13 Comments
Mar 20, 2022Liked by Vicki Boykis

I was so hoping you would write a piece about what is going on. Thank you so much for sharing! In a "senseless world", your writing helps makes things better! Thank you.

Expand full comment

All this resonated deeply with me, especially the story of the video from the apartment window in Kyiv. Curating Telegram group news feeds feels like contributing -- taking part in the conversation, the collective thinking. Feeling like a neuron in a larger brain. It helps. Builds hope that life will indeed go on everywhere.

Expand full comment
Mar 28, 2022Liked by Vicki Boykis

A career switch into data/tech took me professionally *out* working with people in the Russian speaking world trying to make things change there a couple years ago, and for the first time in my adult life, I find myself on the other side of the divide not 'doing something' during the day to align my hands with where my head is (thinking of all my terrified friends from Moldova to Kyrgyzstan). This piece really really hit home, the meaning these recsys group chats have been providing. Thank you. Мир и безопасность (насколько возможно даже сказать те слова) всем вашим...

Expand full comment
author

Thank you <3

Expand full comment
Mar 21, 2022Liked by Vicki Boykis

So glad to see you back. Even under these circumstances. My news obsession is Dailykos, which is also doing what seems to me to be top-of-the-heap reporting, and is probably ruining my career (6 hours on DK, 20 min on grant writing....).

Expand full comment

Since this started I've gone all in on Russian language telegram, I can't read any of it but Apple translate is pretty damn good these days. There are only a few swear words that it won't translate which is a minor inconvenience. Too bad it won't translate Ukranian, I hope they fix that soon. The most interesting group is a Russian language one just called HELL where they describe some of the chaos and changes inside of Russia. Also the ones where the Ukranians post pictures of captured and dead Russian conscripts is brutal; those kids look like my younger brothers. Sad times.

Expand full comment
author

How do you use Apple translate? Like you copy and paste or have it read it out?

Expand full comment

Long press the cyrllic text!

Expand full comment

It does a very good job (I assume) translating the text. There is one Russian swear word that I assume is so offensive or has no English meaning but they still translate into latin characters (khokhlyat). Would appreciate knowing what that offensive term means !!

Expand full comment
Mar 21, 2022Liked by Vicki Boykis

Thank you for sharing this ♥️

Expand full comment

Great piece

Expand full comment

Hi. How do you decide what to publish on blog and what to release on Newsletter? I mean I will simply mark your email as important but I'm still curious. Do you plan to start podcast in future?

Expand full comment
author

Hey, this is a tricky question. So usually newsletter is for more ephemeral stuff that goes in and out of the news cycle and my blog is for more lower-level technical topics. No plans for a podcast :)

Expand full comment