Links I’d share in private #17

Welcome to another edition of Links I’d share in private, a (bi-)weekly blog post about all the things and content I come across the Internet during my intense web binging, worthy of being shared to you all (instead of in all of my private group chats 🤣).

Hackfest blues!

Finally! A new Links I’d share in private is out! After a long pause of about a month, I’m finally resuming writing on my blog. I missed my blog! The last month and a half has been particularly busy, with the organization of Hackfest occupying all my free time after work. But what a memorable edition it was!

Hackfest 2024: A Success Across the Board

This 16th edition, themed around 16-bit, was rich in exciting conferences and highlighted activities. The Hacker Family Feud, in particular, was a real success, and really fun to participate in. Despite a few minor challenges (really minor), the event unfolded without any major hitches. My stay in Quebec City allowed me to joyfully reunite with my community of hackers and friends for three intense days that really flew by fast.

A week after the event, I still feel a slight post-Hackfest blues, a common feeling among organizers who have worked tirelessly to offer an exceptional experience to participants. I’m really proud to have contributed to this edition, which concluded beautifully with an epic concert by the group Master Boot Record, of which I’m a big fan. It was really excellent!

Post-Event Recovery

Now that the frenzy has subsided, I find myself in an intense recovery phase. This autumn seems particularly physically demanding, and I’m sleeping much more than usual. However, my mental and psychological well-being remains stable, probably thanks to my career change at the beginning of the year which has considerably reduced my chronic stress and anxiety.

Reflection on the Past Year

I realize that it’s already been a year since I took a leave of absence for health reasons, a decision that had complex consequences. Today, my situation has significantly improved: I no longer spend my evenings crying in despair, and I feel competent and capable again, despite occasional anxiety attacks. Leaving a toxic work environment was a crucial step in this healing process. This year has been marked by significant changes and challenges, but also by professional and personal successes. I’m grateful to be in a better position today, ready to dive back into my projects with enthusiasm and pleasure.

Onwards for Hackfest In the Shell edition!

Now on with the Links I’d share in private part!

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Keywords: This week’s Links I’d share in private touches on various topics, including:

TO READ

• From Visibility to Representation – Rethinking DEI: The piece discusses Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the tech industry, critiquing performative approaches and advocating for systematic change, and exploring five key areas in the text, in great details. The author shares personal experiences and frustrations with ineffective DEI efforts. She emphasizes the need for power redistribution and process improvements to create lasting change. The article concludes by acknowledging both progress and ongoing challenges in DEI, encouraging continued efforts despite setbacks.
• Why I’m Downgrading My Career Instead Of Optimizing It: this article really spoke to me, as I did just that in the last year. I stopped being a web developer, and managed to find a role where I i feel better helping people understand what technology they need for their online businesses. I “downgraded” career-wise, but at the same time, I upgraded on my mental health. Here, the article explores the concept of “career downgrading,” where individuals intentionally choose jobs with lower pay or responsibility to prioritize personal fulfillment and work-life balance. The piece distinguishes career downgrading from “quiet quitting” and outlines signs that it might be time for a career change, such as burnout, stress, and feeling unfulfilled. It concludes with advice for transitioning to a new chosen position, emphasizing the importance of embracing the process, seeking support, utilizing transferable skills, and staying committed to the change despite potential self-doubt. Ultimately, the author argues that intentionally choosing a less demanding career can lead to greater personal satisfaction, improved work-life balance, and better alignment with one’s values and purpose.
• Personally, I am not a trad wife at all, and I’m not a fan of these new trad wives’ influencers that are promoting this type of lifestyle. That being said, we fought hard and long for womens’ rights to choose their lives, and if they want to live this kind of lifes, who am I to stop them? That being said, with all this resurgence in more conservative ways of lives, I’m wary of the trad wives. This article going into the life of the latest Ballerina Farm influencer was interesting to read. That being said, the gloryfication of “gives birth by candlelight with no pain relief.” that these mothers encompass is not something we should be proud of :/ “Trad wives are seen as a counterculture against the ‘rot’ of low birth rates,” says Leslie Root, a behavioural scientist at the University of Colorado. “This isn’t isolated, it is part of a wider political anxiety that I am worried might ultimately end in attempts to circumscribe women’s lives.”
• We Have to Get Over Our Climate Nihilism: it explores the rising trend of climate nihilism, particularly among young people who feel powerless in addressing climate change. While despair and feelings of hopelessness are understandable, nihilism—believing that nothing matters—actively works against efforts to create change. Marginalized communities cannot afford to be nihilistic, as they are on the front lines of the climate crisis. The author encourages us to shift from focusing on whether humanity will “win” the battle against climate change to taking meaningful action, regardless of the outcome, emphasizing that individual and collective actions, driven by hope and resilience, are crucial in shaping a better future, even in the face of uncertainty.
• Welcome to the Millennial Midlife Crisis: HAHAHAHA, wow, did this article hit home! As an elder millennial, I’ve felt like my entire adult life has been one long existential crisis. The author perfectly captures the unique struggles our generation faces as we navigate midlife without the traditional markers of stability—homeownership, long-term career security—that were more common for baby boomers. While the boomers’ midlife crises might have involved flashy purchases, ours are fueled by financial insecurity, crushing student debt, and a precarious job market. Us millenials feel stuck in a constant state of uncertainty, unable to plan for the future, support aging parents, or secure stable lives for our children. Unlike previous generations, our midlife crises are born not from restlessness, but from the fear that things may never get better. Still, the author presses on, holding out hope for a more stable future.
• How Opus Dei Conquered D.C. – A new book shows just how much sway the mysterious right-wing Catholic group has — and might have over Trump’s next term: I’m proud to be an ex-Catholic, having renounced my ties to that religion more than a decade ago. But seeing the shenanigans that the Vatican pulls in the shadows to stay at the top of the Power lines is depressing, especially in the context of the USA’s elections coming over.. But there is an elite vanguard on the rise that holds much more conservative views — many of these elites have some association with Opus Dei — and has sought to influence policies that might be enacted in a second Trump presidency. The now-infamous Project 2025 was cooked up under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation’s conservative Catholic and Opus Dei–connected president, Kevin Roberts.
• The Rich and the Poor – How inequality messes with teenagers’ minds: This article discusses how economic inequality in America affects the mental health of teenagers across all social classes. Very USA centric, but we can make comparisons in our country as we are heavily influenced by the American Way of Life here.
• Growing Beyond the Computer: an inspiring story of how a tech worker stopped working in tech to become…a gardener.
• I’m Bullish on Gatekeeping and IRL Parties

