Category: Newley’s Notes

Sent as a newsletter September 5. Not on my list? Sign up here.

👋 Hi friends,

Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.

Image of the week, above: “Theatre d’Opera Spatial," by Jason Allen, via Discord. (See item eight below.)

My WSJ latest:

💻 My latest story, out Thursday: Global VPN Providers Pull India Servers Over New Cybersecurity Rules.

It begins:

Major global providers of virtual private networks, which let internet users shield their identities online, are shutting down their servers in India to protest new government rules they say threaten their customers’ privacy.

The Indian agency overseeing computer security will soon require VPN operators in India to collect information such as customer’s names, email addresses and the IP addresses they use to connect to the internet. Providers must maintain the data for at least five years and furnish the information to authorities when asked.

Among those shutting down their India servers: NordVPN, Private Internet Access, IPVanish, TunnelBear, ExpressVPN and Surfshark.

It’s the latest example of New Delhi getting tough with foreign tech firms.

Here are 10 items worth your time this week:

1) 🇷🇺 Mikhail Gorbachev, who brought about “perestroika” and “glasnost” as the final leader of the Soviet Union, died at age 91. (Here’s the back story on his much-shared 1997 Pizza Hut commercial.)

2) 🐦 Twitter is testing a feature that would let paying users edit tweets up to thirty minutes after they’re published.

3) 🇨🇳 My colleagues Josh Chin and Liza Lin have a WSJ essay out that’s adapted from their new book, “Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control.”

4) 🇭🇰 More than two years into the pandemic, Hong Kong is still requiring people arriving in the city to quarantine in hotels. But that mandate may be lifted in November, Bloomberg reports.

5) ✍️ Politico has a profile of Jelani Cobb, the new dean of the Columbia Journalism School.

6) 🌏 RandomStreetView.com: click a button to be transported to a new part of the world.

7) 📱 Where do memes come from? More and more, from TikTok.

8) 🤖 A man won first place in a digital art competition for a work he made using an AI generator, sparking controversy online.

9) 🍝 Pasta-sauce related mishap of the week: “Memphis, TN police say a tractor-trailer spilled Alfredo sauce all over I–55.”

10) 🦦 This week’s moment of zen: petting an otter’s hands.

•••

🦴 Dog-related video of the week:

“Found my dog crying at the back door.”

•••

💡 Quote of the week:

“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” – Ansel Adams

•••

👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong,

Newley

Sent as an email newsletter Aug. 22, 2022. Want to join my email list? Sign up here.

👋 Hi friends,

Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.

I had two stories out last week.

💬 The first, on Tuesday: Hong Kong’s Crackdown on Dissent Hits Facebook Pages. It began:

HONG KONG—-A national-security crackdown in Hong Kong has extended to Facebook pages on which many workers and residents traded gossip.

Several prominent Facebook pages that were used to share anonymous comments about government and educational institutions in Hong Kong have shut down in recent days, following the arrest last week of two men by national-security police on suspicion of sedition. The men were administrators of a social-media group and suspected of publishing posts that “promote feelings of ill-will,” police said.

💻 And the second, an exclusive with a colleague on Friday: Roblox Poaches Seasoned Meta Executive as It Chases Growth in Asia

It began:

HONG KONG—-Roblox Corp. has poached a Meta Platforms Inc. executive for the newly created role of Asia-Pacific head of public policy, as the videogame company chases growth in the region.

Steve Park, the longtime government relations head for South Korea and Japan at Facebook’s parent company, will join Roblox next week, a spokeswoman for the San Mateo, Calif.-based company said.

Mr. Park has been at Meta for more than eight years and in a previous position worked on the company’s Oculus virtual-reality business, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Here are 10 items worth your time this week:

1) 🗞 A Washington Post longread: “Road to war: U.S. struggled to convince allies, and Zelensky, of risk of invasion.”

2) ⚽ A very cool sporting milestone yesterday: 21-year-old New Jersey native Brenden Aaronson became the first American to score for an American manager in the Premier League, helping underdog Leeds beat perennial power Chelsea. Watch the goal here. It was all about dogged running, a defining Aaronson quality.

3) 📺 For the first time ever, more people in the U.S. watched streaming services than broadcast TV or cable in the same month (July).

4) 👂 Some hearing aids will now be available for purchase over the counter in the U.S.

5) 😲 “Max Headroom” is being rebooted as a dramatic series.

6) 🏝️ A massive piece of environmental artwork by Michael Heizer, in the Nevada desert, is about to open after a half century. It’s remarkable.

