1. Subscriptions made easy(-ish)
When it comes to building a media business based on subscriptions there is probably no one in the world who has “been there, done that” as much as Chris Duncan. Chris worked on The Times’ transition to an online paywalled model (successful) and then on The Sun’s version (not so successful). I was lucky enough to work with Bauer and he’s one of the smartest people I have met in the media.
Since leaving Bauer, Chris has been doing a bit of consultancy work and has now started his own Substack. This post on subscriptions models is all about a theme might just help you learn from some of his mistakes, and it’s highly recommended.
2. Do LLMs really use all that much energy?
3. Matt’s gone back to Mac
Matt Gemmell is (as well as being a lovely man) one of the world’s biggest proponents of the iPad – and has been using one as his only device for quite a few years. Now he’s gone back to using the Mac, and I can sympathise. I love my iPad to bits, but it’s a lot of faff to use as your only computer, even compared to other “limited” devices like a Chromebook. A “real” computer remains a better option for almost everyone.
4. Moral courage this is not
Oh, Apple! Not content with currying favour with Trump with Tim Cook’s personal donation of $1m to the inauguration fund, the company is rolling over and begging Elon Musk to tickle its tummy by advertising back on Nu-Gab (AKA Twitter, AKA X, AKA Elon’s bullypit). Apple does some good things, but Tim Cook is not a brave man.
5. Heroes
When I was a kid, I watched a lot of TV. And I mean a lot. I was essentially glued to the box at all hours. This is one of the reasons I don’t really go for the moral panic about kids being glued to their phones – I was just as glued to a screen, it was just a bigger one.
The big difference between then and now was the lack of choice. I grew up with three channels of TV to watch, all of which ended at about 11pm. Until I was six, ITV didn’t even bother broadcasting in the afternoon, and the BBC continued this practice for a few more years.
This lack of choice meant you watched whatever was on, and sometimes this was something educational on BBC2. That’s how I came to know Stuart Hall, one of the finest social scientists and media commentators of all time. And it was pleasing to see this article about Hall and his work on media codes. It’s a brilliant read, and one which - in the age of Trump and Musk - also a vital one.
6. A rationalist death cult
Zizians. Cults aren’t a new thing, but there are so many tropes in this one which involve the kind of terminally online people who are, in some ways, defining the age. It’s fascinating and horrifying in equal measure.
7. The cat meat man
I’m old, but not old enough to remember the cat meat man. Men (mostly) who wandered around with barrows of meat (mostly) for cats (mostly). And would, apparently, be occasionally attacked by packs of marauding dogs. You want to read this.
8. Rocket man, he go boom
The Verge has been my favourite tech publication for a long time, but since it transitioned to a subscription model if feels like it’s got both braver and punchier. Elizabeth Lopatto’s piece on what Elon Musk is doing to the US government is a case in point – “unscheduled disassembly” is a lovely way to put it, as it’s the wording that often accompanies the break-up of a rocket in flight. However, unlike most rocket crashes, this is deliberate.
9. SpewDog
And speaking of Musk, James Watt would very much like you to know that he likes and admires Elon and would love to be the British equivalent. The founder of BrewDog - a particularly shitty brand of beer which relies more on marketing than tasting like anything other than animal piss – has set up “Shadow Doge”, which he says will take on the UK government and make it more frugal.
Watt is a douche, but he does have one thing in common with Musk: he’s happy to take a sack load of government money while simultaneously saying the government spends too much. Can we have our three million quid back now, James? Or have you spent it on crap check shirts? Remember kids, every accusation is a confession!
10. Rebel girl
Kathleen Hanna is one of the greatest people alive, and I will fight the man (and it’s always men) who believes otherwise.