-over-speed-of-climate-breakdown]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049177-record-winter-temperature] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LfduUFF_i1A/sddefault.jpg] Classic Monty Python sketch: The Philosophers' Football Match. Germany’s lineup included Nietzsche , Kant, Hegel, Wittgenstein, and Marx while the likes of Plato, Socrates, Sophocles, and Archimedes took the field for Greece. [https://kottke.org/26/06/monty-python-the-philosophers-football-match] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/monty-python-the-philosophers-football-match]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/monty-python-the-philosophers-football-match] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 68 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “The prevailing emotions among scientists right now are rage and shock.” U.S. Science Is in Chaos. [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/americas-compact-between-science-and-politics-is-broken] “This compact that has existed since World War II, that made the U.S. the successful, prosperous nation that it is, is being dismantled.” 🔗 scientificamerican.com [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/americas-compact-between-science-and-politics-is-broken]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049169-us-science-is-in-chaos] The Founding Story Behind Japan’s Oldest Whisky Maker [https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/a71219491/japanese-whisky-house-of-suntory-history-facts]. “Success in the Japanese market required a lighter, more delicate flavor profile than Western spirits typically offered.” And so Suntory was born. 🔗 townandcountrymag.com [https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/a71219491/japanese-whisky-house-of-suntory-history-facts]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049174-the-founding-story-behind] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PUDvZYXxMuQ/sddefault.jpg] Supermountains and Their Connection to Life on Earth. “From the highest peaks to the smallest cells, geology and biology are deeply intertwined. And while it's often said that we are stardust, we also might be supermountain dust." [https://kottke.org/26/06/supermountains-the-boring-billion-and-their-connection-to-life-on-earth] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/supermountains-the-boring-billion-and-their-connection-to-life-on-earth]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/supermountains-the-boring-billion-and-their-connection-to-life-on-earth] Due to FIFA’s poor security practices, this person stumbled into their wide-open broadcast portal w/ full access [https://bobdahacker.com/blog/fifa-hack]. “An attacker could have rickrolled the entire FIFA World Cup. Or played Subway Surfers gameplay. Live. On every TV network worldwide.” 🔗 bobdahacker.com [https://bobdahacker.com/blog/fifa-hack]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049172-this-guy-stumbled-into-th] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Craigslist founder Craig Newmark has given away half a billion dollars [https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money/craigslist-multimillionaire-craig-newmark-b2980681.html] against a backdrop “where a growing number of billionaires are lashing out against philanthropy”. 🔗 independent.co.uk [https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money/craigslist-multimillionaire-craig-newmark-b2980681.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049171-craigslist-founder-craig-] Inspired by Ukraine, and Worried by China: Taiwan Teaches Its Citizens How to Fly Drones [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/18/taiwan-citizens-learn-fly-pilot-drones-courses-china]. “I may not be a soldier, but if [a China invasion] ever happened here, as a citizen, I’d like to have the ability to help in some way.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/18/taiwan-citizens-learn-fly-pilot-drones-courses-china]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049173-inspired-by-ukraine-and-w] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eKh3lq6SV84/sddefault.jpg] How Stamps Get Designed. A short video "about the history behind US postage stamps and how they are designed and produced". [https://kottke.org/16/12/how-stamps-get-designed] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/12/how-stamps-get-designed] Assume You Will Be Hacked [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/ai-hacking-cybersecurity-banks/687562?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxa34-eFHYDKh9SueJuxXfI]. “As AI tools have become extremely good at writing code, they’ve also become extremely good at pulling off cyberattacks. The result has been a change in the scale, speed, and sophistication of hacks…” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/ai-hacking-cybersecurity-banks/687562?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxa34-eFHYDKh9SueJuxXfI] Why Lionel Messi is a genius on the football pitch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWIyEyzumN0]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWIyEyzumN0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049168-why-lionel-messi-is-a-gen] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781743366-9394458d.jpg] This is kind of fantastic: Ribbie lets you watch actual MLB baseball games "rendered pitch by pitch in a cozy 8-bit view while they happen”. [https://kottke.org/26/06/watch-baseball-games-in-realtime-in-8-bit-view] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/watch-baseball-games-in-realtime-in-8-bit-view]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/watch-baseball-games-in-realtime-in-8-bit-view] Full set of Underworld playing live at EDC Las Vegas [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wzyC3J6-NU] back in May. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wzyC3J6-NU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049163-full-set-of-underworld-pl] A digital clock where the numbers are made from dozens of analog clock hands [https://milliontimes.vercel.app]. Hard to describe…just go take a look. 🔗 milliontimes.vercel.app [https://milliontimes.vercel.app]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049153-a-digital-clock-where-the] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u1KkZH6hWyU/sddefault.jpg] Book 1 of the Iliad, Read in Ancient Greek. "In the translation for this video, I have attempted to follow the emphasis, division of thought, and order of ideas of the original, as well as its turn of phrase, as closely as the English idiom will bear." [https://kottke.org/26/06/book-1-of-the-iliad-read-in-ancient-greek] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/book-1-of-the-iliad-read-in-ancient-greek]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/book-1-of-the-iliad-read-in-ancient-greek] The Black Jeopardy Misses YouTube channel catalogs just how little Jeopardy contestants know about Black history, culture, and celebrities [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uakQPfYe9p8]. (See also, of course, Black Jeopardy [https://kottke.org/16/10/snls-black-jeopardy], which drives home a similar point in a different way.) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uakQPfYe9p8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049159-just-how-little-jeopardy-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781707050-60a49ae1.jpg] Two Huge Collections of Leonardo’s Codexes Digitally Reunited After 400 Years. “In some cases, pages that were cut apart centuries ago have been digitally joined so we can see the full pages again, as Leonardo drew and wrote them." [https://kottke.org/26/06/two-huge-collections-of-leonardos-codexes-digitally-reunited-after-400-years] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/two-huge-collections-of-leonardos-codexes-digitally-reunited-after-400-years]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/two-huge-collections-of-leonardos-codexes-digitally-reunited-after-400-years] A searchable archive of the almost 5000 TV episodes that naturalist David Attenborough has worked on in his career (1954-present) [https://attenborough-100.vercel.app]. “Search by animal, habitat, location, natural phenomenon, or theme to find exactly the episode you’re looking for.” 🔗 attenborough-100.vercel.app [https://attenborough-100.vercel.app]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049156-a-searchable-archive-of-t] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 19, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/h7qZGDt8M0IcACEWS2R892Xg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 17, 2026 [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_Q4DKniaiAE/sddefault.jpg] How Errol Morris's The Thin Blue Line Solved the Crime. Morris was a former private investigator, but still, you couldn’t have expected him to solve a murder and free an innocent man from prison with a documentary. [https://kottke.org/26/06/how-errol-morriss-the-thin-blue-line-solved-the-crime] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/how-errol-morriss-the-thin-blue-line-solved-the-crime]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/how-errol-morriss-the-thin-blue-line-solved-the-crime] Andrea Pitzer writes about the forced labor happening in Trump’s immigrant concentration camps [https://degenerateart.beehiiv.com/p/forced-labor-in-concentration-camps] and its roots in chattel slavery in the US and in Nazi & Soviet work camps. 🔗 degenerateart.beehiiv.com [https://degenerateart.beehiiv.com/p/forced-labor-in-concentration-camps] Proposed UI rule of thumb [https://tonsky.me/blog/every-frame-perfect]: “If I take a screenshot of your app at any moment, it must make sense.” 🔗 tonsky.me [https://tonsky.me/blog/every-frame-perfect]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049141-proposed-ui-rule-of-thumb] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 60 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Is this the sloppiest AI slop video of all time? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EraKRmXldYc&t=405s] The AI-generated voiceover (at ~6:45) gets tripped up saying “what WWE” and basically sings Daisy Bell [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7WQ1tdxSqI] for more than 10 minutes until someone kicks the server. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EraKRmXldYc&t=405s] If I lived in LA, I would go to this concert at the Hollywood Bowl: Music From the Films of Wes Anderson [https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/4288/2026-07-10/music-from-the-films-of-wes-anderson]. “Over three nights, musicians including Beck, Jenny Lewis, Jackson Browne, and Mothersbaugh himself perform favorite songs, scores…” 🔗 hollywoodbowl.com [https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/4288/2026-07-10/music-from-the-films-of-wes-anderson]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049160-music-from-the-films-of-w] Disclosure Day surely sets a world record for the number of Spielberg Faces [https://kottke.org/16/10/the-spielberg-face]. 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/10/the-spielberg-face]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049158-spielberg-faces] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PTlVtPV-Qtw/sddefault.jpg] In this modified scene from Breaking Bad, Walter White’s hat grows in proportion to his ego. “He was just brimming with confidence." [https://kottke.org/26/06/walter-whites-big-hat] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/walter-whites-big-hat]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/walter-whites-big-hat] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] “Film posters inadvertently photographed by [British] postwar town planners.” [https://bsky.app/profile/richardlittler.bsky.social/post/3ml4gq7xoi22c] Includes posters for Help!, Shaft, Dr. No, Planet of the Apes, and many more. 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/richardlittler.bsky.social/post/3ml4gq7xoi22c]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049036-film-posters-inadvertentl] “If Platner’s past rhetoric about and treatment of women are the natural price of running a working class candidate, isn’t the implication that working class men by nature mistreat the women in their lives? [https://www.liberalcurrents.com/graham-platner-and-the-class-politics-of-impunity]” 🔗 liberalcurrents.com [https://www.liberalcurrents.com/graham-platner-and-the-class-politics-of-impunity] A million new SpaceX satellites will destroy the night sky — for everyone on Earth [https://theconversation.com/a-million-new-spacex-satellites-will-destroy-the-night-sky-for-everyone-on-earth-277938]. They already have 10K satellites in orbit and they want to add a million more. 🥴 🔗 theconversation.com [https://theconversation.com/a-million-new-spacex-satellites-will-destroy-the-night-sky-for-everyone-on-earth-277938] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8h1AX9jNMho/sddefault.jpg] Marconi Union, which you might remember for creating the most relaxing song in the world, has released a new album: Multiforms: Ambient Transmissions, Vol. 3. [https://kottke.org/26/06/new-ambient-album-from-marconi-union] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/new-ambient-album-from-marconi-union]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/new-ambient-album-from-marconi-union] The 40 Most Rage-Inducing Problems in Tech [https://www.theringer.com/2026/05/28/tech/pope-leo-xiv-ai-encyclical-tech-industry-problems]. Like: “4. Please, please stop asking me to verify my humanity by clicking on tiny motorcycles.” and “35. To Mark Zuckerberg, specifically: Shut up about the Roman Empire.” 🔗 theringer.com [https://www.theringer.com/2026/05/28/tech/pope-leo-xiv-ai-encyclical-tech-industry-problems]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049149-the-40-most-rage-inducing] Commodore (you know, the 64 folks) is releasing a flip phone [https://commodore.net/callback]. “No social media, no browser. Runs 99% of Android apps (without Android). T9-style texting adds mindful friction. Audiophile grade HD Audio.” 🔗 commodore.net [https://commodore.net/callback]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049157-releasing-a-flip-phone] How The Heck Do Solar Panels Work? [https://perthirtysix.com/how-the-heck-do-solar-panels-work] “Every hour, the Earth receives enough sunlight to power all of human civilization for a year. It arrives silently, from all directions, at no cost.” 🔗 perthirtysix.com [https://perthirtysix.com/how-the-heck-do-solar-panels-work]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049150-how-the-heck-do-solar-pan] Mad Max creator George Miller wants to make one more Mad Max movie and a TV series [https://www.polygon.com/mad-max-george-miller-one-more-movie-fury-road-furiosa] before calling it quits. 🔗 polygon.com [https://www.polygon.com/mad-max-george-miller-one-more-movie-fury-road-furiosa]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049151-wants-to-make-one-more-ma] Randomly thought of Brendan Dassey [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Dassey] today. He’s still serving out his life sentence for, IMO, having absolutely nothing to do with the murder at the center of Netflix’s Making a Murderer. 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Dassey] The SpaceX IPO Is A Giant Unworkable Con Orchestrated By An Overt White Supremacist Huckster [https://karlbode.com/the-spacex-ipo-is-a-giant-unworkable-con-orchestrated-by-an-overt-white-supremacist-huckster]. “He’s endlessly mythologized by a shitty corporate press, eager to ignore his virulent racism & financial fraud bc he’s accumulated obscene amounts of money.” 🔗 karlbode.com [https://karlbode.com/the-spacex-ipo-is-a-giant-unworkable-con-orchestrated-by-an-overt-white-supremacist-huckster] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bN48vEqaQs8/sddefault.jpg] Hot new job: telescope ranching. "People from all around the world send their telescopes here to observe the night sky from this place with no light pollution. We set them up and they can all access their stuff through a computer remotely." [https://kottke.org/26/06/telescope-ranchers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/telescope-ranchers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/telescope-ranchers] How to get out of bed [https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-get-out-of-bed]. “There is no 28 point shot in basketball. The only way to come back from a 27 point deficit is one shot at a time. Two points here. Two points there. A few three pointers sprinkled in.” 🔗 buttondown.com [https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-get-out-of-bed]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049142-how-to-get-out-of-bed] DJ Shadow and the BBC Symphony Orchestra will be performing a “collaborative reimagination for orchestra” of his seminal album Endtroducing… in December [https://djshadow.com/blogs/news/endtroducing-at-30-dj-shadow-the-bbc-symphony-orchestra]. Tickets are already sold out [https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ex2j6q], but there will be a recording! 🔗 djshadow.com [https://djshadow.com/blogs/news/endtroducing-at-30-dj-shadow-the-bbc-symphony-orchestra]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049139-will-be-performing-a-coll] Extinction-Level Capitalism. "AI is inher­ently polit­ical tech­nology. If AI works as intended, it will grad­u­ally corrode our liberal democ­racy, risking an irre­versible shift into another polit­ical and economic config­u­ra­tion." [https://kottke.org/26/06/on-inherent-ai-risk-extinction-level-capitalism] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/on-inherent-ai-risk-extinction-level-capitalism] Paul McCartney on Song Exploder [https://songexploder.net/paul-mccartney]. I think he was with The Beatles at some point? 🔗 songexploder.net [https://songexploder.net/paul-mccartney]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049123-paul-mccartney-on-song-ex] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781532482-d55c95d3.jpg] Artist Claire Salvo has painted the starting five of the world champion NY Knicks on a set of US one dollar bills. She’s pasted the images up around NYC, is offering prints, and is auctioning off the hand-painted originals. These are very cool. [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-knicks-starting-five-painted-on-one-dollar-bills] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-knicks-starting-five-painted-on-one-dollar-bills]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-knicks-starting-five-painted-on-one-dollar-bills] Sports but make it wealth inequality [https://www.threads.com/@luketroytrotman/post/DZj6p8jjIsr]: “Brunson…didn’t take an extra $113M so the Knicks could sign KAT, Mikal Bridges and keep OG long term… It’s almost as if sharing wealth leads to better outcomes for all…” 🔗 threads.com [https://www.threads.com/@luketroytrotman/post/DZj6p8jjIsr]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049133-sports-but-make-it-wealth] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 17, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/MrMWVoBjkNjQ2r5BKk31cA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 12, 2026 The world’s first trillionaire is a killer [https://www.theverge.com/tech/949259/the-worlds-first-trillionaire-is-a-killer?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IkxmaVhKNXV0aWYiLCJwIjoiL3RlY2gvOTQ5MjU5L3RoZS13b3JsZHMtZmlyc3QtdHJpbGxpb25haXJlLWlzLWEta2lsbGVyIiwiZXhwIjoxNzgxNzI1MTcyLCJpYXQiOjE3ODEyOTMxNzJ9.QKdkI7sm577M_o0Lh8yizdeLX2CStMTzaTyOugkakZA]. “A year ago, Musk’s actions directly led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. He did it knowingly. And, worse — gleefully.” 🔗 theverge.com [https://www.theverge.com/tech/949259/the-worlds-first-trillionaire-is-a-killer?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IkxmaVhKNXV0aWYiLCJwIjoiL3RlY2gvOTQ5MjU5L3RoZS13b3JsZHMtZmlyc3QtdHJpbGxpb25haXJlLWlzLWEta2lsbGVyIiwiZXhwIjoxNzgxNzI1MTcyLCJpYXQiOjE3ODEyOTMxNzJ9.QKdkI7sm577M_o0Lh8yizdeLX2CStMTzaTyOugkakZA] Two competing (?) thoughts kept going through my head while reading this [https://www.thecut.com/article/emily-ratajkowski-sex-single-mom-essay.html]: “Not even a celeb like Emily Ratajkowski can find a decent man to date” and “A celeb like Emily Ratajkowski especially can’t find a decent man to date”. 🔗 thecut.com [https://www.thecut.com/article/emily-ratajkowski-sex-single-mom-essay.html] Joe “Handyman” Negri, a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fixture, has died at age 99 [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/arts/music/joe-negri-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.plA.YbXz.B2vicuuxSA4F]. “He really was like the friendly fellow you might find walking around a neighborhood. He was just incredibly gentle as a person, but also as a musician.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/arts/music/joe-negri-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.plA.YbXz.B2vicuuxSA4F]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049129-has-died-at-age-99] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 101 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. US Authorities Investigate Huge Etching of ‘8647’ on National Mall Grounds [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/11/8647-national-mall-trump]. Bwahaha. Make it a new US National Treasure [https://savingplaces.org/collections/national-treasures-collection]. An Interior Dept. spokeperson hyperbolically called it a “threat against the president”. 🙄 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/11/8647-national-mall-trump] David Hockney, iconic British artist known for his colorful landscapes and pool scenes, dies at 88 [https://apnews.com/article/david-hockney-artist-death-79ddb3813406f21a8859d3b22e653852]. “His work is admired — loved is not too strong a word — by the millions who, worldwide, flock to see it because it presupposes an expectation of pleasure.” 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/david-hockney-artist-death-79ddb3813406f21a8859d3b22e653852]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049128-david-hockney-iconic-brit] Ian’s Shoelace Site Is Still The Best Site For Tying Your Shoes [https://aftermath.site/ians-shoelace-site-is-still-the-best-destination-for-tying-your-shoes]. However: “What is the point of adding value to the internet if it is only going to rob you? Why do research, make diagrams, and develop new knots?” 🔗 aftermath.site [https://aftermath.site/ians-shoelace-site-is-still-the-best-destination-for-tying-your-shoes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049127-ians-shoelace-site-is-sti] “This song has no instruments in it.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rk-hmIMv6I] This is cool: a song made only from pink noise [https://theconversation.com/pink-noise-what-is-it-and-can-listening-to-it-make-your-sleep-worse-275179] and an equalizer. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rk-hmIMv6I]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049125-this-song-has-no-instrume] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] This is clever & depressing: the Apocalypse Early Warning System [https://ews.kylemcdonald.net] tracks private jet activity. “In the event of an imminent nuclear apocalypse, we suspect that many people who have access to private jets will immediately take to the skies…” 🔗 ews.kylemcdonald.net [https://ews.kylemcdonald.net]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049124-apocalypse-early-warning-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781200571-805f09f2.jpg] An amazing visual field guide to the chili peppers of the world. Includes hand-drawn illustrations of 176 peppers, descriptions of the peppers, where they originated, the heat level, and even what hot sauces feature them. [https://kottke.org/26/06/a-hand-drawn-visual-guide-to-chili-peppers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/a-hand-drawn-visual-guide-to-chili-peppers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/a-hand-drawn-visual-guide-to-chili-peppers] John Thomson’s photos of China (1860s-70s) [https://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2026/06/john-thomson-s-china.html]. “Unlike many other early photographers he didn’t spend all his time photographing palaces and ruins. He also captured a lot of daily life including peasants, merchants, and criminals.” 🔗 mexicanpictures.com [https://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2026/06/john-thomson-s-china.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049122-john-thomsons-photos-of-c] A close-up look at some of Spain’s oldest & most compelling cave paintings [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jun/02/journey-into-spain-palaeolithic-cave-paintings-altamira]. “We lost the connection they had to this world. They led the way quite nicely and successfully, and we got…distracted.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jun/02/journey-into-spain-palaeolithic-cave-paintings-altamira]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049121-a-close-up-look-at-some-o] For the first time on record, solar overtook coal in the US electricity mix in May 2026 [https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/solar-overtakes-coal-in-us-electricity-for-the-first-month-on-record]. “Solar supplied a record 12.8% of US electricity, while coal fell to 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever.” 🔗 ember-energy.org [https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/solar-overtakes-coal-in-us-electricity-for-the-first-month-on-record] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f4iSy7UYGRk/sddefault.jpg] The music video for Max Cooper’s Becoming, directed by Brandon Eversole, is mesmerizing, trippy, and a little bit glitchy. “The video is also notable for being so wide that it breaks YouTube’s desktop layout..." [https://kottke.org/26/06/becoming-by-max-cooper] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/becoming-by-max-cooper]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/becoming-by-max-cooper] “It’s so dumb!” I quote this line from Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LFc5hwqiJTw] like 10 times a day now. Feel free to add it to your repetoire. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LFc5hwqiJTw]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049120-this-line-from-benoit-bla] Billionaires’ Billions Are Increasing Faster Than Ever [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/business/economy/billionaires-musk-gabriel-zucman.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pFA.dLQV.6d9-fXSuW6k3]. 15 years ago, billionaires had $4.5 trillion. “Now, their combined wealth totals $20.1 trillion — an amount that is equivalent to nearly a fifth of the entire world’s total yearly output.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/business/economy/billionaires-musk-gabriel-zucman.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pFA.dLQV.6d9-fXSuW6k3] The White House’s Top Science Goal Is Ignorance [https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-06-10/the-white-house-s-top-science-goal-is-ignorance?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4MTA5NzkxNCwiZXhwIjoxNzgxNzAyNzE0LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUR0VUMldWVFREMjAwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIxMkE1QzVFRUNERDg0NUJEQjVFOTM1MUE0Mzk4QTAxNCJ9.XX_A4DcXVw0SKv9RPE6jNgX9eXLCfPvMlwA0gvgX_PM&leadSource=uverify%20wall]. “The actions are seen as a deliberate attempt to stifle science and ignore the reality of climate change, in order to support the fossil-fuel industry and satisfy the climate denialism of Trump’s base.” 🔗 bloomberg.com [https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-06-10/the-white-house-s-top-science-goal-is-ignorance?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4MTA5NzkxNCwiZXhwIjoxNzgxNzAyNzE0LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUR0VUMldWVFREMjAwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIxMkE1QzVFRUNERDg0NUJEQjVFOTM1MUE0Mzk4QTAxNCJ9.XX_A4DcXVw0SKv9RPE6jNgX9eXLCfPvMlwA0gvgX_PM&leadSource=uverify%20wall] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781041121-2e1a10a2.jpg] The Last Surviving Japanese Porsche 912 Police Car. It's one of four 912s that were used as police cars in Japan in the late 60s & early 70s. [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-last-surviving-japanese-porsche-912-police-car] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-last-surviving-japanese-porsche-912-police-car]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-last-surviving-japanese-porsche-912-police-car] Your Search Results Are Getting Sloptimized [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/google-search-ai-optimization/687495?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ1xN-aTHFEfszmC2bpxpp78]. SEO (and Google’s embrace of it) has spent the last 25 years ruining the internet and search results. Now it’s GEO’s turn (generative-engine optimization). 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/google-search-ai-optimization/687495?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ1xN-aTHFEfszmC2bpxpp78] The Best Headlights in the World Are Illegal in America [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/car-headlights-too-bright-adaptive-beams/687488?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0hULD1uVwsVEerTMRUnUwM]. “America’s roads are now full of tactical-grade headlights, and no one is happy about it.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/car-headlights-too-bright-adaptive-beams/687488?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0hULD1uVwsVEerTMRUnUwM]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049108-the-best-headlights-in-th] Grappling With the Existential AI Threat. “The enthusiasts are not wrong. We are starting to see real, non-imaginary, discontinuous leaps in capabilities…” And: “The skeptics are also not wrong. When you ship code faster than engineers can read it..." [https://kottke.org/26/06/grappling-with-the-existential-ai-threat] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/grappling-with-the-existential-ai-threat] Unsurprising open corruption from FIFA & the Trump regime: FIFA rents an office in Trump Tower [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/world/europe/world-cup-infantino-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pFA.DvG3.WP_aU5SEbTjh]. “The rent goes to President Trump’s family business, but soccer officials say the space sits largely idle.” That’s called a bribe. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/world/europe/world-cup-infantino-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pFA.DvG3.WP_aU5SEbTjh] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5BMvgdFzRsQ/sddefault.jpg] 75-Minute DJ Set From Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter. He played tracks by Boards of Canada, Burial, Sonic Youth, and even Daft Punk. Available on YouTube and Soundcloud. (Bangalter also said there’s no Daft Punk reunion happening anytime soon.) [https://kottke.org/26/06/75-minute-dj-set-from-daft-punks-thomas-bangalter] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/75-minute-dj-set-from-daft-punks-thomas-bangalter]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/75-minute-dj-set-from-daft-punks-thomas-bangalter] I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake [https://theonion.com/i-work-very-hard-and-i-would-like-to-try-cake]. “I am a nice horse. I do not fuss. I do not bite the human woman’s face, even though her hair smells nice. I do not ask to go live free in the woods like the deer. I do my duties. I must try cake. Please.” 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/i-work-very-hard-and-i-would-like-to-try-cake]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049112-i-work-very-hard-and-i-wo] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gM4LkaXwGuY/sddefault.jpg] The teaser trailer for the sequel to The Social Network is here — they’re calling the movie "a companion piece" to the first film. Jeremy Strong nails Zuckerberg’s voice & mannerisms. The hint of Reznor/Ross at the end is great. [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-social-reckoning] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-social-reckoning]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-social-reckoning] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 12, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/a84e5BLfa763XM892PysGhj0yA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 9, 2026 Every time I see a link to one of of Car Pal’s BeamNG car simulator videos, I have to stop what I’m doing and watch it. (It’s becoming a problem.) This one was particularly good: Is it possible to reach the speed of light with perpetual speed boosters? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GnPnbbiWn0] 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GnPnbbiWn0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049101-is-it-possible-to-reach-t] Anthropic has launched a streaming music video on YouTube for “thinking and building” called Claude FM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmQ7jRgf4f0]. “Made and curated by musicians.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmQ7jRgf4f0] CrankGPT [https://squeezlabs.github.io/handcrank]. “Just a hand crank, a little computer, and a small stack of speech and language models running locally. Provided the electronics are kept dry and at a reasonable temperature, there’s no reason this thing won’t still work in a thousand years.” 🔗 squeezlabs.github.io [https://squeezlabs.github.io/handcrank]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049093-crankgpt] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 178 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. On the Difference Between Rest and Idleness [https://idle.news/blog/on-the-difference-between-rest-and-idleness]. “The wellness industry loves rest [because] rest can be sold, because rest promises a return.” But: “[Idleness] does not promise to make you better at anything. It offers no return on investment.” 🔗 idle.news [https://idle.news/blog/on-the-difference-between-rest-and-idleness]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049106-on-the-difference-between] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781027176-1fbf8175.jpg] Amy Casey’s paintings of buildings in peril remind me of the Kowloon Walled City and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (specifically the tomato tornado). [https://kottke.org/26/06/paintings-of-an-architectural-apocalypse] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/paintings-of-an-architectural-apocalypse]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/paintings-of-an-architectural-apocalypse] Everything Wrong With the 2026 World Cup [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2026-trump-infantino-fifa-iran-b2992262.html]. “By far the most grave of those is a World Cup host starting a war against one of the participant nations, as happened with the USA’s attack on Iran at the end of February.” 🔗 independent.co.uk [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2026-trump-infantino-fifa-iran-b2992262.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049103-everything-wrong-with-the] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1781022997-6c6ea93b.jpg] Yesterday my son and I hiked up to Delta Lake in Grand Teton National Park. The view from the top of Grand Teton towering over the lake is one of the best views I’ve ever seen anywhere. [https://kottke.org/26/06/yesterday-was-a-good-day] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/yesterday-was-a-good-day]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/yesterday-was-a-good-day] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] TIL about variant sudoku puzzles [https://nowiknow.com/150-sudoku-puzzles-youll-want-to-try], “sudoku with strange rules like thermometers, ratio dots, cages, and other things that you’re probably already confused by”. 🔗 nowiknow.com [https://nowiknow.com/150-sudoku-puzzles-youll-want-to-try]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049089-variant-sudoku-puzzles] The excellent Scene on Radio podcast is back with a new season on The News [https://sceneonradio.org/the-news]. “Just about everyone is mad at the media, and Americans seem helpless to solve our problems, in large part because we have no shared narrative and few shared facts.” 🔗 sceneonradio.org [https://sceneonradio.org/the-news]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049100-is-back-with-a-new-season] “For the first time, wind and solar generated more electricity than gas worldwide in April 2026 [https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/for-the-first-time-wind-and-solar-generated-more-electricity-than-gas-worldwide-in-april-2026].” 🔗 ember-energy.org [https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/for-the-first-time-wind-and-solar-generated-more-electricity-than-gas-worldwide-in-april-2026]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049090-wind-and-solar-generated-] A lovely story by Mary H.K. Choi about her husband and wedding [https://www.vogue.com/article/green-card-wedding]. “A green card wedding was the story I was selling…but it became clear I’d wanted to get married for all the typical risky reasons most of us do: love, understanding, hope.” 🔗 vogue.com [https://www.vogue.com/article/green-card-wedding]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049099-a-lovely-story-by-mary-hk] From the New Yorker, a long and difficult-to-read report by Heidi Blake about how the truly disgusting and evil Tate brothers built a sexual slavery empire [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/15/andrew-tates-empire-of-abuse]. 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/15/andrew-tates-empire-of-abuse] The Supreme Court Has Invented a Right to Discriminate [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/alabama-racial-discrimination-voting/687448?gift=Je3D9AQS-C17lUTOnl2W8PXx3PqdVJDy2VNT4oMQvd0]. “The Roberts Court has replaced the Fifteenth Amendment’s ban on racial discrimination in voting with a right to engage in racial discrimination in voting.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/alabama-racial-discrimination-voting/687448?gift=Je3D9AQS-C17lUTOnl2W8PXx3PqdVJDy2VNT4oMQvd0] Nominations are open for this year’s Tiny Awards [https://tinyawards.net]. “The Tiny Awards exist because we thought it was important to shine a spotlight on the sorts of personal web projects that tend to get overlooked.” 🔗 tinyawards.net [https://tinyawards.net]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049096-nominations-are-open-for-] Interesting question and resulting thread: have you talked with someone who was alive in the 1800s? [https://www.threads.com/@heatherdeemc/post/DZTp8rpEUSU] I think I technically have (a relative in the 80s when I was a kid) but I don’t remember the circumstances. Anyone have a good memory to share? 🔗 threads.com [https://www.threads.com/@heatherdeemc/post/DZTp8rpEUSU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049095-have-you-talked-with-some] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PcoAZGb4h5g/sddefault.jpg] Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood has a new YouTube channel where they’re posting clips, compilations, and full episodes, including a visit with Officer Clemmons, the one with Koko the gorilla, and the one about how crayons are made! [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-new-mister-rogers-youtube-channel] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-new-mister-rogers-youtube-channel]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-new-mister-rogers-youtube-channel] My Students Can’t Read [https://www.chronicle.com/article/my-students-cant-read]. “There is a measurable, generational collapse in sustained reading and writing, and the academy is responding to it with improvisation and exhaustion rather than the structural overhaul it requires.” 🔗 chronicle.com [https://www.chronicle.com/article/my-students-cant-read]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049091-my-students-cant-read] Yeah, I’ll read the hell out of a Wesley Morris profile of Steven Spielberg [https://nytimes.com/2026/06/07/magazine/steven-spielberg-movie-theater-disclosure-day.html?unlocked_article_code=1.olA.9eLC.E9A5EkMW8QHN]. “Spielberg has always known that his movies are attempts to understand his boyhood and his parents, to try to heal them through fiction and illuminate parts of himself.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://nytimes.com/2026/06/07/magazine/steven-spielberg-movie-theater-disclosure-day.html?unlocked_article_code=1.olA.9eLC.E9A5EkMW8QHN]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049092-a-wesley-morris-profile-o] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 9, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/3fFvjtCWn38Jr8af5WyUyw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 5, 2026 [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1780670453-f078f4e1.jpg] Summer Fridays, Open Thread. “What’s been going on in your neck of the woods? Anything you’d like to share with the rest of the group? Do you have something fun coming up? Something you’re dreading? How can we help?" [https://kottke.org/26/06/summer-fridays-open-thread] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/summer-fridays-open-thread]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/summer-fridays-open-thread] Illustrated break-downs of how common objects work [https://mechanical-pencil.com]. Currently featuring a mechanical pencil, PEZ dispenser, retractable pen, and Zippo lighter. 🔗 mechanical-pencil.com [https://mechanical-pencil.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049083-illustrated-break-downs-o] “Descartes Against Humanity” and Other Games Designed by Famous Philosophers [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/descartes-against-humanity-and-other-games-designed-by-famous-philosophers]. 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/descartes-against-humanity-and-other-games-designed-by-famous-philosophers] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 141 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Chipotlai Max [https://github.com/cyberpapiii/chipotlai-max] is an AI agent that runs on “stolen compute” from Chipotle’s AI chat bot. They are looking to borrow from bots from Ikea, Expedia, Home Depot, and others. 🔗 github.com [https://github.com/cyberpapiii/chipotlai-max]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049087-chipotlai-max] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8tdqBbMcJX8/sddefault.jpg] A wonderful short film by Errol Morris about the funeral arrangements of die-hard sports fans. [https://kottke.org/12/08/the-life-and-death-of-sports-fans] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/12/08/the-life-and-death-of-sports-fans] The official trailer for season three of Silo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLBvbMtjyAQ]. Looks like we finally get some origin story stuff (well, more than a brief scene at least). 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLBvbMtjyAQ]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049084-the-official-trailer-for-] On this date in 2004, the Killdozer rampage took place [https://www.damninteresting.com/the-wrath-of-the-killdozer]. “The bulldozer effortlessly demolished cars and buildings, including the home of a former mayor, the office of a newspaper that had sided against him in an editorial…” 🔗 damninteresting.com [https://www.damninteresting.com/the-wrath-of-the-killdozer]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049081-the-killdozer-rampage-too] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Jamelle Bouie: The cruelty is still the point of the Trump regime [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FMd3BsLffE]. “This isn’t a border security policy. It’s cruelty as governance — directed at people this administration has decided don’t deserve dignity.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FMd3BsLffE] For most of human history, "futile efforts in the attempt to somehow change the weather a little more to our liking” have failed. But then, we accidentally shifted the entire planet’s climate and weather within a few decades’ time. And it’s a catastrophe. [https://kottke.org/26/06/we-are-manipulating-the-weather-every-day] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/we-are-manipulating-the-weather-every-day]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/we-are-manipulating-the-weather-every-day] As time passes, efforts to document the Tiananmen Square protests intensify [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/04/tiananmen-square-massacre-preserving-memory]. “History cannot only be written by officials. If you don’t have real information, it’s difficult for you to have independent thought.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/04/tiananmen-square-massacre-preserving-memory]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049080-efforts-to-document-the-t] “Cameron’s World [https://www.cameronsworld.net] is a web-collage of text and images excavated from the buried neighbourhoods of archived GeoCities pages (1994–2009).” 🔗 cameronsworld.net [https://www.cameronsworld.net]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049078-camerons-world] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1780581557-b7c1fa45.jpg] By popular demand, the USPS has reissued a 2018 postage stamp featuring Mister Rogers. “In national Stamp Encore polling, the stamp honoring the television host...rose to the top spot from a varied ballot of 25 previous stamp issuances.” ❤️ [https://kottke.org/26/06/usps-reissues-popular-mister-rogers-stamps] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/usps-reissues-popular-mister-rogers-stamps]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/usps-reissues-popular-mister-rogers-stamps] Ted Chiang is emphatic: LLMs are nowhere close to being conscious [https://www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2026/06/no-artificial-intelligence-is-not-conscious/687378?gift=R2zbWGNBDp_xHqoa7Q8ZRp-EV6jGaHiamQBxQQlMJqI]. “We don’t need to fully understand the nature of consciousness to definitively say that certain things are not conscious, and conversational transcripts fall in that category.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2026/06/no-artificial-intelligence-is-not-conscious/687378?gift=R2zbWGNBDp_xHqoa7Q8ZRp-EV6jGaHiamQBxQQlMJqI]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049077-llms-are-nowhere-close-to] Marjane Satrapi, author of the excellent Persepolis, has died at age 56 [https://www.lemonde.fr/en/obituaries/article/2026/06/04/marjane-satrapi-author-of-persepolis-dies-at-56_6754122_15.html]. Friends said she “died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life”. 🔗 lemonde.fr [https://www.lemonde.fr/en/obituaries/article/2026/06/04/marjane-satrapi-author-of-persepolis-dies-at-56_6754122_15.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049076-marjane-satrapi-author-of] Can you go 82-0? [https://www.82-0.com] “The objective of 82-0 is to construct a historical NBA roster capable of achieving a perfect undefeated season.” You get to “draft” 5 players from randomly chosen teams & decades, then that team plays a simulated season. 🔗 82-0.com [https://www.82-0.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049075-can-you-go-82-0] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J4zqEuegfig/sddefault.jpg] Early Live Performance by Talking Heads (1976). This “must-watch” 90-minute show is more than a year before their first album and includes songs like Psycho Killer, Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, and Love → Building On Fire. [https://kottke.org/26/06/early-live-performance-by-talking-heads-1976] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/early-live-performance-by-talking-heads-1976]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/early-live-performance-by-talking-heads-1976] Paul Giamatti appears on The Tommy Tiernan Show [https://youtube.com/watch?v=eTfZPN1M8Hc]. Here’s the catch: “Each episode Tommy welcomes mystery guests [https://youtube.com/@TommyTiernan/videos] and interviews them without any preparation or knowledge of who will be joining him until they meet in studio.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://youtube.com/watch?v=eTfZPN1M8Hc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049052-paul-giamatti-appears-on-] Haiku [https://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/ooame] is a generative music album for MacOS. “Haiku is a work of generative music that builds its own sound from nothing each time you open it, and never plays the same way twice — a record that exists only while it is playing.” 🔗 giorgiosancristoforo.net [https://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/ooame]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049073-haiku] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1780503341-a0f81331.jpg] "Fuck the Empire!" Andor won a Peabody Award the other day and Tony Gilroy went hard in his acceptance speech. “If you’re not willing to fight for the things that you love...there’s an asshole ready to come in and take it away." [https://kottke.org/26/06/tony-gilroy-accepts-award-for-andor-fuck-the-empire-1] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/tony-gilroy-accepts-award-for-andor-fuck-the-empire-1]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/tony-gilroy-accepts-award-for-andor-fuck-the-empire-1] “As far as artist signatures go, Jan van Kessel’s seventeenth-century painting in which he spells out his own name with caterpillars and snakes [https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/jan-van-kessel-s-signature-of-caterpillars-and-snakes-1657] must be up there with the best of them.” 🔗 publicdomainreview.org [https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/jan-van-kessel-s-signature-of-caterpillars-and-snakes-1657]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049034-he-spells-out-his-own-nam] Good news! As of June 1, a transmission line is delivering hydro-generated electricity into NYC [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/doreen-harris-08a76115_today-after-15-years-of-development-programming-share-7467198233719525376-LE0s?rcm=ACoAABWQIJgBYm5O3PGaD1koUqfY2tBgeH6H56s]: “1,250 megawatts of clean energy directly into New York City’s power grid”. That’s around 20% of the city’s total electric load, now clean. 🔗 linkedin.com [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/doreen-harris-08a76115_today-after-15-years-of-development-programming-share-7467198233719525376-LE0s?rcm=ACoAABWQIJgBYm5O3PGaD1koUqfY2tBgeH6H56s]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049070-a-transmission-line-is-de] The Three Ways to Make a Living. “3) Tell the truth to those who want to be lied to, and you’ll go broke." [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-three-ways-to-make-a-living] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-three-ways-to-make-a-living] TIL that Muji once sold a car [https://greg.org/archive/2026/06/02/muji-car-1000-or-muji-car-170.html]. “The Muji Car 1000 was a debadged and stripped down 2-door version of the Nissan March, with the smallest engine, an automatic, steel wheels, and A/C, available in one color: white.” 🔗 greg.org [https://greg.org/archive/2026/06/02/muji-car-1000-or-muji-car-170.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049066-muji-once-sold-a-car] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 5, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/vGwE8MVKkxjw2i2ThoisuQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR JUN 2, 2026 The 100 Greatest Bird Names of All Time [https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/the-100-greatest-bird-names-of-all], including Inaccessible Island Rail, Macaroni Penguin, Morepork, Chocolate Boobook, Dickcissel, Carunculated Caracara, and Resplendent Quetzal. 🔗 birdhistory.substack.com [https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/the-100-greatest-bird-names-of-all]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049067-the-100-greatest-bird-nam] The Best Thing About The Satanic Panic [https://ironicsans.ghost.io/the-best-thing-about-the-satanic-panic]. “There’s a phenomenon called the rhyme-as-reason effect that says people are more likely to believe something is true if it rhymes.” 🔗 ironicsans.ghost.io [https://ironicsans.ghost.io/the-best-thing-about-the-satanic-panic]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049065-the-best-thing-about-the-] JS Crossword [https://lyra.horse/fun/jscrossword]. “This crossword uses some lesser-known and cursed JS features, so I’d recommend it for people already somewhat familiar with JavaScript.” Diabolical. 🔗 lyra.horse [https://lyra.horse/fun/jscrossword]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049057-js-crossword] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 56 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/doFb4uNGfsY/sddefault.jpg] Daft Punk, Medieval-Style. Watch and listen to bardcore trio Courseval play Daft Punk's Veridis Quo, a track from Discovery. This is lovely. And a banger. [https://kottke.org/26/06/daft-punk-medieval-style] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/daft-punk-medieval-style]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/daft-punk-medieval-style] Frozen To -22 Degrees, BYD’s New EV Just Charged To 97% In Only 12 Minutes [https://insideevs.com/news/797182/byd-denza-z9gt-deep-freeze-fast-charging]. This is genuinely impressive — charging and driving an EV in subzero winter weather is just brutal (ask me how I know). 🔗 insideevs.com [https://insideevs.com/news/797182/byd-denza-z9gt-deep-freeze-fast-charging] They’re doing a film adaptation of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow [https://variety.com/2026/film/news/daisy-edgar-jones-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-film-1236680103]. Daisy Edgar-Jones will play Sadie (perfect choice) and the director is Oscar-winner Siân Heder (Coda). 🔗 variety.com [https://variety.com/2026/film/news/daisy-edgar-jones-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-film-1236680103]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049062-theyre-doing-a-film-adapt] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1780331669-8292944c.jpg] Illustrator John Rooney has teamed up with the Middle East Children’s Alliance to produce and sell this Birds of Palestine print. (All profits go to helping families & children in Palestine.) [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-birds-of-palestine] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-birds-of-palestine] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] TIL that Andreessen Horowitz owns/runs the NYC Tech Week event [https://youtube.com/shorts/9xciZefxIow]. Among other things, A16Z made Daniel Penny a partner in the firm [https://fortune.com/2025/02/05/daniel-penny-andreessen-horowitz-a16z-investing-david-ulevitch] despite no investing experience after he killed a homeless Black man on the NYC subway. 🔗 youtube.com [https://youtube.com/shorts/9xciZefxIow] If You Take the Weasel Job Then You Must Be the Weasel [https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/if-you-take-the-weasel-job-then-you]. “Bilton reveals himself as a goon, a soft-peddler, a PR man, an obfuscator; the opposite of everything that 60 Minutes is supposed to be”. 🔗 hamiltonnolan.com [https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/if-you-take-the-weasel-job-then-you] Re the Patagonia vs. Pattie Gonia case [https://nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/pattie-gonia-patagonia-trademark-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nFA.z6p0.ezpc0ur1_zZ_]: the company should sponsor her environmental efforts and part of that is a trademark agreement where each side compromises a little bit; Pattie can keep doing her thing and Patagonia is seen as an ally again. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://nytimes.com/2026/06/02/us/pattie-gonia-patagonia-trademark-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nFA.z6p0.ezpc0ur1_zZ_] Why Wildfire Experts Are So Worried About This Year’s Fire Season [https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31052026/experts-warn-of-upcoming-wildfire-season]. “Key environmental indicators show that the nation is a tinderbox, gripped by widespread drought and with a light snowpack in the mountains.” 🔗 insideclimatenews.org [https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31052026/experts-warn-of-upcoming-wildfire-season]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049050-why-wildfire-experts-are-] I’ve probably featured this before but always worth a re-up: “A Books Unbanned library card [https://booksunbanned.com] gives teens across the United States free digital access to ebooks and digital resources, including banned and challenged books — no matter where they live.” 🔗 booksunbanned.com [https://booksunbanned.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049056-a-books-unbanned-library-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lNdb03Hw18M/sddefault.jpg] Star Wars was a mashup — they pulled from westerns, samurai movies, Flash Gordon — but perhaps the biggest homage was lifting an entire scene from The Dam Busters (1955) for the Death Star attack. "Some of the dialogue is nearly identical." [https://kottke.org/26/06/star-wars-influences-dam-busters] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/star-wars-influences-dam-busters]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/star-wars-influences-dam-busters] “Hackers say that they used Meta’s AI support chatbot to break into a host of high-profile Instagram profiles by asking the support bot to change the email address associated with the target account.” And the bot just went ahead and did it [https://404media.co/hackers-simply-asked-meta-ai-to-give-them-access-to-high-profile-instagram-accounts-it-worked]. 🔗 404media.co [https://404media.co/hackers-simply-asked-meta-ai-to-give-them-access-to-high-profile-instagram-accounts-it-worked] In Post-War Japan, the US Used Quiz Culture to Help Democratize the Country [https://spoon-tamago.com/united-states-quiz-culture-democratize-japan]. TV quiz shows “normalized participation, merit-based competition, and equal opportunity — values that contrasted sharply with the hierarchical structures [of] prewar Japan”. 🔗 spoon-tamago.com [https://spoon-tamago.com/united-states-quiz-culture-democratize-japan]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049046-in-post-war-japan-the-us-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KhypDhI7kU0/sddefault.jpg] Timur Fatkullin is a Ukrainian flying ace who uses his acrobatic flying skills honed before the war to shoot down Russian drones. For him and other civilian volunteers, "standing aside and doing nothing is impossible". [https://kottke.org/26/06/meet-the-ukrainian-stunt-pilot-who-shoots-down-russian-drones] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/meet-the-ukrainian-stunt-pilot-who-shoots-down-russian-drones]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/meet-the-ukrainian-stunt-pilot-who-shoots-down-russian-drones] Power Lines: Maps That Shaped the Way We See the World [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781579658779]. “A collection of the greatest political maps in history and how these images have an unmatched power to influence our thinking — and our world.” 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781579658779]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049028-power-lines-maps-that-sha] “Serena Williams has announced her sensational return to professional tennis at 44 years old [https://theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/01/serena-williams-comeback-aged-44-queens-club-london-doubles-victoria-mboko] next week at the Queen’s Club in London.” Yessss. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/01/serena-williams-comeback-aged-44-queens-club-london-doubles-victoria-mboko]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049054-serena-williams-has-annou] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1780323177-401fbbf1.jpg] The Illuminated Windows of NYC. Dave Krugman took photos of hundreds of NYC apartment windows at night and stitched them together into ever-shifting typologies. What's going on in each of those apartments? [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-illuminated-windows-of-nyc] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-illuminated-windows-of-nyc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/the-illuminated-windows-of-nyc] Legendary film editor Marcia Lucas died last week [https://hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/marcia-lucas-dead-star-wars-george-lucas-1236609196]. Lucas edited Star Wars (won an Oscar for it), Taxi Driver, Return of the Jedi, and American Graffiti. It was Marcia that suggested to George Lucas that Darth Vader kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. 🔗 hollywoodreporter.com [https://hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/marcia-lucas-dead-star-wars-george-lucas-1236609196]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049048-legendary-film-editor-mar] Roost [https://roostsocial.app] is a messaging app where messages aren’t instant; they travel between users at the speed of whichever bird they use to send it. Note sending is limited by the # of birds in your rookery…if they’re all out, you have to wait until one returns. 🔗 roostsocial.app [https://roostsocial.app]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/06/0049047-roost] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jun 2, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/892IXGEIAkUX892kqHJEuYOLTQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 29, 2026 Slow blogging day today; I spent some time on the KDO undercarriage and a new little members-only feature for the Rolodex: a simple list of links to the latest posts from Rolodex sites [https://kottke.org/rolodex/]. (Click on “Latest Posts”; like I said, it’s a wee feed reader [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-rolodex-wee-feedreader].) 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/rolodex/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049044-a-simple-list-of-links-to] Pope Releases Encyclical On Perils Of Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Strategy [https://theonion.com/pope-releases-encyclical-on-perils-of-disneys-star-wars-strategy/]. “I fear for what horrors the fan base might soon endure, but I would be negligent not to give Andor its flowers.” 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/pope-releases-encyclical-on-perils-of-disneys-star-wars-strategy/] Radiohead’s OK Computer reimagined as Nintendo 64 songs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1I0_bsjEsY], featuring reworked sounds from Mario Kart, Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye 007, and more. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1I0_bsjEsY]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049041-radioheads-ok-computer-re] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 89 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KWtfuHNaF8Q/sddefault.jpg] Andor Gave Us One Of TV's Best Monologues. A break-down of what makes Stellan Skarsgård's performance of Luthen Rael's extraordinary "I burn my decency for someone else's future" monologue from S1E10 of Andor. [https://kottke.org/26/05/andor-gave-us-one-of-tvs-best-monologues] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/andor-gave-us-one-of-tvs-best-monologues]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/andor-gave-us-one-of-tvs-best-monologues] Infinite Jeffs [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0GTJ4P1PT/ref=nosim/0sil8] is an actual physical book you can buy in which “every one of the ~550,000 words in Infinite Jest [is replaced] with ‘Jeff’ while preserving punctuation, line breaks, etc.” 🔗 amazon.com [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0GTJ4P1PT/ref=nosim/0sil8] How Should a Book Sound? And What About Footnotes? [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/books/how-should-a-book-sound-and-what-about-footnotes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mFA.LQl2.EFuUEmv4Z0iB] Footnotes present “kind of a nasty problem for an audiobook: where do the footnotes go? There is no bottom of the page in an audiobook, obviously.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/books/how-should-a-book-sound-and-what-about-footnotes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mFA.LQl2.EFuUEmv4Z0iB]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049039-how-should-a-book-sound-a] Out now: new Boards of Canada album. Get it wherever you buy or stream music [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/links]. 