kottke.org
@kottke.org
home of fine hypertext products since 1998. https://kottke.org
The Guardian: here’s how Substack makes money hosting Nazi newsletters. These newsletters weren’t even hard to find or subtle: swastikas and in-app recommendations from one antisemitic newsletter to a bunch of others. [theguardian.com]
Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters
Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:18 PM
The Guardian: here’s how Substack makes money hosting Nazi newsletters. These newsletters weren’t even hard to find or subtle: swastikas and in-app recommendations from one antisemitic newsletter to a bunch of others. [theguardian.com]
Reposted by kottke.org
Whoa! Someone recently uploaded some high-quality versions of unreleased Boards of Canada tracks from 1985-1996. This seems to be legit, judging from the excitement in the YT comments and on Reddit… [kottke.org]
A Collection of Unreleased Boards of Canada Tracks
A couple of weeks ago, someone uploaded to YouTube and Google Drive eleven unreleased tracks from Boards of Canada (made from 1985-1996). This seems to be a legit, high-quality leak, judging from the excitement in the
kottke.org
January 6, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Whoa! Someone recently uploaded some high-quality versions of unreleased Boards of Canada tracks from 1985-1996. This seems to be legit, judging from the excitement in the YT comments and on Reddit… [kottke.org]
Reposted by kottke.org
What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies. “This is a protest quilt. It was made by an artist whose day job puts her on the front lines of one of the most grotesque realities in America today. She is a teacher.” [kottke.org]
What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies
In 2024, schoolteacher Ginny Robinson won the Best in Show award at a quilting convention for her quilt called What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies.
This is a protest quilt. It was made by an artist
kottke.org
January 5, 2026 at 4:42 PM
What We Will Use as Weapons: A List of School Supplies. “This is a protest quilt. It was made by an artist whose day job puts her on the front lines of one of the most grotesque realities in America today. She is a teacher.” [kottke.org]
How Edo (Tokyo) transformed from a city on the brink of ecological collapse 400 years ago to “one of the most sustainable and efficient cities in history”. [youtube.com]
How Japan saved its biggest city from collapse - Roman Krznaric
Dig into Edo, Japan’s circular economy, and how it helped transform the city into a thriving ecological and cultural center.
--
400 years ago, Edo was on the verge of ecological collapse. Years of intense logging had led to massive deforestation and the city faced timber shortages, severe erosion,
www.youtube.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:32 PM
How Edo (Tokyo) transformed from a city on the brink of ecological collapse 400 years ago to “one of the most sustainable and efficient cities in history”. [youtube.com]
Printing Films is a collection of vintage films that showcase the technologies and processes of printing, journalism, and typography. [printingfilms.com]
Printing Films Archive
A website dedicated to preserving the visual history of the printed word
printingfilms.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Printing Films is a collection of vintage films that showcase the technologies and processes of printing, journalism, and typography. [printingfilms.com]
Why don’t filmmakers just film on location instead of using visual effects? Lots of reasons, including not disrupting communities, control of weather & sun position, or can’t get permission. [fxrant.blogspot.com]
Why Didn’t They “Just” Film on Location?
From the "After The Hunt" VFX Breakdown, by Frame by Frame view full breakdown on YouTube When people see a relatively innocuous shot from a...
fxrant.blogspot.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Why don’t filmmakers just film on location instead of using visual effects? Lots of reasons, including not disrupting communities, control of weather & sun position, or can’t get permission. [fxrant.blogspot.com]
Dan Sinker writes about the transformative experience of seeing a work by Jenny Holzer when he was 14. “Truisms was a revelation. Art could be just words. Art could be just at home slapped on a POST NO BILLS wall as it could in a gallery.” [dansinker.com]
Foundational Texts: Jenny Holzer's Truisms | dansinker.com
Foundational Texts is a new monthly essay series for 2026 looking at some of the culture that shaped me and how it still resonates today. This is the first of 12 monthly installments.
dansinker.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Dan Sinker writes about the transformative experience of seeing a work by Jenny Holzer when he was 14. “Truisms was a revelation. Art could be just words. Art could be just at home slapped on a POST NO BILLS wall as it could in a gallery.” [dansinker.com]
“How did medieval French handwriting become ‘the Nazi font?’ And why did Hitler make it illegal?” TIL that Hitler gave a speech to the Reichstag about how much he disliked blackletter fonts. [weirdmedievalguys.substack.com]
How did medieval French handwriting become “the Nazi font?”
