one.point.zero

Sorry for the mess.

Colin O'Brien — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 24:00:00 GMT

I've been fixing bugs that affected, among other things, the RSS feed. Sorry if some of you are seeing duplicate content. It should be fine from now on.

The mini subway under the U.S. Capitol.

Colin O'Brien — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 24:00:00 GMT

I didn't know the U.S. Capitol had its own mini underground rail network to shuttle people between buildings. I'm always fascinated by these independent networks.

You're still being tracked by apps on your phone.

Colin O'Brien — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 24:00:00 GMT

An interesting deep dive into how your geolocation data gets exfiltrated by advertising networks via apps on your phone and sold to, not only the highest bidder, but basically any data broker, government agency, or other organisation that can afford it.

All of this, of course, despite you setting your phone to not allow these apps to track you.

By the way, the list of apps that do this (Google Docs) contained 2 apps I had installed on my phone. I'd take a look and see what apps you should be removing from yours.

Small changes to the blog.

Colin O'Brien — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 24:00:00 GMT

I just switched this blog from using a dynamic Django-based solution to running as a static site using Eleventy.

I mainly did this in anticipation of some further changes to come. But, basically, I needed something simpler that would encourage me to post more often.

Considering the state of social media and the internet in general, I want to move to publishing on a platform I own, not one I rent or borrow.

Having to go into an admin interface and make a bunch of choices was too much of a barrier. Now, I just have to dump a markdown file into a directory, and it all gets published automatically.

As far as the visitor-facing aspect goes, nothing much should change except being a little faster. If you're reading this via RSS you may see older posts show up again, sorry about that.

The constant aggression of the current internet.

Colin O'Brien — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 24:00:00 GMT

This piece, from Ed Zitron, is one of the best things I've read in a while. It puts into words what I've been feeling about tech recently better than I ever could. He's angry, but rightly so.

The people running the majority of internet services have used a combination of monopolies and a cartel-like commitment to growth-at-all-costs thinking to make war with the user, turning the customer into something between a lab rat and an unpaid intern, with the goal to juice as much value from the interaction as possible. To be clear, tech has always had an avaricious streak, and it would be naive to suggest otherwise, but this moment feels different. I’m stunned by the extremes tech companies are going to extract value from customers, but also by the insidious way they’ve gradually degraded their products.

My Life As a Homeless Man in America.

Colin O'Brien — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 24:00:00 GMT

A former Boston Globe reporter on his now homeless life. A tense and depressing read.

Fugees Founder faces prison for being a spy.

Colin O'Brien — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 24:00:00 GMT

This is quite a story. I'm not surprised Hollywood wants to turn it into a film. Fugees founder Pras Michel faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of conducting an illegal foreign influence campaign with Malaysian financier Jho Low.

Great accessible road crossing signals

Colin O'Brien — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 24:00:00 GMT

This is a fantastic idea: integrating tactile maps on pedestrian crossing buttons to help sight-impaired people get a lay of the land. These exact signal boxes are used here, but I don't think I've ever seen the map module on them. That's a shame.

BBOYS, A history of breaking.

Colin O'Brien — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 24:00:00 GMT

A great little documentary about the history of breakdancing. It's in multiple parts, check out the channel for the full playlist.

The internet is hostile.

Colin O'Brien — Thu, 02 May 2024 24:00:00 GMT

A perfect summary of the current state of the internet and technology in general.

The first page of Google results are links to pages that have scraped other pages for information from other pages that have been scraped for information. All the sources seem to link back to one another. There is no origin. The photos on the page look weird. The hands are disfigured. There is no image credit.

The one percent are coming for everyone.

Colin O'Brien — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 24:00:00 GMT

The accumulation of wealth by a small percentage of people at the top of the pyramid gradually engulfs everything.

The money produced by art has not disappeared. The issue is not that the people of the world value television less than they did in the 1990s. The reality is that the people with the most money have devised, at every turn, new and more bulletproof ways for them to make and keep more money, and for the people who make things to make less. This is the eternal story of labor and management; it just has hot people in it, in this case.

An inhuman vision.

Colin O'Brien — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 24:00:00 GMT

In the tech world, innovation has mostly been replaced by innovation-speak. And a constant need for growth has led to products and technologies becoming the focus, rather than human benefit.

Adam Stoddard argues this eloquently, using Apple's Vision Pro as a symbol of this broader issue.

Apple isn’t alone here. This tail-wags-dog approach underpins the AI space at large, like it did with “web 3” and blockchain before it. If anything, it’s the defining characteristic of modern big tech. These are the richest companies on the planet, but they want more, and they’re desperate to find or force the next big thing in order to make it happen.

Your shop gives me a headache.

Colin O'Brien — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 24:00:00 GMT

There's been a growing trend for a while now where brands diffuse a signature scent throughout their shops. Even pharmacies are up to it with essential oils. It's probably linked to some marketing theory about stimulating all our senses. Well, it has the opposite effect on me. I hate this practice and actively seek out places that don't participate. Please stop.

Chrome is getting worse.

Colin O'Brien — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 24:00:00 GMT

Steer clear of Google Chrome if you value your privacy. They've just introduced a misleadingly labeled "privacy sandbox" feature, which, paradoxically, undermines user privacy rather than protecting it.

Max Porter on the weapons industry and Palestine.

Colin O'Brien — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 24:00:00 GMT

A scorching monologue by Max Porter, exposing the seemingly ordinary people who forge the tools of genocide – the wrench-turners, ledger-keepers, and nameless faces behind the machinery of death.

Make your old Casio watch smart.

Colin O'Brien — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 24:00:00 GMT

An intriguing upgrade for classic Casio LCD wristwatches. A motherboard replacement that allows for customisable watch faces and features like temperature tracking. It's open source and easily hackable. An alternative to the modern smartwatch.