I’ve been subscribed to ARS Technica for years. They’ve always been light and superficial, and just a bit clickbaity. Lately, I’ve drifted away because the ads were so numerous, I often couldn’t read the post at all. It’s because of sites like theirs that I finally installed an ad blocker. I know, I know…ad blockers are evil and steal income from people trying to pay their bills. But honestly, when you can’t see the content on the page, and can’t dismiss the ads, because they’re so large the close button is off-screen, the advertisers are just asking to be blocked.
Either that, or just don’t visit the site. And I did that (avoided sites) for a few years. But it’s getting ridiculous. Every site is now a flashing, pop-up infested irritation.
So, the ad blocker.
I’ve got back to reading Ars Technica posts with a bit less frustration, as a result.
I came across this post; “What would it take to build a self-sustaining astronaut ecosystem on Mars?” not long ago. Unlike a lot of their posts, this one is long, comprehensive, and super-interesting. It explores what would be necessary for people to live on Mars, either short-term or long term.
Enjoy,
The last Ptolemy Lane tale, The Return of the Peacemaker, now out!