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Tressie McMillan Cottom’s reading list for fighting back against Big Tech. “Put simply, there is too much money, some of it too untraceable, giving a small group of unelected people too much power over the people.” [nytimes.com]
Opinion | Want to Fight Back Against Big Tech? Start Here.
A.I. is a political theory. And it is gobbling up our democracy.
nytimes.com
Emily Wilson takes another crack at a critique of Nolan’s “visually stunning, emotionally empty” Odyssey. “Verbally, we are told that people matter; visually, we are shown that they do not.” [theatlantic.com]
A Trojan Horse Is Supposed to Have Humans Inside It
Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is full of contradictions about deceit and violence.
theatlantic.com
Surfing Alaska’s Turnagain Arm (home to a twice-daily tidal bore wave) can be fun (10-foot waves you can ride for miles) but also dangerous: “You need a Plan B, a Plan C and a Plan D because no one is coming to rescue you.” [nytimes.com]
The Allure and Peril of Riding an Alaskan Wave for Six Miles
The tidal bore that rockets up the Turnagain Arm south of Anchorage can carry a surfer for an hour; it can also kill. Now that the secret is out, how long will authorities allow surfers to catch the wave?
nytimes.com
In recent years, science has been learning more and more about how central the role of inflammation is to our health. “The paradox that often makes treating chronic inflammation so difficult: It can be vital and harmful at the same time.” [nytimes.com]
Inflammation Keeps Us Alive. It's Also Making Us Sick.
The discovery that chronic inflammation is a cause of myriad illnesses could be this century's biggest medical breakthrough.
nytimes.com
Huh, here’s the trailer for a new director’s cut (of sorts) of the second X-Files movie (called I Want to Believe, orig. released in 2008) that, per Wikipedia, “will restore horror elements that were previously removed”. [youtube.com]
The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Vrach Frankenshteyn | Official Trailer | Hulu
When a group of women are mysteriously abducted, it becomes a case right out of The X-Files™️. Years after walking away from the FBI, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dr. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are pulled back from the shadows when a federal agent vanishes without a trace. In a case you’d ne
youtube.com
I loved The Pudding’s post about optimal lawn mowing paths and why some people mow a lawn better than others. “It’s not about thinking more or faster, but when thinking happens." [kottke.org]
Are You Good at Mowing Lawns?
I don’t know what sort of neurodiverse bucket this puts me in, but I think a lot about mowing the lawn1 relative to how much time I actually spend mowing lawns (~6-7 hours per year). And so I was completely fascinated by
kottke.org
“poetry camera is a new way to see your world. take a photo with the camera… poetry camera thinks… and prints out a poem about the scene.” [poetry.camera]
poetry camera
a new way to see your world
poetry.camera
Hark, after ~20 years we brought back our blogroll! We’ll be adding this pretty much constantly, but here’s a start → themorningnews.org/blogroll/
Blogroll
We’ve been doing this since 1999. Here are some of our favorite fellow long-haulers, indie web stalwarts, and recent discoveries. Roll 404 Media / An independent, reporter-owned outl...
themorningnews.org
If you're in line to play Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, stay in line!
carly rae jesse@mutablesoul.bsky.social · yesterdayBOWEN YANG IS THE NEXT MARY TODD!!!!
The Phone in Your Hand. “A layer-by-layer teardown of the most intricate object you’ve ever held.” [everythingmachine.io]
The Phone in Your Hand
A layer-by-layer teardown of the most intricate machine you’ve ever held.
everythingmachine.io
Using high-definition open source videos and photos from NASA and his own music, John Boswell (aka Melodysheep) created this mesmerizing eight-minute video recap of the Artemis II mission. So well done. [kottke.org]
An 8K Cinematic Tribute to the Artemis II Mission
Using high-definition open source videos and photos from NASA and his own music, John Boswell (aka Melodysheep) created this mesmerizing eight-minute video recap of the Artemis II mission that enchanted us all back in th
kottke.org
I know the group chat has already discussed this at length, but I finally "upgraded" to MacOS 26 and the design & usability stuff is just tremendously bad. Worse than iOS 26. No idea how this got out the door.
The Past Catalog Archive is a throwback to fun & modest personal projects on the web. “There is no reason to keep these old catalogs to myself, or only allow them to be viewed. Share them and let everyone take a trip down memory lane.” [pastcatalogs.com]
Downloadable Past Catalog Archive
Past Catalog Archive.
pastcatalogs.com
Reading Maps: Journeys from books & films (Moby-Dick, Murder on the Orient Express, The Hunt for Red October, The Muppet Movie, etc.) plotted on a map. [readingmaps.com]
Reading Maps - Maps & Travel Routes from Books & Films
Reading Maps plots real-world journeys from classic novels and films - Around the World in 80 Days, Heart of Darkness, James Bond, On the Road - on an interactive atlas.
