NotableLinks
Small business owners say they're pressured to hire off-duty MPD cops for security
This is a racket, run by the police. #Democracy [Link]
Latest
NotableLinks
IRS advances innovative Direct File project for 2024 tax season; free IRS-run pilot option projected to be available for eligible taxpayers in 13 states
Finally! It's ludicrous that we need to pay for a product to file and pay our taxes. This is a huge step in the right direction. (They describe it as "innovative", but many, many other countries have this kind of system.) #Democracy [Link]
NotableLinks
Bluesky for Journalists
A smart reaction from Bluesky to Threads basically saying they won't do anything for journalists. (Of course, Mastodon also does this very well.) #Media [Link]
Gaza
The attack by Hamas in Israel was an atrocity: a brutal act of terrorism. The images and stories are horrifying. Removing electricity and bombing the shit out of one of the world's most densely-populated areas, and requiring over a million people to vacate their homes at short notice
NotableLinks
“EtherHiding” — Hiding Web2 Malicious Code in Web3 Smart Contracts
A smart attack where malicious malware is stored on the blockchain, where it is immutable and can't be easily removed or blocked. The code can then be retrieved with any JS code that reads the blockchain. #Technology [Link]
The virality of human suffering
It’s impossibly hard to watch coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Thousands of people on both sides of the border have been killed (1,300 in Israel, 2,000 in Gaza at the time of writing); the stories that have emerged are brutal. What is known to be true seems
NotableLinks
Building The Next Web
"This is the kick-off post in a series in which I'm going to explore things that we could change about the Web." I trust Robin - and his impressive list of feedback-givers - to do this justice, and I'm very much looking forward to
NotableLinks
On the need for low-carbon and sustainable computing and the path towards zero-carbon computing
"As a society we need to start treating computational resources as finite and precious, to be utilised only when necessary, and as effectively as possible. We need frugal computing: achieving our aims with less energy and material." #Climate [Link]
NotableLinks
Six Months Ago NPR Left Twitter. The Effects Have Been Negligible
One organization I know audited their social media use and learned that Twitter had their worst effort:reward ratio. This seems to support that finding. #Media [Link]
NotableLinks
Public corruption prosecutions rise where nonprofit news outlets flourish, research finds
"Prosecutions for public corruption are more likely in U.S. communities served by a nonprofit news outlet, a relatively new business model that often aims to fill the void left by shuttered traditional local newspapers." Journalism in the public interest works. #Media [Link]
NotableLinks
Engage a Wider Audience With ActivityPub on WordPress.com
Every hosted WordPress site - millions and millions of sites - can now be first-class members of the fediverse. This is a huge deal that has the potential to change the whole web. #Technology [Link]
NotableLinks
23andMe user data targeting Ashkenazi Jews leaked online
Pretty much the worst thing that could happen as an outcome of using a service like this. #Technology [Link]