Link: Seattle’s Getting Big Y’all: Population Now Over 810,000

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250627/seattle-population-over-eight-hundred-thousand",
    "published": "2025-06-27T22:35:05-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<blockquote>\n  <h2><a href=\"https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/27/seattles-population-blows-past-800000-in-latest-state-estimates/\"></a></h2>\n\n  <p>For the first time ever, Seattle has officially surpassed the 800,000 population mark. The state Office of Financial Management (OFM) pegged Seattle at 816,600 residents in April 1, 2025 population estimates released Friday. This year marks the fifth straight that Seattle\u2019s growth rate has exceeded 2%, making Seattle one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.</p>\n\n<p>As of April 2024, OFM estimated Seattle\u2019s population was 797,700. The new estimates would indicate that Seattle added 18,900 residents in one year, growing 2.4% over the previous year.</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For a while, it seemed to me that Seattle\u2019s rapid growth had far outpaced the ability of its transportation infrastructure to handle such demand. But they\u2019ve made a lot of improvements to the roads as well as adding new train lines, bike lanes, and other transit options beyond the car, and on a recent trip to the Seattle area I felt the most relaxed I\u2019ve been there in quite some time.</p>\n\n<p>I hope as Seattle continues to grow they can continue to invest in public transit, micromobility, and other methods to keep the roadways from descending into utter madness. (I know it\u2019s tough in places because of the <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/geography\">#geography</a> of the natural landscape\u2026for example, downtown Seattle is literally located in a bottleneck!)</p>",
        "text": "For the first time ever, Seattle has officially surpassed the 800,000 population mark. The state Office of Financial Management (OFM) pegged Seattle at 816,600 residents in April 1, 2025 population estimates released Friday. This year marks the fifth straight that Seattle\u2019s growth rate has exceeded 2%, making Seattle one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.\n\nAs of April 2024, OFM estimated Seattle\u2019s population was 797,700. The new estimates would indicate that Seattle added 18,900 residents in one year, growing 2.4% over the previous year.\n\n\n\nFor a while, it seemed to me that Seattle\u2019s rapid growth had far outpaced the ability of its transportation infrastructure to handle such demand. But they\u2019ve made a lot of improvements to the roads as well as adding new train lines, bike lanes, and other transit options beyond the car, and on a recent trip to the Seattle area I felt the most relaxed I\u2019ve been there in quite some time.\n\nI hope as Seattle continues to grow they can continue to invest in public transit, micromobility, and other methods to keep the roadways from descending into utter madness. (I know it\u2019s tough in places because of the #geography of the natural landscape\u2026for example, downtown Seattle is literally located in a bottleneck!)"
    },
    "name": "Link: Seattle\u2019s Getting Big Y\u2019all: Population Now Over 810,000",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45234776",
    "_source": "2783"
}

“Ballerina” Was the Perfect Dance for Me

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250626/ballerina-was-the-perfect-dance-for-me",
    "published": "2025-06-26T23:05:14-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I really wanted to make sure I got a chance to see <em>Ballerina</em> before it left the theaters, and I\u2019m glad I did.</p>\n\n<p>I\u2019d heard a bit of mixed early reactions to the film, so I wasn\u2019t sure going into it if I\u2019d really enjoy it or if I\u2019d be disappointed. In particular, some folks thought the first act of the film was slow and there was way too much setup.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I have no idea what they\u2019re talking about!</strong> I\u2019m <em>always</em> a sucker for a good training montage, and this was one hell of a training montage. Given that this is the first time throughout all of the John Wick <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/movies\">#movies</a> so far that John Wick is not the main character (though he definitely plays an integral role, hallelujah!), <em>I needed a reason</em> to care about Eve Macarro (played to perfection by Ana de Armas), and this film gave it to me in spades.</p>\n\n<p>I agree with the <a href=\"https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballerina_2025/reviews\">Graeme Tuckett review excerpt on Rotten Tomatoes</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n  <p>The Wick series has always featured deceptively excellent writing, a winking self-awareness and a commitment to as much old-school stunt work as a two-hour running time can hold. Ballerina holds true to those values and builds on what has gone before.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Not only that, but I thought <em>Ballerina</em> was <strong>incredibly well directed and shot</strong>. Yes, all of the John Wick films offer a very specific sort of stark beauty, but they can also feel quite stylized. This installment perhaps felt the most grounded in reality, and the cinematography alone held my attention from start to finish. Despite the fact <em>Ballerina</em> hasn\u2019t fared all that well at the box office (for reasons I honestly can\u2019t fathom), I hope both the director (Len Wiseman) and the DP (Romain Lacourbas) can continue to make <strong>lots more awesome</strong> in Hollywood.</p>\n\n<p>One other note, perhaps my only real disappointment although its wrapped in a celebration: the principal villain of the story is played by none other than the one, the only <strong>Gabriel Byrne</strong>. Byrne is one of my all-time favorite character actors, and of course he\u2019s Irish so that\u2019s immediately a feather in his cap. However, once my elation had worn off from seeing him loom large on the silver screen, I was a wee bit bummed the screenplay didn\u2019t give him much to work with. I won\u2019t say his was a one-note performance, because he\u2019s simply too good for that; he clearly did the best job he could with the material he had to work with. I just wish they\u2019d gone the extra mile to make him an <strong>iconic bad guy</strong> in the franchise. Instead, he\u2019s merely a grumpy jerk. Oh well.</p>\n\n<p>Indeed, the plot of the movie in parts was a little thin I\u2019d say, but other than those minor quibbles, <strong>I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film</strong> and consider it a worthy member of the <em>John Wick</em> franchise. Will we see a <em>Ballerina 2</em> in the future? I suspect that\u2019s unlikely, but if it happens <strong>I\u2019ll be the first to go see it without hesitation.</strong></p>",
        "text": "I really wanted to make sure I got a chance to see Ballerina before it left the theaters, and I\u2019m glad I did.\n\nI\u2019d heard a bit of mixed early reactions to the film, so I wasn\u2019t sure going into it if I\u2019d really enjoy it or if I\u2019d be disappointed. In particular, some folks thought the first act of the film was slow and there was way too much setup.\n\nI have no idea what they\u2019re talking about! I\u2019m always a sucker for a good training montage, and this was one hell of a training montage. Given that this is the first time throughout all of the John Wick #movies so far that John Wick is not the main character (though he definitely plays an integral role, hallelujah!), I needed a reason to care about Eve Macarro (played to perfection by Ana de Armas), and this film gave it to me in spades.\n\nI agree with the Graeme Tuckett review excerpt on Rotten Tomatoes:\n\n\n  The Wick series has always featured deceptively excellent writing, a winking self-awareness and a commitment to as much old-school stunt work as a two-hour running time can hold. Ballerina holds true to those values and builds on what has gone before.\n\n\nNot only that, but I thought Ballerina was incredibly well directed and shot. Yes, all of the John Wick films offer a very specific sort of stark beauty, but they can also feel quite stylized. This installment perhaps felt the most grounded in reality, and the cinematography alone held my attention from start to finish. Despite the fact Ballerina hasn\u2019t fared all that well at the box office (for reasons I honestly can\u2019t fathom), I hope both the director (Len Wiseman) and the DP (Romain Lacourbas) can continue to make lots more awesome in Hollywood.\n\nOne other note, perhaps my only real disappointment although its wrapped in a celebration: the principal villain of the story is played by none other than the one, the only Gabriel Byrne. Byrne is one of my all-time favorite character actors, and of course he\u2019s Irish so that\u2019s immediately a feather in his cap. However, once my elation had worn off from seeing him loom large on the silver screen, I was a wee bit bummed the screenplay didn\u2019t give him much to work with. I won\u2019t say his was a one-note performance, because he\u2019s simply too good for that; he clearly did the best job he could with the material he had to work with. I just wish they\u2019d gone the extra mile to make him an iconic bad guy in the franchise. Instead, he\u2019s merely a grumpy jerk. Oh well.\n\nIndeed, the plot of the movie in parts was a little thin I\u2019d say, but other than those minor quibbles, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and consider it a worthy member of the John Wick franchise. Will we see a Ballerina 2 in the future? I suspect that\u2019s unlikely, but if it happens I\u2019ll be the first to go see it without hesitation."
    },
    "name": "\u201cBallerina\u201d Was the Perfect Dance for Me",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45224834",
    "_source": "2783"
}

gRegor Morrill gregorlove.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-26 14:43-0700",
    "url": "https://gregorlove.com/2025/06/join-us-for-an/",
    "category": [
        "indieweb"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://bsky.app/profile/gregorlove.com/post/3lsk45bj7ln2o"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Join us for an IndieWeb Create Day on July 5! Hang out virtually in our Zoom and/or in the chat, work on your personal website, share ideas, get inspired!",
        "html": "<p>Join us for an <a href=\"https://events.indieweb.org/2025/07/indieweb-create-day-3q2PTCbGioi9\">IndieWeb Create Day on July 5</a>! Hang out virtually in our Zoom and/or in the chat, work on your personal website, share ideas, get inspired!</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "gRegor Morrill",
        "url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
        "photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "45223068",
    "_source": "95"
}

