The Dice — 020

Plans that have been in motion since the spring are finally nearing their conclusion. The work to get to that milestone took much longer than it should have but it feels good to be almost finished nonetheless. And the clarity and confidence gained through the extended timeline is priceless. After I hit the publish button, I’m off to enjoy a beverage made from fresh hops in the crisp autumn afternoon sun. October always flies by, no matter what’s going on or not and this year I hope to find a way to slow it down, at least for a few hours.

Here’s issue 20 of your favorite variety newsletter, The Dice...

Wordpress CEO and manchild Matt Mullenwig showed his true colors, yet again, by attacking one of the leading Wordpress-based companies, WP Engine claiming they are a cancer to the community.  Amidst the flurry of lawsuits and allegations being exchanged, Matt’s words and actions make it clear to me that this is just another ploy to line his pockets with more money—an ongoing Mullenweg theme. In response to his tantrum, 159 employees took an offer for severance if they didn’t feel aligned with Matt’s ego. At the same time, Mullenweg found a way to join a private Slack group run by and for former WordPress employees. If that wasn’t creepy enough, he volunteered to pay for the Slack instance so that he could access the chat history. He eventually left after feeling, “unwelcome.”

WordPress is the new Cybertruck.

Mozilla rebranded a few weeks ago, but I didn't catch the story until a few days ago. The new brand is stark with a primarily black and white color palette with a hint of green screen. It reminds me of an Apple IIc. The dinosaur is there but in pixelated and animated form. I love it and can’t wait to see it in the wild. It’s Nice That has all the images you could want while Armin Vit at Brand New provides the best commentary. “Overall, there is a strong foundation here with the new distinctive wordmark and a bit of levity and perhaps even pirate rebelliousness in the flag icon that should help galvanize users to (re)build a small segment of the internet into a greed-free zone.” I really want one of those pins!

By the way, Mozilla should have a theme song.

Even in our new world of digital algorythum-fuled disinformation expanding by the day, it turns out that human interaction is much more influential in elections. “It is useful to compare what we know about the effects of digital ads relative to other forms of electoral messaging. Research looking at the impact of door knocking or phone canvassing has shown larger effects, particularly when it comes to persuading someone to turn out to vote. In one analysis of several studies, face-to-face conversation was found to boost turnout by 2.5 percent, and phone calls from volunteers had a 1.9 percent effect. Digital ads therefore have a smaller impact than more familiar communication methods.” Power to the people!

On the subject of elections, here’s an important reminder that it is not possible for anyone to discover who you voted for in the United States. They can find if you voted, but not who or what for.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by how much positive attention Dungeon’s & Dragons continues to receive as a way for people to improve their mental health, general disposition, and interaction with others, but I am. This week I came across similar stories from two, very different journals. From ArsTechica: “While the research is ongoing, many academics and therapists say they have already seen positive results implementing D&D as a therapeutic tool. Most recently, a group of researchers at the University College Cork published findings in the International Journal of Role-Playing showing that D&D can positively support a player’s mental health state.” And the Havard Business Review: “In a study following 25 adults playing D&D regularly over the course of a year, researchers observed a decrease in the players’ general anxiety, stress, and depression over time. They also showed corresponding increases in self-esteem and self-efficacy.” Sounds good to me—LFG.

Very related: The new D&D Player’s Handbook was released a few weeks ago. Support your local game store and get your copy.

I didn’t grow up with a Radio Shack in town but that doesn’t decrease the nostalgic value of this archive devoted to their product catalogs. Do yourself a favor and go back to the 50s and work your way from there. The layouts, typography, illustrations, everything is amazing. Then heading into the 70s where everyone is dressed like they're going to church or in evening formalwear. Don’t miss the archive devoted to the Tandy computer line starting with the TRS-80. Also note that in every other photo of Radio Shack founder Charles Tandy he’s holding a cigar. Now that’s a real CEO!

Want more nostalgia? How about a visual archive of blank cassette tapes? I pirated more than a few albums on the Sony UX Type II, my preferred tape of choice because it felt solid.

If you miss the old days of Wired magazine then you’ll likely be happy to hear that so are Om Malik and Fred Vovelstein want to bring back “optimism about the future, especially from a technological perspective.” The veteran technology journalist duo are starting a new publication called Crazy Stupid Tech. From their first issue: “As Silicon Valley’s influence extends deeper into all corners of our economy and lives, there have never been more interesting, crazy, stupid and intriguing ideas and technologies out there. We don’t think they’re getting enough attention. So our goal is to tell you about those that really matter and explain why they matter.” Subscriptions are free, “at least for now.”

Published in Tacoma, Washington in silence.