Weekly links 2022-03-07: Ukraine still holds edition

As I’m writing this, Russia’s attempted invasion into Ukraine has devolved into what can only be described as a quagmire, both in humanitarian and military logistics terms. The Russians are apparently preparing to storm Kyiv in the next 24-96 hours.

Given that Russia is likely rapidly exhausting the military manpower it can readily use and facing, uh, some economic pressure, I fear the current “comedy of logistical incompetence” devolves into a “horrible pile of war crimes” as the Russian leadership gets increasingly desperate to make gains under mounting internal pressure.

In any case, here’s a list of links to distract you:

• Sonic Robo Blast 2 is a fan-made 3d sonic game built using the Doom engine. It’s a lot of fun! Given it’s built using the doom engine it plays on almost anything - Android, windows, MacOS, etc. There are also cool mods from the original game, like a Mario Kart game with a hundred or so levels. The source code is public, so go wild if you’re inclined to get into it

• William Langewiesche’s write up of the El Faro disaster is, honestly, the most terrifying thing I’ve ever read. It’s extremely well written.

• To Build a Fire is a short story by Jack London. It’s about a man setting off on an ill-guided journey at a comfortable -55° celsius in 1890’s Yukon. It comes from Jacob Geller’s excellent video essay fear of the cold. I won’t spoil the ending for you.