Marty McGuire martymcgui.re

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-26T12:24:45-0400",
    "url": "https://martymcgui.re/2025/06/26/122445/",
    "category": [
        "coffee",
        "fluffy",
        "dalgona",
        "IndieWeb"
    ],
    "photo": [
        "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmarty/image/fetch/w_960,c_fill/https://media.martymcgui.re/2d/aa/17/33/e740b0ed70641d986102680470b2d5ef08fdaa54540a35da78bc1696.jpg"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://fed.brid.gy/"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "A fluffy dalgona coffee before some afternoon meetings.",
        "html": "<a href=\"https://media.martymcgui.re/2d/aa/17/33/e740b0ed70641d986102680470b2d5ef08fdaa54540a35da78bc1696.jpg\"></a>\n\n  <p>A fluffy dalgona coffee before some afternoon meetings.</p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Marty McGuire",
        "url": "https://martymcgui.re/",
        "photo": "https://martymcgui.re/images/logo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "45220119",
    "_source": "175"
}

gRegor Morrill gregorlove.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-25 12:19-0700",
    "url": "https://gregorlove.com/2025/06/bookmarked-the-who-cares-era-by-dan-sinker/",
    "category": [
        "creativity"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://bsky.app/profile/gregorlove.com/post/3lshems3c2s2y"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Bookmarked: The Who Cares Era by Dan Sinker:\n\n\n\u201cIn the Who Cares Era, the most radical thing you can do is care.\n\nIn a moment where machines churn out mediocrity, make something yourself. Make it imperfect. Make it rough. Just make it.\n\nAt a time where the government\u2019s uncaring boot is pressing down on all of our necks, the best way to fight back is to care. Care loudly. Tell others. Get going.\u201d",
        "html": "<p>Bookmarked: <a href=\"https://dansinker.com/posts/2025-05-23-who-cares/\">The Who Cares Era</a> by <a class=\"p-author h-card\" href=\"https://dansinker.com/\">Dan Sinker</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"p-content\">\n<p>\u201cIn the Who Cares Era, the most radical thing you can do is care.</p>\n\n<p>In a moment where machines churn out mediocrity, make something yourself. Make it imperfect. Make it rough. Just make it.</p>\n\n<p>At a time where the government\u2019s uncaring boot is pressing down on all of our necks, the best way to fight back is to care. Care loudly. Tell others. Get going.\u201d</p>\n</blockquote>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "gRegor Morrill",
        "url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
        "photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "45210902",
    "_source": "95"
}

Marty McGuire martymcgui.re

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-25T13:25:42-0400",
    "summary": "\ud83d\udcd5 Finished reading The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Dj\u00e9l\u00ed Clark ISBN: 9781250767042",
    "url": "https://martymcgui.re/2025/06/25/132542/",
    "category": [
        "books"
    ],
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Marty McGuire",
        "url": "https://martymcgui.re/",
        "photo": "https://martymcgui.re/images/logo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "45209919",
    "_source": "175"
}

Link: Revolution, the NBC TV Show That Was Ahead of Its Time

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250624/nbc-revolution-was-ahead-of-its-time",
    "published": "2025-06-24T23:58:04-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<blockquote>\n  <h2><a href=\"https://www.cbr.com/revolution-2012-most-underappreciated-post-apocalypse-show/\"></a></h2>\n\n  <p>Unlike many of the most popular visions of the apocalypse, Revolution presented a remarkably grounded catastrophe. No cordyceps fungus is exerting mind control over the human population. No nuclear winters or improbable genetic mutations are sweeping the planet. Eric Kripke eschewed all of pop culture\u2019s most common explanations for societal collapse. Instead of natural disasters, warfare, or zombies, Revolution envisions a world without electricity.</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><em>Revolution</em> was one of those <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/tvshows\">#TVShows</a> which came along in that awkward phase post-LOST when every traditional network wanted to come out with their own high-concept binge-watch drama destined for streaming. Unfortunately we weren\u2019t yet in the thick of the streaming wars, and it didn\u2019t fare well in \u201cprimetime\u201d and was canceled after two seasons. I can\u2019t help but wonder how a <em>Revolution</em> might have fared if it\u2019d been a fully-funded Apple TV+ or HBO Max production.</p>\n\n<p>Nevertheless, I\u2019m slowly working my way through a rewatch of Season 1 right now and still enjoying it thoroughly. I will always have fond memories of experiencing <em>Revolution</em> in its day\u2014for a variety of reasons but most notably because it was my introduction to the powerhouse that is <strong>Giancarlo Esposito</strong>. His work in the role of Captain Tom Neville is truly a performance for the ages. <strong>Chewing scenery like a boss!</strong></p>",
        "text": "Unlike many of the most popular visions of the apocalypse, Revolution presented a remarkably grounded catastrophe. No cordyceps fungus is exerting mind control over the human population. No nuclear winters or improbable genetic mutations are sweeping the planet. Eric Kripke eschewed all of pop culture\u2019s most common explanations for societal collapse. Instead of natural disasters, warfare, or zombies, Revolution envisions a world without electricity.\n\n\n\nRevolution was one of those #TVShows which came along in that awkward phase post-LOST when every traditional network wanted to come out with their own high-concept binge-watch drama destined for streaming. Unfortunately we weren\u2019t yet in the thick of the streaming wars, and it didn\u2019t fare well in \u201cprimetime\u201d and was canceled after two seasons. I can\u2019t help but wonder how a Revolution might have fared if it\u2019d been a fully-funded Apple TV+ or HBO Max production.\n\nNevertheless, I\u2019m slowly working my way through a rewatch of Season 1 right now and still enjoying it thoroughly. I will always have fond memories of experiencing Revolution in its day\u2014for a variety of reasons but most notably because it was my introduction to the powerhouse that is Giancarlo Esposito. His work in the role of Captain Tom Neville is truly a performance for the ages. Chewing scenery like a boss!"
    },
    "name": "Link: Revolution, the NBC TV Show That Was Ahead of Its Time",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45204588",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Casual Science in the Board Games of Elizabeth Hargrave

