The internet is also good
It has been awful to watch the fires in and around Los Angeles from a distance. I cannot imagine what it has been like to live through (or near) them, even for those who have not lost their homes or family members.
Access only to 24-hour television, Facebook, and worse, means that many Americans have no idea what is actually happening.
People who live elsewhere have a hard time comprehending the scale of L.A. I’ve spent time there, and I still struggle to understand it. This graphic I saw this week highlighted that if greater Los Angeles were its own state, it would be the nation’s eighth most populous.
One new service I learned about this week was the Watch Duty app, available for iOS, Android, or in a web browser.
Created by a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Watch Duty tracks fire risk and firefighting efforts in real time. It relies on verifiable information from a network of active and retired firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders; the information is not crowdsourced.
Our mission is to publish only the facts that provide true situational awareness in case of emergency, without editorialization or prediction. We honor integrity and correctness over speed or sensationalism so we can build and maintain trust with not only our community but our first responders. As such, we adhere to a strict code of conduct for all of our reporting.
By Wednesday morning Watch Duty had overtaken ChatGPT as the top free app in Apple’s App Store, with more than 1.4 million downloads in three days. I sent it to my nephew (attending UCLA, which remains safe from the fires) for its inclusion of evacuation shelters on its maps.
The app alerted people to more than 9,000 wildfires across 22 states in 2024, with a user base now topping 7 million. The team was also invited to participate in a White House roundtable on fires this year.
CEO John Mills chose not to call the app “Fire Duty” on purpose. As the impacts of climate change continue to affect more and more areas, Mills hopes the service can grow to report on flooding and other extreme weather events.
One @#$%ing thing
An annual membership to Watch Duty was an easy $24.99, as someone living in a fire-prone part of California. (What parts aren’t, these days?)
As a member I also get tiny graphics of firefighting aircraft in the air, although I do hope some numnutz doesn’t use this info to disable another plane with a @#$%ing drone.
I also gave Watch Duty an additional (tax-deductible) donation, because I believe in supporting people who are using the internet for good: delivering real information in real time, in the service of saving lives.
All the @#$%ing things
Night 38: Removed Meta apps from my phone
Night 37: Added a new subscription for politics and culture news
Night 36: Catalogued things we know about Memlon Fuchs
Night 35: Described an early MAGA rift
Night 34: The gap between what voters want and what they’re getting
Night 33: An editorial policy of sorts
Night 32: Requesting records when medical claims are denied
Night 31: Things I’ve learned about money laundering
Night 30: Turned to the words of Frederick Douglass
Night 29: Canceled my OpenAI subscription
Night 28: Donated money to three orgs
Night 27: Addressed a hazardous tile floor
Night 26: Picked up trash with the Trash Falcons
Night 25: Learned more about Pete Hegseth than I wanted to
Night 24: Canceled recurring subscriptions I no longer need
Night 23: Dwelt in gratitude
Night 22: Picked up pie from a favorite local business
Night 21: Downsized my clothes closet
Night 20: Increased my monthly contribution to the ACLU
Night 19: Deleted a blog from two decades ago
Night 18: Researched nonprofit board opportunities
Night 17: Contributed to Trans Lifeline
Night 16: Spent time together with loved ones
Night 15: Bought from a not-for-profit online store
Night 14: Refined an icon and wordmark
Night 13: Contributed to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
Night 12: Contributed to The Guardian
Night 11: Read, reflected, and rested
Night 10: Sent money to support vaccinations in Nigeria
Night 9: Sent money to a friend in need
Night 8: Gave gifts and spoke words of appreciation aloud
Night 7: Contributed to a California-focused nonprofit newsroom
Night 6: Made homemade donuts for my team
Night 5: Opted into a paid Buttondown tier
Night 4: Reviewed my local election results
Night 3: Deactivated my X account
Night 2: Contributed to my local nonprofit newsroom
Night 1: Started by starting
Words, sorts, thinks, and actions by Chris Ereneta, from Oakland, California. Thanks for reading! Consider forwarding this to a friend! Thoughtful feedback and questions are welcomed at that.often@gmail.com