newsletter
The Birchtree Newsletter, August 2022
The Birchtree Newsletter is now monthly! I've fallen off the wagon recently, and I still want to bring
Blog
Links
Is Your North Star Quality or Quantity?
Om Malik: The problem with Facebook
Meta’s north star doesn’t take into account value to the users, the
Links
The Vibe Shift I've Been Waiting For
Meg Walters: Anne Hathahate was rooted in misogyny - and a new generation aren’t standing for it
Our sudden
Links
Yet Another Crypto Disaster
Ed Zitron: The Consequences of Silence
There are about a hundred different letters to the judge, many of them speaking
Links
You Don't Have to Use Instagram
Jared Polin commenting on Instagram's shift to video:
It is what it is. Instagram needs to evolve to
Links
Winking at the Camera
Li Zhoh: Republicans have a nonsensical argument against the same-sex marriage bill
Many Senate Republicans, rather than confront the substance
Links
Spotify Discontinues Car Thing
Spotify announced the discontinuation in their earnings call this week:
“The goal of Spotify’s Car Thing exploration was to
How to Write a Good Pitch Email to YouTubers
I get a lot of of emails from companies asking me to try their product and make a video about
Links
Paved With Broken Dreams of "the Old Instagram"
Mia Sato: The Kardashians hate the new Instagram
“Make Instagram Instagram again,” the post says. “(Stop trying to be tiktok
Links
NFL+ Ain’t for Me, and I’m Not Sure Who It’s For
The NFL launched NFL+ today, and I went from excited to completely uninterested pretty quickly. I live in Illinois, but
Links
Take (way) More Screenshots
Alex Chan: You should take more screenshots
Digital files exist in a context: they rely on particular hardware and software
Links
Google Walks Back a Crazy Change
Ron Amadeo: After public outcry, Google will reinstate Play Store app permissions list
The app permissions list is a factual,
Links
Martin Shkreli Wants to Help Me Save Money on Medicine? It's a Web3 Project?! How Could Anyone Be Skeptical?
Molly White: After five years in prison for a Ponzi scheme and a lifetime ban from the pharmaceutical industry, Martin
Apple
macOS Ventura Makes macOS's Contrast Problem Worse
Last month I complained about the Safari download window being hard to read with the default settings. Today I'
Links
On "the Best Laptop"
John Gruber: Wirecutter’s ‘Best’ Laptop
My longstanding complaint about The Wirecutter is that they institutionally fetishize price over quality.
meta
In Praise of Ghost's Native Search Feature
I've been waiting years for Ghost to add search as a tool I can use on my site,
Links
Epidemic Sound Sues Meta for Massive Copyright Infringement
Meta Hit With Massive Piracy Lawsuit Over Epidemic Sound Royalty-Free Music
“Epidemic knows of over 950 of its music tracks
Links
Rage Against the Standards
Gruber snarking on consortiums working on open standards:
The good news is, Bluetooth is an open industry standard, governed by