Blog Blender

Intrusive, needy software

With the ubiquity of Internet connections and cheap storage and data costs, software applications have become intrusive, almost needy in how they interact with users.

So the problem isn’t that software ever teaches, asks, or informs. The problem is that once a company builds the machinery to do it, that machinery becomes cheap to reuse, and the incentives gradually pull it away from “help the user succeed” toward “move the metric.”

What starts as an occasional heads-up becomes a permanent layer of UI exhaust. What starts as support becomes a funnel. What starts as a reminder becomes a habit-forming system.

PJH Studios artwork, Portrait of a sun

PJH Studios

Movies, music, books, whiskey, and culture in a blog blender

  • Intrusive, needy software

    With the ubiquity of Internet connections and cheap storage and data costs, software applications have become intrusive, almost needy in how they interact with users. So the problem isn’t that software ever teaches, asks, or informs. The problem is that once a company builds the machinery to do it, that machinery becomes cheap to reuse,…

  • The scale of Minnesota resistance

    An aggregated Bluesky thread from Margaret Killjoy details the scale and scope of resistance in Minnesota. Half the street corners around here have people–from every walk of life, including republicans–standing guard to watch for suspicious vehicles, which are reported to a robust and entirely decentralized network that tracks ICE vehicles and mobilizes responders. I have…

  • David Erlich’s 2025 movies supercut

    Every year, David Erlich creates a music video supercut of his top 25 movies. Superbly edited, it celebrates movies with wit and verve.

  • African solarpunk

    Africa is leading the way implementing solar energy based solutions for everyday life.

  • Claw machine competitions

    Operating a claw machine is becoming a competitive sport. …the competitive claw machine community has grown. Aspiring clawmasters share tips and tricks online. Clawcades host tournaments for local players. The cost to play depends on location and prizes, but on average is still between a quarter and $2 per play. They’re especially popular in Japan,…

  • 2026 breakthrough technologies

    MIT Technology Review published their annual list of breakthrough technologies. Lots of AI and clean energy related picks. Next-gen nuclear Nuclear power already provides steady electricity to grids around the world, without producing any greenhouse-gas emissions. New designs rely on alternative fuels and cooling systems or take up less space, which could get more reactors…

  • SMS login attacks

    All those SMS login links may not be a good idea. A paper published last week has found more than 700 endpoints delivering such texts on behalf of more than 175 services that put user security and privacy at risk. One practice that jeopardizes users is the use of links that are easily enumerated, meaning…

  • Pokémon fossil museum

    In Japan, there is a Pokémon fossil museum.

  • 3D Snake game

    Here is a variation of the classic snake game, where you control a snake, and it gets longer each time it eats a little dot on the screen. But this version is on a three dimensional sphere.

  • Regrowing teeth

    A toothy prospect: being able to regrow teeth. Japanese scientists have an experimental drug that may be able to successfully regrow teeth. Teeth, however, are not bones. Although they’re made of some of the same stuff and are the hardest material in the human body (thanks to its protective layer of enamel), they lack the…