# Weekly Thing for November 18, 2017

- Issue: 28
- Published: November 18, 2017
- URL: https://weekly.thingelstad.com/archive/28/
- Summary: Tesla Roadster, Toronto tech rise, Tim Berners-Lee on web, GTD guide, Daniel Kahneman, Atul Gawande, Datasette SQLite API, Firefox Quantum Era.
- Word count: 1451
- Domains: hacks.mozilla.org, hamberg.no, jvns.ca, onbeing.org, simonwillison.net, soundcloud.com, torontolife.com, turn-off-retweets.glitch.me, www.bloomberg.com, www.itproportal.com, www.kickstarter.com, www.spscommerce.com, www.tesla.com, www.theguardian.com, www.topicbox.com

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This week I decided to [jump into the Micro.blog Photo Challenge](http://micro.douglane.com/2017/11/09/microblog-photo-challenge.html) . 📷 This was a 7-day challenge with [a theme for each day: Squares](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/11/193440.html) [, Tasty](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/12/191007.html) [, On the Move](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/13/234858.html) [, Up Close](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/14/015301.html) [, Liquid](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/15/012043.html) [, Seasonal](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/16/001031.html) [, and Shadow](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/17/021039.html) . I shot all the pictures on the day of the challenge. No dipping into my archive of photos. I also shot them all on my iPhone 7. 📱 It was a good reminder of how much I like photography and that I need to make time for creative activities like this. Some of the days were a real challenge with the theme. The last day was shadow, and it was rainy and dreary the entire day. There wasn’t a shadow anywhere. But wait, I can make my own with a flashlight. 🔦 Some assistance from Mazie with the flashlight and I got my shot.

Speaking of [photos I got my photography website](https://photos.thingelstad.com) back online this past week. I’m still not loving the theme but it’s okay for now. I think I have some photos left to link up but it’s very workable. I also heard from a number of people that it was not cool to miss a photo in last weeks Weekly Thing, so I'll make sure that doesn't happen again. ☺️

[I haven’t written about Micro.blog](https://micro.blog) but I should. I’ve used it exclusively to create all my status messages since it launched. People that follow me on Twitter are seeing a syndication of that content. I no longer author anything on Twitter, so I have full control of my content via Micro.blog. It’s one step away from the dumpster fire of hate known as Twitter. Micro.blog is still requires an invite. I have extra codes if any of you want one send me an email.

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

## Photog 📷

I [participated in the Micro.blog Photo Challenge](http://micro.douglane.com/2017/11/09/microblog-photo-challenge.html) this week. This is my abstract photo for liquid. The CO2 bubbles streak as they charge up and out of the water.

Nov 15, 2017 at 7:08 PM
Minneapolis MN

## Links 📌

### [Introducing the New Drip — Kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/introducing-the-new-drip)

Cool new offering from Kickstarter that is in-line with platforms like Patreon. High quality platforms that can be a means to send financial support to various individuals doing compelling things seem like a good idea. I don't know that they will ever amount to a huge opportunity for creators, but it’s a good channel.

### [Toronto - The Incredible Rise of Tech](https://torontolife.com/tech/the-incredible-unstoppable-rise-of-tech/)

Promotional but good in-depth article about the rapid growth of the technology sector in Toronto. We have an office in Toronto which has given me a very small glimpse into that city. There are numerous companies looking at opening Toronto locations.

### [Roadster | Tesla](https://www.tesla.com/roadster/)

Amazing new version of the Tesla Roadster. 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds! 😲

### [Fly the airplane: Three practices for effective incident response | ITProPortal](https://www.itproportal.com/features/fly-the-airplane-three-practices-for-effective-incident-response/)

Key things to consider in incident response to technology issues. I like [the callout to Gawande's Checklist Manifesto](https://rwbook.club/book/the-checklist-manifesto/) , a fabulous book!

### [Tim Berners-Lee on the future of the web: 'The system is failing' | Technology | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/15/tim-berners-lee-world-wide-web-net-neutrality)

The inventor of the web is very concerned about the direction things are going. I'd agree with him. We aren't guaranteed a free and open Internet. We have to make that happen.

### [GTD in 15 minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done](https://hamberg.no/gtd/)

Simple, approachable guide to the GTD methodology. I like to keep these around since different people like different overviews.

### [Highlights from Python Marathon by SPS Commerce in Ukraine | SPS Commerce](https://www.spscommerce.com/blog/python-marathon-sps-commerce-spsa/)

Cool even that our team in Ukraine organized for Python developers in Kyiv! 👏

### [Topicbox: modern group email discussions](https://www.topicbox.com/)

[Interesting new offering from Fastmail](https://www.fastmail.com/) . I use Fastmail for my personal email. Looks a lot like a message board but tied more tightly to email.

### [On Being - Daniel Kahneman - Why We Contradict Ourselves and Confound Each Other](https://onbeing.org/programs/daniel-kahneman-why-we-contradict-ourselves-and-confound-each-other-oct2017/)

Kahneman is amazing and I greatly [enjoyed his Thinking Fast and Slow](https://rwbook.club/book/thinking-fast-and-slow/) . It’s one of those books that keeps coming to mind over and over after you've read it.

