Commentary on links that caught my attention around the web.
Technology
[Scharon Harding at Ars Technica] Don't keep an Amazon Echo (or any smart speaker) in a room where you'll be having sensitive conversations, either with your family or on a work call. Particularly if you're a journalist or activist - but privacy is something
Fediverse
[Ghost] Ghost has released its ActivityPub social web integration in beta: "Today we're opening a public beta for our social web integration in Ghost. For the first time, any site on Ghost Pro can now try out ActivityPub." Those of you who are, should. And everyone
Technology
[Benedict Collins at TechRadar] This was always inevitable, but in the current environment it makes sense that it's accelerating: "Several major European tech companies are pushing for greater action from the European Union to reduce the bloc’s reliance on foreign-owned infrastructure by buying and building locally.
Indieweb
[Om Malik] This is an ongoing trend. Om Malik has now moved to sharing on his blog first rather than posting directly to social media: "The inspiration for the newly rebooted “daily blog” comes from Dave Winer, who maintains a “Links” blog. I’ve been using his new project,
Notable links
[Mike Monteiro] On whether it's always been this bad in America: "America was born in blood, genocide, kidnapping, and death. Behind every story we were told about America’s greatness, there is a secret second painting. A thing America doesn’t want you to see. Behind every
Notable links
[Erin In The Morning] While America is destroying the ability for trans people to participate in public life, over in Europe they're (rightly) improving care for trans people. "In recent years, U.S. politicians have selectively framed European healthcare policies to justify restrictions on transgender care, seizing
Notable links
[Jake Offenhartz, Cedar Attanasio and Philip Marcelo at The Associated Press] This seems completely in line with the First Amendment's protections against restrictions on speech and assembly by the US government: "President Donald Trump warned Monday that the arrest and possible deportation of a Palestinian activist who
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.