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February 5, 2026

Five Links #83

1. Actua11y

Accessibility testing with real people at reasonable prices.

2. Notchie

Use your Mac’s notch as a teleprompter.

3. The Authoritarian Stack

Under the banner of "patriotic tech", this new bloc is building the infrastructure of control—clouds, AI, finance, drones, satellites—an integrated system we call the Authoritarian Stack. It is faster, ideological, and fully privatized: a regime where corporate boards, not public law, set the rules.

Our investigation shows how these firms now operate as state-like powers—writing the rules, winning the tenders, and exporting their model to Europe, where it poses a direct challenge to democratic governance.

4. Lolgato

This app might be worth a look if you have Elgato lights and, like me, experienced endless issues with the Elgato Control Center software.

5. The UK paid £4.1 million for a bookmarks site

It is not good. Like, at all - the UI is insanely bad and it’s clear that this was just a vibecoded site (to be fair, this is the AI Skills Hub, but c’mon, where is the pride in your work? I would be ashamed to even release this as a prototype!)


What am I up to?

  • I added a recent-ish piece of work to my portfolio
  • My design process project is coming together, and I’m hoping to get some interviews published soon
  • My next available Unoffice Hour slot is 1 April
  • I have limited availability for new projects from March.

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Until next time,

Dave

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