Questa cosa di Twitter e dei 280 caratteri spazi inclusi (anziché 140) non sta proprio andando giù alle folle della rete.

Money quote: “Twitter is like a modern-day version of a letter to the editor. Have you ever read a letter to the editor that wouldn’t have been better shorter?”

https://medium.com/@davepell/twitters-character-assassination-62e549ff89e8

Perché Apple non fa più i prodotti come una volta - il mio articolo per Macity

https://www.macitynet.it/perche-apple-non-piu-prodotti-volta/

A quanto pare il web sta andando un po' a ramengo. Lo sostiene Tim Berners-Lee, che l'ha creato

Money quote: "“The system is failing. The way ad revenue works with clickbait is not fulfilling the goal of helping humanity promote truth and democracy. So I am concerned,” said Berners-Lee, who in March called for the regulation of online political advertising to prevent it from being used in “unethical ways”."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/15/tim-berners-lee-world-wide-web-net-neutrality

Il mantra è che tutte le aziende sono entrate nel business del software, intendendo dire con questo che non solo tutte devono comprare software, ma che spesso e volentieri, per riuscire a fare quel che vogliono, devono scriverselo. Il Washington Post l'ha presa letteralmente (forse per merito anche del suo proprietario, Jeff Bezos) e adesso non solo ha scritto il codice del suo sistema editoriale multimediale, ma lo vende come servizio anche ad altre testate.

Money quote: "Since 2014, a new Post operation now called Arc Publishing has offered the publishing system the company originally used for WashingtonPost.com as a service. That allows other news organizations to use the Post’s tools for writers and editors. Arc also shoulders the responsibility of ensuring that readers get a snappy, reliable experience when they visit a site on a PC or mobile device. It’s like a high-end version of Squarespace or WordPress.com, tailored to solve the content problems of a particular industry."

Money quote 2: "Among the publications that have moved to Arc are the Los Angeles Times, Canada’s Globe and Mail, the New Zealand Herald, and smaller outfits such as Alaska Dispatch News and Oregon’s Willamette Week. In aggregate, sites running on Arc reach 300 million readers; publishers pay based on bandwidth, which means that the more successful they are at attracting readers, the better it is for Arc Publishing. The typical bottom line ranges from $10,000 a month at the low end up to $150,000 a month for Arc’s biggest customers."

https://www.fastcompany.com/40495770/the-washington-post-is-a-software-company-now

Compie 90 anni la vettura tra iconica di Milano: la Carrelli. Atm pubblica un pdf: non lamentiamoci, è già un inizio...

https://www.atm.it/it/AtmNews/Documents/Lineadiretta.pdf

Una premessa: in casa non abbiamo automobili o motorini: usiamo i servizi del comune di milano (abbonamento) e i vari sharing: auto e bici. Ci piace così.

Detto questo, da tempo combatto una battaglia contro l’inciviltà degli abitanti di Milano sia per il parcheggio selvaggio che per quelli che vanno in bici sui marciapiedi. Al riguardo, il comune a quanto pare “tollera”. Io, nel mio piccolo, mi oppongo.

Il comune di Atene mi dà ragione e aumenta le multe a chi va sui marciapiedi con la bici da veri a trenta euro. Da noi non c’è neanche la multa...

http://www.thepostathens.com/article/2017/11/athens-court-street-bicycle-skateboard

Toccare il fondo. A chi non è capitato? E come si fa ad evitarlo? Anzi, ad accelerarlo, perché no. Dopottutto, abbiamo paura del cambiamento, ma quest’ultimo di per sé è la cosa buona, no?

Money quote: “As a therapist, I see people who need to change to avoid catastrophe. Some of them want to. Some of them don’t. You might find this also in your own life. You know you need to make a change, but you in some ways you enjoy your bad habit. Unaddressed this bad habit will force a “rock bottom” on you and then change will be easier. Obviously, it would be healthier if you could change right now.
The good news is that a person’s “bottom” can be influenced and changed”

https://betterhumans.coach.me/how-to-break-bad-habits-by-simulating-rock-bottom-8e46b5acb027

“Quaderni giapponesi 2”. Igort, vagabondo del manga e del viaggio - il mio articolo per Fumettologica

http://www.fumettologica.it/2017/11/igort-quaderni-giapponesi-2-recensione/

Cosa ce meglio del sesso, preliminari inclusi? Le coccole che seguono.

Money quote: “Muise, who studies how sexuality impacts on relationships, set out with colleagues to learn which part of sex made people feel more connected to their partners. In a study published in 2014 in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, they reported that it was what followed intercourse itself. The length of ‘post-sex affection’ ranged from zero minutes to several hours, the researchers learned. And those who spent more time snuggling were more satisfied with their relationships”

https://aeon.co/essays/why-post-sex-cuddles-and-pillowtalk-count-for-more-than-orgasm

Bentornata Leica CL, la compatta vintage che dà filo da torcere alle full frame - il mio articolo per Macity

https://www.macitynet.it/bentornata-leica-cl-embargo-15-30-del-21nov/

Tragica e intensa storia di lupi in Oregon

Money quote: "The black wolf and B300 mated for the first time in December of 2006 or 2007—nobody knows when exactly. They settled in the high timber of the Wallowa Mountains, a kingdom of pines and wildflowers and cow pies that curves like a palisade around the agricultural communities of Joseph and Enterprise. They made a den inside a huge felled ponderosa and cared for their first round of pups, born blind and helpless in early spring. They were now officially a pack, the first to exist in Oregon for nearly 60 years."

https://www.outsideonline.com/2255971/very-old-man-wolf

I mall americani sono una cosa diversa dai nostri centri commerciali per vari motivi. Un aspetto poco studiato e molto intrigante secondo me - oltre che inesistente da noi - sono i chioschi, le strutture al centro delle gallerie che vendono in modo molto aggressivo bene di scarso valore (da cover dei telefoni a improbabili apparecchi per stirare a vapore da viaggio). Le tecniche di vendita sono piuttosto aggressive e nell’insieme ci sarebbero anche altre cose da dire. In questo articolo, le dicono tutte...

