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Musings on Anonymous Web Culture

Triple Canopy's June issue comes with an achingly serious appraisal of 4chan, Slashdot and the stranger corners of the anonymous web — a scene that's increasingly crowded out by social media. It's long, thoughtful, and (most importantly) quotes both a 19th century German sociologist and a Geekosystem commenter named "gofuckyourself." So, you know, diversity of sources.

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The Internet's First Burn Book

It was only a matter of time. A UK developer has pulled together a site from the most embarassing and/or incriminating posts Facebook has to offer, including anything with the phrase "hate my boss" or "hungover." Odds are, they missed you — but it couldn't hurt to make sure. And maybe double-check your privacy settings.

Russell Brandom Russell Brandom

The Like Button Goes Mobile

Facebook just rolled out new developer tools that will let mobile and web apps add Like Buttons to their code. That means before too long, you may be able to Like Instagrams, Tweets or anything else you see on your phone. Not only is Facebook on nearly every page of the web, it's even integrating itself into other social networks too. A parallel internet indeed.

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You Can Now Turn On Your Lights By Tweeting

IFTTT (short for "if this then that") has been a power user secret for a while. It's a simple way to automate web tasks — like sending all your Instagram pictures to a Dropbox account, or texting you whenever someone posts a Stratocaster for sale on Craigslist. As of today, they're also working with Belkin's Wemo devices, which means that anything you plug in can be turned on via email, SMS and Twitter, or timed to flick on whenever the sun sets. Use these new powers only for good.

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Facebook Is Testing Facebook For Kids Under 13

The system would attach kids' profiles to their parents (Mom!) and let them charge parents for games and media. Of course, there are already plenty of pre-teens on Facebook — but since there's a federal law against collecting data from children without parental consent, having a system like this lets Facebook save face if they ever go to court over it. And since it's likely to be in testing for a good long while, they don't have to worry about making kids use the G-rated version of Facebook after they've been on the real thing.

Russell Brandom Russell Brandom