There’s a new social media platform in town: Substack has introduced Notes which remind me of the original Twitter:
I’ve been able to use Notes very briefly, and it does indeed feel a lot like Twitter. One nice thing is that you can see a writer’s publication under their name and even subscribe right from the Note, which definitely reduces the friction to actually sign up for someone’s newsletter.
Ps. There is an edit button.
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Ten thoughts on cycling from Austin Kleon on the occasion of his one year cycling anniversary. Including these two gems:
Better to ride up a hill than to ride into the wind. You’ll overtake the hill eventually, but you can’t overtake the wind.
Riding a bicycle is a beautiful paradox — it requires you to become one with the machine while also making you feel more human.
Kleon also shares a great quote from Mark Twain: “Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live.” It might even increase your quality of life.
Christopher Patterson and Lance Barrie on the ideal city:
The idea of the 15-minute city, according to its originator Carlos Moreno, is that people are no more than a 15-minute walk or bike ride away from all the services they need to live, learn and thrive.
For mental health and happiness. I think Geneva more or less meets this criteria. Reykjavík less so, but the potential is definitely there and this kind of approach could be a driving force when developing the city for the future.
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Jack Appleby on the Twitter algorithm:
If your brand wants to be seen by the most eyeballs possible, you should optimize for likability (as in giving people a reason to like) and shareability over generating replies. Even away from the algorithm, focusing on a primary metric is vital for social media success, like how the Washington Post hit 6 million followers by driving all content towards shares.
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In the dark of December, the sparkle of Christmas lights is much appreciated.
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The New York Times today:
Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day.
Slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Mr. Musk took over. Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day.
And antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr. Musk acquired the site.
This is worrying and unacceptable. What can we do? WACC Europe actually created a guide on How to address hate online.
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Welcome to my corner of the internet.