The itch
I’m really itching to build something new again. Not a new widget or open source project, but a new service. Something that makes peoples’ lives better. I love startups. And the ideas are brewing.
Asides
Stuff that doesn't really fit in this site's "technology, media, and democracy" remit but is here anyway.
Monetizing ShareOpenly
I was asked if I’m planning to monetize ShareOpenly. Short answer: I have no plans to do so. This is a personal project. If it’s wildly successful and the infrastructure costs skyrocket, I may look for donations or sponsorship of some kind in order to cover those costs.
A letter to Russell T Davies
Here’s what I would say to Russell T Davies if I could: One of my very first television memories is sitting watching Peter Davison’s Doctor (and reruns of Tom Baker’s) on a tiny 12” TV set, my face probably too close to the screen. My imagination ran
Palantir's earnings call rhetoric is terrifying
Mark Nottingham highlighted this alarming quote by CEO Alex Karp from the latest Palantir earnings call: I think the central risk to Palantir and America and the world is a regressive way of thinking that is corrupting and corroding our institutions that calls itself progressive, but actually -- and is
The kids are alright
The biggest thing to be concerned about in all these student protests is not the students, but the severity and strength with which the police are entering the fray. A police officer fired a gun on the Columbia campus. Tear gas is being used on multiple campuses. In multiple cases
A quiet week
I’ve been pretty sick for over a week now. Daycare is a Petri dish of germs and viruses, but most have them have passed me by; this one, in contrast, hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve been the sickest I’ve felt in years: a really
How I vote
I like mail-in ballots because I can do my research as I go, on my own time, in my own environment. To me, it feels a lot closer to giving the process the time and attention it deserves. I filled in my Pennsylvania primary ballot this morning. I’d never
The social web doesn't exist without social justice
So much of what we build on the web is about connecting people. It is impossible to connect people effectively without paying attention to social justice and equity. Otherwise we’re just connecting the privileged with the privileged, creating ever smaller networks of influence, and learning nothing new.
No tech for apartheid is within its rights to protest
Solidarity with the 28 Google workers who were fired for protesting Project Nimbus this week. Anonymous Google and Amazon workers described the project as follows a couple of years ago: Project Nimbus is a $1.2bn contract to provide cloud services for the Israeli military and government. This technology allows
Updates for ShareOpenly
I made some updates to ShareOpenly this weekend: * The design now puts the shortlist of social networks you’re most likely to share to at the top. * Firefish and Misskey are now supported. * There are now instructions for adding “share to” ShareOpenly links to your site. I also added “share