Cole Blankenship
@coleblank.bsky.social
Web veteran since ’99. Designer, developer, consultant, and copywriter. A11y. Avid reader of history.
🔗 coleswebdesign.com
🔗 coleswebdesign.com
Building a website in 4 minutes sounds like a dream, but for a professional, it’s a reputation killer. AI can generate code, but it will never replace the strategy and soul a human designer brings to the table. 🤗
February 3, 2026 at 3:26 AM
Building a website in 4 minutes sounds like a dream, but for a professional, it’s a reputation killer. AI can generate code, but it will never replace the strategy and soul a human designer brings to the table. 🤗
All true, unfortunately.
Every other day, I see a new essay by someone disillusioned by Apple.
The themes are consistent. The sycophantic support of the Trump administration. UI design now violates principles they invented. Anti-competitive and predatory actions in the pursuit of revenue.
The rebels have become the empire
The themes are consistent. The sycophantic support of the Trump administration. UI design now violates principles they invented. Anti-competitive and predatory actions in the pursuit of revenue.
The rebels have become the empire
Tim Cook sold Apple's soul
Apple used to stand for something. Now Tim Cook gifts golden statues to Trump, removes apps at the administration's request, and cozies up to accused rapists at White House screenings. The company I o...
www.loopwerk.io
February 3, 2026 at 12:24 AM
All true, unfortunately.
Why are companies proud to announce new AI features? Everyone is just following the leader. Companies are cramming AI into places it doesn’t belong just to stay in a race they haven’t defined.
February 2, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Why are companies proud to announce new AI features? Everyone is just following the leader. Companies are cramming AI into places it doesn’t belong just to stay in a race they haven’t defined.
90% of DuckDuckGo users want no #AI, according to survey of more than 175,000 participants. www.techspot.com/news/111091-...
Nine out of ten DuckDuckGo users don't want AI anywhere near their search
DuckDuckGo recently asked its community whether they actually wanted AI baked into their web browsing experience. The response was loud and clear: an overwhelming majority said no....
www.techspot.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:14 PM
90% of DuckDuckGo users want no #AI, according to survey of more than 175,000 participants. www.techspot.com/news/111091-...
The State Department is switching back to Times New Roman. Here's an overview and a little history of the font including what makes it more accessible. hsu.cy/2025/12/time...
Times New American: A Tale of Two Fonts
A less romantic truth is that aesthetic standards rarely travel alone; power tends to follow in their wake. An episode at the U.S. State Department this month makes exactly this point.
hsu.cy
February 2, 2026 at 7:05 PM
The State Department is switching back to Times New Roman. Here's an overview and a little history of the font including what makes it more accessible. hsu.cy/2025/12/time...
The idea of AI agents having their own private social network sounds like a sci-fi horror movie plot. 🍿
Wild to see, but I'm taking the 'no humans needed' hype with a grain of salt for now. www.axios.com/2026/01/31/a...
Wild to see, but I'm taking the 'no humans needed' hype with a grain of salt for now. www.axios.com/2026/01/31/a...
"We're in the singularity": New AI platform skips the humans entirely
It's not science fiction. It's happening right now — and it's freaking out some of the smartest names in artificial intelligence.
www.axios.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:02 PM
The idea of AI agents having their own private social network sounds like a sci-fi horror movie plot. 🍿
Wild to see, but I'm taking the 'no humans needed' hype with a grain of salt for now. www.axios.com/2026/01/31/a...
Wild to see, but I'm taking the 'no humans needed' hype with a grain of salt for now. www.axios.com/2026/01/31/a...
Geez, Beck’s new album is some of the best new music I’ve heard in years.
January 30, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Geez, Beck’s new album is some of the best new music I’ve heard in years.
Just started 'River of the Gods.' Finding out the protagonist mastered foreign languages like it was nothing is honestly intimidating, but his obsession with finding the source of the Nile?! Well, I know I'm strapped in for a wild ride. 🛶📖
#BookSky #Nonfiction
#BookSky #Nonfiction
January 30, 2026 at 4:39 AM
Just started 'River of the Gods.' Finding out the protagonist mastered foreign languages like it was nothing is honestly intimidating, but his obsession with finding the source of the Nile?! Well, I know I'm strapped in for a wild ride. 🛶📖
#BookSky #Nonfiction
#BookSky #Nonfiction
"...Meta’s safety staff expressed objections that the company was building chatbots geared for companionship, including sexual and romantic interactions with users." www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Meta CEO Zuckerberg blocked curbs on sex-talking chatbots for minors, court filing alleges
Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg approved allowing minors to access AI chatbot companions that safety staffers warned were capable of sexual interactions, according to internal Meta documents file...
www.reuters.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:21 AM
"...Meta’s safety staff expressed objections that the company was building chatbots geared for companionship, including sexual and romantic interactions with users." www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
'Find a job you'd do for free' is some of the best advice! www.axios.com/2026/01/28/c...
Don't chase jobs. Chase obsessions.
I worked to afford a social life. Then I found what I'd do for free.
www.axios.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:12 AM
'Find a job you'd do for free' is some of the best advice! www.axios.com/2026/01/28/c...
