Eurovision and Other Delights (Weeknotes

📊 This week marks three months since I started using UpDown.io to monitor this site’s availability. I’m really happy with it and I’ve still got free trial credits to last several more months. The uptime numbers could be better, I suppose, but I’ve got no complaints.

🏷️ I updated and cleaned up the meta tags on the site. I like that preview cards and favicons generally appear as they should. Anne’s post was very helpful!

🛠️ I got to show off my mad dad skillz this week by assembling two Ikea BILLY bookcases, and a standing desk for my daughter’s room. Everything seems to be holding together and there were not injuries, so I’m taking the win.

✊ I deleted by Stack Overflow account because AI.

🌪️ Tornados blew through our area this week. The sirens wailed like crazy for an hour, interrupting my enjoyment of the first Eurovision semifinal. We missed the worst of it, which blew by to our north, and avoided any damage.

🥥 If you like coconut, you might enjoy this limited edition Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut. I picked up a case of the zero sugar variant and it lives up to the name.

⚽️ Disappointed that the Columbus Crew lost the Hell is Real derby match to our in-state rival FC Cincinnati. Terrible fact: it’s the first time that Cincy has ever beaten the Crew in Columbus.

Eurovision Song Contest

🎤 It’s that time again! I enjoyed watching this year’s event—so far^[1]. I ranked the first and second semifinal contestants. I’m still bothered that Iceland didn’t advance.

📔 If you’re into trivia, here are some interesting facts about the contest.

📆 I really need to mark my calendar for next year. I found out about this year’s contest by accident, thanks to Richard’s post. I can’t believe I might have missed it! I don’t want to be surprised like that.

Fun Web Sites

🆗 Staples has the “Easy” button, and now we have a “Make Everything Okay” button. It’s a nice little reminder that things will, in fact, be okay. And sometimes that’s just what we need. (Thanks to Ben Daubney for sharing.)

🤕 The state of the Web, summed up in a single website is both funny and sad.

Reading This Week

🧹 It’s not often that we love our cleaning supplies, but Jedda won the Internet this week with a Love Letter to a Dyson vacuum cleaner.

💉 Joan Westenberg’s post reminds us that TikTok and its copycats (Instagram Reels, SnapChat Stories, etc) are less about promoting creativity than about fostering addictive behavior—i.e. “engagement.”

🦾 ”We don’t need an AI manifesto – We need a constitution” by Vivienne Ming (Financial Times)

🚗 ”US set to impose 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports” by Demetri Sevastopulo, James Politi and Aime Williams (Financial Times)

🤖 ”How I Feel About AI” by Johnny Noble

Listening

🏴‍☠️ Writing about my high school days in theater prompted me to listen again to The Pirates of Penzance. Really lovely music if you can find a good recording.

Please remember to give a hoot and not pollute. Cheers!