Speccy Breakdown zine: read the book's first pages | John-Paul Flintoff flintoff.org/speccy-break...

www.techdirt.com/2026/05/05/s... “You show me a new tool, I want to get my hands on it and see what’s going on.” Stephen Soderbergh on AI in films

flintoff.org/top-fun Easy to get a bit solemn about the subject of my new book. But also: I made a book! That never stops being fun. I wrote the words! I drew the pictures! I did the layout! I did it all, this time.

I went off and posted a lot on Mastodon instead, for a while. It was quite enjoyable in its own way. And now I'm back here again. My goodness, what an exciting life I lead.

Paperback proofs arrived this week. The figure on the cover is, in the original drawing, standing in a yoga sun salute. Caught halfway into the envelope, he rather looks as if he's flung his hands up in alarm. Spectacles alongside, as seems fitting for this book.

If you’re just waking up, here’s a summary. No, the geopolitical situation is not OK.

Comments on #substack show massive #subscriptionfatigue

France announced today it’s phasing out Teams, Zoom, etc. to be replaced with a French/European solution called Visio. The data is hosted on Outscale. Transcripts and subtitles are also handled by French providers. The target is set on 2027 for government agencies.

French alternative tech stack www.frandroid.com/culture-tech...

In happier news, you can listen to this, by Fred Deakin www.mixcloud.com/freddeakin/f...

On Spotify www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/a-complete...

“Get it all on record now — get the films — get the witnesses — because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, after visiting liberated concentration camps in April 1945

“Why should I worry about data, I haven’t done anuthing wrong” - we all said. Here’s why. www.wired.com/story/ice-as...

“The worst thing? Leaking private messages” www.politico.eu/article/dona...

“You can stick it up your jumper.” A generalised, heartfelt representation of – something. flintoff.org/stick-it-up-... Inspired by @genmon.fyi

We’ve collectively reached the point, I think, at which the words “digital” and “new” typically convey “cheap, unpredictable, frustrating slop.” blog.ayjay.org/analog-elites/

"I think of blogs like a green “available” light... I’m here, alive, and ready to chat!" — Matt Webb flintoff.org/blogging-again

bringing more of my work back to my website. That includes reposting stuff I put on LinkedIn and Instagram, and even painstakingly reposting comments, with links to the people who commented. flintoff.org/can-european...

Does it make sense to leave a congenial American platform for a European alternative +just because it’s European*? flintoff.org/can-european...

Fella who avoided Vietnam draft with a "heel spur" accuses Nato troops in Afghanistan - thousands dead and injured - of "staying back ... off the front lines".

With the US president saying Nato/British troops stayed "off the front line" in Afghanistan, Nigel Farage won't want British voters being reminded that he called Donald Trump "the bravest man I have ever met."

Bewildered that this idea hasn't taken off, after latest tariff threats. I guess the terminology ("anti-circumvention") puts people off. It's simple: change laws to remove the threat of prison for fixing your own US-made phones, tractors etc. result = lower prices, less profit for tech bros

“turning yourself into a highly organized adversary can overcome the time-based economics our enemies rely on to keep their garbage systems intact.” pluralistic.net/2026/01/22/o...

Jim Munroe's "Time Management for Anarchists" ("once I learned how to make my own structure, I was able to kick my expensive boss habit and work on my own") pluralistic.net/2026/01/22/o...

Tech comes for authors - latest #amazon #kindle @authorsguild.org @societyofauthors.bsky.social authorsguild.org/news/stateme...

A thread to enjoy

"Thanks Donald, Europe will take it from here." www.ft.com/content/fe36... Important and motivating story by @johnthornhill.bsky.social in @financialtimes.com 🧵1/2

What do we think about brandy butter on toast? #after #xmas #improvising

Better / faster response to tariffs: - repeal anti-circumvention laws to cut the profits of rapacious US tech companies, liberate ourselves from defective tech, and forge a durable, powerful anti-Trump alliance with American firms (who are preyed upon too) pluralistic.net/2026/01/12/d...

“We, consumers who desire complexity and innovation , are giving so much of “our” attention to things we hold in contempt. [ … ] In the 21st century, the worst members of society have become the most successful members of society” www.robinsloan.com/newsletters/...

Donald Trump could be naked, yelling at cars on the freeway, and Republicans would still be all "Democrats have just never witnessed a genius at work".

Worth your time

Farage + Trump pic, sorry. “Europe’s rightwing parties squirm as Trump threatens tariffs” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Mark Zuckerberg personally makes or loses billions of dollars based on how much you socialize with your friends on his platforms. If you get into protracted, intense interactions he gets to show you so many ads and make so much money. pluralistic.net/2026/01/19/b...

“Everything (in tech, politics, sports, you name it) is is either the best thing ever or the worst thing ever, usually the worst: do-what-I-say-or-we’re-all-gonna-DIE. It’s the huckster’s standard rhetorical mode, and it has been the register of all social-media…” blog.ayjay.org/normalizing/

“I've watched this happen to people I know. Intelligent, curious, open-minded people who got deeply involved in online discourse…” #joanwestenberg www.joanwestenberg.com/the-discours...

“The problem is structural. The total volume of things-you-should-have-an-opinion-about has exceeded our cognitive bandwidth” www.joanwestenberg.com/the-discours...

Feeling the urge to diversify your tech stack and reduce reliance on US-based platforms? Whether it's data privacy concerns, a desire for regional support, or simply spreading risk, Europe offers a wealth of robust, innovative, and GDPR-native alternatives. 🧵/1

Honestly, I don’t understand why this idea isn’t getting more traction. Best way to hit back at #tariffs. @financialtimes.com @economist.com #anticircumvention #enshittification

A little fix that would make social web a lot more useful and less hate-filled and abusive… Make replies visible only to the person being replied to. If they feel the reply should be public, they can RT it. scripting.com/2026/01/09.h... scripting.com/2026/01/09.h... @scripting.com

“it's a crime in virtually every country to modify America's defective, enshittified, privacy-invading, money-stealing technology exports. Why? The US trade representative has spent 25 years using the threat of tariffs to bully trading partners…” pluralistic.net/2026/01/17/e...

you know this guy is a FOR REAL photographer because he's telling the story of his brutal, unconditional arrest by federal goons and can't help but slip in a gear review

TODAY: Massive protests erupt in Greenland and Denmark as people take to the streets to show their unity against the United States threat

Are we honestly doing the World Cup over there? For real?

US green energy growth is proving hard to kill. One factor driving renewables is speed. A photovoltaic solar farm can be built and activated in under a year — a fraction of the several years typically needed to build a natural gas plant. @financialtimes.com

“By default, no Outlook reader will show up in your open rates, and every Gmail and Apple Mail subscriber will look like they faithfully open every single email you send.” 1/2 Via @buttondown.com buttondown.com/blog/target-...

Truth whole truth and nothing but the truth openai.com/index/the-tr...

Last year China installed more than half of all wind and solar added globally. In May alone, it added enough renewable energy to power Poland kottke.org/26/01/photos...

Let me unpack that. By "managing other people's to-do lists," I don't mean that I'm deciding for other people what they will and won't do. I'm making sure that if someone fails to do something we planned together, it's because they decided not to do it, not forgot pluralistic.net/2024/10/26/o...

“Daily habits are superpowers. Once something is a habit, you get it for free.“ pluralistic.net/2024/10/26/o...