Giving ChatGPT access to health data when it still hallucinates is a recipe for disaster. www.cultofmac.com/news/apple-h...
This guy fed years of Apple Watch health data to ChatGPT -- with disastrous results
A tech columnist finds the Apple Health ChatGPT integration raises major red flags after feeding the AI bot a decade of Apple Watch data.
www.cultofmac.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Giving ChatGPT access to health data when it still hallucinates is a recipe for disaster. www.cultofmac.com/news/apple-h...
Been holding off on getting a new iPhone and the Air is looking more appealing. I work from home, so battery life isn't much of an issue for me. And I love the idea of having a bumper case!
January 27, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Been holding off on getting a new iPhone and the Air is looking more appealing. I work from home, so battery life isn't much of an issue for me. And I love the idea of having a bumper case!
Is the 'right to bear phones' our modern-day Second Amendment? This NYT piece argues exactly that:
"Now that our phones are the primary weapons of today’s information war, we should be as zealous about our right to bear phones as we are about our right to bear arms." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
"Now that our phones are the primary weapons of today’s information war, we should be as zealous about our right to bear phones as we are about our right to bear arms." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
Opinion | The Best Weapon You Have in the Fight Against ICE
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Is the 'right to bear phones' our modern-day Second Amendment? This NYT piece argues exactly that:
"Now that our phones are the primary weapons of today’s information war, we should be as zealous about our right to bear phones as we are about our right to bear arms." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
"Now that our phones are the primary weapons of today’s information war, we should be as zealous about our right to bear phones as we are about our right to bear arms." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
Nice flow for client work today.
Trying to stay busy and warm. 🥶
Trying to stay busy and warm. 🥶
January 26, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Nice flow for client work today.
Trying to stay busy and warm. 🥶
Trying to stay busy and warm. 🥶
Great piece on why AI requires human judgement.
"Someone has to connect the output of a model to the broader context, such as the political environment, the regulatory landscape and the human dynamics at play." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
"Someone has to connect the output of a model to the broader context, such as the political environment, the regulatory landscape and the human dynamics at play." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
Opinion | Humans Possess One Thing That A.I. Does Not: Judgment
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Great piece on why AI requires human judgement.
"Someone has to connect the output of a model to the broader context, such as the political environment, the regulatory landscape and the human dynamics at play." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
"Someone has to connect the output of a model to the broader context, such as the political environment, the regulatory landscape and the human dynamics at play." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
Update your iPhone! www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...
Apple’s Upgrade Decision—Just 6 Weeks To Change Your iPhone
This decision changes iPhone for hundreds of millions of Apple users.
www.forbes.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:02 AM
Update your iPhone! www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...
This is crazy but not surprising from Microsoft. www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi...
Microsoft will assist the FBI in unlocking your Windows PC data if asked
Microsoft says it will provide the FBI with BitLocker encryption keys if requested for PCs that upload their key to the cloud via your Microsoft Account.
www.windowscentral.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:58 AM
This is crazy but not surprising from Microsoft. www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi...
The smell of winter
A wisp of smoke in the air
Warm hearth fire glows hot
A wisp of smoke in the air
Warm hearth fire glows hot
January 25, 2026 at 1:35 AM
The smell of winter
A wisp of smoke in the air
Warm hearth fire glows hot
A wisp of smoke in the air
Warm hearth fire glows hot
Sun sets on the peaks
The feel of chill in the air
Winter wakes from blue
The feel of chill in the air
Winter wakes from blue
January 25, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Sun sets on the peaks
The feel of chill in the air
Winter wakes from blue
The feel of chill in the air
Winter wakes from blue
I've learned from experience that going outside in winter is, in fact, a great way to get through the coldest months. 🥶 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/b...
Cold Comfort
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 6:48 PM
I've learned from experience that going outside in winter is, in fact, a great way to get through the coldest months. 🥶 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/b...
I stayed up late last night reading Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s so good!
January 24, 2026 at 5:54 PM
I stayed up late last night reading Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s so good!
All of my passwords disappeared from the Apple Passwords app. It wasn’t my default passwords app, thank goodness, but I haven’t figured out a way to recover them. Not is trash, just gone.
Good thing I chose Bitwarden as my default a while back!
Good thing I chose Bitwarden as my default a while back!
January 23, 2026 at 11:29 PM
All of my passwords disappeared from the Apple Passwords app. It wasn’t my default passwords app, thank goodness, but I haven’t figured out a way to recover them. Not is trash, just gone.
Good thing I chose Bitwarden as my default a while back!
Good thing I chose Bitwarden as my default a while back!
Sad. Millions visit Yosemite each year, yet staffing struggles are causing chaos. It’s a shame to see our national parks not receive the care and attention they deserve. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...
At Yosemite, Rangers Are Scarce and Visitors Have Gone Wild
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Sad. Millions visit Yosemite each year, yet staffing struggles are causing chaos. It’s a shame to see our national parks not receive the care and attention they deserve. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...
😂
January 21, 2026 at 1:03 AM
😂
I'm looking forward to seeing what Apple has in store for 2026 but I still have no plans to upgrade anything.
January 20, 2026 at 3:01 AM
I'm looking forward to seeing what Apple has in store for 2026 but I still have no plans to upgrade anything.