Health
This Physicist Says We Don’t Take COVID Seriously Enough
The pandemic isn't over, and there's still much to fear from the COVID-19 virus.
Notable links
Commentary on links that caught my attention around the web.
Technology
Trump Administration's Arrival on Bluesky Highlights Growing Pains for Open Networks
"It’s no accident that US political operatives have been singling out Bluesky as a target for political control and retribution for months." But the result puts protocol developers and the users of their networks in opposition.
AI
This Is How Much Anthropic and Cursor Spend On Amazon Web Services
AI at scale isn't scaling.
Notable links
Russell Vought: The Shadow President
Reporter Andy Kroll explains Vought’s rise from a congressional staffer to the man piloting everything from Trump's layoffs and agency closings to his shutdown strategy, controlling the fate of trillions of dollars and millions of federal workers.
Technology
Europe Can’t Defend Democracy on US Servers
MEP Alexandra Geese argues that Europe needs its own infrastructure, social networks, and software. Rising US authoritarianism means the clock is ticking.
Technology
What Made Blogging Different?
Blogging was a different medium - and there's still a need for it more than ever.
Media
What AI means for the business of: journalism
"[An] archipelago of high-trust communities [is] where journalists are uniquely capable of building thriving businesses."
Democracy
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
Many of our colleagues' communities are being directly targeted by an increasingly authoritarian, anti-immigrant regime. As managers and leaders, we have a duty of care. It starts with listening.
Media
Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news
It turns out that "we're protecting democracy and our industry is dying, please pay us money" is not a great sales pitch.
Teams
The One-on-One Gift Exchange
This simple, repeatable framework for building a culture of open feedback has been a part of my toolkit for over a decade.
Media
What I learned in the first five years of Platformer
Casey Newton's annual updates are always great. This year, perhaps predictably, the biggest highlight for me is his ambitions around community. We need stronger community platforms to support newsrooms.
Culture
How aesthetics destroyed privacy and polarized us
Has the internet led to more polarization, or is this more of a great unmasking, where people feel more comfortable to share opinions they've always held?