Pattie Maes and the foundations of social networks | Hidden Heroes:
BELGIAN-BORN COMPUTER SCIENTIST PATTIE MAES WAS INVENTING THE CORE PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE SOCIAL MEDIA AGE WHEN MARK ZUCKERBERG WAS STILL IN KINDERGARTEN. WHY HAVE HER CONTRIBUTIONS BEEN NEGLECTED?
Misogyny?
The Mass Delusion of the Pandemic Being Over
April 25, 2022
The Mass Delusion of the Pandemic Being Over:
Fear tends to diminish over time when a risk remains constant. You can only respond for so long. After a while, it recedes to the background, seemingly no matter how bad it is.
… especially when the majority populace has noticed that the worst outcomes are for The Other…
Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge – Apple:
Over the course of several weeks earlier this year, iPhone photographers from around the world shared their best macro photos for the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge, making even the smallest details seem epic in images taken with their iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Today, Apple is announcing the 10 winners who highlight the global and diverse community of iPhone photographers, with finalists from China, Hungary, India, Italy, Spain, Thailand, and the US. Their stunning images will be featured on apple.com, on Apple’s Instagram (@apple), and on billboards in select cities.
jwz: So, how was your week?
April 25, 2022
Delta Airlines announced the change with a false statement, that Covid-19 “has transitioned to a seasonal virus.” […] Further, “Delta Air Lines and United Airlines will allow customers previously barred from flying for failing to wear masks to board flights again.”
Perhaps Delta should change its name to Omicron. […]
Palm Springs Desert Sun reported Coachella Valley cases were up 77% following first weekend of Coachella.
Coachella’s first no-vax, no-test, no-mask weekend adds to a growing list of bands and performers “cancelling shows, abandoning tours, sick and/or stuck in quarantine far from home.” Positives came for Bob Mould, Jon Spencer, Low, Superchunk, and many more.
Daring Fireball: Sheryl Sandberg Pressured Daily Mail to Drop Unflattering Story About Bobby Kotick While She Was Dating Him
April 24, 2022
It’s a well-worn adage but never more true: it’s the cover-up that does you in. Sandberg’s efforts to bury this story are now far more damaging to her reputation than the actual story would have been. She wasn’t even involved — only Kotick was.
jwz: Excess deaths
April 17, 2022
Although the official number of deaths caused by covid-19 is now 6.2m, our single best estimate is that the actual toll is 20.7m people. We find that there is a 95% chance that the true value lies between 14.4m and 24.3m additional deaths.
I’d link the The Economist article, but it’s paywalled so make the best of the summary.
Man’s Tesla froze while speeding down highway at 83 mph | Boing Boing:
Maybe instead of trying to take over the Twitterverse, Elon Musk should first focus on churning out fully-functioning Teslas.
A Developer’s Second Brain on Plaintext | by Junji Zhi | Gusto Engineering | Apr, 2022 | Medium
April 14, 2022
A Developer’s Second Brain on Plaintext | by Junji Zhi | Gusto Engineering | Apr, 2022 | Medium:
As a developer, I have to juggle the information among different levels of products, systems, processes, and people.
Each obligation, even if it seems small, requires my brain to retain some information, in order to make quality decisions about what’s next.
When I switch contexts, my brain is not willing to let go of all the information. It seems that my subconsciousness figures out that I would need it later, and if I let go, I may lose it forever, so it decides to hang on to it.
Elon Musk saved $143 million by delaying disclosing Twitter stake, lawsuit claim : NPR
April 14, 2022
Elon Musk saved $143 million by delaying disclosing Twitter stake, lawsuit claim : NPR:
Musk, according to the suit, “made materially false and misleading statements and omissions by failing to disclose to investors that he had acquired a 5% ownership stake in Twitter as required.”
Wannabe-bond-villian manipulates stock at expense of others? Say it ain’t so.
Mythforce looks like a first-person 80s cartoon | Rock Paper Shotgun:
Beamdog, the Canadian studio behind the ‘Enhanced Edition’ remasters of Planescape: Torment and Baldur’s Gate, have announced their first original game: Mythforce. It’s a roguelikelike first-person stabber with a striking visual style inspired by 80s children’s cartoons.
I was excited about this until I saw it was an Epic store exclusive. Let’s see if I still care in a year.
Pocket Realities 