Tag: Substack
Journaling in the age of Articlemaxxing
Or How I miss the innocent days of Livejournal.. When did writing online become driven by farming success course-slop? Why does everyone want to help me grow, so long as I sign up to an online program or join a paid membership tier? Why does Substack's notes feed look and read with exactly the same level of engagement farming as Crypto Twitter did during the NFT and meme coin heydays?
A pressing need
It’s a very cool world we’re living in right now, I think you’ll agree. At this point, I’m consuming so much well-sourced, well-reported news about Epstein, Bannon, Mandelson, Peter Thiel, AI, and the general enshittification of our democracies and the planet at large that I actually found myself staring at my phone, wondering, ‘Is this what people feel like when they fall down a QAnon or anti-vaxx wormhole? Am I falling for the same shit, but a different flavour?’
Substack's Subpar Subculture
The newsletter platform is supposed to be the new economic engine for culture. Yet, they let hate speech fester. Why? The answer is obvious. Writing is treated as commodity instead of sacred art. But there is a solution.
The Value Of A Promise
When you hear a company like Substack or Canva make a promise, you may get pretty cynical that they’re going to keep it. Honestly, I get that.
Barely Minimum
Substack favors the quick fix for its moderation crisis over the fundamental change, leaving a lot of longtime users in the lurch.
The Open Letter Still Works
Our final year-end Tedium award honors an open letter that hopefully encourages more creator-economy activism in 2024.
The Whole Stack
Substack got an unexpected wave of momentum last week that threatens to upend the game for people who just want email to be email. What should indie newsletter publishers think of that?
The Central Question
What is the difference between centralization and decentralization, and what should you know? I was asked this question recently; here’s my attempt to answer.
Newsletter, Untethered
There’s no real reason you have to use a platform like Substack to send email. If you want to get into making a newsletter of your own, understand your options.
Big Email Energy
Why your favorite email newsletter (not Tedium) always gets cut off by your favorite webmail client. (It may be all the tracking stuff in the links!)
Final thoughts on Mozilla (for now)
Updating my analysis to reflect the renewal of the Google deal.
No Room for Design
Of the many things that social platforms have taken away from us, perhaps the most disappointing is the freedom to customize our spaces. We need it back.
Fast, cheap, or good elections, pick any two
Some thoughts on the Iowa caucuses vs. the Irish general election.
More on the 5,000 "missing" affordable housing units
A clarification on the claimed shortage of affordable housing in Howard County.
Housing, schools, and public transportation
More thoughts on Howard County school redistricting and housing affordability.
The case of the missing affordable housing
The story behind the claim that Howard County needs 5,000 more affordable units.
How to elevate Maryland
Maryland’s fate is tied to Baltimore’s, and Baltimore’s to creating a safe and secure city for all.
Population density in Ellicott City, Maryland
A look at the numbers at the census block group and census block levels.
Population density in Columbia, Maryland
Zooming in on the Columbia CDP at the census block and block group levels
Moving to opportunity in Howard County
How welcoming should we be to those who wish to move here?
More on Howard County population density
Looking at density variations in a slightly different way.
Howard County: divided by density?
Some areas of Howard County are over a hundred times more densely populated than others.
How burdened are Howard County renters and homeowners?
Housing costs as a percentage of household income across the county.
The war between city and country
Looking to the history of the UK to divine the future of the US.
No Civility and Truth this week
I'm also moving to postings every two weeks.
Home value differences within Howard County
Looking at median home values and their changes across census tracts.
Maryland home values haven't rebounded
In real terms median home values are down 10-25% from 2006-2010 to 2013-2017.
Howard County home values have not recovered
Median home values for Howard County vs. other local juridictions.
What's going on with Baltimore city household income?
A closer look at Maryland median household income by county from 2006-2010 to 2013-2017.
Does urban=rich, rural=poor in Virginia?
Walking through a quick data exploration and how it turned bad.
Welcome to the Civility and Truth newsletter
Commentary on issues relevant to Howard County, Maryland, and the world beyond.