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kottke.org Valid
Text Jason Kottke

Long past time to quit X . “Those who continue to...

Long past time to quit X. “Those who continue to post on X — in particular those X users who are not racist psychopaths — are enhancing the site’s usefulness to [Musk] as a propaganda tool by drawing more eyes to the platform… “

Longreads Valid
Text • Seyward Darby

How Anti-ICE Protesters Became Prisoners in Trump’s War on Antifa

"'We are not terrorists.'"

Longreads Valid
Text • Longreads

The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Jaya Saxena

two-panel graphic with author Jaya Saxena on left and image that reads "The Longreads Questionnaire: Jaya Saxena" on right
The former Eater correspondent has a new home—and a full plate. Here, she talks about growing up in NYC, favorite meals, and memorable reads.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast Updates instantly via WebSub
Audio • SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura

Close to the Edge Part 1 (Classic)

We all dream of the perfect vacation when everything goes right. This episode is about the opposite. Hear stories of people having near death travel experiences.

PLUS: We wanna hear from you! Tell us about your intergenerational travel stories. Who did you go with?  Where did you go? What did you learn about traveling with this person of a different age? How did the trip go? What are some stories you brought back? We want to hear it all. 

Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Our mailbox will cut you off after three minutes so please call again if you get disconnected. Or better yet, you can record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com


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Simon Willison's Weblog Supports Webmention
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smolmachines / smolvm as a sandbox for untrusted Python & JavaScript

Research: smolmachines / smolvm as a sandbox for untrusted Python & JavaScript I tasked Claude Fable 5 running in Claude Code for web with the following research task: Put https://smolmachines.com through its paces as a fast secure sandbox. Explore what it would...

Simon Willison's Weblog Supports Webmention
Text

Quoting Jeremy Morrell

My hypothesis is that there is a new opportunity for Extensible Software on the web. LLMs radically lower the cost of authoring extensions, and modern sandbox primitives lower the deployment cost and provide good security boundaries. We can build our app as a solid, accountable core, and allow users to safely extend it in many directions by having LLMs fill in the missing pieces. We can give our users super powers.

Jeremy Morrell, Extensible Software in the age of LLMs

Tags: sandboxing, llms, ai, generative-ai

Simon Willison's Weblog Supports Webmention
Text

Conceptual integrity and counting lines of code

Last week I recorded an episode of the Talking Postgres podcast with Claire Giordano on the subject of "How AI is changing software development". We had a really great conversation. Here are a couple of my highlights from a lightly edited transcript (prompt to Claude: "very ...

Colossal Valid
Text • Grace Ebert

Damien Hoar de Galvan Puzzles Scraps of Reclaimed Wood for a Daily Sculpture Project

Damien Hoar de Galvan Puzzles Scraps of Reclaimed Wood for a Daily Sculpture ProjectFrom reclaimed wood, Damien Hoar de Galvan pieces together dynamic sculptures for a daily project.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Damien Hoar de Galvan Puzzles Scraps of Reclaimed Wood for a Daily Sculpture Project appeared first on Colossal.

Dan’s Polaroids
Text

19.08.2026

a shrimp in a small bucket of water
Shrimp

Rick Beato
Video

@ProfessorofRock and I discuss AOR music #rock #classicrock #shorts

@Pro@ProfessorofRock I discuss AOR music #rock #classicrock #shorts

Colossal Valid
Text • Kate Mothes

Four Shortlisted Artists Stand to Win the Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026

Four Shortlisted Artists Stand to Win the Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026The winner of the competition receives a £15,000 award plus a commissioned work for London's National Portrait Gallery.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Four Shortlisted Artists Stand to Win the Winston Taylor Photo Portrait Prize 2026 appeared first on Colossal.

xkcd.com Valid
Text

Perseids

Recently I've been watching the Daytime Perseids. I haven't seen a meteor from them yet, but the clouds are pretty and the snacks are good.

Work Chronicles Valid
Text • Work Chronicles

(comic) The courage to question

Song Exploder
Audio • Hrishikesh Hirway

Charli XCX - Camera

play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_93_3e73ecf5-357c-499a-a3ac-76d6df6306b9&uf=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed.songexploder.net%2FSongExploder

Charli XCX is a Grammy-winning artist who has been making music since she was a teenager. In July 2026, she released her eighth album, Music, Fashion, Film. It debuted at number 1 on the UK charts—her 4th album in a row to hit number 1 there. In addition to her music career, for the last few years, she’s been acting in films. And for this episode, we talked about how those experiences inspired her song “Camera," and how she and producer Finn Keane figured out how to translate that into music.

For more info, visit songexploder.net/charli-xcx.

Colossal Valid
Text • Kate Mothes

Brussels’ Grand-Place Is Carpeted with 750,000 Fresh Dahlias in a Tribute to Hokusai

Brussels’ Grand-Place Is Carpeted with 750,000 Fresh Dahlias in a Tribute to HokusaiTitled "Neo Hokusai," the monumental arrangement last weekend in Brussels covered nearly 14,000 square feet.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Brussels’ Grand-Place Is Carpeted with 750,000 Fresh Dahlias in a Tribute to Hokusai appeared first on Colossal.

Longreads Valid
Text • Carolyn Wells

How a Cowboy Rides When the Range is on Fire

"When wildfires approach, moving cattle to safety means managing their fear and instincts. Here’s how it’s done in B.C.’s Nicola Valley."

Dan’s Polaroids
Text

18.08.2026

A yellow digger on a pebble beach.
That’s what I came here for.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast Updates instantly via WebSub
Audio • SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura

Amazing Abandoned Places with Cal Flyn

Cal Flyn is the author of Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape. She also has a new book, called The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness. On today’s show, she and host Kelly McEvers explore the allure of places that humans have abandoned.


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xkcd.com Valid
Text

Particle Physics Equipment

The one that sounds like the oracle at the center of the galaxy where the hero travels to hear a prophecy is probably Brookhaven National Laboratory's now-dismantled COSMOTRON.

Daring Fireball Valid
Text • John Gruber

Disney’s ABC Sues Trump’s FCC Over Challenge to Its Broadcast License

wsj.com/business/media/disneys-abc-sues-fcc-over-challenge-to-its-broadcast-licenses-64e8f794?st=XTL4tA

Joe Flint, reporting for The Wall Street Journal (gift link): Walt Disney’s ABC has sued the Federal Communications Commission alleging the agency’s efforts to challenge its broadcast licenses and regulate its talk show “The View” are illegal and an effort to quash speec...