The Desk — Edition 83
Welcome to the 83rd issue of the Desk. The Desk is my weekly newsletter covering newly published content and project updates.
Welcome to the 83rd issue of The Desk — my weekly roundup of newly published content, project updates, and recommendations. Whether you’re following along for tutorials, blog posts, GitHub projects, or curated reads, there’s something for everyone building or exploring in tech, content, and open-source spaces.
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📝 New Blog Posts
In case you missed last week's The Desk edition:
The Desk — Edition 82
Welcome to the 82nd issue of the Desk. The Desk is my weekly newsletter covering newly published content and project updates.
Brandon Himpfen
Here is last week's posts from my blog:
The Awesome Lists Roadmap: Current Scope and What’s Ahead
A clear roadmap for the Awesome Lists project outlining its current scope, category structure, and planned expansions across AI, data, engineering, sustainability, and more, with a forward-looking view of what’s ahead.
Brandon Himpfen
Digital Marketing
Recent analysis and reporting from Bold Outlook, covering search, platforms, and AI in digital systems:
Google Deploys New AI Model to Strengthen Fraud Detection in Ads Platform
Google has deployed a new AI model called ALF to improve fraud detection in Google Ads, achieving major gains in precision and recall by analyzing advertiser behavior across text, images, video, and account signals.
Brandon Himpfen
“AI Is Everywhere” Curation Is Becoming More Valuable Than Search But That’s Not the Interesting Part
As AI-driven content explodes, curation is gaining importance over search. This analysis examines why selection, trust, and constraint are becoming core to digital infrastructure, and what that reveals about modern information systems.
Brandon Himpfen
Google’s Mueller Clarifies ‘Page Indexed Without Content’ Error in Search Console
Google’s John Mueller explains why the “Page indexed without content” status in Search Console is usually caused by server or CDN blocking, not JavaScript, and why the issue should be treated as urgent.
Brandon Himpfen
Google’s Mueller Weighs In on SEO vs. GEO Debate as AI Referrals Grow
Google Search Advocate John Mueller addresses the SEO vs. GEO debate, urging site owners to focus on audience data and referral traffic as AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini reshape online discovery.
Brandon Himpfen
Travel Intelligence
New work from Brandon Travel, focused on how travel systems, constraints, and incentives actually function:
Turning Travel Information Into Reusable Building Blocks
An analytical look at how travel information can be structured as reusable building blocks, explaining pricing, infrastructure, regulation, and tradeoffs that shape travel decisions.
Brandon Himpfen
The Minimum Viable Destination Guide: What Every Country Page Needs
A practical framework for building effective country travel guides. Learn what every destination page needs to help travelers assess safety, cost, visas, infrastructure, and fit without overwhelming them.
Brandon Himpfen
Travel Blogging
Recent articles from Travel Bloggers Network, exploring sustainable growth, structure, and long-term publishing strategy:
What Successful Travel Blogs Actually Have in Common
What do successful travel blogs really have in common? A practical look at the shared strategies, structures, and mindset behind blogs that grow sustainably, earn trust, and stand the test of time.
Brandon Himpfen
Solo Travel
New posts from Solo Traveler, centered on solo-first travel realities, safety, and independent decision-making:
Why Solo Travelers Need Different Information Than Groups
Solo travelers face different risks, costs, and decisions than groups. This article explains why solo-first travel information matters and how group-focused advice often fails independent travelers.
Brandon Himpfen
Solo Road Trip: Tips for a Successful Journey
A practical, supportive guide to planning a solo road trip with confidence. Learn how to prepare, manage costs, stay safe, and adapt thoughtfully while traveling alone by car.
Brandon Himpfen
Solo Travel Society
Community-driven reflections and analysis from Solo Travel Society, grounded in lived experience and shared insight:
What Solo Travelers Needed Most in 2025 (According to Our Community) - Solo Travel Society
Our most-read solo travel posts of 2025 reveal what travelers truly prioritized: energy, safety, first-trip confidence, lived experience, and smarter planning. Here’s what resonated—and why it matters.
Brandon Himpfen
Why Solo Travelers Often Overprepare And What That Reveals - Solo Travel Society
Why do solo travelers often overprepare? This reflective piece explores the psychology behind overplanning, what it reveals about independence and trust, and how preparation evolves with experience.
Brandon Himpfen
The Solo Travel Society and the Solo Traveler are apart of Solo Traveler Media, a company designed to empower solo travelers through tools, content and community.
📝 New Newsletter Posts
LinkedIn Newsletters
Last week’s issues from my LinkedIn-hosted newsletters, covering crypto, AI, and digital marketing:
Crypto & FinTech Weekly Issue 2
January 05, 2026 👋 Welcome back. Crypto & FinTech Weekly is a curated overview of developments at the intersection of digital assets, financial infrastructure, regulation, and financial technology.