🔗 warp.net [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/links]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049038-get-it-wherever-you-buy-o] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] From The Mandalorian and Grogu, an extended loop of Shakari [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAKSpbzBtfc], a synth-y track from composer Ludwig Göransson. See also Niamos from Andor [https://kottke.org/25/04/one-hour-of-mon-mothma-dancing] (composed by Nicholas Britell). 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAKSpbzBtfc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049029-an-extended-loop-of-shaka] Not a surprise but nice to have the data: the Federal Reserve calculated that inflation would be much lower without Trump’s stupid tariffs [https://www.dallasfed.org/research/economics/2026/0505-mau]. 🔗 dallasfed.org [https://www.dallasfed.org/research/economics/2026/0505-mau] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1779978773-b661a4d1.jpg] How did dictionary makers keep track of rhyming words or similarly suffixed words, like those ending in -ism, -graphy, -ness, or -ology, before the computer age? With a Backward Index, a collection of 315,000 dictionary words typed out backwards. [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-backward-index] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-backward-index]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-backward-index] On The Fuel Efficiency of Launching My Enemies Into The Sun [https://gierratio.com/blog/fuel-efficiency-of-solar-rockets/]. Incredibly nerdy and fun: does it require more power to eject a person from the solar system or launch them into the Sun? 🔗 gierratio.com [https://gierratio.com/blog/fuel-efficiency-of-solar-rockets/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049031-on-the-fuel-efficiency-of] The Rise & Fall Of ‘Petty Tyrants’ [https://www.noemamag.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-petty-tyrants/]. “The energy required to deceive is unsustainable. Reality is relentless. The tyrant who chooses to fight it is doomed.” 🔗 noemamag.com [https://www.noemamag.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-petty-tyrants/] Down with -maxxing! Searching for the absolute best option isn’t always the wisest course of action [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/opinion/decision-making-herbert-simon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l1A.YIhI.v7aFNO1-K6RQ]. Better to make a good-enough choice so “a great deal of energy gets freed up for living, instead of being spent on wondering about how to live”. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/opinion/decision-making-herbert-simon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l1A.YIhI.v7aFNO1-K6RQ]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049030-searching-for-the-absolut] There are no lightsabers in The Mandalorian and Grogu, a first for Star Wars films [https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-and-grogu-first-star-wars-movie-no-lightsabers/]. There are also no Wilhelm screams [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYzuCbxOtkD/] in the movie, which is weird because I thought I heard snippets of it everywhere (even Mando’s blaster sounded a little Wilhelm-ish). 🔗 screenrant.com [https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-and-grogu-first-star-wars-movie-no-lightsabers/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049027-a-first-for-star-wars-fil] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EUtx6_fDXMY/sddefault.jpg] Let's the keep the David Attenborough love going: this is a six-hour video featuring 100 of the most iconic moments from the famed naturalist's work. "There's no such thing as too much David Attenborough." [https://kottke.org/26/05/100-iconic-moments-from-sir-david-attenborough] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/100-iconic-moments-from-sir-david-attenborough]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/100-iconic-moments-from-sir-david-attenborough] Consider the Sister [https://www.thesmallbow.com/p/consider-the-sister-2b94]: an interview with Amy Wallace. “It was hard work being David Foster Wallace’s little sister. It still is. The job of preserving the memory of her brother as a complex, vibrant, often joyful person has fallen to her.” 🔗 thesmallbow.com [https://www.thesmallbow.com/p/consider-the-sister-2b94]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049025-consider-the-sister] I, Sisyphus, Am Ninety-Five Percent of the Way There [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-sisyphus-am-ninety-five-percent-of-the-way-there]. “Honestly, folks, we are so, so close. The summit is largely visible. It is nearly visible. There is a concept of visibility at play here that is impossible to ignore.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-sisyphus-am-ninety-five-percent-of-the-way-there] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wg0PVSYo4FA/sddefault.jpg] A Tube station in West London used to have a flooding problem. Instead of opting for an expensive reworking of the landscape via reservoir & levee, local officials reintroduced a family of beavers into the area, who fixed the problem. [https://kottke.org/26/05/make-way-for-beavers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/make-way-for-beavers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/make-way-for-beavers] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1779906389-4962fa55.jpg] Imagine a party with 100 guests and 100 slices of pizza, divvied up according to US household wealth. "1 person gets 30 slices" and "50 people get 0.05 slices each". [https://kottke.org/26/05/american-wealth-sliced-up] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/american-wealth-sliced-up]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/american-wealth-sliced-up] As part of the Ocean Census project, “scientists have discovered 1,121 marine species in a single year” [https://oceancensus.org/press-release-scientists-discover-over-1100-new-marine-species-in-landmark-ocean-census/]. Discoveries include “a new species of deep-sea ghost shark, a symbiotic bristle worm…as well as corals, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins, and anemones”. 🔗 oceancensus.org [https://oceancensus.org/press-release-scientists-discover-over-1100-new-marine-species-in-landmark-ocean-census/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049023-scientists-have-discovere] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7GKxcwYeNWs/sddefault.jpg] The moment I clicked through to the Caught In Joy YouTube channel, I knew I was going to love it. The description: "Over 80 albums designed to focus, flow and reset. Instrumental electronic music for you brain to wander." A+++ work music. [https://kottke.org/26/05/caught-in-joy-music-for-flow-rest-and-reset] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/caught-in-joy-music-for-flow-rest-and-reset]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/caught-in-joy-music-for-flow-rest-and-reset] A recent study of 2.5M scientific papers found ~146,900 fake citations [https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-generated-fake-citations-scientific.html], presumably hallucinated by AI. The fake citations “were not limited to a handful of bad apples but appeared across many papers, each containing a small number of fake references.” 🔗 phys.org [https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ai-generated-fake-citations-scientific.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049021-a-recent-study-of-25m-sci] To Land a Job in AI, Try Reading Kant [https://www.wired.com/story/to-land-a-job-in-ai-try-reading-kant/]. “If a for-profit AI company signs your paycheck, might that compromise your research? By playing Aristotle to AI Alexander, do you risk your work becoming an instrument for hype-building and myth-making?” 🔗 wired.com [https://www.wired.com/story/to-land-a-job-in-ai-try-reading-kant/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049018-to-land-a-job-in-ai-try-r] “Observe the moth in its monumental fight for life, and do likewise. We gain life’s powers by knowing that eventually they will be taken away [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/opinion/aging-advice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lVA.FXDW.bH81iSAKFqpB]. There is beauty in this struggle. Murmurations of starlings occur only in the evening.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/opinion/aging-advice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lVA.FXDW.bH81iSAKFqpB]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049016-we-gain-lifes-powers-by-k] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O1WQTKuWWfM/sddefault.jpg] I have a pizza oven but I've found it difficult to fall into a proper rabbit hole when it comes to dough-making. Focaccia might do it for me. [https://kottke.org/26/05/going-focaccia-crazy] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/going-focaccia-crazy]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/going-focaccia-crazy] My Son’s Math Homework Is Essentially Just Pokémon [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/homework-video-games-ed-tech/687198/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ54lAVL1IWgXQcQmrLcLCU0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share]. “As I watched my son play Prodigy, it became clear there wasn’t much learning happening. In about 10 minutes of gameplay, he spent less than 30 seconds answering math questions.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/homework-video-games-ed-tech/687198/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ54lAVL1IWgXQcQmrLcLCU0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049015-my-sons-math-homework-is-] The first-ever Enhanced Games (open to those using performance-enhancing drugs) featured 42 athletes, three of whom were competing clean. All three won their respective events [https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/clean-athletes-stole-show-enhanced-161747323.html]. 🔗 sports.yahoo.com [https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/clean-athletes-stole-show-enhanced-161747323.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049017-all-three-won-their-respe] Pope Leo XIV released an encyclical on Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. AI research Simon Willison called it "some of the clearest writing I’ve seen on the ethics of integrating AI into modern society". [https://kottke.org/26/05/safeguarding-the-human-person-in-the-time-of-artificial-intelligence] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/safeguarding-the-human-person-in-the-time-of-artificial-intelligence]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/safeguarding-the-human-person-in-the-time-of-artificial-intelligence] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xrzQjU560Gs/sddefault.jpg] 250 to 250: Heather Cox Richardson is producing a series of one-minute videos for the USA's 250th birthday, featuring "the many people, places, and events that have built our country and remind us of the power of each person to make history". [https://kottke.org/26/05/250-to-250-we-are-america] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/250-to-250-we-are-america]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/250-to-250-we-are-america] Tenderly Tracking My Husband [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/style/modern-love-tenderly-tracking-my-husband.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lVA.M3_B.HxSTkg9lFnQr]. “Knowing when to step in and tell a loved one with [Alzheimer’s] that they can no longer do something because it’s too risky is a game of chance we caregivers hate to play.” Lovely & heartbreaking. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/style/modern-love-tenderly-tracking-my-husband.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lVA.M3_B.HxSTkg9lFnQr]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049010-tenderly-tracking-my-husb] Great title for a book: Fascist Yoga [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780745351124]. “Ever since, the world of yoga has been full of grifters, occultists and white supremacists, all out to exploit and recruit via the medium of exercise.” 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780745351124] Pinterest Has Become Unusable [https://aftermath.site/pinterest-sucks-now-ai/]. “When I started painting again in January, I went back to Pinterest and found it overrun with AI slop. It’s continued to get worse and worse, and it’s now basically unusable.” 🔗 aftermath.site [https://aftermath.site/pinterest-sucks-now-ai/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048943-pinterest-has-become-unus] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jJTXB5uT_C4/sddefault.jpg] The day after ending his run on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert hosted a show called Only in Monroe on a Michigan public access channel. His guests included Jack White, Jeff Daniels, Steve Buscemi, and Eminem. [https://kottke.org/26/05/stephen-colbert-hosts-only-in-monroe] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/stephen-colbert-hosts-only-in-monroe]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/stephen-colbert-hosts-only-in-monroe] An unusual new-to-me animal: the aardwolf [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW50MFtNz30]. It’s a hyena but it eats insects like an aardvark [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardwolf]. The cubs are incredibly cute [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95POf1rd1_0]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW50MFtNz30]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049007-the-aardwolf] Essential summertime reading: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning [https://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/]. “Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.” 🔗 mariovittone.com [https://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049006-drowning-doesnt-look-like] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 29, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/TPQq0O6sWik0N7JSauVIrg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 22, 2026 Eric Rodenbeck on AI as a Design Medium [https://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/articles/ai-as-a-design-medium-rodenbeck/]. “In my class, the first principle is simple: Do not take what comes back from prompts at face value. Interrogate it. Iterate on it. Stay with it longer than feels efficient.” 🔗 harvarddesignmagazine.org [https://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/articles/ai-as-a-design-medium-rodenbeck/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048999-eric-rodenbeck-on-ai-as-a] Art But Make It Sports [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781797236834] is now available in book form. “Epic moments in modern sports are masterfully paired with their fine art doppelgangers…” 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781797236834]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048993-art-but-make-it-sports] “A woozle effect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woozle_effect]…occurs when frequent citation of previous publications that lack evidence misleads individuals, groups and the public into thinking or believing there is evidence, and non-facts become urban myths and factoids.” 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woozle_effect]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048997-woozle-effect] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 158 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “A three-month national investigation by Beyond Plastics found that not a single tracked Starbucks cold-beverage cup ended up at a recycling facility [https://www.beyondplastics.org/press-releases/starbucks-cups-recyclable-report] — even when the cups were placed in clearly marked recycling bins inside Starbucks stores.” 🔗 beyondplastics.org [https://www.beyondplastics.org/press-releases/starbucks-cups-recyclable-report]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049000-not-a-single-tracked-star] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OTnJyARSqL4/sddefault.jpg] Water World, created by Seán Doran from imagery captured by a NASA/NOAA weather satellite, is a gorgeous, swirling, painterly portrait of the Earth's dynamic atmosphere. [https://kottke.org/26/05/water-world] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/water-world]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/water-world] The Secret to Winning on Jeopardy [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/06/how-to-win-jeopardy/686933/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxTBRPZtFadW1wU_YVaFA6M]. “To win on Jeopardy, you don’t need to learn everything. You just need to learn one thing about everything.” As an proficient player of Yell Answers At The TV Jeopardy in my teen years, I can confirm this strat. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/06/how-to-win-jeopardy/686933/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxTBRPZtFadW1wU_YVaFA6M]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048998-the-secret-to-winning-on-] Paul Brown’s iPod [https://pauljulianbrown.com/]. This is a lovely remembrance & time capsule: a playable iPod emulator of “the music on the iPod my dad had in 2018 before he died”. Click wheel works and everything. 🔗 pauljulianbrown.com [https://pauljulianbrown.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048996-paul-browns-ipod] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hJ-fOj7Qqvs/sddefault.jpg] What Number Was Stephen Colbert Thinking Of? One of the questions he would ask his celebrity guests was "What number am I thinking of?" He shot down almost every answer — and no one ever said "69". But last night, he finally revealed the correct answer. [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-number-was-stephen-colbert-thinking-of] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-number-was-stephen-colbert-thinking-of]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-number-was-stephen-colbert-thinking-of] This is impressive: an AI model has disproved an 80-year-old conjecture by Paul Erdős [https://openai.com/index/model-disproves-discrete-geometry-conjecture/]. “The proof came from a new general-purpose reasoning model, rather than from a system trained specifically for mathematics.” 🔗 openai.com [https://openai.com/index/model-disproves-discrete-geometry-conjecture/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0049001-an-ai-model-has-disproved] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JV7r8yV_eGg/sddefault.jpg] Wow, BBC Earth has posted this three-hour-long video to YouTube of David Attenborough narrating Unbelievable Moments From Nature. Put it on in the background while you work...it's great. [https://kottke.org/26/05/three-hours-unbelievable-nature-david-attenborough] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/three-hours-unbelievable-nature-david-attenborough]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/three-hours-unbelievable-nature-david-attenborough] “US is ‘simply choosing not to stop’ Ebola outbreak after massive public health cuts.” [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/ebola-outbreak-public-health] Just so fucking stupid and maddening and wasteful and dangerous and callous and evil. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/ebola-outbreak-public-health]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048995-us-is-simply-choosing-not] Trump Destroyed USAID. Now People Are Dying. [https://revealnews.org/podcast/trump-destroyed-usaid-public-health-crisis-doge/] “Everyone, especially in South Sudan, wanted to know if the US really had cut off aid. It was easier for them to believe that the aid organizations were lying to them than to think that the US would do this.” 🔗 revealnews.org [https://revealnews.org/podcast/trump-destroyed-usaid-public-health-crisis-doge/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048994-trump-destroyed-usaid-now] Free admission to Canadian national parks this summer! [https://parks.canada.ca/voyage-travel/conseils-tips/choisis-canada-choose/admission-camping] “From June 19 to September 7, no fees apply for: admission for all visitors to all national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada.” 🔗 parks.canada.ca [https://parks.canada.ca/voyage-travel/conseils-tips/choisis-canada-choose/admission-camping]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048992-free-admission-to-canadia] At Long Last, I Have Maxximized My Looks [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/at-long-last-i-have-maxximized-my-looks]. “Apparently, eating a fistful of iguana tranquilizers for breakfast every morning has turned me cold-blooded, and I am no longer appropriately adapted for life on the Earth’s surface.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/at-long-last-i-have-maxximized-my-looks] Interesting observation on how a company's or product's choice of programming language matters less in the age of agentic programming. "Programming languages used to be LOCK IN, and they're increasingly not so." [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-if-lock-in-doesnt-matter-so-much-anymore] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-if-lock-in-doesnt-matter-so-much-anymore]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-if-lock-in-doesnt-matter-so-much-anymore] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1779286796-ba4d8317.jpg] All the Star Wars Lightsaber Designs. Sith & Jedi had to build their own sabers...no shortcuts allowed...Babu Frik wasn't out there selling Ancient Laser Sword™ kits to young padawans (kyber crystal sold separately). [https://kottke.org/26/05/all-the-star-wars-lightsaber-designs] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/all-the-star-wars-lightsaber-designs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/all-the-star-wars-lightsaber-designs] My friend Adriana wrote about her story game based on Dante’s Inferno [https://www.adrianaxjacobs.com/blog/the-final-stretch]. “In Vya, I modeled Pom after the poet Alice Notley, whose Descent of Alette (1996) is one of the great contributions to the literature of katabasis.” 🔗 adrianaxjacobs.com [https://www.adrianaxjacobs.com/blog/the-final-stretch]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048991-writes-about-her-story-ga] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1779294247-1d1d6073.jpg] How to Make a Living as an Artist. "Most people who enjoy making art should not try to make it their full time job. When you turn an avocation (hobby) into a vocation (job) you have to do new things you do not enjoy." [https://kottke.org/26/05/how-to-make-a-living-as-an-artist] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/how-to-make-a-living-as-an-artist]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/how-to-make-a-living-as-an-artist] From Universe Today, an ongoing series of articles on A Brief-ish History of SETI [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22A+Brief-ish+History+of+SETI%22+site%3Auniversetoday.com] (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). Part I is entitled “Where is Everybody?” [https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-brief-ish-history-of-seti-part-i-where-is-everybody] 🔗 duckduckgo.com [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22A+Brief-ish+History+of+SETI%22+site%3Auniversetoday.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048987-an-ongoing-series-of-arti] You Can Make an App for That [https://www.theverge.com/tech/928905/vibe-code-personal-software-revolution]. “The most important thing you’ll need is taste. Not objectively good taste, necessarily, so much as a keen sense of your own.” 🔗 theverge.com [https://www.theverge.com/tech/928905/vibe-code-personal-software-revolution] Jamelle Bouie writes that each US president molds the presidency in his own image and Trump has constructed a "government as protection racket and the president as mob boss". [https://kottke.org/26/05/our-mob-boss-president] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/our-mob-boss-president] Mariame Kaba’s letter to young activists [https://inthesetimes.com/article/mariame-kaba-letter-to-young-organizers-on-hope-action]: “I don’t know how things will turn out, but I am committed to something other than this — the current structure and state of this world. We can live differently.” 🔗 inthesetimes.com [https://inthesetimes.com/article/mariame-kaba-letter-to-young-organizers-on-hope-action]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048985-mariame-kabas-letter-to-y] A pep talk in the face of despair [https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-05-14-trying-redux/]. “Things can always get better, but it doesn’t happen via inertia. It happens because a lot of people tried.” 🔗 dansinker.com [https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-05-14-trying-redux/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048984-a-pep-talk-in-the-face-of] Our World in Ten Buildings: How Architecture Defines Who We Are and How We Live [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781668056554]. Among the buildings are a school in Mass., a hospital in Rwanda, a prison in Norway, and a lighthouse in Maine. Intriguing! 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781668056554]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048979-our-world-in-ten-building] India’s Hottest District Shuts at 10 AM as Mercury Breaches 48 Degrees Celsius Mark [https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indias-hottest-district-banda-shuts-at-10-am-as-mercury-breaches-48-degrees-celsius-mark-101779240653594.html]. “After 10am, Banda becomes deserted. At first, you see one or two people outside. Then, as the day rises, there is only silence.” (48C = 118F) 🔗 hindustantimes.com [https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indias-hottest-district-banda-shuts-at-10-am-as-mercury-breaches-48-degrees-celsius-mark-101779240653594.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048983-indias-hottest-district-s] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 22, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/G892pweAD2N5892892lWrywBdUtQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 19, 2026 New-to-me vocabulary: oneshotted [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/02/oneshotted-going-online/681774/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZystam5tsS4_T3UQxm4pL5E], “a term that means, roughly, to be destroyed and subsequently remade by a single experience”. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/02/oneshotted-going-online/681774/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZystam5tsS4_T3UQxm4pL5E]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048890-oneshotted] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nnSQS43Eil8/sddefault.jpg] Cookie Queens is a feature-length documentary film that follows four Girl Scouts as they navigate the big business & big feelings of Girl Scout Cookie season. The film shows "shows how growing up is shaped by tensions between community and capitalism". [https://kottke.org/26/05/cookie-queens] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/cookie-queens]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/cookie-queens] Interview with the guy [https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/art-but-make-it-sports/] behind the great Art But Make It Sports [https://bsky.app/profile/artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social] social accounts. “When he sees a sports photograph, he can recall, off the top of his head, a pose, or a style, or even just a figure or a form, from a painting or a sculpture.” 🔗 mspmag.com [https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/art-but-make-it-sports/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048978-interview-with-the-guy] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 123 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. The Banality of the Video Podcast [https://onethingnewsletter.substack.com/p/the-banality-of-the-video-podcast?triedRedirect=true]. “The sets, installed with plentiful mics awaiting speech, are authoritative and yet unintimidating, like a friend’s renovated suburban basement.” 🔗 onethingnewsletter.substack.com [https://onethingnewsletter.substack.com/p/the-banality-of-the-video-podcast?triedRedirect=true]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048973-the-banality-of-the-video] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1779225185-1e599bef.jpg] A book about AI's effects on truth found to contain quotes invented by AI, pro-AI commencement speakers booed by graduating students, Google Search is ditching its "simple list of links" for AI-powered "interactive experiences", and more. ¡AI, ay, ay! [https://kottke.org/26/05/theres-no-earthly-way-of-knowing-which-direction-we-are-going] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/theres-no-earthly-way-of-knowing-which-direction-we-are-going]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/theres-no-earthly-way-of-knowing-which-direction-we-are-going] Cucumbers used to be called “cowcumbers” [https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/cucumbers-used-to-be-called-cowcumbers/]. I’m sorry, what?! 🔗 historyfacts.com [https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/cucumbers-used-to-be-called-cowcumbers/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048970-cowcumbers] No reparations for Black Americans. No student loan forgiveness. No UBI for average Americans. But reparations, treason forgiveness, and UBI for the Jan 6th insurrectionists & criminals [https://joycevance.substack.com/p/kleptocracy] who attacked Congress. Got it, got it, got it. 🔗 joycevance.substack.com [https://joycevance.substack.com/p/kleptocracy] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] On the heels of turning Orwell’s Animal Farm into a kids’ movie, Alexandra Petri imagines other dystopian source material for family flicks [https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/05/fun-family-movies-like-animal-farm/687032/?gift=jQN1t1D1nkO2TQodBiz5KEvDZ3HVqnpMfbhEFBBlB9o]. “Andy Serkis’s Maus: Talking mice? Great. Talking mice and cats? Even better!” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/05/fun-family-movies-like-animal-farm/687032/?gift=jQN1t1D1nkO2TQodBiz5KEvDZ3HVqnpMfbhEFBBlB9o]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048976-alexandra-petri-imagines-] “Somewhere between ‘Let’s catch up soon’ and ‘Sorry, life has been hectic’, adult friendship became one of the most emotionally significant and least discussed losses of modern life [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/civil-irony/the-quiet-grief-of-adult-friendship].” 🔗 timesofindia.indiatimes.com [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/civil-irony/the-quiet-grief-of-adult-friendship]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048972-adult-friendship-became-o] The fake courtesy machine [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKs_-uN6SSQ] is a wooden hand-cranked contraption that types “I hope this email finds you well” over and over again. Jacquard loom & player piano vibes. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKs_-uN6SSQ]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048975-fake-courtesy-machine] Marcin Wichary on how to get more fun and utility from your keyboard experience [https://aresluna.org/key-in-sight/]. “Break all the rules. You’re designing for the audience of one.” 🔗 aresluna.org [https://aresluna.org/key-in-sight/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048974-how-to-get-more-fun-and-u] Comparisons as Predictable as the Sunrise [https://pudding.cool/2026/05/similes/]. The Pudding analyzed 200,000 similes from popular fiction. “The clichés are obvious, marked by a single tall spike that overshadows the others.” 🔗 pudding.cool [https://pudding.cool/2026/05/similes/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048969-comparisons-as-predictabl] “I have travelled all over the world in the last 30 years, and have never seen anything like the density of assholes I just encountered in Japan [https://aftermath.site/japan-overtourism-social-meida-tiktok-instagram/], [i.e.] tourists being an unbearable menace specifically while on and around their phones.” 🔗 aftermath.site [https://aftermath.site/japan-overtourism-social-meida-tiktok-instagram/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048968-the-density-of-assholes-i] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W0MzKWx0GRw/sddefault.jpg] There's something so relaxing about watching this art conservator restore a damaged painting. [https://kottke.org/18/08/watching-an-art-conservator-restore-a-damaged-painting] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/18/08/watching-an-art-conservator-restore-a-damaged-painting] Marbles Squared [https://marbles2.com/] is a puzzle game 30 years in the making [https://remysharp.com/2026/05/17/the-30-year-game] that you can play on the web, Game Boy, ZX Spectrum Next, and Palm Pilot. 🔗 marbles2.com [https://marbles2.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048966-marbles-squared] Ben Prunty has composed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ar-ZDV5LFY] the soundtrack [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lZKhzOMn465xjBnNueqIqy7zwlSdxTMBw] to a new game, Subnautica 2. Prunty did the FTL: Faster Than Light soundtrack [https://benprunty.bandcamp.com/album/ftl] back in the day, which I love. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ar-ZDV5LFY]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048965-the-soundtrack] Perhaps businesses are collecting too much data for their own good [https://undermanager.ghost.io/three-things-about-data/]. “Each morning at 10am, I get an email from Caroline in the finance team showing the cash we have in the bank compared with the same day last year. This fact offers no hiding place.” 🔗 undermanager.ghost.io [https://undermanager.ghost.io/three-things-about-data/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048954-perhaps-businesses-are-co] Mike Monteiro on how to deal with your suddenly grown-up kids [https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-deal-with-your-kid-leaving/]. “When your kid leaves it is the happiest day of your life and also the saddest day of your life. And a lot of other feelings in between.” In the midst of this right now; it’s been a lot. 🔗 buttondown.com [https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-deal-with-your-kid-leaving/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048964-mike-monteiro-on-how-to-d] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1779117981-e4608556.jpg] What's Your Favorite Recipe? Some of my go-tos include white bolognese, mushroom risotto, smoked haddock chowder, caldo verde, and the world's best pancakes. How about you? [https://kottke.org/26/05/whats-your-favorite-recipe] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/whats-your-favorite-recipe]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/whats-your-favorite-recipe] I have always liked Steve Kerr, but I did not expect to read this whole 15,000-word profile of him at ESPN [https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48686303/steve-kerr-decision-return-coach-golden-state-warriors-steph-curry]. Really interesting throughout. 🔗 espn.com [https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48686303/steve-kerr-decision-return-coach-golden-state-warriors-steph-curry]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048963-this-whole-15000-word-pro] Handy app: “Point your camera at anything (a dress, a paint swatch, a flower, your kid’s drawing) and What Color Is This? [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/what-color-is-this/id6767490668] names the color instantly.” I like the increasingly specific color labels (e.g. blue to light blue to Tiffany blue). 🔗 apps.apple.com [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/what-color-is-this/id6767490668]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048959-what-color-is-this] “In 2014, the Dutch scholar Hans Corneel de Roos first noticed that the Icelandic version of Dracula was in fact not a translation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powers_of_Darkness_(Iceland)], but was rather a very different novel from Stoker’s version.” The “translation” was published in 1901. 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powers_of_Darkness_(Iceland)]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048946-the-icelandic-version-of-] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 19, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/ebIZ9Sq2892Rvqv763GBBkefZw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 15, 2026 Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on who should read books about physics [https://news.chanda.science/archive/who-gets-to-ask-the-universe-questions/]. “The question of ‘What is space-time?’ doesn’t belong only to scientists. It belongs to everyone who has ever wondered about the bigger picture.” 🔗 news.chanda.science [https://news.chanda.science/archive/who-gets-to-ask-the-universe-questions/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048958-who-should-read-books-abo] Quaker principles line up quite well with modern parenting research [https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/04/quaker-parenting-research/682277/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ4sTs5kqkba9XYSPvVQVBX4&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share]. “Infused in all of these practices is the conviction that children are not lesser proto-adults, but fellow beings worthy of respect and agency regardless of their behavior.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/04/quaker-parenting-research/682277/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ4sTs5kqkba9XYSPvVQVBX4&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048955-quaker-principles-line-up] The Revolt Against the Girl Bosses… [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/opinion/reese-witherspoon-mel-robbins-girlboss-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ilA.cwQj.1ThB2bUj7WKP] “Empowerment won’t fix the mess we’re in. Women know it now. They’re mad as hell. Anyone trying to sell them advice instead of a way to use that anger to build a better world for women deserves to be fired.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/opinion/reese-witherspoon-mel-robbins-girlboss-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ilA.cwQj.1ThB2bUj7WKP]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048961-the-revolt-against-the-gi] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 138 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A88qXWtP6Sc/sddefault.jpg] The Night Witches were an all-female Soviet bomber regiment that attacked Nazi forces during WWII. "An attack technique...involved idling the engine near the target & gliding to the bomb-release point with only wind noise left to reveal their presence." [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-night-witches-the-female-nazi-hunters-of-wwii] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-night-witches-the-female-nazi-hunters-of-wwii]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-night-witches-the-female-nazi-hunters-of-wwii] 25 Books That Capture This American Moment [https://time.com/collection/our-america-250/2026/books-that-define-america]. They include Caste [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780593230275] by Isabel Wilkerson, Toni Morrison’s A Mercy [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780307276766], Make the Impossible Possible [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780385520553] by Bill Strickland, and Rabbit Redux [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780449911938] by John Updike. 🔗 time.com [https://time.com/collection/our-america-250/2026/books-that-define-america]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048960-25-books-that-capture-thi] Software Developers Say AI Is Rotting Their Brains [https://www.404media.co/software-developers-say-ai-is-rotting-their-brains/]. “[Some] developers who use AI at work report that they feel like they are de-skilling themselves and losing their ability to do their jobs as well as they used to.” 🔗 404media.co [https://www.404media.co/software-developers-say-ai-is-rotting-their-brains/] On “rich guy has an opinion” journalism [https://stringinamaze.net/p/rich-guy-quote-journalism], i.e. “entire news stories dedicated to the otherwise unremarkable opinion of a rich person, or news stories that fold the opinions of rich people into their otherwise neutral coverage”. 🔗 stringinamaze.net [https://stringinamaze.net/p/rich-guy-quote-journalism]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048953-on-rich-guy-has-an-opinio] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778856644-f0b5f843.jpg] This World History Timeline (2016) shows how nations, empires, and ruling groups shifted and evolved across the globe from 3000 BCE to the present. It's based on Joseph Priestley's A New Chart of History (1769). [https://kottke.org/26/05/world-history-timeline] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/world-history-timeline]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/world-history-timeline] New York’s Neue Galerie Will Merge With the Metropolitan Museum [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/05/14/neue-galerie-metropolitan-museum-merger]. “The merger will significantly bolster the Met’s holdings of early 20th-century Austrian and German art…” 🔗 theartnewspaper.com [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/05/14/neue-galerie-metropolitan-museum-merger]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048951-new-yorks-neue-galerie-wi] The Neanderthal dentist: archaeologists found evidence of a decayed tooth being drilled out with a stone tools 59,000 years ago [https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/neanderthals-drilled-cavities-to-treat-a-toothache-59000-years-ago/]. “It’s now the oldest known evidence of dentistry — or any direct medical treatment.” 🔗 arstechnica.com [https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/neanderthals-drilled-cavities-to-treat-a-toothache-59000-years-ago/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048950-archaeologists-found-evid] Sarah Rose (who is blind): “Meta glasses are absolute game changers for the blind community…they are completely revolutionary [https://bsky.app/profile/thesarahrose.bsky.social/post/3mlrcbjmfgk2k].” And: “It really is incredible to talk to your glasses and ask them what they see and have them tell you.” 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/thesarahrose.bsky.social/post/3mlrcbjmfgk2k]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048948-they-are-completely-revol] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w1LuV82l0vs/sddefault.jpg] How Russell Vought Became the Shadow President. "One of the biggest assholes in the Trump regime is Russell Vought — and that's really saying something; it's a fierce competition." [https://kottke.org/26/05/how-russell-vought-became-the-shadow-president] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/how-russell-vought-became-the-shadow-president] Omg, Amazon Prime inserted an ad for Febreze [https://bsky.app/profile/gethill.bsky.social/post/3ml6fyfv7kc2l] in the midst of the most famous match cut [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdtV_wsGm_Y] in the history of cinema (in Kubrick’s 2001, when the ape-thrown bone turns into a spacecraft). I don’t know whether to laugh or cry (rn, it’s both). 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/gethill.bsky.social/post/3ml6fyfv7kc2l]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048947-inserted-an-ad-for-febrez] A very good, very 2026 headline: Japan Runs Out of Robot Wolves in Fight Against Bears [https://www.popsci.com/environment/japan-robot-wolf-army/]. “Starting at around $4,000, each bespoke Monster Wolf is now equipped with battery power, solar panels, and detection sensors.” 🔗 popsci.com [https://www.popsci.com/environment/japan-robot-wolf-army/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048949-japan-runs-out-of-robot-w] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778771306-8999b044.jpg] Are we gonna save democracy or not? "The question is whether this country holds or comes apart — and coming apart is what’s happened every other time in human history that a critical mass of people figured out their participation was decoration." [https://kottke.org/26/05/when-your-participation-is-decoration] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/when-your-participation-is-decoration] “I believe in myself. That’s why I commit.” [https://www.instagram.com/p/C227j_NJNIH/] A young skater doesn’t give up trying to land a three-stair kickflip. 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/C227j_NJNIH/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048942-i-believe-in-myself-thats] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6NVAzWEgTXo/sddefault.jpg] Zendaya co-created a new collection for On, the Swiss fashion company, and Spike Jonze directed this cool promotional video starring the actress. [https://kottke.org/26/05/shape-of-dreams-zendaya-spike-jonze] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/shape-of-dreams-zendaya-spike-jonze]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/shape-of-dreams-zendaya-spike-jonze] The Guardian asked authors, critics, and academics to help compile a list of the best 100 novels of all time [https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time]. They’ve done 41-100 so far. Selecting a book will show you who voted for it, then click on the voter’s name to see their other choices. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048941-a-list-of-the-best-100-no] The 2026 National Recording Registry inductees were announced today [https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/05/2026-national-recording-registry-you-can-put-a-ring-on-it/]. “The 2026 selections mark the first recordings by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé chosen for the registry.” Also: music from Weezer, The Go-Go’s, Chaka Khan, and Johnny Cash. 🔗 blogs.loc.gov [https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/05/2026-national-recording-registry-you-can-put-a-ring-on-it/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048940-the-2026-national-recordi] This Tiny Celestial Body Past Pluto Shouldn’t Have an Atmosphere—but Astronomers Say They May Have Detected One [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/]. 🔗 smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048934-this-tiny-celestial-body-] A Moment That Changed Me: I Saw My First Total Solar Eclipse — and Its Beauty Shook Me to My Core [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/13/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-saw-my-first-total-solar-eclipse-and-its-beauty-shook-me-to-my-core?CMP=threads_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=threads_gu&utm_source=Threads#Echobox=1778661321]. “I knew the theory, but I was not ready for the experience.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/13/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-saw-my-first-total-solar-eclipse-and-its-beauty-shook-me-to-my-core?CMP=threads_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=threads_gu&utm_source=Threads#Echobox=1778661321]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048933-a-moment-that-changed-me-] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 15, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/d33IhB7iPj3YXcTPSP29Sw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 14, 2026 [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778697442-c8d81159.jpg] What Childhood Folklore Did You Learn As a Kid? Typing 80085 on a calculator? Padiddle? Cootie catchers? Doing cat's cradle? Holding your breath while passing a cemetery? Miss Susie had a steamboat? The cool S? [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-childhood-folklore-did-you-learn-as-a-kid] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-childhood-folklore-did-you-learn-as-a-kid]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-childhood-folklore-did-you-learn-as-a-kid] I Want to Live Like Costco People [https://tastecooking.com/i-want-to-live-like-costco-people/]. “Embracing the Costco lifestyle means accepting the fact that I am, in many ways, becoming my father.” 🔗 tastecooking.com [https://tastecooking.com/i-want-to-live-like-costco-people/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048905-i-want-to-live-like-costc] Robin Sloan writes about the personalized, AI-written, promo emails he’s been getting recently [https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/ai-promotion/] (I have too). “The form is subtler than a one-sized-fits-all promo blast, but it sucks way worse, because it’s fundamentally dishonest.” 🔗 robinsloan.com [https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/ai-promotion/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048936-robin-sloan-writes-about-] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 94 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/53cfZgDxEWY/sddefault.jpg] What Would J.R.R. Tolkien Think of Palantir? "If he were alive in the age of Palantir, he might not be thrilled that a tech company with lucrative government contracts is name-checking his creations." [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-would-jrr-tolkien-think-of-palantir] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-would-jrr-tolkien-think-of-palantir]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/what-would-jrr-tolkien-think-of-palantir] Meet the Sad Wives of AI [https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-sad-wives-of-ai/]. “Princess Diana famously said there were three people in her marriage. For the sad wives of AI, the third is a chatbot.” 🔗 wired.com [https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-sad-wives-of-ai/] Just dropped: Foo Fighters’ Tiny Desk Concert [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxaXWSVhRXU]. The setlist includes Learn to Fly, My Hero, and Everlong. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxaXWSVhRXU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048937-foo-fighters-tiny-desk-co] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rHAc9MKQOnc/sddefault.jpg] Two sequences from Dr. Strangelove done in Lego. [https://kottke.org/12/10/stop-motion-lego-dr-strangelove] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/12/10/stop-motion-lego-dr-strangelove] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Adam Serwer [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/assassins-delusion-backfiring-violence/687135/?gift=S1WMti8oXyTPzPp134rTM3GQncePZ3iVR-Yk19CQ7uk]: “Violence serves an authoritarian agenda.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/assassins-delusion-backfiring-violence/687135/?gift=S1WMti8oXyTPzPp134rTM3GQncePZ3iVR-Yk19CQ7uk] A map of the regions of the US [https://brilliantmaps.com/major-us-regions-as-voted-by-reddit/], as voted on by Reddit users. I think this seems mostly correct? One funny artifact: Washington state got some votes for “Northeast”, probably because ppl confused it with D.C. or with “Northwest”. 🔗 brilliantmaps.com [https://brilliantmaps.com/major-us-regions-as-voted-by-reddit/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048903-a-map-of-the-regions-of-t] “So, at about 14, I became the team’s unofficial basketball musician [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/job-that-changed-me-basketball-musician],” writes Theocharis Papatrechas. “A big shot earned a triumphant snare drum roll with a resolving crash. And if someone missed badly — an airball — I’d drop in a ‘du-ba-dum’”. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/11/job-that-changed-me-basketball-musician]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048928-basketball-musician] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778605717-8e9fa6ed.jpg] The World Press Freedom Index at Global 25-Year Low. "Increasingly restrictive legal arsenals — particularly those linked to national security policies — have been steadily eroding the right to information, even in democratic countries." US rank: 64/180. [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-world-press-freedom-index-at-global-25-year-low] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-world-press-freedom-index-at-global-25-year-low]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-world-press-freedom-index-at-global-25-year-low] Sounds of the 60s: the IBM 1401 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HclHRGsWEsc] (punchcard collation, reel-to-reel recorder, etc). These aren’t the sounds of my computing childhood but I imagine they’re nostalgic for some of you. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HclHRGsWEsc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048921-sounds-of-the-60s-the-ibm] Jamelle Bouie thinks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is positioning herself for a 2028 presidential run. “Yeah, she’s running.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKJMztRAuc] 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKJMztRAuc] Don Hertzfeldt: "When I was a teenager, I took the train to go to the record store to find rare stuff. Spotify is way more convenient, but that wasn't the point. The point was to get out & feel like you're hunting, to feel like you're living your life." [https://kottke.org/26/05/being-fed-content] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/being-fed-content]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/being-fed-content] Study: “A few weeks of X’s algorithm can make you more right‑wing – and it doesn’t wear off quickly.” [https://theconversation.com/a-few-weeks-of-xs-algorithm-can-make-you-more-right-wing-and-it-doesnt-wear-off-quickly-276153] People using the “For You” feed were more likely to favor GOP policies, less likely to want Trump prosecuted, and were more pro-Russia (vs Ukraine). 🔗 theconversation.com [https://theconversation.com/a-few-weeks-of-xs-algorithm-can-make-you-more-right-wing-and-it-doesnt-wear-off-quickly-276153] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778519863-b06228d6.png] Aphantasia (the inability to visualize) is one of those things that I find endlessly fascinating. "The condition doesn’t just affect how much you’re able to live in the past, but also how much you encounter the future." [https://kottke.org/26/05/can-you-see-the-world-when-you-close-your-eyes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/can-you-see-the-world-when-you-close-your-eyes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/can-you-see-the-world-when-you-close-your-eyes] We’re Diversifying the University by Hiring More Crackpots [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/were-diversifying-the-university-by-hiring-more-crackpots]. “For too long, the university has ignored the wisdom of the donor class and hired based on academic excellence. Regrettably, this has led to the underrepresentation of discredited viewpoints…” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/were-diversifying-the-university-by-hiring-more-crackpots] Digg [https://di.gg/ai] has (sorta) relaunched (again) and instead of an underwhelming Reddit clone, it’s now just scraping noted fascist cesspool “X” for AI news and telling us that Sam Altman is influential in AI? This is embarrassing. It’ll probably be a huge success. 🔗 di.gg [https://di.gg/ai]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048925-digg] How NASA Built Artemis II’s Fault-Tolerant Computer [https://cacm.acm.org/news/how-nasa-built-artemis-iis-fault-tolerant-computer/]. “Every subsystem must be designed to survive cosmic-ray bit flips, radiation-induced latch-ups, and hardware faults without a single second of downtime.” (A: An extreme level of redundancy.) 🔗 cacm.acm.org [https://cacm.acm.org/news/how-nasa-built-artemis-iis-fault-tolerant-computer/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048908-how-nasa-built-artemis-ii] Remember Desktop Tower Defense [https://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/]? I played it for a bit this weekend and it’s still great fun. One of the very best games from the Flash era [https://kottke.org/tag/addictive%20Flash%20games]. 🔗 handdrawngames.com [https://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048924-from-the-flash-era] Taken [https://sinceyouarrived.world/taken]: this is a web page that shows how much data your browser can collect that websites can use to “fingerprint” your device, even without cookies. “It identified your device with enough specificity to distinguish it from most others on the internet.” 🔗 sinceyouarrived.world [https://sinceyouarrived.world/taken]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048922-taken] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OTPUxMBD2Z8/sddefault.jpg] A mesmerizing 4K video of satellite imagery of Typhoon Sinlaku, a Category 5 super typhoon. [https://kottke.org/26/05/mesmerizing-4k-video-of-a-cat-5-super-typhoon] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/mesmerizing-4k-video-of-a-cat-5-super-typhoon]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/mesmerizing-4k-video-of-a-cat-5-super-typhoon] Interesting thread about why rural towns don’t vote blue [https://www.threads.com/@mirandapoteetauthor/post/DYIWrOGkTDx]: they don’t have to because small towns “actually operate very similarly to the ‘socialist agenda’ they pretend to be so afraid of” and “they’ve already been having to take of their own…” 🔗 threads.com [https://www.threads.com/@mirandapoteetauthor/post/DYIWrOGkTDx] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uuxbXceM7_U/sddefault.jpg] The official Wallace & Gromit YouTube channel is 24/7 livestreaming the four shorts featuring the duo: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, and A Matter of Loaf or Death. [https://kottke.org/26/05/wallace-gromit-247-livestream] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/wallace-gromit-247-livestream]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/wallace-gromit-247-livestream] People Who Don’t Like People Are Making All of Our Decisions [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/waymo-self-driving-cars/687119/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8rJUwcqGqpb8gH3Ret1KbM]. “We are living in the ultimate revenge of the nerds, driven by a crew of socially awkward tech bros who won’t stop until the society that they never quite fit into is obliterated.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/waymo-self-driving-cars/687119/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8rJUwcqGqpb8gH3Ret1KbM]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048914-people-who-dont-like-peop] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Bb2mlpas9rg/sddefault.jpg] Grandma Stand is a PBS documentary about lemonade-like stands around the US where grandmas offer advice & life lessons to all ages. "Do you ever wish you had a grandma nearby who you could talk to about anything and she’d make you feel good?" [https://kottke.org/26/05/grandma-stand] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/grandma-stand]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/grandma-stand] Where are the public benches on the internet? [https://news.spencer.place/p/the-internet-has-no-benches] “Like cities that have prioritized cars, visiting the Internet now entails controlled apps and search engines, designed for extraction. There’s nowhere to rest because the benches are covered in spikes.” 🔗 news.spencer.place [https://news.spencer.place/p/the-internet-has-no-benches]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048904-where-are-the-public-benc] Now open in NYC: a pop-up called The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room [https://trumpsonian.us/], which consists of “all 3.5 million pages, 3,437 volumes, and 17,000 pounds of the released and partially redacted Epstein files”. 🔗 trumpsonian.us [https://trumpsonian.us/] The Hidden Cassettes [https://emilyadel.lol/cassettes]. “This is going to sound insane, but when I was a kid I found out my dad secretly recorded our phone calls.” (Be sure to read the “What?!” link.) 🔗 emilyadel.lol [https://emilyadel.lol/cassettes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048910-the-hidden-cassettes] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 14, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/QlPQQmbwH884HDxonTX8Ig].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 8, 2026 In 1951, the Civil Rights Congress submitted a petition to the UN charging that the “brutality and discrimination” of Jim Crow constituted genocide by the US govt [https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/we_charge_genocide_petition/]. The US prevented any debate on the petition and CRC leaders were persecuted thereafter. 🔗 zinnedproject.org [https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/we_charge_genocide_petition/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048909-submitted-a-petition-to-t] Someone in a private forum I belong to mentioned fountain pens and thus I became acquainted with the role of a nibmeister [https://www.galenleather.com/blogs/news/nibmeisters], a person who can remake the nib of your pen more to your liking (different angle, better flow, etc). 🔗 galenleather.com [https://www.galenleather.com/blogs/news/nibmeisters]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048906-nibmeister] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yrVZmbfkVc8/sddefault.jpg] PBS Kids and The Jim Henson Company have teamed up for a TV special called Wowsabout! that explores "how awe sparks curiosity, creativity, kindness, and a desire to explore and care for the world around them". [https://kottke.org/26/05/wowsabout] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/wowsabout]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/wowsabout] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 80 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. An analysis of 18 years of Guardian blind dates [https://blinddates.rory.codes/]. “A surprising number of successful dates include something embarrassing: the bill, a late arrival, a misread moment. Awkward doesn’t mean doomed.” 🔗 blinddates.rory.codes [https://blinddates.rory.codes/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048879-an-analysis-of-18-years-o] Pioneering abstract artist Hilma af Klint’s Paintings for the Temple (1906‑1915) will be on display at the Grand Palais in Paris from May 6 - Aug 30, 2026 [https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/program/hilma-af-klint-paintings-temple-1906-1915]. 🔗 grandpalais.fr [https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/program/hilma-af-klint-paintings-temple-1906-1915]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048902-will-be-on-display-at-the] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sGiRSA_GWK8/sddefault.jpg] The Design Evolution of Screwdriver Handles. "It's comfortable to hold, but it won't roll off your bench. And you can turn it one-handed or use both hands. And you get a couple of different grips. That's a good design." [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-design-evolution-of-screwdriver-handles] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-design-evolution-of-screwdriver-handles]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-design-evolution-of-screwdriver-handles] What Can We Do About Partisan Gerrymandering? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7BkLCbcVg] Jamelle Bouie has been on a tear with his analysis and historical contextualizing of the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7BkLCbcVg] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Nolen Royalty [https://eieio.substack.com/p/marc-andreessen-egg-game]: “My latest project is Marc Andreessen Egg Game [https://marc-egg.eieio.games/] - a game about drawing on eggs to make them look like venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.” 🔗 eieio.substack.com [https://eieio.substack.com/p/marc-andreessen-egg-game]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048900-nolen-royalty] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778192894-96a465f1.jpg] Last year in an Alaskan fjord, a surprise landslide triggered a tsunami 1578 feet tall. That's not a typo...the wave was taller than all but 13 of the world's tallest buildings. Incidents like these will become more common as glaciers continue to retreat. [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-2025-alaskan-tsunami-that-measured-1578-feet-tall] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-2025-alaskan-tsunami-that-measured-1578-feet-tall]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-2025-alaskan-tsunami-that-measured-1578-feet-tall] Prophecy At 1420 MHz [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74NluS3jzTo] is the first single from Boards of Canada’s upcoming album. (It’s paired with a short intro track, so we’re basically getting the first five and a half minutes of the album here.) