Really packed week, though the topics will feel quite familiar:
There is no place like your smartphone
Quite a nice read that makes you think about how society has changed in so little time. And while it might seem a stupid thing at first glance, I found myself reflected on some of the feelings that the article exposes, like the sensation you have when using a computer or a phone that it is not yours. Also, during the last years that I have been living abroad, I have found that I really need less and less material stuff to feel home, but one of those crucial things are the devices I use to chat with friends and family…
Smartphone is now ‘the place where we live’, anthropologists say, on the guardian
Forgot about NFT?
NFTs keep appearing on the news. This week I found that Fox is making a tv show with the excuse of selling stuff (remember Transformers?). The novelty is that now they are not going to sell only toys, but animated .gif and .png files. Let’s see how many trees have to die for this.
Fox is making a blockchain animated series with Rick and Morty creator Dan Harmon to sell you NFTs, on theverge
Also this week I found this cool piece on the early days of NFTs and the impact it had on some artists. A nice read to see the other side of the coin:
The Untold Story of the NFT Boom, on the new york times magazine
Apple vs Epic, episode: whatever
The highlight this week, at least for me, was the discussion about the naked banana skin on Fortnite. I cannot help but laugh when I imagine the faces of the people at court. Also, more insight on what is a videogame and what is the metaverse, now with insights from Roblox devs. And last, some ideas on what is really behind this trial.
Apple said Roblox developers don’t make games, and now Roblox agrees, on theverge
Epic and Apple are now fighting over a naked banana, on theverge
Behind the Epic-Apple Trial Is a Booming App Market Worth Fighting Over, on the wall street journal
Is Sci-Hub gonna die soon?
Really sad to hear that people are starting to do backups of Sci-Hub via torrent. I did not notice that there were no updates to the database since the start of the year (which is a really bad sign). Also this week I saw an interview with Alexandra Elbakyan on why and how she created the site, and the hurdles of doing it. Honestly I hope that Sci-Hub dies only if science gets really open (which is how it should always had been).
Archivists Want to Make Sci-Hub ‘Un-Censorable’, on gizmodo
Privacy matters
Unless you live in China, I guess.
Censorship, Surveillance and Profits: A Hard Bargain for Apple in China, on the new york times
And that’s it for the week. Stay safe!
P.S. Seems like Internet Explorer has an official death date. What a ride.
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