7) ☕ Starbucks is leaving Russia. The eerily similar Stars Coffee is now popping up around the country.

8) 💇‍♂️ Three words: USA Mullet Championship. (Via Chris D.)

9) 📸 Wonderful: portraits of American sightseers at national parks in the 1970s, by Roger Minick. (Via Benjamin L.)

10) 🎧 An excellent episode of “Cool Tools,” one of my favorite podcasts: Larry Keely, Innovation Scientist.

•••

🦴 Dog-related video of the week:

“my dog was supposed to run over to me and sit”

•••

💡 Quote of the week:

“Above all, do not lie to yourself.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky

👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong,

Newley

Sent as a newsletter August 15, 2022. Want to join my email list? Sign up here.

👋 Hi friends,

Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.

My WSJ latest:

🇨🇳 🇹🇼 I had a story with a colleague out Monday, and on Tuesday’s WSJ page one, about Taiwan suffering sustained cyberattacks following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.

The Chinese Communist Party “didn’t go easy on the internet,” said Taiwanese Lt. Gen. Lu Chien-chung.

Here are 10 items worth your time this week:

1) 😔 Terrible news: Author Salman Rushdie was attacked and suffered multiple apparent stab wounds on Friday. As of Saturday he had been taken off a ventilator and was speaking. Iran has denied any link to the incident.

2) ⚖️ My WSJ colleague Valerie Bauerlein has a long-read out on the Murdaugh saga in South Carolina, focusing on a new angle: the legal battles.

3) 📱 New research from Pew underscores a social media trend: Teens in the U.S. are abandoning Facebook and flocking to TikTok.

4) 🎾 Forty-year-old Serena Williams, who’s won 23 tennis majors, indicates she’s retiring from the game.

5) 🔢 The World Excel Championship 1) is a thing, 2) is being broadcast on ESPN2.

6) 🚁 Coming to United Airlines: electric flying taxis?

7) 🎙 “How a Phoenix record store owner set the audiophile world on fire.”

8) 🔮 Hacker News discussion: “What’s the next big thing that few people are talking about?”

9) 🌏 Here is a clickable map showing where the world’s notable people were born.

10) ✒️ Reddit thread: “What is the piece of writing advice that has helped you most, personally?”

•••

🦴 Dog-related video of the week:

“World Dog Surfing Championship Makes A Big Splash In California”

•••

💡 Quote of the week:

– “When stumped by a life choice, choose ‘enlargement’ over happiness.” – Oliver Burkeman

•••

👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong,

Newley

Sent as a newsletter Sunday, August 7. Want to join my email list? Sign up here.

👋 Hi friends,

Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.

This is my first NN since taking a break in late January, and I have…

🚨 A special announcement, by far the most important I have ever made here at NN:

👶 Anasuya and I had a baby boy in February!

His name is Dossett Shanti Purnell.

We named him for my great grandfather, Dossett, and Anasuya’s grandfather, Shanti, which is a Sanskrit word meaning peace.

As I mentioned in a brief post, he is big (he tipped the scales at 8.6 pounds at birth, measuring 21 inches long), he is healthy, he is a voracious eater, and he is a sound sleeper.

🤗 We are beyond happy.

My WSJ latest:

🗞 While it’s hard to follow that news, I’ve had a few stories out since returning from parental leave.

🔍 On Thursday I wrote about a pro-China online campaign that a cybersecurity firm says pumped out bogus social media posts and news articles. The goal, at least in part: to try to discredit a prominent U.S.-based anthropologist who has illuminated China’s crackdown on Muslims in the country’s Xinjiang region.

⚖️ Earlier, I wrote about Amazon suing the administrators of thousands of Facebook groups it said are used to coordinate fake reviews.

🇮🇳 In another story, a colleague and I detailed Facebook’s first global human rights report – which contained limited information on the controversial human rights impact I assessment on India that I covered in November.

🐦 And I also wrote about Twitter filing a legal challenge in India against the government’s orders to block some tweets and accounts.

I’ll likely be back with normal news links in future dispatches, but in the meantime…

Here are 10 recommendations for books, TV shows and podcasts I’ve enjoyed since I was last in touch:

1) 📱 A thought-provoking nonfiction book on tech: “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now,” by Jaron Lanier.

2) 🤑 And another: “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” by Harvard Business School professor Shoshana Zuboff. Worth a read, not only because it’ll help you determine who, among the many people throwing the phrase “surveillance capitalism” around these days, has actually read the book.