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Cathie",
        "url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/2025/06/24/casual-science-hargrave/",
    "published": "2025-06-24T11:23:24-04:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>My sabbatical is coming to an end and my video game, <em>Nebula Hunter</em>, is not finished yet. Making a game by yourself takes a lot of time! I\u2019ll write an update of my work soon. But I have been distracted for the past couple of months with a side project inspired by a conference that I wanted to attend.</p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https://thecwwa.org/conference-2025/\"><em>Contemporary Women Writers Association</em></a> conference was held June 18-20, 2025 at Falmouth University in Cornwall, UK. Cornwall is hard to get to but it is worth the trip because of the beauty of the landscape. The conference itself was worth the trip as well, one of the best I have ever gone to. There were over 100 attendees and the presentations were consistently excellent. I presented about <a href=\"https://www.elizhargrave.com/\">Elizabeth Hargrave</a>, the designer of <a href=\"https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/\"><em>Wingspan</em></a>, one of the most popular board games of the last 5 years. This post is an excerpt of what I said during my presentation.</p>\n<p>Since the publication of <em>Wingspan</em> in 2019, Hargrave has published 6 additional games. The games have some common characteristics that I believe make her work instantly recognizable. Her work stands out in the board game industry because of their themes and unique game mechanics. Hargrave has herself been concerned with bringing new voices and new ideas into the industry, creating a <a href=\"https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/296859/designers-who-are-women-and-people-of-marginalized\">list</a> on <a href=\"https://boardgamegeek.com/\"><em>Board Game Geek</em></a> to highlight non-male designers.</p>\n<p>Back in 2014, Hargrave was a data analyst who loved to play board games. She wondered, however, why there were no games about things that she loved and was passionate about. In interviews, she <a href=\"https://jgeekstudies.org/2019/02/24/wingspan-how-birds-colonized-board-games/\">has said</a>, \u201cthere were too many games about castles and space, and not enough games about things I\u2019m interested in. So I decided to make a game about something I cared about.\u201d She began designing <em>Bring In the Birds</em> (which later became <em>Wingspan</em>) because of her love of birdwatching. By 2016, Hargrave felt she had done enough playtesting that she contacted game publishers. Only 3 responded to her and she met with them at <a href=\"https://www.gencon.com/\">GenCon</a> where <a href=\"https://stonemaiergames.com/about/staff/jamey-stegmaier/\">Jamey Stegmaier</a> of <a href=\"https://stonemaiergames.com/\">Stonemaier Games</a> offered her a publishing contract. Together, they continued to playtest and modify the game (including adding a player mat and changing the name) until 2019 when it was published.</p>\n<p><em>Wingspan</em> was an instant hit. The first three print runs of 10,000 sold out within two months. As of January, 2025, the game has sold more than 2.5 million copies. In addition, there are numerous expansions and spin-off games, like <a href=\"https://store.stonemaiergames.com/products/wyrmspan?srsltid=AfmBOopj1AJc139FD_h3Hef8hItCXp8GXL2Wj1-w6yW4hkUiVRM8EgeH\"><em>Wyrmspan</em></a> and <a href=\"https://stonemaiergames.com/games/finspan/\"><em>Finspan</em></a>. Many gamers have talked about recognizing birds because of the game. The game has also brought some birders into the board game hobby. Hargrave has proven to the board game industry that giving new designers with ideas for games focused on new themes is good business. One of the most interesting things about <em>Wingspan</em> is Hargrave\u2019s use of what I call \u201ccasual science\u201d in the game. In fact, this is a defining feature of many of her subsequent games as well. To understand Hargrave\u2019s use of casual science, we need to understand a little bit about how the game works.</p>\n<p><em>Wingspan</em> asks the players to build bird ecosystems, where birds are played into one of three habitats (forest, grassland, or marsh). The individual birds are represented by beautfully artistic cards which contain a lot of scientific information about the birds.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/cathieleblanc.com/wp-content/uploads/annotatedCard.png?resize=599%2C359&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Picture of a bird with a variety of information about the bird displayed\" /></p>\n<p>Each card displays a painting of the bird and shows both the common name and the scientific name of the bird, the environment(s) the bird lives in, the food the bird eats, the type of nest the bird builds, the number of eggs the bird typically lays, and the size of the bird\u2019s wingspan. In addition, the bottom of each card lists a fun fact about the bird. In order to play the game, the player might completely ignore the scientific information listed on the card but the activation actions on the card often encourage the player to look more closely at that information which makes them more likely to remember it. For example, the activation action on the Northern Harrier shown above gives the player the opportunity to draw a bird card from the deck and look at the size of its wingspan. If the wingspan is small enough, the player can tuck that card behind the Northern Harrier, which will count for a point at the end of the game. Other parts of the game ask the player to pay attention to the common names of the birds, the nest types, and so on. I call this \u201ccasual science\u201d because the player doesn\u2019t have to remember any of this information in order to do well in the game. But the more the player plays, the more likely it is that this information will stick. In numerous <a href=\"https://unfilteredgamer.com/interview-with-elizabeth-hargrave/\">interviews</a>, Hargrave has said that she enjoys educating people, telling them things that they don\u2019t already know. So she builds games which casually teach this information to the players.</p>\n<p>Hargrave further emphasizes casual science in the way the cards work within the game. A game mechanic is an action that a player can take in a game. For example, in <em>Monopoly</em>, the main (or core) game mechanic that the player does over and over is to roll the dice and move their piece on the board that many spaces. In <em>Wingspan</em>, one of the game mechanics is activating the cards that the player has already laid down in the habitats on their player mat. The activation action of most cards mimics something the bird does in the real world.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i0.wp.com/cathieleblanc.com/wp-content/uploads/annotatedActivation.png?resize=665%2C258&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bird cards with activation actions that match the fun facts on the card\" /></p>\n<p>For example, the fun fact on the Black-headed Cowbird tells us that cowbirds don\u2019t make nests. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. When the card for the Black-headed Cowbird is activated, the player can lay eggs when another player\u2019s bird lays eggs, which mimics the information we learned in the fun fact. Another example is from the Yellow-headed Blackbird. The fun fact tells us that these blackbirds form huge flocks and the activation action allows the player to tuck a card behind the blackbird card, forming a kind of flock and giving the player a point at the end of the game. Finally, the fun fact for the Gray Catbird tells us that catbirds mimic other birds. When the Gray Catbird card is activated, the player can copy an activation action from another bird in the same habitat. As the player plays the game, they will start to remember the activation actions for each of these cards which will also casually teach them scientific information about the real-world behavior of the birds.</p>\n<p>Casual science is a common characteristic in Hargrave\u2019s games. In <em>Mariposas</em>, the players learn about monarch butterfly migration. In <em>The Fox Experiment</em>, players learn about the genetics of fox breedking programs. (The game was inspired by a real-life breeding program from the 1950s.) In <em>Undergrove</em>, players learn about the symbiotic relationship between mushrooms and trees and the transfer of various elements (carbon, nitrogen, phosophorous, and potassium) between the various species.</p>\n<p>I talked about a lot more elements of Hargrave\u2019s games in my presentation and will probably write about those in the future. But one of my favorite parts of these games is how their design makes learning scientific concepts fun and painless.</p>",
        "text": "My sabbatical is coming to an end and my video game, Nebula Hunter, is not finished yet. Making a game by yourself takes a lot of time! I\u2019ll write an update of my work soon. But I have been distracted for the past couple of months with a side project inspired by a conference that I wanted to attend.\nThe Contemporary Women Writers Association conference was held June 18-20, 2025 at Falmouth University in Cornwall, UK. Cornwall is hard to get to but it is worth the trip because of the beauty of the landscape. The conference itself was worth the trip as well, one of the best I have ever gone to. There were over 100 attendees and the presentations were consistently excellent. I presented about Elizabeth Hargrave, the designer of Wingspan, one of the most popular board games of the last 5 years. This post is an excerpt of what I said during my presentation.\nSince the publication of Wingspan in 2019, Hargrave has published 6 additional games. The games have some common characteristics that I believe make her work instantly recognizable. Her work stands out in the board game industry because of their themes and unique game mechanics. Hargrave has herself been concerned with bringing new voices and new ideas into the industry, creating a list on Board Game Geek to highlight non-male designers.\nBack in 2014, Hargrave was a data analyst who loved to play board games. She wondered, however, why there were no games about things that she loved and was passionate about. In interviews, she has said, \u201cthere were too many games about castles and space, and not enough games about things I\u2019m interested in. So I decided to make a game about something I cared about.\u201d She began designing Bring In the Birds (which later became Wingspan) because of her love of birdwatching. By 2016, Hargrave felt she had done enough playtesting that she contacted game publishers. Only 3 responded to her and she met with them at GenCon where Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games offered her a publishing contract. Together, they continued to playtest and modify the game (including adding a player mat and changing the name) until 2019 when it was published.\nWingspan was an instant hit. The first three print runs of 10,000 sold out within two months. As of January, 2025, the game has sold more than 2.5 million copies. In addition, there are numerous expansions and spin-off games, like Wyrmspan and Finspan. Many gamers have talked about recognizing birds because of the game. The game has also brought some birders into the board game hobby. Hargrave has proven to the board game industry that giving new designers with ideas for games focused on new themes is good business. One of the most interesting things about Wingspan is Hargrave\u2019s use of what I call \u201ccasual science\u201d in the game. In fact, this is a defining feature of many of her subsequent games as well. To understand Hargrave\u2019s use of casual science, we need to understand a little bit about how the game works.\nWingspan asks the players to build bird ecosystems, where birds are played into one of three habitats (forest, grassland, or marsh). The individual birds are represented by beautfully artistic cards which contain a lot of scientific information about the birds.\n\nEach card displays a painting of the bird and shows both the common name and the scientific name of the bird, the environment(s) the bird lives in, the food the bird eats, the type of nest the bird builds, the number of eggs the bird typically lays, and the size of the bird\u2019s wingspan. In addition, the bottom of each card lists a fun fact about the bird. In order to play the game, the player might completely ignore the scientific information listed on the card but the activation actions on the card often encourage the player to look more closely at that information which makes them more likely to remember it. For example, the activation action on the Northern Harrier shown above gives the player the opportunity to draw a bird card from the deck and look at the size of its wingspan. If the wingspan is small enough, the player can tuck that card behind the Northern Harrier, which will count for a point at the end of the game. Other parts of the game ask the player to pay attention to the common names of the birds, the nest types, and so on. I call this \u201ccasual science\u201d because the player doesn\u2019t have to remember any of this information in order to do well in the game. But the more the player plays, the more likely it is that this information will stick. In numerous interviews, Hargrave has said that she enjoys educating people, telling them things that they don\u2019t already know. So she builds games which casually teach this information to the players.\nHargrave further emphasizes casual science in the way the cards work within the game. A game mechanic is an action that a player can take in a game. For example, in Monopoly, the main (or core) game mechanic that the player does over and over is to roll the dice and move their piece on the board that many spaces. In Wingspan, one of the game mechanics is activating the cards that the player has already laid down in the habitats on their player mat. The activation action of most cards mimics something the bird does in the real world.\n\nFor example, the fun fact on the Black-headed Cowbird tells us that cowbirds don\u2019t make nests. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. When the card for the Black-headed Cowbird is activated, the player can lay eggs when another player\u2019s bird lays eggs, which mimics the information we learned in the fun fact. Another example is from the Yellow-headed Blackbird. The fun fact tells us that these blackbirds form huge flocks and the activation action allows the player to tuck a card behind the blackbird card, forming a kind of flock and giving the player a point at the end of the game. Finally, the fun fact for the Gray Catbird tells us that catbirds mimic other birds. When the Gray Catbird card is activated, the player can copy an activation action from another bird in the same habitat. As the player plays the game, they will start to remember the activation actions for each of these cards which will also casually teach them scientific information about the real-world behavior of the birds.\nCasual science is a common characteristic in Hargrave\u2019s games. In Mariposas, the players learn about monarch butterfly migration. In The Fox Experiment, players learn about the genetics of fox breedking programs. (The game was inspired by a real-life breeding program from the 1950s.) In Undergrove, players learn about the symbiotic relationship between mushrooms and trees and the transfer of various elements (carbon, nitrogen, phosophorous, and potassium) between the various species.\nI talked about a lot more elements of Hargrave\u2019s games in my presentation and will probably write about those in the future. But one of my favorite parts of these games is how their design makes learning scientific concepts fun and painless."
    },
    "name": "Casual Science in the Board Games of Elizabeth Hargrave",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45198761",
    "_source": "2782"
}