### [On Being - Atul Gawande - What Matters in the End](https://onbeing.org/programs/atul-gawande-what-matters-in-the-end-oct2017/)

I’m [a big fan of Atul Gawande](http://atulgawande.com) and this episode of On Being is focused [on the material in Being Mortal](http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/) , a book I think everyone should read.

### [Containers Podcast](https://soundcloud.com/containersfmg)

Good audio series [in the spirit of The Box](https://rwbook.club/book/the-box/) [, which my book club](https://rwbook.club) read a long time before I joined. An amazing look into how impactful the containerization of shipping has been [on the world. Also on iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/containers/id1209559177?mt=2) .

### [Datasette: instantly create and publish an API for your SQLite databases](https://simonwillison.net/2017/Nov/13/datasette/)

This is a really cool project to make public data sets available via a JSON API. Datasette dynamically creates [an API for any SQLite database](http://sqlite.org) , and there is a handy utility for Python to turn any CSV into a SQLite database. This writeup of [making a datasette for Polar Bears](https://gist.github.com/simonw/9f8bf23b37a42d7628c4dcc4bba10253) is a good overview. Super easy and simple project doing [a good thing. Listing of datasettes](https://github.com/simonw/datasette/wiki/Datasettes) . 👏

### [How Many Robots Does It Take to Fill a Grocery Order? - Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-06/how-many-robots-does-it-take-to-fill-a-grocery-order)

This is worth looking at just for the video of the robots on an elevated grid or matrix moving around and picking things. I strongly believe we are just seeing the beginning of this type of automation, and this isn't even combined with any intelligence. Employment problems lie ahead. 😒

### [Glitch: write fun small web projects instantly - Julia Evans](https://jvns.ca/blog/2017/11/13/glitch--write-small-web-projects-easily/)

Overview of Glitch that sounds pretty awesome for doing small web projects and sharing them. 💚

### [Turn off retweets!](http://turn-off-retweets.glitch.me/)

[Simple project from Julia Evans](https://jvns.ca) that allows you to turn retweets off for everyone you follow on Twitter. i've long wanted a feature on Twitter to do this. Used this right away and all retweets are disabled. 😁

### [Entering the Quantum Era—How Firefox got fast again and where it’s going to get faster – Mozilla Hacks – the Web developer blog](https://hacks.mozilla.org/2017/11/entering-the-quantum-era-how-firefox-got-fast-again-and-where-its-going-to-get-faster/)

I may have to give Firefox a look for the first time in several years. I love the ethos of Firefox, particularly the pro-privacy positions, but the performance has been so bad as to be comical. This is a nice, approachable writeup on how they have focused on performance. Even people that are less technical may find this interesting as it gives a glimpse into how your browser works and the complex processes involved with making software very fast.

## Promotion 🎁

https://creativecommons.org

[Creative Commons](https://creativecommons.org) helps you legally share your knowledge and creativity to build a more equitable, accessible, and innovative world — unlocking the full potential of the internet to drive a new era of development, growth, and productivity. I have been a supporter of Creative Commons for years. Larry Lessig, the founder of Creative Commons, has done the world a great thing by creating a legal structure to help authors and creators encourage remix culture. In addition to donating, you should consider making your content under a Creative Commons [license. Donate to Creative Commons today!](https://creativecommons.org/donate/)

## Microblog updates 🎈

- Micro.blog Photo Challenge, Day 7: Shadow. Einstein. /cc @douglane [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/17/021039.html)
- Hanging with @pbacken at #TeamSPS “Hop To It” Brew Off! [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/16/hanging-with-pbackenhttpsmicroblogpbacken.html)
- Fun (and cold!) #TeamSPS Brew Off today. Tailgate style! [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/16/fun-and-cold.html)
- Micro.blog Photo Challenge, Day 6: Seasonal. /cc @douglane [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/16/001031.html)
- Excited for tomorrow’s #TeamSPS Brew Off! Part of our annual United Way campaign. Give back! [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/15/excited-for-tomorrows.html)
- Micro.blog Photo Challenge, Day 5: Liquid. CO2! /cc @douglanr [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/15/012043.html)
- Micro.blog Photo Challenge Day 4: Up Close - Espresso! /cc @douglane [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/14/015301.html)
- Micro.blog Photo Challenge, Day 3: On The Move! /cc @douglane [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/13/234858.html)
- Got my photography site back online. Still cleanup to do, but fun to see some of my favorite images. [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/12/got-my-photography.html)
- Photo Challenge Day 2: Tasty! Smoking pork belly for bacon! /cc @douglane [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/12/191007.html)
- After putting more complicated theme in Hugo takes 5.2 sec for 9,970 pages. Still a speed demon. [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/11/after-putting-more.html)
- Hugo seems like it would be superior for my website needs in every way. May need to dig in and make it happen. [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/11/hugohttpsgohugoio-seems-like.html)
- Hugo just generated 8,173 pages in 2.4 seconds. Jekyll takes around 500 seconds to do similar. Whoa. 🤯 [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/11/hugo-just-generated.html)
- Photo Challenge Day 1: Squares /cc @douglane [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/11/193440.html)
- Went to a Bat Mitzvah for the first time today and was taken at the beauty of the ceremony! [→](http://www.thingelstad.com/2017/11/11/went-to-a.html)

## The end 🎬

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