John Gruber on the rise in the use of *asterisks* for emphasis in the plaintext age: "Neither appeared in print until the mid-'60s, when *sigh* began appearing. But *cough* doesn't appear until 1987. Both though, exploded in usage starting in 1997, and have risen steadily ever since. So I think I'm correct that this use of asterisks has been largely driven by Internet punctuation idioms."
Emphasize *this*
Pope tells priests to stop using AI to write their sermons
Forget stochastic parrots: how about periphrastic priests? Pope Leo XIV, in an address in Rome, warned Catholic clergy against using AI to pad out their sermons: "To give a true… READ THE REST
Study finds most new articles generated by AI
A study of online content finds that the quantity of AI-generated articles now exceeds the number posted by human authors. But it's been a close-run thing for about 12 months,… READ THE REST
No JS, No CSS, No HTML: online "clubs" celebrate plainer websites
The revived No JS Club celebrates websites that don't use Javascript, the powerful but sometimes overused code that's been bloating the web and crashing tabs since 1995. The No CSS… READ THE REST
Create apps and websites with this powerful Microsoft coding tool — now only $30 through August 9
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: This lifetime license to Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 makes coding a lot easier, and right now… READ THE REST
Spend $70 and get $150 worth of data with this lifetime eSIM that helps you dodge roaming charges
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: Have more money to spend on fun during your next vacation thanks to this aloSIM Traveler's… READ THE REST
Microsoft Office Pro 2021 is down to $29.97, plus free training
Disclosure: Boing Boing earns a commission on purchases made through links in this post. TL;DR: Pay once for Microsoft Office Pro 2021 and get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and more —… READ THE REST
