Reading about the social features The Verge are building into their site and I can’t help but be reminded how of how Google really screwed up with Blogger (one of many in a long list of screwups). I read somewhere they still have millions of active blogs but you wouldn’t know it through their search I guess.

The Verge, really doubling down on blogging as the social network, here’s a nice thread on Bluesky by Nilay Patel:

Verge quickposts are a bit "fake" today -- they're just Wordpress entries designed to look more or less like tweets. Since the beginning, I've wanted to make them "real" -- to turn our feed into a true social feed, with all of the social features (and interop with Bluesky and Mastodon!) that brings

— nilay patel ([@reckless.bsky.social](http://reckless.bsky.social)) August 6, 2025 at 11:25 AM

Colton Voege writes No, AI is not Making Engineers 10x as Productive.

I would extend this conclusion to any profession or craft:

There is no secret herbal medicine that prevents all disease sitting out in the open if you just follow the right Facebook groups. There is no AI coding revolution available if you just start vibing. You are not missing anything. Trust yourself. You are enough.

Oh, and don’t scroll LinkedIn. Or Twitter. Ever.

Also, the math doesn’t compute:

I think sometimes people lose the scale of just how big a 10x improvement is. 10x is the difference between your mini-van and a record setting supersonic land jet. Imagine trying to drive your 10 minute commute down your city streets in a car that goes 600mph. Will you get to the other side of town in one tenth the time? No, because even a single 60 second stoplight will eat up your entire time budget. F1 cars slow down to mini-van speeds in basic turns. It turns out that most of any activity is not spent going at top speed.

(via Tao of Mac)

Green bean fort. Courtesy of my wife and son 📷

🎵 I recorded a snippet of my one of my attempts to learn Fresh Tendril by Soundgarden and just when I think I’ve nailed the count on it, the beat inverts by an offbeat eighth note.

Pretty amazing: The first 100% effective HIV prevention drug is approved and going global

An epidemic that’s been sustained for 44 years might finally be quelled, with the milestone approval of the first HIV drug that offers 100% protection with its twice-yearly injections. It’s a landmark achievement that stands to save millions of lives across the globe.

And it is royalty free:

The makers are also providing affordable access to the drug in the US and beyond, signing royalty-free licensing agreements with six generic manufacturers to produce and supply it.

Unboxing

Today I learned that eggplant is, botanically speaking, a berry.

I have now hit that milestone where I’ve had to increase the system wide font size on my phone.

I thought that working on my CV was going to be stressful but I’m finding myself in a place of deep thought over what my deal actually is, somewhat refreshing tbh. I am mainly focusing on conveying clarity, not trying to play some business jargon LinkedIn game. No, not running it through ChatGPT.

A History of Mac Settings via @taoofmac.com @rcarmo@mastodon.social

Thinking of Ozzy and playing Sinatra’s “My Way” in my head. I watched a bunch of videos on his last performance in Birmingham, what a life.

Because of Ozzy I’ve gotten to experience great drummers: Bill Ward, Randy Castillo, Tommy Aldridge, and my all time favorite: Mike Bordin.

Listening to “In My Life” from 2005’s Under Cover album.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert should bring their stuff to PBS (and maybe even run for office).

Speaking of, starting at $5 per month (or $60 per year) gets you access to everything PBS through their PBS Passport donation/subscription service.

I’ve had the CD since I was 18 or something. Pure bossa, as if the musicians were in your living room. You can hear the clinking of the ice in the whiskey glass, the lighting of the cigarettes. Super excited for this vinyl copy I just ordered.

Check out their version of Nature Boy

I feel compelled to divert my subscription money away from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others to public broadcasting outlets in light of the funding cut shenanigans passing through Congress right now.

Tip o' the hat to the companies that list which states are ineligible for remote work in their job posting.

Wag o' the finger to those that don’t.

For when coffee inevitably becomes more expensive.

The Forgotten Drink That Caffeinated North America for Centuries

Cynicism aside, I’m always pleasantly surprised at American native plants and fruits and such that are often not in our collective food supply chain. Every summer we spend a lot of time outside picking mulberries as a little snack.

Pawpaws are on my list to try next.

Well stated, sir.

Dare Obasanjo (@carnage4life@mas.to)

Using your incredible power to bully others is boring and expected. On the other hand, kindness is gangster.

Jesus. This is tight.

I guess I’m continuing my “we are not a serious people” series.

Hour 5 of slow cooking some baby back ribs at 225. The mosquitoes are coming after me. Turning up the heat and basting soon.

Man, Matt Cameron left Pearl Jam. I wonder what his next gig will be. I really enjoyed his 3rd Secret stint. He and Kim Thayil go so well together.

Momma bird feeding her babies amongst a group of people on a covered deck. True punk.

The boy crawled into our bed around 3 am. I’m certain he folds his body in half while he sleeps in order to maintain his head on the pillow and his feet on my face. Anyways, I’m awake.

Scrolling through LinkedIn is kind of silly.