And why did Hitler make it illegal?
weirdmedievalguys.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:16 PM
“How did medieval French handwriting become ‘the Nazi font?’ And why did Hitler make it illegal?” TIL that Hitler gave a speech to the Reichstag about how much he disliked blackletter fonts. [weirdmedievalguys.substack.com]
Do you remember Oddpost? It was an early email web app that used dynamic HTML to mimic the design and functionality of a desktop mail app, 2 years before Gmail launched. [thehistoryoftheweb.com]
A History of DHTML and Web Applications - The History of the Web
Is a website the same as a web application? That question is older than you think
thehistoryoftheweb.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Do you remember Oddpost? It was an early email web app that used dynamic HTML to mimic the design and functionality of a desktop mail app, 2 years before Gmail launched. [thehistoryoftheweb.com]
Tinder Hasn’t Worked, So I’m Putting Myself on Zillow. “I realize that my late-’80s construction might not land me in the “trending” section right away…” [mcsweeneys.net]
Tinder Hasn’t Worked, So I’m Putting Myself on Zillow
After a decade on dating apps, I’ve decided to enter a different market. This is why I’m listing myself on Zillow until I find a good match—which, ...
www.mcsweeneys.net
February 6, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Tinder Hasn’t Worked, So I’m Putting Myself on Zillow. “I realize that my late-’80s construction might not land me in the “trending” section right away…” [mcsweeneys.net]
It was unclear if Mr. Hirohito was aware that the planes he had sent towards Hawaii carried bombs.
The New York Times has finally covered the Trump video of Obama as an ape — and they are still providing cover for him. Fuck the Times.
February 6, 2026 at 2:29 PM
It was unclear if Mr. Hirohito was aware that the planes he had sent towards Hawaii carried bombs.
I’ve always said more popstars should duet with puppets, so Sabrina Carpenter and Kermit the Frog singing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s ‘Island in a Stream’ as part of The Muppet Show’s latest special is perfect (to me). [instagram.com]
February 5, 2026 at 11:42 PM
I’ve always said more popstars should duet with puppets, so Sabrina Carpenter and Kermit the Frog singing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s ‘Island in a Stream’ as part of The Muppet Show’s latest special is perfect (to me). [instagram.com]
The Triumph of Europe's Social Democracy: "European countries have achieved unprecedented levels of prosperity and social well-being, largely due to collective investments in health, education and public infrastructure." [kottke.org]
The Triumph of Europe’s Social Democracy
Economist Thomas Piketty, writing for Le Monde (archive) on the success of Europe’s social democratic model and countering “the narrative of a ‘declining’ continent”:
If someone had told th
kottke.org
February 5, 2026 at 10:22 PM
The Triumph of Europe's Social Democracy: "European countries have achieved unprecedented levels of prosperity and social well-being, largely due to collective investments in health, education and public infrastructure." [kottke.org]
Professor Walt Hunter on the merits of challenging students: Stop Meeting Students Where They Are. “Whole novels aren’t possible to teach, we are told, because students won’t (or can’t) read them. So why assign them?” [theatlantic.com]
Stop Meeting Students Where They Are
What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.
www.theatlantic.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Professor Walt Hunter on the merits of challenging students: Stop Meeting Students Where They Are. “Whole novels aren’t possible to teach, we are told, because students won’t (or can’t) read them. So why assign them?” [theatlantic.com]
The Mountain That Weighed the Earth. How scientists in 1774 used a Scottish mountain to estimate the mass of the Earth to within 20% of the modern number by measuring the mountain’s gravitational effect on a precision plumb line. [signoregalilei.com]
The mountain that weighed the Earth
Suppose you want to find out how much you weigh. It’s easy enough – get a scale, stand on it, and read the number. Now suppose you want to know how much the Earth weighs. You get out a scale and…hm…
signoregalilei.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
The Mountain That Weighed the Earth. How scientists in 1774 used a Scottish mountain to estimate the mass of the Earth to within 20% of the modern number by measuring the mountain’s gravitational effect on a precision plumb line. [signoregalilei.com]
I missed this last fall: Kareem Rahma (Subway Takes) interviews Zohran Mamdani & NYC cabbie Mouhamadou Aliy about their experience protesting & hunger-striking together. "I'm sorry, how can you not vote for this guy?" [kottke.org]
Keep the Meter Running With Mouhamadou Aliy & Zohran Mamdani
In addition to his great series Subway Takes, Kareem Rahma does another series called Keep the Meter Running where he hops into NYC cabs, interviews the drivers, and asks them to take him to their favorite places.
In th
kottke.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:26 PM
I missed this last fall: Kareem Rahma (Subway Takes) interviews Zohran Mamdani & NYC cabbie Mouhamadou Aliy about their experience protesting & hunger-striking together. "I'm sorry, how can you not vote for this guy?" [kottke.org]
Some cool animations made from Japanese receipts by Michele Merlo. [instagram.com]
This one was truly a challenge: over 300 frames, hours spent printing, scanning, resizing, recomposing…
www.instagram.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Some cool animations made from Japanese receipts by Michele Merlo. [instagram.com]
Reposted by kottke.org
I watched this video this morning and highly recommend you do too.
