Good Posts 2025-09-21
Another busy week of work, but combined with last week there's a decent amount to share.
Posts
The worst possible antitrust outcome - Cory Doctorow
I don't pretend to be an expert on corporate law, but Cory's summary of the Google Antitrust rulings so far (as of a couple weeks ago) paints a dreary picture for the future of online monopolies.
New Fossil Discoveries Shed Light on When and How the Dinosaurs Died Out - Economist Writing Every Day
This post is a few years old, but I've been doing a bunch of reading on Prehistory and the truly ancient stuff lately, and came across this article which does a nice job summing up one of the major finds of the last few years in confirming the dinosaur extinction timeline.
New study shows Britain’s economy did not collapse after the Romans left - Archaeology Mag
On the post-prehistory side (they should really come up with a name for that) this much more recent article on evidence that the British metals industry didn't in fact collapse when there wasn't an Empire watching over them - and in fact that it increased broadly over time. The article is a good read, but the paper itself is also extremely readable if you have a bit more time. Some really smart interdisciplinary work.
I love any research like this that puts received wisdom to the test, doubly so when it uncovers a new understanding.
Chrome vs data hoarding - Laura Michet
I've also been finding the incessant babying of software users in recent years tiresome, but this is a particularly egregious example - tying it in with the way younger people are having less time working with "computer-style" computers and thus losing access to the freedom they should provide is pretty key imo. I've figured out how to work around this stuff but that doesn't mean these restrictions should go unchecked.
Also I really need to take Laura's approach to data hoarding. I've clearly been far too conservative with my conservation.
Videos
How Inaccurate are Nintendo's Official Emulators? - 100th Coin
100th Coin remains kind of unmatched in their obsessive attention to detail with the NES. Their previous video is possibly more unhinged, but this one demonstrates the depths of depravity one can achieve in retro emulation.
Breaking a Mario Kart World Record by Getting Stuck in the Ground - Ejay B
The MKWii community remain unmatched at just doing things that they aren't supposed to be able to do. Really good video, tells the story well, and the length is pitched about perfectly imo.