L'America rurale, quella delle infinite periferie, delle piccole città sospese tra le due coste, è completamente flippata. E Donald Trump la sta ulteriormente trasformando

Money quote: "During the campaign, Trump’s descriptions of inner-city crime and hopelessness often seemed cartoonish to urban residents, but not to rural voters—in Mesa County, Trump won nearly sixty-five per cent of the vote. Pueblo, another large rural Colorado county, has a steel industry that’s been on the wane since the nineteen-eighties. Its county seat now has the state’s highest homicide rate, and last election the county switched from blue to red. Far from Denver and Boulder, there are many places where an atmosphere of decline has lasted for two or more generations, leaving a profound impact on the outlook of young people. Matt Patterson told me that as a boy he had always hoped to escape his home town. In 1985, when he was twelve, almost fifteen per cent of the homes in Grand Junction were vacant, because of the effects of Black Sunday."

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/24/how-trump-is-transforming-rural-america

L'etica della startup, spiegata bene

Money quote: "As you can probably tell by looking around, every employee at our startup is 23 years old. On the morning of your 24th birthday, the barcode on your employee ID stops working and you can no longer enter our building. We do this to ensure our company has a ceaseless, youthful energy. We believe old people are displeasing to look at and also, bad at ideas."

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/welcome-to-our-startup-where-everyone-is-23-years-old-because-we-believe-old-people-are-visually-displeasing-and-out-of-ideas

Parlavamo ieri di cose nerd nerd nerd? Beh, che ne dite di una guida metodologica per principianti (con indicazione degli strumenti appropriatI) al reverse engineering? Ottima lettura per il fine settimana, no?

Money quote: "So, here we are, you downloaded your first binary and now … what to do ? RE requires two types of analysis, static and dynamic. The static analysis will help you to have a better overview and understanding on what going on within the binary, whereas the dynamic analysis will allow you to follow, step by step, the changing that occurs within each register, which system calls are used, etc."

https://0x00sec.org/t/re-guide-for-beginners-methodology-and-tools/2242

Una guida passo passo per utenti macOS all'installazione e uso di Tor.

Money quote: "The easiest way to install the Tor software on your Mac is to download the Tor Bundle form the Tor website. Visit the Tor Bundle Download Page. The website should recognize that you are on a Mac, and offer up a link to click to begin the download. Just click that rather large purple button to begin the download."

http://www.mactrast.com/2017/07/install-user-tor-browser-mac/

Il mondo non è in bianco e nero, per cui molti esempi, incluso quello che segue, possono apparire estremi o "stonati", o in quel che modo fuori fuoco. Ma la realtà sottostante rimane ed è più che tangibile.

Il lavoro definisce le persone (è anche nella nostra costituzione) ma metterlo davanti alla propria vita privata, alla propria famiglia (partner e figli), ai mille aspetti della propria personalità e identità che non sono definibili da una prestazione lavorativa contestualizzata, vuol dire andare a investire in un tipo di felicità piuttosto rischiosa e squilibrata. Il lavoro non è la nostra famiglia. Ma c'è chi non lo capisce o preferisce non capirlo.

Money quote: "Besides, don’t you already have a family or group of friends who feel like blood relations? The modern company isn’t a street gang filled with orphans trying to make it in the tough, tough world. Trying to supplant the family you likely already have is just another way to attempt to put the needs of the company above the needs of your actual family. That’s a sick ploy.
The best companies aren’t families. They’re supporters of families. Allies of families. There to provide healthy, fulfilling work environments so when workers shut their laptops at a reasonable hour, they’re the best husbands, wives, parents, siblings, and children they can be."

https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-company-isnt-a-family-d24f26c3f3fe

Volete usare Slack (o strumenti analoghi) per il vostro gruppo di lavoro e magari non siete particolarmente tecnici e votati all'analisi. Beh, la cosa migliore in questi casi è vedere come fanno gli altri e cercare di capire se hanno esigenze simili e che si adattano. In questo tipo di esercizio io trovo stimolante ma anche utile cercare template fuori dall'ordinario: alle volte serve a capire meglio l'astrazione che sta dietro certe scelte.

Che ne dite di guardare come viene usato Slack da un dipartimento di polizia americano per coordinare il lavoro degli agenti?

