Down Under Digital


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www.sfgate.com/tech/arti…

In search of new internet search.

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pluralistic.net/2026/05/2…

“…the early web was a technology that grew more profitable every day, which workers and young people had to force on their bosses – and AI is a technology that grows less profitable every day, and bosses have to force it on workers and young people.”

Cory Doctorow is always worth reading.

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Sea lions enjoying themselves this afternoon next to the Edmonds Pier.

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Finally finished listening to “Empire of AI” by Karen Hao and returned it via Libby. 5 people were waiting to borrow this apparently rather popular title.

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Another great meal at Thai Wisdom in Edmonds.

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Earlier today Libby alerted me that my hold for “On the Calculation of Volume” Book 1 by had just become available. And so I find myself beginning this story that will apparently stretch over 7 volumes.

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At the Pie Dive Bar in La Conner. We shared a delicious chicken pie and a mixed berry fruit pie for desert.

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Cruise ship season is off and running as of (I think) a couple of weeks ago here in the Pacific North West.

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Getting very tempted to try out Kagi search again after using up my free 100 searches evaluation a few months ago.

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A great piece about what came after the Microsoft Doc file format. matduggan.com/markdown-…

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Listening (and watching) Heather Cox Richardson interviewing Talking Points Memo folks - www.youtube.com/watch

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An Edmonds kind of sunset.

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arstechnica.com/science/2…

What’s going wrong with social media web sites.

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www.anildash.com/2026/04/3…

In praise of Flickr.

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Just saw a cruise ship from Edmonds waterfront. I gather the cruise season has started again with possible Iran war related fare increases.

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And here’s the article with fading words I am referring to.

www.thurrott.com/paul/3345…

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He says in the link that “We want what we write to be human readable and machine readable, to live forever.” in writing on the site that fades to non existence a few words later. The irony is hard to miss. I get it that we are suppose to become a member and login to read the whole article but did the author not notice this disappearance of

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Here on May the 4th it seems like a good day to mention how much we enjoyed both Seasons of “Andor”. After finishing the last episode of Season Two, my wife and I watched “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which seamlessly carried on the story from “Andor”. The writers of the TV show did a good job there!

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I’m enjoying reading “The Vanishing Point” by Paul Theroux and also glad that he’s still publishing books worth reading after a long career. I love his non-fiction travel writing.

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We are having to watch Season 2 of “Deadlock” with subtitles on to help out with the dialog. I’m Australian but I still can’t always follow the rapidly delivered “shouting”. Be cautious about starting to watch this one!

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Which one should I drink?

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I’m presently listening to “Empire of AI” written and narrated by Karen Hao and which I borrowed from Edmonds library via Libby. This is quite a topical book to be listening to at present especially with the Musk and Sam Altman court case underway.

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www.meditationsinanemergency.com/truth-con…

Another interesting analysis of the present energy situation by Rebecca Solnit. I’m old enough to remember the first oil crises of the ‘70s which led to years of stagflation, etc.

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I love our trees at this time of the year.

So much pink for a few days and then the wind blows it all away.
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We are slowly working our way through the Person of Interest television series.  We still have a way to go.