Money quote: “But I had some questions for them, and recently went to a mall in the Midwest to get some answers. Mall kiosks are not an often-interrogated part of our shopping ecosystem. How do they work? Who works at them, and should we hold them accountable for their hard-sell tactics?

What I learned surprised me.”

https://www.racked.com/2017/11/7/16553220/mall-kiosk-worker?utm_

Dropbox ha fatto un rebranding - ne avevamo parlato qui mesi fa - che non mi piace. L'icona blu, soprattutto, secondo me non si può guardare. Però a quanto pare sbaglio io e hanno ragione loro: i rebranding non si giudicano a simpatia dal punto di vista del design, ma se funzionano o no. E questo funziona

Money quote: "A visceral reaction to product design is not that important when judging its effectiveness. (Just for fun, if you want to see what it’s like for designers’ heads to explode, read the reactions here). Instead, a digital product brand (like any brand) should be judged on how well it serves the stated business goals."

https://medium.com/innovatemap-current/dropboxs-rebrand-will-probably-be-successful-whether-you-like-the-design-or-not-ff2ad5e7975b

Procrastinate? È il momento di meditare. Articolo apparentemente idiota come quasi tutti gli articoli di self help, ma che in realtà dentro ha tante cose più profonde

Money quote: "Newsflash: You are not your thoughts. And you are not your emotions. Thoughts and emotions just pop up, they come and go like clouds in the sky. They are like the weather. Sometimes it’s sunny; sometimes it rains — sometimes you feel happy and motivated; sometimes you feel sad and depressed."

https://fityourself.club/overcoming-procrastination-why-mindfulness-is-the-key-b4bed2218d55

Viviamo in un mondo fatto di troppe regole. C'è chi queste regole non le sopporta e, anziché ribellarsi in maniera distruttiva, lo fa in maniera costruttiva.

Questa storia giapponese di un complesso di appartamenti totalmente illegale ed abusivo, costruito senza architetti e senza progetto, è uno degli esempi più chiari.

Money quote: "Kano Sawada (1927 to 2003) was a self-taught architect and carpenter. Dissatisfied with “cage-like” standard apartment complexes, he set about building an apartment that could foster a sense of community and creativity, all while accommodating up to 100 people.

Construction on the complex commenced in the early 1970s. Though the building reached its current scale in 1985, additions are ongoing to this day. There are approximately 70 rooms in the building and about 100 residents. The exact size of its parameters is unknown, as no blueprints were used.

The white five-story building is rife with plant life and unusual additions. On the fourth floor there’s a fishpond and the roof houses an extensive vegetable garden and self-built crane. Kano Sawada’s widow, Hiroe, still lives in the building with her family. Their top-floor apartment has an impressive garden, complete with chickens, rabbits, and even a pet pig!"

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sawada-mansion

Arrivato Scrivener 3, ma per ora non c'è su Mac App Store - il mio articolo per Macity

https://www.macitynet.it/arrivato-scrivener-3-ora-non-ce-mac-app-store/

A quanto pare è finito nei guai per questioni di molestie anche Jabba the Hutt

Money quote: "Hutt, who has business interests in space transit and is best known for his appearances as a television pod racing promoter and commentator, stands accused of using his position to harass a succession of women culminating in an attempt to ‘stick his tongue down the throat’ of Princess Leia Organa within minutes of them meeting.

Jabba is understood to be paying twelve million credits as an out of court settlement, but insists this is not an admission of wrongdoing and that he is paying up as he ‘feared being throttled by political correctness’."

http://newsthump.com/2017/04/06/jabba-the-hutt-denies-sexual-harassment-charge/

C'è qualcosa di profondamente sbagliato nell'ordine sociale nato attorno all'economia della rete, se per questa intendiamo le grandi 4+1, da Apple ad Amazon, da Facebook a Google sino a Microsoft. Una specie di magnete per i talenti che però ha distorto la nostra stessa idea di cosa voglia dire lavorare, quale sia l'impegno e quali siano le competenze, dove stia veramente il valore. Dovrebbe far capire che forse, tutto sommato, alla fin fine abbiamo un problema.

Questo articolo di una sviluppatrice e scrittrice (alla fine scrive sempre: a volte parole, a volte codice) secondo me dovrebbe diventare una lettura da antologia. Dovrebbe fari riflettere su cosa vuol dire illudere che l'oro di una vita futura stia nell'imparare a scrivere codice a quattro anni e cose del genere.

Money quote: "The difference between writing and coding is how your colleagues treat you. Writers rally around the laid off, are eager to commiserate. “Failed” coders are shunned in tech culture. They don’t even want to acknowledge your existence. It would go against their narrative that anyone can make it in the industry if they work hard enough. But don’t be fooled. There are a lot of coders like me. We are, in the end, just workers, and not immune to the tides that have drowned other workers."

https://medium.com/@melissamcewen/coders-should-fear-what-happened-to-writers-d87a895b03db