3) 🔪 A masterful psychological thriller: “Hannibal,” by Thomas Harris. (I have read “The Silence of the Lambs” a couple of times, but somehow had missed its sequel.)

4) 🧠 An excellent book about the importance of the tales we tell ourselves: “The Power of Story,” by performance psychologist Jim Loehr. (He also wrote a book I read three decades ago that had a lasting impact on me: “Mental Toughness Training for Sports.”)

5) 📹 “How To with John Wilson,” is a comedic documentary series on HBO I’d heard great things about since it came out a couple years ago. It is hilarious, insightful, and quirky.

6) 🇺🇸 Another excellent HBO series, just out this year, is “Somebody Somewhere,” starring Bridget Everett. It’s about life in a small town in Kansas.

7) 🏀 A fantastic Netflix series: “Last Chance U: Basketball.” While other seasons are about football, this spin-off focuses on junior college basketball players in Los Angeles. It’s as much about the players’ lives as it is about the sport.

8) 🌮 Also on Netflix: “The Taco Chronicles.” Filmed in Mexico, each episode examines a different kind of taco – pastor, carnitas, asada, etc. – featuring interviews with chefs and critics on its historical roots and cultural importance.

9) 🎧 I’m not sure how it took me so long to finally listen to the Accidental Tech podcast, but I’m so glad I finally did. Basically: three nerds get extremely geeky on Apple/Mac tech topics, coding, cars, streaming services, video games and more. Also might have the catchiest bespoke podcast theme song ever created.

10) 🗣 Another podcast I’m loving: Chatter, hosted by the Washington Post’s Shane Harris and David Priess of Lawfare. Deep discussions about national security issues with fascinating people, including spy novelists.

•••

🦴 Dog-related video of the week:

he’s stealing his brother’s bone while he’s asleep 😂

•••

💡 Quote of the week:

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” ― Soren Kierkegaard

•••

👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong,

Newley

Sent as a newsletter January 27, 2022. Want to join my email list? Sign up here.

👋 Hi friends,

Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes, a weekly newsletter containing my recent Wall Street Journal stories, must-read links on tech and life, and funny dog videos.

🚨 Administrative note:

Newley’s Notes will be taking a break until the spring. After 288 (mostly) weekly dispatches since 2015, I’m going to take a few months to recharge and regroup. But I’ll be back before you know it, friends.

I may send a one-off email here or there with any special announcements, and in the meantime, I may post to Newley.com or Twitter (@Newley).

My WSJ latest:

🗞 Image of the week, above: my latest story, with my colleagues Justin Scheck and Tom McGinty, on Tuesday’s WSJ front page. The headline:

Facebook Promised Poor Countries Free Internet. People Got Charged Anyway.

And the lede:

Facebook says it’s helping millions of the world’s poorest people get online through apps and services that allow them to use internet data free. Internal company documents show that many of these people end up being charged in amounts that collectively add up to an estimated millions of dollars a month.

Click through to read the rest.

While I’m gone….

Here are 10 great newsletters you should check out:

For online oddities and digital tools:

1) ⭐ In Rusty’s Electric Dreams, Rusty Blazenhoff catalogues wonderful and weird stuff she finds online.

2) 🔨 Jeremy Caplan’s Wonder Tools is full of helpful websites, note taking suggestions, email recommendations and more.

For news and views on technology:

3) 💻 Benedict’s Newsletter, by Benedict Evans. What’s new and important in tech, by a seasoned tech investor.

4) 🌏 Rest of World’s newsletter contains the news org’s most recent stories on international tech issues.

5) 📱 Exponential View, by Azeem Azhar. Cutting edge tech: all things AI, climate, crypto, EVs, etc.

For health, books and general interest reads:

6) 💪 Peter Attia’s newsletter focuses on longevity, fitness, and nutrition.

7) 📖 Five Books is one of my all-time favorite websites. Their newsletter is a good way to ensure you don’t miss any posts.

8) 📈 Another of my all time favorite websites is Marginal Revolution, by economists Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok. You can get their posts via email (the sign up box is on the left).

9) ✍️ Artist and author Austin Kleon’s newsletter always inspires me to create.

10) 🌧️ In Ready for Rain, author and digital guru Lee LeFever documents life in a house he and his wife recently built in Orcas Island, Washington.

•••

🦴 Dog-related video of the week:

“anatolian shepherd dog puppy in training.”

•••

💡 Quote of the week:

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

•••

📚 What I’m Reading

I recently read, and really loved, Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel “Station Eleven.” Here’s a brief Book Notes post.

•••

👊 Fist bump from Hong Kong – and see you before long,

Newley