short stories, big tech trash, and brian david gilbert
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You know how they always say to lift with your legs, not your back? Yeah, you should do that.
I strained my back on Monday morning and that’s been affecting my work all week. I haven’t been coding, writing, or reading as much as I normally would. I’d say that it’s nice to take a break, but not when it’s just to keep directing others to help move furniture during a protracted move or lying down because sitting hurts.
Anyway, not to worries as it’s been slowly improving, so I’m going to keep taking it easy over the weekend while watching more silly videos like what I’m sharing this week.
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I forgot to share these videos last week when I saw them, so you get to see them probably for the second, third, or hundredth time. Enjoy again! (here’s another)
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Ten Outstanding Short Stories to Read in 2021 – Pravesh Bhardwaj, Longreads
Start your year with some good short stories.
Big Tech Has Helped Trash America – Kara Swisher, NYT
Kara Swisher built a career on questioning big tech. I don’t really think that she (or any other journalist, for that matter) has done very much to curb big tech, but being the town crier of something we all know at this point is still useful.
Majora’s Mask is easily one of my favorite Legend of Zelda games. Takaya Imamura’s characters are iconic, and I thank him for the characters that he brought to life.
The entire Hall of Presidents should probably go. Also how did Disney not already have a Diversity and Values team?
Geocities and Neopets didn’t teach us HTML and CSS – Christian Heilmann
I know a lot of people who credit Geocities, MySpace, and Neopets with getting them into web design. I get what Christian is going for here, but I never want to scare people away from getting started building things on the web.
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Alien Invasion Political Compass but its many years in the future…
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That Time Disney Built a Creepy Government – Wisecrack
Anyone else remember when Levar Burton directed a TV movie for Disney where a smart home goes rogue and traps the occupants, and that was somehow a tie-in for Celebration, Florida? Anyway, EPCOT was meant to be a Company Town, but thankfully it fizzled out.
here comes the sun – bill wurtz
all Very Online People who share newsletters about the web have to point out when there is a new bill wurtz video. It’s catchy!
Game Theory’s UNCENSORED Interview With Dr. Fauci | The COVID-19 Vaccine
I appreciate how Dr. Fauci responds to some of the conspiracy thinking questions that people have about the vaccine. He basically says that it’s valid for people to have questions and concerns, then very specifically addresses the content of those questions and gives answers to how they should be addressed.
Brian david Gilbert On Leaving Polygon And His Future Videos – MinnMax Interview
I appreciate the style that bdg has for presenting information. A bit informative, a bit chaotic, all authentic feeling. I’m also thinking more about the creator economy lately, and how individual creators and web freelancers (like myself!) fit into it. I’m more of a behind the scenes person, but this newsletter is one of my attempts to tentatively move to the front. Finding a voice is very hard, and having a good team sounds like it’s been invaluable for bdg in shaping his persona.
The Ladder | WEBTOON Animated Short Film
The ladder looks different to everyone, but it’s worth the climb.
bread makes you fat!?!?
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Better than the terrible financial advice on TikTok.
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How the Internet Is Changing Language (with Linguist Gretchen McCulloch) – 2 Girls 1 Podcast
I loved Gretchen McCulloch’s book, ‘Because Internet‘, and really appreciate the take that she has on the growth of language, especially as it comes to the internet. After this, check out her podcast, Lingthusiasm.
DISINFORMED: How’d we get here? – There Are No Girls on the Internet
New show from a good crew. Topic that is kind of a downer. Balances out?
New Year, Same Pandemic – Culture Binge
Culture Binge has returned. I like listening to this show as one of those semi-educational, mainly listening to friends chat with one another and work out how they feel about some current weird news things.
Medical Myths and How to Fight Them with Dr. Seema Yasmin – Factually! with Adam Conover
Speaking of COVID-19 conspiracies that need to be worked through like the Dr. Fauci video above, Dr. Seema Yasmin gives some ideas on how to reach people who are sharing medical myths.
Remember to share the stuff that you liked this week, or let me know what you think of my shares. See yall in a week and stay safe! 💝
