Bryan Braun:

Much of our technology has small hidden costs. A new app on your phone...a recommended cleaning every six months, recurring manual software updates, monthly emails in your inbox...parts that need replaced, a small monthly fee, a new username and password, batteries to recharge, parts to recycle, etc, etc.

This is so true.

Here’s what businesses used to ask from me in exchange for their goods:

• Money

Now this is what they ask for:

• Download our app
• Setup (yet another) username/password
• Get on our mailing list (emails & texts)
• Join our loyalty program

After all that, I get my thing.

I’m tired of technology that trades one set of problems for another. I want that technology you don’t have to think about.

Tolerance, skills, knowledge, and health are always with you, wherever you go. They are assets but they take up no space.

A computer is a general-purpose device that happens to run games. It’s that general-purpose-ness that expands what’s possible, and that’s something I value a lot.

Lot of good stuff in here about consoles vs. computers for gaming that can be generalized to interfacing with computers.

Also loves this comparison: consoles are akin to walled gardens, computers are like the web.

Similar to smartphones, gaming consoles are polished, user-friendly, walled gardens that guide you down a pre-destined path. Gaming on computers are more like “the web.” Open. Expansive. Chaotic.

Every book I read has a hundred summaries on the internet, each more detailed and comprehensive than mine, but I still take book notes because I want to remember what impacted me. Even if an AI knew what those things were, delegating that work would defeat the purpose.

Precisely!

As you can see, the sharing options depend on what the user has installed on their device. This is great because as the developer, you don’t have to care about what social networks they use—the list of options is always relevant. And if they don’t use social networks, no big deal—there are still options for things like texting, email, and copy to clipboard.

No ugly buttons. No tracking. No free advertising for social media giants. Are there any downsides to using the Web Share API?

Good example of not trying to assume everything yourself. Defer to your users’ preferences!

(Reminds me of Jeremy’s work around a native button[type=share]).

When I think back, my favorite pair-programming sessions were the one where things went wrong. These were the moments that taught me what being a programmer is all about. What do you do when you don’t know what to do? How do you break down a new problem? What tools do you reach for? When do you abandon your current approach? These are things you can’t learn from a blog post.

“What do you do when you don’t know what to do?” I really like that.

I loved this little thought on the power of an <a> link. People are literally employed to write emails asking domain owners for an <a> link to their site in exchange for $$$.

A link, on the open internet, is a vote. It’s your way of saying, “this is great, and more people should know about it.” We talk about how much power the search engines have, but if you think about it, the search engines listen to us. They see what we link to, what we click, and how long we stay. At the end of the day, we are the curators of what gets surfaced on the internet.

This is, at least unconsciously, part of the reason why I indexed my blog’s links: it’s a reminder of the votes I’ve cast on the internet.

I continue to occasionally get emails from marketers asking me to link to their stuff. And while it’s annoying to receive spam, it’s also a reminder of the power I wield, just by having an independent website where I can link to whatever I want.

The power of links! Independent websites: seize the means of search rankings!