I’ve Been Blogging Every Day and…Oh Dear

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250623/blogging-every-day-oh-dear",
    "published": "2025-06-23T23:57:04-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I\u2019ve been <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/writing\">#writing</a> and publishing a new blog post here or a few other destinations <strong>every single day</strong> since early December 2024.</p>\n\n<p><em>Every single day.</em></p>\n\n<p>And I\u2019m getting pretty tired of it. \ud83d\ude05</p>\n\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong! <strong>I love blogging</strong>, and I really do enjoy the challenge of daily publishing. I just wish I\u2019d given myself an \u201cout\u201d (I\u2019ve talked about this before). Like maybe I get up to 4 \u201cskips\u201d per month or something like that. Or I allow myself to take a few days break every quarter.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I\u2019ll definitely be tweaking this schedule</strong> at some point in the near future. I\u2019m just not sure yet if I want to get to the full year for <em>the ultimate bragging rights</em>, or if I want to say enough is enough and make the change earlier.</p>\n\n<p>What do you think?</p>",
        "text": "I\u2019ve been #writing and publishing a new blog post here or a few other destinations every single day since early December 2024.\n\nEvery single day.\n\nAnd I\u2019m getting pretty tired of it. \ud83d\ude05\n\nDon\u2019t get me wrong! I love blogging, and I really do enjoy the challenge of daily publishing. I just wish I\u2019d given myself an \u201cout\u201d (I\u2019ve talked about this before). Like maybe I get up to 4 \u201cskips\u201d per month or something like that. Or I allow myself to take a few days break every quarter.\n\nI\u2019ll definitely be tweaking this schedule at some point in the near future. I\u2019m just not sure yet if I want to get to the full year for the ultimate bragging rights, or if I want to say enough is enough and make the change earlier.\n\nWhat do you think?"
    },
    "name": "I\u2019ve Been Blogging Every Day and\u2026Oh Dear",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45194640",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Link: Dreaming of Passion Projects

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250622/dreaming-of-passion-projects",
    "published": "2025-06-22T22:17:04-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<blockquote>\n  <h2><a href=\"https://mastodon.social/@fishsauce/114716950244794446\"></a></h2>\n\n  <p>August C. Bourr\u00e9: A forum I\u2019m on has a \u201cstupid ideas\u201d thread, in which people talk about passion projects they doubt they\u2019ll ever realize because they are, typically, labour and capital intensive with virtually no hope of generating a reasonable income, or even any income at all. Pretty much all of them involve making art, food, labour, care, and space available to the public in a thoughtful way. None of them are about phones, computers, or \u201ctech.\u201d The world needs these stupid ideas.</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is <em>so-o-o-o</em> true for me, you wouldn\u2019t believe it.</p>\n\n<p>My whole adult career has been working in \u201ctech\u201d as a software developer. Yet throughout this entire span of multiple decades, I have had a million and one things <strong>I actually care about</strong> I want to work on which are only tangentially-at-best related to \u201ctech\u201d. And I\u2019d certainly be doing a bunch of those things right the fuck now if, y\u2019know, money were no object.</p>\n\n<p>Bear in mind I\u2019m not talking about things people do for leisure, as a hobby, when they retire, etc. I\u2019m talking about <strong>real work projects</strong>. Like opening an electronic music venue. Founding a meditation retreat center. Showing gallery-quality fine art figure photography. A line of off-the-wall herbal-infused organic juices. A new \u201cvan life\u201d campground in the desert outside Bend, Oregon.</p>\n\n<p>Trust me, I have enough ideas bouncing around my brain to last several lifetimes, and many of them I\u2019ve already been dreaming of for many years. Whatever I\u2019m lacking in life, <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/creativity\">#creativity</a> ain\u2019t it. \ud83d\ude05</p>\n\n<p><strong>So the question is:</strong> how long is it going to take before I <em>snap</em> and just start <em>doing</em> one or more of these things? Perceived limitations and obstacles be damned? \ud83e\udd14</p>",
        "text": "August C. Bourr\u00e9: A forum I\u2019m on has a \u201cstupid ideas\u201d thread, in which people talk about passion projects they doubt they\u2019ll ever realize because they are, typically, labour and capital intensive with virtually no hope of generating a reasonable income, or even any income at all. Pretty much all of them involve making art, food, labour, care, and space available to the public in a thoughtful way. None of them are about phones, computers, or \u201ctech.\u201d The world needs these stupid ideas.\n\n\n\nThis is so-o-o-o true for me, you wouldn\u2019t believe it.\n\nMy whole adult career has been working in \u201ctech\u201d as a software developer. Yet throughout this entire span of multiple decades, I have had a million and one things I actually care about I want to work on which are only tangentially-at-best related to \u201ctech\u201d. And I\u2019d certainly be doing a bunch of those things right the fuck now if, y\u2019know, money were no object.\n\nBear in mind I\u2019m not talking about things people do for leisure, as a hobby, when they retire, etc. I\u2019m talking about real work projects. Like opening an electronic music venue. Founding a meditation retreat center. Showing gallery-quality fine art figure photography. A line of off-the-wall herbal-infused organic juices. A new \u201cvan life\u201d campground in the desert outside Bend, Oregon.\n\nTrust me, I have enough ideas bouncing around my brain to last several lifetimes, and many of them I\u2019ve already been dreaming of for many years. Whatever I\u2019m lacking in life, #creativity ain\u2019t it. \ud83d\ude05\n\nSo the question is: how long is it going to take before I snap and just start doing one or more of these things? Perceived limitations and obstacles be damned? \ud83e\udd14"
    },
    "name": "Link: Dreaming of Passion Projects",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45184971",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Marty McGuire martymcgui.re

