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Friday, May 26, 2023

Friday Links 23-17

Road bicycle parked at sandy beach
This week I enjoyed the tiny C compiler post and quite a bit of good news about the environment.

Work

Apply, Network, Repeat - "Skip the cover letter"

I Tried a Secret Google Project!  [YouTube] -  that looks like a pretty amazing and probably expensive way to do video calls. I also have no idea how this would help in group calls.

Rust-out is the workplace phenomenon making us all feel flat - just call it burn-out because that's what it is. 

How Are Leaders Experiencing Remote Work? - results from the Buffer survey

Engineering

SectorC: A C Compiler in 512 bytes - this is brilliant.

Ignoring bulk change commits with git blame - first time I heard about this, this would have been useful a few times. 

Credible Handwriting Machine - maybe this puts an end to homework!

No more ‘I took an arrow to the knee’: could AI write super-intelligent video game characters? - if you accept that current "AI"s are wonderful bullshit generators, then this is a good idea. 

Github Copilot and ChatGPT alternatives - I am trying to find something nice for Emacs.

Environment 

EU countries back ban on destruction of unsold textiles - nice

France bans short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions - I like this, especially if it leads to more trains overall. 

The nine hours in which Spain made the 100% renewable dream a reality - and this is without a lot of solar 

Road Transportation Emerges as Key Driver of Warming - surprise! 

Adverts claiming products are carbon neutral by using offsetting face UK ban - Is there something similar happening in the EU? 

Surf champ Lucy Campbell says her sport must be greener - I have to confess I never thought about this. It is also probably a tiny part of the problem.

Urbanism

Deadly Traffic in Suburbia Points to Deep-Seated Structural Problems - stroads strike again 

Can we fix the suburbs? [YouTube] - most likely not anytime soon 

Push for transit, walkable communities growing across US - "Nationwide, the number of pedestrians killed in 2022 rose 13%"

"Sex Work Bollards" is not a band name but should be.  -

Random Bicycles

Official Trailer: The Engine Inside - A Documentary About Using Bicycles To Build A Better Future [YouTube] - I am looking forward to this one, looks fun already

Simply the best: Tina Turner – a life in pictures - RIP

Hard times in the Big Easy [Podcast] - I recently watched Treme, a TV series about New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.  It's mostly about the music, but also touched the crime quite a bit.

Gamification [Podcast] - a critical view on the use of Gamification in organisations. 

Giving It All Away: My Philanthropic Plan - this is not an issue I have, but giving away a lot of money is not easy. 

Adam Savage Unboxes The Ghostbusters Ecto-1 1/6 Scale Vehicle! [YouTube] - I will put this on the list of things I want, don't need and have no space for.

Friday Links Disclaimer
Inclusion of links does not imply that I agree with the content of linked articles or podcasts. I am just interested in all kind of perspectives. If you follow the link posts over time you might notice common themes, though.
More about the links in a separate post: About Friday Links.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Friday Links 23-16

Skateboarders practicing in skatepark in Barcelona

Clearly, work hasn't been on my mind this week.  The podcast about the future of work is a nice crossover between work and urbanism. 

The drought in Spain is still depressing and has been going through all the news.

Environment

Barcelona’s beaches could vanish as authorities abandon ‘enhancement’ - that would change Barcelona quite a bit.

Still dry

Urbanism

Why are 15-minute cities so unpopular? [Podcast] - because people don't understand them and hate change.

What *is* the future of work? A discussion with Dror Poleg [Podcast] - it's really about cities. 

Arrested Mobility with Charles Brown [Podcast] - racism in policing in the US.

The Hague introduces €50 flat fee for parking to deter drivers

Random Skateboards

skateboardle - how would one even guess these?

Lazy guide to exercise [Podcast] - walking is fine, I guess. 

moderator mayhem - how good of a moderator would you be?

'You can't do that with records': Electronic cassette community reflects on boom in popularity 

Dancing to Ward Off Evil in “Kukeri” - beautiful

Friday Links Disclaimer
Inclusion of links does not imply that I agree with the content of linked articles or podcasts. I am just interested in all kind of perspectives. If you follow the link posts over time you might notice common themes, though.
More about the links in a separate post: About Friday Links.

Friday, May 05, 2023

Friday Links 23-15

Gafiti of inifinity symbol made of colourful snails
The podcasts about the creator of LZ4 and the one about happiness science were interesting and entertaining.

Leadership

We Pay Out Unused Sabbaticals When Someone Leaves Buffer, Here’s Why - interesting choice.

With or without shared-component team - I don't really like specialised teams in general

Engineering 

Story: From Project Management to Data Compression Innovator [Podcast] - from the creator of LZ4 and ZStandard

Scaling up the Prime Video audio/video monitoring service and reducing costs by 90% - "The move from a distributed microservices architecture to a monolith application helped achieve higher scale, resilience, and reduce costs."

The beginning of the end of the password - Google going passkeys. See also: So long passwords, thanks for all the phish 

Sensenmann: Code Deletion at Scale  - dead code deletion.

Environment

Many Europeans want climate action – but less so if it changes their lifestyle, shows poll - surprise!

Still fine! 

Urbanism

Ian Lockwood: Thoughts From an Engineer [Podcast] - conversation between two urbanists

Can cities help us fight climate change? [Podcast] - yes

Using a bicycle to carry a week's worth of groceries in four different ways [Podcast] - I would prefer the baskets over the bags.

David Byrne Rode His Bicycle to the Met Gala - How is this choice "bizarre"?

Random Art

Miniature landscapes inside mint tins – in pictures  

The Man Who Invented Happiness Science: Marty Seligman [Podcast] - interesting how psychology just focused on the negative parts.

Bluesky Facts and Opinions - I'll stick with Mastodon

Friday Links Disclaimer
Inclusion of links does not imply that I agree with the content of linked articles or podcasts. I am just interested in all kind of perspectives. If you follow the link posts over time you might notice common themes, though.
More about the links in a separate post: About Friday Links.