AnActOfCreation

• Gal Gadot suggested that political pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel contributed to Disney’s Snow White underperforming at the box office, though she acknowledged other factors played a role.

• The film, starring Gadot and Rachel Zegler, earned $87 million domestically compared to higher-performing Disney remakes; Zegler faced criticism for her pro-Palestine stance during promotion.

• Gadot emphasized she enjoyed working with Zegler, said her “conscience is clean” regarding support for Israel, and expressed hope for peace and safety for all people.

Rather than simply hiring their workers as employees or providing fair wages and benefits, DoorDash is asking independent contractors to lobby Congress on their behalf to "help companies explore" ways of maybe, someday, offering access to things like healthcare or paid time off. Instead of taking responsibility, they’re pushing for legislative loopholes that let them keep the flexibility of gig labor while offloading the cost of basic protections.

(Apologies if this is not the right community to post this.)

Does anyone have any tips for finding DVD/Blu-ray special features? I primarily use Prowlarr as my indexer aggregator, but when I search for something like <movie name> special features, I usually come up empty. I'm not sure if there's a specific indexer that's more likely to include them or if I'm just out of luck.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

HBO defended J.K. Rowling's involvement in its upcoming "Harry Potter" TV series, emphasizing her creative contributions and her right to express personal views despite controversy over her anti-trans statements.

Rowling's outspoken gender-related beliefs have deeply divided the Harry Potter fanbase, with some advocating for boycotts and others finding ways to reconcile their love for the franchise while opposing her views.

Despite fan backlash and fractured enthusiasm, the "Wizarding World" franchise remains commercially strong, and Rowling appears unfazed by criticism, continuing to focus on her advocacy and involvement in the new series.

Social media platforms like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) tolerate a wide range of content but restrict public tracking of celebrities' private jet routes, citing privacy concerns.

Meta suspended accounts run by Jack Sweeney, who used public data to track jets of prominent figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, highlighting privacy risks for powerful individuals.

The article points out the irony of Meta's selective privacy enforcement, given its ongoing issues with protecting users from harmful content like disinformation and predatory behavior.

Firefox users criticized the permanent 'List All Tabs' button introduced in version 131.0, leading Mozilla to make it removable.

The button, designed to manage hidden tabs and prevent add-ons from hiding them, received backlash for being unnecessary alongside Firefox View.

Mozilla responded with a fix in version 131.0.3, allowing users to remove the button through toolbar customization.

Linus Torvalds expressed frustration over the use of passive voice in merge commit messages, preferring active and imperative language instead.

He provided an example of how commit messages should be rewritten for clarity and consistency across the project.

Torvalds noted that while it's not a major issue, it does add extra work when he has to rewrite messages to match his preference.

Two Boston Public School administrators, Natasha Halfkenny and Coreen Miranda, used donated "Hamilton" tickets intended for students to take their sons, who were not Boston Public School students.

Both administrators paid $4,000 civil penalties for violating the state's conflict of interest law by denying three students the opportunity to attend the show.

Coreen Miranda and her sons had already attended and enjoyed the same "Hamilton" performance a month prior to taking the tickets again for the March 1, 2023 show.

Mozilla Thunderbird for Android is now available in beta, built upon the K-9 Mail app.

The beta includes core email features like account setup, email organization, and notifications, with feedback encouraged from users.

Thunderbird for Android will remain a separate app from K-9 Mail, requiring users to migrate if they previously used K-9.

Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, faced backlash over his new wallpaper app, Panels, due to its high subscription cost ($49.99/year) and concerns over excessive data permissions.

Brownlee acknowledged user feedback, promising to adjust ad frequency for free users and address privacy concerns, clarifying that the app's data disclosures were broader than intended.

The app, which offers curated wallpapers and shares profits with artists, aims to improve over time, despite criticisms of its design and monetization approach.

Open source software is essential to the global economy, public services, and international organizations, yet many critical projects remain underfunded, highlighting the need for sustainable support.

The United Nations and other public institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of open source, with initiatives like the Global Digital Compact and various national funds dedicated to supporting open source projects.

GitHub is actively involved in bridging the sustainability gap through initiatives like GitHub Sponsors, the FOSS Sustainability Fund, and resources for open source maintainers, emphasizing the need for collaborative investment from both public and private sectors.