2015 eh? Here are the stories, non-stories and unclassifiable other things – around 10 from each month – that I enjoyed most last year. Because if this newsletter has its finger anywhere, it's on the pulse.
To prove that, here's some true crime. If you're missing Serial, this Italian cold but now hot case is equally fascinating and twisty and convoluted. It is unclear whether Sarah Koenig is aware of its existence.
This week I discovered that the Indians love a bit of Hitler. Specifically, his lengthy hate screed Mein Kampf is something of a bestseller there. This BBC podcast explores the tricky question of what should be done with Mein Kampf when its seventy year copyright expires shortly. It also means I now have 'BBC Radio 4 Mein Kampf' in my search history.
Portability isn’t a special requirement for a laptop. It’s not a premium feature. It’s the essential promise of the device’s whole concept. And until recently, they came with compromises that were technological, eating away at the ideology of the category. But that problem has pretty much gone away.
Will your next laptop be the last one you ever need?
It’s worth noting that what commenters say online isn't necessarily what they would say in a meeting at the office. Because of the online disinhibition effect, people feel more free to let loose their brain bile when they don’t have to do it in person.
Breaking news: Misogynists still running amok in comments sections everywhere in 2015. Don't read the comments in 2015.
- 'Why Women Don't Leave Comments Online'
- 'The Psychology Of Online Comments'
- Lewis' Law
- 'Meet Le Reddit Armie, the trolls who have taken over YouTube'
- Daily Mail Comments on Twitter
Eye Candy
Worth Pondering
Actually Useful
If you use Twitter a bit and at least occasionally click on links that people share then you should give Nuzzel a try. It collects and ranks all the links that people you follow share on Twitter. If that's not good enough for you, other features include –
- See stories shared by your friends' friends. A bit like stalking strangers!
- One-click retweeting to make others think you are erudite and have read all the things!
- Connect to Pocket to save the stories to your procrastination list!
Totally Confused
Hackers like movie that portrays hackers sympathetically, ISIS TV, #sexualorientation, and abstract art bots.
Finally, Linus Torvalds still comes across as a bit of an ass after all these years of coming across as a bit of an ass.
Yours etc., @loughlin
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