McFilter: September 2019 Archives

September 30, 2019

The Peking battles Cape Horn, by Irving Johnson. Amazing footage from 1929 of the square-rigged sailing barque Peking, including the crazy seas swamping the deck as they round the Horn. Great companion to reading The Last Grain Race to get an idea of what life was like for sailors, not that long ago.
Crash Course How Boeing's managerial revolution created the 737 MAX disaster. How finanace and all-business-can-be-managed-in-the-same-way ruins companies and kills people, aero industry edition. (via Laura's always interesting Fortnightnotes)

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Facing the Great Reckoning Head-On. I don't have much to add to any of the MIT/Epstein and Stallman-being-a-dick discussions, but I have been reflecting upon it and feeling a bit better about the challenges we face at DoES Liverpool and how they don't include "should we take funding from paedophiles?". It's interesting to see the four types of funding laid out in Lessig's defence of Joi Ito/MIT and notice that it misses out two important types: funding by the state (in theory much better than the four, but in practice is gamed and rendered ineffective) and by the community. Those two should be making up the bulk of funding, IMO. In my more optimistic moods, I hope the rise in such terrible reports is actually a sign that progress is being made, but there is a long way yet to go.
Eyeo 2019 - Catherine D’Ignazio - Feminist Data. Feminist Futures. Great talk about the inclusive hackdays that Catherine D'Ignazio set up to make her workplace (MIT, as it happens) better.
Observations on Technology Use in Hong Kong Protests. Interesting look at some of the organising tactics and tools being used by the protestors in Hong Kong.
The boring technology behind a one-person Internet company. Good reminder of what you can achieve with boring, well-understood tech these days.

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The Case for Climate Rage. This is excellent. when women like my colleagues point the finger, it is not at one company or even one industry. The oil, coal, and automotive industries all play a role, the utilities, too, the PR flacks and lobbyists who carry out their vision, the politicians who cave. It’s a lot of people, but it’s not all people, it’s not “humanity.”
WeWTF. The only innovation WeWork has managed is the one persuading investors that it's a tech company rather than a property company.

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