scene report
Being a Luddite Is Fun Again
As tech backlash hits the mainstream, the ‘Summer of Ludd’ proves we don’t need social media to hang out and have a good time.
Privacy
‘The Government Hopes To Set a Precedent’: An Interview With the Man Charged for Allegedly Wiping His GrapheneOS Phone
The U.S. government has charged Samuel Tunick with allegedly typing in a passcode to wipe his phone before officers could search it. “I hope people understand that the charges against me are meant to intimidate people,” he said.
Flock
'I Would Never Do This To You:' Protesting Flock, Arizona Man Presents Plan to Surveil Government Officials
“They didn't understand it was satire in the beginning until the end,” Casa Grande, Arizona resident Jacob Petrosky told 404 Media. “They were not happy, they were very upset.”
AI
Substackers Say New AI Detection Tool Is a ‘Witch Hunt’
“I’m not going to apologize for using AI in the creation process.”
Apple
Apple’s iMessage Scanning Flagged a Video of My Friend's Dog as Nudity
Apple’s Sensitive Content Warning is supposed to protect users from unwanted nude images. It accidentally blurred my friend’s dog video.
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Will Not Voluntarily Recognize Union a Supermajority of Its Workers Want
The Wikimedia Foundation waited until immediately after its largest annual conference to say it wouldn't voluntarily recognize its workers' union.
News
Person Opposing Data Center Arrested for Clapping at City Meeting
Police refused to release the arrest report, saying it could "could interfere with ongoing investigative efforts."
Podcast
This Man Bought Phone Location Data from Around the World (with Mike Yeagley)
Joseph speaks to Mike Yeagley about how he bought the world's location data, and what that means for everyone's privacy and security.
Cybersecurity
Tons of Peoples’ Claude Chats and Creations are Exposed on Google
Claude users are creating public share links, but probably don't realize that means their chats are now ending up in Google searches where anyone can dig through them.
News
Spotify's AI Problem Is So Bad Random People Are Stepping In to Track the Slop
Spotify doesn’t label AI music on its platform, so websites like SoullessMusic.com and SlopTracker.org do it instead.
scene report
Being a Luddite Is Fun Again
As tech backlash hits the mainstream, the ‘Summer of Ludd’ proves we don’t need social media to hang out and have a good time.
The Abstract
Scientists Uncover Lost ‘Golden Age’ of Languages That Ended 1,000 Years Ago
Scientists have predicted that human linguistic diversity flourished between 3,000 and 1,000 years ago, before declining with the rise of multinational states and colonial expansion.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: No Spoilers
This week, we discuss astrology, Flock on the brain, The Odyssey, and more.