Brandon H.
AI Weekly Issue 2
January 05, 2026 👋 Welcome back. AI Weekly is a curated overview of developments across artificial intelligence, machine learning, and applied AI systems.
Brandon H.
Digital Marketing Weekly Issue 3
January 05, 2026 👋 Welcome back. Digital Marketing Weekly is a curated overview of developments across SEO, content, social, analytics, and digital growth strategy.
Brandon H.
Substack Newsletters
New Substack posts published across my personal, travel, and technology newsletters:
The Ecosystem Map: What I’m Building and Why It’s Connected
How my projects fit together, what they’re for, and the philosophy behind building an interconnected body of work.
Brandon Himpfen
What “Location Independent” Actually Requires
The structural, legal, and operational realities behind working without a fixed base.
Brandon Himpfen
Why Travel Bloggers Weekly Exists
Practical guidance for building a sustainable travel blog.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to TypeScript Weekly
News, tools, and resources from the TypeScript ecosystem—curated weekly.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to Golang Weekly
News, tools, and resources from the Go ecosystem—curated weekly.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to React Weekly
News, tools, and resources from the React ecosystem—curated weekly.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to JavaScript Weekly
News, tools, and resources from the JavaScript ecosystem—curated weekly.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to Node Weekly
News, tools, and resources from the Node.js ecosystem—curated weekly.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to Python Weekly
News, tools, and resources from the Python ecosystem—curated weekly.
Brandon Himpfen
Welcome to Digital Nomads Network
Remote work didn’t create digital nomads. It simply made them visible.
Brandon Himpfen
Why Solo Travel Weekly Exists
Practical insight and reassurance for people who travel alone
Brandon Himpfen
On Observing Toronto
Notes on observing Toronto at a human pace.
Brandon Himpfen
Autonomy, As It Actually Exists
Systems, automation, and human oversight in autonomous flight.
Brandon Himpfen
You Don’t Need More Traffic — You Need Better Alignment
Why many travel blogs stall not because of reach, but because their audience, content, and goals are misaligned.
Travel Bloggers Network
Ranking vs. Results: Why “Position” Doesn’t Equal Outcomes Anymore
Why Search Visibility Has Become a Measurement Problem, Not a Placement Problem.
Brandon Himpfen
🛠️ New Code Snippets
As mentioned last week, I'm aiming to publish, on average, two code snippets per week. Here are this past weeks code snippets:
Read a file line-by-line in Go using bufio.Scanner (with basic error handling and flags for long lines).
Read a file line-by-line in Go using bufio.Scanner (with basic error handling and flags for long lines). - go-read-file-line-by-line.go
262588213843476
SQL pagination patterns: LIMIT/OFFSET vs keyset (seek) pagination, with copy-paste queries, indexing tips, and examples for Postgres/MySQL.
SQL pagination patterns: LIMIT/OFFSET vs keyset (seek) pagination, with copy-paste queries, indexing tips, and examples for Postgres/MySQL. - sql-pagination-patterns.md
262588213843476
🛠️ Updated GitHub Repos
Here are notable updates to existing GitHub repositories:
GitHub - morningbrieftech/morningbrief.tech
Contribute to morningbrieftech/morningbrief.tech development by creating an account on GitHub.
morningbrieftech
GitHub - morningstack/morningstack.io
Contribute to morningstack/morningstack.io development by creating an account on GitHub.
morningstack
GitHub - awesomelistsio/awesome-list: Template to create your own awesome list.
Template to create your own awesome list. Contribute to awesomelistsio/awesome-list development by creating an account on GitHub.
awesomelistsio
I’m constantly improving my GitHub repositories to make them more useful for both contributors and end users.
📚 Recommended Reading
Here are a few standout articles and blog posts I recommend checking out this week:
OpenAI to acquire the team behind executive coaching AI tool Convogo | TechCrunch
OpenAI is acquiring the team behind executive coaching AI tool Convogo in an all-stock deal, adding to the firm’s M&A spree.
Rebecca Bellan
Gmail is entering the Gemini era
Learn more about the next era of Gmail, now using Gemini 3 and Personal Intelligence.
Blake Barnes
Illinois health department exposed over 700,000 residents’ personal data for years | TechCrunch
The security lapse exposed personal information belonging to residents who received state benefits.
Zack Whittaker
European Space Agency initiates criminal probe into breach
exclusive: Two weeks, two major data leaks … not a good look for the European Space Agency
Jessica Lyons
Critical jsPDF flaw lets hackers steal secrets via generated PDFs
The jsPDF library for generating PDF documents in JavaScript applications is vulnerable to a critical vulnerability that allows an attacker to steal sensitive data from the local filesystem by including it in generated files.
