Cool links

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Meta: New AI measures to identify teens. Meta will use AI to scan photos and videos and detect people’s height and bone structure in order to place teenagers in age-appropriate experiences. Meta says this isn’t facial recognition, as if analyzing bone structure were somehow better. The technology is coming to Brazil and EU, starting with Instagram.

iOS 26.5 RC hints at sideloading coming soon to Brazil (pt_BR), iHelp BR. Can’t wait!

Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model without consent. Worth noting if storage space is tight on your computer.

Artemis II photo timeline. They took all the official Artemis II photos and cross-referenced them with the mission’s event schedules to generate a timeline.

Artblock. An extension (Chromium and Firefox) that replaces ads with works of art and NASA photos. Brilliant! It’s not available in the extension stores yet, though.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Xbox Mode begins rolling out to players on Windows 11 PCs today. This feature opens the Windows 11 gaming hub (renamed Xbox Mode): a full-screen interface to browse using joysticks.

Robot dogs with tech boss faces roam Berlin art exhibit. That’s awesome.

Bird Radio. A radio station featuring bird songs. Each “station” represents a part of the world. (Too bad the South American ones aren’t working.)

Cursor Camp. Neal Agarwal’s latest project is a camp for mouse cursors, full of Easter eggs and cool details. (Much) better from a computer or device with a mouse.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Linux on PlayStation 5. The ps5-linux project enables the installation of a Linux distribution on the original PlayStation 5 (the physically larger model). The installation isn’t easy. On the other hand, since it isn’t persistent (you need to run the exploit on every reboot), there’s no risk of “bricking” the console.

OpenClaw suffers from waves of AI pull requests. They decided to limit to 10 open PRs per person (or “agent”). The irony of this is delicious.

Fedora Linux 44. The new version of Fedora is out, with many updated packages and, in the main editions, Gnome 50 and KDE Plasma 6.6.

PowerToys 0.99. This update includes two new utilities: “Grab And Move,” for moving and resizing windows without having to grab their edges, and “Power Display,” which displays controls for multiple monitors in the system tray and allows you to create profiles to switch between different settings. For Windows 11, free and FOSS.

Dorso. A macOS app that dims the screen when you hunch over. Monitoring can be done via webcam or compatible AirPods. For USD 4.99 on the App Store or for free by downloading the installer from the repository.

Boss Fight Books. A publishing house, founded in 2013, specializing in documentary-style nonfiction books about classic video games. There’s a market for everything, isn’t there?

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

#VazaBigTech (pt_BR). Ctrl+Z, a new Brazilian organization dedicated to taking on big tech, in partnership with GlobaLeaks, has just launched this platform to facilitate secure leaks from major tech companies.

App Store: Monthly subscription with annual billing. Apple has announced a new subscription option on the App Store, with monthly payments over a 12-month period. It is similar to the annual subscription (which already exists), but with payments in 12 installments instead of a single lump sum. It arrives in May and is available on iOS 26.4 and later, except in Singapore and the US.

GitHub Copilot is switching to usage-based billing. The crackdown on generative AI subsided costs continues. The change takes effect on June 1^st.

Embrapa Small Farm System. “An integrated system for small farms to produce enough food for a family.” Requires at least 100 m^² and R$ 500 (~USD 100). As @NotaDiamond@mastodon.com.br said, it’s the real-life Stardew Valley!

Interactive map of the Silk Roads. The couple who created this map is visiting various points along the ancient Silk Roads, sharing photos, information, and details. The site is lovely. Hot tip from Tiago.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

China blocks Meta’s $2B Manus deal after months-long probe, TechCrunch. I don’t know what are the geopolitical implications of this news, but it’s funny to see Meta in such a mess.

New Google app icons, 9to5Google. The leaked icons have a Microsoft vibe, but at least they use distinct colors, putting an end to the sameness of the current icons that makes them extremely hard to tell apart.

WordPress 7.0 will be released on May 20, The Repository. The troubled upcoming WordPress update, which will feature real-time collaboration and support for AI connectors, has been given a new release date after being postponed to accommodate the AI connectors, which project leader Matt Mullenweg decided to include in the roadmap very late, following the release of the RC1.

Notepad++ for macOS. A developer has ported the venerated Windows code editor to macOS. It’s very similar to the original, including plugin support and the outdated default icon set.

