@rafaelfajardo

166 Followers
573 Following
548 Posts
designer, researcher and educator at the University of Denver. Founder of SWEAT, a loose collaborative dedicated to creating socially conscious games. he/they 🇨🇴🇺🇸
 http://rafaelfajardo.com/links.html

Your 1990s files are slowly turning into magnetic dust. Leontien Talboom at Cambridge University Library is leading a rescue mission for our digital past. She uses hobbyist tools to pull data from moldy disks that standard drives can't touch. She even recovered lost lectures by Stephen Hawking. You can use her Copy That Floppy! guide to save your own archives. It requires specialized hardware like the Greaseweazle to capture raw magnetic pulses. Don't wait until the iron oxide flakes off for good. Check your storage boxes for those chunky rectangles before they become silent plastic.
đź§  Magnetic decay destroys data after 20 years.
⚡ The Greaseweazle captures raw flux signals.
🎓 Cambridge recovered Stephen Hawking's notes.
🔍 Follow the Copy That Floppy! guide now.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/floppy-disk-archivist-project/
#TechHistory #DataArchiving #VintageTech

The archivist preserving decaying floppy disks

It's a race against time (and magnetic decay) to preserve decades of cultural history stored on obsolete hardware.

Popular Science

https://blackcube.art/twymf

Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum’s Talk With Your Mouth Full brunches uplift and highlight Denver metro area artists. Here are promotional images in advance details at the link.

@BlueAppaloosa I know that feeling, especially the “relearn how every three months”.
@BlueAppaloosa I still prefer my 2005 static website to my Wordpress powered one. Navigation is more challenging to update on the former though. I had set up template chunks and include statements so I could generate pages with BBedit. I have been loath to learn the new generators, Jekyll etc.

Website procedural note: I now have a landing page for the Visible Zorker collection.

https://eblong.com/infocom/visi/

Still just has Zork 1 and Zork 2, but now there's a list to grow.

The Visible Zorker Project

A software exhibit that allows you to explore the source code of Infocom's text adventures.

Widely celebrated by art historians as the first design text of the American Arts & Crafts movement, Arthur Wesley Dow’s Composition: A Series of Exercises Selected From a New System of Art Education revolutionized the American classroom: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/dow-composition

Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic ) on what a real response to Apple and John Deere could be in a post-Trumpian mad tariff world:

I assume you've spotted the pattern by now: the US trade representative has forced every one of its trading partners to adopt anticircumvention law, to facilitate the extraction of their own people's data and money by American firms. But of course, that only raises a further question: Why would every other country in the world agree to let America steal its own people's money and data, and block its domestic tech sector from making interoperable products that would prevent this theft?

Here's an anecdote that unravels this riddle: many years ago, in the years before Viktor Orban rose to power, I used to guest-lecture at a summer PhD program in political science at Budapest's Central European University. And one summer, after I'd lectured to my students about anticircumvention law, one of them approached me.

They had been the information minister of a Central American nation during the CAFTA negotiations, and one day, they'd received a phone-call from their trade negotiator, calling from the CAFTA bargaining table. The negotiator said, "You know how you told me not to give the Americans anticircumvention under any circumstances? Well, they're saying that they won't take our coffee unless we give them anticircumvention. And I'm sorry, but we just can't lose the US coffee market. Our economy would collapse. So we're going to give them anticircumvention. I'm really sorry."

That's it. That's why every government in the world allowed US Big Tech companies to declare open season on their people's private data and ready cash.

The alternative was tariffs. Well, I don't know if you've heard, but we've got tariffs now!

I mean, if someone threatens to burn your house down unless you follow their orders, and then they burn your house down anyway, you don't have to keep following their orders. So…Happy Liberation Day?

from: https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c3/#the-new-coalition

Pluralistic: The Post-American Internet (01 Jan 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

I have discovered that teaching programming goes much better with my fifth grade students if I take the time to teach them about all the symbols I think of as "normal" that are totally new to them.

"These are square brackets, you'll find them over the 'enter' key we use them for lists. In programming we have three kinds of brackets..."

This reduced confusion so much. And I feel a little silly for not realizing that OF COURSE they don't know what they characters are or how to type them.