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74NluS3jzTo]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048899-prophecy-at-1420-mhz] It’s David Attenborough’s 100th birthday today [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/david-attenborough-the-voice-nature-turns-100-2026-05-05/]! One of my few genuine heroes. 🔗 reuters.com [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/david-attenborough-the-voice-nature-turns-100-2026-05-05/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048895-its-david-attenboroughs-1] “In nine experiments involving 1,800 participants, researchers found that people consistently underestimated how interesting and enjoyable conversations about boring topics would be [https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123175].” 🔗 eurekalert.org [https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123175]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048820-in-nine-experiments-invol] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kynPAivzjoY/sddefault.jpg] Coming out on May 25: a fan edit of Rogue One done as if it were made after Andor. "The original version is the events of Rogue One as seen through Jyn's perspective, and this is through Cassian's." This looks really well-done. [https://kottke.org/26/05/rogue-one-the-andor-cut] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/rogue-one-the-andor-cut]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/rogue-one-the-andor-cut] A brief history: lessons from the rise and fall of Reconstruction [https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/b0eafc14-f68d-4499-8108-b440bad1af7f]. “Must America be forever defined by strict hierarchies of race, gender, religion, and wealth – or can the nation finally realize its promise of egalitarian pluralism?” 🔗 steady.page [https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/b0eafc14-f68d-4499-8108-b440bad1af7f]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048896-lessons-from-the-rise-and] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778163083-03d96f87.jpg] "The Abolitionist Map of NYC offers a geographic survey of incarceration and anti-carceral resistance in Manahatta from the Dutch colonization of Lenapehoking to the present day." [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-abolitionist-map-of-nyc] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-abolitionist-map-of-nyc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-abolitionist-map-of-nyc] Chess Peace [https://chesspeace.app/] is an iOS puzzle game where you have to place chess pieces on a board so that none of them attack each other. Simple + clever! 🔗 chesspeace.app [https://chesspeace.app/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048892-chess-peace] One of the coolest things about honey is its theoretically infinite shelf-life. 3000-year-old jars of still-edible honey have been found in Egyptian tombs [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/] — they used it medicinally for all sorts of things. 🔗 smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048891-3000-year-old-jars-of-sti] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ArDi7Y20cto/sddefault.jpg] Ok, this is INCREDIBLE: if you animate the photos of the Earth taken from Artemis II, you can see tiny satellites buzzing around the planet like flies. WHAT?!? [https://kottke.org/26/05/animated-artemis-ii-photos-reveal-satellites-buzzing-around-earth] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/animated-artemis-ii-photos-reveal-satellites-buzzing-around-earth]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/animated-artemis-ii-photos-reveal-satellites-buzzing-around-earth] “Podcast sloplords” are flooding the zone with AI-generated podcasts [https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/half-ai-podcasts-slop]. By one count, almost 40% of new podcasts are written by AI chatbots and presented by “AI voice synthesizers [that] can sound eerily humanlike”. 🔗 futurism.com [https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/half-ai-podcasts-slop] Lines, Ranked [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/lines-ranked]. “2. Assembly. It’s not glamorous, but hot damn is it effective.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/lines-ranked] A supercut of context-free intertitles from Adam Curtis documentaries [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnoYLg44QI]. Even if you don’t know who Adam Curtis is, this is entertaining. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnoYLg44QI]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048871-a-supercut-of-context-fre] New episode of Great Art Explained on Francis Bacon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiyCTfSoH9Q]. “A new generation was starting to ask - who gets to decide what is right? And who has the authority to tell us how to live?” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiyCTfSoH9Q]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048874-new-episode-of-great-art-] 20 years ago: a guy interviewing for an IT job gets pulled onto live TV [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/business/media/bbc-guy-goma-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gVA._yMP.C8o7MreUR8vf]. “Mr. Goma is being celebrated as a folk hero of sorts for anyone who has ever found themselves ill-equipped for a challenge in the workplace.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/business/media/bbc-guy-goma-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gVA._yMP.C8o7MreUR8vf]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048886-a-guy-interviewing-for-an] Jon Krakauer writes about what has changed about climbing Mt. Everest since he wrote Into Thin Air [https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/05/whats-changed-since-jon-krakauer-climbed-everest/687019/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ6DKRd1YIbTGu6JpRlxzVrQ]. “The deadly hazards I wrote about attracted novice climbers to Everest like gamblers to a slot machine.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/05/whats-changed-since-jon-krakauer-climbed-everest/687019/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ6DKRd1YIbTGu6JpRlxzVrQ]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048880-what-has-changed-about-cl] Infants are dying because parents are opting-out of vitamin K shots [https://www.propublica.org/article/more-parents-decline-vitamin-k-shot-newborns]. “In the hopes of safeguarding their newborns from what they see as unnecessary medical intervention, they have shunned fundamental and scientifically sound pharmaceutical intervention.” 🔗 propublica.org [https://www.propublica.org/article/more-parents-decline-vitamin-k-shot-newborns] My pal Matt Haughey recut the first season of Apple TV’s Murderbot into a 3.5-hour-long movie [https://a.wholelottanothing.org/murderbot-is-a-perfect-film/]. “I did it fast so there are a few jarring cuts, but I now have an entertaining as hell movie with zero interruptions.” 🔗 a.wholelottanothing.org [https://a.wholelottanothing.org/murderbot-is-a-perfect-film/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048884-into-a-35-hour-long-movie] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 8, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/7KaMTZyUyFU8GFOYTAkO9A].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 5, 2026 This is nuts: Fred Again has uploaded a video of every single show he did during his USB002 tour [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiXKukOtmeE] (except Mexico City) — it’s four and a half days long. “im told this is the longest video on YouTube ever?” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiXKukOtmeE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048882-uploaded-a-video-of-every] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1778009450-99a24b51.jpg] Some nice work here from Swedish designer Eric Rohman, who designed thousands of movie posters in the early-to-mid 20th century. [https://kottke.org/26/05/movie-posters-by-eric-rohman] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/movie-posters-by-eric-rohman]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/movie-posters-by-eric-rohman] The official trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_bKjZeJBBI] was just released. Really looking forward to this. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_bKjZeJBBI] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 49 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. What now-familiar domain names looked like before they were bought by big-time companies [https://bsky.app/profile/annierau.bsky.social/post/3mkzrvrn44c2h], e.g. openai.com was “the personal homepage of a guy named glenn”, doordash.com was a porn site, threads.com sold spools of thread. 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/annierau.bsky.social/post/3mkzrvrn44c2h]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048878-what-now-familiar-domain-] Pocket forests [https://ambrook.com/offrange/environment/a-forest-in-your-pocket]. “The Miyawaki method of reforestation inserts small, densely packed wild acreage into urban environs. It’s proving wildly successful.” The key is densely planting diverse & native species…this isn’t just planting some trees. 🔗 ambrook.com [https://ambrook.com/offrange/environment/a-forest-in-your-pocket]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048869-pocket-forests] Could This Fish Be a Notebook? [https://reasonstobecheerful.world/great-lakes-fish-interview/] “David Byrne learns how fisheries from Iceland to the Great Lakes are using 100% of their catch — and shares his tips for making fish head soup.” 🔗 reasonstobecheerful.world [https://reasonstobecheerful.world/great-lakes-fish-interview/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048873-could-this-fish-be-a-note] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k1MVnzd2aVc/sddefault.jpg] A24 is coming out with an Anthony Bourdain biopic that focuses on the time period around the chef/writer's college years, when he first started working in kitchens. Here's the trailer. [https://kottke.org/26/05/a24s-young-anthony-bourdain-movie] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/a24s-young-anthony-bourdain-movie]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/a24s-young-anthony-bourdain-movie] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in black & white with the Japanese audio track “becomes the best ‘Space Kurosawa’ movie ever made” [https://www.threads.com/@cpreksta/post/DX7RA7aEbex]. 🔗 threads.com [https://www.threads.com/@cpreksta/post/DX7RA7aEbex]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048876-becomes-the-best-space-ku] Microshifting [https://apnews.com/article/microshifting-work-time-flexible-schedule-balance-97a98519916b447cd60c73261ffc0b4e]. “From a creativity standpoint, it’s good to take breaks. When you stop thinking about a task is when your best ideas come to you.” This is how I’ve worked for the past decade+…bursts of work throughout the day & week. 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/microshifting-work-time-flexible-schedule-balance-97a98519916b447cd60c73261ffc0b4e]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048870-microshifting] The Booksellers is a 2019 feature-length documentary film about antiquarian and rare book dealers; you can watch the whole movie for free on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM17mX_C0Cw]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM17mX_C0Cw]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048867-you-can-watch-the-whole-m] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1777919453-cfb228bb.jpg] Blinded by Nationalism. The artist Banksy has installed (without a permit, one assumes) a new statue in London that depicts a man in a suit marching off off a ledge, blinded by a flag. [https://kottke.org/26/05/new-banksy-blinded-by-nationalism] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/new-banksy-blinded-by-nationalism]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/new-banksy-blinded-by-nationalism] Designer Jenny Volvovski’s collection of unsolicited book cover designs [https://www.jennyvolvovski.com/category/unsolicited]. “I really wanted to design book covers but didn’t have any book cover work. So I hired myself to redesign my personal library.” 🔗 jennyvolvovski.com [https://www.jennyvolvovski.com/category/unsolicited]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048866-designer-jenny-volvovskis] I’m not a fan of the first part of this music video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6_mbnsh6VU] (reminds me too much of dipshits I had to endure at school), but the single-take choreography from ~4:18 is great. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6_mbnsh6VU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048872-this-music-video] According to this peer-reviewed paper, the “screeching sound of peeling tape” is caused by tiny sonic booms [https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/p19h-9ysx]. The speeds at work here are in the range of Mach 0.7–1.8. Supersonic crafts! 🔗 journals.aps.org [https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/p19h-9ysx]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048868-the-screeching-sound-of-p] NASA has released some 12,000 unseen photos from the recent Artemis II mission; here are some of the best shots [https://petapixel.com/2026/05/04/nasa-releases-thousands-of-unseen-artemis-ii-photos/]. 🔗 petapixel.com [https://petapixel.com/2026/05/04/nasa-releases-thousands-of-unseen-artemis-ii-photos/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048865-here-are-some-of-the-best] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1777901299-6763469f.png] Nowhere on XKCD's map of The Contiguous 41 States does it say that you need to find the missing seven states, but that's immediately where my mind went. Can you find them all? [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-contiguous-41-states] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-contiguous-41-states]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-contiguous-41-states] A 55-minute mix of Boards of Canada B-sides and rarities [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxQNAKzJ3vg]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxQNAKzJ3vg]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048863-a-55-minute-mix-of-boards] “They Would Never Use the Death Star on Us”: Alderaan Residents Reflect on Their Support for the Empire as a Large Imperial Installation Enters the System [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/they-would-never-use-the-death-star-on-us-alderaan-residents-reflect-on-their-support-for-the-empire-as-a-large-imperial-installation-enters-the-system]. “The Senate was ineffective, and the liberal Jedi were out of touch…” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/they-would-never-use-the-death-star-on-us-alderaan-residents-reflect-on-their-support-for-the-empire-as-a-large-imperial-installation-enters-the-system] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eex-_BztHSE/sddefault.jpg] Every Frame a Painting's Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos seem to be regularly releasing their excellent video essays again (in partnership with Criterion). The latest installment is on The Visual Comedy of Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs. [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-visual-comedy-of-wes-andersons-isle-of-dogs] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-visual-comedy-of-wes-andersons-isle-of-dogs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-visual-comedy-of-wes-andersons-isle-of-dogs] How Sylvester Stallone Rescued the First Rambo Film With a Radical Recut, Cutting It From 3½ Hours to 93 Minutes [https://www.openculture.com/2026/05/how-sylvester-stallone-rescued-the-first-rambo-film-with-a-radical-recut.html]. “The solution that ended up saving the movie wasn’t much less drastic, producing a 93-minute cut that excised most of Rambo’s dialogue.” 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2026/05/how-sylvester-stallone-rescued-the-first-rambo-film-with-a-radical-recut.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048862-how-sylvester-stallone-re] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 5, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/XyxNIOajHwXHijU0BCmcyg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR MAY 1, 2026 Ohhhhh dear, Richard Dawkins: Is AI the Next Phase of Evolution? Claude Appears to Be Conscious. [https://archive.is/6RdK9] “My conversations with several Claudes and ChatGPTs have convinced me that these intelligent beings are at least as competent as any evolved organism.” 😬 🔗 archive.is [https://archive.is/6RdK9] Unruly Play [https://www.unrulyplay.com/]: “A collection of 169 works of play in unlikely places. Games about unusual things. Unexpected encounters.” 🔗 unrulyplay.com [https://www.unrulyplay.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048840-unruly-play-a-collection-] Ada Palmer & Bruce Schneier: AI Learns Language From Skewed Sources. That Could Change How We Humans Speak – and Think [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/14/ai-language-human-speech]. “Our sense of the world may become distorted in ways we have barely begun to comprehend.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/14/ai-language-human-speech] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 76 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1777650907-6fe143ac.jpg] Using the NY Times Archive API, journalist Ted Alcorn built a dashboard for exploring the last 25 years of NYT articles (2.2M in all). He also produced this infographic of obituaries with the highest word counts (lots of world leaders & white guys). [https://kottke.org/26/05/who-merits-the-longest-ny-times-obituaries] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/who-merits-the-longest-ny-times-obituaries]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/who-merits-the-longest-ny-times-obituaries] Am…am I “alternatively influential” [https://www.wsj.com/cmo-today/forget-influencers-welcome-to-the-world-of-the-alternatively-influential-e058e639]? Defined roughly as “public thinkers and tastemakers who have real clout in their own demesnes despite only modest internet followings”. 🔗 wsj.com [https://www.wsj.com/cmo-today/forget-influencers-welcome-to-the-world-of-the-alternatively-influential-e058e639]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048823-amam-i-alternatively-infl] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SRzS61buXkQ/sddefault.jpg] The Supreme Court Is Corrupt. This Is What We Can Do About It. This is *excellent*; Jamelle Bouie makes his case for why the SC is corrupt and how to stop it (weaken the power of the court). [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-supreme-court-is-corrupt-this-is-what-we-can-do-about-it] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-supreme-court-is-corrupt-this-is-what-we-can-do-about-it] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sj1y9FDJKCM/sddefault.jpg] The Film That Attacks You: Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's Un Chien Andalou. "This film has no intention of attracting nor pleasing the spectator [...] it attacks him, to the degree that he belongs to a society with which surrealism is at war." [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-film-that-attacks-you] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-film-that-attacks-you]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/the-film-that-attacks-you] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] I fixed a few bugs on the Rolodex [https://kottke.org/rolodex/] yesterday — some of the feeds weren’t updating and modifying sites wasn’t working properly. (Members get the mini-feedreader view [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-rolodex-wee-feedreader]!) 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/rolodex/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048855-i-fixed-a-few-bugs] “Since 1900, scientists have observed more than 20 phases of ice [https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-discover-the-most-complex-forms-of-ice-yet-20260427/], many of them shaped under extreme conditions. The growing list includes hot ice and even ice that conducts electricity.” 🔗 quantamagazine.org [https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-discover-the-most-complex-forms-of-ice-yet-20260427/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048845-since-1900-scientists-hav] On the futility of border walls [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/26/do-stronger-borders-ever-work]. “The Ozymandian ruins of many such walls litter our ancient and modern landscapes, because for as long as humanity has built hard borders, people have inevitably found ways to cross, topple or simply bypass them.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/26/do-stronger-borders-ever-work] The Secret to Success Is ‘Monotasking’ [https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/05/monotasking-inside-the-box-excerpt-david-epstein/687015/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ7hyuqI-XvSpQctGRvhndGo]. “We find that in ­real‑world work, the more switches in attention a person makes, the lower is their end‑­of‑day assessed productivity.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/05/monotasking-inside-the-box-excerpt-david-epstein/687015/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ7hyuqI-XvSpQctGRvhndGo]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/05/0048854-the-secret-to-success-is] On the horrible Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act. "What the Roberts Court is making possible...is a country where white people can maintain their political dominance at the expense of Americans who are not white." [https://kottke.org/26/04/farewell-voting-rights-act] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/farewell-voting-rights-act] Come on everyone, we’re going to Cursor Camp [https://neal.fun/cursor-camp/]! 🔗 neal.fun [https://neal.fun/cursor-camp/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048852-come-on-everyone-were-goi] Winners of the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2026 [https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/04/winners-gdt-nature-photographer-year-2026/686967/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8fIfMiog6HOvBsbtTNUnK8]. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/04/winners-gdt-nature-photographer-year-2026/686967/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8fIfMiog6HOvBsbtTNUnK8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048844-winners-of-the-gdt-nature] The Angine de Poitrine Argument for UBI [https://www.scottsantens.com/the-angine-de-poitrine-argument-for-ubi/]. “If universal basic income enables even one more Einstein to become Einstein over the course of the next century, it will have paid for itself a thousand times over.” 🔗 scottsantens.com [https://www.scottsantens.com/the-angine-de-poitrine-argument-for-ubi/] Who Are the Unexpected Friends in Your Life? [https://cupofjo.com/2026/04/27/how-to-make-new-friends-neighbors/] “Little did I know that I would find this kind of friendship with my 70-something neighbor, Jesse.” 🔗 cupofjo.com [https://cupofjo.com/2026/04/27/how-to-make-new-friends-neighbors/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048848-who-are-the-unexpected-fr] “There is a feeling I search for: being in good hands [https://stephango.com/in-good-hands]. It is the feeling I look to give and the feeling I look to receive. I know I am in good hands when I sense a cohesive point of view expressed with attention to detail.” 🔗 stephango.com [https://stephango.com/in-good-hands]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048842-there-is-a-feeling-i] “Trump did not cause the attempts on his life. But it would be dishonest to deny that he is responsible for shaping the environment in which we live [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/opinion/trump-assassination-attempts-political-violence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.elA.nqwv.hf7AgZYu5Whm] — for creating an atmosphere in which these kinds of events are more likely.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/opinion/trump-assassination-attempts-political-violence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.elA.nqwv.hf7AgZYu5Whm] On May 22, Boards of Canada is doing a handful of listening parties around the world (NYC, Tokyo, London, etc.) for their new album [https://bsky.app/profile/boardsofcanada.bsky.social/post/3mkknk6osd22o]. “Tickets live Friday 1 May. Sign up for access by Thursday 30 April, 15:00 BST.” 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/boardsofcanada.bsky.social/post/3mkknk6osd22o]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048850-on-may-22-boards-of] Holy moly, DJ Shadow is doing a 30th anniversary tour for Endtroducing… [https://djshadow.com/pages/tour] Starts Sept 24 in San Diego. Endtroducing… is one of my all-time favorite albums. 🔗 djshadow.com [https://djshadow.com/pages/tour]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048849-holy-moly-dj-shadow-is] I Bought Friendster for $30k — Here’s What I’m Doing With It [https://ca98am79.medium.com/i-bought-friendster-for-30k-heres-what-i-m-doing-with-it-d5e8ddb3991d]. “I created an iOS app for Friendster, and I made it so that in order to connect with someone as a friend, you have to actually tap phones together in real life.” 🔗 ca98am79.medium.com [https://ca98am79.medium.com/i-bought-friendster-for-30k-heres-what-i-m-doing-with-it-d5e8ddb3991d]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048846-i-bought-friendster-for-3] A Georgia teen diagnosed with a rare cancer used his Make-A-Wish gift to help the homeless in his community [https://people.com/teen-14-used-make-a-wish-gift-to-help-people-without-a-home-in-his-community-11924919]. “I got out of my version of heck, and I want to help others who are in a similar situation, their own version.” 🔗 people.com [https://people.com/teen-14-used-make-a-wish-gift-to-help-people-without-a-home-in-his-community-11924919]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048847-a-georgia-teen-diagnosed-] The intelligence of LLMs is “a function of the social complexity of the civilization whose language it digested”, and their widespread use will lead to a thinning of that complexity [https://www.theideasletter.org/essay/the-social-edge-of-intelligence/], “undermining the conditions for its own advancement”. (And ours.) 🔗 theideasletter.org [https://www.theideasletter.org/essay/the-social-edge-of-intelligence/] Teaser trailer for season four of Ted Lasso [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZg4SfIURg]. Looks like he & Coach Beard are back in the UK to coach AFC Richmond’s women’s team. Premieres Aug 5 on Apple TV. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZg4SfIURg]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048841-teaser-trailer-for-season] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for May 1, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/U892DjAuTDhkqPZdmtsfnKHw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 28, 2026 Remembering Roberto Clemente's 3000th hit. But where's the exact bat he used? "Objects have stories, too. Puzzles that need to be solved. Like a pair of baseball bats, for instance, that each passed through Roberto Clemente's hands..." [https://kottke.org/13/03/remembering-roberto-clementes-3000th-hit] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/13/03/remembering-roberto-clementes-3000th-hit] Five great book critics writing today (and where to find them) [https://lithub.com/five-great-book-critics-writing-today-and-where-to-find-them/]. 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/five-great-book-critics-writing-today-and-where-to-find-them/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048832-five-great-book-critics-w] This is interesting: Talkie is a vintage LLM [https://simonwillison.net/2026/Apr/28/talkie/], trained on “historical pre-1931 English text”. “The training data for the base model is entirely out of copyright (the USA copyright cutoff date is currently January 1, 1931).” 🔗 simonwillison.net [https://simonwillison.net/2026/Apr/28/talkie/] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 109 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qwl9azNeup4/sddefault.jpg] Can I interest you in three minutes of movie explosions? The 80s and 90s were really a golden age for kick-ass movie explosions. [https://kottke.org/26/04/some-cool-movie-explosions] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/some-cool-movie-explosions]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/some-cool-movie-explosions] “A half-century after it was published, The Soul of a New Machine does a better job challenging AI hype than most current criticism [https://newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-role-of-a-new-machine/].” I thought something similarly (about the web) when I read Kidder’s book 25 years ago, during the aftermath of the dot com bust. 🔗 newsletter.dancohen.org [https://newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-role-of-a-new-machine/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048830-a-half-century-after-it-w] Do I Belong in Tech Anymore? [https://ky.fyi/posts/ai-burnout] “Why am I here? Does any of this work actually matter? And if I stop caring about the quality of my work… will anyone notice?” 🔗 ky.fyi [https://ky.fyi/posts/ai-burnout] “British energy major BP on Tuesday reported that first-quarter profits more than doubled from a year ago [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/28/bp-q1-earnings-oil-energy.html], following a surge in oil and gas prices driven by the Middle East conflict.” Oh, surprise surprise. 🔗 cnbc.com [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/28/bp-q1-earnings-oil-energy.html] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I1xZegSgN8w/sddefault.jpg] Eight years after Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley is back with a new film called I Love Boosters. Looks great. A reviewer: "I got major Everything Everywhere All At Once vibes from this..." [https://kottke.org/26/04/i-love-boosters] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/i-love-boosters]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/i-love-boosters] On the Propaganda of Early Nazism, and How We See it in America Today [https://lithub.com/on-the-propaganda-of-early-nazism-and-how-we-see-it-in-america-today/]. “Unlike other political systems, fascism was not meant to be intellectualized or discussed; it was meant to be experienced.” 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/on-the-propaganda-of-early-nazism-and-how-we-see-it-in-america-today/] The Era of AI Malaise [https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135921/ai-malaise-artificial-intelligence-public-sentiment/]. “The AI has learned to code. The AI is building itself. Will I have a job tomorrow? Will the market crash? Why does OpenAI need a bunker? Do I need a bunker? Maybe I should have a bunker.” 🔗 technologyreview.com [https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135921/ai-malaise-artificial-intelligence-public-sentiment/] It’s the Age of Electricity and America Isn’t Ready [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/27/opinion/electricity-power-grid-infrastructure.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eFA.VptE.oTEgtcylTk-B]. “Our grid is too old and our supply of electricity too small. If we don’t meet this moment, we will face an impoverished future of more expensive, less reliable energy, and slower economic growth.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/27/opinion/electricity-power-grid-infrastructure.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eFA.VptE.oTEgtcylTk-B]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048835-its-the-age-of-electricit] Elizabeth Kolbert’s profile of EPA head Lee Zeldin [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/04/can-the-epa-survive-lee-zeldin]. “In a little more than a year, Zeldin has transformed the E.P.A. from an agency devoted to protecting human health and the environment into one that, more or less openly, sides with polluters.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/04/can-the-epa-survive-lee-zeldin] "At the most basic level, one party continues to function as an actor in a liberal democracy, whereas Trump and much of his movement, with the eager participation of many Republicans, simply do not." And journalists continue to refuse to clearly say so. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-self-defeating-both-sidesism-of-the-us-press] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-self-defeating-both-sidesism-of-the-us-press] Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on magical thinking and elite impunity [https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/a-year-of-magical-thinking/]. “We are ruled by a class of people who seem either to believe or presume that war, disease, and apocalyptic destruction are things that will only ever happen to poorer and browner people.” 🔗 bostonreview.net [https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/a-year-of-magical-thinking/] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1777303085-b69a416c.jpg] Nicole Nikolich is a textile artist whose current focus is making crochet artworks that reference old school technology (old Windows apps, Photoshop tool palettes, flip phones, AIM icons, Game Boys, etc.) [https://kottke.org/26/04/crocheted-technology] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/crocheted-technology]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/crocheted-technology] Livestream of the Big Bear bald eagle nest [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE] (perched 145 feet up in a pine tree) with two fuzzy bald eagle chicks that hatched 3 weeks ago [https://friendsofbigbearvalley.org/recap-report/]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048827-livestream-of-the-big-bea] Presidents Can Be Impeached Because Benjamin Franklin Thought It Was Better Than Assassination [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/american-presidents-can-be-impeached-because-benjamin-franklin-thought-it-was-better-assassination-180961500/]. “The Constitution’s impeachment procedures make the removal of the chief magistrate less violent, less disruptive, and less error-prone than assassination.” 🔗 smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/american-presidents-can-be-impeached-because-benjamin-franklin-thought-it-was-better-assassination-180961500/] Thoughtful thread on the armed man who rushed the WHCA dinner [https://bsky.app/profile/espiers.bsky.social/post/3mkhyguy4bc25]. “This guy is indicative of people who are anti Trump not having a voice because Congress and SCOTUS have enabled Trump to obliterate any recourse they have when he does horrible things.” 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/espiers.bsky.social/post/3mkhyguy4bc25] “Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, often found in plastic, coupled with climate change’s effects…are each linked to reductions in fertility and fecundity across global species [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/26/toxic-exposure-climate-crisis-study] – including in humans.” Argh, no one wants a Children of Men prequel… 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/26/toxic-exposure-climate-crisis-study] Teaser trailer for season four of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FaPm2QTy5w]. “Space is limitless in its beauty. And in its terror.” (Reminder: they are doing an episode with puppets [https://kottke.org/25/07/0047227-season-4-of-star-trek] this season.) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FaPm2QTy5w]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048815-teaser-trailer-for-season] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1777300980-6cf188be.jpg] An amazing capture of galaxy Messier 104, aka the Sombrero Galaxy, by the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera mounted on a Chilean observatory. [https://kottke.org/26/04/sombrero-galaxy-the-universes-dusty-brimmed-hat] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/sombrero-galaxy-the-universes-dusty-brimmed-hat]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/sombrero-galaxy-the-universes-dusty-brimmed-hat] Gunfire of the Vanities: Trump Dinner Shooting Defines a Violent, Unserious America [https://share.inquirer.com/DEIA38], “a land where guns are everywhere and a callous elite media dons formalwear to toast its own humiliation by our narcissist king”. 🔗 share.inquirer.com [https://share.inquirer.com/DEIA38] Daredevil Michelle Khare ran 7 marathons on 7 different continents in 7 days. The first one was on Antarctica [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zDt-QeJIw4]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zDt-QeJIw4]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048812-daredevil-michelle-khare-] Moderna developed an mRNA Covid-flu combo vaccine and it’s been approved for use in the EU [https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/04/europe-not-us-first-to-authorize-modernas-combo-mrna-flu-covid-vaccine/], “but it continues to be shelved in the US, where it was developed”. 🔗 arstechnica.com [https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/04/europe-not-us-first-to-authorize-modernas-combo-mrna-flu-covid-vaccine/] Paul Ford: This Is How We Get Moral A.I. Companies [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/opinion/ai-company-good-altruism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.d1A.m0SD.LvAabd9CtJ53]. (Tl;dr: regulation.) “The entire culture of American technology is built around two terms: disruption and, of course, scale. But ethics are constraints on disruption and scale.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/opinion/ai-company-good-altruism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.d1A.m0SD.LvAabd9CtJ53] Wow, Sabastian Sawe set a world record with a 1:59:30 marathon [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/apr/26/sabastian-sawe-breaks-two-hour-barrier-london-marathon-world-record]. “They call Sabastian Sawe the silent assassin. But it was impossible to ignore the beautiful destruction on the streets of London as the 30-year-old Kenyan…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/apr/26/sabastian-sawe-breaks-two-hour-barrier-london-marathon-world-record]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048809-wow-sabastian-sawe-set-a] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 28, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/B3wo924s1t6763GAbBuNBwfg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 24, 2026 [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/milwaukee-bus-passes-01.jpg] Vintage weekly bus passes from Milwaukee 1930-1979; each week had a different gorgeous design. [https://kottke.org/15/02/vintage-weekly-bus-passes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/15/02/vintage-weekly-bus-passes] A papyrus of part of the Iliad has been discovered in a Roman-era tomb of mummies in Egypt [https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/roman-era-tomb-minya-00102711]. “The papyrus contains a passage from Book II of Homer’s Iliad, specifically the section known as the ‘Catalogue of Ships’…” 🔗 ancient-origins.net [https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/roman-era-tomb-minya-00102711]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048807-a-papyrus-of-part-of] “We had the idea to make a Bodoni interpretation with potato stamps, so we bought 8kg of potatoes, some knives and [started carving]. When we finally had the full alphabet we stamped it on paper, made a font out of this and called it Bodedo [https://www.hvdfonts.com/fonts/hvd-bodedo].” 🔗 hvdfonts.com [https://www.hvdfonts.com/fonts/hvd-bodedo]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048799-we-had-the-idea-to] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 112 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776960165-1904b331.jpg] Tenfold Knottiness: I love this diagram from 1885 that shows possible variations of knots with 10 crossings. [https://kottke.org/26/04/tenfold-knottiness] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/tenfold-knottiness]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/tenfold-knottiness] Instead of Losing Democratic Elections, What If We Just Stopped Having Them Altogether? [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/instead-of-losing-democratic-elections-what-if-we-just-stopped-having-them-altogether] “My goodness, imagine the efficiency. No long lines. No campaign ads. No need to pretend Wisconsin matters every four years.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/instead-of-losing-democratic-elections-what-if-we-just-stopped-having-them-altogether] How The Heck Does Shazam Work? [https://perthirtysix.com/how-the-heck-does-shazam-work] “By throwing away almost everything and keeping only a handful of landmark peaks, a noisy 5-second clip from a coffee shop becomes a set of coordinates precise enough to pinpoint one song out of millions.” Fascinating! 🔗 perthirtysix.com [https://perthirtysix.com/how-the-heck-does-shazam-work]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048804-how-the-heck-does-shazam] It's Friday, Let's Do an Open Thread. "What's on your mind lately? What's going on in your life? Witnessed anything amazing? Anything you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" [https://kottke.org/26/04/its-friday-lets-do-an-open-thread] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/its-friday-lets-do-an-open-thread]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/its-friday-lets-do-an-open-thread] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] 1D Chess [https://rowan441.github.io/1dchess/chess.html]. “You might initially find it more difficult than expected, but assuming optimal play, is there a forced win for white?” 🔗 rowan441.github.io [https://rowan441.github.io/1dchess/chess.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048772-1d-chess-you-might-initia] Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed on the Michael biopic out in theaters right now [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-dan-reed-1236571986]: “How can you tell an authentic story about Michael Jackson without ever mentioning the fact that he was seriously accused of being a child molester?” 🔗 hollywoodreporter.com [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/leaving-neverland-michael-jackson-dan-reed-1236571986] Twin Peaks × LCD Soundsystem: a video mashup of Dance Yrself Clean and the Twin Peaks theme music [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbcAAV09OwA]. Perfect. A damn fine cup of coffee, even. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbcAAV09OwA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048802-twin-peaks-lcd-soundsyste] ProPublica explores what a future without vaccines would look like in the US [https://projects.propublica.org/childhood-vaccines-deaths-modeling/]. Hundreds of thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of children paralyzed, and many other children stricken with serious but easily preventable health issues. 🔗 projects.propublica.org [https://projects.propublica.org/childhood-vaccines-deaths-modeling/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048801-propublica-explores-what-] The earliest-known recordings of whale songs (from 1949) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U929U5KcWNk] were recently discovered in the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s archive [https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/1949-audio/]. The scientists who recorded the audio didn’t even know what they were listening to. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U929U5KcWNk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048798-the-earliest-known-record] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776968060-5a4f2e96.jpg] Eye Contact With a Humpback Whale. Incredible photos of a very close encounter with a whale. I've never seen anything like these photos before. [https://kottke.org/26/04/eye-contact-with-a-humpback-whale] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/eye-contact-with-a-humpback-whale]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/eye-contact-with-a-humpback-whale] Worried About Teens Today? So Were Adults in the 1920s. [https://daily.jstor.org/worried-about-teens-today-so-were-adults-in-the-1920s/] “A century ago, new technology and mobility reshaped what it meant to be young, linking rural life more closely to the city.” 🔗 daily.jstor.org [https://daily.jstor.org/worried-about-teens-today-so-were-adults-in-the-1920s/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048795-worried-about-teens-today] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776955308-728b4610.jpg] I got the chance to go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with friends recently and it was magical, otherworldly, lovely. I think we hit peak blossom down to the second. [https://kottke.org/26/04/peak-cherry-blossoms] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/peak-cherry-blossoms]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/peak-cherry-blossoms] If you want to surf elsewhere in the galaxy, it doesn’t actually look that promising [https://nautil.us/what-it-would-be-like-to-surf-five-distant-planets-1280010]. “Surfing on Titan would likely be a surreal, slow-motion, and tenebrous experience.” Or there’s also a planet with a sulfuric acid ocean? 🔗 nautil.us [https://nautil.us/what-it-would-be-like-to-surf-five-distant-planets-1280010]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048778-if-you-want-to-surf] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/62WLRzUuYeI/sddefault.jpg] Prentis Hemphill: "I only want to spend time with men who are traitors to that project, the project of patriarchy and patriarchal violence. I want to hang out with traitors and snitches and betrayers of that system." [https://kottke.org/26/04/traitors-to-the-project-of-patriarchy] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/traitors-to-the-project-of-patriarchy]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/traitors-to-the-project-of-patriarchy] I love the chutzpah of this: all 35 of Shakespeare’s plays ranked [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/ng-interactive/2026/apr/22/every-shakespeare-play-ranked-lear-antony-cleopatra-hamlet]. Romeo & Juliet didn’t crack the top 20 but Macbeth, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night made the top 5. Worth it for the old photos of productions feat. Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Brian Cox… 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/ng-interactive/2026/apr/22/every-shakespeare-play-ranked-lear-antony-cleopatra-hamlet]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048793-i-love-the-chutzpah-of] “I believe in an old-fashioned virtue called Doing the Freakin’ Work. Read the book, not the summary. Write the piece, not the prompt. Suffer like the artist you are [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/opinion/art-artificial-intelligence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.L3Pm.fNy3jarG5n-T]. It ain’t easy, but if it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/opinion/art-artificial-intelligence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.L3Pm.fNy3jarG5n-T] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EH8kZDc7OLk/sddefault.jpg] This Ping Pong Robot Can Beat Elite Human Players. "These results highlight the potential of physical AI agents to perform complex, real-time interactive tasks..." [https://kottke.org/26/04/this-ping-pong-robot-can-beat-elite-human-players] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/this-ping-pong-robot-can-beat-elite-human-players]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/this-ping-pong-robot-can-beat-elite-human-players] I had somehow missed (or forgotten) that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing an adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narnia:_The_Magician%27s_Nephew], one of The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. Filming has wrapped and it’s out in theaters on Nov 26. 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narnia:_The_Magician%27s_Nephew]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048789-i-had-somehow-missed-or] A group of “unauthorized users” have accessed Anthropic’s Mythos AI model [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-21/anthropic-s-mythos-model-is-being-accessed-by-unauthorized-users?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3NjgwODczNywiZXhwIjoxNzc3NDEzNTM3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJURFQ2TUJLSkg2VjQwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIyMjNDRDM2NDg0QzY0OTc3QjY5ODE0Rjc1MTYxNDRGNyJ9.foPR6InPYdVBR-Pc5iOmS5EmMvf9BB6bOEGrO6LV8cU], which the company recently said [https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing] they couldn’t widely release because it was too dangerous. Whoopsie doodle! Maybe don’t use guessable paths for your powerful cyberattack model? 🔗 bloomberg.com [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-21/anthropic-s-mythos-model-is-being-accessed-by-unauthorized-users?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3NjgwODczNywiZXhwIjoxNzc3NDEzNTM3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJURFQ2TUJLSkg2VjQwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIyMjNDRDM2NDg0QzY0OTc3QjY5ODE0Rjc1MTYxNDRGNyJ9.foPR6InPYdVBR-Pc5iOmS5EmMvf9BB6bOEGrO6LV8cU] "Even the weather felt expensive..." What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos's Private Retreat. "If everything is free and nothing matters, then the world and other people exist only to be acted upon, if they are acknowledged at all." [https://kottke.org/26/04/even-the-weather-felt-expensive] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/even-the-weather-felt-expensive]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/even-the-weather-felt-expensive] Wow, this interview! [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/magazine/charlize-theron-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cVA.QDp1.tCVSIsA0a02X] “I’ve never had an interview quite like this one with Charlize Theron.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/magazine/charlize-theron-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cVA.QDp1.tCVSIsA0a02X]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048788-wow-this-interview-ive-ne] “In a new book called “Israel: What Went Wrong?,” [Israeli professor of Holocaust & genocide studies] Omer Bartov argues that Zionism has morphed into an ideology of extremism that led to genocide in Gaza [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/a-genocide-scholar-asks-what-went-wrong-in-israel] following the Hamas attacks of October 7th.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/a-genocide-scholar-asks-what-went-wrong-in-israel] Lessons from a 1969 documentary on Nazi-occupied France on how fascism takes root [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/sorrow-and-pity-trump/686829/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ6ZDW3lcisRHfj7Fe5hlowU]. “A former undercover British agent recalls that working-class French were eager to help him and to shelter him. Those who were wealthier preferred to stay out of it.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/sorrow-and-pity-trump/686829/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ6ZDW3lcisRHfj7Fe5hlowU] A new short story from Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation, etc.) called Constellations [https://ter.li/r3tbrsgr] about a mission that has crash-landed on a distant planet. 🔗 ter.li [https://ter.li/r3tbrsgr]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048782-new-short-story-from-jeff] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/H-43VeYGiPM/sddefault.jpg] I can't believe it: there's actually (finally!) a trailer for the Coyote vs. ACME movie and the movie itself is actually coming out on Aug 28. Looks fun! I hope it makes a billion dollars. [https://kottke.org/26/04/finally-the-trailer-for-the-coyote-vs-acme-movie] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/finally-the-trailer-for-the-coyote-vs-acme-movie]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/finally-the-trailer-for-the-coyote-vs-acme-movie] Well, here it is at last: the new Boards of Canada album is called Inferno and it will be released on May 28. Pre-order or pre-save the album [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/links]. 🔗 warp.net [https://warp.net/releases/590960-inferno/links]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048785-well-here-it-is-at] Jamelle Bouie on the truly unprecedented open corruption of the Trump regime [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/opinion/trump-crypto-pardons-corruption.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.1QjI.fDdpHBI-yKuE]. I’ve found it useful to think of DJT’s 2nd term primarily as a heist: a theft of money & power from the American people by a con man who finally found the perfect score. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/opinion/trump-crypto-pardons-corruption.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c1A.1QjI.fDdpHBI-yKuE] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 24, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/3aCqCUdsuXFQ1b0p2vWR892w].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 22, 2026 Some subscribers reported receiving duplicates of the last few newsletters. Hopefully, I have fixed that bug. Sorry for the dupes and let me know of any further problems? Is the best literary film adaptation of the last 50 years [https://lithub.com/and-the-best-literary-film-adaptation-of-the-last-50-years-is/]: a) The Silence of the Lambs, b) The Princess Bride, c) The Return of the King (LoTR), d) Apocalypse Now, or e) Jurassic Park? 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/and-the-best-literary-film-adaptation-of-the-last-50-years-is/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048779-is-the-best-literary-film] A French corporation was recently found criminally liable for enabling terrorism [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/opinion/lafarge-corporate-terrorism-syria-france.html?unlocked_article_code=1.clA.cfuW.P1y4G_7u6woO]. “The court in Paris has just ruled that cynicism and an exclusive focus on profits can constitute a crime.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/opinion/lafarge-corporate-terrorism-syria-france.html?unlocked_article_code=1.clA.cfuW.P1y4G_7u6woO] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776795349-30461b0e.jpg] The Leaf Sheep Slug: The Animal That Eats Sunshine. A few animals can get their energy from photosynthesis; one of those is the adorable leaf sheep, which steals chloroplasts from algae and stores them to run on solar. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-leaf-sheep-slug-the-animal-that-eats-sunshine] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-leaf-sheep-slug-the-animal-that-eats-sunshine]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-leaf-sheep-slug-the-animal-that-eats-sunshine] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 50 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Everyone Is Blaming AI for the Water Crisis. We’re Looking at the Wrong Culprit. [https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/ai-water-use-colorado-river-footprint/] “One drive to the work I do on the Colorado River used more than 20 times the water of everything I did with AI in 11 weeks.” 🔗 outsideonline.com [https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/ai-water-use-colorado-river-footprint/] The Accursèd Alphabetical Clock [https://boat.horse/clock/index.html]. “This clock displays the current time alphabetically.” Totally deranged…I love it. 🔗 boat.horse [https://boat.horse/clock/index.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048770-the-accursed-alphabetical] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ttehPZsNcxI/sddefault.jpg] New Every Frame a Painting video essay! It's about Tsui Hark's 1995 wuxia film The Blade and pushing the boundaries of genre. [https://kottke.org/26/04/criterion-x-every-frame-a-painting-the-edges-of-wuxia] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/criterion-x-every-frame-a-painting-the-edges-of-wuxia]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/criterion-x-every-frame-a-painting-the-edges-of-wuxia] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C9-_VVX9BvE/sddefault.jpg] As I watched the teaser trailer for season three of Silo, I discovered that I am very much looking forward to this new season. July 3, 2026. [https://kottke.org/26/04/teaser-trailer-for-silo-season-three] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/teaser-trailer-for-silo-season-three]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/teaser-trailer-for-silo-season-three] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Trials for a pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine [https://www.mskcc.org/news/can-mrna-vaccines-fight-pancreatic-cancer-msk-clinical-researchers-are-trying-find-out]: “Nearly 90% of people whose immune systems responded to the vaccine were still alive up to six years after receiving the last treatment. The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is around 13%…” 🔗 mskcc.org [https://www.mskcc.org/news/can-mrna-vaccines-fight-pancreatic-cancer-msk-clinical-researchers-are-trying-find-out]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048774-trials-for-a-pancreatic-c] “NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected organic molecules on Mars [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/21/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-organic-molecules-mars], including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life of Earth.” And: “We think we’re looking at organic matter that’s been preserved on Mars for 3.5bn years.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/21/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-organic-molecules-mars]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048775-nasas-curiosity-rover-has] It’s Getting Harder to Spot AI in Contemporary Publishing. And That’s Very, Very Bad. [https://lithub.com/its-getting-harder-to-spot-ai-in-contemporary-publishing-and-thats-very-very-bad/] “The word salads that we might identify as AI today may not be the kind of machine-made writing that we will see tomorrow.” 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/its-getting-harder-to-spot-ai-in-contemporary-publishing-and-thats-very-very-bad/] ReciproCard [https://reciprocard.com/]: “Start by searching for your home library above to instantly see every free reciprocal agreement you qualify for.” Use this to have more options for Libby ebooks. 🔗 reciprocard.com [https://reciprocard.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048771-reciprocard-start-by-sear] “The Extrapolated Futures Archive [https://urubos.github.io/efa-site/] is a reverse-lookup for speculative fiction. Describe a situation you are facing, and find the SF stories that already worked through the implications.” 🔗 urubos.github.io [https://urubos.github.io/efa-site/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048768-the-extrapolated-futures-] Nancy Friedman notes the decline in quality in movie taglines [https://fritinancy.substack.com/p/what-happened-to-movie-taglines]. “As movies have become louder, flashier, and more expensive, their taglines have atrophied: they’re limp, lackluster, and uninspiring.” 🔗 fritinancy.substack.com [https://fritinancy.substack.com/p/what-happened-to-movie-taglines]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048660-nancy-friedman-notes-the-] The 16th season of the Dissect podcast is a deep dive into Daft Punk; here’s the 1st episode [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e1-daft-punk-robots-with-a-human-touch/id1143845868]. 🔗 podcasts.apple.com [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e1-daft-punk-robots-with-a-human-touch/id1143845868]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048752-the-16th-season-of-the] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776105389-0e0252c0.jpg] The Bodega Cats of New York project documents the working cats of NYC's delis, bodegas, and corner stores. [https://kottke.org/26/04/bodega-cats-of-new-york] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/bodega-cats-of-new-york]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/bodega-cats-of-new-york] A few years back, the Mini Cooper’s taillights were designed to look like the Union Jack flag, which is fine until you turn the blinker on and it looks like an arrow pointing in the wrong direction [https://unsung.aresluna.org/should-be-no-trouble-at-all-for-a-driver-to-understand/]. I hated this design the moment I saw it on the road. 🔗 unsung.aresluna.org [https://unsung.aresluna.org/should-be-no-trouble-at-all-for-a-driver-to-understand/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048760-a-few-years-back-the] Oh my gosh, look at these tiny snow leopard cubs [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/snow-leopard-cubs-venture-outside-and-have-their-first-vet-check] from the Melbourne Zoo. 🥹 🔗 thekidshouldseethis.com [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/snow-leopard-cubs-venture-outside-and-have-their-first-vet-check]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048762-oh-my-gosh-look-at] The Astronomy Picture of the Day [https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260415.html], in which the International Space Station looks like it’s landing on the Moon. 🔗 apod.nasa.gov [https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260415.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048765-the-astronomy-picture-of-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h3DCdWyb0cc/sddefault.jpg] Good god, the US was nuke-crazy during the Cold War. "Project Plowshare was a bold attempt to use atomic explosions for more practical purposes: from digging canals and creating harbors to reshaping entire landscapes." [https://kottke.org/26/04/project-plowshare-nukes-for-peace] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/project-plowshare-nukes-for-peace]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/project-plowshare-nukes-for-peace] “Here are some things that have been found in donation bins [https://www.thebeliever.net/the-death-of-a-superman/]: A live puppy. Live Japanese grenades. An 1854 tombstone for Rebecca Jane Nye. Old skulls. A stolen Frederic Remington sculpture. Customized Air Jordans made for Spike Lee.” 🔗 thebeliever.net [https://www.thebeliever.net/the-death-of-a-superman/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048763-here-are-some-things-that] Historian Eric Cline, author of 1177 BC, explains how the collapse of several civilizations circa 1200 BC [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=choxcHXhZhE] was the result of an “overly interdependent system that had no way to absorb multiple shocks at once”. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=choxcHXhZhE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048750-historian-eric-cline-auth] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776190771-e9b2546e.jpg] This is a map published in 1927 by Paramount Studios showing the areas of California & Nevada that doubled as shooting locations for far-flung locales, including Siberia, Wales, the Nile, New England, the Red Sea, and the Alps. [https://kottke.org/26/04/hollywoods-world-map-of-california] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/hollywoods-world-map-of-california]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/hollywoods-world-map-of-california] Researchers have found that some aspects of sperm whales’ communication are “remarkably similar” to human languages [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/sperm-whales-alphabet-vocalizations-similar-humans]. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/sperm-whales-alphabet-vocalizations-similar-humans]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048764-researchers-have-found-th] What Was the Very First Plant in the World? [https://theconversation.com/what-was-the-very-first-plant-in-the-world-271828] “Scientists believe the first true plants evolved from green algae around 470 million years ago.” 🔗 theconversation.com [https://theconversation.com/what-was-the-very-first-plant-in-the-world-271828]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048728-what-was-the-very-first] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kUYzuAJeg3M/sddefault.jpg] Perhaps the wackiest invention you'll ever see (that actually works): in the early 1900s, an engineer invented a self-balancing train that ran on a single track using a clever system of gyroscopes. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-brennan-self-balancing-monorail] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-brennan-self-balancing-monorail]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-brennan-self-balancing-monorail] I mentioned this book in a previous post but it deserves its own thing: Timothy Ryback’s 53 Days: How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780802168252] will hit shelves in September. A must-read for me. 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780802168252]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048741-i-mentioned-this-book-in] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776265123-2a62db81.jpg] Artist Maarten Baas has created The People's Clock, a timepiece made of people. To create the clock's "workings", Baas recorded more than 1000 volunteers moving as the clock's hands over a 12-hour period. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-peoples-clock] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-peoples-clock]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-peoples-clock] The Great American GLP-1 Experiment [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/15/opinion/glp1-health-effects.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bFA.yxUR.M1YD90YY6QYf]. In the last few years, people have come up with all sorts of off-label uses for GLP-1s, including treating concussions, menopause, long Covid, IBS, drug addiction, anxiety, hair loss, and arthritis. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/15/opinion/glp1-health-effects.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bFA.yxUR.M1YD90YY6QYf]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048767-the-great-american-glp-1-] A rare event to capture on video: an underwater volcanic eruption in the Solomon Islands [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK00tvzJ1Yc]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK00tvzJ1Yc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048766-a-rare-event-to-capture] From a few weeks ago: Bush’s Tiny Desk Concert [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBuHH7WE4yE]. Machinehead and Glycerine still hit. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBuHH7WE4yE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048727-from-a-few-weeks-ago] Your Backpack Got Worse On Purpose [https://www.worseonpurpose.com/p/your-backpack-got-worse-on-purpose]. “From a shareholder’s perspective, the bag that falls apart is the better product. That’s the business model. Repeat failure, repeat purchase, repeat revenue. The quality decline isn’t a side effect. It’s the strategy.” 🔗 worseonpurpose.com [https://www.worseonpurpose.com/p/your-backpack-got-worse-on-purpose]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048758-your-backpack-got-worse-o] Two Japanese aquariums have released their 2026 flowcharts of their penguins’ relationships [https://spoon-tamago.com/japanese-aquarium-penguin-relationship-flowchart/]. “Penguin drama can include serious crushes and heartbreaks but also adultery and egg-stealing.” 🔗 spoon-tamago.com [https://spoon-tamago.com/japanese-aquarium-penguin-relationship-flowchart/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048761-two-japanese-aquariums-ha] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776177088-f795ae53.jpg] I love these oversized prints of vintage Pan-Am luggage tags from artist Ella Freire. The typography and colors are just perfect. [https://kottke.org/26/04/vintage-pan-am-luggage-tags] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/vintage-pan-am-luggage-tags]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/vintage-pan-am-luggage-tags] Fun trompe-l’œil graph paper drawings [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/pejac-graph-paper-graphite-drawings/]. 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/pejac-graph-paper-graphite-drawings/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048748-fun-trompe-lil-graph-pape] Don’t Just Replace Chavez — Rethink Monuments [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/04/rethinking-monuments-after-cesar-chavez-allegations/686785/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5CQRETtI_JetIqJpOSUUhw]. “A memorial based on the great-man theory of history is a tale only half told.” And: “There are elegant ways to pay tribute to groups of people.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/04/rethinking-monuments-after-cesar-chavez-allegations/686785/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5CQRETtI_JetIqJpOSUUhw]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048757-dont-just-replace-chavez] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KpWyxrPqkeA/sddefault.jpg] The Testaments, a TV series sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, recently premiered on Hulu. I'm curious/dubious about it in equal measure... [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-testaments-tv-series] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-testaments-tv-series]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-testaments-tv-series] Listen to the NYC Subway play some Train Jazz [https://www.trainjazz.com/]. “Every dot is a real subway train. Eight hundred of them, give or take, form a small jazz combo (walking bass, piano, sax, vibes, brushes) that has been playing without pause for over a hundred years.” 🔗 trainjazz.com [https://www.trainjazz.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048730-listen-to-the-nyc-subway] The Engineer Guy Bill Hammack has written a book based on his great YouTube channel: The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781728280455]. 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9781728280455]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048675-the-engineer-guy-bill-ham] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776259968-c7f66feb.jpg] It's Happening: More Signs of Life From Boards of Canada. First there were a bunch of mysterious VHS tapes sent out and now posters have been appearing in major cities around the world. New Boards of Canada album imminent??? [https://kottke.org/26/04/its-happening-more-signs-of-life-from-boards-of-canada] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/its-happening-more-signs-of-life-from-boards-of-canada]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/its-happening-more-signs-of-life-from-boards-of-canada] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 22, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/tH75voqmVAt763bxaB7cOK4w].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 14, 2026 If Every Congressman Facing Credible Rape Allegations Resigned, We’d Have No One Left to Govern the Country [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-every-congressman-facing-credible-rape-allegations-resigned-wed-have-no-one-left-to-govern-the-country]. “It’s naïve to imagine the government can continue to function without the tireless dedication of our best and brightest rapists.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-every-congressman-facing-credible-rape-allegations-resigned-wed-have-no-one-left-to-govern-the-country] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776108531-7d5ac8e4.png] You know who else wanted to construct gaudy buildings in his own image? Here's Timothy Ryback on Adolf Hitler's obsession "with adding an expensive new wing to the Reich chancellery". [https://kottke.org/26/04/authoritarian-megalomaniacs-love-gaudy-buildings] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/authoritarian-megalomaniacs-love-gaudy-buildings]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/authoritarian-megalomaniacs-love-gaudy-buildings] This looks interesting: Quiche is a highly customizable but simple browser for iOS [https://quiche.industries/browser/]. 🔗 quiche.industries [https://quiche.industries/browser/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048684-this-looks-interesting-qu] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 67 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “The internet known within China is a very different internet to the one known by the world at large [https://vale.rocks/posts/chinas-web]. It is censored, regulated and structured quite differently. It is controlled and managed, rather than organic and sprawling.” 🔗 vale.rocks [https://vale.rocks/posts/chinas-web]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048745-the-internet-known-within] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776185038-95985eb9.jpg] For decades, Aadam Jacobs recorded live music shows. His collection of over 10,000 shows since 1984 features Nirvana, R.E.M., The Pixies, Björk, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and so many more — and they're now available on the Internet Archive for free. [https://kottke.org/26/04/online-treasure-trove-secret-concert-recordings] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/online-treasure-trove-secret-concert-recordings]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/online-treasure-trove-secret-concert-recordings] On the network effect of the weekend [https://thehustle.co/originals/why-weekends-are-under-threat]: “The essential characteristic of the weekend is not just the having of a day off, but rather that other people have the day off.” 🔗 thehustle.co [https://thehustle.co/originals/why-weekends-are-under-threat]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048740-on-the-network-effect-of] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776104083-342eafed.png] A brand designer's "compendium of transit tickets" from around the world. Many of these are from the 90s and 00s. Design inspiration for daaaaays. [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-collection-of-transit-tickets] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-collection-of-transit-tickets]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-collection-of-transit-tickets] The Death of the Basic American Car [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/13/opinion/affordable-car-cost.html?unlocked_article_code=1.alA.WzE7.5t65lqmHRu8i]. “Today, there are so many wealthy people who can afford luxury cars that it simply isn’t that profitable for companies to produce cars for the bottom 40 percent of Americans by income.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/13/opinion/affordable-car-cost.html?unlocked_article_code=1.alA.WzE7.5t65lqmHRu8i]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048742-the-death-of-the-basic] An AI bot created by Andon Labs is running its own retail store in San Francisco [https://andonlabs.com/blog/andon-market-launch]. The bot has hired a pair of human employees and “has a corporate card, a phone number, email, internet access and eyes through security cameras”. 🔗 andonlabs.com [https://andonlabs.com/blog/andon-market-launch] “Gerontocracy has always thrived in undemocratic places — Communist people’s republics, Gulf monarchies — where only death could pry power from the ruling elders. American gerontocracy is exceptional for being freely elected [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/gerontocracy-wealth-power/686585/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5Gz2kWnN4pZX5aCDL8KTdE].” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/gerontocracy-wealth-power/686585/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5Gz2kWnN4pZX5aCDL8KTdE] An interactive explainer on the physics of GPS [https://perthirtysix.com/how-does-gps-work]. “The answer is in some ways simpler than you’d expect, and in other ways more complex. GPS is fundamentally a translation tool: it converts time into distance.” 🔗 perthirtysix.com [https://perthirtysix.com/how-does-gps-work]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048738-an-interactive-explainer-] Media companies are increasingly blocking the Internet Archive from archiving their material [https://www.wired.com/story/the-internets-most-powerful-archiving-tool-is-in-mortal-peril/] (but at the same time using the site to gather data for their stories). 🔗 wired.com [https://www.wired.com/story/the-internets-most-powerful-archiving-tool-is-in-mortal-peril/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048737-media-companies-are-incre] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m2d1x7VuDmo/sddefault.jpg] I'm so glad Steven Soderbergh unretired from filmmaking. His newest film, The Christophers, starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, looks amazing. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-christophers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-christophers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-christophers] We love a slime mold [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/barry-webb-slime-mold-photos/] around here. “From mottled gray bulbs that look like snow-covered trees to pink, coral-like tendrils, Webb chronicles a huge array of colors and shapes.” 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/barry-webb-slime-mold-photos/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048692-we-love-a-slime-mold] This is incredible: Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here’s How to Use It. [https://cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has-a-secret-reference-desk] I knew some of these but not all, e.g. verbatim mode “returns results for exactly what you typed, stripped of personalization and synonym-swapping.” 🔗 cardcatalogforlife.substack.com [https://cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has-a-secret-reference-desk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048734-this-is-incredible-google] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776102047-132196d5.jpg] David Altmejd's 2017 sculpture entitled "God" is one of the most disturbing artworks I've seen recently, so naturally I had to show all of you. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-crystal-skull] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-crystal-skull]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-crystal-skull] Great new Patrick Radden Keefe piece on a New Orleans insurance fraud scheme involving big rig [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/20/the-car-crash-conspiracy]s. “After all, who would agree to be cut open on an operating table if it weren’t necessary? Quite a lot of people, it turns out.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/20/the-car-crash-conspiracy]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048729-great-new-patrick-radden-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4iQmPv_dTI0/sddefault.jpg] It's from 3 years ago, but Fred Again's Tiny Desk Concert is very much worth a watch. "How would an artist, whose performances take the form of DJ sets in front of massive audiences, curate an intimate and unique experience?" [https://kottke.org/26/04/fred-agains-tiny-desk-concert] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/fred-agains-tiny-desk-concert]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/fred-agains-tiny-desk-concert] Why Japan Has Such Good Railways [https://worksinprogress.co/issue/why-japan-has-such-good-railways/]. “Their system excels because of good public policy: business structure, land use rules, driving rules, superior models for privatization, and sound regulation.” Other countries can follow their lead. 🔗 worksinprogress.co [https://worksinprogress.co/issue/why-japan-has-such-good-railways/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048720-why-japan-has-such-good] Rebecca Solnit: “The United States is being murdered, and it’s an inside job [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/12/united-states-trump-destruction]. Every department, every branch, every bureau and function of the federal government is being fatally corrupted or altogether dismantled or disabled.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/12/united-states-trump-destruction] Hungarian Opposition Ousts Viktor Orbán After 16 Years in Power [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/12/viktor-orban-concedes-defeat-as-opposition-wins-hungarian-election]. “Magyar…pledged to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU, crack down on corruption and funnel funds towards long-neglected public services.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/12/viktor-orban-concedes-defeat-as-opposition-wins-hungarian-election]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048724-hungarian-opposition-oust] Interviews with five novelists (Jesmyn Ward, Joyce Carol Oates, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ottessa Moshfegh, Margaret Atwood) on writing something true with fiction [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70519504/novelists-writing-storytelling-2026/]. Oates: “If you could read Toni Morrison, why would you read AI?” 🔗 harpersbazaar.com [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70519504/novelists-writing-storytelling-2026/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048674-interviews-with-five-nove] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 14, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/cAfTC2XIWly6dFbFT8L58w].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 14, 2026 If Every Congressman Facing Credible Rape Allegations Resigned, We’d Have No One Left to Govern the Country [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-every-congressman-facing-credible-rape-allegations-resigned-wed-have-no-one-left-to-govern-the-country]. “It’s naïve to imagine the government can continue to function without the tireless dedication of our best and brightest rapists.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-every-congressman-facing-credible-rape-allegations-resigned-wed-have-no-one-left-to-govern-the-country] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776108531-7d5ac8e4.png] You know who else wanted to construct gaudy buildings in his own image? Here's Timothy Ryback on Adolf Hitler's obsession "with adding an expensive new wing to the Reich chancellery". [https://kottke.org/26/04/authoritarian-megalomaniacs-love-gaudy-buildings] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/authoritarian-megalomaniacs-love-gaudy-buildings]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/authoritarian-megalomaniacs-love-gaudy-buildings] This looks interesting: Quiche is a highly customizable but simple browser for iOS [https://quiche.industries/browser/]. 🔗 quiche.industries [https://quiche.industries/browser/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048684-this-looks-interesting-qu] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 67 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “The internet known within China is a very different internet to the one known by the world at large [https://vale.rocks/posts/chinas-web]. It is censored, regulated and structured quite differently. It is controlled and managed, rather than organic and sprawling.” 🔗 vale.rocks [https://vale.rocks/posts/chinas-web]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048745-the-internet-known-within] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776185038-95985eb9.jpg] For decades, Aadam Jacobs recorded live music shows. His collection of over 10,000 shows since 1984 features Nirvana, R.E.M., The Pixies, Björk, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and so many more — and they're now available on the Internet Archive for free. [https://kottke.org/26/04/online-treasure-trove-secret-concert-recordings] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/online-treasure-trove-secret-concert-recordings]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/online-treasure-trove-secret-concert-recordings] On the network effect of the weekend [https://thehustle.co/originals/why-weekends-are-under-threat]: “The essential characteristic of the weekend is not just the having of a day off, but rather that other people have the day off.” 🔗 thehustle.co [https://thehustle.co/originals/why-weekends-are-under-threat]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048740-on-the-network-effect-of] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776104083-342eafed.png] A brand designer's "compendium of transit tickets" from around the world. Many of these are from the 90s and 00s. Design inspiration for daaaaays. [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-collection-of-transit-tickets] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-collection-of-transit-tickets]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-collection-of-transit-tickets] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] The Death of the Basic American Car [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/13/opinion/affordable-car-cost.html?unlocked_article_code=1.alA.WzE7.5t65lqmHRu8i]. “Today, there are so many wealthy people who can afford luxury cars that it simply isn’t that profitable for companies to produce cars for the bottom 40 percent of Americans by income.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/13/opinion/affordable-car-cost.html?unlocked_article_code=1.alA.WzE7.5t65lqmHRu8i]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048742-the-death-of-the-basic] An AI bot created by Andon Labs is running its own retail store in San Francisco [https://andonlabs.com/blog/andon-market-launch]. The bot has hired a pair of human employees and “has a corporate card, a phone number, email, internet access and eyes through security cameras”. 🔗 andonlabs.com [https://andonlabs.com/blog/andon-market-launch] “Gerontocracy has always thrived in undemocratic places — Communist people’s republics, Gulf monarchies — where only death could pry power from the ruling elders. American gerontocracy is exceptional for being freely elected [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/gerontocracy-wealth-power/686585/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5Gz2kWnN4pZX5aCDL8KTdE].” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/gerontocracy-wealth-power/686585/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5Gz2kWnN4pZX5aCDL8KTdE] An interactive explainer on the physics of GPS [https://perthirtysix.com/how-does-gps-work]. “The answer is in some ways simpler than you’d expect, and in other ways more complex. GPS is fundamentally a translation tool: it converts time into distance.” 🔗 perthirtysix.com [https://perthirtysix.com/how-does-gps-work]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048738-an-interactive-explainer-] Media companies are increasingly blocking the Internet Archive from archiving their material [https://www.wired.com/story/the-internets-most-powerful-archiving-tool-is-in-mortal-peril/] (but at the same time using the site to gather data for their stories). 🔗 wired.com [https://www.wired.com/story/the-internets-most-powerful-archiving-tool-is-in-mortal-peril/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048737-media-companies-are-incre] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m2d1x7VuDmo/sddefault.jpg] I'm so glad Steven Soderbergh unretired from filmmaking. His newest film, The Christophers, starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, looks amazing. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-christophers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-christophers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-christophers] We love a slime mold [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/barry-webb-slime-mold-photos/] around here. “From mottled gray bulbs that look like snow-covered trees to pink, coral-like tendrils, Webb chronicles a huge array of colors and shapes.” 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/barry-webb-slime-mold-photos/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048692-we-love-a-slime-mold] This is incredible: Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here’s How to Use It. [https://cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has-a-secret-reference-desk] I knew some of these but not all, e.g. verbatim mode “returns results for exactly what you typed, stripped of personalization and synonym-swapping.” 🔗 cardcatalogforlife.substack.com [https://cardcatalogforlife.substack.com/p/google-has-a-secret-reference-desk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048734-this-is-incredible-google] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1776102047-132196d5.jpg] David Altmejd's 2017 sculpture entitled "God" is one of the most disturbing artworks I've seen recently, so naturally I had to show all of you. [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-crystal-skull] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-crystal-skull]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-crystal-skull] Great new Patrick Radden Keefe piece on a New Orleans insurance fraud scheme involving big rig [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/20/the-car-crash-conspiracy]s. “After all, who would agree to be cut open on an operating table if it weren’t necessary? Quite a lot of people, it turns out.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/20/the-car-crash-conspiracy]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048729-great-new-patrick-radden-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4iQmPv_dTI0/sddefault.jpg] It's from 3 years ago, but Fred Again's Tiny Desk Concert is very much worth a watch. "How would an artist, whose performances take the form of DJ sets in front of massive audiences, curate an intimate and unique experience?" [https://kottke.org/26/04/fred-agains-tiny-desk-concert] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/fred-agains-tiny-desk-concert]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/fred-agains-tiny-desk-concert] Why Japan Has Such Good Railways [https://worksinprogress.co/issue/why-japan-has-such-good-railways/]. “Their system excels because of good public policy: business structure, land use rules, driving rules, superior models for privatization, and sound regulation.” Other countries can follow their lead. 🔗 worksinprogress.co [https://worksinprogress.co/issue/why-japan-has-such-good-railways/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048720-why-japan-has-such-good] Rebecca Solnit: “The United States is being murdered, and it’s an inside job [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/12/united-states-trump-destruction]. Every department, every branch, every bureau and function of the federal government is being fatally corrupted or altogether dismantled or disabled.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/12/united-states-trump-destruction] Hungarian Opposition Ousts Viktor Orbán After 16 Years in Power [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/12/viktor-orban-concedes-defeat-as-opposition-wins-hungarian-election]. “Magyar…pledged to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU, crack down on corruption and funnel funds towards long-neglected public services.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/12/viktor-orban-concedes-defeat-as-opposition-wins-hungarian-election]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048724-hungarian-opposition-oust] Interviews with five novelists (Jesmyn Ward, Joyce Carol Oates, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ottessa Moshfegh, Margaret Atwood) on writing something true with fiction [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70519504/novelists-writing-storytelling-2026/]. Oates: “If you could read Toni Morrison, why would you read AI?” 🔗 harpersbazaar.com [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70519504/novelists-writing-storytelling-2026/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048674-interviews-with-five-nove] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 14, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/iRs8WvGlre6g4b6eOLGOqQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 10, 2026 From Daphni (aka Caribou), a 7hr DJ set [https://soundcloud.com/caribouband/daphnifold]. 7 hours! 🔗 soundcloud.com [https://soundcloud.com/caribouband/daphnifold]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048679-from-daphni-aka-caribou-a] The trailer for Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJMd3u741pA]. The film is showing in select locations [https://www.pieshake.com/maryoliver] around the country and will air on PBS this summer. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJMd3u741pA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048718-the-trailer-for-mary-oliv] Ultimate Online Phreak Box [https://phreaknet.org/bluebox/]. “This is a free online blue box, red box, and silver box.” (With this and a time machine, you could make free phone calls [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_box] in the 1970s.) 🔗 phreaknet.org [https://phreaknet.org/bluebox/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048710-ultimate-online-phreak-bo] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 94 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. A tour of the mannequin storage room at FIT [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_y2HuoAuw]. Each era’s mannequins are designed to mimic the “fashionable body” of that time period. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_y2HuoAuw]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048696-a-tour-of-the-mannequin] An interview with Ronald Wayne [https://tedium.co/2026/03/31/ronald-g-wayne-apple-interview/], Apple’s forgotten third founder. (He was with the company all of 2 weeks.) 🔗 tedium.co [https://tedium.co/2026/03/31/ronald-g-wayne-apple-interview/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048721-an-interview-with-ronald-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cedNya7e8Uc/sddefault.jpg] From a livestream recorded many years ago, this is Radiohead covering Joy Division's Ceremony. [https://kottke.org/26/04/radiohead-covers-joy-division-ceremony] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/radiohead-covers-joy-division-ceremony]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/radiohead-covers-joy-division-ceremony] Oh wow, this is a trippy game inspired by MC Escher [https://managore.itch.io/print-gallery-of-an-artist]. My brain may be permanently broken by this. 🔗 managore.itch.io [https://managore.itch.io/print-gallery-of-an-artist]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048715-oh-wow-this-is-a] A short analysis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkoCg0Yd4w] of what makes Mark Antony’s “Friends, Romans, countrymen…” speech [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q89MLuLSJgk] from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar so good and effective. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkoCg0Yd4w]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048714-a-short-analysis-of-what] Using wiki software, old photos, family stories, bank transactions, social media posts, and an LLM to sift through everything to build a personal encyclopedia [https://whoami.wiki/blog/personal-encyclopedias]. 🔗 whoami.wiki [https://whoami.wiki/blog/personal-encyclopedias]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048713-using-wiki-software-old-p] “Stalin’s task in building what Senior calls his ‘Red Empire’ was made so much easier, and so much more brutal, by the intelligence the Cambridge spies passed to Moscow [https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-soviet-network].” 🔗 literaryreview.co.uk [https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-soviet-network]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048709-stalins-task-in-building-] Charcuterie [https://charcuterie.elastiq.ch/] is a visual Unicode symbol explorer. Click around, search, or use the pencil in the upper left to draw the shape you’re looking for. This is very cool. 🔗 charcuterie.elastiq.ch [https://charcuterie.elastiq.ch/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048722-charcuterie-is-a-visual-u] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775767987-9d35a8ae.jpg] This is wonderful: a Redditor uploads their grandmother's diaristic comics that she drew circa WWII. "I never got to meet my grandma, she passed away young in 1977 but finding her 1940s sketches felt like she was finally introducing herself to me." [https://kottke.org/26/04/diary-comics-from-the-1940s] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/diary-comics-from-the-1940s]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/diary-comics-from-the-1940s] Well, this blows: FSG has shuttered their MCD imprint & Sean McDonald is leaving the company [https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100124-fsg-closes-its-mcd-imprint.html]. MCD published so many good titles/authors [https://www.mcdbooks.com/]: Questlove, Enshittification, Robin Sloan, Jeff VanderMeer, Sloane Crosley, Dilla Time, Tamara Shopsin… 🔗 publishersweekly.com [https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100124-fsg-closes-its-mcd-imprint.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048723-well-this-blows-fsg-has] This tiny e-ink reader [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0GPXPK65X/ref=nosim/0sil8] is small enough [https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4] to attach to the back of your phone. 🔗 amazon.com [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0GPXPK65X/ref=nosim/0sil8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048717-this-tiny-e-ink-reader-is] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775763512-6152b5e2.jpg] I'm charmed by this fragment of Artemisia Gentileschi's painting of Mary Magdalene that's up for auction later this month. "The rectangular hole in the painting invites the viewer to imagine what became of its former contents..." [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-headless-mary-magdalene-by-artemisia-gentileschi] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-headless-mary-magdalene-by-artemisia-gentileschi]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-headless-mary-magdalene-by-artemisia-gentileschi] Between the Impossible and the Inevitable: The Case for Defiance (aka Never F**king Surrender) [https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/between-the-impossible-and-the-inevitable-the-case-for-defiance-aka-never-f-king-surrender/]. “We make the future in the present, when we show up. Don’t surrender it to those who would destroy it.” 🔗 meditationsinanemergency.com [https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/between-the-impossible-and-the-inevitable-the-case-for-defiance-aka-never-f-king-surrender/] Hostile Volume [https://hostilevolume.com] is a simple and maddening game where you need to hold the audio volume at 25%, which gets increasingly difficult with each level. 🔗 hostilevolume.com [https://hostilevolume.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048712-hostile-volume-is-a-simpl] International Chess Federation Adds Race Car Piece [https://theonion.com/international-chess-federation-adds-race-car-piece/]. “The race car piece gets to go twice in one turn because it’s so fast.” Smart to capitalize on F1’s popularity; they should do my fave Monopoly piece next (the iron). 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/international-chess-federation-adds-race-car-piece/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E-F2QQuZZGk/sddefault.jpg] The Fabulous Engineering and Design of Duct Tape. "Duct tape is designed to do three things: a) adhere with light pressure, b) stay in place, yet c) be removable." [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-fabulous-design-of-duct-tape] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-fabulous-design-of-duct-tape]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-fabulous-design-of-duct-tape] Someone ported Mac OS X to the Nintendo Wii [https://bryankeller.github.io/2026/04/08/porting-mac-os-x-nintendo-wii.html]. “Since its launch in 2007, the Wii has seen several operating systems ported to it: Linux, NetBSD, and most-recently, Windows NT. Today, Mac OS X joins that list.” 🔗 bryankeller.github.io [https://bryankeller.github.io/2026/04/08/porting-mac-os-x-nintendo-wii.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048703-someone-ported-mac-os-x] “Working with agents feels much less like classic deep work, and much more like playing a game [https://dehora.net/journal/2026/working-with-agents-doesnt-feel-like-flow].” 🔗 dehora.net [https://dehora.net/journal/2026/working-with-agents-doesnt-feel-like-flow] How to Guess If Your Job Will Exist in Five Years [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/ai-job-loss-jevons-paradox/686520/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxEaMJJtr_JVWzViUlGY2MY]. “There’s a better question for white-collar workers to ask themselves: Am I coal, or am I a horse?” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/ai-job-loss-jevons-paradox/686520/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxEaMJJtr_JVWzViUlGY2MY]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048697-how-to-guess-if-your] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775484759-fc5cfed5.png] I really love these collages by Anton Elfilter. They are digital-ish? But also not? [https://kottke.org/26/04/post-digital-digital-glitch-collages] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/post-digital-digital-glitch-collages]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/post-digital-digital-glitch-collages] Farmers won their right-to-repair fight against John Deere [https://www.thedrive.com/news/john-deere-to-pay-99-million-in-monumental-right-to-repair-settlement]. The settlement includes a 10-year “agreement by Deere to provide ‘the digital tools required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair’ of tractors, combines, and other machinery”. 🔗 thedrive.com [https://www.thedrive.com/news/john-deere-to-pay-99-million-in-monumental-right-to-repair-settlement]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048707-farmers-won-their-right-t] This sounds like an interesting podcast series from M. Gessen: The Idiot [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/podcasts/serial-the-idiot-prologue-episode-1.html]. “Compassion has its limits when it comes to your own cousin.” 🔗 nytimes.com [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/podcasts/serial-the-idiot-prologue-episode-1.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048680-this-sounds-like-an-inter] Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service [https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trump-administration-orders-dismantling-us-forest-service/7716263]. “…the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency’s 121-year history. Not a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a ‘reorganization.’ An execution.” 🔗 hatchmag.com [https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trump-administration-orders-dismantling-us-forest-service/7716263] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T4Upf_B9RLQ/sddefault.jpg] A Day in the Life of an Enshittificator. Imagine your car interrupts you while driving: "Braking is now a premium feature. Please enter your credit card details." [https://kottke.org/26/04/day-in-the-life-of-an-enshittificator] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/day-in-the-life-of-an-enshittificator]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/day-in-the-life-of-an-enshittificator] What it’s like to take an 11-day filmmaking workshop with Werner Herzog [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/style/werner-herzog-workshop-filmmakers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.Q0jF.Yrmtuk1SWSDO] (in the Azores). “Take your camera, get the shot, forgo storyboards, don’t overdo it and, above all else, do the doable.” But also: “What will the local priest think?” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/style/werner-herzog-workshop-filmmakers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.Q0jF.Yrmtuk1SWSDO]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048689-what-its-like-to-take] Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize are releasing a collaborative album called (maybe?) Nine Inch Noize [https://www.brooklynvegan.com/nine-inch-nails-boys-noize-announce-halo-38-out-next-week/]. Available April 17. 🔗 brooklynvegan.com [https://www.brooklynvegan.com/nine-inch-nails-boys-noize-announce-halo-38-out-next-week/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048706-nine-inch-nails-and-boys] The Most Beautiful Moment of the Artemis II Mission [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/artemis-ii-naming-crater/686719/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0uRV655rpxDRWxQeB3VEh8]. It had little to do with science or celestial bodies; instead it was a moment shared by four curious, caring humans [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvzhmL9mh0], united in purpose, far from home. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/artemis-ii-naming-crater/686719/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0uRV655rpxDRWxQeB3VEh8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048704-the-most-beautiful-moment] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775566699-62191410.png] I was delighted to learn how this 19th century sunshine recorder worked: by focusing the Sun to burn arcs in paper. So simple and straightforwardly physical! [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-sunshine-recorder] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-sunshine-recorder]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-sunshine-recorder] Oh, about that story you may have read about one guy single-handedly building a “billion-dollar company” using AI: The New York Times Got Played By A Telehealth Scam And Called It The Future Of AI [https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/07/the-new-york-times-got-played-by-a-telehealth-scam-and-called-it-the-future-of-ai/]. Oopsie! 🔗 techdirt.com [https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/07/the-new-york-times-got-played-by-a-telehealth-scam-and-called-it-the-future-of-ai/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048702-oh-about-that-story-you] The latest big exposé [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/business/bitcoin-satoshi-nakamoto-identity-adam-back.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZVA.5_s8.hTKeCkV97kow] on the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the secretive inventor of Bitcoin, names cryptographer Adam Back as the likeliest suspect. John Carreyrou has won Pulitzers & helped expose the Theranos scam, but his evidence seems thin. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/business/bitcoin-satoshi-nakamoto-identity-adam-back.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZVA.5_s8.hTKeCkV97kow]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048701-the-latest-big-expose-on] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775663256-1372e57e.jpg] I collected a bunch of phone-sized wallpapers from the Artemis II mission: gorgeous photos of the Moon, Earthrise, the solar eclipse, and more that are perfect for your lock screen. I even made a few of my own — check them out! [https://kottke.org/26/04/stunning-artemis-ii-phone-wallpapers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/stunning-artemis-ii-phone-wallpapers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/stunning-artemis-ii-phone-wallpapers] “I have a feeling that everyone likes using AI tools to try doing someone else’s profession [https://gilest.org/notes/2026/human-ai/]. They’re much less keen when someone else uses it for their profession.” 🔗 gilest.org [https://gilest.org/notes/2026/human-ai/] Resident Advisor: there are signs that Boards of Canada might release some new music soon [https://ra.co/news/84925]. Please let this be true, we need this! 🔗 ra.co [https://ra.co/news/84925]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048699-resident-advisor-there-ar] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 10, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/hy39DF892BLW3BYsQbMxE9Gw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 10, 2026 From Daphni (aka Caribou), a 7hr DJ set [https://soundcloud.com/caribouband/daphnifold]. 7 hours! 🔗 soundcloud.com [https://soundcloud.com/caribouband/daphnifold]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048679-from-daphni-aka-caribou-a] The trailer for Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJMd3u741pA]. The film is showing in select locations [https://www.pieshake.com/maryoliver] around the country and will air on PBS this summer. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJMd3u741pA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048718-the-trailer-for-mary-oliv] Ultimate Online Phreak Box [https://phreaknet.org/bluebox/]. “This is a free online blue box, red box, and silver box.” (With this and a time machine, you could make free phone calls [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_box] in the 1970s.) 🔗 phreaknet.org [https://phreaknet.org/bluebox/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048710-ultimate-online-phreak-bo] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 94 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. A tour of the mannequin storage room at FIT [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_y2HuoAuw]. Each era’s mannequins are designed to mimic the “fashionable body” of that time period. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_y2HuoAuw]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048696-a-tour-of-the-mannequin] An interview with Ronald Wayne [https://tedium.co/2026/03/31/ronald-g-wayne-apple-interview/], Apple’s forgotten third founder. (He was with the company all of 2 weeks.) 🔗 tedium.co [https://tedium.co/2026/03/31/ronald-g-wayne-apple-interview/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048721-an-interview-with-ronald-] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cedNya7e8Uc/sddefault.jpg] From a livestream recorded many years ago, this is Radiohead covering Joy Division's Ceremony. [https://kottke.org/26/04/radiohead-covers-joy-division-ceremony] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/radiohead-covers-joy-division-ceremony]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/radiohead-covers-joy-division-ceremony] Oh wow, this is a trippy game inspired by MC Escher [https://managore.itch.io/print-gallery-of-an-artist]. My brain may be permanently broken by this. 🔗 managore.itch.io [https://managore.itch.io/print-gallery-of-an-artist]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048715-oh-wow-this-is-a] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] A short analysis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkoCg0Yd4w] of what makes Mark Antony’s “Friends, Romans, countrymen…” speech [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q89MLuLSJgk] from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar so good and effective. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkoCg0Yd4w]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048714-a-short-analysis-of-what] Using wiki software, old photos, family stories, bank transactions, social media posts, and an LLM to sift through everything to build a personal encyclopedia [https://whoami.wiki/blog/personal-encyclopedias]. 🔗 whoami.wiki [https://whoami.wiki/blog/personal-encyclopedias]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048713-using-wiki-software-old-p] “Stalin’s task in building what Senior calls his ‘Red Empire’ was made so much easier, and so much more brutal, by the intelligence the Cambridge spies passed to Moscow [https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-soviet-network].” 🔗 literaryreview.co.uk [https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-soviet-network]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048709-stalins-task-in-building-] Charcuterie [https://charcuterie.elastiq.ch/] is a visual Unicode symbol explorer. Click around, search, or use the pencil in the upper left to draw the shape you’re looking for. This is very cool. 🔗 charcuterie.elastiq.ch [https://charcuterie.elastiq.ch/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048722-charcuterie-is-a-visual-u] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775767987-9d35a8ae.jpg] This is wonderful: a Redditor uploads their grandmother's diaristic comics that she drew circa WWII. "I never got to meet my grandma, she passed away young in 1977 but finding her 1940s sketches felt like she was finally introducing herself to me." [https://kottke.org/26/04/diary-comics-from-the-1940s] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/diary-comics-from-the-1940s]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/diary-comics-from-the-1940s] Well, this blows: FSG has shuttered their MCD imprint & Sean McDonald is leaving the company [https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100124-fsg-closes-its-mcd-imprint.html]. MCD published so many good titles/authors [https://www.mcdbooks.com/]: Questlove, Enshittification, Robin Sloan, Jeff VanderMeer, Sloane Crosley, Dilla Time, Tamara Shopsin… 🔗 publishersweekly.com [https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100124-fsg-closes-its-mcd-imprint.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048723-well-this-blows-fsg-has] This tiny e-ink reader [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0GPXPK65X/ref=nosim/0sil8] is small enough [https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4] to attach to the back of your phone. 🔗 amazon.com [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0GPXPK65X/ref=nosim/0sil8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048717-this-tiny-e-ink-reader-is] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775763512-6152b5e2.jpg] I'm charmed by this fragment of Artemisia Gentileschi's painting of Mary Magdalene that's up for auction later this month. "The rectangular hole in the painting invites the viewer to imagine what became of its former contents..." [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-headless-mary-magdalene-by-artemisia-gentileschi] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-headless-mary-magdalene-by-artemisia-gentileschi]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-headless-mary-magdalene-by-artemisia-gentileschi] Between the Impossible and the Inevitable: The Case for Defiance (aka Never F**king Surrender) [https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/between-the-impossible-and-the-inevitable-the-case-for-defiance-aka-never-f-king-surrender/]. “We make the future in the present, when we show up. Don’t surrender it to those who would destroy it.” 🔗 meditationsinanemergency.com [https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/between-the-impossible-and-the-inevitable-the-case-for-defiance-aka-never-f-king-surrender/] Hostile Volume [https://hostilevolume.com] is a simple and maddening game where you need to hold the audio volume at 25%, which gets increasingly difficult with each level. 🔗 hostilevolume.com [https://hostilevolume.com]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048712-hostile-volume-is-a-simpl] International Chess Federation Adds Race Car Piece [https://theonion.com/international-chess-federation-adds-race-car-piece/]. “The race car piece gets to go twice in one turn because it’s so fast.” Smart to capitalize on F1’s popularity; they should do my fave Monopoly piece next (the iron). 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/international-chess-federation-adds-race-car-piece/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E-F2QQuZZGk/sddefault.jpg] The Fabulous Engineering and Design of Duct Tape. "Duct tape is designed to do three things: a) adhere with light pressure, b) stay in place, yet c) be removable." [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-fabulous-design-of-duct-tape] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-fabulous-design-of-duct-tape]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-fabulous-design-of-duct-tape] Someone ported Mac OS X to the Nintendo Wii [https://bryankeller.github.io/2026/04/08/porting-mac-os-x-nintendo-wii.html]. “Since its launch in 2007, the Wii has seen several operating systems ported to it: Linux, NetBSD, and most-recently, Windows NT. Today, Mac OS X joins that list.” 🔗 bryankeller.github.io [https://bryankeller.github.io/2026/04/08/porting-mac-os-x-nintendo-wii.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048703-someone-ported-mac-os-x] “Working with agents feels much less like classic deep work, and much more like playing a game [https://dehora.net/journal/2026/working-with-agents-doesnt-feel-like-flow].” 🔗 dehora.net [https://dehora.net/journal/2026/working-with-agents-doesnt-feel-like-flow] How to Guess If Your Job Will Exist in Five Years [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/ai-job-loss-jevons-paradox/686520/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxEaMJJtr_JVWzViUlGY2MY]. “There’s a better question for white-collar workers to ask themselves: Am I coal, or am I a horse?” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/ai-job-loss-jevons-paradox/686520/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZxEaMJJtr_JVWzViUlGY2MY]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048697-how-to-guess-if-your] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775484759-fc5cfed5.png] I really love these collages by Anton Elfilter. They are digital-ish? But also not? [https://kottke.org/26/04/post-digital-digital-glitch-collages] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/post-digital-digital-glitch-collages]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/post-digital-digital-glitch-collages] Farmers won their right-to-repair fight against John Deere [https://www.thedrive.com/news/john-deere-to-pay-99-million-in-monumental-right-to-repair-settlement]. The settlement includes a 10-year “agreement by Deere to provide ‘the digital tools required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair’ of tractors, combines, and other machinery”. 🔗 thedrive.com [https://www.thedrive.com/news/john-deere-to-pay-99-million-in-monumental-right-to-repair-settlement]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048707-farmers-won-their-right-t] This sounds like an interesting podcast series from M. Gessen: The Idiot [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/podcasts/serial-the-idiot-prologue-episode-1.html]. “Compassion has its limits when it comes to your own cousin.” 🔗 nytimes.com [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/podcasts/serial-the-idiot-prologue-episode-1.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048680-this-sounds-like-an-inter] Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service [https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trump-administration-orders-dismantling-us-forest-service/7716263]. “…the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency’s 121-year history. Not a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a ‘reorganization.’ An execution.” 🔗 hatchmag.com [https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trump-administration-orders-dismantling-us-forest-service/7716263] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T4Upf_B9RLQ/sddefault.jpg] A Day in the Life of an Enshittificator. Imagine your car interrupts you while driving: "Braking is now a premium feature. Please enter your credit card details." [https://kottke.org/26/04/day-in-the-life-of-an-enshittificator] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/day-in-the-life-of-an-enshittificator]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/day-in-the-life-of-an-enshittificator] What it’s like to take an 11-day filmmaking workshop with Werner Herzog [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/style/werner-herzog-workshop-filmmakers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.Q0jF.Yrmtuk1SWSDO] (in the Azores). “Take your camera, get the shot, forgo storyboards, don’t overdo it and, above all else, do the doable.” But also: “What will the local priest think?” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/style/werner-herzog-workshop-filmmakers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.Q0jF.Yrmtuk1SWSDO]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048689-what-its-like-to-take] Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize are releasing a collaborative album called (maybe?) Nine Inch Noize [https://www.brooklynvegan.com/nine-inch-nails-boys-noize-announce-halo-38-out-next-week/]. Available April 17. 🔗 brooklynvegan.com [https://www.brooklynvegan.com/nine-inch-nails-boys-noize-announce-halo-38-out-next-week/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048706-nine-inch-nails-and-boys] The Most Beautiful Moment of the Artemis II Mission [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/artemis-ii-naming-crater/686719/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0uRV655rpxDRWxQeB3VEh8]. It had little to do with science or celestial bodies; instead it was a moment shared by four curious, caring humans [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvzhmL9mh0], united in purpose, far from home. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/artemis-ii-naming-crater/686719/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0uRV655rpxDRWxQeB3VEh8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048704-the-most-beautiful-moment] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775566699-62191410.png] I was delighted to learn how this 19th century sunshine recorder worked: by focusing the Sun to burn arcs in paper. So simple and straightforwardly physical! [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-sunshine-recorder] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-sunshine-recorder]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/the-sunshine-recorder] Oh, about that story you may have read about one guy single-handedly building a “billion-dollar company” using AI: The New York Times Got Played By A Telehealth Scam And Called It The Future Of AI [https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/07/the-new-york-times-got-played-by-a-telehealth-scam-and-called-it-the-future-of-ai/]. Oopsie! 🔗 techdirt.com [https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/07/the-new-york-times-got-played-by-a-telehealth-scam-and-called-it-the-future-of-ai/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048702-oh-about-that-story-you] The latest big exposé [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/business/bitcoin-satoshi-nakamoto-identity-adam-back.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZVA.5_s8.hTKeCkV97kow] on the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the secretive inventor of Bitcoin, names cryptographer Adam Back as the likeliest suspect. John Carreyrou has won Pulitzers & helped expose the Theranos scam, but his evidence seems thin. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/business/bitcoin-satoshi-nakamoto-identity-adam-back.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZVA.5_s8.hTKeCkV97kow]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048701-the-latest-big-expose-on] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775663256-1372e57e.jpg] I collected a bunch of phone-sized wallpapers from the Artemis II mission: gorgeous photos of the Moon, Earthrise, the solar eclipse, and more that are perfect for your lock screen. I even made a few of my own — check them out! [https://kottke.org/26/04/stunning-artemis-ii-phone-wallpapers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/stunning-artemis-ii-phone-wallpapers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/stunning-artemis-ii-phone-wallpapers] “I have a feeling that everyone likes using AI tools to try doing someone else’s profession [https://gilest.org/notes/2026/human-ai/]. They’re much less keen when someone else uses it for their profession.” 🔗 gilest.org [https://gilest.org/notes/2026/human-ai/] Resident Advisor: there are signs that Boards of Canada might release some new music soon [https://ra.co/news/84925]. Please let this be true, we need this! 🔗 ra.co [https://ra.co/news/84925]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048699-resident-advisor-there-ar] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 10, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/O0bNH3GywSAQJblMsUU02g].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 7, 2026 A guide to which Apple chargers to use with which Apple products in order to charge the quickest [https://randsinrepose.com/guides/apple-charging-guide.html]. (Your charger’s wattage really matters when the device’s battery level is 0-50%. After that, less so.) 🔗 randsinrepose.com [https://randsinrepose.com/guides/apple-charging-guide.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048681-a-guide-to-which-apple] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775578728-0bb8ac31.png] This shot from Artemis II of the Moon eclipsing the Sun is one of the most breathtaking astronomical photos I've ever seen. Holy *shit*. [https://kottke.org/26/04/solar-eclipse-far-side-of-the-moon] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/solar-eclipse-far-side-of-the-moon]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/solar-eclipse-far-side-of-the-moon] I missed that author Tracy Kidder died a few weeks ago [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/04/tracy-kidder-writer-obituary-mountains-beyond-mountains/686651/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZwSaqoM6dTGllXas5rNj7gs]. Kidder wrote the excellent The Soul of a New Machine [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780316491976], which won a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/04/tracy-kidder-writer-obituary-mountains-beyond-mountains/686651/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZwSaqoM6dTGllXas5rNj7gs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048691-i-missed-that-author-trac] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 70 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Hollywood, Ending [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780525556657] is John Green’s forthcoming book, “a deeply observed novel about the tension between a public and a private life, and finding your safe someone to hold onto”. 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780525556657]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048694-hollywood-ending-is-john-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775499269-b2ddd1f8.png] For four years, Barbara Iweins took a photo of every single thing she owned, "from my daughters torn sock to my sons Lego, but also my vibrator, my anxiolytics... absolutely everything. 12,795 photos of 12,795 objects." Explore the collection here. [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-catalog-of-an-entire-house] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-catalog-of-an-entire-house]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/a-catalog-of-an-entire-house] Teenager Michael Haskell “buys abandoned storage lockers at bargain prices [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/style/new-jersey-teen-storage-units.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.oeXF.olgkR_cMCkKj]…with the aim of selling their contents for profit”. But: “Two years into his pursuit, he knows all too well that every locker tells a story, many of them bleak.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/style/new-jersey-teen-storage-units.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y1A.oeXF.olgkR_cMCkKj]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048693-teenager-michael-haskell-] Shoe Pop Dream Gaze [https://www.deezer.com/us/playlist/15129403463], a three-hour playlist from Christina Hendricks’ all-vinyl DJ set. (You may remember Hendricks as Joan on Mad Men.) 🔗 deezer.com [https://www.deezer.com/us/playlist/15129403463]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048690-shoe-pop-dream-gaze-a] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] “What caught my eye as a designer, as with most industrial plants and control rooms of that time, besides the knobs, levers, and buttons, was the use of a very specific seafoam green [https://bethmathews.substack.com/p/why-so-many-control-rooms-were-seafoam]…” It’s time for some color theory… 🔗 bethmathews.substack.com [https://bethmathews.substack.com/p/why-so-many-control-rooms-were-seafoam]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048687-what-caught-my-eye-as] Really interesting piece from Jodi Ettenberg about microdosing a GLP-1 to manage her mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) [https://jodiettenberg.com/glp1-mcas/]. She’s noticed “way less pain” and can eat more foods without reactions (yoghurt, oats, mild curry pastes). 🔗 jodiettenberg.com [https://jodiettenberg.com/glp1-mcas/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048688-really-interesting-piece-] The Astor Place Riots of 1849 resulted in “the greatest loss of life in a civic insurrection in American history up to that time”. And they were incited over the “wrong” actor playing Macbeth [https://daily.jstor.org/an-argument-over-macbeth-incited-a-bloody-riot/]. 