Banjo: Recompiled. A native port of the Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie for computers (Linux, macOS, and Windows). Free and FOSS.

picoCAD 2. An accessible (in the sense of easy-to-use) tool for creating 3D models, textures, and animations. Free, for Windows and macOS.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Spotify turns 20. To celebrate the anniversary, they’ve launched a special website, and over the next 20 days Spotify will be sharing statistics from its history. (Today’s are top 20 lists.) Giving away my age: I remember using Spotify when the interface was gray and needing a VPN because it wasn’t available in Brazil.

Deezer: AI-generated tracks now represent 44% of all new uploaded music. Deezer claims to have AI detection technology with near-perfect accuracy. Let’s hope so. From now on, the platform will no longer store high-definition versions of AI-generated songs.

What’s new in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS? The new version isn’t on the official site yet, but today’s the day! It’s a long term support release, always a good choice for those who dislike surprises and/or frequent updates.

Claude Desktop changes app access settings for browsers you don’t even have installed yet, The Register. The appeal of Claude Desktop is to unleash AI to use the computer in place of the human user, isn’t it?

Galaxy owners can now connect their phones to any Windows 11 PC, Android Authority. Previously, Samsung phones could only connect to Samsung laptops, despite running Android.

Brave Origin. The Brave browser has launched a “lite” version, without the numerous extras of the standard version, for USD 60 — a one-time payment entitling you to ten activations. I think it’s easier to use ungoogled-chromium.

Apple fixed a bug that allowed the FBI to access deleted messages from Signal. It’s the only change in iOS 26.4.2. According to Apple, “notifications marked for deletion could be unexpectedly retained on the device.” The folks at Signal appreciated the news.

The football game Rabona. I happened to come across this game, scheduled for release this year on Windows. The (supposed) solo developer created a game engine and built the game all by himself, focusing on the physics of the sport — a complete contrast to what EA has been doing with FC (formerly FIFA). I thought the stick figures were adorable. Fans are excited!

Igaratype. Created for an institutional campaign to promote the Brazilian Amazon region, the Igaratype font consists of letters “created” from satellite images of the curves of the Amazon River. The entire project — which turned out beautifully and is full of meaning — is the work of local artists.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Anthropic is thinking about removing Claude Code from its cheapest plan, The New Stack. This may be the first indication of the “Uber moment” of AI: when companies cease the subsidy and start to want profit. The “cheapest plan” costs US$ 20 (~R$ 100) per month.

This company will start monitoring employee keystrokes and mouse movement to train AI, Reuters. I’m sure you guessed what the company is. (It’s Meta.)

Framework Laptop 13 Pro. Framework positions it (verbally) as “Linux’s MacBook Pro”. The best part? Laptop 13 Pro maintains their DNA of repairability, customization and upgrades. It will start at US$ 1.5k, with a launch scheduled for June.

Vercel confirms breach as hackers claim to be selling stolen data, BleepingComputer. The breach vector was an external AI tool used by a Vercel employee. The company says the number of affected customers is low, that they have already been notified and advised to review their logs and change their credentials.

Xbox Mode and File Explorer improvements in Windows 11. Xbox Mode, which displays a different full-screen interface, will be expanded to all devices, and File Explorer is faster and free of “flash bangs” in dark mode. For now, only in the Preview channel.

LXQt 2.4.0. The new version of this Linux desktop environment includes bug fixes, code cleanup, and all improvements from point releases since November.

Firefox 150. Improvements in the view of two pages side by side, the *.pdf file editor and a new interface for the local translation service, accessible at about:translations.

SmolFedi. A super-lightweight, JavaScript-free, open-source web client for the Fediverse. According to the project’s creator, Adële, it’s a “dumb” graphical client.

textstring. A literal text string that you can pull from as if the text were on a spool.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

YouTube now lets you disable Shorts videos in your feed. It’s not exactly disabling them, though that’s what happens in practice. The solution involves setting the display time for Shorts to “0 minutes.” It works, though.

Gemini app for macOS. While Apple is still struggling to launch the new Siri, its rivals are rolling out AI apps for macOS.

Tapercraft. This site generates labels, inserts, and tags for various types of physical media. The VHS tape sticker and the Blockbuster VHS box cover are free.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

FreeBSD wants to know which laptops it works on. As part of an initiative to expand support for consumer hardware in FreeBSD, the foundation behind the project is asking the community to run an analysis tool and share the results with it.

Google: New spam policy for “back button hijacking”. Starting in June, Google will begin penalizing websites that “hijack” the browser’s “back” button. It’s a dirty trick, often used by low-quality sites to keep visitors stuck on the page they’re viewing.

Zotero 9. The highlight of this update is a feature where the app reads documents aloud. It works with *.pdf, *.epub and web pages.

Google App for Windows. The app, a shortcut for searching Google and interacting with Gemini, has been released worldwide for English speakers.