Money quote: "Citta notes that the way law enforcement units have organized themselves in Slack mirrors the way they work in the real world, with police officers and investigators statewide congregating in channels like #narcotics, #crimes, and #ctwide-intel. The #BOLO channel (code for “Be on the lookout”) is like a communal bulletin board where officers post information about suspects they’re looking for who might be on the move."

https://slackhq.com/fighting-crime-with-slack-fbd296bc31db

Amante della pellicola si comprare una Leica M6 per fare un po' di Street Photography a Tokyo. Pieno di buoni suggerimenti anche per gli amanti del digitale.

Money quote: "Prior to heading up to Fukushima I squeezed in some time off in Tokyo. Having been there once before I knew how amazing it was…is…and wanted to spend some time dedicated to street photography for a few days. And what better place to do it than in among the overcrowded, hectic, jam-packed Japanese capital."

https://www.35mmc.com/08/07/2017/m6-street-photography-tokyofiles/

Sempre a proposito di Leica, una mostra in Spagna (se mi capiterà di passarci, vado a vederla di sicuro) offre il fianco per raccontare ancora una volta la storia della fotocamera che ha cambiato il modo di fare fotografia.

Money quote: "A celebratory exhibition, Eyes Wide Open! 100 Years of the Leica, is being held at Espacio Fundación Telefónica, Madrid, until 10 October"

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2017/jul/13/leica-the-camera-that-freed-the-world-in-pictures

Robot, intelligenza artificiale, algoritmi. I lavori del futuro non saranno più come quelli di oggi. Diventeranno importanti attività che sottovalutiamo. Se sarà, sarà un cambiamento profondo.

Money quote: "Human jobs in the future will be the ones that require emotional labour: currently undervalued and underpaid but invaluable"

https://aeon.co/essays/the-key-to-jobs-in-the-future-is-not-college-but-compassion

Depenalizziamo la Maria? Erba per tutti? Ottima idea, è un fantastico modo per rilassarsi.

C'è anche a chi fa male, però...

Money quote: "What’s not to love? Well, in a cruel twist, it gives some people terrible anxiety and panic attacks — also known as “the weed demons” — not to mention a crushing paranoia that defeats the entire purpose of getting high in the first place."

https://melmagazine.com/why-some-people-cant-smoke-weed-9254e1228a8d

Breve storia sociale della distrazione. I social sono solo gli ultimi arrivati

Money quote: "To get our work done, we could try to turn off the digital stream, but that’s difficult to do when we’re plagued by FOMO, the modern fear of missing out. Some people think that our willpower is so weak because our brains have been damaged by digital noise. But blaming technology for the rise in inattention is misplaced. History shows that the disquiet is fuelled not by the next new thing but by the threat this thing – whatever it might be – poses to the moral authority of the day."

https://aeon.co/essays/busy-and-distracted-everybody-has-been-since-at-least-1710

Forse il nome non vi dice niente, ma è molto probabile che almeno una volta abbiate letto le sue vignette, tra le più popolari della Settimana Enigmistica.

http://www.fumettologica.it/2017/07/bort-ultime-parole-famose-settimana-enigmistica/

📣 #CanaliUtili 📣

Se, come me, siete curiosi e volete vedere anche il lato meno conosciuto dell'informazione, quello fatto dalle buone notizie, c'è un canale #Telegram che sembra proprio fatto apposta. Si tratta di Social&Postive News (@socialpositivenews) creato e mantenuto da Cristina Galasso (@cristigalas). Lo seguo da parecchio tempo e ve lo consiglio vivamente: ci troverete le cose che cercate.

Money quote: "La grande sfida di chi fa informazione non è tanto raccontare cosa accade ma offrire strumenti per capire perché accade e come sia possibile affrontarlo ed evitare che si ripeta.

Questo è lo scopo del cosiddetto giornalismo costruttivo o delle soluzioni. Come spiego più diffusamente qui, si tratta di un nuovo approccio all’informazione che attraverso il racconto di notizie positive sostiene e sollecita il cambiamento. Un giornalismo capace di educare, coinvolgere, mobilitare i cittadini, che aiuta a capire, ad agire, a trovare risposte. Un giornalismo che, oltre ad informare, affronta i problemi e suggerisce soluzioni."

https://xn--r1a.website/socialpositivenews

Storia di un designer e della sua ricerca della vera passione interiore: disegnare con il codice.

