As a child, I freaking adored Tintin, the Belgian comic strip about a boy detective and his little white dog, Snowy. There was something intoxicating about the mix: international adventures, a growing cast of recurring characters, conspiracies, humor, hi jinx. Even the ligne claire style of drawing — cartoonish figures on
You know what they say: predictions are like resurgent nationalist movements. Everyone’s got one. I missed the deadline for Nieman Lab’s always-excellent Predictions for Journalism this year, so I thought I’d share a few more bite-sized predictions about various topics I’ve written over the last year.
Technology
[Ryan Barrett] Ryan Barrett takes Stewart Brand's Pace Layering and adapts it to model technology progress: "I’ve been a fan of Stewart Brand‘s Pace Layering for decades now. Really great framework for thinking about how different ecosystems and emergent forces interact. I’ve been thinking
Technology
[Thanos Pappas at CarScoops] There are a few different levels to this story about the VW Group's terrible cybersecurity: "According to a new report from Germany, the VW Group stored sensitive information for 800,000 electric vehicles from various brands on a poorly secured and misconfigured Amazon
For many of us, myself included, it’s been .. a year. Rather than rehash all of that again, I thought I’d mark the end of the year by just listing some things I’ve loved. Here you go. Books Julia, by Sandra Newman Not just a retelling but a
Business
[Hunter Walk] As Hunter points out, it's impossible to start a company without tackling sales, and you aren't absolved from it no matter which route you take: "If you avoid sales or are poor at it, you are doing a disservice to your team, your
Notable links
[Joseph Cox at 404 Media] The contracts and relationships that seemingly allow law enforcement and federal agencies to use private services and data brokers to monitor the activities of American citizens without obtaining a warrant seem to be based on a nudge and a wink. 404 Media obtained an email
Terrifying thing I learned once: if you donate your body to science it turns out they can also often use it for art.
As part of a coaching exercise, I’ve been trying to describe what I want my life to look like. The idea is that if I’m armed a better understanding of what I’m aiming for, I’ll be able to make more informed decisions that more intentionally lead
Culture
[Sabrina Graves at Gizmodo] I agree with every word Sabrina Graves writes here. Streaming services are far worse. Physical media is better quality, comes with unrestricted access - and may actually work out to be cheaper. This is eye-opening: "At the start of the year, when I was early
AI
[OpenAI] OpenAI's for-profit arm is becoming a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation: "Our plan is to transform our existing for-profit into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation(opens in a new window) (PBC) with ordinary shares of stock and the OpenAI mission as its public benefit interest. The PBC
Media
[ProPublica] While the website I work for is not the cheeriest place on the internet, its deeply-reported stories are some of the most vital and impactful. These are the most-read ProPublica stories of 2024, including: The Year After a Denied Abortion: "Tennessee law prohibits women from having abortions in
