Items for October 2023

The beauty of finished software

Tags: programming, ethics

David Revoy on Why Free and Open Source Software Matters

Tags: computers, art, law

Pulpatronics tackles single-use electronics with paper RFID tags

Tags: cool, tech

State bans see increase in national abortions, decrease in reproductive care

The fall of Roe v. Wade has had its predictable consequences, a year out: not a reduction in overall abortion rates, but a reduction in the quality of reproductive healthcare. Told you so.

Tags: america, health, law, environment

We have used too many levels of abstractions and now the future looks bleak

A big percentage of so-called experts today only know how to configure tools, but they understand nothing about how things work at the deeper level. This is a real challenge and a big problem for the future.

Tags: programming, ethics

Utilities Have Been Lying to us About Gas Stoves Since the 1970s

They took a page out of Big Tobacco’s playbook, a new investigation confirms.

Tags: health, energy

Marc Andreessen Is Wrong About Everything

The billionaire says he wants to lead a "techno-optimist" revolution. But he's too rich to understand that his belief system is stupid.

Tags: tech, ethics

Kyoto Statement on End-To-End Encryption

Tags: computers, security, law

Who Gets Peace and Quiet?: Urban Noise in the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 stay-at-home advisories of 2020, the world quieted. As a community noise researcher, I felt the changes acutely.

Tags: cities, health

I Will Fucking Haymaker You If You Mention Agile Again

Tags: programming, work

France has banned pro-Palestinian protests and vowed to protect Jews from resurgent antisemitism

Antisemitism is a big no-no, but Islamophobia is official state policy. Gotcha.

Tags: france, politics

Scoop: Israel tells UN to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip within 24 hours

Tags: middle east, war

What Does ‘Shiver Me Timbers’ Mean — And Did Pirates Really Say It?

The expression "shiver me timbers" was first recorded in print in 1795, and since then, it's appeared everywhere from Treasure Island to SpongeBob SquarePants. But it's unclear whether this phrase was ever truly part of the pirate vernacular.

Tags: language, history