Notices by kottke.org (kottke@mastodon.social), page 4

Explore an Incredibly Detailed Topographical Map of the Moon. “This is a visualization of the nearly six billion measurement points of the NASA LOLA mission. LOLA was launched to capture high fidelity topographic modeling of the moon’s surface…” https://kottke.org/25/01/explore-an-incredibly-detailed-topographical-map-of-the-moon

Archaeologists Are Finding Dugout Canoes in the American Midwest as Old as the Great Pyramids of Egypt. “Once in a while, though, they’ll find a specimen that shares a timeline with Beowulf, the Phoenician alphabet or even early math.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeologists-using-sunken-dugout-canoes-learn-indigenous-history-america-180985638/

Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy. “There is now no major corporate-owned social media platform that is not aligned with Trump or beholden to him in some way.” https://www.404media.co/decentralized-social-media-is-the-only-alternative-to-the-tech-oligarchy/

Mike Monteiro on how to survive being online. “The first four years of Donald Trump was a continuous panic attack. I’m not going through that again. You don’t have to either. They’re on stage, but you don’t have to be their audience.” https://buttondown.com/monteiro/archive/how-to-survive-being-online/

“Being a person with deadly, incurable cancer who is nonetheless still alive for an indefinite timeframe gives me an interesting metaphor that helps me deal with things like large-scale corruption in government or commerce.” Great perspective. https://bsky.app/profile/mishellbaker.bsky.social/post/3lg7sh3sehs2f

Provocative from Tim Carmody: David Lynch was America’s greatest conservative filmmaker. “There is an assumption that great artists, especially subversive ones, live radical lives and embrace progressive politics. But Lynch…” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/01/18/david-lynch-conservative/

Meta’s Free Speech Grift. “What Zuck and Meta have realized is the value…of saying that you’re ‘protecting free speech’ and using it as cover for almost anything you want to do.” What Meta actually wants is increased engagement & less gov’t oversight. https://kottke.org/25/01/metas-free-speech-grift

Did we all know this already? “Chip is a nickname for a guy named after his dad. Skip is a nickname for a guy named after his grandfather. Trip is a nickname for a guy named after his dad AND grandfather.”
https://bsky.app/profile/angus.bsky.social/post/3lfd7kpbvbc2w

Post-Apocalyptic Orbs. While these might look like they are AI-generated, these floating orb-structures created by Masakatsu Sashie are actually oil paintings. https://kottke.org/25/01/post-apocalyptic-orbs

Learning from Finland’s success in combatting homelessness. “It is the result of a sustained, well-resourced national strategy […] which provides people experiencing homelessness with immediate, independent, permanent housing…” https://oecdecoscope.blog/2021/12/13/finlands-zero-homeless-strategy-lessons-from-a-success-story/

Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don’t we treat them like one? “Like tobacco, its use can — and often does — kill innocent bystanders. I’m talking about oversized cars.” https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/391733/gigantic-suvs-are-a-public-health-threat-why-dont-we-treat-them-like-one

“I will never understand how Jan. 6 was not the end of Trump. So, what happened? The blame largely lies with Republican political leaders.” Remember: Mitch McConnell plainly stated that Trump incited the attack…then voted not to impeach him. https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/jan-6-and-the-path-not-taken

Clip is a “plug & play” unit that upgrades almost any bike to an e-bike. The “no-tools” gadget clips onto to the front forks of a bike and provides up to 12 miles of range. https://clip.bike/

Biocubes is a visualization comparing the Earth’s biomass with humanity’s technomass (concrete, plastics, bricks, etc). “Man-made structures now outweigh the mass of the living world.” https://kottke.org/25/01/man-made-structures-now-outweigh-the-mass-of-the-living-world

A list of advice for defeating the authoritarian threat. “Authoritarians want you to feel powerless because it makes their work easier. Courage, faith, and optimism are essential. Fascism feeds on cynicism and pessimism. Starve it.” https://www.theframelab.org/how-to-thrive-in-2025-framelabs-new-years-resolutions-2/

Last week, Alessandro Slebir rode one of the largest waves ever surfed, a 100-ft monster at Mavericks. https://www.surfer.com/news/100-foot-wave-possibly-surfed-mavericks-alo-slebir

77 Facts That Blew Our Minds in 2024, including “the weight of giant pumpkins increased 20-fold in half a century” and “the 10,000-steps-a-day goal [came] from a 1965 marketing campaign by a Japanese company that was selling pedometers.” https://kottke.org/24/12/77-facts-that-blew-our-minds-in-2024

Eight Clams Control This Polish City’s Water Supply. “If the waters are clean, these [cyborg] mussels stay open and happy. But when water quality drops too low, they close off and shut the water supply of millions of people with them.” https://kottke.org/24/12/eight-clams-control-this-polish-citys-water-supply

The most popular Wikipedia articles of 2024 (thru Nov 22), including Deaths in 2024, Project 2025, Griselda Blanco, UEFA Euro 2024, ChatGPT, Taylor Swift, and Kamala Harris. https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2024/12/03/announcing-english-wikipedias-most-popular-articles-of-2024/

You shouldn’t be driving over 100 mph — and your car shouldn’t let you. “The NTSB recommended that automakers be required to install technology to prevent reckless speeding.” https://www.fastcompany.com/90985257/you-shouldnt-be-driving-over-100-mph-and-your-car-shouldnt-let-you