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@kottke.org
home of fine hypertext products since 1998. https://kottke.org
“The Metric Is Not the Mission is a ten-part examination of how Big Tech moved from building and expanding the open internet to increasingly shaping it around its own metrics, incentives and assumptions.” [techdirt.com]
The Metric Is Not The Mission: History Rarely Announces Itself
The Metric Is Not the Mission is a ten-part examination of how Big Tech moved from building and expanding the open internet to increasingly shaping it around its own metrics, incentives and as…
www.techdirt.com
September 25, 2026 at 3:54 PM
“The Metric Is Not the Mission is a ten-part examination of how Big Tech moved from building and expanding the open internet to increasingly shaping it around its own metrics, incentives and assumptions.” [techdirt.com]
“The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has introduced a new black card to help prevent abusive behaviour from parents at youth-team matches.” If, after two warnings, the black card is shown, the match is permanently cancelled. [nytimes.com]
Romania soccer introduces black card to ‘combat abusive behaviour’ from parents at youth games
The card can be used to permanently cancel the match if they “observe inappropriate behaviour from spectators or parents".
www.nytimes.com
September 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM
“The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has introduced a new black card to help prevent abusive behaviour from parents at youth-team matches.” If, after two warnings, the black card is shown, the match is permanently cancelled. [nytimes.com]
Lego’s biggest set ever is coming out soon: the 12,060-piece Sagrada Família. $800. It will take as long to build as the actual cathedral — you may not live to see it finished. [lego.com]
Sagrada Família 21065 | Architecture
Recreate an iconic Spanish landmark as you build the impressively massive Sagrada Família cathedral replica model, the largest LEGO® building set to date! As you build, follow in order the real-life progression of its construction, marking the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s passing.
www.lego.com
September 25, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Lego’s biggest set ever is coming out soon: the 12,060-piece Sagrada Família. $800. It will take as long to build as the actual cathedral — you may not live to see it finished. [lego.com]
What If We Just Stopped? “We’re in the Looney Tunes stage of the end of social, where we’ve glided well past the edge of the cliff and it’s slowing dawning on us that the only way left is down. Fast.” [dansinker.com]
What If We Just Stopped? | dansinker.com
It wasn't so much a choice at first. I spent much of the summer on the road, which meant that getting online was nearly always a struggle, and so when I didn't have to, I stayed off. And when I did get on—I was working my remote job doing book research—doing work was the focus. I didn't fall prey to
dansinker.com
September 25, 2026 at 12:12 AM
What If We Just Stopped? “We’re in the Looney Tunes stage of the end of social, where we’ve glided well past the edge of the cliff and it’s slowing dawning on us that the only way left is down. Fast.” [dansinker.com]
Using a handheld scanner, designer/illustrator Noah Nolet captures textures from surfaces in cities around the world, including Tokyo, LA, Paris, Kyoto, NYC, and Berlin. [kottke.org]
Scans of City Textures
Using a handheld scanner, designer/illustrator Noah Nolet captures textures from surfaces in cities around the world, including Tokyo, LA, Paris, Kyoto, NYC, and Berlin. On his website, he offers city packs of hundreds o
kottke.org
September 24, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Using a handheld scanner, designer/illustrator Noah Nolet captures textures from surfaces in cities around the world, including Tokyo, LA, Paris, Kyoto, NYC, and Berlin. [kottke.org]
Homer’s Catalogue of Ships from the Iliad. Where the Greek ships that set out for Troy were from and what they may have looked like. “No Homeric ship survives. What we have are pictures: a handful of painted sherds of the twelfth century BC…” [homer-catalogue-of-ships.netlify.app]
The Catalogue of Ships
Twenty-nine contingents, 1,186 ships, one map, and a Homeric galley you can walk around.
homer-catalogue-of-ships.netlify.app
September 24, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Homer’s Catalogue of Ships from the Iliad. Where the Greek ships that set out for Troy were from and what they may have looked like. “No Homeric ship survives. What we have are pictures: a handful of painted sherds of the twelfth century BC…” [homer-catalogue-of-ships.netlify.app]
Practical Engineering: Are beavers actually good at building dams? (A: Yes, duh.) [youtube.com]
Are Beavers Actually Good at Dams?
I’ve spent a lot of time considering the differences between the professional practices that have culminated from centuries of human progress and the innate behaviors of these cute but unusual creatures. There are some surprising similarities.
www.youtube.com
September 24, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Practical Engineering: Are beavers actually good at building dams? (A: Yes, duh.) [youtube.com]
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Brad Pitt returns as Booth, the character he played in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but 8 years later. Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, directed by David Fincher. [youtube.com]
THE FURTHER MIS-ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH | Official Trailer | Netflix
Brad Pitt returns as Cliff Booth, only this time it’s 1977 and it’s a very different Hollywood.
Directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, THE FURTHER MIS-ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH comes to IMAX November 25.
www.youtube.com
September 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. Brad Pitt returns as Booth, the character he played in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but 8 years later. Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, directed by David Fincher. [youtube.com]
Trace is a daily puzzle game where you build a “recipe” of up to 4 steps to turn a starting set of numbers into another set of numbers. [playtrace.co.uk]
Trace — A Daily Recipe
A daily puzzle. Figure out the recipe of operations that turns one list into another.
playtrace.co.uk
September 24, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Trace is a daily puzzle game where you build a “recipe” of up to 4 steps to turn a starting set of numbers into another set of numbers. [playtrace.co.uk]
The lessons four Islamic polymaths — al-Biruni, Alhazen, Avicenna and al-Khwarizmi — hold for students today: “breadth over specialisation, and never let constraints get in the way”. [aeon.co]
Four Islamic polymaths prove breadth beats specialisation | Aeon Essays
The fathers of Islamic science hold lessons for students: breadth over specialisation, and never let constraints get in the way
aeon.co
September 24, 2026 at 5:30 PM
The lessons four Islamic polymaths — al-Biruni, Alhazen, Avicenna and al-Khwarizmi — hold for students today: “breadth over specialisation, and never let constraints get in the way”. [aeon.co]
50 Songs That Explain America. “The songs were chosen on the basis that they told me something, sonically or lyrically or emotionally or vibrationally, about America and the idea of America.” [theatlantic.com]
50 Songs That Explain America
From Sinatra to SZA, Appalachian folk to Detroit funk, a journey through the music that showed one British critic this country’s soul
www.theatlantic.com
September 24, 2026 at 4:40 PM
50 Songs That Explain America. “The songs were chosen on the basis that they told me something, sonically or lyrically or emotionally or vibrationally, about America and the idea of America.” [theatlantic.com]
Kids who are too young for social media are chatting in the comments section of NPR’s podcasts on Spotify. Kid says: “I think we just like looked for podcasts that didn’t have many comments." Nature finds a way. [kottke.org]
The 🔥🔥🔥 New Social App: NPR Podcasts Comments Section on Spotify
{Ira Glass voice} On this week’s episode of This American Life, the story of middle schoolers too young for social media chatting in the comments section of NPR’s podcasts on Spotify. From the transcript:
And it was j
kottke.org
September 24, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Kids who are too young for social media are chatting in the comments section of NPR’s podcasts on Spotify. Kid says: “I think we just like looked for podcasts that didn’t have many comments." Nature finds a way. [kottke.org]
How to rescue an orphaned baby elephant. “The baby elephant needs a mother to run to. And the fact is that the mother is a 30-year-old Nigerian man right now.” (via @aaroncoleman.bsky.social) [nationalgeographic.com]
How This Orphaned Elephant Defied the Odds
Earlier that morning, a worker at the Okomu Oil Palm Plantation, which borders the park, had spotted the baby wandering alone—a highly unusual sight.
www.nationalgeographic.com
September 24, 2026 at 2:56 PM
How to rescue an orphaned baby elephant. “The baby elephant needs a mother to run to. And the fact is that the mother is a 30-year-old Nigerian man right now.” (via @aaroncoleman.bsky.social) [nationalgeographic.com]
I visited Jimbōchō today, a neighborhood that’s home to more than 100 used bookstores. Here are four of my favorite shops, including two that specialize in books on art, design, photography, fashion, and architecture. [kottke.org]
Jimbōchō Book Town
I visited Jimbōchō today, a neighborhood that’s home to more than 100 used bookstores. Many sell only Japanese books, but some of them have books in English or sell magazines, posters, or visual books that are interestin
kottke.org
September 24, 2026 at 1:38 PM
I visited Jimbōchō today, a neighborhood that’s home to more than 100 used bookstores. Here are four of my favorite shops, including two that specialize in books on art, design, photography, fashion, and architecture. [kottke.org]
Robert Eggers is doing Romeo & Juliet. “When it comes to dialogue, sources say that this adaptation will feature actors speaking in Elizabethan English (aka early modern English), with lines straight from the play.” [hollywoodreporter.com]
Robert Eggers Tackling ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Adaptation as Focus Wins Bidding War (Exclusive)
Where art thou? Here art thou: The feature project will be the filmmaker's next after his upcoming 'Werwulf.'
www.hollywoodreporter.com
September 24, 2026 at 11:14 AM
Robert Eggers is doing Romeo & Juliet. “When it comes to dialogue, sources say that this adaptation will feature actors speaking in Elizabethan English (aka early modern English), with lines straight from the play.” [hollywoodreporter.com]
Reposted by kottke.org
There’s a case to be made (I would make it) that Chuck Jones is the greatest short form artist in history — better than Bill Watterson, Jack Kirby, Flannery O’Connor, you name it
Engaging read on how the Bugs Bunny cartoon What’s Opera, Doc? was made. “To get the extra work done, Jones and his crew secretly shaved a couple weeks off other, easier films and faked their time cards. It was something they did on occasion.” [animationobsessive.substack.com]
Why ‘What’s Opera, Doc?’ Looks Like That
It’s one of the really famous cartoons. If you’re reading this newsletter, you’ve probably watched it yourself. After almost 70 years, What’s Opera, Doc? endures.
