013: Hacking CPAP machines, parents are flat-earthers, and free learning projects

Greetings!

Are we losing control over software?

The early internet gave us more flexibility and control over customization from the end-user perspective, the most famous example being MySpace. It was probably single-handedly responsible for getting a lot of web developers today interested in programming/design when they were younger.

Today, we don’t have that same freedom. Twitter’s new website redesign killed off a color profile customization feature. Instagram and Snapchat never offered it, and perhaps the closest to that was Vine, which was tragically shut down years ago.

While social media can customized through post aesthetics, it seems that implicitly, there is no creative freedom and conformity is the default.

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This edition is going to be short, as I’ve been packing for SF! I’ll be out here for at least the next few months, so if you’re in town, ping me :)

ASSORTED LINKS

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Much like the insulin pump hacker article I shared last time, there’s another interesting one on hacking CPAP machines for sleep apnea patients.

• Ink & Switch consistently puts out great research. Their latest is on cloud apps and owning your own data.

• "The vision was that the Semantic Web would become a playground for intelligent 'agents.' These agents would automate much of the work that the world had only just learned to do on the web…
  
  "The web we have today is slowly becoming a glorified app store, just the easiest way among many to download software that communicates with distant servers using closed protocols and schemas, making it functionally identical to the software ecosystem that existed before the web."

RANDOM

• My parents are Flat-Earthers. What would you do if your parents were conspiracy theorists?

• A gluten-free guide to Malaysia.

• The fourth cohort of Emergent Ventures winners. If you’re interested, apply here.

• Amazon Prime is an S-type loonshot.

• USV is encouraging free learning projects. I’m really interested in this space, so if you’re building something related, do reach out!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

mehmetgeren has been one of my favorite finds lately. I love how he combines old art with modern symbols and text through graphic design.

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Thanks for reading :)

Lama