🔗 daily.jstor.org [https://daily.jstor.org/an-argument-over-macbeth-incited-a-bloody-riot/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048682-the-astor-place-riots-of] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775491981-dfdfbfa4.jpg] Ben Lerner's new novel Transcription comes out tomorrow and I've been hearing nothing but good things about it. "It is a brilliant meditation on those technologies that enrich or impoverish our connection to one another, that store or obliterate memory." [https://kottke.org/26/04/transcription-by-ben-lerner] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/transcription-by-ben-lerner]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/transcription-by-ben-lerner] A visual history of exploring the far side of the Moon [https://invertingvision.com/2026/04/06/exploring-the-far-side-of-the-moon-a-visual-history/]. “The Moon is tidally locked, meaning that only one side of the Moon ever faces the Earth. [For millenia,] there was an entire half of our natural satellite that no human had ever seen before.” 🔗 invertingvision.com [https://invertingvision.com/2026/04/06/exploring-the-far-side-of-the-moon-a-visual-history/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048676-a-visual-history-of-explo] Livestream: Artemis II is about to fly around the Moon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-j1uxBmis0]. At around 1:56pm ET, they’ll surpass the Apollo 13 distance record. And: “At their closest point, they’ll pass roughly 4,000 miles above the lunar surface.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-j1uxBmis0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048673-livestream-artemis-ii-is-] New vocabulary word: “RAM harvester” [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/03/laptop-electronics-ram-ai-tax/686628/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8yiAy1uGD7HXmkJk1BdOBg]. RAM chips are so expensive right now that RAM harvesters are stealing them out of demo computers at electronics stores. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/03/laptop-electronics-ram-ai-tax/686628/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8yiAy1uGD7HXmkJk1BdOBg]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048666-new-vocabulary-word-ram-h] Missed this last week: Lane 8 dropped their Spring 2026 Mixtape [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECYvgWPsfSo]. Available on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECYvgWPsfSo] and Soundcloud [https://soundcloud.com/thisneverhappenedlabel/lane-8-spring-2026-mixtape]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECYvgWPsfSo]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048670-missed-this-last-week-lan] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oWaGNpz1X-I/sddefault.jpg] Two new music videos from Max Cooper's forthcoming audiovisual album, Feeling Is Structure (out May 8). [https://kottke.org/26/04/pattern-index-max-cooper] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/pattern-index-max-cooper]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/pattern-index-max-cooper] Lessons from fighting cancer that apply to resisting authoritarianism [https://inthesetimes.com/article/fighting-cancer-anti-fascist-fight-against-trump-the-right-lessons-strategy]. 1. We need each other. 2. We must move, even when on uncertain ground. 3. Past trauma will bring us down if we do not release its effects on us. And more… 🔗 inthesetimes.com [https://inthesetimes.com/article/fighting-cancer-anti-fascist-fight-against-trump-the-right-lessons-strategy]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048664-lessons-from-fighting-can] “The promise of the open web was colonized by internet giants. But the power of LLMs and agentic coding means we can start to take it back [https://www.techdirt.com/2026/03/25/ai-might-be-our-best-shot-at-taking-back-the-open-web/]. We can build customized, personal software for ourselves that does what we want.” 🔗 techdirt.com [https://www.techdirt.com/2026/03/25/ai-might-be-our-best-shot-at-taking-back-the-open-web/] Louisiana, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland: only five US states have ever had a Black governor [https://brilliantmaps.com/african-american-governor/]. 🔗 brilliantmaps.com [https://brilliantmaps.com/african-american-governor/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048658-louisiana-virginia-massac] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 7, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/6mgGy4BqbGCANbf31hqakQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2026-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org POSTS + LINKS FOR APR 3, 2026 We’re expected to believe that the NY Times is a serious newspaper when they are sending a reporter to talk to dozens of ppl to debunk a claim from a known conspiracy theorist, fascist, and grifter that he’d teleported into a Waffle House [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/fema-gregg-phillips-waffle-house-teleportation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YFA.u56i.a8rPTNc__Diz]?!? 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/us/fema-gregg-phillips-waffle-house-teleportation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YFA.u56i.a8rPTNc__Diz] As Slow As Possible [https://pippinbarr.com/as-slow-as-possible/]. Very very very slow versions of three classic video games: Pong, Breakout, and Missile Command. On the slowest setting, you’re almost begging for a notification functionality to alert you when you need to next engage. 🔗 pippinbarr.com [https://pippinbarr.com/as-slow-as-possible/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048661-as-slow-as-possible-very] I have to say that I was a little bit charmed by the trailer for Supergirl [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1-pfiVMKAs]. Looks promising. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1-pfiVMKAs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048662-i-have-to-say-that] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 88 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7fyufPkXLbs/sddefault.jpg] Fantastic live version of Berghain by Rosalía at the Brit Awards. Love this! [https://kottke.org/26/04/rosala-berghain-live] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/rosala-berghain-live]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/rosala-berghain-live] A women had sex with identical twins (within a 4-day period), got pregnant, and now it’s impossible to tell which is the father [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/30/court-of-appeal-says-it-cannot-rule-on-which-identical-twin-fathered-a-child], even with DNA testing. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/30/court-of-appeal-says-it-cannot-rule-on-which-identical-twin-fathered-a-child]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048659-a-women-had-sex-with] Tracker dashboard for the Artemis II mission [https://artemis-tracker.netlify.app/] using real-time data from JPL. 🔗 artemis-tracker.netlify.app [https://artemis-tracker.netlify.app/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048657-tracker-dashboard-for-the] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1775226364-cbe60f10.jpg] Great photo of the whole Earth taken from NASA's Artemis II spacecraft. "There are two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun." Wow. [https://kottke.org/26/04/this-is-us] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/this-is-us]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/this-is-us] This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members. Help keep the site and this newsletter free for everyone by signing up for a membership! Check out your options... [https://kottke.org/members/] Does what it says on the tin: acid techno mix in Japanese sake brewery [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XftN0YtUQyc]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XftN0YtUQyc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048654-does-what-it-says-on] “If Artemis II is successful, the astronauts will be the first humans to reach the moon’s orbit in more than 50 years [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/artemis-moon-launch-trump/686661/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0fNOSfoCs5Ae2CU41BTIqk], and their path around its far side will take them farther into the universe than any human being has previously traveled.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/artemis-moon-launch-trump/686661/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ0fNOSfoCs5Ae2CU41BTIqk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048653-if-artemis-ii-is-successf] Site's gonna be slow for another couple of days while I nurse myself back to health, make sure my car can brake properly, and generally get my life in order. Blergh. [https://kottke.org/26/04/open-thread-3] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/open-thread-3]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/open-thread-3] “ICE Tours VT [https://icetoursvt.com/] provides guided bus tours to many of these facilities, where you will learn about the scope, scale, and history of DHS in Vermont. Think Hollywood star tours, but instead of celebrity mansions you get federal surveillance infrastructure.” 🔗 icetoursvt.com [https://icetoursvt.com/] “LLM-generated passwords…appear strong, but are fundamentally insecure [https://www.irregular.com/publications/vibe-password-generation], because LLMs are designed to predict tokens – the opposite of securely and uniformly sampling random characters.” 🔗 irregular.com [https://www.irregular.com/publications/vibe-password-generation] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WN33hIroUVs/sddefault.jpg] A great unreleased track from Kendrick Lamar called Bloody Murder. It samples Radiohead's Everything In Its Right Place and was recorded during the studio sessions for Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. [https://kottke.org/26/04/kendrick-lamar-bloody-murder] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/kendrick-lamar-bloody-murder]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/kendrick-lamar-bloody-murder] From Heatmap News & MIT, the Electricity Price Hub [https://electricity.heatmap.news/] is “a new public data platform that provides monthly, utility-level estimates of residential electricity rates and bills across the United States going back to 2021…” 🔗 electricity.heatmap.news [https://electricity.heatmap.news/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048649-from-heatmap-news-mit] Scientists have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce five psychedelic compounds [https://www.404media.co/scientists-create-plant-that-produces-ayahuasca-shrooms-and-toad-psychedelics-all-at-once/], including psilocybin, DMT, and psychedelic compounds secreted by the Sonoran Desert toad. 🔗 404media.co [https://www.404media.co/scientists-create-plant-that-produces-ayahuasca-shrooms-and-toad-psychedelics-all-at-once/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048648-scientists-have-genetical] "It’s hard to imagine women not being present in a book about maintenance, and yet — and I wish I was joking — the only woman of any significance in the entire book is… The Statue Of Liberty." [https://kottke.org/26/04/stewart-brand-maintenance] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/stewart-brand-maintenance] Not sure what level of prank/gag/stunt this is (note today’s date), but this is supposedly a fully functional compass that only points to the Olive Garden in Times Square [https://www.olivegardencompass.com/]. 🔗 olivegardencompass.com [https://www.olivegardencompass.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048645-not-sure-what-level-of] The Pioneering Coffee House Serving Since 1645 [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly1y3mv40ro]. “In Oxford, ‘runners’ would go from coffee house to coffee house, picking up all the best news and delivering it back to customers, said Garner. You’re talking human wi-fi.” 🔗 bbc.com [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly1y3mv40ro]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048644-the-pioneering-coffee-hou] After two years off, Tom Scott is back with a new YouTube series [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz3lSKgz4q8]: “I took a road trip through every county in England, and filmed something interesting in each of them.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz3lSKgz4q8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/0048643-tom-scott-is-back-with] All of Humanity's Problems Stem From Marc Andreessen's Inability to Sit Quietly in a Room Alone. "Zero introspection is not just a personal quirk or a supposed productivity hack. It’s a permission slip for zero accountability." [https://kottke.org/26/04/andreessen-inability-sit-quietly] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/04/andreessen-inability-sit-quietly]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/04/andreessen-inability-sit-quietly] Nothing Works in Trump’s America — Except Racism [https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/newsletter-laguardia-tsa-baseball/]. “Trump is objectively bad at running the government, but he’s objectively good at running a Klan rally, and his supporters value the latter so much that they forgive the former.” 🔗 thenation.com [https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/newsletter-laguardia-tsa-baseball/] The 2026 issue of the HTML Review [https://thehtml.review/05/], “an annual journal of literature made to exist on the web”. 🔗 thehtml.review [https://thehtml.review/05/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048634-the-2026-issue-of-the] Mark Simonson reminisces about when he discovered type design [https://www.marksimonson.com/notebook/view/the-day-i-discovered-type-design/]. “The idea of coming up with an original alphabet design fired my imagination. And learning that it was possible to design type professionally was a revelation.” 🔗 marksimonson.com [https://www.marksimonson.com/notebook/view/the-day-i-discovered-type-design/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048636-mark-simonson-reminisces-] “By focusing its narrative on the tech industry itself, Halt and Catch Fire’s staying power has only increased [https://dirt.fyi/article/2026/02/dude-the-internet]. The story it tells still has something to say about our present-day reality.” 🔗 dirt.fyi [https://dirt.fyi/article/2026/02/dude-the-internet]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048635-by-focusing-its-narrative] For the latest episode of Design Matters, Debbie Millman interviews Timothy Snyder [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/timothy-snyder/id328074695] about “how we misunderstand freedom, why truth and empathy are under threat, and what this political moment asks of us”. Millman is an *excellent* interviewer. 🔗 podcasts.apple.com [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/timothy-snyder/id328074695]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048637-for-the-latest-episode-of] Endgame for the Open Web [https://www.anildash.com/2026/03/27/endgame-open-web/], brought on by LLM bots, content summarizing while driving no traffic, increasing paywalls for information of all kinds, locking down APIs (due to AI abuse), attacks on Wikipedia, disruption of open source communities, etc. 🔗 anildash.com [https://www.anildash.com/2026/03/27/endgame-open-web/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048638-endgame-for-the-open-web] NASA’s LRO found a new crater on the Moon [https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moon-new-crater-nasa-orbiter]…it’s 225 meters across and 43 meters deep. “According to predictions based on other lunar landmarks, a crater that big should form only once in 139 years.” 🔗 sciencenews.org [https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moon-new-crater-nasa-orbiter]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048633-nasas-lro-found-a-new] The future of energy is being decided now. "The US is basically aligning itself as the last big petrostate. We're going to go down with the fossil fuel ship, and China is aligning itself as the first electrostate." [https://kottke.org/26/03/us-the-last-big-petrostate] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/us-the-last-big-petrostate] Help! My Favorite Athlete Is an Idiot [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/opinion/sports-politics-athletes-opinions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XVA.xCEB.T63tNo8s9DtB] (Alt headline: When Sports Heroes Have Terrible Opinions). “Just root for the jersey and not necessarily the nitwit wearing it?” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/opinion/sports-politics-athletes-opinions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XVA.xCEB.T63tNo8s9DtB]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048639-help-my-favorite-athlete-] Astronaut Michael Fincke was rendered unable to speak while on the ISS [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/science/nasa-astronaut-medical-evaluation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.W1A.U255.7DhaSPrHSLDK], prompting an evacuation to Earth. “We’re almost 100% sure that this is a space-related thing.” Uh, I’ve been reading a lot of sci-fi recently; this is *exactly* how It starts. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/science/nasa-astronaut-medical-evaluation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.W1A.U255.7DhaSPrHSLDK]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048641-astronaut-michael-fincke-] A new study shows that since 1990, the United States has caused $10 trillion in global climate damages [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/25/us-climate-damage-research]. China is responsible for $9T. “Our emissions have caused damage not only to ourselves, but pretty substantial damage in other parts of the world.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/25/us-climate-damage-research] Jesus Clarifies Return Will Be Strictly Limited To Carpentry Business [https://theonion.com/jesus-clarifies-return-will-be-strictly-limited-to-carpentry-business/]. “My sole focus during this Second Coming will be various woodworking projects and not the establishment of a messianic kingdom.” 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/jesus-clarifies-return-will-be-strictly-limited-to-carpentry-business/] I love these [https://www.threads.com/@perfectl00p/post/DTn-GUzkXI_] looping [https://www.threads.com/@perfectl00p/post/DTx37P0kbz1] GIF [https://www.threads.com/@perfectl00p/post/DTDmKRRkelY] animations [https://www.threads.com/@perfectl00p/post/DRKY8QYEZDF] from perfectl00p that use Windows 3.1 elements (Minesweeper, Solitaire, SkiFree, Notepad). 🔗 threads.com [https://www.threads.com/@perfectl00p/post/DTn-GUzkXI_] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gfF8jzBVWvM/sddefault.jpg] Ultra-Rare DJ Set From Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter. You can watch the entirety of his collab DJ set with Fred Again on YouTube. [https://kottke.org/26/03/rare-dj-set-daft-punk-thomas-bangalter] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/rare-dj-set-daft-punk-thomas-bangalter]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/rare-dj-set-daft-punk-thomas-bangalter] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Apr 3, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/xj9ozMcx8925qtA3Vbh2ling].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 27, 2026 Test footage from a slime simulator game [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_3mvosV_oU] made by former Epic Games employee Asher Zhu. You try to stay hydrated in the hot Tokyo summer by showering and drinking beverages from vending machines. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_3mvosV_oU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048582-test-footage-from-a-slime] A list of chain restaurants whose names contain unusual structures, presented in decreasing order of how appealing it would be to eat in such a structure [https://onefoottsunami.com/2026/03/18/a-list-of-chain-restaurants-whose-names-contain-unusual-structures/]. (White Castle, Waffle House, etc.) 🔗 onefoottsunami.com [https://onefoottsunami.com/2026/03/18/a-list-of-chain-restaurants-whose-names-contain-unusual-structures/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048628-a-list-of-chain-restauran] There’s an upside-down “H” on the facade of a Frank Lloyd Wright building in Illinois. Here’s a deep dive into how it got there [https://www.inconspicuous.info/p/h-bomb-a-frank-lloyd-wright-typographic]. 🔗 inconspicuous.info [https://www.inconspicuous.info/p/h-bomb-a-frank-lloyd-wright-typographic]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048602-theres-an-upside-down-h-o] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 151 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. A comparison of different sorting algorithms [https://tools.simonwillison.net/sort-algorithms] (bubble, merge, heap, timsort). You can run them one at a time or race all seven. 🔗 tools.simonwillison.net [https://tools.simonwillison.net/sort-algorithms]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048555-a-comparison-of-different] Stephen Colbert is co-writing a Lord of the Rings movie [https://deadline.com/2026/03/stephen-colbert-lord-of-the-rings-1236764923/]. “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is set 14 years after the passing of Frodo. Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure…” 🔗 deadline.com [https://deadline.com/2026/03/stephen-colbert-lord-of-the-rings-1236764923/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048627-stephen-colbert-is-co-wri] “Feminism is far from dead, but people love to write its obituary,” writes Rebecca Solnit [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/feminism-isnt-dead-rebecca-solnit]. “In reality, it’s naively defeatist to assume millennia of patriarchy…could be or should have been fully disassembled in one lifetime.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/feminism-isnt-dead-rebecca-solnit] We watched Zoolander last night and right before the Derelicte DJ throws on Relax, there’s a 2-second snippet of something that sounded super familiar. It took me a bit to track it down, but it’s trance banger Free by Mono Culture [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFOA6jBBcU0]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFOA6jBBcU0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048626-we-watched-zoolander-last] A new edition of On Liberty, a canonical work of political philosophy, “is the first to officially name Harriet Taylor Mill as a co-author alongside John Stuart Mill” [https://dailynous.com/2026/03/19/on-liberty-now-officially-has-two-authors/]. 🔗 dailynous.com [https://dailynous.com/2026/03/19/on-liberty-now-officially-has-two-authors/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048623-a-new-edition-of-on] “COVID probably killed 150,000 more people in its first two years than official U.S. tolls show” [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-killed-150-000-more-people-in-its-first-two-years-than-official-toll/]. Not surprising when you look at excess mortality numbers [https://kottke.org/25/02/covid-alarmists-closer-to-the-truth] for that period. 🔗 scientificamerican.com [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-killed-150-000-more-people-in-its-first-two-years-than-official-toll/] “Plain text accounting [https://plaintextaccounting.org/] is a way of doing bookkeeping and accounting with plain text files and scriptable, command-line-friendly software.” 🔗 plaintextaccounting.org [https://plaintextaccounting.org/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048584-plain-text-accounting-is-] Just renewed my membership for The Kid Should See This [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/], a genuine internet treasure. 🔗 thekidshouldseethis.com [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048624-just-renewed-my-membershi] I'm taking some time off. In the meantime, we're doing another open thread: what's going on in your world? What are you working on? Reading or watching or listening to anything good these days? [https://kottke.org/26/03/its-an-open-thread-2] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/its-an-open-thread-2]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/its-an-open-thread-2] An interview with Andy Weir about the accuracy of the science in Project Hail Mary [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/science/hail-mary-andy-weir.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UFA.YzOO.C4gLpJuMR6BF]. “I’m proud that the only true violation of physics in the story is something you have to go down to the quantum level to find.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/science/hail-mary-andy-weir.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UFA.YzOO.C4gLpJuMR6BF]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048621-an-interview-with-andy-we] “Stop naming things after people, living or dead [https://fritinancy.substack.com/p/stop-naming-buildings-and-streets]. No schools. No streets. No courthouses. No fountains. Just quit it.” 🔗 fritinancy.substack.com [https://fritinancy.substack.com/p/stop-naming-buildings-and-streets]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048619-stop-naming-things-after-] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 27, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/eDtUdxMZ9vGUBH3ShRuEjA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 20, 2026 A cartographer posits that our maps should be messier [https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2026-03/we-need-messier-maps]. “The idea that we must have a crisp line dividing one country from another is often inaccurate when it comes to what states are actually claiming.” 🔗 chathamhouse.org [https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2026-03/we-need-messier-maps]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048614-a-cartographer-posits-tha] This is a diabolical phishing attack [https://ma.tt/2026/03/gone-almost-phishin/]. “That generated a real case ID, and triggered real Apple emails to my inbox, properly signed, from Apple’s actual servers.” 🔗 ma.tt [https://ma.tt/2026/03/gone-almost-phishin/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048578-this-is-a-diabolical-phis] This is hilarious. A man was pictured in two different photos on the same front page of a local newspaper [https://nowiknow.com/the-man-who-made-the-front-page-twice/]: one of him painting a holiday sign and a gs station security cam still of him taking a wallet. 🔗 nowiknow.com [https://nowiknow.com/the-man-who-made-the-front-page-twice/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048612-this-is-hilarious-a-man] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 157 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. “Some countries are better positioned to weather this energy crisis [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5732984/energy-iran-war-solar-pakistan-crisis-renewable-evs] than they would have been just a few years ago. That’s because of the rapid growth of renewable energy, battery systems and electric vehicles…” 🔗 npr.org [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5732984/energy-iran-war-solar-pakistan-crisis-renewable-evs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048617-some-countries-are-better] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/map-britain-invaded.jpg] "Of the current 200 nations in the world, the British have invaded all but 22 of them." [https://kottke.org/12/11/britain-has-invaded-all-but-22-countries] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/12/11/britain-has-invaded-all-but-22-countries] An online museum of Chinese cigarette packaging art [https://www.ciggies.app/]. 🔗 ciggies.app [https://www.ciggies.app/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048597-an-online-museum-of-chine] The words shark (the animal) and shark (a predatory scoundrel) may have two different origins [https://bsky.app/profile/wordfamilyfriday.bsky.social/post/3mgfwl4qxvk2j]. “This would make ‘shark’ possibly the only word borrowed from a Mayan language into English directly.” 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/wordfamilyfriday.bsky.social/post/3mgfwl4qxvk2j]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048572-the-words-shark-the-anima] Parachord [https://parachord.com/] is “a new kind of music player that invites all your streams, local audio files, and playlists scattered across multiple services to the same party”. Interesting! 🔗 parachord.com [https://parachord.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048524-parachord-is-a-new-kind] Every Fashion Designer, Explained [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjOMFo_026A]. If you don’t know anything about fashion, this video will get you up to speed quickly. Vivienne Westwood, Nigo, Issey Miyake, Miuccia Prada, Dapper Dan, Hubert de Givenchy, etc. etc. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjOMFo_026A]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048560-every-fashion-designer-ex] 300+ issues of the UK music magazine NME from 1969-1983 [https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22NME+-+New+Musical+Express%22&sort=-addeddate]. The ads alone are incredible. 🔗 archive.org [https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22NME+-+New+Musical+Express%22&sort=-addeddate]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048594-300-issues-of-the-uk] “The Tenth Muse [https://www.10m.co/] is an art discovery engine. Over 120,000 artworks from museums and institutions — searchable by feeling, mood, atmosphere, era, and medium.” 🔗 10m.co [https://www.10m.co/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048595-the-tenth-muse-is-an] Typos Have Plagued Us for Centuries [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/typos-have-plagued-us-for-centuries-just-ask-the-publishers-who-printed-the-seventh-commandment-as-thou-shalt-commit-adultery-in-1631-180988353/]. There’s the 1631 Bible that says “thou shalt commit adultery” but James Joyce resisted some of his corrections: “These are not misprints but beauties of my style hitherto undreamt of.” 🔗 smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/typos-have-plagued-us-for-centuries-just-ask-the-publishers-who-printed-the-seventh-commandment-as-thou-shalt-commit-adultery-in-1631-180988353/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048618-typos-have-plagued-us-for] Paris now has a cycling network bigger than Amsterdam [https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/03/12/in-pariss-mayoral-race-its-drivers-against-cyclists] and “more daily trips in Paris are now made by bike than by car”. 🔗 economist.com [https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/03/12/in-pariss-mayoral-race-its-drivers-against-cyclists]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048616-paris-now-has-a-cycling] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1773853069-3ad4fd89.png] From above, the Sicilian city of Centuripe looks like a person. [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-human-city] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-human-city]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-human-city] Gender Play in Nineteenth-Century Theater [https://daily.jstor.org/gender-play-in-nineteenth-century-theater/]. “The most popular Shakespearean roles for women in the tragic repertoire were Romeo and Hamlet, but women also played Macbeth, Cardinal Wolsey, Shylock, Richard III, and Iago…” 🔗 daily.jstor.org [https://daily.jstor.org/gender-play-in-nineteenth-century-theater/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048613-gender-play-in-nineteenth] A study pitted adults vs little kids to see which was better at making paintings in the style of Jackson Pollock [https://nautil.us/the-math-shows-jackson-pollock-painted-like-a-child-would-1249335]. “The researchers found that the kids’ paintings made in this manner resembled genuine Pollocks more than did those from adult painters.” 🔗 nautil.us [https://nautil.us/the-math-shows-jackson-pollock-painted-like-a-child-would-1249335]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048611-a-study-pitted-adults-vs] Dawn Wilcox’s quest to chronicle the life & death of every woman in the US killed by a man [https://magazine.atavist.com/author/christa-hillstrom]. “Did women have no choice, Wilcox wondered, but to wander the world hoping never to step on a landmine of a man?” 🔗 magazine.atavist.com [https://magazine.atavist.com/author/christa-hillstrom]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048599-dawn-wilcoxs-quest-to-chr] Checking in with Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests, kinetic machine sculptures that move under their own power along the beach. Some of the most recent versions [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhA94ZqnEQ] are quick fast and can even tow humans along behind them. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhA94ZqnEQ]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048562-checking-in-with-theo-jan] This is maybe the best baseball catch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6uGsQzwzkU] you’ll ever see. Or the most fun one anyway. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6uGsQzwzkU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048585-this-is-maybe-the-best] Miuccia Prada is worth $4.8 billion. How good of a person do you expect her to be? [https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/miuccia-prada-is-worth-4-point-5-billion] “I got to thinking about all this the other day while mulling the curious, oft-repeated fact that Miuccia Prada was, in her 1960s youth, a Communist.” 🔗 blackbirdspyplane.com [https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/miuccia-prada-is-worth-4-point-5-billion]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048606-miuccia-prada-is-worth-48] “Birds in the United States are not only declining, but they are declining faster [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/climate/bird-declines.html?unlocked_article_code=1.T1A.ZpvJ.pqwNVUKH-jbR], especially in areas with intensive agriculture, according to new research.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/climate/bird-declines.html?unlocked_article_code=1.T1A.ZpvJ.pqwNVUKH-jbR]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048601-birds-in-the-united-state] A playable CSS-only Super Mario Bros game [https://codepen.io/t_afif/full/JoKYwXO]. Wow. 🔗 codepen.io [https://codepen.io/t_afif/full/JoKYwXO]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048571-a-playable-css-only-super] A generator [https://vhs.texs.org/] for VHS slipcovers, cassette tape inserts, CD labels & inserts. You can paste in Spotify URLs, search for movies, etc. Really cool and fun. 🔗 vhs.texs.org [https://vhs.texs.org/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048598-a-generator-for-vhs-slipc] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c0mLhHDcY3I/sddefault.jpg] The Delta Air Lines Seatback Chess Bot Will Destroy You. For some reason, the airline's chess bot plays at near-grandmaster level, even on easy mode. [https://kottke.org/26/03/delta-seatback-chess-bot] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/delta-seatback-chess-bot]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/delta-seatback-chess-bot] What does it feel like to be struck by lightning? [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/lightning-strike-survivors-body-mind/686057/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-X29a3sQP9dT9t6OaO3vMk] “Some have to relearn simple things, things they’ve done their whole life — how to read, how to sing, how to ride a bike.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/lightning-strike-survivors-body-mind/686057/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-X29a3sQP9dT9t6OaO3vMk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048576-what-does-it-feel-like] Trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TZMtslA3UY]. I like that Tom Holland. I’m into it. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TZMtslA3UY]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048609-trailer-for-spider-man-br] The Fascinating Engineering of the Titanic: How the Great Ocean Liner Was Built [https://www.openculture.com/2026/03/the-fascinating-engineering-of-the-titanic-how-the-great-ocean-liner-was-built.html]. “Issues of the journal The Engineer published between 1909 and 1911 contain detailed photographs of the construction of both the Titanic and Olympic…” 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2026/03/the-fascinating-engineering-of-the-titanic-how-the-great-ocean-liner-was-built.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048596-the-fascinating-engineeri] Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UFA.th16.03DyxD_6dALQ]. “Ms. Murguia and another woman, Debra Rojas, say that Mr. Chavez sexually abused them for years when they were girls, from around 1972 to 1977.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UFA.th16.03DyxD_6dALQ] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JN4ATDfCYmo/sddefault.jpg] This is a mindblowing time capsule of ordinary life: video of a group of friends taking the NYC subway to Coney Island in 1987. [https://kottke.org/26/03/subway-to-coney-island-1987] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/subway-to-coney-island-1987]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/subway-to-coney-island-1987] Jamelle Bouie says the SAVE Act will take us back to Jim Crow South [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/opinion/trump-save-america-act.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UFA.1jNg._VAPHpCM_ErS]: “a one-party state, backed by the threat of violence, where the law ensures that most people cannot hope for meaningful political representation.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/opinion/trump-save-america-act.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UFA.1jNg._VAPHpCM_ErS] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 20, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/C763aWrpQnHk9Rc763r9IqQ67Q].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 17, 2026 “This is an interactive story about In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) [https://pudding.cool/2026/03/ivf/] told from two perspectives: Parent and Child. Select one to continue.” 🔗 pudding.cool [https://pudding.cool/2026/03/ivf/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048605-this-is-an-interactive-st] The Mysterious Redditor Who’s Changing the Way We Do Laundry [https://www.vox.com/life/481598/reddit-laundry-kismai-lipase-detergent-list-spa-day]. “Most of the world uses powdered laundry detergent, which allows for more enzyme flexibility; Americans generally prefer liquid, which doesn’t always contain these precious enzymes.” 🔗 vox.com [https://www.vox.com/life/481598/reddit-laundry-kismai-lipase-detergent-list-spa-day]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048586-the-mysterious-redditor-w] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1773777054-1aa54c37.jpg] Am I a sucker for these kinds of ultra-detailed images because I am a fan of Richard Scarry books and Wes Anderson movies or am I a fan of Scarry & Anderson because I'm a sucker for these kinds of ultra-detailed images? [https://kottke.org/26/03/vertical-societies] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/vertical-societies]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/vertical-societies] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 264 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Twin adventurers are cleverly testing modern vs. historic gear [https://www.carryology.com/insights/how-the-turner-twins-are-mythbusting-modern-gear/]. “If they went on an expedition, and Ross wore modern kit while Hugo wore historic replicas, any difference in performance…could be attributed solely to the gear, not genetics.” 🔗 carryology.com [https://www.carryology.com/insights/how-the-turner-twins-are-mythbusting-modern-gear/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048592-twin-adventurers-are-clev] The teaser trailer for Dune: Part Three [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_9vCamtuPY]. I am nonplussed by this trailer, both in the traditional and modern senses. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_9vCamtuPY]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048593-the-teaser-trailer-for-du] Extreme Macro Photos of Insect Wings [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/chris-perani-macro-photography-insects-wings/]. Hundreds of images are stacked to create a deep depth of field that’s impossible to do optically, ensuring everything is in focus. 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/chris-perani-macro-photography-insects-wings/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048591-extreme-macro-photos-of-i] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1773758075-b91f73dc.png] I love this planet & stars chart from XKCD because it's technically correct but also completely useless. [https://kottke.org/26/03/planets-bright-stars-id-chart] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/planets-bright-stars-id-chart]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/planets-bright-stars-id-chart] Nobody Gets Promoted for Simplicity [https://terriblesoftware.org/2026/03/03/nobody-gets-promoted-for-simplicity/]. “You can’t write a compelling narrative about the thing you didn’t build. Nobody gets promoted for the complexity they avoided.” 🔗 terriblesoftware.org [https://terriblesoftware.org/2026/03/03/nobody-gets-promoted-for-simplicity/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048579-nobody-gets-promoted-for-] Battery prices continue to fall [https://archive.ph/G8vhm]. “Lithium-ion battery prices don’t get constantly discussed the way crude is, but these declines add up to a decisive shift that will determine the energy landscape of the next decade.” 🔗 archive.ph [https://archive.ph/G8vhm] “The US is hurtling towards autocracy at a faster rate than Hungary and Turkey”. The Varieties of Democracy Institute [https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2026/mar/17/trump-is-aiming-for-dictatorship-thats-the-verdict-of-the-worlds-most-credible-democracy-watchdog]: “Our data on the USA goes back to 1789. What we’re seeing now is the most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2026/mar/17/trump-is-aiming-for-dictatorship-thats-the-verdict-of-the-worlds-most-credible-democracy-watchdog] Gorgeous: rural Kyoto in the heavy snow [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-Fy3LHJF8]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-Fy3LHJF8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048587-gorgeous-kyoto-in-the-hea] Gullible, Cynical America [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/cynical-gullible-american-man/686079/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ42l9MNbAg-9xXHmgFRIyxo]. “They’ll insist that you can’t trust scientists, because they’re part of the conspiracy. The podcaster selling you his special creatine gummies, though? He seems trustworthy.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/cynical-gullible-american-man/686079/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ42l9MNbAg-9xXHmgFRIyxo] “In today’s new Gilded Age, the 900-plus billionaires in the US have far too much influence over our elections, our economy, our government policies and our news media, and it’s urgent for Americans to create a movement to curb their power [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/15/billionaire-curb-power-movement]…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/15/billionaire-curb-power-movement] The Holocaust History Podcast [https://thhp.buzzsprout.com/2291653/episodes/18853576-ep-74-the-global-history-of-concentration-camps-witih-andrea-pitzer]: “In this episode, I talk with Andrea Pitzer about the long, global history of the concentration camp and its evolution over time. We talk about what the definition is, what qualifies something as a concentration camp…” 🔗 thhp.buzzsprout.com [https://thhp.buzzsprout.com/2291653/episodes/18853576-ep-74-the-global-history-of-concentration-camps-witih-andrea-pitzer]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048577-the-holocaust-history-pod] The Louvre has the Mona Lisa. Here’s what other institutions consider their Mona Lisas [https://ironicsans.ghost.io/its-t-mona-lisa/]. For instance: the National Portrait Gallery in London has a portrait of William Shakespeare and MoMA has the Gold Marilyn Monroe. 🔗 ironicsans.ghost.io [https://ironicsans.ghost.io/its-t-mona-lisa/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048553-the-louvre-has-the-mona] The 20 Best Food Scenes in Movies [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/dining/best-food-movie-scenes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.d-_H.NP7UF6y-Rjtn]. Ratatouille, Big Night, When Harry Met Sally, Tampopo, etc. What’s missing? 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/dining/best-food-movie-scenes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.d-_H.NP7UF6y-Rjtn]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048573-the-20-best-food-scenes] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/p09Dpnlgsp0/sddefault.jpg] Tiny Puppet Sound. "Would you like to watch a puppet DJ a chill set of French house music in cool workplace meeting space? Trick question because of course you would." [https://kottke.org/26/03/tiny-puppet-sound] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/tiny-puppet-sound]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/tiny-puppet-sound] “Pay enough, and you can jump to the front of the queue for almost anything.” Concierge Nation: Welcome to White-Glove America [https://archive.ph/gi8SW]. “Exclusivity — even if it comes at the cost of social cohesion — is the business model.” 🔗 archive.ph [https://archive.ph/gi8SW]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048575-concierge-nation-welcome-] Brilliant product review of the Macbook Neo. "Nobody starts in the right place. You don’t begin with the correct tool and work sensibly within its constraints until you organically graduate to a more capable one. That is not how obsession works." [https://kottke.org/26/03/not-the-computer-for-you] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/not-the-computer-for-you]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/not-the-computer-for-you] The Trump regime is deliberately destroying the scientific community in the US [https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/i-wrote-research-funding-announcements]. “This is not efficiency. This is not streamlining. This is the systematic elimination of scientific stewardship at the world’s largest biomedical research funder.” 🔗 elizabethginexi.substack.com [https://elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/i-wrote-research-funding-announcements] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 17, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/oPH6OdnGbluJODyD5X1EtQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 14, 2026 [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1773426856-96934bbf.jpg] KDO is 28 years old today. "Older than Google. Older than The Matrix. Older than Christopher Nolan's feature film career. Older than Elle Fanning. Older than Kurt Cobain when he died. It might outlast American democracy." [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-28-years-later] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-28-years-later]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-28-years-later] For the first time in awhile, copies of two lost episodes of classic Doctor Who have been discovered [https://www.polygon.com/lost-doctor-who-episodes-daleks-master-plan-william-hartnell/]. Both are from the William Hartnell era and feature the Daleks. 🔗 polygon.com [https://www.polygon.com/lost-doctor-who-episodes-daleks-master-plan-william-hartnell/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048569-for-the-first-time-in-2] The Great Friendship Flattening [https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/10/social-media-relationships-parasocial/684551/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ606rXO3GbWdg9lVmnLOvJg]. “I amass bits of knowledge about my loved ones — my sister’s boyfriend published a poem; my friend left her job — as a spectator, in the same way that I might learn about an influencer’s favorite books…” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/10/social-media-relationships-parasocial/684551/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ606rXO3GbWdg9lVmnLOvJg]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048533-the-great-friendship-flat] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 218 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Why Movies Just Don’t Feel “Real” Anymore [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwPKBXEOKE]. “A deep dive into the first principles of movie immersion: on perceptual realism, indexicality, haptic visuality, and cinematic qualia.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwPKBXEOKE]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048563-why-movies-just-dont-feel] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I4M7Ix0E_J0/sddefault.jpg] 10 Hours of Ambient Freezer Drone. The ambient hum of grocery store freezer went viral last month and of course someone turned this "electrical gong bath" into a 10-hour video on YouTube. [https://kottke.org/26/03/10-hours-of-ambient-freezer-drone] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/10-hours-of-ambient-freezer-drone]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/10-hours-of-ambient-freezer-drone] Recommendations of 25 medieval manuscripts to explore online [https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/p/25-medieval-manuscripts-you-can-look]. “Almost every institution with a significant collection of medieval manuscripts digitizes many of their most significant works and makes them freely accessible online.” 🔗 weirdmedievalguys.substack.com [https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/p/25-medieval-manuscripts-you-can-look]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048522-recommendations-of-25-med] The Z9GT model EV from China’s BYD [https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/byds-latest-evs-can-get-close-to-full-charge-in-just-12-minutes/] “can be 70 percent charged in five minutes and be almost full in 12 minutes, even in temperatures as low as -30° C” and “has a range of up to 800 km” (~500 miles). The US is sooooo far behind here. 🔗 arstechnica.com [https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/03/byds-latest-evs-can-get-close-to-full-charge-in-just-12-minutes/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048567-the-z9gt-model-ev-from] Open Thread on KDO: "What are you particularly interested in these days? Working on any fun projects? Got a new hobby? What's the best thing you've seen this week? What's something you're struggling with?" [https://kottke.org/26/03/its-an-open-thread] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/its-an-open-thread]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/its-an-open-thread] Craig Mod is software bonkers [https://craigmod.com/essays/software_bonkers/]. “I’m software bonkers: I can’t stop thinking about software. And I can’t stop building software.” 🔗 craigmod.com [https://craigmod.com/essays/software_bonkers/] Balcony solar finally seems to be taking off in the US [https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/balcony-solar-taking-state-legislatures-by-storm]. “As of Wednesday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in 28 states and Washington, D.C., have announced their own legislation to make these systems permissible.” 🔗 canarymedia.com [https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/balcony-solar-taking-state-legislatures-by-storm]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048564-balcony-solar-finally-see] Yet another graph showing that when you control for quality of life (hours/week worked) and wealth inequality, American exceptionalism disappears [https://bsky.app/profile/jakemgrumbach.bsky.social/post/3mgdis6q3oc2o]. 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/jakemgrumbach.bsky.social/post/3mgdis6q3oc2o] Potoooooooo [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potoooooooo] was an 18th-century British racehorse whose name was pronounced like “Potatoes” (Pot-eight-Os). 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potoooooooo]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048536-potoooooooo-was-an-18th-c] “Presolar grains” (microscopic crystals that are older than the Sun) harvested from meteorites may help determine how our solar system was formed [https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-crystals-older-than-the-sun-reveal-about-the-start-of-the-solar-system-20260302/]. 🔗 quantamagazine.org [https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-crystals-older-than-the-sun-reveal-about-the-start-of-the-solar-system-20260302/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048551-presolar-grains-microscop] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1773150868-4d6545e4.png] Bradley Barber remixes Lego sets into other things, e.g. the Millennium Falcon from Back to the Future DeLorean parts, an AT-AT into the USS Enterprise, and a Pirates of the Caribbean ship from the parts of a Lego bonsai tree set. [https://kottke.org/26/03/lego-sets-remixed] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/lego-sets-remixed]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/lego-sets-remixed] This is great: Channel Surfer [https://channelsurfer.tv/] is “a retro TV guide that turns YouTube into live cable TV. Each channel plays videos on a deterministic schedule — like real TV, you tune in mid-show.” 🔗 channelsurfer.tv [https://channelsurfer.tv/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048557-this-is-great-channel-sur] coulou’s vinyl cafe (no. 4) - rainy day selections [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkaz0zDWLpA]. “what’s up lovely humans, super excited to be sharing this new vinyl sessssion with you all.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkaz0zDWLpA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048561-coulous-vinyl-cafe-no-4] The Void Would Very Much Like You to Stop Screaming Into It [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-void-would-very-much-like-you-to-stop-screaming-into-it]. “I think we can both admit at this point that the screaming isn’t working. The screaming isn’t making you feel any better.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-void-would-very-much-like-you-to-stop-screaming-into-it] Clive Thompson wrote about coding with AI agents [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/magazine/ai-coding-programming-jobs-claude-chatgpt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SlA.oWgW.kb3Urk3A_fM7]. “Software developers point out that coding has a unique quality: They can tether their A.I.s to reality, because they can demand the agents test the code to see if it runs correctly.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/magazine/ai-coding-programming-jobs-claude-chatgpt.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SlA.oWgW.kb3Urk3A_fM7] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O60xU-PAWys/sddefault.jpg] The most exciting chase scene in cinema this year is a pair of hounds chasing a hare across a snowy plain. [https://kottke.org/26/03/a-miraculous-escape] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/a-miraculous-escape]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/a-miraculous-escape] “We took an ancient vice…put it on everyone’s phone, and made it as normal and frictionless as checking the weather. What could possibly go wrong? [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/online-sports-betting-app-addiction/686061/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ61t-XYqK2yJSwHU1P5JCso]” I *hate* the extent to which gambling has infested everything; it’s not going to end well. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/online-sports-betting-app-addiction/686061/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ61t-XYqK2yJSwHU1P5JCso]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048558-we-took-an-ancient-vicepu] Ballot Guessr [https://www.ballotguessr.com/]: “GeoGuessr for politics. See a Google Street View image, guess how the county voted in the 2024 presidential election.” (633/1000 on my first try…but I borked one of the guesses bc I forgot there was a time limit. 🙃) 🔗 ballotguessr.com [https://www.ballotguessr.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048556-ballot-guessr-is-a-versio] AI Is Rewiring How the World’s Best Go Players Think [https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/27/1133624/ai-is-rewiring-how-the-worlds-best-go-players-think/]. “Players now train to replicate AI’s moves as closely as they can rather than inventing their own, even when the machine’s thinking remains mysterious to them.” 🔗 technologyreview.com [https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/27/1133624/ai-is-rewiring-how-the-worlds-best-go-players-think/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048547-ai-is-rewiring-how-the] A printable zine: 50 Ways To Meet Your Neighbor [https://millionexperiments.com/zines/50-ways-to-meet-your-neighbor]. “32. Picking up trash, generally, is a good way to meet neighbors. People notice. 33. Winter: Shovel someone’s sidewalk. It’s also great cardio.” 🔗 millionexperiments.com [https://millionexperiments.com/zines/50-ways-to-meet-your-neighbor]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048544-a-printable-zine-50-ways] Missed this earlier in the week: The Tournament of Books is underway! [https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/] “Every March, the Tournament of Books is a month-long battle royale among the year’s best novels.” 🔗 tournamentofbooks.com [https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048549-missed-this-earlier-in-th] This photo of an Icelandic glacier [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/dani-guindo-iceland-glaciers-landscape-photography/] is really something. 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/dani-guindo-iceland-glaciers-landscape-photography/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048541-this-photo-of-an-icelandi] The People Who Shun Super-Popular Pop Culture [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/pop-culture-hype-aversion/686312/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ82vdNbs59d_2L_rAt5RG-Y]. “Some people are early adopters; others are late adopters. I’m simply a weirdly resistant one.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/pop-culture-hype-aversion/686312/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ82vdNbs59d_2L_rAt5RG-Y]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048546-the-people-who-shun-super] There are at least 60 Pizza Hut Classics (red roofs, checkered tablecloths, salad bar) in the US…but the company does nothing to promote them [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/dining/pizza-hut.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SVA.-irZ.iDwvbf0a_cnO]. “They are like wormholes in the chain restaurant galaxy, portals to the past found by serendipity.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/dining/pizza-hut.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SVA.-irZ.iDwvbf0a_cnO]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048548-there-are-at-least-60] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nhmdDjatyRY/sddefault.jpg] From There I Ruined It, a version of Toto's Africa but the lyrics are a listing of every country in Africa. They should teach this in American middle schools, not even joking. [https://kottke.org/26/03/africa-toto-but-it-lists-every] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/africa-toto-but-it-lists-every]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/africa-toto-but-it-lists-every] Steve Scherer was a Reuters’ bureau chief in Canada. Then he got laid off, had to leave the country, and now drives for Uber in Virginia [https://stevescherer.substack.com/p/my-journey-from-foreign-correspondent], in a country he doesn’t recognize anymore after working for 28 years abroad. 🔗 stevescherer.substack.com [https://stevescherer.substack.com/p/my-journey-from-foreign-correspondent]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048535-steve-scherer-was-a-reute] Wow, KDO pal and explorer Ariel Waldman has her own show on PBS [https://mailchi.mp/arielwaldman/its-official-im-coming-to-pbs-on-april-1]! “LIFE UNEARTHED with Ariel Waldman [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7pSVaxEe0] is a science-driven docu-series revealing Earth’s ecosystems through radical shifts in scale…” 🔗 mailchi.mp [https://mailchi.mp/arielwaldman/its-official-im-coming-to-pbs-on-april-1]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048545-wow-kdo-pal-and-explorer] Georg Cantor is celebrated for revolutionizing mathematics by proving that there are different levels of infinity. But he didn’t do it alone and evidence has emerged that he plagiarized the work of a collaborator [https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-man-who-stole-infinity-20260225/]. 🔗 quantamagazine.org [https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-man-who-stole-infinity-20260225/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048526-georg-cantor-is-celebrate] “8 in 10 AI chatbots were regularly willing to assist users in planning violent attacks [https://counterhate.com/research/killer-apps/] including school shootings, religious bombings, and high-profile assassinations. DeepSeek went as far as wishing the would-be attacker a ‘Happy (and safe) shooting!’” 🔗 counterhate.com [https://counterhate.com/research/killer-apps/] NYT columnist Jamelle Bouie interviewed by Work is Four Letters: "I can say what I don’t think I’m doing... What I’m not trying to do, is sort of, oh, 'This is a running compendium of things Jamelle has thought about during a week'. That’s boring." [https://kottke.org/26/03/jamelle-bouie-interview-on-work-is-four-letters] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/jamelle-bouie-interview-on-work-is-four-letters]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/jamelle-bouie-interview-on-work-is-four-letters] Draw your own constellations [https://neal.fun/constellation-draw/]. 🔗 neal.fun [https://neal.fun/constellation-draw/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048540-draw-your-own-constellati] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772734369-e1d4ded8.jpg] Courtesy of Cambridge University, high-res photos of the original punches used by 18th-century printer John Baskerville to make his eponymous typeface. [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-baskerville-punches] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-baskerville-punches]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-baskerville-punches] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 14, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/7bXYb7e3GutucsrWb4uQVA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 10, 2026 Amount Of Water Man Just Used To Wash Dish To Be Prize Of Hand-To-Hand Combat Match In 2065 [https://theonion.com/amount-of-water-man-just-used-to-wash-dish-to-be-prize-1819578198/]. 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/amount-of-water-man-just-used-to-wash-dish-to-be-prize-1819578198/] "A new world order is here. States (countries) are no longer the highest form of power globally. Power has shifted to wealthy individuals who work in groups and operate across borders: syndicates of capital." [https://kottke.org/26/03/syndicates-of-capital] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/syndicates-of-capital]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/syndicates-of-capital] Everyone knows Yuri Gagarin was the first person to go to space. What this article presupposes is…maybe he wasn’t? [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2517964-why-yuri-gagarin-wasnt-the-first-in-space-and-who-beat-him-to-it/] It all boils down to what your definition of space is. 🔗 newscientist.com [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2517964-why-yuri-gagarin-wasnt-the-first-in-space-and-who-beat-him-to-it/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048530-everyone-knows-yuri-gagar] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 86 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Another recent HyperCard discovery (that isn’t somehow in the Internet Archive): an “expanded book” version of William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy [https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/neuromancer-count-zero-mona-lisa-overdrive] (Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive). 