Notices by kottke.org (kottke@mastodon.social), page 6

Best TV Shows of 2024. Shogun, My Brilliant Friend, The Day of the Jackal, and What We Do in the Shadows all make the list. (Shogun would be my top pick.) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/30/arts/television/best-tv-shows-2024.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eU4.YNIW.RIfLcLq7v-cL

This is a bit too on the nose: a Dutch tulip farmer is using the heat generated from cryptocurrency mining to heat their greenhouses. https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/12/14/a-bitcoin-miner-and-tulip-grower-team-up-to-reduce-costs

W.E.B. Du Bois: “We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public schools, and the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books.” https://kottke.org/24/11/web-du-bois-defines-prosperity

From the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Surveillance Self-Defense, “our expert guide to protecting you and your friends from online spying”. A good resource for those living under an authoritarian regime. https://ssd.eff.org/

“All together, the billionaires tapped for the Trump administration are worth at least $344 billion — higher than the GDP of 169 countries.” Plutocracy, pure and simple. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-11-25/how-many-billionaires-are-in-trumps-administration-and-what-is-their-worth

A list of books read by Prairie Dawn on Sesame Street, including The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and The Handmaiden’s Tale (sic) by Margaret Atwood. https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Prairie_Dawn%27s_books

20 pointers on how to survive this authoritarian, post-truth, surveillance age, including “Know what you stand for and what you think is good” and “You have more power than you think”. https://kottke.org/24/11/how-to-survive-our-authoritarian-post-truth-era

Haymarket Books is giving away 10 free ebooks that meet this moment in US history, including titles by Rebecca Solnit, Angela Davis, Mariame Kaba, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/517-ten-free-ebooks-for-getting-free

The Threat of Trumpism Is Real. So Is the Need for Rest. “If we don’t seek out pleasure, comfort, companionship, and laughter, numbness becomes our only protection. And fascism thrives when we are dead inside.” https://newrepublic.com/article/188182/post-election-self-care-works

Actually not an Onion article: The Onion Says It Has Bought Infowars, Alex Jones’s Site, Out of Bankruptcy. They’re going to relaunch the site as “a parody of itself” with Everytown for Gun Safety as an advertiser. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/business/media/alex-jones-infowars-the-onion.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Z04.iKKA.E5lh22ZNIL8q

I’m a journalist and I’m changing the way I read news. This is how. “I’ll read news, not other people’s reactions to news.” https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/im-a-journalist-and-im-changing-the-way-i-read-news-this-is-how/

What Will You Do? “What will you do if men in uniforms arrive in your neighborhood, and an immigrant neighbor gets a knock on the door and is led away in handcuffs? Or if the uniforms are not police uniforms, and there is not even a knock?” https://prospect.org/politics/2024-10-30-what-will-you-do-trump-wins/

Journalism’s fight for survival in a postliterate democracy. “The work of obtaining facts has a major economic disadvantage against the production of bullshit, and it’s only getting worse.” https://mattdpearce.substack.com/p/journalisms-fight-for-survival-in

The Wired Guide to Protecting Yourself From Government Surveillance. The incoming administration has “vowed to deport millions and jail his enemies. To carry out that agenda, his administration will exploit America’s digital surveillance machine.” https://www.wired.com/story/the-wired-guide-to-protecting-yourself-from-government-surveillance/

Delete Your Account. For Real This Time. “There’s no need for any Trump opponents now to be on X for the same reasons that they’re not on Gab, Gettr, Truth Social, or wherever else.” https://slate.com/technology/2024/11/delete-your-x-twitter-account-threads-elon-musk-donald-trump.html

Swifties are leaving toxic Twitter for Bluesky after the election. Lots of energy over on Bluesky right now. And Jesus Christ if you’re still on Twitter, it’s past time to move on and join us on Bluesky. https://www.wired.com/story/taylor-swift-fans-leaving-x-following-trumps-election/

A lovely piece by John Gruber about his dad, the election, loss, and hope. https://daringfireball.net/2024/11/how_it_went

Why the Work Still Matters. In the face of a “larger-than-normal number of people canceling their subscriptions”, 404 Media explains why their “local reporting from the internet” is more important than ever. https://www.404media.co/why-the-work-still-matters-under-trump/

A Scottish children’s hospital has a gamer-in-residence who plays w/ patients. “He said that playing Mario Kart has improved the mobility of a patient’s hand and that it was also a useful tool in distracting the children during medical procedures.” https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cq6lll7r322o

Some profiles of first-time voters who were formerly incarcerated. “I’m carrying all the people that can’t vote in my vote. And that’s an honor.” https://www.npr.org/2024/11/03/nx-s1-5164578/formerly-incarcerated-voters-first-time-criminal-justice-harris-trump-2024-election