🗓️ The Level Up

{
    "type": "event",
    "name": "\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f The Level Up",
    "published": "2025-06-21T22:30:00-0400",
    "start": "2025-06-21T22:30:00-0400",
    "url": "https://martymcgui.re/2025/06/21/the-level-up/",
    "featured": "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmarty/image/fetch/w_960,c_fill/https://media.martymcgui.re/18/c2/f5/ec/a054f44e92d9baa77a45abca345c8c7642995b16056a1d8b79de221d.jpg",
    "category": [
        "improv",
        "show"
    ],
    "location": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Magnet Theater",
        "url": "https://magnettheater.com/"
    },
    "content": {
        "text": "The Level Up is an indie improv showcase. Join us as we watch amazing New York indie improv talents gain XP on the Magnet stage, unlock new achievements, and reach new milestones. Or do comedy.\n\nCome support Michael as he dons his hosting-duties cap for these exciting indie teams!\nQuicksand\nLazy Boy\nVentson\nI\u2019ll be playing in with Michael and the rest of the Level Up!\nLooking forward to it! And to seeing you there!! (Yes, you. Come on out!!!)\nSaturday day June 21st, 2025 @ 10:30pm\n\nMagnet Theater\n\n254 West 29th St (btwn 7th and 8th Ave.)\n\nNew York City, NY 10001\n\nTickets $10: https://magnettheater.com/show/tickets/59690",
        "html": "<blockquote>\n<p>The Level Up is an indie improv showcase. Join us as we watch amazing New York indie improv talents gain XP on the Magnet stage, unlock new achievements, and reach new milestones. Or do comedy.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Come support Michael as he dons his hosting-duties cap for these exciting indie teams!</p>\n<ul><li>Quicksand</li>\n<li>Lazy Boy</li>\n<li>Ventson</li>\n</ul><p>I\u2019ll be playing in with Michael and the rest of the Level Up!</p>\n<p>Looking forward to it! And to seeing you there!! (Yes, you. Come on out!!!)</p>\n<p>Saturday day June 21st, 2025 @ 10:30pm<br />\nMagnet Theater<br />\n254 West 29th St (btwn 7th and 8th Ave.)<br />\nNew York City, NY 10001<br />\nTickets $10: <a href=\"https://magnettheater.com/show/tickets/59690\">https://magnettheater.com/show/tickets/59690</a></p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Marty McGuire",
        "url": "https://martymcgui.re/",
        "photo": "https://martymcgui.re/images/logo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "event",
    "_id": "45181749",
    "_source": "175"
}

Link: “Materialists” is the Smart, Reimagined Rom-Dram-Com We Needed

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250621/materialists-is-the-smart-reimagined-romdramcom-we-needed",
    "published": "2025-06-21T21:43:13-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<blockquote>\n  <h2><a href=\"https://deadline.com/2025/06/materialists-review-dakota-johnson-chris-evans-pedro-pascal-1236429953/\"></a></h2>\n\n  <p>Watching writer-director Celine Song\u2018s follow-up to her feature debut, indie darling and 2023 Best Picture Oscar nominee <em>Past Lives</em>, all sorts of supposed cinematic influences ran through my mind from Billy Wilder\u2019s <em>The Apartment</em> to James L. Brooks\u2019 <em>Broadcast News</em> to Mike Nichols\u2019 <em>Working Girl</em> and just about anything from Nora Ephron. I left the screening thinking I had just seen the best movie about the search for love in many years.</p>\n\n<p>Call it a romcom, call it a romdram or any shorthand attempt to categorize it, but this is a movie that defies that kind of easy description.</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t actually recommend you read all of Pete Hammond\u2019s review for Deadline of <em>Materialists</em> as it gives away too many spoilers (IMO), but I absolutely agree with his assessment that this is \u201cthe best movie about the search for love in many years.\u201d</p>\n\n<p>Dakota Johnson gives a stellar performance in this film, perhaps her best out of the many <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/movies\">#movies</a> I\u2019ve seen her in. (Truth be told, I\u2019m a big Johnson fan, but I do think she can be a bit one-note. The sharp writing and expert direction in <em>Materialists</em> gives her a lot to work with, and I was quite impressed by her range in this as I was Chris Evans as well.)</p>\n\n<p>I\u2019d heard a bit of the scuttlebutt about how this film has proven to elicit mixed responses from moviegoers\u2014even though it\u2019s a hit with the critics (Certified Fresh!). <strong>Personally, I was floored.</strong> And I found myself feeling very emotional about it towards the end, no doubt as it resonated with some of my own very real and raw ups and downs in love.</p>\n\n<p>I would typically say a movie in this \u201cgenre\u201d isn\u2019t something you need to rush out to go see in movie theaters (wait for the streaming release). <strong>However, this is A24 we\u2019re talking about, with Academy Award nominee Celine Song at the helm.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Go see it.</p>",
        "text": "Watching writer-director Celine Song\u2018s follow-up to her feature debut, indie darling and 2023 Best Picture Oscar nominee Past Lives, all sorts of supposed cinematic influences ran through my mind from Billy Wilder\u2019s The Apartment to James L. Brooks\u2019 Broadcast News to Mike Nichols\u2019 Working Girl and just about anything from Nora Ephron. I left the screening thinking I had just seen the best movie about the search for love in many years.\n\nCall it a romcom, call it a romdram or any shorthand attempt to categorize it, but this is a movie that defies that kind of easy description.\n\n\n\nI wouldn\u2019t actually recommend you read all of Pete Hammond\u2019s review for Deadline of Materialists as it gives away too many spoilers (IMO), but I absolutely agree with his assessment that this is \u201cthe best movie about the search for love in many years.\u201d\n\nDakota Johnson gives a stellar performance in this film, perhaps her best out of the many #movies I\u2019ve seen her in. (Truth be told, I\u2019m a big Johnson fan, but I do think she can be a bit one-note. The sharp writing and expert direction in Materialists gives her a lot to work with, and I was quite impressed by her range in this as I was Chris Evans as well.)\n\nI\u2019d heard a bit of the scuttlebutt about how this film has proven to elicit mixed responses from moviegoers\u2014even though it\u2019s a hit with the critics (Certified Fresh!). Personally, I was floored. And I found myself feeling very emotional about it towards the end, no doubt as it resonated with some of my own very real and raw ups and downs in love.\n\nI would typically say a movie in this \u201cgenre\u201d isn\u2019t something you need to rush out to go see in movie theaters (wait for the streaming release). However, this is A24 we\u2019re talking about, with Academy Award nominee Celine Song at the helm.\n\nGo see it."
    },
    "name": "Link: \u201cMaterialists\u201d is the Smart, Reimagined Rom-Dram-Com We Needed",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45176987",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Jonathan LaCour cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil

Beach day! Just me and eight teenage girls. God help me.