Money quote: "Compared to the infinite freedom I had with Photoshop, this was an extremely restrictive environment. Ironically, this is why I found it more addictive than typical digital drawing. Having limits encouraged me to think about problems from many different angles."

https://medium.com/@arle13/crayons-apple-pencil-and-algorithms-29b95884c589

Il pendolare estremo, tre o più ore due volte al giorno, è una nuova razza che sta nascendo grazie anche alle nuove tecnologie e che permette di abitare in ambienti più salubri delle grandi città godendo però dei vantaggi di un lavoro "centrale". Il contro? La vita ti passa accanto e tu ne vedi solo i fine settimana.

Money quote: “Technological changes have made it more possible to redefine the workplace,” said Mitchell L. Moss, director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at N.Y.U. “Even in New York City, which has been famous for not allowing people to work at home, there is now more tolerance of flexible time.”

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/realestate/extreme-commuting.html

Matt Canavan, ministro e politico di prima grandezza in Australia, si dimette perché a sua insaputa ha preso la cittadinanza italiana. La legge australiana vieta incarichi governativi a chi ha doppia cittadinanza.

Money quote: "Canavan told reporters on Tuesday night his mother had applied for Italian citizenship on his behalf without his knowledge or consent when he was 25 years old, in January 2007.

He said he had “no suspicion” he was in possession of a dual citizenship until last week, when his mother “raised the possibility” he was a dual citizen. The Italian embassy subsequently confirmed he was a citizen of the country."

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/25/matt-canavan-quits-cabinet-over-dual-citizenship-uncertainty

Curarsi con un videogioco. Io sono decenni che pratico questa via per il benessere della mente e del corpo. Boh, forse ho sbagliato giochi.

Money quote: "In order to validate the game in a way that other brain-training companies haven’t, Akili has to go through all of the trials and processes that are required by the FDA for any kind of drug or medical device. The game is currently in phase III clinical trials, which means this isn’t a done deal yet. But if Akili is successful, it will have created the first prescription-based video game in the US, and in doing so, would essentially create a new category of “digital medicine.”"

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/25/16019760/prescription-video-games-brain-next-level-video

Quando si parla di Smart work il confine con la collaboration è labile e comunque la chiave sono gli strumenti software di comunicazione. In una parola: Slack.

Sono strumenti che fanno tantissimo, ma c'è il rovescio della medaglia. Creano dipendenza e trasformano le attitudini delle persone. Per questo c'è chi dice no.

Money quote: "So we tried Slack.

To say the app was a game-changer would be putting it mildly. Communication between team members across continents exploded. We shared ideas and gifs. (Lots of gifs.) We reported bugs and developed inside jokes. We celebrated successes and discussed ways to improve our work. Almost overnight, we went from a group of thirty individuals to a true team.

And then, two years in, we quit Slack cold turkey."

https://blog.doist.com/why-were-betting-against-real-time-team-messaging-521804a3da09

Un interessante effetto del neoliberismo è che trasforma non solo le aziende e i governi, ma anche la filosofia dei dipendenti. Che diventa o dei "quitter", sempre pronti a mollare in cerca di un impiego migliore. Alla faccia dell'engagement dei dipendenti.

Money quote: "If you are a white-collar worker, it is simply rational to view yourself first and foremost as a job quitter – someone who takes a job for a certain amount of time when the best outcome is that you quit for another job (and the worst is that you get laid off). So how does work change when everyone is trying to become a quitter? First of all, in the society of perpetual job searches, different criteria make a job good or not. Good jobs used to be ones with a good salary, benefits, location, hours, boss, co-workers, and a clear path towards promotion. Now, a good job is one that prepares you for your next job, almost always with another company."

https://aeon.co/essays/how-work-changed-to-make-us-all-passionate-quitters

Cambiamo argomento. L'iPhone può dare dipendenza. Questa è la singolare (ma realistica) preoccupazione di uno dei suoi creatori.

Money quote: "Yet for all the benefits that the iPhone helped deliver, our current level of unprecedented digital connection has left quite a few critics dismayed and concerned over our screen addiction and our inability to go even a few minutes without unlocking our devices. The most surprising among this group happens to be the iPhone’s original creators"

https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/29/15893960/apple-iphone-creators-smartphone-addiction-ideo-interview