Job alert! The Xerces Society has a full-time #SciComm job that is remote, and has benefits! Help conserve pollinators and other insects. https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/3733549
The Xerces Society - Communications Specialist -- Graphic Design & Content Marketing

  JOB TITLE:  Communications Specialist -- Graphic Design & Content MarketingLOCATION:  Remote position. Candidates must have a personal office location suitable for work purposes, with broadband internet access, and must work from a city/state location approved by Xerces as their assigned work location.COMPENSATION: $32.34/ hour, (approx. $67,267 per year)STATUS & SCHEDULE: Full-Time, hourly, non-exempt position, scheduled to work ~ 40 hours/week. JOB START DATE:  January 2026APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 07, 2025APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: All applications must be submitted via our application website at: xerces.org/jobsJOIN US!Come join a growing team of conservation professionals at the Xerces Society who are dedicated to protecting some of the world’s most important animals. We are seeking a Communications Specialist – Graphic Design & Content Marketing, to join the communications team and steer an effective and accessible visual brand and digital presence.At Xerces, we harness the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of the public to implement conservation programs. We take action by helping farms and public agencies develop conservation plans for pollinators and beneficial insects, producing ground-breaking publications on insect conservation, training thousands of farmers and land managers to protect and manage habitat for beneficial insects, protecting endangered species and their habitat, and engaging the public to raise awareness about invertebrates found on farms, forests, prairies, deserts, streams, wetlands, towns and cities. Our methods focus on habitat conservation planning, education, scientific analysis, advocacy, and applied research to conserve invertebrates, such as bees, butterflies, mollusks, and fireflies. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING: Reporting to the director of communications, the communications specialist will be responsible for creating cohesive and engaging graphic designs for digital and print platforms and helping staff integrate the Xerces visual brand into their work. They will also be guiding content for the xerces.org Drupal website, collaborating with conservation staff to develop accessible and scientifically accurate content, and driving traffic and engagement through SEO optimization and compelling content. As part of a small team with diverse responsibilities, the ideal candidate is strong at graphic design, digital content marketing, and collaboration. This hybrid role is perfect for someone who thrives at the intersection of visual storytelling and strategic digital marketing.ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  In collaboration with Xerces staff and web developers, the specialist will have the following functions and responsibilities.SEO & Content MarketingDevelop and implement on-page SEO strategies to improve search engine rankings.Complete content edits to xerces.org (Drupal CMA) from Xerces staff in an efficient and timely manner, providing editing and advice to optimize web content for SEO, reading level, and accessibility.Conduct keyword research and apply best practices to website content, blogs, and landing pages.Track and report on SEO metrics and website performance using tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, and SEMrush/Ahrefs.Ensure all content is consistent with brand voice, style, and messaging.Effectively communicate recommendations and changes both in writing and visually.Act as a liaison between staff and web developers.Maintain and grow expertise in Drupal, SEO, metrics, and other digital marketing channels.Graphic design:Maintain, improve, and apply visual branding and style that communicates Xerces Society’s core brand identity.Design print and digital marketing products and educational content. Design templates for staff to implement visual style into recurring projects. Train and assist staff on integrating visual style into their work. Ensure brand consistency and accessibility standards across all digital visual materials.Assist with photography and videography for Xerces communications products.Maintain and grow expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft, Google Workspace and Canva platforms. General communications:Contribute ideas and written / visual content for social media, blogs, and other communication channels.Create, edit, proofread, and fact-check assets for brand, tone, audience, consistency, accessibility, and accuracy.Apply accessibility best practices and standards for visual and digital communications, including Section 508 and WCAG with assistance from web developers. Provide input on the development of communications strategy, policies, governance, and other communications matters.Other duties as assigned. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:  REQUIREDProficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) Solid understanding of design principles, accessibility, typography, layout, and color theory.Prior experience editing and designing a CMS website, Drupal preferred.Solid understanding of SEO principles and tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Search Console, SEMrush, Moz, etc.).Excellent communication and collaboration skills.Strong copywriting and editing skills.Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines independently.PREFERREDUnderstanding of web accessibility standards (WCAG).Experience with motion graphics or video editing (e.g., After Effects, Premiere).Experience creating scientifically accurate visual and written content.Knowledge of issues in invertebrate conservation.Knowledge of HTML/CSS.Experience creating and managing Google Ads campaigns.Understanding of UX/UI principles in design and content placement, and proficiency in UX tools (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc.).Experience creating and modifying Drupal views

RIP Alison Knowles, the great Fluxus artist whose collaborative work with programmer James Tenney—The House of Dust (1967)—was one of the landmark works of computational poetry.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/arts/alison-knowles-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.x08.KSvZ.oE_mqxmyiGcG&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Alison Knowles, Artist Who Took Lunch to New Levels, Dies at 92

An early participant in the eccentric collection of artists known as Fluxus, she was perhaps best known for pieces centered on a humble tuna sandwich and a giant salad.

The New York Times