Commentary on links that caught my attention around the web.
Technology
[A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, James Bandler, ProPublica, and Lukáš Diko, Investigative Center of Jan Kuciak] A tragic story of a teenager recruited by a network of extremists, who ultimately murdered multiple people before taking his own life. It's also an example of why moderation and safety
Technology
[Davis Erin Anderson and Dr. Martin Shelton at the Freedom of the Press Foundation] These security tips are designed for journalists but are good ideas for everyone (and particularly activists or anyone working in a sensitive field): "In tumultuous times, we believe in being prepared, not scared. Sound digital
Technology
[Joe Woods] This is good, actionable advice: "As an engineering leader, you should be constantly working to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete one cycle of a feedback loop. What do I mean by feedback loop? This is anything where you do work, and then you
Technology
[Kunal Khullar at Tom's Hardware] Straight into my nightmares: "Australian biotech company Cortical Labs has introduced what it claims to be "the world’s first code deployable biological computer," which combines human brain cells with traditional silicon-based computing. The system, known as CL1, was presented
Media
[Mike Masnick at Techdirt] Mike Masnick on why tech journalism has a huge part to play in decoding current events right now: "We’ve spent decades documenting how technology and entrepreneurship can either strengthen or undermine democratic institutions. We understand the dangers of concentrated power in the digital age.
Notable Links
[Gaby Del Valle at The Verge] This is dystopian: "The Trump administration may soon demand the social media accounts of people applying for green cards, US citizenship, and asylum or refugee status. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — the federal agency that oversees legal migration, proposed the new policy
Notable Links
[Andy Kroll at ProPublica] Cutting the IRS has nothing to do with government efficiency: "Unlike with other federal agencies, cutting the IRS means the government collects less money and finds fewer tax abuses. Economic studies have shown that for every dollar spent by the IRS, the agency returns between
Notable Links
[Andrew Paul at McSweeney's] "I gotta be honest with you, though. I think the Outer God got the message loud and clear. Our tasteful combination of fashionably coordinated clothes, tiny paper fans with BAD! printed on them, and some of our sternest looks of disapproval to date
Startups
[Jean Hsu and Jen Dennard] This is a good inaugural post from two people who really have lived the startup operations life many times over: "We think of the operations part of a startup like getting dinner on the table. Sure, some days, you might try a new and
Notable Links
[Ghost] Another really great update from the Ghost team about their progress implementing ActivityPub: "In our logs, that looks like our average request time dropping from 5+ seconds, to ~50ms: [...] There are still a few places where we're using the old database architecture that remain slow. We&
Notable Links
[Natalie Alms at Nextgov/FCW] I'd say this was an unbelievable own-goal. But, unfortunately, it's believable: "The General Services Administration deleted 18F, a government tech consultancy that helps other agencies with their technology, early Saturday morning. The office has been deemed “non-critical,” Thomas Shedd, director
Notable Links
[Mel Leonor Barclay and Jasmine Mithani at The 19th] The impact of this will be severe: "Organizations that provide services to LGBTQ+ victims of domestic and intimate partner violence expect much of the federal funding they rely on to dry up as the Trump administration’s executive orders target