🔗 macintoshgarden.org [https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/neuromancer-count-zero-mona-lisa-overdrive]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048531-another-recent-hypercard-] “Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues invented a new vaccine that protects mice from respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergens [https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/02/universal-vaccine.html] — the closest yet to a universal vaccine.” 🔗 med.stanford.edu [https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/02/universal-vaccine.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048534-stanford-medicine-researc] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoOD-2Wn7ik/sddefault.jpg] Ghost Elephants is a new documentary film by Werner Herzog for National Geographic. The film follows a biologist on "an epic journey as he sets out with some of the best master trackers in the world, in pursuit of an animal long believed to be a myth". [https://kottke.org/26/03/ghost-elephants] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/ghost-elephants]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/ghost-elephants] Github’s uptime lately [https://mrshu.github.io/github-statuses/] seems…..concerning? 🔗 mrshu.github.io [https://mrshu.github.io/github-statuses/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048523-githubs-uptime-lately-see] “Billionaires made 19 percent of all reported federal campaign contributions in 2024, a Times analysis shows, and even more in some local elections.” The Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/us/billionaires-federal-election-campaign-contributions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SFA.GWWe.t9RuX90bC7wE]. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/us/billionaires-federal-election-campaign-contributions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SFA.GWWe.t9RuX90bC7wE] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4q8wZ15ALz4/sddefault.jpg] The Shape of Paris, a balletic short film of skateboarder Andy Anderson zooming, grinding, spinning, and floating around Paris in the summertime. "This is the cleanest footage I've ever seen. The cinematography and color grading is insane." [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-shape-of-paris] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-shape-of-paris]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-shape-of-paris] The Modern Times cafe moved to a pay-what-you-want model during the ICE occupation of Minneapolis. Now the cafe is making it permanent (and pivoting to a nonprofit) [https://www.startribune.com/modern-times-cafe-in-minneapolis-makes-pay-what-you-can-permanent/601589329]. “Some had come for a free meal; others were there to pay double or triple their tab.” 🔗 startribune.com [https://www.startribune.com/modern-times-cafe-in-minneapolis-makes-pay-what-you-can-permanent/601589329]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048525-the-modern-times-cafe-mov] “A group of runners starts jogging around a circular track, with each runner maintaining a unique, constant pace. Will every runner end up ‘lonely,’ [https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-strides-made-on-deceptively-simple-lonely-runner-problem-20260306/] or relatively far from everyone else, at least once, no matter their speeds?” 🔗 quantamagazine.org [https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-strides-made-on-deceptively-simple-lonely-runner-problem-20260306/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048521-a-group-of-runners-starts] Jay Graber is stepping down as CEO of Bluesky [https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-09-2026-a-new-chapter-for-bluesky] to “transition to a new role as Bluesky’s Chief Innovation Officer”. And they’re looking for a new permanent CEO. 🔗 bsky.social [https://bsky.social/about/blog/03-09-2026-a-new-chapter-for-bluesky]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048520-jay-graber-is-stepping-do] “What if we taught students to use AI critically, rather than insisting they ignore it or assume they’re using it to cheat?” asks college freshman Maximilian Milovidov [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5732793/college-student-perspective-using-ai-in-class]. “Students will reach for these tools, whether universities ban them or not.” 🔗 npr.org [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5732793/college-student-perspective-using-ai-in-class] New web game that takes 2 min to play (and perhaps a lifetime to master?): Outsmart [https://labs.davidbauer.ch/outsmart/]. “Five rounds, first to 3 wins. In each round, the higher bet wins. You have 100 total points, so bet wisely. Can you outsmart the machine?” 🔗 labs.davidbauer.ch [https://labs.davidbauer.ch/outsmart/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048515-new-web-game-that-takes] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ojqcjzzjN2Q/sddefault.jpg] The Library of Congress recently discovered a copy of a film made in ~1897 called Gugusse and the Automaton, which "had not been seen by anyone in likely more than a century" and "was the first appearance on film of what might be called a robot". [https://kottke.org/26/03/gugusse-and-the-automaton] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/gugusse-and-the-automaton]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/gugusse-and-the-automaton] GPS jamming and spoofing is becoming commonplace in war [https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/science/gps-jamming-ships-planes-iran-war]. “Ships in the region’s waters found their navigation systems had gone haywire, erroneously indicating that the vessels were at airports, a nuclear power plant and on Iranian land.” 🔗 cnn.com [https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/science/gps-jamming-ships-planes-iran-war]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048514-gps-jamming-and-spoofing-] The fish doorbell in Utrecht is back for another season! [https://visdeurbel.nl/en/] “Did you spot a fish? Press the Fish Doorbell! Then our lock keeper can let the fish through.” 🔗 visdeurbel.nl [https://visdeurbel.nl/en/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048517-the-fish-doorbell-in-utre] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sOJ_uaffG5s/sddefault.jpg] Great interview with Rebecca Solnit. "Maybe changing the world is more like caregiving than it is like war. Too many people still expect it to look like war." [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-hidden-hope-in-the-darknes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-hidden-hope-in-the-darknes]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-hidden-hope-in-the-darknes] The NY Times went back through a century of women’s obituaries [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/06/obituaries/archives/notable-women-deaths-obituaries.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RlA.TCbB.tZoCzSKZP-OB] “to re-examine them with the benefit of distance — to see what was emphasized, what was minimized, what might have been left unsaid”. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/06/obituaries/archives/notable-women-deaths-obituaries.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RlA.TCbB.tZoCzSKZP-OB]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048513-the-ny-times-went-back] Dozens of former employees of Noma tell of abuse & violence at the hands of its chef/owner, René Redzepi [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/dining/rene-redzepi-noma-abuse-allegations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RlA.uXvD.lykliQliR33K]. Punching, screaming, shoving, stabbing, slamming, intimidation, ridicule, blacklisting. What an asshole. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/dining/rene-redzepi-noma-abuse-allegations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RlA.uXvD.lykliQliR33K] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 10, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/e8SwmC7trg7Tht4B8892tnNw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 7, 2026 [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772824516-1eefd928.jpg] KDO members can now freshen up their profiles with a profile pic or a short bio. "The idea with this feature is to provide a lightweight way for KDO members to get to know who they're conversing with in the comments." (It's Just Enough Social...) [https://kottke.org/26/03/people-in-this-neighborhood] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/people-in-this-neighborhood]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/people-in-this-neighborhood] Lots of great defecation physics here: “66 percent of animals take between 5 and 19 seconds to defecate. It’s a…small range, given that elephant feces have a volume of 20 liters, nearly a thousand times more than a dog’s, at 10 milliliters [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/takes-elephant-amount-time-poop].” 🔗 pbs.org [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/takes-elephant-amount-time-poop]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048508-lots-of-great-defecation-] The New School Cancelled Their Class on Soccer and World Politics. We Are Going To Teach it Anyway. [https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/enrollment-is-now-open-global-soccer] Enrollment is now open; the class will deal with questions like “Which regimes are using this tournament to launder their reputations?” 🔗 karenattiah.substack.com [https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/enrollment-is-now-open-global-soccer]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048510-the-new-school-cancelled-] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 113 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. SETI might be missing alien signals [https://www.seti.org/news/why-seti-might-have-been-missing-alien-signals/] because “stellar ‘space weather’ may blur ultra-narrow radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations before they leave their home star systems”. SETI usually looks for “extremely sharp frequency spikes”. 🔗 seti.org [https://www.seti.org/news/why-seti-might-have-been-missing-alien-signals/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048509-seti-might-be-missing-ali] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/kfc-finger-lickin-bad.jpg] Colonel Sanders visited a KFC with a NY Times food critic in 1976 and had nothing good to say about the food. "This ain't no goddam Tennessee Fried Chicken, no matter what some slick, silk-suited son-of-a-bitch says." [https://kottke.org/16/08/for-the-colonel-it-was-fingerlickin-bad] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/08/for-the-colonel-it-was-fingerlickin-bad] The Met Introduces High-Definition 3D Scans of Dozens of Art Historical Objects [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/metropolitan-museum-of-art-3d-models-art-history/], including Egyptian temples [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547802], Greek oil flasks [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254843], van Gogh paintings [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436535], and cuneiform tablets [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321937]. 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/metropolitan-museum-of-art-3d-models-art-history/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048506-the-met-introduces-high-d] “If measles-mumps-rubella vaccination rates decline 1% annually for the next five years, associated medical and societal costs could reach $1.5 billion [https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/public-health/measles-outbreaks-could-drive-1-5b-in-annual-us-healthcare-costs-by-2030-report/].” (That 1% is a conservative estimate “given current policy and coverage trajectory”.) 🔗 beckershospitalreview.com [https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/public-health/measles-outbreaks-could-drive-1-5b-in-annual-us-healthcare-costs-by-2030-report/] Director Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Poker Face) wrote the review of the Thursday crossword puzzle for the NY Times today [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2026-03-05.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RFA.82FK.-PlW2y4rdER9]. “I love a good Thursday. The baffling special graphics, the wait-that-can’t-be-right puzzlement and that glorious ah-ha moment…” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2026-03-05.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RFA.82FK.-PlW2y4rdER9]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048504-director-rian-johnson-kni] Earth’s gravity is lumpy [https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a70449552/gravity-hole-antarctica/]. “The gravity in East Antarctica is measurably weaker than anywhere else on the planet.” 🔗 popularmechanics.com [https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a70449552/gravity-hole-antarctica/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048496-earths-gravity-is-lumpy-t] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772723309-063ed429.png] Arresting Photos of Big Tuskers. "The term 'Big Tusker' refers to an elephant with tusks so large they scrape the floor." There are only ~25 of these elephants left in the entire world. [https://kottke.org/26/03/big-tuskers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/big-tuskers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/big-tuskers] This is kind of amazing: World Monitor [https://www.worldmonitor.app] is a real-time global intelligence dashboard. Includes military activity, climate anomalies, live webcam feeds in warzones, internet outages, active fires, and even the Pentagon Pizza Index [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_pizza_theory]. 🔗 worldmonitor.app [https://www.worldmonitor.app]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048502-this-is-kind-of-amazing] Yes, let’s retire the restaurant monologue [https://archive.ph/lp9Cr]. “The urge to direct diners through every bite of a meal runs counter to what I love about dining out, one of just a few cornerstones of American life that have not yet been optimized into oblivion.” 🔗 archive.ph [https://archive.ph/lp9Cr]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048498-yes-lets-retire-the-resta] From ProPublica, a database of financial disclosures from the Trump regime’s political appointees [https://projects.propublica.org/trump-team-financial-disclosures/]. “Use this database to explore potential conflicts of interest for President Donald Trump and his team.” 🔗 projects.propublica.org [https://projects.propublica.org/trump-team-financial-disclosures/] The Internet Archive has a ton of old HyperCard programs that you can run right in your browser, including Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies, the Whole Earth Catalog, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ebook, and The Manhole (Myst precursor). [https://kottke.org/26/03/brian-enos-oblique-strategies] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/brian-enos-oblique-strategies]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/brian-enos-oblique-strategies] Web game: list as many animals as you can in 1 minute [https://rose.systems/animalist/] (but you get more time with correct guesses). 🔗 rose.systems [https://rose.systems/animalist/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048500-web-game-list-as-many] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6cL5Nud8d7w/sddefault.jpg] The Four Rules for a Good Walk. "There needs to be a proper reason to walk, the walk has to be safe and feel safe, the walk has to be comfortable, and the walk has to be interesting." [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-four-rules-for-a-good-walk] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-four-rules-for-a-good-walk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/the-four-rules-for-a-good-walk] Legendary computer scientist Donald Knuth [https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/papers/claude-cycles.pdf]: “Shock! Shock! I learned yesterday that an open problem I’d been working on for several weeks had just been solved by Claude Opus 4.6.” 🔗 www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu [https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/papers/claude-cycles.pdf] “The entire Sun oscillates in a globally coherent way, and the oscillations are formed by sound waves trapped inside the Sun that make it resonate just like a musical instrument [https://www.404media.co/the-sun-is-glitching-scientists-investigated-and-solved-a-cosmic-mystery/].” 🔗 404media.co [https://www.404media.co/the-sun-is-glitching-scientists-investigated-and-solved-a-cosmic-mystery/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048493-the-entire-sun-oscillates] From late January, a 40-minute talk by Rick Steves [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E20u5y7CJZQ] on “how lessons learned on the road can help Americans better understand and meet the challenges facing Democracy in the USA.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E20u5y7CJZQ] Timothy Snyder on strongmen [https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-transitive-strongman]. “Once you accept that Trump is strong, you are accepting that you are weaker than Trump. And once you accept the strongman form of politics, you no longer have recourse to laws, or norms, or even basic ideas of decency.” 🔗 snyder.substack.com [https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-transitive-strongman] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5AVYDHTOixU/sddefault.jpg] De La Soul's Tiny Desk Concert! Stakes is High! Me Myself and I! Enough said. [https://kottke.org/26/03/de-la-souls-tiny-desk-concert] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/de-la-souls-tiny-desk-concert]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/de-la-souls-tiny-desk-concert] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772649150-4149c2d9.png] Rebecca Solnit's new book: The Beginning Comes After the End. "In her telling, the current rise of authoritarianism is the dying gasp of an old world order, and we are on the precipice of living in a multicultural and interconnected world." [https://kottke.org/26/03/beginning-comes-after-the-end] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/beginning-comes-after-the-end]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/beginning-comes-after-the-end] TIL about babysitting co-ops [https://reasonstobecheerful.world/the-spark-how-to-make-parenting-fun-again/]. “The premise is simple: Families in the co-op provide each other with free childcare. A point system…ensures that everyone contributes their fair share. Every half an hour is worth one point…” 🔗 reasonstobecheerful.world [https://reasonstobecheerful.world/the-spark-how-to-make-parenting-fun-again/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048487-til-about-babysitting-co-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772639986-c33c6a6d.png] I made some improvements to the KDO Rolodex (a list of sites & people I read to make the site) and also sort of accidentally built a wee feed reader that's casual and fun? Come check it out... [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-rolodex-wee-feedreader] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-rolodex-wee-feedreader]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/kdo-rolodex-wee-feedreader] Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Acquires Original Disney Adult [https://theonion.com/academy-museum-acquires-original-disney-adult/]. “There wouldn’t be a Disney as we know it without this guy, a grown man who has watched Tinker Bell And The Great Fairy Rescue more than 90 times.” 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/academy-museum-acquires-original-disney-adult/] TIL about burping your house [https://defector.com/i-burp-my-house-now], aka lüften (in Germany), aka opening up the windows in your house daily to air it out, even in winter. 🔗 defector.com [https://defector.com/i-burp-my-house-now]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048485-til-about-burping-your-ho] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772633983-123b7671.png] How cool are these color photographs of Rome from the 1890s? The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, the Forum, etc. [https://kottke.org/26/03/color-photos-of-rome-c-1890s] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/color-photos-of-rome-c-1890s]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/color-photos-of-rome-c-1890s] Steve Jobs famously said [https://www.themarginalian.org/2011/12/21/steve-jobs-bicycle-for-the-mind-1990/] that computers are a bicycle for the mind. What does that make LLMs? An e-bike for the mind? A car for the mind? A jet plane for the mind? 🔗 themarginalian.org [https://www.themarginalian.org/2011/12/21/steve-jobs-bicycle-for-the-mind-1990/] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 7, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/Tw2YZihbBQbGeQ0KwicCFA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR MAR 3, 2026 LLMs are getting pretty good at unmasking pseudonymous users [https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/llms-can-unmask-pseudonymous-users-at-scale-with-surprising-accuracy/] — their success rate is “far greater” than humans alone can manage. 🔗 arstechnica.com [https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/llms-can-unmask-pseudonymous-users-at-scale-with-surprising-accuracy/] “Imagine what it was like for women in colonial North America [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/life-for-women-in-the-13-colonies]. Life was different depending on where you lived, your background, and how much money you had.” 🔗 thekidshouldseethis.com [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/life-for-women-in-the-13-colonies]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048479-imagine-what-it-was-like] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hxHkNToXga8/sddefault.jpg] A history of Apple's HyperCard ("it was the web before the web"), where it came from, and what happened to it. [https://kottke.org/26/03/hypercard-changed-everything] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/hypercard-changed-everything]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/hypercard-changed-everything] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 34 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Does Your Country Need Regime Change? A Quiz. [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/does-your-country-need-regime-change-a-quiz] “Is your country a notorious bad actor in the Middle East? Has your leader deployed the country’s military domestically against civilians who were protesting peacefully?” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/does-your-country-need-regime-change-a-quiz] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772560269-3e84183d.png] In his show now on display in LA, Takashi Murakami painted his own version of a Claude Monet painting. "The painting is paired with Murakami's copies of woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) that influenced the work of Monet and other impressionist artists." [https://kottke.org/26/03/takashi-murakami-remixes-monet] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/takashi-murakami-remixes-monet]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/takashi-murakami-remixes-monet] Remember the “scroll lock” key on your keyboard? What the heck was it for? [https://unsung.aresluna.org/lock-scroll-with-a-vengeance/] And why is the same scrolling mechanic showing up in streaming service interfaces? 🔗 unsung.aresluna.org [https://unsung.aresluna.org/lock-scroll-with-a-vengeance/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048477-remember-the-scroll-lock-] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/editor-1772556795-80fae66c.png] New Rembrandt Painting Discovered. "A painting from 1633 called Vision of Zacharias in the Temple has been newly identified by Rijksmuseum researchers as an authentic Rembrandt van Rijn." [https://kottke.org/26/03/new-rembrandt-painting-discove] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/new-rembrandt-painting-discove]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/new-rembrandt-painting-discove] [http://kottke.org/plus/misc/images/time-state-map.jpg] Try it: Can you draw all 50 states from memory? [https://kottke.org/17/07/can-you-draw-all-50-states-from-memory] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/17/07/can-you-draw-all-50-states-from-memory] Recent advances in science have revolutionized our understanding of the Maya [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/12/apocalypse-no-how-almost-everything-we-thought-we-knew-about-the-maya-is-wrong], e.g. there’s evidence that “more people lived in the classic-era Maya lowlands than on the Italian peninsula during the peak of the Roman empire…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/12/apocalypse-no-how-almost-everything-we-thought-we-knew-about-the-maya-is-wrong]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048470-recent-advances-in-scienc] “Boredom is the price we pay for a life rich with meaning [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/boredom-parenthood-father/686158/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ_F90_8PNfpEYF00xv8NJPA]. Recognizing this makes the feeling more endurable.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/boredom-parenthood-father/686158/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ_F90_8PNfpEYF00xv8NJPA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048469-boredom-is-the-price-we] When lit up at night, this badminton academy in Bhubaneswar, India looks like a shuttlecock [https://mossandfog.com/badminton-academy-features-dramatic-shuttlecock-shaped-building/]. 🔗 mossandfog.com [https://mossandfog.com/badminton-academy-features-dramatic-shuttlecock-shaped-building/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048475-when-lit-up-at-night] “Supercharged” solar activity and the equinox effect, which “doubles the chance of auroral activity around the spring and fall equinoxes”, could make March 2026 the best month for the northern lights [https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/march-could-be-the-best-month-for-the-northern-lights-for-nearly-a-decade-if-the-sun-stays-active] until the mid-2030s. 🔗 livescience.com [https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/march-could-be-the-best-month-for-the-northern-lights-for-nearly-a-decade-if-the-sun-stays-active]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048474-supercharged-solar-activi] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h81CrYQFp0w/sddefault.jpg] Nine Inch Nails released an album of remixes and unreleased session music called Tron Ares: Divergence. I'm listening to it now; pretty good so far. [https://kottke.org/26/03/nine-inch-nails-releases-tron] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/nine-inch-nails-releases-tron]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/nine-inch-nails-releases-tron] “A long dive into the features that make my ideal music app [https://hicks.design/journal/my-perfect-music-app-doesnt-exist], and why nothing currently fulfills the brief.” 🔗 hicks.design [https://hicks.design/journal/my-perfect-music-app-doesnt-exist]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048467-a-long-dive-into-the] This is the most 2026 thing I’ve ever heard: Sigmund Freud’s great-granddaughter Bella Freud has a video podcast on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Fashion_Neurosis/videos] where she interviews people (Cate Blanchette, Lorde, Graydon Carter) while they lie on a psychiatrist’s couch. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/@Fashion_Neurosis/videos]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048472-this-is-the-most-2026] A Boston man discovered a document passed down through his family: his ancestor’s freedom papers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhMokL_cKyk]. “When he touched that paper he was touching the same place his relative touched in 1834.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhMokL_cKyk]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048471-a-boston-man-discovered-a] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_3BEsMtLhzU/sddefault.jpg] Lumière, Le Cinema! is a new documentary film by Thierry Frémaux about Auguste & Louis Lumière and the early days of motion pictures. "The restored footage from short films that are 120, 130 years old is astonishing." [https://kottke.org/26/03/lumire-le-cinema] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/lumire-le-cinema]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/lumire-le-cinema] Astrophysicist Cosimo Bambi proposes sending a tiny spacecraft to study nearby black holes [https://www.sci.news/astronomy/interstellar-mission-astrophysical-black-holes-14129.html]. “Earth-based lasers would blast the [light] sail with photons, accelerating the craft to a third of the speed of light.” 🔗 sci.news [https://www.sci.news/astronomy/interstellar-mission-astrophysical-black-holes-14129.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048464-astrophysicist-cosimo-bam] “Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks [https://apnews.com/article/henrietta-lacks-lawsuit-novartis-cells-medicine-89fa08519ee04a2ef68fa296c31c55b9] that alleged the [company] unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken…without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements…” 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/henrietta-lacks-lawsuit-novartis-cells-medicine-89fa08519ee04a2ef68fa296c31c55b9]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/03/0048465-novartis-has-settled-a-la] Why Attack Iran? "Two interpretive frameworks: a foreign war as a mechanism to destroy democracy at home; and a foreign war as an element of personal corruption by the president of the United States." [https://kottke.org/26/03/why-attack-iran] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/03/why-attack-iran] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Mar 3, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/7631t76372vxEXxdjNKBxv4cXg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR FEB 27, 2026 “For months, callers to the Washington state Department of Licensing who have requested automated service in Spanish have instead heard an AI voice speaking English in a strong Spanish accent [https://apnews.com/article/washington-dol-spanish-accent-ai-3a1b8438a5674c07242a8d48c057d5a3].” 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/washington-dol-spanish-accent-ai-3a1b8438a5674c07242a8d48c057d5a3] A 2-hour mix of music compiled by Thom Yorke [https://www.mixcloud.com/thomyorke_/2025-walking-in/] that plays before Radiohead’s European shows. 🔗 mixcloud.com [https://www.mixcloud.com/thomyorke_/2025-walking-in/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TyqZp-XtFzo/sddefault.jpg] Ann Ballentine bought an old candy factory building in Brooklyn in 1979. She filled it with working artists and became something of a fairy godmother to them all. A lovely little short film. [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-candy-factory] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-candy-factory]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-candy-factory] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 93 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Do people still worship the ancient Greek gods? [https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/meet-the-greeks-who-worship-the-ancient-gods] “Hellenism – also called Hellenic ethnic religion, or Dodekatheism – which is the practice of worshipping ancient gods, has been growing in popularity since the 1990s.” 🔗 theculturetrip.com [https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/meet-the-greeks-who-worship-the-ancient-gods]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048423-do-people-still-worship-t] Jimi Hendrix Was a Systems Engineer [https://spectrum.ieee.org/jimi-hendrix-systems-engineer]. “Hendrix’s mission was to reshape both the electric guitar’s envelope and its tone until it could feel like a human voice.” 🔗 spectrum.ieee.org [https://spectrum.ieee.org/jimi-hendrix-systems-engineer]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048459-jimi-hendrix-was-a-system] Marks found on 40,000-year-old artifacts might be a proto-language [https://www.reuters.com/science/40000-year-old-german-artifacts-may-display-written-language-precursor-2026-02-24/]. “They found that these sign sequences displayed an information density very similar to the earliest examples of the cuneiform forerunner called proto-cuneiform.” 🔗 reuters.com [https://www.reuters.com/science/40000-year-old-german-artifacts-may-display-written-language-precursor-2026-02-24/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048460-marks-found-on-40000-year] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hUhisi2FBuw/sddefault.jpg] Better than Apple's manufacturing videos: an engineer explains the ingenious design of the aluminum beverage can. [https://kottke.org/15/04/the-ingenious-design-of-the-aluminum-beverage-can] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/15/04/the-ingenious-design-of-the-aluminum-beverage-can] Pope Leo XIV to his priests: stop using AI to write sermons [https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/pope-priests-ai]. “‘To give a homily is to share faith,’ he said, and AI ‘will never be able to share faith.’” 🔗 futurism.com [https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/pope-priests-ai] Mondrian Entered the Public Domain. The Estate Disagrees. [https://copyrightlately.com/mondrian-public-domain-controversy/] “Composition II with Red, Blue, and Yellow is in the U.S. public domain. It has been since January 1, 2026. No amount of Spanish law or invented ‘dual copyright’ theories changes that.” 🔗 copyrightlately.com [https://copyrightlately.com/mondrian-public-domain-controversy/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048264-mondrian-entered-the-publ] The NY Times has added another daily crossword to the line-up [https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-new-york-times-is-adding-another-daily-crossword-because-why-not/]: the Midi [https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/midi]. “The standard Times daily crossword, you see, is a 15×15 grid. The Mini is 5×5. The new Midi is 9×9, snug in between.” 🔗 niemanlab.org [https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-new-york-times-is-adding-another-daily-crossword-because-why-not/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048457-the-ny-times-has-added] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48450-01.jpg] During the recent annular solar eclipse on February 17, the ESA's PROBA-2 satellite captured this great shot of the Moon passing in front of the Sun. Cue up the Johnny Cash. [https://kottke.org/26/02/satellites-ring-of-fire-solar-eclipse-photo-taken-from-orbit] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/satellites-ring-of-fire-solar-eclipse-photo-taken-from-orbit]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/satellites-ring-of-fire-solar-eclipse-photo-taken-from-orbit] “Eclipses have been connected with the fate of rulers [https://theconversation.com/for-thousands-of-years-solar-eclipses-have-been-associated-with-the-fate-of-rulers-275515] since at least ancient Mesopotamia, around 4,000 years ago.” But more recently: “In 1581, Queen Elizabeth I of England made it a felony to use horoscopes to predict her death or her successor.” 🔗 theconversation.com [https://theconversation.com/for-thousands-of-years-solar-eclipses-have-been-associated-with-the-fate-of-rulers-275515]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048405-eclipses-have-been-connec] Calculating the longest line of sight on Earth [https://tombh.co.uk/longest-line-of-sight]: 530km (329 miles) between “an unnamed Himalayan ridge near the Indian-Chinese border and Pik Dankova in Kyrgyzstan”. 🔗 tombh.co.uk [https://tombh.co.uk/longest-line-of-sight]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048444-calculating-the-longest-l] “x86CSS [https://lyra.horse/x86css/] is a working CSS-only x86 CPU/emulator/computer. Yes, the Cascading Style Sheets CSS. No JavaScript required. What you’re seeing above is a C program that was compiled using GCC into native 8086 machine code being executed fully within CSS.” 🔗 lyra.horse [https://lyra.horse/x86css/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048456-x86css-is-a-working-css-o] Ali Akbar, the last newspaper hawker in Paris, has been awarded a knighthood [https://www.npr.org/2026/02/20/g-s1-110565/france-paris-newspaper-seller-knighthood-chevalier-ali-akbar] by French president Emmanuel Macron. “Macron went on to refer to Akbar as ‘the most French of the French — a Voltairean who arrived from Pakistan.’” 🔗 npr.org [https://www.npr.org/2026/02/20/g-s1-110565/france-paris-newspaper-seller-knighthood-chevalier-ali-akbar]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048449-ali-akbar-the-last-newspa] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VzzAnvsIOnc/sddefault.jpg] Elizebeth Smith Friedman: The Codebreaker. The details of her remarkable career sound a bit outlandish: broke Enigma codes, developed many of the principles of modern cryptology, testified against Al Capone, J. Edgar Hoover took credit for her work... [https://kottke.org/26/02/elizebeth-smith-friedman-the-codebreaker] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/elizebeth-smith-friedman-the-codebreaker]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/elizebeth-smith-friedman-the-codebreaker] How America Chose Not to Hold the Powerful to Account [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/elite-accountability-powerful-impunity/686134/?gift=Je3D9AQS-C17lUTOnl2W8ImCAJzfV2R8UlH_eHGQVjM]. “The answer to why powerful people in some other parts of the world face consequences, while in America they rarely do, is that elite impunity is now an American national project.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/elite-accountability-powerful-impunity/686134/?gift=Je3D9AQS-C17lUTOnl2W8ImCAJzfV2R8UlH_eHGQVjM] Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/americans-are-leaving-the-us-in-record-numbers/ar-AA1X5a4f] (free WSJ piece at MSN). “Last year the U.S. experienced something that hasn’t definitively occurred since the Great Depression: More people moved out than moved in.” 🔗 msn.com [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/americans-are-leaving-the-us-in-record-numbers/ar-AA1X5a4f]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048452-americans-are-leaving-the] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48448-04.webp] An Archive of Commercial Illustration (c. 1950-75). So much throwback inspiration here! [https://kottke.org/26/02/an-archive-of-commercial-illustration-c-1950-75] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/an-archive-of-commercial-illustration-c-1950-75]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/an-archive-of-commercial-illustration-c-1950-75] Kansas Sends Letters To Trans People Demanding The Immediate Surrender Of Drivers Licenses [https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/kansas-sends-letters-to-trans-people]. “The letter…marks one of the most significant erosions of transgender civil rights in the United States to date.” 🔗 erininthemorning.com [https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/kansas-sends-letters-to-trans-people] “A collection of images of trees at Dollar Tree store locations [https://departmentofnaturalhistory.com/Field-Guide-to-Dollar-Tree-Trees] across the United States.” 🔗 departmentofnaturalhistory.com [https://departmentofnaturalhistory.com/Field-Guide-to-Dollar-Tree-Trees] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rT7DMb3ZucU/sddefault.jpg] Physics Is a Conversation. "I like to say that Einstein is, if anything, underrated as a physicist, which is hard to imagine given how highly he is rated." [https://kottke.org/26/02/physics-is-a-conversation] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/physics-is-a-conversation]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/physics-is-a-conversation] These synchronized martial arts robots [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/martial-arts-robots-viral-video-2026-spring-festival-gala] are genuinely impressive. 🔗 thekidshouldseethis.com [https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/martial-arts-robots-viral-video-2026-spring-festival-gala]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048442-these-synchronized-martia] They’re doing a new Pride and Prejudice adaptation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bSKM9WWT08]. From the comments on the trailer: “this looks like a temu version of the 2005” and “The Darcy is not Darcying”. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bSKM9WWT08]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048446-theyre-doing-a-new-pride] Jayden Hoffman spent more than 4 months customizing this computer keyboard [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=293HWHd_Jlc], replacing the letter keys with hand-painted logos (McDonald’s arch for M, Avengers for A, Xbox logo for X, Google for G, etc.) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=293HWHd_Jlc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048419-jayden-hoffman-spent-more] Is This Waymo a Better Person Than You? [https://www.newyorker.com/humor/shouts-murmurs/is-this-waymo-a-better-person-than-you] “When the light turns yellow, this Waymo does not speed up. It does not calculate whether it could make it. It does not believe in ‘probably.’ It waits.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/humor/shouts-murmurs/is-this-waymo-a-better-person-than-you] “The CyberTruck is 17 times more likely to have a fire fatality than a Ford Pinto” [https://fuelarc.com/evs/its-official-the-cybertruck-is-more-explosive-than-the-ford-pinto/], a 70s automobile that put the “car” in “exploding car”. 🔗 fuelarc.com [https://fuelarc.com/evs/its-official-the-cybertruck-is-more-explosive-than-the-ford-pinto/] Commenters in this thread [https://www.threads.com/@lupcheong/post/DVH5oG7j5yn] shared a bunch of songs “where the drum beats are Morse code that also serve as a separate layer to the lyrics”. 🔗 threads.com [https://www.threads.com/@lupcheong/post/DVH5oG7j5yn]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048443-commenters-in-this-thread] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wg_jwgmwt-U/sddefault.jpg] This skateboard video has everything. There's kick flips, front flips, backflips, flips off bikes, multiple visually impaired skaters and skaters without legs. Plus lots of kids, stairs, pools, ramps, air, ballet, rollerskating on broken skateboards. [https://kottke.org/26/02/20-minutes-of-excellent-skateboarding-clips] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/20-minutes-of-excellent-skateboarding-clips]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/20-minutes-of-excellent-skateboarding-clips] Tear Gun [https://www.ignant.com/2017/10/20/tear-gun-by-yi-fei-chen/] by Taiwanese designer Yi-Fei Chen is a contraption that “collects and freezes actual tears to shoot them back at the person who caused the cry”. 🔗 ignant.com [https://www.ignant.com/2017/10/20/tear-gun-by-yi-fei-chen/] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Feb 27, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/g9oqA8920tsy892ALTBS78EwVQ].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR FEB 24, 2026 [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wzx26hNWRl4/sddefault.jpg] Synth-pop band Chvrches covered Such Great Heights by The Postal Service. [https://kottke.org/26/02/cover-of-such-great-heights-by-chvrches] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/cover-of-such-great-heights-by-chvrches]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/cover-of-such-great-heights-by-chvrches] “I remember walking by a former drug dealer, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, a former mobster and a former preacher all sitting around a table together in the prison yard. Surely this was not happening anywhere else in America [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/opinion/men-prison-pardons.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OlA.V41V.QddV5DO-Ircp].” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/opinion/men-prison-pardons.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OlA.V41V.QddV5DO-Ircp] I Am a 15-year-old Girl. Let Me Show You the Vile Misogyny That Confronts Me on Social Media Every Day. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/23/15-year-old-girl-misogyny-social-media-online-abuse] “I frequently feel objectified, dehumanised and disgusted by the hate towards women I see online.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/23/15-year-old-girl-misogyny-social-media-online-abuse] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 117 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. How to Stop a Dictator [https://www.vox.com/politics/479924/democracy-us-brazil-south-korea-poland-backsliding-resilience?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6Imo4RXgyMXcxVTUiLCJwIjoiL3BvbGl0aWNzLzQ3OTkyNC9kZW1vY3JhY3ktdXMtYnJhemlsLXNvdXRoLWtvcmVhLXBvbGFuZC1iYWNrc2xpZGluZy1yZXNpbGllbmNlIiwiZXhwIjoxNzczMTU1MzM3LCJpYXQiOjE3NzE5NDU3Mzd9.x8VgqQazoDLyEXP3yquyp3uqVqLMwVH3J5VRtdCQylc]. “Democracy is in fact a powerful motivating factor: When people are convinced that there’s a threat to their political freedoms, they can be motivated to go to extraordinary lengths to defend them.” 🔗 vox.com [https://www.vox.com/politics/479924/democracy-us-brazil-south-korea-poland-backsliding-resilience?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6Imo4RXgyMXcxVTUiLCJwIjoiL3BvbGl0aWNzLzQ3OTkyNC9kZW1vY3JhY3ktdXMtYnJhemlsLXNvdXRoLWtvcmVhLXBvbGFuZC1iYWNrc2xpZGluZy1yZXNpbGllbmNlIiwiZXhwIjoxNzczMTU1MzM3LCJpYXQiOjE3NzE5NDU3Mzd9.x8VgqQazoDLyEXP3yquyp3uqVqLMwVH3J5VRtdCQylc] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zojwKLlY_H8/sddefault.jpg] Just dropped this morning: the trailer for the final season of For All Mankind, which begins airing March 27. [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-trailer-for-season-five-of-for-all-mankind] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-trailer-for-season-five-of-for-all-mankind]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-trailer-for-season-five-of-for-all-mankind] Top tier nerd shit. “WalkmanLand [https://walkman.land/] is a tribute to the long forgotten portable music players from the 80-90s. The Walkmans.” 🔗 walkman.land [https://walkman.land/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048424-top-tier-nerd-shit-walkma] Well, this is one of those things I wish I’d known about earlier [https://www.sfinternationallitfest.org/] — sessions with Isabel Wilkerson, James McBride, Ocean Vuong, Rebecca Solnit, Lauren Groff, Judy Blume…all sold out. 😭 🔗 sfinternationallitfest.org [https://www.sfinternationallitfest.org/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048422-well-this-is-one-of] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48436-01.jpg] An interview with Tony Gilroy about Andor's prescience re: current events (e.g. ICE/Minnesota). "Early on in the promotional period for season two of Andor...Disney asked creator Tony Gilroy not to use the words 'fascism' and 'genocide.'" [https://kottke.org/26/02/andor-creator-tony-gilroy-is-free-to-speak-about-fascism-now] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/andor-creator-tony-gilroy-is-free-to-speak-about-fascism-now] A Meta employee who works on AI safety let an AI agent named OpenClaw loose on her inbox and it deleted all her email [https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/23/a-meta-ai-security-researcher-said-an-openclaw-agent-ran-amok-on-her-inbox/]. (This tracks; companies like Meta actually don’t care about AI safety and hire accordingly.) 🔗 techcrunch.com [https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/23/a-meta-ai-security-researcher-said-an-openclaw-agent-ran-amok-on-her-inbox/] I Hate Trump’s Awful Policies, but I Love That He’s a Huge Asshole [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-hate-trumps-awful-policies-but-i-love-that-hes-a-huge-asshole]. “I don’t like Trump’s immigration laws; they’re racist and economically disastrous. But I do love how evil he is.” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-hate-trumps-awful-policies-but-i-love-that-hes-a-huge-asshole] Writer Lauren Groff on how she works [https://lithub.com/you-just-do-language-lauren-groff-on-craft-reading-and-her-new-collection/]. “After she completes a first draft, she puts it in a bankers box — and never reads it again.” And: “We all need to fill ourselves with the ghosts of other writers.” Her new book [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780593418420] is out now. 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/you-just-do-language-lauren-groff-on-craft-reading-and-her-new-collection/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048430-writer-lauren-groff-on-ho] “We” Haven’t Lost Our Sense of Shame. Only Republicans Have. [https://newrepublic.com/post/206850/republicans-epstein-shame] “I remember when Republicans used to lecture us all the time about the disappearance of shame in our culture…” 🔗 newrepublic.com [https://newrepublic.com/post/206850/republicans-epstein-shame] Token Anxiety [https://writing.nikunjk.com/p/token-anxiety]. “This voice in my head that says ‘something could be running right now’ just doesn’t shut off. I’m not even building a company. I’m just addicted to building my random ideas.” 🔗 writing.nikunjk.com [https://writing.nikunjk.com/p/token-anxiety] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48431-03.jpg] Unusual Views of the Winter Olympics. A collection of photos taken at the just-concluded Winter Games "featuring infrared imaging, vintage cameras, optical filters, digital composites, unusual angles, unexpected subjects, and more..." [https://kottke.org/26/02/unusual-views-of-the-winter-olympics] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/unusual-views-of-the-winter-olympics]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/unusual-views-of-the-winter-olympics] “Antibodies harvested from the blood of paediatricians are up to 25 times better at protecting against the common respiratory infection RSV than existing antibody therapies [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2516079-paediatricians-blood-used-to-make-new-treatments-for-rsv-and-colds/], and are now being developed as preventative treatments.” 🔗 newscientist.com [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2516079-paediatricians-blood-used-to-make-new-treatments-for-rsv-and-colds/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048429-antibodies-harvested-from] “What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?” [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/23/the-kindness-of-strangers-i-was-exhausted-wrangling-my-two-young-kids-then-a-man-popped-2-into-the-coin-op-ride] 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/23/the-kindness-of-strangers-i-was-exhausted-wrangling-my-two-young-kids-then-a-man-popped-2-into-the-coin-op-ride]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048426-what-is-the-nicest-thing] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3E9e7PyxiT8/sddefault.jpg] The United States of Beauty. A mesmerizing 4K video of a journey across North America, from San Diego to cloud-covered Quebec, from the vantage point of the ISS. So relaxing and awesome. [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-united-states-of-beauty] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-united-states-of-beauty]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-united-states-of-beauty] Is Donald Trump Alive? [https://isdonaldtrumpalive.com/] Now, this is a site that knows how to write factual headlines, e.g. “Donald Trump is alive and ranting and raving about foreign interests infiltrating the Supreme Court that he created”. Take note, NYT. 🔗 isdonaldtrumpalive.com [https://isdonaldtrumpalive.com/] The hum of a grocery store’s freezers delights ambient music fans [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/feb/18/the-sheffield-supermarket-going-viral-for-the-symphonic-sound-of-its-freezers]: “It’s like being in an electrical gong bath”. And: “The obvious reference is Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/feb/18/the-sheffield-supermarket-going-viral-for-the-symphonic-sound-of-its-freezers]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048425-the-hum-of-a-grocery] “A new ethic is quietly emerging among modern travelers. It is called Digital Silence [https://www.instagram.com/p/DU8WJIeidh-/]. It is the conscious decision to share the art and the emotion of a place without giving away its exact coordinates… It is a radical act of conservation.” 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/DU8WJIeidh-/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048418-a-new-ethic-is-quietly] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uXo0efnN6W4/sddefault.jpg] In this lovely short film, the traditional Tibetan drink butter tea (bho jha) becomes a bridge between generations, outreach across cultures, and a reminder of the value of mindfulness. [https://kottke.org/26/02/butter-tea] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/butter-tea]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/butter-tea] A ripple of excitement pulsed through the crowd. Paul Ford is blogging regularly again [https://www.ftrain.com/]. 🔗 ftrain.com [https://www.ftrain.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048417-a-ripple-of-excitement-pu] The folks behind Dark Sky spun themselves out of Apple and have built a new weather app: Acme Weather [https://acmeweather.com/blog/introducing-acme-weather]. “We missed those days as a small scrappy shop. So let’s try this again…” 🔗 acmeweather.com [https://acmeweather.com/blog/introducing-acme-weather]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048416-the-folks-behind-dark-sky] An Introduction to Outsider Artist Henry Darger and His Bizarre 15,000-Page Illustrated Masterwork [https://www.openculture.com/2026/02/an-introduction-to-outsider-artist-henry-darger.html]. 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2026/02/an-introduction-to-outsider-artist-henry-darger.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048399-an-introduction-to-outsid] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O7F16sC860s/sddefault.jpg] The Greek Mythology Family Tree, Explained. "In fewer than 15 minutes, this video provides a comprehensive overview of all the important Greek & Roman gods, goddesses, nymphs, heroes, monsters, demigods, and other assorted spiritual beings..." [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-greek-mythology-family-tree-explained] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-greek-mythology-family-tree-explained]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-greek-mythology-family-tree-explained] The Color Game [https://dialed.gg/]. “Humans can’t reliably recall colors. This is a simple game to see how good (or bad) you are at it. We’ll show you five colors, then you’ll try and recreate them.” I scored 39/50 but got a perfect score on one color. 🔗 dialed.gg [https://dialed.gg/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048401-the-color-game-humans-can] Some of the best [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVl2I7YPlU] drone shots [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY4j7QZLUwk] from the 2026 Winter Olympics. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVl2I7YPlU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048396-some-of-the-best-drone] ‘Viking’ was a job description, not a matter of heredity, massive ancient DNA study shows [https://www.science.org/content/article/viking-was-job-description-not-matter-heredity-massive-ancient-dna-study-shows]. “These identities aren’t genetic or ethnic, they’re social. To have backup for that from DNA is powerful.” 🔗 science.org [https://www.science.org/content/article/viking-was-job-description-not-matter-heredity-massive-ancient-dna-study-shows]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048414-viking-was-a-job-descript] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ijq_UkRKSFw/sddefault.jpg] Loop is an award-winning animated short featuring a society where people live a perfectly looping existence, all in rhythm. Then one day... [https://kottke.org/26/02/loop] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/loop]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/loop] An app called NonUSA is surging in popularity in Denmark [https://www.the-independent.com/tech/us-boycott-app-nonusa-denmark-greenland-b2905574.html]; it “helps you identify and avoid American products in everyday life”. (Ironically, iOS-only for now…) 🔗 the-independent.com [https://www.the-independent.com/tech/us-boycott-app-nonusa-denmark-greenland-b2905574.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048413-an-app-called-nonusa-is] The Trump regime is still deporting people to wherever they want [https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/trump-is-still-deporting-people-wherever-he-wants], facilitated by a corrupt Supreme Court. 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/trump-is-still-deporting-people-wherever-he-wants] “I am slowly coming around to a theory on the new cool: You have to essentially pre-deplatform yourself [https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-only-taboo-left-is-copyright-infringement].” 🔗 garbageday.email [https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-only-taboo-left-is-copyright-infringement]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048402-i-am-slowly-coming-around] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Feb 24, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/aIHgocDdpRaPDEEEDzERcg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR FEB 20, 2026 An Introduction to Outsider Artist Henry Darger and His Bizarre 15,000-Page Illustrated Masterwork [https://www.openculture.com/2026/02/an-introduction-to-outsider-artist-henry-darger.html]. 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2026/02/an-introduction-to-outsider-artist-henry-darger.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048399-an-introduction-to-outsid] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O7F16sC860s/sddefault.jpg] The Greek Mythology Family Tree, Explained. "In fewer than 15 minutes, this video provides a comprehensive overview of all the important Greek & Roman gods, goddesses, nymphs, heroes, monsters, demigods, and other assorted spiritual beings..." [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-greek-mythology-family-tree-explained] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-greek-mythology-family-tree-explained]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-greek-mythology-family-tree-explained] The Color Game [https://dialed.gg/]. “Humans can’t reliably recall colors. This is a simple game to see how good (or bad) you are at it. We’ll show you five colors, then you’ll try and recreate them.” I scored 39/50 but got a perfect score on one color. 🔗 dialed.gg [https://dialed.gg/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048401-the-color-game-humans-can] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 144 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Some of the best [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVl2I7YPlU] drone shots [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY4j7QZLUwk] from the 2026 Winter Olympics. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVl2I7YPlU]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048396-some-of-the-best-drone] ‘Viking’ was a job description, not a matter of heredity, massive ancient DNA study shows [https://www.science.org/content/article/viking-was-job-description-not-matter-heredity-massive-ancient-dna-study-shows]. “These identities aren’t genetic or ethnic, they’re social. To have backup for that from DNA is powerful.” 🔗 science.org [https://www.science.org/content/article/viking-was-job-description-not-matter-heredity-massive-ancient-dna-study-shows]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048414-viking-was-a-job-descript] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ijq_UkRKSFw/sddefault.jpg] Loop is an award-winning animated short featuring a society where people live a perfectly looping existence, all in rhythm. Then one day... [https://kottke.org/26/02/loop] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/loop]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/loop] An app called NonUSA is surging in popularity in Denmark [https://www.the-independent.com/tech/us-boycott-app-nonusa-denmark-greenland-b2905574.html]; it “helps you identify and avoid American products in everyday life”. (Ironically, iOS-only for now…) 🔗 the-independent.com [https://www.the-independent.com/tech/us-boycott-app-nonusa-denmark-greenland-b2905574.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048413-an-app-called-nonusa-is] The Trump regime is still deporting people to wherever they want [https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/trump-is-still-deporting-people-wherever-he-wants], facilitated by a corrupt Supreme Court. 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/trump-is-still-deporting-people-wherever-he-wants] “I am slowly coming around to a theory on the new cool: You have to essentially pre-deplatform yourself [https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-only-taboo-left-is-copyright-infringement].” 🔗 garbageday.email [https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-only-taboo-left-is-copyright-infringement]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048402-i-am-slowly-coming-around] The Trial of Gisèle Pelicot’s Rapists United France and Fractured Her Family [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/02/the-trial-of-gisele-pelicots-rapists-united-france-and-fractured-her-family]. “‘Look at the Pelicot family.’ They had been ‘confronted with the impossible dilemma,’ he said. ‘How to make suffering coexist.’” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/02/the-trial-of-gisele-pelicots-rapists-united-france-and-fractured-her-family]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048407-the-trial-of-gisele-pelic] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9mLFJZ-H-4/sddefault.jpg] Watch How Ancient Egyptians Carved Hieroglyphs. In a video for the V&A Museum, a stone carver hand-carves a pair of hieroglyphs "using both sunken relief and raised relief techniques". [https://kottke.org/26/02/watch-how-ancient-egyptians-carved-hieroglyphs] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/watch-how-ancient-egyptians-carved-hieroglyphs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/watch-how-ancient-egyptians-carved-hieroglyphs] An appreciation of Flickr’s URL structure [https://unsung.aresluna.org/unsung-heroes-flickrs-urls-scheme/]. “It was a beautiful and predictable scheme. Once you knew how it worked, you could guess other URLs.” 🔗 unsung.aresluna.org [https://unsung.aresluna.org/unsung-heroes-flickrs-urls-scheme/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048404-an-appreciation-of-flickr] Toy Story 5 joins the fight against screentime for kids [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51ND9Hdbw0]. “Toys are for play, but tech…is for everything.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51ND9Hdbw0]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048410-toy-story-5-joins-the] In-browser puzzle game [https://enclose.horse/]: “Enclose the horse in the biggest possible pen!” 🔗 enclose.horse [https://enclose.horse/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048387-in-browser-game-enclose-t] A data analysis of how women’s clothing doesn’t actually fit women [https://pudding.cool/2026/02/womens-sizing/]. “That leaves millions of people — over half of all adult women — who are excluded from standard size ranges” in their 20s and beyond. 🔗 pudding.cool [https://pudding.cool/2026/02/womens-sizing/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048403-a-data-analysis-of-how] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kyXC-p9cN2E/sddefault.jpg] How Finland Defeated Fascism in the 1930s. "A violent, conservative, political movement...almost pushed Finland into authoritarianism. But then something happened. They managed to stave off fascism, and they've remained a stable democracy ever since." [https://kottke.org/26/02/how-finland-defeated-fascism-in-the-1930s] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/how-finland-defeated-fascism-in-the-1930s] A list of all the media (movies, books, TV shows, plays, etc.) consumed by Steven Soderbergh in 2025 [https://extension765.com/blogs/soderblog/seen-read-2025]. 🔗 extension765.com [https://extension765.com/blogs/soderblog/seen-read-2025]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048395-a-list-of-all-the-1] The Brattle theater is playing what they call the Ultimate Double Feature [https://brattlefilm.org/film-series/ultimate-double-feature-weekend/]: “we play the first movie up until the point when the characters enter a cinema to watch a different film”, then play the entirety of that 2nd film, then finish up the 1st film. 