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-21T22:45:18+00:00",
    "url": "https://cleverdevil.io/2025/beach-day-just-me-and-eight-teenage-girls-god-help",
    "photo": [
        "https://cleverdevil.io/file/d6dd61f2ec83baebfe325a2e6ce74b58/thumb.jpg"
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    "syndication": [
        "https://cleverdevil.club/@jonathan/114723777636265005",
        "https://bsky.app/profile/cleverdevil.io/post/3ls5my2uyah2k"
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    "name": "Beach day! Just me and eight teenage girls. God help me.",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Jonathan LaCour",
        "url": "https://cleverdevil.io/profile/cleverdevil",
        "photo": "https://cleverdevil.io/file/e37c3982acf4f0a8421d085b9971cd71/thumb.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "45175519",
    "_source": "10"
}

From Andor to Empire

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250620/from-andor-to-empire",
    "published": "2025-06-20T23:01:41-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I\u2019ve been hanging out these past few days with my brother, and it just so happened he was in the process of finishing watching <em>Rogue One</em>. He hasn\u2019t seen <em>Andor</em> yet (I\u2019m doing my best to get him to queue it up!), but since he was about to continue on to <em>A New Hope</em>, I said I\u2019d watch it with him since I recently rewatched <em>Rogue One</em> after finishing <em>Andor</em>.</p>\n\n<p>Well\u2026obviously it goes without saying that the o.g. <em>Star Wars</em> is a true cinematic classic and a worthy achievement on so many levels. It\u2019s the one that begat all the rest. But wow, the tonal shift from the Tony Gilroy-led cinematic universe to the George Lucas starting point is startling. It leads you to wonder if we\u2019re even looking at the same story being told.</p>\n\n<p>But then we went right onward to <em>The Empire Strikes Back</em> and, wow, another major tonal shift! Now the truth is I\u2019m biased because I\u2019ve always considered this to be <strong>the best film by far</strong> out of all the SW <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/movies\">#movies</a>. It\u2019s in a league unto itself. However, I was worried going into it that it still wouldn\u2019t gel with my raw feelings about the true modern masterpiece that is <em>Andor</em>.</p>\n\n<p><strong>I\u2019m happy to say that my concerns were unfounded.</strong></p>\n\n<p><em>The Empire Strikes Back</em> not only remains a masterpiece of <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/scifi\">#SciFi</a> storytelling &amp; production, but it definitely feels like it pulls the threads well that were laid out in <em>Andor</em>. While of course the central plot points are about Luke Skywalker and Yoda and learning the ways of the Force and all that jazz, there\u2019s also this <strong>menacing sense of forboding</strong> throughout. The Empire is truly frightening, Darth Vader and the Emperor are truly terrifying, the Rebellion is back on its heels and struggling to survive; it feels like the march to freedom and justice is perched atop a knife\u2019s edge.</p>\n\n<p>The very title feels more fleshed out now: <em>The Empire Strikes Back</em>. In the first movie, we didn\u2019t know much about the Empire other than it had an ultimate weapon and the Senate was dissolved and then the rebels blew it up and the only one to make it out alive was Darth Vader. And even he remained quite the mystery.</p>\n\n<p>But with the backdrop of <em>Andor</em> (and <em>Rogue One</em>), we have such a weighty sense of just how despicable and \u201cinevitable\u201d the Empire seems, and in this sequel to the o.g. movie we continue to feel that awful formidability. It won\u2019t be until <em>Return of the Jedi</em> that we witness the dramatic downfall of the Empire and\u2026well, to be honest, all we really get to see is the dramatic downfall of the Emperor along with Death Star II (and a redemption arc of sorts for Darth Vader). Uh\u2026how exactly <em>does</em> the Empire get taken down for good, anyway? (Don\u2019t ask J.J. Abrams that!)</p>\n\n<p>That\u2019s a tale for another time though. Right now, I\u2019m basking in the afterglow of watching <em>The Empire Strikes Back</em>, a film which remains not only a pinnacle of its genre but transcends into epic mythmaking which has changed culture forever. I\u2019m glad this movie exists\u2014if for no other reason than without it, we never would have gotten <em>Andor</em>\u2026which from the looks of things, has <strong>also changed culture forever.</strong> \ud83d\ude4c</p>",
        "text": "I\u2019ve been hanging out these past few days with my brother, and it just so happened he was in the process of finishing watching Rogue One. He hasn\u2019t seen Andor yet (I\u2019m doing my best to get him to queue it up!), but since he was about to continue on to A New Hope, I said I\u2019d watch it with him since I recently rewatched Rogue One after finishing Andor.\n\nWell\u2026obviously it goes without saying that the o.g. Star Wars is a true cinematic classic and a worthy achievement on so many levels. It\u2019s the one that begat all the rest. But wow, the tonal shift from the Tony Gilroy-led cinematic universe to the George Lucas starting point is startling. It leads you to wonder if we\u2019re even looking at the same story being told.\n\nBut then we went right onward to The Empire Strikes Back and, wow, another major tonal shift! Now the truth is I\u2019m biased because I\u2019ve always considered this to be the best film by far out of all the SW #movies. It\u2019s in a league unto itself. However, I was worried going into it that it still wouldn\u2019t gel with my raw feelings about the true modern masterpiece that is Andor.\n\nI\u2019m happy to say that my concerns were unfounded.\n\nThe Empire Strikes Back not only remains a masterpiece of #SciFi storytelling & production, but it definitely feels like it pulls the threads well that were laid out in Andor. While of course the central plot points are about Luke Skywalker and Yoda and learning the ways of the Force and all that jazz, there\u2019s also this menacing sense of forboding throughout. The Empire is truly frightening, Darth Vader and the Emperor are truly terrifying, the Rebellion is back on its heels and struggling to survive; it feels like the march to freedom and justice is perched atop a knife\u2019s edge.\n\nThe very title feels more fleshed out now: The Empire Strikes Back. In the first movie, we didn\u2019t know much about the Empire other than it had an ultimate weapon and the Senate was dissolved and then the rebels blew it up and the only one to make it out alive was Darth Vader. And even he remained quite the mystery.\n\nBut with the backdrop of Andor (and Rogue One), we have such a weighty sense of just how despicable and \u201cinevitable\u201d the Empire seems, and in this sequel to the o.g. movie we continue to feel that awful formidability. It won\u2019t be until Return of the Jedi that we witness the dramatic downfall of the Empire and\u2026well, to be honest, all we really get to see is the dramatic downfall of the Emperor along with Death Star II (and a redemption arc of sorts for Darth Vader). Uh\u2026how exactly does the Empire get taken down for good, anyway? (Don\u2019t ask J.J. Abrams that!)\n\nThat\u2019s a tale for another time though. Right now, I\u2019m basking in the afterglow of watching The Empire Strikes Back, a film which remains not only a pinnacle of its genre but transcends into epic mythmaking which has changed culture forever. I\u2019m glad this movie exists\u2014if for no other reason than without it, we never would have gotten Andor\u2026which from the looks of things, has also changed culture forever. \ud83d\ude4c"
    },
    "name": "From Andor to Empire",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45169046",
    "_source": "2783"
}

