Chinchilla Squeaks: Cards Against Chinchillas
Quite a round-up this issue featuring open source founders getting fed up with exploitation, websites fed up with AI exploitation, game makers fed up with political exploitation, and some fun too, I promise 😬
Like what you’re reading?
It’s a tough time for content creators right now. If you enjoy what you read, then consider a contribution. Here are the ways you can help me out.
Or please share or review the newsletter!
Thanks :)
D3.js in Action, Third Edition
Another great book from Manning is the 3rd edition on D3.js, a great web technology for creating powerful browser-based visualisations. Get your copy with this discount code:
Or use the code “podchris40” at checkout to get a 40% discount on any book!
Start auditing and controlling the AI models accessing your content
There’s been increased discussion on the ancient robots.txt file in the past few months, and most parties agreed to follow the instructions to control web crawling traffic. However, LLM model training makers haven’t been as respectful, so in steps Cloudflare, a service that often sits in front of websites, to help handle how you want to treat that traffic.
WP Engine is not WordPress
WordPress and its creator, Matt Mullenweg, have generally been a quiet and consistent supporter of the open-source way of life, but that all changed over the past couple of weeks. Frustrated and upset with how some vendors disrespect the open-source ethos of WordPress, Matt has stepped up in a series of presentations and blog posts.
PocketDrum Plus 2 straight from #IFA
I am an occasional but enthusiastic drummer, and while most of what I saw at IFA was the usual rooms full of tedious, overpriced white goods, this air-MIDI drum kit blew my mind.
6 tools for running Windows games on macOS
I have been a loyal customer of Parallels Desktop for some time, but times what they are, I need to save some money, and recently VMWare announced they were making Fusion Desktop free. So it seemed like a perfect occasion to weigh up the options for running Windows on macOS
Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control
In my musical past, I played in rock bands, but I always really wanted to create soundtracks, which I am getting started with now. This wonderful podcast episode with one of the soundtrack masters was inspiring.
Cards Against Humanity sues SpaceX, alleging trespassing near Texas border
As a “serious” gamer, Cards Against Humanity is a very average game, but the company, their exploits, and marketing are pure genius.
A brief history of QuickDraw and PICTs
The Eclectic Light company is back with another post covering classic Mac technology, and one I remember well, being the old man I am.
How the Stream Deck rose from the ashes of a legendary keyboard
I mostly love my Stream Deck, but when you look at the curious, rubbery glowing buttons, it’s a strange device. And it turns out that its origins lie in an even stranger device.
TSMCs Energy Demand Drives Taiwans Geopolitical Future
I am working on a book covering the energy demands of computing software and hardware, and while anything involving energy is political, in some areas, that politics is even more fraught.
