🔗 Dave on Scripting News

"On Bluesky: I can’t tell you how tired I am of copying and pasting the same text into five different silos. When will this ridiculous system that claims to be the web, get its shit together and start acting like the web (ie interop). #"

This is one reason I use 🔗 Micro.Blog for 🖇️John.Philpin.com http://scripting.com/ https://micro.blog https://john.philpon.com

🔗 Derek Peden - Posts need to be more specific

I do the same thing. Sometimes I am so cryptic that when I revisit an old entry - I have no idea what was about. So yes - I understand.

That said - not sure I am going to change that much. Rightly or wrongly. https://www.derekpeden.com/2026/01/03/posts-need-to-be-more.html

🔗 Venezuela – Leftish

"No, he shouldn’t have done it. No he shouldn’t have invaded, deposed the government, and seized the resources. No he should not have flaunted international law and the sovereignty of nations. But that’s what great powers do – and the greatest tragedy is that this latest act legitimizes such acts by other great powers, from the invasion of Ukraine to the (eventual) taking of Taiwan into China. It reminds us that colonialism hasn’t ended, and that the international order is allowed to exist only if it doesn’t interfere with the desires of the wealthy and powerful" https://leftish.media/archives/1011

🔗 Flock Exposes Its AI-Enabled Surveillance Cameras - Schneier on Security

All good I am told - nothing to worry about. Move along now. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/01/flock-exposes-its-ai-enabled-surveillance-cameras.html

🔗 Tesla Car Sales Dropped 9% in 2025, Falling Behind China’s BYD - The New York Times

"Tesla’s decreasing sales suggest that a wider slump is in store for electric vehicles"

No it doesn’t.

All markets outside the U.S.A. grew … significantly depending on region … 20 to 30 percent

The U.S.A. market shrank by 1% and Tesla was 45% of that

BYD outside U.S.A. grew 28%, Tesla declined by 9%

BYD OUTSOLD Tesla in every market except U.S.A.

BYD INSIDE THE U.S.A. close to zero .. that’s what 100% tariffs will do to a business

This from a non journalist using Google for 20 minutes .. SHOULDN’T NYT READERS DE... john.philpin.com https://john.philpin.com/2026/01/04/tesla-car-sales-dropped-in.html

Today’s surprise - 🖇️ DIKW - 8 years ago https://john.philpin.com/2018/07/07/we-start-with.html

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, 2016 - ★★★ https://john.philpin.com/2026/01/03/jack-reacher-never-go-back.html

Jack Reacher, 2012 - ★★★ https://john.philpin.com/2026/01/03/jack-reacher.html

Thank you Claude for developing scripts that

add ‘Long Form’ to all posts called ‘Titled Posts’.

Removed ‘Long Form from all posts categories as ‘MyFilmReviews’

Ciclotrama 156 (Palindrome) by Sao Paulo–based artist Janaina Mello Landini.

🔗 Way Yuhl - Is Trump purpsefully trying to crash the US economy?

Hard to disagree with the logic.

Originally on TikTok … arrived via Substack https://substack.com/@wayyuhl/note/c-189888040

I don’t particularly bother myself about the word of the year … nor the colour (Pantone … please take note).

But ~ interesting to see the narrative over the ‘20s

🔗 Every Word of the Year; According to Dictionaries (2020-2025) https://www.visualcapitalist.com/every-word-of-the-year-according-to-various-dictionaries-2020-2025/

🔗 Scripting News: I’m never too old to make a young developer’s mistake.

Do it myself … and I’m not a developer. http://scripting.com/2026/01/02/164500.html?title=imNeverTooOldToMakeAYoungDevelopersMistake

💬

💬

You cannot over estimate the importance of ‘bubbles’ in the life of Jax - so believe me when I say that my research of ‘stoppers to contain said bubbles to prevent their disappearance has over the years been extensive.

IMHO this is the best … it’s from Le Creuset.

Jax’s opinion remains unchanged ….

"No such work of the devil is needed. The bottle is open. The bubbles have been liberated. They can no longer be contained."

💬

Just confirming that they absolutely are NOT.

🔗 The Em Dash Responds to the AI Allegations

It’s McSweeney, so …

I am one of those ‘em dash’ - AI pundits.

‘BA’ - I rarely saw an em dash in the words that I read - and I read a lot.

‘AA’ era - em dashes are everywhere

Either

a lot of people recently attended writing courses OR

they are using AI

Is there a third option?

"look to your left, then to your right. A hundred percent of those people are slathering me across sentences like adding more cheese to a risotto that’s already drowning in parmesan—without tasting, without thinking, without remorse." https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-em-dash-responds-to-the-ai-allegations

🔗 The wonderful life of Santos=Dumont and his Aerial Dinner Parties

This takes High Tops to a whole new level.

Pun intended.

(Unless at a bar - ‘high tops’ are not places that Jax and I frequent) https://santosdumontlife.blogspot.com/2018/06/santosdumont-and-his-aerial-dinner.html