The excellent The social network (2010), which dramatized the founding of Facebook, is getting a “companion piece” this October: The social reckoning. This time, it will depict the events surrounding the release of the “Facebook Papers” — internal documents leaked to the press in 2021 by Frances Haugen, a former Meta (then still Facebook) engineer. […]
Benny Powers. Benny’s site/portfolio is a desktop straight out of the beloved Gnome 2. Paint.NET at paint.net. After 22 years, the developer of Windows image editor Paint.NET finally secured the matching domain — thanks to the greed of its previous owners. Rejected Emoji Proposals. Emoji is serious business. For a new one to appear on […]
At the risk of being among the first victims of artificial intelligence in a potential machine uprising, I keep my interactions with today’s generative AIs (or AI chatbots) strictly transactional. I open the site, ask or request what I need, get the answer, close the site. No names, no pleases, no thank-yous, no small talk. […]
How diamonds are made? An interesting story on a beautifully designed website. Tip: hold your finger or cursor over the 3D diamond to move it around. It’s time to talk about my writerdeck. Veronica took an old laptop and transformed it into a disconnected digital typewriter. (If you prefer, there’s a video version too.) Is […]
Wipr 2, the Safari ad blocker created by Kaylee Serena (and the one I use), got a new feature that extends its functionality system-wide: Filtr. Developed over the past ten months, it makes use of a new technology introduced in version 26 of Apple’s operating systems, the URL Filter. According to Kaylee, it allows you to […]
During the Brazilian Internet Forum (FIB16), in Belém, Pará, I carried a backpack to the convention center with basic items to spend the day there, do the work I was hired to do, and when I had some free time (which was rare), take a look at this Manual do Usuário. The descriptions follow the order […]
I had the opportunity to participate in yet another edition of the Internet Forum in Brazil (FIB16), this time in the Amazon forest region, in Belém, Pará. The event, organized by NIC.br, brings together people from different sectors to debate hot and/or important topics related to the internet in the country. My FIB16, however, was a […]
I had the opportunity to test Indigo before its launch — on the 12th — a social media app that unifies the timelines of Bluesky and Mastodon. The duo of developers, Aaron Vegh and Ben McCarthy, have experience in the field. They’re also behind Croissant, an older app that lets you post simultaneously to Bluesky, […]
Google announced Android 17 and a new line of laptops in a pre-recorded video shown “live” (?) on Tuesday (12th). The Android 17’s highlight is artificial intelligence agents, which has elevated Gemini to “Gemini Intelligence.” The idea of agents performing actions in the background seems appealing to companies. I’m not sure I’d use it. First, because it […]
Since May 8th, Instagram stopped offering the option of direct messages (DMs) with end-to-end encryption (e2ee). The announcement was made quietly on a page in Meta’s help documentation, which reflects the importance of this feature within Instagram — close to zero. In reporting the news, however, the media did a poor job, stretching the truth […]
Since May 8th, Instagram stopped offering the option of direct messages (DMs) with end-to-end encryption (e2ee). The announcement was made quietly on a page in Meta’s help documentation, which reflects the importance of this feature within Instagram — close to zero. In reporting the news, however, the media did a poor job, stretching the truth […]
A few months ago, during a therapy session, I mentioned the possibility that I might be addicted to screens. The psychologist asked what I do when I’m not looking at them. I could only come up with a few things — all simple, some pathetic, like “washing dishes.” She said it’s common for addicts, upon […]
A few months ago, during a therapy session, I mentioned the possibility that I might be addicted to screens. The psychologist asked what I do when I’m not looking at them. I could only come up with a few things — all simple, some pathetic, like “washing dishes.” She said it’s common for addicts, upon […]
Meta: New AI measures to identify teens. Meta will use AI to scan photos and videos and detect people’s height and bone structure in order to place teenagers in age-appropriate experiences. Meta says this isn’t facial recognition, as if analyzing bone structure were somehow better. The technology is coming to Brazil and EU, starting with […]
Meta: New AI measures to identify teens. Meta will use AI to scan photos and videos and detect people’s height and bone structure in order to place teenagers in age-appropriate experiences. Meta says this isn’t facial recognition, as if analyzing bone structure were somehow better. The technology is coming to Brazil and EU, starting with […]
Xbox Mode begins rolling out to players on Windows 11 PCs today. This feature opens the Windows 11 gaming hub (renamed Xbox Mode): a full-screen interface to browse using joysticks. Robot dogs with tech boss faces roam Berlin art exhibit. That’s awesome. Bird Radio. A radio station featuring bird songs. Each “station” represents a part of […]
Xbox Mode begins rolling out to players on Windows 11 PCs today. This feature opens the Windows 11 gaming hub (renamed Xbox Mode): a full-screen interface to browse using joysticks. Robot dogs with tech boss faces roam Berlin art exhibit. That’s awesome. Bird Radio. A radio station featuring bird songs. Each “station” represents a part of […]
I consider myself a decisive person, though I do have my weaknesses. Major purchases, like electronic devices, are always a soap opera. The Apple Watch one lasted a few years. At the end of 2025, a special episode aired with a major plot twist, typical of the best soap operas. Without giving it much thought, […]
Linux on PlayStation 5. The ps5-linux project enables the installation of a Linux distribution on the original PlayStation 5 (the physically larger model). The installation isn’t easy. On the other hand, since it isn’t persistent (you need to run the exploit on every reboot), there’s no risk of “bricking” the console. OpenClaw suffers from waves […]
#VazaBigTech (pt_BR). Ctrl+Z, a new Brazilian organization dedicated to taking on big tech, in partnership with GlobaLeaks, has just launched this platform to facilitate secure leaks from major tech companies. App Store: Monthly subscription with annual billing. Apple has announced a new subscription option on the App Store, with monthly payments over a 12-month period. It […]
China blocks Meta’s $2B Manus deal after months-long probe, TechCrunch. I don’t know what are the geopolitical implications of this news, but it’s funny to see Meta in such a mess. New Google app icons, 9to5Google. The leaked icons have a Microsoft vibe, but at least they use distinct colors, putting an end to the sameness of […]
Spotify turns 20. To celebrate the anniversary, they’ve launched a special website, and over the next 20 days Spotify will be sharing statistics from its history. (Today’s are top 20 lists.) Giving away my age: I remember using Spotify when the interface was gray and needing a VPN because it wasn’t available in Brazil. Deezer: AI-generated […]
Anthropic is thinking about removing Claude Code from its cheapest plan, The New Stack. This may be the first indication of the “Uber moment” of AI: when companies cease the subsidy and start to want profit. The “cheapest plan” costs US$ 20 (~R$ 100) per month. This company will start monitoring employee keystrokes and mouse movement to train […]
The Fediverse, particularly Mastodon, still suffers from the reputation of being “complicated.” Its key distinguishing feature — federated instances — is also its Achilles’ heel. A few years ago, I started recommending [pt_BR] joining the Fediverse/Mastodon via the developers’ instance, mastodon.social, and focusing on the personal timeline. It’s simpler to explain and — I hope […]
YouTube now lets you disable Shorts videos in your feed. It’s not exactly disabling them, though that’s what happens in practice. The solution involves setting the display time for Shorts to “0 minutes.” It works, though. Gemini app for macOS. While Apple is still struggling to launch the new Siri, its rivals are rolling out […]
Felipe Siles is an art educator, a doctoral candidate in musicology, and a free software enthusiast. His phone has a black background and a minimalist launcher, so it doesn’t become a distraction. He uses his phone mainly to listen to music and navigate the city, and he dreams of having “pockets” of time without an internet connection in his daily life.
FreeBSD wants to know which laptops it works on. As part of an initiative to expand support for consumer hardware in FreeBSD, the foundation behind the project is asking the community to run an analysis tool and share the results with it. Google: New spam policy for “back button hijacking”. Starting in June, Google will […]
Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly building an AI clone to replace him in meetings, The Verge. This is a good use case for generative AI, though it’s not particularly impressive — it must be easy to swap one robot for another. Mastodon: Designing Collections. “Collections” is the term Mastodon has adopted for Bluesky’s “Starter Kits,” i.e., a […]
Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry, BBC News. Kindle models released before 2012 will no longer be able to connect to Amazon. This means it won’t be possible—through official channels—to add new books to the device. Several sources are saying you can still transfer books via USB cable, but remember that Amazon […]
LinkedIn hidden code secretly searches your browser for installed extensions, Cyber Security News. The amount of information that can be extracted from installed extensions is quite high. The snooping only works on Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi). Firefox and Safari users are still being spied on, but not through this channel. A secure chat app’s […]