Bill Toulas
Former Google CEO plans to singlehandedly fund a Hubble telescope replacement
“This is a very significant contribution to the astronomical community.”
Eric Berger
JPMorganChase takes over Apple Card from Goldman Sachs
The deal ends more than a year of speculation of who would take over Apple’s coveted credit card portfolio.
Catherine Leffert
Ongoing Attacks Exploiting Critical RCE Vulnerability in Legacy D-Link DSL Routers
A critical flaw in legacy D-Link DSL routers lets unauthenticated attackers run commands and hijack DNS, with active exploitation reported.
The Hacker News
Morgan Stanley files for bitcoin and solana ETFs, deepening crypto push
Wall Street heavyweight files for bitcoin trust amid rising institutional demand.
Ledger customers impacted by third-party Global-e data breach
Ledger is informing some customers that their personal data has been exposed after hackers breached the systems of third-party payment processor Global-e.
Bill Toulas
Ethereum Network Usage Hits Record High—But Traders More Bullish on Gold - Decrypt
Ethereum’s daily transactions hit a record 2.02M driven by RWA tokenization, yet prediction markets show traders are more bullish on gold.
Akash Girimath
New n8n Vulnerability (9.9 CVSS) Lets Authenticated Users Execute System Commands
Critical n8n flaw CVE-2025-68668 allows authenticated users to run system commands via workflows; affects versions 1.0.0 to before 2.0.0, fixed in 2.0
The Hacker News
Goldman Sachs (GS) sees regulation driving next wave of institutional crypto adoption
Regulatory clarity and expanding use cases beyond trading are setting the stage for deeper institutional participation in digital assets, the bank said.
You Could Get an Autonomous Taxi Ride from the Waymo Ojai Later This Year
Waymo is gearing up to start adding its new self-driving van, built by Chinese automaker Zeekr, to its fleet of robotaxis in the United States.
Caleb Miller
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health to connect user medical records, wellness apps
ChatGPT Health is not intended for diagnosis and treatment, OpenAI said.
Ashley Capoot
ClickFix attack uses fake Windows BSOD screens to push malware
A new ClickFix social engineering campaign is targeting the hospitality sector in Europe, using fake Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) screens to trick users into manually compiling and executing malware on their systems.
Bill Toulas
Hacktivist deletes white supremacist websites live onstage during hacker conference | TechCrunch
A hacker known as Martha Root broke in and deleted three white supremacist websites at the end of a talk during the annual hacker conference Chaos Communication Congress in Germany.
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
xAI raises $20 billion to expand Grok AI models and tools
xAI has raised $20 billion in Series E funding to expand its Colossus GPU clusters and advance Grok AI features for enterprise and developer use.
Alexey Shabanov
NVIDIA Announces Alpamayo Family of Open-Source AI Models and Tools to Accelerate Safe, Reasoning-Based Autonomous Vehicle Development
NVIDIA today unveiled the NVIDIA Alpamayo family of open AI models, simulation tools and datasets designed to accelerate the next era of safe, reasoning‑based autonomous vehicle (AV) development.
US broadband provider Brightspeed investigates breach claims
Brightspeed, one of the largest fiber broadband companies in the United States, is investigating security breach and data theft claims made by the Crimson Collective extortion gang.
Sergiu Gatlan
VSCode IDE forks expose users to “recommended extension” attacks
Popular AI-powered integrated development environment solutions, such as Cursor, Windsurf, Google Antigravity, and Trae, recommend extensions that are non-existent in the OpenVSX registry, allowing threat actors to claim the namespace and upload malicious extensions.
Bill Toulas
Boston Dynamics unveils production-ready version of Atlas robot at CES 2026
Boston Dynamics is making the final version of Atlas available to Hyundai and Google DeepMind first.
Ian Carlos Campbell
Critical vulnerability in IBM API Connect could allow authentication bypass
Rated 9.8 out of 10 in severity, the flaw could allow a remote attacker to gain unauthorized access to applications.
Lynn Greiner
Tokyo FM Data Breach: Hacker Claims Over 3 Million Records Stolen
Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter (X), Mastodon and Facebook at @Hackread
Deeba Ahmed
Google is testing a new image AI and it’s going to be its fastest model
Google is testing a new image AI model called “Nano Banana 2 Flash,” and it’s going to be as good as the Gemini 3 Pro Nano Banana, but it’ll be cheaper.
Mayank Parmar
These are curated for developers, creators, travelers, and digital professionals — with an eye on quality and depth.
Thanks for reading The Desk — Edition 83! If you found something valuable, feel free to share it or subscribe to keep up with future updates.