Tantek Çelik tantek.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-20 17:48-0700",
    "url": "https://tantek.com/2025/171/t1/microformats-20-years",
    "category": [
        "microformats20",
        "microformats:",
        "indieweb",
        "microformats",
        "federate",
        "Mastodon",
        "fediverse",
        "20thAnniversary",
        "smallPieces",
        "looselyJoined"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "\ud83c\udf82 Congrats @microformats.org on 20 years! #microformats20\n\nEven after 20 years, people keep discovering new ways of using #microformats:\n* @artlung.com: \"WML, WAP, & Microformats Demo!\" (https://lab.artlung.com/wml/faux)\n> Because WML elements may have the class attribute\nOriginally posted 2025-06-18: https://xoxo.zone/@artlung/114705990062730513\n\nThat adds to the list of languages with working microformats examples:\n* HTML \u2014 modern, unversioned as well as every version since HTML4\n* HTML3 \u2014 see https://microformats.org/wiki/html3\n* SVG \u2014 see https://microformats.org/wiki/svg\n* XHTML \u2014 every version, 1.0, 1.1, 2.0\nand now also:\n* WML \u2014 https://microformats.org/wiki/wml\n\nLiterally any HTML-like or XML-like language that has a space-separated class attribute can work with microformats.\n\nIn constrast, every alternative to microformats (most now defunct) required adding new attributes, or worse, entirely new elements, which meant revising every language one at a time (or use of fragile XML Namespaces), resulting in supporting only 1-2 languages at most (HTML and XHTML) in practice, and nothing else.\n\nRe-using the \"class\" attribute based on the existing footpath that web designers made for encoding additional semantics into their HTML, and the similarly extensible \"rel\" attribute, was one of the best design decisions in any extension format ever.\n\nAfter 20 years, microformats continue to serve as another example of \u201cloosely joined\u201d approaches being more adaptable, reliable, resilient, and longer lasting than \u201ctightly coupled\u201d.\n\nMore microformats 20th anniversary posts from the #indieweb personal sites (via https://stream.indieweb.org/)\n* @manton.org: \"It\u2019s the 20th anniversary of the launch of microforrmats.org!\" (https://www.manton.org/2025/06/20/its-the-th-anniversary-of.html)\n* ... hashtag your post #microformats or #microformats20 and #federate (using #Mastodon or any compatible #fediverse server etc.) or webmention this post!\n\n#20thAnniversary #smallPieces #looselyJoined\n\nPreviously, previously, previously:\n* https://tantek.com/2024/173/t1/years-posse-microformats-beyond\n* https://tantek.com/2023/171/t1/anniversaries-microformats-posse\n* https://tantek.com/2019/171/t1/happy-14th-microformats-org",
        "html": "\ud83c\udf82 Congrats <a href=\"https://microformats.org\">@microformats.org</a> on 20 years! #<span class=\"p-category\">microformats20</span><br /><br />Even after 20 years, people keep discovering new ways of using #<span class=\"p-category\">microformats:</span><br />* <a href=\"https://artlung.com\">@artlung.com</a>: \"WML, WAP, &amp; Microformats Demo!\" (<a href=\"https://lab.artlung.com/wml/faux\">https://lab.artlung.com/wml/faux</a>)<br />&gt; Because WML elements may have the class attribute<br />Originally posted 2025-06-18: <a href=\"https://xoxo.zone/@artlung/114705990062730513\">https://xoxo.zone/@artlung/114705990062730513</a><br /><br />That adds to the list of languages with working microformats examples:<br />* HTML \u2014 modern, unversioned as well as every version since HTML4<br />* HTML3 \u2014 see <a href=\"https://microformats.org/wiki/html3\">https://microformats.org/wiki/html3</a><br />* SVG \u2014 see <a href=\"https://microformats.org/wiki/svg\">https://microformats.org/wiki/svg</a><br />* XHTML \u2014 every version, 1.0, 1.1, 2.0<br />and now also:<br />* WML \u2014 <a href=\"https://microformats.org/wiki/wml\">https://microformats.org/wiki/wml</a><br /><br />Literally any HTML-like or XML-like language that has a space-separated class attribute can work with microformats.<br /><br />In constrast, every alternative to microformats (most now defunct) required adding new attributes, or worse, entirely new elements, which meant revising every language one at a time (or use of fragile XML Namespaces), resulting in supporting only 1-2 languages at most (HTML and XHTML) in practice, and nothing else.<br /><br />Re-using the \"class\" attribute based on the existing footpath that web designers made for encoding additional semantics into their HTML, and the similarly extensible \"rel\" attribute, was one of the best design decisions in any extension format ever.<br /><br />After 20 years, microformats continue to serve as another example of \u201cloosely joined\u201d approaches being more adaptable, reliable, resilient, and longer lasting than \u201ctightly coupled\u201d.<br /><br />More microformats 20th anniversary posts from the #<span class=\"p-category\">indieweb</span> personal sites (via <a href=\"https://stream.indieweb.org/\">https://stream.indieweb.org/</a>)<br />* <a href=\"https://manton.org\">@manton.org</a>: \"It\u2019s the 20th anniversary of the launch of <a href=\"http://microforrmats.org\">microforrmats.org</a>!\" (<a href=\"https://www.manton.org/2025/06/20/its-the-th-anniversary-of.html\">https://www.manton.org/2025/06/20/its-the-th-anniversary-of.html</a>)<br />* ... hashtag your post #<span class=\"p-category\">microformats</span> or #<span class=\"p-category\">microformats20</span> and #<span class=\"p-category\">federate</span> (using #<span class=\"p-category\">Mastodon</span> or any compatible #<span class=\"p-category\">fediverse</span> server etc.) or webmention this post!<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">20thAnniversary</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">smallPieces</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">looselyJoined</span><br /><br />Previously, previously, previously:<br />* <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2024/173/t1/years-posse-microformats-beyond\">https://tantek.com/2024/173/t1/years-posse-microformats-beyond</a><br />* <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2023/171/t1/anniversaries-microformats-posse\">https://tantek.com/2023/171/t1/anniversaries-microformats-posse</a><br />* <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2019/171/t1/happy-14th-microformats-org\">https://tantek.com/2019/171/t1/happy-14th-microformats-org</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
        "url": "https://tantek.com/",
        "photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "45168329",
    "_source": "2460"
}

Marty McGuire martymcgui.re

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-20T13:26:12-0400",
    "summary": "\ud83d\udcd7 Want to read Empire of AI by Karen Hao ISBN: 9780593657508",
    "url": "https://martymcgui.re/2025/06/20/132612/",
    "category": [
        "books"
    ],
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Marty McGuire",
        "url": "https://martymcgui.re/",
        "photo": "https://martymcgui.re/images/logo.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "45165779",
    "_source": "175"
}

The End of Bluesky

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/20250619/the-end-of-bluesky",
    "published": "2025-06-19T22:40:54-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Welp, the day has finally arrived. Bluesky is being invaded by fascist dickwads, as none other than <strong>JD Vance</strong> is now posting on the service\u2026bringing a bunch of his imbecilic sycophants screaming at the \u201clibtards\u201d with him. And <em>of course</em> he\u2019s spewing absolute gutter trash; offensive anti-trans talking points which are also anti-science.</p>\n\n<p>Which of course leaves me wondering: <strong>Why the fuck am I using this service??</strong></p>\n\n<p><em>I have never liked Bluesky.</em> Never. I think \u201cATProto\u201d is basically a scam. It\u2019s not a true decentralized open standard social networking protocol. It\u2019s a cover story for a corporate entity which exists presumably to make money (and can\u2019t even manage that at present), and it\u2019s a massive distraction from the <em>real</em> decentralized open standard open web social network\u2014which of course is the <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/fediverse\">#Fediverse</a> running on ActivityPub.</p>\n\n<p>But sure, I have been using Bluesky <em>purely as a consumer</em> for a while now because, hey, <strong>I already kicked Threads to the curb</strong> and \u201chad\u201d to go somewhere for certain news sources\u2014mainly U.S. <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/politics\">#politics</a>, some general tech, and micromobility/urbanism. I don\u2019t really post on Bluesky at all. I occasionally reply with a comment. That\u2019s it.</p>\n\n<p>Now I\u2019m questioning even that base level of engagement. I can \u201csubscribe\u201d to a few accounts via RSS, and honestly, I think that may be enough for me.</p>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/fediverse\">#Fediverse</a> Forever!</strong> \u270a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udf1f</p>\n\n<p>P.S. Wannabe American Nazis can go fuck themselves.</p>",
        "text": "Welp, the day has finally arrived. Bluesky is being invaded by fascist dickwads, as none other than JD Vance is now posting on the service\u2026bringing a bunch of his imbecilic sycophants screaming at the \u201clibtards\u201d with him. And of course he\u2019s spewing absolute gutter trash; offensive anti-trans talking points which are also anti-science.\n\nWhich of course leaves me wondering: Why the fuck am I using this service??\n\nI have never liked Bluesky. Never. I think \u201cATProto\u201d is basically a scam. It\u2019s not a true decentralized open standard social networking protocol. It\u2019s a cover story for a corporate entity which exists presumably to make money (and can\u2019t even manage that at present), and it\u2019s a massive distraction from the real decentralized open standard open web social network\u2014which of course is the #Fediverse running on ActivityPub.\n\nBut sure, I have been using Bluesky purely as a consumer for a while now because, hey, I already kicked Threads to the curb and \u201chad\u201d to go somewhere for certain news sources\u2014mainly U.S. #politics, some general tech, and micromobility/urbanism. I don\u2019t really post on Bluesky at all. I occasionally reply with a comment. That\u2019s it.\n\nNow I\u2019m questioning even that base level of engagement. I can \u201csubscribe\u201d to a few accounts via RSS, and honestly, I think that may be enough for me.\n\n#Fediverse Forever! \u270a\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udf1f\n\nP.S. Wannabe American Nazis can go fuck themselves."
    },
    "name": "The End of Bluesky",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45158547",
    "_source": "2783"
}

