markjgsmith

2023/09/27 #

• Being code blocked is strange. It's the 3rd month in a row that I've run out of build minutes on Github. It means I can't deploy or test any code I write, and I have to change almost everything I do. It happens often that I get a great idea and I have to sit on my hands.

  I really miss not being able to code. Everything seems a little less interesting, the articles I'm reading, the podcasts I'm listening to, and I'm more distracted than when I'm able to code. I'm still publishing links and notes via github. I'll be able to sync them up at the start of the month. But everything feels off, like I've lost my rythm somehow. #

• Offline could be awesome. I have to do a lot of things offline these days because of my internet access situation. I get Wifi a few times a day, in various locations, but mostly I'm offline. It occurred to me today that I actually like that setup quite a lot because it stops you from doom scrolling and you can actually get quite a lot done.

  If apps had better offline features, I think it might be my prefered way of operating. What I really want is for all websites to work properly in read later tools, better audio podcasting tools like show attachments, and importantly the return of video podcasting. That would be awesome. I just want to select a bunch of stuff every morning, load up, then disconnect knowing that I've got a bunch of stuff to read, listen to and watch.

  Working offline could be loads better. Browsers could cache linked pages so you could read links people add to their content, and perhaps you could create an offline list for things you didn't cache that would automatically sync next time you were online. There are so many things that could be made better. Unfortunately no one is going to focus on such an experience unless there was a device that had offline as it's primary use case. #

Today’s links:

• Michael Saylor's microstrategy buys 5,445 more bitcoin for $147.3 million - He's been pretty accurate with his bitcoin predictions to date, so this is likely quite a bullish sign. Interesting choice of header graphic. bitcoinmagazine.com #

• Google Podcasts to shut down in 2024 with listeners migrated to YouTube Music - Very disapointing. Many podcasters don't have their own websites so Google podcasts has been my go to place for getting show urls that I include in the newsletter. The interface is minimalist and contains all relevant info. I wonder what will happen to the urls. Will they let them rot or be a good web citizen and keep them alive? If they disapear they will atlantis a massive part of the web which was built during a perhaps unrepeatable period of human intelectual enlightenment. techcrunch.com #

• The Booking.com Decision Shows the True Scope of the EU’s Big Tech Crackdown - It's a bit of a suprising decision because to date regulators have focussed on american and chinese companies. But their reasoning seems well thought out, trying to avoid monopolies forming that would ultimately impact users across the eurozone. I'd like to know more about the regulators long term plans to ecourage genuine diversity in the ecosystem. www.wired.co.uk #

• Jony Ive is reportedly developing an AI gadget with OpenAI’s Sam Altman - I've always thought it would be cool to have some linux based hardware designed by Jony Ive. Perhaps it will be a GNU humanoid robot, or maybe a super intelligent roomba. Actually what I'd really love would be a podcast audio and video player, with cool new podcasting features like being able view show attachments like images, slide decks and even small html5 apps. www.theverge.com #