Defenestration

• So I learnt a new word 'Defenestration' while having a Monday morning coffee chat with Katie Fenn. I was describing how I wanted to chuck something out of the window, and Katie kindly informed me that there is a word in the English dictionary that can describe that! Utterly fascinating.

  Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window. The term was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618 which became the spark that started the Thirty Years' War.

  Source: Wikipedia

• Sometimes I feel like this applies to a lot of situations out there whenever it could be work or not. Speaking of learning new words, I came across a fantastic article on FT.com with the moniker of ‘Enshittification’ which was written by Cory Doctorow. To boil it down to its absolute bare minimum (which I won't have done the article any justice if I'm honest). It covers how the online platforms that tech companies produce degrade over time, and how they'll ensure they'll still get money out of it even if it's going to shit eventually. It's one of the most thought-provoking articles I've read so far in 2024.

• Work wise, things continue well with the Newsletter self-service. We're almost at the point where the Marketing department will have the capability to update the sponsorships themselves without needing an Engineer's input. I'm seeing a lot more requests for newsletter author changes to the byline or photos being updated. I think that's definitely a low hanging fruit piece of work that could be achieved fairly quickly after the sponsorships part is done. Whenever I should ask for permission or beg for forgiveness instead. I think the latter is probably preferable, especially if I do it in my 10% time and not tell anyone until it's done.

Until then 👋

P.S. I'm aware that the FT article might be behind a paywall. Nudge me if you want access and I'll gift you the article to read. 🙂