Hello, and Welcome!
Welcome!
Curious how the Internet changes our lives? This is a newsletter for you.
Concerned about protecting your privacy online and how much power big-tech has over you? This is a newsletter for you.
Want to understand what certain things are and how they work (for example, Bitcoin or https)? You guessed it, this is a newsletter for you.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.
-- Arthur C. Clarke
One of my favourite quotes… insightful, sounds good, but just a metaphor..It is not right; at least in the case of today’s technology, it Ⲁⲓɳ’ⲧ ᙏⲁցιⲥ.
No matter what they claim, programmers and engineers are not wizards; we are at best illusionists.
This newsletter will try to reveal our tricks. The Abracadabras from when Twitter chooses which ads to display, the Presto-s of Google showing the search result page, and the Bippity Boppity Boo-s of what makes Alexa speak. No need to learn Parseltongue to tame Python, either.
Internet, computers, social media sites, online platforms: they are complex machines, but still machines. Their principles, if explained well, are not hard to understand.
Let's discover together our world's most exciting innovations. Let’s see which are the current trends, platforms and ideas for improving our lives. Let's learn how to stay away from the dodgy and the greedy of the online space.
Let’s make the complicated easy to understand. With no jargon and no assumptions.
Who is this for?
This is a useful resource for:
Professionals who have to work with software or online platforms
Project Managers who have to deal with developers
Software Developers, Software Engineers and Students
Internet technology enthusiasts, meme lovers, cat lovers
"Ask not what the Internet can do for you, ask what..."
What!? DO ASK what the Internet can do for you. Comment on any post, reply to emails, ask your questions and propose new topics.
And now...
A Brief Self-Interview. By me with me
Can you tell us how often will you write?
Well, there is no fixed schedule now. While this is still explorative in terms of cadence and subject matter, the plan is to deliver once a week.
What is your focus, Cristian Dinu?
My focus changes, evolves, in time you know. There are some constants, like looking where the web is going, Internet culture or freedom of speech and censorship. But there are seasonal hits such as last year's Libra or this year's ClubHouse.
Expect posts on topics such as:
How safe is ClubHouse, WhatsApp, and their ilk truly are?
What is encryption?
You are a WhatsApp user. What will you do on May 15th?
Can you spot a fake news item?
How big tech ousted Parler (why it's good and why it isn’t )
What are the main issues when working with developers and how to mitigate them.
If you had to write an "About Cristian" section, how would it be?
This one would be the hardest section to write. It would feel just like when I am sitting in a circle of people, they’ve just finished presenting themselves, and now it's my turn. It's silent and everybody is looking at me. I stand up, nervous, and my mouth speaks on its own:
"Hi, my name is Cristian Dinu..."
Meanwhile, the brain is kindly directing, in the background: 'Oh, come on, Pick something cool. Not what you planned, something new. Stammer now! Say something about computers.'
"Ahem... I... I.… started with computers very early in life. It was the early nineties, and I learned how to program from a book, a paper book, without access to a computer," I carry on
The inside noise continues: 'Oh, man, not those computers, the Internet.'
"It was 1996 when I first connected to the Internet, using a very slow dial-up modem. That was a life-changing event for me. I felt the universe open and all the limits vanished... The Internet, humanity's greatest invention. It was then when I felt completely free, and I wanted to be one of those who make this tool better, while showing everybody how to use it."
"I combined programming with education, mine and others'. I went to poor villages, where I showed peasants how to send emails, and farmers how to use spreadsheets to manage their cattle. I went to rich companies’ headquarters where I showed executives how to work better using good project management companies. The internet start-ups I co-founded launched digital textbooks accessible to anybody on cheap devices and added new dimensions to the PowerPoint presentations using real-time internet communications. For the last three years I have been working as a Teaching Assistant with University College London, too."
"Last year, I failed an initiative to make computer science using Twitch, because I didn't really understand who my public is. Yet, I learned so much out of it..."
And then, I would stop, and sit down, because I realised I spoke too much. Then regret that I forgot to say something... such as me living in London, my love for cycling, my not being able to cook aubergines…
And also that they could find me on Twitter at @cdinu (don’t click the link, just yet, carry on reading)
A good photo of you?
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