fluffy beesbuzz.biz

My Zelda tier list

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-19T13:36:23-07:00",
    "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/4351-My-Zelda-tier-list",
    "category": [
        "video games",
        "Zelda",
        "Nintendo",
        "nerdery"
    ],
    "name": "My Zelda tier list",
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "fluffy",
        "url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
        "photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45155106",
    "_source": "2778"
}

Aaron Parecki aaronparecki.com

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-06-18T19:07:31-07:00",
    "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/2025/06/18/10/mcp-spec",
    "category": [
        "modelcontextprotocol",
        "mcp",
        "oauth",
        "ai"
    ],
    "syndication": [
        "https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7341285509861621760/"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "The latest version of the MCP spec is now officially 2025-06-18! Congrats to everyone in the MCP community involved in making this happen! \n\nKey updates to the authorization section: \n\n\u2699\ufe0f MCP Servers are no longer responsible for issuing access tokens or handling user authentication \n\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f A dedicated Authorization Server separate from the MCP Server handles user authentication and issuing access tokens \n\ud83d\udd0d RFC9728 Protected Resource Metadata enables the MCP client to dynamically discover the MCP Server's authorization server \n\ud83d\udc49 RFC8707 Resource Indicators are required as a security measure \n\nThanks to everyone who contributed to the many discussions to update the authorization part of the spec to be more compatible with existing OAuth systems! \n\nDavid Soria Parra, Paul Carleton, Den Delimarsky, Nate Barbettini, William Dawson, Jared Hanson, Karl McGuinness, Darin McAdams, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois LOMBARDO and apologies if I forgot to mention you, those threads were extremely long! \n\n#modelcontextprotocol #mcp #oauth #ai",
        "html": "The latest version of the MCP spec is now officially 2025-06-18! Congrats to everyone in the MCP community involved in making this happen! <br /><br />Key updates to the authorization section: <br /><br /><a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/emoji/%E2%9A%99%EF%B8%8F\">\u2699\ufe0f</a> MCP Servers are no longer responsible for issuing access tokens or handling user authentication <br /><a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/emoji/%F0%9F%9B%A1%EF%B8%8F\">\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f</a> A dedicated Authorization Server separate from the MCP Server handles user authentication and issuing access tokens <br /><a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/emoji/%F0%9F%94%8D\">\ud83d\udd0d</a> RFC9728 Protected Resource Metadata enables the MCP client to dynamically discover the MCP Server's authorization server <br /><a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/emoji/%F0%9F%91%89\">\ud83d\udc49</a> RFC8707 Resource Indicators are required as a security measure <br /><br />Thanks to everyone who contributed to the many discussions to update the authorization part of the spec to be more compatible with existing OAuth systems! <br /><br />David Soria Parra, Paul Carleton, Den Delimarsky, Nate Barbettini, William Dawson, Jared Hanson, Karl McGuinness, Darin McAdams, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois LOMBARDO and apologies if I forgot to mention you, those threads were extremely long! <br /><br /><a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/modelcontextprotocol\">#modelcontextprotocol</a> <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/mcp\">#mcp</a> <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/oauth\">#oauth</a> <a href=\"https://aaronparecki.com/tag/ai\">#ai</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Aaron Parecki",
        "url": "https://aaronparecki.com/",
        "photo": "https://aperture-media.p3k.io/aaronparecki.com/41061f9de825966faa22e9c42830e1d4a614a321213b4575b9488aa93f89817a.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "45147407",
    "_source": "16"
}

Link: Snyderbros are Just the Worst

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Jared White",
        "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://jaredwhite.com/links/20250617/snyderbros-are-the-worst",
    "published": "2025-06-17T23:21:55-07:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<blockquote>\n  <h2><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw0CkIxOyBk\"></a></h2>\n\n  <p>The crew of The John Campea Show discuss James Gunn firing back at Snydercut fans who plan on review bombing his upcoming Superman film. (YouTube)</p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There are three fandoms which I find utterly exhausting. <em>Star Wars</em> (though now that we have Andor it\u2019s gotten much better), <em>Star Trek</em> (the ridiculous vitriol against \u201cNu-Trek\u201d makes my ears bleed), and the <em>Snyderbros</em>. On that last point in particular, I\u2019m sorry but I personally find little to admire about Zack Snyder\u2019s DC work. I honestly didn\u2019t like <em>Man of Steel</em> all that much. I <strong>hated</strong> <em>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</em> with a passion\u2014although bringing Gal Gadot on board to play Wonder Woman was an excellent move. I thought the theatrical release of <em>Justice League</em> was merely OK, and the <strong>long-awaited</strong> Snydercut just didn\u2019t improve it much. Sorry.</p>\n\n<p>So hear me when I say <strong>my body is ready</strong> for the whole new slate of DCU <a href=\"https://jaredwhite.com/tag/movies\">#movies</a> with James Gunn at the helm (producing, and in the case of <em>Superman</em>, directing). I\u2019m not saying I love every single aspect of Gunn\u2019s comic book movie work to date, but there\u2019s no denying the <em>Guardians of the Galaxy</em> series was a massive success within the MCU, and <em>The Suicide Squad</em> was infinitely more entertaining than the previous <em>Suicide Squad</em> (a movie which I found near unwatchable).</p>\n\n<p>I am <strong>very excited</strong> for the new <em>Superman</em> movie and will of course go see it as soon as it\u2019s out in theaters.</p>",
        "text": "The crew of The John Campea Show discuss James Gunn firing back at Snydercut fans who plan on review bombing his upcoming Superman film. (YouTube)\n\n\n\nThere are three fandoms which I find utterly exhausting. Star Wars (though now that we have Andor it\u2019s gotten much better), Star Trek (the ridiculous vitriol against \u201cNu-Trek\u201d makes my ears bleed), and the Snyderbros. On that last point in particular, I\u2019m sorry but I personally find little to admire about Zack Snyder\u2019s DC work. I honestly didn\u2019t like Man of Steel all that much. I hated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a passion\u2014although bringing Gal Gadot on board to play Wonder Woman was an excellent move. I thought the theatrical release of Justice League was merely OK, and the long-awaited Snydercut just didn\u2019t improve it much. Sorry.\n\nSo hear me when I say my body is ready for the whole new slate of DCU #movies with James Gunn at the helm (producing, and in the case of Superman, directing). I\u2019m not saying I love every single aspect of Gunn\u2019s comic book movie work to date, but there\u2019s no denying the Guardians of the Galaxy series was a massive success within the MCU, and The Suicide Squad was infinitely more entertaining than the previous Suicide Squad (a movie which I found near unwatchable).\n\nI am very excited for the new Superman movie and will of course go see it as soon as it\u2019s out in theaters."
    },
    "name": "Link: Snyderbros are Just the Worst",
    "post-type": "article",
    "_id": "45138232",
    "_source": "2783"
}