Links I’d share in private #21

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 🤣).

Quiet before the Holidays

It’s been a relaxing week: no major plans, work is going smoothly, and my child is doing great. Can I say I’m happy? Absolutely!

Last night, I decided to break my week-long home routine by heading to my local sports resto-bar. Craving a change of scenery, I enjoyed a delicious cheeseburger while working on my laptop. The atmosphere was unusually quiet for a Friday night during the holiday season—the restaurant was surprisingly empty. I hear the waitress say that in the last 2 years, the clientele has dropped a lot at the place. Sad.

This emptiness seemed to reflect broader economic challenges. It appears people are feeling the financial squeeze, with the cost of living increasing dramatically over the past three years. Budgets are tight, and fewer people are dining out. I can’t help but wonder how long our society can sustain these economic pressures before significant changes occur.

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

Keywords: This week’s Links I’d share in private touches on various topics, including: neurodiversity, social communication, email, ordinary life, Google Reader, RSS, Death Cafes, internet culture, Japanese work culture, resignation agencies, generational work ethics, Japanese fiction, aging, art, portraiture, street art, music, DJ, jazz, playlists, recipes, baking, squash, vector illustrations, UX design, ethical tech, interior design, minimalism, AI research, OSINT, social media, web security, ad tracking, digital minimalism, productivity tools, web design, Tailwind.

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TO READ

• Social Communications: If you’re neurodiverse (Autistic, ADHD, depressive brain, etc.) and find it challenging to interpret social, verbal, or non-verbal cues, this website is a great resource for understanding social communication with neurotypical individuals. They describe their mission as providing “straight talk about talk, tone, and how humans form and maintain social relationships.”
• The Decision I Made 30 Years Ago That I Still Regret: Author Ann Patchett reflects on her complex relationship with email, regretting how it has consumed time and altered her communication patterns over the past 30 years. I don’t regret emails like her, but I regret not taking in that stray cat 2 weeks ago!
• The Beauty of an Ordinary Life: Romanticising the Mundane Changed My Daily Life : A beautiful ode to “The ordinary, the mundane, the routine – these aspects of life often go unnoticed, deemed unworthy of celebration or attention. However, I’ve come to realise that there is immense beauty to be found in the ordinary, and by romanticising the little parts that make up my life, I’ve been able to dissipate the heavy weight that I always seemed to carry on my shoulders.”
• I still mourn the death of Google Reader!!! Arghhhhh! But yes: You should be using an RSS reader. These days, I’ve built my own RSS parsing page, but Feedly is a great alternative. Don’t let the simplicity of RSS fool you—it’s a powerful tool for reclaiming the internet.
• Death Cafes Are Alive! : Death Cafes are breaking taboos, offering open discussions about life’s end in relaxed settings. These non-profit gatherings, held globally, allow participants to explore death’s practical, emotional, and spiritual facets over tea and cake. The concept, according to the death cafe website, is a “group directed discussion about death with no agenda, objectives or themes.” With over 19,000 registered death cafes hosted in 90 countries across the globe, these non-profit meetings provide space to discuss the practical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of life’s end, often over tea and cake.
• Long-time internet users—does it feel like we’re stuck in another “enshittification” cycle? White It sure feels like 2004 again, perhaps this signals the dawn of a more open, humane web?
• Woah, I just learned about the existence of resignation agencies in Japan. Resignation agencies are on the rise in Japan, offering professional services for workers who find it difficult to quit their jobs.
• This epic article by Anne Helen Petersen, “The Kids Are Too Soft” – Generational Bullshit Thinking about Work Ethic, is simply amazing. This insightful piece debunks generational stereotypes about work ethic, proving that every generation seems to critique the one after it—especially about resilience and effort.
• Surrealism, cafes and lots (and lots) of cats: why Japanese fiction is booming: can you tell Japanese fiction is booming across the world? With themes of alienation, surrealism, and comfort resonating with readers. Authors like Haruki Murakami and Sayaka Murata lead this wave, with titles like Before the Coffee Gets Cold blending everyday life with a hint of fantasy.
• Animator & filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt on the difference between crate digging & streaming
• At 44, I’m Starting To Become Invisible To Men. Here’s What I Didn’t Expect To Feel.: ohhhhhhh how I can relate with the author now! I think any woman entering middle age can feel the liberating feeling coming over us when we reach that milestone.

TO SEE

• Ohhhhh, I stumbled upon the British Pathe video archives! It’s quite extensive. And you can also check their Youtube channel, tons of video for your needs.
• Things I Learned: You can shrink or unshrink your crocs! Well shit! Pretty useful if you find them too large or a tad too small.
• The Pano Awards is dedicated to panoramic photography and is the world largest competition of the genre. The 2024 winners are out on the website, and the photos are simply stunning!

TO FOLLOW

• The instagram account of Kelani Fatai Oladimeji, an Nigerian artist that mixes European-influenced painting styles into the portraying of Black folks in her art. Very beautiful!

• Original Street Art by OAKOAK

TO HEAR

• Another smooth jazz playlist to listen to while reading or studying

• The instagram account of DJ AG ONLINE, an Open Format DJ playing in the streets of London, UK, has an interesting format: his videos are of himself with a guess singer rapping on his beats. Very refreshing to the ears! You can also follow him on his different accounts here
• Discover what designers listen to when they do their work of designing stuffs. Each designer featured on the site shares a playlist that centers around the practice of design in their lives. You need to have a Spotify account to listen to the playlists.

RECIPES

• A friend of mine shared this Maraschino Cherry Almond Chocolate Cookies recipe on her Facebook, and I’ve been salivating ever since!
• Even if fall is almost over, I am not over any squash recipe! I still need squash in my life! Kabocha Squash and Fennel Soup

DESIGN

• Free Flat Vector Illustrations: A diverse range of flat vector illustrations, available in SVG and PNG. Very pretty!
• 21 UX strategies to maximize user engagement without exploitation: outlines 21 ethical UX strategies to boost user engagement while avoiding exploitative practices, focusing on building trust, usability, and user-centric design. This appeals to my taste of ethical practices in tech!
• Erika Veurink’s Apartment Is Full of Thrifted Treasures: I love the simplicity – and the huge library! – of this apartment. Simple, elegant, full of diverse styles of living items, making it a cozy space to live in.

CYBERSECURITY & INFOSEC

• State of AI Report 2024 – Comprehensive slides detailing advancements in research, industry trends, political developments, safety considerations, and future predictions in AI
• A list of YouTube OSINT tools
• Bluesky Video downloader
• And The Verge has written a comprehensive guide to Bluesky with tons of tips and advice
• If you’re new on Bluesky, there is now an extension to help you migrate your followers / following lists from your X and Threads account if you need it.
• And a few OSINT tips to use on Bluesky
• Glimpse is a free tool that shows the Google, LinkedIn and Meta ads pointing to a specific domain. You need to be on the Chrome browser to use it.

WEB & TECH

• Redirect checker: if you need to test your redirection on your website, this tool is useful
• Apps for Digital Minimalists: A collection of digital minimalist tools to help you reduce distractions and increase productivity.
• Skeleton: An adaptive design system for extending Tailwind. For anyone who used Tailwind in their web projects and codebases, this design system extends it for your many uses and components. And it’s well documented! Weeeeee 🙂