Oh, hello there!

Now we’re back in the swing of things. Another newsletter delivered in a matter of weeks! 😀

This newsletter is #010 in the series. It has been written in Aotearoa New Zealand and sent to your inboxes on April 07, 2026.

So, where are we this time around?

OK, this one is a bit of a negative vibe. Sorry.

I am, I’m really sorry, but sadly, the things that are interesting at the moment are not great news for us all - fuel, world events, technology, it’s all a bit of a global fumble if we are to be honest.

There are some interesting things below, so bear with me. I learn’t a heck of a lot from Johnny Harris, I agree with those who want to keep the web away from the ‘big tech giants’ and I just love maps.

Still, with all the doom and gloom, there’s some fun Bonus Links at the bottom of the email that are genuinely fun and joyful :-)

Now, on with the ACTUAL content…

↓↓↓↓↓

Here’s the FIVE things that recently caught my eye.

#01

Port Map, Marsden Point
📱 via VesselFinder

This hits a bit differently right now with the current world affairs.

It’s a live map of ships moving in and out of Marsden Point, tankers, container vessels, bulk carriers, all tracked in real time.

It’s a worrying watch as we’ve only got SEVEN oil tankers on the move towards New Zealand. Not sure if this is the same number that’s been quoted by the authorities, but frankly, it’s hard to get the real numbers vs the numbers being spun. Especially tricky as this tracker only suggests one is confirmed and on it’s way to NZ - and that’s due in OCTOBER 2026!

#02

Endgame for the Open Web
📝 by Anil Dash

This is a bit of a line-in-the-sand from Anil.

I feel this push in 2026 - as I’ve not had a client or hear of many or any businesses harnessing something that’s different out there.

They all want the same thing, to be on the big platforms, to reach the masses, to join the other millions of users using the same tactics.

I totally agree with Anil that this open web (the version where anyone can publish, link, and build without permission) is being squeezed from all sides.

The web used to be something you could participate in. Now it’s increasingly something you publish into, and something else captures it and spits it back at you - be it a Google search snippet, an LLM, or just your device itself trying to be too smart - I mean i don’t need my fridge to tell me that I need to buy a new t-shirt as that one is looking a bit worn. /s

I think the uncomfortable part of all of this is, it’s not just being taken. It’s actually being absorbed by the giants of the world, and there’s not much we can do about it as we’ve designed infrastructure to just use the latest and greatest tools - the internet and the platforms being one of them.

#03

Sweden Is Bringing Back Books
📝 via Undark

This one feels like a quiet reversal of the last 15 years of the tech bubble since the early 2000s.

Sweden went all-in on digital classrooms, tablets, screens, the whole thing. Now they’re pulling back on it all and actually reinvesting in physical textbooks, handwriting, and even banning phones in schools (which is being applied on this side of the world too).

The reasoning is sound. It’s all about one word - which I can’t even get any of in this world… FOCUS.

Screens are now everywhere. Next to our roads showing us the latest sales (Apologies on behalf of all the ad industry) and even in our bedrooms where we now set alarm clocks...🤯

All the notifications, the attention. It’s mind boggling.

But the shift in Sweden is not anti-tech. It’s more of an anti-distraction mechanism for young malleable brains - which is something that I can definitely vouch for.

I’m tempted to get one of those lock boxes for my phone. But then what about that urgent email… Hmmmm, was it really urgent?

#04

The Modern Middle East, Explained
▶️ by Johnny Harris

This one actually blew my mind and it' has re-framed a lot of what I thought I knew about the Middle East.

I just had no idea, or maybe I was taught something differently in school (as I was from one of the countries involved in the re-drawing of the map).

Johnny is one of my favourite explainers at the moment. I am actually taken a back by the amount of energy that the US have spent shaping the region over time. Lines on maps, deals with very well known families. It now makes so much sense to why we are where we are right now.

#05

Have a F*cking Website
📝 by merritt k

The argument is simple.

It’s aimed towards the big tech folks on behalf of us “users” of the internet right now.

We don’t and never will have a piece of the internet until we stop relying on platforms to do it all for us.

The manifesto (disguised as a rant) says own your space on the internet.

1. Build a website.

2. Put your thoughts somewhere that isn’t on rented land.

3. Enjoy life

AI answers, cat videos and algorithms are not yours.

But a website IS yours. Fully yours to edit, shift, take down, make private, share - or whatever..

So go on, what are you waiting for? Grab a domain and do what Nike say to do.

Just do it.

(Or you could just go outside for a run :-) )

Bonus Links.

Here’s the fun section at the bottom of my email (i promise) … I love it when others share links to random sites… so here’s three more for you. Enjoy the world wide web. 🎉

1. Bonus Link

2. Bonus Link

3. Bonus Link

So, that’s all for now.

See you next time for more things that recently caught my eye.

MD

P.S. Feel free to reach out if you had any topic that you wanted me to cover here, or anything you read recently that made you think differently about the world.

P.P.S If you want to share it with a friend, you can send them here to subscribe.