animationobsessive.substack.com
September 23, 2026 at 1:58 PM
There’s a case to be made (I would make it) that Chuck Jones is the greatest short form artist in history — better than Bill Watterson, Jack Kirby, Flannery O’Connor, you name it
Play Solitaire Alone Together. “It’s Windows 98 solitaire, but you can play with everyone else on the internet.” A little more social than solitaire, but not by much. [solitairealonetogether.com]
Solitaire Alone Together
Play solitaire with the rest of the internet.
solitairealonetogether.com
September 23, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Play Solitaire Alone Together. “It’s Windows 98 solitaire, but you can play with everyone else on the internet.” A little more social than solitaire, but not by much. [solitairealonetogether.com]
The Museum of Time-Based Art. “My idea for this site is to build an exhaustive, authoritative compendium of every art project that uses time as part of the work.” [motba.art]
The Museum of Time Based Art
Celebrating artists who commit to long-duration and daily creative practices.
motba.art
September 23, 2026 at 10:36 PM
The Museum of Time-Based Art. “My idea for this site is to build an exhaustive, authoritative compendium of every art project that uses time as part of the work.” [motba.art]
I can’t remember where I heard about this, but judging by the trailer, Hope by Korean director Na Hong-jin looks pretty good. [youtube.com]
HOPE Trailer
The film centers on a village police chief and his rookie deputy who must defend his local community from a mysterious creature after wildfires sever all communications, while a local hunting party finds itself being hunted deep in the mountains.
www.youtube.com
September 23, 2026 at 9:12 PM
I can’t remember where I heard about this, but judging by the trailer, Hope by Korean director Na Hong-jin looks pretty good. [youtube.com]
When’s the last time you cried? And what would you do if you couldn’t? “I’d started to suspect that something was wrong with me when a friend I’d known since childhood died and I didn’t shed a tear.” [kottke.org]
When’s the Last Time You Cried?
For New York magazine, Emily Gould writes about her quest to cry again: I Miss My Tears (archive).
I looked over at my husband, Keith, whose eyes were red, and felt … nothing. Not a clench in my chest, not a pang, not
kottke.org
September 23, 2026 at 7:48 PM
When’s the last time you cried? And what would you do if you couldn’t? “I’d started to suspect that something was wrong with me when a friend I’d known since childhood died and I didn’t shed a tear.” [kottke.org]
Chimpanzees use tools to collect food and deliberately teach other chimps (often their offspring) to use them for ant dipping, algae fishing, and termite fishing. [arstechnica.com]
How chimps teach their kids tool tricks
Adults first demonstrate tool use, then hand over the implements to their infants, who copy the behavior.
arstechnica.com
September 23, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Chimpanzees use tools to collect food and deliberately teach other chimps (often their offspring) to use them for ant dipping, algae fishing, and termite fishing. [arstechnica.com]
Can You Draw a Perfect Circle? With an Apple Pencil, I was able to achieve 97.7% perfection. How about you? [kottke.org]
Can You Draw a Perfect Circle?
This maddening little web toy on vole.wtf challenges visitors to draw a perfect circle and judges them on how well they do. After dozens of tries with a mouse, I could only manage 92.9% perfection (which looks more like
kottke.org
September 23, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Can You Draw a Perfect Circle? With an Apple Pencil, I was able to achieve 97.7% perfection. How about you? [kottke.org]
Some advice on giving good advice. “Not every situation warrants advice. Sometimes, the person just wants to gauge a reaction or to share.” [theguardian.com]
Talk less, listen more and six other top tips on giving good advice
Are you someone who thinks they have all the answers? Is your experience relevant here? Experts on the questions to ask yourself before giving advice
www.theguardian.com
September 23, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Some advice on giving good advice. “Not every situation warrants advice. Sometimes, the person just wants to gauge a reaction or to share.” [theguardian.com]
Striking black & white photos of Devils Tower in eastern Wyoming. If you ever get the chance to see Devils Tower in person, I recommend it. [kottke.org]
The Earth in the Sky
I love these black & white photos of Devils Tower by Zac Henderson.
A butte of a rare kind of volcanic rock that formed a mile underground 50 million years ago, Devil’s Tower is visible now thanks to erosion of
kottke.org
September 23, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Striking black & white photos of Devils Tower in eastern Wyoming. If you ever get the chance to see Devils Tower in person, I recommend it. [kottke.org]
TIL they can do wing replacements on injured butterflies…just take a look at this repair video. [youtube.com]
Wildlife leader explains viral butterfly wing transplant
An injured monarch butterfly was given a second chance at life after undergoing a delicate wing transplant at a Long Island wildlife rehabilitation center. Video by Sweetbriar Nature Center: www.sweetbriarnc.org. Details: https://ktla.com/local-news/monarch-butterfly-flies-again-after-viral-wing-tra
www.youtube.com
September 23, 2026 at 2:36 PM
TIL they can do wing replacements on injured butterflies…just take a look at this repair video. [youtube.com]