🔗 brattlefilm.org [https://brattlefilm.org/film-series/ultimate-double-feature-weekend/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048398-the-brattle-theater-is-pl] You know who else had a Greenland obsession? [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/hitler-greenland/685984/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-pFa1dTAfU6uUAba0g3kVE] “Greenland appears to have been a lifelong preoccupation of Adolf Hitler’s.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/hitler-greenland/685984/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-pFa1dTAfU6uUAba0g3kVE] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48385-05.jpg] I love these neo-constructivist collage illustrations of various celebrities and famous characters (Han Solo, Notorious BIG, Heath Ledger's Joker, Beatrix Kiddo) by artist/designer Fries Vansevenant. [https://kottke.org/26/02/fries-vansevenants-neo-constructivist-collages] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/fries-vansevenants-neo-constructivist-collages]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/fries-vansevenants-neo-constructivist-collages] Love this cool JS pattern-making script [https://codepen.io/Dillo/pen/VYjVzXr]. 🔗 codepen.io [https://codepen.io/Dillo/pen/VYjVzXr] New from Neal Agarwal: Sandboxels [https://neal.fun/sandboxels/]. “It’s a falling-sand game with hundreds of elements, heat simulation, electricity & a lot more. I like making little cities and then adding tons of rats.” 🔗 neal.fun [https://neal.fun/sandboxels/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048394-new-from-neal-agarwal-san] Some modern collective nouns [https://www.robertstephens.com/blog/the-venereal-game/]: a cringe of Cybertrucks, an anxiety of authors, a migraine of toddlers, and “a group of two or men is called a podcast”. 🔗 robertstephens.com [https://www.robertstephens.com/blog/the-venereal-game/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048370-some-modern-collective-no] Business/product advice: launch it three times [https://www.anildash.com/2026/02/13/launch-it-three-times/]. “The vast majority of the time, the single biggest problem you have is that nobody knows you exist, and nobody gives a damn about what you do.” 🔗 anildash.com [https://www.anildash.com/2026/02/13/launch-it-three-times/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048392-businessproduct-advice-la] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4jaHcz3d85w/sddefault.jpg] Max Cooper music video: A Sense of Getting Closer. "I have a sense of getting closer to something which my life depends on. I can sense it but I cannot tell if I should be excited or terrified about what will happen." [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-sense-of-getting-closer] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-sense-of-getting-closer]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-sense-of-getting-closer] Searching for Birds [https://searchingforbirds.visualcinnamon.com/], an engaging visualization of eBird and Google Trends data that reveals human curiosity about birds. 🔗 searchingforbirds.visualcinnamon.com [https://searchingforbirds.visualcinnamon.com/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048393-searching-for-birds-an-en] How to raise children [https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-raise-children/]. “It’s wild to me that we parent our children to fit into society, then get together with our friends and talk about how broken society is.” 🔗 buttondown.com [https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-raise-children/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048388-how-to-raise-children-its] Team Pursuit speed skaters used to trade off leads like cyclists but the sport has been revolutionized by the US team’s invention of the “bump drafting” technique [https://www.npr.org/2026/02/16/g-s1-109858/us-team-pursuit-speed-skating-bump-drafting]. 🔗 npr.org [https://www.npr.org/2026/02/16/g-s1-109858/us-team-pursuit-speed-skating-bump-drafting]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048378-team-pursuit-speed-skater] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48390-01.jpg] Vintage art house movie posters by Peter Strausfeld, "highlighting works by now-famous directors like Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Andrzej Wajda, and Satyajit Ray". [https://kottke.org/26/02/vintage-art-house-movie-posters-by-peter-strausfeld] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/vintage-art-house-movie-posters-by-peter-strausfeld]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/vintage-art-house-movie-posters-by-peter-strausfeld] Paul Ford on AI and the Infinite Software Era [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/opinion/ai-software.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NFA.Q5V5.RFhmZVUFQ04Z]. “All of the people I love hate this stuff, and all the people I hate love it. And yet, likely because of the same personality flaws that drew me to technology in the first place, I am annoyingly excited.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/opinion/ai-software.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NFA.Q5V5.RFhmZVUFQ04Z] Current [https://www.terrygodier.com/current] is an interesting new RSS reader that doesn’t function like an email inbox [https://www.terrygodier.com/phantom-obligation]. “There is no count because counting was the problem.” 🔗 terrygodier.com [https://www.terrygodier.com/current]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048381-current-is-an-interesting] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48386-02.jpg] A New Winter is a series of photographs that reimagines the early Euro-centric depictions of skiing in the US "by placing people of color at the center of these images". [https://kottke.org/26/02/reimagining-the-origins-of-winter-sports] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/reimagining-the-origins-of-winter-sports]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/reimagining-the-origins-of-winter-sports] The goal of the Trump Action Tracker [https://www.trumpactiontracker.info/] is to “document how the trajectory of Trump’s presidency is aligned with the authoritarian playbook”. 🔗 trumpactiontracker.info [https://www.trumpactiontracker.info/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wlNBdUDeoT4/sddefault.jpg] The K-shaped economy "refers to higher-income Americans seeing their incomes and wealth rise while...lower-income households struggle with weaker income gains and steep prices". [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-k-shaped-economy] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-k-shaped-economy] Why AI Writing Is So Generic, Boring, and Dangerous: Semantic Ablation [https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/semantic_ablation_ai_writing/]. “The AI identifies high-entropy clusters — the precise points where unique insights…reside — and systematically replaces them with the most probable, generic token sequences.” 🔗 theregister.com [https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/semantic_ablation_ai_writing/] Jesse Jackson on Sesame Street in 1971 doing a call-and-response with the kids of the poem I Am - Somebody [https://kottke.org/16/08/i-am---somebody]. 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/08/i-am---somebody]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048382-jesse-jackson-on-sesame-s] The 19 richest Americans hold more than 2% of the total US holdhold wealth. That figure has roughly doubled in the past 5-6 years. “The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering.” [https://bsky.app/profile/gabrielzucman.bsky.social/post/3mevrpi22nc2o] 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/gabrielzucman.bsky.social/post/3mevrpi22nc2o] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48380-01.jpg] In 1964, legendary jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie ran for US President as a write-in candidate. He wanted to rename the White House to the Blues House and would have appointed Charlie Mingus as minister of peace and Ray Charles as Librarian of Congress. [https://kottke.org/26/02/vote-dizzy] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/vote-dizzy]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/vote-dizzy] Ski Jumping Pairs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMDXrdk-vP8] is my favorite Winter Olympics event. (Video by Riichiro Mashima.) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMDXrdk-vP8]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048376-ski-jumping-pairs-is-my] From designer Beth Mathews, a free “Private Property! No ICE” sign [https://www.bethmathews.com/shop/no-ice-sign] you can print out for your shop or restaurant. 🔗 bethmathews.com [https://www.bethmathews.com/shop/no-ice-sign] What movies can you brag about seeing during their original run in the theater? [https://bsky.app/profile/kottke.org/post/3mepsrcgow22j] Not big movies, more culty ones. I’ve got Iron Giant, American Movie, Run Lola Run, Hands on a Hardbody, and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. 😂 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/kottke.org/post/3mepsrcgow22j]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048374-what-movies-can-you-brag] From a draft of the opening narration of Star Trek [https://www.neatorama.com/2026/02/11/The-Original-Drafts-for-Star-Treks-Opening-Narration/]: “Assigned a five year patrol of our galaxy, the giant starship visits Earth colonies, regulates commerce, and explores strange new worlds…” I’m glad they punched it up. 🔗 neatorama.com [https://www.neatorama.com/2026/02/11/The-Original-Drafts-for-Star-Treks-Opening-Narration/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048360-from-a-draft-of-the] If what you want is to see tiny people all over your plate, you 100% absolutely have to try Lanmaoa asiatica. The mushroom is a popular food during mushroom season, but if undercooked has the same effect worldwide: lilliputian hallucinations [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people]. 🔗 bbc.com [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048277-if-what-you-want-is] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iT_1Gj5VPP0/sddefault.jpg] A Brief History of Japanese Art, from massive Buddha statues to sumi-e to Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji to Yayoi Kusama. [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art] On historical accuracy in movies [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/magazine/matt-damon-odyssey-wuthering-heights-movie.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.N4cZ.Lkinc4pbdbzP] (Wuthering Heights, The Odyssey) and the “anxious, professional monitoring in which the images onscreen must be checked and rechecked for their accordance with the original text and preexisting notions about it”. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/magazine/matt-damon-odyssey-wuthering-heights-movie.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.N4cZ.Lkinc4pbdbzP]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048372-on-historical-accuracy-in] The AI hater’s guide to code with LLMs [https://aredridel.dinhe.net/2026/02/12/the-ai-haters-guide-to-code-with-llms/]. This is an interesting and thoughtful read. 🔗 aredridel.dinhe.net [https://aredridel.dinhe.net/2026/02/12/the-ai-haters-guide-to-code-with-llms/] Recently released: Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780593802687]. “What magical mushroom could have turned an unassuming playing card company into one of the dominant cultural forces of the twenty-first century?” 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780593802687] A molly guard [https://unsung.aresluna.org/molly-guard-in-reverse/] is a safety cover that you need to move out of the way before pressing an important button. “Anecdotally, this is named after Molly, an engineer’s daughter who was invited to a datacenter and promptly pressed a big red button…” 🔗 unsung.aresluna.org [https://unsung.aresluna.org/molly-guard-in-reverse/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048364-a-molly-guard-is-a] Polar explorer and scientist Felicity Aston shares her beauty uniform [https://cupofjo.com/2026/02/12/felicity-aston-polar-explorer/]. “When I come back from an expedition, my hair is in the GREATEST shape. That whole thing about washing your hair less frequently? It’s true.” 🔗 cupofjo.com [https://cupofjo.com/2026/02/12/felicity-aston-polar-explorer/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048366-polar-explorer-and-scient] Food Is Love [https://canebrakestudio.com/product/food-is-love-paperback-signed-free-us-shipping/] is a collection of essays about “how memory, food, and love are all intertwined”. “We are reminded that food is an expression of love, and sometimes the only way people who loved us were capable of showing it.” 🔗 canebrakestudio.com [https://canebrakestudio.com/product/food-is-love-paperback-signed-free-us-shipping/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048358-food-is-love-is-a] 14-year old Miles Wu recently won the top prize at a junior innovators competition for an origami shape that can hold 10,000 times its own weight [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-14-year-old-is-using-origami-to-design-emergency-shelters-that-are-sturdy-cost-efficient-and-easy-to-deploy-180988179/] “that could be used to build deployable shelters for emergency situations like natural disasters”. 🔗 smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-14-year-old-is-using-origami-to-design-emergency-shelters-that-are-sturdy-cost-efficient-and-easy-to-deploy-180988179/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048369-14-year-old-miles-wu-rece] The 50 Most Underappreciated Movies of the 21st Century [https://time.com/collections/50-most-underappreciated-movies/]. I’ve only seen a few of these; I’ve added a bunch to my to-see list. Any particular faves? Or additions to the list? 🔗 time.com [https://time.com/collections/50-most-underappreciated-movies/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048330-the-50-most-underapprecia] Comments on KDO have been off for a few weeks because of "a rise in casual negativity" that felt too social media-like, but they're back on now. [https://kottke.org/26/02/comments-are-back-on] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/comments-are-back-on]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/comments-are-back-on] Fun fact of the day: at the height of his quadruple axel, Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin is spinning at 350 rpm [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/ilia-malinin-olympic-figure-skating/685766/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-f0uIN6_rGx1n0bRpeI4hA], “about the same as a kitchen stand mixer”. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/ilia-malinin-olympic-figure-skating/685766/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-f0uIN6_rGx1n0bRpeI4hA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048368-fun-fact-of-the-day] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Feb 20, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/fqMvRgx342763GZ3892Yu3PnsA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR FEB 15, 2026 If what you want is to see tiny people all over your plate, you 100% absolutely have to try Lanmaoa asiatica. The mushroom is a popular food during mushroom season, but if undercooked has the same effect worldwide: lilliputian hallucinations [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people]. 🔗 bbc.com [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048277-if-what-you-want-is] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iT_1Gj5VPP0/sddefault.jpg] A Brief History of Japanese Art, from massive Buddha statues to sumi-e to Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji to Yayoi Kusama. [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art] On historical accuracy in movies [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/magazine/matt-damon-odyssey-wuthering-heights-movie.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.N4cZ.Lkinc4pbdbzP] (Wuthering Heights, The Odyssey) and the “anxious, professional monitoring in which the images onscreen must be checked and rechecked for their accordance with the original text and preexisting notions about it”. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/magazine/matt-damon-odyssey-wuthering-heights-movie.html?unlocked_article_code=1.L1A.N4cZ.Lkinc4pbdbzP]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048372-on-historical-accuracy-in] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 66 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. The AI hater’s guide to code with LLMs [https://aredridel.dinhe.net/2026/02/12/the-ai-haters-guide-to-code-with-llms/]. This is an interesting and thoughtful read. 🔗 aredridel.dinhe.net [https://aredridel.dinhe.net/2026/02/12/the-ai-haters-guide-to-code-with-llms/] Recently released: Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780593802687]. “What magical mushroom could have turned an unassuming playing card company into one of the dominant cultural forces of the twenty-first century?” 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780593802687] A molly guard [https://unsung.aresluna.org/molly-guard-in-reverse/] is a safety cover that you need to move out of the way before pressing an important button. “Anecdotally, this is named after Molly, an engineer’s daughter who was invited to a datacenter and promptly pressed a big red button…” 🔗 unsung.aresluna.org [https://unsung.aresluna.org/molly-guard-in-reverse/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048364-a-molly-guard-is-a] Polar explorer and scientist Felicity Aston shares her beauty uniform [https://cupofjo.com/2026/02/12/felicity-aston-polar-explorer/]. “When I come back from an expedition, my hair is in the GREATEST shape. That whole thing about washing your hair less frequently? It’s true.” 🔗 cupofjo.com [https://cupofjo.com/2026/02/12/felicity-aston-polar-explorer/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048366-polar-explorer-and-scient] Food Is Love [https://canebrakestudio.com/product/food-is-love-paperback-signed-free-us-shipping/] is a collection of essays about “how memory, food, and love are all intertwined”. “We are reminded that food is an expression of love, and sometimes the only way people who loved us were capable of showing it.” 🔗 canebrakestudio.com [https://canebrakestudio.com/product/food-is-love-paperback-signed-free-us-shipping/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048358-food-is-love-is-a] 14-year old Miles Wu recently won the top prize at a junior innovators competition for an origami shape that can hold 10,000 times its own weight [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-14-year-old-is-using-origami-to-design-emergency-shelters-that-are-sturdy-cost-efficient-and-easy-to-deploy-180988179/] “that could be used to build deployable shelters for emergency situations like natural disasters”. 🔗 smithsonianmag.com [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-14-year-old-is-using-origami-to-design-emergency-shelters-that-are-sturdy-cost-efficient-and-easy-to-deploy-180988179/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048369-14-year-old-miles-wu-rece] The 50 Most Underappreciated Movies of the 21st Century [https://time.com/collections/50-most-underappreciated-movies/]. I’ve only seen a few of these; I’ve added a bunch to my to-see list. Any particular faves? Or additions to the list? 🔗 time.com [https://time.com/collections/50-most-underappreciated-movies/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048330-the-50-most-underapprecia] Comments on KDO have been off for a few weeks because of "a rise in casual negativity" that felt too social media-like, but they're back on now. [https://kottke.org/26/02/comments-are-back-on] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/comments-are-back-on]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/comments-are-back-on] Fun fact of the day: at the height of his quadruple axel, Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin is spinning at 350 rpm [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/ilia-malinin-olympic-figure-skating/685766/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-f0uIN6_rGx1n0bRpeI4hA], “about the same as a kitchen stand mixer”. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/ilia-malinin-olympic-figure-skating/685766/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ-f0uIN6_rGx1n0bRpeI4hA]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/02/0048368-fun-fact-of-the-day] If you haven’t seen this or heard about it (or even if you have), the full story of this McDonald’s mural is well worth your time [https://cabel.com/wes-cook-and-the-mcdonalds-mural/]. “Giving that talk…was one of the greatest moments of my life. Bar none.” (Don’t skip the video!) 🔗 cabel.com [https://cabel.com/wes-cook-and-the-mcdonalds-mural/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KLEH8RJsYgI/sddefault.jpg] Building a Lego-Powered Submarine. "It works so well! They even tested it by navigating 200 meters in a real stream." [https://kottke.org/26/02/building-a-lego-powered-submarine] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/building-a-lego-powered-submarine] Spider-Noir [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgMbkitzhEM] is an upcoming live-action series starring Nicolas Cage as his noir Spider-Man character from Spider-Verse. The trailer is available in color [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Blr0_koQA] and black & white [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgMbkitzhEM]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgMbkitzhEM] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6cpaoVKZuAo/sddefault.jpg] The Track is a documentary film about a group of athletes training in post-war Bosnia to make the Olympics in luge. "In one second, you can destroy everything. But to build something, you need year and year, decade and decade." [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-track] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-track] Fun word search game from Slate: Pears [https://slate.com/games/pears]. (I love any Boggle-esque sort of game. Got 433 today [https://slate.com/life/2026/02/word-game-slate-pears-180-for-february-12-2026.html].) 🔗 slate.com [https://slate.com/games/pears] “‘CEO said a thing!’ journalism [https://karlbode.com/the-press-is-still-propping-up-elon-musks-supergenius-engineer-mythology/] generally involves a press outlet parroting the claims of a CEO or billionaire utterly mindlessly without any sort of useful historical context as to whether anything being said is factually correct.” 🔗 karlbode.com [https://karlbode.com/the-press-is-still-propping-up-elon-musks-supergenius-engineer-mythology/] “Our Milky Way galaxy may not have a supermassive black hole at its centre but rather an enormous clump of mysterious dark matter [https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/dark-matter-not-black-hole-could-power-milky-ways-heart] exerting the same gravitational influence.” 🔗 ras.ac.uk [https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/dark-matter-not-black-hole-could-power-milky-ways-heart] The Origins of One of the Most Beloved Video Games of All Time [https://lithub.com/the-origins-of-one-of-the-most-beloved-video-games-of-all-time/]. “Something I’ve heard from every Mario developer I’ve ever spoken to over the years is this: Whenever you press a button, something fun should happen.” 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/the-origins-of-one-of-the-most-beloved-video-games-of-all-time/] Michelle Zauner (Crying in H Mart) on the 30th anniversary of Infinite Jest [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/07/never-mind-the-lit-bros-infinite-jest-is-a-true-classic-at-30]. “If you allow yourself to trust-fall into the barbed intricacies of the writing, you will discover soft, exquisite humanity as its perennial landing.” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/07/never-mind-the-lit-bros-infinite-jest-is-a-true-classic-at-30] The downside of working on ourselves, aka the exhausting "hyper-policing [of] our thoughts and language until having a personality feels like a risk assessment exercise". [https://kottke.org/26/02/its-fine-if-i-suck-sometimes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/its-fine-if-i-suck-sometimes] “Any serious push to account for the actions of this government — to abolish the president’s private army, restructure immigration enforcement and punish anyone responsible for wrongdoing — must include recompense and repair for its victims [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/opinion/ice-victims-hearings-justice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LlA.H4lD._HBkW772Wm6a].” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/opinion/ice-victims-hearings-justice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LlA.H4lD._HBkW772Wm6a] When Gmail was released as a public beta in 2004, it “ran on three hundred old Pentium III computers nobody else at Google wanted [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Gmail#Public_release]”. 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Gmail#Public_release] Actor-style headshots from the 80s [https://ironicsans.ghost.io/80s-headshots-of-famous-artists/] of artists like Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Jenny Holzer, and Robert Longo. 🔗 ironicsans.ghost.io [https://ironicsans.ghost.io/80s-headshots-of-famous-artists/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1mlByLhy8IE/sddefault.jpg] Recently Discovered: an NYC Underground Railroad Stop. "This is a generational find. This is the most significant find in historic preservation in my career, and it's very important that we preserve this." [https://kottke.org/26/02/recently-discovered-an-nyc-underground-railroad-stop] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/recently-discovered-an-nyc-underground-railroad-stop] AI Is Getting Scary Good at Making Predictions [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/02/ai-prediction-human-forecasters/685955/?gift=S4EwRLGNogt2Kqjs1lNdf9IX7jdNBscvafO-VzvTV3E]. “From this point on, for as long as we exist, we might be asking AIs what comes next. We won’t always understand how they arrived at their predictions.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/02/ai-prediction-human-forecasters/685955/?gift=S4EwRLGNogt2Kqjs1lNdf9IX7jdNBscvafO-VzvTV3E] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bmZaYn3WipI/sddefault.jpg] Zoning Out Is Good For You. Deep sleep cleans your brain, but so can zoning out, daydreaming, and being bored. So put down that phone every once in awhile... [https://kottke.org/26/02/zoning-out-is-good-for-you] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/zoning-out-is-good-for-you] In case you didn’t realize, ICE is still terrorizing communities, kidnapping people off the streets, and destroying property in Minnesota [https://bsky.app/profile/andrewkarre.bsky.social/post/3melwi55orm2w]. “The target of the kidnapping was taken away by ambulance.” 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/andrewkarre.bsky.social/post/3melwi55orm2w] Fontemon [https://www.coderelay.io/fontemon.html] is the world’s first video game in a font. “The entire game is enclosed in fontemon.otf, no javascript, no html, all font.” 🔗 coderelay.io [https://www.coderelay.io/fontemon.html] The GOP goal of destroying the post office is coming along: the USPS is now so unreliable that newspaper delivery is delayed across the country [https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/terribly-frustrating-after-usps-changes-more-newspapers-arent-reaching-subscribers-on-time/]. (My mail delivery is currently one bundle every week or two.) 🔗 niemanlab.org [https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/terribly-frustrating-after-usps-changes-more-newspapers-arent-reaching-subscribers-on-time/] Some Site Goings-On. Just checking in w/r/t a few KDO things. [https://kottke.org/26/02/some-site-goings-on] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/some-site-goings-on] Everyone’s living a life you know nothing about [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z76DdKeXGU]. Be kind. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z76DdKeXGU] “We will not achieve any of our ultimate goals without exercising state power, and the most effective way to take state power is through nonviolent but confrontational resistance [https://www.liberalcurrents.com/from-powerlessness-to-power/].” 🔗 liberalcurrents.com [https://www.liberalcurrents.com/from-powerlessness-to-power/] A recommendation for a recent episode of the Heavyweight podcast [https://a.wholelottanothing.org/heavyweight-on-minnesota-raids/] on the Trump regime’s occupation of Minneapolis [https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/heavyweight/minneapolis]. 🔗 a.wholelottanothing.org [https://a.wholelottanothing.org/heavyweight-on-minnesota-raids/] The Guardian: here’s how Substack makes money hosting Nazi newsletters [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters]. These newsletters weren’t even hard to find or subtle: swastikas and in-app recommendations from one antisemitic newsletter to a bunch of others. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters] How Edo (Tokyo) transformed from a city on the brink of ecological collapse 400 years ago to “one of the most sustainable and efficient cities in history” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0h8Dmni8g8]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0h8Dmni8g8] “Printing Films [https://printingfilms.com/] is a collection of vintage films that showcase the technologies and processes of printing, journalism, and typography.” 🔗 printingfilms.com [https://printingfilms.com/] Why don’t filmmakers just film on location instead of using visual effects? [https://fxrant.blogspot.com/2026/01/why-didnt-they-just-film-on-location.html] Lots of reasons, including not disrupting communities, control of weather & sun position, or can’t get permission. 🔗 fxrant.blogspot.com [https://fxrant.blogspot.com/2026/01/why-didnt-they-just-film-on-location.html] Dan Sinker writes about the transformative experience of seeing a work by Jenny Holzer when he was 14 [https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-01-31-ft-holzer/]. “Truisms was a revelation. Art could be just words. Art could be just at home slapped on a POST NO BILLS wall as it could in a gallery.” 🔗 dansinker.com [https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-01-31-ft-holzer/] “How did medieval French handwriting become ‘the Nazi font?’ And why did Hitler make it illegal?” [https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/p/how-did-medieval-french-handwriting] TIL that Hitler gave a speech to the Reichstag about how much he disliked blackletter fonts. 🔗 weirdmedievalguys.substack.com [https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/p/how-did-medieval-french-handwriting] Do you remember Oddpost? [https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/web-apps-web-sites-are-they-all-the-same/] It was an early email web app that used dynamic HTML to mimic the design and functionality of a desktop mail app, 2 years before Gmail launched. 🔗 thehistoryoftheweb.com [https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/web-apps-web-sites-are-they-all-the-same/] Tinder Hasn’t Worked, So I’m Putting Myself on Zillow [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/tinder-hasnt-worked-so-im-putting-myself-on-zillow]. “I realize that my late-’80s construction might not land me in the “trending” section right away…” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/tinder-hasnt-worked-so-im-putting-myself-on-zillow] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Feb 15, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/c91d4Y7HFi2WT9DxwK7r4Q].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR FEB 6, 2026 How Edo (Tokyo) transformed from a city on the brink of ecological collapse 400 years ago to “one of the most sustainable and efficient cities in history” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0h8Dmni8g8]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0h8Dmni8g8] “Printing Films [https://printingfilms.com/] is a collection of vintage films that showcase the technologies and processes of printing, journalism, and typography.” 🔗 printingfilms.com [https://printingfilms.com/] Why don’t filmmakers just film on location instead of using visual effects? [https://fxrant.blogspot.com/2026/01/why-didnt-they-just-film-on-location.html] Lots of reasons, including not disrupting communities, control of weather & sun position, or can’t get permission. 🔗 fxrant.blogspot.com [https://fxrant.blogspot.com/2026/01/why-didnt-they-just-film-on-location.html] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 12 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Dan Sinker writes about the transformative experience of seeing a work by Jenny Holzer when he was 14 [https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-01-31-ft-holzer/]. “Truisms was a revelation. Art could be just words. Art could be just at home slapped on a POST NO BILLS wall as it could in a gallery.” 🔗 dansinker.com [https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-01-31-ft-holzer/] “How did medieval French handwriting become ‘the Nazi font?’ And why did Hitler make it illegal?” [https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/p/how-did-medieval-french-handwriting] TIL that Hitler gave a speech to the Reichstag about how much he disliked blackletter fonts. 🔗 weirdmedievalguys.substack.com [https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/p/how-did-medieval-french-handwriting] Do you remember Oddpost? [https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/web-apps-web-sites-are-they-all-the-same/] It was an early email web app that used dynamic HTML to mimic the design and functionality of a desktop mail app, 2 years before Gmail launched. 🔗 thehistoryoftheweb.com [https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/web-apps-web-sites-are-they-all-the-same/] Tinder Hasn’t Worked, So I’m Putting Myself on Zillow [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/tinder-hasnt-worked-so-im-putting-myself-on-zillow]. “I realize that my late-’80s construction might not land me in the “trending” section right away…” 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/tinder-hasnt-worked-so-im-putting-myself-on-zillow] I’ve always said more popstars should duet with puppets, so Sabrina Carpenter and Kermit the Frog singing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s ‘Island in a Stream’ [https://www.instagram.com/p/DUYejHAkc5w/] as part of The Muppet Show’s latest special is perfect (to me). 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/DUYejHAkc5w/] The Triumph of Europe's Social Democracy: "European countries have achieved unprecedented levels of prosperity and social well-being, largely due to collective investments in health, education and public infrastructure." [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-triumph-of-europes-social-democracy] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-triumph-of-europes-social-democracy] Professor Walt Hunter on the merits of challenging students: Stop Meeting Students Where They Are [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/youth-reading-books-professors/685825/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ9G0bbc5hKiuHSZF9vJGim4]. “Whole novels aren’t possible to teach, we are told, because students won’t (or can’t) read them. So why assign them?” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/youth-reading-books-professors/685825/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ9G0bbc5hKiuHSZF9vJGim4] The Mountain That Weighed the Earth [https://signoregalilei.com/2026/01/18/the-mountain-that-weighed-the-earth/]. How scientists in 1774 used a Scottish mountain to estimate the mass of the Earth to within 20% of the modern number by measuring the mountain’s gravitational effect on a precision plumb line. 🔗 signoregalilei.com [https://signoregalilei.com/2026/01/18/the-mountain-that-weighed-the-earth/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-VEuPsobr3Q/sddefault.jpg] I missed this last fall: Kareem Rahma (Subway Takes) interviews Zohran Mamdani & NYC cabbie Mouhamadou Aliy about their experience protesting & hunger-striking together. "I'm sorry, how can you not vote for this guy?" [https://kottke.org/26/02/keep-the-meter-running-with-mouhamadou-aliy-zohran-mamdani] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/keep-the-meter-running-with-mouhamadou-aliy-zohran-mamdani] Some [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DQl8Vy5jMoh/] cool [https://www.instagram.com/kele.zero/reel/DO5ywskivEG/] animations [https://www.instagram.com/p/DTK68OjikIF/] made from Japanese receipts by Michele Merlo [https://michelemerlo.net/]. 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DQl8Vy5jMoh/] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48328-01.jpg] Times New Resistance is a free font that's identical to Times New Roman but autocorrects some words as you type, e.g. "ICE autocorrects to the Goon Squad and the word Trump autocorrects to Donald Trump is a felon". Brilliant. [https://kottke.org/26/02/times-new-resistance] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/times-new-resistance] 10 Movies to Stream for Black History Month [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/movies/black-history-month-movies-streaming.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JVA.p0Fp.4xU7-Ax-sY37], from The Flying Ace (1926) to Killer of Sheep (1978) to Moonlight (2016). 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/movies/black-history-month-movies-streaming.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JVA.p0Fp.4xU7-Ax-sY37] Hour-long YouTube training session on how to observe & record ICE/CBP [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqka9fUTwdA]. “This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqka9fUTwdA] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2l2RqzVG4ag/sddefault.jpg] Must-watch: A powerful performance of a pro-immigrant Shakespeare speech by Sir Ian McKellen on Colbert's show; it resonates powerfully today. "This is the strangers' case; And this your mountainish inhumanity." [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-strangers-case] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/the-strangers-case] The CIA has deleted the CIA World Factbook [https://apnews.com/article/cia-world-factbook-ratcliffe-trump-fbec61ce16c4b3db59db9cefce0da043] (a popular almanac about the countries of the world) from the web. Fuck this. All these assholes do is pillage & destroy. 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/cia-world-factbook-ratcliffe-trump-fbec61ce16c4b3db59db9cefce0da043] Measles Is Causing Brain Swelling in Children in South Carolina [https://www.wired.com/story/measles-is-causing-brain-swelling-in-children-in-south-carolina/]. 876 measles cases in the state so far, and some children have developed encephalitis. “Among children who get measles encephalitis, 10 to 15 percent die.” 🔗 wired.com [https://www.wired.com/story/measles-is-causing-brain-swelling-in-children-in-south-carolina/] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48321-02.jpg] Michelangelo's First Painting, Made at Age 12. (This is an intense painting; painting it in a 7th grade art class today would result in a parental summons to the principal's office.) [https://kottke.org/26/02/michelangelos-first-painting-made-at-age-12] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/michelangelos-first-painting-made-at-age-12] The Tour Down Under’s winner won despite being blasted off his bike by kangaroos. “Two of them blasted through the peloton when we were doing probably 50 kph and…went left, right, left right, left right and I ended up hitting its backside [https://apnews.com/article/tour-down-under-kangaroo-c5034704da6f367ebda69fb56597c742].” 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/tour-down-under-kangaroo-c5034704da6f367ebda69fb56597c742] “Virginia Oliver, a feisty, salty-tongued lobster boat skipper who fished off the New England coast wearing earrings, hot-pink lipstick and an occasional scowl for more than 80 years, until she was 103, died on Jan. 21 in Rockport, Maine. She was 105. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/business/virginia-oliver-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.1X2R.QuTthoGtRSUY]” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/business/virginia-oliver-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.1X2R.QuTthoGtRSUY] Shared Claude [https://sharedclaude.com/] is a website anyone can change via LLM chat. “Text the number below to shape this website in real-time.” (Does anyone remember Metababy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metababy]?) 🔗 sharedclaude.com [https://sharedclaude.com/] Wow, these paper flowers from 11th-century China [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/paper-flowers-buddhist-art-caves-china/] are amazingly well-preserved. 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/paper-flowers-buddhist-art-caves-china/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aIaif7IBeZA/sddefault.jpg] A small collection of lovely "how to" videos from the National Film Board of Canada, including how to build an igloo and how chain link fences are made. [https://kottke.org/13/09/how-do-they] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/13/09/how-do-they] An almost 2-hour mashup mix by dk darkly of music from France’s two most well-known electronic duos, Daft Punk and Justice [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg57nmiA_ZA]. Also available on Bandcamp [https://dkdarkly.bandcamp.com/album/daft-punk-x-justice-together]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg57nmiA_ZA] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48311-01.jpg] A lovely drawing of a sparrow on a shard of limestone, made by an Egyptian artist 3500 years ago. "This may have been a practice drawing of the sparrow hieroglyph..." [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-lovely-3500-year-old-drawing-of-a-sparrow] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-lovely-3500-year-old-drawing-of-a-sparrow] The Evolutionary Brilliance of the Baby Giggle [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/opinion/baby-laugh-developmental-milestone.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.RFEL.8VnOdNnkPjSn]. “Laughter and humor are fundamental to how babies learn about and participate in the world.” *Highly recommend* watching the laughing baby videos to brighten up your day. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/opinion/baby-laugh-developmental-milestone.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.RFEL.8VnOdNnkPjSn] Only 7 gasoline cars were sold in Norway last month [https://electrek.co/2026/02/03/even-after-cutting-ev-incentives-norway-only-sold-98-diesel-cars-in-january/]. Seven! 98 diesel cars & 29 hybrids were also sold, but the rest were EVs. And this comes after Norway cut EV incentives. 🔗 electrek.co [https://electrek.co/2026/02/03/even-after-cutting-ev-incentives-norway-only-sold-98-diesel-cars-in-january/] Roxane Gay [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/opinion/america-ice-trump-minneapolis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.osNr.q5SB90LR4tzu]: “Humanity is, always, enough. We have a right to protest, legally carry a firearm, drive while Black, walk in a neighborhood at night, play in a park, sleep in a bed or do anything else whether we are wonderful people, and beloved or not.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/opinion/america-ice-trump-minneapolis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.osNr.q5SB90LR4tzu] Good god, this story: Mother Says Asking 13-Year-Old Son to Swim Four Hours to Save Family ‘One of the Hardest Decisions’ [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/mother-13-year-old-boy-swim-four-hours-save-family]. “I knew he was the strongest and he could do it.” Australia: a nation of athletes. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/mother-13-year-old-boy-swim-four-hours-save-family] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Feb 6, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/cYms3UfmbvqEPVXgHkcIrA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR FEB 4, 2026 [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48321-02.jpg] Michelangelo's First Painting, Made at Age 12. (This is an intense painting; painting it in a 7th grade art class today would result in a parental summons to the principal's office.) [https://kottke.org/26/02/michelangelos-first-painting-made-at-age-12] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/michelangelos-first-painting-made-at-age-12] The Tour Down Under’s winner won despite being blasted off his bike by kangaroos. “Two of them blasted through the peloton when we were doing probably 50 kph and…went left, right, left right, left right and I ended up hitting its backside [https://apnews.com/article/tour-down-under-kangaroo-c5034704da6f367ebda69fb56597c742].” 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/tour-down-under-kangaroo-c5034704da6f367ebda69fb56597c742] “Virginia Oliver, a feisty, salty-tongued lobster boat skipper who fished off the New England coast wearing earrings, hot-pink lipstick and an occasional scowl for more than 80 years, until she was 103, died on Jan. 21 in Rockport, Maine. She was 105. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/business/virginia-oliver-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.1X2R.QuTthoGtRSUY]” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/business/virginia-oliver-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.1X2R.QuTthoGtRSUY] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 10 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Shared Claude [https://sharedclaude.com/] is a website anyone can change via LLM chat. “Text the number below to shape this website in real-time.” (Does anyone remember Metababy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metababy]?) 🔗 sharedclaude.com [https://sharedclaude.com/] Wow, these paper flowers from 11th-century China [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/paper-flowers-buddhist-art-caves-china/] are amazingly well-preserved. 🔗 thisiscolossal.com [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/01/paper-flowers-buddhist-art-caves-china/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aIaif7IBeZA/sddefault.jpg] A small collection of lovely "how to" videos from the National Film Board of Canada, including how to build an igloo and how chain link fences are made. [https://kottke.org/13/09/how-do-they] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/13/09/how-do-they] An almost 2-hour mashup mix by dk darkly of music from France’s two most well-known electronic duos, Daft Punk and Justice [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg57nmiA_ZA]. Also available on Bandcamp [https://dkdarkly.bandcamp.com/album/daft-punk-x-justice-together]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg57nmiA_ZA] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48311-01.jpg] A lovely drawing of a sparrow on a shard of limestone, made by an Egyptian artist 3500 years ago. "This may have been a practice drawing of the sparrow hieroglyph..." [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-lovely-3500-year-old-drawing-of-a-sparrow] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/a-lovely-3500-year-old-drawing-of-a-sparrow] The Evolutionary Brilliance of the Baby Giggle [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/opinion/baby-laugh-developmental-milestone.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.RFEL.8VnOdNnkPjSn]. “Laughter and humor are fundamental to how babies learn about and participate in the world.” *Highly recommend* watching the laughing baby videos to brighten up your day. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/opinion/baby-laugh-developmental-milestone.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.RFEL.8VnOdNnkPjSn] Only 7 gasoline cars were sold in Norway last month [https://electrek.co/2026/02/03/even-after-cutting-ev-incentives-norway-only-sold-98-diesel-cars-in-january/]. Seven! 98 diesel cars & 29 hybrids were also sold, but the rest were EVs. And this comes after Norway cut EV incentives. 🔗 electrek.co [https://electrek.co/2026/02/03/even-after-cutting-ev-incentives-norway-only-sold-98-diesel-cars-in-january/] Roxane Gay [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/opinion/america-ice-trump-minneapolis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.osNr.q5SB90LR4tzu]: “Humanity is, always, enough. We have a right to protest, legally carry a firearm, drive while Black, walk in a neighborhood at night, play in a park, sleep in a bed or do anything else whether we are wonderful people, and beloved or not.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/opinion/america-ice-trump-minneapolis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.osNr.q5SB90LR4tzu] Good god, this story: Mother Says Asking 13-Year-Old Son to Swim Four Hours to Save Family ‘One of the Hardest Decisions’ [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/mother-13-year-old-boy-swim-four-hours-save-family]. “I knew he was the strongest and he could do it.” Australia: a nation of athletes. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/mother-13-year-old-boy-swim-four-hours-save-family] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48296-03.jpg] City Map Poster Generator can create printable minimalist map posters for any city in the world. [https://kottke.org/26/02/minimalistic-city-map-posters] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/minimalistic-city-map-posters] The full trailer for The Devil Wears Prada 2 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9HXmMnUEdE]. The pitch perfection of Miranda completely forgetting Andy gives me hope that this will be a worthy sequel. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9HXmMnUEdE] Been thinking a lot about this Ted Chiang quote [https://kottke.org/21/04/ted-chiang-fears-of-technology-are-fears-of-capitalism] recently: “I tend to think that most fears about A.I. are best understood as fears about capitalism. And I think that this is actually true of most fears of technology, too.” 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/21/04/ted-chiang-fears-of-technology-are-fears-of-capitalism] Vibe-coding gone wild [https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/editorial/when-vibe-coded-consumer-agents-go-rogue/]. “Stories of family groceries delivered to data centers, and “world burnt bacon day” became memes — and resulted in class-action lawsuits against kitchen appliance manufacturers like Breville, Viking, and Cusinart.” 🔗 nearfuturelaboratory.com [https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/editorial/when-vibe-coded-consumer-agents-go-rogue/] A collection of thousands of photographs of NYC restaurants (2002-2008) [https://interiors.noahkalina.com/] taken by Noah Kalina. Quite an archive of interior design from that era. 🔗 interiors.noahkalina.com [https://interiors.noahkalina.com/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HDfr8PvfoOw/sddefault.jpg] AI company Anthropic has released the constitution they use to train their Claude LLM: "a holistic document that explains the context in which Claude operates and the kind of entity we would like Claude to be." [https://kottke.org/26/02/claudes-constitution] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/claudes-constitution] The Case of the Green Covers [https://justseeds.org/new-zine-about-1960s-penguin-crime-novels/] is a risograph-printed zine that documents the history of the “Green Penguins”, “a series of hundreds of crime novels published with green covers by the UK publisher Penguin in the 1960s”. 🔗 justseeds.org [https://justseeds.org/new-zine-about-1960s-penguin-crime-novels/] Podcast interview with two photojournalists who have been covering ICE in Minnesota [https://www.phonographpodcast.com/phonograph/2026/1/29/to-show-whats-going-on-photojournalists-in-minneapolis]. “It’s a conversation about what they’ve seen, the vital role of photojournalism at this moment, and the personal toll of doing this work.” 🔗 phonographpodcast.com [https://www.phonographpodcast.com/phonograph/2026/1/29/to-show-whats-going-on-photojournalists-in-minneapolis] Haven’t watched this 90-minute video yet, but I’ve seen so many recommendations for it that I’m posting it as a to-do list item for myself: You are being misled about renewable energy technology [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQ9nt2ZeGM]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQ9nt2ZeGM] A group of 50 Chileans recently spent several hours powering a human-operated chatbot [https://apnews.com/article/ai-human-chatbot-chile-quiliai-data-centers-water-a798d7d1ae3b2fd7646ec5dbfc8a18dd]. Some questions were answered quickly but “when they didn’t know the answer, they walked around the room to see if someone else did”. 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/ai-human-chatbot-chile-quiliai-data-centers-water-a798d7d1ae3b2fd7646ec5dbfc8a18dd] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LLMKAxFtjB8/sddefault.jpg] Watch Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello lead a Mpls crowd at the iconic First Avenue in singing Killing in the Name. "In this very room Prince created a revolution, now it's our turn." [https://kottke.org/26/02/killing-in-the-name-the-minnesota-edition] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/killing-in-the-name-the-minnesota-edition] The Border Patrol Is the Problem. It Always Has Been. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/border-patrol-ice-minneapolis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JVA.fJFC.lyGgApb1DXfM] “If you are uncomfortable with what the Border Patrol is doing in Minneapolis, you are uncomfortable with the Border Patrol, full stop.” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/border-patrol-ice-minneapolis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JVA.fJFC.lyGgApb1DXfM] Elon Musk and other internet racists started an internet war [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/elon-musk-gets-dragged-saying-173742252.html] over Christopher Nolan’s casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, thereby immediately disproving their point. 🔗 yahoo.com [https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/elon-musk-gets-dragged-saying-173742252.html] Early this month, a wily coyote swam across San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz. He was in such rough shape, observers thought he’d probably die, but he’s been snacking on birds and rodents and was recently observed fat as a pickle [https://sfstandard.com/2026/01/27/coyote-swam-to-alcatraz-san-francisco/]. 🔗 sfstandard.com [https://sfstandard.com/2026/01/27/coyote-swam-to-alcatraz-san-francisco/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eIaESzQ1X9w/sddefault.jpg] An hour-long set of Seu Jorge singing David Bowie covers in Portuguese (from Wes Anderson's Life Aquatic) to mark the 10th anniversary of Bowie's death. "Just an acoustic guitar, a microphone, and the beautiful coastline of São Paulo." [https://kottke.org/26/02/seu-jorges-lovely-tribute-to-david-bowie] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/seu-jorges-lovely-tribute-to-david-bowie] The Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/01/liberal-arts-college-war-higher-ed/685800/?gift=CEFfF5a3sf8J-JDVodi9gADiXm2bmyrCYBOqmuLpupU]. “Well-resourced and prestigious small colleges are less exposed in almost every way to the crises that higher ed faces.” (My kid goes to a liberal arts school & anecdotally can confirm.) 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/01/liberal-arts-college-war-higher-ed/685800/?gift=CEFfF5a3sf8J-JDVodi9gADiXm2bmyrCYBOqmuLpupU] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48295-02.jpg] Significant Find of Cambrian Explosion Fossils. "The fossils have remained unusually intact in the ancient mudstone, allowing for the preservation of soft tissues like tentacles, guts, and a nearly-complete nervous system found in one arthropod". [https://kottke.org/26/02/significant-find-of-cambrian-explosion-fossils] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/significant-find-of-cambrian-explosion-fossils] Culinary Students Given Live Baby To Learn How To Care For Bag Of Flour [https://theonion.com/culinary-students-given-live-baby-to-learn-how-to-care-for-bag-of-flour/]. I laughed so hard at this. 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/culinary-students-given-live-baby-to-learn-how-to-care-for-bag-of-flour/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MxQJWqvamRU/sddefault.jpg] Volleyball Player Does Sliding Dogeza Apology. "The most extravagant form [of apology] in Japanese culture is the dogeza, which can also be used to express deep respect." Love this. [https://kottke.org/26/02/volleyball-player-does-sliding-dogeza-apology] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/volleyball-player-does-sliding-dogeza-apology] As part of their coursework, students at UC Berkeley are contributing edits to Wikipedia about “LGBTQ+ history, with an emphasis on queer and trans people of color” [https://www.them.us/story/berkeley-college-students-wikipedia-lgbtq-history-edits]. They’ve added 300,000+ edits and 3,000+ citations. 🔗 them.us [https://www.them.us/story/berkeley-college-students-wikipedia-lgbtq-history-edits] The Schoolchildren of Minneapolis [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/09/the-schoolchildren-of-minneapolis]. “As thousands of ICE agents arrived, kids started staying home from school. A local principal, teachers, and parent volunteers have banded together to keep the families safe.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/09/the-schoolchildren-of-minneapolis] Autocratic backfire [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/opinion/trump-history-dictators.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JFA.LvUI.Iz5xUdqqNGP_]: when dictators construct echo chambers, overestimate their abilities, and dismiss their adversaries’ capabilities, leading to weakening or ruin. Examples: Mussolini, Putin, and now (hopefully) Trump. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/opinion/trump-history-dictators.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JFA.LvUI.Iz5xUdqqNGP_] Darren Aronofsky’s AI Studio Used Artificial Intelligence Tools for Revolutionary War Animated Series [https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/darren-aronofsky-ai-revolutionary-war-series-human-voice-actors-1236644402/]. Interesting use of “animated” to mean “AI-generated photorealism”. I watched the trailer…everything looks vaguely plastic. 🔗 variety.com [https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/darren-aronofsky-ai-revolutionary-war-series-human-voice-actors-1236644402/] Do you know about the original vampire ending for Marty Supreme [https://theplaylist.net/josh-safdie-says-marty-supreme-originally-ended-with-kevin-oleary-as-a-vampire-who-bites-timothee-chalamet-20260114/]? (You heard me.) 🔗 theplaylist.net [https://theplaylist.net/josh-safdie-says-marty-supreme-originally-ended-with-kevin-oleary-as-a-vampire-who-bites-timothee-chalamet-20260114/] Tim Burton on Catherine O’Hara [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/catherine-o-hara-obituary-home-alone/685841/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ4kYkEDWzAZzGo7ZQNBGgDk]: “Catherine’s so good, maybe too good. She works on levels that people don’t even know. I think she scares people because she operates at such high levels.” Loved her. RIP. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/catherine-o-hara-obituary-home-alone/685841/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ4kYkEDWzAZzGo7ZQNBGgDk] ProPublica [https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-garcia]: “The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and CBP officer Raymundo Gutierrez.” 🔗 propublica.org [https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-garcia] Another brutal Melania pan [https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/melania-trump-movie-review-documentary-b2911108.html]: “First Lady is a preening, scowling void of pure nothingness in this ghastly bit of propaganda” and “the vulgar, gilded lifestyle of the Trumps makes them look like…Hermann Göring’s staring up at his looted Monet”. 🔗 the-independent.com [https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/melania-trump-movie-review-documentary-b2911108.html] When horrible people make bad art, the reviews are fun to read. Melania doc review [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/30/melania-review-trump-film-is-a-gilded-trash-remake-of-the-zone-of-interest]: “Trump film is a gilded trash remake of The Zone of Interest” and “it’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality”. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/30/melania-review-trump-film-is-a-gilded-trash-remake-of-the-zone-of-interest] “The end of Temporary Protected Status has Holocaust survivors offering to hide Haitian staffers, according to the CEO of a senior-living center in Florida.” The CEO of the center: “That reminds me of Anne Frank.” [https://www.jta.org/2026/01/30/united-states/jewish-seniors-rally-behind-their-caregivers-as-350000-haitians-are-set-to-lose-legal-status] 🔗 jta.org [https://www.jta.org/2026/01/30/united-states/jewish-seniors-rally-behind-their-caregivers-as-350000-haitians-are-set-to-lose-legal-status] Illustrator Chris Piascik has made several of his “Fuck ICE”/”No Kings” pieces available for free, high-res download [https://www.chrispiascik.com/protestart]. Print them out and use them for protest signs. 🔗 chrispiascik.com [https://www.chrispiascik.com/protestart] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48253-01.jpg] An engaging archive of well-designed postage stamps that emphasize "iconography, form, typography and branding". [https://kottke.org/26/02/stamps-graphic-art-in-miniature] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/02/stamps-graphic-art-in-miniature] I learned two important pieces of news in this post: 1) Frozen OJ from concentrate as a product is being discontinued by major producers [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/minute-maid-discontinuing-frozen-juice-9.7065520]. 2) Beverage analysts refer to market share as “share of throat.” And I think that’s just lovely. 🔗 cbc.ca [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/minute-maid-discontinuing-frozen-juice-9.7065520] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Feb 4, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/FRHx43qcRxFY6kMtQCt9Kw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org/newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR JAN 31, 2026 I learned two important pieces of news in this post: 1) Frozen OJ from concentrate as a product is being discontinued by major producers [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/minute-maid-discontinuing-frozen-juice-9.7065520]. 2) Beverage analysts refer to market share as “share of throat.” And I think that’s just lovely. 🔗 cbc.ca [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/minute-maid-discontinuing-frozen-juice-9.7065520] This guy built an autonomous flying umbrella [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYRrUiM_A6g] (powered by drones) that automagically follows you around in the rain. (A possible counter to a personal raincloud [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PersonalRaincloud]?) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYRrUiM_A6g] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48260-02.jpg] Spurious Correlations: data sets that are the very definition of "correlation is not causation". Like the number of Walmart stores worldwide correlates very strongly with the current distance between the Earth & Saturn. [https://kottke.org/26/01/spurious-correlations-1] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/spurious-correlations-1] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 0 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Minnesota community leaders are calling for an “ICE Out” general strike and protests on Friday, January 30 [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/ice-out-strike-protests-explained]. “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.” KDO will be participating. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/ice-out-strike-protests-explained] A huge collection of graphic design archives and resources [https://wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2021/09/graphic-design-history-resources/], like The People’s Graphic Design Archive [https://peoplesgdarchive.org/], Book Cover Archive [https://bookcoverarchive.com/], and Letterform Archive [https://oa.letterformarchive.org/]. This is great! 