Aeronaut. A rare (unprecedented?) Bluesky app that isn’t just the website packaged into an executable. Free to view content, USD 1,99/month or USD 14,99/year to post, use more than one account, and receive notifications.

curl-doom. The classic Doom (yes, again) running on an HTTP server and streamed to the terminal via cURL.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly building an AI clone to replace him in meetings, The Verge. This is a good use case for generative AI, though it’s not particularly impressive — it must be easy to swap one robot for another.

Mastodon: Designing Collections. “Collections” is the term Mastodon has adopted for Bluesky’s “Starter Kits,” i.e., a shareable collection of profiles. Mastodon’s implementation seems more robust to me and less prone to the abuses seen on Bluesky. It arrives this week on the main/developer server (.social) and on all others in Mastodon 4.6.

Session, a messaging app, will shut down in 90 days. Session is a “fork” of Signal with a somewhat questionable history. They failed miserably to raise USD 1 million in donations, which led the company to lay off everyone and schedule the service’s shutdown.

Someone acquired 30 WordPress plugins and implanted a backdoor in all of them, Anchor. If you have a WordPress site, it’s worth going through your list of installed plugins to check for any of these.

GNU nano 9.0. The highlight of this update is changes to horizontal screen scrolling, which now resembles that of graphical applications.

How much is your attention worth? A calculator that estimates how much advertisers pay to display ads to you. It’s interesting how the value of attention varies from country to country.

EZ Tree. A procedural tree generator. There are sliders and selectors to change various characteristics of the tree, with real-time rendering.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry, BBC News. Kindle models released before 2012 will no longer be able to connect to Amazon. This means it won’t be possible—through official channels—to add new books to the device. Several sources are saying you can still transfer books via USB cable, but remember that Amazon has removed the option to download them? Thank goodness Calibre exists.

Analysis finds that Google’s AI Overviews are providing misinformation at a scale possibly unprecedented in the history of human civilization, Futurism. Conducted by the AI startup Oumi (a red flag, no doubt), the analysis found that AI summaries are wrong 9% of the time. That may not seem like much, but considering that these synthetic texts appear 5 trillion times a year… it’s a lot.

US: Meta is removing ads from lawyers offering to sue social media companies for psychological damages, Axios. Meta can’t seem to block ads for scams and illegal betting, though.

Microsoft blocks WireGuard updates. It’s the same case as VeraCrypt, which I mentioned yesterday: suspension of the developer’s Microsoft account, which prevents him from obtaining certificates from Microsoft, the only entity that can provide them for applications using Windows kernel drivers. Have you ever heard of Linux? Or macOS?

LittleSnitch for Linux. The coolest app I never really cared much about having (since it’s expensive), LittleSnitch, now has an official version for Linux. And it’s free! I’m so jealous… It’s just not entirely open source; the back-end (the part that makes the magic happen) is closed-source.

New video controls on Spotify. Remember when Spotify was just an app that played music? Someone there remembered, and in a rare concession, the app will soon include controls to disable all videos.

Tennis. A small command-line app that prints CSV tables to the screen in a very readable and pleasant format. Free and FOSS.

What's My ΔE(OK) JND?. Test your vision (and your screen’s color accuracy) by trying to identify the exact point that divides the two colors displayed on the screen. There are always two colors, even if it doesn’t seem like it.

I collect cool, interesting links spread all over the web and share them here in daily posts. Hope you enjoy! More of them in the archive.

LinkedIn hidden code secretly searches your browser for installed extensions, Cyber Security News. The amount of information that can be extracted from installed extensions is quite high. The snooping only works on Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi). Firefox and Safari users are still being spied on, but not through this channel.

A secure chat app’s encryption is so bad it is “meaningless”, 404 Media. The app in question is called TeleGuard. Every now and then a new “super secure” messaging app pops up, and it’s always wise to be on high alert in such cases. In any case, Signal is here—free, secure, tested, and proven.

Google AI Edge Eloquent. New app from Google—for now, only for iOS. It’s a dictation app that leverages the company’s local AI, from the Gemma line. Google promises to clean up the “hmm”s in speech and, in the near future, an extra keyboard to use the feature across all system apps. Free.

Netflix Playground. A new gaming app for kids, featuring various cartoon characters available on the platform. Available in the US and a few more countries; global rollout on April 28^th.

Blogosphere. Yet another directory of blogs — or rather, of posts. It’s kind of like Hacker News but with just posts from personal blogs.

list animals until failure. A little game where you have to list every animal you can remember. With each correct answer, you earn more time.