⛏️ Picks & Shovels by Cory Doctorow /// Kickstarter

🕵️ The search startup trying to turn the web into a database /// MIT Review

📚 There’s No Shortcut To Publishing A Book /// Defector

If you are an unethical or otherwise dumb business—and there are many—you will believe that the quantity of work is more important than quality.

✅ Mark Zuckerberg: Fact-Checking on Meta Is Too “Politically Biased” /// THR

A bit telling they think facts are biased—and allowing people to spew lies will get them in the good graces of the next administration.

📚 Retrospective, reading /// annie’s blog

Audiobooks aren’t really for me but I think it’s cool that they’re available and give us yet one more way to access the treasure. People who want to argue about whether listening to a book “counts” as reading a book are dumb and can fuck right off.

I obviously love the sentiment in this post about the treasure troves that are libraries, but loved this line even more. Plus Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver just moved to the top of my to-read list. I personally had a terrible year reading books, finishing just two, I think…

🪟 Adobe now has a tool to get rid of ugly window reflections in photos /// The Verge

This sounds incredible and an actual good use of AI.

🎸 United Health by Jesse Wells

There’s hardly humans in humanity.

This already made the rounds, but worth checking out if you haven’t yet.

🧳 Top Travel Destinations for 2025: 50 cities make the list including one in Illinois /// WGN

I lived in Oak Park for a bit and it’s absurd that it’s making this list, even if towards the bottom. It’s nice, but not top 50 in the world nice.

💵 What it costs to make Hyperfixed. /// Alex Goldman

Cool to get some transparency into what it actually takes to make a podcast like this. This convinced me to pay for both Hyperfixed and Search Engine.

🍃 VESSELS by Robert Van Vliet

If you liked ISLAND (published on foofaraw earlier this month), then you’ll love Robert’s new book, which is officially released tomorrow.

Affiliate link goes to support foofaraw contributors

💥 “When you decide on a grid initially do you just mess around in your sketchbook till you come across a particular grid shape you like then pick it? Or is there more to it?” /// Jesse Lonergan

Lonergan is a master (maybe the best) at utilizing grids to build movement and momentum in comics so it’s cool to see how he thinks about setting up and choosing a base grid to work with.

🍷 Pizza Hut Uncorks Tomato Wine: Here’s What It Tastes Like /// Today

Sent this to my wife since she works in wine and she said she’s going to be trying it today at work. Sounds disgusting, but who knows…

🎧 Univershuffle

New app from Adam Linder, developer of Albums, is coming out Jan 7 and you can preorder it from the App Store now. Albums continues to be one of my favorite apps (just renewed it for the 3rd or 4th year), and this new app gives you a way to discover new music in a new non-AI non-algorithmic way by shuffling all the music.

🧅 Sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to The Onion rejected /// AP News

Boo.

🍲 Best Food Blog

Bon Appetit gets the Defector/404/Hearing Things/Aftermath treatment with Best Food Blog. Looks eerily similar to Perfectly Imperfect though.

🤥 Trump Tests Ethical Boundaries With Branded Merch. (And All Sales Are Final.) /// NY Times

He doesn’t do much well, if anything, besides identifying a mark and taking advantage of them. From Chinese Swiss watches, to temu-looking shoes, and now, what I can only assume is some store brand febreeze in a perfume bottle. All sales final.

📹 Make AI Mediocre Again /// Cadbury 5 Star India

What a fantastic ad.

🎧 The Best Rap Albums of 2024 /// Pitchfork

I don’t think I’ve ever felt this out of touch with rap. No Tyler, Tierra Whack, (new to me) Doechii, Heems, Kendrick, or even Cordae.

🤖 Manchester City is letting fans design its new kit with AI /// The Verge

I hate everything about this: Manchester City, AI, and holding a fan contest to avoid paying real designers.

🎁 Spotify Is Using You /// Hearing Things

The other new inclusion to 2024 Wrapped is called “Your Music Evolution” and gives a superficial glimpse of how your taste changed throughout the year. They anoint these micro-eras with goofy names like “Alien Permanent Wave Art Pop” (because I listened to a lot of Björk, Fiona Apple, and Charli that month) and “Indie Sleaze Catwalk Pop” (because I listened to a lot of Charli, Chappell Roan, and Beyoncé that month).

I like seeing peoples Wrapped and think the micro-genres and micro-eras are pretty neat. But also, stop shitting on ways people find enjoyment. You want to shit on Spotify for their business practices, then do that, not the people sharing their likes.

🏞️ Koel

This isn’t for me, but if you are looking for a tool to be able to stream your own music, this looks pretty great.