(first: infinitysci.com I’m teaching a course on quantum theory, geared towards anyone and everyone that has an interest in physics but for whatever reason didn’t or couldn’t learn it.
Whether it’s due to bad, discouraging teachers, gaps in math knowledge, forces outside your control, whatever. You can be first to know when it launches by putting in your email here: infinitysci.com Only pre-req will be roughly grade 11 math. It will be the real deal, not edu-tainment, real education.
2025 has been declared the UN’s International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (whatever that means), so who knows, maybe it’'ll be useful for a job one day too…maybe…)
So it seems like TikTok is actually getting banned in the US on Sunday.
This makes me sad. I hadn’t logged on to TikTok for a long time until yesterday, and I was met with a bunch of faces that I didn’t realize I had missed quite a lot.
Many creators who had become friends, posting their “highlight reels”, or just signing on to give a (sometimes teary) goodbye.
For like the third time at this point? lol. It’s still not guaranteed.
Polymarket, where people bet with real money on things like this, still only has it at 84% chance by May 2025, despite the recent SCOTUS ruling. So still not 100%, however…
I think the reason it’s not higher is mainly due to technicalities in what counts as a “ban”. For example, if it’s not pulled from app stores, and the new administration decides to lift the ban, but it was still technically banned (with backup from SCOTUS) for a period of time, should that be enough for the market resolve to “yes”?
Anyway,
I was also reminded just how incredible the tiktok algorithm is compared to every other platform, and how much beauty and creativity is on that app.
Being mainly on YouTube and X these days, I had forgotten just how good TikTok was. It’s very obviously where an edge of humanity’s creativity lies. Despite what all the annoying detractors say. In a league of its own.
I’ve discovered so much amazing music and so many incredible artists from TikTok. I’ve also laughed (and cried) till it hurt.
And I’ve always felt like it was the most meritocratic of the platforms (biased ofc).
Not to mention it’s what allows me to be here writing this email to you today.
Not all hope is lost however, at the moment it does seem likely that the app will be restored in the US eventually even if it does get temporarily banned.
Anyway, that’s all I really have to say about it. Mainly just sad. I downloaded the red, actually fully chinese app, and though seeing the friendliness between the cultures is great, let’s be honest, the app sucks lol. It’s nowhere near the level of tiktok, and i’m not sure what will really pop up to fill the void.
Also funny that I’m in Canada so the app won’t even be banned for me, but my phone was bought in the US, account was set up in the US, connected to a US number, so I’ll probably lose access unless I change some setting or something I probably can’t be bothered to do.
And without 100M+ Americans, the most creative and (sometimes far too) outspoken people on the planet, the people that really made the app what it was and what it is, it definitely won’t feel the same.
In another life (on another app),
Chris
yeah the rednote app is virtually unusable. and, more than likely, they'll separate the servers anyway so people wanting to culture connect won't get that for long. the worst part to me is losing my saved content lol but, i went through the loss of vine, so been there, done that. of course tiktok is MUCH bigger than vine ever was -- and while it's not going away for everyone, it is, like you said, for people who truly do contribute most creatively.