readingmaps.com
Work vs gym: a simple way to decide whether to use AI for a task. “At the gym, it makes no sense for that robot to lift weights for you. The point of weightlifting isn’t to move heavy things across the room; it’s to actually lift those heavy things.” [schneier.com]
Should You Use AI for a Task? Here’s a Simple Way to Decide - Schneier on Security
This essay originally appeared in The Guardian. I teach public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Munk School at the University of Toronto. And it will come as no surprise to you that my students regularly use AI to complete their writing assignments. Doing so is a waste of their tuition m
schneier.com
A video of every sample from the Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" (and the legal/business reasons the album would be impossible to make today). [kottke.org]
Every Sample from Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys
This video catalogs every borrowed sample from Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys, from the soundtrack to Car Wash to the Sugarhill Gang to the Eagles to the Ramones to the Beatles. They play the original first an
kottke.org
“Long live Hyrule jazz!” The Z Suites is “a modern jazz reinterpretation of the music from The Legend of Zelda”. (via @aaroncoleman.bsky.social) [casimirliberski.bandcamp.com]
The Z Suites, by Casimir Liberski ReTrio
13 track album
casimirliberski.bandcamp.com
How Podcasts Ruined America. This is an odd claim and article. No mention of the clear precursors to right-wing podcasts (talk radio, blogs, Twitter) and the general shift towards less accountability for public speech, esp. by conservatives. 🤔 [compactmag.com]
How Podcasts Ruined America | Compact
“I was just speculating for a podcast. I had no personal information. I was just speculating for a podcast.” This was the testimony of Howard Lutnick, the sitting Secretary of Commerce, to the House Oversight Committee on May 6, 2026.
compactmag.com
Love this video on the origins of symbols like #, @, &, §, *, ¶, †, and ‡, as well as ☞. Oh, and why we abbreviate pound as “#” and “£” and “lb”. (Without looking, can you name them all?) [kottke.org]
Pilcrow, Dagger, and Octothorp, Oh My!
So, I don’t know what kind of nerd you are, but my brand of nerdiness dovetails neatly with this video about the origins of some of the most common symbols on your keyboard: #, @, &, §, *, ¶, †, and ‡, as well as ☞.
kottke.org
What Climate Science Can Tell Us About the Lost World That Inspired The Odyssey. “A new climate study suggests that centuries of repeated severe drought added to the pressures on that collapsing world.” [cbc.ca]
How drought shaped the Bronze Age world that inspired The Odyssey | CBC News
A new climate study suggests centuries of drought added pressure to the Bronze Age societies that inspired Homer's The Odyssey, revealing how environmental stress, food insecurity and failing trade networks may have shaped a world of collapse and survival.
cbc.ca
This is fun: BoxSquad. Limbs & borders are all draggable. [spacetypegenerator.com]
STG v.boxSquad
spacetypegenerator.com
“A Los Angeles Costco parking lot [has] become a hotspot for skaters over 40. Its long, low curb lets us keep doing tricks on safer, lower-risk terrain […] Curbs represent the twilight of skateboarding, the end being closer than the beginning.” Lovely. [nytimes.com]
What I Learned About Loss While Skateboarding at Costco
We’re all going to die. But first — just one more trick.
nytimes.com
Great interview with Christopher Nolan about The Odyssey by a doctoral student in philosophy. First question: “Do you consider yourself a bard for a civilization at dusk?" [kottke.org]
Does Christopher Nolan Consider Himself a Bard for a Civilization at Dusk?
This 17-minute interview about the Odyssey with Christopher Nolan conducted by philosophy doctoral student Zhong Shu is one of the better ones I’ve seen. The first two questions are: Do you consider yourself a
kottke.org
Google Earth stupidly launched an AI image-gen feature with no guardrails then put it on pause after a huge outcry. “Tonight I typed just one sentence into Google Earth and put refugees near the Mexican border. Then I planted a nuclear plant in Iran.” [digitaldigging.org]
How to plant a nuclear plant in Iran
The question is: what on earth is Google doing?
digitaldigging.org
The Listening Museum: “36 mechanical keyboards and switches, curated and sound-mapped. From IBM Model M (1985) to Topre to thocky modern customs. Click any card, type on your real keyboard, hear it as if it were on your desk.” [sheets.works]
The Listening Museum — 36 Keyboards, Sound-Mapped
36 mechanical keyboards. Click. Type. Listen. From IBM Model M (1985) to modern thocky customs.
sheets.works
You should watch this trailer if you enjoy watching Olivia Colman get absolutely railed by a wooden sex bot
kottke.org@kottke.org · 6d agoThe trailer for Wicker (starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki). “An outcast in a fishing village commissions a husband for herself made out of wicker.” Looks unhinged (complimentary). (via @skullsandsheets.bsky.social) [youtube.com]
Hans Zimmer: Live in Concert. Live performances of some of his most iconic pieces, including those from Dunkirk, Gladiator, Interstellar, Dune, and The Dark Knight. [kottke.org]
Hans Zimmer: Live in Concert
Martin Timko (aka matogolf) cut this video of the best musical moments from Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert. He plays a number of pieces from various soundtracks, including Dunkirk, Gladiator, Interstellar,
kottke.org
The Onion: Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation. The actual Wilson on Bluesky: “No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this.” Most fun movie discourse since Barbenheimer. [theonion.com]
Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation
PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” adaptation. “The first line of my translation is ‘Tell me about a kooky Minion,’ but the Minions in
theonion.com
What are the most untouchable records in sports? Bill Russell’s 11 NBA championships? Cy Young’s 749 complete games? Donald Bradman’s 99.97 batting average in Test cricket? FloJo’s 100m record (10.49s)? [kottke.org]
What Are the Most Untouchable Records in Sports?
I ran across this post on Threads the other day: “What’s the hardest record in sports history to ever break?” A sampling of the replies: “Bill Russell’s 11 NBA championships including 8 in a ro
kottke.org
A Telegram Arrived — And I Had to Choose Between My Head and My Heart. “On Boxing Day, I rang my father and told him my news. He was momentarily silent until his delayed shock was so great that he dropped his favourite coffee cup and I heard it smash.” [theguardian.com]
A moment that changed me: A telegram arrived – and I had to choose between my head and my heart
Should I follow the man of my dreams to work in a club in Tehran? Or take up a place at an elite university? Thankfully, my dad gave me advice I’ve lived by ever since
theguardian.com