Tootfinder

"Arduino wasn’t valuable because it was just a microcontroller company. It was valuable because it was a commons. And you can’t apply enterprise legal frameworks to a commons without destroying it"
You also can't buy a #commons, at least without destroying it as a commons. The key point about a commons is that it isn't property.

Did Qualcomm kill Arduino for good? | Molecularist
The maker community worried Qualcomm would kill the Arduino ethos. New T&Cs confirm the community's worst fears. Here's what's at stake, what Qualcomm got wrong, and what might still be salvaged.

So I figured with Microsoft End Of Lifing Windows 10 meant I wouldn’t have to put up with their bullshit “ha ha we rebooted your computer overnight” bullshit.
Me coming into my office yesterday morning:

OpenAI's chief communications officer Hannah Wong will leave in January; Wong joined in 2021 and led PR during Sam Altman's brief ouster and return in 2023 (Maxwell Zeff/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/openai-chief-communications-officer-hannah-…

OpenAI’s Chief Communications Officer Is Leaving the Company
Hannah Wong told staff she is moving on to her “next chapter.” The company will be running an executive search to find a replacement, according to a memo.

#aliens

https://theonion.com/wedding-experts-say-engagement-ring-should-cost-at-leas-1834915832/

Wedding Experts Say Engagement Ring Should Cost At Least Three Diamond Miners’ Lives
NEW YORK—Maintaining that the jewelry was absolutely essential in communicating trust and commitment to your partner, matrimony experts confirmed Tuesday that an adequate engagement ring should cost at least three diamond miners’ lives. “This tradition is still with us for good reason: A diamond is tangible proof that your unique and eternal love is worth any sacrifice, which in this case is a minimum of three diamond miners from Sierra Leone,” said wedding advisor Dori Drysdale, cautio…

If you are up this late, maybe you want to stay up later. Go ahead, read my latest essay, What Did Vibe Coding just do to the Commons?
https://varnelis.net/works_and_projects/what-did-vibe-coding-just-do-to-the-commons/

What did Vibe Coding just do to the Commons? - varnelis.net
I write a lot about art and architecture, landscape, and the impact of technology on culture, but I haven’t written about coding since the 1980s, when I sold my first article to Creative Computing magazine. Back then I was a high school kid, spending hours working in both BASIC and 6502 assembler on the VIC-20. I ...

OpenAI will match ads to conversation topics using some personalization data, but claims it will not sell user data or expose user conversations to advertisers (Maxwell Zeff/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/openai-testing-ads-us/

Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work
OpenAI says ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, and that it won’t sell user data to advertisers.

OpenAI will match ads to conversation topics using some personalization data, but claims it will not sell user data or expose user conversations to advertisers (Maxwell Zeff/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/openai-testing-ads-us/

Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT. Here’s How They’ll Work
OpenAI says ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, and that it won’t sell user data to advertisers.

Sources: leaders at Thinking Machines Lab confronted Barret Zoph over an alleged relationship with another employee, who is no longer at the lab, in summer 2025 (Maxwell Zeff/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/thinking-machines-lab-cofounder-off…

Thinking Machines Cofounder’s Office Relationship Preceded His Termination
Leaders at Mira Murati’s startup believe Barret Zoph engaged in an incident of “serious misconduct.” The details are now coming to light.

Vibe coding is the single biggest transformation since ChatGPT 3.5, it is one of the biggest transformations since the dawn of computing. It will thoroughly transform Open Source. We are not ready. #VibeCoding #OpenSource

What did Vibe Coding just do to the Commons? - varnelis.net
I write a lot about art and architecture, landscape, and the impact of technology on culture, but I haven’t written about coding since the 1980s, when I sold my first article to Creative Computing magazine. Back then I was a high school kid, spending hours working in both BASIC and 6502 assembler on the VIC-20. I ...