Via Kottke.org, I’ve been diving into another film analysis Youtube channel that I’ve been really enjoying, called Nerdwriter. Some of the videos I’ve enjoyed, as a sampler:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBUnmdd5-iA]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOzJcb1BLvM]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhA0GVi_N4E]
Anil Dash breaks down some of the most common myths about online abuse. The solutions aren’t always easy, but there are solutions to a lot of it.
We are accountable for the communities we create, and if we want to take credit for the magical moments that happen when people connect with each other online, then we have to take responsibility for the negative experiences that we enable.
In one of the Slacks I’m part of, we were discussing Cracked’s recent decision to pivot back away from video, which led to sharing some favorite videos. One of the videos linked to was an episode of People Watching (fair warning, if you’ve ever dealt with depression and modern dating, this is a goddamn punch in the gut):
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtKUUkEDetI]
That left me floored, and was politely informed that the writer for that also does a rad webcomic called Subnormality, which I proceeded to seek out and devour. It can get a little weird and a little wordy at times, but it’s really, really good. You should check it out sometime.
In the vein of technological art, Andrew Campana built something that generates poetry based on the automated subway announcements of the Japanese train system. Some of the combinations can end up really interesting:
The ceiling is passing through on Platform 26. Please contact us.
The local train is moving on Platform 23. Please take care of yourself.
The express train is listening on Platform 1. Please give it back.
Nintendo’s been doing a lot right with their latest console (the Switch). It’s got a pretty compelling use case, and has become the go-to console for some really fantastic gaming experiences (looking at you, Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey). It also looks like they’ve managed to win over and embrace indie developers, as indicated by a steady stream of titles. I think one of the things they’re getting right (aside from building some amazing games themselves) is an appreciation for play and whimsy, as evidenced by their latest addition to the system: the Labo. Go watch the trailer:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Bd3HUMkyU]
I love pretty much everything about this idea.
Found via Kottke.org, a simple but clever bit of internet art created by Donald Hanson: the URL to the destination page moves each time it’s viewed, so you end up with a trail of “301 – Permanent Redirect” pages (301 is an HTTP status code, something a server sends when a page has been permanently moved to a new address).
Check out the start here: Permanent Redirect.
Chris Coyler over at CSS-Tricks has a worthwhile response to the “Chrome is the new IE6” article I linked to earlier.
Even more concerning than browser-specific websites is seeing browsers ship non-standardized features just because they want them, not behind any vendor prefix or flag. There was a time when web developers would have got out the pitchforks if a browser was doing this, but I sense some complacency seeping in.
These days, the vibe is more centered around complaining about other browsers lack of support for things. For example, one browser ships something, we see one green dot in caniuse, and we lambast the other browsers to catch up. Instead, we might ask, was it a good idea to ship that feature yet?
Kottke.org has aggregated a list of lists: some of the best “year in photos” lists. If you want to see some truly stellar photography in a variety of fields, this is a good place to start.
Over at The Verge, The year we wanted the internet to be smaller is an article discussing the state of the internet, and how we’re becoming increasingly disillusioned with broad social media (the Facebooks and Twitters and similar), reverting back to blogs, niche communities, and mailing lists. Found via Waxy.org.