Must-watch: A powerful performance of a pro-immigrant Shakespeare speech by Sir Ian McKellen on Colbert's show; it resonates powerfully today. "This is the strangers' case; And this your mountainish inhumanity." [kottke.org]
The Strangers’ Case
I don’t normally say this, but if you watch one thing on kottke.org today, this week, this month, make it this speech written by Shakespeare and performed by Sir Ian McKellen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
kottke.org
February 5, 2026 at 4:59 PM
I watched this video this morning and highly recommend you do too.
Times New Resistance is a free font that's identical to Times New Roman but autocorrects some words as you type, e.g. "ICE autocorrects to the Goon Squad and the word Trump autocorrects to Donald Trump is a felon". Brilliant. [kottke.org]
Times New Resistance
This is awesome and clever. Minneapolis designer Abby Haddican has made a typeface called Times New Resistance. The letters are identical to Times New Roman (and it even appears as such in font menus, except there’
kottke.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Times New Resistance is a free font that's identical to Times New Roman but autocorrects some words as you type, e.g. "ICE autocorrects to the Goon Squad and the word Trump autocorrects to Donald Trump is a felon". Brilliant. [kottke.org]
10 Movies to Stream for Black History Month, from The Flying Ace (1926) to Killer of Sheep (1978) to Moonlight (2016). [nytimes.com]
10 Movies to Stream for Black History Month
Watch these selections that highlight the range and evolution of Black film.
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:06 PM
10 Movies to Stream for Black History Month, from The Flying Ace (1926) to Killer of Sheep (1978) to Moonlight (2016). [nytimes.com]
Hour-long YouTube training session on how to observe & record ICE/CBP. “This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force.” [youtube.com]
Eyes on ICE: Document and Record
On Saturday, federal agents horrifically shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who cared for veterans, in the Eat Street neighborhood of south Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses. Enough is enough. Exercising our constitutional right to document and record
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Hour-long YouTube training session on how to observe & record ICE/CBP. “This call will give you the tools to exercise your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force.” [youtube.com]
Must-watch: A powerful performance of a pro-immigrant Shakespeare speech by Sir Ian McKellen on Colbert's show; it resonates powerfully today. "This is the strangers' case; And this your mountainish inhumanity." [kottke.org]
The Strangers’ Case
I don’t normally say this, but if you watch one thing on kottke.org today, this week, this month, make it this speech written by Shakespeare and performed by Sir Ian McKellen on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
kottke.org
February 5, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Must-watch: A powerful performance of a pro-immigrant Shakespeare speech by Sir Ian McKellen on Colbert's show; it resonates powerfully today. "This is the strangers' case; And this your mountainish inhumanity." [kottke.org]
The CIA has deleted the CIA World Factbook (a popular almanac about the countries of the world) from the web. Fuck this. All these assholes do is pillage & destroy. [apnews.com]
CIA ends publication of its popular World Factbook reference tool
The CIA is ending the publication of its popular World Factbook reference manual. The agency announced the decision Wednesday but gave no reason for it.
apnews.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:42 AM
The CIA has deleted the CIA World Factbook (a popular almanac about the countries of the world) from the web. Fuck this. All these assholes do is pillage & destroy. [apnews.com]
Measles Is Causing Brain Swelling in Children in South Carolina. 876 measles cases in the state so far, and some children have developed encephalitis. “Among children who get measles encephalitis, 10 to 15 percent die.” [wired.com]
Measles Is Causing Brain Swelling in Children in South Carolina
In the ongoing measles outbreak in South Carolina that has infected more than 800 people, some children have developed a rare but serious complication called encephalitis.
www.wired.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:06 AM
Measles Is Causing Brain Swelling in Children in South Carolina. 876 measles cases in the state so far, and some children have developed encephalitis. “Among children who get measles encephalitis, 10 to 15 percent die.” [wired.com]
Michelangelo's First Painting, Made at Age 12. (This is an intense painting; painting it in a 7th grade art class today would result in a parental summons to the principal's office.) [kottke.org]
Michelangelo’s First Painting, Made at Age 12
The Torment of Saint Anthony is the earliest surviving work attributed to Michelangelo, painted by him in 1487 or 1488 when he was 12 or 13 years old. This is an intense painting, the kind of thing that would have result
kottke.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Michelangelo's First Painting, Made at Age 12. (This is an intense painting; painting it in a 7th grade art class today would result in a parental summons to the principal's office.) [kottke.org]