Reading Log - May 5 (#27)

Between a weekend trip and my site update, this has been 3 weeks in the making. This log we look at the passing of a folk legend, Microsoft reverting to its old ways, Microsoft facing a hurdle in its Activision acquisition, some chatty parrots, and more.

In Depth

Neda Ulaby: Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, dies at 84

I grew up with my dad listening to Gordon Lightfoot quite a bit. It gave me a real appreciation for his music. I have several vinyl records of his and have seen him in concert. The world has lost a fantastic musician.

Link Blast

👨🏼‍💻 Software Development & Design

Next.js 13.4 - Tim Neutrons & Sebastian Markbåge

The details element is amazing - Robin Rendle

State Hasn't Changed? Why and when Blazor components re-render - Jon Hilton

Dark mode: How accessible design raises the bar - Layth Sihan

🖥 Technology & the Internet

Substack CEO Chris Best Doesn’t Realize He’s Just Become The Nazi Bar - Mike Masnick

Microsoft Broke a Chrome Feature to Promote Its Edge Browser - Thomas Germain

The Internet Isn’t Meant To Be So Small - Kelsey McKinney

Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, and IT admins are angry - Tom Warren

These New Yorkers Want to Stop Landlords From Using Facial Recognition - Mack DeGeurin

How Companies Use Dark Patterns to Keep You Subscribed - Caroline Sinders

Mozilla’s setting up shop on Mastodon and trying to reinvent content moderation - David Pierce

Elon Whines That He’ll Give Away NPR’s Twitter Account If They Won’t Start Using Twitter Again - Mike Masnick

Mercedes Locks Better EV Engine Performance Behind Annoying Subscription Paywalls - Karl Bode

Colorado Finally Kills Dumb 2005 Comcast-Backed State Law Banning Community Broadband Networks - Karl Bode

🎮 Gaming

A new video game educates young people about the Holocaust - The Economist

📈 Business & Finance

UK government blocks Microsoft’s proposed Activision purchase - Kyle Orland

Judge slams Tesla for claiming Musk quotes captured on video may be deepfakes - Jon Brodkin

🔬 Science

Caught in the act: Astronomers spot star swallowing a planet for first time - * Jennifer Ouellette*

Most Planets in the Galaxy Orbit Stars You Can’t Even See - Phil Plait

Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It - Sarah Kuta

🎧 Podcasts

Techdirt Podcast #351: Save the Children (From State Social Media Laws)

Cautionary Tales: The Online Date That’s Too Good to Be True

Radiolab: Black Box

99% Invisible #513: The Safety Bicycle

Short Wave: Will artificial intelligence help — or hurt — medicine?

🎒 Everything Else

Is The Economist Making the Best News Podcasts Right Now? - Nicholas Quah

Galaxy Quest is Getting a TV Show, For Real this Time Hopefully - Austen Goslin

Simple Truths About Personal Websites - Matthias Ott

Metallica's new album, '72 Seasons,' has met critical acclaim. What's their secret? - Vincent Acovino, Ailsa Chang, & Jonah Mehta

🎵 A Song to Leave You With

Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald