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The Rise of REDNote The social media landscape is no stranger to change. Threads (from Meta) and BlueSky are two recent examples. Now, another player has emerged and is capturing the attention of users worldwide, especially in the US. REDNote, or Xiaohongshu as it’s known in China, is a platform offering a unique blend of…

Calling all slapstick fans! A new Kickstarter project was just announced today, and it’s something that’s right up my alley: the 2-disc set Rediscovering Roscoe: The “Fatty” Arbuckle Collection. Curated by historian Steve Massa, author of the wonderful Rediscovering Roscoe … Continue reading →

What time is it?! The post David Bruce on Dilla as “the king of microrythm” appeared first on Sampleface.

Rags (1915) One hundred and ten years ago this month, Grace Kingsley interviewed the biggest star in Hollywood for the first time. Mary Pickford was already “the girl who gets as many letters and three times as much salary as the President. The little lady on whom the sun never sets, who is applauded in every tongue, yet who has never been out of her native land.*” She found her …

Cheers to my brother Paul for the scans! Aphex Twin’s rhythmic ambience. TWIN PEAKS by Kurt B. Reighley There is a word in German, klangfarben, for which there is no precise English equivalent. Associated predominantly with 20th century composers such as Stockhausen, the world loosely translates as “sound colour,” emphasising unique timbres as a compositional tool. Slap on I Care Because You Do (Elektra), the latest release from Aphex Twin, …

What follow is an excruciatingly long, overblown review/demolition of the first half of a supposedly popular book on the history of mathematics. As I began to approach 12,000 words, yes you read that correctly, I decided to break off and pause. I couldn’t decide whether to simply end there or to add a second part in a further blog post. I’m still not one hundred percent sure what I’m going …

“Do what you want, and you will never work a day in your life.” That old adage, intones 66-year-old Vonn Scott Bair, “is a myth, a lie, a LIE.” He’s been doing what he wants since retiring eight years ago, but said, “I work longer and harder than I ever have.” It’s not that Bair ... The post Retirement sends Vonn Scott Bair full speed into long days as actor, …

Last year, I outlined the specific requirements that an app needs to have in order for me to consider it a Signal competitor. Afterwards, I had several people ask me what I think of a Signal fork called Session. My answer then is the same thing I’ll say today: Don’t use Session. The main reason I said to avoid Session, all those months ago, was simply due to their decision …

Research shows that exploration and learning are top motivators for heritage travelers, who actively seek authentic and meaningful experiences year-round. To keep visitors coming back throughout the year, consider refreshing how you tell your story every few months—or more frequently, if possible. Regular updates not only encourage repeat visits from your local community but also ensure your site feels vibrant, dynamic, and engaging for all.… Continue reading 250th Spark: Your …

“Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country” is an excellent, genre-blending book, that brings together nature and travel writing, literary and cultural history, exploration of the supernatural, plus the added element of memoir. It’s filled with the sense of love, wonder, and appreciation for England’s landscapes and the ghostly tales that quietly echo through its forests, hills and moors.

I discussed Labour’s economic policy agenda on the Politics Theory Other podcast.

I started to write notes by hand on paper and oh boy, did my handwriting get bad. Reply by email

This one speaks for itself: The lawyers, of course, complied (and split the bill). Is this the first time such an order has been issued? Nope. See “Order Granting Motion to Compel Lunch” (Aug. 4, 2006). Bonus points to both judges for making sure the lawyers tipped their servers.

If you’re building a new Python web app these days, there’s a good chance you’re using FastAPI. There are a lot of features that make FastAPI easy to get started with. There are also a lot of nuances that take a while to understand. One feature I’ve been untangling is the way FastAPI manages calls to API routes via decorated path parameters. The new year is a perfect time to …

At a play group we attended recently for queer families with little kids, we were asked to fill out a new form for participant tracking by the host organization. Beyond some basic demographic questions you've probably been asked before, one question asked: how does your child describe their gender? For the new baby, we simply wrote: baby. But, we have never thought to ask our three year old this, so …