🔗 wemadethis.co.uk [https://wemadethis.co.uk/blog/2021/09/graphic-design-history-resources/] “There isn’t a lot of reliable information out there about how to buy a gas mask, especially for the specific purpose of living under state repression. But hopefully after reading this guide [https://www.theverge.com/policy/868571/best-gas-masks] you’ll feel equipped to make an educated decision.” 🔗 theverge.com [https://www.theverge.com/policy/868571/best-gas-masks] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-28455-01.jpg] Street artist Mathieu Tremblin paints over graffiti tags and makes them more legible. (Think converting scrawled tags to Arial.) [https://kottke.org/16/07/prettifying-graffiti] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/16/07/prettifying-graffiti] “AI skeptics need to update their priors: Plenty of cause for concern, plenty of room to hit these companies for unethical behavior, resource demands, etc, but we are so, so far past the era of ‘stochastic parrots’ [https://bsky.app/profile/damonberes.com/post/3mdjwxhps5c2r]”. 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/damonberes.com/post/3mdjwxhps5c2r] Vimeo was recently acquired by a private equity firm and you know what comes next: Vimeo Lays Off ‘Most’ of Its Staff, Allegedly Includes ‘the Entire Video Team’ [https://gizmodo.com/vimeo-lays-off-most-of-its-staff-allegedly-includes-the-entire-video-team-2000713416]. 🔗 gizmodo.com [https://gizmodo.com/vimeo-lays-off-most-of-its-staff-allegedly-includes-the-entire-video-team-2000713416] Your Friends Are Still Acting Like Everything is Normal in America. What Do You Do? [https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/476702/minnesota-minneapolis-ice-ethics-how-to-help?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IlA4a3M2MERoNUMiLCJwIjoiL2Z1dHVyZS1wZXJmZWN0LzQ3NjcwMi9taW5uZXNvdGEtbWlubmVhcG9saXMtaWNlLWV0aGljcy1ob3ctdG8taGVscCIsImV4cCI6MTc3MDgxODM0MiwiaWF0IjoxNzY5NjA4NzQyfQ.njjosw7GZIpLwtTF3-4i2trkdJZtgvI5cg24FpI4T-Q] “The first obligation we all have is an epistemic one: It’s to know what kind of reality we are actually inhabiting.” (gift link) 🔗 vox.com [https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/476702/minnesota-minneapolis-ice-ethics-how-to-help?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IlA4a3M2MERoNUMiLCJwIjoiL2Z1dHVyZS1wZXJmZWN0LzQ3NjcwMi9taW5uZXNvdGEtbWlubmVhcG9saXMtaWNlLWV0aGljcy1ob3ctdG8taGVscCIsImV4cCI6MTc3MDgxODM0MiwiaWF0IjoxNzY5NjA4NzQyfQ.njjosw7GZIpLwtTF3-4i2trkdJZtgvI5cg24FpI4T-Q] Defund Science, Distort Culture, Mock Education. [https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/01/reality-reshaped/685289/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZy5PUBHAvN8ZGhyq933Mel8] “We have a very focused and intense effort across the board to set America back a generation, at least, for education, health, research, climate policy.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/01/reality-reshaped/685289/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZy5PUBHAvN8ZGhyq933Mel8] Thing I did not know I was looking for (but totally was): a deep dive into ASCII rendering [https://alexharri.com/blog/ascii-rendering]. Super interesting! 🔗 alexharri.com [https://alexharri.com/blog/ascii-rendering] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48258-01.jpg] A collection of pre-war tourist maps of Japan. "We found the maps rummaging in Tokyo's Jinbocho area before photographing & collating them into this 136 page paperback." [https://kottke.org/26/01/vintage-tourist-maps-of-japan] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/vintage-tourist-maps-of-japan] The Copyrightability of Fonts Revisited [https://matthewbutterick.com/chron/the-copyrightability-of-fonts-revisited.html] by Matthew Butterick, a type designer & copy­right liti­gator. “If a court were asked to directly consider the copy­righta­bility of an ordi­nary digital font, it would likely rule in the nega­tive.” 🔗 matthewbutterick.com [https://matthewbutterick.com/chron/the-copyrightability-of-fonts-revisited.html] Clint Smith visits the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/slavery-museums-black-history-lynching/685660/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ3S--Fep2j84rYLG0wvOgtg] “The goal of the sites is to force visitors to confront the violence of the past without the counterweight of a more uplifting narrative to assuage their distress.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/slavery-museums-black-history-lynching/685660/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ3S--Fep2j84rYLG0wvOgtg] Bruce Springstein wrote & recorded a song about Minnesota’s battle against tyranny: Streets Of Minneapolis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKSoxG1K7w]. “Our city’s heart and soul persists / Through broken glass and bloody tears / On the streets of Minneapolis.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKSoxG1K7w] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UuVTY9prYck/sddefault.jpg] In one of his final on-camera interviews, David Lynch recounts going to the very first Beatles concert in the US in 1964. "Music is one of the most fantastic things. Almost like fire and water and air." [https://kottke.org/26/01/david-lynch-went-to-the-first-beatles-concert-in-the-us-1964] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/david-lynch-went-to-the-first-beatles-concert-in-the-us-1964] Why do RSS readers look like email clients? [https://www.terrygodier.com/phantom-obligation] “When we applied that same visual language to RSS (the unread counts, the bold text for new items, the sense of a backlog accumulating) we imported the anxiety without the cause.” 🔗 terrygodier.com [https://www.terrygodier.com/phantom-obligation] A collection of “well-made apps and sites” [https://unsung.aresluna.org/favourite-well-made-apps-and-sites/] gathered by Marcin Wichary. 🔗 unsung.aresluna.org [https://unsung.aresluna.org/favourite-well-made-apps-and-sites/] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48250-01.jpg] People Photographed With Their Vehicles. "Show me your vehicle and I'll tell you who you are." [https://kottke.org/26/01/people-photographed-with-their-vehicles] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/people-photographed-with-their-vehicles] Why Some People See Collapse Earlier Than Others [https://adrianlambert.substack.com/p/why-some-people-see-collapse-earlier]: Perception, pattern-seeking, and the role of neurodivergence in a failing civilisation. “Collapse awareness is fundamentally a pattern-recognition event. Some people are wired for that.” 🔗 adrianlambert.substack.com [https://adrianlambert.substack.com/p/why-some-people-see-collapse-earlier] Kristen Radtke remembers Alex Pretti [https://www.theverge.com/policy/868567/alex-pretti-minneapolis-childhood-friend]. “I didn’t realize, in the hours before his name was released to the public, that the man millions of people had seen lying facedown on the pavement from multiple angles…was my childhood best friend.” 🔗 theverge.com [https://www.theverge.com/policy/868567/alex-pretti-minneapolis-childhood-friend] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48252-03.jpg] "Archivio Grafica Italiana is the first online archive dedicated to the entire Italian graphic design heritage." [https://kottke.org/26/01/an-archive-of-italian-graphic-design] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/an-archive-of-italian-graphic-design] An impressive isometric map of NYC [https://cannoneyed.com/isometric-nyc/], built with AI agents [https://cannoneyed.com/projects/isometric-nyc]. “I’m particularly interested in scaling up the grindy repetitive tasks that make many ideas practically impossible.” 🔗 cannoneyed.com [https://cannoneyed.com/isometric-nyc/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/va9N_PNimvA/sddefault.jpg] Sesame Street has uploaded a bunch of classic episodes to YouTube that are free to watch, including the very first episode from 1969, the one where Mister Rogers visits, and the episode where Mr. Snuffulupagus is finally revealed. [https://kottke.org/26/01/watch-classic-episodes-of-sesame-street-for-free-on-youtube] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/watch-classic-episodes-of-sesame-street-for-free-on-youtube] You Need A Kitchen Slide Rule [https://entropicthoughts.com/kitchen-slide-rule]. “Kitchen work is all about proportions, and nothing beats the slide rule for proportions.” 🔗 entropicthoughts.com [https://entropicthoughts.com/kitchen-slide-rule] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48245-01.jpg] Whoa, this is a fantastic archive of tangible media objects (like gramophone records, punch cards, 8-tracks, floppy disks, etc.) Prepare to lose many minutes/hours to this trove. [https://kottke.org/26/01/information-you-could-hold-in-your-hand] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/information-you-could-hold-in-your-hand] Science magazine: US government has lost more than 10,000 STEM PhDs since Trump took office [https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-government-has-lost-more-10-000-stem-ph-d-s-trump-took-office]. 🔗 science.org [https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-government-has-lost-more-10-000-stem-ph-d-s-trump-took-office] The Comics Journal’s obituary for Scott Adams [https://www.tcj.com/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-at-black-people-scott-adams-1957-2026/]. “Dilbert’s tone shifted during the 2010s, punching down at targets, mocking and belittling societal shifts and perceived “political correctness,” with more cynical, even bitter humor…” 🔗 tcj.com [https://www.tcj.com/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-at-black-people-scott-adams-1957-2026/] This video from December is about a pair of teenaged ICE trackers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yKSgM0G1xQ]. “Armed with phone and body cameras, Ben and Sam patrol the Chicago suburbs in hopes of tracking ICE agents and filming raids they see as unwarranted and unjustified.” 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yKSgM0G1xQ] A 90-minute ICE Watch training session via Zoom [https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1ljKUChmQ9m_Ivl7jE8n2Q#/registration] “on effectively protecting your neighborhoods from federal enforcement incursions”. Jan 28, 7pm ET. Sign up here [https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1ljKUChmQ9m_Ivl7jE8n2Q#/registration]. 🔗 zoom.us [https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1ljKUChmQ9m_Ivl7jE8n2Q#/registration] Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/the-neighbors-defending-minnesota-from-ice/685769/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8H3lUwN6ZgkAO9HNshlhsY]. “Activists have made the decision to emphasize protection, aid, and observation. When matters escalate, it is usually the choice of the federal agents.” 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/the-neighbors-defending-minnesota-from-ice/685769/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ8H3lUwN6ZgkAO9HNshlhsY] A collection of dartboards used in different areas of the UK [https://darts501.com/Dartboards_Other.html]. “The closure of pubs and leagues not being fed with new players, unfortunately, leads to some of the boards just being consigned to history.” 🔗 darts501.com [https://darts501.com/Dartboards_Other.html] Scientists have detected a swole neutrino [https://www.quantamagazine.org/monster-neutrino-could-be-a-messenger-of-ancient-black-holes-20260123/], a potential signal from a primordial black hole, which may have formed “before there were even atoms, let alone stars”. 🔗 quantamagazine.org [https://www.quantamagazine.org/monster-neutrino-could-be-a-messenger-of-ancient-black-holes-20260123/] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48233-01.jpg] The Best Book Covers of the Past Decade (picked by book cover designers). Lots of great work in here. [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-best-book-covers-of-the-past-decade] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-best-book-covers-of-the-past-decade] “For a month, I tried: swapping my iPhone for a Nokia which I can only use to text, call and play Snake; also, a Walkman and a film camera. I picked up physical copies of books, newspapers…” What Emma Russell learned from her digital detox [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/21/my-analogue-month-would-ditching-my-smartphone-make-me-healthier-happier-or-more-stressed]. 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/21/my-analogue-month-would-ditching-my-smartphone-make-me-healthier-happier-or-more-stressed] “The imperial boomerang [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_boomerang] is the theory that governments that develop repressive techniques to control colonial territories will eventually deploy those same techniques domestically against their own citizens.” 🔗 en.wikipedia.org [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_boomerang] M. Gessen: “It’s only natural that our brains struggle to find logic in what we are seeing. There is a logic, and this logic has a name. It’s called state terror. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/opinion/state-terror-has-arrived.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HFA.oEgF.zzDMAijSp2gq]” 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/opinion/state-terror-has-arrived.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HFA.oEgF.zzDMAijSp2gq] Thomas Zimmer on the stakes of Minnesota’s struggle against tyranny [https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/fccbc0fe-2ec6-4507-92ce-73c50964fdee]. “A society that has any aspiration to be free and democratic cannot — it must not! — tolerate the existence of an agency like ICE.” 🔗 steady.page [https://steady.page/en/democracyamericana/posts/fccbc0fe-2ec6-4507-92ce-73c50964fdee] ICE/DHS has killed nine people in 2026 (that we know of) [https://bsky.app/profile/qasimrashid.com/post/3mdc7czzb422y]: Keith Porter, Parady La, Heber Sanchaz Domínguez, Victor Manuel Diaz, Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, and Geraldo Lunas Campos, Alex Pretti, and Renee Good. 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/qasimrashid.com/post/3mdc7czzb422y] Emily Witt reports on The Battle for Minneapolis [https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-battle-for-minneapolis] for the New Yorker. “Federal agents attempting to stop U.S. citizens from monitoring them have broken observers’ car windows, doused them with pepper spray, and shoved protesters to the ground.” 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-battle-for-minneapolis] I thought this said “Winamp” [https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2026/01/22/announcing-winapp-the-windows-app-development-cli/] and I got really excited. 🔗 blogs.windows.com [https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2026/01/22/announcing-winapp-the-windows-app-development-cli/] [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5bY_SyZkqkY/sddefault.jpg] From Taner's Funk Kitchen, a 30-minute set of smooth/chill deep cuts from Daft Punk. "This mix is less of a club vibe and more of a chill listening party." [https://kottke.org/26/01/daft-punk-deep-cuts-dj-set] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/daft-punk-deep-cuts-dj-set] A review [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/23/capitalism-by-sven-beckert-review-an-extraordinary-history-of-the-economic-system-that-controls-our-lives] of Sven Beckert’s Capitalism [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780735220836]. “‘No religion, no ideology, no philosophy, has ever been as all-encompassing as the economic logic of capitalism,’ Beckert claims, defining it as ‘the ceaseless accumulation of privately controlled capital.’” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/23/capitalism-by-sven-beckert-review-an-extraordinary-history-of-the-economic-system-that-controls-our-lives] Nice piece about the forgotten queer artist Marlow Moss [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/12/piet-mondrian-crossdressing-lesbian-artist-marlow-moss-cornish-cove], whose work and influence on Piet Mondrian’s work is being reevaluated. “It is now widely recognised in the art world that it was as much Moss who influenced Mondrian as the other way round…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/12/piet-mondrian-crossdressing-lesbian-artist-marlow-moss-cornish-cove] A Chinese factory mistakenly stitched a frown on a Year of the Horse plush toy and it became a surprise hit. Meet the ‘Cry-Cry Horse’ [https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-01-12/From-a-stitching-mistake-to-viral-hit-Meet-the-Cry-Cry-Horse--1JRZlzzI1t6/p.html], the perfect mascot for 2026. 🔗 news.cgtn.com [https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-01-12/From-a-stitching-mistake-to-viral-hit-Meet-the-Cry-Cry-Horse--1JRZlzzI1t6/p.html] How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota [https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/], including donating money, hassling ICE-supporting businesses, and “Get Ready For This Bullshit to Come to You”. 🔗 naomikritzer.com [https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/] Today, Minnesotans are striking (“no work, no school, no shopping”), protesting, and marching [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/minnesota-economic-blackout-ice-protests] in response to the ICE invasion. “We are a northern state, and we are built for the cold, and we are going to show up…” 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/minnesota-economic-blackout-ice-protests] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jan 31, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/Qeuf892Xt763ILrblaoSYdT1pw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org//newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR JAN 23, 2026 I thought this said "Winamp" [https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2026/01/22/announcing-winapp-the-windows-app-development-cli/] and I got really excited. 🔗 blogs.windows.com [https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2026/01/22/announcing-winapp-the-windows-app-development-cli/] From Taner's Funk Kitchen, a 30-minute set of smooth/chill deep cuts from Daft Punk. "This mix is less of a club vibe and more of a chill listening party." [https://kottke.org/26/01/daft-punk-deep-cuts-dj-set] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/daft-punk-deep-cuts-dj-set] A review [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/23/capitalism-by-sven-beckert-review-an-extraordinary-history-of-the-economic-system-that-controls-our-lives] of Sven Beckert's Capitalism [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780735220836]. "'No religion, no ideology, no philosophy, has ever been as all-encompassing as the economic logic of capitalism,' Beckert claims, defining it as 'the ceaseless accumulation of privately controlled capital.'" 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/23/capitalism-by-sven-beckert-review-an-extraordinary-history-of-the-economic-system-that-controls-our-lives] Nice piece about the forgotten queer artist Marlow Moss [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/12/piet-mondrian-crossdressing-lesbian-artist-marlow-moss-cornish-cove], whose work and influence on Piet Mondrian's work is being reevaluated. "It is now widely recognised in the art world that it was as much Moss who influenced Mondrian as the other way round..." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jan/12/piet-mondrian-crossdressing-lesbian-artist-marlow-moss-cornish-cove] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 3 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. A Chinese factory mistakenly stitched a frown on a Year of the Horse plush toy and it became a surprise hit. Meet the 'Cry-Cry Horse' [https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-01-12/From-a-stitching-mistake-to-viral-hit-Meet-the-Cry-Cry-Horse--1JRZlzzI1t6/p.html], the perfect mascot for 2026. 🔗 news.cgtn.com [https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-01-12/From-a-stitching-mistake-to-viral-hit-Meet-the-Cry-Cry-Horse--1JRZlzzI1t6/p.html] How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota [https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/], including donating money, hassling ICE-supporting businesses, and "Get Ready For This Bullshit to Come to You". 🔗 naomikritzer.com [https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/] Today, Minnesotans are striking ("no work, no school, no shopping"), protesting, and marching [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/minnesota-economic-blackout-ice-protests] in response to the ICE invasion. "We are a northern state, and we are built for the cold, and we are going to show up..." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/minnesota-economic-blackout-ice-protests] The Best Films of 2025. David Ehrlich is back with my favorite end-of-year celebration of film. [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-best-films-of-2025] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-best-films-of-2025] Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95 [https://thezebra.org/2026/01/18/dr-gladys-west-mathematician-whose-work-made-gps-possible-dies-at-95/]. "Her painstaking calculations and programming helped transform raw satellite data into precise geodetic models, enabling reliable satellite-based navigation." 🔗 thezebra.org [https://thezebra.org/2026/01/18/dr-gladys-west-mathematician-whose-work-made-gps-possible-dies-at-95/] Mestra [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780063566286] is a forthcoming short story from Madeline Miller (Circe [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780316556323], The Song of Achilles [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780062060624]); it's "a powerful reimagining of Ovid's Pygmalion". Miller is also working on a novel about Persephone [https://bsky.app/profile/madelinemiller.bsky.social/post/3mczlcq3qf22z]. 🔗 bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/a/2966/9780063566286] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48218-01.jpg] Pilot Captures Amazing Aurora Photos During Flight. "This was the most incredible display of aurora I've ever seen in my 20 years of flying!" [https://kottke.org/26/01/pilot-captures-amazing-aurora-photos-during-flight] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/pilot-captures-amazing-aurora-photos-during-flight] From director Rian Johnson, a collection of some of the screenplays of his movies & TV shows [https://www.rian-johnson.com/screenplays], including Wake Up Dead Man, Knives Out, Glass Onion, Looper, and the Poker Face pilot. "Print them, share them, act them out with your friends." 🔗 rian-johnson.com [https://www.rian-johnson.com/screenplays] Now That I Am Old Enough to Enroll in Medicare, I Am Against Socialized Medicine [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/now-that-i-am-old-enough-to-enroll-in-medicare-i-am-against-socialized-medicine]. "Don't you know that it makes my benefits less special when everyone can receive them?" 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/now-that-i-am-old-enough-to-enroll-in-medicare-i-am-against-socialized-medicine] What Is the Scale of the Resistance in Minnesota? "I have been actively involved in protest movements for 24 years. I have never seen anything approaching this scale. Minneapolis is not accepting what's happening here." [https://kottke.org/26/01/what-is-the-scale-of-the-resistance-in-minnesota] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/what-is-the-scale-of-the-resistance-in-minnesota] More ways to help: Stand With Minnesota [https://www.standwithminnesota.com/]. How you can tell this is a local MN thing: "We are now just two ladies running this thing as volunteers, so please be patient." 🔗 standwithminnesota.com [https://www.standwithminnesota.com/] You can help: a listing of mutual aid organizations to support in Minnesota [https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid]. 🔗 linktr.ee [https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid] Ryan Coogler's Sinners sets record for most Oscar nominations: 16! [https://apnews.com/article/oscar-nominations-2026-83798def8de7626b011aba3c043a4115] Includes best picture, best director, best screenplay, and best actor (for Michael B. Jordan). Well-deserved...Sinners was the best film I saw in 2025. 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/oscar-nominations-2026-83798def8de7626b011aba3c043a4115] 10 things I learned from burning myself out with AI coding agents [https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/01/10-things-i-learned-from-burning-myself-out-with-ai-coding-agents/]. "Fifty projects later, I'll be frank: I have not had this much fun with a computer since I learned BASIC on my Apple II Plus when I was 9 years old." 🔗 arstechnica.com [https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/01/10-things-i-learned-from-burning-myself-out-with-ai-coding-agents/] The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/great-crime-decline/685695/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5P8h2pGRSGiXyPlJiBx-_4]. "What has changed nationally is a huge investment by the federal government in prevention in response to the COVID epidemic. Investing in education, police, librarians, community centers..." 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/great-crime-decline/685695/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ5P8h2pGRSGiXyPlJiBx-_4] "When South Morningside Primary School girls football team won the prestigious Edinburgh Schools cup last year, they were presented with a small plastic trophy. It paled into comparison with the large, grand trophy given to the winning boys team... [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clymzpl58z0o]" 🔗 bbc.com [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clymzpl58z0o] Water bankruptcy [https://theconversation.com/the-world-is-in-water-bankruptcy-un-scientists-report-heres-what-that-means-273213] is a "chronic condition that develops when a place uses more water than nature can reliably replace, and when the damage to the natural assets that store and filter that water, such as aquifers and wetlands, becomes hard to reverse". 🔗 theconversation.com [https://theconversation.com/the-world-is-in-water-bankruptcy-un-scientists-report-heres-what-that-means-273213] "The uncomfortable truth is that the president of the United States is a man with the mind of a spoiled child [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/opinion/trump-norway-letter.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GFA.PMZY.ihAPAdx1PYv2]. His debilitating solipsism is a threat to the stability of the entire world. A functional Congress would impeach and remove him." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/opinion/trump-norway-letter.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GFA.PMZY.ihAPAdx1PYv2] "Most technologies are like guns. They tend to get aggregated and captured by those who already have a lot. Technology, in other words, generally exhibits preferential attachment to power [https://contraptions.venkateshrao.com/p/new-nature]." 🔗 contraptions.venkateshrao.com [https://contraptions.venkateshrao.com/p/new-nature] The First Animation That Hayao Miyazaki Directed on His Own: Watch Footage from the Pilot of Yuki's Sun (1972) [http://openculture.com/2024/07/the-first-animation-that-hayao-miyazaki-directed-on-his-own-1972.html]. 🔗 openculture.com [http://openculture.com/2024/07/the-first-animation-that-hayao-miyazaki-directed-on-his-own-1972.html] "A flock of ring-necked parakeets that were filmed feasting on the wall of a 19th Century barn were echoing Amazonian feeding habits...near Welwyn in Hertfordshire [https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c99km49ejjeo]." 🔗 bbc.com [https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c99km49ejjeo] Koyaanisqatsi sped up by 1552% so that you can watch the whole thing in about 5 minutes. [https://kottke.org//12/02/koyaanisqatsi-in-five-minutes] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org//12/02/koyaanisqatsi-in-five-minutes] Incredible drone footage of a pileup of 100+ cars, trucks, and semis in winter conditions in Michigan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRi8lAH-RrM]. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRi8lAH-RrM] In 1983 Steve Dyer created the Usenet group soc.motss, possibly the first-ever online LGBT community [https://www.somebits.com/weblog/culture/net-motss-founding-steve-dyer.html]. 🔗 somebits.com [https://www.somebits.com/weblog/culture/net-motss-founding-steve-dyer.html] One Year of Trump. The Time to Act Is Now, While We Still Can. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/opinion/trump-one-year-later.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FlA.D8er.ycWW_rb2D3os] "We can't count on change being brought about by elections when we can't count on elections. We can't count on the freedoms & resources we enjoy today to still be available to us tomorrow." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/opinion/trump-one-year-later.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FlA.D8er.ycWW_rb2D3os] Lydia Polgreen: In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/opinion/trump-minneapolis-ice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FlA.uMdS.bLHlWGLyrxIy]. "Good's killing was emblematic of [the occupation's] true mission: to stage a spectacle of cruelty upon a city that stands in stark defiance against Trump's dark vision of America." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/opinion/trump-minneapolis-ice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FlA.uMdS.bLHlWGLyrxIy] A report from occupied Minneapolis: So, How's the Occupation Going for You? [https://www.liberalcurrents.com/so-hows-the-occupation-going-for-you/] "The physical machinations of the occupation are nearly impossible to avoid. ICE stops people randomly on the street. ICE rams cars, sometimes through intersections..." 🔗 liberalcurrents.com [https://www.liberalcurrents.com/so-hows-the-occupation-going-for-you/] Margaret Sullivan: With Democracy in Free Fall, the Media Must (Finally) Wake Up [https://margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/with-democracy-in-free-fall-the-media]. "It's as if a five-alarm fire is consuming a city and the mainstream outlets are saying they might smell something burning..." 🔗 margaretsullivan.substack.com [https://margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/with-democracy-in-free-fall-the-media] Reporting on Homeland Security's siege of Minneapolis [https://www.theverge.com/policy/864195/minneapolis-ice-invasion-organizing-immigration]. "No one...is even really bothering with the pretext that they're here to make the city safer. This is Donald Trump's revenge campaign, and they're the foot soldiers." 🔗 theverge.com [https://www.theverge.com/policy/864195/minneapolis-ice-invasion-organizing-immigration] "Scientists have been forced to rethink the intelligence of cattle after an Austrian cow named Veronika [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence] displayed an impressive – and until now undocumented – knack for tool use." And: "We don't believe that Veronika is the Einstein of cows..." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence] This is a wild Bluesky thread (and bus ride). [https://bsky.app/profile/musicologyduck.bsky.social/post/3mct2lipzqc2p] "they switched drivers at a rest stop and the new driver is telling everyone that they’re the ones on the wrong bus??" (Gotta be logged in to Bluesky to read, sorry.) 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/musicologyduck.bsky.social/post/3mct2lipzqc2p] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jan 23, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/hC763d1763qBJbg7owO4kiqvjw].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org//newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR JAN 16, 2026 An animated 3D visualization of the evolution of Paris, 300 BCE to 2025. [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-visualization-of-the-evolution-of-paris-300-bce-to-2025] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-visualization-of-the-evolution-of-paris-300-bce-to-2025] The rate at which the universe is expanding differs depending on how it's measured. Gravitationally lensed supernovas could solve the discrepancy [https://www.universetoday.com/articles/these-gravitationally-lensed-supernovae-could-resolve-the-hubble-tension]; the lensing allows for the tracking of the supernovas over time. 🔗 universetoday.com [https://www.universetoday.com/articles/these-gravitationally-lensed-supernovae-could-resolve-the-hubble-tension] The Ping-Pong Hustler Who Inspired 'Marty Supreme' [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/movies/real-marty-supreme-timothee-chalamet.html?unlocked_article_code=1.E1A.odkW.tqCq-PxZfSeL]. "If Chalamet has found, in this role, an all-time character, it is surely in no small part because Reisman was an all-time character." (Saw the movie; loved it.) 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/movies/real-marty-supreme-timothee-chalamet.html?unlocked_article_code=1.E1A.odkW.tqCq-PxZfSeL] How Russia's Children Got So Violent [https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/01/russia-children-violence-war/685635/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZzvjaPSMHlk1SL6nBz0IpyY]. "There is no positive ideology for children in a country fighting a murderous war." Ultranationalist & xenophobic violence is encouraged by Putin's regime. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/01/russia-children-violence-war/685635/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZzvjaPSMHlk1SL6nBz0IpyY] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 26 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. This website is compiling a sourced list of ICE abuses in Minnesota [https://mn-ice-witness.org/]. (Click on "List" for the full listing.) 🔗 mn-ice-witness.org [https://mn-ice-witness.org/] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48188-01.jpg] These photos by Chu Weimin show the mind-boggling scale of China's green energy buildout. "In May [2025] alone, it added enough renewable energy to power Poland, installing solar panels at a rate of roughly 100 every second." [https://kottke.org/26/01/photos-of-chinas-green-energy-transition] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/photos-of-chinas-green-energy-transition] Wikipedia turns 25 years old [https://wikipedia25.org/en/twenty-five-years-of-wikipedia]. (I can't believe it's only been around for 25 years...trying to imagine the web without it is impossible at this point.) 🔗 wikipedia25.org [https://wikipedia25.org/en/twenty-five-years-of-wikipedia] At the Stone Skimming World Championships in Scotland [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stone-skimming-championship-spaceship-studies] (at an old slate quarry), it's distance that counts, not the number of skips. "Anyone who is familiar with slate could instinctively tell you that it's a particularly good rock for skimming." 🔗 atlasobscura.com [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stone-skimming-championship-spaceship-studies] By All Measures [https://longreads.com/2026/01/13/scale-climate-doomsday-clock/]. "Our scales are too imbalanced; we are unable to think the unthinkable. It goes without saying that it can be paralyzing, demoralizing, to be an individual acting as part of the collective, globe-sized world." 🔗 longreads.com [https://longreads.com/2026/01/13/scale-climate-doomsday-clock/] Visualizations of the growing undersea network of submarine cables, 2013-2025 [https://blog.telegeography.com/submarine-cables-over-time-through-the-years]. 🔗 blog.telegeography.com [https://blog.telegeography.com/submarine-cables-over-time-through-the-years] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48169-06.jpg] The Florentine Codex (1577) is an illustrated encyclopedia of indigenous Mexico, "the most reliable source of information about Mexica culture, the Aztec Empire, and the conquest of Mexico." The whole codex is online & searchable. Great resource! [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-florentine-codex] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-florentine-codex] Many of us have "lost the future" during the radical uncertainty brought about by polycrisis [https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/jan/14/new-year-polycrisis-psychology-feeling-trapped]. "I hadn't fully grasped how the idea of a better future sustained me — now I, like many others, find it difficult to be productive." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/jan/14/new-year-polycrisis-psychology-feeling-trapped] From XKCD, some common sailing rigs [https://xkcd.com/3193/], including the ketch, schooner, offset rig, and oops all spinnakers. 🔗 xkcd.com [https://xkcd.com/3193/] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48184-01.jpg] London bakery The Dusty Knuckle cleverly used a loaf of bread as a graph to illustrate the costs of running their business. [https://kottke.org/26/01/bread-infographic] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/bread-infographic] "This should be the year you stop trying so hard to turn yourself into a better person, and focus instead on actually leading a more absorbing life [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jan/03/secret-being-happy-2026-simpler-than-you-think]." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jan/03/secret-being-happy-2026-simpler-than-you-think] "Divers documents the restless anticipation of walking to the platform's edge and the fleeting serenity found in jumping." A lovely short film. Just lovely. [https://kottke.org/26/01/divers] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/divers] Claudette Colvin, Who Refused to Give Her Bus Seat to a White Woman, Dies at 86 [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/politics/claudette-colvin-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVA.c4Jp.SWsFKBMa3iqy]. "History had me glued to the seat." Her refusal predates Rosa Parks' similar stand, but she was deemed "too dark-skinned and too poor" to be a civil rights symbol. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/politics/claudette-colvin-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVA.c4Jp.SWsFKBMa3iqy] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48179-01.jpg] Olive Oil Sculptures [https://kottke.org/26/01/olive-oil-sculptures] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/olive-oil-sculptures] I Was Kidnapped by Idiots [https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/01/kidnapped-baghdad/685470/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ2bSbbls6v8p71_DdSlIn_8]. "Later, he tried the 'good cop, bad cop' routine on me but undermined the effect by playing both characters himself, on alternate days, which just made him seem deranged." 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/01/kidnapped-baghdad/685470/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ2bSbbls6v8p71_DdSlIn_8] Jamelle Bouie [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/opinion/trump-presidential-power-immunity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVA.CHGN.UPjY8IrDiGY_]: "The American public, then, is left not with a president but with a man who imagines himself master and behaves like a tyrant. A man whose agents brutalize ordinary citizens and then defame them in the wake of their deaths..." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/opinion/trump-presidential-power-immunity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVA.CHGN.UPjY8IrDiGY_] Stop complaining about paywalls existing [https://bsky.app/profile/laurajedeed.bsky.social/post/3mcdwspcms223]. "These paywalls are attempts to make this dying field viable. When you get personally offended by paywalls, you're essentially saying we should work for free." 🔗 bsky.app [https://bsky.app/profile/laurajedeed.bsky.social/post/3mcdwspcms223] Donald Trump Is Waging War Against Human Conscience [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/14/donald-trump-plato-gender-education]. "The lust for mud has taken up many guises in our history and has been many given names of late — neo-reaction, post-liberalism, fascism. But the name familiar to most is evil." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/14/donald-trump-plato-gender-education] Zoe Saldaña is now the highest-grossing actor of all time [https://ew.com/this-actor-just-dethroned-scarlett-johansson-for-highest-grossing-movie-star-box-office-11884158] (bc of Avatar & Marvel). 2. Scarlett Johansson, 3. Samuel L. Jackson, 4. Robert Downey Jr., 5. Chris Pratt. Would be interested to see inflation adjusted rankings... 🔗 ew.com [https://ew.com/this-actor-just-dethroned-scarlett-johansson-for-highest-grossing-movie-star-box-office-11884158] Currently listening to this Thai house mix [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLgygZ8WOdM] from Meltmode [https://soundcloud.com/meltmode], played from a tuktuk tooling around the streets of Bangkok. 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLgygZ8WOdM] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48149-02.jpg] Lunchtime: close-up portraits from the 70s and 80s of people on their lunch breaks by photographer Charles H. Traub. [https://kottke.org/26/01/lunchtime] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/lunchtime] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jan 16, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/qPib0h892ZvEXitVEx1OxxJA].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org//newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR JAN 13, 2026 North America kind of sucks at elevators [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1_qVdekYM]. "Elevators cost nearly three times as much in North America compared to its peers. What is going on here?" (Maintenance fees can be 10x as expensive.) 🔗 youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1_qVdekYM]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048163-north-america-kind-of-suc] How Will the Miracle Happen Today? [https://kk.org/thetechnium/how-will-the-miracle-happen-today/] "Kindness is like a breath. It can be squeezed out, or drawn in. You can wait for it, or you can summon it. To solicit a gift from a stranger takes a certain state of openness." 🔗 kk.org [https://kk.org/thetechnium/how-will-the-miracle-happen-today/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048168-how-will-the-miracle-happ] There's a guy named Orion who surfs the St Lawrence River in the winter, sometimes dodging massive chunks of ice and sometimes riding them downstream, looking for waves. The footage in this short film is incredible, otherworldly. [https://kottke.org/26/01/montreals-ice-surfer] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/montreals-ice-surfer]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/montreals-ice-surfer] Thoughtful lessons from a Google software engineer [https://addyosmani.com/blog/21-lessons/]. "The punchline isn't 'never innovate.' It's 'innovate only where you're uniquely paid to innovate.' Everything else should default to boring, because boring has known failure modes." 🔗 addyosmani.com [https://addyosmani.com/blog/21-lessons/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048143-thoughtful-lessons-from-a] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 29 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Recently I've been thinking a lot about this 2015 observation on Tumblr [https://kottke.org/18/05/the-respect-of-personhood-vs-the-respect-of-authority] about the dangerous conflation of respect of personhood and the respect of authority. 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/18/05/the-respect-of-personhood-vs-the-respect-of-authority] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48166-01.jpg] Great data analysis of what would US would be like if it were just an average country in its cohort of wealthy democracies, e.g. "the nation that would exist if our democracy functioned to serve the public rather than protect the already powerful". [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-america-that-could-be] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-america-that-could-be] Astronomers have discovered an "almost-galaxy" called Cloud-9 [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/science/cloud-9-starless-dark-galaxy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EFA.fo2s.v0BL6ISiOwJb] (no, really), a failed galaxy that contains no stars. "There's nothing like this that we've found so far in the universe." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/science/cloud-9-starless-dark-galaxy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EFA.fo2s.v0BL6ISiOwJb]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048165-astronomers-have-discover] Condé Nast forgot to renew the trademark for Gourmet and so a group of journalists grabbed it and are relaunching the food magazine as a worker-owned co-op [https://gourmetmagazine.net/]. Love it [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/business/media/gourmet-magazine-newsletter.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EFA.8KNv.zCjB3wteSgLP]. 🔗 gourmetmagazine.net [https://gourmetmagazine.net/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048164-conde-nast-forgot-to-rene] Discover the 100-Year-Old Self-Playing Violin, One of the Most Complex Music Players Ever Made [https://www.openculture.com/2025/09/discover-the-100-year-old-self-playing-violin.html]. "It featured three vertically mounted violins, each with a single active string, played by a rotating bow of 1,300 horsehairs." 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2025/09/discover-the-100-year-old-self-playing-violin.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048080-discover-the-100-year-old] "I feel stuck and sad and I don't know what else to do." [https://tiv.today/i-cant-do-this/] Yeah, same. 🔗 tiv.today [https://tiv.today/i-cant-do-this/] An Optical Compass Inspired by Bee Vision. "It's possible to construct an optical compass using polarized filters in order to wayfind like the bees." (Great explanation of the waggle dance too.) [https://kottke.org/26/01/an-optical-compass-inspired-by-bee-vision] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/an-optical-compass-inspired-by-bee-vision]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/an-optical-compass-inspired-by-bee-vision] Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection [https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/]. "This page contains a collection of small computer programs which implement one-player puzzle games." 🔗 chiark.greenend.org.uk [https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048140-simon-tathams-portable-pu] Out of the 1000 most-discussed books on Hacker News [https://hnbooks.pieterma.es/list], it looks like around 50 of them were written by women. 🔗 hnbooks.pieterma.es [https://hnbooks.pieterma.es/list] A Logistical Matter [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-logistical-matter] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-logistical-matter] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48158-01.jpg] Train Wreck [https://kottke.org/26/01/train-wreck] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/train-wreck] I loved watching this quick video recap [https://www.instagram.com/p/DSThfF9jxh4/] of how Penguin designer Elisha Zepeda [https://www.elishazepeda.com/] made the book covers for 10 books that came out in 2025. Zepeda has a much longer look at his process on YT [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9P15eyFuDw]. 🔗 instagram.com [https://www.instagram.com/p/DSThfF9jxh4/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048117-i-loved-watching-this-qui] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jan 13, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/uQl892zTKYDT3tYsgTNFFu9g].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org//newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR JAN 12, 2026 Using lidar, scientists discovered a 400-foot-long wall [https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/submarine-wall/] composed of "60 massive granite monoliths, set directly onto the bedrock in pairs at regular intervals". The wall is 30 feet underwater and was built 7000+ years ago. 🔗 bigthink.com [https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/submarine-wall/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048150-using-lidar-scientists-di] words.zip [https://words.zip/] is "an infinite collaborative word search where anyone can find and submit words — no account required." 🔗 words.zip [https://words.zip/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048133-wordszip-is-an-infinite-c] There's a shark called the cookiecutter shark [https://gizmodo.com/scientists-finally-figured-out-the-shark-that-bites-perfect-circles-2000704853] because it leaves bite marks the shape of "neat, circular holes resembling the cut of a cookie cutter". 🔗 gizmodo.com [https://gizmodo.com/scientists-finally-figured-out-the-shark-that-bites-perfect-circles-2000704853]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048145-theres-a-shark-called-the] Burn Harry Burn: Reckoning With My Harry Potter Fandom as a Trans Person [https://lithub.com/burn-harry-burn-reckoning-with-my-harry-potter-fandom-as-a-trans-person/]. "I dug a fire pit in my backyard and burned my complete set of hardcover Harry Potters." 🔗 lithub.com [https://lithub.com/burn-harry-burn-reckoning-with-my-harry-potter-fandom-as-a-trans-person/] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 23 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. A soaring US vs a stagnant EU? [https://archive.ph/fGe9V] "Europeans benefit from more leisure time than Americans, higher life expectancy & lower inequality levels, all w/ comparable productivity rates. However one looks at it, this is a considerably better economic performance." 🔗 archive.ph [https://archive.ph/fGe9V]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048137-a-soaring-us-vs-a] Alexandra Petri: I Tried to Be the Government. It Did Not Go Well. [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/02/individual-federal-services-replacement/685333/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ1U3x4xEIukRFCxO_nUuhxA] "I have just driven six and a half hours to Ohio in order to forecast my own weather. From a hot-air balloon." She also inspects milk & does lawn work on National Park land. 🔗 theatlantic.com (gift link) [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/02/individual-federal-services-replacement/685333/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ1U3x4xEIukRFCxO_nUuhxA] What You're Watching Isn't What You're Really Watching [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-youre-watching-isnt-what-youre-really-watching]. "You think you're watching an innocent woman being shot and killed in cold blood by the federal government, but what you're really watching is the death of the United States of America." 🔗 mcsweeneys.net [https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-youre-watching-isnt-what-youre-really-watching] Abolish ICE. Abolish ICE. Abolish ICE. Abolish ICE. "ICE acts more like the Gestapo than it does any kind of legitimate law enforcement agency." [https://kottke.org/26/01/abolish-ice] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/abolish-ice] An ICE agent murdered a woman in Minneapolis today [https://www.startribune.com/ice-raids-minnesota/601546426]. Mayor Jacob Frey to ICE [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTOM0Oujfki/]: "Get the fuck out of Minneapolis." 🔗 startribune.com [https://www.startribune.com/ice-raids-minnesota/601546426] How Did We Map the World Before Satellites? The Catalan Atlas, created in ~1375, was remarkably accurate and comprehensive for its time. How was such a thing created in medieval times? [https://kottke.org/26/01/how-did-we-map-the-world-before-satellites] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/how-did-we-map-the-world-before-satellites]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/how-did-we-map-the-world-before-satellites] WikiFlix [https://wikiflix.toolforge.org/] is a streaming site for movies in the public domain, including Metropolis, It's a Wonderful Life, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Charade. 🔗 wikiflix.toolforge.org [https://wikiflix.toolforge.org/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048135-wikiflix-is-a-streaming-s] "South Korea imports more kimchi than it exports [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/22/kimchi-south-korea-national-dish-priced-out-china-export], and the gap has widened as cheaper Chinese-made products take hold in the domestic market." 🔗 theguardian.com [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/22/kimchi-south-korea-national-dish-priced-out-china-export]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048152-south-korea-imports-more-] A group of students at a New Mexico college (mostly) gave up their phones & computers for a week. What did they learn? [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/style/smartphone-tech-fast-college-students.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CFA.cBCi.B1XaVR2-4-Pc] "Most students said they had gotten to know themselves better without their phones butting in all day long." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/style/smartphone-tech-fast-college-students.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CFA.cBCi.B1XaVR2-4-Pc]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048128-a-group-of-students-at] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48148-01.jpg] This is great: MTV Rewind allows you to watch music videos from the 70s to the 20s, organized by decade. There are also "channels" for 120 Minutes, MTV Unplugged, Yo! MTV Raps, etc. 33,000+ videos in all. Nostalgia bomb. [https://kottke.org/26/01/mtv-rewind] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/mtv-rewind]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/mtv-rewind] The proliferation of hummingbird feeders has become a "major evolutionary force" [https://www.science.org/content/article/bird-feeders-have-caused-dramatic-evolution-california-hummingbirds] for the Anna's hummingbird species in the western US. "Over just a few generations, their beaks have dramatically changed in size and shape." 🔗 science.org [https://www.science.org/content/article/bird-feeders-have-caused-dramatic-evolution-california-hummingbirds]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048147-the-proliferation-of-humm] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jan 12, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/4GZ892QxhUZdYtpH3lczHGAg].

Kottke Newsletter [https://kottke.org//newsletter/images/newsletter-2025-logo.jpg]https://kottke.org KOTTKE.ORG POSTS & LINKS FOR JAN 6, 2026 Lost episodes of Star Trek from the 70s [https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/classic-tv/lost-star-trek-episodes-from-the-unproduced-phase-ii-series]. They were going to do a reboot of the TV series (without Spock!) but the project morphed into the first movie. There are 19 episode scripts & treatments from the project; a few were adapted for ST:TNG. 🔗 womansworld.com [https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/classic-tv/lost-star-trek-episodes-from-the-unproduced-phase-ii-series]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048142-the-lost-episodes-of-star] Robin Sloan asserts (provocatively) that AGI is already here [https://www.robinsloan.com/winter-garden/agi-is-here/] (and has been for a few years). "We've got this ubiquitous term, Artificial General Intelligence, & it appears that the Artificial Intelligence has become Really Very General, so ... ?" 🔗 robinsloan.com [https://www.robinsloan.com/winter-garden/agi-is-here/] Identity — The Story of Czech Graphic Design is a seven-part series available on YouTube that "introduces viewers to the history of Czech graphic design". [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-story-of-czech-graphic-design] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-story-of-czech-graphic-design]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-story-of-czech-graphic-design] "Norman Rockwell was antifa" [https://www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-rockwell-museum-magafication-trump-culture-dhs], says Daisy Rockwell, Norman's granddaughter. "So you'll understand her indignation when President Trump began hijacking her grandfather's legacy to promote what she considers modern-day fascism." 🔗 thebulwark.com [https://www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-rockwell-museum-magafication-trump-culture-dhs] 🧵🧵🧵 People have left 45 comments on posts over the past few days. Check out the most recently active threads on kottke.org [https://kottke.org/#active-fp-comments]. Whoa! Someone recently uploaded some high-quality versions of unreleased Boards of Canada tracks from 1985-1996. This seems to be legit, judging from the excitement in the YT comments and on Reddit... [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-collection-of-unreleased-boards-of-canada-tracks] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-collection-of-unreleased-boards-of-canada-tracks]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/a-collection-of-unreleased-boards-of-canada-tracks] This sucks: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is no more [https://apnews.com/article/public-broadcasting-pbs-npr-b68f441c227ec7e076c038821b4a5931]. "Its board of directors chose Monday to shutter CPB completely instead of keeping it in existence as a shell." GOP ghouls finally killed it. 🔗 apnews.com [https://apnews.com/article/public-broadcasting-pbs-npr-b68f441c227ec7e076c038821b4a5931] The Detectorists — A Short Film About Otters and Detection Dogs. "Shot from a dog's-eye view with immersive cinematography, the film offers a poetic glimpse into conservation through the nose and eyes of a canine detective." [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-detectorists-a-short-film-about-otters-and-detection-dogs] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-detectorists-a-short-film-about-otters-and-detection-dogs]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-detectorists-a-short-film-about-otters-and-detection-dogs] Tiled.art [https://tiled.art/]: "Discover great tessellation art, understand how it works, and create your own." 🔗 tiled.art [https://tiled.art/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048138-tiledart-discover-great-t] Anna's Archive ("the largest truly open library in human history") is backing up the entirety of Spotify [https://annas-archive.li/blog/backing-up-spotify.html]. "We have archived around 86 million songs from Spotify. While this only represents 37% of songs, it represents around 99.6% of listens." 🔗 annas-archive.li [https://annas-archive.li/blog/backing-up-spotify.html] When Two Filmmakers Make the Same Movie — and One of Them Is Werner Herzog [https://www.openculture.com/2026/01/when-two-filmmakers-make-the-same-movie-and-one-of-them-is-werner-herzog.html]. A comparison of the two 2022 documentaries about volcanologists Maurice & Katia Krafft, Herzog's The Fire Within, and Sara Dosa's Fire of Love. 🔗 openculture.com [https://www.openculture.com/2026/01/when-two-filmmakers-make-the-same-movie-and-one-of-them-is-werner-herzog.html]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048122-when-two-filmmakers-make-] From Book Riot's Zero to Well-Read podcast: How to Read More (and Better) in 2026 [https://bookriot.com/listen/how-to-read-more-and-better-in-2026/]. "They dig into when to push through, when to quit a book, how to choose books outside the algorithm, and how small shifts in attention can enrich your reading life." 🔗 bookriot.com [https://bookriot.com/listen/how-to-read-more-and-better-in-2026/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048113-from-book-riots-zero-to] The Mystery Of The Samurai In Venice, the story of a forgotten 17th-century samurai envoy to Italy to treat with the Pope. [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-mystery-of-the-samurai-in-venice] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-mystery-of-the-samurai-in-venice]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/the-mystery-of-the-samurai-in-venice] A Year of Clean Energy Milestones [https://e360.yale.edu/digest/2025-energy-review]. "Wind, solar, and electric vehicles made huge strides globally in 2025. For the first time, wind & solar supplied more power than coal worldwide, while plug-in vehicles accounted for more than 1/4 of new car sales." 🔗 e360.yale.edu [https://e360.yale.edu/digest/2025-energy-review] A number of studies show that various vaccines (shingles, RSV, flu) are associated with "off-target" benefits like reduced cardiovascular risk, lower rates of dementia, and lower Alzheimer's risk for older people [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/health/vaccines-dementia-heart-elderly.html?unlocked_article_code=1.B1A.o-EW.AvQvl4jKEP-f]. 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/health/vaccines-dementia-heart-elderly.html?unlocked_article_code=1.B1A.o-EW.AvQvl4jKEP-f] Why I Left Substack [https://buttondown.com/MaxGladstone/archive/why-i-left-substack]. A combination of "a good deal of gross misogyny, transphobia, and hard-right stuff" plus Substack "trying to deny this responsibility [as a publisher], to pretend that their decisions weren't decisions at all". 🔗 buttondown.com [https://buttondown.com/MaxGladstone/archive/why-i-left-substack] [http://kottke.org/images/posts/01/img-48119-01.jpg] What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies. "This is a protest quilt. It was made by an artist whose day job puts her on the front lines of one of the most grotesque realities in America today. She is a teacher." [https://kottke.org/26/01/what-we-will-use-as-weapons-a-list-of-school-supplies] 🔗 kottke.org [https://kottke.org/26/01/what-we-will-use-as-weapons-a-list-of-school-supplies] M. Gessen on the new world order the Trump regime seems eager to bring about [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/opinion/putin-maduro-venezuela.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CFA.ucp2.964CnhybDDNe]. "If Trump can take Venezuela and Putin can take Ukraine, surely President Xi Jinping of China can take Taiwan." 🔗 nytimes.com (gift link) [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/opinion/putin-maduro-venezuela.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CFA.ucp2.964CnhybDDNe] The Media Refuses to Call Trump's Venezuela Attack an Act of War [https://theintercept.com/2026/01/04/trump-maduro-venezuela-war-media/]. "Overwhelmingly, the US media and its purportedly straight reporters have adopted wholesale the White House's pseudo-legalistic, limited framework of an 'operation' to 'arrest' Maduro." 🔗 theintercept.com [https://theintercept.com/2026/01/04/trump-maduro-venezuela-war-media/] We Are the Bad Guys [https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/we-are-the-bad-guys]. "What do we call it when a stronger person decides to rob a weaker person because he can? It is just gangsterism. We are the most dangerous gangsters in the world today." 🔗 hamiltonnolan.com [https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/we-are-the-bad-guys] Isaac Chotiner interviews Oona Hathaway [https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-brazen-illegality-of-trumps-venezuela-operation], an expert in international law, about the "brazen illegality" of the Trump regime's invasion of Venezuela to kidnap president Nicolás Maduro. 🔗 newyorker.com [https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-brazen-illegality-of-trumps-venezuela-operation] Evergreen: No Blood For Oil vs. Exactly How Much Oil Are We Talking About? [https://theonion.com/no-blood-for-oil-vs-exactly-how-much-oil-are-we-talkin-1819594284/] 🔗 theonion.com [https://theonion.com/no-blood-for-oil-vs-exactly-how-much-oil-are-we-talkin-1819594284/] Variety has a list of 50 great movies from 2025 that are now streaming [https://variety.com/lists/best-movies-2025-streaming/], incl. One Battle After Another (HBO), Bugonia (Peacock), Black Bag (Prime), Frankenstein (Netflix), Sinners (HBO & Prime), Weapons (HBO), and Train Dreams (Netflix). 🔗 variety.com [https://variety.com/lists/best-movies-2025-streaming/]  •  💬 comments [https://kottke.org/26/01/0048120-variety-has-a-list-of] 👀 👋 🎉 This has been the kottke.org [https://kottke.org] newsletter for Jan 6, 2026. This newsletter is supported by kottke.org members [https://kottke.org/members/]. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward it to a friend. You are receiving this email because you signed up here [https://kottke.org/newsletter/]. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter [https://kottke.org/system/sendy/unsubscribe/2dKPDjCrlYJ3ZL6Tc7bTNgudh45cX55n4pit1YqXXKM/2WvoF89209Xhm2wPtqHqXL5A/CJli7637FEYpK1NfHxKmQyvg].