TO SEE

• Your climate in 60 years: wanna know what weather your city will have in the future, with all the climate changes coming our ways? This site will explains to you how it will look like, and give you a comparison by citing which current city/country have your future weather.
• Small Web Subway: The map on that page shows a subway style network of webrings! Each line represents a themed webring and each station is a different webpage in that theme. A wonderful way of discovering new websites.
• A talk from DEF CON 32 – Disenshittify or die! How hackers can seize the means of computation – Cory Doctorow

TO FOLLOW

• MyStreet Women: a collective of women photographers featured on this Instagram account, with beautiful pictures of everyday lives

TO HEAR

• A jazzy playlist for your ears, to listen if you need to focus with a rythmic beat in the background

• Mix of the Week #542: Burnout Sumner – Balearic Boogie Nights a REALLY GOOD groovy and dancing playlist, perfect to be brought back to those hot summer nights in your backyard chilling with your friends

• Fast Blood debut album, Sunny Blunts, a pretty decent and good punk band from the UK

RECIPES

• A fantastic coffee smoothie, perfect for mornings
• Who doesn’t love a good brownies recipe?
• A yummy Pumpkin, spinach and goats cheese Lasagne
• Fall is the season of soup and pottage. This broccoli & cheese pottage is simply wonderful. And if you don’t like broccoli, replace it with cauliflower

DESIGN

• Oooooommmmyyyygod this library… so preeeettyyyyyy

• And that bathtub in This 900-Square-Foot Cotswolds Cottage… 🫢

CYBERSECURITY & INFOSEC

• Secrets of a ransomware negotiator: Interesting article from The Economist that explores the world of ransomware negotiators, professionals who help organizations deal with cybercriminals that are demanding ransom to release stolen data. It goes into the emotional and psychological pressure, the ethics of negotiating with criminals, and the high-stakes environment where businesses face devastating consequences if negotiations fail. I sure wouldn’t be able to keep my cool in that type of job, that’s for sure!
  

WEB & TECH

• BSoD maker: a website reproducing the blue Screen of Death of Windows. Just make it fullscreen, and you have an excuse for not using your computer 😛
• Harvesting the Fruits of the Web: if you like cheezy animated GIF, old school style!
• Dub.co : an open source link shortener app, useful when you want to control your own link sharing system and see interesting analytics on who clicks on your links.
• icon zone: old school animated gif icons galore!
• Free Texture: in search of nice textures for your images and web design ideas? This site have tons of visual for you
• A new book, Life after Tech, seems to be fascinating if you work in tech and want – or need – to get out of it.
• Follow the latest in the WordPress drama currently ongoing in the tech world, in a list form per date.
• If WordPress is to survive, Matt Mullenweg must be removed: a much longer explanation over the WordPress drama, and why it may be time for Matt Mullenweg to leave the WordPress community
• Ten tips for better CSS transitions and animations: useful tips and advices for anyone dealing with CSS animations and transitions on a frequent basis.