Don't Take the Black Pill (Text Adaptation) - Andrew Kelley

kept by eddie aug 04

Software quality relies on engineers' agency; yielding to nihilism ('black pill') undermines technology's potential to serve humanity.

I turned my Mac into a "dumb" computer – Javaman
By configuring Cold Turkey Blocker, Safari, and a restricted iPhone, the author creates a distraction‑free 'dumb' Mac to regain control over addictive online habits.
also on Andrew Kelley, #technology
Four eras of San Francisco tech culture - by Noah Smith
Noah Smith outlines four eras of San Francisco tech culture from 2001 to present: Rebel, Corporate, Interregnum, and AI Era.
also on Cory Doctorow, Electronic Frontier Foundation, #technology, #culture, #ai
Bot Detection Without JavaScript on Cloudflare Workers
Using Cloudflare Workers, the author's header and network rules reclassified 74.5% of browser-User-Agent requests, but a 95-to-14 gap between edge observations and script-based analytics remains, showing readership is still unmeasured.
also on Anubis, #software-engineering
99% of My Website Traffic Is Bots
The author reports that over 99% of requests to their 1.5‑million‑page philanthropy site are from bots, detailing the traffic volumes, bot types, and defensive Cloudflare rules that reduced the load.
also on Anubis
The Enshittification of Everything – Gareth Evans
The essay argues that enshittification—sacrificing quality for efficiency—pervades architecture, cognition, institutions, and daily life, eroding human agency, depth, and meaning.
also on Cory Doctorow, #technology, #culture