Oh, Cool: Minimum viable product

Don't hate me, writing is hard

Hello, welcome to Oh, Cool! Usually, this will be 500 words on something that makes you say “Oh, Cool” - that’s the name, right - but this is the first one so er, enjoy this cut-back version and lemme know if you like it or don’t like it. These will be once a week, accompanied by a few interesting articles that I dug and maybe you might dig too.

This time - and for the first couple - this will just be the interesting articles, as I get myself going.

As newsletter launches go, this is less of a shopping mall grand opening and more a branch of Subway opening at the end of a strip mall with more of a whimper than a bang.

But, I kept meaning to launch this newsletter and I’m a minimum-viable product guy, so here’s some stuff I’ve enjoyed reading this week. I was going to write something else - I’ve written half of it! - but I’ve been adjusting to taking new ADHD meds, the ADHD is a new situation for me and the meds are even newer, but I’m already seeing positive effects.

Other than that, I’m a journalist by day and figured - hey, why don’t I just create even more words for the Internet in my spare time too. Here we are. Too much me for the first newsletter? Perhaps. On with the links!

And another thing

• Inside CNET’s AI-powered SEO money machine - The Verge’s look at CNET’s shift into AI-generated articles is interested, but also skewers their business model. CNET was a titan of the tech world when I was growing up, and I have former colleagues I respect that work there, but the article paints a picture of a workplace with dire morale as it appears owners Red Ventures have worked out there’s no real reason to invest in proper journalism now they have their AI-powered revenue generator.
  

  This line is cracking: “Her email began with a screenshot of a ChatGPT-generated resignation letter. “I am writing this letter using AI-generated content,” the note reads. “While I may not have personally composed these words, I hope they convey the sincere appreciation I have for my colleagues and the work we have done together.”
  

• The season of 'seenzoned' and too many notifications - Agonisingly relatable, this piece examines how we’re hitting a crunch point of too many notifications
  
  I have several friends who don’t really play the WhatsApp game and will respond a few days later if at all. It’s no slight on them, but there’s no escaping the fact that it often feels like a tiny personal slight how
  
  Bonus read, this older piece from Lauren Dudley on how she canned all notification alerts from her phone and her quality of life improved sets out a blueprint for a healthier life, if you’re brave enough to take the plunge. I’m not, but did uninstall Facebook and Twitter from my phone and that was a positive change.
  

• How “Battle Royale” Took Over Video Games - Anything Simon Parkin writes should be a high-priority read, but this piece - on how a Japanese novel (and cracking film) became the inspiration for video games like Fortnite, PUBG and Warzone - is interesting. I’ve met Brendan Greene myself and his story is a fascinating one, so it’s fitting that he’s the heart of this piece.
  

• The Rise of the Tech Bro Supervillain - It’s probably not Elon Musk’s fault that we’re getting a rise of tech bro supervillains, although Edward Norton’s Glass Onion character definitely has something in common with Twitter’s feckless new owner.
  
  This article posits this rise as a reaction to our collective unease around the tech billionaires that dominate our society. That fits, I’ve seen not-Rupert Murdoch get murdered with a big drill in Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies back in 1997 when we were all freaking out about Rupert Murdoch’s media agenda.