Check out these two recent articles exploring the influence of 4chan’s “shitposting” on internet culture and politics.
In a Wired article, Ryan Broderick examines the pervasive influence of 4chan-like sites on the mainstream internet. My main memory of the site is my friends using its random posts to view shocking, often sexually explicit and racist content, which I felt was affecting their views. His refresher on 4chan’s functionality was helpful:
As of today, March 5, 2025, Microsoft has shut down Skype. I honestly thought Teams had already replaced it years ago. Still, reading the news made me nostalgic about how I, my friends, family, and colleagues once used Skype.
I’m disgusted by the White House’s official account posting an ASMR video on deportations.
To better understand, let’s revisit sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s perspective on the Holocaust. His argument was that the Holocaust’s origins were in modernity itself, not only in the unique histories of Germany and the Jewish people.
A Tedium article by Ernie Smith reveals a potential connection between a technical Linux kernel coding issue and the influence of the creator economy on open-source development.
In this way, there may be a clash between established maintainers who have stable job situations, versus younger developers who focus on “monetizing” their roles as software developers.
Interesting article from MIT Technology Review on how the Chinese government is setting up artificial marine habitats to combat the collapse of natural fisheries.
Ars Technica has compiled a list of products and services that exemplify the worst examples of “enshittification”. The term, coined by Cory Doctorow, describes the common pattern of online products and services that start user-friendly but deteriorate due to the pursuit of profit.
Responding to the devastating accident at Muan International Airport, Dr. Nial Moores (National Director, Birds Korea) points out the recurring problem of Korean airports being built near wetlands that are important habitats for birds.
Nadia Plesner’s captivating “Colony Collapse Disorder” (2020) series features oil paintings on beehive frames, incorporating imagery of vintage canned food. I see the artwork as representing the precarious relationship between food systems struggling under climate change (in this case, the role of pollinators) and the emergency connotations of canned goods.
It looks like the U.S. will enter a new age of advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing now that the TSMC’s Arizona facility will start producing chips. The geopolitical implications for Taiwan, as highlighted by an analyst in this IEEE Spectrum article, could be substantial:
I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts this year, but it’s often hard to recall what stood out. So, I went back to my favorite app, AntennaPod, and picked some highlights worth sharing: