Recently updated blogs

Our latest version of WriteFreely is out now! This is a minor update, but with some important bug fixes, especially around navigation and federation. Note: The official release binary will not work on older systems, e.g. Ubuntu 18.04 or earlier. See #1064 for more information and a way to work around it. Download v0.15.1 now, or read on to see what’s new in this version. User-Facing Changes Fix “subscribed” date …

The attack helicopter is costly and complex to operate, yet it is taking a mauling in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion attempt of Ukraine starting in 2022 has shown both the vulnerability of helicopters and the effectiveness of small, uncrewed aircraft against armour. With this in mind, we ask: Is the attack […]

A lot of interesting things happened this morning and none of them were a Constitutional Challenge. Or a Constitutional Question. Also, hi Bill (and Steve); yes, I was, in fact, one of the observers in the courtroom. At least you got something right today! When the courtroom Zoom was turned on, I overheard Bill asking the Crown Prosecutor if Zoom could be taken down and mentioning that "Pants On Fire" …

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that, between 2014-18 and 2019-23, European states nearly doubled their arms imports. Which suggests —-to no one’s surprise– that belligerent tensions are on the rise and, with them, the profits of the weapon industry. Zazzaro Otto, KRIEG IN PRENZLAUERBERG, 2013 Stefano Serretta, Sutra 69 – 79 (Barricate durante la Rivolta di San Basilio, Roma, 1974), 2022. Installation view at ArtNoble Gallery. Photo: Michela …

We sometimes get asked what is our most niche publication, and To Have and to Hold must be a strong contender for that title: each issue presents a themed collection of retail paper bags. Zine founder Tim Sumner began designing books and magazine in New Zealand before returning to the UK, setting up his own design practice, and launching To Have and to Hold. He has also just launched his …

It’s time for another unnecessary rankings! In today’s iteration, I’m turning my attention to a very prolific novelist – I’ve been steadily reading her for years, helped by the fact that most of her books are very short. There are still a couple I haven’t read (The Bachelors and Aiding and Abetting), but this is my ranking of all of Muriel Spark’s other novels/novellas. I’ve written reviews of most of …

As a teenager in the Czech Republic, Lenka Zdeborová glimpsed her future in an Isaac Asimov novel. A character in Asimov’s “Foundation” series invents a mathematical method for predicting the path of an entire civilization by averaging out the haphazard behavior of billions of individuals. The concept gave her a “mesmerizing feeling,” Zdeborová recalls — one that returned when she later... Source

I really love spending time reading blogs. They’re the new magazines; improved by a connection direct to the person without the burden of a commercial interface distorting the power of their message. “Out in the middle of nowhere, a single... Read More ›

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says we should go all in on building AI data centers because 'we are never going to meet our climate goals anyway' Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that AI is advancing so fast, and requires so much energy, that there is no way to keep up with climate goals. "On second thought," Eric Schmidt implied, "be evil." This kind of shameless greed is going …

“In 2024 Indhu Rubasingham is at the helm of the National Theatre and women writers and directors are everywhere,” says Susan Croft, an Associate Artist at London Performance Studios and curator of a new exhibition: Radical Rediscovery: Feminist Theatre in Britain 1969-1992. “The change is huge, has been hard-won and should be celebrated! But we still need to work to keep hold of the progress we have made, and fight …

Comics Mike Sterling loves Atari Force. So do I. He says: Fun sci-fi adventure expertly illustrated by José Luis García-López at the peak of his form, with the back half drawn by the also excellent Eduardo Barreto. Gerry Conway wrote most issues, and it’s a fast paced and creative comic that unfortunately was saddled with a title that likely kept folks away. Oh, and the lettering by Bob Lappan is …

Session 259 was played on 7/28/24Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)Borumar, ½ Orc Thief (Josh)Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)Morgana, wizard (Rob)Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)Koltic spends some time with the poor broken man. He thinks he might be able to help him, but not here, and not now. With the amulet removed, and the Jinn gone, he’s not in imminent danger. They make sure he …

I read Knitty's piece about the Clapotisfest, and had the immediate urge to cast on for one. I did. I have. The Clapotis pattern came out a bit before I had the sudden urge to knit again.I always say again, because I had learned as a kid, but at the time I only learned the knit stitch and also didn't know how to bind off, and so I knit some …

A reminder of the rationale for investment capital into corporate imperialism companies: Companies were encouraged to seek growth at all costs and worry about profitability later, not an unheard-of strategy but one that could now be pushed to new extremes. Uber could burn through billions in cash for about 15 years, bending the market, smashing local regulations and monopolies, altering consumer behavior in the process, and then go public at …

Movies Are Like, So YesterdayThere was a show called Suits that ran from 2011 to 2019, “was” and “ran” operative words because old episodes still run, rather streams, to a gigantic worldwide audience, it said recently to be the most watched series, most watched anything, on devices including TV, laptops, smartphones, and Dick Tracy wristwatches. Success of Suits is beside point however, of characters quoting movies which meant much to …